"The equipment was accidentally sent to Mistralton?"

Everyone overheard the director's surprised voice echo in the baggage claim area. It had been a long flight over to Undella and an arduous couple of days of acting, Harper was more than willing to accept a break but it arrived at a cost.

"So all our cameras, all our stands, all our lights, and everything else is on the other side of Unova? Arceus above, how does that happen?"

Harper could hear faint words of apologies from the other end of Takashi's phone. He could make out phrases such as "We're so sorry about this," and "This'll never happen again." Harper peeked into Takashi's emotions, a skill that he'd been practicing for the past few weeks and managed to get a hang of. He wanted to confirm if his guess of how the director was feeling was right. From the outside, Takashi was exuding a calm and composed mood, acting professionally in front of his entire film crew.

|[Outrage]|

If that's what he was truly feeling, Takashi was remarkably talented at hiding it.

"When all the equipment's left Mistralton, contact me again so I can send people to pick it up," Takashi let out a tired sigh as he flipped his phone shut and forcefully slid it into his back pocket. "Everyone! Due to the airport's mishandling of our gear, we'll have to postpone the filming of "Full Metal Cop" for the next day or two!"

"Wait," Audrey pondered. "So does that mean...?"

"It would seem so, Audrey," Brycen confirmed with crossed arms.

"We got time for a vacation!"

The entire staff began to celebrate after hearing Audrey's outburst. Trying not to hurt Takashi's feelings, some resorted to silently cheering with slow fives and fist-pumping. Takashi observed the film crew's enthusiastic vibe and gave them a disapproving gaze before sighing quietly.

"I suppose we needed a break after all," Takashi placed his hands on his hip. "We have been constantly at work since the start of production."

*What should we do while we wait for the equipment?*

"Well, since they won't be arriving anytime soon, we might as well settle down in the motel where we'll be staying throughout the filming session. We need to head to the airport parking lot and get the rented vans so we can make our way there. I initially planned to start filming as soon as we finished unloading but it seems like we can't now that we're forced to wait."

"Hey, Riolu!" Audrey made her way toward the airport exit, waving her arm vigorously back and forth. "We're gonna find our van! Let's go!"

Ripley sat perched on top of her luggage, also waving her arm in excitement. "Don't keep us waiting!"

"Can she drive?" Takashi asked as he watched the two actresses rush out in a hurry.

Harper mulled over the situation, he realized that Audrey had never talked about driving when she recounted her journey from Nimbasa to Pokéstar Studios. Despite this, her eagerness to leave overrode any cause for concern.

"Takashi, please tell the original driver that he can take a break. You know how I prefer to drive myself," Brycen then signaled Harper to move. "Let's go find Audrey, Riolu."

----------------------------------------

With the sun shining on the van, Harper and the others enjoyed a road trip along Undella's long stretches of the coastal freeway. The cool breeze whipped through his fur as he looked out the window, the van driving down the highway's winding curves.

"Should we close the window?" Audrey turned her gaze towards the back of the passenger seat she occupied. "Seeing Riolu leaning out like that is making me nervous."

"It's hot in the car so I'd prefer to keep the windows open," Brycen explained, continuing to look forward to the road. "Riolu, lean back a little for Audrey, I don't want her to feel stressed."

Reluctantly, Harper agreed and repositioned himself with only his head protruding out the window. He hadn't even realized that half of his body was sticking out of the car, the wind in his fur and the new sights were exhilarating. Harper was overwhelmed by the multitude of smells that rushed past his superior nose such as the fragrance of each flower and tree decorating the side of the road to the salty air drifting from the sea.

~If this is how dogs feel every time they ride a car, I finally get why they like it so much.~

The group was on their way to their motel, the route bordered the edge of a cliff that overlooked one of Unova's iconic beachscapes. The memories of his road trip along the Pacific Coast Highway came flooding back as they drove over an overpass that reminded him of the Bixby Bridge.

His father had always wanted to show him the place where many Hollywood movies filmed their establishing shots. His mother complained about the amount of gas the trip would eat up but he somehow persuaded her that it was worth it. He also added that the family hadn't had a proper vacation since he was hired as a stunt driver. Although the road trip was brief, his father's storytelling about the filming techniques and camera tricks employed in an action film he once drove for more than made up for the little time they spent.

Harper then reminisced about the songs his father played on the car's cassette player to set the California vibe. He always had a cassette tape filled with his favorite beach-inspired songs and Hollywood hits, particularly the Beach Boys. Looking out the van's window and into the clear sky, Harper began to softly sing the lyrics of his favorite song that his father replayed numerous times.

