Marcelle the Mr. Mime was apparently a very adept communicator. Cassius watched intently as he performed a quick, practiced series of signs before the small crowd that had gathered inside the nursery's incubation room. Debra served as the translator for them all, communicating Marcelle's signs to them.

"It started not long after we took it in," Debra relayed slowly from Marcelle's point of view. "Our younger Pokémon spoke to me of hearing mysterious whispers in the night. Originally, we feared an infestation from a few mischievous Ghost-types, but the local Rangers came by and found nothing out of the ordinary when they investigated. Not even a day later, our Pokémon began describing odd dreams that were almost all exactly alike. Dreams of slumber, lights, people... and pain."

Diane motioned to the egg in question—which didn't seem to be all that out of the ordinary, aside from maybe being a little larger compared to the others sitting beside it in separate incubation enclosures. "I found this egg dropped by our doorstep a few evenings ago. That isn't so uncommon—we often receive Pokémon in this way, whether they are hatched or not. I didn't think anything of it until Marcelle told me of these... whispers and dreams. In all my time as a researcher and running this nursery, I had never witnessed a talking egg in-person."

"Whispers from an egg..." Hop muttered. "You sound like you've heard of such a thing before. Have you?"

"Rarely," Diane answered. "Recorded instances are very uncommon occurrences, and have a multitude of variations in of themselves, but they do share a few commonalities. Perhaps least surprisingly, most, if not all have involved Psychic-type eggs. Since that typing represents the overwhelming majority of Pokémon species capable of telepathic thought and advanced learning of human speech, it would be safe to assume this egg follows the same trend."

"But there are others?" Cassius asked.

"Well, a few outliers. A decent number of Ghost-types can understand human language, Chatots are experts at mimicry, and a scarce few other Pokémon with high enough intelligence and developed vocal cords might be capable of a few words or lines of speech. But in the case of these talking eggs, they all hatched as Psychic-type Pokémon, and in some cases..."

She trailed off, her sentence ending abruptly. "In some cases what?" Hop prompted her to continue.

It took her a moment to speak again. "No, never mind. I let my mind wander."

"Now's not really the time to hold out on us, 'specially if you want us to take the egg off your hands," Gloria countered.

"I..." Diane started, before eventually agreeing. "Yes, you're right, my apologies. I was going to say that in some cases, talking eggs hatched as... legendary Pokémon."

The room fell deathly quiet after that. Sensing the unease she'd spoken into existence, Diane quickly continued. "But, every one of those eggs were high-profile news on a global scale. The Baby Lugia some decades ago is one such example; and though it was perhaps not technically an egg, the incident in Alola with the Cosmoem also serves as an adequate reference. The point being, these eggs are closely monitored and serve as a once-in-a-generation occurrence—and they certainly aren't treated with such disregard as to be thrown at a public nursery's doorstep in the dead of night."

Coping or not, Cassius was ready to buy that reasoning. Cassius hadn't been alive for the Baby Lugia craze—Diane was kind of underselling it, even by describing it as a few decades ago—his dad had said that he was a kid when that whole ordeal had happened. More recently, the Cosmoem in Alola evolving from its dormant state into an entire legendary Pokémon had been everywhere. Anything to do with legendary Pokémon was instant front-page news in every continent. Unless someone had dropped the spawn of one of the strongest Pokémon on the planet off at a random orphanage for fun or as some backwards social experiment, they could safely rule that out.

"More likely, it's a particularly strong Psychic-type Pokémon. One very in-touch with its psychic abilities, learning the language around it as it begins to form its own thoughts and sense of self. Traits like these are evident in Pokémon like Beldum, Ralts, or even a particularly well-bred Solosis," Debra theorized. "The problem here is that it is communicating with and projecting dreams unto young, impressionable Pokémon that we are in charge of developing, and in some cases raising. Though its dreams aren't physically painful, and from what Marcelle has told us, the things it says are simple in nature, they nonetheless pose a potential mental issue to our Pokémon. Thus, we have resorted to asking you to care for it in our stead."

"I suppose older, trained Pokémon wouldn't be so affected by sudden thoughts or dreams popping into their heads," Hop rationalized.

"You consider the Rangers at all?" Gloria asked. "Figure somethin' like this would be right up their alley."

