Timothy stood still with his mouth hanging open. Part of him wasn't sure if he heard Ezria correctly or if there really was an engagement ring inside the Pokéball, but deep down, he knew the truth. The person he used to get evidence against her boss proposed to him. Electchu covered its mouth with its eyes wide, and its ears perked up as it stared at the ring. Eventually, Ezria broke the silence with a giggle.

"You're reacting better than I hoped," she said. "I'm flattered asking you to marry me would leave you so stunned."

Timothy snapped out of his shock and pursed his lips, thinking about what to say.

"Well, um, you weren't kidding about not beating around the bush," he said.

Ezria giggled again.

"Nope, I sure wasn't," she said proudly. "Do you like that I put the ring inside a Pokéball? Using one to contain the engagement ring is all the rage these days. I had it painted so that it looked exactly like the Master Ball. Thought it would be fitting since you used the real thing to save the world. Don't you think so?"

Timothy grew uneasy with how much thought Ezria put into the proposal, and he asked, "How long have you planned this?"

"Give me your answer, and I'll tell you," Ezria said.

Timothy mentally groaned, feeling more uncomfortable with Ezria's persistence. He turned to Electchu, who bit its lip and gestured with its head to say, "You gotta do it." Timothy pinched the bridge of his nose, mustering the courage to break Ezria's heart, and took a deep breath.

But before Timothy could utter a sound, he, Ezria, and Electchu heard a brief chuckle and looked to see Chairman Rose and Oleana standing on the other side of the gate. The chairman covered his mouth with his hand while his loyal secretary remained calm. Ezria's face grew as red as a tomato, and she sprung out of her seat.

"Uncle Rose! Aunt Oleana!" She shrieked.

"I'm sorry. We just finished dinner with Ash and Serena and wanted to know how you two are doing," Rose said.

"How long were you listening?!" Ezria screamed.

"Not long. Just shortly before you took out the ring," the chairman said. "Honestly, you two are lucky I didn't utter a sound as soon as you proposed. I was so ecstatic."

"I can testify," Oleana said.

Ezria's face went from tomato red to barn red as she covered her mouth to hide a squeal, and Timothy covered his face with both hands to hide a frustrated growl. Chairman Rose chuckled again, thinking both of them were flustered. Even Oleana let out a brief chuckle with her mouth closed. The area grew silent, with Timothy and Ezria not looking at Rose or Oleana. After several seconds, the chairman cleared his throat.

"Well, don't keep the lady waiting, Timothy. Give her your answer," he said.

"You're not helping," Timothy muttered with his hands still covering his face.

Though Timothy couldn't see, he felt all eyes on him. All he wanted was to shoot Ezria down once and for all and focus only on Gwen, yet he felt as though Ezria did something to make things worse every time he tried. He uncovered his face and sighed as he once again prepared to rip off the bandaid. He opened his mouth to speak until Ezria held her hand in front of him.

"No, Timothy. Don't answer now," she said. "I don't want to hear it now after the moment is ruined."

"Actually, Ezria, I want to tell you now," Timothy said.

"Nope. It has to be said when it's the two of us," Ezria said as she put away the Pokeball. "We're just going to have to find some alone time tomorrow where you can give me an answer. Ideally, before we possibly battle more Pokémon."

"No, I have to get it out of my chest now, Timothy said.

"I adore your enthusiasm, Timothy, but you're just gonna have to wait."

"But-"

"Wait."

"Hold-"

"Wait.

"Will you-"

"Wait.

"Just-"

"Wait."

"Listen?!"

"Wait."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes."

"Ezria, I'm telling you no!" Timothy shouted.

"And I'm telling you, you're gonna have to be patient," Ezria said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, my darling, I'm turning in for the night."

Ezria walked away, going through the gate and heading to the elevator. Timothy went after her but was stopped by Chairman Rose's arm. The elevator door opened, and Ezria turned to Timothy to blow a kiss before she went in. Timothy groaned and hung his head in frustration, amusing the chairman.

