It was two days of travel time before Timothy, Coovers, Gwen, Electchu, and Winnie made it out of the mountains. Gwen forced her companions to ride longer than ever on both days, making the time for meals and sleeping shorter. The men grew fatigued with Coovers whining wherever the group went up a hill. Timothy tried to hide that he was more tired than Coovers was with Electchu on his back, but it was clear to Coovers and Electchu that he was struggling. The only thing that comforted Timothy was seeing Gwen looking at her necklace sometimes when they would stop for meals, and she also wore it when she went to sleep.

It was the afternoon on the third day when they finally entered Glimwood Tangle. As Gwen described, the forest was thick, with only bioluminescent mushrooms to light the area. Though their legs were aching from still being on their bikes, Timothy, Coovers, and even Gwen were relieved to walk on level ground in the shade. They enjoyed looking around to see the beauty of the mushrooms shining in bright colors, giving the forest a colorful glow.

Eventually, Gwen turned her bicycle into a phone to check the time and found that it was half-past eight, so she decided to stop for dinner. Timothy and Coovers didn't hesitate to get off their Rotom Bicycles and lie on the ground. Gwen set up a fire and began cooking ramen while Timothy and Coovers dozed off on the ground, and Electchu and Winnie decided to play while they waited for supper. As the ramen boiled, Gwen poured food for the Pokémon, deciding to let Timothy and Coovers continue napping. When the food was ready, she gently nudged the drowsy men with her foot, and they reluctantly got up to take out their Pokémon and sit beside Gwen while they ate.

"Had a good nap, boys?" Gwen asked after slurping a forkful of ramen.

"Aside from a big root on my back, yes," Coovers said with a yawn.

Gwen lightly chuckled and said, "Well, the good news is Ballonlea's not too far from here. I'd say it's another hour or so of riding before we get to the Pokémon Center and sleep in nice, warm beds."

"Sounds perfect," Timothy said. "Though, I hope you don't plan to get this carried about your schedule, Gwen."

"That all depends on you with your next Gym Battle, Mr. Durbin," Gwen said matter-of-factly, pointing at Timothy with her fork. "If we weren't on a mission, I'd enforce my schedule a little less, but since we have a region to save, you can rest as much as you like after Chairman Rose is behind bars. If we're extremely lucky, though, he might be impressed enough after you win your fifth badge."

"Why's that?" Coovers asked.

"Because fewer Gym Challengers compete at this point," Gwen answered. "By the time trainers are challenging either Gordie or Melody for their sixth gym badge, there are only ten people still competing, if even that. It usually takes more than one try to beat one of Circhester's Gym Leaders, people have trouble finding the seventh gym in Spikemuth, and only a couple of people beat Raihan to get their final badge."

"When you put it like that, the Galar League won't be much of a tournament," Timothy said.

"Not necessarily. Gym Leaders and Trainers who have completed the Gym Challenger in past years are allowed to compete, giving them a chance to face Leon if they win the Championship Cup," Gwen said.

"That sounds like a disadvantage for anyone who has struggled to beat said Gym Leaders," Timothy said.

"Yeah, well, we can't all be trainers who have won Pokémon Leagues before," Coovers pointed out with a smirk.

"Heh. I guess not," Timothy said. "All the same, I think we can count on Ezria and Venarge to be among the few people besides me to get all eight badges."

"Maybe one of them might fail, and that might impress the chairman more," Gwen said. "Personally, I hope that person is Ezria."

"What a shock," Coovers said sarcastically. "Though she's still the only person among Rose's inner circle that likes Timothy, so it might be best that she's not."

"I was afraid you'd say that," Gwen huffed.

"Same here," Timothy said. "I stand by what I said about not wanting to interact with her more than I need to. Heck, I'm partially glad we've been behind the other challengers, so I don't-"

"Raichu!"

"Lucar!"

"Zoorrrr!"

Everyone turned to Electchu, Odyssey, and Zoroark, who faced the forest on all fours glaring with electricity coming out of Electchu's yellow cheeks. Before Timothy could ask what was wrong, three fuchsia blurs zoomed past Timothy, Coovers, and Gwen. They looked around to see where the blurs were coming from until they spotted three fuchsia goblin-like creatures standing several feet in front of them. They had pointy ears, long noses, and fanged mouths with their purple tongues sticking out. One was carrying a backpack. The Pokémon snickered mockingly at Timothy, Coovers, Gwen, and their Pokemon as Timothy took out his Rotom Phone and scanned them.

