The giant Klawf left giant tracks through the sand and dirt as it ran, and though it had multiple figures pursuing it, only one other set of footprints- those belonging to Koraidon- were left behind to indicate such. Orochi could fly fast and kept up with no trouble, Arven clinging to the Hydreigon's back for dear life, but undoubtedly special though it may have been, Koraidon lagged behind a little, try though the red brute did to sprint. Rio and Dante cheered from its back, the Quaxwell keeping hold of the smaller Charcadet just to be sure he didn't fall off. All of them kept a close eye on their trainer grinning on the Titan's back, and Arven did the same, but he certainly wasn't cheering- he was praying to whatever higher power would listen that the giant pincers the blonde woman taunted wouldn't actually injure her in horrific ways.

"Ashton!" Arven called. "Jump off and we'll catch you! This is really dangerous…!"

Ashton looked at him like he was crazy, hollering back, "Jump off?! Absolutely not! I'm gonna fight some Titans!"

The Titan she was on apparently deduced where she was, for again its claws tried to bludgeon her on its back. She only laughed, getting to her feet and scurrying out of the way, albeit playfully curling up her fists and giving one pincer a punch. A loud cry of "GLAWWWWWW!" escaped her target and it paused, right at the base of another steep cliff, to which she threw caution to the wind and pounced on the pincer she'd punched.

Yet again, Arven's eyes practically bulged out of his skull. "Ashton!" he shouted. "What are you-!"

Whatever words he was going to get out quickly turned into a dismayed yell as the Titan drew its pincer back, Ashton clinging to it, and bashed the side of the cliff. "Agh-!" Ashton cried.

WHUMP!

It appeared it wasn't a cliff the Titan battered, but the sealed opening of a cave, for the wall shattered and came clattering down in big pieces and little pebbles alike. Arven's mouth dropped open and his eyes turned to little pinpricks, for his comrade had been clinging to that pincer and undoubtedly took a hard impact. She wasn't clinging to it anymore when the Klawf drew its pincer back again… and he didn't particularly want to imagine her heavily injured at the bottom of a pile of boulders. Orochi paused, not too fazed, and Arven jumped off the dragon's back while Koraidon darted up close behind.

"Gias!" the red dragon cried.

"Oh, shut it!" Arven snapped, casting it a dirty look and getting a frantic expression. "Ashton!"

Ashton, on the other hand… was in one piece, even if a bit roughed up. Her eyes looked up at a dark rocky ceiling, light trickling in from an entrance in front of her as she sprawled on the ground. It certainly wasn't the first time she'd tangled with a creature much bigger than she was, but nonetheless, an angry Titan Klawf's pincers hit hard. She'd probably feel some aching muscles and bones later, but for the time being… that wasn't a problem she cared about.

"Sheesh, you know how to throw hands- er, pincers…" she groaned, moving more into a sitting position.

The Klawf skittered towards her, to which she haphazardly got to her feet and put her fists up, eyeing the Klawf's grabbing and battering appendages in case she needed to dodge them… but the Klawf wasn't concerned with her. Rather, one of its pincers reached out and took hold of a clump of gently glowing pink herbs, which it held to its mouth and started munching.

Her face lit up. "So that's what an Herba Mystica looks like.~"

It probably wasn't going to do them any favors if she allowed the Titan to eat them, but by the heavens, did the Klawf seem intent on doing just that. With a mischievous giggle, she sprinted forward and, with a big leap, landed on the pincer holding the mystical herbs, grabbed them, and ripped the leafy portion of their stems right off. Shortly the Klawf was looking at a bunch of unappetizing stems in its pincer and gave a cry of disapproval, but Ashton was leaping off of its pincer and onto its back when its other one reached out to grab her.

"No snack time for you!" the blonde woman shouted with a smirk, dangling the leafy portions in front of one of its eyes for just a moment.

There were more for it to grab, but apparently, the Klawf was more annoyed than it was hungry, and tried to batter the woman on its back again before she darted and jumped off. With another cry of "Glaaawwwww!" it was turning around and skittering after her, throwing its stems down and snapping its pincers. Ashton cackled, skipping through the rubble without a care in the world as it chased after her.

