Special Episode – Flow of Time

“Does this mean they’re official~?”

“Arceus, I hope so. They’re so obvious.”

“I know, right? About time they stop beating around the bush.”

Huh?

Natural light overwhelms my eyes as I attempt to open them, forcing them shut immediately. Sleeping in is nice, but that flood of sunlight is always a little harsh.

“Oh, oh! He’s waking up!”

“Must be because you’re so loud.”

“Ruh-ude! It’s my house! I can be as loud as I want!”

“It’s my house too, and I say you let our guests sleep in.”

This sucks. Did they forget I was kidnapped yesterday? I need some rest today. “Hypocrite. You’re being just as loud.” I fight through the discomfort and open my eyes. If I don’t, these two will never shut up.

A mass of white fluff covers my view, with the stern mug of a Sandslash just barely visible behind it.

“Good morning to you too, Hopper. Looks like you slept well.”

“I tried.” I reach up and push this bunch of fluff out of my face. It’s really soft, and feels kinda familiar, but I can’t quite-

“…bwuhvvvuhuh…”

“Looks like you’re not the only one who slept well.” Rosemary’s narrow eyes speak far louder than her words. They drift to my left, near the scar on my belly.

Wrapped around me with her face buried in my chest is Eri. Her limbs are sprawled out wide, clinging as tight as they can. A bit of drool is dripping from her mouth.

She’s cute, but that’s a little gross…

“Rise and shine, Little Miss Cinccino!” Our loud Lilligant friend creates a makeshift megaphone with her leaves to more efficiently wake my partner.

“nnnnnngh… just five more minutes…”

Rosemary crosses her leaves into an X. “Overruled. Gotta get up sooner or later, and later’s already come and gone!”

For an only child, she’s got a lot of ‘big sis’ energy.

Eri moves her paw to prop herself up… “A-Ah!” …but loses her balance, rolling off me and across Rosemary and Samuel’s relatively large couch. “What the hell…” She swipes her arm across her face, wiping up the drool from her mouth. “Why am I…?”

She looks back and forth. First to Rosemary, who is beaming down at her. Then to Samuel, who still looks irritated from our prior exchange. And then to me…

We lock eyes for a second. She blinks nervously, like a child who just got caught digging through a cookie jar.

“…I hope you were comfy.”

Red rises beneath her white fur like a thermometer in summer, her mouth falling open.

She looks back to Rosemary.

Then back to Samuel.

Then back to me.

“Y-You… you all… saw…”

Rosemary’s eyes narrow. “Cute.”

Eri is frozen solid for a second.

When she thaws out, she shakes her head at a rate of a million times per minute. “Y-Y-YOU DIDN’T SEE ANYTHING!” She sprints to the stairs.

PLOOF! PLOOF! PLOOF!

Her tail smacks each of us as she passes by. It doesn’t even seem like an intentional action; we’re just collateral. “ROSEMARY! SAMUEL! YOU BIG IDIOTS! HAVEN’T YOU HEARD OF PRIVACY?!” She continues to scream as she runs upstairs. “YOU’RE AN IDIOT TOO, HOPPER! I DON’T KNOW WHY, BUT YOU JUST ARE!”

I’m speechless. So is Samuel. Even Rosemary, the chattiest girl I’ve ever met, is stunned for a moment.

“I’ll, uh, go check on her.” Rosemary slowly turns to the stairs.

“Shouldn’t I-”

Samuel raises a claw in my path. “Trust the expert, Hopper.”

---

After… uh… after Rosemary calmed me down, the morning – what was left of it, anyway – went by normally. Today’s cuisine was a whole heaping helping of pancakes. No complaints here.

“So, Rose and I were talking before you woke up…” Samuel gets everyone’s attention during a particularly long lull in the conversation. “Your house took a pretty bad beating, right? You two are welcome to stay with us for a while.”

It’s nice of them to offer, but… “Oh, it’s just one wall. Repairs might take a bit, but we should be able to-”

“Eri.” Rosemary is quieter than usual. Any chipper pretense is absent. “We can’t force you to do anything, but…” A heavy sigh. “…as your friends, we’re asking you to stay with us for a while. It’s not just an offer, it’s a request.”

Hopper and I both look at each other. He looks as confused as I am. Seems this is the first he’s hearing of this too.

“We appreciate it, but why? Wouldn’t it be inconvenient?”