"Potentially, but they're spread thin enough as it is. And then they would likely keep it who knows where, packed in with a host of other younger Pokémon, and we'd essentially have the same problem, just out of our hands," Diane said. "Eager as I am to return to some semblance of normalcy, I am not willing to foist the problem onto an unsuspecting party and have other Pokémon suffer for it."

She turned to them, eyes finding Cassius specifically. "I understand this is a tall order, and you are under no obligation to accept. We will not think less of you for declining, rest assured. We only mean to inquire, and see if you would be willing to take on this responsibility."

And some responsibility it was. A Pokémon potentially so volatile and strong that it was communicating as a yet-born egg. Likely not in any malicious way (imagine that—a malicious, unborn Pokémon), but cumbersome all the same. A part of him was almost curious as to the finer details of what that might have entailed—since Hyla was part Dark-type, did that mean she automatically resisted any Psychic-type thoughts? Or since it wasn't an attack, did that not apply?

Diane's eyes remained on him. "I'm not sure," Cassius said, for lack of anything better or smarter.

"Of course, we wouldn't leave you to deal with it entirely on your own. Should you encounter any problems with it, or require any advice, I'd be happy to help walk you through it. Really, Pokémon eggs are not that difficult to take care of singularly—simply keep them heated, and out of harm's way. An incubator does wonders for both tasks, and I would be more than willing to give you one for your travels."

She continued on with a cautious tone, despite her words. "Of course, the real challenge will come after the egg hatches. I will of course offer to assist in whatever way I can, but if you are to take on this responsibility, I'm sure you do not need me to tell you how challenging raising a newborn from any species is."

That was the crux of the issue. Was the potential of a rare and strong Psychic-type worth the time it would take to raise it? He was still working through it in his head.

To Diane's first point, he supposed it made sense that he couldn't leave the egg out in the open for potential predators to have at. With an incubator, caring for the egg would be theoretically easy. As long as the incubator held up, all that would be left to do was watch over it and wait for it to hatch. Whatever was in there. A mysterious talking egg, that spoke of dreams and pain.

It would have been easy to say no. It wasn't like Diane was forcing him or anything. On the other side, he did owe Diane for helping him get a clearer understanding of how to handle Korvis. They seemed like good people, too. They ran a legit operation here, and it was potentially being put in jeopardy by this weird egg. Even beyond the rep he would get from helping them out, it felt like the right thing to do.

Perhaps more long-term, however, the benefit of receiving a strong Psychic-type Pokémon could serve him very well. The fourth gym in the challenge would be Bea's, the Fighting-type leader. The egg would have to hatch first, and he would then have to subsequently raise it up from a baby Pokémon into fighting shape, but if he could get a Psychic-type like a Ralts or Solosis ready in time for that fight, it would prove to be a huge bonus in that fight.

But Hop had also impressed on him the struggles of raising baby Pokémon when they had initially set out. "You have to teach them to eat, move, and plenty more. It goes without saying that you have hardly the time to babysit during the challenge." That wouldn't suddenly become moot if he decided to take on an egg.

He needed further consult. "Can I get a moment to talk it over real quick?"

"Of course," Diane acquiesced. Cassius motioned back outside to Hop and Gloria both, the trio reentering the backyard and moving some ways away from the door for privacy's sake.

"So," Cassius started. "I'm guessing you two aren't interested."

"No," came two immediate replies. "You are?" Hop asked after.

Cassius shrugged noncommittally. "Well, that's what I brought you two out here to talk about."

"Please be serious," Gloria sighed. "Where're you gonna find the time to care for a baby Pokémon?"

Fair point. "Yeah, but I mean... a Ralts or a Solosis would be nice. Or a Beldum—could you imagine that?"

"You're thinkin' in terms of Pokémon. You needty think in terms of life," Gloria stressed. "S'a baby. Isnae gonna know shit outta that egg. Forget battlin', you're gonna needty teach it to walk, eat, everythin' it needs to do to live."

"I know," Cassius conceded. "But I mean, I raised Hyla from when she was young. How different could it be?"

"From when she was young. Not a baby. There's a difference."

"Then I'll learn."

"Sure," Gloria seemed unconvinced. "Say you get a Beldum. D'you know anythin' about raising a Pokémon like that? Or what about a Ralts? Those're notoriously hard to raise—they're extremely sensitive emotionally, and even the tiniest blow-up can scar 'em mentally for life. Never mind the complications that arise from raisin' 'nd ownin' an overly-attached Gardevoir. Because those stories always end up well in the news."