Rio and Dante had both jumped off of Koraidon's back and looked ready to go, while Arven himself looked like he was completely unsure what to do. Ashton darted over, holding up the pretty herbs and giving a playful wink.

"Found 'em!" she declared.

Arven's mouth moved but no words came out for a few moments. "You-! It-! ou were-…!" His eyes darted between her, the cave, the rubble, and back to her. "How-!"

She laughed some more. "Awww, you're just so happy to see them, aren't you~? Must be like a dream come true or something! Don't worry, there's more too!"

He blinked, then fell on his knees with his face buried in his hands and yelled at the top of his lungs.

Ashton giggled, traipsing behind him. "He's so happy, isn't he, Orochi~?" she chirped, reaching down for one of the flaps on his backpack and giving her Hydreigon a wink. "Here, I'll put 'em in your bag!" Orochi only made a few gravelly giggling sounds, his eyes glinting mischievously.

"Now's not the time," Arven said to himself, getting back up and reaching for a Poké Ball on his belt.

The Klawf, however, emerged from the cave again and paused, letting out an even louder cry of "GLAAAWWWWW!" as it started to glow with a pink aura much like the herbs were giving off. In a few moments, it seemed the Titan was surging with power from what it had scarfed down, for a burst of pink overtook it for a moment that made the ones surrounding it shield their eyes or look the other way for how overpoweringly bright it was. It died down in a few seconds, leaving a relatively ordinary-looking (if still huge nonetheless) Klawf, but there was no doubting that the Herba Mystica had imbued it with something special.

"Char!" Dante cried, his hands smoldering.

"Qua!" Rio cried, smoothing his coif.

Ashton giggled, darting closer to her Pokémon and declaring, "Alright, guys, let's fight some Titans!"

Arven too darted over to her, saying, "Let's watch ourselves, Ashton. It's gotta be even stronger after eating those herbs!" He tossed out his ball, calling, "C'mon, Shellder!"

True to his words, a purple shelled creature made his entrance onto the field, his obscured eyes staring down their foe. Koraidon backed up to give Rio and Dante some room, sticking close to Ashton and Orochi while the smaller figures got into position. Klawf, on the other hand, looked ready to clobber them all with its pincers waving in threat. Soon enough, the Titan was lurching out with both of them, going for a Vise Grip.

"Aqua Jet, Rio! Dante, smog it up!" Ashton called.

Rio had no trouble doing exactly that, turning into a watery blur as he rushed one of the Titan's pincers, one that went for Shellder. Dante sent a Clear Smog cloud at their foe's eyes as he jumped out of the way, one pincer clamping down on the air he'd occupied moments before.

"Shellder, Leer!" Arven called.

With Rio throwing off the Titan's attack, Shellder had no trouble doing that- he looked at the unobscured eye and narrowed his own in a look that probably would've made anyone seeing it uncomfortable. The Klawf sure noticed, for it twitched for a second, withdrawing its pincers and giving a little cry.

Ashton giggled. "Then Rio, you get Worked Up, and Dante, burn it!"

"Char!" the Charcadet called, some embers taking form between his hands.

Fairly quickly, Rio was eyeing their foe with a fairly condescending look, pepping himself up with several cries of "Qua-qua, qua-quaaa!" as he fussed over his coif and stamped one foot. Ashton didn't know exactly what he was saying to himself, but she was sure it was something along the lines of how much better he was than their opponent and how dare the Titan try to act otherwise. Dante, on the other hand, was letting a burning blue wisp go, which the Klawf didn't quite notice in time after Shellder's unsettling glare. One of the Titan's pincers was burned, getting another cry from their foe- but not one of fright, one of wrath. With its burned pincer, it tried to dissipate the smog around one eye, while its other went for a Rock Smash aimed at Dante.

"Water Gun, Shellder!" Arven called.

The bivalve's attack hit the Titan square in its other eye, making the giant one twitch a bit but nonetheless still going for its own hit. Dante tried to jump back, but the pincer was simply too big, and the little fire warrior found himself getting smashed by it.

"Charrrr!" he hissed as it connected.

