Nemona was smiling and waving at them at the bottom of the steps, Arashi being the first to bolt down to meet her followed by Ashton, then Dylan and Astrid haplessly trying to keep up with their rambunctious friends. Thankfully, they had their bags fully packed- phones (school-issued Rotom phones in the case of Astrid and Arashi, seeing as Arashi certainly didn't have one and Astrid's was all the way in Johto), snacks, and supplies. The school-issued uniforms they donned lent well enough to running around, too- Ashton preferred the scarlet summer one, Arashi the scarlet autumn one, and Dylan and Astrid both the violet winter ones. The weather was pleasant enough to where it didn't matter that much- maybe Dylan and Astrid were a little cozier, maybe Ashton was intentionally braving the chill.

"You know, before I go out and challenge any of you to a battle, I should tell you something," Nemona noted, looking them all over as they got close. "Did you know your map app lets you set destinations for yourself? That way, if you ever get sidetracked or lost, you can get on your way easily! You could try setting one of the gyms as your destination, and you just might meet me there, too!" She looked to Astrid. "And I'd love to see you there! You're better at battling than you let on!"

However, someone else added to the conversation. "Tch! How's that for a student council president!" came a somewhat disgruntled voice that the five of them nonetheless recognized- Arven. A quick glance revealed him darting over as well. "Giving your own friends an insider advantage?"

"You again," Dylan instantly took note.

Nemona got a surprised look, exclaiming, "Ay! A-Arven?!" before getting a somewhat incredulous look. "Insider advantage?" she inquired, eyeing him. "Sheesh, you make it sound like we're cheating or something! All I did was suggest they check out the gyms- it's up to them to decide where they go!"

"Well, they're gonna have their hands full searching for Titan Pokemon with me," Arven countered, crossing his arms. "No time to waste on something like chasing after Champion rank."

At the mention, Ashton perked right up, her eyes bulging out of her head and mouth curling up in a huge grin. "T-Titan Pokémon?! Say again?!"

Arven too started to grin at seeing her enthusiasm. "That's right!" he affirmed, easing up. "You and I are gonna be busy visiting the lairs of Titans and nabbing their Herba Mystica!"

Ashton was filed with even more enthusiasm, her grin turning mischievous and manic all the same. "I have no idea what that last thing you said was, but it sounds dangerous and questionable and I am all in!"

Dylan's face fell. "Oh no," he said flatly. "Please tell me you're not going to-"

"Yes, Dylan, yes!" Ashton cut him off, not even bothering to hear what she was affirming. "Whatever you're thinking, yes!"

A heavy sigh followed from her more laid-back friend. Nemona, though, couldn't help but to give Arven a haplessly odd look. "En serio? Don't go filling their heads with weird stories!"

Arven, however, returned her gaze with a much more sure expression, sticking his hands on his hips for a second as he replied, "Hey! All I did was invite them along. It's up to them if they go, right?"

The exuberant lass turned flustered, clenching one fist and giving him an unamused look. "Hey, that's-!"

"I am going!" Ashton hollered, pumping her fists in the air. "Screw the rest of you, I'm gonna fight some Titans!"

At the mention, one of the balls on Ashton's belt started to shake wildly, and shortly out came Orochi, his eyes glinting even more than they already did with their red alpha glow. A mighty roar came from him, which made Arven and Astrid both flinch slightly, but Ashton cackled happily and started nuzzling one of his smaller snapping heads.

"Awwww, who's a bad boy~? Who's a bad boy~?" Ashton cooed, the Hydreigon playfully making gestures like he intended to crunch her head like a melon. Another ball on her belt started to wiggle, and she patted it, likewise cooing, "Rio's in on it too! You wanna style on them, don't you~?" to which the ball wiggled some more.

Arven couldn't help but to be slightly unnerved by their mannerisms, particularly as Orochi made snapping gestures at Ashton that the blonde woman seemed to enjoy, but he didn't protest. "Then it's settled- you'll be travelling with me."

"That's right," Ashton affirmed, giving Orochi one last pat before the dragon returned to his ball.

Dylan looked to Ashton, then to Arven, and said a flat, "Good luck- with this one, you're gonna need it," to the latter.

Ashton didn't say a word and instead gave him a wild-eyed smirk, while Arven was completely unsure what to make of the whole thing and simply shook his head, sticking one arm around the blonde woman as if to claim her for his cause. Their attention was quickly stolen again by the sound of a phone ringing, specifically coming from Arashi's pocket, which the blue-haired lad looked a bit surprised at.

"Hm?" Nemona piped up. "Arashi, your phone's ringing."

"Don't answer it," Astrid said quickly. "The likelihood of that being a scam is-"

However, before she could finish her though, the phone itself flew out of his pocket, and he tapped the screen to answer it, seemingly perking up at the prospect of a conversation with someone new, fishy or not. "Hello~?" he chirped.

Astrid sighed, giving her friend a haplessly pointed look. "Don't give them what little personal information you have, Arashi…"

The one on the other end, however, apparently didn't need him to give any over for how they spoke. "This is Arashi, correct? I took control of your smartphone so I could talk to you. Astrid doesn't need to worry, but I hope you don't mind."

The shy lass got wide eyes, darting to Arashi's side and looking at his screen with alarm… but there wasn't any identifying information on it whatsoever. Whoever was on the other end didn't have a name, or a phone number, or a picture…

Arashi, however, didn't seem alarmed at all, and started to grin even more, looking at his friend and saying, "We're famous, Astrid! Isn't this great~?" before turning back to the phone. "No, I don't mind at all! What's up?"

Nemona, Arven, Dylan, and Ashton perked up too, looking surprised but not interfering yet. "My name's Cassiopeia," said the voice on the phone. "But never mind that- it's you I want to talk about. If what I've heard is accurate, you're a trainer with serious potential. And you've crossed paths with Team Star."

Arashi grinned some more. "I sure have! They were harassing a girl and I just had to put a stop to it! That's just not okay!"

"Right. Team Star is a group of troublemakers formed by some academy students a while back… They cause headaches for the school and try to bring other students down to their level. And I refuse to sit idly by and let them get away with it!"

The blue-haired lad's company perked up even more, but none of them as much as Arashi himself. "Right!" he cried, pumping one fist in the air. "They can't get away with their misdeeds!"

"You and I… see eye-to-eye. I've come up with a plan to bring down Team Star and force them to disband for good. I call it… Operation Starfall! But I'll need allies to carry out this operation… and I'd like you to be one of them."

"Hold on, hold on!" Astrid cried, grabbing her friend by the shoulder and snatching the phone. "Cassiopeia, just who are you?! You can't just go hacking people's phones like that! How do we know you're not shady?!"

"Hacking phones breaks all kinds of rules!" Nemona too chimed in, jumping in front of the screen next to Astrid. "And those Team Star punks are a serious hazard! They're not Arashi's problem!"

