Fennekin’s paws ached as she walked on the hard city ground, but she followed Owen as he moved from building to building, asking question after question.

  How do humans remember where all the different buildings are anyway? There’s so many of them.

  When she felt ambitious, she said a new word or two to Umbreon, like “big” and “small,” when looking at different buildings. She thought maybe he’d understand but wasn’t sure if she was just wasting her time.

  They entered another big, bland building where most people kept their Pokémon in their Pokeballs. She wondered why so many humans had done so and, for a moment, hoped that she wouldn’t have to spend a lot of time in one if she got a new one. Umbreon ran off toward a purple and yellow cat, reminding her that he had his own ball. One that he wasn't currently in. Umbreon’s chase was cut short as the other cat Pokémon disappeared behind a door with its human as the door shut.

  They carried on to a larger, open room full of busy people. A sharp, bitter scent wafted into her nose. It wasn’t bad—but it was intense. The humans sipped at their cups without flinching. How?

  She continued to follow Owen on their way across the slippery white floor to see a familiar face; Korrina and Lucario, who were busy with a lot of other people. That didn’t stop Umbreon from running up to him and breaking the jackal’s concentration.

  Fennekin greeted him next as they approached, while their humans started talking about something else.

  “It’s so odd that no one else has seen it since last night. It’s like it just disappeared,” Korrina explained to them.

  They spent a bit more time here, talking about what had happened since last night and how the attack had already been covered on the news. The police were looking at a bunch of screens all over the place, and many were talking into little boxes. She grew bored as the humans talked around her, but she wondered if that Pokémon called Absol would show up on the screen. Dozens of screens flickered through a variety of views, and not a single thing interesting was going on. Though she was still invested in the screens, each one shifted too fast to make sense of it. How could something so massive, so important to humans, be so useless at finding one Pokémon?

  “Right, well, I suppose now would be a good time to call the Professor to tell him you’re in the city.” she heard Korrina proclaim.

  A twinge of anxiety grew from within as she only processed some of what the humans were saying. She dreaded the reminder of how she wasn’t strong enough— That she still wasn’t strong enough, but she was better now. She had a chance this time, a chance to keep this one safe. And this time, she wasn’t alone.

  “He’s a little busy right now, but he said that you can drop by around 4! I’ve got to stay here for a bit, so I’ll punch it into your map here.” Fennekin watched as the gym leader took Owen’s phone for a moment, before returning it.

  After what felt like an eternity, they left the building and went back onto the curved streets filled with so many people. But what were they going to do now? She wasn’t sure how humans measured time just yet, but still knew it would be a while by the tone of their voices.

  They spent a while looking at stores and shops by themselves. Owen didn’t have a lot of that money the humans used. That’s something she was familiar with and could fix. When two humans with Pokémon had a battle, the winner got money! She could solve his problem, and hers at the same time.

  Outside the building, several small red and yellow vehicles passed by with a loud rumble, startling Umbreon. Owen decided it was probably best to recall him for now. Owen still didn’t like using the thing, but it seemed like the city was overloading the little guy right now, anyway. There wasn’t any protest, so maybe, just like a cat, Umbreon didn’t mind resting often.

  ‘Good thing he doesn’t want to see us until later anyway, this place is on the opposite end of the city!’

  Owen just pinched his nose before deciding it was best to get a move on if they were even going to get there on time. The first thing he was doing when he got some cash was getting a new bike! Well, at least after ensuring all the rest of their needs were handled. It wouldn’t do to expect a free meal every night; the centers only gave free food to people who needed to be there, as he found out. Korrina had originally paid for their stay at the now half-ruined Pokecenter.

  Further down the street, he spotted a restaurant with a large sign reading ‘Sushi High Roller.’. The whole place seemed rather fancy. Upon closer inspection, Owen noticed a sign that announced “VIPs Only!!!”

