TEAM: Squeakers (Rattata) & Arachnio (Spinarak), Lucy (Chikorita) & Jackson (Hoothoot), Surpurna (Pidgey) & Venio (Bellsprout)

Lucy's humming cadence held a prolonged tune, something akin to a flute. With the way she walked, one could assume her steps against the bridge were meant to serve as makeshift wooden drums.

"The tower sprouts.

Its monks devout.

Past the lights, that the lanterns lined, bring,

Tucked here, steps from Violet, under sunlight's wing.

Bonsai to the side,

Homely, I confide.

Past the bridge, entering soon—

The tower looms.

One hundred rooms.

Lots to say, 'bout this very tall, tale.

Folks spoke, all the more, many a tale regaled!

Up so high it sits!

Built upon its myths!

Enlightened folks figure out—

The tower sprouts.

Its monks devout…"

Roko glanced back towards the Violet City Gym, which didn't quite look as high-rising as her intended destination, especially with how Lucy was making it out to be. The brunette could only imagine what Wesley meant by 'survey the perimeter', hopefully something that wouldn't get him hurt. Violet City seemed like such a nice place for anything like that to happen.

The historical air of the city in question was one worth indulging in, a time worth seeing, and in her walking moments, she wondered if perhaps the city seemed to speak to her, beckoning her attention. There had to be some reason she felt the urge to turn her head whenever Violet City was mentioned in passing. Perhaps this visit was meant to be…?

What an adventurous sentiment that was. Still, it settled in her mind quite nicely, even more so once Sprout Tower was within view. That grand purple pagoda was her next stop, and with how tall it looked, that meant it had all the more to climb! Albeit taking that climb while carrying Professor Elm's incubator, but still! Still… that meant sharing that trek with the 'bodyguards' Wesley left for her.

Idle chatter reached her ears, ones stemming from a Pidgey and a Bellsprout, the quips in question wondering about whether wings or vines were better at reaching the platformed bonsai across the pond. WIth how surprisingly lax they were, Roko wondered if perhaps they were taking their roles seriously. They looked happy at least, even if she ended up walking past them.

"Don't mind them," Lucy had piped up from nearby, the Chikorita matching her pace on the bridge she walked on. "They'll catch up eventually, they always do."

Minding them was the last thing on Roko's mind. She couldn't help but watch at how… content Surpurna and Venio looked. "You'd think they'd find a better time to get stuck sightseeing. Were they… always that close?"

Lucy's gaze narrowed ever so slightly with a sly smile to match. "You'd be surprised at how close they've gotten since your last visit. Wesley didn't tell you?"

"Mmm, no." Roko glanced down. "I suppose he's been more secretive when it came to catching up because he wanted to surprise me." She made out her own flattered smile reflected off of the Mystic Water.

"That sounds just like him, alright." The Chikorita rolled her eyes. "It's like his sappiness is starting to rub off on some of us. Don't get me started on how Venio was while Surpurna was recovering from the Pidgeotto incident yesterday."

"Hmm, like how sappy you and Jackson are now?" She couldn't not address the drowsy Hoothoot that had been following all this time. "Are you sure he's not going to sleepwalk into the water, perhaps?"

Roko didn't expect Lucy to look so flustered. "Well! He just likes the way I sing, but I assure you, the fact that I let him follow me doesn't mean anything." Her eyes were wide as she proclaimed that, before she trailed off and went back to humming.

Roko giggled. "Well, it's nice to have a singing bodyguard. I don't mind the sap."

"Takes one to know one." The Chikorita gave her a knowing smirk. "Hmm hmm hmm, just happy to be here, Roko."

Bodyguard or not, Roko wasn't going to say no to Lucy's company. Back in Goldenrod, she didn't exactly grow up with any siblings, or at least none that she remembered, so in the time she knew this Chikorita, she liked to consider her an 'almost sister'. She may be Wesley's Pokémon, sure, but it meant a lot to be chosen for 'flower twinsies', hibiscus and all, even if her own was fake. And if Lucy was the sister who she'd visit sometimes, that would make Bouncy…

The Marill in question popped his head out from the nearby pond, interrupting Venio and Surpurna's personal time with a spritz of water that almost knocked the two in.

… that would make Bouncy the little brother she constantly needed to babysit. It was fortunate that Azure and Sky were far less rowdy, which was especially surprising for what she's heard of a Totodile's temperament. Roko hoped her guardians wouldn't mind the extra Pokémon she'd be bringing home.

