" How's Deerling?" Drew asked as he popped his head into the Pokemon room.

May was sitting on the floor next to the baby deer, grooming it. " Well, it looks like it's ready for its first Coordinators Contest!"

" They don't start for another few months."

" More time to practice!" May replied brightly.

Drew scratched his head. " May?"

May looked up. " Hm?"

" Maybe consider.... Not.... Using Deerling."

May tilted her head. " Why?"

" Don't you remember her background story?"

" Oh. Right. Hey, did we get the letchy berry delivery yet?"

" One it's LEECHY berries. Second no."

May sighed as she stroked the Deerling, who nuzzled her. "Oh."

" Why'd you need them?"

" You said it yourself on the Island. The perfect berries for Poke block."

Drew recoiled. " Nononono no."

May turned and raised a brow. " Well why not?"

" You're... Not gonna be the one to make them are you?"

" Yeah, obviously."

Drew rubbed is temple. " June bug, you remember what happened last time you made Poke blocks?"

" No, what?"

" They had a.... Unique taste. So you had to give them all to Munchlax."

" What're you saying, you think YOU should be the one to make them?"

Drew, with a tight smile on his face, gave a hesitant nod.

May shot up to her feet, her eyes narrowing in determination. "Oh, so you think you're a better cook than me?"

But as soon as she stood, a sharp pain shot through her leg, making her wince and stumble. She reached out to steady herself against the nearby counter, her sprained leg screaming in protest.

"May!" Drew was at her side in an instant, his hands firmly gripping her shoulders to keep her upright. "What are you doing? You shouldn't be putting weight on that leg!"

"I forgot, okay?" May hissed through gritted teeth, her face scrunched up in pain. "I wasn't thinking."

"Obviously," Drew muttered, guiding her back down to sit on the floor next to Deerling. The little Pokémon nuzzled against her arm, sensing her discomfort.

May groaned, rubbing her leg. "It's not even that bad."

"Not that bad?" Drew scoffed, crouching down to her level. "You sprained it leaping off a cliff, May. You're lucky you didn't break it!"

"It was to save Deerling!" May protested, her cheeks flushing with a mix of embarrassment and stubborn pride.

"And I'm glad you did," Drew said, his tone softening as he glanced at the baby Deerling. "But you can't keep pushing yourself like this. You're going to make it worse."

May huffed and crossed her arms. "So what, I'm just supposed to sit here and let you handle everything? That doesn't sound very fair."

Drew smirked, his green eyes gleaming with a mix of amusement and exasperation. "For once, yes. That's exactly what you're supposed to do."

May opened her mouth to argue but was interrupted by Deerling, who let out a soft cry and nuzzled her again. She looked down at the Pokémon and sighed, her resistance melting a little.

"Fine," she muttered reluctantly. "But only until my leg feels better."

Drew raised a brow. "Good. And while we're at it, no more cliff-jumping heroics. Got it?"

May rolled her eyes but couldn't hide the small smile tugging at her lips. "Yeah, yeah. Got it, Mr. Safety."

Drew stood and dusted off his hands, offering her a hand to help her up. "Come on, let's get you back to the couch. You can supervise from there while I figure out the berry situation."

May hesitated before taking his hand, letting him pull her to her feet. "Supervise? That's your way of saying 'boss me around,' isn't it?"

Drew chuckled. "Maybe. But you're good at it, so I figured you wouldn't mind."

May shook her head with a laugh as she leaned on him for support, limping slightly as they made their way out of the Pokémon room. "You're lucky you're cute, Drew."

"And you're lucky I'm patient," he shot back with a smirk.

Deerling trotted after them, letting out a happy little cry, as if to agree.

Once May was settled on the couch, she reached over to the small side table where Deerling's milk bottle sat, still warm from earlier. She tested the temperature against her wrist before waving it gently toward the little fawn-like Pokémon.

"Come here, sweetheart," she cooed softly. "You need your food."

Deerling perked up at the sound of her voice, its ears twitching before it trotted over to her side. It nuzzled her arm affectionately before eyeing the bottle with bright, curious eyes.

