A crowd surrounded the destroyed portion of Hammerlocke's wall. A news reporter was still covering the battle at Hammerlocke Hills in front of the hole. Construction workers and their Pokémon began moving large chunks of the wall out of the street. Citizens looked at the large gap in the wall and whispered amongst themselves in fear. Timothy watched through the windows of the Pokémon Center's main lobby, uneasy.

Timothy felt two arms wrap around him from behind and turned his head to see Ezria resting her chin on his shoulder. She gave Timothy a smile she thought he'd find cute as she hugged him.

"See all those construction people and their Pokémon cleaning the mess? They're so quick and efficient," she said. "I guarantee they'll fix the wall in no time. It'll be like nothing happened."

"That's not what I see," Timothy said. "I see people and Pokémon afraid because a rampaging Dynamax Pokémon destroyed the wall that's supposed to protect them."

"That's why we're going to do better next time," Ezria said.

"Why you're going to do better next time," Timothy corrected.

Ezria shrugged uncaringly and said, "Well, if you're going to focus on details."

Timothy rolled his eyes as Ezria turned to focus on the rubble being cleared outside. Then Ezria felt her Rotom Phone vibrating from her dress pocket.

"You have a call from Aunt Oleana. You have a call from Aunt Oleana," Rotom said.

Ezria sighed and reluctantly let go of Timothy to answer her phone. Timothy returned to watching the commotion outside as Ezria talked to her aunt. After a couple of minutes, Ezria hung up the phone and patted Timothy's back with an excited grin.

"Looks like I got my chance of redemption sooner than I hoped," Ezria said. "A Gigantamax Lapras is heading to a port town close to Spikemuth, and Aunt Oleana has ordered us to stop it."

Timothy furrowed his brow and said, "I hope she intends to give us transportation to get there right away."

"We don't need to do that," Ezria said. "Doublade and Knightblade can fly us there."

Timothy looked at Ezria, puzzled and asked, "Can we do that?"

"Of course. They are Pokémon that levitate, and they're strong enough to carry us," Ezria said. "I've heard a pair of thieves in Kalos did that with their Doublade and Aegislash a few years ago."

"Do you think Knightblade and Doublade are fast enough to get there?" Timothy asked.

"They should be. The Gigantamax Lapras is going to be at the town in five hours," Ezria said. "If we leave the moment our Pokémon heal up, we should be there before it attacks."

Timothy gave Ezria a skeptical look before he silently accepted there was no better option. Just then, they heard a jingle from the speakers in the ceiling. Nurse Joy came out of the emergency room with an Indeedee pushing a cart carrying Electchu and a tray containing Doublade, Knightblade, Poliwrath, and Blitzwing's Pokéballs. Timothy and Ezria smiled at the timing as they walked over to grab Electchu and their Pokéballs.

"Your Pokémon are in perfect health," Nurse Joy said with a smile.

"Thank you, Nurse Joy," Timothy said.

"Yes, thank you," Ezria said.

They took their Pokéballs, and Electchu hopped off the cart before they exited the Pokémon Center. Timothy and Ezria took Knightblade and Doublade out, and Ezria stepped in front of them with her hands behind her backs, acting like a commanding officer.

"Alright, my lovelies, listen up. We have a Gigantamax Pokémon to deal with, and it's to the east end," she said. "We need you to carry the three of us all the way there in less than five hours. Can we count on you to do that?"

"Doublade," Doublade replied.

"Aegislash," Knightblade said proudly.

"Alright then. Let's go save the day," Ezria said.

Doublade and Knightblade turned around for Ezria and Timothy to get on, respectively. Ezria stepped on both sides of Doublade's plaque and grabbed the pommels at the bottom of its swords to hold on to it. Timothy climbed on Knightblade, put his feet on the pale purple end of its arms, and grabbed its handle. Electchu climbed on Timothy's back, wrapped its arms on his neck, and wrapped its tail around his torso. Knightblade and Doublade rose until they were higher than Hammerlocke's walls, and Ezria took out her Rotom Phone.