Cassius rubbed his temples. "What does any of that have to do with me?"

"I dunno, you tell me. You can tell a lot about a man based on what they think about a Gardevoir." Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "You're not a perv, are you?"

"Alright, alright," Hop quickly jumped in. "I think we're all very clear on what's involved with this decision. I think what it boils down to is whether or not Cassius thinks it's worth the responsibilities that come with taking on an egg."

He turned to Cassius. "Mate. Are you absolutely certain this is what you wanna do? And are you prepared for what happens if you say yes?"

Certain was maybe a bit of a strong word, but Cassius had been slowly convincing himself the more he'd spoken with Gloria about it. "Look, you two were the ones who told me that I'd need to get creative throughout the challenge when it came to battling, and I'm not sure about you, but I think extending that mindset to team construction also applies. Circumstances aside, it's a rare Pokémon! How many times am I gonna come across an opportunity like this to get one literally for free?"

"An absolutely valid point," Hop concurred. "I think what Gloria's trying to say is that you can't treat a baby Pokémon as your ticket to more wins in the circuit. It's a living, breathing thing that needs love, patience, and attention. Raising it is gonna mean more than teaching it strong moves."

"I know," Cassius stressed, before blanching slightly. "Did... did you think I was gonna treat it like something I would only ever raise for the sake of battling?"

"No no no," Hop quickly waved away. "Just, you know, you're still new to this. Makin' sure your priorities are straight and all."

"I mean, was there anything I said that made you think otherwise? I like to think I've done a good job with Hyla, not to mention Korvis and Sizzlipede. I'm not some heartless asshole who thinks Pokémon are things to be used solely for battle."

"No really, you're fine. Promise."

"... do I need to actually verbally tell you that I wouldn't do anything weird with a Gardevoir?"

"Arceus, enough," Gloria cut in this time. "Look, if you think you know what you're doin', fine, do it. If it goes tits up, s'on you. Got it?"

There was plenty more that Cassius wanted to say, but for fear of inciting more of Gloria's wrath, he kept words to a minimum. "Got it."

"And hey, it's not like you'll be in this alone," Hop reentered the conversation, over his initial embarrassment. "We'll help you however we can."

"We will?" Gloria's eyes narrowed, before receiving an elbow to the ribs with a squawk.

"Okay..." Cassius muttered, before mustering up more confidence. "Okay. Thanks, you two. I appreciate you helping me make up my mind on this."

There was a decent chance he would end up way over his head in this, but Hop had stressed to him early on that he would need to take some risks to go far in the challenge to make up for his lack of experience. Taking on a potentially strong Pokémon through unconventional means could be one such way to make up for that deficiency. Time would tell, but it was a risk he was willing to take.

And if it didn't work out, well... he could say that he gave it his best shot, right?

With his mind made up, he returned inside to where Diane was waiting. "Have you reached a decision, dear?"

Cassius took a breath. "I'll do it," he spoke. "I'll take the egg."

Diane seemed appreciative, but apparently wanted to make sure. "As long as you know the challenge you're in for. Raising a baby Pokémon is no easy feat—I would know."

"I know," Cassius nodded. "Even so, I want it."

Diane held his gaze, before sighing in relief. "Very well, then. Thank you, Mr. Hargreaves. It is a great relief to know that this Pokémon is being passed off to such a strong, kind, and capable trainer. I'm sure it will be quite happy in your care."

She was laying it on a little thick, but Cassius didn't mind. "No problem. Happy to help."

"Not like you had much of a choice anyway," Gloria jabbed a thumb in the egg's direction. "Lookit."

While they had been distracted in talking to each other, Sizzlipede had apparently slinked her way in and settled herself atop the egg, resting her warm coils around it. Cassius paled. "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry—"

"Don't be," Diane quickly waved off. "Your Sizzlipede might be doing us a favor. It is getting colder out, and the egg needs to be kept at at least room temperature, so if you're going to be traveling much, perhaps warming the egg could give your Sizzlipede something to do when it isn't training."

Somehow, Cassius doubted Sizzlipede was that charitable. "I think she just wanted to see what all the hoopla with the egg was. She can be very... eager, when she's curious." He just hoped she wasn't thinking about eating it.

"Or perhaps maternal," Diane joked. "She might make an exceptional mother to that Pokémon when it is born. There are worse Pokémon to imprint upon than a Sizzlipede, or even a Centiskorch."

