Timothy grew more annoyed the further he went into the forest. For what felt too long for him, Odyssey was still tracking the Impidimp with its aura with Timothy, Ezria, Electchu, Poliwrath, Shockwave, Blitzwing, Knightblade, Doublade, Weezing, and Scyther following. The fact that Odyssey could find the Impidimp with Gwen's necklace gave Timothy hope that it would find it, but as time went on, he began to think the Wily Pokémon was so far away that he'd have to track it to the other side of the region.

It did not help that Ezria was still with him. The raspberry-haired woman constantly glanced at Timothy as they walked side by side. But despite her flirtatious demeanor, Ezria was also feeling restless.

"How much longer until that stupid Lucario finds those devils?!" She grumbled in her mind. "I know I should be grateful that I have Timothy away from his companions, but I don't know how long I can wait to punish those Impidimp."

Ezria took a deep breath through her nose to control her emotions. She glanced at Timothy again and noticed his posture was weakening and his eyelids were growing heavy. Ezria considered they stop and camp for the night, but her camping gear was with her stolen backpack, and it did not seem wise to let her guard down when the Impidimp might strike again.

"Maybe if we talk while we walk, he'll be more awake," Ezria thought with a smile. "Might as well when it's just our Pokémon and us."

Ezria cleared her throat to catch Timothy's attention and asked, "How's your leg?"

Timothy looked at her confused until he realized what she was referring to and plainly answered, "It's fine. Fully healed."

"I'm happy to hear it," Ezria said.

Silence overtook them, and Ezria took a moment to think of what to ask next.

"Did you enter the World Coronation Series?" She asked.

"I did," Timothy replied.

"What is your ranking?" Ezria asked. "I'm doing very well so far at 2,966."

Timothy scoffed in amusement and said, "Yeah? Well, I'm 989."

Ezria gasped loudly and stopped walking, making everyone else stop.

"989?!" She asked with a smile covering half of her face. "Timothy, that's incredible. How did you find the time to get into the Great Class so quickly?"

Timothy's smirk turned back into an annoyed look, and he said, "A few of your fans entered just to challenge me because of your little interview and made me battle them."

"Oh, so you watched my interview?" Ezria asked.

"No, but your fans told me all about it," Timothy said.

"Well, can't I help it if I want everyone to know you're a hero?" Ezria asked with a playful pout. "Besides, you took down that Dragapult blocking your train, didn't you?"

"Coovers, Gwen, and I worked together to stop it," Timothy said before he reluctantly admitted, "But it was Shockwave who made the final move."

"Ha! I knew it!" Ezria exclaimed proudly. "The people on that train must adore you."

"If the train operator does, he did a poor job showing it cause the train went past us shortly after we took down Dragapult," Timothy said.

"What?!" Ezria exclaimed. "Unbelievable! I think people would be more grateful that you took down a Dynamax Pokémon for them."

"On that, we agree," Timothy said. "We had to hitch a ride with someone to get to Hammerlocke. That's how we fell behind you, Venarge, and all of the other challengers that made it past Kabu. Well, that and, again, your peeved fans."

"Oh? What do you mean?" Ezria asked.

Timothy rolled his eyes, knowing Ezria was playing ignorant, and said, "Apparently, some of them think you have a thing for me."

"Really? Who?" Ezria asked, keeping up the act.

"An annoying trio by the names of Mojo, Stan, and Kibau, and then some wealthy guy named Bard, who you shut down," Timothy said

"Oh, yes. Dear Bard," Ezria said with a dramatic sigh. "He and his mother are such passionate souls. I don't know how I brought myself to let him down."

"I'm sure it broke your heart," Timothy said sarcastically. "He demanded that I give him Knightblade so he can give it back to you."

"He what?!" Ezria shouted. Her reaction was sincere this time. "Bard is over-determined, but I can't believe he would take his rejection that way. How could he feel he can take what I willingly gave you?"

"He and his mother believed I manipulated you into thinking that I saved the world and won the Johto and Hoenn Leagues, leading you to give me Knightblade," Timothy answered.

