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Yea, it was official, Nemona didn’t know that his father was the so-called ‘Noble Hybrid’. Otherwise, that would have gotten her to practically fly out of the seat at this point if he was as famous as he ended up being in these parts, if albeit unintentionally. He’d figure to do his father a favor and not bring it up around her. “Uh…right.” Tristen said staring at Nemona in confusion for a moment on confirmation of Florian. Looking over towards Penny, he would nod. “Anyways, um…I mean, I don’t mind any which way if we turn in early or not, but I been meaning to ask. I know why we ultimately was assigned to raise Scatterbug to Vivillion and all, but something had been bothering me about that: when we are to release the Vivillion out to the wild to let them go about their whole life cycle, including but not limited to mate with other Vivillion and make Scatterbug, what makes Mr. Jacq convinced they’ll just…go?” Tristen asked. “These Pokémon were taken care of for a whole month. What would actually convince say our Vivillion or your bug Pokémon to actually go do that and not want to just stay? I mean, I don’t want Vivillion to think that we’re…you know, trying to abandon it. I’m not even sure too much that it realizes what a science project means.” Tristen said, rubbing the back of his head.

As Tristen polished off his meal as he listened to Camp, it did leave a lot to speculate. As the bell rang, he got up and started to get his spot cleaned up. Once he got up, he left the cafeteria with Fela and apparently this conversation sort of unnerved her more than even Tristen expected. Tristen shook his head. “I don’t know.” Tristen would say in reply. “I do know at the very least is that it may not look like it, but Pokémon are like us in some ways, in that they have their wants, needs, likes, dislikes…overall feelings like happiness and sadness. Humans don’t really know the depths of it like a hybrid would. A lot of people would think that Pokémon are a lot more tied into nature and runs on primarily instinct and usually, that’s true…if it weren’t for a trainer being an unknown factor into it. Blizz told me one time that when you capture a Pokémon straight out of the wild, you train them, you evolve them, make them strong, get them capable of things they never once could before when they are out in the wild. But in doing so, the Pokémon ends up giving up a big piece of their autonomy. They end up being dependent on you to provide for them just as you depend on them to travel the region with you, win Pokémon battles, and so on. They trust their lives to you. In some ways, they become like you. In that, it will determine if a Pokémon will grow closer to you or if you’re bound to have problems and the Pokémon end up disobedient, kind of like how Matteo’s Shelgon is right now for the time being.”

Tristen had to think for a second about the conversation again then looked back towards Fela as he walked forward. “Camp could be right. Vivillion at the moment became attached to me, especially after it came looking for me soon after it evolved, but that’s just for right now. When we end up releasing Vivillion, Vivillion may want to go off, maybe feel it needs to. But it could also very easily feel conflicted too as to rather to go or to stay. Its nature fighting what was nurtured as long as it was with us for the past month. Though I can’t really deny what also Camp said. I also heard about the Butterfree in Kanto going off like that. In fact, if I remember right, there’s a spot somewhere between Celadon City and Saffron City where trainers actually let their Butterfree go to find a mate if they can. I guess when the time comes, we’re just going to have to support Vivillion in any which way it decides. If Vivillion wants to go, we’re just going to have to let it. It wasn’t meant to stay with us anyways, as bad as it sounds, and we can’t convince or guilt it in any way to stay. It’s not our place. If Vivillion wants to stay, then it stays, though I don’t know if Mr. Jacq is going to agree with that. If Vivillion is unsure, then we have to at least assure it that no feelings are going to be hurt if it goes or stays, and we have to mean it, but emphasize that this is probably going to be its one chance.” Tristen said to her. “I suppose we’ll just have to find out what happens when it gets to that time. Anyways, this is where I turn off…see you in homeroom, Fela.”