He was thrown backwards, visibly not as vibrant as he had been moments before but nonetheless quickly picking himself up with a narrowed burning eye. Flustered though the Klawf was, its burned pincer waving about its face cleared the majority of the white smog, letting it see its foes much better. Rio was still throwing a mini-tantrum, but he too took notice that their foe was staring them all down and paused, giving it a pointed look in return too.

"Aqua Jet, Rio! Burn its other pincer, Dante!" Ashton called.

"Qua!" Rio cried, darting off.

"Life Dew, Shellder!" Arven called. "Give Dante some relief!"

Rio promptly turned into a water-shrouded blur, and though Dante was a Fire-type, when Shellder started to shake and scatter droplets of water from inside his shell, the little fire warrior didn't protest as they touched him. The droplets turned to steam fairly quickly the moment they made contact, and the one receiving them started to form an eerie ember between his hands. However, when he went to release it, it didn't go very far- both he and Shellder were trapped by a Rock Tomb, slabs of stone jutting up from the ground that trapped them inside with several cries and hisses of protest. One would've gotten in Rio's way too, but the Quaxwell was thankfully faster, ramming the Klawf right between its eyes.

"Glaaawwwwww!" came a flustered shout, noticeably angrier.

Without missing a beat, the Klawf's pincers were flying, opening up and reaching for its company while its legs stomped in place. Rio was withdrawing, but Dante and Shellder, on the other hand, couldn't do much from their rocky entrapments.

"Brace yourselves!" Arven cried, tensing up a bit himself.

"Ready those flames, Dante!" Ashton hollered.

Rio successfully dodged the pincer that went for him, but the rock slabs holding Shellder and Dante were crushed under a Vise Grip as the Titan took hold of them both. Shellder hissed, and so did Dante, but the Klawf was quickly turning loose when the inside of its pincer was burned by a Will-O-Wisp. Shellder still had some energy, but Dante fell in a heap as it let go, making a groaning sound as he tried to pick himself up. Their foe shook its pincers, clearly feeling discomfort at having both of them burned, but Shellder and Dante weren't looking so great either, especially the latter. The bivalve's shell drooped slightly closed to guard himself, and Dante was wobbly when he haphazardly stood back up even if his eyes were still burning with determination. Rio, on the other hand, still looked perfectly fine, and gave some cries of protest at seeing his comrades not looking their best. Nonetheless, the Titan wasn't going to let them off so easy, and it held its pincers up while letting out another frustrated intonation.

"Let's get this over with," Ashton said, casting Arven a side glance. "Aqua Jet, Rio!"

"Let's," Arven concurred. "Ice Shard, Shellder!"

It seemed that Klawf was going for another Rock Smash, but before its pincers could do much, Rio rammed it between the eyes again and Shellder scattered water droplets that froze promptly and flew into the Titan too.

"Quaaa!" Rio hollered, a smirk on his face as he landed the attack.

"Gla-aaaawwwww…!"

It appeared the Titan wanted to attack, for its pincers certainly still moved, but they certainly weren't moving fast enough to do much. Rather, the Titan stumbled backwards and raised up on its hind legs, making everyone stay on guard and Orochi watch it closely in the event some intervention was needed… but the Klawf toppled over onto its back, going entirely limp. Everyone waited a few seconds to see if it would move, or if maybe it was launching some strange attack… but that didn't come.

Rio, however, wasn't too fazed and ran up, jumping on its underside and striking a pose as he said suavely, "Qua-qua."

Ashton too broke into a grin. "Heeeeey!" she exclaimed. "We did it! We beat a Titan!"

A triumphant shout came from Dante, and a happy cry came from inside Shellder's shell. The little fire warrior held one hand out, which Shellder lurched up to hit with his top shell's edge in as best of a high-five as a bivalve could muster. Rio noticed too and darted back over, holding up both of his wings to which the other two repeated the gesture.

Arven's face lit up for a second too, for they had certainly accomplished what they'd been after, but with the adrenaline rush of the battle wearing off, he shortly turned to Ashton and grabbed her by the shoulders. "What is wrong with you?!" he shouted, looking her straight in the eyes with his own going wide. "I mean, yes, it worked out, and it's cool that my little buddy came through like a champ and all, but you can't just… do that!" He let go and shook his head, letting out a heavy sigh. "You could've gotten really hurt, you know… and some things are difficult to recover from."