God only knows what I'd be without you

If you should ever leave me

Well life would still go on believe me

The world could show nothing to me

So what good would living do me

God only knows what I'd be without you

God only knows what I'd be without you

God only knows…

His father's terrible attempts at singing the lyrics, his mother's humiliation from his off-key voice, and Harper's laughter were one of the happiest moments he looked back on.

Little did he know at the time that it was their last vacation before everything fell apart.

Harper slouched down into his seat, feeling dispirited. Although his father wasn't present in his life for long, he cherished the few memories he had. His father's death did not diminish his dream to be an actor; instead, it fueled his ambition further.

If only the reality in the old world had not been so cruel to Harper.

~Dad, if you can somehow hear me from another dimension, thanks for everything. I wish I could see you again.~

His mother, on the other hand, was much more critical of how his life choices were focused on anything related to movies, especially after his father's death. She wasn't so judgemental before but the incident flipped a switch in her, causing her to have an extreme disdain for it. If she were here right now, she'd be nagging on and on about how "she was right about everything." Harper's only defense against her words was that he wasn't supposed to be near the bomb in the first place but she wouldn't take that as an excuse.

~Either way, Mom, I guess you were right about filmmaking being dangerous. I still won't let that stop me though, I've gotten a second chance and I'm not gonna waste it.~

"Hey, Riolu," Ripley looked up from her sweet poffin snack Audrey purchased from a roadside store some time ago. "Why'd you stop singing? It sounded pretty good."

"You heard me?" Harper turned red in embarrassment under his fur. "I thought I was quiet."

"My ears aren't that bad, I could hear you whispering," Ripley pointed at her ear feather as it twitched twice towards the nearest sound. "What were you singing?"

"Something I heard a long time ago," Harper wasn't lying, he did hear it a long time ago when he was a kid. He quickly changed the subject. "I guess I'm just bummed that our vacation is so short."

"You are right about that, maybe a poffin or four would cheer you up!" Ripley fished through a plastic bag and took out four individually-wrapped pink poffins. "It sucks that they're smaller than the ones from the cafeteria but here you go!" She tossed both of them to Harper.

"Really? Four?" He winced.

"Remember our deal?" Ripley tossed a piece of her snack in the air and caught it with her mouth. Harper sighed as he attempted to tear the plastic holding one of the poffins, the dexterity of his paws was making it difficult to open.

"Stupid nubs," Harper grumbled at his paws. "How can I write but not open this damn thing up?" The little gripes in daily life made Harper miss his fine motor skills with his former hands. The most recent example he could remember was when Harper had some tea with Brycen after dinner. He couldn't hold the tiny handle of his teacup with a paw without being shaky. His attempts ended up with him holding it like a soup bowl. The chuckle that slipped from the Ice-type master's mouth echoed in the back of his head since then.

"You need help?" Ripley snickered.

Harper threw the treats back along with his pride, the sneasel silently laughed as she cut the plastic open with a claw and tossed them back. Harper quickly chewed the first poffin and swallowed just as fast to ignore the flavor.

"Hey, no cheating! Eat the next one slowly!" Ripley ordered.

Harper reluctantly muttered "fine," and chewed the next poffin while Ripley observed closely. Like the first time when Beartic gave him one, the flavor was disgustingly sweet. The cloying taste of sugars overloaded his taste buds. Harper balled his paw into a fist to his mouth and coughed, wanting to get this over with as fast as possible but Ripley wasn't letting him. Harper forced down the poffin when he felt like the sneasel was satisfied with the time he spent savoring the flavor.

"So... do you like it?"

"Same opinion as last time, I still hate them," Harper held his arm out. "Now toss me the water bottle, gotta wash out my mouth."

"Don't struggle with the cap," Ripley laughed at the growling Harper.

Harper unscrewed the cap with relative ease much to the sarcastic surprise of the sneasel and drank from the bottle. When he finished, he threw the bottle back and continued to eat the third poffin. As Harper chewed on the breaded snack, he looked over at Ripley, he had never talked much with her as much as he did with Audrey during the film's production. The most they've ever talked about together was their tastes in poffins, he decided to change that now.

"Hey, Ripley," The sneasel looked over at Harper. "Do you like being in Pokéstar Studios? Audrey still has a desire to be in a contest."

"I am, but I'd also be lying if I said I didn't miss being in a contest. Amazing everyone in the crowd, getting back at competitors with their inflated egos, flaunting our ribbons at said competitors, Audrey and I had tons of fun. Sure, we lost a few too but those were the best ones since we always did better in the next contest."

Ripley then looked back outside with a smile on her face, clearly recalling her memories of competing alongside Audrey. The nostalgic memories emitted from Ripley caused another question to form inside of Harper.

