Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“You failed.”

Those words kept repeating in her head, piercing her normally strong mentality.

“You failed.”

Roy and Dot managed to pass their usage tests, but she stood together with them as the only failure.

“You failed.”

‘I’m sorry, Floragato…’ Liko bit her lip as she marched down the mountain, away from the place where those words were uttered. ‘I’m sorry, Roy. Dot. I’m sorry for not being to pass and help you guys with Terapagos or this adventure.’

Biting her lip, Liko followed her friends away from Glaseado Gym, though not without continuously glancing at the place that reminded her of her failure. Even after some distance, she still looked back. With how often she turned back, one might think she would keep looking for the gym once they got off Glaseado Mountain.

Unseen by Liko, her friends tossed looks of their own. Not towards the gym like her, but to Liko herself. As the emotional support of their group, Liko usually tried her best to resolve situations in her own way to anyone she could help. However, this time, she was the one who needed help, and they didn’t know how to do so. Roy and Dot met each other’s eyes more often on this trip down the mountain than when they were traveling together in the Brave Olivine, though the former suspected the more likely reason for that being the latter adamantly refusing anyone into her room by the time he boarded the airship.

Floragato had her own conflict within. She wanted to hug her Trainer, but she felt that wouldn’t pass on the message she wanted to give. Fuecoco, despite his growling stomach, and Quaxwell hung back to at least support their friend like their Trainers are trying to do with Liko.

Wordlessly, everyone made their way down the mountain, not seeing a certain Pokemon doing surveillance on them for a certain shy creep with his own plan in place.

They kept walking and walking without saying anything. Any opportunity to talk would simply end before it even started. Roy, usually the talkative one among them, was unusually bearable about the silence. Dot, who preferred silence over a chance to interact socially face-to-face, found this silence to be oppressive and found herself wanting to do anything to escape it.

Perhaps fortunately for her, she and Roy found a signage ahead of them. Looking at each other, Roy nodded and ran ahead to see what it said, with Fuecoco running after him. After a moment, Roy waved from there with a smile, prompting Dot, and subsequently Liko, to run up to him. “What’s wrong?”

“Liko, do you know what’s Paldea’s Highest Peak?” Roy asked.

She smiled slightly. “It’s the highest summit in Paldea and one of the Ten Sights of Paldea, though I’ve never been there myself.”

Beaming, the boy turned towards the direction the sign was pointing to. “The view must be amazing! We should go there before we go down!”

“Huh?!” Dot protested. “No way! It’s going more cold at the top!”

“Oh, c’mon, Dot! It’s just right there!” He pointed. “It’s a great opportunity we can’t miss! Right, Liko?”

“Y-Yeah.” Liko replied off-guard.

“You should take it easy though. So, it’s fine if we go down instead.” Dot countered. “Right, Liko?”

“Y-Yeah…” She repeated before looking down. ‘They’re going this far just for me. I’m really causing them a lot of trouble because of my failure…’

“Mrreow…?” Liko looked at her unimpressed partner before making a decision.

Raising her fist in the air, she declared. “Let’s go! To Paldea’s Highest Peak!”

“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Roy cheered as Dot groaned in defeat. With that, the group of six headed for the highest summit in Paldea, with Roy and Fuecoco energetically leading the group with their song. Dot and Liko both required their partner Pokemon to push them due to the increasing height making them steadily exhausted, especially for Dot who never had much stamina in the first place.

At the head of the group, Roy spotted something in the distance. “Hey, everyone! There’s a cabin ahead! Let’s rest there!”

“Finally… I need some water… and maybe a good night’s rest.” Dot said tiredly as Quaxwell continued pushing her with Liko lingering behind.

‘I really to need to thank them for being good friends when we get there.’ Stuck in their own thoughts, no one witnessed Liko’s path being altered once Dot walked onto the path towards the cabin that Roy spotted. As such, Liko ended up walking on a separate path, away from her friends.

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Meanwhile…

Flying around Glaseado Mountain on Corviknight as the frigid air hit his face, Amethio gritted his teeth despite the passive face he put on. Based on Zirc and Onia’s reports, Mr Awfully Shy was seen heading for Glaseado Mountain after being awfully suspicious at Exceed.

…

He definitely spent too much time with the Rising Volt Tacklers.

Amethio sighed before looking down.

“Stop, Corviknight.” Below them was a familiar black van that was parked along a path, causing Amethio to frown. “Just what are you up to, Mr Awfully Shy?”

The admin perked up slightly when the back doors of the van opened, revealing Mr Awfully Shy and his Umbreon as they exited the vehicle. Amethio glared fiercely at the cowardly admin he despised ever since they first met. “Corviknight, descend slowly so they don’t catch us.”

“Cor!” It acknowledged, slowly lowering itself and its Trainer while still trailing the other admin. Unfortunately, they quickly lost the man once he entered the forest, forcing Amethio to travel the rest of the way on foot.

“Have a good rest, Corviknight.” Amethio said as he held up its Poke Ball, allowing the Raven Pokemon to return to its Ball. Once it entered its Poke Ball, Amethio looked at the completely white path ahead. He pulled his winter jacket closer and started walking in pursuit of Mr Awfully Shy, knowing full well he went this way.

With that permanent frown on his face, Amethio recalled what he knew thus far. Having not seen any of the other admins for some time, he sent Zirc and Onia to trail Mr Awfully Shy since he suspected he’s involved with their disappearance and vague answers. After returning from Exceed, the two agents reported Mr Awfully Shy had framed a visitor for something he did, though they didn’t know what was it he did. Apparently the visitor was a former researcher at the company his grandfather started, and Amethio wasn’t pleased to find out an innocent person got wrapped up in that coward’s schemes. From there, he began trailing Mr Awfully Shy personally, with Zirc and Onia off on other missions.

As he looked around thoroughly, a thought occurred to him that made him stop in his tracks. ‘Liko and Roy have their tests on this mountain. Since the Explorers are infiltrating Naranja Academy, Agate probably told him about their tests too. Arceus… Is he up to something with them?’

Though the risk of Beheeyem of watching him was high, Amethio just had to know. He began his pursuit again with a fast walk as he pulled out his Rotom Phone and dialed someone’s number, patiently waiting for her to pick up. Just as he realized she could be in the middle of her test, the call went through.

“Hello? Ame?” Liko answered.

“Are you still on Glaseado Mountain?” He went straight to the point while ignoring the nickname he should’ve gotten used to by now.

“Y-Yeah. Roy wanted to go to Paldea’s Highest Peak for the view it could offer.”

“One of the Ten Sights of Paldea? I’m not entirely surprised he would want to see something like that.”

“Was there a reason why you called to ask me that, Ame?” Liko questioned, with Amethio possibly hearing the fear in her voice.

Internally apologizing for the jolt that would surely come when she heard his next words, Amethio spoke anyway. “I’m chasing Mr Awfully Shy right now. He’s on Glaseado Mountain.”

“H-Huh?” She quivered. “Really?”

“Unfortunately, I lost him somewhere while I was landing on Corviknight. However, I am certain he’s here because I also spotted his van. He’s definitely up to something. Since I haven’t heard anything new since the last meeting, please be cautious around him if you do come across him.” He panted.

“I-I’ll try.” Liko promised. “Ah!”

“What’s wrong?” Amethio asked sharply.

“I actually lost Roy and Dot a moment ago, and I thought I went the wrong way. I think I can hear their breathing ahead though, so I’m going to catch up to them and let them know what you told me.”

Just as she said that, he could hear distinct footsteps on his own path. “As for me, I believe I can hear his footsteps. Please be careful.”

“You too.” Amethio hung up while breaking into a sprint. He’s not letting that coward get away while he was here. He will uncover whatever plan that was being worked on. With quickening steps, the Explorer admin spotted a corner and made a swift turn…

… Which made him almost bump into someone who was most certainly not the pest he was chasing.

“…” Liko blinked.

“…” Amethio stared back.

Then…

“IT WAS YOU?!” Both exclaimed in shock when their minds finally registered the new situation. Rather than hearing the people they initially thought they heard, they ended up hearing each other, which raised warning bells for Amethio.

The admin groaned and did a facepalm before addressing Liko. “I assume it was my breathing you heard.”

“And I guess you heard my footsteps.” Liko chuckled sheepishly, making Amethio sigh.

“Let’s battle.” Amethio declared. He continued to explain as Liko was no doubt going to ask for the reason for the sudden battle. “Mr Awfully Shy is here somewhere. If he’s been watching you for a while and still is now, then there’s little reason to doubt he would be suspicious of our civil conversation. If we were to battle, perhaps it would convince him we’re still enemies even though I’d rather have Ceruledge use Psycho Cut on him.”

The girl before him reluctantly accepted his explanation while her partner stepped up to battle. Terapagos, in its camouflage bag, was placed on the ground. Nodding at his ready opponent, Amethio called out Ceruledge, who was ready to battle as well despite the surprise in its eyes that only he could see. “Let’s begin! Ceruledge, use Psycho Cut!”

“Dodge with Quick Attack!” Liko ordered, which the Grass Cat obeyed without question, swiftly avoiding the pink beams sent by the Fire Blade Pokemon.

As Floragato rapidly approached Ceruledge, Amethio called out for another move. “Intercept with Shadow Claw!”

With glowing black aura surrounding its blades, Ceruledge raised its arms to cut down Floragato, only for her to avoid that as well with Acrobatics before unleashing a storm of leaves with Magical Leaf, forcing Liko and Amethio to momentarily shield their eyes as the leaves flew around the battlefield. When the leaf storm was over, both Trainers lowered their arms, witnessing Ceruledge on its knees while Floragato returned to Liko’s side.

“You’ve definitely improved since we last battled.” Amethio smirked. “In that case, Ceruledge! Attack Floragato with Bitter Blade!”

“Ceru!” Ceruledge charged forward as its blades had a purple aura this time. Unfortunately, Floragato continued to skillfully evade her opponent and used Magical Leaf to land an attack of her own. While not effective, it at least dealt damage unlike Ceruledge, whose attacks never hit at all. The two Pokemon continued trading blows, with Ceruledge becoming increasingly frustrated with Floragato’s evasion skills despite the former being the faster Pokemon. With a glance to its Trainer, Amethio nodded.

“If you’re going to keep moving around, then perhaps Ceruledge should too.” Amethio said as he pulled out an object that had Liko pausing her control of the battle. “I will cut my own path forward! Ceruledge!”

Tossing his Tera Orb in the air, light burst out from the object, with crystals rising from the ground and encompassing the Fire Blades Pokemon shortly after. After a moment, the crystals broke apart, revealing a Terastallized Ceruledge, who was adorning a Ghost Tera type on its head. “Ceru!”

“Terastallization…” Liko murmured, the events of her previous battle echoing in her mind. Altaria overpowering Floragato with its boosted Ice Beam. Floragato being briefly frozen before fainting.

Her own shock at the scene before her.

“Use Phantom Force!” Amethio’s words broke her out of her thoughts, allowing Liko to witness Ceruledge disappearing into a portal.

With frantic gazes around the environment, Liko spotted a portal. “Behind you, Floragato!” Unfortunately, Ceruledge was quicker, finally landing its first hit on Floragato right after exiting the portal. The Grass Cat Pokemon collapsed against the force of its blade, struggling to get up briefly.

“Phantom Force again!” The Explorer called, causing Ceruledge to disappear once more. “You can’t keep running forever. Especially against Ceruledge’s Phantom Force. Keep at it, Ceruledge!”

“Ceru!” As determined as its Trainer, Ceruledge continued entering and leaving portals, unleashing an attack each time it exited a portal while Floragato was unable to react in time. Unseen by Liko, who was biting her lip as Ceruledge continued entering portals, Amethio noticed her lack of reaction to counter Ceruledge’s Phantom Forces and frowned deeply. Eventually, Floragato couldn’t get up at all. At Amethio’s order, Ceruledge was ready to deal the final blow to Floragato with Bitter Blade, its own blades glowing with an eerie aura.

If not for an interference.

A black blur rushed in and knocked Ceruledge back, effectively stopping it from using Bitter Blade. “Umbreon?!” With narrowed eyes, Amethio turned to the side and nearly snarled when he saw the coward he was supposed to be chasing until he ran into Liko.

“You’re…” Liko trembled, unable to believe he was here despite Amethio’s earlier warning.

“Just what are you up, Spinel?” Amethio demanded, aiming to stop Mr Awfully Shy from noticing Liko’s brief jolt at the same time.

“I could ask you the same. After all, I haven’t heard anything about a new operation or missions.” Mr Awfully Shy smiled in a way that was definitely not innocent.

“As usual, you’re a terrible liar.” Amethio retorted. “You wanted us to wear each other down by battling to make things easier for you.”

“I have no idea what you mean.” Mr Awfully Shy didn’t lose his smile. Turning to Terapagos, whom was promptly grabbed by Liko when she realized his eyes was on the Tera Pokemon. “Well, perhaps you would like to see what I’ve obtained recently.”

Mr Awfully Shy brought out something cylindrical, with a pink crystal in the middle that captured Liko and Amethio’s attention. Twisting the bottom of the cylinder capsule, some electricity stimulated the pink crystal into releasing some gas that quickly filled the capsule. “Allow me to present the Eternal Blessing.”

With a gentle smile, Mr Awfully Shy opened the capsule, releasing the pink gas onto his Umbreon. To the horror of the spectators, the Moonlight Pokemon began writhing in pain as a result from inhaling the gas. As Mr Awfully Shy beamed at the pain his own partner was suffering from, Liko and Amethio traded their own looks to communicate how they really felt in the moment. Ceruledge and Floragato passed looks of their own as well.

Even if Umbreon was their enemy, it shouldn’t suffer like that.

Finally, the pink gas dissipated, revealing Umbreon snarling in a feral manner towards the audience watching it. Terapagos, as if sensing the situation, escaped Liko’s hold and angrily cried out at the scene before its eyes. With pink mist emanating from Umbreon, Mr Awfully Shy carelessly allowed it go on a rampage. Upon seeing Umbreon’s eyes land on the weakened Floragato, Amethio acted first. “Ceruledge, use Shadow Claw!”

To add on to his horror, Amethio watched as Umbreon got to Ceruledge in the blink of an eye and managed to knock his partner into the snow rather powerfully, enough to undo its Terastallization. “Ceruledge!” He ran over to his injured partner with gritted teeth as Umbreon ran behind him with unnatural speed. “Umbreon just took out my Terastallized Ceruledge like it was nothing! Just what is that thing?!”

“Th-This isn’t normal…” Liko shook with fear as Umbreon continued looking for its next target to attack, like beating Ceruledge down wasn’t enough for it. It wanted more. She was tempted to have Floragato return to her Poke Ball if it meant protecting her.

Mr Awfully Shy chuckled as he held out the pink crystal to Terapagos in a taunting manner. “Now, what will you do?”

“Pago!!!” In response, Terapagos cried out, glowing bright at the same time. The rings on its legs transformed into fur as its shell became enlarged, causing Terapagos’s tail and hind legs to be fully covered by fur. Its enlarged shell became engraved with shapes of the eighteen Pokemon types. On top of the shell was a hexagonal gem that resembled its dormant form.

Liko and Amethio watched the transformation in awe, especially after having seen Terapagos transform against the Black Rayquaza before. As for Mr Awfully Shy, he seemed to be eerily intrigued by the Pokemon in front of him. With a cry, Terapagos used its power, which was clearly affecting Umbreon as it began to writhe in the same way it did earlier when the pink gas was unleashed. The pink crystal, the Eternal Blessing, was also covered in Terapagos’s light and shattered shortly, just as Umbreon stopped acting feral as a result of Terapagos’s power. Unfortunately, that appeared to be its limit as Terapagos returned to its Normal Form after using its power, fainting once it hit the ground. Liko grabbed her unconscious friend before Mr Awfully Shy could act further.

“This was certainly interesting. Good job, Umbreon. Have a good rest now.” Mr Awfully Shy recalled his fainted partner before turning to make his leave. “Thank you for your cooperation, Liko.”

Despite the uncomfortable feeling he left her with when he said her name, Liko didn’t back down in pursuit for answers. “Wait! What was that?!”

“You need to answer that!” Amethio demanded. “What did you just do?!”

However, Mr Awfully Shy didn’t bother answering either of them. Instead, he ran like the coward he was. With gritted teeth, Amethio turned to Ceruledge, who managed to recover some of its strength to join its Trainer. “Are you alright, Ceruledge?”

“Ceru.” It nodded. Amethio nodded appreciatively and began to run, if not for Liko stopping him.

“Let me come too!” Liko demanded, putting the unconscious Terapagos into its bag.

“No!” Amethio argued. “I’m not going to let you get close to him if you’re still terrified of him. Especially if he still has anymore of those crystals! Besides, we’ll both be in danger if we run after him together!”

“Then let me run behind you!” Liko’s fierce eyes met Amethio’s, both sides refusing to back down.

“I don’t have time for this.” Amethio caved. “If you can keep your distance, then we’ll both get our answers. However, if there’s even the slightest sign of danger, you should leave me because there’s no reason for you to help someone who’s been after you from the start.”

“Got it!” Liko agreed readily, determined to seek answers while already disregarding Amethio’s condition. Even if they were enemies, did a reason matter if someone needed help?

Without knowing about Liko’s true thoughts, Amethio nodded and began running fast in an attempt to catch up with his fellow admin, with Liko’s footsteps being heard shortly after. After some running, Amethio spotted Mr Awfully Shy running further in the distance and quickened his pace, making sure to look back and see if he managed to lose Liko.

Amethio didn’t want Liko to be in any close range with the pest if he could do so since it was clear she was still fearful of him, but he also knew of Liko’s strong determination, especially if it concerned their journey. Thus, he wasn’t surprised to see Liko still catching up behind him. The admin returned his focus to the front, spotting Mr Awfully Shy entering a cave. When he entered it, Amethio stopped by the entrance and held up a hand, causing everyone who saw it to stop. As soon as the sound of footsteps vanished, Amethio and Ceruledge continued their pursuit, followed by Liko and Floragato.

“Just where did he go?” Amethio frowned as he looked around. “It’s practically a maze here.”

“Amethio!” Liko called, coming close to him as he turned around. “Is he up ahead?”

“No idea.” He shook his head. “For now, keep your distance.” Liko nodded and the two continued walking around the cave as they searched for the elusive pest. The dim cave they wound up in only had Pokemon living in it but no sign of Mr Awfully Shy anywhere.

“Is that him?” Amethio shouted, spotting a semblance of a shadow running across. The two chasers hastened their pace to catch up to someone who was deliberately withholding answers. Despite the lack of light, the two managed to chase Mr Awfully Shy all the way to a dead end.

Without Mr Awfully Shy in sight.

“He’s not here.” Liko noted as she looked around while catching her breath.

“It can’t be…” Amethio realized too late. “Was this all part of–“

His sentence was cut off by some sounds behind him. When he turned to the source, Amethio and Liko could only stare as their only exit was being blocked off by large rocks that was certainly not present when they entered this part of the cave seconds ago.

“The exit!” Liko exclaimed as Amethio rushed pass her and futilely used his body to break the sturdy rocks blocking their way out. Each sound made by Amethio’s attempts to escape ended up making Liko’s mind give unwarranted thoughts.

‘We’re stuck here with no way out.’

“Mrreow?” Floragato cried out worriedly.

‘Was that Floragato? I’m sorry for failing you again.’

“-ko?”

‘Again I was fooled by that creep. I was so desperate for answers that even Ame is stuck here. I’m so sorry, Ame.’

“-ko?” Too entrapped by her thoughts, Liko didn’t notice someone grabbing hold of her shoulders.

‘I don’t want to die here. I don’t want to die because of him!’

“LIKO!”

“Huh?” Liko’s shaky eyes met Amethio’s piercing purple ones, with Floragato and Ceruledge standing behind him as he held her sitting form. ‘When did I sit down?’

“Tell me five things you can see.” Amethio ordered.

“E-Eh?” Liko blinked as her breaths continued to be ragged. “Y-You… Your jacket… Floragato… C-Ceruledge… This cave w-were t-trapped in.”

Amethio nodded. “Now tell me four things you can touch.”

“The g-ground I’m s-sitting on…” Liko clenched her fists as her breathing started to become steady despite her cloudy mind. Nonetheless, she tried to move her hands such that it wasn’t just the ground she was touching in order to properly answer her friend. “My jacket… T-Terapagos’s bag… Y-You…” Liko finished off as she took hold one of Amethio’s hands that was firmly grabbing her shoulders.

“Alright. You’re doing good.” He encouraged. “Now tell me three things you can hear.”

“You…” Liko’s breath evened out, allowing her to give coherent answers, and her mind began to relax. “My breathing. Floragato crying.”

Amethio briefly glanced behind him to see that Floragato was indeed shedding tears as she watched her Trainer not coping with the situation well. With one hand being held by Liko, Amethio extended his other hand to Floragato, who took it with her paw as she was gently led to the ground close to her Trainer by him. With Floragato taking Liko’s remaining hand into her paws, Amethio continued. “Tell me two things you can smell.”

“Floragato’s sweet scent.” Liko gave a small smile to her partner. “And something like blueberry. Is it you?”

Though she couldn’t see well, Amethio looked away with a flush. “Sometimes I put on this scent to ground me in case I ever end up in trouble. So that I don’t lose control before figuring out what I can do to escape.”

“It smells nice.” Liko beamed tiredly.

“Thank you.” Amethio returned. “Please push through this last question. Will you tell me one thing you can taste? Please don’t say it’s me.”

Liko laughed weakly. “I can taste blood.”

“Blood?” Amethio’s eyes grew wide as he came close to invading her personal space unintentionally. “May I inspect your lip?”

With her permission, Amethio pulled down Liko’s lip to find a small red line. “It’s not a major bleed thankfully. It’ll stop soon. How are you feeling now?”

“I’m…” Liko hesitantly answered. “not feeling good. Sorry for losing my composure.”

“Don’t apologize.” To Liko’s disappointment, Amethio got up and let go of her hand. “It might be awful of me to say this, but you’ll eventually break after bottling up your feelings like that. A panic attack like that was bound to come. I’m relieved you’re not alone when you had it.”

“Thanks, Thio.” Amethio nodded and turned back to the sealed entrance.

“Ceruledge, use a series of Psycho Cuts to break those rocks!” Ceruledge’s blades began to glow pink. Ready to unleash its attack, the Fire Blades Pokemon was again interrupted from attacking.

“Wait!” Liko called as she struggled to stand up.

Amethio didn’t stop her, not desiring to make her think she was weak by asking her to sit back down. Instead, he asked a different question. “What’s wrong?”

“Ceruledge is not at full strength because of our battle and Umbreon earlier, right?” Liko questioned as she dug through her pocket. “Here it is!”

The girl held out a Poke Ball, allowing a Pokemon to exit from it. “Hattrem!”

“Hattrem, use Heal Pulse on Ceruledge!” Liko called out.

“Hat hat hattrem!” With the wave of her arms that glowed green, Ceruledge also shined with the same glow right after that. When it dimmed, Ceruledge raised its blades triumphantly.