"Don't worry, my good man. I'm sure you'll have a chance to tell her in the morning," he said.

"That's just it. I already said-," Timothy began.

"Anyway, I just came to give you the keycard to your room," Rose interrupted.

"My what?" Timothy asked.

"You didn't think we'd make you a part of our Macro Cosmos family without a place for you, did you?" The chairman said. "You're one of us. Rose Tower is your home now."

Rose reached inside his coat, took out a key card, and gave it to Timothy. Timothy stared at the card and shook his head.

"Don't you think this is a bit much?" He asked.

The chairman chuckled as though Timothy had told him a joke.

"Where else will you stay while you battle Dynamax Pokémon with Ezria? The nearest Pokémon Center?" He said. "You deserve the very best I can offer for your services. Besides, we need you and Ezria here so we can come to you as soon as we hear of a rampaging Dynamax Pokémon. You want to be informed so you can stop Pokémon from rampaging the sooner, the better, don't you?"

"Well, yes," Timothy admitted.

"Then we've said enough of the matter," Rose said. "Anyway, I'm also turning in. I have important business to attend to at the Energy Plant in the morning."

"Wait, before you go, where's Ash and Serena?" Timothy asked.

"We've already sent them to their room to stay for the night," Oleana answered.

"Can you show me where? I'd like to speak with them," Timothy said.

"I think it's best if you let those lovebirds get some sleep, Timothy. They had a busy day, as did we all," Rose said.

Timothy bit the inside of his mouth, forced a smile, and said, "Yeah, you're right. I'll try to talk to them in the morning."

"Sounds good. Anyway, your room is three floors up, and it's the fifth door on the right when you get out of the elevator. Good night, Timothy, Electchu," Rose said.

"Night, Rose, Oleana," Timothy said.

The chairman and his secretary went over to the elevator with Oleana, not saying anything to acknowledge Timothy bid her good night. They went in, and Timothy and Electchu waited half a minute until they could take the elevator.

They went up three floors and turned right at the hall, passing four doors until they found one with Timothy's name inscribed on a plaque attached to the door. Timothy used the key card, and he and Electchu went in, finding themselves in a room two stories high. There was a king-sized bed, a dresser made of fine wood bigger than Timothy needed to fill all of his clothes, a three-person sofa, and an entertainment center. Half of the walls were made of glass, giving a broad view of the city. There was a bathroom by the entrance and a balcony on the opposite side of the door.

Timothy sighed heavily as Electchu jumped into the bed and cuddled up in a ball to sleep. He walked to the balcony and looked down at the view, frustrated as his mind returned to Ezria's proposal. He firmly grasped the railing, shut his eyes, moved his upper body back, and then leaned forward as he screamed until his face was blue.

"I SAID NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

Timothy took several sharp breaths, feeling less tense. He sat down against the balcony wall and ran his fingers through his hair. Timothy looked up at the night sky, where the moon shined brightly, but there weren't many stars because of the city lights.

"I wonder if the others can see more stars wherever they are," Timothy said.

The thought made him miserable as he suddenly realized that it had only been a day, yet he missed Coovers, Sonia, Winnie, and Gwen above all else. Timothy wanted to kiss her and squeeze her after a day of battling Dynamax Pokémon with Ezria. The longer he dwelled on the idea, the more he missed her until he took out his Rotom Phone.

"Please don't be asleep," he said. "Rotom, can you call Gwen, please?"

"Right away," Rotom said.

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

The lights were out at Professor Magnolia's house. The professor and Sonia were asleep in their respective bedrooms, and Coovers, Goh, Sobble, and Raboot slept in the living room chair. Goh called Ash and Serena to catch up on things before he went to sleep. Gwen and Winnie, however, decided to go for a walk in the plains between Wedgehurst and Postwick. Eventually, they decided to stop and lay down on a field to look at the night sky. Stars decorated the sky, surrounding the moon. Gwen smiled at the beauty of it all, but her smile faltered as she wished Timothy was with her.

As Gwen was thinking about her boyfriend, she felt something vibrating in her jeans pocket.