"So how did you and Audrey meet? It's interesting to see that the both of you have the same dream."

"Over in Sinnoh where the humans called the area, 'Acuity Lakefront,' Audrey found me injured during a trip with her parents."

"Why were you hurt?"

"I was too young to remember much, but I do remember stumbling upon a berry bush before being attacked by some pokémon. Luckily, Audrey came to my rescue when her family was passing by. I didn't trust her at first but with a poffin she had in her backpack, she convinced me to follow her."

"Let me guess the poffin's flavor, sweet?"

"Ding ding ding," She answered as she grabbed another one from the plastic bag and pointed at it.

Harper chuckled at Ripley's response, realizing their conversation ended up with poffins. Despite that, he learned something new. There was a deeper reason for her fixation on sweets after all. He finished his last piece of the pink poffin as she continued her story. The sweetness was much more bearable to him now, hopefully, this wasn't the start of a sugar addiction.

"Audrey and her parents took me to the Pokémon Center and they helped me recover pretty quickly. I remember hearing from the hospital bed that her mom and dad wanted to leave me under the center's responsibility so they could release me back to the wild. Audrey kept saying 'no' over and over again saying she wanted to stay beside me until I was better."

Ripley stopped talking when she saw Audrey turn around from her seat to face the back of the van. "You two are talking a lot, am I missing out?"

"Don't tell her what I was explaining, she gets embarrassed when you mention her temper when I was at the Pokémon Center."

*We're just talking about pokémon stuff.*

Audrey hummed in response and returned to her seat, beginning to make conversation with Brycen.

"Continue," Harper motioned to Ripley.

"After my recovery, Audrey brought me back home to Hearthome City and showed me footage of her favorite pokémon contests. Since then, I wanted to help her become the best coordinator ever."

As Harper observed Ripley's gaze at Audrey, he felt a sense of admiration and trust from her. In the Pokémon games he played, bonds between trainers and their pokémon were never really shown beyond battles so witnessing it firsthand was incredible.

"Anyways," Ripley looked back at Harper. "Why the question, Riolu? That felt kinda out of place."

"Well, it's because I don't know much about you even though I know Audrey better. I wanted to even it out."

"Maybe I should even it out as well then. I don't know much about you either so I guess it's my turn to ask. Since I didn't like the answer you gave me about that song, I'll ask again. What's it called?"

"I—"

"Hey, look!" Audrey exclaimed, pointing out the window.

"Ooh! Let me see!" Ripley pushed Harper's head sideways into the seat cushion.

"Hey!" Pushing Ripley's paw off his face, nearly cutting himself from her claws, Harper noticed a large sign that was rapidly approaching the van. The sign was decorated with printed flowers and native Water-type pokémon, similar to the state welcome signs in the U.S.

"Welcome to Undella! The Town of Rippling Waves!"

Harper had rarely ventured beyond Virbank and Pokéstar Studios since there was never much of a reason to do so. However, they were almost there, and in just a few more minutes, Harper would finally be able to see what lay beyond Pokéstar Studios.

----------------------------------------

"This tube is huge!" Audrey spun around in every direction, trying to get a view of the entire place at once. "How did they build this?"

The nearby Marine Tube guide overheard Audrey and walked up to her. "I can explain the tube's construction, would you like to know?"

While Audrey was deeply listening to the guide member, Harper continued to look up into the tunnel's ceiling, unable to believe the size of this massive walkway. During the filming of romantic movies he worked for, Harper had visited numerous aquariums that featured tubes resembling the one he was currently in. However, the ones he had previously encountered were way smaller, only able to fit a few dozen people at most. The Marine Tube on the other hand was much more spacious, capable of holding small vehicles and a significant number of people, many of whom looked like tourists by the amount of pictures they were taking.

After they dropped all their belongings at the motel, the first place Audrey wanted to go to was the Marine Tube to get to Humilau City. Harper was expecting the typical freeway tunnel to just be that, a tunnel similar to the typical freeway tunnel that he was all too familiar with driving on, only this time to be underground.

Boy, was he wrong.

As if being in a large glass tunnel that was constructed underwater wasn't enough, seeing a Wailord pass over the Marine Tube further disproved Harper's initial thoughts. Seeing a small school of red and blue Basculin swimming by, a male and female Frillish waving to onlookers, and a Mantine cheerfully spinning caused him to question if the Water-type pokémon were observing them instead of the other way around.

"...and the Marine Tube was created to unify the relationship between Undella Town and Humilau City. With 9.8 inches of solid glass, the Marine Tube can withstand damage from Water-type pokémon and the high pressure of the ocean. Despite Unova's up-to-date technology, construction would still have been impossible if it weren't for the help of pokémon."