"That's ridiculous. Lance confirmed to Uncle Rose that you did all of those things. I said so in my interview," Ezria said. "Besides, it's not like your accomplishments are all I know about you. I know about your dream, noble heart, and family, and I can testify to how strong you are in battle. So, I know more about the person I gave my Pokemon to than just his image as a legend, so who cares what people like Bard think? Right?"

"Uh, yeah, right," Timothy agreed.

Ezria smiled, and he and Timothy turned their heads to focus on following Odyssey. Timothy grew uneasy with how Ezria seemed to sincerely care about him to the point of being afraid for his life. It showed there was more to her than her flirtatious side and her pride as a trainer and follower of Chairman Rose's ideals. Timothy still knew Ezria's care for the safety of the people and Pokémon in Galar was limited, but he wondered if there was good in Ezria that he might be able to reach out to and bring her to support the mission. He pondered on the possibility until Ezria spoke again.

"Timothy, I just realized something," she said.

"Oh?" Timothy asked.

"I know a lot about you, but you don't really know a lot about me, do you?" Ezria said. "You only know about my Pokémon, how I battle, and that Venarge is my brother, but nothing else." She moved closer to Timothy while they were still walking, her rose-red eyes looking at his green eyes with a kittenish stare. "If you would like, you could use this time to get to know me better while we still haven't found the Impidimp yet."

Timothy furrowed his brow and rebuked himself under his breath for getting his hopes up for the chairman's minion. But then his face softened, and he looked down in thought.

"If she's giving me permission to ask anything about her, maybe she can tell me something useful for the mission," he thought. "It's a long shot, but maybe she'll say something that can be used to get inside the Energy Plant or something personal to convince her that what the chairman is hoping to do is wrong. Yeah. Maybe there's a good heart deep down that needs to be found."

Timothy lifted his head and smirked in confidence.

"If there's a way we can save Galar without things getting messy, I'll take it. I'm gonna start with basic questions and then work my way there."

With that, Timothy looked back at Ezria and said with a smile, "You know what, Ezria? That's a great idea. I don't know why I didn't think of it before."

Ezria's face lit up, and she said, "Wonderful! So, what would you like to know? Ask me anything."

Timothy scratched his chin in thought and asked, "Where in Galar are you from?"

"Born and raised in Wyndon," Ezria answered proudly. "My parents run one of the best power plants in Uncle Rose's company."

"Did that lead to you meeting Rose?" Timothy asked.

"Heavens, no. Uncle Rose has known Venarge and me ever since we were born," Ezria said. "Even if my father's plant is just a part of Marco Cosmos, Uncle Rose considers everyone under his employment to be his friends, and through that friendship, he was around to visit my family wherever he had the time."

"Wow, he sounds more friendly than I give him credit for," Timothy said. "I'm guessing that's what made him an uncle to you and Venarge?"

"More so than any other family in the corporate world who works for him," Ezria boasted. "I guess you can say he admires our spirits as children who wanted to become Pokémon trainers. That's why, when Venarge and I turned ten, he gave Venarge a Galarian Zigzagoon, and he gave me two Honedge as our partners."

"Wait, he gave you two Pokémon when Venarge only got one?" Timothy asked.

Ezria chuckled with her mouth closed and gave a devilish smirk.

"Uncle Rose is not very subtle," she said. "He justified giving me two Pokémon by pointing out they're siblings, and Venarge always wanted a Galarian Zigzagoon as his Pokémon partner so it can become an Obstagoon. Both of those things are true, but I knew they were excuses to try to hide that I'm the favorite. It doesn't help his case that they were very rare Honedge; purple eyes, red blades, and their arms were both purple and red."

"Heh, I can relate. My grandmother wasn't subtle about me being her favorite grandchild," Timothy said.

"I believe you," Ezria said, giving another flirtatious look before she continued. "Unfortunately, my parents were not as supportive. They forbade us to be Pokémon trainers officially. They wanted us to grow up and take over the family power plant and so they sent us to a school that revolved around business. Uncle Rose respected their wishes, but that didn't entirely stop us from being Pokémon trainers. On summer and winter breaks, Uncle Rose would take us on trips through Galar to experience many things our beloved region has to offer. During those trips, we captured enough Pokémon to have full parties, trained them with our partners after school when we came home and battled every trainer we came across."