A conflicted look appears on Rosemary’s face. She turns to Samuel, who nods in reply. That nod seems to instill some confidence. “Listen. You two evolved, and you both handled last night really well, all things considered. You’re both strong and brave and smart, but…” That conflicted face reappears.

Samuel continues for her. “Vincent knows where you live now. He’s been watching you for at least a month. Even though things worked out yesterday, he’s still dangerous. As… as your friends, we don’t want you two to be in danger. We think that until we’re sure that you’re safe, and until things settle down, you’re safer here.”

Hopper’s paw shoots up, placing all eyes on him. “I’ll stay home. Vincent is my problem. I wouldn’t feel right taking up space in your house over this.”

This idiot…

“Hopper…” I turn to face him directly, staring furiously into his eyes.

“Y-Yes…?”

I reach up and grab the yellow spots on his cheeks, stretching and mushing them around. “Did you forget everything we talked about last night?” When it seems he’s had enough, I release him. “I’ll miss the house too, but I’m not gonna let you beat yourself up over this.”

“But-”

It’s not my birthday, but it appears I need to activate spoiled princess mode. “I command you to stop taking the blame, Hopper! It’s one thing if you have a real objection, but I won’t let you keep wallowing about this.”

“Okay…” He looks like a deflated balloon. “You’re right.”

Wait, now I feel kinda bad. I don’t want him to do anything against his will just because I told him to. “Blame aside, are you okay with staying here? If you want to go home, I’ll go with you.”

He looks nervous.

“…and be honest with me.”

He fidgets with his paws, but eventually manages to look up. “I’d rather be at home, but you two are right. If it’s safer for Eri, then-”

Gotta correct him. “Safer for Eri and I.”

“…if it’s safer for us, then I’ll do it.”

Guess he just feels homesick.

---

Rosemary claps her leaves together, completing the sweet look with a little tilt of the head. “Excellent~! Don’t be so apprehensive, Hopper. We’re gonna have a bunch of fun as new roommates!”

“You’re just excited because you get to eat his cooking every day.” My partner squints and points accusatorily at the ditzy girl.

Her gaze drifts away in guilty acknowledgment. “It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement…”

The Sandslash rejoins the discussion with a dramatic clearing of the throat. “With that settled, I assume you have some stuff to bring from home. If we’re all taking the day off, we could run over and pick some things up.”

“Samuel will finally get to see your house, too~!”

“I’m so tired, though…” Eri takes the words right out of my mouth. “Can’t you two just do it?”

“Not how this works. We’ll do the heavy lifting, but you’ll have to come with us.”

“Blehhhhhhhhh.” She slumps over the table. “So much walking. Can you carry me?” She shifts her weight to my shoulder.

I mean, she’s pretty light, but… “No fair. I’m as exhausted as you are. Ask Rosemary.”

Rosemary doesn’t seem happy with it. “Only Eri. You’re too big now, Hopper. Unless Samuel wants to.”

“No.” His response is instant.

“I’ll live.” Would rather not get carried by Samuel anyways. Too spiky.

---

“You two live pretty light. If we’d known, Samuel and I could’ve done this whole thing ourselves.”

Rosemary claimed she would do the heavy lifting, but she’s carrying just as much as I am. I had her carry me over here, but it wasn’t particularly comfortable. She kept complaining about the snow, too.

Oh, the perks of being small. Still gotta get used to the new height.

That aside, Rosemary was right. I didn’t have much of anything packed here. I spent nearly all of my bag space on fruit during the initial trip. Haven’t found the time to buy anything since. Even Hopper just took his comics, a couple childhood toys and his grandfather’s coat and bag too, just for safekeeping until the house is repaired. We packed up whatever perishable foods we had lying around as well. Wouldn’t want the money to go to waste.

“I don’t know how you guys make this round trip eeeeeeevery siiiiiiingle daaaaaaaay. One of you should’ve evolved into a Pokémon with wings.” Rosemary acts and speaks like she’s carrying the weight of the world on her back, but she just has a few apples in her bag. “How do you do it?”

I felt similar for the first week or so. It’s a little exhausting and a little boring, but Hopper’s good listening skills pair well with my yapping. Doesn’t feel so long when you’re having fun. “You get used to it. You two are travelers, right? If anything, you should be better at this than we are.”

“What, do you think we walked all the way from Navy Square? We hitched our share of rides.”