"Bouncy, behave." She cast a stern look over her Marill as he climbed out of the pond. "Sprout Tower is a sacred site! … I think." She made sure her glare told him that he'd be on incubator carrying duty if he tried anything.

"Mmmmmmmokay." From the way he stopped rubbing his devious little hands, he seemed to get the message.

A wooden chamber, a mostly empty floor, and a looming, swaying pillar were what greeted Roko as she stepped inside. The silence spoke of a lack of any welcoming staff, and the same could be said with the lack of pamphlet booths she could consult as a guide. What there was, was a ladder.

Roko couldn't help but admire the aged wood, rungs that must've stood the test of time as long as this tower did. From how sturdy it stood, it had to be the intended method of rising through these floors. How authentic!

While Roko was very excited to use a means of ascension that wasn't a staircase or an elevator, carrying a big cylindrical capsule along the climb was going to be a problem. Thankfully, after she lifted herself onto the next floor, her bodyguards offered to hop onto those ladder's rungs to help pass the incubator up to her. Maybe this would've been easier if she had any rope, but wings and vines would have to do. Bouncy offered to help with his deceptively strong throws, but Roko wanted to handle this with care.

With a heave of a step, Roko lifted herself up to the next floor, and… it was also empty. Empty wooden chamber, swaying central pillar, but no monks. Nobody to ask for guidance or history or anything. The whole tower couldn't have been completely empty at least, Roko could've sworn she heard what sounded like footsteps and voices somewhere higher up.

The only sounds around her were her bodyguards crying out in surprise when Bouncy offered to help them up the ladder. Well, with no monks around, if she was going to ask anybody about this place…

"I thought you'd never ask!" Venio dusted himself off, quickly separating from the heap the others made after Bouncy's throw. "Why, I'd say there's nobody better to talk about Sprout Tower than a Bellsprout hailing from the very place!"

"D-Don't mind him!" Surpurna hurriedly flapped her wings as she stepped in front of him. "Just… take anything he says with a keen eye and a smidgen of salt. He's not actually from Sprout Tower, he's from Route 32, so…!"

"It's close enough!" Venio was quick to slip past by crawling beneath her. "If you need further proof, then behold the magnificent swaying pillar!" His leaves waved and warbled towards the towering woodwork in question, in all its distinctly creaking glory. "Legends say that a hundred foot Bellsprout took root here, serving as the foundation for this hundred foot tower, swaying ever so slightly to teach the people the ways of bending and not breaking to tremors! And then also served as the progenitor for every single other Bellsprout such as myself!"

"Wait," Roko asked. "If that's supposed to be the Bellsprout's body, why is there wood built around it?"

"It was cold."

As swift as the response was, that was good enough for her. Admittedly, the spiel didn't sound quite right, perhaps somewhat historically accurate given what she knew, but who was she to interject in the face of someone who led with that amount of confidence?

And thus, to a Pidgey's sigh, Venio continued. "The monks here of traditional Violet City like to practice a traditional sort of training here." He clapped his leaves together, intertwining them. "Every wooden plank you step on creaks and groans because it speaks of eons of history. This place has seen bonds grow, friendships establish, monks practicing the belief of being connected with Pokémon! Hand-in-leaf with fellow 'sprouts to sprout the mantra of treating them right!"

Floors of monks training…? Roko took to climbing up to another floor, hoping to run into any of them. Up the rungs, then watching the others pass up that incubator… As she picked it back up, she could swear the commotion from somewhere higher up was louder. The sounds of… fighting? It seemed like there were some wild Pokémon hiding here, but…

Venio only kept talking with incessant gusto. "... but humans and Pokémon live such different lives, and there's truly only so much we can do for each other. However, such practices have still attracted some curious Pokémon, ones all about preaching the cycle of life! Pokémon that…" He quickly glanced around himself. "... that aren't Bellsprout! And if you need a better example than any, this Gastly is perfect!"

With a hurried prance, he motioned to gesture towards a ball of gas that happened to be nearby. It blinked in surprise.

"I just… I just live here." The Gastly stared at them all. "I don't know about any cycle of life or stuff like that. I just live here because it's dark. And roomy. Though it's kind of boring."

"B-b-b-b-b-"

"I'll take it from here." It was Lucy who stepped past a flabbergasted Venio. "Don't mind my friend, he has a thing for the cycle of life. Hi there, I'm Lucy. I come from New Bark Town, and the professor there needs some Pokémon input on how things are around Johto. Maybe you'd be interested in moving? Don't worry, the lab is plenty hospitable."