"Impidimp. The Wily Pokémon. A Dark and Fairy type," Rotom said. "Impidimp's nose sucks up negative energy from people who are angry or annoyed with its pranks, giving it health and energy."

"Annoying people with pranks? Great, that's all we need when we're not in town yet," Coovers grumbled. "Maybe that backpack is something they took for a prank."

The Impidimp snickered again and took out Timothy's Dynamax Band, Coovers's hat and goggles, and Gwen's necklace. Timothy, Coovers, and Gwen's eyes widened, and they checked to see that their items were gone.

"Hey, give us our stuff back!" Gwen shouted.

The Impidimp mockingly laughed again in response, and Timothy clenched his teeth.

"Alright, if that's the way it is, Electchu, Iron Tail! Poliwrath, Hydro Pump! Odyssey, Bone Rush! Shockwave, use Disarming Voice! Blitzwing, Steel Wing! Knightblade, Flash Cannon!" He shouted.

"Samurott, Razor Shell! Krookodile, Rock Slide! Chandelure, Fire Spin! Zoroark, Fury Swipes! Braviary and Klinklang, use Steel Wing and Flash Cannon too!" Coovers yelled.

"Winnie, Fire Punch! Spoink, Power Gem! Noctowl, Peck! Cufant, Iron Head! Mudbray, Bulldoze! Drifloon, Gust!" Gwen shouted.

All eighteen Pokémon abandoned their food and went after the Impidimp, unleashing their respective attacks, but the Impidimp dodged them in a blink of an eye. Timothy, Coovers, and Gwen's Pokémon looked around before they found one Impidimp up on a tree, another hiding behind a bush, and another standing on a mushroom. They attacked again without their trainers telling them to, only for the Impidimp to dodge again with ease. On and on, Electchu, Poliwrath, Odyssey, Shockwave, Blitzwing, Knightblade, Samurott, Zoroark, Krookodile, Klinklang, Braviary, Chandelure, Winnie, Spoink, Noctowl, Cufant, Mudbray, and Drifloon tried to hit the mischievous wild Pokémon until they began to tire. The Impidimp crackle at the three Pokémon parties, with one of them lowering its eyelid and sticking its tongue out more.

"Good grief. Your Rotom Phone wasn't kidding when it said these termites get energy from people being angry or annoyed," Coovers said.

"I wish they weren't part Dark type so Shockwave could just catch them all with Psychic," Timothy said.

"Please, Impidimp, give us our stuff back," Gwen begged.

But the Impidimp laughed again and blew raspberries before running away in different directions. The Impidimp wearing Coovers's hat, goggles, and the backpack ran on the left path, the one holding Timothy's Dynamax Band ran on the right, and the one with Gwen's necklace went straight. Timothy's eyes were fixed on the one holding the necklace, and he clenched his teeth again before turning to his Pokémon.

"Everyone on my team, follow me!" He commanded.

"Timothy, wait!" Coovers shouted. "If you keep being angry, the Impidimp will -"

But before Coovers could finish his sentence, Timothy, Electchu, Poliwrath, Odyssey, Shockwave, Blitzwing, and Knightblade were out of sight. Coovers sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose while Gwen looked at where they last saw Timothy worriedly.

"What do we do now?" She asked.

"Well, we have no choice, do we?" Coovers huffed. "We might as well go after the other Impidimp."

"But we can't catch up with them. They're too fast." Gwen said.

"We're just gonna have to be careful," Coovers said. "Remember, they get their energy from people being annoyed and angry. If we find them and keep our cool, we might find them and be able to get our stuff back."

Gwen took a moment to think about it before she nodded and said, "Okay, it's worth a shot. You go after the Impidimp with your hat and goggles, and I'll get the one with Timothy's band. Be careful, though. If you get lost, find the road and go to Ballonlea."

"Right. Good luck," Coovers said.

"You too," Gwen replied.

Coovers raced to the left path with Samurott, Zoroark, Krookodile, Klinklang, Braviary, and Chandelure, while Gwen went right with Winnie, Spoink, Noctowl, Cufant, Mudbray, and Drifloon. Gwen and her Pokémon scanned the area, looking closely at the trees, mushrooms, and tall grass that the Impidimp might be hiding. As they went deeper into the forest, Gwen grew worried about Timothy going after the Impidimp that had her necklace so recklessly. She put her hand on where her necklace was as she looked in the direction of where she last saw Timothy.

"Timothy, please be careful."