“Ledge!” Ceruledge thanked the Serene Pokemon for the heal.

“Thank you, both of you.” Amethio echoed his Pokemon’s sentiments before ordering Ceruledge to use Psycho Cuts as planned. Despite regaining its strength thanks to Hattrem, the blockage proved to be formidable as Ceruledge only managed to chip away bits of it instead of chunks. Subsequently, it ran out of strength to continue trying to help everyone escape.

“Rest now. You did your best.” Amethio allowed its Pokemon to rest as Hattrem came up to it with another Heal Pulse. “Looks like it won’t be easy getting out.”

“What about up?” Liko pointed upwards, at which Amethio shook his head.

“I don’t see any light coming through, meaning it’s likely the way up is as thick as these rocks blocking our way.” Amethio replied. Liko took out her Rotom Phone and began tapping away.

“I’m not getting any reception.” She announced, just as Terapagos poked its head out of the bag with a yawn. “Oh you’re awake!”

“Pago!” Terapagos smiled at Liko in a manner resembling ‘Good morning’.

“Are you alright?” Amethio asked, stepping close to it.

“Pago pago!” It cheered before noticing its surroundings. “Pago?”

“Unfortunately, it seems like we’re trapped here.” Amethio answered the untranslated question as he and Liko looked the large rocks blocking their exit.

Chapter Text

“Unfortunately, it seems like we’re trapped here.” Amethio answered the untranslated question as he and Liko looked the large rocks blocking their exit.

“I’ll try to look for other means of getting out. Do you want to help me?” Amethio asked.

“I think I would like to sit down and calm myself first.” Liko kindly rejected as Amethio nodded, moving to inspect the cave as the girl sat down, Floragato and Hattrem sitting by her sides. Keeping her breathing in check, Liko watched as Amethio left no stone unturned in an attempt to find another exit. He even asked Hattrem if she could use her powers to move the rocks but to no avail, probably due to lacking the power needed. Looking up at the dark ceiling, the girl prayed for her other friends’ safety.

“No good.” Liko faced Amethio as he sighed, resigned. “There’s no way out except for the set of rocks that’s blocking our current exit.”

“I see…” Liko looked down.

“How are you feeling?” Amethio asked as he leaned against the wall of the cave, standing next to Floragato as Ceruledge took Amethio’s other side.

“Better, but still not good.” She confessed. Amethio hummed as the two delved into awkward silence. For once, it was actually just the two of them together. If they weren’t battling, usually Friede or Roy would create topics for everyone to discuss to the point where time passed quicker than anticipated. If they weren’t around, then someone else would usually bring up a topic.

Neither Liko nor Amethio had ever talked face-to-face willingly like this. Sure there was the shrine visit, but they were able to make small talk while waiting for the others they knew would catch up eventually.

At this moment, they weren’t certain if rescue would come for them before they either starve or freeze first.

Liko looked at Amethio behind her, only to see him in deep thought with crossed arms and closed eyes and decided to leave him alone. If she had chosen to stare a little longer, she would’ve met Amethio’s concerned look.

Momentarily pausing his thought process, Amethio glanced at the girl on his left. He wanted to say something, but upon seeing her slouch shoulders and crestfallen look, opted to leave her alone and resumed thinking about what they could do to escape.

Floragato and Ceruledge, who witnessed the missed opportunity for an interaction, gave each other identical unimpressed looks that conveyed the exact same message.

‘They’re idiots.’

Unable to act further, everyone was content with the strange silence to a degree. Except for Terapagos, who had taken to retreating into its bag to not only sleep but also to shy away from the cold. Liko began to rub her hands to keep herself warm while Amethio remained still, not willing to admit he was also cold. As Liko observed the condensation that formed from her breath, she also noticed something else.

“Floragato?” Her panicked voice also caught Amethio’s attention, as he also looked around the cave, only to be taken aback when the Grass Cat Pokemon landed in front of him with stalks of grass in her hands. Amethio vowed to forever deny being startled by a cat if Liko asked but was pleased to see her taking care of her freezing Trainer when she offered the grass to warm herself while grabbing more.

“Ceru.”

“Hmm?” Amethio looked down, surprised to see Ceruledge’s blade in front of him. “Ceruledge?”

Instead of giving a verbal response, Ceruledge simply extended its fiery blade, providing its own way to help warm up its Trainer.

“Thank you, Ceruledge.” Amethio moved to position his hands in front of it but stopped when he had an idea with Ceruledge’s blade. He was about to call Liko, only to meet her eyes that implied she also had an idea of her own. She nodded to Amethio, who nodded back in agreement before turning back. “Wait for Floragato, Ceruledge.”

While confused, Ceruledge lowered its blade and everyone looked up to find Floragato, which was slightly difficult due to the dim lighting the cave provided. Eventually Floragato dropped down with more grass stalks. “Put it down here, Floragato.” Liko requested.

Much like Ceruledge, Floragato obeyed her Trainer’s orders while being bewildered. Amethio turned to Ceruledge while pointing at the grass. “Set it on fire, Ceruledge.”

“Ledge.” The Fire Blades Pokemon approached the grass that was set on the ground as it, and Floragato based on the look it exchanged with her, realized their Trainers’ plan. With a blade touching the grass, it lit up shortly, producing heat which instantly caused the grass to be on fire.

“Thanks, Ceruledge!” Liko beamed as she and her Pokemon adjusted themselves around the newly made fire.

“Thank you, Ceruledge.” Amethio gave a small smile to his Pokemon as he joined Liko by sitting on the ground, opposite from her. With a strong heat source in front of them, everyone began to warm up as the cold no longer bothered them as much as it did earlier. Even Corviknight came out to at least accompany the others who were out of their Poke Balls. However, what truly bothered the Trainers was in fact the silence between them once more.

Liko gave Amethio a few brief glances before looking down again, not sure what to talk about. Perhaps it was fortunate that Amethio made the first move in making small talk. “What was that back there?”

“H-Huh?” She looked up.

“I’m aware I was the one who asked you to battle to deceive Mr Awfully Shy, but I noticed you stopped battling once I Terastallized Ceruledge.” Amethio narrowed his eyes slightly at the depressed girl. “Why?”

On second thought, maybe Liko should’ve talked first.

Remembering the conclusion of her battle against Grusha vividly, Liko looked down once more. “Before I ran into you, I just had my usage test with Grusha. I failed.”

Amethio didn’t react, which Liko reluctantly took as a sign she should continue explaining herself. “Since I failed the test, I’ve failed the course overall. I thought my hard work is paying off. Now that I’ve failed… there’s nothing I can do to help figure out the mystery behind Terapagos or reach Laqua. Not without Terastallization…”

Liko didn’t dare to look at the potential emotions Amethio would have in his eyes, if there were any. In Grusha’s eyes was self-loathing for not producing satisfactory results even if she thought she did. In Roy and Dot’s eyes was pity for being the only one to fail and uncertainty as to how they will continue from here on. In Floragato’s eyes… was despair for not being strong enough to beat Altaria.

“I see… So when will you hand over Terapagos to me and leave the Rising Volt Tacklers?”

“Huh?” Liko whipped her head up, meeting Amethio’s hard eyes which were more undecipherable than usual somehow.

“You’re done, aren’t you?” Amethio waved his hand around, continuing with a steely voice. “There’s nothing else that you can do because of this one failure. You’re done with everything after all the choices you made. You’re essentially giving up. Would you allow me to help you clean after yourself so that you don’t leave anything behind when you irrevocably leave the adventure you embarked with Sprigatito and Terapagos?”

Liko’s words became stuck in her throat as she tried to respond to Amethio, who was patiently waiting for her answer. Floragato hissed at the teen for his words, but he didn’t budge from the empty threat posed by the Grass Cat Pokemon. Liko pet her Pokemon affectionately to quell her fury, with assistance from Hattrem, while trying to untangle the meaning behind Amethio’s words.

‘Why did he think I would leave the Rising Volt Tacklers? It’s true there’s nothing I can do now to help… but is leaving the team really my only option? Is there anything I can do to stay until the end? Maybe prove I’m not giving up now? After all… I haven’t reunited the Six Heroes or seen Laqua…’

“Liko?” Amethio prompted.

“…” He barely heard her whisper, but he wasn’t certain on what she actually said. Not until she repeated herself firmer and louder. “No.”

“What do you mean ‘no’?” The Explorer glared.

“I’m not leaving!” Liko declared with fire burning in her eyes. “I’m not leaving the Rising Volt Tacklers! I’m not leaving this adventure! I’m not leaving because there’s something else I can do, even if it’s just to stay. I’m not giving up until I say so!”

Amethio stared at the girl whose heavy declaration left her breathing heavily as she waited for him to respond this time. Slowly, his lips tugged a little. “I’m glad you can see that without me needing to go on further. Please don’t lose sight of the path you’re walking.”

“Ame… Thank you.” Liko smiled, more like herself than earlier.

“All I did was be needlessly harsh. If you truly desire for me to accept that thanks, then perhaps you should drop that nickname that shouldn’t have persisted until now.” Amethio smirked.

“No way!” Liko stuck her tongue out. “It’s sticking, and Roy and Dot would make sure it stays too!”

At that, both Trainers laughed as the tension that was suffocating them, be it from being trapped in the cave or Amethio’s words to Liko’s depression, was starting to evaporate in the cold cave. When the laughter died down, Liko beamed at Amethio before almost biting her lip where it had bled at first. “I’ve been meaning ask something but didn’t out of respect for you, Amethio.”

“The fact that you’re finally using my name, just for something that sounds serious in the same sentence, is concerning on its own.” Amethio quirked an eyebrow, with his traitor of a partner nodding seriously from the corner of his eye.

“Sorry.” Liko giggled. “Why do you want Terapagos?”

“… I assume you aren’t referring to Christmas where it poked my eyes.” She smiled weakly, making Amethio look at the fire in consideration.

Liko continued, hoping it would get her friend to open up. “The times we spent tells me you’re different from the other Explorers who came after us. You never try to cross a line unless we annoy you. You don’t needlessly create chaos simply because we’re standing in your way. You even saved me when the Black Rayquaza’s Draco Meteor was coming for me! All of you are Explorers, but at the same time, you’re all different from each other in your methods. You’re the most different out of everyone who came after us. Will you please tell me the reason why you want Terapagos?”

Amethio closed his eyes momentarily before opening them. “Because it’s what Master Gibeon wants.”

“Gibeon?” Liko parroted.

“The leader of the Explorers and my grandfather wants to reach Laqua.” Amethio explained. “It’s not just Terapagos I need. I require the Black Rayquaza, too, because there’s something there that he wants to fulfill his dream, and I want to help him even though I don’t know what is it exactly he’s looking for. All he said was it’s to make a brighter future for people and Pokemon, and that’s something I’m willing to help. Not just as his grandson, but someone worthy to inherit the dream that could come true.”

“Your grandfather’s dream…” Liko repeated in awe.

“You’re aware my father is the director of Exceed, correct?” At Liko’s nod, he continued. “My grandfather started that company to improve the lives of people and Pokemon. I want to prove the path I’m walking is not only worthy of the company I could inherit, but also that dream I just mentioned. It feels like a lot is at stake when Mr Awfully Shy is involved, but I’m proud to be part of the Explorers that my grandfather formed.”

“Pago!” Terapagos chirped, startling the two people conversing as it began to approach Amethio tiredly. Liko and Amethio could tell it needed more rest, but the fact that Terapagos was trying to get to the Explorer prompted everyone to watch it move instead of encouraging it to stop. Soon, Terapagos ended up in front of Amethio and for some reason pushed itself off the ground with its forepaws, weakly waving it at the admin.

Luckily, Amethio understood its intention and uneasily held the Tera Pokemon by the sides of the bag it was in, vividly recalling what happened the last time he held the Pokemon. “Pago…” Terapagos reached for Amethio despite the latter’s wariness, persistently stretching out its little arms in hopes of at least brushing Amethio’s skin a little. With a cursory glance to Liko, Amethio cautiously brought Terapagos closer, making the Pokemon happy as the distance between the two of them shortened.

Once the distance was close enough, Terapagos launched itself with whatever strength it had, catching Amethio off-guard when he finally registered what it wanted to do. With its right arm on Amethio’s chest, and left arm and head over his shoulder (or rather the hood), Terapagos was hugging Amethio, who didn’t know how to respond. Part of it perhaps lie with the bag that was covering the Legendary Pokemon as the Explorer was unsure how to return it with it in the way. He did scowl at Ceruledge for the amusement he could see in its eyes at its Trainer’s predicament though.

“How cute!” Liko squealed, taking out her phone despite Amethio’s protests. However, the girl put it away shortly after with a pout, muttering about poor lighting to her friend’s delight. Instead, Liko helped Amethio to adjust Terapagos into a comfortable position for the both of them. Meanwhile, Terapagos bobbed its head across Amethio’s shoulder even with the hood of the winter jacket he was wearing being in the way. However, Amethio was a little bothered by the obstruction that he asked Liko to help put his hood on (since he wasn’t used to holding a Pokemon like that, and therefore didn’t know how to shift around without disturbing Terapagos), which she did so happily, allowing the Tera Pokemon to embrace Amethio without the hood being in the way.

When it was content with the hug, it quietly cried out while facing Amethio. “Pago…”

“Hmm?” Amethio moved the Pokemon from his shoulder to in front of his face – and that was his fatal mistake.

“Pago!” With a sharp cry, the Tera Pokemon projected its arms right into the Explorer’s eyes once more, leading to the young man recoiling in shock before getting up furiously.

“What is it, you little menace?!” Amethio snarled as his left hand rubbed his eyes to ease the pain while his right one was busy holding the bag that held his on-and-off target. “Do you like me? Do you hate me? Make up your mind!” Shifting his right foot back, Amethio got into a position to throw the Pokemon with the hope that it would break the thick ceiling above them and probably end the Pokemon at the same time, if not for Liko hurrying up to him and trying to placate him into giving Terapagos back to her. He glowered at the girl before tossing Terapagos at her with a huff.

“With how different we are even though we share the same goals, I guess there’s no way our groups can work together.” Liko mused as she pet the evidently smug menace while sitting back down, resuming the talk that was interrupted by Terapagos’s display.

“I’m sorry.” He confirmed stiffly, still furious and confused with Terapagos’s actions just a moment ago while lowering the hood of his winter jacket. “After hearing all that, you still wish to help the Explorers?”

“I wish to help you.” The girl corrected. “After what Mr Awfully Shy did, I don’t think I can handle being in close vicinity to him. I chose to be on this adventure because it originally started as a pendant my grandmother gave me. When it became Terapagos, I realized after some time it wanted to go to Laqua, so I decided I would help to take it there.”

“Terapagos itself wants to go to Laqua?” It was Amethio’s turn to repeat some words like a Squawkabilly, losing some of the steam he held.

“I’m willing to help you because I want to see the future your grandfather wants to achieve, but I’m also willing to respect the part where we can’t do so now because of our respective clashes.” Liko admitted softly. “Though I can’t see how trapping you in a cave would earn Mr Awfully Shy any favors.”

“He won’t get caught.” Amethio dismissed the issue. “He’s too slippery to get caught, annoyingly.”

Liko gave a weak chuckle. “I told my mother this after we returned from being toddlers. Since you two are part of the same group, I’ve been worried for you. Worried how you could end up like me, or even worse. I guess being stuck here with you makes me worried for you less, even though I don’t like how he really made a plan against you.”

“Can I ask about the meaning of your words?” Amethio requested kindly, any previous anger replaced by hidden concern. “What do you mean ‘end up like you’?”

“Ame… Have you ever lost your memories because of Beheeyem?” Amethio gaped at the girl, whose stare was leaving him unnerved for once. Perhaps more than when Mr Awfully Shy enacted plenty of plans that involved innocent people.

“You did?” He whispered, completely pale.

“I did.” Liko nodded. “Back then, we were in Paldea because my mother hired Friede to get me home safely without you interfering. When I got permission to stay with the Rising Volt Tacklers, we also decided to visit my grandmother in Galar. However, the ship needed to undergo system maintenance, which Mr Awfully Shy took advantage of somehow. While Dot and the others were figuring out what was wrong with the ship, Murdock and I went shopping, where we came back with one ingredient short.”

“If he had been spying on you that whole time, he had an idea involving that missing ingredient.” Amethio realized with slightly wide eyes.

“He made a fake advertisement that lured me to an alley where I lost my memories and my pendant. When I became conscious of my surroundings, I was scared. The last thing I remembered was being at Indigo Academy, but that’s it. I didn’t remember why I was in Levincia. I didn’t remember what I was supposed to be doing. I didn’t even remember if Sprigatito is supposed to be my partner.” Liko cried at the end as she recounted her experience, causing Floragato and Hattrem to hug her. Amethio himself got up but sat back down when he saw Liko’s partners handling the situation.

“Since you’re here, you got your memories back.” He knew she did, but wanted to confirm it straight from her anyway.

“I got my memories back, with Roy and Dot’s help. Even though it was a pain for her to leave, she made the effort because I was in danger. Because of that, I got to see Dot’s face for the first time. It didn’t change how scared I was to be wandering around Levincia with a Pokemon that I don’t remember being my partner and a glitching Rotom Phone which couldn’t provide me answers.”

“Magneton…” Amethio growled.

“This incident has left me scared of how much the Explorers are willing to do just to get my pendant and eventually Terapagos, until that Christmas with you, and the times after. I never realized it until the talk with my parents, but I’m worried for the three of you when it comes to Mr Awfully Shy. What if I wasn’t here? How would you have gotten out if he had planned on trapping you here from the start? I trust you to handle yourself against him since you’re in the same group, but the fear and worry I have for the three of you won’t go away.”

“Thank you for your concern.” Amethio settled on his next words. “As much as I refuse to add on to your concerns, I feel like I should return your honesty with one of my own. Mr Awfully Shy has removed my memories before.”

“R-Really?” Liko gasped.

“Mrreow?!”

“Hat?!”

“Pago?!”

“Cor?!”

“Ceru?!”

“Wait, why is Ceruledge surprised?” Liko questioned. “I can understand Corviknight but…”

“This was before he joined the Explorers.” Amethio revealed. “I was visiting my father’s company to ask some researchers some questions about their research so that I could understand the lengths of how much my grandfather wanted to make his dream come true. Ceruledge was occupied by my useless father’s Cinccino, who was disturbed by its dirty armor then, so I went around alone. One of the researchers I managed to interview was Mr Awfully Shy, and much like anyone else who didn’t know his true nature, I was interested in what he had researched. Until I saw some forbidden research on his computer. Because of that, I was made to forget what I saw until he joined the Explorers, where seeing his face made me remember what he had researched. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do anything but pretend it was our first meeting when I met him again. Not even Ceruledge knew about this, which is why it is also surprised.”

“Another reason why we’re possibly alike?” Liko joked in hopes of lifting the mood, which worked when the admin choked out a laugh at the dark event they both experienced.

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“Ah-choo! Ah-choo! Ah-choo!” Spinel sniffled as his Beheeyem floated beside him.

“Looks like the common cold from the environment is stopping you from having a complete victory.” Agate remarked, stepping away from her colleague in order to not catch his cold, followed by her Medicham who was doing yoga as they walked.

“It’s simply a – ah-choo – a minor inconvenience…” He replied unconvincingly, not helped with his sniffling.

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“Hey, Thio? Since we’re explaining ourselves with various topics, do you mind explaining something to me? Even though I accepted it back then, your words keep springing itself at the back of my mind sometimes.”

“What would that be?” Amethio found himself intrigued.

“White Day… You didn’t want to hurt me unintentionally if you had let me finish those words. Now that we’ve spent more time together, I’m wondering if the option that you left open can be answered now.” Liko flushed, with Amethio not faring any better.

“Are we really doing this in a freezing cold cave where we’re waiting for potential rescue to barge in and perhaps gain material to tease about?” He questioned incredulously. “I figured you’d prefer the setting to fit the situation better if it is what you suspect.”

“I prefer what someone says from their heart above everything.” She timidly confessed. “Words and actions can seem empty if they don’t come from the heart. The setting doesn’t matter as long as your words or actions reflect how you truly feel.”

“Liko…” Amethio started after a brief pause, but stopped as he scratched his head while being unsure how to continue. “I’ve never received affection ever since my mother passed and I don’t remember any affection before the accident. As a result, I’m not familiar with affection at all. I can admit to be proud of having someone raise me, but I can never say those words that people say to each other. I’m worried you might think I don’t care for you as someone should if they’re in a relationship. Not only that, but given how I was harsh to you just to ensure you don’t give up on what you’ve worked for so far, I’m now concerned you might misinterpret my words despite my well-meaning intentions, especially since we’re on opposite sides, after everything we’ve been through.”

“I figured that could be the case.” Liko got up and walked over to Amethio, taking a seat next to him as Ceruledge opted to join the other Pokemon by taking Liko’s vacated space. When she sat down, she placed her gloved hand over Amethio’s, earning surprise and curiosity. “You may not have the words, but your actions speak more than you realize. You may have started by thinking we are nuisances in the way of your goals and grandfather’s dream, but I believe somewhere along the way, you began to care about us.”

Amethio drew his lips into a line, unable to refute her point, allowing Liko to carry on. “Your actions when we’re not fighting drew me to you. You’re kind with us despite the sarcasm you give. You’re gentle despite your harsh words. Least of all, you return the care we give to you despite any show of reluctance. I may have thought of you an enemy who was after Terapagos, but that’s not true ever since we spent Christmas as a group. Ame, white gardenias also mean secret love. If you knew that and still gave me those cookies, then will you please tell me how you feel in your own words? I don’t think I’ll be offended now that I know you better.”

One encouraging look was enough for Amethio to cave (pun not intended). He did not fall for coy looks easily, and yet with Liko, he did. There was something different about the way she looked at him, and thus Amethio decided to just go for it by shifting slightly closer to Liko while maintaining the hand that was above his own. “I did know about white gardenias having secret love as a meaning. I did take floral arrangement classes after all. However, I didn’t anticipate it to be your favourite flower, and perhaps you knowing the meaning of it. All this time, before that Christmas, I’ve always thought of you as the girl with the pendant that subsequently became Terapagos. I never considered your own goals. However, when you allowed me to stay with the Rising Volt Tacklers despite it stemming from Friede’s stupidity, I started to reconsider my thoughts of you.”

While not looking directly at her, Amethio took hold of Liko’s hand while pointedly ignoring the invested Pokemon watching their conversation. “From a sweet girl like you, I don’t deserve the love you’re giving me after everything I did. I may have done it to help my grandfather, but I also don’t deny I could have done things differently. Despite you giving up from that one failure briefly, I find myself relieved to see you back on your feet. Despite your fears of Mr Awfully Shy, you’re still choosing to go on an adventure in face of the risks of facing that pest again.” Finally looking into her eyes, Amethio spoke earnestly. “You’re a truly remarkable girl, Liko. If you can accept the me who is unable to say those words of affection and probably cause misunderstandings with my words in the future, will you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?”