"They are now!" Arashi declared without missing a beat, grabbing his phone back. "I'm in, Cassiopeia! You don't have to convince me- I think you're alright!"

Astrid's face made very good acquaintance with her hands right then, the shy lass burying her head in them haplessly. "Arashi, don't you remember what happened the last time someone tried to sweet-talk us into joining their cause?"

"Oh, this is different," he brushed her off. "This is a noble cause, and I am all for it!"

"Then Arashi has made his decision… right, Nemona?" the voice on the other end said.

"How did you-!" Nemona started.

"I've marked the locations of the Team Star bases on your map. Just a heads-up, there are five of them and they specialize in a different type each, but remember the names of the crews and you'll figure it out. With your luck, it should be no problem. I'm looking forward to seeing what you can pull off, Arashi. Bye." The call dropped, and back into Arashi's pocket went his phone. The blue-haired lad was perfectly content, while his shy friend shook her head while staring up at the sky and Nemona looked concerned.

"What was that about?" Arven mused.

"That Cassiopeia person has some guts," Ashton remarked, smirking.

"They seem incredibly questionable," Dylan noted.

"Arashi…" Nemona's voice trailed off, "I'm glad you're making plenty of friends here, but try not to get dragged into anything dangerous."

Arashi, however, could only laugh. "If Team Star wants to run around being an evil team, then I'll just start my own!" he declared, beaming and crossing his arms. "And I'll call it Team Starstorm!"

It was an over-the-top, somewhat goofy-sounding name to the others, but Astrid, the co-leader and commander of the actual Team Starstorm expedition group from their world, certainly knew what it entailed. She grabbed her friend by the shoulders to look him directly in the eye, not amused in the slightest. "You are not getting me in on this!" she declared. "This is asking for trouble!"

Arashi wasn't fazed. "I don't have to get you in on it, Astrid! Team Star is the star and I'm the storm!" He patted her shoulder, still grinning as if nothing was amiss. "C'mon.~ Maybe I'm not as smart as you, but I can handle myself, right~? You can think I'm crazy all you want, but you know me better than that.~"

The shy lass relented, letting out a sigh before turning loose and saying, "Just don't get yourself in too deep to climb out if you need to…"

With a smile and a wink, he easily replied, "Don't you worry.~"

Nemona, though, was quick to perk up too and said, whilst throwing an arm around Astrid's shoulders, "So that means you're coming with me, right~? Arashi says you have more potential than you let on, and I believe it! You just need someone to draw it out!"

The shy lass froze. "Wh-wha-! I-…! N-Nemona, I-…!"

The exuberant lass laughed. "No need to be shy! I can tell you're in! Let me send you a picture of a gym, alright? You can reach Cortondo out the west gate- that's where the easiest gym is!"

"I'm headed that way too- looks like there's a base out there," Arashi chimed in.

Some more sounds escaped Astrid, but no coherent words, and with Arashi giving her another wink, she simply nodded to Nemona.

"Then you and I are headed for the east gate," Arven said to Ashton. "We have Titans to face and ingredients to find."

At that, a ball Ashton carried broke open, and none other than Koraidon popped out, pawing the ground and looking eager. The blonde woman got a smirk again, but Arven, though, was less than enthused. "Agias!" the red dragon cried.

"Argh!" Arven fussed. "What'd you come out for?!"

Nemona chuckled. "You mentioned ingredients- maybe it wants some of your cooking!"

Arven shook his head, frowning pointedly. "Well, you're not getting any!" he declared.

"Gias! Gias!"

Ashton chuckled, not hesitating at all to jump on the dragon's back. "Oh, you just wanna get going, don't you? Hehe, don't worry! I won't keep you waiting for long! Let's go!"

Without so much as a second glance, Koraidon turned and darted off, Ashton whooping from its back as it dashed through the city.

"Tch…!"Arven sighed. "Wait up, little buddy!"

Shortly, Arven was bolting off too, and the ones left turned to each other. "What about you, Dylan?" Nemona inquired. "What's your prerogative?"

"Well, I've been giving it a lot of thought… and I want to do my own thing here at the Academy," Dylan replied. He pulled out a Moon Ball, calling out Aurora to his side. "You guys have seen me use Aurora in battles around the school, right?"

"Yeah! She's super strong!" Arashi nodded.

"And unlike any Lucario I've ever seen," Nemona added. "What makes her so special anyways?"

"Aurora is an Ancient Guardian Lucario, a rare subspecies that originates back to the earliest ancestors of Lucario," Dylan explained. "It's a long story to explain how she unlocked this form, but it basically makes her the equivalent of a Mega Lucario all the time, with a different ability and type."

"I was wondering about that… I've seen her evade Normal type attacks without issue. Is Aurora a Ghost/Fighting type?" Astrid asked.

"Indeed I am," Aurora said with a bow and a smile.

The three friends all looked shocked at the action. "She can talk!?" Nemona exclaimed. "And not use telepathy, but actual words!"

"Yes. Though they are few and far between, some Pokémon can learn the language of humans. I am one of them," Aurora said.

Astrid hummed. "Yeah, I've heard of Zoroark that can talk… and even a Meowth that was seen when Team Rocket was a thing as well…"

"Still, Aurora is so cool! You've gotta show us all you can do sometime," Arashi said.

"Well, it's my bond with Dylan that makes us so strong. We are like siblings, always having each others back. Our aura connects us so that nothing is impossible," Aurora said.

"Yeah, you seem like the kinda guy that would be into aura training," Nemona nodded. "You owe me a battle in the future though, okay?"

"Promise," Dylan chuckled. "But as I was trying to say, Aurora and I have trained so much together, that now Aurora wants to try training her own Pokémon."

"We are no longer Trainer and Pokémon, but fellow mentors for our team," Aurora said as Esmerelda came out of her ball, hopping into the Lucario's arms. "And our new journey as training partners starts with this little one."

"Sprig!" Esmerelda mewed.

"Well, if that's what suits you, then go for it!" Nemona said with a grin before turning to Astrid. "I'm heading to the gym. See you around!" Off she darted, leaving only Astrid, Arashi, and Dylan.

"Well, good luck, you guys," Dylan said to the other two. "I'll hold the fort down here. If I find anything in the library about how to hop dimensions between my training, or if Nebby wakes up, I'll give you guys a call."

Astrid nodded. "I-if Gemini wakes u-up, I-I'll let you know too."

Dylan nodded too. "And between us… someone needs to keep an eye on Delphi." Arashi couldn't help but to laugh, but Astrid nodded intently, knowing exactly what he meant. Before long, Dylan was headed back to the school, and Astrid and Arashi were headed for the west gate.

"Did you mean it when you said we should keep an eye on Delphi?" Aurora asked.