  A large, nearly golden figure moved around beyond the glass, eyes a sparkling red like rubies. Fennekin froze as her eyes locked on the Ninetales behind the glass. Her tiny paws skittered up, desperate to get a closer look at the elegant fire-type. Owen followed her gaze, a slight smile tugging at his lips, happy to see her distracted after yesterday’s chaos.

  It wasn’t long before they noticed them, causing Fennekin to scramble down onto the street, prompting Owen to follow along. They continued to run until the buildings gave way to a verdant circle, one housing a stone monument at its center. The ambient noise of the city seemed to lessen here, giving leeway for a moment of tranquility amongst the hustle and bustle. Only a few other people were present, but all of them had their Pokémon out.

  “Hey, you!” Someone called out from behind, making Owen casually turn his head, expecting them to be looking for someone else.

  “Yeah, you with the starter! If you’ve got your Pokémon out, that means you want to battle, right?” The young man, seemingly close to Owen’s age asked. His outfit was plain but well-kept, and he was with short, straight brown hair. Fennekin ran in front of him to meet their challenger, her attention immediately hooked for combat.

  Well, if she’s down for it.

  “I guess it does!” He shouted back, just now noticing the floating pink mass behind the brown-haired man.

  “I’m Théo, by the way, how’s one on one sound to you?” he asked coolly, with a warm smile.

  Owen gave a glance down to Fennekin who responded with an eager nod.

  “Owen, and fine by us!” He signaled the cue for both Pokémon to take their positions. The determined yellow fox stared down the floating squid intently, seemingly unable to wait a second longer.

  After exchanging a nod, both sides issued orders.

  Fennekin lunged first, embers crackling from her ears. Inkay retaliated with a swirling mist of darkness, pushing back the fire. Fennekin narrowed her eyes, crouching low—waiting. The moment Inkay drifted forward, she released another pair of embers, this time striking true. The squid Pokémon hit the ground with a soft thud.

  No sooner had she been sure her opponent was down, she turned around to give herself a pat on her chest, leaving a very surprised Théo to collect his Pokémon.

  “You’re not new at this, are you?” he asked Owen with a twinge of guilt before offering up his hand.

  Was this guy trying to hustle me? Owen thought as he reached out his hand to meet.

  “I don’t really have any money, but you can have this.” Théo offered up an orange disc to Owen. “I don’t know what it is, besides it being fire-type, or maybe ground, so not very useful to us.”

  “A Tm, huh? Thanks, I think?” Owen responded as he turned the disc, observing both sides. It looked like a sturdy version of a disc from his old world, but could he even use it? He frowned at the tiny engraved symbols. They were easy to use in the games, but how the heck did they work here?

  “They were giving ‘em away at the mart last week. Spent enough, got a freebie.” Théo started rubbing the back of his head. “You’ve been together a while, I take it?” he asked as Owen turned down to look at his yellow companion.

  “Not really, it's about a week now since I found her when—” Stopping himself short of revealing exactly how. A habit from his old workplace, where the less you shared, the better. It pained him because otherwise, he would rather be social, and wondered when he started acting like this outside of work. He hadn’t been like this with other people here, had he?

  Shocked once again, their new acquaintance’s attitude seemed to change for a second time.

  “A week?!” He exclaimed in shock. “Sure got some good genes then. You from around here?” He asked politely.

  “No, I came from… Unova.” He offered up, still twinging at the thought. He’d been through this with the police, and yet it was getting worse, not better since then. He felt an unconscious tug on his mind, a desire to let Umbreon back out of its ball, and so he did just that right in front of Théo. The midnight Pokémon shook itself off, before relaxing a bit, presumably upon realizing it was farther from the source of noise earlier. That was until he started pouncing at random bits of grass around Owen’s feet.

  “Gotcha, and he’s your real partner, I take it?” Theo briefly glanced at Umbreon, watching as it continued to play before focusing back to Owen. “Well, have fun at the gym! I’m gonna go hit the North center now. You got us good. Later!” He said with a half salute before turning around, clutching the green ball in his right hand.