“Only if you can accept the me who gave up for that brief moment earlier.” Liko smiled as she closed the gap between them by pulling Amethio’s hand so that she could give him a hug. “I am weak, but I’m slowly getting stronger. I can’t do this alone. I have my Pokemon by my side. I have the Rising Volt Tacklers by my side. Now, I have you too.”

Stunned by the hug, Amethio gave a smile unseen to his new girlfriend as he returned the gesture. Neither of them expected this future for them when Amethio infiltrated Indigo Academy to retrieve Liko’s pendant, even with the meeting they had during that Christmas years ago. Even so, that hug felt like it was enough to convey how they felt in that moment.

It was just them now.

No one else could interfere in the moment they found themselves in.

Mostly.

“Mrreow…” Floragato growled, slowly getting up to separate the teen from her Trainer, not eager at the thought of sharing her.

“Ceruledge!” The Fire Blades Pokemon raised a blade in front of her, feeling that it’s about time someone showed some actual love to its Trainer that wasn’t bound by the rules of the Explorers.

“Mrreow…” She whined, pointing to the new couple who definitely did not notice this peculiar conversation.

“Ledge!” It shook its head vehemently, extending its blade to stop the Grass Cat Pokemon from advancing any further.

“Mrreow…” Floragato pouted but sat back down, watching Liko and Amethio being stuck in their own world unhappily.

“Hat hattrem!” Hattrem cooed on top of Corviknight.

“Cor cor!” It nodded in agreement, both Pokemon happy to see their Trainers being together now.

“Pago…” Terapagos, who didn’t understand what was going on, went back to sleep.

After what felt like an eternity, the two Trainers finally separated, with Liko beaming at Amethio, whose small smile was seen this time. “Liko, may I ask for a favor?”

“What is it, Thio?”

“Can we not tell the others about this new development?” The admin quickly clarified further despite knowing Liko wouldn’t be offended by his words now that they understood each other better. “Friede being annoying about it if he finds out is one thing, but the other thing is I truly value my life. While I don’t see us breaking up now, I fear if we do break up in the future, your little merry band of adventurers might have the resolve to kill me for breaking your heart.”

Liko laughed heartily, which made her new boyfriend feel warm. “I don’t mind at all. I remember Friede asking about colors for the wedding, and I’m not ready to go through that again if Friede brings it up again.”

“Thank you.”

“No, thank you!” Liko looked into Amethio’s eyes. “Thank you for letting us have this talk. You could’ve just stopped the conversation, but you didn’t. There are things we wouldn’t have known if we didn’t hear each other out, don’t you think?”

“I suppose you’re right.” Amethio, after blinking a few times, frowned before looking around.

“What’s wrong?” Liko asked anxiously.

When Amethio narrowed his eyes towards the ceiling of the cave, he groaned. “Oh for the love of… You’ve got to be joking.”

“Ame?”

Amethio stood up and looked down to Liko. “Shall we get out of here?”

“How?” Liko stood up as the Pokemon put out the fire when they heard what Amethio said.

“Look up.” She did so and squinted. It took her a while to see what Amethio found, but when she did, she gasped.

“Is that…?”

“I felt a breeze just now and found that opening. Because of the lighting of the cave, I couldn’t see it clearly at first.” Amethio explained, thoroughly unimpressed at the thought of how they would’ve been able to escape earlier, though he was also grateful they hadn’t since they wouldn’t have had their talk if they escaped earlier. “Corviknight can take us up there, but based on the size, I doubt it’d be easy for us to squeeze through. We’ll need to make it bigger.”

“Floragato, will you help us out?” Floragato agreed resolutely to Liko’s request as Ceruledge and Corviknight did the same with Amethio.

Floragato and Ceruledge got on to the Raven Pokemon, who was waiting for further orders. Hattrem remained on the ground, standing next to the sleeping Terapagos, as Liko and Amethio nodded to each other, signaling the start of a new mission.

Mission: Escape the cave!

START!

“Fly, Corviknight!” Amethio commanded. With its wings spread, Corviknight took off for the top of the cave with its two passengers, sparing enough room for them to unleash any attacks. “Use Psycho Cut, Ceruledge!”

“Attack with Magical Leaf!” Liko ordered. By the order of the new couple, both Pokemon attacked the ceiling, but it barely made a dent just like with the rocks blocking the formerly only exit. “Use a lot of Magical Leaves!”

“Put in all your strength into this next attack! Use Psycho Cut!” Amethio called out forcefully. With a grunt, the Fire Blades Pokemon gathered as much as it could before unleashing it onto the crack in the ceiling. Floragato followed suit, with a jump in the air, she yelled as a flurry of leaves burst from the bud towards the area that Ceruledge had also aimed for.

When the attacks collided with the ceiling, it produced an explosion that sent Corviknight flying a small distance before it rushed to save Floragato from falling. This attempt definitely worked as a huge chunk of the ceiling broke off during the explosion, falling right towards Liko. Without thinking, Amethio grabbed Liko’s hand and pulled her towards him just as Hattrem used Confusion to stop the chunk from hitting Liko if he hadn’t pulled her.

“Use Brutal Swing!” Liko called, not looking at Amethio with the flush that crept up her cheeks, unaware Amethio was exhibiting the same reaction at their close proximity. Hattrem, while smiling at the couple looking away from each other, followed her Trainer’s orders and managed to destroy the huge rock that almost hit Liko.

“Hattrem!” She chirped.

“Thanks, Hattrem!” Liko shyly stepped away from Amethio before stuttering her next words. “T-Thanks for pulling me to safety, Thio.”

“You’re welcome.” He shook his head, looking up. “I should’ve trusted you had this in hand instead of acting first though.” Seeing the result of the combined attacks, Amethio pointed towards the ceiling. “Look up!”

Liko followed where Amethio was pointing and beamed. “The hole in the ceiling is bigger now! We can escape now!”

“Indeed.” Amethio nodded. “However, I’m not convinced it’s over. He should’ve expected us to escape.”

“You mean him?”

“Do you know any other selfish, annoying, megalomaniac cowards who would trap others for their own amusement even if it meant death for the victims?” He retorted, only to be surprised by Liko’s giggle. Leaving the girl to her own devices, Amethio approached the Pokemon on Corviknight, who landed after Hattrem broke the rock. “Could you two ensure Mr Awfully Shy is not lingering around? If you see traces of him, use Psycho Cut down the hole, Ceruledge. If it’s safe, can you use Magical Leaf, Floragato?”

“Ledge!”

“Mrreow!” The two Pokemon agreed, allowing Corviknight to fly them up first as Liko, who was carrying Terapagos’s bag, and Hattrem came up to Amethio. While he could see Ceruledge and Floragato jumping to the surface above once Corviknight flew high enough, Amethio briefly explained what he asked of the Pokemon to his girlfriend, at which she hummed while they waited for the signal from one of the Pokemon. Corviknight flew down in the meantime, conversing with Hattrem as the two Trainers looked at the hole for a good sign.

Finally it came.

A whole pillar of green leaves hitting the ground gently, yet fiercely, from the hole in the ceiling.

“It’s Magical Leaf! That means it’s safe, right?” Liko clarified excitedly.

“Indeed. Corviknight!” Corviknight got down while Amethio held out his hand to Liko, who recalled Hattrem to make things easy for the Raven Pokemon. “Shall we?”

She took his hand with a soft smile, and with his assistance, climbed onto Corviknight, with Amethio following behind once he determined Liko was secure. Liko held onto Terapagos’s bag firmly as Amethio gave the go ahead for Corviknight to ascend to their exit route. While the journey itself wasn’t long, Amethio couldn’t help but spare at glance at Liko, who was ensuring Terapagos doesn’t fall off somehow despite Corviknight’s capable flying skills. Given how much trouble the Tera Pokemon caused in the past, Amethio mused it wasn’t far-fetched to assume it would do something in its sleep.

Once it got to the top, Amethio stopped Liko from climbing out first. “They might’ve said it’s safe, but I would like to make sure of it myself.” With a nod of agreement from Liko, Amethio climbed to meet the waiting Pokemon, wincing a little at the cold breeze that hit his face. He glanced around, finding nothing out of the ordinary to his relief. Turning around, he called out to Liko by saying it was safe, making the girl pop her head through the hole a second later. She placed Terapagos’s bag on the ground and turned to see Amethio offering his hand once more to help her up through the hole.

With a smile, Liko passed the bag to Floragato as she accepted Amethio’s hand, allowing herself to finally escape the cave fully. Amethio returned to the hole to call back Corviknight, who unfortunately couldn’t fit through the hole, as Liko took in the cold air. “It feels great to be out of there!”

“I wasn’t aware you despised my company that much.” Amethio replied with a wry smile as he returned to Ceruledge’s side.

“We both know that’s not what I meant.” Liko stuck her tongue out at Amethio’s fond shake of his head. “This might seem sudden, but do you want to follow me back to make sure I reunite with Roy and Dot?”

“As much as I want to, I can’t.” Amethio refused. “Mr Awfully Shy might not be in this area, but I won’t let my guard down. If you would like a compromise, I can come by the aforementioned cabin once I ensure Mr Awfully Shy is truly not on this mountain, even if it’s annoying to have that detail confirmed.”

“I would like that.” The girl smiled softly. “I’ll take off first.”

“Take care, Liko.” Amethio nodded as he turned around, ready to walk the opposite path from Liko.

“You too!” At that, the couple and their Pokemon went their temporary separate ways, with Amethio ensuring he managed to travel a safe distance before calling out Corviknight in exchange for Ceruledge, opting to take to the skies to search for Mr Awfully Shy. As for Liko, she traced back her steps with a smile, no longer depressed about failing her usage test. Walking alongside Floragato and picking up the backpack she left behind, Liko smiled shyly at the new development between her and Amethio while also hoping to keep this a secret as promised. However, figuring she managed to keep Nidothing a secret for this long, Liko realized it probably won’t be that hard in the end. What she really wanted to focus on was helping Terapagos somehow without Terastallization, and she would figure it out with everyone who could offer help. With a skip in her steps, Liko came face to face with another huge boulder that broke apart on its own, startling her and Floragato.

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Meanwhile…

Arriving at the cabin for their break, Roy and Dot glanced at each other warily when they noticed Liko didn’t follow behind them like they thought. In fact, she was nowhere close to them no matter how long they waited for her to appear. Despite her own exhaustion, Dot suggested they go back down a short distance to see if Liko was resting somewhere along the way. Roy, while finding the thought a little strange for Liko, who would’ve called out to them even it’s just to inform them about a break, agreed and everyone went down the mountain, finding nothing but snow along the way. Not even a phone call would go through when Dot tried calling Liko during the trek. With concerning frowns, Roy and Dot returned to the cabin once more where they called for backup in the form of their sometimes reliable professor. As soon as Friede agreed to come over to Glaseado Mountain to assist with their search, Roy and Dot agreed to search the mountain again, with Roy flying on Kilowattrel.

If not for an unexpected encounter with the Explorers.

“San…dwich…” Roy in shock. “And Ony...giri…” He bit his lip, barely remembering how they shouldn’t know Onigiri’s real name if not for Amethio. From there, somehow the encounter escalated into a battle that prevented the two worried friends from making the effort to look for Liko.

Their attempt to run away was immediately blocked by a Stone Edge from Garganacl. Focusing on the weaknesses of the Rock Salt Pokemon was useless thanks to the Recover move. To add on to their troubles, Roy and Dot were disturbed to discover the battle was meant to stall them from finding Liko, which meant the other Explorers were likely to be involved.

Question was… was Mr Awfully Shy involved if these two Explorers are here? If it were Amethio, he’d have Zirc and Onia to distract them because they knew he never trusted the other admins like he did with his subordinates no matter how much he would deny it.

Unfortunately, they would never get the answer to that now as Quaxwell and Fuecoco were tossed back by Glalie and Garganacl, unable to get up. Roy and Dot could barely hear Mr Salty Oni reminding Miss Destructive Temper, who didn’t care and simply wanted to finish them off. With Self-Destruct on her lips, Roy and Dot were prepared to see their Pokemon be defeated by the Explorers.

Until something sent the Face Pokemon into the snow. All heads turned to see none other than Grusha, who slid down the hill on his snowboard as his Altaria flew down beside him. Coming to a stop in front of the two Rising Volt Tacklers, Grusha appeared ready to battle against the two admins, with Miss Destructive Temper eager to take on the stronger opponent if not for a phone call that made them retreat.

Afterwards, the two thanked the Gym Leader for the help as he revealed Friede called the Gym for help, surprising them before they set off to look for the missing girl. As they trailed behind Grusha, they knew they should keep their dislike for him in check because right now, their Pokemon were still weak from the battle. If any wild Pokemon came after them, they wouldn’t stand a chance. Also, Grusha still chose to help them even if it was an obligatory thing, so to chase him away would not be a good idea.

Unaware of the two wary glances behind him, Grusha kept his eyes on the ground as they trekked down the mountain from the cabin. Suddenly, he stopped and got down. “Look.” Roy and Dot peered over and were stunned to see marks in the snow, leading to the boulder on their right.

“Was this rock moved?” Dot wondered. “Did Liko go behind here?”

“Why didn’t we look closer?” Roy gritted his teeth. “We could’ve seen it earlier.”

“If it were in front of you, perhaps.” Grusha got up as he turned to the boulder. “However, sometimes what’s below your feet is more important. Break that huge boulder, Altaria!”

“Al!” At its Trainer’s order, Altaria ran up to the rock and began pecking at it with frightening strength and speed. Within moments, the once formidable rock crumbled under the power of Altaria’s beak, creating a smokescreen when it fell to the ground.

When the smoke began to clear, a voice spoke from behind. “I didn’t expect this boulder to crumble when I arrived. Oh!” When Roy and Dot laid their eyes on their missing friend, they quickly ran past Grusha to take her into a hug.

“Liko!”

“Are you okay?”

“Roy! Dot!” She beamed as her friends took her into their arms while Floragato coolly greeted Fuecoco and Quaxwell. “I’m alright. Thanks for worrying.”

“Looks like you’re fine.” Grusha spoke up, approaching the trio.

“Grusha…” Liko widened her eyes before nodding at his words. “I’m fine now. Did you come to help Roy and Dot?”

“Yeah. Friede called the Gym for assistance, so I’m here.”

As if the mere mention of his name was enough to summon him, he appeared with a cool gust of air blown in the group’s direction as a result of Charizard landing. “Glad to see everyone’s alright.”

“Pikachu!” Cap agreed.

“Friede! Cap!” The kids chorused happily.

“Now, we could stand around here to talk.” Friede began as he dismounted and recalled Charizard. “But I think it’d be better if we went to the mountain cabin where it’s warm.” With no arguments, the kids took the lead as Friede and Grusha lingered behind, with the Pokemon in between them. To Roy and Dot’s confusion, Liko was being cagey about what happened to her. They immediately assumed it was because Grusha was around, but she denied it with a smile they had wanted her to have when they climbed to Paldea’s Highest Peak. Instead, she simply asked to wait for a while.

Eventually they arrived at the cabin, where Friede ushered everyone inside and Grusha lit up a fire for the group to warm up. “Use this to warm yourselves up.”

“Thank you so much for everything.” Friede bowed in gratitude, with the kids joining in.

The Gym Leader turned to leave at that but was stopped by the student he just tested. “Grusha! I’m terribly sorry for making you worry.”

“As long as it worked out in the end, it’s fine.” Grusha nodded and finally left, allowing the girl’s friends to pester her for the details as Terapagos silently came out of the bag to lie down in front of the heat source.

“C’mon, Liko!” Roy pleaded.

“Grusha’s gone now! What happened?” Dot joined in, both kids coming up to Liko, who held her hands up in a placating manner.

“Can we wait fifteen minutes?” Liko requested. “If nothing happens in fifteen minutes, then I’ll tell you. Save your side of the story until then too.”

The three Trainers looked at each other in confusion at Liko’s strange favor but agreed to it nonetheless. While waiting for the time to pass, the kids decide to interrogate Friede on the wedding planning, which he admitted hadn’t begun since Orla’s focusing on getting the airship repaired in time for takeoff, leaving the kids disappointed with the lack of details. Though, given how she put it off for a week because of the toddler incident, the kids ended up feeling a little guilty at how much pressure Orla probably had on her to finish repairs before their graduation, which wasn’t too far off.

This time, Friede grinned at the evolved Quaxwell, who posed for the Pokemon Professor, making him give the seal of approval. Liko and Roy turned to Dot with an inquisitive stare that left her unsettled. “I didn’t tell anyone about Quaxly evolving into Quaxwell because of Murdock’s reaction. It’s already embarrassing enough with the banner he made and the tears he shed when I passed my basic aptitude test. I can imagine him climbing this mountain with a plate full of sweets just to congratulate me on having an evolved partner.”

Liko and Roy chuckled softly while Friede outright laughed as no one could deny the possibility of Murdock doing just that.

At that moment, the door opened as someone said something, making one person elated and the rest gobsmacked. “Given that Friede himself is laughing, I suppose you weren’t mocking him before I came. How disappointing.”

“Amethio!” Liko cheerfully greeted.

“Amethio?!” Roy, Dot, and Friede yelled in shock, not having anticipated Amethio himself to show up when the Explorers supposedly retreated before Friede’s arrival.

“What were you laughing about?” Amethio asked, pointedly ignoring the offending yells at his appearance as Ceruledge joined Floragato while Fuecoco, Quaxwell, and Cap sported identical looks of shock as their Trainers.

“Dot not telling anyone about Quaxwell.” Liko answered while pointing to the Pokemon who was dancing in the corner until the Explorer appeared.

Amethio turned to the corner in surprise. “I can understand not telling me because I’m an Explorer. These surprises are best left for battles, but why not tell the other Rising Volt Tacklers?”

“Murdock.”

“I see…” Amethio nodded as if he understood what Liko meant, and no one could tell if he truly did. Instead, he came close to the heat source. “He’s definitely gone. Even his van has disappeared. I’ve circled around this area about three times before coming here. That didn’t change how apprehensive I felt about coming here. I suppose the need for fire to warm myself won over the apprehensive feeling I had though, given how much of the cold breeze had hit me during my surveillance.”

“Sorry.” Liko sheepishly giggled.

“What’s going on?!” Roy burst, unable to comprehend the situation before him or anyone else.

“You didn’t tell them?” Amethio looked at Liko with a raised eyebrow.

“I thought we could explain together while we find out what happened on their side.”

“I won’t deny I’m curious to know what happened after Liko separated from you two.” He agreed as he looked to Roy and Dot. “Liko and I had something dire happen on our end. If this useless professor knows anything somehow, it might derail us from your explanation, so why don’t you go first?”

“Okay.” Roy concurred with Amethio’s thought without hesitation, eager to get his part done just so they could get a summary of what happened with his friends. “When we realized Liko didn’t follow behind us, Dot and I climbed a short distance down this mountain before we came back here to call Friede for help. Dot also tried to call your phone, Liko, but it didn’t connect.”

“When Roy and I decided to split up while waiting for Friede, Miss Destructive Temper and Mr Salty Oni stopped us.” Dot revealed, making Liko and Amethio glance at each other. “Those two admins forced us to a battle, stopping us from searching for you, Liko. Sorry we couldn’t get away from them to find you.”

“It’s okay.” Liko grabbed Roy and Dot’s hands in a comforting gesture. “Thanks for trying.”

“The scary part was this.” Roy continued with a nod from Dot. “They didn’t battle us just to defeat us or get information. They battled us to delay our search attempt for Liko specifically.”

“What?” Amethio hissed.

“Miss Destructive Temper blurted it out.” Dot confirmed, making the Explorer roll his eyes as he muttered something unintelligible under his breath. “Mr Salty Oni tried to rein her in, but she was more focused on defeating us, which would’ve been the better outcome for us.”

“That lines up with their comedy act.” Amethio nodded, making Friede snort, making the former raise an eyebrow. “What? It’s true. One lashes out and the other reins them in. It’s the same routine for most part. There are times when Mr Salty Oni would join in causing needless chaos.”

“Then are we also a comedy act?” Friede grinned, making Amethio narrow his eyes. “I rile you up, you get angry, the battle gets interrupted before a winner could be determined. It’s the same routine for most part. I did defeat you at Diana’s castle that one time.”

Liko, Roy, and Dot burst out laughing at the fact Friede spewed even as Amethio made his way to strangle the professor personally. Zirc and Murdock weren’t here and the kids are incapacitated by laughter. There was no one stopping him now. “Why you–!”

Amethio managed get close before a hand on his face stopped him from advancing. The admin waved his arms around, trying to grab Friede, but the latter’s smile broadened as his build allowed him to witness the former’s pathetic attempts to kill him. Physically, Friede was stronger than Amethio, and therefore, it was no surprise he didn’t budge against Amethio’s attempts to even lower his arm. “Having trouble?”

The Explorer growled, stopping his movements while the kids continued laughing. Friede figured he won the physical battle until he felt his feet shift from the ground to the air, with his head meeting the ground in place of his feet. “Ouch! What just happened?”

“You slipped.” Amethio looked at the fallen professor wryly before turning to Liko, Roy, and Dot. “Don’t do this to anyone unless it’s Mr Awfully Shy.”

“G-Got it!” Roy gasped for air, with the two girls not faring any better.

“Did you sweep my feet off the ground?” Friede questioned with shock laced in it while getting up.

“You slipped.” With his back turned to the gaping professor, Amethio returned to the laughing trio. “I believe Orla has been influencing you three on how to die from laughter.”

“I think so too.” Dot said as she caught her breath. “We should get you in on it.”

“I doubt you’d ever see me laugh that much.” Amethio replied wryly.

Once she calmed down, Dot continued. “We almost lost if not for Grusha appearing and an apparent phone call that forced those two to retreat. After that, we traced back our steps until Grusha found marks in the snow that showed the boulder had been moved. He had his Altaria break the boulder, which was when we found you, Liko.”

“If you’re wondering where’s Grusha, he left before you came in, Amethio.” Liko spoke up. “Since Roy and Dot are done, can I go next? I think whatever happened on your side would take longer to explain.”

“By all means.” He stepped back, allowing Liko to briefly explain what happened on her end.

“Friede…” Liko turned to the waiting professor, who nearly fell over at her next words. “I failed my usage test.”

“Huh?!”

“Pika?!” Cap nearly fell off Friede’s shoulder when his Trainer reacted from the unexpected news.

Friede took a step closer as he frowned, scanning Liko’s face for something she couldn’t decipher. “How are you feeling now?”

“Better than I was earlier.” She smiled, and he believed it.

“Please continue.” Liko nodded determinedly.

“I was really depressed about failing the course. Roy and Dot wanted to bring me to Paldea’s Highest Peak to cheer me up, but on our way there, I was too wrapped up in my depression I didn’t notice I was going the wrong way until I ran into Amethio.”

All heads turned to Amethio, who adjusted his posture such that it seemed like he was giving a report to Gibeon like usual. “This part may appear irrelevant, but I assure you there is relevance to what happened earlier.” With acknowledgment from the rest, Amethio continued. “As you may know, I sent Zirc and Onia to investigate Mr Awfully Shy. Their latest update involved the pest framing a former employee at the company where my useless father is the director for something he did while they were visiting.”

