Date?

I awake with a throbbing headache, disoriented and clutching at the remains of a wild night.

The sunlight burns into my eyes and this searing sensation is all I feel in my world of pain and misery... Until a fuzzy something tickles my chest.

I look down and see Buneary, laying beneath a tangle of bedsheets, on the bare skin of my chest. 

Her soft fur is warm against my skin and her head is nestled into my neck as if seeking refuge from the death-rays of the sun.

My head throbs in pain as I lay flat again and close my eyes tightly.

What the hell happened yesterday?

We got alcohol... I gave Dawn and Zoey their gifts...

My musings are abruptly interrupted by some sounds emanating from the bathroom.

Is Barry taking his morning shit again? Or as he likes to call it, his 'morning constitutional'?

No... The retching noises make it clear that it is something else. 

He is puking his guts out, in there.

After a while, my own morning constitutional comes calling and I try to get up carefully. 

I don't want to disturb Buneary too much. 

But my right arm is stuck!

What the hell!

Oh. It's just Dawn.

Holy Arceus! What happened to her?! 

She is sprawled out on her stomach, like a starfish with all limbs spread out. 

Her hair is an absolute mess! It's half of an afro and another half of what appears to be a thick layer of felt.

Some of the weight on my body, that I had initially dismissed as just Buneary's weight, is actually her leg which is hanging over my stomach.

Carefully, I try to use my left arm to extract my right one, but my left arm is also ensnared. 

This time it is Zoey.

She is only wearing her underwear, and she seems to feel really cold since she has commandeered my arm like a warm, makeshift body-pillow.

"How did I not notice that first?" I mutter to myself, my voice barely a croak. 

Just how much did we end up drinking last night?

Just as I was planning out my Haunterdini-like escape without waking up my bed mates, Akari enters the room. 

Her eyes widen at the sight of the room.

"This room is looking a lot worse with sunlight. Oh. A good morning to you, Swole." She says. 

Her voice is a mixture of worry and amusement.

I wince in response. The headache is getting worse as I try to form words. "Mrning, Akari."

She crosses the room and surveys the many bottles and food crumbs everywhere. 

"Did you manage to learn to not drink sake from the bottle as if it were beer or cider?"

I did that? Am I retarded?

"Nevertheless, it seems that you have managed to make quite the success despite your drunkenness." She points out the sleeping girls all over me.

A sudden wave of memories overcame me. 

Zoey kissed me. 

A LOT! "Holy Arceus."

The exclamation was enough to stir Zoey into movement and she pulls the blanket over herself and finally-- No, regretfully, lets go of my arm.

At least I'm a little more free now.

Dawn, who is now fully uncovered from the blanket, also stirs and frees my other arm in the process.

Barry left the bathroom at some point and is now laying back down in his bed in painful groans.

The bathroom is free, my arms are free and I get up in pain, carrying Buneary with me.

The world is spinning a little and I stay still, so I won't fall over.

My cargo pants are still on. 

Why didn't I change into my comfy PJs?

The pain is almost unbearable... almost. 

But some of the spotty memories from yesterday are still fresh in my mind. "Drinking is awesome."

"Perhaps if you learn to pace yourself, we can all get together for a drink once more someday in the future." Akari says but suddenly, a wave of nausea hits me.

I rush into the bathroom, plant a groaning Buneary down in the shower and rush to the toilet.

puking.sfx

---

Narrator-POV:

The morning sun spills gentle rays of light into the clean and tidy dormitory kitchen. 

A stark contrast to the chaotic mess of a room that the young people have left behind.

The only thing out of place is a lonely, empty cereal box on the ground. As if it has given up its dream of ever making it into the trash. 

In reality, some young person simply could not aim well enough, missed the trash can and could not be bothered with it anymore.

Today, the innocent kitchen bears witness to the aftermath of underage drinking.

Seated around the kitchen table are 5 weary, human figures, clutching their pounding heads and munching on soggy cereals with Gogoat milk.

Dawn, Zoey, Barry, Lucas and Swole all wear their own unique expressions in response to the throbbing headache that they share.

Each spoonful of sugary cereals is trying its best to lighten the queasiness on the humans' stomachs.

Amidst the hungover, humanoid zombies, there is just a single outlier. 

Akari. Calm, composed and collected.

The experienced underage drinker has managed to escape the clutches of the morning-after agony, which grips her friends in its painful claws.

She too had a bowl of cereal but that has already been eaten, and now, she is delivering one cup of fresh, hot green tea after another. 

Or 'matcha', as she prefers to call it.

A cup for every hungover creature. "Thanks" They each say in response as they get their tea. 

Although, from Akari's perspective, the words that came out were barely more than animal growling and literal pokemon-noises.

Their pokemon; Buneary and Misdreavus, mirror their hungover trainers' actions, sitting beside them with their own cereal-filled bowls.

When Barry had accidentally, loudly dropped his spoon in the bowl, Buneary and Swole even let out a synchronized groan of pain.

A comical display of unity in misery.

Quilava is also at the breakfast table. And she just happens to be the only drinking-age pokemon who managed to escape the pain, just like her trainer.

Some would say she managed that because her body mass is greater and because she can handle more alcohol. 

But in truth, she simply listened to her trusted trainer Akari.

Barry, looking at his fellow sufferers, musters up the energy to inquire. "Anyone else have a huge headache today?"

"Lucas. Hit him." Says Swole as deadpan stares press down on Barry.

Lucas makes a halfhearted attempt at slapping Barry on the back of his head, but then, just like the cereal box, gives up halfway. 

He mutters something that could have the meaning of, "Can't be bothered today."

The group re-enters their collective silence again.

That is, until Akari finished sipping her green tea and tells the group. "I have already cleaned up most of the mess in the boys' room, but we still need to discreetly handle the bottles. Oh, and someone will need to clean up the bathroom."

Swole, despite the hangover, is quick to capitalize on the sudden opportunity. "That was Barry. I heard him puking in the bathroom in the morning."

Dawn, Zoey and Lucas are quick on the uptake and confirm Swole's report with their own versions of events that push 100% the blame fully on Barry.