"How long is the tube?" Audrey asked. "We're actually on our way to Humilau and we saw this was an attraction that leads to there."

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"From where we are, I'd say there's about..." The guide squinted down the Marine Tube for a few seconds. "A mile left, the total length of the Marine Tube is a mile and a half."

Harper rapidly turned around in surprise, not expecting the tube to be that long. It was way longer than the average aquarium tunnel that he walked through.

The guide noticed Harper's stunned reaction and continued talking. "We also have a free service available for those wanting a quick trip to the other side of the Marine Tube. I can call a vehicle over if one is to be requested."

"That would be appreciated," Brycen thanked.

A moment later, the Marine Tube guide called for a courtesy transport similar to the ones Harper saw in airports. They boarded the vehicle and drove down the tunnel as they continued to appreciate the oceanic beauty. Audrey and Ripley were utterly absorbed by all the underwater sights, pointing out fascinating things to each other and moving on to the next intriguing find. Lost in their own little world, they were completely oblivious to everything else around them.

"Are you enjoying this little break we've received, Riolu?"

Harper looked away from a smiling Alomomola to face Brycen and nodded. Seeing places that weren't the backlots of Pokéstar Studios or the skyscrapers of Virbank more than satisfied him.

"Good to hear, I hope that I can take you over to Icirrus City when we have another break. One day, I want you to meet the rest of my team. Beartic had left a few days before our departure with the help of a fellow colleague to meet them."

~So that's what Beartic meant by seeing old friends when he left.~

The remainder of their journey was quiet as they gazed at the various aquatic pokémon swimming about. Harper had never really been interested in aquariums before, as his previous visits had been work-related. Watching fish swim aimlessly on the other side of the glass didn't appeal to him. However, now that he found himself in the world of Pokémon, his previous apathy had vanished.

The Unova region was a spectacle enough in the main games but now that he was in it, it was a whole new experience.

----------------------------------------

"We're finally here!" Audrey and Ripley shouted in unison, raising their arms in the air in excitement.

The group ascended the exit stairs of the Marine Tube and emerged into a tropical paradise that reminded Harper of the Bahamas. The palm trees swayed from the salty breeze as the sun arched overhead, casting a warm glow on the white sandy beach. Harper observed both locals and tourists alike unwinding with their pokémon, many lounging under the colorful beach umbrellas that adorned the shore.

"Now that we're here, I intend to visit the gym leader of Humilau. I want him to know of Pokéstar's incoming presence, I meant to tell him during my call with the gym leaders until I had to leave prematurely," Brycen glanced at Harper.

Harper slightly winced, he wasn't expecting his Ice Punch to freeze Beartic's entire paw. How was he supposed to know that he was getting stronger? He didn't know whether it was a good thing or a bad thing but Beartic told him not to worry about it, laughing it off.

Harper found relief by thinking that the incident ultimately ended up with meeting a new gym leader. He was curious about the replacement of Brycen since Cheren and Roxie had replaced the first two gym leaders from the first Black and White games. Since they were now in the unfamiliar city of Humilau, it looked like this gym leader had taken the place of Brycen.

"Now we just have to find him," Brycen turned his head side-to-side, observing both ends of the beach. "I heard that he's usually never at the Humilau gym so he should be around here right now."

"Is... is that him?" Audrey pointed over at the ocean's horizon, a large wave was rapidly approaching the shore with a figure surfing in its tube. Squinting, Harper could make out a tanned man surfing on a surfboard with a large blue turtle pokémon swimming beside him.

"It seems so, let's get closer to the shoreline," Brycen slipped off his shoes, walking on the sand barefoot. Audrey followed suit, walking beside the former gym leader as they made their way towards the water. Harper and Ripley, who were already shoeless, trailed behind the pair. As they reached the shoreline, the waves splashed at Harper's paws, making him jump back in surprise.

"Nope," Recoiling from the cold water, he quickly stepped back and shook off his paws. "Never touching beach water again."

"Why not? You scared?" Ripley kicked water into Harper's face, causing him to sputter.

"N-no, I'm not," He wiped his face and flicked water off his arms. "I just don't want my fur getting wet."

"Yeah, I'm sure that's the reason," She mockingly acknowledged as she looked back to the approaching wave, the tide gradually shrinking as it got closer. The surfer eventually came to a halt and hopped off his surfboard, streaking his blue hair back with one hand. His Carracosta lumbered out of the water while leaving deep footprints behind on the sand, the waves washing them away with each step.

"Phew! That was a pretty long surf, eh?" The surfer spoke to Carracosta, who nodded in agreement, rubbing one of his flippers. "Oh? Is that who I think it is?" He walked closer to the group before his face broke into a smile. "It is! Hey, Brycen! Didn't expect to see you here!"

