Chapter 1: A Conflicted Heart

Melody let out a tired groan as she tossed and turned in her simple straw bed. No matter how hard she tried, though, she just couldn’t manage to fall asleep. She knew she needed to rest if she wanted to be ready for another full day of guild work tomorrow. But there were just far too many thoughts rolling around in her head right now, after everything that had happened earlier that evening.

After a while, the Skitty sighed in defeat. She sat up, a quiet yawn escaping her as she looked around the crew room that she and her partner stayed in. The room was almost pitch black, but the faint moonlight that streamed in through the window was just enough to let her make out her surroundings.

For what had to be at least the tenth time that night, she glanced over at the Cyndaquil quietly sleeping in the room’s other bed. Flynn was still out like a light, it seemed. He’d pretty much collapsed into bed almost as soon as dinner was over. Given the circumstances, though, Melody supposed she couldn’t blame him for being tired.

(…It still doesn’t quite feel real,) Melody thought to herself. (Just… seeing Flynn here again, alive and well, as if nothing even happened. It almost feels too good to be true. Like I’m just going to wake up any minute now, and find out this whole evening was just a dream.)

Nearly four months ago, she and Flynn stopped Temporal Tower’s collapse by setting the Time Gears in their proper places there. They’d prevented the planet’s paralysis, and ensured that the bleak future of darkness they’d witnessed would never come to pass.

But… Flynn himself was from that same future. So when that future ceased to exist… so did he.

It had all happened so suddenly. One moment, Melody felt like she was on top of the world, still basking in what they’d just accomplished. And then the next moment, Flynn just… collapsed. Melody remembered rushing over to his side, concerned that he was still injured from all the fights they’d been through. But then she noticed the faint wisps of light that seemed to be dissolving off from him, and for a split second she was sure she could see right through him, and-

Melody let out a deep, shuddering breath. She shook her head harshly in an attempt to banish those memories. That scene had replayed itself in her head far too many times over these last few months. But… Flynn was back now, she reminded herself. For good, she hoped.

Once again, she glanced over at the sleeping Cyndaquil. Some of the tension in her chest slowly dissipated, and a shaky smile settled on her face.

She still wasn’t completely certain how exactly Flynn had returned. She had just been down at Treasure Town’s beach earlier that evening, tearfully reminiscing about their adventures together, when a blindingly bright light started to shine from further up the beach. After a few moments, the light faded… and in its place, glancing around in confusion, was Flynn.

From what Flynn had told her, it had to have been Dialga’s doing. Flynn claimed to have faintly heard Dialga’s voice in his head just before he regained consciousness, though he wasn’t able to make out what Dialga had actually said. They could only assume that Dialga had brought Flynn back as thanks for everything the two of them had done. But they couldn’t really know for certain if that’s all there was to it.

To be honest, though… Melody almost didn’t care about the ‘how’ or ‘why’ of it all. As long as her partner was really, truly alive again… that was all that really mattered to her right now.

Melody’s train of thought derailed slightly as she stifled a yawn. She glanced over at the window. She really did need to get to sleep soon… but her thoughts still refused to settle down. Sighing, she rolled over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling.

Her thoughts gradually drifted back to the day she’d first met Flynn. It felt like so long ago now, even though it hadn’t even been a year since then.

She actually hadn’t been sure what to make of him, at first. A Cyndaquil, washed up on a beach of all places, with no memories other than his name? And on top of all that, he claimed to have been a human? The entire story was more than a little far fetched, if she was honest. But he’d seemed so sincere, somehow… and she didn’t really see any reason for him to make the whole story up. So she couldn’t help but believe him.

Then Koffing and Zubat showed up and stole her Relic Fragment. And even though Flynn was a complete stranger, with more than enough problems of his own to worry about at the time, he still agreed to help her without even a moment’s hesitation.

The two of them became pretty fast friends, after that. They joined up with the Wigglytuff Guild, at Melody’s request, and formed Team Sunrise together. For months, they worked together every day, protecting each other and keeping each other company. She was his guide to this strange, unfamiliar world he found himself in… and he, in turn, helped give her the courage and the confidence to finally follow her dreams of being an explorer.

They’d experienced so many amazing adventures together since then, exploring new places, uncovering hidden treasure, and helping pokemon in need. And they’d had plenty of peaceful, relaxing moments too, in between their various missions.