Oh, hey, there’s an idea. “Well, Hopper and I always pass the time by chatting. Maybe you guys have some fun stories you could tell?”

The couple looks at each other. “I guess you gave a little tell-all when we first met, but we went light on the details. What do you say, Samuel? Wanna help me out with story time?”

“…we told them everything last time, though. They get the gist.”

“Everything? I’m insulted! You think that little recap covers everything we did together?” She steps away from me and joins Samuel at the front of our little line. “Come on, we both know that there’s more.”

As always, Rosemary breaks through Samuel’s shell effortlessly. He begins with a deep sigh. “Fine. I’ll start. Where to even begin…”

---

I was, what, fifteen? Still a Sandshrew back then.

“What? Our story starts a little before that, remember~?”

We became friends when we were teenagers. How much further back do you want to go?

“Nuh uh! I can’t believe you, forgetting the most important part!”

Ok, ok. Go ahead and remind me, then.

---

I was three or four years old at the time. My parents hadn’t fully put the adventuring stuff behind them yet, so I had gotten used to being picked up from school late.

A gust of ocean wind blew past me. Autumn in Navy Square was never particularly cold, but the already harsh breeze grew even stronger at this time of year. I hardly weighed anything as a kid, so those winds could probably push me far away.

My preschool was situated right along the ocean. Well, not exclusively a preschool. It went up to 12th grade, and I attended there the whole time. Either way, the playground for the younger grades was built along the shore. I was never able to interact with any of the equipment, but it’s where I always waited for my parents.

At the time, it made me really frustrated. Mom would drop me off at school in the morning, but they spent so much time working. I’d throw a fit if they came in too late.

“I can tell you were an only child.”

Yeah, yeah. Let me have my pity party, Eri.

“I’m just kidding, I get it. Go ahead.”

As you might suspect, today was one of those days. And, of course, I was there crying my little eyes out. I cried and cried and cried. I might not have even understood why I was so upset, but I just was.

I could’ve kept going until they arrived, but…

“Hey! Stop crying!” The voice was… kind of solemn? It belonged to a small child, but it lacked the energy you would expect of one.

Despite the voice’s plea, I didn’t let up. I sobbed through it, like I couldn’t hear it at all.

Pit pat, pit pat, pit pat. Itty bitty steps plodded along the sand. After a couple seconds, they stopped beside me.

Something tapped my shoulder. It was rough and firm. My tears didn’t cease, but it did grab my attention.

I turned to see a young Sandshrew. Our eye levels were about the same, though in fairness I floated above the ground back then.

“How does that work, actually? Eri and I have only ever stood.”

Not important right now. What was important is what he said to me. “My dad tells me not to cry, so you shouldn’t either.”

“He actually said that? Reaaaaaaaal smooth, Samuel.”

“I was four. Give me a break.”

It’s horrible, right?! Even Hopper is better than this.

“W-What’s that supposed to mean?”

His words were harsh, and very poorly chosen, but I felt some connection to him immediately. It was just him; no parents, no teachers, not even any friends. Just this boy. We were both loners, so those otherwise tactless words felt so resonant.

He wasn’t crying, so why was I?

That logic was lost on me at the time though. The tears continued to flow, but I had regained the slightest bit of composure. “A-Are… are you- hic a b-bully…?”

The Sandshrew looked mortified. “I’m not a bully, I’m a hero!” He puffed out his chest and crossed his little arms, wearing a smug grin. He immediately seemed to remember something, though, and ran off.

Pit pat, pit pat, pit pat.

The footsteps stopped for a second.

Pit pat, pit pat, pit pat.

The boy returned to me with a little white flower in his grasp. “You probably look nicer when you’re not crying, so have this. It’ll make you happy.”

“Least romantic meeting ever?”

“Again, I was four…”

I still didn’t know what to make of the situation. The words coming from his mouth were… pretty rude. But he was so earnest! His sentiment cut through the rough exterior in the end, and I accepted his gift.

“Do you like it?” He placed the little flower between the leaves atop my head.

“It’s nice… thank you…” The tears finally stopped. “I don’t know you. What’s your name?”

He looked so very happy. “S-Samuel! I’m Samuel! I go to Navy Public.” His tone was so much more enthusiastic than before.

“What are you doing here? Isn’t that really far?”

He looked perplexed by the question, as if there was nothing unusual about his presence here. Come to think of it, that playground was private property. He really shouldn’t have been there. “I dunno. Just walking around.” He kicked at some sand with a dopey look on his face. “Why were you crying? And why are you still at school?”