"I, on the other hand, expected to see you here, Marlon," Brycen extended his hand for a handshake, and Marlon returned the gesture. "Seems like the accounts about you never being at the Humilau gym are true."

"You can't blame me for that, Brycen," Marlon speared his surfboard into the sand, the longboard standing much taller than himself. "The only challengers who show up are those who need their last badge or two and with how little trainers there are during the season that fit that criteria, there isn't much for me to do all day."

"You should still be maintaining a sense of duty even when activity is low, Marlon," Brycen instructed. "You're a Gym Leader, act like it."

"Alright, alright, I get it," Marlon looked over at Audrey, who was standing behind Brycen. "So who's she? An acquaintance of yours?"

As Brycen introduced Marlon to Audrey, Carracosta approached Ripley and Harper. The turtle gave off similar vibes to Beartic with his lumbering posture and seasoned nature. His shell was old and weathered due to the years Harper assumed that he spent swimming under the harsh waves.

"You two are new to beaches, aren't ya?" Carracosta suddenly inquired.

"How'd you know?" Ripley asked.

Carracosta pointed at his eye. "I got an eye for seeing newbies of the waters, and you two look very out of place."

"Yeah, there aren't a lot of beaches in Sinnoh," She replied.

"I'm familiar with beaches," Harper answered. "I just never liked swimming in the ocean."

"You can change that by swimming again, Humilau's the best place to surf, y'know?"

"But I can't learn Surf."

"Oh, we got a jokester here, eh?" Carracosta rubbed his curled flipper on top of Harper's head. "You know exactly what I mean!"

"And who's this, Carracosta?" Marlon placed his hands on his knees and faced Harper, causing him to stop readjusting his fur. Observing Harper's face and then his whiteboard, the surfer couldn't help but chuckle briefly.

"So you're the riolu that interested our dear Brycen so much. So you can really write?"

*Do you want proof?*

Marlon burst into laughter after staring at Harper and his whiteboard. "This is incredible! He's something special!"

"I know," Brycen nodded.

"So, what brings you all here to Humilau City? I thought you were making your movie so I don't think you're here for a vacation."

"You're half-correct," Audrey said. "We did come to Humilau for a short vacation but we're going to be filming here soon."

"How soon?"

"Tomorrow at the very least, maybe later. Our director, Mr. Pokémi, hasn't given the exact date yet since all the film equipment was accidentally sent over to Mistralton."

"Heh, Skyla's definitely having a field day for that mistake," Marlon muttered to himself. "So you're filming a scene here? What an honor to have Humilau's famous beach in a Pokéstar movie! Do you need recommendations for good spots to film? I know this place like the back of my hand!"

"No need, Marlon," Brycen raised a hand in a "stop" gesture. "Our location scout found a good spot during the film's planning phase. Regardless, we appreciate the help."

"Of course, of course," Marlon looked back to the ocean, noticing a wave beginning to form out on the horizon. "You see that, Carracosta? Another one's coming in!"

Pulling his surfboard from the sand, Marlon dashed towards the sea before halting himself, skidding his feet on the sand. "I forgot to ask! Since you arrived from Undella Town, how was the Marine Tube? We opened it a few days ago and I'd love to hear your thoughts."

"I enjoyed the underwater aesthetic," Brycen answered.

"It was the coolest thing ever!" Audrey followed soon after. "Sinnoh doesn't have anything compared to it!"

"She's right!" Ripley nodded.

"And what about you?" Marlon asked Harper.

*It was an absolute spectacle.*

"Hah! That's great to hear!" Marlon resumed his sprint towards the waiting Carracosta bobbing up and down in the water. "I hope you enjoy Humilau!" He waved back to the group before throwing himself into the water with his surfboard and swimming off into the distance.

"And there he goes," Brycen sighed. "You can never talk with him long enough before he gets distracted by something."

"Kinda like you," Audrey poked Ripley's cheek.

"Although I would like to take Marlon's advice, I would prefer to head back to the motel to freshen up my memory for our next scene. You two enjoy Humilau without me," Brycen said as he put on his shoes and walked out onto the sidewalk, disappearing around the corner.

Audrey stared at where Brycen was last seen before turning back to the two pokémon. "So... what should we do now?"

"I wanna play with the water!" Ripley exclaimed, pointing towards the ocean.

*I'll sit underneath that umbrella, I don't want my fur to get wet.* Harper pointed at one of the multiple umbrellas that were scattered on the sand.

"Alright then, c'mon, Ripley! Let's go!"