Some nights like this, when both of them couldn’t sleep, they’d stay up a little late and talk about whatever was on their minds. Granted, the chats would often be a little one-sided. Flynn was never the most talkative mon around, even after they’d known each other for a while and he’d started to open up around her more. But he was always good at listening, and he’d always have at least something to say as well. Those late night talks never failed to help her fall asleep.

Other nights, if they were exploring somewhere particularly far away, they’d stop to rest along the way and camp out under the stars. Melody had never really taken the time to learn the constellations, truth be told, and Flynn naturally didn’t know any of them either. But it was still relaxing all the same.

Melody smiled fondly as she continued to reminisce. But after a while, an all too familiar feeling started to well up in her chest. The Skitty’s ears slowly started to droop, and her smile faltered. She turned to look at her partner again, a sad sort of longing in her eyes.

(…I should be content right now,) she told herself. (It’s… it’s nothing short of a miracle that Flynn is alive again at all. We can go back to how things were before… we can pick up our friendship and our team right where we left off. And that should probably be enough for me. But… is it selfish that I still want us to be… more than that?)

She let out a wistful sigh, her gaze timidly drifting back to the window again. She’d tried, once or twice, to work up the nerve to tell Flynn just how much he’d really come to mean to her. But she could never manage to go through with it. She was always too afraid of how Flynn might react.

Before everything that had happened at Temporal Tower, she’d hoped to try and tell Flynn how she felt after things had calmed down again. That… obviously hadn’t worked out. When she’d realized that Flynn was disappearing, she’d tried to confess in the heat of the moment, while she still could. But those three little words just… wouldn’t come out, no matter how hard she tried.

Now that Flynn was back, she had another chance. But… was it really worth the risk?

(He’s… still ultimately a human, at heart. What if he’s just… weirded out by the very idea? I’d p-probably just make things awkward…)

Melody sighed once again, causing a couple pieces of straw to come loose from her bed. It was… probably better to just leave well enough alone, she supposed. At least for the time being. She’d only just gotten her best friend back, and she didn’t want to ruin everything they had by trying to push for more.

As much as she told herself that, though, it wasn’t quite that easy to just stop thinking about it. But gradually, her fatigue finally started to win out. Her mental back-and-forth slowly quieted down, and she finally drifted off to sleep.

“Up and AT ‘EM! It’s MORNING!”

Flynn snapped awake as Loudred’s usual ear-shattering shout blared through Team Sunrise’s room. The Cyndaquil let out a quiet yawn, sitting up in his bed just as a tired groan rang out from his partner.

Loudred briefly lingered in the doorway, eyeing the duo appraisingly. After he was sure they were both awake, he started back down the hallway again to continue waking the other apprentices. Soon, Loudred’s heavy footsteps faded out into silence, leaving Team Sunrise alone once more.

Once Flynn finished rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he took a look around the room. He’d been a bit too tired to really notice last night, but their room was still almost exactly how he remembered it, despite how many months had supposedly passed. There were one or two new things laying around that he didn’t recognize, but otherwise nothing had really changed.

His gaze eventually drifted over towards the window. A soft smile grew on his face as he simply appreciated the view of the sunrise for a moment.

All in all, it was… a perfectly normal, mundane morning so far. At least by the Wigglytuff Guild’s standards, anyway. And right now, that was all that Flynn could really ask for.

When he’d faded away back at Temporal Tower… he hadn’t expected to wake up again. Much less to wake up right on the same beach where he’d first become a pokemon, and see his faithful partner staring at him in disbelief just a few feet away.

A part of him still wanted to know why exactly Dialga had brought him back. But at the end of the day, if it meant he could return to his life here… Flynn was content to not question it.

“Ugh…”

A loud yawn drew Flynn out of his thoughts, and he turned his attention to the room’s other bed. Melody’s movements were sluggish and labored as she finally started to drag herself out of bed. Flynn shook his head softly, a fond smile on his face. She really hadn’t changed much in his absence either, it seemed.

“Morning,” he called out to his partner, who was still a little too groggy to notice he was there.

The Skitty jolted in surprise briefly at the sound of Flynn’s voice, before seeming to remember what had happened the night before. Slowly, she turned to look at him, and returned his smile with a shaky grin of her own. “G-Good morning, Flynn.”

“…Still not a morning pokemon?” Flynn asked.