  “Yeah, take care.” Owen offered up, as his mind trailed off again to the disc still in his hand.

  ‘I wonder what TM it is? Wait... the gym? Why would he think I'm going there?’ He thought before being interrupted by a tapping on his shin. Only it wasn’t Umbreon, but rather Fennekin.

  That’s right, this was her first real win with him, even as easy as it was for her. He bent down to pick the fire type up and held her up in the clear blue sky, the sun illuminating just behind those large ears, as his previous anxiety washed away. Surely, it would be the first of many victories they would share!

  After basking in their little victory with tranquil bliss, the three started south once more. Umbreon only needed a little herding to get off the grass as they approached the edge of the plaza. This alleyway wasn’t as pleasant as the last, however. For the first time since coming to the world, the smell of garbage once again assaulted Owen’s nose. It felt like hours, despite only being half of one at most before the sunlight flooded his vision, causing him to wince at the opening of an exceptionally large circular plaza.

  Prism Tower loomed before him, its metal skeleton catching the afternoon light. Owen had seen it before—in drawings, in games—but standing here, witnessing the city’s heartbeat around him? It was different. Real. The Pokémon League’s insignia reminded him yet again: this wasn’t a dream.

  The crowd of people and Pokémon on foot only further served his curiosity. Oddly enough, Umbreon behaved well enough, content to keep pace beside Fennekin as she continued yipping at him.

  ‘Was she guiding Umbreon for him? I’ll have to get her something extra for taking that burden on. Once I can, that is,’ Owen thought to himself.

  As he approached, he discerned the picture on the large flat panel display, a news station showing coverage of the aftermath of last night’s attack. He realized how lucky he’d been that the center wasn’t near its generous capacity. His mind wandered to the few injured he remembered from last night as well. The boy in particular hadn't been hurt too bad, but the idea that someone so young could be out alone, and have that happen without his parents even knowing? Well, at least he was safe now.

  As he moved closer to the building, he spotted a multi-floor map that highlighted all the different facilities inside the tower He’d known about the gym, but he didn’t expect to also house a restaurant, training facilities, a colosseum, and more. All of which gave him the impression that it would be a great asset later on.

  Knowing full well that was better saved for another date, Owen made sure to lead his two partners down farther south toward their destination. This street wasn’t populated with cars but instead filled with the echoing sound of Gogoat trotting down the sides of the road.

  Many older shops made of dark brick lined the road with hand-crafted wooden signs advertising their wares. One of which advertised a Pokémon blacksmith, which had quite a lot of people entering and leaving as he passed by. Funnily enough, it was located next to an ice cream parlor, yet another place he’d like to visit someday.

  It would be almost time for them to meet the Professor once they had reached the gates of the laboratory. Owen looked up at the Pokeballs adorning each pillar that flanked the open, wrought iron gates. He couldn’t help but feel a little bit of excitement. It’d been ages since he played the game originally, but he was here now—by whatever forces that be—about to enter the laboratory of Professor Augustine Sycamore.

  The gentle blue walls were accentuated by polished golden trim, and adorned by paintings of beautiful landscapes. Most of which were presumably in the Kalos region. The side of the lab opened up toward a rather large greenhouse.

  Their entrance hadn’t gone unnoticed, however. Three of the most iconic Pokémon to ever exist in his old world, and likely this one as well had been over in the greenhouse together. Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur all looked over in curiosity to see who had just entered, and Umbreon wasted no time going over to sniff them in return. Fennekin hopped over to join them, but before Owen could take a step, he was caught off guard by a low gurgling noise

  The noise continued to rumble as he slowly turned around. . As he did so, he noticed a blue-colored fin, his eyes trailing up toward the orange scales below its owner’s face. With an orange gemstone hung around its neck, none other than Garchomp had been investigating him.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Owen swallowed hard. Its sheer size alone reminded him of how small he was compared to the land shark. His legs tensed—his instincts screaming to take a step back. But then, Garchomp made a soft clicking noise, lowering its head slightly. A greeting?