"Of course. Who knows what that Delphox will get up to while we're away. Last time that happened, she saved us from being trapped in the past by riding on a space-warping lion of all things," Dylan laughed. "Plus she's the drama teacher, and I have thought of trying out a bit of acting."

"Yes, that one time we helped that kid in Hollywood was fun," Aurora nodded. "And I can sense that Esmerelda has a passion for the arts as well."

"Then off to drama class we go!" Dylan declared.

The terrain west of Mesagoza seemed almost… friendly, with its carefully landscaped fields and orchards of olive trees that stretched for quite a ways, but even off in the distance was the sign of a Pokémon Center to ease up any weary travelers. There was certainly a beaten path into the ground, likely walked by quite a few trainers on their way to the gym much like Nemona when she'd bolted off, which was certainly helpful for navigation. Rolling hills, large patches of dark soil, and knee-high grass stretched like patchwork quilts off into the distance, but the view of some buildings told Astrid, at the very least, where she needed to go.

The shy lass glanced around, and on noticing there were no extra sets of eyes, retrieved a ball- a Luxury Ball- from her bag. "Okay, coast is clear," she said simply.

Out came a certain Xurkitree, who likewise glanced around. "Well, this is shaping up to be quite the expedition," he mused simply. "But maybe this 'Treasure Hunt' is exactly what we need… Getting close to some of these strong trainers and mysterious people like Cassiopeia might show us a way back home." He shook his head, tapping his fingers together. "… But if that Cassiopeia tries anything funny on you, Arashi, I will personally blast them into the stratosphere."

"Maybe you should carry Raijin around," Astrid haplessly mused to her blue-haired friend.

Arashi giggled. "You're still that worried~? Sheesh, Astrid- you had your time as Team Starstorm's commander, and now it's my turn! It'll be fiiiiine!" She wasn't going to press the issue and merely gave Arashi a pointed look while he only smiled back at her.

"I'm glad to see Nemona is alright after the ball-throwing fiasco," Raijin, however, mused. "I was worried for a little while after that, but it seems she's fine."

Earlier that week…

Two halves of a Poké Ball broke apart and scattered themselves around Astrid's room, making the shy lass flinch a bit. Arashi likewise looked taken aback, but Dylan and Ashton, on the other hand, didn't seem particularly surprised. Raijin's figure took form again as he burst out of the ball, the Xurkitree giving a little twitch, and Astrid looked haplessly at the split ball. "Did it work?" Raijin inquired mildly.

"U-um…" Astrid's voice uncertainly trailed off. "Y-you're not supposed to… break out, you know…"

"Break out? I wasn't trying to," the Xurkitree answered.

At that, Ashton started to look slightly amused, and Astrid herself looked a bit flustered. Maybe he wasn't trying to break out, but he certainly had- the ball was faulty, surely. Arashi eyed the broken pieces along with his Beast friend too, not quite sure what to make of the whole thing, and Dylan didn't seem caught off guard in the slightest.

"L-let me try again," Astrid said simply, grabbing another ball. "M-maybe that one was defective."

The Xurkitree, sure enough, wasn't resisting it at all as she touched the ball to him and pulled him inside. It shook once, yet still… the Poké Ball burst open again, Raijin very much not inside it. "… It's not working, is it?" Raijin asked uncertainly, glancing at the broken pieces on Astrid's floor.

"U-um…" Astrid's voice uncertainly trailed off.

"That's not supposed to happen, is it?" Arashi inquired, likewise glancing at the broken pieces.

"I-I mean, if you're trying to catch an unruly wild one, sure, but… that's not what's happening here," Astrid replied.

"Try this one," Dylan suggested, reaching into his bag and retrieving a Great Ball.

The shy lass took it, again touching it to her Beast friend, to which he went inside. One, two shakes later, there were the remnants of a broken Great Ball littering her floor, and Raijin was still very much not inside it. She started to look a bit flustered, letting out a cry of "A-ah…!" whilst glancing between the broken pieces, and Raijin himself pensively tapped his fingers together.

Ashton couldn't help but to giggle a bit, reaching into her own bag and pulling out an Ultra Ball. "Try this," she said, sticking it in Astrid's hands. "He's too strong for the others, clearly."

"Too strong…?" Arashi inquired, eyeing her. "Does that honestly matter?"

"Yeah, too strong," Ashton replied. "You might be able to catch, say, a rampaging Aggron with a Poké Ball if you get lucky, but honestly, Poké Balls aren't as fine-tuned for catching as the others. They're entry-level gear and not the good specialty stuff. Your friend here needs something strong like he is."

"That makes sense!" Arashi replied, nodding.

Astrid took the Ultra Ball, tapped Raijin with it, and one, two, three shakes later… he was still not inside. The Xurkitree twitched, tapping his fingers together again. "I know I'm an Ultra Beast and that gives me quite a lot of strength compared to this world's inhabitants, but surely it can't be this difficult when I'm not resisting…"

"That's probably exactly why it's difficult," Dylan chimed in, reaching into his bag and looking around for something. "The balls are probably having trouble recognizing you as a Pokémon, so even if you're not resisting, the balls themselves aren't accepting you."

Astrid perked up at the mention. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me… I-I mean, I knew they had a special type of ball for Ultra Beasts, but those aren't available to the general public… B-besides, the Beasts that appear where I'm from are almost always flighty and agitated at first, which doesn't make it easy to catch them, so I didn't think it would be this big of a difference…"

Arashi let out a hapless chuckle, looking to the Xurkitree. "You're just special, aha…!"

Raijin shook his head. "Apparently so," he said haplessly.

Dylan, though, pulled out another ball and passed it off to Astrid, one that was primarily black with red, silver, and gold detailing- a Luxury Ball. "Try this," he said. "It's not fine-tuned for catching, but it's designed to make whatever you catch with it feel more comfy and friendly. You two already have a close bond, so maybe that's what we need to pay attention to, not strength."

"Figures you'd come up with that," Ashton snickered.

"Let me guess- if it was just you, you'd just brute force it by lobbing Ultra Balls until one worked, wouldn't you?" Dylan replied, rolling his eyes.

"Yes," Ashton easily affirmed. "That doesn't make it any less special!"

"I feel like I should be concerned," Raijin mused, studying the blonde woman.

"You should be," Dylan said, giving Ashton a pointed glance, only for her to break into mischievous snickers.

"Oh, come on, it could be a fun game of betting on if the next one works," Arashi said with a shrug.

Astrid, though, went straight to tapping the Luxury Ball to her Xurkitree friend, and one, two, three shakes followed… before the ball stood completely still. Astrid perked up, but Arashi did more so, darting over to look at the ball with wide, inquisitive eyes. Dylan shot Ashton a knowing look, and the blonde woman playfully elbowed him, still wearing a mischievous expression in spite of the blatant non-verbal "I told you so" from her friend.

"Raijin?!" Arashi exclaimed, sticking his face up close to the ball. "Are you in there?!"