Because the one thing Cassius needed was another Pokémon like Sizzlipede crawling around, with psychic powers to boot. "Yeah. For sure."

"Here are your supplements I promised—an entire box full, as thanks for today," Diane passed off to him. "And my contact information, as well. If you ever have any questions about your Pokémon, regarding either the egg or your own, do not hesitate to call me. I would be pleased to help you however I can."

Cassius proceeded to take down her information into his phone. Hop and Gloria were waiting for him outside, leaving him to clean up business inside with Diane. They'd just wrapped up getting a few pictures together in the nursery and around the Pokémon, as they'd originally intended to, and had already forwarded them to Caroline.

This trip had suddenly turned very eventful, and almost equally as profitable. The boost to their rep aside, Cassius couldn't ignore the benefit of having someone as smart as Diane in his corner to help out whenever he needed her, free of both charge, and maybe just as important, suspicion.

"And of course, your incubator." The rectangular container was white and new-looking, with a faintly warm glow emanating from inside of it. "We get donations from Macro Cosmos every now and again, and this was one of the newer portable models they developed and are rolling out for trainers. We were fortunate enough to receive a few in stock before they were officially released."

"What's it do?" Cassius asked, eyeing it carefully.

Diane was happy to demonstrate. "Observe." Placing the egg in the incubator, she sealed the hatch shut before thumbing a switch on the device. Immediately, the incubator shrunk, stopping at about a fourth of its original size. Cassius' eyes widened in awe. "It shrinks?"

"One particularly ingenious individual finally thought up the idea of utilizing technology present in PC storage and Poké Balls for incubators. Half of the struggle of taking an egg with you during your travels is having to lug it around with you everywhere—it's much easier to do so when an incubator is something you can latch onto your belt alongside your other capsules."

It looked much more manageable, that was for sure. While it was certainly bigger than a Poké Ball, even in its shrunken state, it wasn't by much. He literally could clip it to his belt like a keychain.

Still, he had to be sure. "And there are no defects with it?"

"None," Diane assured. "When the egg is close to hatching, the incubator automatically returns to its original size. And should anything malfunction structurally, it will re-enlarge and automatically eject the egg into a separate protective wrapping that can withstand wide variances in blunt force and temperature."

They fit all of that into an incubator? "Wow."

"Indeed," Diane concurred with a laugh. "There is much that science can accomplish with time and funding, and Macro Cosmos has plenty of both."

Hop and Gloria were waiting outside for him. "Thanks again for the help, Diane. I really appreciate it."

"Please, I should be thanking you, young man," Diane scoffed. "You've really helped us out here today. And on a personal level, I feel a great sense of relief in knowing that Pokémon will be going to such a kindhearted trainer. I've little doubt you'll make a great partner for whatever comes out of that egg."

"Thank you." While they were on the subject, though... "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, dear."

"Do you have any idea of what might be in the egg?"

Diane's face fell slightly. "That, I'm afraid, I cannot help you with. The simple fact is that there isn't much I can identify with this particular egg."

Cassius eyed the incubator housing the egg. "Really?"

"Yes. While most eggs do possess physical features that can help identify a specific species, it is not always the case, especially for cross-breeding. It's a very fickle science, and since I have no way of identifying the mother and father of the egg presently, there's only so many assumptions I can make from my eyes alone—and as I'm sure you know, the eye test is about as far-removed from a sure thing as you can be within the realm of science."

She joined him in looking at the egg. "All I can safely deduce is that it is very likely a Psychic-type, and a rare species as well. Its markings and size do not denote anything that would relate it to common species found in the wild. Any speculation beyond that is guesswork."

Yeah, Cassius probably should have figured that much. If she did know, she would have told him up front. "Oh well. Thanks anyways."

"Not a problem, dear. Oh, one final thing before you go," she stopped him. "We've finally scrounged enough to branch out into the advertising space, and among our first steps into that venture will be sponsoring trainers in this year's circuit. It will be our first time sponsoring, so I can't promise the money will be anything you might expect from other larger entities, but if you're at all interested, we'd love to sponsor you for the rest of the circuit as soon as you're eligible."

Cassius hadn't been expecting that. "Ma'am, please don't feel like you have to do that."