Ashton simply smirked as he got it out of his system, looking him in the eye too without a care in the world reflected in hers. He certainly sounded worried… but she sure didn't when she started to chuckle.

Arven took note and got worked up again, exclaiming, "And you're laughing?! Seriously, you are laughing right now?!"

Ashton wasn't fazed at all as she replied, "And what would you have done without me, huh~? Gotten scared and decided it was too risky? Watched it run off into the wild if you did beat it and let it eat all those sparkling herbs before you ever found out where its secret garden was?"

The young man froze up slightly. "That's not-…"

She chuckled some more, reaching up with one hand and grabbing him by the shoulder. "You're here after the Herba Mystica, right? Well, we found it, so let's make sure you get all of it you need before that thing gets up and goes for round two."

Without another word, she turned loose and turned around, strolling right past the felled Titan and towards the hole it had busted in the cliff nearby. Orochi followed after her, as did the other three going along with her, but Arven paused for a second, letting out another heavy sigh.

"What have I gotten myself into…?" he mused to himself haplessly.

Nonetheless, he followed after Ashton, Shellder bouncing along after him as well. Dante was still rather wobbly on his feet, but the little fire warrior batted Rio's wing away when the Quaxwell tried to offer it to him for support, which made Rio smirk a bit.

The aquatic avian made some honks and quacks. (*You're trying to walk it off and look cool, aren't you?*)

Unlike walking, the Charcadet didn't have any issue responding. (*It's about getting stronger, not looking cool.*)

Visible relief washed over the Quaxwell. (*Oh, thank heavens. I was about to tell you that it wasn't working very well.*)

The Charcadet shot him a look, but didn't bother to say anything in return. Rio, though, looked to Orochi and made some more quacking sounds. (*What would you have done, Orochi? You've been at this for a long time.*)

Some gravelly sounds left the Hydreigon's maw. (*I would've given that oversized oaf a Tri-Cannon right between the eyes… then maybe Crunched down on those claws and had a nice meal.*)

(*Okay, old man, chill out!*) the Quaxwell exclaimed.

Koraidon, though, perked up and made some inquisitive sounds. (*You really think you could settle things that easily?*)

(*I do,*) the Hydreigon replied. (*And you probably could too if you had your strength back. Once you're feeling like yourself again, you and I need to duke it out the old-fashioned way just to see who's stronger.*) Koraidon didn't say much, but it certainly looked content at the idea.

As Ashton entered the cave again, her eyes simply stared at a small glowing pink patch of herbs. Rocks were still scattered around, and part of the patch was visibly torn off of its stems, but if ever there was such a thing as Herba Mystica, that had to be it. Another set of footsteps, moving faster than hers, echoed slightly on the rocky walls, and a quick glance revealed none other than Arven as he caught up with her.

"You know, you're right," he said softly, stepping over some rubble. "I should be thanking you. We actually did find one, and… you made that a lot easier than it would've been if I'd been alone."

The blonde woman chuckled some more. "Don't sweat it.~ I got what I wanted, so let's make sure you get what you wanted too."

Once the rubble was behind them, Arven darted over to the glowing patch and crouched down, retrieving a book from his backpack that he opened up. "Now then, let's see… What does the book have to say? It says here that the Sweet Herba Mystica is good for gut health and that it helps aid digestion. Says it's great for stomachaches, too, or when you want to stimulate the ol' appetite!" He snapped the book shut and straightened back out, crossing his arms and studying the patch. "Now if I can just get him to eat some…" his voice trailed off, much softer than it had been before.

Ashton, on the other hand, perked up and glanced over her shoulder to a certain three-headed brute. "Hear that, Orochi? I wouldn't call you 'sweet,' but this one sounds just like something you'd like!" The Hydreigon gave a roar in return, his eyes glinting.

Nonetheless, Arven was quickly perking right up too, rolling his sleeves up and exclaiming,"All right! Now it's my turn to show off what I can do. You're about to get a taste of my cooking!"