The coordinator and her partner pokémon dashed towards the shoreline, stopping where the water met their ankles. They started kicking the water at each other in a playful manner, laughing and giggling the whole time. Harper quietly chuckled as he watched the scene unfold before his eyes. Despite being a grown-up, Audrey was acting like a child, playing with Ripley like there was no tomorrow.

Harper then looked up into the clear sky, a parasailor and their pokémon flew by through his field of vision. When was the last time he went parasailing? Wasn't the last time the only time he ever did it? He only went parasailing because his father forced him into it when they made a short stop at the beach on their road trip back home. He picked Harper up and headed straight to the man selling parasailing rides when his mother wasn't looking, saying that he wanted Harper to experience the thrill he had when stunt-driving.

...

"You ready, Harper?" His father jostled the rope, trying to rile him up.

"Never!" He yelped, Harper wanted to cover his eyes with his hands but the desire to clutch onto his harness was far stronger. He knew his father wasn't going to take no for an answer but it was worth a shot to stop him anyways.

"That's the cue!" His father laughed out loud. "Go go go!"

"You got it, Mr. Moore!" The boat driver confirmed.

The powerful ski boat roared as it revved up its engine, propelling the father-son duo forward, their bodies tightly harnessed to the vessel. The wind made it difficult for them to talk to each other as they skimmed across the water's surface. The gusts whipped through the air, creating a deafening volume that drowned out their words.

"I wanna get off!" Harper cried out.

"Not yet! We're almost there!"

Soon enough, the glider behind them started to lift the two upwards, their legs dangling as the glider slowly elevated them higher and higher into the sky. Eventually, they arrived at the highest point, though Harper maintained closed eyes due to mounting fear.

"Open your eyes! It's alright!" His father shouted through the howling wind.

Harper slowly lifted one eyelid, and then the other, and soon enough, both were as wide as his smile. The breathtaking view he had of the beach was incredible, he had his sights on everything like a bird did. He spotted the beach umbrella where his mom was sitting underneath and hollered out in excitement. His cry caught her attention, causing her to look up in the sky as her mouth dropped.

His father laughed at his mother's reaction and Harper's sudden mood swing. "You see, Harper? You're fine as long as I'm here, alright?"

"Ok!"

...

~God, I can't believe it's been that long,~ Harper gazed at the parasailor in the sky as their Braviary flew next to them, both wearing a large smile similar to his and his father's in his memory.

Looking back down, he realized he lost track of where Audrey and Ripley went. A sense of panic immediately set in as Harper quickly stood up, scanning the entire stretch of beach in search of the two. The sun was bright, its yellow glow over the sand made it difficult to spot them in the crowd of beach-goers. How did he lose them so easily? What the hell was he going to tell Brycen? That he already lost them?

"Hey, Riolu! We're back!"

Harper turned his head to see Audrey and Ripley making their way towards him with drinks in hand, they somehow left his line of sight earlier and were most likely coming back from a nearby vendor. From what it looked like, the drinks were held in Shuckle-shaped containers with colored silly straws poking out of them.

"We got some berry juice!" Audrey said.

"I made sure yours wasn't entirely made with sweet berries!" Ripley added.

"Oh, um, thanks," Harper grabbed his drink from the sneasel. "Hey, can you say something next time so I know you're going somewhere? Please?"

"But I told you we were gonna grab some berry juice as we passed by. Did you zone out or something? You had that same vacant look as that pokémon I competed against a long time ago. What pokémon was she again...?" Ripley took a satisfying sip of her drink. "Oh, right! You look like Espurr, just gazing into the void with those oversized eyes, ugh," She cringed at the memory.

"Gee, thanks," Harper drank his berry juice, individually tasting the multitude of berries used in the drink. The mild sweetness of the leppa, the tartness of cheri, and the tanginess of sitrus balanced the juice's flavor together.

"I wish Amie was here, she definitely would've loved this berry juice," Audrey idly commented.

Amie had left Pokéstar Studios the day after the apartment battle scene was finished due to a call from her boss, who was apparently Elisa, the gym leader of Nimbasa. Amie explained that Elisa was frustrated since she had left the city on short notice with no explanation which the former actress blamed on her agent, who was supposed to notify the gym leader. Her annoyance was immediately washed away when Pokéstar Studios was brought into the conversation. Elisa quickly forgave her and instead wanted to know everything about the pokémon actors she saw. After her call, Amie said her goodbyes to her fellow colleagues and left the studio on a positive note.

"Elisa wanted to know about a certain Riolu and I think she was talking about you," Amie pointed at Harper. "I don't know why, but I'll say some good stuff about you."

Did Brycen say something about him to the gym leaders during their call? It would explain why Marlon was familiar with him and why Elisa wanted Amie to describe him. Not wanting to think too deeply about his involvement with all the gym leaders, Harper took a big sip from his drink.