Tristen would separate from Fela and started to make his way off to Ms. Raifort’s classroom. The more that Tristen thought about it though, Tristen wondered if there was any way he could have put a positive spin to what he told Fela out in the halls. Though in that, Tristen had suspicions. It was what he feared a little to begin with: Fela had grown a bit attached to Vivillion herself after having raised it for the past month and there may be a bit of potential separation anxiety. How a Pokémon could just potentially up and bolt when nature calls. He couldn’t blame the girl, however. Tristen would harbor those thoughts as he made his way into Ms. Raifort’s class and to take a seat.

Tristen made his way in, giving a wave to his friends as he went on by and took a seat down, getting his materials down ready for the note taking. It wasn’t long before Ms. Raifort would show up to get started with the lesson and much to Tristen’s surprise, this was a change of pace out of her. She was actually trying to put her own flavor into her lessons instead of going off out of a book. Tristen was convinced now that she didn’t have the time to put any effort into her classes, considering that she was focused with Team Snagem and the herba mystica. Tristen would take note of the Treasures of Ruin and the lore about them; but Tristen found it weird that she was trying to talk about a folk tale instead of actual history. Until the swerve that is…

How much of a folktale had a basis in reality. Tristen stared in confusion for a moment, only to then gasp out a slight laugh to himself, quickly restraining himself. In his time with Snagem, part of what the team has dealt with was stuff straight out of legend, fading into deeper and deeper myth. Heck, at least part of the team carried some sort of artifact that they channeled with that hailed from some obscure time from places possibly unknown. Tristen was fairly confident that no matter what Ms. Raifort dropped on him, he could refer to someone that could point him to the right place and he could blow this lesson wide open. Tristen would wait patently to be called, then got up once he did. He would walk to her desk and started to look at the various packets. The three blades of Unova and the fourth who wished to join them. Tristen knew who exactly that meant…one that he was familiar with especially, Cobalion, thanks or no thanks to the Challenger’s cave challenge. That one hit a little closer to home, now that he thought about it. He’d leave that one alone. The Invasion in Alola and the guardians who defended the region was a little intriguing. As he skimmed the packet real quick, he noticed notes on how otherworldly invaders apparently came into the region and they were fended off by the island guardians. Tristen did hear about such guardians before in his brief tenure in Alola. The fabled Tapu, presumably, but who were the invaders? An allegory? Or something literal? Tempting. It was something to look into. Finally, something that caught his eye…something that he didn’t have any prior knowledge into. The heroes that defended Galar from a calamity. One bearing a shield, one bearing a sword. He didn’t hear anything about that when he went to Galar for the World Tournament. Barring the Pokémon that could become gigantic when exposed to the Dynamax energies, it seemed a pretty typical region compared to most. It…actually intrigued him. He’d take the packet consisting of the Galarian folklore and make his way back to his desk.

Once he was allowed, Tristen would start studying the packet carefully, reading over the lore that the packet had on the topic offhand. He needed to parse every word carefully, just as Freth had once explained to him. He was tempted to give her a call, now that he thought about it, since she was more of a delver in this sort of thing than he was. But that would be a last resort, he’d think. It was his assignment, after all.

As he read on, Tristen started to study carefully, trying to see if he couldn’t draw any parallels to what he had seen in the Galar region. Thousands of years ago, a light was seen in the skies that fell upon the land that would be known as Galar. And from that light, a storm would emerge that darkened the skies that brought about “The Darkest Day”. The Wild Pokémon would go beyond the threshold of insanity, many of which would become colossal in power as they were in stature as they rampaged. Two youths would answer the people’s plea for help from the blight that have covered their skies and made the Pokémon of the land at their fiercest. A grueling battle would unfold which brought light back onto the world and for their efforts, the two youths would be crowned as kings to lead the lands and protect them should another dark day should occur. On any other day, it would have sounded uncanny, but to Tristen…this was Tuesday. It was just trying to figure out what happened.