Ever the forward negotiator, that Lucy. Roko couldn't help but smile. She supposed she heard enough, if the 'elite escort four' were going to handle that encounter, then she herself could handle what she came here for. The Rattata and Gastly hiding in the shadows looked to be shying away from whatever was happening above. Leaving the incubator by a yawning Jackson, Roko beckoned Bouncy to her side and made for the ladder.

Up the ladder, the next floor has to have something—wait, that's where all the monks were. In the far from empty wooden chamber were elder folk all clad in purple robes, circling around the source of the distant noise, as if they were a crowd that was… frightened? There was a voice, one calling out attacks, with bursts of fire illuminating the space where it was spewed.

Roko was almost entranced by the display of flames, but she quickly snapped out of it. Bouncy was already running towards the scene, clearly having the same idea, except she needed to stop him from running into danger…!

"Sorry…! Excuse me…! Please pardon me, it's just, my Marill…!"

She had already pushed her way through the crowd of robes. Closer to the battle, closer to the flames, yet all she could think to do was apologize to the elders she accidentally shoved. By the time she scooped Bouncy back into her arms…

A burst of flame felt all too warm as it was spewed before her. Brought forth by a Cyndaquil, unleashed upon an elder's Bellsprout, the attack commanded by a snarling trainer with red hair.

Roko's heart almost skipped a beat when she connected the dots.

The elder stumbled back, clutching his defeated Bellsprout. "Your skills are indeed good, but to barge into a place such as this… your methods are far too harsh." The bald old man was breathing hard. "You shouldn't command your Pokémon as if they are tools of war…"

"You don't know my business, old man." The redhead boy withdrew the Cyndaquil before approaching. "You don't know what war I have to fight. I need strong Pokémon. I need strong moves. And I need that TM."

Roko couldn't just stand there and do nothing. Bouncy was rubbing his little hands, already raring to go on her word. She took a deep breath, set her Marill down, clutched her Mystic Water charm, and…

"Hold it right there!" No turning back now. Her hand already moved to take out her other two Pokéballs. "I won't let you take anything else… you thief!"

Her voice echoed with an uncomfortably loud echo, but that was what her Pokémon were here for. When she tossed her other Pokéballs, Azure and Sky joined her side, the Totodile and Shinx backing her up alongside her Marill.

The redhead snatched something from the elder before facing her. "Tch." His eyes stopped and lingered as if he recognized something about her. The hibiscus…?

Roko tried her best to stand her ground, despite trembling under that harsh expression. No backing out, now it was her turn to try and play hero. As soon as it was time to make a move.

She stood there, watching the boy take out a Pokéball and… do something with it. With the thing he took from the elder. What was he taking his time for? Was that how battles like this worked?

The redhead frowned at her. "What are you staring at?" She was hesitant to ask the same question. The boy quickly shook his head. "Whatever, I'll just get this over with."

With an unwavering frown, he finally tossed the Pokéball and sent out a Magnemite. Roko took it as a signal that it was time to fight, it was time to fight, it was time to fight…!

"Waaaaah!"

Bouncy had already run ahead. Azure had already run ahead. Sky had already run ahead. Caution to the wind, Roko ran with them, yelling as her legs carried her forward, closer to the Magnemite as it started to glow brighter and brighter and—

"Whoa!"

Wesley held onto his cap as he pivoted away from a gust of wind. That Pidgey was a problem. Cue was trying her best, using her Quick Attack's speed to draw the attention of both of Falkner's Pokémon, and yet…

Trying to fight with two ground-bound Pokémon on an arena this high up and uneven was dicey enough, not to mention neither Cue nor Arachnio could brute force their way around that Pidgeotto's size advantage. Arachnio couldn't crawl very fast, and Cue could only stick with evasive maneuvers for so long…

"Okay." It was time to make a move. Starting with bringing down the smaller of Falkner's Pokémon. "String Shot!"

Arachnio had just made his rounds sneaking around the glass walkways. With Cue speedily darting around the wooden path, the Pidgey should've been busy backing up the Pidgeotto. All too easy to aim for the eyes.

The String Shot landed. The Pidgey flapped. Arachnio's legs firmly remained where they were. With a hefty tug, the Spinarak pulled the blinded bird onto the glass walkway where he stood, glowing horn at the ready—

"Poison Sting!"

—and striking with a pouncing lurch! The Pidgey tried flapping away, only to remain stuck where it fell. The horn connected, and the Pidgey collapsed onto the glass pane before disappearing back in its Pokéball. All according to plan.

