Brycen sat in thought while Stu made calls to staff members on his phone to finalize plans for the new show. It had been a few minutes since Bianca left the conference room in search of the twins. Her task was to locate Harper and ask him to return for further discussion before the studio founder had to leave for another meeting.

After listening to it in its entirety, Bianca's pitch was a good idea on paper. It was a kids show that went out of the norm to teach both young people and pokémon basic lessons early on. Using a fictional world only inhabited by pokémon, it certainly had what it needed to stand out from other forms of education.

Her later description to not make it a broadcasted show sounded strange at first but as Bianca continued explaining, it was clear why that was the path she wanted it to go. With the medium of a digital video disk, the show would be able to be distributed and sold in the educational market so both parents and teachers could show their children and pokémon. That level of distribution would be able to be spread at a worldwide level, allowing all with access to a video store to watch the show.

This entire plan for a "Pokémon Mystery Dungeon" TV show would have slipped past Brycen's skills of deduction if it weren't for one glaring issue. If it was going to help a wider audience, was this planned knowing that Harper was going to help? Without a pokémon to help mediate the inability to communicate with each other, this show wouldn't get past pre-production.

Knowing there was something at play, Brycen asked. "Stu, did you accept her pitch because of the idea or because of the Professor herself?"

The eccentric man smiled at his question. "I would 'ave accepted it even if it wasn't Professor Juniper backing it up but fate 'as brought us just zat! With zee Unovan Research Team themselves wanting to collaborate with us, we have struck gold! Imagine zee public image! A sponsorship like zis doesn't occur every now and zen!"

Brycen found it impossible to sway Stu once he had made up his mind. His determination was as solid as a conkeldurr's pillars. Brycen sensed that there was some significance to the timing of this meeting, especially considering his previous group video call with the Gym Leaders. Despite Cheren's belief in his stoicism, his emotions were obvious to see. Brycen was certain that the Gym Teacher had informed Bianca about Harper after he left the call.

He would let Professor Juniper play her game for now, but if she intended to do anything to Harper or disrupt this production…

…He will do something about it.

"With zis collaboration, I will make sure that everything is in tip-top shape," Stu continued on. "I'll 'andle all zee boring stuff but I just have a small request for you and Riolu."

"Harper."

"Yes, yes. You and 'arper," He corrected himself. "It is great to 'ear that 'is recovery is going smoothly!"

Brycen was also relieved to see Harper slowly recover from his amnesia. When he first learned about Riolu's condition, it was distressing, but since their initial meeting, time had passed. The once insecure and inexperienced riolu had transformed into a confident and skilled one. His growth was remarkable, yet Brycen couldn't shake off his underlying concerns.

Before he could continue his thoughts, the conference doors opened, revealing the very pokémon he was thinking about. As Harper walked in, Brycen realized that the riolu's fur looked more rugged than it did before he left with the twins. Brycen was beginning to grow curious about how he had spent his time outside with Caleb and Claire.

"Ah, 'arper! You've arrived!" Stu beamed. "Now that you're 'ere, I 'ave a small request I would like to make."

Brycen pulled a chair that was next to him back, allowing Harper to hop on. When he had done so, the studio owner began with his explanation.

"As I 'elp to create a plan for zee show, I 'ave a job for you two that no ozzer will be able to 'elp with. Would you be able to guide zee kids and their pokémon as production continues?"

"How would you like us to assist them?"

"For you, Brycen, I want you to 'elp Caleb and Claire on 'ow to voice-act," Stu then looked over to Harper. "And for you, 'elp their pokémon on learning 'ow to act. If Bianca wants zem in front of a camera, zey must be as perfect as can be!"

*But what about Beartic? He could do it better than me.*

"While Beartic is much more experienced zan you in acting and I do expect 'im to 'elp the children's pokémon when 'e comes back, your efforts in the past few movies cannot be ignored. Your charm could be just what this show needs to make it even more special!"

The gleam in Harper's eyes didn't go unnoticed by Brycen.