"You have a call from Timothy. You have a call from Timothy," her Rotom Phone said.

Gwen smiled the moment she heard Timothy's name. She took out her phone and hit the accept button on the screen before holding it up to her ear.

"Hi."

"Hi," Timothy said.

"What's up?" Gwen asked.

There was a pause before Timothy answered, "I just had a day where I need to hear your voice."

Gwen's smile grew. She imagined Timothy being shy about wanting to hear her voice, hence the pause.

"Had to fight a lot of Dynamax Pokémon today?" She asked.

"Three. A Claydol, a Rapidash, and a Gigantamax Lapras," Timothy said. "How's the research going?"

"Could be better," Gwen said with a frown. "The most we did was go to Turffield to look at the geoglyph with Goh."

"Goh? Goh made it to Wedgehurst?" Timothy asked.

"No, we were on our way when we found Goh near Slumbering Weald forest. He said he got separated from Ash and Serena. We don't know where they are," Gwen said.

"I do. They're here in Rose Tower with me," Timothy said.

"You found them?" Gwen asked.

"Not exactly. It turns out they were also battling rampaging Pokémon with Leon, so the chairman treated them to dinner," Timothy said.

"Have you told them what he's up to?" Gwen asked.

"I haven't gotten the chance. I'm hoping I can speak with them privately tomorrow," Timothy said. "Does Goh know?"

Gwen took a moment to think about it and said, "You know, oddly enough, we haven't thought of doing that. I guess we got too focused on trying to figure out the legend with Goh's help."

"Did he have any input at Turffield?" Timothy asked.

"Actually, yes," Gwen said. "When we showed him the geoglyph, Goh said he, Ash, and Serena had an encounter with Lugia. Lugia apparently came out of a black, swirling vortex above Vermillion City. Goh and Sonia concluded that perhaps Legendary Pokémon typically appear out of a spiral of some kind."

Timothy hummed and asked, "So, does that mean Eternatus was in the vortex on the Darkest Day?"

"Well, it didn't come out of a spiral when the chairman's people captured it, but it makes sense since a vortex caused Pokémon to Dynamax according to the legend," Gwen said. "So, it looks like my theory is correct."

"Well, if that's so, I'm happy for you. You're making progress in solving the mystery," Timothy said.

"I wouldn't go that far since we haven't proven anything yet, but it is promising," Gwen said. "Anyway, we went back to Wedgehurst, and, of all things, a Wishing Star landed just a few yards away from us. While discussing our research, Sonia made a Dynamax Band out of it for Goh. Professor Magnolia thinks we're on the right track with my theory and Sonia finding those tapestries. Sonia and I are at a tie when trying to solve the mystery first."

"You'll figure it out. I bet you'll beat your rival even though you're working together," Timothy said.

"Honestly, Timothy, I care more about stopping Eternatus than beating Sonia, but that's still sweet of you," Gwen said.

"Well, I did say I'd be rooting for you all the way, and that was before we got together," Timothy said.

"Yes. Yes, you did," Gwen said before her smile melted into an uneasy frown. "Speaking of which, how did putting up with Ezria go?

"Ugh, not great. She tried to impress me while we were fighting Dynamax Pokémon, and because of that, a large section of Hammerlocke's wall is gone," Timothy said. "She did better with avoiding places being damaged or destroyed, but that's canceled out by treating the whole thing as a publicity stunt when the citizens were cheering."

Gwen rolled her eyes, and she squirmed in hesitation.

"Has she made any moves on you?" She asked.

Timothy groaned in reluctance and said, "She...kissed me for saving her life. I would have pulled away, but she had my arms on hold. I told Electchu to use Thunder on her the next time she tries that."

Gwen flinched, feeling a sharp pain in her heart.

"Well, I appreciate you telling me, and tell Electchu it has my blessing," she said. "Has she done anything else?"

The receiver grew silent. Gwen moved her phone away from her to check if the call was cut off. She furrowed her brow and held the phone up to her ear again.

"Timothy?"

"You don't want to know," Timothy replied.