"Aunt Oleana sent me the coordinates to the port town. We're going straight east. Just follow behind me," she said

"Alright. Knightblade, Doublade, let's go. Give it everything you've got," Timothy said

The sword siblings made calls of agreement and dashed east, going so fast that Timothy and Ezria nearly lost their grip. As the passengers regained their hold on Knightblade and Doublade, Ezria laughed, enjoying the ride. Electchu, however, tightened its hold on Timothy, shaking and whimpering, and it took a while before Timothy began to enjoy the ride. But though he was having fun, he mentally prayed that they'll be able to stop the Gigantamax Lapras in time and that Ezria would take protecting civilians seriously.

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

After a few hours of flying, Timothy, Ezria, and their Pokémon began to see red clouds at a distance, and Timothy ordered Knightblade and Doublade to ride faster, eager to get to the city on time.

But when the port town came into view, they saw that the Gigantamax Lapras was already there. Some buildings closest to the dock had been reduced to rubble. A handful of trainers were at the dock using their Pokémon to attack Gigantamax Lapras with their ranged attacks, but most had smaller Pokémon with weak attacks. Gigantamax Lapras fired a massive stream of water that hit their Pokémon. When the water cleared, most Pokémon were lying unconscious, and their trainers returned them before running for their lives.

"Will you look at that? They tried to deal with a Gigantamax Pokémon with their weak Pokémon," Ezria said with a condescending smirk. "How foolish yet noble."

Timothy and Electchu glared at Ezria for her supercilious view. Timothy then looked down to see the trainers that still had able Pokémon continuing their attack despite many of their Pokémon barely pulling through after getting hit by Gigantamax Lapras using Max Geyser. But then Timothy looked surprised to find Ned standing at the center of the group, pointing at the Gigantamax Pokémon as his Exploud used Hyper Voice, his Vanilluxe used Ice Beam, and a Duosion using Psybeam. Timothy could faintly hear his friend shouting, "Don't give up! Keep going," to the other trainers. He smiled at the stout man's bravery and turned to Ezria.

"Ezria, keep Gigantamax Lapras' attention away from the town. I'm going to talk to the trainers below," he said.

Ezria turned to Timothy with a skeptical look before she scoffed and said, "Fine, but don't take too long. I need you to have my back."

"Understood," Timothy said. "Knightblade, fly down over there."

"Aegis," Knightblade said reluctantly, sharing its former trainer's view of the matter.

The Royal Sword Pokémon descended to the ground, and Timothy and Electchu hopped off while Ezria took Scyther and Weezing out of their Pokéballs. Timothy and Electchu ran over to Ned with Knightblade floating behind. Timothy tapped Ned's shoulder, and Ned turned to him, surprised.

"Timothy? What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Ezria and I were sent here to battle the Gigantamax Lapras," Timothy said.

Ned's eyes widened, and he looked around for Ezria until he heard the sounds of Ezria shouting orders, explosions, and Gigantamax Lapras screaming from behind. Ned's heart raced at the sound of Ezria's voice, and he turned his head to see her standing on Doublade as Scyther and Weezing attacked with X-Scissor and Belch, respectively. Ned stared at Ezria in awe, still infatuated with her despite being let down, until Timothy snapped his fingers in front of his face.

"Ned, focus," Timothy said. "What are you doing here?"

Ned smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

"Sorry. I came to this town searching for trainers in the Great Class to challenge when the sky turned red, and we saw Gigantamax Lapras coming toward us," Ned explained. "We tried to stop it, but you might have seen that it just took down a bunch of our Pokémon. Exploud and Vanilluxe pulled through, and Duosion used Protect, but that Max Geyser took out my Whirlipede and Sudowoodo."

"Do you have a sixth Pokémon with you?" Timothy asked.

"Yeah, but it doesn't have any ranged attacks. That's why I didn't take it out," Ned said.

"That's fine," Timothy said. "Ezria and I are going to take it from here and try to keep Lapras away from the town. I need you and the other trainers with able Pokémon to get civilians far away from here in case something goes wrong. Can I count on you?"