"I'm impressed…" Falkner remarked. As he tucked the Pokéball into his coat, he cast a sharp eye over the arena. "I see your Spinarak covered the glass paths in thick webbing so that my wings couldn't roost there. Turning a part of our battlefield into your own… I shouldn't have underestimated your Pokémon."

Wesley couldn't help his own proud smile from where he stood. "Can't let you recover that easily, Falkner. I know how your style goes—"

"But you've revealed your trick too early!" Falkner let loose an echoing cry, mimicking his Pidgeotto as it took to the skies. "We can still fly! And we'll show you that you're not clipping our wings today!"

"We'll see about that!" Wesley swiped his arm forth. It was still sore, but the flair was worth it. "String Shot!"

His Spinarak stood his ground, briefly squinting towards the Pidgeotto before spitting out another blast string. It sped quickly through the air, reaching with surprising height, until—

"That won't work on us twice!"

—the Pidgeotto blocked with the back of a wing, where the string stuck. Arachnio tried to pull, but the Pidgeotto was ready, flapping with enough force to lift the Spinarak from his foothold.

The Spinarak could only helplessly dangle through the air, string still attached to the Pidgeotto's flapping wings. The bird still had its eyes on him, ready to hurl a gust of wind.

"Arachnio!" Wesley called.

Arachnio cut the string with his mouth. With the speed the wings flapped, he was hurled through the air for but a second before he tried to land on a glass tile. The webbing almost caught him, but he skittered with his pointed legs, teetered on the tile's edge, then slipped.

"Hey!"

It was Cue who yelled. The Rattata darted across the central wooden path, hopping over its gaps, weaving away from the winds, attempting to draw closer, taking a mighty leap.

"Gust!"

On Falkner's call, the Pidgeotto swatted the Rattata away all too easily.

"Rrgh…" Cue reeled against the wood before she stumbled by Wesley's side. "Oh, boss… I'm trying my best to find an opening, but I dunno how much more dodging I have left in me…"

"It's… okay." Wesley's frown was troubled, and he took a deep breath. He knelt down as he took out a Potion to spray on her. "We're going to get our opening. And I'm counting on you to be the hard hitter for this one."

Cue blinked in surprise. "You are?"

Wesley stood up, faced the Pidgeotto, and slowly lifted his arm to point ahead. "Now!"

Shaking the pain off, Cue charged ahead once more, more certain than ever.

Falkner only crossed his arms. His Pidgeotto could see the Rattata in plain sight, and yet the little Pokémon was approaching with a bit too much confidence.

"What are you trying, Wesley?" Falkner growled. "We can see your approach in plain sight!"

The smirk on Wesley's face spoke for itself. "I know! String Shot!"

"Huh?!"

Falkner's eyes quickly darted around the battlefield, but he didn't notice anything he hadn't already seen. Until he looked down. Standing right next to him was a Spinarak, one who had quickly spat ahead, waving with a leg and smiling with his abdomen pattern before zipping away.

Arachnio's string stuck onto the Pidgeotto's back, who thrashed as the Spinarak quickly pulled himself towards the bird that began to falter in its flight. Cue had leapt again, readying a speedy blow of her own. With Arachnio flinging himself towards the Pidgeotto's back, Cue leaping with a swiping paw to deliver an attack to the front, and the Pidgeotto flailing to ready itself for both sides—

"Poison Sting and Quick Attack!"

First struck the horn. Then the claws. Both attacks struck true and seemed to hover as the target did, as if lingering there for a moment from the combined wind-stopping impact.

The Pidgeotto cried out once more before plummeting, falling back by Falkner's side, the intense gusts that it blew stilling as it did. The Gym Leader could only stare in bewilderment at the silence that came, collapsing to his knees as he did.

"How…?" Falkner slowly lifted his gaze as he recalled his Pokémon. As he did, he noticed the Spinarak that hopped off. His gaze fell next to him. "For pity's sake… Was that Spinarak always standing here…?"

"My Rattata let me know he has a thing for being sneaky." Wesley beckoned his Pokémon back to his side, and as he did, he met Falkner on his platform. "I knew if I wanted to try something like that, I needed to get creative to get past your watchful eyes." He reached down to pet his Spinarak for a job well done. "So when Arachnio 'slipped' off the glass, he was actually moving to crawl underneath it."

"The glass tiles?" Falkner raised an eyebrow, staring at the walkways in question. "But if a Spinarak was crawling beneath them, I should've seen…" He trailed off, noticing that the transparent surfaces had been covered by layers of thick webbing.

