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Desert Resort - Unova Region

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Alex Redwood's eyes shifted around the oasis they'd created in the singed land of Unova's center. Other Pokémon had joined his own by this point, and were frolicking atop the titanic forms of Terra, Tao, and his other larger Pokémon. The Original Dragon was smiling at him. "You've done well, Alex. Very well. Not even the first Dragon Emperor was able to so radically alter the landscape of his territory. Not with such speed. How are you feeling?"

Alex looked around at his partners and smirked. Romulus had almost immediately befriended Canis, and Arthur was training them away from the water. He closed his eyes then, remembering the goodbye he'd endured, amidst gaining new partners. Eremus had, upon Alex going to retrieve him, decided to stay in the Mohave Desert, with his own kind. Most of those he'd gotten to move had been Trapinch and their friends. If Alex ever needed him, he'd sworn to answer the call, and Alex had hidden the few tears that had formed from leaving his chompy little Trapinch behind under his hat. He was now a fully realized dragon. He knew Eremus would thrive, and he'd stayed a part of their mental web, but it was hard letting go of someone who'd been on the team since the hope of new beginnings had burned their feet in this very desert, when he'd been traversing Unova with his original six. Thanks to his distance from them, Eremus seemed quieter now but still there, which was better than nothing.

He opened his eyes again and the smirk faded, as he looked at the rest of his partners and wondered who else would leave him, in time. He was going to be alive for a while, and despite his attempts to hide what he was feeling from spoiling their mood, he felt Terra's snout push at his arm. He gave his wise earth tortoise's mossy under chin a thorough scratch and the giant shell boi thrummed in response. He was content to know at least one partner had no intention of leaving him. His eyes had been on his Lost Prince of a foreign region though. Someone he'd also come to regard as a brother.

"I'm just tired from Bending." He finally said, as he watched Hydrus and Kral trade Water Guns. Temere continued to practice the chords of 'Rivers in the Desert' in the background, which was still a jam even without the drums, or surprisingly hardcore violin. He was rocking it from his perch atop Pruina's shell. Looking at the scene, and his newest friends, he smiled. "It still feels like a dream sometimes. I never imagined I'd have more than six Pokémon, let alone almost thirty."

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The dragon's lips pulled up in a knowing smirk as his nonchalant voice filled the air. "You will meet many partners in your time. Perhaps, even one of each species. You've attracted quite a female, as well. How was your first Battle with her?"

Alex chuckled. He was salty about losing so publicly and yet he was also…proud? He didn't know if it was sexist or something to think of her that way, and he didn't much care. He remembered where Jess had started, and now she had a win against him and Tao. Something nobody else had managed, Legendary Tamer or not. He liked to think he'd helped her get there, or at the very least, started her on the path. "It wasn't actually our first. We Battled when we first met, but…it helped me realize just how far she's come. But we're technically even, now. I won't underestimate her again."

Tao nodded sagely. "She is a proper rival of yours now."

Alex shrugged. "She always has been. Kind of. Most of our main ten Pokémon see each other as siblings. Using you and Ho Oh is a good loophole around that."

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"You know…I don't believe you've mentioned how you two met." Tao said, using his curious tone.

Alex nodded. "You're right, I haven't told you, have I? Well, you know the broad strokes of my childhood. I met her during my Trainer Exam." A small smile cracked the impassive visage he'd had since thinking about his Pokémon leaving him. "Thinking back, I was definitely smitten on sight. I can't explain how or why…I just thought she was beautiful. That's never changed, either. Every time I saw her, I just fell harder. You'd have to ask her when she started feeling the same."

Just then, her voice came from behind him, and his smile shifted to a smirk. Clever dragon. He'd just proven himself a better wingman than every single one of his friends. Jess had been suppressing her presence, and he hadn't noticed her approach.

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"Well, when you stopped that horny Tauros that almost trampled me that one time with your bare hands, I think I started seeing you differently. It was a lot…recognizing the kid who beat me and my brother, and erm…everything else that was going on in the background." He stood from the rock he'd been sitting on, and then she was in his arms. She stared up at him with eyes that had long since snared his entire being. "I don't think there's one moment where I fell for you. More like a hundred. It was a uh…slow burn, as you say."

Alex found his nostrils flaring as he very much wanted to kiss her then and the light of the setting sun made the mood ideal for it, but he could feel the eyes of literally the entire oasis watching them. "Aherrm. Speaking of burning…I owe you a lesson, don't I?"

Jess nodded, and in short order, Alex was demonstrating what firebending forms he knew, as he explained how bending energy worked. 'Knew' was a strong term though, he was really just copying from memory, badly, what he'd seen Okuz use during their spar, and what the ghost of Avatar Kasai had taught him and Jimen. He could sense the disapproval from Tao, as the dragon quietly watched his sloppy attempt at forms he'd imparted to the Fire Nation ages ago.

"Basically, you need a source of natural energy…or, well, I do anyway. But regular Benders are more powerful when surrounded by their element, as a rule. With Firebending, your main source is always going to be the Sun. Nearby flames and other such heat sources also help." He fired off a few flaming punches then and added a spinning kick Okuz had used against him. "Breath control is also a big part of it. Your inhale must be as strong as your exhale, or the flames will be weak. Emotion can also make your flames hotter, but the real power in Firebending comes from your breathing."

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Jess nodded, then frowned. "I still don't understand this…Nature Energy stuff…"

Alex nodded. "It's hard to sense at night. You can't do it with psychic power alone, you need to feel it." He looked up at the gorgeous desert night sky and sighed. "Maybe it's better if we do this in the morning. The rising Sun will give you more than enough fire power."

As Alex was looking into the distance, his current firebending form faltered, as he saw something flying towards them at a rapid pace. Several somethings, that had riders atop them, and blotted out the stars as they approached. Each one seemed to be holding what looked at this distance like a blue stick.

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"Uhh…" He looked over at Tao. "I take it you didn't have time to inform everyone else of what we're doing."

The dragon nodded and Alex sighed, before inhaling deep and breathing new flames into existence, then bending them skyward in the symbol of his empire. The blue sticks sank into the darkness and a few minutes later, their new oasis was buzzed by at least fifteen dragon types, all with riders. Alex recognized who was leading them by his armor, that of a General.

"General Nate. What brings you to our little oasis in a singed land?" He said, as the newest Gym Leader of Opelucid City landed with a puff of sand before them.

Nate glanced around, taking in the sight of his, and now Jessica's Pokémon. "Dragon Emperor. The local eggheads measured several earthquakes registering at a nine point two, in the desert. They figured it was a Pokémon with how focused they were, or perhaps some gang up to no good, but I take it you've been doing here what you did in Fornia, right?" A smirk appeared under his helmet, which resembled Tao's visage and the statues in his gym. "When are you going to start showing us some of these mysterious 'Korian Energy Bending' techniques?"

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The Scales with Nate landed behind him, and his Garchomp, mostly with Hydreigon and Flygon. Alex could tell they had the same question, as he had taught many of them to awaken their psychic abilities. "It'll mostly be the older students of the Sages that can advance to Energybending, but once I teach the Empress here, those assigned to us during the war will report for training. It may take a while."

Nate chuckled. "I'd heard a rumor you two were finally tying the knot. Congratulations. Would you mind if Rosa and I crashed her training session?"

Alex pondered, and then nodded. "Not tomorrow morning…but later in the day we can have a…group lesson. I've been wanting to try using the Plate shards for Energybending too, but they're getting more and more scarce lately. We'll have to start digging for more before long."

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"We already have." Tao said from behind them. He stood up and flared out his wings. The black membranes filled with cool desert air, and his lengthy body started floating, trailing out in a spiral behind him. "I will join you tomorrow, for your…lesson. Nate, bring Rosa as well."

Alex just nodded, getting flashbacks from his training in Tao's realm. He could tell when the dragon was…less than impressed with his efforts. He had an idea then. "Hey, Tao, your realm can take four Humans at once, right?"

He nodded as he floated higher. "It's crowded, but yes, four is testing the limit of that space. Along with myself. There's almost no Nature Energy in that place though…not ideal for bending. We will have this lesson at the Palace of Ideals, tomorrow. Rest well, my Scales."

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Tao flapped away then, and Jess came up beside Alex. "He sure took that over quickly."

Alex nodded. "I expected him to, when I made my forms sloppy on purpose. You know how he is about limb rigidity and footwork. We'll learn far more if he teaches us. He taught the ancient Firebenders, apparently. That act practically defined their culture for centuries." He wondered what their efforts now would create in the future. He looked at his fiancé then. "Dinner in Kalos?"

"It's late, in Kalos." Jess said with a sigh.

"The Parfum Palace kitchen never closes. For the King, anyway." He gave her a winning smirk.