"Make no mistake, this isn't a decision solely rooted in personal interest, though I will admit it does provide a good excuse to thank you further for today," Diane assured him. "Having our business associated with a trainer of your calibre will do wonders for our image on a national stage. Seeing as we're a locally owned business with a limited marketing budget, using this chance to partner with a famous and acclaimed trainer backed by the champion is most certainly within our best interests."

A trainer of his caliber, huh... "You really think I'll make it that far?"

"You're sponsored by the champion, and have already notched one leg of the circuit in your belt," she explained simply. "I've little reason to believe otherwise. Or rather, seeing as you're a budding business partner, it would be in my best interest for you to go far in the gym challenge."

Diane smiled. "But, perhaps those are all excuses, valid though they may be. You're a sterling young man, Cassius, and I want to support you however I can. If sponsorship is the most effective means of doing so, then I'm happy to do so."

Coming here had been such a good idea on his part, it was almost surprising that he had been the one to suggest it, rather than Hop or Gloria or Caroline. Nevertheless, Cassius was more than open to the idea. "That'd be awesome, Diane. I can give you my agent's number later and put in a good word on your behalf. And hey, I'm not really hurting for money—maybe I can get you a sweetheart deal."

"Well, now I simply can't refuse, though I do question your business acumen," Diane laughed. "You'd best go on before I think of a way to rip you off even further."

"Sure," Cassius secured the shrunken incubator onto his belt and made for the door. "Thanks again, Diane. I'll be in touch with updates about the egg."

"Safe travels, Cassius. Best of luck the rest of the way."

Cassius rejoined his companions back outside on Route 5, and was met with varying looks. "What?"

"You handle yourself much better around older women than girls our age," Gloria noted with a quirked eyebrow. "Somethin' you'd like to tell us?"

"I've had enough of you for one day," Cassius spoke, turning to her. "First you call me a Gardephile, and now you're—" he froze. "What is that?"

Gloria stared at him blankly. So too did the Pokémon to her right. "What?"

"The Pokémon standing right next to you? Were you gonna mention that at all?"

She shrugged casually. "S'a Pokémon. What of it?"

Was she playing dumb on purpose? "I know that. Why is it with you?"

"She adopted it," Hop stepped in. "It showed interest in her, she liked it, and she decided to take it with her."

"Her," Gloria corrected. "I took her with me."

Cassius felt like he was losing his mind. "You adopted? When did this happen? When did you even find the time to check out the Pokémon at the nursery?"

"While you were out flirtin' with grandma over in the backyard when we first got here," Gloria answered. The Pokémon was actually a familiar one—it was the fluffy bear-looking one that had been frolicking with Hyla and Yamper earlier. "This is Stufful. She's strong as shit, and cute—ah, smart, I mean, to boot." The Pokémon, Stufful, bleated in greeting, though it sounded more like a cross between a yawn and a meow, for some reason.

"Were you not the one who told me weren't there to adopt?"

"Changed my mind. If you've a problem with it, you can kindly kiss m'arse."

In terms of weird things that had happened today, this ranked much lower, so Cassius wasn't as caught off-guard as he otherwise probably would have been. "Sure, whatever." He bent down to the Pokémon's eye level. "Hey, Stufful. Nice to meet you." He tried to reach out to pet her, but was quickly cut off via Gloria's hand stopping his arm. "Relax, I'm not gonna take her from you."

"Like you could," Gloria scoffed. "No, this is for your sake, muppet."

Cassius retracted his hand. "What, is it venomous or something?"

"Boy, imagine that," Hop muttered, before answering. "No, but she's equally as dangerous. Stufful as a species are incredibly strong, and can easily shatter a bone or five if you let them. They're generally docile, but they're also very touch-averse and very tough to train. It takes a skilled trainer to effectively tame one."

Because that wouldn't inflate Gloria's ego at all. "If they're so dangerous, what was one doing in a nursery?"

"She was abandoned and malnourished in the wild, 'nd the good lady took her in to rehabilitate her," Gloria explained. "She's healthy now, but she was apparently looking for more than a backyard to frolic in, 'nd she was gettin' too strong for the other 'Mons in the nursery." She gestured toward herself. "They were lookin' for a strong trainer to take her, so I stepped up."

"I'm sure," Cassius grumbled. "And after all that lecturing you gave me about baby Pokémon."

"She's not a baby—she's just a little tiny for her age. Aren't you, girl?" Gloria gently pet the top of Stufful's head, the Pokémon leaning up to nuzzle into her hand with a content meow(?).

