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Darts was right behind Aile as she made her way into HQ, with Ogerpon hot on his heels as usual, keeping pace with his longer strides by working her legs to jog along behind him. She had the Cornerstone mask on, beaming her happiness out for the world to see both in front of and behind the mask as the duo approached the building. The pair of them had been helping Sub with the Shadow Pokemon effort here and there, trying their best to keep the new members' faces fresh in their mind and vice versa, Darts didn't need another crisis of identity right on the heels of the last one, but they were coming back now from Mymay Village after their most recent tryst with the Dragon Clan, Ogerpon's first, and to say things were different now... would be an understatement. He pushed those darker thoughts out of his mind as he held the door for Aile. "After you m'lady," He said in a teasing tone, waving her through. It had been a bit since he had gotten to talk to the Kalosian native, but they had always gotten along having similar rough and tumble backgrounds with plenty of streetwise experience, not dissimilar to Night and himself.

He watched as she flopped down, fumbled with her SNAG, and turned it on. You can turn them off? he asked himself silently as he turned to survey the room. The smell of breakfast was inescapable and despite everything that had just happened, and not needing to eat, Darts suddenly found himself famished. Ogerpon was eyeing up the food too, lifting her mask slightly to sniff at the air, no stranger to breakfasts with Drasna from their time with the Clan, and glanced back at her trainer as if to say 'what are we waiting for?' The diminutive Pokemon had gotten more confident over the past year, but she still wasn't very outgoing around anyone other than Darts even with all of the missions the Team had gone on together. Trying to keep Ogerpon in her ball had proven to be an exercise in more than futility, so the Giratina hybrid had acquiesced and let her do as she pleased as far as roaming around, something that had saved them more than once in Mymay.



"Alright, alright." He staved off Ogerpon's pleading looks and subtle attempts for pancakes as he held up both golden hands in surrender, squeezing past the group of Ulla, Ter, Keiko, and Amber alongside the rest of their little family as they chatted. Particularly of note was the return of Ulla as Sub addresses her, the gentle teasing and back and forthing a bit of extra banter amidst all the other conversations. Another member he hadn't gotten to know too well, he had a bit of an idea who the Fairy was from reputation alone. Always an event when someone who was gone finally made it back into the fold, he made himself a little mental reminder to go and introduce himself once the dust had settled and they had gotten acclimated.



"Yeah, I wouldn't wait too long on trying to get some food," Darts comments to Monique, greeting the hybrid with a little golden wave as Ogerpon gets itself comfortable at another spot near one of the dining tables, hopping itself up into the chair. "With the way things are going, we might be out here sooner rather than later."



The jacketed Snagem gets in line for chow right behind Tsuki, taking note of the younger Snagem's change in build and new artifact, the Fire energy radiating off of it hard to ignore in little pulses, like a glowing ember. Somebody's been training... He thinks to himself, another mental note for a conversation later as he nabs some pancakes for his ward, extra syrup of course, piling the fluffy flapjacks high on one of the plates. He passes over the pot of black coffee seated nearby without a word, scooping some strips of bacon for himself to nestle in the sweet syrup, before making it back to the main room proper, settling in a chair by his trainee.

Ogerpon stashes its Rock-type mask back behind itself, near the other three, vines moving to do so as well as to accept the fork and butter knife proffered by its trainer. She tucks in with a will, vines manipulating both utensils expertly as the Masked Pokemon cuts into the disks, dunking the little pieces in the growing pool of butter and syrup before chowing down, her razor-sharp incisiors slicing the battered treat as she lets out a little groan of pleasure. Nothing had slowed his ward's affinity for sweets in the last year, and Darts couldn't help but smile a little at the obvious joy she was taking in devouring the food, one hand grabbing a piece of bacon and dunking it in the syrup before crunching into it himself. This earns him a starry-eyed glare and a slight teasing nudge from another of Ogerpon's vines as if to remind him to keep his hands off her syrup, which he ignores. It was a master's right to steal their top pupil's food.

“I wonder if Sub’s ever going to figure out it was me that put the confetti bomb in his office?”

“Are you kidding? I really thought that was Leslie. She’s usually the one being a gremlin in Sub’s hair.” Odd laughed as he and Lykas were getting ready for the day. The two had spent the last year focused on Libelle more than anything else. Odd had been taking on odd jobs as an exorcist as he had been for a while and actually had managed to get the two of them a bit of money saved up in an official bank account at a bank in Sinnoh for now. Lykas had been a been less focused on working, rather, focusing on his training as a Water Master. He knew Varuna was still out there being a scoundrel and would need to be stopped sooner or later but so far, the Vaporeon hybrid had been laying low and keeping quiet since the Ground Channeler assassins had come after him so long ago.