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Jess tilted her head as she pondered the offer for royal food, but it would likely be one in the morning by the time they were served. The last thing she wanted was to keep the chefs up that late just for them.

"Let's hit New Tork. It's still early here, and the people of the Capital could do with seeing their Emperor in person." Jess finally said, as Alex psychically recalled his team and Nate flew off to the north with the other Scales.

"We'll get mobbed, you know." Alex said, barely holding in a sigh. "And someone will probably want to Battle us."

Jess flashed him a smile this time. "I wouldn't mind another Double Battle. We were on fire, in Indius."

Alex smirked. "You were on fire. I was more…Earthquakey. Anyway…where in New Tork?"

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Jess winked at him. "The upper east side, of course. I have an anchor. Hold on tight."

It was as he was pulled along by Jess that he realized he was usually the one doing the Teleporting. It was an odd sensation, and as he appeared alongside his redhead in a posh restaurant that had an admittedly great view of Entral Park, he fully understood what he'd been subjecting people to. Not a bad sensation, but an odd one.

A finely dressed gentleman in black and white clothing with a hairstyle Alex could only describe as 'modern fauxhawk' greeted them with a slight bow, taking in Jess and her tall, famous companion. "Miss Gladstone. The usual table?" She nodded and the man led them to a table for one by a window, that was added to, to fit Alex as well.

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As they sat, Alex noticed a wall mounted flatscreen TV in view of them. Arc News was on, and though the volume was low, he still grimaced. "I can have them shut it off…" Jess started, but Alex shook his head as he stared grimly at the screen.

"No…but I may need to take out the Trash before we eat…" They ordered their appetizers and drinks, and then he noticed a certain talking head about to come on.

He munched quietly on the bread they had, but Jess could tell where his eyes kept looking, as Arc News started its usual nightly spew. Finally, Alex smirked and said, "Got you, Mukker…" He gave Jess his best apologetic smile, but she just seemed amused. Not at all unlike her Delphox when the irritating creature snickered at him. "I'll be right back…"

Jess just chuckled at him, mentally sensing what he was about to do. "Just remember you're going to be seen by quite a few people. Don't lose your temper."

"Me?" Alex winked at her. "I'm as chill as an Ice Type." He bamfed then, and Jess watched the screen, waiting. He'd taken note of the Arc News headquarters when he was last in Sacreus, and getting there was as simple as Teleporting to his psychic anchor and flying.

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Chuck Carolus was Arc News' most prominent 'journalist' and was by all accounts a Mudbray of a man, all too happy to spread whatever propaganda he was told to spread with no regard to the societal damage his lies created. As Jess watched, he had already started on his usual nightly smearing of anything to do with the 'eastern occupation', Fornia's new government, and of course, its leaders. Psychically, she rotated a finger and turned up the volume, not enough to disturb the other patrons, but just enough to be able to listen without straining her ears.

"Our top story tonight, our so-called Dragon Emperor was seen today creating massive earthquakes across the Great Mohave Desert, from the Stoney Mountains, all the way to the golden coast. When asked about his actions, our new Dictator had this to say." Chuck closed his spew hole, and an obviously edited clip from Alex's brief 'meeting' with the Fornians who'd been on the coast began playing. A question from one of the reporters in the crowd around Alex asked, and had been edited out to be heard most clearly, "Do you know who this land is owned by?" Another edit had been used to make it appear like the same person continued on with a secondary question immediately after the first, "Who approved your terraforming methods?"

Alex's response was then 'reported' with more quick edits as: "I'm making a river in the desert. I don't care who owns the land. I don't need approval." A babble of reporter chatter started up again, and Alex held up his hand, once more edited, he said, "I have more rivers to be creating." and then flew off into the sky.

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Once more, the punchable face of Carolus filled the screen. "You heard it yourself, ladies and gentlemen, our new Dic-" He paused, looking up behind the camera and made a face, somewhere between a frown and confusion as a deep male voice off screen said, "Hello there." Jess giggled at his timing, and munched on a breadstick as Alex strode onto the camera, fully armored, iconic helmet and all. He psychically pulled up a chair beside Chuck, and pulled the helmet off, before smirking at the man. "Here we are. Arc News. You're Chuck, right? I believe you know me."

The talking head's face went through stages of surprise, anger, and then indignant rage all hidden behind a facade of a smile made of pure sleaze before he said, "Emperor Redwood. What a…surprise. You know if you wanted to come on this badly, you could have made an appointment…"

Alex shook his head. "No, I know how that would go, and I don't have time to wait months of getting the runaround from your secretary before you deign to grace me with time to counteract the BS you're spewing nightly. I'm here to clear up a few things. Lux. Play the clip." As a precaution, and since he decided to do something about Arc News, he'd had his Rotom recording any time he spoke with the press, just in case. Chuck Carolus often used those clips, and heavy editing, to push his narrative. His usual spin of said clips would now be what undid his credibility. Lux replayed the clip of the brief but far more polite conversation in its entirety, from the fairly sized screen of his Holodex.

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Chuck crossed his arms, maintaining his air of indignance. "So what if we made a few edits to save time? The point remains the same, you altered the very landscape of Fornia without any warning or permission."

Alex narrowed his eyes and used his 'you're in deep Muk' tone. He felt more satisfaction than he should have as the 'reporter' sat a little straighter. "You cut out the context, and reported outright lies to push your fake narrative. This isn't the first time, either. So let me make something perfectly clear to you, and everyone at Arc News. We value truth in this Empire. This kind of nonsense propaganda brought this land and its government to its knees once before. I will not let it happen again. If you want to be considered as a news station in this Empire, if you want to continue existing as a business, you're going to report on things like every other station. Accurately. With evidence. No more agendas, no more editing to push a narrative, no more Bouffalant Stool. This is your warning: report accurately, or you won't be reporting at all." He sat back then, and let his posture relax, as he smirked at the man. His tone was calmer too. "I don't think that's too much to ask, right? Your viewers deserve not to be lied to. It's not a very high bar for a…news station…to meet."

Chuck narrowed his eyes. "So, what, you're saying if we don't fawn over you, you'll remove our free speech? You're going to add abusing the Press to your crimes too?"

Alex chuckled. "Chuck, if I wanted to abuse your freedom to speak, I'd have just shut down your network, bought out your building, and turned it into…I don't know, maybe a therapy center for all the kids your Arcean Priests raped during their tenure as authority figures in this region. By all means, criticize my actions. I'm not saying you have to like me, my Scales, or the Original Dragon, but you need to understand something: Your people started the War. Your Regions lost that war, and I will not sit idly by and let you incite the masses into senseless rebellion with nothing but lies and propaganda. Cut the BS and report accurately, or don't report at all." He made to stand, then. "That's all I came to say."

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"Hold on now, you're just going to leave?" Chuck said, incredulity in his voice.

"Yes." Alex answered plainly, smirking at the man. "I have far more important things to be doing than wasting my time with Arc News. You people are more like an entertainment channel than a news network. But if you want me to answer some questions, I will. I did barge in here, after all."

"How magnanimous." Chuck said, keeping his whiny tone as sarcastic as ever as he gestured to the chair. "Sure, I'll ask you some questions."

Alex shrugged and sat once more, the picture of calm. "Go ahead, then."

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Chuck did so, eager to turn things around. "I'm concerned that you don't seem to understand what a big deal your…earthquaking half our region is. Pokémon live in that desert. Pokémon weak to water. How many of them were caught in your unnatural magic?"

"Earthbending. Not magic. No Pokémon were harmed in the making of these new rivers. I had my Pokémon move the locals out of the way. My Flygon is still with them, actually…he decided he wanted to live out there, keep them safe from any more potential Shadow Infusions or Pokémon Hunters." He couldn't hide the sadness in his tone as he mentioned Eremus, but he steeled himself as Chuck continued.

"I don't believe you. There's no way you could alter the face of Fornia without catching at least one Pokémon in the path of your…Earthbending."

"It's not a matter of belief. Your beliefs are irrelevant to the facts. I used my psychic senses to avoid Pokémon nests, and Pokémon themselves. You're right, not all of them went with my Flygon, but the majority did, and those that were left enjoyed getting a cool drink of water at their new oasis. Even desert Pokémon need water. Like most living things."

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"Look, the point is, you can't just go around drastically changing entire regions on a whim! You're not Arceus. You-"

Alex held up a hand, sensing this was going nowhere, fast. "Enough. You want to know why I did this? I'll give you the unvarnished truth. Caleb Pravus personally Mukked up the Mohave Desert. Several centuries ago, he gathered as many Fornians and rich people from other States as he could in Vega City. He then sucked the life from the entire city, killing everyone in it, just to sustain his foul powers. That's how he lived so long. That wasn't the last time he did something like that, either. He gathered many members of the local Tribes and did the same thing in the Oasis of- er, in New Vega. The Mohave Desert used to be half its current size. My actions will bring life back to that area, and the Shadow in Old Vega has been Purged. Now it's home to Ghost Type Pokémon, several of whom I would bet are the remnants of your Prophet's ritual." Alex stood up. "I did the same thing in Unova, too. In the Desert Resort. Life will return and adapt to these areas thanks to my efforts. I suggest you keep an eye on them, and what I do next. You're not going to recognize this land once Tao and I are done rebuilding it."