“My mom and dad are working. They always pick me up late.” I must’ve sounded like such a whiny brat to him.

“Does that make you sad?” Saying it back now, it sounds like an insult or a sarcastic jab, but he sounded genuine at the time.

“Mhm.”

Those cute button eyes stared right through me. After a moment, he seemed to snap back to reality. “Do you wanna walk with me? I could bring you home.”

I was elated. We walked all through town together. He got lost a couple times, but we were able to get most of the way home. We didn’t speak much, but that was fine. Being with someone was enough to cheer me up. Until…

“Rosemary!”

“There you are!”

The steps of a Lilligant and a Breloom echoed down the street, calling both of our attention. They raced towards us. Samuel jumped to my defense immediately, which was honestly pretty cute. Ended up being the wrong move, though, because…

“Who is this? What are you doing with my daughter?” The Breloom wrapped his stubby arms around me, his orange skin obscuring my view in his tight embrace.

“Orange skin? Breloom are usually green.”

Where do you think my orange highlights come from?

The little Sandshrew seemed confused by my father’s reaction. “I’m Samuel. I go to Navy Public. I saw her crying and walked her home.”

The details are a little blurry, but my parents were super pissed. They tried to give him this huge lecture about it, but he actually argued back. This little four-year-old snapped back at a pair of B-Rank adventurers.

I had never seen anything like it. It was the first time I thought to doubt my parents’ judgment.

---

Years went by. Navy Square wasn’t particularly large, so I still saw Rose from afar every so often. Of course, I heard plenty about her parents. Their retirement was big news. Again, small town.

Won’t get too into it, but things got tough in those years. My mom passed not too long after, and my dad never really moved past it. If we hung around each other too long we’d start to fight, so I spent a lot of time on my own.

Word travels fast in a small town like that, though. And usually that word also gets distorted. Somehow the story of the little Sandshrew who walked home with Team Tango’s daughter turned into various stories of a little Sandshrew miscreant.

I was young and stupid, so I let that stuff get to me. Kids would start shit with me and I’d feed into it. It was all I had. I wanted to feel something. Again, it’s stupid, but that’s what I was at the time.

“…”

Hopper? Something wrong?

“I’m alright. Sorry, continue your story.”

It was an ordinary spring day for me. Like I said, I think I was fifteen. School had gotten out and I had found my way into another fight. I was plenty strong, but I didn’t have any friends in my corner at the time. Needless to say, I got my ass kicked.

The blistering heat of the sun rained down on my face as I laid in the street. But after a while, a small figure came to block it.

“Need a band-aid~?” A chipper voice called out from the heavens.

“From the heavens? I didn’t take you for the poetic type, Samuel.”

I’m a jack of all trades. Anyways, that voice came from a white face both intimately familiar and strangely unfamiliar. Her eyelashes had grown longer, and she wore a dark blue school uniform. Oh, and she’d taken to tying the leaves on top into a weird sorta ponytail.

“Ugh. The uniform was the WORST. Wait, what do you mean ‘weird sorta ponytail’? It was cute! And it still is!”

Just recounting the story as accurately as possible. Gotta put you into the teenage Samuel mindset.

“Hmph! Whatever, carry on.”

I pulled myself to my feet and locked eyes with the weird girl in front of me. “You’re… Rosemary. Team Tango’s kid.”

“Y-Yeah. Team Tango’s kid. That’s me.” She didn’t look happy with the moniker. “We’ve met before. You remember, right?”

“Of course I remember. You walk home by yourself now?” It was a pretty stupid question in hindsight…

“Uh, yeah dude. I’m fifteen.” …and she seemed to recognize that too. “You look like you’ve seen better days.”

Despite how much time had passed, she spoke to me like a close friend.

“As one would expect.”

“I’m a woman of many talents, my social skills being one of my greatest~!”

“Better days… something like that.” All teens have their edgy phase. I’d argue that I earned mine.

“Do you need to rest up? I can walk you home if you want.” Again, so casual. Even the Rosemary you see today wasn’t like this.

“Pass. I’d like to spend as much time away from there as I can.” Rose’s expression soured immediately. It was a big story when my mom died, so she must have realized what was going on at home. “It was nice catching up, but I’ll be going.”

“Wow, you turned her away like that?”

Like I said, I was an edgy teen. The social stuff didn’t come naturally to me back then.