In the last year, however, the primary concern had been learning to be parents and staying employed. “Who had purification duty last week, again?” Lykas asked as he pulled his favorite shirt on.

“I think it was Blizz last week but honestly, I don’t usually pay attention if it’s not one of us.” Odd admitted, picking up the recently bathed Libelle and dressing her in pair of overalls and t-shirt with frilly pink sleeves and Frillish eyes on the front. “Ba ba…” The one year old babbled, hands in the air as she did. “Well…”

“Remember, we were going to see about switching her to cups starting this week?” Lykas asked, pulling on his pants.

“I remember. Just trying to figure out how to explain that to her.” Odd laughed softly. “She’s pretty attached to her Tentacool bottle.” He replied.

“I actually found some cups for her that she seemed to like last week. They’re in the bottom cabinet. The ones with the little cartoon Yanma on them.” Lyka explained. “She seems to be really fond of Bug-types already.” He admitted. “I have to make sure she doesn’t get too close to Genevieve or Caspian when she sees me training them right now. They’re both pretty close to being purified, I think, but I can’t let her get too close to them until they are.”

“Isn’t Caspian a Caterpie?” Odd asked, laughing.

“Yes but do you really want to see what a Shadowfied anything can do to a human baby if it gets ahold of them?” Lykas asked, sounding serious as he did. “Good point.” Odd admitted, cutting off his laughing and grabbing some socks for the baby. “You think her hair will ever change color? They say it can get darker as they age, after all.”

“Their eyes can darken, too, but I don’t think hers will change much. Looks like she got both from me and mine stayed the same my whole life.” Lykas replied, pulling on his own shoes as Odd was trying to get Libelle’s onto her feet even as she kicked her tiny legs about.

“Didn’t both those things come from you being an almost-human fraction of a hybrid, though? Do you think she inherited that from you?” Odd asked.

“Not a chance. As much as I didn’t want to, I talked to Pump shortly after we took her in and she told me her family has had children with hybrids countless times and for whatever reason, the channeling factor seems to be so strong in them that it overpowers hybridism and they always have fully human kids no matter who the other parent is. Besides, if she did, she’d be a quarter-hybrid like Yuna since I was able to overpower my genetic hybridism with Jellicent. I’m a full hybrid.” He explained as he finished tying his shoelaces.

“All set?” The hybrid asked, standing up and stretching out.

“Mostly. Give me a few minutes to get my shoes on and I’ll be ready to go.” Odd replied, offering the now-fully-dressed Libelle to his spouse.

Taking the baby in his arms, Lykas made faces at her and wiggled his ponytails in front of her face in turn, just enough to keep her distracted while Odd pulled on his shoes. In the last year, he’d learned to navigate the world well enough without proper vision but the one thing he still couldn’t do on his own was tie his shoes, for some reason. So he’d gotten a pair of pull-on Chelsea boots that he didn’t need to worry about laces with. He just had to find them. He’d kicked them off the previous night without thinking about where he was rather than putting them in their usual spot.

“Closet door. I moved them before I went to sleep.” Lykas provided, realizing what was happening when Odd seemed to be randomly feeling around by the foot of the bed.

“That explains it… You know not to move my stuff on me or I can’t find it.” Odd snapped quietly, slightly annoyed by having to find his shoes in a new location. It only took a few moments now that he was familiar with navigating with his strange vision.

“You never did tell me tell me what Master Amaya said about your vision, by the way. Did she have any ideas what happened?”

“Sort of? She said it’s not exactly unprecedented but it is extremely uncommon. Apparently it’s a sort of ‘evolution’ of my innate channeling ability.” Odd explained as he pulled his boots on. “She said she’s seen others experience something similar and that the best way to explain is that since my soul isn’t bound to my body the way most peoples’ are, when my eyes were damaged to the point of failing, my soul began to try and pick up the slack. That ‘untethering’ as she called it, is the only reason I can see anything at all.”

“OK… That seems pretty vague but I guess what matters is that she at least knows what happened, right?” Lykas asked, bouncing Libelle in his arms as he did.

“Yeah, she said it wasn’t the clearest explanation even for her but the important thing was that I don’t need to worry about-Do you sense that?” Odd pause mid sentence, picking something up he hadn’t sensed in a long time. A soul filled with light that hadn’t graced Snagem HQ in several years now.

“Yeah… Is that-”

“Ulla?” Odd asked.

“Yeah. That’s what I thought! She must be back!” Lykas replied.

“We should go say hi and welcome her back!” Odd remarked, standing up and kicking his toes against the floor a few times to make sure his boots were properly fitted. “All set!”