Chuck tried to say something else, but Alex was done indulging him. He gave a two fingered salute to the camera, and then bamfed back to Jess, honing in on her mind as his anchor. Their fellow patrons looked his way as he reappeared, and his armor glowed, as it returned to his belt. He sat back in the chair with a thump and sigh as he smiled at Jess. "See? It doesn't take too long to take out the trash."

She chuckled at the TV, as the surprised expression of Chuck Carolus faded, to a commercial for pills that helped old men with certain older men issues related to their genitalia. "I like how you came in as he was halfway through saying 'dictator'. Masterful timing. Do you think he'll stop the smear campaign?"

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Alex chucklesnorted. "No. No way. If pricks like him stopped when you told them to, this would be a very different planet. The next time he tries though, he'll find his access to the network severed. Tao is already on it." Their conversation was interrupted as their appetizer arrived, namely, an upper-class establishment's version of a plate of nachos.

The food was good, the vibes were posh but welcoming, and they didn't have to wait too long for dinner. Somewhere between dinner and dessert, Jess finally asked what he figured was her main question for him, tonight anyway. "I've been thinking about getting my own B Team, you know. Yours have become so strong…and that versatility must be nice. People have started predicting who I use for Battle. There's just one problem…"

"Your throw." Alex said, pouncing on the pause. He knew he guessed right as she flushed red under her hair and nodded. Being a rich daughter, she'd only had to ask for a Pokémon, and she got it. The only one she'd wanted in those days though, was a Snivy. The next had been Chari when she'd seen her sad eyes in the Goldenrod shelter they'd kept her fed in. Pokémon that Trainers didn't want, who were too weak for the wild, often lived in such places, which were actually quite good at training them up a little, to reach that survival competence threshold. Very rarely did such Pokémon stay long enough in those places to level up, though. There were always new Trainers eager for a partner.

Alex used his stupidly long arm to tilt her head up again, so their eyes met. "I can show you the trick to catching. Although my spin might be…rusty. I don't physically throw Pokéballs much these days."

"Well for what I want, I need to be able to hit fast moving targets. On the ground and in the air. Not every Pokémon responds to the Redwood method."

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Alex nodded sagely in agreement. His Gruncle had been on point in regard to making sure a new catch wanted to actually be trained, but not all species used tests of strength to measure potential Trainers. "We can go over how to use backspin to curve the throw after the Firebending lesson tomorrow. What were you thinking of getting?"

Jess gave him a coy smile. "You can find out, if I manage to get them. Your B Team is a bit intense for new catches…but if you round out your new one, we can test them out. Properly."

Alex smirked at her. "One of these days…our main ten need to Battle. When that happens, that will be our tiebreaker. Until then, any other Battles we have with the newbies, for experience, won't technically count. In the meantime, I'll figure out who else to add." She agreed to his terms, as his C Team was high leveled, compared to a fresh team at least. He spent the rest of the night quietly pondering who else to add. The majority of his catches from his early days as a Trainer were more interested in enjoying life than battling, which was fine. He cared for them all the same and made a habit of mentally checking on their well-being. He felt Shadow and Espeo mentally bombard him when he asked if any of his Eevee line wanted to be on a battling team and Alex agreed that they could be included. A pair of stronger veterans to help guide the newer ones, much like Eremus had in Koria.

Something Tao had said stuck in his head, about taming one of each species line. So, for the rest of the night he mentally matched potential teams, taking into account of course how they would interact with his older partners. Those who were awake, like Leo, helped him with this. He said the others were all very much on board for adding more members to their team. Alex also practiced throwing Pokéballs in a mind space of his own, and ironed out his rustiness by the time he finally went to sleep. When the sun rose, he felt ready to train.

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The Palace of Ideals - Eastern side of Unova

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As Alex and Jess returned to what had become the unofficial headquarters for fully realized Scales of Balance, they came upon a sky and landscape absolutely packed with Trainers. "Looks like the word got out. So much for our private lesson." Jess said, with a sigh. Alex recognized them by their minds and as Shruikan landed majestically before the western side entrance to the palace, Alex summoned his armor, and made a motion for them to follow him and Jess inside.

They ended up in the bottommost chamber of the palace, at which point Tao appeared. He exhaled a familiar cloud of Stunky-scented smoke on them, and his voice thundered in the air as he projected it. "Welcome." Tao coiled up, his lengthy body taking up most of the opposite side of the chamber from the crowd of casually dressed Scales.

"I am always impressed by how fast rumors move among Humans. And how wrong they can become the further they spread. Alex is here to help those of you who have awakened a second Typing within yourselves learn to bend that energy with your body. Those of you who have not awakened this power, will return to the Foggy Swamp Sage, if Energybending is something you wish to eventually learn. I will be taking those of you on the cusp of awakening back to my Tower where, ideally, we will awaken your potential. Divide yourselves accordingly."

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There was a murmur of confusion among the humans and after seeing their lack of comprehension, Alex mentally pinged the other psychics in the room, who used their eyes to help divide those who would stay and those who would leave. The ones who remained were Nate, Rosa, Jess, and himself. Tao had, in his usual fashion, gathered those with awakened types and those on the cusp, to train all at once. Before they left, Alex pulled aside Rick and Drake. "You two are with us, today."

The lanky redhead with a dulcet voice nodded, seeming excited, while his comparatively plain-featured, brown haired, and bespectacled companion was more chill. Alex got the sense he hadn't quite figured out what 'energybending' was, yet. Rick seemed to have a clue, though. Just then, they turned, as they heard a Pokéball opening.

"Nate! He's doing it again…" Rosa said, frowning as a Gible appeared from his ball, and started nomming on her hair, which was once more bound up in her somewhat iconic buns. The tiny dragon was nomming on them, and muttering, "So tasty…" as he did so. Nate sighed, but the Gible wouldn't let go, and he couldn't yank him off of Rosa's head, lest her hair be torn out.

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Alex came over then. "Mind if I try?"

Nate nodded. "Please. Maybe someone who understands him can explain why we don't eat hair."

As the baby dragon, who looked to be quite young, continued to nom, Alex snapped his fingers by his sensitive ears, which got his eyes to turn towards him. "Hello there, little one." He chuckled. "You do know that's not food, right?"

The Gible blinked. "Tastes good…best food!"

Alex smirked. "I think he likes whatever you wash your hair with, Rosa." He apologized to Canis, but his Lucario, who could sense Alex was about to fill the dragon and ground typed hole in the B Team that Eremus had left, didn't mind the sacrifice of his favorite treat, so long as they got more.

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The dragon's nostrils flared as Alex unwrapped the foil-covered meaty bun of deliciousness, and Alex held out a large palm for the three-foot baby dragon to hop into. He did so, reaching for the treat, and while fifty pounds was enough to test Alex's arm strength and lower it slightly, he kept the surprisingly dense baby dragon aloft as his tiny arms stretched out. "Foooood! Givegivegive!"

"First, you need to listen." He gestured at Rosa's hair with the bun, and the baby shark's eyes tracked it perfectly. "Hair is not food. Even though it might taste good, it's not good to try to eat it. You can have this," He said, waving the meat bun before the dragon's eyes, and then lowered it out of his sight, finally catching his gaze, "But you need to promise you won't try eating anyone else's hair, okay? If you're hungry, we can feed you."

The Gible processed his words, and then nodded. "Won't eat hair." He turned towards Rosa then. "I sorry."

Rosa still seemed irritated, but she smiled as she realized the Gible was apologizing. She gave him careful pats, as his skin was like sandpaper. "It's okay, Gible. Just…tell us if you want food. Okay?"

Alex gave him the meat bun then, and the baby dragon gnoshed on it in his tiny, toothy maw with gusto. Alex looked at Nate, then. "Are you planning on training this little guy as well?"

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Nate shrugged. "He was more of an…unexpected addition. But not unwelcome…he's just had a few…teething issues. As Gible often do."

Rosa chimed in then, the annoyance still plain in her voice as she struggled to combat the dragon saliva on her scalp. "This is the eighth time he's tried eating my hair."

Alex chuckled. "Well, if you want, I can train him instead. It may be better to keep him away from the temptation of Rosa's hair for a while."