"That's right," May said, cradling the baby Pokémon in her lap and guiding the bottle to its mouth. "Drink up, you've got a lot of growing to do."

Deerling latched onto the bottle happily, drinking with small, eager gulps.

Drew leaned against the doorway, watching the scene unfold with a small smile on his face. "You're really good at that, you know," he said, his voice light but genuine.

May glanced up at him, her cheeks tinged with pink. "Well, someone has to make sure she's taken care of. She's had a rough start, you know."

Drew nodded, walking over to sit on the edge of the coffee table in front of her. "You've got a good heart, May. No wonder Pokémon trust you so much."

May blinked at him, momentarily caught off guard by his compliment. She quickly turned her attention back to Deerling, hoping he wouldn't notice her flustered expression. "I just... I want her to feel safe. Like she belongs somewhere, you know?"

Drew tilted his head, studying her for a moment before replying. "I think she already does. With you."

May's grip on the bottle faltered slightly, and she looked up at him again. There was something in his tone-something sincere and warm-that made her heart flutter.

"Thanks," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Drew smirked, leaning back slightly. "Don't let it go to your head, though. You're still banned from making Pokéblocks."

May groaned, rolling her eyes. "Oh, come on! Are you seriously not going to let that go?"

"Nope," Drew said with a playful grin. "Not when you've got a reputation for nearly poisoning your own team."

Deerling finished the last of the milk and let out a satisfied little cry, breaking the tension with its happy energy.

May smiled down at it, gently stroking its head. "Well, at least she doesn't mind my cooking."

Drew laughed. "She's too young to know better. Give her time."

May stuck her tongue out at him, but the smile on her face betrayed her amusement.  " Mhm."

Two hours later, May stirred awake from her nap on the couch, feeling a little more refreshed. She glanced around, noticing the quiet house, but then her eyes landed on Deerling. The Pokémon stood in the corner of the living room, chewing on something with great enthusiasm.

May rubbed her eyes and sat up slowly. "Deerling? What are you eating?"

Deerling looked up at her with innocent eyes but didn’t stop chewing.

May squinted and leaned forward, her heart dropping when she realized what it had in its mouth. "Is that—oh no, no—is that glass?!"

She shot up in alarm, ignoring the slight twinge in her leg, and hurried over. As she got closer, she realized the situation was even worse. Deerling wasn’t just chewing on glass—it had a piece of cardboard sticking out of its mouth as well.

"Deerling, stop!" May cried, panic lacing her voice. She crouched down and carefully pried the cardboard away. "Where did you even find this?!"

Deerling gave a guilty little cry and tried to swallow the glass shard it still had.

"Oh no, you don’t!" May reached out, gently but firmly opening Deerling’s mouth to retrieve the shard. "You can’t eat this! You’ll hurt yourself!"

Deerling let out a soft, pitiful noise as May extracted the shard and placed it safely out of reach on a nearby shelf. She inspected the Pokémon quickly, running her fingers along its muzzle and checking its tongue for any cuts.

"You’re lucky you didn’t hurt yourself!" May scolded, her voice shaking with residual fear.

At that moment, Drew came into the room, holding a watering can. His eyes widened as he took in the scene: Deerling looking guilty, May holding a piece of glass, and cardboard debris scattered across the floor.

"What the heck happened here?" he asked, setting the watering can down.

"Deerling was eating glass and cardboard!" May exclaimed, pointing at the mess.

Drew blinked. "Eating what?"

"You heard me!" May stood up, still holding the glass shard. "I thought I was dreaming for a second, but no—glass!"

Drew crouched down and inspected Deerling. "You’re lucky you caught her in time. Where did she even get that?"

May crossed her arms and sighed. "Probably from that pile of recyclables I was going to take out later."

Drew shook his head, giving Deerling a stern look. "Glass isn’t food, kiddo. Neither is cardboard."

Deerling let out a soft, apologetic cry and nuzzled against Drew’s leg, as if to say, "I’m sorry."