"I also want you to 'elp zem with zee script when it's complete, ok? We 'ave a lot of time before we begin filming but I don't want to waste any time with preparation!"

Stu rose from his seat and walked to the exit, stopping before closing them behind him. "Thank you to zee both of you for accepting my request. I'll be sure to send any updates shortly, au revoir!"

The heavy conference room doors closed with a distinct click, leaving Brycen and Harper alone at the expansive table. With the business matters settled, Brycen shifted his attention to the small, attentive riolu sitting beside him.

"It seems like you were in a battle, judging by the condition of your fur. Did you battle one of the twins?"

Harper looked at his body and hastily patted down the unruly parts of his fur before writing down on his whiteboard.

*I battled Caleb's poochyena, Zorro.*

"And how did you do?"

*I did my best to not hurt him too much.*

"It sounds like you won."

Harper nodded slowly, acknowledging his answer. Brycen was aware of the riolu's impressive combat skills, but pitting them against another Pokémon owned by an inexperienced trainer seemed excessive.

"I hope you understand that you battled with an overwhelming advantage," Brycen emphasized. "I don't think a pokémon like you would accept a battle against a child without knowing that."

*He kept begging me for a battle and he wasn't going to take "no" for an answer.*

"I see… so how did Caleb react to his defeat?"

*He took it well, especially after I made him and Claire stop fighting each other.*

Brycen was well aware of Harper's exceptional maturity compared to other Pokémon of his age. Harper's natural talent in the field of cinema became evident when he effectively assisted Nate and Audrey. This talent led Brycen to entrust Harper with the responsibility of guiding the twins out of the conference room. It appears that Brycen's decision has proven to be successful, especially upon hearing about Harper's positive impact on the twins.

*I also had to tell Caleb that he was inexperienced with fighting against pokémon without their trainers.*

*I promised that I would battle him so he could get better.*

And now Harper has taken it upon himself to help train them in combat.

"So, has Caleb taken your advice to heart?"

The riolu nodded in agreement before his eyes widened with a sudden realization. He quickly jotted down another question on the whiteboard and then eagerly turned it around to share his new thoughts.

*Do poochyenas normally have blue eyes?*

The sudden topic change was odd, but it must have been in Harper's head for some time now.

"Is this about Zorro?"

He nodded.

"While some pokémon have variations from one another such as Beartic's beard being larger than other beartics, eye color is always identical with their respective species. For example, like all other riolus, your eyes are a bright shade of red."

Harper's gaze shifted toward the ornate mirror hanging at the far end of the conference room. His reflection stared back at him as he took a moment to study the color of his eyes. Finally, he turned his attention back to Brycen.

"Don't worry about Zorro, I'm sure that his trainer knows about it. If he hasn't mentioned anything, then it isn't an issue."

Harper nodded.

"Back to the topic at hand, I know you were with the children a moment ago but with pre-planning for the show on the way, we need to start teaching them. I know Stu told Bianca that they could spend their free time around the studio but it's best that they start learning early on."

*Do you want me to go back then?*

"Yes, tell the twins to meet me at the recording booths," Brycen grabbed a nearby map of the studio from the table. It was the same as the guest copies for tourists. "Give this to Bianca, she can help lead the way."

The riolu grabbed the map and made his way to the exit, waving goodbye with his free paw on the way out.

Brycen pondered Harper's words about helping the children in unexpected ways, and it made him consider whether he was displaying a maturity beyond his years. He reflected on how children living in challenging circumstances often have to grow up quickly to cope with their environment. This resilience was also evident in Pokémon, where they, too, needed to rapidly mature to survive. The incident with Harper's amnesia and the panic attack induced by PTSD in his vanity van hinted at a past event that had a significant impact on him.

That incident is still a mystery today as it was when it happened. He wanted to know what horrible incident had to have happened to mentally and physically scar a young pokémon like him. Burns on a pokémon don't leave permanent scars that bad. Brycen knew that the farm couple did their best, but there was something more at play.