Nate knowingly smirked back at Alex, and briefly wondered if he should give a Trainer as strong and Earthquake-happy as him, arguably the most powerful ground and dragon type in the world but seeing the look he got from Rosa, he finally nodded. "That may be for the best, but I'll need to-"

He was interrupted, as the Gible's mom popped free of her ball. Garchomp averaged out at Alex's height, but this one, strong as she was, was pushing at least seven feet. Alex met her gaze regardless.

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"Momma!" The Gible chirped, and she nuzzled her baby, before fixing Alex with a stare.

"I know he's still little. But I'll take good care of him, I promise you that." Alex said, meeting her gaze. He changed his words then and spoke in a tongue she recognized on a primal level and understood thanks to the Harmonia's gift. "Zu'u fen dein mok tahriik."

Slowly, the female nodded. A promise in the tongue of dragons was more binding than regular humans assumed, but Alex knew that and had no intention of breaking his. "Very well." She finally growled, before leaning in close to explain and say goodbye to her little one. Alex psychically unwrapped another meat bun for him.

For his part, the Gible seemed sad, at first, though food distracted him. When their eyes met again, Alex said, "What do you think, little one? Are you okay with leaving your mom, and becoming strong, like her?"

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He frowned and looked at her. She gave him a slow nod, and the Gible looked back at Alex. "See her again?"

"Not all the time…but if you want to, we can. I can get to Opelucid City quickly. That's where Nate's Gym is. Someday, you'll even be able to fly there on your own, if you want."

The Gible thought for a long moment then, and finally nodded again, taking the meat bun. "I…want strong. Like momma." He tossed the bun into his mouth then, and rocked side to side in Alex's stupidly large palm as he enjoyed the meaty taste.

"Alright then…" Alex said, eyeing him, "Now all you need is a name…" He looked at the Gible, and then closed his eyes, trying to remember one that would fit a Garchomp. If he was anything like his mom, who shared his adamant nature, he'd be quite a strong Garchomp as well. Naturally, his mind went back to some of the oldest names in fiction, that humans had for dragons. "Kalagon. How does that sound to you?"

"Kalagon." The Gible repeated, and then nodded, with a toothy, devious grin. "I like."

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Alex gave him a tough berry to gnaw on then, and Nate handed over his ball. "I appreciate this, Alex. Baby Gibles can be…a lot."

"He'll be okay. I think he and Shruikan will get along. Now then…let's start this lesson, shall we? Cinder, Goku! Come out and join us."

His Cinderace and the Chimchar he'd caught in Indius appeared then and gave each other a nod. They'd already sparred, both with each other and against Blaze, who hadn't gone easy on them. "Cinder and I learned a lot from Koria, and from sparring together. Of all my Fire Types, he's got Firebending down the most. Terra." The massive earth tortoise joined them as well. "Some leaves, if you don't mind? Then I'll let the rest of you out. Just try not to disturb us."

Following his lead, Nate, Rosa, and Jess emptied their lineup into the chamber, and the older Pokémon guided them to the other side of the chamber, as Arthur and others with digits capable of manipulation passed out brunch. Alex caught the two leaves Terra sent him, and burned a hole in their center, before handing them to Nate and Jess. "This is apparently an ancient Firebender technique for newbies. Squat like this and try to feel the heat burning up the leaf. Keep it from the edges for as long as you can, but don't use your psychic abilities. Focus on the heat itself and will it not to burn up." He demonstrated then, and before long had them looking silly, squatting and poring over a pair of tiny leaves with intense focus.

He turned to Rosa then. "Your element is water…and combined with what you can do with the Light, I look forward to seeing how you use it." Alex paused, as he noticed something then. "Did you…always have silver eyes, Rosa?"

She shook her head. "They appeared after the war…but I kind of like them."

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

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Alex pondered that as he poured out some water from the filtered jug he kept on hand. He typically had around six water bottles full of tea in his pack and drank from them regularly, with the water being supplied by his Pokémon and filtered to remove any lingering germs. After their visit to Professor Armeniaca, they could fill it from their balls. For this however, he only needed simple filtered water. He moved through the stances that Avatar Korruk had guided himself and Jimen through. They hadn't found many water Avatars and those they had found all had very different styles of waterbending, though Alex and Jimen had seen how they connected, it was clear that time had changed the waterbending styles the most, compared to more solid styles like fire and earth had. He wasn't that surprised that the water Avatars had followed the universal flow into being reborn, or that arguably the most malleable element humans could bend had such variation in bending styles across the ages.

For her part, Rosa watched with her psychic sight, and noted how Alex was moving the energy. Infuriatingly, her own puddle sitting within the rock container Alex had bent into being stayed completely still. "I don't…I don't get how you're moving that energy…I can see you drawing it from the element itself, but…I don't know how to do that."

Alex nodded, slowly. "You don't have to. This is what separates how Korians bend energy, and how those with Dragonblood like me do it. Your body is already attuned to the energy, you just have to focus on using it, instead of your psychic abilities. Feel the water…and reach out to it with those feelings."

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Rosa sighed. "Feel the water…" A small tendril rose from her rock bucket, when a surprised yelp came from behind them, shattering her concentration. Jess's leaf had burnt up, but she was holding the fire in both of her tiny hands, mesmerized by it.

"That's a good first step, Rosa. Focus on trying to move it around as much as you can. Much like Telekinesis…it just takes practice. He walked over to Jess then, and coughed slightly, getting her attention from the flame burning in her palms.

"It's…alive…I can feel it pulsing like…like a heartbeat, but…through my entire body. This is…"

"Still fire." Alex cautioned, though they were mainly in a stone room, there were grass types around. He guided her away from Nate, and then breathed his own fire into being, holding it in a single large palm. "Do what I do and remember to breathe. You need oxygen to exist. So does fire. But not too much, or-" He ducked, suddenly, as she took a deeper breath, and tried expanding the flame. Then, she inhaled in surprise, and it flared up before burning out entirely. "Or that will happen. Take mine."

He strengthened and then split his own manifested flame among both palms, and carefully passed it off to her. Her eyebrows rose in surprise. "This fire feels…different… More…intense." She smirked at him and ran her eyes from his head to his feet. "Much more intense."

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Alex nodded, sagely, not minding the feel of her gaze at all. "That's to be expected. I'm not bending it the same way you are. It also means it will be more potent, so control your breathing." He turned to Nate then, who had retained his intense focus on the leaf. It had almost entirely burnt away, only a very thin outline of leaf remained, and if it hadn't been Terra's, it probably would've turned to ash by now. "Impressive, Nate…most impressive…your control is already decent. Now…let it combust, and inhale as you let it go."

Nate did as instructed, and smirked slightly, as his own flame popped into existence. "This is…Jess was right. It's alive."

In short order, Alex had Nate and Jess, very carefully, passing the flames back and forth between them, streaming them through the air. He glanced over at Rosa then, and his mouth opened. She'd surrounded herself with at least ten floating spheres of water, and as she concentrated, made each of them into a distinct shape, that flickered and then turned back into a circle.

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She chuckled as he came over. "Bending water into shapes is hard…"

Alex nodded. "Well, yes, it's a liquid. It will default to a sphere, usually, because that's how physics works. But water in particular, can also change form. Steam, ice, and the number of places you can pull water from are genuinely astounding. It's what makes it the most powerful element. Sheer versatility."

"How do I make ice?" Rosa asked.

Alex frowned slightly. "Well, it requires drawing the heat from the water molecules…though how you'd do that without knowing Firebending is uhh…beyond me. I never asked the specifics of how natural Waterbenders do it."

Rosa closed her eyes again then, focusing, and one of her water orbs began to ice over, turning into a small star as it did. She blinked, as it fell to the stone floor, and shattered. "O-oh, wow…ice is a lot harder to keep in the air."

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By the time lunch came around, Alex and Jess were 'fighting' Nate and Rosa with simple bending moves, when Tao's voice rang in their heads. "That will be enough, for now. Nate, Rosa, join me at the Tower." His voice focused on Alex and Jess then, "You two should head for Albion sooner, than later. But before that, you have a royal guest waiting by the Throne of Ideals, Alex."

Tao cryptically went silent then and the two Champions shared a look. If Tao was telling them to head out early, there was a good reason. Rick and Drake, who had been speaking with four of the seven Sages, representing Koria's main four elements as they tried to unlock their second typing, joined them. "The Dragon just told us to head to Galar and start moving north."

Alex nodded. "Go, then. We'll catch up to you." Rick and Drake rushed out of the chamber together and Alex bamfed Jess and himself to his chambers in the ancient palace. He blinked, as he almost materialized into a table that hadn't been there before. The room had much finer furnishings now, fit for royalty. He assumed Jess was responsible.

"Go greet your guest." She said as she headed to the shower. Alex had already cleaned up sufficiently. "I'll tell Geralt to start heading out as well. We'll use Arthur's anchor once you're done."