Gwen sprung up into a sitting position, glaring straight ahead as though Timothy was in front of her.

"What did she do?"

"No, seriously, it's best that you don't know," Timothy said.

"Tell me what she did," Gwen commanded.

"Just forget about it. She's going to jail, so it's not like -"

"Timothy John Issaih Durbin, when a man and a woman enter a relationship, they must be completely honest with each other to make it work!" Gwen barked. "Now, you tell me what that stuck-up, stiff-necked dimbo is trying to pull with you this instant!"

Gwen heard Timothy let out a whimper, her boyfriend feeling cornered by her authoritative words. Timothy uttered sounds of hesitation, and Gwen imagined him biting his lip and scratching the back of his head. Finally, he took a deep breath and obeyed.

"So, after we fought Lapras..."

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

Back in Professor Magnolia's living room, Goh, Raboot, and Sobble had fallen asleep on the couch while Coovers was sleeping on one of the chairs. Goh laid on his side, resting on a pillow and having a blanket on top of him. Sobble slept beside Goh, curled up in a ball, while Raboot sat beside his feet, napping with its hands on its tuft-like pockets in a turtleneck sweatshirt.

Suddenly, the ground shook, and everyone woke up, hearing a wrathful scream.

"SHE PUBLICLY DECLARED YOU TWO A COUPLE AND THEN PROPOSED TO YOU?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"

The ground shook so violently that Coovers fell off the chair, and Goh and his Pokémon fell off the couch. Both trainers groaned in pain while Sobble turned invisible, afraid that it was under attack. Coovers looked at his surroundings and silently cried. He crawled back onto the chair and tried to fall asleep again, desperate to return to the dream of him holding Sonia princess‐style after getting married to her in a chapel.

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

Gwen breathed heavily with her teeth clenched and red veins coming from the sides of her eyes. Winnie moved away from its partner, afraid she would yell at it if it made one wrong move. After several seconds, Gwen heard Timothy groaning in pain through the receiver.

"Yeah, you know what? That's fine. I was done with that ear anyway," he said.

"I'm sorry," Gwen said. "It's just...ugh! I can't believe she would take things that far so fast. You said no, right?"

"Multiple times," Timothy said. "She kept telling me to wait until later to give my answer, so when I kept saying no, she thought I was saying, 'No, I can't wait to say yes,' when I really meant, 'No, I won't marry you.'"

"Seriously? She's so blind that she doesn't catch it when you reject her?" Gwen asked. "How oblivious to reality can she get?"

"Tell me about it. She's as dense about someone not returning her feelings as Ash was about understanding those feelings. And as happy as I am for Serena, I still have trouble believing they're together sometimes," Timothy said.

"You know, that's the second time you or Coovers have talked about your friend being dense. I feel like I missed something inconceivable," Gwen said.

"Believe me, you did," Timothy said. "Though missing out does save you from a headache or two."

Gwen chuckled before her face fell into a look of melancholy.

"Do you really have to stay there with her?"

"Rose is still the only reliable source for finding rampaging Pokémon. Ash and Serena need to be told what's going on, and while Ezria isn't the most pragmatic person in the world, she is a skilled trainer," Timothy said. "Believe me, Gwen, I want nothing more than for Looker to come and arrest her soon so that you are finally the only woman to focus on like I want you to be."

"Even though you considered her your friend?" Gwen asked.

Timothy paused and said with a sigh, "I'm going to keep trying to get her to defect, but I think Ezria has made her bed. Her only hope now is to figure out that what the chairman's doing is wrong herself before Looker comes."

"Yeah, you're right," Gwen said as she looked down, crestfallen. "Either way, I'm tired of all this, Timothy. I'm tired of the lies, the fear, the danger, and us holding off really being together. I wish we could get away from all this: no Eternatus, no chairman, no Ezria, no rampaging Dynamax Pokémon. We just travel on our own terms, go on real dates, and support each other openly. Be a real couple."