“That implies that it comes naturally to you NOW.”

…

“Case in point.”

Moving on. Rose was as stubborn back then as she is now, so… “And get into another fight?”

“None of your business.”

“Maybe not, but I’m making it my business. If you don’t want to go home, you’re welcome to have dinner at my place.”

“Don’t your parents hate me? I’ll pass.”

I was foolish to expect that to deter her, though. “Psshhh. That was, like, a decade ago! You’ll be fine, trust me.”

I don’t know why, but I went with this stupid plan. Even though I’d built these huge stone walls around myself, Rose had this way from the very beginning of growing her leaves straight through those walls.

I had nothing better to do, after all.

---

“Is this some kind of joke?” My father stared straight through Samuel’s soul as he stood at our front door.

And Samuel, just like years ago, matched him. “Long time no see, sir.”

It’s like there was a taut wire connecting their gazes. If you were to walk between them, you’d probably snap it.

“Eheheh… Dad, you remember Samuel, right?”

“Unfortunately.” He lowered his head in sorrow, his orange mushroom cap obscuring his eyes. Guess that means Samuel won the stand-off. “Thanks for walking our daughter home. Please don’t do it again.” His arm waved away dismissively as he turned his back.

I wasn’t going to give up that easily, though! “D-Dad…” I floated over to his side before he could get far. “I was thinking he could have dinner with us tonight.”

His head lifted immediately. He marched back over to the door and crossed his arms above Samuel. “You’ve got a lot of nerve. You and Rosemary both. Go get yourself in another street fight and leave my daughter out of it. Got that?”

“Dad, what the he-”

Samuel cut me off. “Whatever. I looked up to you as a kid, Aki, but now I see how adventurers really solve things. Enjoy your retirement, don’t let me get in your way.”

And he walked off.

---

For a second I was furious, but the truth is that I didn’t care anymore. I wasn’t trying to make some profound statement or anything, I was just too damn stubborn to take that shit, even from him.

“Samuel!” After a minute, Rosemary followed me out and caught up to me. “I’m sorry abou-”

“Don’t worry about it.” I didn’t face her. “That’s just how it is, it’s alright.”

Silence.

I turned around, and saw the angriest Petilil imaginable. “Can you stop interrupting and just listen for a second? He changed his mind after you left. You’re still welcome if you want.”

“I don’t think that’s-”

“I do think it’s a good idea. You can leave whenever you want, but just give it a try.” She poked my bandaged nose. “It beats walking around at night and getting hurt, right?”

---

Tonight’s dinner was curry. Mom prepared it, while I helped her out in the kitchen. From the dining room, I could hear my father speaking with Samuel.

“So…” Dad began between sips of tea. “You’re still at Navy Public?”

“Yes.”

While probably not surprised by it, Dad sounded thrown off by the brief response. “How is it? Do you like it?”

“No.”

“I see.”

And that’s where the conversation ended.

“Doesn’t sound like much has changed.”

Be nice, Hopper! Just gotta crack his shell. Isn’t that right, Samuel~?

“…I-I’ll continue the story.”

---

A hot plate of curry was suddenly lowered to the table in front of me. Carrying it was a large leaf belonging to a familiar Lilligant. “Samuel, right? How nice of you to come over.” She sounded apprehensive, but it was a far warmer reception than what Rose’s father gave.

“Thank you for having me.”

Rose’s father looked a little frustrated at my response, likely upset that I was being more open with her than with him. Not my fault he was being an asshole earlier.

There was an awkward air for a minute or two as everyone began to dig in to their curry. I’d catch the odd glance from each member of the family, the only undisputably pleasant ones coming from Rose.

“So, Rose…” Her mother put down her utensils and looked to her daughter on the adjacent side of the table. “How was school? You had an exam today, no?”

“R-Right, exam. Can we talk about something else? Don’t want to bore our guest with this stuff.”

“Sounds like Eri’s not the only one with bad grades.”

“Hopper!”

“H-Hopper! I tell you things in confidence, you know… Besides, I did a lot better in high school, for your information.”

“S-Sorry! Please continue, Samuel…”

Not cool, man. Anyways…

“Rough one today?” Her father joined the conversation. “What was it? Math?” He didn’t sound too concerned about it. I was kind of surprised; I’d taken him to be a hardass about grades.