It just so happens that between waking up and breakfast, everyone of them has emptied their stomachs in the bathroom, and all had an equal part in the mess.

But Barry... is a doormat. "You're right. I'm sorry guys. I will clean up after breakfast."

"Thanks man." Says Lucas. "It takes a lot of courage and personal strength to stand up for your mistakes like that. I won't forget that, mate. You're a real fellow."

"Haha. Thanks, dude." Barry replies as he scratches the back of his neck in an embarrassed fashion.

After another session of silence, Dawn eventually asks the question that is plaguing her mind. 

"Akari, what exactly happened yesterday? Why did Zoey and I end up with Swole in his bed? Nothing... happened, right?"

"I also wanna know what went down. The last thing I can remember is us kickin' off a game of spin the bottle, where the loser has to take a swig." Zoey adds. 

Some of her accent bleeds through, in part due to being hungover, in another part, due to having grown more comfortable around the group of friends.

Over the 3 weeks, the young people turned from a collection of strangers and childhood friends, into a tightly knit group of companions.

"Well." Akari answers and starts drinking her second cup of tea for dramatic effect. 

"It has all started going out of control, when Zoey lost too much at this 'spin the bottle' game."

"She had to take 1 drink after another until Dawn requested in a 'dare' that Zoey shows us what she did with Swole, earlier in the evening."

'Right. She gave me a peck on the lips for the Misdreavus plush.' Swole still remembers that event clearly.

"Zoey then began to... kiss Dawn and I, as if we were a married couple... Did your mother not teach you to behave yourself with restraint, Zoey?"

"Well... yea, she did... But... But right! I was drunk! I had no control over my actions."

"But you had already kissed Swole, when you were not drunk at all."

"Well... Huh. Eh, whoups?"

"Sigh." Akari shakes her head at Zoey's behavior. "Nevertheless. Dawn had rightfully pointed out that Zoey overdid her kissing with us, and that it should be her loss, yet again. However, in a desperate attempt to win, you decided to seduce Swole and steal a very indecent kiss from him."

At this point Zoey is blushing deeply and is starting to regret asking for details of the night.

"After that, Swole led the group of boys over to us and claimed that it was a night to celebrate, and that he wanted to try the sake. Despite my warnings, all 5 of you ended up drinking straight from the bottle as if sharing a light drink! Sake has a lot more alcohol. You should not drink it as if it were beer."

Various forms of "Sorry." Come from the 5 young adults.

"And then, eventually, Barry said something about a 'sleep over'. Swole started undressing, trying to get into his nightwear, while Dawn and Zoey cheered him on. But he fell asleep just after getting out of his shirt. Then, the next moment, Dawn just fell asleep too. Then Zoey tried getting back into our dormitory to sleep, but she just gave up and laid down next to Swole! It was chaos! It felt like I was herding a room full of Furret!"

Swole, leaning back in his chair, could not help but grin widely. "We should do this again. The hangover sucks, but I can't say I don't enjoy waking up like that! Haha-- Ow!"

Zoey rolls her eyes playfully. "Of course you would enjoy that. Haha."

But Dawn, without missing a beat, smacks Swole on the arm. "We shouldn't be drinking that much."

The bit of laughter, joy and the hydrating effect of the green tea, managed to alleviate some of their hangover and they sluggishly finished their breakfast.

The group cleans up the kitchen together and then Lucas brings up another topic.

"What are we going to do today? ... I have decided that today will be my last day in Jubilife City. Tomorrow I will travel back to Sandgem Town and take my pokemon studies seriously. I managed to snag an apprentice position with professor Rowan and I want to start that as soon as possible."

"Zoey and I already planned to go shopping today." Answers Dawn, still in her terrible bed hair. "We still need stage dresses, and then we will work out who travels with Barry and who with Swole."

As they walk through the hallway towards the dormitory rooms, Barry answers next.

"I'm meeting up with Ash and Brock-- Ehhh, you know... Ash, the guy who was second in the tournament? I ran into them on Friday. We talked a bunch and I promised to show them around the city. In return they will help me a little with my pokemon adventure."

The group stops in the hallway, on one side the boys' dorm, on the other the girls' dorm.

"I promised Buneary a nice surprise, so we are going to the steakhouse in Floaro Street. The Wallflower. We went there before and the steaks they have are fucking massive." 

Swole holds his arms apart for emphasis and Buneary grows sparkles in her eyes.

The group finally looks at Akari for her response and Lucas grins in anticipation. "Looks like it's just you and me today, Akari."

"Uhm... actually... Swole, would you mind if Quilava and I tag along?"

Swole perks up in surprise, while Lucas slumps down in disappointment as they both think, 'As a date?'.

"Of course you can join us! We would be delighted if you join us."

Buneary suddenly gives him a betrayed look. "Don't worry Buneary. You won't have to share your meat with her." 

But this did not manage to improve her mood.

In her opinion, Buneary had to share 'her meat' a little too much in recent days and she should receive a little more exclusive access to 'her trainer'.

'Her meat', meaning Swole's attention, in this case. Get your minds out of the gutter. Grow up.

And 'her trainer', being her personal property and her free access to food, grooming, luxury and sometimes training.

---

After the group split up in the hallway; The girls to their room, the boys to their own and Barry to the boys' bathroom, Swole found himself waiting.

Akari and Swole decided to meet up in the afternoon and to skip lunch for an extra large dinner.

"Well... I might as well clean up." Swole says, when he sees the state of the room.

Buneary hops off his shoulder and lays down on their bed. 

Not to laze around and sleep, of course, but in order to make sure that Swole gets all the dirt and trash in their temporary den. 

Supposedly.

That she happens to fall asleep at some point was merely a weird coincidence.

Swole picks up the many bottles and the half eaten leftovers and puts them all into trash bags.

The leftover trash ends up in the communal trash cans while the bottles end up in his bottomless bag for a rainy day.

The city employs Muk and Garbodor to handle the trash that the citizens produce but they do not like to eat glass. 

That is why glass needs to be recycled and in order to convince the population to recycle, the people get money back when they return the glass bottles.