At that, Ashton's attention was easily grabbed, as was that of the beast of a Hydreigon and the red dragon. Arven darted a bit further away, pulling an array of items out of his backpack- camping cookware, plates, a set of sharp knives, tongs, a variety of ingredients, and a tablecloth that he spread over a rock. He looked as intense about cooking as she did about battles, and she couldn't help snickering and giggling with a grin as cries of "Yeeeaaaaargh!" and "Hwatcha!" left him as he dredged some fillets in a spice blend and fired up a propane camping stove to fry them. A serrated knife glinted as he precisely sliced a bread roll, and another knife flashed as he sliced some bell peppers. Ashton herself sat back and watched, leaning contentedly against a rock as Arven did his thing, and Rio and Dante both perched at her sides. Dante watched much like she did, but Rio, on the other hand, seemed much more intent about it.

"Hiya!" Arven cried, his pan with the fillets going up in flames for a second.

"Qua!" Rio cried, pointing with one wing and winking.

Ashton giggled. "That was pretty cool, wasn't it?" she said, giving the Quaxwell a playful nudge.

Koraidon seemed pretty intent about watching too, its eyes following every flip of a fillet or flick of a knife, but Orochi, on the other hand, just had to get a closer look. Arven drizzled some oil on the freshly cut roll and put it on the other burner next to the formerly flaming pan, much too focused on getting a perfectly toasted surface to notice the three-headed beast floating up behind him. Orochi's main head stared down over Arven's head, but the other two peered around the lad's shoulders.

"Hyah-aaaaaahhhhhh!" Another battle cry-esque sound escaped Arven as he flipped the bread, but it quickly turned into an actual startled cry as he noticed the Hydreigon getting far too close for his liking. Orochi backed up, but Arven instinctively grabbed another pan that wasn't in use and brandished it with both hands, holding it up like a shield but clearly debating whether to use it as a weapon. Ashton started to laugh again, but Koraidon's eyes drooped slightly, as if pitying the chef's startled state.

"He just wanted to admire your handiwork!" Ashton called, grinning. "He's a Hydreigon, after all!"

Arven blinked, easing up after a few seconds and going back to tending the food. "I'll make you some too, big guy, so give me some space," he said, halfway unamused and halfway trying to plead with an enraged monster. "I know you're hungry."

That seemed to assuage Orochi, and the dragon left him alone, perching himself on the rock Ashton leaned against. A few gravelly sounds escaped him, to which the blonde woman chuckled, and Koraidon perked up while making its own intonations. Whatever the two of them were saying, they certainly sounded like they had the same ideas, and their eyes were practically glued to Arven's boards and pans.

After a bit more prep work and some graceful assembly, Arven had several sandwiches worthy of being called "Titans" in their own right plated up. "Here you go!" he said, turning to the rest of them. "An Arven original sandwich packed full of herbs!"

Orochi practically turned into a blur the moment Arven indicated they were ready, and Ashton had to stop the three-headed brute from scarfing them all down in one go before anyone else could have a taste. Arven gave a jolt of fright as the Hydreigon's jaws snapped, but Ashton wasn't bothered at all and put one fist right into one of his smaller mouths, laughing while she did so.

"Hold on, Orochi!" she said amusedly. "Don't you act like you've been starved for three days straight! I know you're a Hydreigon, but jeez!"

In response, the three-headed brute's other smaller head snapped at her neck, but he nonetheless eased up. Two and a half sandwiches went to the Hydreigon, the other half of the split one going to Shellder, while Dante and Rio had one split between them as well and one each went to Arven and Ashton. They perched on or amongst the rocks, the heavenly scent of Arven's cooking filling the cavern while they ate.

The odd one out, and quite obviously so, was Koraidon… and the red dragon wasn't shy at all about sniffing and eyeing Ashton's sandwich as she held it. "Agia!" it exclaimed, eyeing the sandwich intently as if it would pounce on it like prey.

Arven certainly noticed and gave it a disapproving look, pausing before he took a bite of his own to say, "Argh! What's up with that thing?! Do you ever just stay in your ball?!"

Ashton couldn't help but to laugh, reaching up and patting the red brute on its snout. "Good grief, it just wants a sandwich too! What's got you so pissed off, huh?"

Arven didn't respond to her and instead said, pointing a chastising finger at Koraidon, "Hey now. No. That's not for you."