The ball wiggled slightly and opened, but unlike before, it didn't shatter in two and stayed intact in Astrid's hand as their Xurkitree friend took form amongst them again. Astrid certainly looked relieved, and though it was hard to tell for Ashton and Dylan with the Beast's lack of facial features, Raijin was fairly content.

"I was," the Xurkitree said simply.

"What's it like?!" Arashi pressed, a rather intent look on his face. "I know you won't lie!"

"It feels… cozy, more than the others did," Raijin answered. "It's a bit strange feeling so… incorporeal, but it's not bad at all, so I'm sure I can get used to that fairly quickly. And I can still hear you and tell what's going on, so I can jump out if you need me."

"So it's not cramped in there?" Arashi asked, eyeing both him and the ball. "You don't feel uncomfortable?"

"Not at all," Raijin affirmed. "Maybe that has more to do with who's carrying me, but the point still stands."

The blue-haired lad looked relieved, breaking into a grin. "Well, I'll take your word, aha! In that case, I won't feel weird about using them!"

Astrid too got a slight grin. "Now I don't have to worry," she said. "This makes things so much easier. Thanks, you guys, I-!"

At that moment, though, the door burst open, and her grin turned to alarm, along with the other three humans getting uncertain looks. "Astriiiiid!" came Nemona's voice. "There's a-!"

In moments, Nemona too was getting wide eyes, instantly taking note of an honest-to-goodness Ultra Beast right before her… an honest-to-goodness Ultra Beast that reached out and touched her, even if only with a single copper-plated finger. Her expression was that of someone that had won the lottery, or been crowned Queen of the Galaxy, or voted Best Human Ever by sheer popularity, and she stopped dead with Raijin's finger just below her neck, her mouth agape in excitement, and her ponytail fanning out behind her ridiculously from the current the Xurkitree emanated. Her mouth moved for just a split second, but whatever words she was going to say were cut off quickly by a tiny spark at Raijin's fingertip that apparently was enough to put her out like a light. She twitched and fell limp, Ashton darting out to grab her before she could hit her head.

"Nemona!" Arashi exclaimed, both in surprise in seeing her and in surprise at what had transpired. "Oh, Arceus above, Nemona! Why now?!"

Ashton slung the unconscious one over her shoulders and nudged the door shut with her foot, strolling over to Astrid's bed and flopping Nemona down onto it. "Well, that'll take care of things," she remarked. "Probably better than me smashing her head into a wall, too."

"What is wrong with you?!" Astrid exclaimed, darting over to the unconscious one.

"A-ah, I'm sorry, I know humans are fragile so I barely expended any-" Raijin started to say, shrinking up a bit and tapping his fingers together.

"Not you, Raijin!" Astrid cut him off. "That was smooth on your end! I'm referring to the crazy human that thinks smashing heads into a wall is a good idea!" she fussed, giving Ashton a pointed look while her Ultra Beast friend eased up.

"I've been trying to figure out what's wrong with her for around two decades now and I still have no idea," Dylan remarked haplessly. "Don't expend too much mental energy on it."

Ashton cackled. "Say what you will, but smashing her head would put her out too!"

"You wouldn't seriously try that, would you?" Arashi inquired with an uncertain smile, glancing to the blonde woman as he turned to look at Nemona.

"Oh, I seriously would," Ashton said to the contrary.

They ignored her, Astrid instead moving Nemona into a more comfortable position and straightening out her mussed-up hair. She was out, alright- pulse was there and plenty fast, but eyes shut. Raijin too scurried over, studying her just to make sure she was okay but not getting close enough to touch her, and though Arashi flocked around her too, he knew better than to start shaking her shoulders and calling out her name.

"Let's just pretend this never happened when she wakes up," Dylan suggested. "It was all a dream and there is no Xurkitree in Astrid's room."

"We tell her that I was watching Orochi's moves so I could study Ashton's techniques and she walked in right as he was using Dragon Rush," Astrid kept on, getting a smirk from Ashton in turn. "Maybe she got hit a little too hard and started seeing things that aren't there."

"She'll probably ask to see Orochi's Dragon Rush again right after that," Dylan added.

"Exactly," Astrid concurred.

"And we'd be glad to show it!" Ashton laughed.

Back in the present…

"I am still amazed we got away with that," Astrid said haplessly, recalling the entire incident. She reached into her bag again, musing, "But if Nemona sent me a picture of a gym, I should probably take note of what they look like in this region…"

She reached into her backpack, expecting to see a standard Rotom phone tucked away where she'd left it… but the standard school-issued phone was nowhere to be found. Instead, in a plainly obvious place was a different device, something she did not recognize in the slightest but was undoubtedly still a mobile phone. The screen was much more polished and clearer, and the shell around it wasn't plastic but instead some kind of holographic gold, crystalline substance that bent the sun's rays as they hit it. Some wing-shaped accents on the upper edges brought to mind a certain draconic figure, one that Astrid (and her company, for that matter) were quite familiar with but hadn't laid eyes on in quite some time.

…Necrozma. Ultra Necrozma. "H-huh?!" Astrid cried, grabbing the shiny device. "Th-this isn't…"

*Can you hear me?*

All three of them recognized the voice, too- it was definitely the highest power of Ultra Space. "N-Necrozma?!" Astrid exclaimed. "A-ah, y-you…!"

Arashi started beaming. "You're gonna come save us, aren't you?!" he cried with a grin.

Raijin tapped his fingers together. "I don't mean to sound entitled, but… are you just now hearing my prayers, or are we that far away?"

*Oh, heavens, no,* the unseen one replied. *I've been well aware of your situation. It's quite the odd set of circumstances that's left you all as you are, but seeing as you're all capable of managing yourselves, I didn't see it fit to interfere. You'll get home in due time, surely.*

A sardonic smile graced Astrid's face and her eyes narrowed up at the sky.

*You are, however, back in the jurisdiction of Arceus… but they have paid me another visit, so any interference on my part is not unwarranted.*

"Did they yell at you again?" Arashi inquired, getting a playful look (along with a soft shove from Raijin).

*Our conversation is a divine matter I don't see fit to disclose.*

"They totally yelled at you," the blue-haired lad remarked, getting an even harder shove from the Xurkitree.

*In any case,* Necrozma kept on, *that device there is something I'll call the Prism Phone. Apparently Arceus entrusted a device called the 'Arc Phone' to a human who had their favor many, many years ago, and I quite like the idea. It has the same functions as your previous phone, but it runs on divine power and has some extra… features, so it's quite the upgrade. If you will… test one out. Raijin, go back into your ball and try to talk to Astrid.*

It sounded strange, but the Xurkitree did so, and shortly, the phone was buzzing with a message (from a contact with zero information, written as "RAIJIN" for the name attached) reading "Like this?" displayed on it.