"Leave it to me," Ned said with a thumbs up.

Timothy smiled and nodded before he and Electchu got back on Knightblade again. The Royal Sword Pokémon took off and charged toward Gigantamax Lapras. Scyther and Weezing had landed several hits on the gigantic Transport Pokémon. Timothy tossed a Pokéball into the air, and it burst open to reveal Blitzwing already having its eyes fixed on their opponent.

"Let's make this quick, everyone!" Timothy shouted. "Blitzwing, use Aerial Ace, then Knightblade, use Flash Cannon! Aim below its shell!"

Blitzwing dived down and, with one flap of its wings, flew so fast it became a blur before slamming into Gigantamax Lapras' side. Knightblade created a white ball in front of its shield and waited until Blitzwing got out of its line of fire to fire a white beam that also hit Gigantamax Lapras' side. Gigantamax Lapras squealed and lowered its head with its eyes closed.

"Now, Electchu, use Thunder!" Timothy shouted.

Electchu unwrapped its tail around Timothy and jumped high from his back. The Mouse Pokémon's body became surrounded by electricity, and it fired a massive yellow beam of electricity. The beam hit Gigantamax Lapras, and it screamed even louder, taking more damage than before with the Electric type move. Electchu began to fall, and Knightblade flew over to it so Electchu could land on Timothy's back. Timothy and Electchu smirked at each other until Gigantamax Lapras raised its head and called out to the sky.

"Knightblade, Blitzwing, get ready to dodge whatever attack Gigantamax Lapras is going to use," Timothy said.

"Aegislash," Knightblade said.

"Brav," Blitzwing said with a nod.

Gigantamax Lapras let out a high-pitched shout, and giant light blue clouds covered the area around it. Gigantic balls of ice fell from the clouds forcing Knightblade, Blitzwing, Scyther, Weezing, and Doublade to dodge. The balls were followed by a block of ice the size of a meteorite. The Pokémon flew away as fast as they could with Timothy, Ezria, and Electchu holding on for dear life. The ice crashed into the ocean, creating a massive tidal wave. Timothy and Ezria's Pokémon flew up even higher to avoid the wave while Ned and the other trainers were guiding people and Pokémon away before they ran as fast as they could from the wave. The wave barely missed them, and Gigantamax Lapras' body became surrounded in a veil of rainbow-colored aura.

"What move was that?" Timothy asked.

"That was Lapras' G-Max move, G-Max Resonance," Ezria said. "And annoyingly enough, that move also surrounds it with an Aurora Veil, increasing its defense for a little while without it needing to Hail."

"We don't have a little while. It's caused enough damage as it is, "Timothy asked.

"I realize that," Ezria said. "We're just gonna have to keep hitting it and hope it's weak enough that it won't matter how much damage is taken."

Timothy furrowed his brow at Ezria's idea but couldn't deny that he didn't have any other idea. With a huff, he pushed Knightblade's hilt forward, and the royal sword Pokemon charged toward Gigantamax Lapras with Ezria, Blitzwing, Doublade, Scyther, and Weezing following behind. The Pokémon continued to attack with Knightblade using Flash Cannon, Blitzwing using Brave Bird, Scyther using Air Slash, and Weézing using Strange Steam. Electchu finished the attack by jumping off Timothy's back and using Thunder again. Gigantamax Lapras grew weaker with every hit, but the damage was not as effective as before.

The Transport Pokémon retaliated by unleashing another massive stream of water at Timothy, Electchu, and Knightblade just as Electchu landed on Timothy's back again. The stream hit Timothy and his Pokémon, causing Timothy to lose his grip on Knightblade and sending him, Knightblade, and Electchu flying. The three of them began falling into the ocean below before Blitzwing flew up from under Electchu and caught it, and Scyther caught Knightblade, wrapping its arms around it. Doublade zoomed toward Timothy, and Ezria stretched out her hand.

"Timothy, take my hand!" Ezria shouted.