Melody blushed a bit, and she tried to hide another yawn behind her tail. “N-Not really,” she admitted. “But it’s mostly just that I, um… h-had a lot on my mind, last night. Didn’t sleep too well.”

She seemed to hesitate on something, not quite managing to make eye contact. After a moment, she walked up and nuzzled Flynn’s side. “I’m… I-I’m really glad you’re back. I really missed you.”

Flynn happily returned the nuzzle. It had taken the former human a while to get used to that, but like with many other things since becoming a pokemon, he’d adapted eventually. “…’m glad I’m back, too.”

They held that embrace for a short while, before Melody quietly spoke up again. “We, uh… W-We should probably get going, or else we’ll be late for the morning briefing.” She pulled away, a faint blush on her cheeks as she walked over to the team’s treasure bag and settled it on her back.

After gathering up their things, the two of them made their way out to the meeting area. Several of the other apprentices were already waiting by the time Team Sunrise arrived, though there did seem to be a few missing stragglers who hadn’t gotten ready yet. At the front of the group, Chatot impatiently tapped a talon against the floor as he waited for the rest of the guild to assemble.

As soon as Flynn and Melody took their places, Sunflora cheerily waved a leaf at them. “Good morning, you two!” she called out.

Melody responded with a warm smile and a wave of her tail. “Morning, everybody.” By her side, Flynn silently raised a paw in greeting as well.

“It’s good to see you up bright and early like usual, Flynn,” Chimecho said. “Considering everything that happened, nobody would have blamed you for just taking today off to rest.”

Loudred let out a booming chuckle. “Eh, Chatot might have. But the Guildmaster would probably OVERRULE him.” A wry smirk crossed his face, and he nodded approvingly at Team Sunrise. “Knowing Flynn, though, he’d probably REFUSE to take it easy, anyway. No sense just LAYING around when there’s pokemon to help, right?”

Flynn simply responded with a grin and a nod. Loudred chuckled again, and Flynn heard Melody let out a small giggle as well.

Bidoof sniffled, a faint bit of moisture visible in his eyes. “Golly, I’m just glad the guild is whole again, yup yup. It just didn’t feel right these last few months, with Flynn gone.” A small chorus of agreement rang out through the group at that.

“Alright, alright, settle down you all,” Chatot called out warningly. “I am aware you are all glad to have Flynn back, but I do not want this morning briefing to turn into a repeat of last night.”

Flynn cringed slightly as he thought back to that. The entire guild had obviously been shocked to see that Flynn had suddenly returned. But many of them managed to keep it relatively reserved, after the initial surprise wore off. Bidoof, Chimecho, Corphish, Diglett and Dugtrio… even Chatot himself had welcomed Flynn back with a surprising amount of warmth.

But a few of them were more… exuberant about it. Sunflora pulled both Flynn and Melody into a painfully strong hug, their muffled protests easily drowned out by a flurry of ‘Oh my gosh’. The Guildmaster seemed to shake the entire building with his joyful dancing until Chatot managed to calm him down. And Loudred… well, Flynn wouldn’t be surprised if half of Treasure Town had heard Loudred’s reaction.

It had all been a little overwhelming for Flynn, to be honest. Reuniting with Melody had been one thing, but to suddenly have the entire guild focused right on him, cheering and yelling and asking how he’d managed to return… he’d been very glad Melody was there to handle the talking.

Still, it was heartening to see how much they’d all missed him too. He wasn’t nearly as close with the rest of the apprentices as he was with Melody, but they were all still good friends. As… eccentric as the Wigglytuff Guild could be at times, they all looked after their own.

As everyone waited for the last couple stragglers to arrive for the morning briefing, the group continued to quietly chat quietly amongst themselves.

Flynn silently stared off at the window. He took a deep breath of the fresh morning air, a content smile on his face.

It felt good to be home.

After the morning briefing was over, Team Sunrise headed for the job boards to pick out a mission for the day. They settled on a fairly simple rescue request out in Amp Plains. Apparently an Eevee had wandered into the dungeon while looking for a thunder stone, and had gotten in over his head.

Thankfully, the Electrike tribe shouldn’t be around Amp Plains this time of year, so the area shouldn’t be too dangerous. Still, Flynn and Melody both knew better than to take a mystery dungeon lightly.

Melody was initially worried that it would take some time for the two of them to find their rhythm again. It had been nearly four months since she’d explored with him, after all. But within only a floor or two, she quickly settled right back into things. Even after his long absence, it seemed they still worked together just as well as ever.