"I made sure to account for that too," Wesley declared proudly. After giving his Pokémon some well deserved pats on the head, he offered his hand forward. "Between you and your two Pokémon, I needed Cue here to keep up the pace and keep your attention. Still, I had to do a lot of adapting on the fly to get there, and you put up a good fight, Falkner. Thanks for the battle."

Falkner paused. He tucked his Pokéball away and breathed out into a smile. "I understand… I'll bow out gracefully. A defeat is a defeat."

Wesley's smile grew ever so slightly when Falkner took his hand and stood up again.

"To outwit my magnificent bird Pokémon from behind, going for a blow from the trainer's side…" Falkner continued. "If this were an official match, then that very maneuver would've disqualified you from earning a Gym Badge."

Wesley nodded and adjusted his cap, kneeling down to give his Pokémon some high fives. "Good thing this was just a sparring match, then."

Falkner scoffed. "Hah! You got me there."

"Oh, and before I go…" Wesley cleared his throat, his smile fading for a moment. "There's something you should know about what's happening with some of the wild Pokémon…"

Despite having just come down from a high place, Wesley still felt as if he was elevated enough to be on cloud nine. His thoughts still raced, thinking of all the things he could pull off with Cue and Arachnio. Rattata were really agile on the ground, and maybe Spinarak silk could have other uses…

He held his head high. Roko and the elite escort four have got to hear about this. It was time to rendezvous by the school building, and right on time. Cue and Arachnio had already run ahead to meet Lucy and the others. Chuckling at the sight, Wesley caught up to see his favorite brunette, ready to tell her everything he learned, only to pause when she didn't look all too excited to do the same.

Her orange eyes were downcast, so she didn't see him coming. He expected to see her as giddy as she was before, with her excited 'I just found a neat new rock that might have been a part of ancient history and I have to show you' eyes. Instead, her dejected look was more along the lines of 'I wanted to knock on the door to the lab but ended up just pacing outside and being too nervous to try'. And just like that time, she was leaning against the wall with a defeated look, a telltale sign of sighs and thoughts mulled over. Bouncy was next to her, also leaning, also defeated.

"Hey, Roko." Wesley joined her there, by the wall. "Hey, Bouncy. So… was Sprout Tower not all it's cracked up to be?"

"Hmm?" Roko's expression shifted ever so slightly upon seeing him. She was practically hugging the incubator now. "No, no, it was, I got a very extensive tour all about it. I just didn't make it up very far because… he was there." He…? "I tried to confront him, but before I knew it there was this bright light, and…"

Roko had trailed off, but Wesley knew he heard enough. A glance towards the elite escort four told him the same thing, particularly Lucy's own look of shame. Not to mention Bouncy's state was telling as well. His pudgy Marill face was only ever that disgruntled whenever he had to recover in a Pokémon Center.

He could only clench his fists at the thought of what played out. Of course the redhead was just here, of course he was up to something, and of course he just out of reach for Wesley to do anything about it. Just… what were the odds? Wesley could've asked her what the redhead did, he could've asked how long ago this happened, he could've asked what kind of Pokémon he had…

Instead, he only had one question on his mind. He placed a hand on Roko's shoulder, gently guided her to the nearest bench, and sat with her.

"Did he hurt you?" His face had still hurt a bit from the first encounter. He hoped the same couldn't be said for her. Not his friend.

Roko paused, looking almost surprised by his expression. "I'm thankfully not hurt. I almost tripped because of that Magnemite's big light move, but I'm fine. I wish I could say the same about my Pokémon, though…" Her sigh was downcast, and she briefly glanced at the way Bouncy hopped onto the bench to lean against her. "I tried to fight, but I kinda just… rushed in there. And he ended up taking out all my Pokémon really quickly."

Wesley's brow furrowed. "He didn't take any of your Pokémon, did he?" He narrowed his eyes, slightly relieved to see she still had her Mystic Water.

"No, no he didn't. I still have Bouncy. And the Pokémon Egg." Roko paused to check her bag. "I still have Azure, and I still have Sky." She let out a sigh. "I had to get everyone tended to at the Pokémon Center after all that. Sprout Tower isn't accepting visitors anymore, too…"

To think that this happened the moment he left her be. With everything that had happened after stepping out of New Bark, it was as if that redhead just had to show up somehow to ruin their days. As if this wasn't personal enough.