Astrid and Arashi were both taken aback, getting wide eyes. "Raijin, did you send that?!" Arashi exclaimed. "How?!"

Another message popped up. "It feels like a psychic link, much like how we communicated amongst our teams on the mission to Megalo Tower. Necrozma, this is your doing, isn't it?"

*Of course it is. I'm sure you three could work things out just fine, but being unable to directly communicate is bothersome.*

"That is useful," Astrid noted.

*You can discover the other features on your own, surely. In essence, you'll be carrying a sliver of my power with you.*

Astrid blinked, studying it- it certainly seemed divine just with its appearance, never mind its given link with her other comrade, even if it was modeled after a mundane object that everyone carried. "A-ah…" she stammered. "Th-that…"

"That's so cool!" Arashi cried, studying it with wide eyes. "Sheesh, Astrid, a phone from a god! That is special, aha!"

Back out of the ball came Raijin. "I knew you wouldn't forsake us," he mused softly.

*Whatever world you're on, you're still my chosen ones. Do this world well.*

Astrid, though, even if she was happy with the development at hand, glanced upwards again, saying up at the sky with a sardonic tone, "Don't think I've forgotten about you up at the top of Megalo Tower, Necrozma…"

… But the day to give the supreme god another piece of her mind wasn't going to come soon, surely. The Prism Phone had Nemona's gym picture loaded on it, along with her contacts and the same apps, but Astrid couldn't help but to notice an icon resembling a wormhole that she'd have to test out at a later time. She and Arashi had things to do- bases to conquer and gym challenges to partake in. Mimi and Pyre both came out of their balls, the former of which was extremely intrigued by Raijin's ridiculously high voltage, and the Ultra Beast certainly had no qualms about exchanging a few friendly zaps with the tiny orange creature.

With their paths going in different directions, Astrid and Arashi couldn't venture together the entire way, thus Astrid headed for Cortondo with Mimi skittering along next to her and Raijin stowed away in her bag once they came to the more populated areas. The town itself wasn't overtly captivating, but it certainly felt welcoming and homey all the same with its green palm trees scattered about, stone pathways in varying shades of grey and orange-brown, and houses that were more flat than tall amongst the fields and valley edges. It seemed more like a place someone would stumble into than intentionally seek out, something like Azalea Town from Astrid's home region, but she didn't mind- the quiet atmosphere was almost calming, much more comfortable than Mesagoza's busy state.

A pleasant scent filled the air… and Mimi certainly seemed to notice it for the way she haphazardly stood up on her hind legs and looked towards the source- a bake shop with plenty of fanciful confections displayed in glass cases and several people looking around to find one that appealed to them. The little Pawmi dropped back down on all fours again and skittered closer to Astrid, tugging at the leg of her jeans.

"A-ah, Mimi, you wanna get something to eat…?" the shy lass asked, crouching down to pet her gently.

In silent response, Mimi looked to the bake shop and back to Astrid, who gently swooped her up and let the little critter crawl onto her shoulder. Over she went, combing over the confections with her eyes too- delicate little cakes with pastel frosting, fresh cookies that still had a gooey consistency, fanciful tarts with berry slices… They all looked delicious, but almost too pretty to find out just how true of an assessment that was.

"Welcome to Soapberry!" a woman behind the counter called, waving.

Astrid gave a little jolt at being addressed, but managed a smile and a shy wave nonetheless. Mimi was much more occupied with the goodies however, and the little Pawmi slid down Astrid's shoulder, into her arms, and reached one hand out towards one of the glass cases. She might've fallen out of Astrid's arms too had she not had a firm hold, for the little orange creature was certainly on a mission.

"You see something you like…?" Astrid inquired softly, crouching down so the Pawmi could see up close.

As soon as Astrid crouched down, Mimi crawled onto her shoulder again and leaned forward with her paws on the glass, giving an intent look to a pale green mini cake with a pink frosting rose and decorative mint leaves on top. She looked to Astrid, then back at the cake, then back at Astrid, which got the point across plenty clear. The shy lass gave her a nod, then scooped her up off her shoulder again and straightened out.

Astrid looked over to the shop tender and gave a small wave, and the woman met her gaze and scurried over. "What can I get for ya?" she asked nonchalantly.

"U-um…" Astrid stammered, stumbling over her words for a second. "C-can I get one of the g-green rose cakes, a-and…" she asked, pointing at the object of Mimi's fancy, then looking to another, "… o-one of the Wepear tarts…?"

"Sure thing, sweetie! Your little one has good taste.~"

Maybe Mimi didn't make a sound, but the way she looked at Astrid then back at the woman who started to box up their sweets was a playful 'you hear that?' if ever there was one. Astrid smiled slightly, nuzzling the little Pawmi with one hand while swiping her card with the other. She said a muffled 'thanks' before taking the box and looking to find a quiet place to sit, a small table under a tree beckoning her over. She perched herself in one chair, her backpack hanging off the side, and Mimi fit perfectly fine on the table itself, her ears flicking excitedly as Astrid retrieved their treats. The cake was almost as big as Mimi herself, but the little orange critter wasn't protesting- quite the opposite, she immediately set to licking the frosting.

Astrid giggled, taking a piece of her tart on her fork. "Does that hit the spot?"

The little Pawmi paused for a second, looked over, then skittered across the table, onto Astrid's shoulder again, and nudged her backpack open before crawling inside. The shy lass certainly wasn't sure what to make of such and nudged it open some more, noticing Mimi trying to pick up a certain Luxury Ball but not quite being able to crawl out with it in her hands.

"A-ah, Mimi, just one second," Astrid said, scooping Mimi out and back onto the table before grabbing Raijin's ball. "You don't want Raijin to feel left out, do you?"

The little Pawmi haphazardly stood up on her hind legs, tilting her head at the ball in Astrid's hand before dropping back down. Astrid chuckled, carefully setting the ball on the table but keeping one hand on it so as to avoid an accidental trigger, and Mimi looked between it and her human for a moment.

"Raijin's alright, Mimi," Astrid said softly. "He's not gonna feel left out. He doesn't get hungry like you and me."

Her phone buzzed and a message appeared from her friend in the ball. "I think I'm growing fond of this little one, for what it's worth."

Astrid chuckled. "She definitely seems to like you too."

Mimi blinked, but nonetheless let up, albeit pushing her cake closer to his ball while she licked and nibbled it. The ball gave a little shake, and Mimi rubbed her cheeks for a moment before putting one hand on it while she ate. Astrid couldn't help but to smile a bit at the little one's gestures, and surely, had the coast been clear to be out, Raijin probably would've nestled her under his head for a moment much like he had when Astrid and Arashi were in different, unevolved bodies.