One standout thing was Pokémon becoming colossal. Immediately, Tristen figured the Dynamax phenomenon that the Galar region cherished to this day, but he never recalled anyone mentioning the phenomenon making a Pokémon go insane. His father Dynamax’d his Articuno after all, and during the final bouts of the tournament, Tristen Dynamax’d his Gyarados, and bore witness first hand to Aden doing it to his Alcremie. And apart from turning Alcremie to a literal cake, nothing really changed. They were their usual selves during and after the battle. He did remember, however, how his adoptive father kept stating how the energy that emerged from it felt unnatural as can be but couldn’t place why. And even then, if it was the Dynamax phenomenon, what in the world did these ‘two youths’ do that made Dynamaxing a such good thing as opposed to something to be feared back in these ancient times? Regardless, it seemed like a good place to start unraveling this mystery. Not only he would probably end up going to the library later to see if there was more on this than what Ms. Raifort already borrowed, he’d probably end up getting putting GRAY to use via SNAG, since he still didn’t have a computer to use in his dorm room to do research on.

Tristen would keep Ms. Raifort’s offer for help in mind as to where to look later if he needed it. As the class ended, Tristen would stash his materials and start making his way out of the room with Matteo and Camp as they all went off towards Homeroom in Mr. Jacq’s class room. The three of them would talk about the packets they all took. “…I…wouldn’t doubt the ‘space bugs’ thing. Believe or not, we got something like that back at the headquarters. Apparently, there’s something called Ultra Space where super weird…things come from. I don’t really know much at all about it, we’ve been trying to figure that out ourselves. What we do know is that we ended up getting a really huge bug that looks like it has muscles that could make a Machamp envious. Its super strong too somehow. We couldn’t catch it really into a Pokeball because the Pokeballs have a super hard time recognizing it as an actual Pokémon but it stayed with us because…” Tristen winced, shaking his head, realizing that it was going to sound absurd, but it didn’t make it no less true. “…one of the Snagems flexed his muscles at the bug and we are thinking that it might have taken it as a message to be something like a mating ritual because it got really affectionate to him. I know, its crazy, and of all the stuff that we fought against, that is definitely the weirdest we ever dealt with, I think.” Tristen explained, and he was telling this to at least one someone that got mind controlled partially by a mushroom conduit. “We figured out that it only ‘talks’ in making muscle poses for somehow…I think…its super weird.”

Tristen would sigh for a second. “I ended up getting a packet of the legendary heroes in the Galar region. It gets into something that was called the “Darkest Day” which…I got the feeling that it might have something to do with that Dynamax stuff they have going on right now, but I don’t know how. Its something I’m going to need to look into.”

Tristen would walk down along side Matteo, until when Matteo told him to wait, he too ended up realizing Camp was practically frozen still. Tristen couldn’t help but to sweat a bead over the whole thing as Matteo tried to push Camp on forward. “Uh…something that I said?” Tristen couldn’t help but to utter. But then soon realize…that Ultra Beast was probably the dream bug for all intents for Camp. “Oh…” Tristen said, rubbing the back of his head. What’s worse, that thing was probably not going to be something Sol was going to be all too willing to parade around Paldea with. It was hard enough just bringing it…well…anywhere. Tristen couldn’t help but to give a sigh, mainly at himself for just saying such a thing rather casually. Especially around Camp. It was like bringing up any hint of battle with Nemona. Noted for later.

Once Matteo managed to shake life back into the bug catcher, Matteo got back on the topic of Tristen’s packet, which got him to bring up about taking a vacation to Kalos. Was that recent? Because if not, then that would have insinuated they were maybe caught up in the discrimination towards hybrids Kalos ended up pretty infamous for. And even then, Tristen wasn’t really sure if all of that actually cleared up. Though his father, rather he intended on it or not, did instigate something rather fierce when he went to the Battle Chateau. Tristen would then have to admit that he didn’t really watch soccer, football, or whatever someone preferred to called it and in truth, the first time he actually ever played it was while Matteo was gone for that brief period after the tournament in Ms. Dendra’s class. The three would carry on conversation until they made their way into Mr. Jacq’s classroom.

