Eventually, the song ended. The man stood up, cracked his back, and packed away his instrument. Stretching, the Ralts herself rose from her treetop perch and watched as the man slowly walked down the street. His music had taken a more upbeat tone near the end, she noted. Silently, she waved him goodbye and turned to her original destination.

A comparatively short time later, she arrived at the massive building with the giant letters. It was situated at the center of a large plaza surrounded by a tall hedge wall, with several flat concrete fields circling the structure. The building itself was several stories high, and sported a bright, cheery sign across the surface where the three human letters—G, Y, and M—were proudly displayed. Unfortunately, her path of trees ended a distance before the fields. She sighed; there would be no getting close to this building. Shame, it looked rather important…

But then a commotion on the field caught her attention. A couple of young humans had entered the area, their unshielded mental signatures very different from the trio in the alley or the two who had tried to capture her. They were about 50 yards away, and one of them appeared to be jostling the other onto a field. This warranted further investigation, she decided, and descended from the tree into the hedges. Shifting through the twigs, she arrived at the closest point to the ruckus; they had arrived in the center of an arena next to the hedge, which was marked by a drawing of concentric circles.

"—Know the rules, Billy, a Pokemon trainer has to accept any challenge he receives!" said one of them. He was a tallish boy, with styled blond hair and a blue suit that snugly fit his frame.

"And I already said I'm not a trainer, Winston!" cried the other boy—Billy? He was a foot shorter than Winston, had brown hair, and wore a blue and yellow shirt with black shorts and a blue cap.

"Oh?" challenged Winston, who smirked. "You caught a Pokemon, that means you are a Pokemon trainer. If you weren't you wouldn't be allowed to buy a pokeball, and they only sell those to people who show a pokedex!"

Billy flushed. "I—but—I'm not going to go around fighting people, I just wanted a pet!"

"Then you should have just gone out and grabbed one." Winston shrugged.

"You're the one who said I had to get a pokeball to get a Pokemon!"

"Did I?" Winston put a finger on his chin in mock contemplation. "I do believe I only said that trainers used pokeballs to catch Pokemon, and that it was one of the easier methods to acquire one. You're the one that went out and registered."

"You lied to me!" Billy yelled, pointing at the taller boy accusingly.

"No, I'm quite sure everything I said was true." Winston smirked, tapping his foot. "Now, are you going to blame me for every poor decision you've made, or are we going to battle?"

Winston, the Ralts decided, was a jerk. She didn't fully understand what exactly was going on, but obviously he had tricked Billy into something he didn't want to do. Silently, she rooted for the short boy. Kick his butt, Billy!

Billy grit his teeth. "Fine!" he shouted, pointing at the other child dramatically. "But I'll win this thing, and then you have to pay!"

Palming his own, Winston chuckled. "As if. Go, Thomas!" he called, throwing the ball up into the air. With a loud pop and Whzxzxzxzxzxzx, a red blob shot out of the pokeball and to the arena floor, which resolved itself into the form of a Zigzagoon.

"Zig!" it yipped, running in a circle, before turning to face Billy. "Zig-zig!"

"Ah..." Billy stepped back, hesitating.

"Hm? Are you intimidated? After such bravado a moment ago..." Winston shook his head.

Billy’s face turned furious. "I'm not scared!" he declared, taking out his own pokeball. He tossed it into the air, and with the same sound and beam of bright light a Seedot emerged from containment. The stage was set.

"Seed?" Seedot said, looking around in confusion.

Winston was smirking again. "A Seedot? Really? They're useless!"

"I'll show you useless!" Billy pointed at the enemy Zigzagoon, snarling. "Seedot, Tackle!"

But the Seedot didn't move. A second passed.

"Dot?" it said, sending an uncertain look Billy’s way.

Winston stifled a chuckle with his hand. "Having a bit of trouble there?"

"Shut up, you!” Billy yelled, before directing his voice to his…pet? “What are you doing? Tackle the Zigzagoon!"

"Dot..." Looking vaguely uncertain, Seedot turned back to the spiky-haired Pokemon. Starting forward, it picked up speed, its stubby feet plodding across the ground at a sluggish rate. "SeeeeeeEEEEE—" it cried, and flung itself full-force at the Zigzagoon…slightly nudging him before falling face-first onto the pavement.

"Zig." The Zigzagoon nudged the seed, unimpressed.

The Ralts winced. What in the world was Billy doing? Seedot didn’t fight head-to-head!

Winston had burst into full-on laughter, clutching his sides as the ridiculous display unfolded. Billy, for his part, looked dumbfounded.