At some point, Swole will be old enough to inconspicuously return a massive load of alcohol bottles without being questioned why he has them. 

At that point, he will probably earn 20₽. 'But it's the principle that matters.' He thinks.

Occasionally, when he passes his bed while cleaning up, he reaches out and pets his sleeping Buneary, who lets out soft mewls of contentment in response.

As for the food crumbs, the room contains a vacuum cleaner. 

Swole considers just ignoring the rest of the mess and leaving it for the cleaning staff, but he comes to the decision that he should leave the school with a good impression.

The school is his foothold into the industry, after all.

Once the floor is clean, Swole finds himself at a loss about what to do with the rest of the time he has.

Buneary has fallen asleep on the bed and Barry is vocally complaining in the bathroom about the state of the room. 

Barry is contemplating his life's choices that led him into the position, where he ended up puking all over the place.

"I'm never drinking again." Can be heard on occasion.

With nothing useful left to do, Swole pulls out Buneary's grooming equipment and gets to work.

Buneary wakes up and considers complaining about being rudely awoken, but after realizing what is going on, she sprawls out over his legs instead and lets the luxury treatment begin.

All the battling and all the partying left her with a new build-up of knots in her fur.

Not harmful but certainly uncomfortable.

Buneary purrs as the knots get untangled, as her fur is brushed smooth, as her fluff is picked voluminous and as her body is rubbed with a bit of C&H scented oil for her health.

"You're so gay. You should compete in a contest." Lucas is laying on his bed. Staring holes in the ceiling and doing nothing at all.

"Fuck you. You're just jealous that Akari wants to go on a date with me instead of you."

"Fuck you. I'm going to the training field... And your battle catchphrase is cringe!"

Shortly after, Barry emerges from the bathroom and says goodbye too, before leaving for his meet up with Ash and Brock.

Now alone and in silence, the trainer continues grooming his pokemon.

Occasionally explaining a new tactic, strategy or combo she should do in certain situations.

Almost none of it sticks in the purring Buneary's head.

She is far too relaxed to commit anything substantial to memory.

Besides, as Swole figured out, Buneary learns best in combat. 

If she is really supposed to learn something, then sparring and associating the strategy with a tangible experience is best.

As it is, Swole just talks to himself and bounces ideas off a proverbial wall to see what might stick.

...

Until a careful knock on the door interrupts his musings.

'That must be Akari', is what he thinks before doing a last minute check of his own style. "One moment!"

He's wearing his future gym clothes. Dress pants, dress shirt and the sleeves are rolled up.

No cravat but sleek dress shoes.

A belt with two pokeballs. 1 regular empty ball and another premier ball that belongs to Buneary.

His hair is combed but he shakes them up a little to get a messy surfer look.

His breath smells alright and Buneary gives him a nod of approval. 

Not that she knows anything about style.

As he opens the door, he looks perfectly business-casual.

Akari greets him with a smile.

Her kimono-like outfit looks freshly cleaned and she is wearing her hair open today.

A few stitched up holes in her clothing are especially apparent in their cleaned state.

Her dark blue hair cascades down the back of her head and her dark blue eyes scan over Swole in return.

"What is up? Are you expecting a battle?" She asks, recognizing his outfit as the one they bought together for his gym challenge. 

"Haha, no, this is simply my best outfit. You girls chose it well."

"That is quite a coincidence. I also happen to be wearing my best clothes. Let us be on our way then, yes?"

---

The two young friends get going on their way through the city, towards Floaro Street.

Buneary is on overwatch duty on Swole's shoulder. 

Quilava is wrapped around Akari's shoulders and neck, trying to balance her new weight in the least uncomfortable way, and the silver pokemon egg is cradled in Akari's arms.

However, 'Coincidence? What does she mean? Of course I would dress in my best clothes for our date... unless... Could she not consider it as a date? What if it's just a normal meal for her?'

His eyes travel down her body as she walks beside him. 'Her dress is old. I haven't seen her in anything else either. I doubt she can afford to eat in the restaurant, if that's the case. No matter if it's a date or not, she is my friend and I will pay for her.'

Swole's mind is going through all sorts of what-ifs and what-nots. Leaving Akari in complete silence in the meantime.

'This must be one of those monologues that Dawn warned me of.' Akari is not bothered by the awkward silence.

For a reason that she does not understand, Dawn spent some time telling Akari of all sorts of quirks and facts on Swole.

What he likes and dislikes, that he often gets stuck in a world of his own inside his head, and that she should just punch his shoulder if he seems unresponsive.

Eventually, she does just that. 

A light punch on his arm and his eyes refocus on her. "I asked if you know when The Wallflower turned into a steakhouse."

"Oh! I'm so sorry, I was thinking about some things. I don't think the restaurant is a steakhouse. They had everything on their menu but the steaks were just amazing, right Buneary? ... How about you? Have you been there before?"

"I used to. The store was small and quaint but we went there everyday for potato mochi."

"They still have them. I was surprised how good they taste."

Akari becomes a little more excited. "The perfect mix of crispy and chewy, right?"

"Exactly! And..." He pauses, unsure how to best breach the subject. "You can eat as much of them as you want. My treat. You don't have to worry about money."

"Are you sure? I have saved up a little bit here and there, I'm sure I can pay for some mochi."

Swole is a bit surprised. 

He thought that Akari, who is always the embodiment of a traditionalist, would fully expect him to pay.

With his expectations exceeded, his resolve only hardens. "Of course I'm sure. I have a steady income and got something from the prize pool. You are my friend and I won't have you worry about that sort of thing. Alright?"

"Alright. Thank you very much." Akari says as she blushes self-consciously.

The professors are still discussing the results of her thesis on the Curse move, and the payment will be proportional to the value her results bring to the scientific community.

This means it will be a while until she is not as poor as a church mouse anymore.

It also means that she cannot tell her friends about the trick behind the move either.

Feelings of debt spread over Akari. "Really, thank you. I wish I could repay you somehow."

"No need. It's alright. Alright?"

"Haha, alright."

They traverse the rest of the way to the restaurant while chatting about this and that.