  It ushered him over toward a pair of sliding metal doors, only for them to open suddenly leaving Owen face to face with that familiar wavy hair and signature stubble of the regional Professor.

  “Ah, salut!” Sycamore’s voice cut through Owen’s thoughts, breaking the tension. “You must be my 4 o’clock, how punctual.” He said with a smile as he looked down at his watch to confirm.

  “Oh, and don’t mind her, she was just excited to hear we’d have a potential reunion on our hands!” The Professor gestured toward Garchomp who had since retreated in a moment of conscientiousness upon realizing how forward she had been. He scanned the rest of the room before giving a brief knowing nod upon discovering Fennekin over with the Kanto starters.

  “It’s alright Professor, I’m just happy to be here anyway.” It wasn’t alright. He’d been holding in his fear after learning he’d been thrown around like a toy by that Tyranitar. Smaller Pokémon were fine, even the larger ones weren’t so scary from a distance, but this was the first time one larger than himself had gotten so close, touched him even.

  The event reminded Owen of just how vulnerable he really was. Sure, the Salamence had been scary, but it was also nowhere near him during the entirety of the attack last night. That, and there was always a Pokémon between him and it.

  His nervousness must’ve been plain to see, as the Professor suggested they head on up to the next floor, leaving both Fennekin and Umbreon behind; His rocks in this new world that held his ease in place.

  As they arrived in the quiet office, Owen took in the somewhat familiar sight for the first time all over again. The professor watched with little worry, giving the impression he knew something was off.

  “Well, first of all, I should say ‘Welcome to Kalos!’” He cheerfully greeted before softening his voice. “Though, I wish you were here under better circumstances.”

  “Thank you, sir, everyone’s been rather kind.” He offered back, skipping over the fact that he’d been attacked twice now. The Professor nodded before heading over toward his desk by the window and turning around.

  “I thought it best to bring you up here, first. I understand your fiery friend has a capture guard in place?” He asked, getting straight to the point.

  “Yes, sir.” Owen responded quickly. He wasn’t quite sure what exactly that was, since the games never went into the details, but he had a vague enough idea that it was supposed to be impossible to capture a Pokémon already registered in a Pokeball.

  “Which means you’d like to know who the renardeau is partnered with.” The Professor responded, a pensive worry striking his face for just an instant. He was most likely more concerned about the fate of its trainer. The two had but a brief moment of silence in the warm glow of the afternoon sun.

  “For now though, we can put that on hold, how are you doing?” The Professor asked him, catching Owen off guard. He was prepared to talk about the Pokémon, not himself.

  “I, uh… I’m not sure what you mean, sir.” He responded before too long.

  “Exactly what it sounds like, I understand you’re a long way from home, with no idea as to why. Thankfully you’ve been in good company as far as I hear, but distractions will only keep us together for so long.”

  ‘Why was he so right on the money? Why weren’t we talking about Fennekin right now? That’s why I’m here! Okay, okay, it’s okay. He’s in one of the most trusted positions in the country.’

  “Well, it’s like you said, I’ve been lucky to have met good people.” He struggled to find the words to describe how he felt. He was stuck in a different plane altogether, with no way to contact anyone he once knew.

  “Right.” The Professor didn’t seem convinced.

  “I don’t know what I’m doing.” He admitted in a half-mumble.

  ‘Don’t do this. You’re strong, you don’t need to burden someone else with your problems.’

  “I’m sorry?” The Professor inquired in return.

  'He doesn’t need to know. You’d just look immature.'

  “I don’t know why I’m here, or even how to take care of a Pokémon properly.” Owen started to raise his voice as he continued. “I was minding my own business. I was fine. I had a job. A plan. A life!” He got louder as he raised his arms to his shoulders.