“It was him?!” Friede gawked.

“What do you mean, Friede?” Roy inquired.

“I actually visited Exceed a while ago to talk with Director Cervantis about something. I’ll talk more about it later since it seems like it’s all related at first glance.” Friede promised, allowing Amethio to resume his recount.

“I took over the investigation from there, and I trailed him all the way to this mountain on Corviknight. From above, I spotted him exiting his van and decided to trail him by foot. Unfortunately, I lost him as Corviknight was landing. While I did know which direction he was heading, I didn’t have much luck encountering him. I called Liko to warn her about Mr Awfully Shy, only to be surprised by her appearing from the corner ahead of me.”

“Given how the rock was probably moved to separate Liko, it seems like her encountering Amethio was intentional.” Friede concluded.

“I concur. If that was Mr Awfully Shy’s intention, then it went as planned. I asked Liko for a battle in order to convince Mr Awfully Shy we’re still hostile to each other if he was watching somewhere.”

“Then… he actually appeared.” Liko looked away as she took over the conversation. “When Amethio was going to win, Umbreon appeared and knocked Ceruledge away. After that, Mr Awfully Shy brought out a pink crystal that did something to Umbreon. We may be enemies, but I felt bad for Umbreon. The pain it appeared to be in because of that pink crystal… It was horrible. What did he call that crystal?”

“The Eternal Blessing.” Amethio answered, making Friede narrow his eyes.

“There’s relevance with what happened to me alright. We’ll come back to this later.” Friede announced in a low voice, which Liko reluctantly took it as a sign to continue.

“Terapagos came out of the bag, completely upset with the crystal.” The girl glanced at her sleeping friend. “It transformed into that form when it battled the Black Rayquaza back then and used its powers to free Umbreon of the pain it was suffering from and destroy the Eternal Blessing.”

“So it’s gone now?” Dot asked, and Liko nodded.

“After seeing all that, Liko and I demanded answers. It wasn’t surprising to see him run away once he’s satisfied with the ‘experiment’.” Amethio admitted. “We chased him even though we probably shouldn’t have. He led us into this cave and blocked the only exit out.”

“That’s why we couldn’t contact you!” Roy exclaimed.

“We tried everything we could to get out, which took some time.” Liko revealed, purposely omitting the discussion she had with Amethio. “Finally we found a way out and went our separate ways. I met up with you guys as you know by now. I invited Amethio to join us so that he could get the whole picture of what happened, but he wanted to search the area for Mr Awfully Shy first before coming here, just in case he was still lurking.”

“Thus, here we are.” Amethio concluded their side before glaring at Friede. “Now what’s going on with you?”

When Friede turned serious, it took Amethio aback internally, not having seen that look since they battled in Galar. “I used to work at Exceed as a researcher before I left for reasons. The Rising Volt Tacklers came to Paldea to investigate Terapagos and I figured it wouldn’t hurt to visit the company I worked at before, especially since there was something that we saw during our adventure that piqued my curiosity. There’s no proof now since it’s gone, but I believe the Eternal Blessing is relevant, considering it’s the item that Mr Awfully Shy framed me for stealing.”

“You know something about the Eternal Blessing?”

“You got framed?”

“Are you alright?”

“I can’t believe I pitied you for being framed.” That last one was definitely from Amethio. “Though given it was Mr Awfully Shy who did the framing, I suppose I can let it slide.”

“Aww. You could just say you were worried about me.” Friede tossed a lopsided grin easily, as if he wasn’t serious just a moment before.

“Absolutely not!” Amethio declined. “Back on topic. Are you saying the Eternal Blessing was formerly held at Exceed until Mr Awfully Shy stole it while framing you?”

“You didn’t know?”

“Even though I’m the director’s son, I don’t have that much authority.” Amethio shook his head. “If you’re going to ask if I have access to any Exceed research, I’m only allowed as much access as a typical researcher.”

“There goes that idea.” Friede frowned. “If you had higher access, perhaps you could’ve accessed the research done on the Eternal Blessing, or rather Laquium.”

“Laquium?” Four voices echoed.

“That’s the other name it goes by. I barely managed to see it on a former colleague’s laptop before he got locked out of the database due to lack of authorization.”

“Definitely Mr Awfully Shy’s work.” Amethio gritted his teeth. “Regardless if he was authorized to change the security level of a research, he must’ve hacked into the system to restrict access at the very least.”

“That’s what I think too.” Friede nodded seriously.

“Pikachu…” Cap copied its Trainer.

“So we got nothing after all this?” Roy whined.

“Actually we got plenty of information.” The Pokemon Professor smiled. “Mr Awfully Shy was behind framing me and used the Laquium in front of Liko and Amethio to confirm something. What we know from this encounter is this crystal seems to cause pain in Pokemon and Terapagos has the power to destroy, or maybe purify, it. It also doesn’t like that crystal very much for some reason. The only thing I can’t figure out at present is… Why trap the both of you in the cave?”

“We don’t know that either.” Liko confessed, supported by a nod from Amethio.

“Alright.” Friede grinned. “I think everyone is tired from today, so how about we all return to where we need to be now to rest up?”

“Wait!” Everyone turned to Liko. “If you don’t mind, I still want to go see Paldea’s Highest Peak.”

“Can you handle it?” Dot asked worriedly.

“I’m not going to stop now!” Liko replied confidently. “I’m not going to let what happened just now deter me from what we were going to do. I really want to see the view that the peak has to offer.”

“If you say so.” Dot smiled despite already being tired at the thought of climbing up Glaseado Mountain. Seen only by Liko, Amethio looked at his secret girlfriend proudly.

“Amethio, do you want to come with us?” Liko invited the stunned Explorer.

“I’ll have to de–“ Amethio began to refuse, only to be interrupted.

“Yeah, come with us, Amethio!” Roy beamed.

“He’s gone, right? It shouldn’t hurt to join us and see the peak.” Dot added on.

“…” They’re annoyingly right despite his best attempts to come up with a comeback. He sighed. “Fine.”

“You gave in quicker than I thought.” Friede pointed out.

“Shut up.” With that, everyone bid farewell to Friede while they climbed the mountain to Paldea’s Highest Peak. Along the way, Roy and Fuecoco took charge much like earlier. To no one’s surprise, Amethio was able to keep up with the energetic boy, though that didn’t stop Dot from sniping how it could be because Amethio did not desire to be stabbed by Ceruledge’s blades since she and Liko were being pushed by their own partners while falling behind. While it was true Ceruledge was not capable of offering support like the other partners were capable of, Amethio refrained from retorting about her own lack of stamina, not keen about starting an argument that would drain his energy before they got to the peak.

On the other hand, the Explorer could not recall the last time he visited a landmark for personal reasons. He had traveled often for the Explorers but never for his own leisure. In fact, he left the sightseeing to Zirc and Onia while he focused on the missions.

Another first with the Rising Volt Tacklers he supposed.

“Hey, Ame!” Roy called from the front. “What’s Zirc and Onia doing now?”

“Last I heard, they went on a date yesterday. I’m not sure what they are doing right now.” Amethio frowned.

“Why didn’t you show Friede that photo when he was an intern?” Roy questioned next.

“… It slipped my mind with all the important stuff going on.” He honestly confessed, which the younger boy accepted and continued singing while marching forward. With Roy and Fuecoco’s singing filling the silence that was inevitable due to the exhaustion of the two girls, the quartet and their partners reached the peak sooner than expected.

Roy and Fuecoco ran enthusiastically towards the fence as the former yelled. “We’re here! Paldea’s Highest Peak!”

“Fue!”

Amethio came up next to the boy, eyes widening in awe at what the peak had to offer. Clouds flew below them as almost the whole of Paldea could be seen from where he was standing. With the Great Crater of Paldea standing imposingly in the middle of the region, the land surrounding it was covered in green with patches of beige.

He was used to the sights he saw from Corviknight, but Amethio could not deny there was something about this view that was defeated everything he saw thus far.

“Wow!” Liko’s mouth parted in amazement as she stood next to Amethio while Dot went to Roy’s other side. “This is really amazing! No matter how many sights I see, it always feels like this is the best one yet!”

“We’re actually up as high as anyone can go…” Dot mumbled.

“C’mon!” Roy called from the signage that they somehow missed. “Let’s all take a picture!”

“Another one?” Dot grumbled with a smile.

“Let’s do it!” Liko agreed cheerfully.

“If I must.” Amethio agreed reluctantly despite the small smile betraying him. Roy handed his Rotom Phone to the teen due to him having longer arms and would probably take a better picture of the group. The Pokemon all got into various positions in front of their respective Trainers while Amethio adjusted the camera angle so that everyone was visible. “Is everyone ready?” When everyone confirmed their readiness, Amethio counted down. “Three, two, one!”

*click*

When the camera clicked, Amethio returned the device to Roy, who immediately opened the photo, as everyone tried to look at the photo from behind him. In front of Amethio, who was naturally closest to the camera, was Ceruledge, who was kneeling down due to its height being a little too high for the camera to capture the Fire Blades Pokemon. Next to Amethio was Liko, who was hugging Floragato from behind, making the Grass Cat Pokemon embarrassed even with Terapagos sticking its head out from its bag for the photo. On Liko’s left was Roy, who cheerfully had Fuecoco in his arms, the Fire Croc Pokemon presently being the shortest out of anyone and would no doubt not even be in view of the camera if he didn’t have Roy carrying him. Finally on the far end was Dot, who had a small smile, while Quaxwell popped in from the bottom of the screen, barely making into the photo due to its coif almost blocking his Trainer. As a result, only the beak of the Practicing Pokemon was missing as Dot would’ve been completely blocked if he stood up higher or Amethio moved the phone even more. Nonetheless, Roy sent the photo to their group chat happily, with everyone pulling out their own phones.

However, Amethio frowned at his Rotom Phone. “My apologies, but I must leave. There’s a meeting I need to get to as soon as possible.”

“Have a safe trip, Ame!” While disappointed he was going off already, Roy waved before returning to the fence to bask in the view once more.

“Make sure you trip on a pebble or two.” Dot snickered even as Amethio threw a snowball at her.

“Take care, Thio.” Liko smiled softly.

“You too.” Amethio turned to Ceruledge. “Let’s trek down this mountain, Ceruledge.”

“…” The Fire Blades Pokemon stared at its Trainer, making him confused until it was enveloped in a light that went to Amethio’s pocket.

“Traitor.” Amethio rolled his eyes fondly as he went down the mountain alone while the three students continued to bask in the view from Paldea’s Highest Peak.

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Arriving at the base should’ve been normal for him, and yet Amethio couldn’t help but feel like something was going to happen in this upcoming meeting. With a churning stomach, he entered the meeting room with his usual blank face while Hamber greeted him. It was no surprise to see he was the last to arrive given how the others retreated once Grusha appeared. However, it didn’t change how unnerving this was.

“Why did you call for me?” Amethio demanded once he took his place in the center of the admins. “What’s going on?”

No one answered, making him irritated, especially when he saw Spinel having his eyes closed. Glaring at the coward who trapped him and Liko in the cave, Amethio spoke. “Spinel! I need to ask you about the Eter–“

“It’s unfortunate.” He interrupted. “I never thought you would betray us like this.”

“Huh?” Amethio was beyond confused.

Hamber stepped up and pressed something on a console. “This is what Master Spinel reported.”

When a screen appeared in front of everyone, the bad feeling in Amethio’s stomach became worse when he realized what he was watching.

He watched himself glance around.

He watched himself turning around and speaking into a hole.

He watched Liko come out of the very hole.

He watched himself extending a hand to their enemy and helping her up.

‘Why didn’t Ceruledge and Floragato see Beheeyem?’ Amethio panicked internally as he bit his tongue. ‘Why didn’t I see Beheeyem? Were we too careless? Were we too desperate to escape that it was easy for us to miss it? Since it was in the open sky, how could we have missed Beheeyem?’

“What led you to work with the enemy without us knowing?” Agate questioned without mercy, breaking Amethio out of his panic-inducing thoughts.

“Terapagos was even right in front of you and you let it escape.” Spinel added on, as if he didn’t do anything on Glaseado Mountain just a few hours ago. “I simply can’t comprehend this.”

Furious at the deceit, Amethio snarled. “This was your plan all along, wasn’t it?!”

“Wait a moment, Ame-pyon.” Sango said, surprising Amethio. “Sango’s willing to hear ya out if you have anything to say.”

“Me too.” Onyx agreed. “I’m suspicious about all this.”

“As am I.” Hamber nodded, which wasn’t a surprise that he wasn’t falling for this easily. “Therefore, if you give us a complete explanation of events from your perspective, perhaps we could clear this up.”

‘Thank you, Hamber!’ Amethio was all too willing to reveal what happened, even if it was layered with his own lies, when a voice uttered words that sent chills down his spine.

“That won’t be necessary.” Gibeon announced.

“Master Gibeon.” The butler addressed with a hint of surprise.

“This is disappointing, Amethio.” The leader of the Explorers continued.

“Please, wait!” Amethio pleaded. ‘Please hear me out!’

“So you were the same.” Gibeon said, as if his own grandson hadn’t spoken. “You would stray from the path laid out, too.”

‘No! That’s not what happened!’ Amethio wanted to scream. To plead. To explain. Anything that would voice out his thoughts of the whole sabotage going on to anyone who would listen to him. ‘Let me explain!’

“Begone.” All thoughts stopped forming in Amethio’s head as the words registered in his mind. “I wish to see you no longer.”

‘Grandfather?’ He stumbled back in shock, unable to comprehend the order that was given.

He didn’t see the smug looks of the people on his right nor the stunned ones of the people on his left. He could only face the ground when the implications set in.

Gibeon chose to believe Spinel’s lies and not listen further.

Before he knew it…

Amethio’s world had shattered.

Chapter Text

“Well this is certainly concerning…” Hamber muttered as he, Zirc, Onia, and Ceruledge stood by Amethio’s bedside in his room while the younger admin didn’t notice his audience, apparently too engrossed in a book that he placed on his lap while leaning against a pillow on his bed.

“If it’s about Master Amethio not moving on from page 54 of his favorite encyclopedia when he’s upset, then we’re aware of it, sir.” Zirc said warily.

“Are you aware of the likelihood of it being worse from there?” The elderly man questioned. “If the situation hits Master Amethio hard enough, he would react according to the severity of it.”

“As far as we know, he would snap at us if we took the encyclopedia away, sir.” Onia offered as she looked at her boss worriedly. “We never saw any other reaction.”

“I see.” Hamber nodded. “In that case, please observe.” The two subordinates watched as Hamber leaned down and took the book away, causing them to back away in case Amethio snapped. However, to their shock, Amethio stared blankly at his empty lap, not noticing that his book was gone. “Onia, please have your Golduck use Water Pulse on Master Amethio.”

“Sir?” She looked at him with wide eyes.

“Ceru?!” Even Ceruledge was stunned by the request. After all, Water Pulse was a decently strong attack. It was weaker than Hydro Pump, but its force was definitely stronger than Water Gun.

“Normally I would have Dusknoir carry Master Amethio to his bathroom where I would douse him with water. However, since we have Golduck here, I’ll take responsibility for this, so please do as I ask.” He requested with a bow after ensuring Amethio didn’t have anything in his pockets, placing the phone and some candy he found onto the desk.

“… Golduck.” Onia reluctantly called out her Golduck, who looked around the room in confusion. “Use Water Pulse on Master Amethio.”

“Gol?!” It looked at its Trainer nodding solemnly in confirmation it did not mishear. Bracing itself for the potential impact it might suffer from, Golduck opened its mouth, unleashing a torrent of water, which was surrounded by rings of water, that hit the brooding admin as both subordinates winced at the attack hitting him while Hamber and Ceruledge just watched.

To Zirc and Onia’s bewilderment, Amethio still hadn’t moved. In fact, he remained completely unfazed, making the two wonder if their boss was truly human at this point.

“This is more concerning that I assumed.” Hamber looked at his charge with his open eye. “If Master Amethio withstands this next move, then perhaps we’ll need to come up with new measures.”

“There’s a final step to this, sir?” Zirc gulped.

“If Master Amethio doesn’t react to this, then it’s no longer the ‘final step’ as of today.” Hamber calmly said as he walked to the entrance of the room, where he pushed some buttons. Once he was done, some whizzing could be heard. Zirc and Onia looked up, the former raising his arm to test the air-conditioner that Hamber seemed to have adjusted. He widened his eyes when he realized not only was the air colder but also stronger.

‘Master Amethio would definitely catch a cold at this rate.’ Zirc mused as he went to help Onia, who shivered when they traded looks and recalled Golduck before its skin would potentially get affected by the drop in temperature. Hamber returned to his place while Ceruledge remained unaffected, even as the flame on its head constantly flickered from the cold air provided by the air-conditioner. The four visitors watched Amethio, waiting for some sort of reaction to pull him out of his concentration.

He blinked.

He blinked again.

Then, he shivered.

“What the–! Why is my room s-so cold?! W-Why am I c-completely wet?!” Amethio’s furious eyes swept across the room, glossing over his frozen subordinates and Ceruledge, until he narrowed his eyes on someone while shivering intensely. “H-Hamber!”

“I’d advise you to dry yourself and change your clothes before you try to slay me, sir.” Hamber gently said, holding out a towel that Zirc and Onia knew wasn’t in his hands when they were watching Amethio together. The younger admin growled and swiped the towel from his father figure’s hands, stopping by his closet for dry clothes before heading for the bathroom to change. In the meantime, Hamber restored the settings for Amethio’s air-conditioner to its previous setting, making the others relieved to not have the room feel like a terrible blizzard any longer.

Several minutes later, a dry Amethio exited the bathroom, tossing the towel to Hamber, who caught it with ease, as he stalked to his desk since his bed was now soaked. He glared at the group in his room once he sat down on a chair. “Is this some sort of intervention?”

“Partly.” Hamber admitted. “If you would be so kind, would you still be willing to explain why you were caught working with Liko?”

“… You would hear me out?” He whispered in shock, no longer furious with Hamber for the stunt he pulled. “Even after being ordered to not talk to this ‘traitor’?”

“I know you well enough to understand you wouldn’t have betrayed the Explorers so easily.” Glancing at Zirc and Onia. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t the first one to visit your room out of concern as I caught these two knocking on your door frantically. Please forgive me for allowing them access without your permission.”

“It’s fine.” Amethio turned to Zirc and Onia. “You two didn’t have to come, though.”

“We didn’t.” Onia agreed.

“But we wanted to, sir.” Zirc added on. “If you’re willing to forgive this transgression, then allow me to say this. As your friends, we’re worried about you, especially after that disastrous meeting you had. Onia and I want to know what happened, too.”

“You could ask Liko.” Amethio turned away, frowning deeply as the events on Glaseado Mountain played in his mind. One scene in particular couldn’t escape his notice no matter how much he wanted to avoid thinking about it because of the circumstances right now, especially since she got mentioned.

“Will you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?”

He had a girlfriend who didn’t know what happened, and he didn’t want her to know. She barely snapped out of her depression caused by failing her usage test. There was no point in adding his problems to her list of worries, not when she was already worried about him being in the same group and possibility of getting harmed by Mr Awfully Shy.

“Master Amethio!” Hamber called, snapping him out of his thoughts once more.

He really was thinking too much lately.

“My apologies, Hamber.” He looked down. “Did you say something?”

“Indeed.” The elderly man confirmed, choosing to overlook Amethio’s behaviour as he was rightfully distracted to pay any proper attention. “We believe you wouldn’t want Miss Liko to find out what happened here, would you? You would probably bottle it up until she finds out somehow. In fact, you’ve never told your problems or concerns to others because you didn’t want to burden them in some way, correct?”

Damn… These people really knew him well.

He was grateful it appeared to be a general problem with him, saving him from revealing his development with Liko, but it was still annoying nonetheless.

Amethio gritted his teeth but didn’t say anything. Instead he leaned against his chair with crossed arms, glaring at the group waiting for his response as he tapped his finger against his arm rapidly. The others didn’t push him further, allowing him to be swallowed by his thoughts on whether to tell them about the events on Glaseado Mountain.

He knew he could trust them, especially Hamber. However, he trusted his grandfather too and ended up getting disregarded by the man who never allowed him to explain what truly happened by choosing to believe the lies given. Amethio couldn’t deny his disobedience to orders could have contributed to his casual dismissal, but he wondered if that moment of supposed betrayal was truly enough for Gibeon to disregard him after everything he did for him and the Explorers. Mr Awfully Shy omitted the details while he gave everything.

If he had returned and reported his first failure, he wouldn’t have seen the Black Rayquaza exit from Roy’s Poke Ball.

If he hadn’t ignored all orders to return, he wouldn’t have seen Liko’s pendant permanently becoming Terapagos.

Perhaps it seemed so insignificant now, but those were some of the turning points in their feud against the Rising Volt Tacklers.

It was all moot now, though.

Sighing, Amethio began revealing the events on Glaseado Mountain to the waiting Trainers, completely expecting them to condemn his betrayal. He even revealed the phone call he made to Liko since these people knew of his interactions with the Rising Volt Tacklers off the record. When Amethio was done, he closed his eyes, ready for the backlash for his recklessness.

To his shock, Zirc and Onia began cussing out Mr Awfully Shy while pacing around the room anxiously. Hamber stepped up to the younger admin and said in a low voice. “You might be old enough now, Master Amethio, but please do not repeat these colourful words your subordinates are currently spewing out.”

“Am I allowed to remember them?” He questioned back with a raised eyebrow.

“Given how we are in close vicinity, I do not believe this is something we can forget.” Hamber admitted with a chuckle.

“That’s the most cowardly thing I’ve heard him do!” Zirc ended his rant with heavy breathing.

“If he wasn’t so slippery, it would’ve been so satisfying to see him get in trouble.” Onia added on.

“Unfortunately, this would’ve been a scenario where Master Amethio would not be able to win no matter what.” Hamber solemnly revealed.

“What do you mean?” The female agent asked.

“If Master Amethio was still hostile with Miss Liko, then these two would not have worked together to escape Mr Awfully Shy’s trap and perish first before rescue could arrive. On the other hand, regardless if Master Amethio is on good terms with Miss Liko, if he had chosen to collaborate with her, then that footage would be certainly be recorded and shown before us.”

Amethio widened his eyes. He never considered the idea of an unwinnable battle. After battling Friede that one time at Diana’s castle, the idea of an unwinnable battle seemed to have perish from his mind because only one thought always persisted whenever he lost a battle.

Get stronger because there will be a chance to win next time.

Because of that, he always believed he could triumph over Mr Awfully Shy someday.

That thought process backfired on him spectacularly this time.

“Master Amethio.” Hamber addressed the teen, who looked up to him. “Might I suggest you take some time off to figure out your next step instead of brooding in this room?”

“…Perhaps I should.” Amethio agreed, tossing an irritated glance at Zirc and Onia, who gaped when he didn’t argue like they anticipated he would do. “What? If I didn’t agree to this, then my desk will mostly be next one to be destroyed by whatever you used to soak me and my bed completely.”