"Wow. They have expanded a lot more than I thought they would." 

Akari expected just a little more than the old storefront shop that she was used to.

The quaint single-person store grew to a massive size.

"Let's get inside."

"They have an inside now?" Akari lets out in awe.

Inside, the same old lady who took care of Swole and Buneary last time, greets them.

She recognizes Swole and mentally sorts him into the bracket of well paying customers, who feed their pokemon well.

When her gaze passes over Akari, she suddenly stops and thinks.

"Deary, what's your name?" She finally asks.

"Me? My name is Akari. Akari Platinum."

"Well, I'll be. It really is you. Gran'ma was right after all." She grumbles to herself. "A table for 2 or for 4?" 

She asks because it is protocol, not to assume how trainers treat their pokemon.

Swole responds, "For 4, please."

"You're in luck! We have just the perfect spot for two young trainers in love."

Akari starts blushing profusely and is unable to reply to clear up the misconception, as the old lady delivers them to their table and leaves right after dropping off the menus.

The table is covered in pink table-cloth, features a candelabra with red candles and a glass vase filled with red roses.

"Ahem" Akari clears her throat to regain Swole's attention. "I realize now how this might have given off the wrong signals... I was not aware that we were heading for a romantic dinner and I apologize profusely for any misunderstandings I might have caused. I did not plan to marry any time soon."

"Damn." Swole mumbles. "It's alright."

It was not alright. 'Rejection stings', is what Swole really thinks at the moment.

His fears were validated. Akari was not romantically interested when offering to join him.

'Next time, I will need to make it clear whether or not something is or isn't a date.' He thinks as he pretends to leaf through the menu.

He has already decided to get the same as last time.

As for Akari, her feelings of debt have turned into guilt. 

The young man, her friend, did not deserve that, she thinks.

But just as she is about to apologize again, Swole says, "Sorry, for jumping to conclusions. That was my fault... Say, how are you training Quilava? I can't help but notice that she fights perfectly, even when you don't give any orders. How come?"

He tries to change the topic.

Akari is relieved that Swole does not appear to be devastated. And she is relieved that she can give something in response to his kindness.

"I do not train her to follow orders. I teach her instead and I structure my own orders around what she would usually do."

Buneary and Swole listen carefully as she passively pets Quilava.

"Pokemon, especially ones from the wilderness, know how to fight. Sometimes they have to choose between some options and that is when I intervene. Other times, my orders exist to simply reinforce Quilava's confidence in her own actions."

"That makes sense. You wouldn't give unexpected orders and so Quilava can respond faster or is already doing what you want. But that takes a lot of training, right?"

"A lot. Yes. Will you tell me how you taught Buneary to make faints? I am certain, I heard you say Quick Attack but she used Pound. I thought you only had her for a little more than a month?"

Swole scratches the back of his neck, "Oh... Well, we cheated. Her hearing is very good and I gave her the real orders quietly."

"Wow! Well, it works! You got us good, Buneary, right Quilava?" - "Quila."

Buneary beams in pride at their praise.

They continue their discussion on battle strategies, each trying to forget about the date to defeat the awkwardness between them. 

Until the service lady returns to take their orders.

Swole and Buneary get the massive tomahawk steaks again while Akari and Quilava match their orders.

She notes everything down on a notepad and then pulls out an aged letter with a wax seal and leaves it in front of Akari.

The seal has a shape similar to that of the Galaxy Acquisition Group's logo.

"What's that?" Swole asks but the lady is already gone.

"Not sure..." Akari answers and inspects the letter.

It is addressed to her. 'Akari Platinum' It says in an elaborate, italic script.

She breaks the wax seal and pulls out a short letter. Or rather a note.

"So?"

"... We need to go to Galaxy Hall."

"The tourist spot? Sure, we can go there."

"Bunnie!"

"Of course we will finish the food first." Swole replies and Akari laughs.

The two continue to talk and laugh with each other and with their pokemon. 

Most topics revolve around pokemon battles, nutrition and grooming techniques.

The mysterious letter is quickly forgotten as the food arrives and the aroma and taste overwhelms the group.

Buneary digs in and only a reminder, that nobody will take her food away allows her to keep a minimum of dinner table decorum.

Quilava, the sudden biped, still struggles with utensils, but seeing her friend Buneary do it so easily, encourages her to try it too. 

With Akari's help, Quilava manages to eat her portion as well as a human baby would.

Akari ends up complaining about needing to use a knife and fork in the first place.

Proper food is cut in the kitchen, and then eaten with chopsticks, after all.

But all good things must come to an end. 

The steak is eaten. 

The side dish of potato mochi is eaten as well, even if they were not as good as Akari remembers them.

And then the service lady comes with the bill.

Akari is gaping at the price. 

She could survive for a month with that amount of money.

160₽ in total. Her half of the cost would burn through all of her savings at once.

Swole gladly pays for them both and they head back out to travel to the Galaxy Hall.

---

The Galaxy Hall.

Formerly, the headquarters of the Galaxy Acquisition Group, aka Galaxy Expedition Team, or Galaxy Team for short.

Nowadays, the name Team Galactic, the name of their popular research and development department, is also becoming synonymous with the whole organization.

Some people complain, that they should just stop re-branding themselves already.

Galaxy Hall is a large, 3 story brick building that resembles the Kanto style of architecture during their industrial revolution.

The building has a raised foundation and two wings, connected to the main building in the center. Atop both wings are rusted bronze statues of Magikarp.

Above the entrance is the ancient logo of the Galaxy Expedition Team: A stylized 'GaT'.

The modern version has been streamlined down to just a simple 'G' in the same stylized font.

A plaque describes that the many smoke stacks on top of the building were added because it was not built with a central heating system, and most rooms have their own fireplace.

Additionally, there used to be another set of chimneys in the shape of a Weezing, which led down to a laboratory.

The Weezing-chimney has, at some point, been moved to a different location to save money. Later, it was melted down to save even more money.

"It's closed." Notices Swole.

Today is Sunday.

"I know a way in. Come, follow me." Akari then sneaks to an alley that leads to the back of the building, checking the corners and moving as inconspicuous as she can.