"Well, I can respect that kind of support as a trainer myself," Timothy said. "So, did you and Venarge officially become trainers when you guys finished school and became adults?"

"I'm afraid not. Mother and Father got their way for a few more years with us working for them," Ezria said. "Of course, that didn't suit well for many people."

"What do you mean?" Timothy asked.

"Well, I don't want to brag, but over the years, I gained an excessive amount of popularity," Ezria said with another proud smile. "I made a doting impact on my teachers, my classmates, and the trainers I came across during those trips with Venarge and Uncle Rose. Eventually, after finishing school, I became a representative of the family plant, which meant appearing publically with Uncle Rose and other representatives of the power plants in his company. Before I knew it, I became adored by every soul in Galar. The best part is there were events like fundraisers, charity balls, and things like that which involved people competing in Pokémon battle tournaments, so I could publicly show how strong I am with my Pokémon. Again, at the risk of being prideful, I won every tournament I could compete in, and people and Pokémon love me even more for it. The only downside is I found myself surrounded by men who try to woo me."

"Yeah, that sounds like a tragedy," Timothy remarked.

"No, I'm being serious, Timothy," Ezria said, waving her hands defensively. "Many men have tried to get me over the years, but none were sincere by any stretch of the imagination. It's about my looks, wealth, and skills as a trainer. Men tried to impress me with nice words and maybe show off what Pokémon they have. And then you have guys like Bard, who think we're a good fit not only because of their Pokémon but how successful they are. That's why I disguise myself in large cities to avoid coming across them. Now that it comes to it, that's all the more reason why I value the day we met."

"What do you mean?" Timothy asked.

Ezria's flirtatious look turned into a heartfelt smile.

"You are a well-accomplished and strong trainer, but you don't flaunt it as a means to woo me," Ezria said. "Even when you talk about putting arrogant trainers in their place or announce your ranking in the World Coronation Series, you are speaking to me as a person, not a prize. You see more than just my public image, and I'm grateful that you're that kind of person, Timothy. Grateful with all my heart."

Timothy's heart grew heavy, but he forced himself not to show it. He looked down at Electchu, who gave him an unsettled look. Timothy took a quiet breath to keep on the act and looked at Ezria with a forced smile.

"Well, I hope I can always be that kind of friend to be thankful for, Ezria," Timothy said.

Ezria winced at the word "friend" but gave Timothy an appreciative smile. Timothy smiled back, hoping his choice of words might help the raspberry-haired woman know that he wasn't interested in her. The two of them became silent again while following Odyssey until Timothy decided to investigate further.

"So, what made you and Venarge finally partake in the Gym Challenge when you're working with your folks?" He asked. "Did you two quit?"

"Sort of," Ezria answered. "I wouldn't say we quit so much as transferred to work for Uncle Rose with a new job that just happens to require that we partake in the Gym Challenge and the World Coronation Series."

"So, Rose made up an excuse to allow you and Venarge to finally be Pokémon trainers?" Timothy asked.

"Oh, no. Uncle Rose is not very good at lying. My parents would have caught on in a millisecond," Ezria said. "No, Uncle Rose has a legitimate project where he needs to sponsor powerful Pokémon trainers like myself and Venarge to take part in. One that not only will benefit Marco Cosmos in the long term but all of Galar."

Timothy's eyes widened, and he thought, "No way. She must be talking about what they're planning to do with Eternatus. This might be my chance to convince her to take me to the Energy Plant before I even need to finish the Gym Challenge."

Timothy turned his look of surprise into a look of intrigue, and he asked, "Oh? And what might that be?"

Ezria gave Timothy a sad smile and said, "I'm sorry, but that's confidential information."

"What? Come on," Timothy said with a pout. "You said I can ask you anything, and I really want to know what has given you the chance to live out your dream finally." He moved closer to Ezria with his eyes fixed on hers. "I don't want to be left not knowing everything about you, Ezria."