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As Alex entered the throne chamber in his armored attire, minus the helmet, he saw a familiar face. "Prince Okuz of the Fire Nation. I'm glad you managed to survive your 'adventure' with Toph." He didn't bother sitting on the throne, as it was sixty steps up from them, so instead he offered a hand to Okuz.

The handsome prince shook it and grimaced as he remembered the tiny, violent earthbender. "Emperor Redwood. I've since learned you are not, in fact, our Avatar. My Uncle suggested I ask you who is."

"Remember that plain featured, burly Earthbender that was with us in the volcano? Him. But he's uh, occupied at the moment with…Avatar duties. I don't think you came across the planet just for that, though."

Okuz nodded. "My Uncle, the interim Fire Lord, suggested I give you this." He pulled out a circular metallic object that had a symbol engraved upon it which resembled a Herlemin axe, with an S through it. As Alex took it with his oversized hand, it started to glow, faintly.

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Alex looked at where it lit up, and noticed a familiar pattern, very reminiscent of the symbol of eternal balance, underneath the Herlemin-like carving that made up the object's top layer. Some parts glowed, some parts did not, and the result was a Taijitu of faint light blue against gold. He looked at Okuz then, arching an eyebrow. "You can thank your Uncle for me…but uh…what is it, exactly?"

Okuz frowned as he stared at it. The Chief of the Water Tribes hadn't been lying about this foreigner's connection to the Light. "I don't really know. My Uncle called it a seal of some kind, though he also said it was a key... It reacts to the Light, apparently. The Water Tribe's Chief said that was a power you could and had connected to, while in Koria. Did Avatar Jimen ever use it?"

Alex shrugged. "He used Raava's Light up on the volcano against your father. I don't think he did anywhere else though. Their Light is different from what I use. It felt…older. Is there a reason the Fire Lord wants me to have this?"

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Okuz shrugged this time. "He only told me that you or another Light wielder, should be the one to carry it. It's some kind of ancient artifact that the thing inhabiting my Father was afraid of. Not even Vaatu could harm it."

Alex looked back down at it. "Let's see what happens if I do…this." He focused for a quiet moment and then his palm lit up with the Light. He inhaled suddenly, as his eyes lit up as well and burned gold. The Light surged unexpectedly through his entire body in a brief but very sudden awakening of power, and he felt his mind being forcefully guided into what he recognized as someone else's mentally constructed mind space. This felt far different than Mewtwo or Tao though. This one was undoubtedly made by a human, and it felt ancient. Like a mind that had waited a very long time to die.

He appeared in what looked like an ancient stone temple, eroded by wind and time and covered in snow. A blizzard howled outside it obscuring whatever else was around, yet he didn't feel the cold.

"A Hero finally finds the Guild Seal, in this pause before the oncoming Calamity. Name thyself."

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The voice was everywhere and nowhere, but Alex had his own tricks. He turned towards its source and waved his hand as he spoke. "Alexander Redwood, Dragon Emperor. Who are you?"

As his invisibility was removed, the figure approached him from the opposite side of the stone temple. He was as tall as AZ, a wraith of a man, wizened by time. In his right hand was a scythe inscribed with runes and as tall as he was. Blue robes meant for cold weather covered the man, and the ancient golden armor he was wearing under them. His entire being was, in a word, tattered. From his face, covered in bandages underneath which was gray and decaying skin that had long since rotted away, revealing his teeth in a perpetual grimace, to his battered armor and eroded clothes. "Call me…Scythe. I am the last of the Heroes of Albion…the last to embrace the Light, anyway. My Guild Seal brought you here to me and just in time, Light Wielder. What do you know of the Tamer of Arceus?"

Alex's brows furrowed. "Erm…he's a legend, at this point. Supposedly he once united all the regions on the planet by traversing them alongside Arceus, and then his death sent us into the Dark Times. We still don't know how long those lasted, so we don't know how long ago he supposedly managed to tame Arceus."

Scythe let out a low sound like a gurgle, and Alex realized he was chuckling. "I could tell you the dates…but it does not matter. The man who succeeded him, the Successor…what do you know of him?"

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Alex's brows furrowed more. "Very little…though, I was told that he once led a Cult of dark minded psychics. That they killed each other to claim their master's power and helped plunge the world into an era of perpetual darkness."

Scythe nodded slowly. "You have trained with one of the Sages of Will. Good. Very good. That saves us precious time. Listen well, Redwood. The very planet we live upon is balancing on a blade's edge between Shadow and Light. Which way it tips, could shift the balance of the universe as a whole. The Shadow is more eager than ever to corrupt this world and with more wielders of Light appearing, more Shadow will inevitably appear as well, to match them. That is its nature. Unlike in my time, this time, it seems to desire a vessel, and that chosen vessel is, I believe, the corpse of the Successor. What do you know of what Shadow energy does to the dead?"

Alex held up a hand. "If you have to keep asking me what I know, this will take even longer. You claim time is short, so please, see my memories and experiences and know what I know. I freely share them with you."

Scythe seemed to shift uncomfortably in place. "You would open your mind so easily to a stranger? To a…thing like me?"

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Alex smirked at him. "You may look rough, friend, but I sense the good in you. You are not the first Human I've met to be touched by a Xerneas, either. I get the feeling you've waited a very long time to pass on this message of yours, so at the very least, we require trust between us."

Scythe nodded, and what little remained of his lips seemed to turn upward, like a smile. "Very well…I will read your memories and bind myself by my word: I will not usurp your mind."

Alex felt the ancient mental presence brush against his, establishing a link. Vaguely, he felt someone, likely Okuz, poking his body, but he was busy at the moment. He must have said so, because the poking sensation ceased. As Scythe waited on the precipice of his consciousness, Alex showed him his many and varied experiences with the Shadow, and its chosen pawns.

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After several minutes, Scythe pulled away, a shocked expression on what remained of his face. "You saw it…the true form of the being that overtook the Renegade. And then you blew it to pieces... Yes…you may be our best chance to wield it." He gripped his scythe tighter. "Heed my words, Dragon Emperor. The Successor's tomb lies abandoned in the desert of Aurora, which sits between Albion and Galar. The Shadow may already have guided its newest puppet to his tomb and revived him. If that be the case, you must travel to the town now known as Brightwall. Beneath its Academy, you will have to find four Glyphs. They are in the script of the Dragon Tongue. Take them to Ymir's Wahlom, in Norstad, and you will be able to learn the technique the founder of Galar used to end the Successor last time, the only technique that may be able to stop him in this era, if he has been given undeath by the Shadow."

Alex just stared at Scythe, and the ancient being seemed to somehow grimace more, despite not having lips. "Shall I repeat myself?"

"No…no, I heard you…" Alex looked down then, pondering, as the mental contact receded. "Wouldn't Purging him be enough? It worked before… And this…Ymir's Wahlom? Where is it in Norstad, exactly?"

"If Purge was enough, I would not have waited millennia to pass on the method of obtaining the true power of the Light. A power lost to time, for a reason." Scythe stared him down, unblinking as he'd been throughout the entire conversation, and at that point, Alex realized he must no longer have eyelids. "In the northwest of the Norstad region, atop the highest waterfalls you can find, on a peak that rivals Utgarde in size, you will find what you seek. If Ymir is still there…speak to him. He will know who sent you, and what it means."

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Scythe seemed to exhale a previously held breath then. "My time…grows short, with my task fulfilled. Stopping this threat…now falls to the Heroes of this new age…good fortune, Dragon Emperor…"

"Wait! I have more questions fo-" But Scythe was already gone and given how he'd vanished into a cloud of dust, he was presumably little more than a pile of particles, wherever he'd been residing and waiting to pass on this information. Alex's vision shifted then, and he found himself looking down at the Guild Seal, as Scythe called it. It seemed it was now his. As if to affirm that, it pulsed once, and then dimmed, as he let the flow of Light energy fade.

Looking up, he saw Jess beside Okuz, and both seemed concerned. Alex looked at Okuz first. "Thank you, and your Uncle, for bringing this to me…you may have just inadvertently stopped…or at least mitigated, a disaster." He looked at Jess then and sighed. "Our Festivus just got cut short. We need to head for Albion. Now."

Arthur appeared with a flash then, and he, Alex, and Jess touched hands as they prepared to Teleport. Alex glanced at Okuz. "You're more than welcome to stay here and enjoy yourself, Fire Prince. We…probably won't be back for a while."

"Right…" Okuz said awkwardly, and before he could say more, the trio was gone in a flash of psychic energy.

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Wyndon City - Galar Region

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They appeared inside of Wyndon Stadium's locker room, to a very surprised Raihan. The dragon Gym Leader spoke first. "Oh dang! You're that Gallade that came by a few weeks back! That was an awesome match, bro!"

Arthur smirked and rubbed the back of his head. "Thank you, Leader Raihan. Your own matches against Leon were quite instructive, when I was younger."