“Math is so stupid!” Rose ditched all pretense and went straight into a rant. “All this imaginary stuff that doesn’t make any sense. When am I gonna have to use this crap!”

“Language.” Her mother’s attention didn’t break from her meal, which somehow strengthened her sentiment.

“Your mother and I used math plenty as adventurers, you know. Don’t underestimate it.”

“Dad, please give me one example where math saved your life. Please.”

The Breloom was struck with a flustered look before quickly lowering his head back to his food, shielding his eyes from view. “A-Ah… It’s been years, Rosie! I can’t possibly remember every close shave I’ve gotten myself into. Isn’t that right, Celes?”

“Whatever you say, dear.” Her attention shot over to me. “How about you, Samuel? Do you have a favorite subject in school?”

I was drawing a blank. I enjoyed physical education I guess, it gave me a chance to vent my frustration through exercise. And, like, lunch. Truth is that I skipped a lot. After a moment of thinking, I knew I couldn’t keep her waiting much longer. Without any answer in mind, I spoke. “That’s… uh… I dunno…”

“I didn’t know you had this shy side in you.”

I was fifteen, Eri. I’m sure you weren’t much better.

“Hmm. I was more of a bratty teen than a shy teen, but continue.”

Rather than the disappointed reaction I had expected, Rose’s mother wore a soft expression. If she had a mouth, it probably would’ve been smiling. “Rose, maybe you should study with your new friend. Sounds like you could both use it.”

“Wait a minu-” Of course, her father was uneasy about the idea, but his energetic daughter cut him off.

“Hey, that sounds like fun! What do you say, Samuel? Wanna be my study buddy~?”

I scoffed, which I probably shouldn’t have done in front of her parents. “What, are you trying to tank your grades? The curriculum at Lighthouse Prep is way faster than Navy Public, I’ve got nothing to teach you.”

“What? Come on, don’t try to weasel out of it. What classes are you good in? I bet you have at least one better than me.”

Everyone always emphasized the gulf between private and public education when I was a kid, but I was actually pretty bright as a kid. If I didn’t skip class and blow off assignments so much, I’d be in the clear. It was just my dad and I, so we didn’t have the money to send me to the private schools, but…

“Frankly, he lucked out. Lighthouse Prep capital-S SUCKED. If you applied yourself, you could learn the same stuff at Navy Public, just with less stress and nicer teachers. And better cafeteria food, I hear.”

…yeah. What she said.

As I was saying… “I have a B in history. The rest is not so great.”

Without a second of hesitation, the Lilligant of the house clapped her leaves together with glee. “Then it’s decided! Rosie will tutor Samuel in science, Samuel will tutor Rosie in history, and Aki will give after school lessons to both of you in math!”

“I didn’t agree to thi-” Rose’s father and I both protested in unison.

“Overruled!” …and the ladies fought back twice as hard.

---

Dinner with Samuel became a regular occurrence from then on. Sometimes Dad would cook, and Samuel even took the wheel from time to time, but usually it was Mom and I. I didn’t mind too much, and it gave Samuel a lot of time alone with Dad.

“You know, I heard that Navy Public is opening up a Battle Club. Have you thought about signing up?” A year had passed since that fateful spring evening, and Dad’s accusatory tone had lightened over time.

“Maybe…” I heard Samuel sip his glass of water. “A lot of guys at Navy Public are tough, I dunno if I should.”

SLAM!

“Nonsense! Total nonsense!” Our little wooden table recoiled as Dad slammed his hand down. “Samuel, do you think Celes and I were born as adventurers? You need to work up that strength over time. I won’t have a quitter dating my little Rosie, you hear?”

“DAD! NOT DATING!” It’s all so silly in retrospect. You two must know that feeling well~.

“What? H-Hopper and I? We’re not, seriously!”

“…”

“Hopper??? This is the part where you agree with me!”

“R-Right! Not dating!”

Uh huh. Dad was loud and obnoxious with Samuel, but I think it was his way of showing love. They only butted heads so often because they had a lot in common, but Dad was clearly growing fond of him. Fond enough to make jokes about us dating, at least.

---

At Aki’s request, I joined the school’s Battle Club. I won’t lie, it kinda sucked. A lot of these guys hated me from the outset, and I’d thrown down with plenty of them after school in the past. The ones who didn’t have existing beef developed their own through cultural osmosis.