At that, Amethio left his room, ordering Zirc and Onia to do something about his bed while Hamber assisted them since he promised to take responsibility for the incident. Ceruledge walked alongside him, giving any onlookers a fierce glare at anyone if they attempted to even peek at Amethio, who didn’t even notice what his partner was up to.

“Begone. I wish to see your face no longer.”

Those words constantly replayed in Amethio’s mind.

Walking around the Explorers base, he received word about his punishment being discussed, but that was the least of his concerns.

‘My next step…’ Amethio frowned.

“There are things we wouldn’t have known if we didn’t hear each other out, don’t you think?”

For some reason, Amethio pulled out his Rotom Phone and began scrolling through his contacts. He found Liko’s contact and hovered over the call button. On one hand, he definitely wished to talk to her about what he could do. On the other, it was like Hamber said. The young admin did not wish to burden the girl with his troubles even after she shared hers.

Amethio sighed at his selfishness and began looking for another contact. His useless father was out of the picture. Hamber suggested he take a walk. Zirc and Onia were busy dealing with the mess Hamber made. He frowned when he realized whose contact his thumb currently hovered over in the midst of his thinking.

Professor Does-Nothing.

Friede…

He had seen the professor after escaping the cave with Liko, and even exchanged information when he probably shouldn’t have. Yet, the man had done more in their meetings than his grandfather did in years, making Amethio remember the charm Friede bought that was still tied to the bag he carried around often.

The charm that was meant to bring happiness.

He certainly wasn’t feeling it at this moment.

Based on what the other adults had said when he and the others became toddlers, Friede was the one who made sure everyone had comfortable living arrangements on the Brave Olivine and even went as far as giving up his own room to Zirc, Onia, and Hamber even though he could’ve had Roy and Orla move into his room while the Explorers took Roy’s room.

“No one here is going to judge or sabotage you. So, if there is anything you want, please tell me.”

Friede had his own flaws, but not even Amethio could deny the man was responsible enough when he wanted to be.

‘Strange how the only ones I could talk to that are not Explorers are the ones from the Rising Volt Tacklers.’ Amethio mused. Before he realized it, he tapped the call button next to Friede’s contact, making him quickly put the phone to his ear as he listened to the call tone and waited for Friede to pick up.

Just as Amethio found a private room to take the call, a cheery voice spoke up from the other side of the phone. “Aww. I didn’t realize you missed me already, Amethio!”

‘I regret calling you now.’ Amethio wanted to retort but no words could be uttered as they were stuck in his throat. As much as he wanted to say something, hearing the cheerfulness in Friede’s voice had left him feeling uncomfortable with his own situation.

“Amethio?” Friede called. “Amethio. Are you there?”

“…” He still couldn’t speak, biting his lip as he tried to formulate a response.

“Amethio.” There it was. The tone that Friede took when they battled at Diana’s castle and talked about the Eternal Blessing. He was serious now. “If you’re there, just make any sound. It doesn’t have to be coherent. Let me hear you, please.”

“I…” Amethio spoke, thoroughly embarrassed at not being able to make a proper sentence.

“That’s good.” He didn’t need approval, but the hint of it in Friede’s relief made Amethio feel slightly better about his embarrassment.

“Sorry…” The Explorer flushed, unsure what exactly he was apologizing for.

“Don’t apologize. I can tell something is not okay with you right now. Rather than focus on why you called me, how about you tell me what you need instead?” Friede offered.

“Maybe some ice cream…” He mumbled, trying to convince himself he didn’t sound like a child when answering Friede’s question.

“Got it. How about we meet at the ice cream parlour we visited when you and the others became toddlers? Do you know where it is?”

“I do. I accidentally acted as a third wheel to Zirc and Onia’s date there once.”

“… How do you accidentally third wheel a date?” Friede asked incredulously, with Amethio hearing Cap cry out in surprise in the background. “You’re one of the most perceptive people I know.”

“Frankly, I have no idea either.” As it happened, when he heard Zirc and Onia were going to visit the ice cream parlour together, Amethio asked to tag along as he was craving for some ice cream there, completely unaware they were going on a date until they got there. It may have provided him a reason to know the address of the ice cream parlour that he shouldn’t remember, but he was still mortified to find out he had accidentally intruded on a date his subordinates were planning on having.

“It sounds like you’re feeling a little better since you’re making some sentences.” Friede pointed out. “While you collect your thoughts on your way here, I’ll order a huge blueberry sundae for you to help!”

“Please don’t. I don’t believe I have the stomach for that.” Despite his best attempts to snark back, Amethio found himself smiling slightly at the professor’s consideration.

“I’ll try. See you there!” He laughed.

“Friede.” Amethio swallowed as he called out to Friede before the call ended. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Friede ended the call and Amethio put his phone back into his pocket.

“Let’s head for Levincia, Ceruledge.” Amethio nodded to his partner as they left the room.

“Ledge!”

When they almost reached the admin’s room, Amethio’s phone rang, signaling he got a message. Once again, he pulled out his Rotom Phone and skimmed the message he got from a certain member of the Rising Volt Tacklers. He mumbled about a certain event he forgot in the midst of his current situation. “I forgot Naranja Academy is holding a tournament right now.”

==========================================================

Meanwhile…

After admiring the view from Paldea’s Highest Peak, Liko, Roy, and Dot returned to Naranja Academy in good spirits despite the major setback earlier. During a briefing following the end of all the usage tests, Director Clavell made a surprise announcement that the three of them already knew about.

Rather than simply end the course right there, he had announced the Tera Training Student Battle Tournament, which was being held to deepen the bonds among the students before they went they separate ways. Every student was allowed to Terastallize regardless of the result they obtained for their usage test, making Liko happy to find out she would be able to Terastallize with a smile for the last time during the tournament.

When everyone got their scheduled matches, Liko messaged Amethio in their group chat, asking if he was going to come to the tournament since he was invited. However, while the Explorer had seen the message, he hadn’t replied to it. Dot assumed he was still busy with the fallout of Glaseado Mountain and the trio decided to focus on supporting Ann, who was battling in the first half of the tournament, while waiting for Amethio to reply.

As they were cheering for Ann, Nemona came by, completely pumped up for the tournament after hearing about it that day with the others. In fact, no one was surprised by the words that flew out of her mouth. “The tournament’s finally here! Any word on whether Amethio is coming?”

“Not yet.” Liko sweat dropped.

“I really hope he comes!” Nemona beamed as she pointed to some people the other three students didn’t notice at the side. “Tulip is here, along with all the Gym Leaders like La Primera said they would. Even Iono managed to make it for this event. I really wonder how Amethio will respond to Tulip’s offer if he does come to the tournament.”

“Hey, do you want to search for the Gym Leaders for our basic aptitude tests since they’re here?” Roy suggested to his friends.

“Let’s do it after Ann’s battle.” Liko compromised, not wanting to miss her friend’s battle. The other two agreed and turned back to the battle to see Ann gaining the upper hand. “Go, Ann! You’ve got this!”

Just then, someone’s Rotom Phone went off, making everyone turn their heads to the owner of the phone. “Penny?” Nemona muttered as she answered the call. “Hello?”

“Nemona? Director, I asked you to call Dot… Nevermind, go somewhere private with Dot and her friends.” Penny all but commanded as she could be heard gritting her teeth. “Hurry!”

“O-Okay…” Nemona ushered her confused friends to somewhere beside the stands while relaying Penny’s strange instruction, which did not really lessen their confusion. “We’re safe from prying eyes, Penny.” The student council president announced as she put the call on loudspeaker.

“I heard about the Explorers from Chairwoman Geeta and Director Clavell a while ago.” Penny rushed out. “They asked me to make some sort of detection program in case they try to get their hands on the data regarding Terapagos without permission, and it just went off a moment ago.”

“Currently Miss Penny and I are in my office trying to stop this hacking.” Director Clavell took over. “However, from what I can understand, the main hacking is elsewhere. Miss Penny has asked for your assistance in locating the classroom being used. From what we know, the likely places are the home economics classroom, biology lab, and the art classroom.”

“And you want us to go there?” Dot clarified.

“That’s correct.” The director confirmed. “If you manage to find the room, please distract Agate as much as you can while Miss Penny stops the hacking.”

“No surprise it’s Agate given what we were told.” Roy mused. “I wanna go to the art classroom!”

“I’ll go to the home economics classroom.” Liko volunteered.

“Then that leaves me with the biology lab.” Dot nodded determinedly.

“Then I’ll stay here and distract Ann.” Nemona offered. “As much as I want to battle these Explorers myself, it’d be too weird if I appear just for a case of hacking. So, I’ll leave you all to do all the battling for me! Pound ‘em, will you?”

“We will! Thanks, Nemona!” The three course students left the courtyard for their respective classrooms as Dot made a four-way call with her, Liko, Roy, and Penny. Despite hearing about Agate’s hacking skills, experiencing it firsthand was not a pleasant experience for the Naranja Academy student. Each time she felt like she managed to put a temporary stop to the hacking attempt, Agate would simply either destroy what Penny coded or worked on it another way. Combating against Agate’s hacking made Penny frustrated to the point where she asked Director Clavell to call Dot for help, only for him to call Nemona instead.

Penny was grateful Nemona had met up with the three students before the call though.

“Now she’s making good progress with the data.” Penny revealed. “Please, hurry.”

“I’m almost at the art classroom!” Roy reported.

“There’s no one in the home economics classroom.” Liko informed while Penny typed away furiously.

“I’m… still getting to… the biology lab…” Dot said breathlessly, making Liko laugh sheepishly as Penny was able to empathize with Dot in the midst of countering Agate.

“There’s no one in the art classroom. Looks like she’s in the biology lab, Dot!” Roy told the participants of the group call after some silence that was filled by Dot’s heavy breathing.

“Got it.” Dot replied tiredly. “I’m just around the corner…” As she said that, Dot found the sign for the biology lab immediately. Quietly walking up to the classroom door, Dot peered inside and found someone typing away intensely. She updated everyone on the group call while taking a picture of the intruder as proof. “Agate’s here. Sending a picture to you, Penny.”

“Got it.” Whether that meant she understood Dot’s message or she received the photo, Dot didn’t know and couldn’t ponder further as more voices began speaking.

“Ah!” Liko exclaimed. “I’m going upstairs. I found a security guard and his Psyduck who were probably attacked by Onigiri.”

“That means that Sandwich is…” Dot could hear a female voice in the background, and assumed Sandwich, or rather Miss Destructive Temper, found Roy, leaving her to deal with Agate alone.

“Cham!” A Pokemon cried out, startling Dot as Agate was alerted to the girl’s presence.

“So, it’s you.” She said when she saw who was disturbing her.

“Agesen…” Dot muttered.

“Don’t call me that.” The woman pressed her watch, shedding her disguise as a teacher and revealing herself as an esteemed member of the Explorers. “My name is Agate.”

“That saves me the trouble of pretending to not know her name.” Dot frowned as she ended the call with her friends. “I shouldn’t be focusing on that. I need to stop her from getting the data!”

==========================================================

As Dot was confronting Agate…

“But I’m no longer being cute lil ‘Sandwich’.” Miss Destructive Temper announced as she tapped on her watch, changing her outfit such that it was one Roy recognized all too well. “I’m your favorite admin from the Explorers, Sango!”

“Liko… Dot… Good luck!” Roy gritted his teeth while preparing to battle the destruction fanatic from the Explorers, putting down the call with his friends.

Elsewhere, Liko was desperately heading to the top of the school. She had no idea why she was heading to the the top of the school, but she had a strange feeling about it. After several more staircases, Liko could see an open door leading outside on the rooftop. Rushing out there while ending the call, Liko came face-to-face with Mr Salty Oni as expected, adrenaline running so much that her mind didn’t register the surprise at her instinct about Mr Salty Oni being at the rooftop being correct.

“So you’ve come.” He frowned.

“Explorers…” Liko glared fiercely as he took a few steps forward in a few directions.

“We were originally here to obtain the data on Terapagos, but why don’t you hand over the genuine article instead?” Mr Salty Oni offered.

“Never!” She declared as Terapagos retreated into the bag.

“What can someone like you do?”

“Fight back!” Liko met his eyes determinedly. “Let’s battle!”

==========================================================

Meanwhile…

“Welcome!” A cheerful voice greeted Amethio as he entered the ice cream parlour. Amethio nodded in greeting and glanced around. The staff who greeted him spoke up, as if recognizing him. “Friede’s upstairs if you’re looking for him. He also bought some ice cream for you, so you can just head upstairs right away.”

“Thank you.” Amethio thanked the staff, leaving the entrance to head for the second floor as advised. Upon arriving, he easily spotted the professor as he waved around a like a fool from the corner. When they met eyes, Amethio pointed to a different table, suddenly not keen on having a seat next to a window where someone could watch.

While confused, Friede shrugged and carried two cups of sundae, one of which Amethio pointed to with a raised eyebrow when the older man placed it in front of him. “I got you blueberry and another flavor. You should try it!” Friede explained, choosing not to question the change in seats.

“Pikachu!” Cap greeted once he sat down.

“Ceru.” Ceruledge nodded back.

“Do you want to talk now or do you need more time?” Friede asked gently as he pulled up his chair.

“If I were to be honest, my thoughts are still over the place no matter how slow I traveled. Perhaps talking with you might help.” Amethio frowned as he looked down at his ice cream.

“Start from whatever makes you comfortable.”

“What if the starting point is nowhere?” Amethio laughed humorlessly. “This is something only Hamber, Zirc, and Onia know as of an hour ago, so no one else knows what I’m about to tell you next. I’ve been dismissed from all Explorers missions for betraying the group.”

“Huh?!” Friede and Cap’s eye bulged identically, making Amethio’s lips tug slightly. “You? Probably the most loyal, or maybe second if I were to consider Hamber, member to the Explorers? Betraying? How?!”

“If I were in a better mood, I would have taken a photo of your excellent expression to laugh about someday.” Amethio shook his head. “I got caught working with Liko while we were escaping the cave.”

“… How?” Friede repeated softly.

“Mr Awfully Shy’s Beheeyem recorded the moment and he showed it to all the admins in a meeting.” He admitted mirthlessly.

“Arceus… That explains why you wanted to change seats.” The Pokemon Professor leaned back in his chair, temporarily abandoning his Electrifying Pikachu sundae as Amethio took a bite of his blueberry ice cream. “Did you not see it?”

Amethio shook his head once more. “Ceruledge and Floragato were sent out first to scope the area. Even though they deemed it safe, I came out next just in case and didn’t see anything either.”

“Did you look at the sky? Like as high as you can see?” Amethio froze, which his companion unfortunately noticed. “Once you got out from such a dim place, I doubt you’d want to look somewhere really bright. If Mr Awfully Shy anticipated you would only check the surroundings and not above, then that means he trapped you guys in the cave just for that moment to use.”

“He succeeded to get me out of the Explorers.” Amethio groaned. “Hamber pointed out it was an unwinnable battle this time because it’s either I die or I get disgraced. Either result still leads to me being out of the Explorers.”

“Hang on. You’re still in the Explorers.” Friede attempted to reassure the teen in front of him.

“Not when I don’t have any missions to go on.” The disgraced admin pursed his lips, mind slowly retreating back as he focused on the thoughts surfacing at this new information.

“Do you regret helping Liko?” He looked up and instead of frustration at the situation like he anticipated seeing, Amethio saw something else in Friede’s eyes, though he couldn’t discern what.

“No… Regardless of how we are on the battlefield, working together is sometimes essential. Case in point – Galar Mine. That was entirely your fault you got us trapped in there for some time and forced me to work with you.” Amethio said that last sentence pointedly, making Friede laugh.

“You can’t deny the bud of friendship between us started to bloom around then.”

“As a matter of fact, yes, I can deny it.” Amethio deadpanned as Friede gawked. As the two stared at each other, Friede’s lips began twitching, leading to the two Trainers to break down in chuckles.

“There’s a lot of things I never imagined happening since we met, but us laughing while having ice cream together is simply unfathomable.” Amethio admitted.

“More than becoming a toddler?” Friede shot back.

“More than maintaining a group chat which would’ve gotten me in more trouble than what Mr Awfully Shy did. Becoming a toddler was something I’d like to attribute to being a possibly strange event that I would blame you for simply by association.”

“Hey!” Despite the tone suggesting he was offended, Friede beamed. “Are you feeling better now?”

“…Marginally.” Amethio considered before answering. “It’s odd.”

“Talking does help people sometimes.” Friede supplied as he gave Cap some of his ice cream, with the Mouse Pokemon’s cheeks producing electricity out of satisfaction. “If you’re up for it, wanna talk about your next step now?”

“Hamber said the same thing before I called you.” Amethio huffed after eating some ice cream, nearly pouting when he realized he almost finished his precious blueberry flavor. “I have no idea what I should do. I had a direction and that was taken from me.”

“How about what you want to do?”

“…” Amethio didn’t answer. Instead, he lowered his spoon into the cup and added another frown to the endless count for the day. The answer to that would usually be at the tip of his tongue, but in light of recent developments, the resolve to say the answer had weakened. If he continued what he wanted to do despite being dismissed from missions, would he be allowed to return to his place if the results bore fruit?

“Would you let me suggest something?” Friede’s voice pierced through the thoughts Amethio was having, surprising the teen. He figured he was thinking deeper to the point where he wouldn’t be able to hear Friede. With a wave of his spoon, Amethio allowed Friede to continue anyway. “Why don’t you travel with us?”

“Friede…” Amethio’s eye twitched.

“Hear me out.” Friede raised his arms akin to surrendering. “When I first met Cap, the meeting motivated me to travel and see the world. Then we met the others who had their own reasons to travel. Liko wanted to understand the mystery behind her pendant, then that changed to bringing Terapagos to Laqua. Roy wants to get the Black Rayquaza if you didn’t know. We’re all different, but we’re still traveling together, helping each other out. You might not have a direction now, but maybe you’ll find one while being with us instead of moping around back the Explorers if that’s what you were doing before you called.”

“Wha– I wasn’t moping!” He definitely wasn’t ready to admit that.

“Whatever you say.” Friede cheekily grinned. “I could always ask Hamber.”

Amethio desperately wanted to end the man in front of him now. However, he calmed himself down and stared evenly as Friede waited for his answer.

‘Traveling with the Rising Volt Tacklers? As if that wouldn’t get me in anymore trouble if I get caught.’ If Hamber saw him playing around with the mysterious red ice cream Friede got him, Amethio would probably care less as he found himself truly considering Friede’s suggestion.

When Friede had made the suggestion, Amethio had assumed the man was messing around as usual. However, once he finished explanation himself, Amethio found merit in the idea. At least, the part about stepping out from the Explorers base was something to think about. He would have been more open to traveling with them given how their private interactions hadn’t been exposed, but since he got in trouble for working with Liko, Amethio couldn’t afford to get caught with them again.

With pursed lips, Amethio finally settled on an answer as he looked at Friede. “Can I have some time to think about this? I’m already disgraced for being with Liko, not that I don’t regret it, but I’m uncertain if getting involved with the Rising Volt Tacklers would be a good idea for me. After all, as you said, I’m still an Explorer. If there’s something I want as an Explorer, it’s to have my honor restored. As for my personal want, that’s something I don’t have an answer to yet.”

“Understood.” Friede smiled softly and Amethio finally realized the meaning behind the look Friede had been giving him ever since they began talking about his next steps. It was the same look he gave when they were lingering in front of the store that sold good luck charms, one of it hanging on the bag next to him.

Friede had been trying to be understanding.

Just like back then.

“We’re taking off in several days. Orla’s almost done with the repairs. I hope that’s enough time for you.” Friede revealed apologetically, which Amethio waved it off.

“It’s more than enough. Thank you.” He turned back to his ice cream and decided to try the unknown flavor, completely unaware of the strange glee Friede had on his face when Amethio scooped a spoonful of it. Amethio looked at it warily as he studied the spoon in front of him from various angles before inserting it into his mouth. As he savored the flavor, Amethio’s widened at the taste. There was a brief sweetness that turned into a different sensation, as if the unknown flavor was teasing him by kicking his tongue. He nodded approvingly at Friede’s choice as the flavor he never tasted before lingered on his tongue.

“Despite it being sweet, I quite enjoy the mild kick it gives.” When he looked up, Amethio glared at the gaping look Friede was giving him. “If I had something on my face, you’d be mocking me. So what’s wrong with you now?”

“You call that mild?!” Friede blurted out, resulting in Amethio trading his glare for confusion.

“Yes…? What flavor did you get me?”

“Capsakid Spice.”

Now it was Amethio’s turn to blink owlishly. “Huh?”

Friede nodded solemnly. “You’re having Capsakid Spice.”

“Are you implying these are made with Capsakid’s front teeth?” When Friede nodded like an idiot again, Amethio hummed in acceptance.

“I was expecting you to cough badly like you did on Mother’s Day.” The Pokemon Professor groaned, completely disappointed at the lack of reaction as Amethio enjoyed another spoonful.

“Looks like this slipped your mind just like any other information. I can handle spicy food well, but I cannot handle a certain amount of Capsakid’s front teeth like the amount Roy added that day.” Amethio quipped, taking pleasure in Friede’s disappointment to lighten the depression he had been having since the meeting.

“I wanted to know how this would affect you actually. I didn’t handle it well when I took a bite from Fuecoco.” Friede admitted as he closed his eyes, wondering about something while missing the glint in Amethio’s eyes when he heard the former’s admission. Getting another spoonful of Capsakid Spice, Amethio waited for a certain moment to strike. Thankfully, he did not have to wait long as Friede opened his mouth to say something, only for the professor to feel something cold on his tongue before the spoon hastily exited his mouth.

That soon evolved into a burning feeling that traveled down his throat. “Not again!” Amethio watched as Friede rushed down the stairs before trading an amused look with Cap.

“Pikachu.” Cap shrugged as if saying his Trainer was a lost cause. Since Friede was gone, Amethio allowed himself a small grin at the torture he got to inflict on Friede while continuing to finish off the now revealed Capsakid Spice.

‘This is really good.’ Amethio thought.

A few minutes later, his company returned to the table with two cups of ice cream and plenty heavy breathing that should’ve worsened his suffering. One cup was most likely the Electrifying Pikachu sundae Friede had when they met up, but Amethio didn’t know what the other cup had. All it had was three pale yellow scoops of ice cream drizzled with plenty of white sauce, but he was not sure if it was part of the menu or if it was something Friede made to rid himself of the spicy torture.

“I can’t believe you did that!” Friede exclaimed once he was able to mutter some words, though he was still panting as a side effect. Amethio eyed the triple scoop ice cream that Friede emptied in minutes.

“I can’t believe you found that hard to handle.” Amethio said amused, completely unaffected by the spice by making a show of taking another bite of Capsakid Spice.

“I think I’m more likely to get diabetes now.” Friede gave a glare that didn’t have any heat when Amethio offered him some more Capsakid Spice to torture himself with.

“I always assumed you’d be immune to that given how hyper you are.”

“Phew…” Friede sighed in relief when he finished his second Electrifying Pikachu right after, with Cap patting his Trainer pitifully. “That was sheer torture.”