Ezra's heart skipped a beat, and she stopped walking with her cheeks beet red. Timothy mentally kicked himself in the head for leading her on without thinking, but at the same time, he couldn't throw away the opportunity. Knightblade, Doublade, Weezing, and Scyther beamed out of hope for Ezria, while Electchu, Poliwrath, Odyssey, Shockwave, and Blitzwing mentally prayed that the raspberry-haired woman would cave. Ezria looked away and played with her fingers as she fought the temptation. Finally, after debating with herself for half a minute, she collected herself from her bashful state and turned to Timothy with a sweet smile.

"Okay, let's make a deal," she said. "What Uncle Rose has planned will take place sometime after the Gym Challenge, so when we both have all of our Gym Badges, I will show you what he has planned."

Timothy and his Pokémon, excluding Knightblade, wanted to scream at the top of their lungs with Odyssey yelling, "Come on!" in its Pokémon language. Even Knightblade, Doublade, Weezing, and Scyther were surprised that Ezria did not yet trust the man she liked so much that she would tell Timothy of Chairman Rose's plan. Timothy furrowed his brow in disappointment before forcing another smile that made Ezria's heart race.

"I'm gonna hold you to that," he said. "Be forewarned; I might never forgive you if you go back on this deal."

Ezria looked at Timothy, bemused by the extent that he expressed his desire for her to tell the secret. She decided to let it be for the sake of her wish to be with Timothy and said, "I'm a woman of my word, Timothy."

"Good. Then we have an accord," Timothy said, offering his hand.

Ezria smiled again and firmly shook Timothy's hand. The two trainers and their Pokémon continued their trek through the forest with the agreement made. Ezria's cheeks were pink from the feel of Timothy's hand when they shook, but in her mind, she worried about how she would convince Chairman Rose to let her uphold her part of the deal.

"Don't fret about it, Ezria. Uncle Rose will let you take Timothy to the Energy Plant. He loves you too much to deny such a request. Besides, he's Timothy Durbin: the Hero of the World. Who else would Uncle Rose let in on his dream apart from our family? He's far more worthy than that airhead, Leon," She thought. "But what if Uncle Rose doesn't allow me to do it no matter how much I plead? Timothy said he'll never forgive me if I don't tell him. If Uncle Rose deems it too risky, I might lose him. I don't think I can-"

"Luca!"

Ezria breaks her train of thought at the sound of Odyssey hissing and looks to see the Aura Pokémon stretching its arm out. Everyone stopped, and Odyssey signaled Timothy and Ezria to walk over to the bushes in front of it. The two of them came to the bushes with Electchu following and looked beyond the bushes to see the three Impidimp a few yards away.

The Wily Pokémon were dancing and singing, with one dancing on Ezria's backpack and wearing Coovers's hat and goggles, the second one holding Timothy's Dynamax Band in the air with both hands, but Timothy's eyes were on the one wearing Gwen's necklace. His hands turned into balls of fists, and he took a step toward the Impidimp, but Electchu pushed him back with its tail and shook its head.

"Come on, Electchu, let's get them!" Timothy whispered.

But, Electchu shook its head and whispered, "Rai," and "Raichu" multiple times. Timothy scratched his chin in thought as Electchu spoke and huffed in defeat.

"What's wrong?" Ezria asked.

"Electchu remembers my Rotom Phone saying Impidimp get their health and energy from people who are angry or annoyed," Timothy said. "The thing is, I'm still pretty peeved, and Electchu thinks that might give Impidimp the energy they need to escape again even if we take them by surprise. I don't think I'll ever really calm down until we get our stuff back."

Ezria furrowed her brow, sympathetic to Timothy's situation, but then something clicked in her mind, and she looked at Timothy and the Impidimp that had his Dynamax Band before a mischievous smirk entered his face.

"Of course. He's upset because that Impidimp, in particular, stole what he needs to complete part of his dream," she thought. "Well, don't you worry, my sweet knight. Your queen is more than happy to come to your aid again."

