"Are you sure you don't want to rent a Ponyta Walk?" Lucian is now very unwilling to let Luce go anywhere unsupervised. "It's quite a travel toward Veilstone."

Luce isn't too sure how he ended up being princess carried by a Lopunny, but it's comfortable and keeps his hands free to fiddle with his Pokedex, so he's not complaining.

Lucian sighs when Luce raises a thumbs up.

"You guys protect him properly this time, hear me?" he says, toward the Pokemon.

Monferno makes an offended whine, raising Togepi over his head as Togepi glares. Duskull also makes an offended noise, though he's facing the wrong direction because Luce's bag strap is pulled over his eyes.

Psyduck's head droops sleepily, and Snover smacks her over the head. She whines, and Snover sneers. Monferno goes between them with the baby to break it up, swinging Togepi around like the baby was a Pokemon Repellant.

Lucian sighs at the sight.

"You've got a ways to go before you're all a coherent team," Lucian chuckles. "I'll leave you here, then. Make sure Luce gets plenty of rest."

Lopunny huffs an approval.

"And of course..." Lucian picks up a disc from his pouch. "The Technical Machine I promised. I'm sure both Duskull and Psyduck can make use of this."

A soft pink CD. Psychic, the most reliable move of this type, at least before the next regions developed new ones.

Luce beams, signing out a word of gratitude as he tucks it away.

-

Lucian sighs as he waves to send them off.

Then he reaches for his communicator.

"...I really underestimated this kid's ability to get into trouble. Aaron's never going to let me live this down."

He tucks the Pokegear between his cheek and his shoulder, rustling around his bag.

"Hey Aaron? I found the things," he raises a stack of slates, magenta, indigo, and dark green. "According to the data, these are the Mind, Dread, and Meadow Plates..."

This was a fun little detour toward a time off, but alas, it's time to go back to work.

-

Lopunny puts Luce down among some Budew, tells him to sit, puts Togepi in his lap, and then leads the others in the team to battle Wild Pokemon and Trainers looking for a challenge.

Luce has no idea how he's been demoted to baby of the pack, but it's very intriguing.

"Are you seriously not giving them any instructions?" a pair of twins come by to meld into the Budew pile with Luce, hugging Psyduck like a huge plush toy as the duck snores. Luce nods noncommittally, watching as Monferno and Lopunny engage in a Double Battle with a Ranch girl and her father.

"They're training themselves!"

"That is so cool. I wish my Pokemon could do that."

"How'd you even teach them how to do that?"

There's one interesting thing about children, and that was the fact that when they got comfortable around you, they start treating you like furniture. One of the girls had their elbows on Luce's thighs as she asked her question to her sister standing on Luce's other knee, and it kind of hurt, but Luce didn't know how to tell them about it.

He's just very honoured to be a climbing post today, and so he allowed it to happen.

Psyducks snores, slouching over all of their laps in unison as a Budew testingly prods at her. Snover's running around, inspecting the new location and trying to figure out how this Laissez-Faire leadership system was supposed to work.

Duskull was shaking a tupperware with a single Berry in it, making a rhythm like a maraca as Togepi tries to keep up with his Soothe Bell. Monferno and Lopunny were following it to keep up with their pace, looking back every dozen beats to Luce, who signs them a new order.

Route 215 will take a few days to get through. It's rainy, notoriously grueling, and he's still got quite a bit of recovering bones to work with, but he'll be able to deal with it.

"Lopunny! Lopunny!"

"No, Monferno's cooler!"

"I like Lopunny! It's pink!"

"I don't!"

Luce decides to scribble a Lopunny and Monferno in his notebook, writing down the names 'Fighter' and 'Spitfire' so the kids could busy themselves with deciphering language for the next five minutes. They try to match his doodles to Pokemon, but they just can't decide what the Snover is despite said Snover glaring at them from two feet away, so Luce is a little offended by the indirect jibe to his artistry.