“More than the toddler who pulled on your hair years ago?” Amethio retorted, mentally thanking Roy for bringing up the topic when they climbed Glaseado Mountain together.

Friede blinked and tilted his head, not surprising Amethio. Given how Friede hadn’t mentioned the incident until now, it was likely he forgot about it as well. However, he couldn’t ascertain whether it was Friede’s natural forgetfulness or his mind blocking out the incident like a traumatic event. Shaking his head, Amethio pulled out his phone and searched for the photo that Chairwoman Geeta had sent to him. When he did, Amethio zoomed in on the two of them before showing the photo to Friede and Cap, who climbed onto his Trainer’s shoulder out of curiosity.

Slowly, Friede’s jaw dropped, as if the incident has finally clawed through the confines of his mind and reached the surface. He closed his mouth, but opened it again, only to close it once more. Friede finally decided his next words when his voice came through his open mouth. “How did you get this photo?”

“Chairwoman Geeta sent it to me when we met with her that day.” Amethio replied without missing a beat, swiping the photo a little to show the chairwoman back then.

“I can’t believe I forgot I had met you years ago!” Friede exclaimed as Cap laughed away at the photo.

“Is it truly unbelievable?” Amethio huffed lightly with a raised eyebrow. “You? The guy who probably forgets at least ten things a day?”

“Rude! I’d probably say I forgot at least seven things a day.” He grinned unrepentant.

“Whatever makes you sleep better.” Amethio put down the phone in order to finish his ice cream. “I’m aware I said this earlier, but thank you, Friede.”

“How are you feeling now?” Despite his flushed cheeks that persisted from the spicy flavor, Friede smiled softly.

“More grounded, I suppose.” Amethio said wryly. “My original plan had been to go to Exceed to find out more about the Eternal Blessing. However, when you mentioned your former colleague being denied access due to authorization, I realized it would be pointless for me as well. I don’t believe asking my useless father would help. Anytime I tried to ask, he would simply look away. I was truly stuck on what I want or should do for once.”

“If traveling with us is not an option, I believe you’ll find way to move forward.” Friede told the admin gently. “You’re one of the most tenacious people I know. This won’t bring you down, would it?”

“Never. You have offered a direction and pointed out another one I could find. I’ll figure out what I want to do from here.” Amethio declared resolutely, resulting in Friede nodding with a delighted look. “Now, would it trouble you to buy me another cup of ice cream for the trip ahead?”

“As long as there’s no Capsakid Spice.” Friede joked.

“Pity. I was hoping for a double scoop of that.” Amethio smirked as the group cleaned after themselves before heading downstairs. When they ordered, the teen was pleased to get a double scoop of Capsakid Spice in addition to the single scoop of blueberry while Friede decided to order the triple scoop he had earlier.

“Fizzy Lemon topped with Moomoo Milk sauce. Just in case my stomach suffers from the aftereffects of Capsakid Spice.” He explained. “Where are you going now?”

“To Naranja Academy.” Amethio answered before leaving Friede with a nod.

==========================================================

With Dot…

“Quaxwell!” Dot yelled as she watched the Practicing Pokemon being helplessly tossed to the side thanks to Medicham using Confusion. She had tried to get Quaxwell to do something about the door, but Medicham was too formidable to ignore. However, even facing against Medicham proved to be difficult when it kept on evading all of Quaxwell’s attacks.

If she focused on the door separating her from the Explorer, Quaxwell would end up being stopped before he can do anything. If she focused on Medicham, Penny would be left fighting Agate alone.

‘What can I do?’ Dot gritted her teeth. “Quaxwell! Focus on–!”

“Use Gigaton Hammer, Tinkie!”

“Huh?” Dot looked further into the corridor, surprised to see a certain Pokemon rushing with her huge hammer towards Medicham. As expected, it evaded the attack, but now the focus was on the Hammer Pokemon, who was being commanded by the small Trainer beside her.

“Now’s your chance to focus on the door, nice lady!” Poppy cheered as she took on Medicham, allowing Dot to do ask she said.

“Quaxwell, use Liquidation on that locked door!”

“Quax!” With his body gathering water and feet glowing blue, Quaxwell twirled gracefully before landing a powerful kick on the door, breaking it down in one kick.

Agate muttered a curse under her breath as she looked up. “Medicham!” Unfortunately, the Meditate Pokemon couldn’t answer as it soared across the corridor, courtesy of Tinkie’s hammer. Moments later, a hammer could be briefly seen through the door that was still intact, leaving Agate frustrated at the development.

Upon seeing her distracted, Dot quickly sent an order. “Quaxwell! Destroy the computer with Low Kick!”

With a determined nod, Quaxwell’s right foot glowed orange as he jumped in the air and made a swift turn before landing its foot onto the computer. As soon as it broke into pieces, Dot took a step forward and beamed when she saw the green progress bar reversing in direction.

“You…” Agate growled. Dot took a step back as Quaxwell stood in front of his Trainer protectively. Contrary to any predictions Dot had about Agate’s next move, the Explorer held out a Poke Ball and called for a Pokemon. “Return, Medicham!”

When the light of recall returned the Meditate Pokemon to its Poke Ball, Agate glared at Dot. “It’s your victory this time. Xatu!” A Poke Ball on her belt opened, revealing the Mystic Pokemon.

With narrowed eyes at the girl, Agate ordered a Teleport, transporting the Pokemon and Trainer out of the room in a brief pink glow before any further action could be taken. A sigh of relief escaped Dot’s mouth as she collapsed to the floor. Before she could relax though, she remembered something and urgently called Penny, who picked up the call. “The hacking! Is it–?”

“I’m undoing it smoothly. Looks like you managed to stop Agate.” Penny reported with equal relief despite the furious pressing of the buttons on the keyboard suggesting otherwise. “Y-You went out of your way to help… Even g-get proof… So th-thanks… for your help.” Penny stuttered at the end, not used to thanking someone, making Dot embarrassed as well.

“I-It’s no problem.” In both their social awkwardness, neither knew who ended the call with the other person, resulting in Dot keeping away her phone with a small smile at having a friend similar to her.

“Good work, nice lady!” Poppy piped up happily, startling Dot who had forgotten about the young Elite Four. From behind the younger girl, Tinkie waved happily as Dot’s Tinkatink came out of her Poke Ball in curiosity.

While the two hammer-wielding Pokemon conversed about their hammers (At least, that was what Dot assumed they would be interacting about), a realization came to Dot’s mind. “Poppy. Why are you here? N-Not that I’m not grateful for the help, but–!”

“Don’t worry!” Poppy giggled. “I know what you mean. Geeta told us to look for you since Miss Penny is still trying to do something about that mean lady’s hacking. She trusts your skills, but since Miss Penny is having trouble despite being one of the League’s best programmers, it made Geeta worried.”

“…Us?” Dot tilted her head.

“Me, Rika, and Grandpa Hassel, silly!” She revealed. “Mr Larry is in a video meeting in another room in the school, so he couldn’t come over.”

“HUH?!” Dot exclaimed at the information Poppy casually revealed.

==========================================================

With Roy…

The battle originally took place in the art classroom. However, out of respect for the art that the students worked hard to create, Roy moved the battle outdoors using Kilowattrel so that Fuecoco could unleash his Flamethrower to its full potential, regardless of what Miss Destructive Temper had to say about art being junk.

“Now use the strongest Flamethrower you can muster!” Roy commanded.

“Fue!” With a deep breath, Fuecoco let out a huge stream of fire out of his mouth.

“Don’t get cocky!” Miss Destructive Temper grinned. “Use Blizzard, Glalie!”

Opening its mouth as well, a burst of blizzard came out from it, meeting Fuecoco’s fire head on. Steam was released in the air as the attacks continued to meet in the middle, with neither side giving up.

“You can do it, Fuecoco!” Hearing Roy’s cheer, Fuecoco became determined to not let his Trainer down, increasing the power of his Flamethrower, which began to overpower Glalie’s Blizzard, to its Trainer’s shock and anger at the change in situation.

“Huh?! Glalie! Use more power!”

Unfortunately, the Face Pokemon couldn’t do as ordered, having used all of its strength to the best it could, resulting in Fuecoco’s Flamethrower successfully overpowering it with the supereffective attack. Glalie still floated in the air, but it was too tired to let out another Blizzard despite being ordered to. After several deep breaths, Glalie collapsed to the ground. “Get up, Glalie!”

“We did it, Fuecoco!” The young Rising Volt Tackler embraced the Fire Croc Pokemon happily in light of their victory.

“Fue!”

“Excellent battle, Roy!” An applause was heard from behind the boy, prompting everyone in the battle who could still stand to turn and see the source of the voice, startling Roy when he saw who it was.

“M-Mr Hassel?!” The art teacher nodded as he came up to the Trainers, stepping ahead of Roy by one step as he glared at the Explorer, who gulped at the intense aura from the glare alone, having seen a similar one at a certain patisserie some time ago.

“Now, young lady. I have heard you’re causing trouble here. Thankfully, Roy here has dealt with the situation well. However, I must ask you to leave.” His glare intensified. “Just like how a dragon protects its hatchlings from danger, I shall protect the students if you don’t leave this moment. The very students whose junk you made fun of carelessly despite the time and effort they put into it.”

Despite being intimidated by the Elite Four in front of her, Miss Destructive Temper refused to give up. “Glalie!”

Instead of her Pokemon answering, she felt a tug from above her. “Time to go, Sango!” Mr Salty Oni called from his Aerodactyl, carrying the female admin away from Naranja Academy as she reluctantly recalled her exhausted Pokemon. Roy looked closely at Mr Salty Oni even as Miss Destructive Temper continued her complaining even as she was being carried away.

“Roy!” Hassel broke Roy from his thoughts as he began to tear up, making the boy unsure how to react. “Th-That was truly a magnificent battle! The way you hold yourself! The way you support your Pokemon! T-That was truly a sight to behold! I couldn’t be more proud! BWUUUH huh huh hoi hoi!”

“Please cheer up, Mr Hassel!” Roy comforted the crying man, with the latter’s Baxcalibur coming out of its Poke Ball to assist. “Hey, Fuecoco? Did you see the look on Mr Salty Oni’s face?”

“Fue?” Fuecoco, who was hugging the Elite Four member’s leg, turned to his Trainer in bewilderment.

“He looked more upset than usual.” Roy frowned. “Sure we haven’t seen him a lot, but he’s frowning more this time. Maybe he’s frustrated at something?” His eyes widened in realization when his thoughts changed direction. “Or someone! Maybe he just lost to Liko!”

==========================================================

Earlier with Liko…

“Use Magical Leaf!” From her bud, a burst of green leaves went straight for Garganacl, who neutralized it with Salt Cure. A row of Stone Edge was approaching Floragato afterwards, causing the Grass Cat Pokemon to jump in the air and attack with another Magical Leaf that pushed Garganacl back.

“Use Salt Cure!” Garganacl shot the salt attack in intervals, all of which was dodged by Floragato using Quick Attack. Unbeknownst to the Explorer before her, Liko used the exact same tactic against Amethio on Glaseado Mountain, making her wonder if he was at the school as well. Given that he was left out of infiltration from the start, it wasn’t likely he was acting with his fellow admins. Still, it was a thought that lingered in her mind as she expertly commanded Floragato during the battle.

Unbeknownst to Liko, she had her own spectators to the battle.

“Hattrem!” After healing the security guard and his Psyduck, the Serene Pokemon led two visitors to where her Trainer was.

“Ce!” Cetoddle cheered alongside her as Grusha silently watched.

“Didn’t take you for the kind to watch behind the scenes.” A voice spoke from behind the unflinching Gym Leader.

“Hattrem led me up here without a choice.” He replied, briefly glancing at his new companion. “Are you going to interrupt?”

“Nah. Good ol’ Rika will join you and watch. I’m curious to see if Liko has changed since our battle.” She grinned before letting it slip momentarily. “If things go badly though, then I will interfere.”

“Looks like we’re on the same page.” Grusha nodded as the two turned back in time to see the unknown visitor Terastallize. “Do you know anything about that guy? I saw him on Glaseado Mountain when he tried to stop Liko’s friends from looking for her.”

“Now that’s a story I’m interested to know. Do tell me some time, ‘kay?” When Grusha didn’t answer, Rika took it in good stride. “From what La Primera said, he’s part of a group who was potentially an enemy of the school. Now it’s confirmed they’re dangerous. Primarily, they’re targeting Liko and the group she’s traveling with. However, it seems like this school’s got info they’re interested in.”

Grusha hummed with narrowed eyes at Floragato’s feet getting caught in the Terastallization-enhanced Salt Cure, with salt crystals growing and stopping the Grass Cat from moving. Even using Magical Leaf from her position didn’t do much due to Garganacl recovering using Recover.

“Why don’t you give up and hand over Terapagos now?”

“Cetoddle!” The Terra Whale cried out worriedly, making Grusha move in, only to be stopped by two voices.

“Hattrem!”

“I think ya should wait a bit longer.” Rika winked as everyone turned to Liko.

“I won’t!” She declared confidently. “For the sake of Terapagos! For the sake of the school! I won’t give up here!”

Floragato gave her own determined yell in resonance to her Trainer’s declaration. Holding her Tera Orb, Liko activated it. “Please help me, Terastallization! Shine in full bloom, Floragato!”

Liko tossed the orb into the air, watching as it exploded in light once it flew over Floragato. Engulfed in crystals that rose from the ground, it broke apart moments later to reveal Floragato standing proud with a Grass Tera Jewel on her head. “Mrreow!”

“Use Stone Edge!” Before the series of rocks could get to her, Floragato pulled off the salt crystals by her feet before jumping into the air at the last second.

“Oh…?” Rika smirked.

“Hat…”

“Ce…” The Pokemon murmured in awe.

“Use Magical Leaf!” Liko commanded. Twirling her bud, Floragato unleashed a powerful blast of green leaves towards Garganacl, who countered it with Salt Cure. Once again the two attacks collided, only this time, Floragato’s Magical Leaf curved around the other attack and returned to its original target, successfully knocking the Rock Salt Pokemon unconscious and having its Terastallization undone.

Sighing, Mr Salty Oni held out a Poke Ball, recalling Garganacl. “Liko of the Rising Volt Tacklers. My name is Onyx. Don’t forget it.” He turned around, possibly getting ready to leave, only to turn back to Liko a moment later, making the girl be even more on guard. “Before I leave, could you indulge me on something?”

“I won’t hand over Terapagos!” Liko said fiercely as she clutched the bag.

“It’s not that.” He shook his head. “You won the battle fairly, so I’m willing to let the matter drop this time.”

“Then what do you want from me?” She asked warily, not easing her grip on the bag despite what Mr Salty Oni said.

“Why did you collaborate with Amethio on that snowy mountain?”

“…” Out of all things, Liko hadn’t expected that. Given how he took part in the plan to distract her friends before they could find her and Amethio, the Rising Volt Tackler wondered if he was testing her or something. She couldn’t understand why he was asking her about the incident on Glaseado Mountain. Steeling her voice, Liko answered back. “Shouldn’t you know about it? You did stop Roy and Dot from finding me.”

“Unfortunately, that’s about the extent of the plan that I know. I don’t know anything beyond that no matter how many times I asked.”

“… Why ask me? Why not ask Amethio?”

“You’re an honest girl from what we know. As for Amethio, I swear I will tell you my reason once you tell me the answer to my question.” He promised solemnly as Liko bit her lip, debating on whether to tell the Explorer what happened.

As testified by her friends from the Explorers, Mr Salty Oni was honorable when he wanted to be, so that was a positive for him. To counter that, he had destructive qualities. Other than that… she had nothing to base her judgment on. Trusting her instinct and taking a deep breath, Liko decided on her answer. “Spinel trapped us in a cave together. Since we wanted to get out alive, we worked together to make our own exit.”

“I see…” He nodded in acceptance. “I understand if you don’t believe my words, but I did swear to tell you about Amethio. Spinel showed us a recording of the two of you working together, implying he had betrayed the Explorers. As a result, he’s been dismissed from all missions and we are not allowed to speak to the traitor lest we have our own consequences to suffer from.”

Liko gasped. ‘Was that the meeting Thio had to attend after we climbed to Paldea’s Highest Peak together?’

“He might not have infiltrated with us, but if he had, he would’ve been dismissed from this mission because of what happened.” He continued, unaware of her thoughts. “Thank you for shedding light on this.” Bringing out Aerodactyl, Mr Salty Oni nodded at Liko with clenched jaws, though she couldn’t tell if it was because of the loss or what happened to Amethio while he was distracting her friends.

“Onyx…” Liko muttered. Moments later, Liko couldn’t help but sweat drop at Miss Destructive Temper’s nonsensical complaints. When she heard a door open, she turned to her right.

“Hattrem!” Liko exclaimed happily before frowning a little in confusion. “Cetoddle? Could it be…?” It took all of Liko’s strength to take that unconscious step back when Grusha himself came through the door. “Grusha?!”

“Your favourite Elite Four member Rika is here too, kiddo!” She waved cheerfully from behind Grusha.

“Um…?” Liko didn’t know what to say while facing the two members of the Paldea League. If they had been watching the battle, then they probably saw her use her Tera Orb even though it was against the rules of the Tera Training Course. The idea of a punishment for disobeying the rule had escaped her mind in her desperation to protect Terapagos and the school.

“Meet me in the director’s office later.” Was Grusha said before he left with Cetoddle.

Liko glanced at the Tera Orb in her hand worriedly. “I wouldn’t worry too much.” She looked up to see Rika smile. “Sure, you broke the rule, but I wouldn’t worry. So go in there with a smile, alright?”

Liko could only nod numbly as the Elite Four member escorted her to the director’s office, where Grusha was already waiting for their arrival. Director Clavell and Chairwoman Geeta were also present, sporting their own frowns as the former made the first move. “I heard you used Terastallization in a battle earlier.”

“I did…” There was no point in denying when the truth had plenty of spectators.

“I never realized you were that kind of person.” Grusha said, making Liko even more guilty.

“I’m sorry!”

“No. That should be my line.” When Grusha’s words registered, she looked up at the man. “When you fight your battles for others, your actual strength reveals itself.”

“…” Liko watched Grusha speechless as Director Clavell picked up from where Grusha left off.

“You, Roy, and Dot have done well to protect this school. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” He bowed while sitting at his desk.

“You produced your own results to be proud of. You passed, Liko.” Grusha revealed.

Liko’s brain short-circuited. “Huh? Huh?! Wh– I– Huh? I-I passed? Is that okay?”

“Grusha has given you his approval. I myself believe you have the skills of one worthy to wield a Tera Orb. Your passing grade is warranted.” Geeta smiled.

“Thank you!” Liko beamed. With permission to leave, the newly passed student left the office with a skip her steps. The fact she managed to get her grade changed made her really giddy to the point where Floragato became exasperated with her Trainer’s attitude. However, she couldn’t help herself as she hummed cheerfully along the corridor.

Who wouldn’t be excited at not being the only one in their friends who couldn’t Terastallize anymore?

When she entered the library, she found it filled it unusual commotion.

“Did you see him?”

“The visitor? I did!”

“He looks so good!”

“Is he a future student?”

“Let me see!”

Curious about it, Liko descended the steps and found a group of students huddling around someone. She couldn’t tell who it was though due to the hat he was wearing. From where she stood, it was clear the visitor was trying to get through the crowd, who wanted to see him up close as if he was a celebrity.

With her mind set on helping the unknown visitor, Liko pushed through the sea of students, pausing when she could hear his voice amid the chaos. “Please let me through! I have an appointment to get to!” She quickly shifted her look into determination and gestured to Floragato to use her bud to grab the visitor’s hand, just like she did when they were at Katy’s patisserie.

With something like a grin, the Grass Cat Pokemon took her bud and maneuvered it around the crowd, feeling that it caught someone. With a tug, the students in front of her quickly parted into a clear path as the person who was caught by Floragato’s vine stumbled into her view with it snug on his wrist. “What’s the meaning of– Liko?!”

“You’re late.” Liko said pointedly, betrayed by the tugging of her own lips. Undoing Floragato’s vine so that she could grab his wrist herself, she led the new visitor away from the disappointed students into an empty classroom, where he sighed in relief after taking an empty seat, which was pretty much anywhere since the students were mostly gathered for the tournament.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Ame.” She giggled. “If this is the reaction you’re getting, then maybe Tulip was on to something.”

“Don’t you start.” Amethio deadpanned. “If that was the start, then I dread to think of the future crowd I would have to endure.”

“You should hire me as a bodyguard then.”

“When your battling skills get better, I’ll consider it.” Both shared a light laugh as Ceruledge, who came out of its Poke Ball when there was room to breathe, and Floragato looked at each other. Perhaps it was due to the wave of students, but Liko hadn’t noticed Amethio had a cup of ice cream with him until he ate of spoonful of ice cream. When he noticed her eyes on his cup, he shook his head. “I would have offered some, but this is Capsakid Spice.”

“Made from the same Capsakid’s front teeth that tortured you during Mother’s Day?” Liko asked.

“When in a certain amount, yes.” Amethio nodded. “Do you still want some knowing that?”

“If you don’t mind.” She sat down next on the chair next to him as he scooped up some ice cream. Pulling her hair back, Liko waited for Amethio to bring the spoon close to her, allowing her to eat the offered ice cream as he waited for her reaction. Tilting her head, Liko could taste the momentary sweetness before the spicy taste erupted. She coughed a little before turning to Amethio. “This is quite nice! Though, I’m not sure I’m willing to get a double scoop of it or more.”

“At least you’re handling it better than Friede.” He smirked. “He needed about a sundae and two cups of triple scoops to cool himself.”

“You met with Friede again?”

Amethio stopped going for his next bite when he heard her question. Sounded more irritated than he meant to be, he snapped back. “He invited me out for an outing, and I couldn’t say no when I had some time to kill.”

“Is it because of your dismissal from missions for the Explorers?” Liko asked calmly, understanding Amethio was trying to stop her from finding out the reason for their meeting, not knowing she knew about it already.

As expected, his head whipped to her in shock. “Who told you that?!”

“Mr Salty Oni.” Liko answered. “The Explorers were just here to get data on Terapagos, but they failed and retreated a little before you came.”

“To think I could’ve run into them if I came for the tournament earlier.” Amethio sighed, sagging in his seat slightly.

“If anyone in our circle of friends knew, they didn’t tell me. Mr Salty Oni told me after our battle when he asked why I chose to work with you. I told him the truth about Mr Awfully Shy trapping us in a cave and us working together to escape. I didn’t tell him about the Eternal Blessing because I’m not sure how much he knew about it.”

“Most likely not much. Maybe even nothing.” He frowned. “I hadn’t anticipated he would ask you, however.”

“How are you feeling about all this?” Liko questioned.

“Less depressed than I was before.” Amethio answered honestly. Since Liko knew, there was no point in putting up a front. “Hamber, Zirc, and Onia knew of my dismissal from missions after I left to meet with Friede. Friede knew because I told him. I met up with him to talk about what I want to do next, and he offered me a choice to travel with you.”