Timothy reached out, grabbed Ezria's wrist, and she grabbed his wrist. Doublade flew up before they crashed into the ocean floor. Ezria struggled to keep holding on to Doublade's hilt, and her feet firmly placed on its plaque as Timothy held on to her for dear life. Weezing flew underneath Timothy, and he put his feet between its heads and his hand on its tubes, allowing Ezria to keep a hold on her partner. The trainers sighed in relief until Gigantamax Lapras turned to the town and lifted its head, creating light blue clouds again.

"No!" Timothy screamed.

"Everyone, fly away!" Ezria shouted.

Doublade, Weezing, Blitzwing, and Scyther, the latter two still carrying Electchu and Knightblade, respectively, flew away just as giant blocks of ice fell from the sky. The blocks were immediately followed by another meteorite-sized block of ice that crashed closer to the dock. Once again, Ned and the other remaining trainers ran, but the wave fell on top of them, knocking them off their feet.

"Ned!" Timothy cried out.

The water subsided, revealing Ned, the other trainers, and their Pokémon lying on the ground. Ned coughed and shook his head as he, Exploud, Vanilluxe, and Duosion slowly got up. Suddenly, Ned heard the sound of stone and concrete breaking, and he turned to his left to see a bell tower breaking off from a building.

"Numel!"

He looked down and saw a female trainer running to her unconscious Numel lying in the direction where the tower was falling. She tried to scoop it up, but her partner was too heavy, so she covered Numel with her body as the tower fell toward them.

"Exploud, use Hyper Voice, Vanilluxe, use Ice Beam, and Duosion, use Psybeam now!" Ned yelled.

Exploud, Vanilluxe, and Duosion used their respective attacks simultaneously, combining them into one massive beam. The beam hit the tower and exploded into tiny pieces, but one piece of debris was still big enough to crush the woman and her Numel. Ned's eyes widened, and he took out a Pokéball.

"Perrserker, come out and use Thrash!" He shouted.

Ned threw the Pokéball, and it opened to reveal a bipedal feline Pokémon with hair shaped like a horned Vikings helmet and large claws. Perrserker raced to the woman and her Numel and jumped high into the air to violently slice the debris into tiny pieces with its claws. The remains were so small they fell on the woman and her Numel like they were nothing but dust. Ned rushed over to them and pet Perrserker before kneeling beside the woman.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

The woman lifted her head to realize she and her Pokémon were alright. She smiled and turned to Ned to say yes, but from the moment their eyes met, their faces turned into looks of surprise and awe. Ned's eyes widened as she realized the woman was slim and had curly, caramel hair that reached past the short sleeves of her sky blue blouse. His face heated up as the woman looked at him the way he dreamed Ezria would with her mint green eyes. Her cheeks turned pink, and she took Ned's hand, and he pulled her up. At that moment, Ezria had the looks of a Feebas and a Skrelp combined in Ned's eyes compared to this woman.

"Yes," the woman finally said. "We're both okay, thanks to you and your Pokémon."

Ned chuckled sheepishly, making the woman giggle. Timothy smiled in relief, not realizing from above what was happening between Ned and the caramel-haired woman. His gaze turned to Gigantamax Lapras, who was surrounded in an aura again and then at Ezria.

"This isn't getting us far," Timothy said. "We need to take down Lapras now."

Ezria smiled, adoring her crush's devotion, and thought of an idea that made her cheeks turn pink.

"Well, there is a way," she said. "We've been using all of our Pokemon who can fly, Doublade aside, and Electchu, who can hurt it with its Electric attacks, but we haven't taken advantage that Doublade and Knightblade both know Sacred Sword, which is powerful against Ice types."

"Yeah, but that's because we've been riding them," Timothy said. "How do you expect Doublade to do anything when you're riding on it?"

Ezria's smirk grew, and she gave Doublade a look that her partner immediately understood. Doublade flew behind Weezing, and Ezria climbed off to stand behind Timothy. She wrapped her arms around him to hold on and rested her chin on his shoulder. Timothy gave Ezria a deadpan look.