May sighed, her frustration melting a little. "I guess she doesn’t know any better yet. She’s still just a baby."

Drew nodded, picking up Deerling and cradling her in his arms. "We’re going to have to keep a closer eye on her. No more leaving things where she can get to them."

"Agreed," May said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I feel like I just aged five years from that scare."

Drew smirked. "Welcome to parenthood, Junebug."

May shot him a look but couldn’t help the small smile that crept onto her face. "You’re not off the hook either. From now on, we watch her like a Hawlucha."

"Deal," Drew said, his tone playful but serious. He looked down at Deerling, who had settled comfortably in his arms. "And you, no more weird snacks, okay?"

Deerling let out a happy little cry, as if promising to behave.

May sighed in relief, finally allowing herself to relax. "I swear, this Pokémon is going to be the death of me."

Drew chuckled. "Nah, you’re tougher than that. But let’s get her something safe to munch on before she tries to eat the furniture."

"Good idea," May said, shaking her head as she followed him into the kitchen.

Drew was humming softly as he rolled out the dough for an Oran Berry pie, his hands moving expertly. The sweet aroma of berries filled the kitchen, and May leaned against the counter, smiling as she watched him work.

"You’re getting pretty good at this," she teased.

Drew smirked, not looking up from his task. "What can I say? I’m a man of many talents."

May rolled her eyes playfully but didn’t have time to retort because a loud crash echoed from the living room.

They froze.

"What was that?" May asked, alarmed.

Drew wiped his hands on a towel and quickly headed for the door. "Let’s find out."

They rushed into the living room to find Deerling standing in the middle of the room, its head buried in the tablecloth... which it was currently eating.

"Deerling, no!" May yelled, running toward it.

Deerling looked up, a large piece of the tablecloth hanging from its mouth, and let out an innocent-sounding cry as if it hadn’t just demolished half the dining setup.

Drew groaned, planting his hands on his hips. "This Pokémon is part Bidoof, I swear."

May lunged for the tablecloth, gripping one end and pulling it away. "Spit that out, Deerling!"

Deerling tightened its jaw and pulled back, determined to keep its new "snack."

Drew sighed, stepping in to grab the other side. "We’re not losing a tablecloth to you, kid. Let go!"

What ensued could only be described as an impromptu tug-of-war match, with May and Drew on one side and the surprisingly strong Deerling on the other. The little Pokémon planted its hooves firmly on the ground, refusing to relinquish its prize.

"Why is it so strong?!" May grunted, pulling with all her might.

"It’s got muscles we didn’t know existed!" Drew replied, equally strained.

Deerling let out a determined cry, pulling even harder and causing both May and Drew to stumble forward.

"This... is... ridiculous!" May gasped, her fingers slipping.

Drew glanced at her, his face red with exertion. "We need to outsmart it. Not outmuscle it!"

May let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine! What’s the plan, genius?"

"Let go on three," Drew said, his voice low.

"What?! She’ll eat the whole thing!"

"Trust me," Drew insisted.

May hesitated but nodded.

"One... two... three!" Drew yelled, and both of them released their hold.

Caught off guard by the sudden lack of resistance, Deerling stumbled backward with the tablecloth in its mouth, landing on its side. In its confusion, the Pokémon loosened its grip, and Drew quickly swooped in, snatching the tablecloth away.

"Got it!" Drew said triumphantly, holding the slobbery fabric above his head.

Deerling let out a defeated little cry and pouted, looking up at them with big, teary eyes.

"Oh, don’t give me that look," May said, kneeling down. She gently stroked Deerling’s head, her tone softening. "You can’t eat things like this, sweetie. It’s bad for you."

Drew sighed, draping the tablecloth over his arm. "We’re going to have to childproof this entire house at this rate."

May nodded, smiling despite herself. "Yeah, but at least we’re in this together."

Drew smirked. "You say that now. Wait until she decides to take on the furniture next."

As if on cue, Deerling glanced at the nearby couch, her little nose twitching with interest.

May and Drew groaned in unison. "No, Deerling!"