“Really?” Liko asked excitedly.

“Don’t get your hopes up.” The Explorer said sternly. “It’s merely a choice. After all, it was us collaborating that got me in trouble. Before you ask, no. I don’t and never will regret making the choice to work with you to escape that cave. However, I’m not certain about what I want to do next.”

“What ever it is you choose to do next, I’ll support you.” Liko pulled Amethio’s sleeve down so that the teen would be more on her level when she planted a kiss on his cheek. “You’re the one deciding your path in the end.”

“Liko…” Amethio whispered, astonished. Leaving the unknown feeling in his stomach to stir because of that kiss, he muttered one thing with a small smile. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Did you notice something?” Amethio asked after a beat of silence.

“What is it?”

“You stopped jolting when Mr Awfully Shy is mentioned.” Liko’s eyes widened. She hadn’t noticed it at all after everything that happened to them lately. “You were still jolting before we were trapped in that cave. However, when we began talking in there, your jolts became significantly less. Now, in front of me after separating at Paldea’s Highest Peak, you’ve stopped jolting. Are you feeling less scared about him now?”

“I… actually don’t know. Maybe I am… I’m not sure. But… if I really stopped jolting, then I’m happy. Happy to stop reacting when I hear Mr Awfully Shy!” To her amazement, even though she knew it was coming by saying it voluntarily, she really didn’t jolt or look away when his name was said.

“You’ve made amazing progress.” Amethio remarked as he smiled at his girlfriend, who began cheering.

“Thanks, Thio!” She beamed back. “Now are you finishing that before we go to the tournament?”

“Of course not.” Amethio retorted. “I wish to see Dot’s reaction to this spicy ice cream. Would you mind helping me lie to her?”

“Sure!” She laughed as they got up from their seats, leaving the classroom for the tournament.

Chapter Text

Amethio had a bad feeling, but he couldn’t fathom why. It did not have anything to do with the Explorers or Friede, that was certain. As he kept walking, the feeling got worse despite the poker face he had on while the other students fawned over him as Liko flushed from the attention she got from anyone that noticed her. As he and Liko entered the courtyard though, he could see the reason for that bad feeling as irritation rose in him.

In his peripheral, Amethio could see Roy and Dot snickering away.

Whatever it was they were snickering about, he may have been a factor because when they saw their friends approaching, they laughed even harder.

“Hey, Amethio!” Roy grinned. “Have you heard about this good-looking visitor?”

“Apparently he’s hard to miss.” Dot added on.

“I wouldn’t know.” Amethio shrugged. “Apparently I don’t notice my surroundings that often when I think deeply.”

“Seems like this visitor has quite a unique combination of hair colors.” Roy took a step forward with a teasing grin.

“And quite an interesting eye design.” Dot egged on.

“Sounds like Chairwoman Geeta to me.” Amethio said nonchalantly as he ate his ice cream. Liko turned away to laugh into her mouth while Roy and Dot groaned at the admin’s attempt to avoid the main topic.

“Dot mentioned the visitor is a ‘he’.” The younger boy pouted.

“Give it up, Roy.” His accomplice glared at the unaffected offender. “Looks like Amethio’s not falling for the bait.”

“Glad you realized it.” Amethio nodded. “Want some ice cream? It’s Cheery Cherubi because Friede annoyingly chose it for me.”

“I think you’ll like it, Dot.” Liko supported with a soft smile.

“I do want something sweet after what just happened before you came.” Dot came up to Amethio and accepted the spoon offered, taking a scoop of ice cream and eating it without question. Amethio and Liko watched Dot nod at the taste of the ice cream. Silently signaling a countdown to Liko, Amethio raised three fingers, putting one down slowly after a second.

Then another finger down.

Then Dot’s face changed.

“Wha– HOT! IT’S HOT! IT’S SPICY!” Dot yelled as Roy widened his eyes. The frantic girl glanced around the courtyard for something before making a mad break for the doors, with Quaxwell rushing after his Trainer. Amethio smirked at her retreating back as Liko shook her head at her secret boyfriend’s deceit.

“Did you actually meet with Friede?” Roy asked as he eyed the ice cream longingly.

“I did.” The Explorer confirmed. “He also chose the ice cream the first time. This is my second cup and I never changed the flavors. As you could probably tell, it isn’t Cheery Cherubi.”

“What is it then?” He asked eagerly.

“Capsakid Spice. Friede thought I would lose myself like I did when you unintentionally almost killed me that day.”

“Can I please have some?”

“No.” Amethio answered immediately. “It’s your punishment for the teasing earlier. Much like how Dot is suffering for the same reason.”

“Oh Almighty Supreme Master Amethio.” Roy placed his hands together in a pleading manner. “Would you please let this lowly servant have some of that fantastic ice cream even after that terrible mistake I’ve made?”

“… I’m going to text those two and order them to never address me as you just did.” Amethio grumbled as he took out his Rotom Phone while ignoring Roy’s plea. Roy dropped his arms in disappointment as Liko comforted her friend with a sheepish chuckle.

Amethio snuck a peek at Roy after sending that text and softened his look slightly. Stepping up to the sulking boy, Amethio held out his cup and said. “If you’re willing to throw this away for me, I’ll let you finish up this ice cream. Deal?”

“Deal!” Roy agreed instantly as he took the offered cup with a bright smile. “Thanks, Amethio! Sorry about just now.”

“It’s fine.” He waved it off as he and Liko observed Roy enjoying the leftover ice cream with a red face that was also radiating heat.

“This is so good!” Roy declared, giving Fuecoco the last scoop, while being pleased at only having two spoonfuls of ice cream. “Liko! Let’s ask Friede if we can buy some ice cream before we leave Paldea!”

“Sure!” Just then, Dot and Quaxwell returned to the group, with the girl having slightly wet hair that had the trio glancing at each other in wonder.

“It’s war now between you and me.” Dot declared with panting breaths.

“Haven’t we been at war for some time?” Amethio questioned wryly. “What happened with you?”

“Couldn’t find a water fountain… Had Quaxwell use Water Gun… on me…”

‘At least you had Pokemon use Water Gun.’ Amethio mused unhappily, remembering his soaked bed.

“Isn’t that one right there?” Roy pointed somewhere behind Dot. Everyone turned to see where Roy was pointing and Dot groaned. Not far from the doors that she went through… was a water fountain. A student even went up to it and refilled his water bottle from it while they watched the water fountain as if it would get up and walk towards Dot.

“You must’ve been been desperate.” Amethio quipped unhelpfully, earning a nudge from Liko that he ignored.

“Oh yeah!” Roy exclaimed while turning to Liko. “We heard you passed!”

“Passed?”

“Her usage test.” Dot clarified to the confused teen, who faced Liko with a raised eyebrow.

“Did I not tell you I passed now?” Liko questioned sheepishly as Floragato cried out exasperatedly.

“Please don’t let me catch Friede’s forgetfulness disease.” Amethio pinched the bridge of his nose. “Did it have to do with the others attacking the school?”

“Grusha saw me battle and saving the school, so he changed my failing grade to a passing one.”

“I see…” With a sincere smile, Amethio congratulated the girl. “Congratulations on passing the course.”

“Yeah, we can all Terastallize now!” Roy beamed.

“Are we really including Amethio?” Dot asked dryly while giving Liko a high-five.

“We’re the Scheming Quartet, aren’t we?” Roy answered innocently. “It’d be wrong to not include Amethio.”

Amethio felt uncomfortable by that comment, though he couldn’t discern if it was because of the group name that should be changed in the future to avoid misunderstandings or how easily included he was in their group unlike how things usually are with the Explorers. Ceruledge, who decided to come out of its Poke Ball since the Explorers are gone, noticed its Trainer looking at the ground contemplatively while the kids continued talking without noticing Amethio’s inner conflict.

Fortunately, he was dragged out of his depressing thoughts by a squeal to the side. “You actually came, Amethio!”

“Nemona.” He nodded stiffly at the energetic girl, who once again almost invaded his personal space.

“When I heard about a good-looking visitor, I was hoping it was you. Glad to see you accepted La Primera’s invitation.” Nemona beamed, missing Roy and Dot quietly snickering again at the comment she made while Amethio wanted to strangle the two with his bare hands. “Have you considered my offer to battle?”

“Unfortunately, I have to decline. I’m not in good form now and I would hate to battle while not giving it my all.” Amethio rejected, not noticing Liko’s worried look while Nemona drooped.

“That offer is open in the future. I’m always keen to battle.” She quickly perked up.

“I never really noticed.” Amethio sarcastically replied as everyone laughed.

“Alright, everyone! Break time’s almost over! The second round of battles are going to start soon!” A woman announced while walking around the courtyard, accompanied by Hariyama. Spotting their group, she marched on over with a grin. “Liko! Roy! Glad I caught you.”

“Is anything wrong, Ms Dendra?” Liko wondered.

“Now that you passed the course, Liko, your battle pairing has changed. Students who passed are supposed to face each other.” The teacher revealed while scrolling through her phone. As soon as she found what she was looking for, she turned the phone so that the group could see Liko’s new opponent. “Here’s your new opponent.”

“Huh?!” The group, minus Amethio who remained silent, exclaimed in surprise.

“I’m battling Roy?!” Liko covered her mouth.

“This is going to be awesome!” Roy cheered. “Let’s have a great battle, Liko!”

“This is an interesting turnout.” Amethio nodded with a slight smirk.

“Amethio.” The group stopped their conversation when the teen was addressed, turning to find the chairwoman and director of Naranja Academy approaching. “Might we have a word?”

Liko, Roy, and Dot began to voice Amethio’s innocence in the attack earlier, figuring they were going to question him about it, even though the latter two didn’t know of what had occurred after their separation on Glaseado Mountain. However, Geeta stopped their protest with a raised hand and soft smile. “Don’t worry. We know Amethio is innocent. We just wish to talk with the visitor who caused quite a disturbance in the library with his good looks.”

Amethio groaned while being led away, with Ceruledge by extension, by Geeta and Clavell as Roy and Dot broke down again in unison, with Liko and Nemona sporting their own chuckles at their friend’s situation. “My! What a sweet reunion this is!”

Liko beamed when she recognized the voice in the middle of her laughter. “Katy!” The patissiere had a kind smile as two more people followed behind her.

“It’s truly avant-garde to see everyone well.”

“Brassius!” Roy greeted.

“Ello, 'ello, hola! Ciao and bonjour!”

“I-Iono…” Dot stuttered, quickly shifting from her snarky attitude in front of her idol.

“We had a fun time together on your marvelous airship.” Iono gleefully revealed with her Sharpedo-like grin. “Though I hope you’re okay after biting on my hair clip, Dottio.”

“I-I’m sorry about that, Iono!”

“Nyehehe! Don’t worry about it.”

“I heard your battle opponent has changed, Roy-garde.” Brassius spoke up. “Regardless of who your opponent is, I hope you’ll be able to produce great art.”

“Same here, Liko.” Katy said. “As long as your heart is in it, your upcoming battle shall be a sweet one.”

“Thank you, Katy!” Liko bowed in gratitude. “The sweets you brought over that day was very delicious! Thank you for bringing them over.”

“It’s no trouble at all. Murdock has been quite helpful at the shop, so I wanted to return his kindness as soon as we found out about his situation. I’m pleased to know the sweets are to your taste.”

“If we’re talking about that time, then allow me to express my elation at the avant-garde art you made.” Brassius eyes could’ve twinkled once the subject was brought up. “Hass wouldn’t stop crying at the final art piece you made even until after we returned to school that day. He wanted to ask for your permission to put it on display for the art festival here if Director Clavell approved the proposal we gave.”

“Regarding that, I have already sent an email to Hassel about it.” Clavell revealed as he, Geeta, Amethio, and Ceruledge returned. Liko noted the look Amethio had when he came up next to the three Rising Volt Tacklers. As soon as he noticed her worried eyes, he gestured a promise to talk about it later, and she nodded in acceptance.

“Liko, Roy. It has come to our attention that as a result of Liko’s grade being changed to a passing one, you two will be facing each other, correct?” Geeta clarified. When they nodded, she elaborated. “It appears your heroics has spread around the school and the students wish to see you battle with both your Pokemon despite the tournament being one-on-one.”

“HUH?!” They cried out, not expecting for the school to find out what they did.

“That would explain the whispering I got when I was suffering from the ice cream earlier.” Dot admitted. “But who…?” A tap on her shoulder made the girl turn.

Penny nodded, though there was more depth to it than a simple greeting. And Dot could see it as well. “Penny? You told people?!” The other girl simply smiled and didn’t offer an explanation.

Geeta shook her head tenderly. “I understand if you two wish to decline the special condition I’m offering because Dot didn’t get one. Dot, your opponent was asked if he would like to battle with this special condition as well, but he turned it down because he didn’t have the confidence. I’m sorry you can’t join your friends if they accept.”

“It’s okay. Thank you for asking him first.” Dot thanked the chairwoman, who focused her attention on the two students who were engaged in their own conversation and probably didn’t hear Geeta’s explanation about Dot not receiving the same offer. Soon, Dot was dragged into the conversation unwillingly, causing Amethio to exchange looks with Nemona, as if asking what are the odds he’ll be next. The student champion only offered a meek shrug that was met with a sigh.

Something grabbed Amethio’s wrist that made him flinch minutely. Looking down, he briefly spotted a brown sleeve. Before Amethio could utter a word of protest to Liko’s unwavering eyes, the teen got pulled into the conversation just like Dot did. Ceruledge blinked for a moment at what just transpired before voluntarily joining the other Pokemon, who welcomed the newest member warmly. Nemona and Penny began giggling at Amethio’s so-called prophecy coming true while Geeta and Clavell shared amused looks, especially when they caught Amethio scowling plenty of times in the span of a few minutes. Iono went to take some pictures with her fans after she got a little bored of waiting. Katy and Brassius traded their own fond looks as their students took the conversation more seriously than expected.

Eventually, Amethio huffed and left the discussion first. “I can’t comprehend the reason for my inclusion when I’m not even a participant, let alone a student here.” He muttered as he returned to his place.

“Enroll here, then you’ll be one.” Dot suggested, also leaving the conversation.

“Chairwoman, we accept the offer!” Liko and Roy said as one while bowing together, making the chairwoman nod in acknowledgment.

“Very well. I look forward to the battle later on.” Geeta nodded before leaving with Clavell.

“Amethio.” Nemona spoke up. She pointed him somewhere, or rather someone. “There’s Tulip if you haven’t talked to her since you came.”

“I… haven’t actually. Thank you. Please excuse me.” Amethio quickly excused himself, not eager to hear Roy and Dot tease him about the offer. Contrary to his expectations, the two actually remained silent on the matter even after he departed, and Liko guessed it had to do with the suffering they briefly went through earlier. The three Tera Training students exchanged a few words with their proctors for their basic aptitude tests before Iono left first due to the other students hoping for a photo and autograph. Brassius left next because Hassel called out to his friend about finding a seat for them to spectate the tournament from. However, before the two artists left, the art teacher had asked for permission to use their ‘Bonds’ artwork just as Brassius said he would since Clavell gave permission for an art festival to be held at Naranja Academy in the email he sent earlier, and the former toddlers agreed to have it up for display if they haven’t left Paldea by the time the exhibition started.

“If you’ll excuse me, Liko. Grusha offered to save a seat for me, so I’ll be looking for him now.” Katy said gently as she began to make her leave. Amethio came back to the trio and the four, with their respective Pokemon, searched for seats, which didn’t take long fortunately because Ann was waving around from hers as soon as she spotted her friends. Nemona and Penny went to the side, saying there was someone they were waiting for first before they watch the tournament.

“Thanks for saving us the seats, Ann!” Liko hugged her friend from Indigo Academy.

“No worries!” She winked. “Nice to meetcha in person at the right age, Amethio!”

“Pleased to make your acquaintance.” He nodded in greeting as Ceruledge made itself comfortable next to its Trainer.

“No need to be stiff.” Ann grinned and Amethio found her cheeriness more tolerating than a certain professor’s. Perhaps it was because she hadn’t attempted to rile him up like Friede did.

“… No promises.” Was what he settled on. Ann didn’t mind in the slightest and began initiating a conversation among the five of them while waiting for the tournament to resume. Due to the rumors that spread around the school, the three ‘heroes’ of the school had their battles rescheduled to the end to make a grand finale, which they found to be embarrassing. The lone Explorer didn’t bother helping out their embarrassment by smirking at the news, though he did regret grouping Liko together with Roy and Dot in his pettiness against the two.

The second half of the tournament eventually started and everyone soon forgot about attack and the interesting visitor as they focused solely on the battles in front of their eyes. Each successful attack attracted cheers. Any surprising tactic was met with gasps or even louder cheering.

However, someone else was acting differently compared to the other spectators.

“Why did you make your Pokemon do that?” Amethio grumbled as he continued to criticize a student’s tactics. Rather immerse himself in the fun of the tournament like he intended to, he ended up unintentionally focusing on the strategies and responding to a certain step positively or negatively. Liko tried to help him get out of that habit, but in the end, she found herself enjoying the tournament throughout that she forgot about her initial intentions. When his eyes became too narrow though, the Fire Blades Pokemon nudged Amethio gently, breaking him out of his thoughts easily for once. The admin groaned at what he did again before resolving to immerse himself in the fun of battles for the last time while maintaining focus on strategies to a small degree.

If that backfired… at least he tried to before his friends had their turn. Ceruledge, as if understanding what its Trainer wanted to do, made its own resolve to help its Trainer. Liko also decided to help Amethio learn how to enjoy battles that are conducted for fun since she could tell he was too used to having serious battles for the Explorers. Internally though, she felt guilty for getting into her own mindset instead of helping him like she wanted to.

Once the next battle started, with help from his girlfriend and Pokemon partner, Amethio’s stiff posture relaxed over time and he slowly started smiling. It didn’t become a huge one like what the other others sported, but a small one was a victory for the three of them. He still took in strategies to learn from, but Amethio also learned about the small fun one can have. By the time Dot’s turn came, he felt ready to support without being too serious on the matter.

“Good luck.” He wished the girl. She nodded appreciatively as she met with Iono for small talk. Once the referee, Dendra, declared it was time for the battle to start, Dot took her place as her opponent, who made Amethio blink at his resemblance to Roy, also took his. At Dendra’s call, the battle started with Dot making the first move that ended up making the tide of the battle in her favor. With her mind evidently thinking of strategies for Quaxwell to use, Dot won the battle as soon as she Terastallized the Practicing Pokemon, giving him an even greater boost in supereffective damage to her opponent’s Pokemon. Amethio may not have seen her battle before, but based on Liko and Roy’s remarks, it seemed like Dot had improved her skills.

As soon as the opposing Pokemon fell, the two battlers shook hands and made small talk while someone came up to Liko and Roy to inform them to prepare for their battle. Before they could get up, Ryme performed a rap about the upcoming battle between Liko and Roy, making the two students even more eager about their battle. At Liko’s invitation, Ann and Amethio joined her while she chatted with Katy after asking the surrounding students to save their seats.

“Floragato’s really raring to go!” Ann noted excitably upon noticing the exchange among Dewott, Ceruledge, and Floragato.

“I’m feeling the same!” Liko revealed, exchanging an identical look to her partner.

“Looks like you’ve already put your heart into this.” Katy remarked with a giggle. “This will be a sweet battle.”

With a shy smile, Liko held out Terapagos’s bag to someone. “Could you look after Terapagos for me, Amethio?”

“What makes you confident I won’t take the chance and run away?” He asked with a quirked eyebrow.

She stepped up closer and gestured for him to lean in. Once close enough, Liko whispered. “Your pride and honor. Would you be comfortable returning to the Explorers with Terapagos just like that?”

Amethio clicked his tongue and reluctantly took the bag, conceding the point, as the Tera Pokemon poked its head out of the bag, giving the Explorer an innocent look that Amethio decidedly to never trust ever. “Best of luck. I shall root for you more than Roy.”

“Give it your best shot, Liko!” Ann cheered, echoed by her Dewott.

“Thanks.” Liko laughed, leaving the group to go to the battlefield while Ann and Amethio returned to the spectator seats, being joined by Dot and Quaxwell shortly after. Amethio spotted Nemona and Penny joining the spectators with a third person, whom he presumed to be the person they were waiting for. He also saw members of the Paldea League spread out across the spectator seats.

For the final time of the tournament and possibly the day, Dendra declared the start of the battle, and Liko and Roy sent their first partner Pokemon to attack each other at the same time. However, the attacks nullified when they met in the middle, and the two battlers decided to have a test of speed, pitting Floragato’s Quick Attack against Fuecoco’s Flame Charge.

Then, Amethio knew no more as he found himself at the edge of his seat, mesmerized by the improvement of the two kids he had fought against for the sake of the Explorers. He knew how much Liko had improved since their battle on Glaseado Mountain, but Amethio could tell the girl not only improved further since they last met, but she was also more confident based on the unwavering smile she had. The Explorer wondered if the reason for her smile had been because she had passed the course in the end, but decided to stop overthinking on the matter, feeling that Liko’s confidence was her own well-kept secret he shouldn’t pry into. On the other hand, he hadn’t battled Roy for quite some time. His own improvement was evident despite the simplistic approach used, leaving Amethio with lingering thoughts about their own future battles if they ever had the chance to battle.

Shaking the thoughts out of his head, Amethio returned his focus to the battle, just as Liko called out Hattrem to deal with Roy’s Kilowattrel. However, the Serene Pokemon didn’t last long even after manipulating the Frigatebird Pokemon with Confusion due to Uproar overloading her senses and rendering her open to two consecutive Sparks.

“Floragato is inflicted with paralysis…” Ann mumbled.

“What are you going to do now, Liko?” Dot frowned.

“What’s Hattrem’s Ability?” Amethio, figuring out a way for Liko to have a comeback, asked the two girls, who didn’t have an answer for that as they didn’t know either. As if someone heard his question, it was swiftly answered by Floragato’s eager appearance, no longer restrained by the status infliction. “Healer… I suppose I should thank whoever was listening out there.”

From there, everyone watched as both sides making their own exchanges during the battle.

Floragato and Fuecoco exchanged blows towards each other.

Liko and Roy exchanged words of the journey they had since they began. Be it either at Indigo Academy or Roy’s island, both of them agreed they had grown since then.

“If I’m with Liko…” Roy yelled out.

“If I’m with Roy…” Liko followed suit.

“… I can go even further!” They declared, making Amethio’s eyes widen.

‘Go… even further?’ Amethio looked down, contemplating their words, which he couldn’t do for long when the crowd went wild at something. A migraine was well on its way alongside the annoyance that grew when he realized what was going on. “What’s the meaning of this?”

“It’s Roy and Fuecoco’s new song.” Dot explained, making Amethio sigh.

“… I’m not going to remark on this.” He said, observing the tufts of the Fire Croc Pokemon glowing bright. Unseen to anyone, who were having fun singing with the two, Amethio was unconsciously tapping his heel to the beat of the song. He may not have been joining them out loud, but without realizing, Amethio too joined in.