The red dragon didn't seem particularly obliged to give him a polite response and instead made a growling sound as it gave him a side-eye. "Grrrr…"

It was quite an enticing sandwich… but something about the whole thing struck Ashton as odd. She started to hold her own out, but before she could offer it to Koraidon, Orochi swooped in with one of his clutched gently in one of his smaller maws. A few gravelly sounds escaped the Hydreigon's main mouth, and Koraidon was immediately looking much more chipper, grabbing one end of the sandwich in its jaws and Orochi letting go of it with his. In seconds, there was no sandwich left- Koraidon scarfed it down practically in one bite, barely chewing before it swallowed. Ashton chuckled, while Arven looked a mix of frightened and unamused.

"I hope you realize that's all there was, so I can't make you another one if you're not satisfied…" the young man's voice trailed off, sounding like he wanted to give a tongue-lashing but hesitated.

Orochi didn't make a sound, but simply looked at Arven with his glinting red eyes. The chef gave a jolt of fright, as if the Hydreigon might try to devour him next, and Ashton stifled some more laughter.

"Come on, you're making me feel like I'm the selfish jerk here," Arven's voice trailed off as he eased up.

"If you're making a Hydreigon feel like he should share his food, you are the selfish jerk," Ashton remarked with a smirk.

"Hey, that's-!" Arven started, but was cut off.

"Gias! Agiaaaaas!" Suddenly, a pinkish glow overtook Koraidon and it froze for a second, then jumped into the air slightly before coming back down with the glow fading. Arven shielded himself while Ashton got a big grin, and the Pokémon, Orochi more than anyone, perked up at the sight. Koraidon shook itself off, looking visibly more full of energy.

"Oooh, did you get a power up?!" Ashton exclaimed, jumping off her rock.

"Char!" Dante cried.

Rio gave a little wink as he said, "Qua.~"

"Gia!" Koraidon exclaimed, giving something akin to a nod.

Without another sound, the red dragon was breaking into a dead sprint with speed that most of those present certainly couldn't rival, its plume streaming out behind it. Orochi quickly flew off after it, a roar escaping the three-headed brute that sounded more like a cheer than anything. Koraidon didn't even bother to maneuver around the bigger pieces of rock, instead headbutting them out of the way, which looked much easier with its increased speed.

Ashton giggled, calling after the dragons, "Have your fun but don't get into trouble, you two! I'll suplex you both!"

Arven, however, had different ideas. "So the power of these herbs really is worth guarding…" He looked pensive for a second, crossing his arms and looking downwards. "If they had that big of an effect on your Pokémon, then I bet-…"

Ashton looked over. "You bet what, huh? If you're gonna cultivate them and sell your Herba Mystica cooking at ridiculous prices, at least let me in on it."

Arven got an awkward expression, looking to her as he replied, "Uhhhh… I bet it'll come in super handy for that Treasure Hunt assignment we've got!" He gave a thumbs-up, breaking into a grin. "Yup! That's what I bet!"

The blonde woman studied him, replying, "I'll suplex you too if you're messing with me.~"

He didn't reply, instead reaching into his vest and pulling out a softly sparkling object that he held out towards her. "Here, have a badge as thanks for helping me out. Made it myself using a replica of the gym badges."

She perked right up, eagerly accepting it and studying it with sparkling eyes. Rio darted over to look at it, and Ashton let him hold it, the Quaxwell posing with it for a moment before trying to find a nice place on his trainer's outfit for it to go. Ashton, however, had other ideas, and let him pin it nicely to the outside of her bag.

After the sandwiches had disappeared, though, Arven got up and traipsed over to the cloth-covered rock, saying, "Guess it's time to tidy everything up…"

Ashton too got up, strolling over and reaching for the scattered utensils. "Sheesh, that was-"

"Oh, don't you worry about helping," Arven cut in, holding a hand out to stop her. "After battling that Titan, you've earned a break! Just leave all this to me!"

She giggled, not protesting and stepping back. "If you say so.~"

"You have two dragons to keep in line," the chef kept on, glancing at the cave's entrance. "But if you really wanna help, you can get a start on searching out the remaining four Herba Mystica for us."

"Say less," Ashton replied, turning to the cave's entrance too. Rio! Dante!" she called, motioning them along. "Let's get a move on! Those Titans aren't gonna hunt down and fight themselves!"