  “And now… And now I’m nowhere near home, I barely know anyone and I hardly have anything to my name!” He looked around for a moment, wondering why he couldn’t stop himself. He’d done so several times since arriving in this world.

  “I WAS HAPPY AND THINGS MADE SENSE!” He shouted to the surprise of the Professor, and yet the man opposite from him didn’t interrupt. Instead, he patiently waited for Owen to continue.

  “I don’t know what I’ve been doing these past few days. Why didn’t it hit until now?" He paused to look down for a moment. "Every time I felt like it was too much, it just stopped, and somehow… somehow it was fine.” He thought aloud, looking for an answer in his words.

  That’s right, every time until now it didn’t just stop, it was made to stop by that familiar feel. That calming low rumble, the one thing that wasn’t alien.

  “I’m sorry sir, you barely know me, that wasn’t right to dump all of a sudden,” Owen tilted his head to the floor. “It’s not fair to make that your business…” He started to feel the guilt of letting it out, the guilt of allowing himself another crutch.

  “Better?” Sycamore offered up with a smile. “And, pardon moi, but it is my business to make sure that fine young trainers and their Pokémon are having a safe time out there, doubly so for those in care of one of the protected species I monitor.” The Professor took a moment to pause and give Owen a knowing look.

  “You’re safe here now, understand? You won’t have to worry about where to stay or if you’ll get to eat.” He continued calmly as he reached his hand towards a thin box on the table, opening the lid and offering its contents “Here, try this chocolate, it’s La Maison,” He softly shook the box, insisting it forward. “Take one, I promise you’ll like it.”

  ‘Why is he doing this? He doesn’t even know me.’

  Owen took the wrapped chocolate, opening the fancy paper to reveal its contents, before taking a modest bite. It was…the sweetest thing he’d had in a while. Creamy and rich, and enough to make him finish the rest of the piece in the next bite.

  “By the sounds of it, I’m surprised no one’s told you that the Kalos League will cover your expenditures until we can get you home.” He continued, much to Owen’s surprise.

  “I’m sorry, what?” He couldn’t get over the idea of such a thing, it certainly wasn’t anything he would have expected back home.

  “I’m sure they were just busy, you know, all the excitement going on lately. But you’re aware of most of that.” Sycamore let out a dejected sigh. “Ideally, our League Trainers would handle such things, but it’s just so frequent and sudden it’s maddening.” He said as if looking for answers himself.

  “I didn’t think about that… I mean, I know the people who got injured last night were being taken care of, but still.”

  “I can help you with the online forms if you’d like.” Sycamore warmly offered again.

  “I’d appreciate that.” Owen replied, finally feeling calm now after a second piece of chocolate had been handed his way. More importantly, he now knew he wasn’t going to end up a bum in fantasy Paris, at least not in the short term which was all he needed.

  It only took about half an hour or so to complete the filing, after which the Professor explained how Owen would get his card, allowing him a modest amount for food, lodging, and a tiny bit extra for necessities. It would come with an approved list of what could be bought, most likely to prevent abuse of the aid. However, he wondered if teleportation accidents were relatively common in this world, as that's what his situation had been labeled as.

  “Très bien!” The Professor said with a clap, after closing out the computer’s windows. “You came here to find out about Fennekin, did you not? I cannot tell you how much I appreciate you for finding a lost one that belonged to a trainer.” He paused to glance toward the side before continuing.

  “Even if I’m not quite sure who it could belong to, I’m aware of every trainer who’s left the lab with a Fennekin while I’ve been in charge, and all of them have evolved into a magnifique Delphox!” He exclaimed.

  The words hung in the air as they rode the elevator back downstairs. Owen wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but something about Sycamore’s uncertainty sat strangely in his gut.

