Whimsicott refused to believe she could keep missing everyone. Today, she was going to get to know Luther and Mai's Pokémon properly, no matter what!
With that determination, she wandered through the woods, looking left and right for any sign of the others.
For some reason, though, she kept getting a chill down her back. It felt like something was watching her.
Whimsicott walked a little farther, then suddenly whipped around.
Afternoon sunlight filtered through the treetops, breaking into scattered patches of light across the ground. A breeze passed through at just the right moment, making the leaves rustle softly in the otherwise quiet forest.
Whimsicott scratched her head. Maybe she was just imagining things.
Only after she walked away did Mai's Gengar emerge from her shadow. Gengar had been wandering around the outskirts of the camp and was carrying a few Berries she'd picked up along the way. After tidying them up, she headed back to deliver them to Mai.
Whimsicott had no idea how long she'd been wandering before she finally found the first Pokémon.
Pupitar was drilling holes in a grassy area at the edge of the forest. He spun rapidly, burrowed underground, then burst out from another direction a short while later, looking almost like a spinning top.
Pupitar apparently had no concept of getting dizzy. Whimsicott was starting to feel dizzy just watching him.
Mai's Aggron was there too, acting as Pupitar's training partner. He watched the entire process closely and seemed very satisfied with Pupitar's performance, clapping repeatedly in approval.
Whimsicott had originally planned to walk straight over the moment she found one of Luther or Mai's Pokémon, make a friendly introduction, and use that as a chance to start getting to know everyone else.
Then Aggron and Pupitar both dove underground at the same time.
Whimsicott hurried over, only to stop dead when she saw the grass in front of her. It had been completely torn apart. There were holes everywhere, a few Diglett popping out wouldn't have looked out of place.
Every now and then, dull thuds echoed from underground, like heavy objects smashing together, mixed with the harsh scrape of metal against metal.
Aggron and Pupitar were battling beneath the ground.
Whimsicott sat beside one of the holes and waited. And waited.
Neither Pokémon came back up, and the sounds of fighting below didn't stop either.
"Are you two made of pure energy or something? Don't you ever get tired?"
Whimsicott puffed up in irritation, got to her feet, and gave up waiting. She turned around and went looking for someone else.
Not long after she left, Aggron and Pupitar finally emerged, both panting heavily.
This was a fighting style Luther had asked Aggron to help Pupitar practice. The idea was simple: dig underground, drag the opponent into the tunnels, then fight them in total darkness.
Down there, Pupitar had been constantly attacking the much heavier Aggron, trying to prevent him from making it back to the surface.
The results were obvious. Several times, Aggron had nearly broken away, only for Pupitar to interrupt him with a perfectly timed move.
Pupitar then noticed a few Berries sitting beside one of the nearby holes. He happily bounced over and ate them, having absolutely no memory of anyone putting Berries there.
After that experience, Whimsicott decided she'd observe the next Pokémon she found before approaching. Any Pokémon like Aggron and Pupitar, whose brains seemed to contain nothing but fighting and training, could be skipped.
Soon enough, she found Mai's Beautifly and a Vivillon with the High Plains Pattern gathered together, sipping nectar from flowers.
Ever since all the Pokémon had assembled on the island, Beautifly and Vivillon had started spending most of their time together, roaming around the temporary camp as a pair.
As Bug-type Pokémon, living this close to the forest was almost too comfortable for them. So comfortable, in fact, that Mai could barely find either of them during the day. They even managed to miss mealtime almost every single time.
One of the nightly routines at the camp was Chansey making a late meal for the two Pokémon who always stayed out wandering until well after dinner.
Naturally, Whimsicott had completely missed them. She had never seen either Beautifly or Vivillon hanging around the camp before, so she hadn't recognized them at all.
A faint tremor in the ground caught Whimsicott's attention. She stopped walking and curiously turned toward the sound.
Mai's Deerling burst out of the bushes with an excited cry. A Deerling's coat changed with the seasons. Summer was nearly over and autumn was approaching, so the green on Deerling's back had already faded noticeably, with the first hint of dry-leaf yellow beginning to show.
Before Whimsicott could react, a pink Lopunny came racing out right behind her. The two shot past and vanished from sight in an instant.
Whimsicott froze for a second, then hurriedly pushed through the weeds and tried to follow.
It was pointless. Deerling and Lopunny were clearly too absorbed in their game to notice her. They never even slowed down, racing away at an astonishing speed.
Whimsicott was starting to get annoyed. Nothing had gone right today.
Aggron and Pupitar were busy digging holes and beating each other up underground like idiots. Deerling and Lopunny were sprinting around like lunatics and wouldn't stop long enough for her to even say hello.
And she'd been walking around forever.
Why had she only managed to find a handful of Pokémon?
Where was everyone else?
Whimsicott stubbornly refused to give up. There was no way she was going through the entire day without finding someone she could actually talk to!
Deciding she'd simply picked the wrong direction, she spun around and headed the other way.
Not long after Whimsicott left, Mai's Natu hopped out with a twig in her beak and began looking around curiously. She had sensed what seemed to be a wild Pokémon nearby and had come over to investigate.
Unfortunately, she'd missed Whimsicott perfectly.
Meanwhile, Mira's Slowking was following Mira's instructions and getting "acquainted" with the wild Pokémon active around the camp.
The beach near the temporary settlement was a favorite hangout spot for troublemakers like Milcery, Chikorita, and Joltik, so its safety had to be guaranteed. Which meant this was the first area Slowking intended to bring under control.
His right hand, coated in Ice Punch, sent a Staraptor crashing to the ground. His left came down with Brick Break, slamming hard into an Ariados's head. Then an Icy Wind blasted straight ahead and forced back a charging Pinsir.
Three wild Pokémon dealt with in one breath. Slowking wasn't even winded.
He clasped his hands behind his back and calmly gestured for them to try again.
The three Pokémon didn't hesitate. They immediately got back up and fled.
This was apparently Slowking's preferred way of getting familiar with others. If one beating wasn't enough to make them acquaintances, a few more should turn them into old friends.
Whimsicott stared at Slowking, who stood there with his hands behind his back looking completely relaxed, and found herself utterly unable to work up the courage to approach him.
From her point of view, Mira's Slowking seemed extremely hostile toward wild Pokémon. If talking didn't work, he just started throwing punches.
And she... was also a wild Pokémon.
Whimsicott immediately chose the sensible option and slipped away. Using the bushes and trees for cover, she carefully crept toward the beach.
Slowking watched curiously as Whimsicott crawled slowly behind the grass. Under his Psychic perception, there was absolutely nowhere for her to hide.
'Is she playing hide-and-seek with Milcery and the others?'
Slowking immediately understood and promptly headed away from the beach.
Mira and Mai's warning was still fresh in his mind: "Don't disturb Milcery and the others while they're playing. Remember that."
Slowking was actually rather fond of that clingy little blob of cream. If the area around the camp had been just a little safer, he would've liked to join them at the beach and spend some time basking in the sun too.
(End of Chapter)
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