The noise surprisingly doesn't mess up Lopunny and Monferno at all, and a synchronous Mach Punch from both of them knocks out their opposing Pokemon easily.

They come back proudly, and Luce spares his hands to pat them both on the head, nodding politely at the trainers as they holler a word of gratitude and leave after their battle.

"Lopunny is Fighter!" one of the twins cheers.

"Monferno is Spitfire!" the other adds, pointing at them like Luce didn't know the name of his own Pokemon.

Lopunny and Monferno stare blankly at the tiny humans, before confusedly reaching out to gently pat them both on the head like Luce just did to them.

Then they look to Luce for approval.

Luce raises a thumbs up.

They pat the children on the head one more time, and the twins squeak in happiness, "this is the first time a Pokemon has patted me on the head!"

"Do it again!"

The squealing was so loud, Lopunny and Monferno both looked completely taken aback by their excitement. They then asked to pat the Pokemon on the head, and then, the process repeated itself.

Luce sighs fondly.

They're going to be stuck here for a while.

-

It's drizzling in Route 215, so Lopunny and Monferno make it their biggest mission to get out of here immediately. Psyduck is thriving, waddling at the front of the group and looking for the way forward as Luce holds up a tent around him as a rainshade over himself and Monferno, who's also helping him walk.

Snover, Togepi, and Duskull are in their Poke Balls as Lopunny scouts out the heights, and they gradually wade their way toward the nearest Trainer camp.

Turns out, someone has a camper car, and when Psyduck comes by, she deems the lookout Ranger friendly enough to lead Luce toward them. Looks like all surrounding trainers that find the camper are welcome to stay the night in it.

Being able to sleep in a camper car with internal heating, in a rainy location, was like a miracle, honestly. It was a little cramped, with about a dozen people hiding out, but that's just a little inconvenience.

They even make him hot chocolate after he dries off and changes into dry clothing. It's like some sort of miracle vacation spot.

"Oh, so you're not from the region?" a Battle Girl asks. "What brings you to Sinnoh? What a shame it's in such a confusing time, too."

"Yeah, I'm from Fiore," the Ranger says. "My name's Lunick."

Luce is currently doing the mental calculations in his head.

(Wait a second, isn't Lunick the player character for—?!)

"Well, I guess you could say I came here on a delivery mission. It's over now, so I'm just sightseeing. The power outage was rather unexpected, but I'm properly enjoying myself here! Don't worry, Sinnoh's great, at least in my humble opinion! I love it here."

"Fiore? I went there on a field trip!" a Picnicker pipes up cheerfully from the loft, with her fellow Picnicker. "You guys don't use Poke Balls, right? You only befriend."

"Yep, we don't train or own, but we have partners and families," he says. "This is mine. Say hi, Minun!"

"Oh, A Hoennian Pokemon! That's rare here!"

They seem to be having a rather fun conversation. Luce dries Monferno with a towel as Lopunny blasts herself in the face with a hairdryer.

Psyduck had her soaked and soddy face planted on the camper door as she sulks, near tears because she really wanted to roll in the mud outside. No one was letting her out of sight, though. Didn't want to deal with her going missing again.

Duskull carries Togepi, deciding to show the baby off to everyone in the camper. Snover pursues him in an attempt to get him back in line, but alas, Duskull's ability to fly supersedes Snover's ability to shout loud enough to be heard.

It's when Duskull interrupts the other passengers and starts making Togepi interact with the Minun that Luce finally gets up, gently holding Duskull back by the skull. Duskull was also holding Togepi by the egg torso, so it made for a very interesting sight.

Monferno steps up to sign a "I'm sorry, folks!" to the crowd, and then he ushers a grumpy Snover away, like a security guard.

The crowd watches and Luce looks away awkwardly at the attention, shaking Duskull like a bag of treats.

Duskull whines, not wanting to let go of Togepi.