  Stepping out, they were met with a heartwarming sight—five Pokémon sprawled on the carpet, fast asleep. Garchomp loomed over them protectively, like a mother watching her young.

  Not wanting to wake them all, Owen and the Professor slowly crept over toward Fennekin on the floor to realize she hadn’t fully fallen asleep yet. Upon seeing Owen’s soft smile, she blinked a few times before returning an expectant gaze.

  “How about it, would you like me to see if I can help?” The Professor half whispered with a gesturing motion. Her tail bristled, ears twitching. She stepped back—hesitated—before slinking forward, her head low, as if bracing for something unseen.

  The adjacent room was filled with all kinds of strange machines of which Owen couldn’t begin to comprehend their purpose, but at least they weren’t loud. One had a large pad to stand on, with a protrusion hanging far above the pad and just below the ceiling.

  "So, you must be our wayward Fennekin," Sycamore mused, his discerning gaze studying her. "It troubles me that I don’t recall ever pairing you to a partner." He started up the machine, its screen coming to life as a low hum rumbled behind it. It took him a few minutes of pushing buttons before finally turning around again to the fox.

  “If you’d please stand here. I promise you won’t feel a thing.” Professor Sycamore gestured to the platform, intending for Fennekin to make her way over.

  Not long after she did so, a dull red light briefly shone over her head as the machine’s fans started to kick in. The screen flashed a few times as it beeped in turn before the Professor spoke up.

  “That’s odd… She’s not registered in here.” He muttered as he faced Owen. “Are you positive it wasn’t merely a defective ball?” He posited before rummaging through a box he’d had off to the side of the room.

  “Here, I’d like to see what happens myself, if that’s alright with the two of you.” The Professor said as he handed the red and white sphere to Owen.

  Round two at this one, then.

  “Hey Fenn, you ready?” Owen asked the yellow fox, who made her way over to him cautiously. He tried pressing it on her forehead once again very gently, and as the ball opened, red light tried to engulf the fire fox in front of him. But, when her form didn’t move again, it finally relented, and the hinge on the ball closed itself slowly thereafter.

  “Well, that’s new. The old one didn’t do that.” Owen looked up at the Professor.

  “No, that’s what it’s supposed to look like when a registered Pokémon is rejected by a ball. The old one must have been broken, although the outcome is decidedly the same.”

  “So, what does that mean?” Owen Asked.

  “Most likely an unregistered capture. But I’m not sure where you’d get one from. Her species, like many others, are protected under law.” The Professor hummed as he rubbed his chin, looking through the computer for more information.

  “But nothing of the sort has been reported.”

  “That’s what they said at the ranger station too.” Owen offered in return. The Professor made his way over to Fennekin and knelt down to look her over.

  “Would you mind if I checked you for injury, Fennekin?” He asked calmly. Fennekin took a moment to agree to his request. Though, once he started, it didn’t take long. After looking over all of her limbs, and pushing back fur, he ushered her over to another corner of the room. There were 2 wildly different-looking scales for Pokémon over there. One for smaller Pokémon, not much larger than a baby scale from his world. The other was a gigantic pad, hooked up to a digital display reading 0.00 KG.

  “13 Kilos…and, Fifty four centimeters!” He noted out loud with mild surprise, looking even more confused now.

  “Physically, she’s fine. Although… quite a bit larger than average for a Fennekin. Probably should have evolved some time ago.” He told Owen, before making his way around the room, turning off the machine that had been used.

  “I’m afraid that’s all I can do for now.” The Professor said, turning back to Fennekin. “In lieu of any answers, would you two like to stay together?” He asked.

  Owen hesitated. Before he could speak, a small warmth pressed against his leg. Fennekin. No words, no hesitation—just quiet certainty. His chest tightened. She chose him.

  Sycamore chuckled at the sight. “That’s settled, then. So—who’s hungry?”