Swole is following along normally.

Luckily, nobody is around to see it. A girl, pretending to be a ninja, and a guy, following her into a dark, empty and abandoned alleyway, is usually a good reason to call an Officer Jenny.

"Here, hold this." Akari has an excited smile on her face as she makes Swole carry her egg and then opens up a window on the backside of the building.

"This window never locked. Cyllene used to complain about the draft all the time."

Then she continues to jump through the window with a combat roll.

She re-emerges from the window and holds her arms out to get the egg back and help Swole up.

"Hold on. Why are we breaking into the Galaxy Hall?" Swole asks but climbs up anyway.

"This is a public building. We are not breaking in. We are simply using a different, unlocked entrance."

"Alright. I'll buy it. But why?" Swole asks as he takes in the details of the room.

There are faded curtains, a large, ancient stationary desk, the front door can be seen past the open door of the room and the interior is outfitted with wooden decor and beige wallpaper.

"I can tell you... But you have to promise me to never tell anyone about this, alright?"

"Alright."

"Do you promise?" She tightens up her eyes.

"Alright, I promise to keep this all to myself." Swole holds his hand over his heart for emphasis.

"Alright, then... here." She holds out the note she received in the restaurant with trepidation.

It is a message in faded ink that reads: 

'Survey Corps Ranger Akari Platinum, here is your final, secret task. Meet me in my office. Signed, Captain Cyllene'

"I don't get it. Is someone playing a prank on you?"

"This is a coded message... Well, it is more that I was told before, what this message means. I just need to remember where..." She trails off and starts poking around the office.

After a while, the sound of a hand meeting the face of its owner can be heard.

"Apologies. I just cannot believe I forgot that." She says before putting the egg aside and climbing on top of the desk and reaching up towards the ceiling.

Akari is about 5 centimeters too small.

Her hands are trying to push against a ceiling tile but all she manages is to ineffectively wave her hands back and forth until... She stumbles and falls off the desk.

Towards Swole.

In a lesser story, this would be the moment where Akari falls towards Swole and her face ends up in his crotch.

The narrator apologizes in advance. 

Dear reader... This is such a story.

Swole tries his best to catch Akari but her weight and momentum from atop the desk is just too much for him to brace, and he falls down onto his back.

"Oof!" He exhales as the air is pushed out of his lungs.

Akari falls down onto her stomach and her face lads directly on his crotch.

"My balls!" Swole shouts out in pain as the 5kg heavy object slams into his crown jewels.

"Ouch! My face! What is this hard thing I landed on?" Akari tries to say, but all that comes out are mumbles and grumbles because something is blocking out the sound coming from her mouth.

Her eyes open and she sees the close up view of a pair of dress pants and a leather belt.

She shoots up and blushes hard. 

"I-- You-- I'm so sorry! My deepest apologies! This is so inappropriate. My mother would skin me alive! I am soooo sorry. Can you forgive me?"

"Groan." Swole just curls up in pain.

"I am sorry... Can you help me get something out of the ceiling?"

"Groan." Swole nods and pushes himself up.

Buneary is laughing in the corner, rolling around and hitting the floor with hands and ears.

Quilava is unable to keep her laughter contained either.

Her back is flaring up with white-hot fire whenever it gets too hard to keep herself from laughing at her trainer's predicament.

"Jump up, Buneary." Swole orders and his pokemon swallows down her mirth and hops into his arms.

He climbs on the desk and holds Buneary up to the ceiling.

She can easily push the ceiling tile up and to the side and they see a couple of support beams that keep up the 1st and 2nd story of the building.

"There should be a little cutout in the beam to the left-- No, the other. My left... It should not be easy to spot but if you find groves in the wood, then there is a little box built into the beam."

"Bun!"

"You got it?" Asks Swole. "Pull it out."

She pulls, but the age and humidity caused the box to get stuck inside the beam. 

"Pull harder!"

Buneary pulls with all her might... Plop! "Woah!"

Swole and Buneary tumble backwards, off the table and back onto the floor.

Whomp

The air is knocked out of him with another "Oof" sound.

And then, "Ouch! My face!" He tries to shout but something is blocking his mouth.

Buneary immediately jumps up with a massive blush on her face and glares in malice at the little wooden box that landed beside them.

"What the hell?" Asks Swole before wiping his face. "What's this stuff--... Never mind. Say, anyone know where to buy clothes for pokemon?"

Buneary redirects her anger at her trainer and kicks him in the shin. "Ffffffuck!"

This time Quilava laughs without any reservations while Akari tries to hide her mirth.

She is daintily holding her hand in front of her mouth and occasional snorts emerge when she fails to keep the laughter at bay.

Swole is rubbing his leg to alleviate the pain. "What's in there?"

"I-- Haha, apologies. I do not know yet. I can only hope it is good news." Akari hovers over to the box.

She hesitates.

All her mirth, suddenly forgotten.

Her eyes are fixed on the box.

Because it could be bad news too.

It could be dreadful news.

But she opens it anyway. The ancient hinges squeak.

Inside is a pokeball and a few letters.

The pokeball is similar in design to Quilava's wooden pokeball.

Except that there is no metal support on the top of the ball anymore, and the locking mechanism is now a bi-stable push-button instead of a twist-knob.

The top is a faded red and the outermost layer of the red Apricorn is flaking off, revealing the shimmering shell beneath in a few spots.

The bottom half is out of dark, antique wood.

Akari ignores the pokeball and goes for the letters first. 

The first one she picks up is yellow from age and features a wax seal with a Hisui Lilligant design.

It is addressed to 'My dearest friend, Akari Platinum'

"Gulp."

Akari hesitates again but breaks the seal and opens the letter.

---

Hey there, Akari!

How are you doing? I hope the future finds you well! I really miss you and not a single year passes without tears being shed in your honor.

Sorry about faking the boss' signature to get you the message but the cold got to her last winter, bless her soul. Whose bright idea was it to make all the code phrases end with Cyllene's signature?

Anyway, I wanted to tell you a little about our success! The Galaxy Expedition Team has rebranded itself to the Galaxy Force, since we are all done with the expeditions. We even pushed back the wilderness a bunch and founded 4 new villages!