~This berry juice is probably better than any margarita I've drunk, but why a Shuckle shell?~

Harper poked Audrey's shoulder, causing her to turn around. "What is it?"

*Why are these shaped like Shuckles?*

"You don't know?" Audrey sat in silence for a moment before her face cracked into a smile. "Finish drinking it first, then I'll explain."

----------------------------------------

"Here we are, Beartic!" Grant released Beartic from his pokéball in front of the Icirrus Gym. When Beartic was fully formed, Grant tossed the pokéball to him. "Come to the Pokémon Center when you need a ride back to Pokéstar, ok? Just show your pokéball to the nurse and they'll know to call me over."

The former Icirrus Gym trainer drove away, leaving Beartic alone at the front door. Despite the gym's retirement as a League gym, Grant was always willing to lend a hand to Brycen whenever he needed it. Beartic felt grateful for his assistance, as the journey to Icirrus would have been much longer without him.

Beartic breathed in deeply and shut his eyes, relishing the chilly climate of Icirrus, a refreshing change from the warmth over in Pokéstar Studios. The cold suited a pokemon like him, making him wish that the backlots were always like this. Excited to reunite with his teammates, he entered the gym-turned-puzzle attraction, eager to surprise them all. He knew that Weavile would be thrilled to see him, as she always had a playful attitude towards him, even after evolving. Cryogonal, with their expressionless face and ice chains protruding from their mouth, would likely have the smallest reaction to his homecoming. The two heads of Vanniluxe might start fighting with each other, while Dewgong would surely be happy to see him. However, Walrein was sure to remain his usual stern self, solid as blue ice.

Upon setting foot inside the gym, he noticed how nothing had changed since he left with Brycen all those years ago. The air conditioning was set to a much colder temperature than the outside, to preserve the shape of all the ice puzzles that were scattered around the gym. As he made his way toward the front desk, he noticed the receptionist was warmly wrapped in thick clothing and seemed to be completely engrossed in her computer, completely unaware of the towering figure that loomed over her.

"Hello, and welcome to Icirrus City's famed Ice Puzzle Challenge," the receptionist droned on with her explanation, continuing to stare at the screen. "Adult admission for the Ice Puzzle Challenge is twenty pokédollars and children are... for..." She slowly looked up from her seat with a gaped mouth.

"Holy shit, Beartic?" She quickly stood up and walked out of the front desk to stand in front of him. "How come you're here right now? Did Brycen send you over or something?"

Beartic huffed out of his nose in response, he caught sight of his teammates in an advertisement for the Ice Puzzle on Brycen's TV. Fortunately, the timing was just right as the film crew for "Full Metal Cop" was about to take off to Undella Town, and Beartic could make a quick visit. The coastal town's hot weather was another reason he wanted to stay behind. His thick fur coat would only heat him up the moment he stepped foot outside of the airport.

"I'll tell the rest of Brycen's team that you're here right now, you can take the shortcut to Brycen's favorite spot in the meantime," The receptionist walked back to their front desk and pressed a button, opening the puzzle exit door open. "I should've said this earlier, but it's great to see you again, Beartic."

"Great to see you too," Beartic waved goodbye before walking through the door, making his way to where Brycen used to always stand, waiting for his next gym challenger after beating the puzzle. As he made his way down the hallway, the intercom buzzed twice before the receptionist's voice rang through the former gym.

"Attention, all of Brycen's pokémon, there is a surprise waiting for you near the end of the puzzle. I repeat, a surprise near the end of the puzzle."

Beartic burst the doors open, startling the group of pokémon gathered inside, the five quickly turning around to see who it was. Weavile was the first one to react, moving with lightning-fast speed towards him. With a nimble leap, Weavile jumped onto Beartic's belly, straining her neck to look up at his face.

"Beartic! I can't believe you're here! None of us were expecting you!"

"I was hoping for that to be the case, I wanted it to be a surprise," Beartic picked Weavile up and placed her on his shoulders. It was a custom for him to carry her even if she outgrew her former height as a sneasel. It didn't bother Beartic one bit, it was nice to have someone willing to ride on his shoulder for once unlike a certain Riolu. He knew that Riolu liked it, he just didn't want to admit it.

"Why make it a surprise?" Cryogonal chimed in. "I see no purpose in making your presence unknown until it's too late."

"Oh, be quiet, you snowflake!" Vanniluxe's right head snapped, the ice cream pokémon floated next to his fellow symmetrical Ice-type. "You should be happy that he showed up!"

"That's right, you ice speck!" The left head added.

"You said it wrong!" The right head glared at his other head. "It's "snowflake!'"