Despite the somewhat toxic culture in the club, I actually kinda enjoyed it. I was doing the same shit I was so used to: fighting with my classmates. Now it was school sanctioned and supervised, though, so I didn’t have to worry about major injuries or getting in trouble.

But the best part came after practice, when I would go home and stuff my face with food. Sorry, not home, Rose’s home.

“I think you mean the best part was seeing me after.”

Right, yeah. That too.

“’That too’?! You’re terrible, you know that?”

Good enough to keep around.

---

It was fun. I never would’ve expected it, but Dad and Samuel hit it off really well. They’d even train together here and there. He’d come early in the morning to prepare our lunches, then walk me to school, and then he’d be at my house from the time practice ended until the late evening. Pretty much every day it was like that.

“Wait, he walked you to school every day? Didn’t you guys go to school on opposite ends of town?”

Yeah? What of it, Eri?

“You… never thought about this? How was he getting to school on time?”

…Samuel. Explain yourself.

“I, uh…”

“Shit, sorry dude. Looks like you’re paying for my nosiness.”

“Listen, skipping first period beats skipping half of the periods each day. Baby steps, you know?”

I’m amazed you graduated at all, especially if you used to be skipping that often. I get it though, with how things were at ho-

“Rose, come on. Let’s not bore them with that stuff.”

O-Oh! Right, sorry. Anyways, that was the gist of it. Fast forward a few years and, badabing badaboom, Team Thorn!

“What? That’s the end of the story?”

Were you expecting more, Hopper?

“What about the thing Samuel told me?”

“Hopper, you have the loosest lips I’ve ever seen in my life. Remind me to never tell you anything again.”

No no, go on. What did Samuel tell you that you’re so curious about?

“N-Nothing. I just, uh… You guys were a Petilil and a Sandshrew back then, right? Obviously I wanna know how you evolved.”

Evolution’s still hot on the mind, eh~? Alright, I suppose we’ve got time for one more little anecdote. Samuel, you can start this one.

---

Right. It was graduation day, for Rose at least. I had final exams, so I couldn’t watch the ceremony, but I came by for dinner that evening. I requested to take her on a walk around town, and her parents obliged.

At the time, I thought it would be my last chance to stroll through that old town with her. For the time being, it was, but I really wasn’t sure what the future would hold after high school.

It was scary, honestly. You already know this, but Rose is a bright girl. She could’ve gone to a nice college or something, probably would’ve nailed it. I didn’t like to talk about the future much back then, so I didn’t know what her plan was, but it didn’t stop me from worrying.

None of that mattered in the moment, though. We walked through that town frozen in time for at least an hour. I didn’t realize until now, but we didn’t just go for walks like that often. We’d walk to specific places, like school, home, or different shops, but we never just went for strolls. The last time must’ve been that day when we were little.

“I thought that was intentional. You didn’t realize the connection all these years?”

Nope. Guess I’m a natural. Even more fitting, our final destination was Lighthouse Prep. We circled around back to the shore, where a crew was still taking down all the elaborate graduation decorations.

“Wanna have a seat? My legs are killing me, Rose.”

---

We watched the waves crash for a few minutes before he spoke up again. “So… Where to now?”

“Uh, home? Where else would we go?”

He scoffed. “No, not that. What’re you gonna do now that school’s over?”

“Would you believe me if I told you that I have no idea?”

His head swung my way, a perplexed look taking his face. “No, actually. I wouldn’t.”

I couldn’t help but giggle. “Guess I’ve never been a good liar. I do have one idea, but it’s a little silly. Wanna hear it?”

“Shoot.”

“I wanna be an adventurer.”

That confused expression was replaced with a warm smile. “I really should’ve guessed. Continuing the family legacy, huh?”

My head shook in response. “Sorta, but not in the way you think. I don’t want to succeed my parents, it’s actually kinda the opposite. I want to free them.”

“Free them? They’re retired, right? That’s about as free as it gets.”

“No, not that kind of freedom. I want to free them from me. It’s because I was born that they retired. They act like everything’s fine, but I can tell they miss it. If I could leave home and become someone strong and independent, then they could take that life back.”

A calloused claw grabbed my shoulder. “Don’t beat yourself up over it. Sure, they wanted to be adventurers, but I’d imagine they wanted to be parents even more.”

“Thanks, but it’s fine. I don’t hate myself for it or anything, I just want to do what I can for them. Let them be parents and adventurers. Give them their perfect life.”

He released my shoulder. “Not a reason for a career choice I’ve heard before, but sure.”