Luce tries again a little harder, and Togepi comes loose, rolling out and toppling onto the ground like a spiky dodgeball. Then Luce picks him up to tuck him under his other arm before making himself scarce.

The camper's silent while the interaction occurs, but they burst into laughter once Monferno gets them back to their assigned corner of the night.

"You're so cool!" the Ranger says. "How do you handle so many Pokemon at once? If I don't tame them, Pokemon always try to fight me on sight. Are they all yours?"

"That's a strong-looking Lopunny! It's even an alternate colour—"

"You've got so many. That's rare, even for a trainer."

Luce nods, awkward, feeling his face heat up a little. Lopunny points the hairdryer at a still brooding Psyduck. Snover has captured Duskull, holding it upside down. Luce reaches over to rub Monferno under the chin.

It feels like ages ago that his team was just one, and now, his team is at max capacity. It really doesn't feel real.

"You're amazing!" the Ranger says. "I know it's really different in Sinnoh, but in Fiore, it's a status symbol to be able to tame multiple Pokemon at once. You're so young and you can already tame six! That's impressive!"

(Luce doesn't know much about the Pokemon Rangers.)

(But he'll enjoy being flattered today.)

"What's even more impressive is that Lopunny! That already proves you're a good trainer. Lopunny don't just follow any other trainer, you know!"

The Ranger's Minun comes over, rolling Togepi around the sheets as the baby just allows himself to be burrito-ed. At some point, the other Pokemon join in, playing catchball or hot potato they couldn't seem to decide, picking Togepi up and running away from the angry Monferno.

Togepi himself seems completely apathetic to it, blinking sleepily when he's passed to the next enthusiastic Machop that wants to do a lap on the ceiling. Luce sees Monferno and Lopunny glance at each other, but he doesn't manage to stop them before they launch into a side by side Mach Punch from both directions, knocking the Machop right out, to the horror of the Karate Man.

Luce has to spend the rest of the time angrily signing out a lecture at the two brats. Monferno had the cheek to argue back in sign language.

The rain outside is loud and rumbling.

But inside the camper it's louder, warmer, and filled with jubilee.

-

The rest of the journey to Veilstone is quick.

Luce waves goodbye to everyone in the camper van as they wish him well. Lopunny picks him up with everyone else in their Poke Balls, and they basically zoom right through the rest of the route.

"Hey, kid!" a security guard hollers, "you headed for Veilstone? You can climb over the peak of the ruins this way, it's a shortcut! If you miss this one, the next is in two hours!"

Luce takes their offer.

With how mountainous the Sinnoh region is, it's not rare at all for communities to come together. Hidden Machines can be rented with a license, and tough roads have scheduled transportational offers organized by volunteers.

There wasn't much opportunity to use the Rentals in Twinleaf and Sandgem, but apparently, Barry went on a Climb to get to Eterna. Now, apparently, it's Luce's turn.

Lopunny brings him up most of the way, and then Luce gets settled beside an Aroma Lady as she teaches him where to hold onto the Onix.

Rock Climb felt like running an abrasive grinder through unsanded wood.

Onix spirals straight upward, and then cruises back down like a roller coaster, earning enthused and terrified yelps from everyone onboard. Luce nearly loses his grip halfway, but then he looks up as they break through the peak for just a second— and the world opens up before his eyes.

Solaceon Ruins is hardly the prettiest sight— its peak is rough and not traveled upon, and there's more sand than wildlife or greenery. But in the half a second they make it up, Luce sees Unown, skittering at the presence— before they plunge back down over the cloud and Luce has to squeeze his eyes shut once again.

"Oh dear, t- that was rough," the Aroma Lady sighs, her feet shaky as she alights. Luce hops down after her, and she composes herself to ask, "how was it for you?"

Luce kind of wants to do it again.