"Wait. Before you leave, I want to ask you something."

Harper's ears swiveled towards his voice as he stopped opening the door. His head then turned, ready to hear his question.

"That day we watched the movie in the van, do you still not remember why it happened?"

Looking down and to the side, Harper was unable to maintain eye contact with him as if he were unsure of how to respond. After a moment of contemplation, the riolu responded with a shake of his head.

"I see," Brycen replied. "but you will tell me when you remember, right?"

He nodded.

"Very well, you can go now."

With Harper now gone, Brycen was now alone in the conference room. He grabbed the riolu's pokéball and unlatched it from his waist. Peering down onto the device, he began to realize that the only time that he had ever used it was for filming. Harper was always compliant with entering the pokéball when the scene needed him to be released for dramatic entrances. It was normal for some pokémon to prefer staying outside and only enter their pokéball when they were tired and needed to rest. While Harper never complained about being inside a pokéball, it was as if he wanted to be outside at any given opportunity.

Harper had a habit of relinquishing the comfort of his pokéball in favor of sleeping outside at night. Unlike Beartic, who sought comfort within the spherical device, Harper found contentment using Brycen's kimonos as a makeshift blanket. Brycen looked down and examined the kimono he wore and noticed a few strands of delicate blue fur near the bottom linings. As he carefully plucked each hair off his robe, he couldn't help but chuckle, realizing that Harper must have found solace in the softness and comfort that his clothes provided.

Picking the last strand off of his kimono, his Xtransciever began to ring on his wrist, the screen showing the face of Grant, the former gym trainer of the Icirrus City Gym. The environment behind the gym trainer was an airport, and he looked like he was about to board a plane.

"Hello Grant," Brycen greeted. "Is there something you need to tell me?"

"Hey Brycen. Beartic told me that he really wanted to return to Pokéstar Studios and since we found an early flight," Grant showed the small jet that was in front of him. "We'll be there around the evening."

"That is good news, I wish you and Beartic safe travels."

"Thanks, I'll contact you again when we're close to the studios," Grant disconnected from the call.

Harper was going to be thrilled to receive the news that his pokémon mentor would soon return. Beartic played a significant role in helping Riolu adapt to the unfamiliar environment of Pokéstar Studios, especially considering Riolu's amateur status in the field of cinematography. Beartic's guidance had greatly contributed to the riolu's enjoyment of his time at the studios.

Brycen wasn't sure if his happiness would last for long though, as his rate of recovery in terms of his memory was steadily getting better.

If Harper did remember his entire past, would he be happier if he chose to be away from Pokéstar Studios? He gave the young Fighting-type a choice when he offered a pokéball and a spot on his team. Since he gave him a choice then, Brycen decided to give him another choice when the time came.

Harper looked happier now than he had ever been since his arrival, the difference between then and now was as clear as night and day.

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

Maybe it was for the best to stay silent.

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Bianca, now reunited with Caleb and Claire, led them to the bustling main square of Pokéstar Studios. They settled by the fountain at the center of the square, where the twins eagerly engaged with their partner pokémon. Peering into the clear waters of the fountain, they occupied themselves by counting the multitude of gleaming coins scattered along the bottom.

If it weren't for the circumstances she was in right now, she'd love to spend her time engaging with the twins as if this were only a sponsored trip, but it wasn't.

She needed to figure that riolu out.

Seeing a pokémon read a picture book to other pokémon around his age was something Bianca never thought she would see. Then again, the very notion of a pokémon as young as Harper reading at all never came to her mind. She didn't know if she sounded too insistent to have the riolu read or if he noticed her taking notes as he read but judging by his lack of reaction, she was safe for now.

The strong urge to call Professor Juniper surged within her, but she knew she needed to understand precisely what had occurred before reaching out to her. She questioned Caleb about the events leading up to her arrival at the Castelia set.

"I asked Harper for a fight and I was close to winning before he missed his finishing move on Zorro."