Raihan held out a hand to Alex then. "And you must be his Trainer. The Unovan Champion! And the new Fornian Champion, I see." Jess inclined her head and gave Raihan a small smile. "I'm glad you two are still good after that match you had! What a lineup. The Dragon and the Phoenix! You never see Legend Tamers in Stadiums, these days. What brings you to our fine Region?"

Alex shook the man's hand. "They really need a League of their own. We're here heading north. Is there a PC around? I need to make a call to Sinnoh."

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Raihan led them to the stadium lobby, before bidding them farewell, as he had a match of his own against Gordie. Jess poked him as he punched in the number he'd gotten from Ash. "Who do you know in Sinnoh?"

Alex just smirked at her and gestured at the screen. He'd set it as a priority call, and a haggard, sleepy Cynthia answered. Jess gasped, as she was to Cynthia what Alex was to Leon. A shameless fangirl. "Champion Shirona. We're in Galar at the moment, heading north for Albion. It's time." As he mentioned time, he saw her clock in the background, and winced inwardly. He'd just called arguably the most famous Champion of Sinnoh, if not the world, at two in the morning.

The aged blonde woman yawned, nodded, and ran a hand through her much healthier looking hair, though there was more white in it than before. Age hadn't eroded her looks, even that early in the morning. Somehow, it fell effortlessly into her usual hairstyle, and she nodded at the pair. "I'll head there soon. My priority is going to be my Pokémon."

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Alex nodded in agreement. "Of course. I have two capable comrades who can help with that. Rick and Drake. I suggest meeting them in Brightwall, before heading to the main city. It's a large village in the north of the region, just on the edge of the northernmost mountains. If you head in from Wyndon, aim slightly northeast. Knowing Morgana, your partners are probably being kept in the castle somewhere. Those two have been to Albion before and know the region fairly well. They can guide you, and once at the castle I assume you can handle things. Just uhh, try not to completely demolish it. It rightfully belongs to my Gallade."

"Brightwall. Rick and Drake. Invade the castle without breaking it. Right. I'm going back to sleep now…I'll be there in a few hours." She thanked him for the heads up, and then cut the connection.

Alex just nodded. "Time zones. I always forget they're a thing. Anyways. Let's get moving, shall we?"

Jess checked her Pokédex as they approached the northern exit of Wyndon, which was used much less compared to the others. "Actually…while we're here, I need to do some catching."

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Alex looked northward, and then at her, as he tried to sense Rick and Drake. It seemed shenanigans had slowed them down, and they'd had to take a plane from the army to get to Galar. "Seems we have some time. Let's work on your throw first, and then we can fly wherever we need to in order to catch…whoever you're looking for."

They wandered Wyndon City until they found a secluded place to practice, and not injure anyone, or break any windows. Alex retrieved the worn rubber ball he used to practice with and within minutes, he sensed eyes watching them from a nearby alley. As Alex demonstrated how to use spin to curve a throw, where one had to aim to land such a throw, and where the weak spots of most Pokémon were. Once she had that down, all she needed was speed. Leo popped out of his ball as the humans were busy, and he saw what was watching them. He trotted towards the alley and Alex watched what he was up to through his sharp eyes.

What he found was a raggedy looking Sprigatito, lurking in the alley. The two male felines faced the other down with a pair of growls. When the grass kitten didn't back away, like most wild Pokémon did before Leo's intimidating eyes, the much larger thunder cat smirked at him. They made calmer, mutual cat noises Alex didn't understand the specifics of through Leo's ears and the kitten trotted over to Alex.

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Jess kept focusing intensely on her throw, and catching the ball when it bounced back, as Alex turned to him. "Hello there, little one. Do you want something?"

The scraggly alley cat nodded, not seeming surprised that he could understand the human. "I need a Human to make me strong. I have a rival I need to beat. I hear you're good at training Pokémon. You're the one who trained that Gallade I saw battling Leon's. Please, I need to know... Can…I be that strong?" He wasn't sure if it was him, or his last Trainer that was holding him back, but he had a feeling it was his former Trainer. Some of the other alley Pokémon had suggested it was his fault though, that some Pokémon just weren't cut out for battling.

Alex looked him over, namely his nature, among other markers his psychic sight let him see. "If you train hard and eat the vitamins and food I give you, all of it, then you have the potential to rival Arthur. Some day." Arthur popped out as Leo came over again. They both smirked at their jolly new little brother.

"Oh yes." Arthur said, "I can work with you. Do you have a name?"

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The Sprigatito shrugged his leafy shoulders. "My last Trainer called me Noir. I didn't hate it."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Does your last Trainer know you're replacing them?"

The cat gave a slow nod. "He abandoned me in the city. Said I'd find someone better to raise me. So that's what I'm doing."

Alex's brow furrowed. "Is he still going to be a Trainer?"

Noir shook his head. "I was the only one he had. He gave up after losing Battles three times in a row." The smol weed cat felt surer of this human, because he was very clearly older, and yet also cared for his Pokémon. The Luxray's coat had been immaculate, and he could sense how strong their bond was to the human.

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Jess joined them then, brush in hand as she knelt down and began washing his fur. "No respectable Sprigatito smells like garbage. Let's get you clean, cutie."

Within minutes, the furry grass type was cleaned off and filling the air with a much more pleasant scent. Alex gave both him and Leo a belly rub, and then let the hungry kitten into his new ball. Alex's berry counter dinged as Noir grabbed a copious amount of food. Given how skinny he was, Alex didn't intend to limit his food but he did manually add in some protein, roughly twenty six, to max his attack strength. Further training would see it grow to its peak of potential and then they would focus on his speed, which would grow well on its own and even more so with the carbos he intended to mix into the kitten's bowls of food. Growing berries was not hard, and a PC Box dimension he'd set up when he was younger with the aid of his granduncle already had more preserved berries in the Redwood Lab's storage than he would ever need. Probably.

He looked at Jess, watching her form as she threw and then just admired her curves as they moved, once again thanking Arceus that this was his life now. "I think your throw is as good as it's going to get. What are we tracking down?"

Jess threw another curve slightly to the right, and the backspin made it curve left, before it hit the target on the wall, which was in this case the center of an 'a' on some old graffiti hyping up someone called 'Marnie'. Alex wondered if the artist had meant the latest Spikemuth Gym Leader. "I guess it's time you knew." She turned to him, and caught the ball in reverse as it whizzed back towards her, still as bouncy and potentially painful as it always had been, despite the lack of use in recent years.

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"Lux." She said, and Alex blinked as his Rotom floated out for her. She pointed at the map of their current regional location, namely the Wild Area, a somewhat protected wilderness that had a habit of giving Galarian Trainers rather strong teams, depending on how hard one searched. "First, a Buneary. They're too skittish and fast to catch properly, especially when we only have a few hours. After that…" She pointed towards the northern part of the wild area, to a bit of land on the other side of a lake. Alex blinked, as he recalled it being the same place Ash had gone for his ill-timed adventure involving a horde of very powerful, very angry Dragapults. "Ideally, I'll find a Dreepy. Also skittish, and incredibly fast. Not to mention, almost always guarded by their mothers. The others I'm after aren't in Galar, but while we're here…I figured we could at least look. And this…fast curveball of yours might just be the key to catching them. It went…poorly, last time."

"Right. Easy enough…if we're heading south from here, we'll need our Charizards. Blaze!" He and Chari appeared in the alley with a roar, and then the pair bent low, letting their humans on their backs. Seeing them together, Alex noticed just how much larger Blaze was now by comparison. He barely fit in the back alley spot they'd found. Chari took off first, which gave him enough space to powerflap up, and then over Wyndon. Alex sensed eyes on them almost immediately, and figured it was likely people mistaking him for Leon. He glanced back at the Battle Tower's topmost floor, and could've swore he saw someone behind the glare on the glass on the topmost floor. Blaze caught where his gaze was, and Alex smirked at him, patting his neck. "Soon, my friend. Very soon." The World Tournament was set to start in a few short weeks, and he knew that path would lead him either to Leon, or Ash. Assuming he didn't get knocked out earlier, of course. He had no idea how he ranked on a global level, nor did he entertain any illusions about becoming World Champion. It was their first try, after all. They would battle their hardest, as a team, and see how far that took them.

The area just south of Wyndon was as snowy as he'd heard, but before too long, they were out above Hammerlocke, and the Wild Area's Lake of Outrage. "Dreepy attack first, and fast. We'll need to dodge them, and then they should be slow enough to catch while they come around for another pass. Get ready." Jess nodded, and readied her ball of choice, and Alex spurred Blaze down over the lake as the fire lizard let out a bellowing challenge in the form of a roar. Nothing happened.