  Garchomp helped the Professor with what she could, carrying things to the counter and whatnot. Owen sat patiently with Fennekin in his lap, gently stroking her tiny back. Before they knew it, they were looking at their own plates, however different their contents were. Owen noticed next to the little cuts of raw meat handed to Fennekin were a couple of cinnamon sticks, before looking down to see the Fox’s eyes glint at the wonderful sight. Both of which she toasted to her liking before they were utterly demolished.

  There had been more food set out on a lower table set in front of cushions, ready for the other Pokémon, who started to mosey in one by one. The last of which had been Umbreon, who had quite a messy head of fur right now. Squirtle guided Umbreon to the dish of mush, resembling gravy-covered chicken and tuna. Owen didn't want to think of the logistics behind that can of worms right now.

  After they all finished, he offered to help with drying the dishes. A little mechanical whirr was heard entering the room, one that caught Umbreon’s attention instantly. The ring on his head started to glow again as he followed the black circle on the ground, as it jittered and turned around the floor.

  “Oh, a Roomba?” Owen blurted out, slightly amused, but nowhere near as amused as Umbreon right now. To say the black cat Pokémon was infatuated by it would be an understatement. He couldn’t keep his eyes off the thing. Umbreon’s ears pricked forward, eyes locked on the whirring machine. His tail flicked once. Then twice. A moment later, he crouched, belly to the floor, as if waiting for the perfect moment to pounce.

  When the Roomba paused in the corner, Umbreon flopped over, lazily batting at it, tail flicking. Once it finished there, it left again, eliciting a double take and a swivel of Umbreon’s head before the moonlight Pokémon relocated his new favorite thing. Eventually, he got bored when it finally came to a rest in a charging station.

  Afterward, the Professor guided Owen down the hall.

  “Two of my assistants are off on a project in Alola right now, so I’m sure neither one of them would mind you borrowing a room for a little while.”

  “Thanks, Professor.” He gave a nod before heading off down the hall, leaving the three of them be. The room was largely empty, save for a desk, bed, lamp, and bookcase.

  Owen took the time to look back over his belongings again. There had been the blanket, the phone, the mystery tm from Théo, an ultra ball belonging to Umbreon, and about 1000 poke dollars given to him by Korrina.

  ‘Oh, shit she probably would like to know where I am. Did I even get her number?’

  Upon going through his contacts, he noticed not only her name was in there, but the contacts had a suggestions section toward the bottom now. It included the number for the closest Pokémon center, among a few other things.

  - Staying with the Professor tonight. How are things there?

  - That’s good! Just tired. U all okay?

  - Yeah, Prof doesn’t know who Fenn’s trainer is tho

  - Weird, u take care of her!

  - I will, just dunno what to do

  - Try the gym! I gotta go there sometime 2, will let u know when

  - Okay

  Owen exhaled, setting the phone down. No response after that. She must have been busy again.

  Meanwhile, Fennekin and Umbreon had taken an interest in the blanket. Umbreon, after much rolling, successfully cocooned himself inside. His bright red eyes blinked sleepily at Owen before slowly shutting. A quiet, content purring filled the room.

  Owen decided to sit back against the pillow and browse the videos for a little while. Fennekin settled in his lap and seemed to be enthralled by his manipulation of the screen in front of them. He passed by a video that got her attention, however, as she popped up, knocking the phone down onto the bed. When he picked it back up, he scrolled back a little bit to see what had gotten her so excited. The first video to stand out to him was one with a thumbnail of a Delphox from 9 years ago. It had the words ‘Pokémon Showcase’ in the title, so he pressed on it.

  They watched the flashy performance involving a girl with red hair, dressed up on stage with the Pokémon. The pair seemed to waste no movement together as multicolored fire lit up the stage like a rainbow, mesmerizing both Owen and Fennekin.

  They watched a few more, but Owen’s eyes grew heavier. Finally, he set the phone aside.

  This time, he didn’t feel uneasy about sleeping underneath a new ceiling.