"You know he missed on purpose," Claire corrected. "He knew how much better he was in a battle against you."

"So was the attack on the ground Harper's missed move?" The only physical proof of the battle that she was able to see was the paw-shaped indent in the concrete.

"It wasn't…" Caleb was suddenly soft-spoken.

"What was it then?"

The two children looked at each other in embarrassment. A moment later, Claire spoke up with a look of shame. "He got mad at us."

"Why?"

"Because… because we argue a lot…"

"What did he do to you two?"

"Nothing, he only said that we needed to apologize to each other."

"And did the two of you do as he asked?"

The twins anxiously nodded as if she was going to punish them for doing the right thing.

"Hey, cheer up, there's no reason to feel guilty. I'm glad to see that the two of you made up," Bianca gave the twins a thumbs up. "keep it up, ok?"

Caleb and Claire nodded, their faces brightening up.

"Good. Now, could the two of you stay by the fountain? I need to give Professor Juniper a quick call."

Bianca turned on her Xtransciever and began to dial her number as the twins began to play together where she pointed. A moment later, she picked up, and the face of Professor Juniper popped up.

"Bianca!" The Professor beamed. "How was the pitch?"

"Mr. Stu Deeoh loved it! He accepted it the moment I finished!"

"That's great to hear, now the next step of our plan is in motion! And how is the riolu now that you have seen him in person?"

"He's way more interesting than how Cheren described. He never mentioned that Harper had such a large scar on his chest."

"Harper? He has a name?"

"Yeah, and somehow, Brycen said that he never named him. Something about retrograde amnesia caused Harper to forget his name."

"How intriguing," Professor Juniper looked away from the camera in contemplation. "Was there anything else that stood out to you? Anything at all?"

"Well, his reading comprehension looks far more advanced than we initially believed it to be."

"More advanced? Was Cheren's description not accurate enough?"

"It's not that Cheren didn't explain it well enough, it was more like he didn't know himself. Apparently, Harper was able to read the entire picture book I brought over to Caleb and Claire's pokémon. Even though there's no way to tell if he was actually reading it, Zorro and Eve looked just as engaged as when I would read it. Harper even licked a nub of his left paw and flipped a page like people do. I've never seen a pokémon do that before."

"So his skills go further than just written communication… and how does he write to other people?"

"He has this whiteboard he hangs around his neck and shoulder all the time and he always has a few markers magnetized on the edges of it," Bianca lifted her shoulder to show her bag's strap as an example. "His writing speed is faster than most peoples', I think it's on par with my texting speed."

"His skill with a marker is most likely due to how much he needs to talk with people via whiteboard. It looks like he's only going to get better from here."

"I wish you could see him, Professor, he looks really cute with his whiteboard when he's writing. He always looks so focused."

"One day, Bianca. I'll see Harper in person one day," Professor Juniper promised. "By the way, how are the twins and their pokémon?"

"They're doing great! They're fitting into Pokéstar Studio with their pokémon," She angled the camera of her Xtransciever towards the twins, who were now playfully splashing the water at each other.

"Don't soak yourselves!" Bianca called out, placing a hand on the side of her mouth. "Yeah, everything's fine, especially since Harper is helping them out."

"That's great to hear, the children should be enjoying themselves during all of this. I know I said this before but keep this a secret from everyone else, any public knowledge will definitely skew the data of the riolu."

"I will, Professor," Bianca nodded.

"Good, now before I leave for a meeting with Professor Cedric, I need to ask something. You did get Harper a role, right?"

"No need to worry, I managed to make up a role for him as a 'Guildmaster's Assistant' ahead of time," She air-quoted. "I thought it up on the car ride here."

The role of "Guildmaster's Assistant" wasn't mentioned anywhere in the picture book and it didn't outline any other suitable role for the riolu either. Without the Fighting-type's cooperation in front of the camera, the plan to observe him wouldn't work. Luckily, Bianca had devised a fictional role that would enable Harper to be the focal point of the Laboratory's research. While he played a supporting role, Zorro and Eve would take center stage. There was no apparent suspicion about what was happening behind the scenes.