Flynn confidently led the way, keeping an eye out for wild pokemon or traps and choosing which paths to take. Melody followed close behind, carrying their treasure bag on her back as she kept watch for any attacks from behind.

Most battles were over in only a move or two. Flynn’s fire quickly knocked out most of the wild pokemon here before they could pose a threat, and Melody herself could easily finish off any stragglers. And every now and then, if there were too many foes around, Melody would simply Sing the wild pokemon to sleep, allowing the explorers to quickly pass by without even needing to fight.

It felt so… comfortable, having Flynn by her side again. She’d needed to team up with the other apprentices for the last few months, and while they were all helpful teammates in their own ways, and she’d eventually gotten used to working with them… it just wasn’t the same without Flynn.

Though, despite how well things were going, the general atmosphere of this place still put Melody a little on-edge. The sound of thunder constantly rumbled through the air, and lightning arced within the dark storm clouds that loomed overhead. Even the air itself was charged with electricity, causing the Skitty’s fur to stand on end.

Out of habit, Melody started to quietly hum a tune to herself as she walked. It helped to calm her nerves slightly, though she made sure not to let herself get too distracted.

A loud boom suddenly reverberated through the air as lightning struck somewhere nearby. Melody let out a startled yowl, her focus completely shattering for a brief moment.

Just as Melody regathered her wits, she heard her partner speak from up ahead. “…Lovely weather,” Flynn remarked, his tone completely deadpan as he stared up at the cloudy sky overhead.

The words caught Melody by surprise… but after a moment, she couldn’t help but laugh, a little bit of the nervous edge melting away. He could be so dry, sometimes, in the way that he spoke. She’d always found it funny, for some reason. And from the subtle grin she saw on Flynn’s face, she was sure he’d done it on purpose this time, just to lighten her mood.

“I-It probably is nice weather for electric-types, to be fair,” Melody replied between giggles. “On the bright side, at least it’s not raining.”

Flynn’s flame vents flared slightly at that thought, and he nodded sharply in agreement.

Several floors had passed uneventfully by now. They still hadn’t found their client just yet, and they were both beginning to get a bit hungry. So as the pair reached the stairs to the next floor, they decided to stop and rest for a few minutes before continuing. Flynn grabbed a couple of apples out of the treasure bag, passing one to Melody before biting into the other himself.

A warm, companionable silence fell over the pair as they ate. But eventually, as they finished eating, Melody decided to ask a question that had been weighing on her mind for quite a while now. “H-Hey, Flynn?”

“Hm?”

“How long did you know that… t-that you were going to disappear?”

Flynn visibly flinched a little, and he averted his gaze to stare at the floor. “…Dusknoir told me, when you left to activate the stoneship.”

Melody sighed. “…I want to say you should have told me then. But at the same time… if you had, I’m not sure I would have had the resolve to do what we needed to do. So maybe it’s for the best that you didn’t.”

“…Still, I’m sorry.”

The Skitty shook her head, an earnest look on her face as she moved a bit closer to Flynn. “J-Just… just please don’t hide something like that from me again.”

Flynn nodded. “I promise.”

“And… I know you can’t promise that nothing will ever happen to you, but… p-please, try not to leave again.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

For a long moment, the two of them remained almost perfectly still, their gazes locked as they smiled warmly at each other. Melody opened her mouth to say something… only to close it a moment later, unable to find the words.

Before Melody could try again, a bright wave of electricity flashed from behind Flynn, and the Cyndaquil suddenly seized up.

Melody recoiled in surprise, momentarily startled. But then she noticed the wild Mareep peeking out from behind Flynn, some lingering static still visible in its wool. Melody turned to glare at the electric-type. “H-Hey!”

The Mareep aggressively puffed out its wool, and its tail glowed brighter as it launched a small bolt of electricity. Melody quickly leapt out of the way of the Thundershock, already preparing a counter-attack as she landed.

Sparks rapidly began to dance across her fur, her tail standing upright from the flow of energy. At a glance, it looked very similar to the attack that the Mareep had just used, albeit more powerful. But the Skitty’s Normalize ability altered the move’s very nature, making the electricity look oddly gray and muted.

With a flick of her head, Melody released the charge all at once. The normal-type Thunderbolt crackled as it sailed through the air before it slammed into the Mareep’s side. The electric sheep tumbled to the ground, seemingly out cold.