Can you believe it? Well, you probably can. They are ancient history by now. Haha.

Now we have an iron mine in Oreburgh Village and some fishing industry in Canalave Village and Sandgem Village. And Floaroma Village is where all the nobles live now.

4 villages support us. This makes our quaint, little frontier village into a fully fledged town! Jubilife Town! Unbelievable!

This year we even sent prospectors out for a 5th village. It is a nice, defensible spot, overlooking a large lake. The name Alamos Village is floating around. Let's see how it goes, huh?

We are actually pretty important people now.

The Diamond and the Pearl clans have made up and have formed the new League. But then they argued about its new name.

They could not choose either of their own names or the other would be considered beneath them. So General Cyllene convinced them to form the new league in your name.

The Platinum League. Has a nice ring to it, does it not?

Another thing, a few years ago, Anthe and I finally merged our stores! We sold all sorts of beauty products! Everyone in Jubilife Town used to come to us...

Darn it, I wrote a 'few years' again... Actually, it has been a few decades already. Time just passes so quickly when you get older, you know?

Her grandson and my daughter have married to seal the deal and have a baby coming. I just wish Anthe was still around to see the baby.

She passed a few years ago too. In her sleep. I got her the most beautiful dress and I made sure her hair and makeup was perfect for the burial.

I know she missed you deeply until the end. You were always such a nice customer and friend to work with.

What else... Beni died, but that much is obvious. He was with 1 leg in the grave when you were taken away. His apprentice takes care of the shop now. His potato mochi are not as good though.

Do you still remember, when we used to go there after a hard day of foraging? Those were the good days.

Are you still young? I hope so.

Have you married yet? You should! And get kids! Your parents said so in their letters too, I believe.

Oh! And about the pokeball. The boss managed to capture her in the wilderness. We figured out that she is actually a ghost! And over the years we told her all about you. And showed her some paintings of you.

When the boss died, well... she had one last mission for her pokemon. To help you out.

Got her a special made pokeball and all that, to sleep in. Do not be surprised if you find yourself overwhelmed by an excited pokemon. She has got to be bored after hundreds of years of sleep.

Enough of the sad topics, let me tell you more of my children!

---

Swole-POV:

She stopped reading.

The letter trembles in her grasp, its edges crinkling with the tension in her fingers.

I watch the color drain from her face, leaving her dead pale.

In the fading evening light, a solitary tear glistens on her cheek, reflecting the remnants of her faded world.

Time seems to slow to a crawl as the letter slips out of her grasp, fluttering silently to the ground.

Her knees buckle.

With a choked gasp, she crumples to the floor, her body convulsing heavy with each shuddering breath, each exhale brings a heart wrenching sob with it.

Her fists pound the ground and her nails tear at her arm.

"Akari..." My voice is barely a whisper against the storm of her cries.

Anything to offer solace for her but I can't.

Words fail me. 

There is nothing I could say to ease the crushing weight of her loss.

"T--They are gone." Akari chokes out, the words hanging heavy in the air.

I kneel beside her, wrapping my arms around her trembling form. "M-m-my fr-friends. They are-- They all d--died."

I hold her close. 

Her sobs, reverberating through the air, each one piercing my own soul in response.

As gently as I can, I stroke her hair and rub her back in slow, soothing circles.

A drop out the ocean of dread. But she pulls me in as if I was a lifeline.

"I will-- will never get home again! Waaah!"

I continue to hold her as her cries fill the air, her nails dig into my back.

Her despair feels palpable, pressing down on me and rooting me in place.

At some point, Quilava managed to get into our hug, with her own tears streaming down her face.

I hold them both tighter, hoping to provide at least a little comfort.

As I hold them longer, I wreck my mind to find any words that could... make it better.

But I understand that nothing I could say would help her.

I realize, Akari is one of the people who have been ripped from their own time and placed into ours.

That much is certain.

Her behavior, mannerism, knowledge and even her clothing all make a lot more sense for someone from the distant past.

It's obvious. How could I not have seen it before?

Her whole world is gone.

Everyone she knew, they went through their whole lives without her.

Oh Arceus, they waited for her... 

Every year they hoped to see their friend manage to return somehow, but every year they could only shed more tears instead.

Her crying has managed to calm down at least a little.

Her head is still pushed into my chest but her nails aren't digging painfully into my back anymore.

"Remember. Sniff. You cannot tell anyone about this..." Her voice sounds nasally as she talks into my chest. "And thank you. Sniff. For being my friend."

"Of course. And don't worry about it, your secrets will be safe with me."

I stroke the back of her head for a few more minutes but eventually, she decided that she cried enough.

"I wish I could just fall asleep right here." She holds me for a few more seconds but then leaves my embrace and I dry off some of my own tears.

"Then we would give the tourists on Monday a weird show. And the others would probably make weird conclusions too, ha ha." Arceus, I feel like crap.

A tiny smile appears on her face as she gets out a cotton napkin and clears her nose, and makes herself as presentable as she can.

I notice that she does not wear any makeup at all.

I bet Dawn would be jealous if she found out.

Akari picks her egg up again, heads to the open window and turns around to me and Buneary. "Thank you again." She says again with a small bow.

Her smile is a little warmer now and a slight blush forms around her cheeks.

I watch her climb back through the window. 

As I watch her face pass over the windowsill, a warm and fuzzy feeling spreads over my chest and displaces the pain I feel for her.

I'm glad I could help her feel a little bit better.

Only a little bit of her earlier breakdown was still visible on her as she left.

Her ability to pretend that everything is alright is impressive.

... But sooner or later, the warm and fuzzy feelings leave, and are replaced by cold and wet.

I look down to find my shirt covered in tears and snot. "Gross." I try wiping some of it away with a napkin but that just makes it worse.

"Come on, before she wonders if we got stuck." Buneary jumps on my shoulder and I reach up to pet her a little.

I can't tell from her expression what she is feeling right now.

Out of the building and back in the alley, Akari notices the mess on my shirt and blushes. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I will just get it cleaned before I leave Jubilife City."