With that, Ezria turned to Doublade, Weezing, and Scyther and gestured to them to come over. Her loyal Pokemon obeyed, and they huddled together as she whispered her plan to them. Timothy and his Pokémon watched curiously until Ezria and her Pokémon broke the huddle and hid behind the bush. Ezria winked, before she turned to the Impidimp, and held her hand up. Scyther's scythes glowed light blue, Doublade slightly unsheathed its sword with its blades also glowing light blue, and small clouds of smoke were coming out of Weezing's larger head's mouth. The Pokémon waited eagerly as their raspberry-haired trainer grinned.

"I'm not angry or annoyed. I'm excited. Excited to make those Pokémon pay for wronging my one and only." Ezria thought.

She moved her arm toward the Impidimp, and Weezing zoomed toward them. Its large head unleashed thick, black smoke from its mouth, covering the Impidimp. The Wily Pokémon coughed violently, and Doublade charged with its swords completely unsheathed while Scyther fired multiple light-blue, glowing energy blades from its scythes. The blades hit the Impidimp wearing Gwen's necklace. Doublade cut the Impidimp with Coovers's hat and goggles and Ezria's backpack with one sword, and the Impidimp holding Timothy's Dynamax Band with the other sword.

The third Impidimp dropped the band and tried to run despite being unable to see anything, but Ezria threw a berry into Weezing's larger head's mouth, and it unleashed purple rings of energy from its mouth, hitting the Impidimp. Doublade and Scyther continued to use Sacred Sword and Air Slash, respectively, at the other two Impidimp. The Wily Pokémon screamed in both pain and fear. The one with Ezria's backpack and Coovers's hat and goggles took off the backpack so that it could run away with Coovers's hat and goggles flying off its head in the process. When the smoke cleared, the remaining two Impidimp were lying on their bottoms, covered in scratches, and shivering in fear of the bigger and stronger Pokémon surrounding them. Doublade spoke to the Impidimp with venom in its voice, and the Impidimp took it off Timothy's Dynamax Band and Gwen's necklace before they ran away.

Timothy, Ezria, and their Pokémon waited a moment to make sure the pranksters were truly gone, and Ezria stood up to applaud Doublade, Weezing, and Scyther. Her Pokémon rushed over to her, excited to receive more hugs and kisses from their beauteous trainer. Meanwhile, Timothy and Electchu grabbed Gwen's necklace and Coovers's hat and goggles. Electchu put on the hat and goggles while Timothy checked the necklace and thanked the heavens that it wasn't damaged. He put it in his pocket just before Ezria tapped his shoulder, and he turned around to see her holding his Dynamax Band out to him.

"Ezria, I don't know how to thank you," Timothy said.

Ezria smiled and took Timothy's left hand to put on his Dynamax Band. Suddenly, Ezria tugged his arm, pulling him closer to her so she could kiss him on the cheek. Timothy's eyes widened, and his face turned red, having never felt a woman's lips before. Ezria let out an "Mmmmmm" as she held onto the kiss while caressing his other cheek. Electchu, Poliwrath, Odyssey, Shockwave, and Blitzwing watched in shock with Electchu's ears, and Odyssey's appendages sprung up. Knightblade and Doublade looked at each other, struggling to control their excitement, Scyther beamed, and the edges of both of Wezzing's mouths curled up despite their look of anguish.

After several seconds, Ezria pulled back with her hand still on Timothy's cheek. Her cheeks were maroon, but she was too happy to care.

"Consider that my fee," she said.

Timothy continued to stay still for a moment until Electchu poked him with its tail. He slapped his cheeks to stop blushing and cleared his throat.

"Anyway, it's getting late. Gwen, Coovers, and Winnie are probably really worried about me," he said.

Ezria clenched her teeth while smiling with her mouth closed at hearing Gwen's name.

"You're right. They could be anywhere in the forest," she said. "I suggest we make our way into town, so we can use Odyssey's aura to retrace our steps when we find your friends."

"Good idea," Timothy said.