My face went a little red at his remark. “N-Not that the actual work isn’t important! I do wanna be an adventurer, really! This whole thing is just why I wanna do it now. And why I wanna do it instead of going to college or whatever. Though, I might have to rely on them one last time to get a Sun Stone. A Petilil like me would get ripped to shreds in an instant in the adventuring world.”

“No need to be so visceral, but about that…” He reached into his backpack. I had wondered why he was carrying it that night. Of course, out came a little Sun Stone. “With this, you’re set to go whenever.”

“So anti-climactic. When Hopper gave me my Shiny Stone, it was so much more… what’s the word…”

Romantic~?

“…sorry for interrupting.”

Needless to say, I was stunned. “H-How… how did you even get this? Have you been working some sketchy secret job???”

“You know I’m better than that. Your parents pitched in too. We split it three ways. Call it a late birthday gift from me.”

I stared in awe at the little stone, inspecting every angle of it. It was smooth like marble, and fairly light as well. It felt so-

“Powerful?”

Yeah. Powerful.

---

After giving her a second to take it all in, she spoke once more. “I’m gonna say some stuff that’s totally insane. Are you ready for it?”

“Ready.”

“And I need you to respond to me honestly, okay? Are you sure you’re ready?”

“Just say it already.”

“Alright.” She whipped her whole body towards me, staring straight through my soul. “Question one: Do you have any plans after you graduate?”

“Nothing at all.” It was the truth.

“Okay. Question two…” Her soul-piercing stare broke for a second.

“Go for it.”

A second later, it returned. “Question t-two: Do you want to start going out?”

“Might as well.”

“What kind of a limp response is that? Be serious~!”

“You’re still insane for responding that way.”

Hey, I said yes, didn’t I? “Sure. I seriously want to start going out with you.”

“Much better. Question three: Do you want to be an adventurer with me? Like, partners?”

“Like your parents?”

“Something like that.”

“If we’re gonna go out, that would be the logical next step.”

She didn’t seem to realize, but she began crying. “A-Alright, last question: Do you want to evolve with me? Right now.”

“Thought you’d never ask.”

---

“…and the rest is history.” Samuel crosses his arms as he closes his story, with Rosemary quickly closing in for a hug from his side.

“Totally romantic, right? Isn’t it just perfect~?”

Nonononono. Nuh-uh. I see your game, Rosemary. You trickster. If I agree with you, then you’ll just use it as an opportunity to tease Hopper and I again. But I’m one step ahead of you, girl! I won’t fall for it! Just gotta dance around calling it ‘romantic’. “I knew you guys were holding out some fun info on us. Cute story, you’ll have to tell us another sometime.”

“In awe at our perfect love story? Or perhaps jealous~?”

“W-Would you look at that, we’re back!” Hopper jumps in instantly, pointing through the forest to Radiant Square’s gates.

So he’s embarrassed about it too, huh? I wonder…

---

After we both finished unpacking, Eri came downstairs to wish me goodnight. I had decided to continue sleeping on the couch for now.

“Thanks for coming with us today. I know you’re still recovering and all.”

Geez, she’s starting to sound like me. “It’s only fair. You had it rough last night too. Gotta pull my weight here.”

“You’ve got more weight to pull than before too, big guy.” Eri wraps her arms around my right side. “A-Ah! Sorry, that came out a little mean… Because you evolved, of course! Taller and all that.”

I let go of the dish I was washing and pull her into a side hug. “Relax, I get it. I’ll just have to work even harder for the both of us.”

“But don’t push yourself too hard.”

“Right, right.” I release her. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She releases as well. “Yeah, sweet dreams.” Halfway up the stairs, Eri stops and speaks up again. “I’m glad you’re okay, by the way.” Her final line comes out quieter than usual.

“Yeah. Same here.” I turn to face her from the kitchen, giving the best smile I could.

A red hue underscores her gray fur. “J-Just wanted to get it out there, that’s all! G-Good night!”

Without another word, she dashes up the stairs on all fours.

Wonder what that’s about.

I should get to bed too once I’m done with these dishes. Rosemary and Samuel’s kitchen is way nicer than the one at my house, even if it’s a little cramped. Just like mine, there’s a nice little window above the sink. Looks like the snow has died down a bit. Can hardly hear the wind either.

On the windowsill, there’s a glass pot.

Sitting within, its stem submerged in water, is a little white flower.