Astrid finished her tart much quicker than Mimi could down her cake, but the little Pawmi seemed determined to finish it off, getting frosting on her nose as she nibbled away. After a nice chunk of it was gone, she'd pause for just a moment, tilt her head sideways, blink a few times, then go right back to nibbling as if debating, then deciding with a definite yes, whether to have some more. Nonetheless, after she'd put away a third of it, she apparently decided that she'd had enough, for she paused, blinked a few times, then turned and traipsed to the edge of the table to peer over the edge. Astrid quickly reached out to catch her before she could jump, carefully setting the little critter on the ground, and Mimi skittered around her feet for a moment before standing on her hind legs for just a moment to look around.

"You ready to go, Mimi?" Astrid inquired, grabbing her backpack off the edge of the chair.

The little Pawmi looked up at her for a second, then skittered and looked between her feet while saying a simple "Miiiii."

However, a yapping sound caught Astrid's attention, and she became thankful she hadn't left her seat yet when a small canine figure- a Fidough- came plowing through her legs and made her jump in surprise. Mimi jumped aside slightly, for the little pooch had no way of stopping himself in time to avoid her, but seemed more inquisitive than anything as she flicked her ears and skittered closer herself. The Fidough seemed happy as could be to see her, crouching down and yapping happily under the table whilst wagging his stubby tail.

"A-ah, Mimi-!" Astrid exclaimed, putting her backpack over her shoulder and getting up quickly.

"Sorry! So sorry!" came another voice, followed by some hurried footsteps.

Astrid turned to see an older man, not moving particularly swiftly but clearly trying his best to run, who came scurrying after the puppy. The Fidough didn't seem to regard him at all, instead wagging his tail at Mimi, who studied him with flicking ears. The little Pawmi reached out and touched the little canine with one hand, giving him a slight shock, but her rambunctious company didn't care and playfully pawed at her.

"Fidough! Enough!" the man cried, crouching down a bit and giving some soft claps to beckon the pooch over.

The rambunctious puppy only looked at him for a moment before Tackling Mimi, who rubbed her cheeks and gave a Thunder Shock in return.

"Fidough!"

"M-Mimi!"

The older man's stern tone made the puppy pause, and Mimi glanced over to Astrid, not appearing too bothered by any of it. "Fidough, come here," the man said, giving a small clap again that the puppy followed. He turned to Astrid. "I'm so sorry, Miss- he's energetic and I'm getting too old to run after puppies."

"I-it's alright," Astrid stammered back, her voice on the softer side as she met the other human's gaze. "He didn't b-bother me, a-and Mimi doesn't seem to m-mind."

The man chuckled, scooping the puppy up, but Mimi, on the other hand, scurried over to his feet instead, looking up at the still-wiggling puppy and tugging slightly at one of his pant legs. The Fidough yapped, and Mimi stood up on her hind legs while studying him.

"Oh? You made a friend that quick?" the man cooed amusedly, giving Mimi, then the small canine in his arms, a glance. "You can't just go running off, Fidough. You could get into trouble." Mimi gave another tug, which made him chuckle some more.

"U-um," Astrid said shyly, "i-if it's okay, I d-don't mind them playing…"

The man looked to her. "Oh? Are you sure?"

"M-hm," she said with a nod.

Again, Mimi tugged, and the man turned loose, the puppy yapping happily as he started to dart around with a wagging tail. Mimi studied him a bit, as if unsure what to make of his rambunctious mannerisms, but she was perfectly content to tumble around with him and give him little zaps when he licked her. Astrid sat back down in her chair, her backpack in her lap, and the man took up on the other chair opposite her, watching amusedly as the little critters ran around.

"Your little one is Mimi?" he asked.

"M-hm," Astrid replied, nodding without meeting his gaze.

"I haven't thought of names for him or his siblings yet," the man noted, watching the little creatures tumble. "His mother Churro, my Dachsbun, disappeared for a few days and when I finally found her, she was in a burrow off the beaten path with five eggs around her and another wild Dachsbun, his father, helping her keep them all warm." He chuckled. "That scoundrel's in my house now too and my wife has taken a liking to him, but even with Churro and her mate keeping them in line, they're a handful, this one especially."

A Dachsbun running off into the wild to elope with her secret mate, then being discovered with a gaggle of puppies waiting to hatch and moving her 'scoundrel' mate into her unwitting guardian's house- had Astrid heard such a story in the world full of mystery dungeons, it would not have amused her in the slightest, but here, she found herself with a slight grin.

"A-are you keeping them?" she asked softly.

"Well, my children are set to come home from Guayaba Academy soon, and they're all wanting some travel company for their big assignment, so that takes care of three," he answered. "This one here loves to play, but he's the smallest and just gets bowled over all the time by his siblings. He sure does try, but he's just too small to keep up with them, and rambunctious as he is, I think he'd be better suited to travelling with a trainer… which none of my children are. I'm just not too sure what to do with him."

Astrid perked up, giving the man a glance and then looking back to the puppy. "U-um… W-well, I-I…"

He chuckled again. "That's just me rambling," the man mused haplessly, getting up. "Sorry. I shouldn't concern other people with my problems. Fidough! Let's go!"

"H-hold on," Astrid said quickly, getting up likewise and turning to him. "I-I'll take him."

The man couldn't help but to be surprised, turning to her inquisitively. "You will?"

She nodded. "M-hm. I-I'm a trainer, and Mimi seems to g-get along with him. He can come with us."

Her company eased up a bit, studying her as the little pooch bounced up and down next to him. "Are you sure? I don't want you to get worn out."

"M-My friends are… really energetic. I d-don't look it, but… I'm used to running around all the time."

Mimi strolled over and tugged at her pant leg, to which Astrid crouched down and held her arms out. The little Pawmi jumped into them, then skittered onto her shoulder and jumped back onto the table from her back. Back over to the cake she skittered, but she didn't start nibbling it, and instead started nudging the little cardboard plate towards the edge. She looked down at her canine friend, who traipsed over and stood up on his hind legs in an effort to see what she had, even if likewise haphazardly. Astrid and the man both chuckled, the shy lass darting over and grabbing the plate before Mimi could potentially make a mess.

"Well, he seems to like her too," the man noted. "Fidough, what do you think? Do you want to travel with your new friend?"

A happy yap came in response.

The man turned back to her. "He's yours. Take good care of him."

Astrid nodded. "I-I w-will."

Soon enough, the man was seeing his way off after one last hug and a scratch between the ears, but the little pooch seemed far more enamored with Mimi's cake remnants when Astrid placed them down for him to munch on. He scarfed them down quite a lot quicker than the little Pawmi herself who had picked the treat out, which mystified Mimi slightly from the way she flicked her ears and blinked as he did so.

"If you're mine… I need a name for you," Astrid mused to herself, watching him bounce around Mimi. "You look kinda like bread dough, and you toast bread, so maybe… Toast…?"

The Fidough perked up at the mention, pausing for just a moment.

"Toast. How do you like that?"