"Great idea, Bianca, there's a reason why you're my assistant after all. Give me another call at the next discovery!" With a click from the Xtransciever, the Professor disconnected from the call.

As Bianca glanced over, she noticed that the twins had shifted their focus to tending to their pokémon. Claire was carefully grooming her eevee with a brush, giving Caleb some pointers on how to groom his poochyena. It seemed like he was having a tough time as Zorro's fur appeared resistant to being brushed, almost as if it didn't want to be groomed.

"Sorry for the wait," She walked up to the children. "The Professor sends her regards. She was glad to hear that the two of you are enjoying your time here."

Caleb held up his index finger and thumbs, pretending to frame something for a camera shot. "So when do we start doing the voice acting and all that film stuff?"

"Mr. Stu Deeoh said that we'll be starting soon. Just wait a bit longer, ok?"

"Ei! Evuee!" Eve's ears perked up as she hopped off of Claire's lap and dashed away from the fountain.

"Eve!" She yelped. "Where are you going?!"

Bianca saw Harper in the direction that Eve excitedly ran off into. She didn't expect to see the riolu back so soon, did his meeting with Brycen end already? She wasn't complaining though, if anything, the more she got to interact with him, the better. It meant more material to make notes of.

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

"Look! It's Mr. Harper!"

Harper was startled by a voice coming from the vicinity of the fountain. Before he could react, a streak of brown fur leaped at him, sending him crashing to the ground. When he opened his eyes, he found himself staring at the overly playful Eve.

"Hi, Mr. Harper! Did you come back to see me?"

"Y-yeah, sure," He muttered the last word as he stood back up. "I also need to tell Bianca something."

"Eve!" Claire picked the eevee up with both arms, giving Harper some personal space. "Don't run away like that, you scared me!"

"Are we doing another battle already?" Caleb stretched his arms sideways. "I'm ready whenever you are!"

"Yeah! What he said!" Zorro added, standing alongside his trainer.

"Harper?" Bianca walked up to the tripped jackal. "You're back so soon, did you need something?"

He opened the guest map and pointed to where the recording booths were before handing it to the assistant professor.

*Brycen wants you to take Caleb and Claire there for some voice practice.*

"What about their pokémon?"

*I'm going to help them learn how to act.*

"Wish I could see you do that," Bianca softly muttered as she trailed her finger on the map, finding where they were to find an optimal route. After examining the paper, she turned to the twins. "Brycen wants to meet us somewhere so you two can learn how to voice act. Leave your pokémon here, Harper is going to help them in the meantime."

"Ok, bye again, Harper!" The two children waved goodbye to him as they walked away with their chaperone.

Harper let out a resigned sigh as he mentally steeled himself for the upcoming conversation with Zorro and Eve. Setting aside the recent battle with the poochyena, this was going to be his first time delivering a comprehensive lesson on cinematography to them.

"How much do you know about movies?" He needed to know what he was working with to teach. "Have you ever watched any?"

"I don't think I ever did," Zorro pondered as his face began to sink. "Back home, I always played outside before… he…"

"I see Claire and Caleb watch TV all the time but I don't like it," Eve interrupted. "They always turn up the volume too high for me."

So they had absolutely no familiarity with movies or shows. This was going to be tough to teach child actors from scratch. Throwing his advanced knowledge in a metaphorical trash bin, he decided to start from the very beginning.

"Have you two ever played 'pretend?'"

"Pretend?" Zorro and Eve looked at each other. "Like the game that Caleb and Claire used to play?"

Great, they knew what it was. This was going to make his analogy way easier.

"Yup. The reason why I'm bringing it up is because acting is a lot like 'pretend.' What kind of characters did Caleb and Claire pretend to be when they played?"

"Caleb always pretended to battle like that one Unova Champion, I only remember that he had a lot of red hair."

"Claire liked playing with her nurse playset, does that count?"