***********************************************************************************************

Timothy kept a livid expression as he and his Pokémon ran down the path. All reason was replaced with thoughts of his Pokémon clobbering the Impidimp that stole his present to Gwen. He didn't care how he would stop Impidimp from getting away. As far as Timothy was concerned, all that mattered was getting the necklace that made Gwen so happy.

The man in the "H.A.K." shirt and his team ran until they found the path split into four paths. Timothy's Pokémon grew uneasy, while Timothy grumbled and turned to Odyssey.

"Use your aura to track it!" He ordered.

Odyssey knelt down and placed its paw on the ground with its eyes closed. Timothy waited restlessly until Odyssey's eyes snapped open and, with a loud "Lucar!" ran to the first path on the left. Timothy and his other Pokémon ran behind Odyssey until they found themselves in a rift. Impidimp was wearing Gwen's necklace and dancing in the middle of an old, narrow log that bridged between the two cliffs, unaware that its pursuers were right behind it. Timothy glowered at the Wily Pokémon and got on the log with Electchu, Poliwrath, Odyssey, and Shockwave, while Blitzwing and Knightblade levitated behind them. The sound of feet stepping on the log caught Impidimp's attention. It turned around to see Timothy and his Pokemon coming toward it.

"One last chance, you little devil." Timothy snarled. "Give me the necklace, or face the consequences."

Impidimp blinked before it burst out laughing as though Timothy was a little child trying to act tough. It further stuck out its tongue again and sprinted to the other side.

"After it!" Timothy shouted.

Timothy and his Pokémon began chasing Impidimp again, but when they were halfway through, they heard a crack coming from under the log and froze in place. Timothy, Electchu, Poliwrath, Odyssey, and Shockwave looked down to see the log slowly breaking. Timothy's face fell, and his heart sank as he turned to his Pokémon, his mind instantly on their safety.

"Run!" He screamed.

Electchu, Poliwrath, Odyssey, and Shockwave didn't hesitate to turn back and run, with Timothy following behind. Their fear grew as the log bent, slightly lifting both ends. Before Timothy, Electchu, Poliwrath, Odyssey, and Shockwave made it to safety, the log broke in two, and they began falling to the deep, dark abyss below.

Blitzwing and Knightblade flew down to the rescue, but as they caught up to their friends, they realized they could only save two. Realizing the same thing, Timothy instantly decided to tell Blitzwing and Knightblade to forget about him and try to save his other Pokémon, but he knew that some would fall to their end with him. His heart sank further as he accepted his doom before hearing a woman scream.

"Doublade, Weezing, Scyther, save Timothy and his Pokémon now!"

Timothy heard the sound of three Pokeballs bursting open, and a Scyther, a Galarian Weezing, and a gold, gray, and purple Doublade dived down toward Timothy and his Pokemon. Scyther flew under Shockwave, so it landed on its back. Weezing flew in front of Odyssey so it could wrap its arms around Weezing's larger head's hat-like tube and placed its feet on its head. Doublade flew in front of Timothy, and he grabbed it by the handles of its swords. With all but two of their friends saved, Blitzwing caught Electchu with its back, and Knightblade flew in front of Poliwrath so it could grab its sword by the handle. Doublade, Weezing, Scyther, Blitzwing, and Knightblade carried Timothy, Odyssey, Shockwave, Electchu, and Poliwrath, respectively to the other side of the cliff, where Timothy kept himself from showing dread over who was waiting for them.

Ezria watched her Pokémon partner carry Timothy with her hands held up and clasped together. Her eyes were filled with horror and relief, with a tear coming out of her left eye. She tried to smile, but her mouth was shaking. As soon as Timothy's feet touched the ground, Ezria pulled him into a spine-crushing hug. She eased up, feeling as though Timothy was automatically protected in her passionate embrace. Timothy squirmed before he reluctantly hugged Ezria back, hearing her sniffle as she rested her head against his.

"I have never been so scared in my life," Ezria whispered into Timothy's ear. "When I heard your voice from a distance, I was thrilled, but when I ran over just to see that log break, I thought I might just die."

Timothy bit the inside of his mouth before he awkwardly patted the back of Ezria's head.

"My Pokémon and I are okay, Ezria," he said. "We're alive thanks to you."

Ezria sniffled again and moved her head back to give Timothy a smile and a nod. She patted his cheek before turning to Doublade, Scyther, and Weezing. Ezria opened her arms, and Doublade and Scyther went over to be hugged. Weezing waited until Ezria was done before she walked over to it and gave it a hug and a kiss on its large head's cheek.