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Another few passes brought no dakka-craving dragon missiles, and he paused in the air then, realizing the problem. Thankfully, he could solve that problem, instead of having to wait around for the right kind of weather pattern. With a thunderous crack, his Voice summoned a light, foggy rain, and for good measure, Blaze roared another challenge at the lake's denizens. From the water they rose and manifested in the prime material plane, a horde of angry-eyed Dragapult, mostly female. Blaze unleashed a Flamethrower at them, which got their attention, and then his form glowed as bright as Alex's Key Stone, as they ascended after him.

Even on his best day, Blaze couldn't outpace the absurd speed of a Dragapult, but outpacing them wasn't his goal. He barrel-rolled as Alex held on for dear life, and the physical attacks, namely Dragon Claw, made by the adult dragon types missed. Then, came the missiles, and the little Dreepy shrieked with joy as they homed in on the Charizard. Blaze then did something the sentient missiles couldn't. He flared his wings, killed his momentum, and then shot straight up, over where Jess and Chari were perched, waiting. The Dreepy adjusted their trajectory slowly as they turned and curved and one of their moms called a warning, figuring out why the humans were there. Some of the Dreepy peeled off but most continued, overeager in their pursuit of dakka.

Again, Blaze used his superior maneuverability to dodge the missiles and then Alex saw a ball whizz by as it curved in the air, hit one, and then fell to the water. An angry Dragapult, likely its mother, went to attack the ball, but Blaze stopped her with a well-aimed Dragon Pulse that sent her slamming into a nearby rock formation. The Ultra Ball dinged closed and Alex floated down to the stunned dragon, as Jess retrieved her catch with Chari. "We'll take good care of her. We may even visit someday, so…don't be too sad."

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The Dragapult eyed the two Charizard, still stunned by the damage, and then focused on the human it understood, despite not knowing how she understood him. She nodded, slowly. "You had better." She growled and with a roar, she summoned her remaining Dreepy back to her, at which point they all retreated under the well-named lake. Alex and Jess retreated with their prize, and he didn't clear the sky, figuring the least he could do was let the dragons enjoy the weather pattern they seemed to prefer.

Jess flashed him a victory sign, and Chari did a barrel roll of her own to celebrate. A short flight south, they found a hillside teeming with Pokémon. Among which, there were certainly Buneary. There were Trainers, too. Some young, some old, and some who very clearly knew what they were doing, as they battled wild Pokémon either for fuel for the shared experience machines in their bag, or to catch. Jess rolled off Chari then, as she knew her Charizard would frighten most of the Pokémon below. A few looked ready to attack her floating form, but paused, as she smiled and waved at them and continued to float by. Most had not seen flying humans here, or at least, flying humans without those strange boxes they loved crawling into. Some Galarian Pokémon questioned the morality of making so many Corviknight ferry the humans around, but none of them could deny that the armored ravens became quite strong from doing so.

Alex watched the other Trainers around them, who were all much, much younger, stare at the flying redhead in awe as they raised their Rotom Phones and hit record. Then suddenly, Alex saw her throw. There was little need for a curve, close as she was, and the Ultra Ball nailed her target on the back of its head before it ever knew Jess was there. She landed in a clear area then, just under a tree, as Alex and Blaze joined her.

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She called out her new catches, and then Arthur appeared, as Jess asked him to help her. Alex just found it amusing that his partners listened to her as well as him. He was proud they were so well trained, enough to decide for themselves who to listen to, instead of always just him.

The Dreepy hid in the leaves of the tree, but didn't zoom away, as it didn't seem to recognize where it was. She was also rather young, but as Alex spied her nature, he understood why Jess had chosen her. The Buneary was less enthused, and had her little arms crossed, both ears curled up and frowning as she eyed her latest human. For her, this was probably the seventh or eighth time a human had tried to tame her.

Arthur's presence helped them both stay calm, as his sense of nobility and the kindness he emanated as natural charisma, reached the pair. Jess psychically borrowed Alex's ears as she introduced herself. The Dreepy, Draga, warmed up quickly, like most young Pokémon, but the Buneary was less convinced.

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"I don't care about Battling. I don't want to chase power all over Galar, and someday, the world. I just want to live in peace here, in my home."

Jess seemed to deflate as the Buneary denied her, and that, was when Alex said something. "Tell me, smol bun. Have you ever…actually Battled with a Trainer?"

The Buneary personified sass as she lifted her head and crossed her tiny arms again. "Of course. I've Double Kicked my way through half the Wild Area by now." She'd also Double Kicked her Trainers, but this time she'd resisted kicking Jess. Mostly because of the smiling but insanely powerful Gallade beside her. Attacking humans this nice with no reason just felt wrong and since they could understand what she said, there was no need to get violent. This time.

Alex smirked at the adamantly opposed Buneary. "Battling wild Pokémon is one thing. Battling another Trainer is something else entirely." He tossed Noir's ball then, and the well-fed grass kitten yawned as he appeared, looking around before his eyes settled on the haughty bun. "Noir here has never won a Battle but he knows what they're like. You've won random Battles in the wild, but never one against another Trainer, right?" The bun nodded. "Do me one favor, and if you still want to leave, we'll release you. Better yet, if you win, you can keep the ball, and from now on, other Trainers won't be able to catch you. Deal?"

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The Buneary's ears twitched as he mentioned not being caught again. Forever. That was a deal too good to pass up. "You're on." She curled up both ears tightly then, and stomped into a battle stance. Alex just nodded, impressed. She was definitely higher level than Noir, but he had faith in his grassy kitten.

"Uhh…I don't think this is a good idea…" Noir said, slightly intimidated.

Alex knelt down to him, and scratched his leafy ruff. "Just relax. Have a little confidence. We can win. If you do what I tell you, when I tell you to, this will be easier than you think." The grass kitten nodded, and then snarled at the Buneary. The almost cute noise he emanated only made her smirk.

Jess went first. "Alright, Quick Attack!" The Buneary ignored her, and instead leapt in for a Double Kick, as Alex figured she would.

"Use Quick Attack, and dodge her feet." Noir blinked, confused at first, but as he did as he was ordered, something was different this time. The move helped heighten his perception, and the pair of kicks were easily avoided. He ducked under one, jumped over the other, and then saw his opening. He took it, and hammered the Buneary in the face, before flipping back through the air.

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He landed by Alex and gave the off-balance bun a feral grin as he felt himself grow stronger. "Yessss…this is more like it!"

"Don't get overconfident." Alex said, and Noir nodded, focusing on the Buneary.

"Hmm. Better use Round Eyes!" Jess said, but the Buneary just looked at her with disgust, thinking she wanted her to lose her chance at freedom by using a weak move, and went for Noir with a powerful Pound instead. Jess sighed, as the kitten's attack power was not lowered, which had been her strategy. Her face shifted to a frown, as she realized she and the bun really weren't in sync at all. Especially compared to Alex and his newest grass type. It was a new experience, as each of her partners had always obeyed her.

"Watch the ears. They hit like a truck." Alex said, and Noir nodded, well familiar with how dangerous human vehicles could be. "Get in close with Quick Attack, then Tail Whip!"

Once again, Noir danced around the Buneary's increasingly angry punches, which were leaving divots in the dirt where they struck. None managed to strike his leaf cat however and as Noir got under her guard, his fluffy, delectable smelling tail smashed into the bun's face. She started sneezing uncontrollably, and Alex followed up on the overpowering of her sensitive nose.

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"Now, Noir! Use Bite!" By the time the Buneary opened a tear-filled eye, her opponent was in her face again, chomping on her arm. He pinned her down, holding the Bite attack as the pair struggled.

"Defense Curl!" Jess shouted, still not giving up on the independent Buneary. Finally, she listened, curling up into a defensive ball and rolling back towards the human female. Noir let her go and Jess noted he was smirking just like his Trainer. It hadn't taken long at all for him to rub off on the grassy kitten. "If you want to win, you need to listen to me." Jess said, and the Buneary glared at her again, then turned her nose upwards. Alex didn't order Noir to attack, though. He glanced at his new Trainer, but waited. Listening had worked out very well so far and Noir felt he'd finally found a good human.

"Fine." The Buneary said, dropping again into a battle crouch suited for her species' abilities.

"Alright, get in close with Quick Attack!"

"You too, Noir! Match it!"

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The two Pokémon found themselves all but even as their speedy forms collided, as battling had given Noir just enough experience to match the bun. As the Quick Attacks collided a final time, the resulting smash sent both Pokémon back, damaged. The Buneary had taken far more by this point though, and was panting. Noir started to glow. "Oh…wow…this is it! Finally!"

"Not yet, Noir." Alex said, cutting into his enthusiasm for evolution. The light paused, as Noir looked at him. "Trust me, my new friend. You will evolve. Hold off, for now." Noir sighed, but nodded, and fought down the urge to reach the next stage of power. Alex smirked. By his count, they needed just one more level. In this battle, waiting would, hopefully, pay off.