The Gray-Fenrall family proceeded to leave their room at that point, quickly making their way to the main room, seeing others heading outside ahead of them, particularly Terashi and Keiko with their now two children. “I still can’t believe those two had another one that fast.” Lykas commented offhandedly as they followed the hurrying Toumei family outside only to find they weren’t the first to follow them out. Ulla also wasn’t the only one making a surprise appearance, though the other one was hanging back for the moment, sensing that this was a special moment for those involved.

“You can stop hiding, Clare. You’re not going to steal Ulla’s thunder just because you came home at the same time.” Odd called out, picking up on the otherworldly hybrid’s presence as they had approached, seeing Ulla coming in ahead of them. The Nihilego hybrid had been hiding just around the corner.

“Sorry. I saw how people reacted to seeing her and didn’t want to be a distraction just yet. Something told me she needed the attention for now.”Clare replied a bit sheepishly, their once-missing left arm rubbing the back of their head at last.

“Oh, you’re arm’s finally healed up?!” Lykas asked, surprised. “I heard it looked better when you went to Kitakami with the others.”

“Yeah, it fully healed a couple of months ago, actually. I still have a new scar where it broke, unfortunately, but it’s easy enough to hide if I want to. Most people find my scars oddly beautiful in this world, though.” Clare replied, holding their left arm across their chest.

“I can see why. You have such a unique appearance compared to almost anyone else in this world. You stand out in ways almost no one else can compare to, scars and all.” Lykas replied, giving the hybrid a flirty wink.

“Well… Nihilego aren’t exactly commonplace in this world. I’m just glad I learned I can heal with sand baths. I didn’t even know I could do that before I lost my memory.” Clare replied.

“Still no details of where you’re originally from, though?” Odd asked, hearing Libelle’s babbling from Lykas as he did.

“Details, no. I do have some bits of memory that have come back but I can’t connect all the pieces, still.” They replied, sounding a bit sad. “Anyway, let’s go inside!”

The couple nodded and with Clare joining them, the three made their way into the kitchen along with the others that had gathered there by now. It was gaining on noon, it seemed, by the time they had arrived and Lykas proceeded to grab a new sippy cup from the cabinet he’d told Odd about and making one for Libelle. “Looks like there’s plenty of breakfast stuff left out.” He commented, using some of it to make a couple of pancakes and a small fruit salad with some of the berries left out. Bringing both to Odd, he’d set it on the table for him, presenting Libelle with her cup as he did. “Here. Breakfast for both of you. Make sure she gets at least a couple pieces of fruit and I think we’ll be okay for today.” He told the blind Channeler before proceeding to make himself something.

“Yeah. I know. Balanced meals.” Odd remarked in response. “We don’t have to be perfect, Lykas.” Odd assured the hybrid as he turned to prepare his own meal.

“I know we don’t… But I want to be better than what I had. I can’t speak for your experiences but mine were crappy as a baby. I really didn’t have a family of any kind.”

“I know. But she does and we’re doing our best.” Odd retorted, trying to make sure his husband understood their situation for the moment.

It was about that time that Sub asked about who caught the Shadow Skitty. “Oh… I think that was me?” Clare announced. “It was causing some trouble around town when one of my classes went on a field trip to Hoenn so I took the chance to catch it before it caused too much ruckus. I can take it in full-time now that I’m done with classes for the time being if you like?” They explained, offering to take full responsibility for the tiny terror. “I must have forgotten to send the report for it afterward with everything going on with school at the time. Sorry about that.”

Aile stuck her tongue out at Darts and flipped him off as he held the door open for her, mostly for the 'm'lady' part. "The moment I act like an actual lady, make sure that the apocalypse isn't happening, Darts," she chuckled, putting down her hand and grinning. "Thanks, though."

She would watch for a second after starting up the SNAG, noting that everyone was grabbing breakfast. Well, might not be a bad shout. She'd go in herself and grab sausage, plenty for both her and Tati, along with some hash browns, waffles, and some berries, particularly some Roseli berries for Tatooine. Noting Darts and Ogerpon were also sitting down and eating, she and Tatooine would sit near then and begin eating themselves, offering Tati some of the sausage and the berries. And then Sub asked about the Skitty. "Not mine, Sub. Though, I've been a bit busy, bouncing between Paldea and Kitakami. Sorry 'bout that." Turning her attention back to Darts as she had a piece of sausage herself, she'd start talking to the dragon man. "So, what have you been up to? My time at HQ's been sparse over the past eight months."

Sub would turn his attention to Clare when they spoke up, nodding at the hybrid before turning his eyes back to his SNAG, promptly putting down that it was Clare that had captured it. As he did he spoke. "Sure, if you want it it's yours. We've met this month's quota on releases anyways. Just make sure GRAY puts down that you're taking it on personally. You'd think you could trust an artificial intelligence to do its job but apparently not."