"Sweeties, lovelies, darlings, I'm so proud of you," Ezria said. "Neither of you hesitated to do your part in saving them. I am truly blessed."

"Doublade," Doublade said.

"Sky," Scyther said.

"Weezing," Weezing rasped.

Ezria turned to Blitzwing and Knightblade and said, "And let us not forget our other two heroes of the day: courageous Blitzwing and dear, valiant Knightblade."

"Braviary," Blitzwing said.

"Aegislash," Knightblade said as Ezria hugged it affectionately.

Doublade levitated to Knightblade, and the brother-sister duo nuzzled. Ezria put her hand on her heart at the sight before she turned to Timothy and said, "I told you those two won't always be apart."

"You did," Timothy said. "Speaking of which, what are you doing here? Not that I'm not grateful or anything, but what brings you out here in the middle of the forest?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Ezria said.

"Ladies first," Timothy said.

Ezria smirked and said, "Fair enough. I was on my way back to Hammerlocke after winning my fifth badge."

"This late at night?" Timothy questioned.

"What can I say? I wanted a head start," Ezria answered with a shrug. "Anyway, I was walking down the path when three Impidimp came out of nowhere, and one of them stole my backpack. I was trying to hunt them down before I found you and your Pokémon falling to your near doom."

"Wait a minute. Did you say the Impidimp stole your backpack?" Timothy asked.

"Yes, why?" Ezria asked.

"I think Coovers, Gwen, and I came across the same Impidimp," Timothy said. "One had a backpack, and they each took something from us. My Pokémon and I ran after one of them."

"What did they take from you?" Ezria asked.

"One of them took Coovers's hat and goggles, another took Gwen's necklace, and the third one got my Dynamax Band," Timothy answered.

"What?! Your Dynamax Band!?!" Ezria shouted in sudden shock before she realized something. "Hang on, since when does Gwen have a necklace?"

Timothy stood still as he realized what Ezria might do if she found out Gwen's necklace was a gift from him. He muttered incoherent words for a moment before he said, "She, uh, bought it at Stow-on-Side. It's a necklace of the ancient mural."

"Oh, how nice," Ezria said, though Timothy could tell she didn't mean it from the tone of her voice. "Naturally, you won your fourth badge there."

"Naturally," Timothy said with a smirk. "We were eating dinner before coming into town when the Impidimp came."

Ezria's face went sour, saying, "I take it Gwen is forcing you to ride day and night without any sleep."

"No, she isn't forcing Coovers and me to ride all day and night," Timothy said.

"Don't lie to me, Timothy. I see the circles under your eyes," Ezria hisses.

"Er, okay, we haven't been getting a healthy amount of sleep," Timothy admitted. "But Gwen has good reason to make us do it. We've been falling behind you and the remaining challengers."

"That's no excuse," Ezria said. "Trying to catch up is all well and good, but not even a trainer as wonderful as you can handle partaking in the Gym Challenge half-dead. Besides, you don't need to worry about catching up at all. The remaining Gym Challengers, including Venarge, lost against Opal today. I alone crushed her in one go. You only have to worry about catching up with me, and as of now you don't have to worry about that."

"What do you mean?" Timothy asked.

Ezria gave Timothy an alluring smile and stroked his cheek as she moved closer to him.

"I mean, I have decided I'm not leaving this forest without you," she said. "You are being mistreated by a companion who thinks she can handle guiding you through my beloved Galar even though she's just some dimbo from Johto."

She takes Timothy's hand and holds it up to her.

"You need a woman who cares about your health and can safely guide you through the region at a reasonable pace. I don't care if it makes more sense that we don't travel together because we're competing against each other. I would rather risk that by traveling through the rest of the Gym Challenge with you than risk your ability to make everyone marvel at how mighty you are."

Timothy's free hand turned into a ball of fist as he resisted the urge to rebuke Rose's minion for calling Gwen a dimbo.

"It's not that I don't appreciate your concern, Ezria, but I share Gwen's determination," he said. "It is tough, but I have personal reasons to rely on how Gwen guides me through Galar, even if she is from a different region like me. It's important to me that I finish the Gym Challenge as quickly as possible."

"Maybe so, but I can't allow you to make that sacrifice, and if Uncle Rose were here, he'd feel the same way," Ezria said. "We're traveling together again for the rest of the Gym Challenge. I will not take no for an answer."

Timothy squirmed and tried to think of a way to shoot down Ezria's idea so neither he or Gwen would have to deal with her for the rest of the journey. Then, Coovers's words about playing along for the sake of the mission rang in his ears, and Timothy mentally whined, accepting that Ezria backed him into a corner by bringing up Chairman Rose. He let out a heavy sigh before nodding with a fake smile.