"Sly," he said.

"Thank you," Ezria said flirtatiously. "Now, let's save the town already. Shall we?"

Timothy sighed before he nodded again and turned to his Pokemon.

"Electchu, Electro Ball! Blitzwing, Brave Bird! Knightblade, Sacred Sword!" he ordered.

"Scyther, Air Slash! Weezing, Belch! Doublade, use Sacred Sword!" Ezria shouted.

The Pokémon charged toward Gigantamax Lapras, with Timothy and Ezria still holding on to Weezing. Knightblade, having switched to blade form, joined its brother in slashing Gigantamax Lapras' side with their swords enlarged and glowing light blue. Gigantamax Lapras cried, growing weaker, and raised its head, summoning more light blue clouds. Timothy's heart sank in fear for the people and Pokémon below until he got an idea.

"Guys, attack Lapras' neck and head, now!" He shouted.

Electchu, Weezing, and Scyther quickly obeyed, using Electro Ball, Air Slash, and Belch, respectively. Their attacks hit Lapras' neck and head, disrupting its focus and causing the clouds to disappear. With their opponent distracted, the Pokémon attacked again without needing permission from their trainers. Blitzwing used Steel Wing on Lapras' neck, and Electchu, still riding on Blitzwing's back, waited until it was done to swing another ball of electricity with its tail at Gigantamax Lapras' head. Scyther and Weezing used Air Slash and Belch again as soon as Electchu and Blitzwing were out of their line of fire. Finally, Knightblade and Doublade gave Gigantamax Lapras long strokes on its neck with Sacred Sword, and with one final high-pitched wail, Gigantamax Lapras collapsed, and it shrunk back to regular size. As the clouds turned from red to gray, the wild Transport Pokémon lay motionless for a few moments before it came to, looked at its surroundings, and swam away as though nothing had happened.

"Yes!" Timothy shouted. "Well done, everyone!"

"Raichu," Electchu said with a smile.

"Braviary," Blitzwing said.

"Aegislash!" Knightblade shouted in triumph.

"Doublade," Doublade said.

"Scyther," Scyther said.

"Weezing," Weezing gasped.

Ezria gave Timothy an adoring smile and pecked his cheek. Timothy looked away to hide his contempt, but Ezria considered him too bashful to look at her. Blitzwing, Knightblade, Doublade, Scyther, and Weezing flew down to the dock, and Timothy and Ezria got off of Weezing while Electchu got off Blitzwing. Timothy and Ezria returned their Pokémon, save for Electchu, just in time to see dozens of people and Pokémon walking over to them. The civilians cheered, and Ezria took Timothy's hand to raise it up in the air in triumph. Some of the cheering died as some men noticed Timothy standing next to Ezria and glared. After half a minute, Ezria raised her hand, and the dock immediately grew quiet.

"Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of Timothy and our Pokémon, I'd like to thank you all for your praise," Ezria said proudly. "Your appreciation is a treasure for Timothy and me."

"Oh, brother," Timothy mumbled.

"Raichu," Electchu agreed.

"You may be scared because there has been a sudden rise in rampaging Dynamax Pokémon," Ezria continued. "But do not fear. Timothy and I will stop them no matter what. Dynamax Pokémon, Gigantamax Pokémon; they will be taken down all the same. We are here to protect all of Galar to the very end, and we always will be."

The crowd cheered again until a woman stepped in front of the crowd.

"Ms. Markenel, we need to know. Does this mean you two are together?" She asked.

Timothy opened his mouth to say no, but before he took a breath, Ezria wrapped her arms around him and squeezed the air out of his lungs as she answered with a giddy smile, "Yes, we are. Last night I promised to always be by Timothy's side. Since then, we've been here for each other already, with Timothy protecting me from a Dynamax Claydol and me catching him when he fell off his Pokémon while fighting Lapras. As long as we fight together, no rampaging Dynamax Pokémon will lay a finger on any of you. This I swear by our beloved Galar."