"Touch-averse, huh," Cassius noted with skepticism.

"Stufful are territorial, but nice to those it accepts as a friend or trainer. Somehow, Gloria fit the bill." Hop looked between the two of them. "Gosh, Cassius is already up to four Pokémon, and Gloria's up to three. I'm fallin' behind here! I need to get somethin' cool to match up to a Stufful and a mystery Psychic-type..." he thought on it for a moment. "Like a Munchlax!"

"This again," Gloria rolled her eyes.

"Hop, I respect the commitment to the bit, but I really do think you could do a lot better than a Munchlax," Cassius attempted to persuade him.

"You'll end up eating those words, mate," Hop grinned cheekily. "You get it? Eat? Like how a Munchlax, you know...?"

"Yes, we got it," Gloria groaned. "Arceus help me."

Cassius was similarly over it. And if he paid a little more attention to the egg on his belt, he might have seen it shake a little in what very well could have been bemusement.

All in all, today had been a surprisingly good day. He'd wanted to keep it up with a strong training session, and Gloria was happy to oblige.

"Fury Attack! As long as you can!"

"Nuzzle," Gloria commanded in kind. Cassius was ready for that, however. "Hug her backside! Don't let her touch you!"

It was a challenging command he'd given Korvis, but he wouldn't have done so if he didn't think she could handle it. The Tiny Bird Pokémon seemed up for the challenge anyhow, executing a quick series of bursts and hops to keep herself on the opponent Yamper's backside, despite the Electric-type's best efforts.

That was an added element to her training that he and Gloria had mutually agreed upon—testing how he would handle being at a type disadvantage. Yamper held an obvious one over Korvis, while Scorbunny's Double Kick had already shown itself as a huge threat to Hyla. It definitely forced him into a different mindset when it came to how he managed his offense and defense, and it was certainly proving to be a challenge to pick and choose when to be aggressive and when to hold back for his Pokémon's safety, but that had been part of what Gloria had been aiming to drill into him from the jump.

One, two, three stabs from Fury Attack landed successfully. "Nice, Korvis! Pull back!"

Korvis evidently didn't think it was nice enough, as she tried for one more stab. That would prove her undoing, as Yamper finally got a good enough angle to land Nuzzle. Super-effective damage aside, Korvis was paralyzed now, which meant this spar was virtually over. Cassius called for time before Gloria could even consider punishing Korvis further. "Time, time!"

Korvis gave him the stink eye as he approached, but it wasn't nearly as intimidating given she was frozen stiff with static crackling from her feathers. Cassius came to a crouch beside her. "We've talked about this."

"Krrr."

"Why'd you ignore me this time?" No physical response, but Cassius could hazard a guess based on her irritated glare. "I get that you wanna get off as much damage as you can, but if you get too greedy, you're gonna get punished for it. I'm glad you're confident, but there's a difference between being confident and being arrogant." He jerked a thumb back at the dirt battlefield. "That back there? Arrogant."

He then nodded toward Yamper, who was happily wagging and panting without a care in the world. "That's the kinda competition we're facing from here on out. They're strong, even more so with a type advantage. One slip up, and it's curtains. I can deal with you improvising on your own here, but in an official battle? We'd be finished, and that would mean no more gym battles."

The notion of no more gym battles seemed to get to her, drawing a miffed grumble from her. "I'm glad you hate that idea as much as I do. Now, hold still." One paralyze heal and a potion later, Korvis was back in top condition, if still a little peeved. "We'll keep experimenting. You ready?"

Korvis still seemed unsatisfied. 'Provide her with an incentive,' Cassius reminded himself, drawing on Diane's advice. "Tell you what. Stick with the commands, and I'll let you get some one-on-one battle time with Hyla. No orders from me at all. You can have at her however you want. Sound good?"

That seemed to get her going, her head snapping toward him comically, Expert Belt following. "Yes, really," Cassius promised. "Now are you ready to go?" An eager nod, and they started all over again.

On the topic of Hyla, the Dragon-type was in the process of safely coalescing a charged beam of energy in her mouth not too far from their impromptu battleground. Dragon Breath was proving to be as similar a challenge to learn as Bite was, but with one learned move under her belt, the Dragon-type seemed to have a better understanding of what it took to master a new move. And while she had no one to help learn this particular move from, it helped that it was a standard move natural to her type and species. Progress was a little quicker this time around.