"Okay, you can travel with Coovers, Gwen, Electchu, Winnie, and me for the rest of the challenge," he said.

Ezria's face brightened, and she pulled Timothy into another affectionate hug, much to the joy of Knightblade, Doublade, Weezing, and Scyther. When Ezria broke the hug, she stared deep into Timothy's eyes with another kittenish smile that made Timothy look away and clear his throat.

"Let's go back to tracking the Impidimp," he said.

Ezria pouted, wanting to enjoy what she thought was a moment with Timothy before she nodded and said, "You're right. We better find them before we lose my backpack and your Dynamax Band for good."

"And Gwen and Coovers's things too," Timothy said.

"Yes, their stuff too," Ezria said half-heartedly.

Timothy furrowed his brow at Ezria's lack of care for his companions and turned to Odyssey.

"Odyssey, track Impidimp using aura again," he said.

Odyssey nodded and got down on one knee with its paw on the ground again. Everyone waited until the aura Pokemon sprung up and began following tracks with its aura. Timothy and Ezria followed Odyssey with the other Pokemon coming behind them, still eager for payback. As Ezria walked beside Timothy, she glanced at him and smiled with her cheeks pink.

"Look at him so determined to get his Dynamax Band back," she thought. "This must be what he looked like when we went to take down Team Rocket and save the world. I wish I could have been there to see him this way if it is. He is so handsome with this look in his eyes."

Ezria smirked and looked at the path Odyssey was leading everyone with a keen look in her rose-red eyes.

"My path is clear. I must use this little adventure to show Timothy he can rely on me," she thought. "I'll bring those troublesome Impidimp to their knees, forcing them to give his band back before he does anything with his Pokémon. After saving his life and returning what was stolen from him, he will realize he needs me."

**********************************************************************

Coovers and his Pokemon have been wandering through the forest for the past half hour. They searched through every square inch they came across, but the only things they found were other wild Pokémon like Spritzee, Swirlix, Phantump, Shiinotic, and the like. Eventually, they reached a cliff at the end of the path, and Coovers groaned before he and his Pokémon turned around to find the road.

"Where's Ash's pal, Clemont, when you need him? He could probably make something to track the Impidimp down," he whined.

Coovers and his Pokémon eventually found the road and followed it until they found themselves in a town deeper into the woods. The illuminating mushrooms stood taller than the town's houses, stores, and the Pokémon Center. Some mushrooms were twice the size of the buildings. At the end of the road was Ballonlea Stadium, glowing brighter than the mushrooms. Coovers walked further into town until he found a tree stump next to a larger tree to sit on with his Pokémon. He slapped his cheeks to stop falling asleep again before taking out his Rotom Phone from his pocket. He tried to call Gwen, but there was no signal.

Luckily, right before Coovers tried to reach Gwen again, he saw Gwen, Winnie, Spoink, Noctowl, Cufant, Mudbray, and Drifloon coming over to him and his team. Gwen looked at Coovers, defeated as he stood up to meet her.

"Didn't find them, huh?" Coovers said.

"No. I couldn't find the Impidimp anywhere," Gwen said.

Coovers sighed and pursed his lips.

"Maybe Timothy will get lucky and find all three of them," he said.

"But how can he catch them when he's so cross, thus still giving the Pokémon their energy?" Gwen asked.

"Well, then we're just gonna have to hope Electchu remembers what Timothy's phone said and gets him to cool down," Coovers said.

"Do you think that'll work?" Gwen asked.

Coovers let out a light chuckle and looked at the outskirts of the town.

"If I can count on one soul to knock some sense into Timothy when I can't, it's Electchu," he said. "That Raichu is very observant, and it's taken advantage of Timothy understanding it multiple times. It even gave him the idea to use the Master Ball to free Arceus."

A short smile appeared on Gwen's face before she looked at the outskirts too and said, "I hope you're right. It's getting very late, and I'm worried Timothy will wander too far. We should find him together and convince him to come back."

"But what about our stuff?" Coovers asked, turning to Gwen. "I mean, sure, I'm not going to cry if I don't get my hat and goggles back, but what about Timothy's Dynamax Band? He needs it for the Gym Challenge."

"I know, but that won't matter if we can't find Timothy," Gwen pointed out. "I'm afraid of never seeing my necklace again, but right now, I'm more worried about Timothy's safety and the safety of his Pokémon."