Wesley saw how ashamed his own Pokémon looked for letting that thief get away. He figured he couldn't be too hard on them, dealing with that redhead would've been hard enough especially without guidance. And at the end of the day…

"I'm glad you're all alright, at least." Wesley took a deep breath, easing into a look that would reassure her. His hand was still on Roko's shoulder, easing into a reassuring pat. "Besides, we still have the rest of Violet City to ourselves, don't we? There's still all the more to see here."

Roko slowly lifted her gaze his way. "You're right." There's that smile. "I guess I was just too worried about being able to battle properly to remember why we were here in the first place. To have fun."

"Don't go turning into me now," Wesley replied with a quiet laugh. He paused for a second to watch the way she started petting her Marill. "But maybe if you'd like, the team and I can give you some pointers sometime. I've had a pretty good training day today, so maybe we can show that redhead what we're made of next time."

And there was the warmth in her fiery eyes. "I'd like that."

Meddling be forsaken, Wesley wasn't going to let these recent mishaps get too far into his head. He and Roko were here to have a good time, and he was ready to make sure that could still happen. Seeing her down in the dumps like this always made him want to step in, and…

There was a glow. What was a quiet moment turned to be one of awe as the incubator's lid slipped open. The Egg seemed to be crawling out, its red and blue patterns on display as it tumbled onto Roko's lap. Tiny arms and feet poked out of the eggshell, as did its small head, nestling comfortably as it looked up at her.

"Togepriiii!"

Roko could barely contain her 'aww's at the Pokémon's chirp-like trills as it looked up at her.

Wesley made sure to take out his Pokédex before doing the same. "Aww, it's a Togepi. No wonder the professor asked for help in hatching it, he's definitely gonna want to hear about this." He trailed off at the way Roko's expression picked up instantly, gently holding the Togepi and nuzzling against it. "But I suppose that part can wait."

With a chuckle, he noticed Bouncy looked pretty hug-jealous. He tried to offer one of his own, only for the Marill to slap his hand away.

"Hmm, what was it that the kimono lady said?" Wesley continued. His grin turned proud at the sight of how giggly the Togepi was with Roko. "A Pokémon that only appears in times of fortune, right? Guess being traveling here with me was pretty fortunate."

That got Roko to spare him a glance and an eye roll. "Oh, Wesley, speaking of fortunate things, the Sprout Tower monks let me have something for at least trying to stop that thief. I thought you'd like this, or at least might find a use for it, so here." She set the Togepi next to Bouncy and reached for her bag. "Apparently it's… a special rope. The kind that can hold sturdy wooden architecture for ages. Venio told me that part."

"Classic Venio." Wesley snickered as he accepted the bundle of rope she offered him. He held a segment and tugged to test its firmness. Even if that special sturdy part wasn't true, he figured it might come in handy while exploring perhaps. "Looks like I oughta figure out how to pay you back…"

While Roko was introducing the Togepi to the other Pokémon, Wesley narrowed his eyes towards the street's nearby stalls. Maybe he could buy some snacks, a souvenir even. Rice crackers would be good…

His eyes fell upon a brightly dressed performer who was twirling as he spoke. "Shard de berry! Shard de berry!" The man was juggling an assortment of berries, a display that was as catching as his voice.

Roko saw it too, eyes following where the man passed by. "I could go for a good berry or two right now, actually. If only I had some shards to trade…" The Togepi seemed extra interested in the juggling berry man, and Roko had to stop it from wandering off. "Where are we supposed to get those, anyway?" As she spoke, the little egg-shaped Pokémon trilled in delight at the sound of the question.

Wesley looked towards Violet City's exits. "Hmm, well, the closest places we can find them are the patches of rocks and dirt around the city's outskirts—"

"Like Route 32! Which I just so happen to know a lot about!"

"Yes, thank you Venio." Wesley gave him a pat on the head before continuing. "Buuuuut, I hear a better place to go looking for this kinda stuff is…" He paused to get a good look at Roko's reaction. "... the Ruins of Alph."

There was her blink. There was her quiet gasp. "The Ruins of Alph…!" And there was her quickly stopping herself. "Oh, the Ruins of Alph." Her hand moved to stifle her smile. "I… may or may not have heard of the Ruins of Alph."

Wesley had to stifle his own laugh at her tone. "So… let me guess, you wanna go to the ruins?"

His sly tone was met with her earnest stare. "Can we?"

After everything, especially today, he couldn't say no to her. Not those eyes. And to think their original destination was just a short route's walk away…

"If you don't mind, then I suppose Goldenrod can wait."