A happy yap answered her too, the puppy scurrying and jumping into her lap. Mimi followed shortly thereafter, albeit having to have Astrid scoop her up to reach her human's grasp, and before long, she was perched on Astrid's shoulder while Toast stood up on his hind legs to give both her and Astrid a lick on their faces. The shy girl couldn't help but to be surprised at the gesture, but she didn't protest- it was affectionate, after all.

She looked over to Raijin's ball. "Well, I guess we've got another," she said haplessly.

The moment Astrid set foot in the Cortondo Gym, she was met with a familiar face immediately turning to look at her and a cry of, "Oh, hey! Astrid!"

"A-ah-…!" Astrid cried, flinching slightly as Nemona came bounding over to her. "N-Nemona, y-you-!"

The exuberant lass grinned. "Came to see this gym, huh? That can only mean one thing…" Her grin got even wider and she bounced a bit as she cried, "You're out to earn some gym badges and take on the Pokémon League, aren't you?!"

"E-er, I-…"

"'Aye,' you said?! Yesssss, I knew it!" Nemona replied, clasping her hands together excitedly. "I'm so glad I asked you to do it!" She giggled, then glanced around a bit. "Before you can battle the Gym Leader, you've gotta pass a certain challenge set by them- their gym test. Every gym's test is different." She gestured to the front desk. "If you ask the lobby staff about it, they'll tell you what's up!"

"A-ah, g-good to kn-know-"

"Here, have these!" Nemona kept right on, reaching into her own backpack. "When you use 'em, consider it me healing up your Pokémon!" She retrieved three super potions, which she practically shoved into Astrid's hands.

"A-ah, th-thanks-" Astrid stammered, taking them.

Nemona waltzed right up beside her, sticking an arm around her shoulder and giggling happily. "Ahhh, I'm so glad you're aiming to be a champion, too! This is the best news ever! Man, I'm so excited, I can barely stand still…" And just like that, she was turning loose and sprinting out the door. "Guess I'll just go battle every trainer I run into!"

Astrid blinked, turning around to watch her run as the door opened and closed behind her, blinking to herself for a moment. She could feel Toast's ball wiggling wildly, while Mimi's was still. "… Help me," Astrid mused haplessly, looking up at the ceiling in hopes some divine entity would hear.

Her phone buzzed, and she looked down as it drifted out of her pocket to see a message from Raijin. "Are you getting the feeling that she intentionally placed herself here just to act like it was coincidence?"

Astrid sighed after reading the text on the screen. "Yes," she said flatly, the phone going back into her pocket.

Nonetheless, she strolled over to the front desk, where a man greeted her. "Welcome to the Cortondo Gym!" he said with a cheerful wave.

"U-um, hello," Astrid said softly, her face pointed forward but eyes directed downward.

"Let me register you as a challenger," he said, tapping some keys on a computer. "And your name is?"

She froze for a second. This world… It certainly wasn't Arashi's, it certainly wasn't Dylan and Ashton's, it definitely wasn't Raijin's homeworld, but from the way the regions- Johto, Hoenn, Kanto, Paldea, and the rest- seemed to match up, along with the cultures and histories she'd heard of in class- Alola only recently establishing their own league, a war many years past in Kalos- then there seemed to be a growing likelihood that it was her home world. She hadn't wanted to return, and she still wished to go home, to her real home where Arashi was from, but if she was stuck in her own world of origin, then she couldn't have her name spreading. The authorities in Johto had probably deemed her disappearance a cold case, and her close ones had probably swiftly moved on again if the first disappearance was anything to judge by, but even so, if she did end up gathering all the badges, that was going to come with some level of fame.

… She simply couldn't have that. She wanted to leave her old life behind, find some way to get back home where she really belonged, and that did not involve the Johtonian authorities getting wind of her living in Paldea.

"S-Sage," she answered. It was a lie, to be sure, but she had to come up with something- in her real home, she was a Decidueye, Decidueyes were Grass-types with green leaves, and sage was both a plant and a shade of green.

"Alright, Sage!" the man replied. "In order to face Gym Leader Katy, you'll first need to pass the gym test." He started to grin. "And here at the Cortondo Gym, that means taking on the Olive Roll! Olive production is a big part of life in Cortondo. We've held the Olive Harvest Festival here each year for generations to usher in bumper crops! To pass our gym test, you'll need to roll an olive-shaped ball all the way to the goal. Your efforts should help ensure we get a great olive harvest next year, too!"

Astrid blinked. The gyms in Johto had puzzles, to be sure- Bugsy's web, Whitney's castle-like maze, Morty's darkness-shrouded floors, the hardcore safety hazard that was Clair's gym… This sounded different, like a sporting event of sorts, and the fact that the gym staffer was telling her what to do without leaving her to figure it out herself puzzled her just a bit.

"The staffer over at the olive-rolling field will explain the rules to you in further detail. I'll register the location in your map app. It's just to the north of town!"

She blinked again- leaving the gym for its challenge was something they didn't do in Johto either, short of when Clair whined about being legitimately bested in battle (and getting chastised about being a sore loser later). Paldea gym culture was certainly different, it seemed. Nonetheless, her phone left her pocket, the man taken aback for just a moment at the upgraded model, and the map app opened up, a marker being placed indicating where she would need to go.

"Now get out there and have fun!" the man said, grinning some more.

Astrid wordlessly nodded, grabbing her phone and turning to leave. "A-alright," she said to herself, looking at the map. "Let's do this…" As she exited the building, both Mimi and Toast exited their balls, the latter pouncing around at her feet while the other simply looked up at her with flicking ears. "You guys are excited, huh?" she asked, pausing.

Toast yapped, and in silent response, Mimi reached out and tugged at one of her pant legs.

"Alright, then," she said, keeping on walking after quickly gleaning some information from her phone about their opponent. "From what I can see, Katy isn't aggressive with her tactics. She uses Bug-types, which are weak to Flying-, Rock-, and Fire-types… and neither of you are packing moves of those types, so we'll have to rely on neutral damage. Bug-type moves aren't very effective against fairies, so Toast, that makes you a prime candidate to be our ace here. I'm not sure exactly what her team is, so we'll have to figure that out as we go, but that shouldn't be a problem.

"Mimi, I'll rely on you first- your type has an advantage when it comes to throwing wrenches in the opposition with paralysis, and that will help us. Toast, you've got fighting spirit and you resist their main attributes, so don't hold it back. Are we in agreement?"

She looked down, and both of her Pokemon seemed content, albeit puzzled, Mimi flicking her ears and Toast with a happy face but blank eyes.

"… Right," she said to herself, looking ahead again. "You're my teammates, but… you don't understand nearly as much as you would if I'd met you back home." She looked back down. "Mimi, you go first, and Toast, you finish 'em off." That seemed to register just fine, for Mimi got a little grin herself, and Toast perked right up with a wagging tail.

Her phone buzzed, and a message from Raijin flashed on the screen. "You're rattling off strategies with them like you did with us," he noted.