"It definitely does. What your trainers did there was 'acting.' They had a role in their own world and they acted to fit that role. When filming begins, we're going to be doing something like that."

"So we're just playing pretend?" Zorro's tail began to wag.

"Think of it as 'advanced pretend,'" Harper responded. "Since we don't have a script yet, I'll say what to act out and you two will try it out."

"I'm great at 'pretend!'" Zorro exclaimed. "What do I pretend to be?"

"Let's say you are a poochyena about to enter a spooky dungeon with their friend and partner, eevee."

"Oh, that kind of pretend," Zorro said disheartenedly before brightening back up. "Ok!"

"You two ready then?" Harper asked the two pokémon who soon nodded. "Alright then, pretend the cameras are rolling… and… action!"

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

After a few takes in different scenarios with Zorro and Eve giving acting a shot, Harper mentally noted a few patterns in their behavior. While many of their key points were positive qualities that every actor and actress needed, he still needed to address the problems that were occurring.

Zorro was a natural at acting. After the first time he tried to act, each consecutive attempt was better than the last. His ability to figure out dialogue on the fly was top notch and his spatial awareness of imaginary set pieces was exceptional. The only drawback was that he was too imaginative, taking scenes beyond what Harper asked for, throwing Eve off of a loop in each scene. Despite that, he was a natural at acting, something that was a bit odd for a pokémon who never did something remotely similar to it.

Eve, on the other hand, was struggling with keeping up in the spots Zorro excelled in. The speed of her dialogue wasn't as fast or as effective as the poochyena but Harper gave it a pass as real scenes won't demand an actor to improv everything. Improv came from pure talent, and it was too much to ask for a pokémon acting for the first time. While she had trouble in that area, she more than made up for it with how grounded she was in each of Harper's scenarios, often reminding Zorro where he needed to be.

For most of the session, a sense of frustration emanated from her. It felt like either Eve was working to keep up with Zorro's skills or not trying to disappoint Harper. He should've told her sooner, this wasn't a test or anything, he just wanted to know their skills before any formal training.

Overall, the two were proficient in acting in their own way. Their strengths and weaknesses worked together each time they acted. They were a good duo, whether they liked to believe it or not.

Harper spent the rest of the time explaining their strong and weak points, the two closely listening with each word, clearly intent on bettering themselves. He had never worked with children to this degree before, but it felt nice that they were being well-behaved and engaged.

"Do you want us to try it again?" Zorro stood up from his sitting position after Harper finished his last sentence. "I wanna do that part again, the one where I pretend to beat a bad guy!"

Eve stood up alongside Zorro. "I can keep going as well, Mr. Harper. I wanna learn how to be like you!"

"We can do it for later, let's take a break in the meantime," Harper replied. "We can grab something to eat at the cafeteria, what do you two think?"

"Is there anything spicy?" Zorro smiled in anticipation of a meal. "The spicier the better!"

"They have curry that I think you'll enjoy. What about you, Eve?"

"What do you like, Mr. Harper?"

He answered. "Dry poffins, they're my favorite pokémon food here."

"...dry poffins?" She repeated. "Like the ones that adults eat?"

"I do, is it strange if I like them?"

"Sorta? I thought that riolu and lucario liked chocolate more."

Harper never really ate dessert in his past life since they were always so sweet. The most tolerable treat he had would be dark chocolate, and even then, the texture wasn't his favorite. He never heard how his species liked chocolate, aren't they poisonous to canines?

"I guess you could say I'm not like most riolus then," Harper said, secretly joking about the truth behind his identity. Putting the oddly specific fact about chocolate aside, he began to walk away, beckoning the two pokémon to follow. "Anyways, we should start going now. We can take the scenic route so I can show you what the studio usually looks like on a busy day."

As they made their way to the cafeteria, Eve and Zorro were struck by the bustling activity in the backlots. Club cars zipped up and down the road, ferrying actors and staff to various locations. Meanwhile, large props were being transported between stages, with crew members shouting out warnings and instructions. Additionally, numerous costumed pokémon characters were seen on the sidelines, preparing for their battle scenes by practicing their moves in duels with each other.