Soon after, side by side, we make our way back h--... not home, but to the dormitory.

All of us are far away from home, but none of us can compare to Akari.

As we walk, her hand keeps brushing against mine, until it becomes too annoying and I just grab it.

The constant touching prevents me from thinking about the implications of Akari being a time traveler.

Like, I know I'm not going to treat her differently.

She is still my friend, but would the others think so too? Dawn and Zoey seem to like her enough that it wouldn't be an issue.

Barry is oblivious to anything.

I don't think he can care... Well, I am being facetious. 

He's a decent bloke. He could probably find out the world is ending and still helps his friends with their groceries...

... Now I'm feeling bad for pushing the bathroom work on him.

Lucas on the other hand... That guy can be a real asshole sometimes.

I wouldn't be too surprised if he suddenly views Akari as some kind of science experiment. 

... Well... He's also not quite THAT bad either.

"Hey."

"Yes?" Did I zone out again?

"We are back. I am going to the girls' room."

"Oh. Uhm, I guess I am going to the guys' room." I turn to leave but something is holding me by my hand.

Akari is holding my hand... OMA, have we been holding hands the whole time?!

We aren't even married yet, that's so lewd!

"Sorry about that." I say as my face heats up and I pull my hand back.

"I did not mind." Akari brushes a strand of hair out of her face with a small blush of her own. 

"Ahem, but remember, you cannot tell a soul about today. Especially... Ehm... This is going to sound weird, I know, but you really cannot tell Lucas about today. It is imperative that you do not tell him a thing."

Huh? Was I onto something with the science experiment idea?

"Sure. I promised. And I will keep it. You can trust me."

"Alright. I will trust you. And thank you again for today... I am unsure what--... ... Never mind. Good night, Swole." She bows once more before she retreats to the girls' dormitory room.

"Oh! One last thing." I say as I cram through my backpack.

Akari turned back around and waited for me to get the stuffed Cyndaquil out.

"Here. I forgot to give this to you yesterday... You--... You're gonna be alright, alright?"

"Thank you. And... alright." She takes it and gives me one last, short hug before opening the door and disappearing.

'Welcome back' and 'how was it' sounds out before the door closes.

---

After entering the boys' room, Buneary and I are met with dead silence. 

Barry is giving me a look-over, his eyes staring at the stain on my shirt. 

Lucas is giving me a glare. 

I shoot my own glare back. From the way he recoils a bit, Buneary must have followed suit.

"How was your date?" Barry finally breaks the silence. "And what's that stain?"

While I remove my shirt and put it into the 'to-clean' section of my bag, I answer. 

"It wasn't a date. Akari mistook the restaurant with a food stall and she wanted to visit Floaro Street."

I pull over a tank top and consider what to do for the rest of the evening.

"So there's nothing going on between the 2 of you?" Lucas dropped his glare and looked friendly at me.

Does he have a crush on her?! 

My own glare stays. "I wouldn't say that. I believe we are very good friends, at least."

"So you are friend zoned?" Asks Barry. 

He is sitting on his bed and pruning Turtwig a little.

"The friend zone is just a meme. It's for dudes who aren't hot enough." 

Which gives me a great idea for the rest of the day.

I pull out my joggers from my backpack and swap them out with my dress pants. "Let's go train a little more, Buneary. As long as some hours of daylight remain."

"Bun!"

I can use the training time to think some more.

And I don't really feel like talking with the guys right now...

"Hey! Wait a second! I wanna know what happened!" Lucas complains.

"Don't be nosy."

"For real though. Wait a second." Says Barry this time. "You got a package."

Huh!? I look down in panic... Nothing out of the ordinary.

"Bruh. On your bed, dude. Gross."

Huh. Right. 

There is a small package, about the size of a letter but as tall as my fist. It's just laying around on my bed.

"What's in it?"

"Your new Poketch I7." Barry fucking Pearl says.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny."

I open the package up and the first thing I see is a letter inside, addressed to 'Swole Solo'. 

Fully machine-printed.

I pick the letter up to open it, but then I see the thing below the letter: A brand new Poketch I7.

"Holy crap, it's an I7!" 

"Hahaha, I told you dude." I shoot a short glare at Barry, but then I resume inspecting the high tech device.

A Poketch. Sleek. Metallic black.

I lift her out of the package. She feels smooth to the touch. Not a single scratch.

She has a much larger screen than the I6, wrist-held designs. 

Apparently the market pressure from overseas was enough to get the new 'smartphone' design in Sinnoh too.

I give her a small kiss on the screen. "Mine."

She's mine.

Buneary gives me a small slap against the back of my head. "Haha. Damn, this is awesome! Why do I have one though? Did you get one too Barry?"

"Yep. And you can toss the letter. It's just copy-paste garbage with names swapped out. Officer Jenny managed to chase the clowns out of town. We were all mentioned in the police report, and Poketch sent us all their newest product in thanks."

The clowns? Oh! Right, Team Rocket! 

"But why would they hand out free I7s? Don't they go for like 1k₽ each?"

"Yea, but the flood of plagiarism threatened to push their release date back. They saved a bunch of money. Without us, they would have been forced to pay investigators and other professional trainers instead. Sooo, 8k₽ for 8 trainers is nothing in comparison. Oh, Ash and Brock are the other 2 trainers, by the way."

How did they end up involved?

"What do I need to do to set the phone up?" I ask as I press the power button.

The lock screen appears instantly. 

My trainer ID is shown in the bottom corner and a default wallpaper of green, rolling hills below a large digital clock, make up the contents of the screen.

"You ain't gotta do shit." Lucas explains. "They did it all with our trainer ID. Biometrics, social media, telephone, cloud storage and uhhh, everything else is bound to your trainer ID."

"Even all the trainer sites." He holds out the phone and shows a video of Quilava's evolution. "I was able to start the phone and could instantly download our tournament matches."

Huh. That's pretty convenient. 

It has got to suck to be a regular person and not a trainer.

Just how much time do these people have to waste with all sorts of garbage, like setting up accounts and managing emails?