Melody continued to glare at the wild pokemon for a moment longer, still wary. Once she was certain it was unconscious, she let out a sigh of relief and returned her attention to Flynn.

The Cyndaquil grimaced, his motions labored and stiff as he struggled against the paralysis. “…’m fine,” he managed to say. He jerked his head towards the stairs. “Can… walk it off.” The effect would wear off eventually on its own, given enough time. A cheri berry or a heal seed would cure it immediately, but the pair hadn’t thought to pack either of those before they left.

But Melody had a different suggestion. “I-I can cure it,” she said, fidgeting nervously. “Just, um… j-just give me a moment.” Flynn’s expression turned slightly curious, and he managed to give a short nod with a bit of effort.

Melody softly cleared her throat, took a deep breath… and then started to sing. The tune was different from when she would Sing enemies to sleep, though. Her voice took on a soothing, almost bell-like quality. Flynn started to sway his head slightly in time with the song, his movements slowly becoming more fluid as the paralysis faded away.

Before long, the song was over. Flynn tilted his head in confusion for a moment as he stared down at one of his paws.

“T-That was Heal Bell,” Melody bashfully spoke up, answering her partner’s unspoken question. “Chimecho helped teach it to me a few weeks ago. It only cures status ailments, not actual damage, but it’s still pretty handy for conserving supplies.” Flynn nodded, a grateful smile on his face.

With that taken care of, the duo got ready to continue up the stairs. They had lingered a little too long on this floor, and the wind was starting to pick up, which was a sign that they needed to move on before that floor of the dungeon shifted again.

The next couple floors passed by without much incident. Team Sunrise made sure to check every room thoroughly as they continued to look for the pokemon they were here to rescue.

Finally, on the ninth floor, they managed to find the client they were looking for. Or, to be more accurate, the client nearly ran face-first into them as they made their way through a hallway.

The young Eevee initially flinched at the sight of the two pokemon blocking his path. But then he noticed the pair’s badges and treasure bag, and his expression lightened. “O-Oh, explorers! Perfect! You two must be here to rescue-”

A faint growl from behind the Eevee cut him off. He yelped in fear, and quickly hid behind the explorers as a wild Shinx came into view.

Melody stepped up beside Flynn. The flame vents on the Cyndaquil’s back instantly flared to life, as both he and Melody stared at the Shinx in warning. But the electric-type refused to back down, instead charging forward at the pair.

Flynn’s fire intensified. He curled into a ball, the flames swirling around him as he quickly rolled forward. The Shinx had just enough time to hiss defiantly before the Flame Wheel bowled it right over, knocking it out in one hit.

“Whoa…” the Eevee muttered in awe as he peeked out from behind Melody.

Melody took a moment to scan the nearby area, just to be certain there weren’t any other wild pokemon around, before turning her focus to the Eevee. “Are you alright?”

Eevee gave a shaky nod. “Y-Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks for coming to save me.” His tail slowly started to wag, and he grinned widely up at the Skitty. “You know, I always wanted to meet an exploration team in person. You guys are all so cool! You’ve gotta tell me about how you-”

Flynn cleared his throat, drawing the others’ attention. He stepped up beside his partner and silently held out the team’s badge.

Melody nodded. “My partner’s right. First things first, we should get out of this dungeon.” She looked down at the Eevee. “Make sure to stand close, alright? Otherwise the badge might not warp you out.”

“O-Oh, okay,” Eevee responded. He obediently huddled up next to the pair of explorers.

Once the Eevee was standing close enough, Flynn held the team’s badge up into the air. The badge glowed, and a bright light quickly enveloped the trio, teleporting them out of the dungeon.

Eevee took a deep breath of fresh air as he stared up at the sky. “Phew. It feels really good to be out of there.” A wide smile lit up his face as he turned to look at Team Sunrise. “Thanks again for the save, uh…” He paused, trying to recognize the pair’s species. “…Skitty and Cyndaquil?”

Melody nodded. “Yep. Team Sunrise, at your service.” She refrained from giving the Eevee their personal names, since he was only a client. She and Flynn were a lot more open with their names than most pokemon were, granted, but still.

The trio slowly turned their attention to the rugged trail in front of them. They’d warped out to the dungeon’s entrance, but they still had a long walk ahead of them in order to get back to Treasure Town.