"Artificial intelligence? How can intelligence be 'artificial'? You either are intelligent or you're not. As this lot has proven." GRAY fired back at Sub, speaking from the little device atop STAK's head, the Ultra Beast crying out in agreement.

"Really, STAK? And here I thought we were friends. No more Legos for you, only Mega Blocks from now on." Sub said, playfully scolding the mini Stakataka. STAK however didn't find that funny as it whined in response. "Okay okay...calm down. I'm only joking. I wouldn't force that on anyone, I'm not a complete monster."



"Currently on the purification list, not counting any personal captures? At last count there are thirty-one that still require purification." He answered Ulla, letting out a grunt after giving this topic a little more thought. "Honestly it seems like every time we get the count down we discover some Shadow Pokemon ring. People either using them for crimes or selling them. It's one thing to go pick up a Shadow Pokemon discovered out in the wild, it's another to discover a cache of them that were purposely acquired or infected, it's sick." The man said, shaking his head. "I just hope our theory is right, that by purifying these creatures and releasing them into the wild it will be strengthen herd immunity and eventually cause the virus to go extinct."

"Serena's a little young to be going on adventures right now," I told Ulla as I returned to my seat and my half-finished plate. "Give her a month or so to get talking down and it'll be fine, but not now."

Keiko giggled as I went back to eating. "Yeah. The last time we had these berry pancakes was years ago, before we met Ulla, I think," she explained, trying to remember exactly when that happened. After giving up, she turned to Yuna. "Your daddy was the one that came up with the recipe, actually." Yuna finished the last bite of her plate and stood up with a smile. "Thanks, Mommy! Thanks, Daddy!" she cheered.

As Rala psychically grabbed another chunk of Pokefood for herself, Absinthe smirked. Her Porygon Phone hovered beside her, displaying videos from her KlinkTot channel. "Yeah, figures somewhere like the Fairy Realm wouldn't have connection. What kinda hell ya plannin' ta raise now that ye're back?" she asked, though she quickly turned to face Sub while he was stilla round. "You need any help thinning the purification numbers, I got some free time today," she stated, basically offering to lend a hand in Sub's purification duty. Purifying Pokemon while streaming did really well for her channel. She didn't think Sub would appreciate being on camera, but if he was willing to put up with it for the extra help, sh'd be happy to lend a hand. And if not streaming was a requirement for him to accept her aid... well, she wouldn't like it, but she'd still help.

"I'm not sure the actual science behind it. But, I'm sure there are people that are trying to make different variants of the Shadow Virus. Ein's work I'm sure, raised awareness but also raised those who crave power." Ulla said as she was remembering just her family alone. What they loss because of Ein's madness. "I just hope, one day this comes to an end." She said as she continued to eat her food.

Ulla wanted to change the subject as she turned to Abby. "No hell raising. Just here to be home again and live a "normal" life I guess." She said as she looked at Keiko and Ter and bowed her head. "My memory is kind of blurry all I remember is that I had a fever and fell unconscious the last time I saw you two. But, I would like to apologize. The last you saw me, I'm sure that was a nightmare. Leon told me a bit of what happened when I woke up. I got to see him briefly. He, also told me about my two other deaths when I was younger. So, I wanted to apologize. I'd like to apologize that it took this long for me to see you. I should've been the one to confirm that I was okay." She said very apologetic. "I'm much stronger now. What you saw, I can promise you. It won't happen again. My Channeling, my mothers, and Xerneas's blessing all flow inside me. But much more in control."

Monique looked back at the little ogre that Darts had brought back from Kitakami. She'd seen it around on some of her brief visits to Snagem HQ, and it was adorable, constantly switching between its masks. It was such an unusual Pokémon, because its personality did visibly switch. Its physical characteristics could really change, unlike hers, but it only had four masks. She wondered if other masks were compatible with it, like one of those very old game systems that had interchangeable cartridges.

"You have the right idea, Darts," Monique replied. She got in the food line and picked up her breakfast, focusing on protein with a little bit of maple syrup sweetness. Sub chimed in with his note on groceries.

"Well, I gotta say... Every time I go in a grocery store, I still marvel." She took a bite of sausage. "Paldea gives Kanto and Johto a run for its money on groceries. So much fresh stuff. ...Though they don't do the whole expensive fruit thing over there, and there are places in Paldea that are just greenhouse after greenhouse. And I've developed a taste for Paldean cured meats."

Monique looked around. Ulla was chatting with Yuna and Rala, Aile and Tatooine had slid in nearby, and STAK was ambling about, GRAY chirping back at Sub.

"STAK, I have a question for you. If I decide to pursue a degree in Alolan studies... Where would be the best place for me to go? Obviously not Paldea, right?" She pondered what the AI might say in response, chewing on a forkfull of eggs.