With that, Timothy and Ezria returned Poliwrath, Shockwave, Blitzwing, Weezing, and Scyther. Ezria took her backpack and with Odyssey using its aura again, they walked back to the cliff with Electchu, Knightblade, and Doublade. When they came back to the rift, Ezria showed them a path around it leading to Ballonlea, explaining how she was on that side when Timothy and his Pokémon were chasing Impidimp. Ezria's heart was a flutter during the entire walk, while Timothy mentally beat himself up for feeling bashful over being kissed on the cheek by a woman who wasn't Gwen. The raspberry-haired woman glanced at Timothy's hand as they walked next to each other again and reached out to take it before she retracted it.

"Patience, Ezria. Patience," she thought to herself. "You had your first kiss on the cheek with him, and his reaction was so adorable, but he still hasn't fallen for you yet. He says you are just friends, but he's clearly hiding his feelings. Just wait a little longer, and he'll be the one taking your hand, and as soon as he does, you know he's yours. Before you know it, your knight will desire nothing but your hand in marriage and to battle by your side forever."

Finally, after nearly an hour of walking, they found the main road and began walking down to Ballonlea. By now, Timothy and Electchu were growing tired, and Ezria hoped they would be too exhausted to look for Coovers, Gwen, and Winnie. Her hopes were dashed, however, when they entered the town and found Coovers and Gwen still talking to Opal with Winnie, Samurott, Spoink, Klinklang, Noctowl, Krookodile, Cufant, Zoroark, Mudbray, Braviary, Drifloon, and Chandelure. Timothy's friends and their Pokémon were also growing tired, drained as they were still taking Opal's quiz.

"Madame, with all due respect, how much more of your quiz is left?" Gwen asked, struggling to be calm.

"This question is the last one," Opal replied.

"Finally," Coovers grumbled.

Coovers and Gwen's Pokémon grumbled in agreement.

Opal closed her eyes and stood still in silence, putting Coovers, Gwen, and their Pokémon in suspense. Then she pointed her umbrella past them, and asked, "Who are those approaching from over there?"

Coovers, Gwen, Winnie, Samurott, Spoink, Klinklang, Noctowl, Krookodile, Cufant, Zoroark, Mudbray, Braviary, Drifloon, and Chandelure all turned around to see Timothy, Ezria, Electchu, and Odyssey walking over to them. Their eyes lit up, and they rushed over to their friends, not paying attention to Ezria beside them. Timothy, Electchu, and Odyssey smiled as Gwen ran over to hug Timothy, making Timothy blush as he hugged her back and earned a dark look from Ezria.

"I'm so glad you're safe," Gwen whispered.

"Sorry I worried you. I won't rush in like that again," Timothy whispered back.

"You better not," Gwen said.

They held onto the hug for a few more seconds before reluctantly breaking it. Timothy then snapped his fingers and took out Gwen's necklace from his pocket. Her eyes lit up, and she took it from his hand to hug the plastic jewel before Timothy put it back on. Timothy smiled to see his crush so happy until he heard Electchu and Odyssey snickering. He looked to see that they were looking at Coovers and his Pokémon. Coovers wore pink sunglasses, a pink beanie hat, pink gloves, a pink poncho with magenta and taffy stripes. Samurott had a pink scarf around its neck, Krookodile was also wearing pink sunglasses, Klinklang had ribbons tied on its spike gear, Zoarak was wearing a pink coat and clip-on earrings with aqua plastic jewels, Braviary was wearing a pink scarf and a pink flying cap, and Chandelure was wearing a pink bandanna with pink pearl necklaces hanging on its arms. Ezria burst out in high-pitched laughter, and it took a moment for Timothy to process what was happening before he began chuckling.

"What on Earth happened to you guys?" Timothy asked.

But instead of a direct answer, Coovers snatched his hat and goggles from Electchu's head, glaring at Timothy, Ezria, Electchu, and Odyssey.

"If you breathe a word of this to anyone, they will never find your bodies," he growled.