"Ah ha ha...hoo. That was the best thing I've seen all day." Winston smirked as he regained his composure. "Now then, let me show you how it's done." He waved his hand lazily in the direction of his still-toppled enemy. "Thomas, Tackle."

The Zigzagoon—whose name was apparently Thomas—yipped. He bounced back two steps, jumped in a circle, then rushed forward towards the struggling Seedot and rammed his head straight into its side. The Seedot was launched backwards, tumbling across the ground before skidding to a stop on Billy's side of the arena.

"Seed..." it wheezed, dazed.

"Seedot! Are you okay?" Billy shouted, face wrought with panic.

"Dot...dot." it replied, twisting around and climbing to its feet. "Dot, seedot."

"Uh…" Billy glanced at Winston, then focused on Thomas. "Right. Can you still fight?"

"Seed!" A fire had appeared in the Seedot’s eyes. It appeared the fight was personal, now.

"Heh. I've yet to see any fight in the first place." Winston closed his eyes and made a shrugging motion with one hand, resting the other on his hip. "In my opinion, you should just surrender now and save yourself the pain."

"We'll show you!" Billy shouted. "Alright Seedot, use Solar Beam!" He pointed at the Zigzagoon, impending triumph splayed on his face.

For a second time, nothing happened. Seedot stared at his master. "Seed?" it said, somehow managing to convey exasperation. Billy's face fell.

Winston had palmed his face. "How can anyone be this terrible?" he murmured to nobody in particular.

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"You can't...?" Billy asked, then continued, "Uh. Frenzy Plant!" Seedot continued to stare.

"Petal Dance! Leaf Blade!" Winston was burying his face deeper into his hands.

"Giga Drain!? Razor Leaf? Vine Whip?" Zigzagoon yawned, and scratched at his ear.

"Come on!" he pleaded. "Bullet Seed, Absorb, Stun Spore? You must know how to do one of them!"

"Seed!" it replied, confused and worried. "Dot, seedot seed-seed!"

The Ralts herself was getting irritated by the boy’s lack of knowledge. She didn’t think she’d ever seen a Seedot use anything the boy had said, whatever they were, and that Seedot looked a season old at best! Why wasn't he using Seedots' natural abilities? Did he just not know? She slumped, groaning quietly to herself. And the Seedot didn't seem capable of using them on its own, either. What a mess!

She peered back at the helpless Pokemon, then at its opponents. She didn't want this taller boy to win…but what could she do? It was his battle, and she couldn't give the Seedot orders. Or, she realized, maybe she could? Telepathy wasn’t limited to talking to other Ralts and Kirlia; it was perfectly able to work on other species as well! It was just that she’d only ever used it in that sense to forcibly stun or disorient particularly stubborn Magikarp. She hadn’t tried using it to talk to another Pokemon; it wasn’t like they could talk back, after all. But here and now, perhaps there was a reason to try.

"Right then," Winston said, simultaneously interrupting Billy's ineffective calling of abilities and the Ralts's train of thought. "I think it's time we finished this. Maybe then, you can go learn how to not be a terrible trainer!"

"Eh?" Billy looked up at his nemesis. "Wait, no!"

"Yes!" Winston opposed, and flung out his arm. "Go, Thomas! Bury that seed in the ground!"

Thomas yipped, and rushed forward.

"Seedot!" Billy cried, reaching out as if he could protect it himself. "Do something!"

"Seedot!" Seedot responded, turning back to its approaching doom, its eyes wide with fear.

And the Ralts knew she had to act. She reached out, the barest flicker of power communicating intent in a form purer than words.

The Ralts spoke to the Seedot, and said ‘Endure, and return two-fold.'

In a flash the Seedot understood, cowering no longer. Coming to fully face his opponent, he stood his ground and prepared himself.

Zigzagoon rammed into Seedot with the force of a hammer, slamming the Pokemon into the ground. "Goooooon!" it crowed, boasting its prowess as the Seedot rolled to a stop.

"Seedot! Are you...okay?" Billy blinked at the strange sight before him.

"Seed...seed..." Seedot replied, and began emanating a soft red glow where it lay, motionless.

"Now then, Thomas!" Winston called, not seeming to notice the light. "Finish it off, crack open its shell!"

"Zagoon!" Thomas replied, jumping to the other side of the glowing Seedot and biting down on the stem poking from the head of his opponent. Then with a muffled cry of "Zig!" he lifted the Seed Pokemon off the pavement, and hurled it back down on its other side. "Zag!" Again, he lifted and slammed the glowing Seedot down with a crack.