The rain is much lighter here. They can see the entrance to Veilstone, it's just a bit more of a short trek's distance away. Once the trainers got their pleasantries out of their systems, the group made their collective way toward the city.

Luce follows them, releasing his Pokemon for company. The rain's finally let up, and it's time for a new stage in the adventure.

-

Luce hands Togepi to Monferno and carefully, warily, walks out into Veilstone City. He raises his arms in preparation for battle, looking around apprehensively, looking in every direction, back and forth, and—

"What are you so worried about?" the security guard asks.

Luce jumps at the sudden address, but after determining the speaker he just sighs in relief. He waves dismissively in assurance.

Who could blame him for expecting Barry to randomly jump out of nowhere and roll him into the ground? Of course logically Luce understands it's impossible for him to be here, but still. You can never be too sure with him.

His Pokemon are gawking at the city, pointing enthusiastically. Veilstone is a huge city, with skyscrapers and hills and high infrastructure. It's not nearly as congested as Jubilife, but it certainly was a bustling town.

"Pokemon Center," Luce reminds them.

Monferno salutes brightly, before sticking a tongue out at Lopunny and rushing right off to find it. Lopunny calls after him in annoyance, before chasing, not wanting to lose the impromptu race.

Luce settles by the sidewalk with Snover and Togepi. Psyduck and Duskull were both asleep, while Snover reached up to hold his hand a while ago and didn't really want to let go yet. He clings nervously to Luce's side, skeptically eyeing the crowded human population making their way through the city.

He plucks his notebook out of his pocket and writes with his only free hand.

"[You can go explore,]" Luce says.

Snover grunts, confused.

Luce smiles. "[You can find me here,]" he says, scribbling a Pokemon Center building, chuckling as Togepi colours the roof with a red marker. "[You can go wherever you want.]"

Snover hums, wagering his options.

He decides to wander into the woods again, so Luce hands him a handkerchief-wrapped Poffin to bring along like a lunchbox. Snover ties it to a stick like a bindle and hefts it over a shoulder like a hobo on a journey, before setting off.

Luce politely tries to hold back his laughter. Maverick, indeed.

-

Veilstone is an industrial city. There are skyscrapers at every turn, glimmering lights that burn on throughout the evening. It's the town of the trends, a hotspot for tourists to Sinnoh. They're thriving, even past the blackout the days before.

Luce didn't remember a Style Shop being here when he played the game, but he supposed that was just reasonable in a realistic perspective, perhaps.

Either way, it's good timing, since he wanted to buy Dawn a scarf to replace the one she gave him. Also, it's getting colder out, so it wouldn't hurt to get some new clothes.

That's right. Let's spend a whole day shopping like a tourist! Because he can!

And so Luce did.

Monferno's out exploring with Togepi while Lopunny babysits Luce, admiring the array of accessories and clothing in the Style Shop. She fusses until Luce buys her everything she wants, and she has to be bribed with Poffins to get out.

He sighs fondly.

They make it to the Department Store, where Psyduck escapes her Poke Ball to fervently point at everything that looks like her. From stickers to plush toys to furniture, there was a lot. She's been showing off her rubber ducky to everyone.

It feels like an outing. One second Luce would be listening to the lottery man and Psyduck's got her hands on the weirdest berry they've ever seen. And then Lopunny's curiously inspecting a free Lava Cookie, a picture taken right before disaster.

(Luce buys a carton of Moomoo Milk from the apologetic shopkeeper. Lopunny wouldn't stop crying.)

Then, Lopunny finds a stroller. The kind of Pokemon-themed little pull rides that parents put kids on so they're controlled on long shopping trips.

Lopunny whistles to the crowd to part the way for her, and Psyduck patrols from the back, and Luce is left in the cart holding all the groceries trying not to die of embarrassment. On the brighter side, this thing looks like a Bidoof and it's very cute.

-

Turns out, Monferno has been in the Pokemon Gym the whole time.