The only two non-combatants for this session were Sizzlipede and the recently-joined Stufful, the former obviously still not cleared for combat and the latter taking the day to acclimate to her new environment. Both took turns between watching the fights eagerly and keeping an eye on the incubator. As it was, everyone was working on or otherwise occupied by something. A productive day for their entourage if ever there was one.

Gloria took a seat beside him in the middle of a mutual water break, overlooking their collective Pokémon gathering together as they too shared a break. "That bird of yours really mellowed out."

The bird in question was pointedly ignoring Yamper, the Electric-type having taken a liking to her despite their prior battles. "You think?" Cassius snorted. "I wouldn't exactly call her a team player, even after all the work we've put in."

"Yet," Gloria noted. "Wasn't too long ago that bird tried killin' you. Goin' from that to sharin' a space together would be an improvement, never mind trainin' together."

Cassius hummed quietly, taking that information in. "Hm." He would never forget that day for as long as he lived, but that incident felt like months ago rather than the five or so weeks it really was. In that context, he really had come a long way. "Guess you're right."

"Fuckin' right I am," Gloria scoffed. "Here's another tip; if you never allow yourself to acknowledge how far you've come, you'll never feel happy with trainin'. 'nd you better fuckin' believe I'm not gonna bother to remind you, so if you don't remember, no one will."

"Hop might," Cassius threw out.

"'nd I'll kick his arse if he does." Gloria crossed her arms. "You weren't anythin' a month or so ago. Now you're one gym leader down in the most prestigious sporting circuit in the country. Dinnae get cocky, but enjoy it. Like I said, virtually no one gets to do what we do. S'posed to be fun."

Fun, huh. He was brought back to when he'd watched Gloria's match, and when he and Korvis were in total sync with each other. "I guess I've had some fun so far."

"Some fun," Gloria rolled her eyes. "Whatever." With a huff, she slowly returned to her feet, stretching on the balls of her feet as she did so. "M'gonna go check on Hop, make sure he's still alive. Can't leave him along for too long."

This time, Cassius scoffed. "Oh, I bet. No ulterior motives, I'm sure."

"Fuck off," Gloria gnashed, turning away angrily. "Your snark's almost as bad as your advice. Which you still haven't given."

Cassius frowned, conceding the point. True, he hadn't given her anything to work with yet. Granted, he hadn't allocated a lot of time to think about what he'd say (and no, he totally wasn't kicking the can down the road for future him to deal with), but he owed her something for agreeing to train with him again today. Something worth her time that would help her.

"Alright," he started, regaining her full attention. "First, let me preface this with saying that a lot of guys like a lot of different things when it comes to a partner. There aren't really completely universal rules for guys, just like I'm sure there aren't totally universal things for girls."

Gloria's eyes narrowed slightly, but fortunately she seemed to be following so far. "You're lucky I agree, else I'd think you were feedin' me generalized bollocks to cover your hide."

"Pssh," Cassius waved off. "Right. Like I'd try that with you of all people." He totally would, and currently was. "Just a disclaimer, promise. Now, with that in mind, there is something that generally holds true with most guys, and I'd imagine most girls, too."

He put on his best serious face, and leaned in slightly. "Almost everybody wants to be shown some bit of interest from a prospective partner. I'd say the hard-to-get thing has mostly come and gone. If you're not at least a little up-front in showing that you're interested, most guys won't be willing to make a potential move."

Was it the best he could come up with on short notice? Perhaps. Even so, Gloria seemed invested in what he was saying, taking in his words completely and with total consideration. "... okay," she eventually said. "And Hop's the same?"

He had no idea. "I'd assume so," he said. "I mean, think about it. Say Hop did like you, and tried initiating something. If you shot him down, do you think he'd be the kind of guy to keep pestering you about it? He's a respectful guy, so he'd probably back off immediately. Give him mixed signals, and poof, there go your chances with him."

Gloria's lips pursed slightly. Cassius still couldn't get over how meek she turned when this topic came up. "Mm... so, show him I'm interested."

"Yes."

"Any tips on how?"

She couldn't figure this out herself? How did she ever plan on starting anything before he'd decided to help her out? "Well, I'd say to not come on too strong. If you do, he might be put off by it, or he might notice and you'd be tipping your hand too early. I assume you wanna take this slow and steady, right? Take your time with him?"