Eevee glanced between the pair of explorers, a hopeful look in his eyes. “Hey, um, while we head back… d’you mind if I ask what it’s like being an explorer?”

Team Sunrise shared a brief look. Flynn gave a silent shrug, and Melody smiled at the Eevee. “Sure. Ask away, I guess.”

The young Eevee proved to be an endless barrel of questions as he eagerly trotted alongside the older duo. He was curious about everything, from what the guild was like, to what kinds of places they’d seen, to what all the various items in their treasure bag could do.

It certainly helped make the long walk back to Treasure Town less boring, at least. And Melody didn’t seem to mind the onslaught of questions much at all, seeming quite engaged with the topic. Flynn couldn’t help but smile a bit at the Skitty’s enthusiasm.

Unfortunately for Flynn, however, some of Eevee’s questions were directed at him as well. He’d hoped that Melody would be able to do most of the talking, since she was much better at it than he was, but it looked like he wasn’t going to get off quite that easy. Flynn still answered the boy’s questions as best he could, not wanting to be rude, but his answers tended to be much less… verbose than his partner’s.

“That move you used on that Shinx was so cool!” Eevee gushed. “How’d you get so good at it?”

“…Practice,” Flynn replied, shrugging noncommittally. He really wasn’t the best one to ask about that kind of topic. He still only had a fairly basic grasp of how moves worked, even for the ones that he himself knew. Most of his moves had simply been learned through a combination of his newfound Cyndaquil instincts, and sheer trial-and-error. “It just… comes naturally, after a while,” he eventually added.

Eevee eyed the unlit flame vents on Flynn’s back warily. “D-Does it hurt, coating yourself in fire like you did back there?”

Flynn silently shook his head. To prove the point, he let his back ignite for a moment, causing the Eevee to hastily step back.

“Whoa…” Eevee muttered. Even after Flynn let the flames recede, Eevee still seemed in awe. “You two seem really strong… Why haven’t either of you evolved yet?” Eevee asked.

That question gave Flynn pause. He’d… never really given the idea of evolving much thought. But he was certain he remembered overhearing pokemon in town say that nobody could evolve lately, for some reason. Had that changed?

Melody seemed to notice his puzzled expression, and she perked up. “Oh, that’s right. I guess you wouldn’t have heard about that.”

She paused for a moment as she thought about how to explain it. “Basically, deep in the woods north of Treasure Town, there’s a place called Luminous Spring, where pokemon go to evolve. Back when time started getting messed up, the spring went completely dark, and nobody was able to evolve there for a while. But once everything with the Time Gears was resolved, Luminous Spring went back to normal again.”

“…I see.” Flynn held a paw to his chin, deep in thought.

Off to the side, Eevee cocked his head in confusion, not sure why Flynn wouldn’t have known all of that already. But he thankfully decided not to pry.

While Flynn continued thinking, Melody went ahead and gave her answer. “I’d… like to evolve, when I can. But I’d need to find a moon stone, first. They’re fairly rare and expensive, though, and I just… didn’t quite have the motivation to look for one, these last few months.” Her expression darkened a bit, and she trailed off.

“Oh, I know how that feels!” Eevee chimed in. “Thunder stones aren’t any easier to find than moon stones are. I was hoping to find one back there in Amp Plains, so I could finally evolve, but, uh…” He trailed off, his expression turning sheepish. “You already know how that turned out, heh…”

Melody gave the Eevee a stern frown. “You really shouldn’t just run off into mystery dungeons on your own like that, you know. Even for experienced explorers, mystery dungeons can always find ways to surprise you. Rushing in alone is almost always a bad idea.”

Eevee’s tail drooped, and he stared down at his paws. “S-Sorry. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Melody’s expression softened, and she gave a satisfied nod. “You’re probably a few years too young to join a guild, by the looks of it. But if you put your mind to it, I’m sure you could be a fine explorer yourself someday.” She smiled bashfully over at Flynn for a moment, before adding, “Just… find a friend to join with. S-Somebody that you trust to have your back through thick and thin.”

Flynn blushed just a little, but he responded with a firm nod. He would never would have made it nearly this far without Melody by his side.

The you Eevee seemed to take Melody’s words to heart, perking back up and continuing his flood of questions with renewed vigor.

Eventually, around late afternoon, the trio finally arrived back in Treasure Town. After bringing the Eevee back to his family and collecting their reward, Flynn and Melody returned to the guild just in time for dinner.