Samurott, Klinklang, Krookodile, Zoroark, Braviary, and Chandelure made similar threats in their languages, but their grumpy demeanor only made Timothy, Ezria, Electchu, and Odyssey laugh more. Gwen and her Pokémon lightly giggled until she noticed Opal standing beside her, looking at Timothy, Ezria, Electchu, and Odyssey.

"I thought staying here and waiting would be better than searching in the dark. Although, their entrance could use some work," Opal said. "And I must say, I'm surprised to see you back, Ms. Ezria. I thought you left hours ago."

"I did, but then I ran into some Impidimp, who stole my backpack. I was chasing after them when I bumped into Timothy, who was chasing them too." Ezria said.

"Is that so? Oh, the Impidimp are such mischievous Pokémon," Opal said with an amused smile. "Though, I suppose it's too late at night for you to travel again."

"I'm afraid so," Ezria said before she put her arms around Timothy and pulled him to her with a cheerful smile. "That's partly why I decided I'm staying here until after Timothy wins his Fairy Badge, and then we're going to travel to the next town together with our friends."

"Wait, what?" Coovers asked.

Gwen furrowed her brow and said, "I thought we agreed you shouldn't travel with us again, so you and Timothy are as clueless as possible about what to expect from each other in battle."

"That was before I found out you've been forcing poor Timothy to spend long nights traveling with little sleep," Ezria said with a hard glare. "He denies it, but after traveling with you before, it's obvious you've been mistreating him. I mean, look at him!"

Ezria pointed at the circles under Timothy's eyes, and Gwen winced, having never noticed. Coovers took this moment to take off his pink sunglasses to show the circles under his eyes to back up Ezria, his mind on getting lots of sleep. Opal looked at both men and Electchu as well and tsked.

"Ms. Ezria makes a good case. It is important for travelers to be well-rested no matter the circumstances," she said before turning to Timothy. "In fact, I will personally schedule your battle with me tomorrow to not commence until the afternoon. You better use that time to get lots of rest, young man. Understood?"

"Er, yes, ma'am," Timothy said.

"Good," Opal said with a wrinkly smirk. "I shall expect to see you rested and ready to battle at three o'clock. Until then, I bid you all a good night."

With that, Opal turned around and exited away, using her umbrella as support for each step. When she was out of sight, Gwen turned to Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu and scratched the back of her head with a guilty look.

"I'm sorry, guys. I guess I have been getting carried away," she said.

"Don't worry about it. We needed to catch up, and you did what you had to to make that happen," Timothy said with a smile.

"Oh, don't be overkind, Timothy. Your eyes are growing heavier by the minute," Ezria rebuked. "From now on, you will be sleeping regular hours during the rest of the Gym Challenge, even if I have to force you into your sleeping bags with my Pokémon."

"Well, when you put it that way, maybe there's more to benefit from you traveling with us again besides the mission," Coovers mumbled.

"Alright, we understand," Gwen said, resisting the urge to talk back.

"Good. Now that that's settled, Let's get a room for tonight," Ezria said.

The rest of the group nodded before Timothy, Coovers, and Gwen returned Odyssey, Samurott, Klinklang, Krookodile, Zoroark, Braviary, Chandelure, Spoink, Noctowl, Cufant, Mudbray, and Drifloon. They followed Ezria to the Pokémon Center with Electchu and Winnie. As they walked, Gwen lifted her necklace to her and smiled in relief. She turned her head to Timothy, thankful for what he did until she looked at his Dynamax Band, and her eyes widened.

"Wait a minute. He went after the Impidimp that took my necklace." she thought. "Does that mean he cared more about getting that back for me then...?"

Gwen's cheeks heated up, and her pupils shrunk. Then she shut her eyes and slapped her cheeks.

"Take it easy, Gwen. You're reading too much into this," she thought. "He did it because he's your friend. Maybe he just wanted to catch one of the Impidimp no matter what they had. Yeah, he was so annoyed that he chased after it without thinking."

Gwen smiled, satisfied with her logic, but then her confidence weakened, and she looked at Timothy again.

"Then again, he has been charming lately, so intentionally going after my necklace over his band makes a little more sense." Gwen thought. "But why do I get the feeling I want that to be the case?"