Tristen would take notice to his other friends already in the class room, but no Mr. Jacq…which didn’t seem surprising at this point. The teacher for as all Tristen knew could be late to his own funeral at this rate. Regardless, with the likes of Penny, Nemona, Florian, and Fela there, Tristen would make his way to them with presumably Matteo and Camp being close behind him. “Hey, everyone.” Tristen said to them, taking a seat close by to them. “Everything going alright?” he asked no one in particular. Part of him wondered if the last class distracted Fela from that whole introspection regarding Vivillion right after lunch or if it still was getting to her.

Tristen would take a mental note to himself as he listened to the bunch go on about Nemona getting set to take on the gyms again: warn his father. Apparently, she had taken everything to heart about what Tristen had said earlier and she is going well out of her way to take him on just to satiate the desire for a Pokémon battle, especially when people here, especially in her more immediate circle is rather hesitant to actually battle her. “Oh boy…” Tristen said, rubbing the back of his head. Tristen figured the odds of those two meeting wasn’t all that likely until perhaps at the end of the gym run, but at the same time, he had the distinct feeling that Nemona was going to press the issue probably a little too hard for her own good and try to hunt him down before then and battle him in whatever condition both his and her Pokémon are at.

Tristen, like Florian, couldn’t help but to look back and forth between the two girls putting their two cents in on the matter, and Tristen was left to wonder if Nemona ever once thought her battle frenzy had ever been a problem, because he was fairly sure that it has considering everyone else’s reaction to her, present company included. He would then turn away to pay attention to Fela as she asked about Vivillion and Tristen only shrugged. “I’m good to do it if you are. Maybe we can find out for sure about how Vivillion feels about stuff, too.” Tristen said to Fela. “Though…” He then started to look around the room, still finding the teacher absent, then looked at the clock. “…Mr. Jacq is about to be late again…”

Regardless what happened, Tristen basically expected to at the very least start trying to work on any homework that he had for the hour they were here. For the moment, he waited patently for the teacher to arrive, not really wanting to commit to anything until he got done talking to Mr. Jacq. Fortunately, it wasn’t too bad. Mr. Jacq would in fact arrive…late as usual. But much to his surprise, the whole easy going homeroom actually turned into a impromptu science class lesson. Guess it couldn’t always be that easy. As Tristen listened to Mr. Jacq explain the class, he started to realize this was actual familiar territory, things that were taught to him throughout his time in Snagem, some by his adoptive father, more so by Freth oddly enough, with the occasional input from Doc Owl. He was in fact pretty prepared for the sudden pop quiz that Mr. Jacq sprung on everyone just then.

It all started to come full circle when Mr. Jacq started to explain a Vivillion’s nature. Tristen grimaced a bit, as if he started to wonder if Arceus was toying with him right now. Hopefully he’d answer Fela’s questions and maybe not give her any false hopes just as he feared himself of doing, and oddly enough, actually did point out everything both Camp and he brought up around lunch time. Tristen glanced at Fela for a moment and it started to look like this topic wasn’t as comfortable to her as he’d hope it be for her. Tristen then started to realize something what he originally suspected…Fela grew a bit too attached to Vivillion. Something told him he probably had to keep a look out on her and make sure she doesn’t try anything crazy. This was, in fact, Vivillion’s choice after all. The topic drug on with the class all the way until the final bell of the day chimed, which caught Tristen off guard, looking at the clock nearby and nearly flabbergasted at just how this hour just flew on by. So much for trying to work on homework in here…

Tristen would pack up his things once more and he was about ready to leave, but he noticed Fela wasn’t necessarily moving. He shouldered his pack and walked over towards her desk. “Fela…?” Tristen spoke up, trying to see if he couldn’t break her out of whatever trance this was. “Are you alright?”