Gloria nodded, and Cassius continued. "Then something subtle. Not too overt that he notices immediately, but something that gets you two closer. Maybe hang out with him more at night? Go over some memories you have together? Uh... tell him he looks nice in something he's wearing?" He was running fully off of stuff in romances his mother watched and whatever gossipy advice he overheard from his peers back in high school, but it was all he had to go on.

Somehow, Gloria seemed to have bought it. "Somethin' subtle. Got it." She looked determined now. "I'll hand it to ya, muppet, tha'snot half bad advice. Maybe you're not such a hopeless virgin after all."

She had such a way with words. "Well, I'm so glad you think so. Let me know how it goes."

"Sure. Don't get too cozy without me. We're goin' over your film against Milo tonight." She walked away, her Pokémon in tow behind her. The smile she sent him wasn't as feral as it usually was. "Good looks, Cash."

"Uh-huh," Cassius waved as she disappeared, not even bothering to correct her on that awful nickname. "Any time." He certainly hoped it wouldn't be any time, but considering he'd been put on the spot, he supposed that hadn't been half bad. It had been the most general of general advice, but it satisfied her. And she was surely smart enough to make it work. Surely.

His Pokémon began to congregate around him, Sizzlipede balancing the shrunken incubator atop her head before setting it down gently beside her. "Hey, gang," he greeted, rubbing the top of Hyla's head as she rested her head atop his lap. "Good work today, everyone. Really impressed by the effort I've seen from you all."

Hyla preened beneath the praise, Korvis huffed, and Sizzlipede wriggled anxiously. "I know, we'll get you back in action soon," Cassius assured his Fire-type. "For now, you're doing a good job of keeping an eye on that egg." He turned his gaze to his two currently active Pokémon. "Hyla, good progress today. I really think you're gonna get this down before our next fight, if not within the week. Once we do that, your offensive repertoire is really gonna open up. And Korvis, way to keep up the energy. Even at a disadvantage, you're improving against elite competition. We're gonna need that experience going forward."

That went for all of them. It was a tall order they'd been given—win convincingly against a gym leader. Winning would prove enough of a challenge, but to do so beyond a shadow of a doubt? It was far from ideal circumstances, but with the strides they'd been making under Gloria's tutelage, that goal suddenly didn't seem so distant.

And to Gloria's point, it was even starting to seem a little fun. He liked watching battles when he could. He liked seeing Hyla improve. He liked getting on the same page with Korvis, even when they disagreed. He'd thought about the drive it took to succeed as a trainer, but when he genuinely enjoyed working to get better, motivation was easy to come by.

What had been daunting not too long ago was suddenly a challenge he'd willingly undertake. The old Cassius would have balked at that, but the current him was ready. And so too were the Pokémon currently surrounding him, having joined him under different circumstances, but united in their desire to win.

Cassius smiled. Yeah, today had been a good day. Really, a good last week or so. Things were really looking up for him.

Really, he should have known better than to bring that thought into the universe, because the very second he did so, the world seemed eager to remind him how quickly that could change.

"Oi," a voice called out to him. The feminine nature of the voice and coarse greeting had Cassius thinking Gloria had come back early, so he already had a quip building in his throat as he looked up to greet her. It died when he saw who it actually was.

Marnie Rosemary stood some ways away, her short stature looming large across from his seated spot. Her shadow cast itself across the clearing, joined by her Pokémon Morpeko, who stood atop her shoulder with its arms crossed. The girl was normally lacking in obvious expression, but she seemed even more unreadable now. Almost unnervingly so.

Hyla looked up, and Cassius felt her stiffen. Korvis puffed her chest out. Even Sizzlipede defensively coiled around the incubator. Cassius wasn't sure why they seemed so tense. Their prior interactions had been cordial enough, if limited. Of all the folks Cassius had met since undertaking the challenge, Marnie seemed to be among the more normal ones. Cassius briefly wondered how she'd found him here, but that was only a minor thought presently.

"Uh, hey," Cassius greeted casually. "Good seeing you. Voice feeling better?"

She apparently had no desire for small talk. "You busy?"

He paused, a little taken back by the question. And the tone with which she spoke. "Um... not really, I guess."

"Good." She revealed her hand, grasped tightly around an item—a Poké Ball. "Battle me. Now."

Without saying too much, I've been very excited to write this portion of the story. Buckle up.