He'd wandered from here to there and found a literal gym, though it was still closed for the day with no humans present, only some Pokemon in a group, having a Lucario-hosted Karate class or something.

A lookout Meditite senses him staring from the high windows and invites him inside, so Monferno comes right in and makes himself at home. Togepi is deposited with a very maternal Machoke as Monferno follows Medicham and Lucario in some martial arts routine.

That's how Maylene walks in on them as she opens the gym for the evening.

She just enters and every creature inside turns and stares at her.

"Uhm, hi," she says, the awkward wave compelled out of her survival instincts. She continues to drag the shutters open, "please, don't mind me. Carry on."

Lucario proceeds with the lesson.

Maylene hustles around in the background, cleaning up, keeping as quiet as she can as she gets the gym ready for challengers. She spots Togepi with Machoke and smiles, earning a Machoke-prompted tiny Togepi wave back.

It's not until the class ends and everyone's dismissed with a roar of determination that Lucario makes its way to Maylene, receiving a towel and water bottle from their trainer.

"Seems you've got a bigger crowd today, Rion. Who's your new friend?"

Lucario gestures toward Monferno, who looks at her curiously, before speaking in fluent Lucario at her. Maylene nods at prompt timings with all the signs of a person that does not understand a single word.

Then Maylene nods in finality, "well, you're always welcome here to train or to watch! But if you've got a trainer, it might be better to not stay out too late without telling them, alright? They might be looking for you now!"

Monferno, seemingly registering what that means, squeaks at the sunset over the window.

"Hurry, hurry!" he frantically signs to himself, a gesture Maylene only knows because she's seen a deaf child in the orphanage do similar before in a panic, Monferno rushes to Machoke, taking Togepi from her and bowing in gratitude.

And then Monferno scampers out from the side door, like the rest of the trainees. Togepi peeks over his shoulder, waving. Lucario and Machoke wave back.

Maylene blinks in surprise.

"A Monferno that knows sign language... well... okay, I've seen weirder," she says.

She stays there for a moment.

"I wonder where it's going... the nightlife here is a bit hectic, so I hope it doesn't get lost," she murmurs, looking out the window. "Rion, I'm going to follow them. Help me open up."

-

As expected, Monferno gets lost, and, upon spotting Maylene after his third lap around the same rock, he runs up to her all teary eyed, mumbling something in his tongue and signing something out that was definitely distress.

"Ah... alright, should I take you to the Pokemon Center?"

Monferno sobs out an affirmative.

Maylene chuckles, assuring him it's fine. "Everything lights up at night, so it's a bit unusual. Usually in other towns only the Center and Mart are lit, but here we've got the Department Store, the Boutique, the Game Corner... the lights trip up the local Pokemon very often too, don't worry about it."

Maylene ends up holding Monferno by the hand and calmly making their way through the crowd, Togepi clutched to Monferno's other arm.

Even in the modern world, it's rare to find a Pokemon as independent as this Monferno.

Maylene's very entranced by his work ethic. He doesn't run off once he spots the Centre, probably in consideration of Maylene, though he does get much more excited. Nurse Joy smiles in greeting, and Monferno politely asks after a name fingerspelled on one hand.

"Luce, Luce... ah, found it," Nurse Joy says, "Maylene, dear. Could you take little Monferno up to the general dormitory, third room down the first floor hall."

"Will do, ma'am!" Maylene acknowledges.

First floor hall... now that's rather strange. She'd been under the impression that Monferno's trainer was a traveler, but the first floor accommodations are usually reserved for patients and veterans.

Maylene turns to Monferno— and jumps, when he spots another Pokemon, a Snover, bumbled up to the side of the fire Pokemon.

Monferno cheerfully greets Snover, and Togepi imitates the greeting to receive a dull grunt in response.

"Uhm... is that a friend you know?" Maylene asks, receiving a nod. Whoever this trainer is, they sure have some very independent and carefree Pokemon on hand...