"Is it always busy like this?" Zorro asked as he walked past a peculiarly orange meowth with black stripes. "There's so much stuff happening everywhere!"

"It's best to get used to it now rather than later. We're passing through during peak hours, don't get lost while you're following me."

They continued walking through the hustle and bustle of the backlots until they made it to the cafeteria. The front door swung open as a film crew member exited the building, and finished with their meal. Noticing Brycen's riolu with two other pokémon behind him, the crew member went back to courteously hold the door back open, unlatching the door handle that was too high for Harper to reach.

Harper was used to his height by now, but the constant reminder did leave him a bit irritated.

Knowing that there was no way the crew member knew of his previous height, he thanked them with a nod as he led Zorro and Eve in.

With Zorro and Eve both being quadrupedal pokémon, Harper told them to find a good spot to sit as he carried their food over. With his status as both Brycen's pokémon and an actor in multiple films, the staff knew not to charge the three of them. Harper returned to their seats with trays of food in each paw, but not before grabbing a piece of chocolate from a bowl near the desserts. His distaste for sweet foods had slowly decreased in recent years, but he was curious if his new biology as a riolu changed his tastes for chocolate specifically.

Setting a tray of spicy curry for Zorro and a bowl of assorted berries for Eve, Harper finally sat down and rested his legs. Half of the day hadn't even passed by and he was starting to feel somewhat tired, handling children took a lot of mental energy out of him. The tiredness felt like a good tired though, especially since it felt nice to treat those that were younger than him. Maybe this was how Beartic felt every time he helped him.

"Is that chocolate the only thing you're eating?" Zorro asked with his mouth still full with specks of curry sauce around his maw.

"Yeah, I'm not feeling that hungry right now. I just need some sugar in my system," Harper grabbed his mini chocolate bar, biting into the brown square.

Whatever they used to make this chocolate was certainly different from the chocolate in his past life.

"Woah, your pupils got bigger, Mr. Harper!" Eve pointed her paw at his eyes.

Harper rapidly blinked to refocus himself before muttering to himself. "I guess I do like chocolate after all."

As he continued eating his piece, he asked the two pokémon. "Is there a reason why you want to help your trainers?"

"Why?" They tilted their heads.

"I don't know much about you two and it'd be best to learn about each other if we're going to be working together more."

"Well, the reason why I want to help Caleb is because I want to become strong enough so I can go anywhere I want without being scared! If Caleb becomes Unova's Champion, then everyone will know how strong I am!"

So Zorro wanted to become strong so that no one would mess with him. The poochyena worded it a bit funny but Harper got the message.

"I want to help Claire to be a nurse because of how much she's done for me. If I evolve, I could do so much for her."

"Which eeveelution did you pick?" Harper asked Eve.

"I… I don't know yet. There's so many to pick from and I could help in so many ways. Like, I could be a flareon and help heat up medicine or a glaceon to chill them. Vaporeons can help with water supplies and leafeons can find the right herbs in the wild."

"Would a sylveon work?" Harper talked to himself.

Though he never had a sylveon in the Pokémon games before since they were added after Black 2 and White 2, he knew that their ribbons had some sort of positive effect on people, something that would benefit the occupation that Claire was working hard for. Another thing he barely remembered from reading random tidbits on pokémon in his past life was that they evolved through love, whereas eeveelutions such as umbreon and espeon evolved through friendship.

"What's a sylveon?" Eve tilted her head.

Did he slip up? Did people still not know about sylveons yet?

"Oh, uh… it's nothing," Harper hastily brushed off. "So, how much do you like Claire?"

"Lots and lots! She had me right when I hatched and I've been her partner since. I remember this one time when I…" Eve began to ramble about every moment that she deemed memorable with her trainer, causing Zorro to sarcastically roll his eyes before continuing his meal.

Children were hard to handle, but they were fun to be with.