"Qua!"

"Charrr!"

The two smaller figures darted after her, and shortly, there was no one left in the cave but Arven. "I really owe you…" his voice trailed off as she left. However, he turned back to the middle of the cave, casting one last glance over his shoulder just to be sure she wasn't around before taking out a Poké Ball. "Okay. The coast is clear," he said, giving it a glance. "You can come out now."

[***]

West Province Area One was friendly as far as terrain went, grass fields sprawling and the breeze making them waver like a sea of green. The air was just right, not too hot and not too cold, and the chirping of avian creatures was pleasant on the ears. Mankeys climbed some rocky ridges, Phanpies tumbled around on the ground, Tadbulbs floated along the riversides, and Wattrels flitted in the air and bumbled along on the ground. Occasional shining beacons of light could be seen going up into the sky, some of them sticking around and others fading after a little while. A certain blue-haired lad and his Fuecoco skipped and sprinted across the landscape, smiles on both of their faces.

"We're gonna blow that base wide open!" Arashi exclaimed, pumping his fists in the air. "We're gonna march up and tell them the party is over! If there's a school newspaper, we're gonna headline it! In a good way!"

Pyre skipped happily, bobbing like he was dancing. "Fueeee~!"

The lad looked to one of the pillars of light, pausing for just a moment and musing,"You know, I wanna go check that out, but something tells me that could be a trap set by Team Star and we're not falling for it! That is just what they want, probably- to lure in unsuspecting victims with something bright and shiny!"

"Fue!"

Off they went again, Arashi bolting through the grass and Pyre dashing along too. Occasionally the little Fuecoco would stop to pick up a berry and roast it while running, scarfing it down happily in moments once its outside was charred. Arashi too would occasionally pause and pick things up- dropped potions or a stray ball that some trainer had lost track of or had fall out of their bag without noticing. It almost felt like picking up stray items in a mystery dungeon… albeit without the 'mystery' or 'dungeon' part. Some expeditioner (or hapless wanderer) getting unceremoniously downed in a dungeon and losing their belongings, a trainer scurrying off and having things fall out of their bag- it was the same principle when he thought about it, one was just far less precarious than the other.

… At least, at first thought, for shortly, the young man couldn't help but to notice something. "… Hey, Pyre?" he said, glancing around.

"Fue?"

"Does this terrain look… familiar to you?"

The little Fuecoco glanced around too. "Fueeeee…"

More glancing ensued. "That one light pillar wasn't there, but… these rocks and those trees look familiar." He reached into his pocket and pulled it out his phone, looking at it for a second. "There is something I can do here… but this thing just doesn't feel the same as an expedition log and I haven't really paid as much attention to it as the ones at school wanted me to."

Pyre studied him uncertainly. "Fue…?"

Arashi laughed. "Don't worry! We've got this! Let's do it the old-fashioned way- just go exploring!"

The Fuecoco nodded, getting a happy look again. "Fue!"

Back into his pocket went Arashi's phone, and the lad started to run off again, but he didn't get very far.

WHAM!

He quickly found himself sprawled on the ground, Pyre chattering in concern and a larger reptilian creature looking down at him- a Cyclizar. The little Fuecoco seemed ready to battle for the embers leaving his mouth, but the Cyclizar seemed more concerned with the one he had toppled and stared down at Arashi with an awkward look.

"Cy…?" the bigger reptile's voice trailed off.

Arashi blinked, getting ahold of himself fairly quickly and grinning up at his unexpected company. "… Hey.~"

Author's note

Azakael: There are times I spend quite a while thinking about how moves interact during a fight, and there are times I spend an hour or so deliberating over whether or not I should include a detailed, whimsical sandwich-eating scene when a party member has no visible mouth.

… All that is to say, I had a mental picture of Shellder having his sandwich just slowly disappear into his shell, then I got stuck thinking of what the heck I'd do for Dante and scrapped the whole idea. Make of this what you will.

TheDragonSaver: This was all Azakael this time around. If you didn't read "Pokemon World Adventure" then you should know that Ashton has always been a super-tough person. She's got that anime strength in her that means she can take a hit from a Pokemon without being seriously injured most of the time. Still doesn't stop her friends from worrying about her though…