Over and over again, the Zigzagoon hurled Seedot against the pavement, but with each iteration of this assault, Seedot’s red aura grew brighter and brighter. "Seed...seed..."

"What...?" Billy uttered, transfixed by the strange light.

"Eh?” Winston said, finally becoming aware of the disturbance. "Huh? Why is it—wait, what!?" The boy's eyes widened dramatically as he stepped back. "How...when did you—? Thomas!" he yelled as the Zigzagoon continued to pummel the increasingly shimmering Seedot, "Stop, retreat, get back here!"

Thomas's head snapped to his trainer after he slammed his opponent down for the last time. "Zag?" he said, dropping the stem.

"Run, dodge!” Winston yelled, voice cracking in panic. “It's going to—"

"SEEDOT," the Seedot bellowed from the floor. It stood up ponderously, like an awakening giant. The Zigzagoon yipped in surprise, turning to stare at its opponent.

Billy’s eyes sparkled, confused but understanding that something awesome was happening. "Seedot! Go get him!" he commanded, grinning wildly. And Seedot obeyed, the entirety of his crimson aura collapsed and coalesced into a raging white sphere.

"Seeeeeee—!" He shouted, staring straight at his opponent.

"Thomas!" Winston screamed.

Thomas turned to run, but he was far, far too late.

"—DOOOOOOOOOOT!"

A raging torrent of energy cascaded out of the sphere, crashing straight into Thomas's face with the force of a furious Mightyena. With a pained cry the Zigzagoon was launched away, skipping across the pavement a fourth of the way across the grounds, where he fell to the earth and tumbled twice more before skidding to a halt. Thomas struggled to stand, but faltered and collapsed, motionless.

"Thomas!" Winston cried, rushing over to his fallen friend. Crouching at his side, he quickly checked him over before sighing in relief. "Just unconscious..." he muttered. Then he brought out his Pokéball, and with another laser Thomas disappeared into the device. "Don't worry buddy, I'll get you to a center soon."

"Yeah!" Billy cheered as he ran to hug the Seedot. "We did it! We won! Oh, I thought we were done for but then you glowed like Fwhoom and then you blasted a laser like Peoooow and that was awesome!" He laughed as he spun in place, squeezing his Seedot tightly.

"See-seedot..." Seedot replied, dizzy and exhausted but happy.

The Ralts giggled to herself as she watched the childish display. Interfering had most definitely been worth it..

"Ha!" Billy shouted, pointing at Winston, who was trudging across the arena with a sour look on his face. "I won! That means you gotta pay up!"

"That win was a load of tosh and you know it." Winston scowled, folding his arms. "You didn't even do anything."

"Doesn't matter, I still won!"

Winston sighed. "Yes, very well. What do you want?"

"You!" Billy declared, "Are going to pay for my lunch!"

Winston raised an eyebrow. "It's five-thirty. Lunch was over three hours ago."

"Linner!" Billy immediately restated, grinning madly.

Winston stared at him. "What in the world is Linner?"

"It's like brunch, but with dinner and lunch."

"I don't think that’s a word."

"Well it is now!" Billy folded his arms. "I just made it one!"

Winston facepalmed again. "You are just unbelievable."

Billy, who had started walking out of the area, turned his head back and hollered, "Unbelievably awesome!"

"Seed!"

Winston groaned and followed the pair, and the Ralts watched them go with a silly grin on her face. This place, she decided, was so much more interesting than the forest. Next time she came, she'd have to...

Next time? She thought about it for a moment, and to her surprise she found that the surprising urge to return was very tempting. When she had first set out, she had only wanted to satisfy her unusual curiosity. But now she could see just how much she had been missing. She didn't think she could stand not ever tasting that sweet concoction called ice cream again, nor could she forget the soft melody the man on the bench had played.

The fight just now, the latter half had set her ablaze with excitement. That singular rush when the Seedot unleashed its full power was unlike anything she had ever experienced. And the moon! Humanity was going to walk on the moon! How had they been able to fly so far as to break the sky? It was so far away, and yet...

Humans had left the forests behind, she realized, staring at the shadowed moon, which was looming at the horizon. They left it behind and reached for the stars. Maybe...

She paused and looked at the sky, which was transitioning into darker shades of red.

The moon was coming up, she slowly realized.

A moment of silence.

Crap! Panicking, she untangled herself from the leaves and turned to run. It was so late! Fretting, she shot along the hedge and shimmied back up the tree. It was going to be twilight before she could make it back, at minimum! Oh, Gramps was going to tear her a new one...

Dread in her heart, she shot along the rooftops and towards the place she called home.