"You're the one who's wrong!" His right head glared back. "It's "ice speck!'"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yuh-huh!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yuh-huh!"

Walrein slapped Vanniluxe's two heads simultaneously with his flippers, snarling at them both. "Stop this incessant feud before you summon a snowstorm here, this is not how we should welcome a colleague."

"Dear," Dewgong rubbed Vanniluxe's heads, soothing their pain. "Don't punish them so harshly, a verbal warning would've been more than enough."

After Walrein let out a grumpy "harrumph", he jumped back onto the large block of ice that sat in the corner of the room. Dewgong quickly fixed Vanniluxe's snow where Walrein had hit him. Her action caused Beartic to chuckle to himself, if anyone could get through that grumpy seal's thick skin, it was Dewgong.

Cryogonal slowly glided towards Beartic, their ice chains curling upward. "Apart from the unnecessary surprise you brought for us, I am indeed happy to know that you have arrived."

"So... why are you back?" Walrein asked. "And how come Brycen isn't with you?"

"I found the time to visit since Brycen was heading over to Undella to continue working on "Full Metal Cop.'"

""Full Metal Cop?' Weavile leaned her head forward, causing her face to be upside-down in front of his face. "What's that? Some kinda crime movie? Who's the villain?"

"It's a crime film, alright, and the villain uses a sneasel. Her full name is "The Sneasel Ninja.'"

"Seriously?" She scoffed. "Why a sneasel? Why couldn't it be "The Weavile Ninja?'" Weavile spoke to herself as she waved her paw in the air, imagining the title in front of her.

"How are your conditions at Pokéstar Studios?" Cryogonal asked as he ignored the daydreaming Weavile.

"Things are going great though I wish I would get a new role someday. I'm not complaining though since I'm still involved in the business, relatively speaking. The kid's finally trained up thanks to my help and the next movie's production should be continuing smoothly as we speak."

"Wait wait wait," Walrein interrupted, looking up from sharpening his tusk. "The kid? Since when did you have a child?"

"Riolu," Beartic clarified. "The seventh pokémon that's on our team. I swear Brycen told Grant to tell all of you about it a long time ago."

"Oh, him?" Weavile replied. "Yeah, we heard about Riolu. What's so special about him that Brycen noticed him anyways?"

"Want the long version or the short version?"

"Short version," She answered. "I wanna know if he's gonna replace one of us."

"Before I explain, no, he's not replacing any of us," Beartic dragged a nearby ice cube and sat down on it like a chair. "He's exclusively for film production at Pokéstar so he won't be in the kind of battles we fight in."

Dewgong tilted her head. "I've never heard of something like that before."

"Brycen's words, not mine."

"Then that technically means that he's not a teammate!" Vanilluxe's left head interjected.

"Yeah! That's not a teammate!" His right head added.

"Let him continue, you dolts," Walrein growled, shutting the two up immediately.

"Thanks, Walrein," Beartic said. "There's something that's been digging at my mind for a while now. The kid mentioned that he has retrograde amnesia and knows the human language."

"Well, duh, Beartic," Weavile lightly tapped his head. "We all know what humans say, it's how we listen to them."

"Not like that, you sneak," Beartic poked back. "It's that he can write and communicate directly with humans. I think he's hiding something underneath the "amnesia' excuse."

"So you are keeping a close eye on Riolu, our seventh teammate of our team, due to a growing suspicion?"

"You're putting it negatively, Cryogonal. I believe his passion to be an actor is real, his skills on the movie set aren't something to joke about. I just don't see why a pokémon with forgotten memories would be willing to accept the role so quickly."

"This is an interesting dilemma, maybe you should just ask him? Settle your suspicions once and for all."

"If the kid is indeed hiding something, I don't want to force it out of him. The last thing he needs is a pokémon nearly three times as tall as him demanding for some answers. If I'm right, I'm sure he'll explain everything one day."

"So Riolu can write and you think he's hiding something, that's great to know," Walrein shrugged off. "Anything else that you want to talk about?"

"Ooh! Ooh!" Weavile swayed side-to-side, shaking Beartic's head. "Tell us about that Full Metal Cop movie that Brycen's in, the one with the sneasel!"

"Alright, alright, stop jostling up there so I can explain," Weavile soon sat still, leaning her elbows on top of Beartic's head, ready to listen. "I guess I should start with what Riolu told me about what happened during the auditions..."

Beartic spent the rest of the day exchanging his stories in the movie studio as his teammates talked about the happenings around Icirrus City. Though the visit was warm and welcoming, the thought of Riolu lingered. Beartic then made the decision, if he wasn't going to ask up-front, he'd have to ask non discreetly.