"You're right. Our friends are more important." Coovers said with a sigh before his eyes widened in realization. "Hey, where did you get that necklace anyway?"

Gwen froze in place with her eyes wide and her cheeks pink. She looked away from Coovers to hide her blush while playing with her ponytail. Coovers tilted its head and took a step to look at Gwen's face when a voice came up behind them.

"Excuse me."

Coovers, Gwen, Winnie, Samurott, Spoink, Klinklang, Noctowl, Krookodile, Cufant, Zoroark, Mudbray, Braviary, Drifloon, and Chandelure all screamed and turned around to see Opal standing right behind them. The Gym Leader stood like a statue while using her umbrella as a cane. Coovers, Gwen, and their Pokemon eased up until Opal walked up to Coovers with a subtle look of disdain in her blue eyes.

"You, sir, are really lacking in the color pink," Opal said.

"Uh, yeah. So what?" Coovers asked.

"You should be ashamed of your tacky sense of fashion," Open said before turning to Gwen with a wrinkly smile. "Unlike your friend who has a suitable amount of pink. Though, I disapprove of how she has covered it."

Gwen looked down to realize Opal was referring to her wearing her black jacket over her pink blouse. She looked back at Opal, who stroked her chin as she looked at Gwen's purple pants. Gwen grew uncomfortable with how the gym leader looked at her and loudly cleared her throat.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but if you're done talking about our outfits, maybe you could spare some time to help us?" She requested. "Our friend is lost in the woods with his Pokémon, and we need to find him."

"I will assist you only if you do two things for me," Opal answered.

"And they would be?" Gwen asked.

Opal reached behind her back and took out a large shopping bag with a look in her eyes that made Coovers uneasy.

"You put these on to make up for what you lack," she said.

Coovers took the bag and took out a pink pair of sunglasses. He chuckled nervously and said, "I'd rather not."

"You will if you want to find your friend," Opal said. "I want you to wear all of them to compensate for the lack of pink in your hearts."

Coovers chuckled nervously again and hesitantly put on the sunglasses. He then reached into the bag and put on a pink beanie hat, pink gloves, and a pink poncho with magenta and taffy stripes. Samurott, Klinklang, Krookodile, Zoroark, Braviary, Chandelure, Winnie, Spoink, Noctowl, Cufant, Mudbray, and Drifloon all began snickering until Coovers lowered his sunglasses to glare at the Pokémon, forcing them to be quiet. He then turned to Gwen with a pleading look.

"If Sonia comes out of nowhere and sees me like this, please end my life," he whispered.

Gwen turns away to hide a giggle from Coovers and Opal. She then took a moment to collect herself and faced the Gym Leader again.

"What's the second thing we need to do?" She asked.

"You have to correctly respond to my quiz," Opal stated. "Question: what is my very favorite color? First choice, pink. Second, purple."

Coovers looked at Opal, perplexed that she was wasting time with a quiz, before he rolled his eyes and said, "Obviously, the answer is -"

"Second choice, purple," Gwen interrupted.

"Correct," Opal said with a roll in the tongue.

"What?! How can you make a fuss over whether or not we're wearing pink when it's not even your favorite color?!" Coovers shouted.

"Because I want to see pink in others, but not necessarily on myself," Opal replied.

"But how did you know that was the right answer, Gwen?" Coovers asked.

"Because of how she was looking at my pants," Gwen answered.

"Yes, your pants are a delightful shade of purple," Opal said. "On to my next question. What is my age? First choice, sixteen. Second, eighty-eight."

Coovers and Gwen looked at each other hesitantly, both silently debating whether or not Opal was giving them another trick question. After half a minute of debating, Gwen shrugs, allowing Coovers to make the call.

"Second choice: eighty-eight."

"Wrong." Opal said with her eye twitching.

"What? How is that wrong?" Coovers asked.

"Factually, you are correct, but your skills for tact are a fail," Opal explained.

"Er, with all due respect, madam, that doesn't make me wrong if I still answered your question correctly," Coovers said.

Opal gave Coovers a dark look that gave him a twinge of fear as though she were a cranky schoolteacher ready to discipline a child.

"It seems you lack more pink on your heart than I thought," Opal said as she took out another shopping bag. "You must put these on as well."

Coovers reluctantly took the bag, and the blood drained from his face as he looked at what was inside. He turned to Gwen with a look for help, but Gwen shook her head despite feeling sympathetic for her friend. Coovers whimpered and looked back at the forest.

"Timothy, where are you?"