"I love being a trainer. Anyway, we're going to the sports field. Smell ya later." I pocket the phone for later. 

Let's work on our gains.

"If you're working out, WE'RE going to smell you later." Complains Lucas. "Don't stink up the place again. Go shower before bed."

"Alright, MOM. Later, guys."

---

"One."

I slowly push myself up in a push-up.

The setting sun is casting orange light over the sports field.

"Two."

Buneary has upgraded her Jump Kick training to follow the move up with Double Kick.

The target dummy is in pretty bad shape.

"Three."

We're alone out here.

Just like Akari...

"Four."

Akari... All her friends... Her family... Gone.

I will need to be there for her...

"Five."

Are we all that she has left in the world?

I can't let her go off on her own tomorrow.

"Six."

Tonight is the last night where we can sleep at the dormitory.

We either have to move on with our journey or find another place to sleep.

"Seven."

Dawn or Zoey will travel with me...

They will want to participate in the Jubilife Contest tomorrow.

"Eight."

At most, we will have 1 more day in Jubilife City.

Just 1 more day to convince Akari to come with me.

"Nine."

I won't leave her alone.

...

"Ten."

Dawn or Zoey... 

Dawn is my childhood friend and I have always had a little crush on her.

"Eleven."

80% of trainers who travel together, end up marrying.

It's not rocket-science.

"Huff. Twelve."

You spend so much time with each other, things are bound to happen.

...

"Thirteen."

I like them both.

... Shit.

"Fourteen."

...

And Akari too.

"Fifteen."

Right. I will convince Akari to join me.

And I don't have a choice with Dawn or Zoey. They chose it for me.

"Sixteen. Huff."

Even if nothing happens, I will be there for Akari.

I need to be her friend.

"Seventeen."

Buneary's normal type training has also advanced.

The dummy takes combo attacks of Pound or Quick Attack with Double Hit. 

She's like a boxer.

"Huff. Eighteen."

Progress with Dizzy Punch is negligible.

I'm getting a lot more books before I leave Jubilife City.

"Huff. Nineteen."

Same for Play Rough.

At least we have Draining Kiss for now.

"Huff. Twenty. Huff."

Charm is making faster progress than expected.

I bet it's because Buneary is just a charming little cutie.

"He. Twenty... one. Huff."

We need Charm and perfect fighting type control against Byron.

And a water type pokemon.

"Twenty... two. Huff huff.-- Oof. Seriously?"

Buneary jumped on my back.

She finished her set of fighting and normal type and now trains fairy from my back.

"Twenty... sheesh-- three. Huff. Huff."

I need to check Buneary's stats again.

That thing she did with the Oddish-ball must be some move.

Fling?

"Huff. Tweeenty...four-- huff. Four... more."

First thing I do tomorrow is make sure that I know how we split up and that Akari stays with me.

Second thing, double check that I have nothing left to do in Jubilife City.

Then it's go-time.

"Arceus... Huff. Twenty... Huff. Five. Oof!"

My arms shake.

"Huff. Seriously? Huff. Did you have to plant yourself on my back? Huff. Twenty-- Huff. Huff. Six!"

I could barely do 5 when I started.

"Huff. Huff. Twenty... Seven! Huff. Huff."

One more, come on!

"Huff. Huff. Twenty... Huff. Huff. Eight! Argh!"

My left arm buckles first and I roll over. Buneary climbs on my stomach in the process.

Then she looks at me cutely... Holy shit she is so cute right now. Her paws at her cheeks and her eyes as wide as-- It's Charm.

"Fuuuck."

I lose the last bits of the strength I had and flop down like a pancake.

Buneary's laughing her ass off.

It's pretty funny but my face doesn't work anymore so I can't even grin.

"Cmmon. Le me ub."

Strength floods back in as pink energy dissipates from me.

"Ha. Huff. Hah. Very funny. Huff. Good job though."

I push myself upright and Buneary tumbles to my lap.

I grab a bottle of water first and take a long drink while petting Buneary a bit.

She's a little sweaty from her workout but I don't mind.

Then I grab the pokedex and Buneary's premier ball from the nearby backpack and start scanning.

Health Points: 60

Attack: 122

Defense: 47

Special Attack: 24

Special Defense: 73

Speed: 121

That's what... around 13% stronger than before? In pure numbers? 

And even better if I ignore Special Attack.

No evolution, just straight up better performance in 3 weeks.

Whistles

"Damn, that's some pretty nice improvement, Buneary. Good fucking job. Really nice."

She nods in pride and I pet and scratch her head a little more.

Is that where all the extra food goes?

Moves: Splash, Pound, Defense Curl, Baby-Doll Eyes, Sweet Kiss, After You, Quick Attack, Flail, Double Kick, Jump Kick, Double Hit, Draining Kiss, Fling, Charm.

"And you learned Fling somehow... How?-- Never mind, what's important is that we now have a dark type move to use! Wuhoo! Fuck the ghost pokemon!"

I lift Buneary up over my head in celebration as I shout out in joy.

"And it's a ranged attack too! Awesome!"

It should be pretty simple to train too.

I pick up the closest pebble around and put it into Buneary's paw.

"Show the training dummy what you are made of. Kill it. But focus on making clean moves, alright?"

"Bun." 

She nods in determination and starts weighing the pebble as I collect a small stack for her to practice with.

Her arm darkens a little and she sends the pebble flying at full speed.

Peng

It hits the target dummy but the dummy is designed to take some damage so the effect is not very impressive.

"More power!" I shout and start my next workout.

Running around the sports field until my legs can't go anymore.

"First lap."

The sun is already past the horizon and only the floodlights keep the place lit.

I wonder how much we are going to get done today.

I hope the girls are taking good care of Akari.

...

"Second lap."

...

Narrator: And the world keeps turning.

As the hero makes his rounds around the field, so does the world around the sun.

And the sun rotates around the the galaxy-center.

And the galaxy around the super cluster.

But the universe... is stuck.

Stuck as a witness to the carnage brought by gods at war with each other.

Errant slashes that tear through time and space keep hitting the poor little universe.

The poor little bystander.

And the uncaring gods.