"Get in there, Buneary! Leap high and use Pound!" Jess called out and the Buneary listened, using her legs to get significant air, before summoning the normal typed energy for a powerful attack.

"Noir! Leafage! Cover as much of the area as you can!" The grassy kitten nodded, and used that surge of evolution energy instead to empower his attack. The result was more than he'd expected and his Leafage came out looking more like a Leaf Storm.

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The Buneary covered her eyes with one ear, driving through the sharp leaves, as the other ear stayed coiled, ready to hammer the annoyingly nimble kitten. As she came through the cloud of leaves, he was out of her sight and Alex gave another order as she sailed towards the ground. "Now, Quick Attack!"

"Land in a Defense Curl!" The bun did so, curling quickly into a defensive ball, as Noir's face bounced off her. "Now, leap and Pound!" This time, the bun's higher level and natural speed were too much to dodge. The Buneary leapt from her curl like a spring and Noir took the hit, but found he wasn't nearly done yet. He jumped back up on his feet, still very much 'in the green', while his opponent was very much not.

"Noir! Concentrate as much grass energy as you can, into a single point!"

Jess's eyes widened as she finally realized what Alex was doing. "Don't let him charge up! Quick Attack!"

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Once more though, the Buneary made a judgement call of her own, and sprang into a spinning Double Kick. She lost one in the air, given how far Noir was, but the momentum of that spin carried her on and made her second kick that much stronger. Jess frowned as she saw this, knowing it wouldn't be enough. Quick Attack would've gotten her in close fast enough to stop Noir. By the time the second kick came for him, the grass cat was done charging. It wasn't a condensed ball of grass energy like Terra's, but it wasn't unimpressive, either. A very promising first attempt.

"Seed Bomb!" Noir let the attack go, as the Buneary, to her credit, sailed into it fearlessly. The moves collided and exploded as they did so. Alex guided the wind to quickly blow the smoke away, and then smirked. The Buneary was on her feet but badly damaged. As Noir readied another sphere of grassy power, she fell over, eyes poli-patterned as she ran out of stamina. Jess sighed and Alex whooped. "That's how you do it!"

Noir, for his part, was ecstatic. He ran over to his Trainer, and the tiny, grassy paw bumped the much larger fist. "You'll evolve soon, Noir. But sometimes, holding off lets you learn a Move that would otherwise take a lot longer to grasp. This is Terra."

The titanic earth tortoise appeared then and Noir just stared in genuine awe at the titan of earth and grass, as he'd appeared right in the light of the setting sun. "Holy Arceus…" The kitten's eyes slowly ran upward, to the tree on his back, and then found his eyes. Reading the earth tortoise by expression was impossible, like staring at a blank cliffside.

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Alex continued. "He will teach you how to perfect your Seed Bomb. But first…do you really want to evolve? A few Battles by the lake should get you enough experience."

Noir looked at the ground, as he pondered. Learning new moves was appealing, but he'd wanted to get stronger for ages now. He could feel the power, how close he was, and he wanted it desperately. He looked at his human, and nodded. "Alright then." Alex said, smirking. He looked at Jess, who was giving the Buneary a Max Revive in her lap. "I'm going to take this one to the lake." He said, hopping on Terra's shell. Noir joined him, purring as he noted just how healthy the grass was. Terra rumbled, chuckling as the grass kitten's purrs tickled him all the way to his earthy core.

Jess nodded, watching him stomp off, as the Buneary in her arms returned to consciousness. "Bun…eary."

Jess nodded. "Yes. You lost. How are you feeling?"

The bun blinked, and then realized she actually felt great. She hopped up from the woman's lap, and punched the air with her ears, and her tiny fists. "Buneary!"

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"That's good." Jess said. The Buneary blinked, as she noted the human's tone. Sad, frustrated, perhaps? She'd never heard disappointment, but she did not like how it made her feel. Arthur, who had stuck around to watch the battle, was still leaning against the nearby tree, acting as a subtle psychic conduit for the human's feelings to more effectively reach the Pokémon in the immediate area. Such was the natural ability of his species.

Jess handed the Buneary the Ultra Ball then, already colored cream and brown in her colors. "You can have this. No Humans will be able to catch you, as long as it stays in one piece." She sighed, then. "Go ahead, go home."

The Buneary took the ball, but seemed to deflate. The other human had been correct, that battle was nothing like the others had been. She could also admit that, had she listened, she probably could've won. Easily. But she'd ignored the human, as in her experience, they rarely knew how to battle. That wasn't the case with this one, though.

"Bun…eary?"

"No, I don't." Jess said, somewhat coldly. "I need a partner who will listen when I give them orders. You said you wanted to live here in peace. Now you can. I'll find another Buneary who wants to Battle, grow stronger, and listens to orders. Enjoy your freedom."

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Jess whistled for Draga then, who had also stayed out to watch the battle. The tiny Dreepy came quickly and chirped at Jess. She'd learned firsthand the importance of listening to commands and trusting that her human would have her back, in a battle. The little dragon also found the appeal of getting stronger to be quite alluring. Jess recalled her after giving her a berry and began packing up her things into her bag. There wasn't much to put away, but there was enough time for the Buneary to walk over to the Gallade leaning on the tree.

"Need something?" He asked, as she looked up at him.

"I uhh…the other Human isn't here. Translate for me?" She asked shyly.

"Of course." Arthur said, with a slight bow. He walked with her over to Jess then. "This one wants a word." He said, projecting his human speech.

Jess raised an eyebrow at the Buneary. There was a spark of hope in her eyes, but she didn't let it grow yet.

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"I've had a lot of Humans. They were loud, annoying, and barely knew a Pokéball from an Apricorn…but you two aren't like them. I guess because you're fully grown Humans." Jess nodded, as Arthur translated. The Buneary stood straighter, more determined, adamant even, as she affirmed her decision. "I want to Battle like that again…and I'll listen, next time. I want to be strong, like my Mom was…she was killed, protecting me and my siblings from a Thievul. I want to be strong enough to beat down any Dark Typed fox I come across. Can you help me?" She offered the ball back to Jess then, and the redhead nodded. For the first time, the bun noticed the slight rainbow tint her hair had when it moved. She was, the closer the Buneary looked, actually quite pretty.

"I'll make you stronger. But you need to understand…that Thievul was just trying to survive, like you. Revenge isn't going to get you very far in terms of strength."

The Buneary waved an ear. "Oh, I know. That's just nature. Some carnivores can subsist on Berries, others decide to hunt. I don't hold it against them…I just want to be able to beat up any that come after me, or my fellow buns."

Jess giggled. "Alright. That, I can do. Let's go."

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By the time she and Arthur found Alex, Noir had become a Floragato. Apparently they'd run into a swarm of Corphish, which had been enough to push the grass kitten to his middle stage of evolution. Their next battle had gone less well though, as Noir had no clue how to use his new flower yoyo. The wild Psyduck they'd engaged had just wandered off, once Noir had gotten tangled and it was as Alex was untangling him, without cutting the vine, that Jess caught up to them. It was good timing too, since Alex sensed Drake and Rick landing in Wyndon. With their brief detour over, they flew back to Wyndon, on Shruikan this time.

They rendezvoused with the tardy pair and then immediately started heading north. Before too long they found themselves off of Galar's public map and deep into a large, untamed forest. It wasn't a fairy forest like the one Arthur visited, but at a certain point they became one and the same if one went far enough west. Alex felt Llamrei mentally poke Arthur, who got his attention. "Alex…she wants to visit her mom."

Alex summoned the pair then and the shy psychic fairy filly moved behind Arthur as she was suddenly out of her ball. Alex gave his Gallade a glance and he bamfed beside Alex, leaving the Galarian Ponyta in the open. He hadn't actually spoken to her much yet, choosing instead to let her open up. Unfortunately this had the opposite effect and she had instead begun relying on Arthur for everything. That ended now.

"It's time you used your own voice." Alex said to her. He could tell she was intimidated, so he smiled. "Go on. Ask."

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"I don't want to be a bother…Arthur said we're in a hurry. But my mom isn't far…for a Ponyta anyway." She still seemed shy, but she'd used her own words, which was progress.

"Arthur told me what happened. I think we can fit in a small detour." Alex said, as his sight suggested an as yet unknown, but beneficial path resulting from following his Pokémon. When the universe suggested a direction, he tended to follow it. "After this though, we should fly. We've been delayed too long already." Jess, Rick, and Drake nodded, and they followed the Ponyta west through the woods.

The further they went, the stranger the air became. Mushrooms and other fungi started to glow and the trees became overarching, almost ominously black as they blotted out the setting sun. Not long after that, Llamrei trotted to a halt.