Gwen let out a heavy sigh and hugged her legs with her free arm. Winnie walked over to her and nudged her head against her side. Even if the Little Bear Pokémon could only hear half of the conversation, it was enough that its trainer was dispirited. Gwen sighed and hugged her legs until she heard Timothy's voice again.

"Well, why don't we?"

"What do you mean?" Gwen asked.

"The way I see it, when this is over, you'll have solved the mystery of the Darkest Day, and together with our friends, we will stop Rose and Eternatus for good," Timothy said. "After that, I'll compete in the Championship Cup, maybe win and face Leon, and then we'll leave Galar together."

"You mean forever?" Gwen asked.

"No, of course not. But, we'll go somewhere where we don't have to worry about stopping bad guys, solving mysteries, and hiding our relationship. We'll be traveling not because we have to but because we want to. It'll be just us and our Pokémon," Timothy said.

"Where would we go?" Gwen asked.

"I have a couple of ideas."

"And they are?"

"I heard the Alola region is a nice place to relax, so we could go there as a vacation," Timothy said. "After that, I thought you might like going to the Johto region. See the town your mother grew up in, maybe?"

"But you've won the Pokemon League and beaten Lance. There's no reason to be there for your dream," Gwen pointed out.

"I know."

"And you're okay with taking time away from competing in Pokemon Leagues just for me?" Gwen asked.

"They're not going anywhere, and I can still train with my Pokémon to get stronger," Timothy said. "Maybe I'll bump into some trainers in the Great Class to battle along the way. Climb up the ranks. Grow even stronger with my Pokémon. Besides, you said yourself that you want to go there. I think it's only fitting that you go after completing the dream you and your parents have been pursuing all this time. Don't you agree?"

Gwen's eyes widened, and she let out a soft gasp. It was one thing her boyfriend remembered she wanted to go to that town. But she didn't expect him to say he would hold off his dream for her unhesitantly. At this moment, she began to understand what she meant to Timothy truly, and her heart melted.

"I would kiss you right now if you weren't on the complete other side of the region," she said.

Timothy chuckled timidly and asked, "So, that's a yes?"

"Yes. I'd love to do all of those things," Gwen answered. "Though, realize I'm going to hold you to your word. No dream pursuing except for competing in the World Coronation Series when we're going to see my mom's childhood home. Otherwise, it's all about us."

"Deal. And who knows? Maybe you'll find a new dream during our travels," Timothy said. "On the note, what are you, Sonia, Coovers, Goh, and the professor planning to do tomorrow?"

"Professor Magnolia is staying behind, but the rest of us are leaving for Stow-on-Side first thing in the morning," Gwen said.

"Hoping to figure out something with the mural with your theories?" Timothy asked.

"Pretty much," Gwen said. "You think you're just gonna battle more Dynamax Pokémon tomorrow?"

"As long as Galar Particles are escaping," Timothy answered.

"Make sure you get a chance to tell Ash and Serena," Gwen said.

"You got it," Timothy said.

The receiver grew silent again, with the couple unsure of what to say next. Then, Gwen heard a yawn and looked down to see Winnie beginning to doze off. She smiled at her drowsy partner, petting its head until she felt an ache in her heart, knowing what she had to do.

"I better let you go. Winnie's getting sleepy," Gwen said.

"Oh. Yeah. Yeah, I guess we should both hit the hay. We have another big day tomorrow," Timothy said.

The reluctance in Timothy's voice made Gwen smile.

"Yeah, we do. Let's give it our all," she said.

"Right," Timothy said. "I miss you."

Gwen felt her heart flutter, and she put her hand on her mural necklace.

"I miss you too," she said. "Please be safe."

"You too. Good night," Timothy said.

"Good night," Gwen said.

Gwen hit the end call button and sighed as she put her Rotom Phone away. She scooped Winnie up, stood up, and began walking back to Professor Magnolia's house. As Gwen walked back, she looked at her mural necklace and held it up to her with her free hand. She gave it a sad smile as though she were looking at a small portrait of Timothy before she kissed it in his place.

For the rest of the night, Gwen didn't let go of the necklace, even when she was asleep.