The dock became silent after Ezria's declaration. Then, the civilians roared with thunderous applause, exhilarated for the most beloved woman in the region. Some men cried as their dreams of being with Ezria were crushed. Others chanted Timothy and Ezria's names or wished them well, and Ezria put her hand on her heart, touched. Timothy forced a smile, but on the inside, he was screaming in rage. He wanted to risk the secrecy of Gwen, Sonia, and Coovers' mission to deny Ezria's declaration and proclaim his feelings for Gwen.

As the citizens cheered, Ezria felt her phone vibrate and Rotom once again, saying she had a call from Oleana. Ezria held her hand up for silence and walked away to answer the call. Some of the citizens walked up to Timothy, telling him congratulations, and warning him to treat Ezria well. Timothy responded politely, still faking a grin until all the citizens left for home. As soon as no one was around but Timothy, Ezria, and Electchu, Timothy growled and pinched the bridge of his nose with his eyes closed.

"Within less than 24 hours, I went from getting together with the person I like to the woman fawning over me, declaring us boyfriend and girlfriend," Timothy grumbled. "Why can't Looker be here now?!"

"Raichu," Electchu said with its ears hanging low.

"Hey, Timothy?"

Timothy opened his eyes to see Ned standing in front of him with a shy expression. Exploud, Vanilluxe, Duosion, and Perrserker stood next to him.

"Hey, Ned. Are you and your Pokémon doing alright?" Timothy asked.

"That last tidal wave was scary, but we're okay," Ned said with a small smile. "I may not be as skilled as you and Ezria, but we gave it everything we've got."

Ned's Pokémon made calls of agreement. Timothy smiled until he noticed Perrserker and looked at it, confused.

"Who's that Pokémon?" He asked. "Is that a Galarian Meowth?"

"Nope. That's what a Meowth evolves into in the Galar region; Perrserker," Ned said.

"Perrserker, huh?" Timothy asked as he took out his Rotom Phone and scanned the Pokémon.

"Perrserker. The Viking Pokémon. A Steel type." Rotom said. "This Pokémon lives for the thrill of battle. After many battles, it evolved dangerous claws that come together to form daggers when extended."

"So, Meowth can have more than one evolved form," Timothy said.

"Yeah. My Meowth recently evolved, and its power has come in handy in some tight spots as a Perrserker," Ned said before he grew nervous again. "Speaking of which, I'd like your help with something."

"What would that be?" Timothy asked.

Ned glanced at Ezria to ensure she was still on her phone and leaned to Timothy, covering the side of his mouth with his hand.

"Did things not work out for Gwen?" He whispered.

Timothy scoffed and whispered, "No. Things are going great. We got together last night. Ezria just declared us a couple without my consent."

"Really? Where is Gwen?" Ned asked. "And where's Coovers and Winnie for that matter?"

"I'll have to explain that another time," Timothy said. "Anyway, what do you need help with?"

Ned grew timid again, and he looked away from Timothy, playing with his fingers.

"Well, when that second wave hit, it destroyed a tower that almost hurt someone and their Pokémon," Ned said.

Timothy smiled and said, "I saw that, and I'm proud of you. Not many people think that quickly with their Pokémon like that."

"Yeah, well, you're not the only person who admires what I did," Ned said.

"What do you mean?" Timothy asked.

Ned hesitated before he gestured to Timothy with his head to look to his right. Timothy turned his head to see the caramel-haired woman standing several feet away. Her cheeks were still pink as she bashfully looked at Ned with her Numel returned to its Pokéball. Ned turned his head to her, and she gave him a wave. He looked away with his cheeks hot pink. Timothy smirked as he put the pieces together.

"Well, well, well. Look at you, Ned," he said teasingly. "What's her name?"

"I don't know. I haven't really talked to her since I laid eyes on her," Ned admitted.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go ask for her name," Timothy said.

"But what do I do after that?" Ned asked.

"Just keep talking to her and get to know her. Maybe ask her on a date," Timothy said.

"W-what?! I don't know if I can do that!" Ned squealed.