With everyone’s cheers, Fuecoco jumped into the air, enveloped in a blue light that everyone knew all too well. His form began changing until he was no longer the small Fire Croc Pokemon that they had seen at the start of the tournament. Once the light died down, Roy exclaimed happily. “Crocalor!”

“Crocalor!” The newly evolved Pokemon cried out.

“He evolved…” Amethio said surprised as Dot and Ann cheered. Liko and Roy, with equal determination to win, took out their Tera Orbs from their pockets.

“Sparkle, gem of dreams! Crocalor!” Roy called out as he threw his Tera Orb.

“Floragato! Shine in full bloom!” Liko joined in, tossing her own Tera Orb into the air. When both Tera Orbs reached the peak, they exploded in a light. At the same time, crystals rose from the ground, covering the Pokemon battling at the moment. Shortly after, the crystals exploded, revealing Floragato and Crocalor in their Terastallized forms.

“Flamethrower!”

“Magical Leaf!” Just like at the start of the battle, the attacks nullified when it met in the middle, even with the boost provided by Terastallization. Liko and Roy called for their Pokemon to use Quick Attack and Flame Charge, both Pokemon jumping into the air charged by the attacks used. When they met mid-air, an explosion occurred, preventing anyone from seeing what transpired.

One tense moment later, two figures fell from the smoke, both Terastallizations coming undone due to being knocked out. “Both Pokemon are unable to battle! This battle is a tie!” Dendra announced, creating the biggest uproar since the tournament started that day. In the sea of applause for the amazing battle, there were plenty of theories going on as to what contributed to the battle’s tie.

“Liko had all the strategies.” Ann argued.

“But Roy had the upper hand with type advantages.” Dot countered.

“I suppose not even an evolution could suddenly heal all that accumulated damage.” Amethio mused as he joined the others in applauding Liko and Roy’s battle. Clavell then took the stage to announce the conclusion of the tournament and that students are free to spend the rest of the day however they like since the school had a day off from lessons due to the tournament. Upon hearing that, Amethio excused himself from Dot and Ann, leaving the section he was in to another one. Liko and Roy followed the teen, having noticed him heading somewhere, and were joined by Dot and Ann, who wanted to be busybodies.

“Nemona.” Amethio called, interrupting the excited champion as she was talking to her friends.

“Amethio! Liko and Roy, too! That was an amazing battle, you two!” Amethio’s eyebrow twitched once he heard Nemona addressing the two.

“Were all of you necessary in order to follow me?” He questioned, and only Liko seemed remorseful enough. The others just grinned in a manner resembling Friede's grin that he hated at times, though Amethio figured Ann shouldn’t have seen Friede make that annoying unrepentant grin unless they met at some point without telling anyone else.

“Ah, let me introduce you.” Nemona pointed to her final friend, who stood on her left. “This is Arven, another friend of mine!” He waved from where he stood as the group began introducing themselves.

“Did you want to tell Nemona something?” Arven questioned Amethio, who nodded both in confirmation and thanks for bringing back the topic before they went off-track.

“I’m aware I turned down your offer earlier, but would you like to battle now? There’s something I want to see for myself.” Amethio asked seriously, making Nemona’s eyes sparkle.

“Of course!” She enthusiastically agreed. “Let’s battle now!”

The two newly decided battlers went to Dendra to request her assistance as a referee, and she agreed to it wholeheartedly. The courtyard which had been emptied out once the tournament ended began to fill up once word got around about the school’s champion and visitor were going to battle each other. Even the school staff and Paldea League, who were going to discuss about their own matters, returned to watch the battle.

‘This school is far too gossipy for my liking.’ Amethio thought with a frown as Ceruledge stepped forward in front of its Trainer while Nemona called out Pawmot. As soon as Dendra announced the battle’s start, Amethio wasted no time in having Ceruledge use Psycho Cut. To his annoyance, Nemona did the same thing Liko did when he battled the latter on Glaseado Mountain – have her Pokemon dodge the attack using Quick Attack.

“Use Dig!” Nemona ordered, and the Hands-On Pokemon followed without hesitation, digging itself into the ground and temporarily protecting itself from attacks by the Fire Blade Pokemon. Amethio and Ceruledge watched the trail left behind by Pawmot closely, waiting for it to strike. As soon as Pawmot popped up from the ground and attacked Ceruledge, a brief layer of purple surrounded Ceruledge before it broke into pieces, resulting in a red glow. Without giving a Nemona a chance to figure what happened, Amethio called for Ceruledge to attack with Bitter Blade to regain the health it lost thanks to the supereffective attack.

On the sidelines, the friends of both battlers watched in amazement.

Nemona’s friends knew she had the experience of accepting battles whenever she could while Amethio’s friends knew he only battled out of necessity for the Explorers.

From another view point, Amethio had the experience of battling people around the world while Nemona only battled people in Paldea.

Two different people with different experiences with battles.

Yet… They appeared to stand on equal footing as both Pokemon continued trading blows and evading them.

“This is a great battle, Amethio!” Nemona squealed ecstatic.

“I could say the same for you.” Amethio smirked as both Trainers nodded at each other, taking something out of their pockets.

“Shine blazingly bright, our greatest treasure! Pawmot!” Nemona called as she tossed her Tera Orb.

“I will cut my own path forward! Ceruledge!” Amethio copied the other Trainer as both watched their Pokemon Terastallize into their respective Tera Types, creating their own chaos as the spectators watched the battle’s climax eagerly.

“Discharge!”

“Phantom Force!” Pawmot, powered up electricity waiting to be unleashed, immediately pounced on Ceruledge as it exited from a portal with charged blades, with the battle reaching its conclusion.

==========================================================

Evening…

Amethio, after finally getting the last student to leave him alone when he got surrounded following his battle with Nemona, took a moment to catch his breath. Liko and Roy were talking with some people in the courtyard while Dot was elsewhere. Amethio asked to be left alone upon the conclusion of his battle, and Ceruledge opted to follow him as his partner, and ended up getting swarmed by students in a repeat of what happened in the library.

The battle with Nemona had definitely showed him something alright. Holding up the Tera Orb he got from Hamber, he frowned deeply. Regardless of the result he got from that battle, Amethio knew it wouldn’t be enough to reach the Black Rayquaza.

To reach his grandfather who believed the lies Mr Awfully Shy gave and got rid of his grandson.

At the mere thought of that, Amethio gripped the Tera Orb a little too tightly before relaxing his control. He didn’t have the power for the path waiting for him. He didn’t have a direction that would take him there. He didn’t have a clue to grab hold of with his hands.

Seeing Liko, Roy, and Dot improve during the course had caused Amethio to wonder if he had stagnated. He may have been on equal footing with Nemona, but he could tell she always sought opportunities to improve. The Explorer himself was always moving along with everyone else and yet… he seemed to be behind.

Behind the other admins who only failed the most recent attack thanks to his warning.

Behind Hamber who had years of experience built up.

Behind Friede who managed to best him easily back in Galar even though it took Amethio everything he had to corner the professor.

Behind Liko, Roy, and Dot who wanted to improve their skills and succeeded in doing so together.

He had Zirc and Onia by his side and Hamber who raised him since his mother left. However, it didn’t feel like they could provide enough assistance on his path to move forward, wherever forward was.

In response to that last thought, a particular moment echoed in his mind, resulting in him straightening up.

‘Go even further, huh?’ Amethio thought as he began to call someone on his phone. When his intended recipient answered, Amethio cut straight to the chase. “I’ve decided on my next step.”

==========================================================

The day the Brave Olivine set off for the skies again…

The three young Rising Volt Tacklers who have graduated from the Tera Training course beamed as their respective Pokemon cheerfully reunited with the other Pokemon that belonged to the older members of the same team.

“Great job on passing the course, you guys.” Friede congratulated as he stepped onto the outside deck.

“Thank you!” They thanked as one. “We’re back!”

“Pikachu!” Cap smirked while nodding.

The other members also congratulated the trio on passing the course and welcoming them back on the now repaired Brave Olivine. However, Liko kept looking around, which Friede noticed. “What’s wrong, Liko?”

“I just thought Amethio would be here with us, even if it’s to celebrate the ship’s first take-off in some time.” Liko revealed with a sad smile.

“You really had high hopes for me to be here even though I told you not to.” A voice spoke from Liko’s left, making the girl smile brightly when she saw who just spoke up.

“Amethio?!” Roy and Dot exclaimed in surprise.

“We had a surprise too when Amethio boarded the Brave Olivine earlier.” Mollie revealed wryly as the teen shrugged nonchalantly.

“Friede knew about this and as much as I wish for him to get into trouble for not saying anything, I requested he don’t say anything as I wished to tell you this myself. From now on, I’ll be traveling with you to figure out what I want to do.” Amethio announced, sparking surprise from everyone except Liko and Friede, both of whom simply smiled at Amethio’s choice.

“You’re coming with us?” Roy asked.

“What happened?” Dot followed up.

“What about the Explorers?” Murdock questioned worriedly.

“Don’t you have missions?” Orla joined in. Mollie and Ludlow didn’t say anything and instead waited for Amethio to answer.

“I didn’t say anything earlier because I was still deciding what I wanted to do. Once I did, I realized it’d be easier to tell all of you in one go.” Amethio revealed the events that took place on Glaseado Mountain and then at the Explorers base. A few eyes widened at the mention of the betrayal while someone or two held back from pitying Amethio, knowing full well how much he would hate it. Someone even declared murder on Mr Awfully Shy, making the teen remember what he told Liko when he asked to keep their relationship a secret. “A few hours after the tournament at Naranja Academy ended, I called Friede, asking if I could travel with the Rising Volt Tacklers.”

“What about Zirc and Onia?” Mollie asked.

“There’s no way Master Amethio is traveling without us.” A male voice came from behind Amethio, making him scowl.

“Master Hamber ordered us to make sure Master Amethio is doing fine while being away from the Explorers.” A female voice that held no regrets joined in.

“I thought I told you to drop the title since there’s no hierarchy in the Rising Volt Tacklers.” Amethio grumbled.

“Force of habit, sir.” Zirc said in a tone that contradicted his true intention to continue addressing Amethio as such anyway.

Amethio chose to ignore his subordinates to address the Rising Volt Tacklers again. “I would like to mention for the record I am still part of the Explorers, even if I am disgraced for the supposed betrayal. If I could, I would like to return there. However, as long as this ‘punishment’ exists, I can never do so. That is why I want to ask for your forgiveness. It may seem like I’m using you to get back into their good graces, but I have no intention of doing so. I also want to apologize for all the trouble I’ve caused you guys ever since we began clashing. Since we’re traveling together now, I figured it’d be best to start things anew by asking for your forgiveness.”

“You’re really stiff.” Friede laughed when Amethio finished his speech with a bow. “But you’re not wrong about starting things fresh. If you want our forgiveness, then we’ll ask for yours for stopping your ambitions. We know you have your reasons for wanting Liko’s pendant that is now Terapagos, but since the other members of the Explorers used less than desirable methods, we couldn’t afford to lose no matter what.”

“You only did it because of conflict of interest. There’s nothing to forgive on my end since I usually got in your way.”

“And the same could be said for us.” Murdock smiled.

“So why don’t we forgive each other even if it’s unwarranted so that we can move forward together?” Friede asked gently, and no one objected. “In that case, Amethio, Zirc, Onia. You three may be Explorers, but now you can choose to carry the name of the Rising Volt Tacklers while with us. You don’t have to declare yourselves members just to make us comfortable, but I want to leave a choice for you.”

“Thank you.” Amethio nodded.

“So you’re not going to model for Tulip?” Dot asked.

“No.” Amethio scowled. “In fact…”

==========================================================

During the tournament…

“Excuse me, Tulip.” Amethio addressed the Gym Leader.

“Yes?” She turned and smiled. “Why, Ame-darling. I heard you were back to normal, but seeing you like this, you definitely have an aesthetic for modeling. Are you here to respond to my offer?”

“I am.” He confirmed while being conflicted internally at the nickname she gave him. “I’m afraid I have to turn it down. There’s somewhere I would like to be even though things with them aren’t certain. The path ahead of me is not going to be a smooth one, but I do wish to go back there. However, I would like to ask if it’s possible for that offer to remain open in the future. If things don’t work out in the end, then perhaps I could give modeling a try if the offer still holds when I visit you again.”

“A fine response that is in tune with the aesthetic you’re showing off as you stand before me.” Tulip nodded approvingly. “Very well. Everyone has their own path in life, and certain activities aren’t for everyone. If you return with that marvelous vision of yours, then we shall discuss this topic once more.”

“Thank you very much.” Amethio bowed.

==========================================================

“So a future where you become a model could exist.” Roy beamed.

“Why are you excited?” Amethio snapped before taking a few deep breaths to calm down. “Tulip’s offer is not the only one I can consider in the future if I can’t return to the Explorers.”

“Who else made an offer, Amethio?” Liko questioned.

“You’ll be surprised.” He said dryly.

==========================================================

During the tournament…

“Is my presence an issue because of the Explorers earlier?” Amethio asked once they got some privacy.

“Not at all.” Clavell shook his head.

“We want to apologize.” Geeta admitted. “When we heard about the commotion in the library, we went to investigate it. We saw Liko pulling you away and decided to follow you to talk about the attack. However, we ended up hearing your conversation with Liko. Even though we tried to leave to give you privacy, Floragato and Ceruledge wanted us to stay.”

At that revelation, Amethio glared at Ceruledge, who didn’t flinch at all. “So you know.”

“Yes.” Clavell confirmed. “We know you’re dismissed from missions for helping Liko. We also know how much the Explorers mean to you. That is why we want to know if you have a plan for what’s next.”

“Not at this moment.” Amethio reluctantly confessed.

“Then how about you consider this offer? It’s not an act of pity, but one that could enlighten you if you accept.”

“What’s that?”

“Enroll in Naranja Academy.” Geeta revealed. “The school offers a treasure hunt to students as an independent study subject every year to discover a treasure they can call their own. It doesn’t matter what you choose to declare as your personal treasure because everyone discovers something along the way as they travel around Paldea.”

“Meaning I could find a hint about what I want to do next.” Amethio said thoughtfully. “I did also wished to try enrolling in this academy at some point.”

“Indeed.”

Amethio spent the next few minutes to think about the offer presented. As soon as he came to a decision, he looked at the two adults. “It’s not something I can accept right away, but I would like to ask if this opportunity could be given to me at a later date. Part of me still wants to return to the Explorers even though things look bad for me now. It’s not just a place I’ve know for most my life. It’s a place where I felt like I belonged in spite of the opposition I faced there. If things don’t turn out well after everything, then I would like to revisit this topic if my interest still holds.”

“Fair enough.” Geeta smiled. “We’ll wait for you.”

==========================================================

“So you can either enroll in Naranja Academy or become a model if all this fails?” Dot questioned incredulously.

“Or both.” He revealed. “I spoke with Chairwoman Geeta after I talked with Tulip and she said if I chose both in the end, the school will try to accommodate my schedule if the modeling route turned out to be successful.”

“Mollie, we’ll need to get our own subscriptions if Amethio ends up being a model.” Orla grinned.

“Way ahead of you.” Mollie smirked.

“I’m leaving now.” Amethio threatened as he took out Corviknight’s Poke Ball, making everyone laugh.

“We should throw a curry party to celebrate the new members!” Roy happily suggested.

“We just had curry yesterday, Roy!” Dot pointed out, annoyed.

“Then why not an ice cream party?” Murdock grinned.

“Don’t encourage the sugar rush!” Amethio snapped as Roy turned to the chef.

“We have ice cream?”

“Sure do.” Murdock pointed to the glowering newcomer. “Amethio bought a few tubs from Creative Flavors because he didn’t want to come empty-handed.”

“Creative Flavors?” Liko tilted her head.

“Our designated favorite ice cream parlor in Levincia.” Orla laughed.

“Please tell me you got–?” Roy began to ask, only for Amethio to interrupt with a snap.

“You and I get a tub each. Take my tub out of greediness and I’ll make sure you don’t see the light of day ever again.” Amethio threatened with narrow eyes.

“Hurray!” The younger boy cheered, completely ignoring the empty threat as Amethio rolled his eyes fondly at the display in front of him.

“Why don’t you all get changed? We’ll talk more in the meeting room if you still want that party.” Murdock laughed as Roy left without a moment to waste, followed by a grumbling Dot. The adults of the group decided to follow Murdock’s suggestion and made their way to the meeting room to wait for the younger members. Liko made to follow her friends, but she was stopped by someone else.

“Sorry, Liko, but do you mind staying a little longer?” Amethio requested.

Liko obliged with a confused look. “Is something wrong?”

“Do you still have your fortune that we got on New Year’s Eve?”

“Would you like to see it?”

“If it’s not too much trouble.” Amethio looked away bashfully.

Liko smiled and took out her phone, which had her charm strapped to it. Opening her charm, Liko gave her fortune to Amethio, who gave his own from the same hiding place, citing it wouldn’t be fair if he got to read it and she didn’t.

You got “Good Luck”!

Your year may be a difficult one, but as long as you’re surrounded by a strong source of nutrients, the bud you’ve worked hard to grow will shine in full bloom. A flame will come unexpectedly to help you grow as it leaves the company that limited its potential. Even if it eats you away, help the flame grow as both of you will improve immensely on the path ahead together with your nutrients. This is not a path that you can’t walk alone this year.

“I forgot how these would leave you uncomfortable.” Amethio commented. “However, seeing that it’s somewhat similar to my own, I suppose we’ll be cooperating on a closer level than I did with the Explorers.”

“I look forward to your cooperation, Ame!” Liko grinned even as her hand shook after reading his fortune. “Our fortunes go hand-in-hand, so I look forward to what’s going to happen at the end.”

“Even if it means my return to the Explorers?”

“If it’s the place you’re meant to be, then I can’t stop you.” Liko bit her lip. “This came to mind when you asked for our forgiveness. Do you forgive your grandfather for dismissing you without listening, Thio?”

“…” Amethio frowned, thinking how to answer that. “… Not now. I know how stubborn my grandfather is. Apparently I got my stubbornness from him. Even if he turned out to be wrong, he’ll never apologize for the mistake he made. I want to forgive him because he’s my grandfather and someone I truly look up to, but now… I’m still… how do you put it…?” Amethio frowned even more before knowing the word to use. “Hurt. Hurt by his actions. It’s not something I can forgive right away no matter how much I want to.”

Liko nodded with a soft smile as they lingered around the outside deck. “We’re here, Amethio. I’m not painting your grandfather in a bad light, but I want to say you have people here who are willing to listen to you no matter what. Hamber, Zirc, and Onia are still supporting you. Friede gave you the choice to travel with us when you met up with him. I listened to you just as you listened to me when we were stuck in that cave in Glaseado Mountain together. You may be used to how the Explorers work, but here… we all try to help each other and even listen to each other’s problems.”

“That’s a habit I’ll need to pick up.” Amethio remarked as Liko stood next to him, leaning against a wall. “I’ve always hated asking for help because it made me feel weak. After asking for help a few times though, I realize that’s no longer the case.”

“I’ll be there however I can. Everyone else will too!” Liko beamed as the two lingered on the outside deck a little longer.

However… these two people had forgotten one thing.

With the exception of Roy and Dot, who went back to their own rooms, the rest went to the meeting room. The very room which had wide window and a very clear view of the outside deck.

And therefore, a very clear view of their close interaction. Perhaps it was fortunate for the couple that no one could hear what they discussed as a very active conversation went on in the meeting room while they were talking.

“You can’t tell me those two aren’t dating yet!” Friede exclaimed as his face was planted firmly on the window.

“It’s Liko and Amethio.” Mollie said wryly. “Those two are definitely capable of dancing around each other’s toes without knowing how the other truly feels.”

“Not to mention… Amethio did act as third wheel unknowingly on your date.” Orla turned to Zirc and Onia, who gaped at the engineer.

“How…?” Onia asked.

“Friede said it a little too loudly several days ago. Mollie, who happened to be in another room in the hotel room we shared, told the rest of us with too much amusement in her voice.” She explained as the Pokemon Doctor shrugged without remorse.

“I didn’t expect Master Amethio to admit that to Friede.” Zirc confessed. “It was awkward for a good moment until Master Amethio made himself scarce when he realized why we hadn’t invited him.”

“If you didn’t expect that, then what about the bets we made?” Murdock questioned. “It’s getting more likely for no one to win at any of the criteria we made.”

“Who confessed to who, where it happened, and when it happened, right?” Friede clarified. “I remember betting Amethio would confess to Liko during White Day, so I’m out of the running for the ‘when’ criteria since I heard Amethio stopping Liko from asking further.”

“What about ‘where’?” The female Explorer agent wondered.

“The Brave Olivine.” Friede pointed to the outside deck where Liko and Amethio were still talking, though Floragato, Hattrem, and Ceruledge have left their Trainers.

“Funny how the one who suggested making the bets is already out of the running for one of it.” The chef chuckled.

“Have you seen how they act?” Friede retorted. “It might be something I started on a whim, but if this actually happens, at least one of us is getting richer.”

“Pikachu…” Cap agreed with crossed arms.

“Murdock, you’re also out for ‘when’ if they’re dating now.” Mollie revealed after flipping through several pages of a familiar purple covered book.

“Huh?! What did I bet on?”

“Christmas this year. You even added a reason – They met on Christmas when they were younger, had a huge revelation on Christmas last year, the two of them had fun on Christmas. Their next big milestone should be on Christmas.”

“Ah… I did put that down.” Murdock rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as his Rockruff cheered.

“Can you tell us about the bets for ‘where’?” Orla requested.

“Friede confirmed his bet himself, but Zirc also put down the Brave Olivine. Onia put down a cafe. I wrote in front of a fountain. Murdock wrote in front of a Christmas Tree.” She gave a deadpanned look to Murdock, who gave an embarrassed grin at his obvious hope for the confession to be on Christmas. “Orla wrote in front of us wherever we are, with a reference to her own confession to Friede back on Valentine’s Day. Gramps wrote somewhere away from civilization like a hut or a mountain.”

“Since Murdock desperately bet on Christmas, who made the confession?” Onia cheekily asked.

“Liko.” He answered without hesitation. “Amethio made the first move with the plush that became her treasured friend, so I was hoping Liko would make the first move in getting a life partner after all these years apart and months fighting.”

“Deep but reasonable.” Zirc nodded approvingly. “I put the Brave Olivine because it’s where Friede and Orla confessed, followed by Onia and I even though the betting happened before we confessed.”

“Reasonable.” Mollie echoed.

“Friede! Why did you have to tease Amethio so much?” Orla scolded. “If you hadn’t, then maybe they would be more willing to reveal their relationship.”

“I can’t help it!” Friede laughed unrepentant. “Amethio’s so much fun to tease.”

“And you wonder why he’s annoyed with you.” Onia grinned.

Ludlow quietly sipped his tea as he recalled the conditions he bet on while everyone else chattered on.

Liko would nudge Amethio to make the first move.

In a place away from civilization.

Where they were alone. Just the two of them and their Pokemon if they were present.

‘Support comes in all forms. No matter what happens, no one can walk a path alone without some sort of support.’ Ludlow mused.