"Yeah," Astrid replied haplessly. "We'll understand each other better in due time, but… they aren't quite like the Pokémon back home."

Nonetheless, after a bit of venturing, they came to a large field with a huge basket-like goal post at one end with many obstacles in between, and a woman in similar attire to the man at the gym gave a friendly wave. Astrid scurried over, for she must've been the other gym staffer.

"Hey there!" she called. "Are you Sage?"

"Y-yes," Astrid affirmed, scurrying over with her Pokémon in tow.

"Perfect!" the woman replied, turning to stroll towards a raised platform and motioning her along. "Welcome to the olive rolling field! This gym test is all about stamina- you'll need to push with all you've got to get a large olive ball rolling and make it all the way to the end."

Astrid nodded, following along and taking note of the field's layout- some other gym trainers blocked a few paths with a brigade of Smolivs behind them, and fenced partitions bearing the likeness of a spider web delineated the path with the basket goal at the end. The ball itself was as tall as she was, and if it was a test of stamina, it probably wasn't light.

"Get the ball over various obstacles, then push it into the goal to clear the course," the woman explained, strolling up to the edge of the platform. "Now that you're all filled in, are you ready to start the gym test?"

Astrid nodded. "Y-yes."

"Great! Put in a wish for a good olive harvest and roll, roll, roll away!"

With another nod, Astrid climbed up onto the platform with Toast and Mimi close behind her, looked at the ball… and rushed it like she was going to slam it with a Steel Wing had she been a Decidueye still.

The ball went flying. She paused for just a second with wide eyes, for she certainly didn't expect it to be so… bouncy. A couple of Smolivs at the edge of the field got wide eyes and scattered as it bounced against the gate, for if they hadn't, they probably would've gotten slammed. Toast made a happy yapping sound and dashed off after the ball, and Mimi flicked her ears for a second while glancing at Astrid, as if the little Pawmi were unsure of how her human had pulled that off. Maybe she wasn't a Decidueye anymore, but all that expeditioning certainly hadn't left her as soft as before she'd been warped to the mystery dungeon world.

"A-ah… I thought it was… heavier…" the shy lass mused to herself.

Mimi darted off too, and so did Astrid herself, Toast happily Tackling the ball a bit too to get it going in the right direction. A ramp about knee-high height blocked them from rolling it too easily along the path, but a woman with slightly surprised eyes stood in front of a line of Smolivs that, had they moved, would've been an easy shot further ahead without much difficulty.

"Beat me, and you can take this shortcut here," the woman said, sounding just a bit unsure as Astrid approached. The wall of Smolivs behind her seemed a bit skittish too, as if Astrid just might have tried to trample them with the ball.

Astrid looked at the delineated path, then at the shortcut, then at the ball, and said a soft, "P-pass," as she gave it another mighty shove.

The ramp didn't dissuade her too much. The ball flew right over it, and Toast jumped over the ramp excitedly while Mimi skittered over and Astrid herself leaped. The Fidough himself jumped into the air and Tackled the ball again, taking away some of its momentum so it didn't bounce too far away. A man with another wall of Smolivs stood right in front of a sure shot to the goal, but Astrid gave him one look and he didn't even bother asking as she sent the ball flying again over another ramp, then another, with one last shove sending it right into the goal.

"Th-there we go," Astrid mused softly.

She looked around, and spotted the field staffer making her way over with a smile on her face. "With that performance, I'm sure we can look forward to a great olive harvest next year!" she exclaimed. "I'm happy to declare your gym test officially cleared. Congratulations!"

Astrid simply nodded, while Toast gave a happy yap and a jump, and Mimi smiled while rubbing her cheeks.

"Please report your result to the lobby staffer at the gym. Good luck in your battle against Katy!"

Another nod followed, and soon, without another word, Astrid was turning and making her way back to the town with Toast still yapping happily and Mimi following along. Toast was clearly brimming with energy, and from the way Mimi occasionally cast Astrid a glance as she strolled alongside her, the little Pawmi wanted to see what came next too.

"That wasn't so bad," Astrid mused. "I think I may have come on a little too strong, though…"

Her phone buzzed, and a message from Raijin flashed on the screen as it escaped her pocket. "If you'd been a Decidueye, that poor ball would be in bad shape, wouldn't it?"

Astrid chuckled haplessly, blushing a bit and looking down. "A-ah…"

"Well, whatever form you're in and whether you're on the field or not, this Katy better have some luck. I'm cheering you on."

Astrid smiled. Maybe if her home, her real home where she really belonged, was light years away in a completely different world until a way back showed itself… this was what she needed. She'd been hard-pressed to carve her own niche out in Johto, surrounded by people more ambitious and capable with no path of her own to follow, but if this was where she was going to be for the foreseeable future… she'd prove herself. Maybe Nemona was giving some not-so-subtle attempts to drag her along this path, but no, the choice was Astrid's. The shy lass knew good and well what she was capable of, and she was going to show it, even if while keeping her real name obscured from the public.

… But first, she'd have to beat Katy. And she was certain she'd do just that.

Author's Note

TheDragonSaver: Azakael did most of the writing this chapter, as we've decided that for each scenario of the Scarlet/Violet story we'll be splitting the duties in half. Azakael will be writing Ashton and Astrid/Sage's paths, while I write Arashi and Dylan's paths. Dylan may be doing his own thing for now, but we do have plans to incorporate the DLCs into this tale, so stay tuned for that…

Otherwise, my partner in writing did a great job as usual, with a lot of fun shenanigans to be had. Raijin breaking out of his ball constantly was an idea we came up with together, and Astrid getting the Prism Phone was one I thought of. Also, hype for "Pokémon Legends ZA" coming out next year!

Azakael: You know, I wanted so badly to just mess with my friend and write something like "I'm only putting this AN in because TheDragonSaver told me to" which... I guess I'm technically still doing... but then he'd just make fun of me and I'd probably threaten to hire a witch to hex him or some crap and I just don't have time to hunt down a witch that takes bribes.

Originally I was thinking of sticking Raijin in an Ultra Ball because, well... the reasons write themselves. Luxury Balls are just really freaking cool, and honestly, I think we've all been there- you run out of Ultra Balls, so you chuck the crappy stuff, and coincidentally it's the crappy ball that works. I used to care about what balls I catch things in, but then I had a shiny Latias die on me from Struggle, of all things (AFTER I HAD USED MY FREAKING MASTER BALL), and cut that out reeeeeaaaaaaaal quick. Totally unrelated to any of that, though, I spent more time thinking about what goods Katy would have in her bakery, which ones Astrid and Mimi would eat, and how much a Pawmi could reasonably scarf down at one time with such a tiny mouth than probably literally any other part of this chapter. Make of that what you will.

... And for what it's worth, I'm not disappointed at the reveal... yet.