"Do you want to ask her on a date?" Timothy asked.

Ned hesitated again, and his cheeks turned maroon.

"Y-yes," he said.

"Then you must show you're interested by asking her," Timothy said. "Confessing to Gwen that I want to be with her is part of why we're together."

"Easy for you to say. You technically have two girlfriends," Ned said.

Timothy rolled his eyes and said, "Then listen to the guy who technically has two girlfriends. Just go over there and talk to her. You'll never go anywhere if you don't roll the dice. She clearly wants to talk with you, so-"

"Timothy."

Timothy and Ned turned around to see Ezria standing behind him. She turned at Ned and said, "Oh, Ned, I didn't see you there. How are you?"

The blush disappeared from Ned's cheeks, and he politely replied, "Oh, hey, Ezria. I'm doing fine, thank you."

Ezria's face fell from the way Ned spoke so plainly. Though she wanted nothing more than Timothy's heart, she wanted all of her male admirers to be in misery while she was by Timothy's side. Ned's lack of infatuation toward her made Ezria uneasy, as though there was something off about the world that needed to exist. She put the thought in the back of her head, thinking it didn't hit Ned that she claimed to be together with Timothy.

"That's good to hear," she lied before turning to Timothy. "Aunt Oleana said the rampaging Dynamax Pokémon have all been taken care of, and Uncle Rose wants us to head to Rose Tower at once."

Timothy furrowed his brow and asked, "Are you sure they're all taken care of? We only battled three."

"So did Leon with the help of your little friends, Ash and Serena," Ezria said.

Timothy and Electchu's eyes widened, and the former asked, "What are Ash and Serena doing with Leon? They should be in Wedge - er, they should be in Vermillion City in the Kanto region."

"You can ask them that when we get there. Uncle Rose invited them to a gourmet dinner at the tower," Ezria said.

Timothy and Electchu looked at each other, more taken aback. Timothy was glad that Ash and Serena were helping stop rampaging Pokémon as he hoped, but the fact that there was no mention of a boy matching Goh's description was unsettling. He put the matter in the back of his head and forced another smile at Ezria.

"Well then, what are we waiting for? I don't know about you, but I want to hear all about Ash and Serena taking on Dynamax Pokémon with Leon," Timothy said.

Ezria nodded, and they took out Knightblade and Doublade. Ezria stood on Doublade's plaque again, and Timothy climbed on Knightblade with Electchu on his back. Doublade flew up first, and Knightblade began to follow until Timothy felt a tug at the bottom of his shirt.

"Wait, don't go!" Ned begged. "Please tell me what else I need to do!"

Timothy shook his head, smirking, and he said, "Ned, listen to me. I never had an interest in romance like you until several weeks ago, and I consider myself lucky that Gwen likes me back. If you're interested in that woman, you're just gonna have to man up and talk to her."

Timothy pulled his shirt from Ned's grasp, and Knightblade flew away to catch up with its brother. Ned cried over to Timothy, begging him to come back, but Timothy just winked and said with a two-fingered salute, "Good luck!" Ned watched Timothy and Electchu fly away with Ezria until they were nothing but specks, and he whimpered. He looked down to see the caramel-haired woman still waiting for him.

Perrserker and Exploud grabbed his hands and pulled him toward the woman. Ned tried to yank his hands away, but Vanilluxe and Duosion floated behind him and began pushing him. Ned's Pokémon pulled and pushed until he was only a few feet away from the caramel-haired woman, and they surrounded him to make sure he didn't try to run. Ned gulped with his cheeks heating up, and he offered his hand.

"H-h-hi. My n-name is Ted - I mean, Lead. N-no, Sled. I mean..." Ned sputtered. He took a deep breath and tried again with his hand shaking. "I'm...Ned."

The woman giggled cutely and shook Ned's hand. Then she took two steps closer to Ned and leaned toward him. Their faces were barn red as she gave him a smile that melted his heart.

"Pleased to meet you, Ned. I'm Olive," Olive said.

Ned gave her a goofy smile and passed out into Exploud's arms.