Two hours later, May and Drew slumped onto the couch, their energy completely drained. They had spent the last two hours chasing after Deerling, cleaning up messes, and trying to keep the energetic Pokémon from eating everything in sight.

"I don’t think I’ve ever been this tired," May muttered, her head leaning against Drew’s shoulder.

Drew let out a weary chuckle. "We might as well be running a daycare. For a very hungry daycare client."

A loud crunching sound from the kitchen snapped them out of their momentary rest. They exchanged a panicked glance.

"Deerling," they said in unison, bolting to the kitchen.

When they arrived, the sight before them was almost unbelievable. Deerling was perched on the counter, happily devouring pie after pie. Drew’s carefully baked Oran Berry pies—ten of them—were being inhaled one by one, crumbs and berry filling smeared across Deerling’s face.

"Deerling!" Drew exclaimed, throwing his hands up. "That was supposed to be dessert for the week!"

"Forget dessert; we’re going to go broke feeding this Pokémon!" May added, her voice a mix of frustration and disbelief.

Deerling paused for a moment to look at them, as if acknowledging their presence, before turning back to finish the last pie.

Before either of them could react, Deerling leapt off the counter, darted through the open kitchen door, and bolted outside.

"Great! Now where is she going?!" Drew groaned, already heading after her.

May followed close behind, muttering, "If she eats something else, I’m going to lose my mind."

The two sprinted after Deerling, following the trail of hoofprints through the grass. When they finally caught up, they froze in shock.

Deerling stood triumphantly in the middle of the orchard, surrounded by ten completely stripped Oran Berry trees. Not a single berry was left; even the leaves looked like they’d been nibbled on.

May’s jaw dropped. "What the...?! She ate ten trees?!"

Drew clutched his hair, looking like he was on the verge of losing it. "Ten! Ten! I just baked ten pies! Where does it even fit all of this?"

Deerling turned to them, her tail wagging happily as if she were proud of her feast. She let out a cheerful cry and took a step forward, looking very pleased with herself.

"Don’t give me that look!" May scolded, pointing at the stripped trees. "Do you know how much work went into growing those?!"

"Not to mention the money we’re losing," Drew added, shaking his head. "We’re going to have to replant all of this!"

Deerling simply nuzzled up to May’s leg, letting out a soft, apologetic sound.

May sighed heavily, rubbing her temple. "You’re lucky you’re cute. Otherwise..."

"Otherwise, we’d be eating you for dinner," Drew muttered under his breath, earning a glare from May.

"Don’t even joke about that!" she snapped.

Drew smirked tiredly. "Fine. But we need to figure out how to stop her from eating everything in sight. Maybe a bottomless food bowl or something?"

"At this rate, we’ll need an Oran Berry farm," May replied, crossing her arms.

Deerling let out another cheerful cry, completely oblivious to their frustration.

May groaned and knelt down to look Deerling in the eyes. "You’re lucky we love you, you little troublemaker."

Deerling nuzzled her again, and Drew let out a resigned sigh. "I’ll start replanning the orchard tomorrow. Tonight, let’s just get her back inside before she decides to go after the neighbors' garden."

"Good idea," May agreed, taking Deerling’s lead and heading back toward the house.

Behind them, Deerling let out a contented little bleat, looking as though she was already planning her next meal.

The kitchen was peaceful, almost unnervingly so. Drew was at the stove, stirring a pot of creamy broccoli pasta, the smell wafting through the air. May stood by the counter, squeezing fresh oranges into a pitcher, humming softly to herself.

Then, the realization hit them both at the same time.

“Hey, May?” Drew asked, glancing over his shoulder.

“Yeah?” she replied, pausing mid-squeeze.

“Where’s Deerling?”

May froze, her eyes narrowing. “You’re right... It’s too quiet.”

Drew immediately set the spoon down, a sense of dread creeping over him. "When Deerling’s quiet, it’s never good."

May sighed, wiping her hands on a towel. "I’ll check the living room. Maybe she’s napping or something."

But before she could take a step, Drew’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s Brock,” he said, picking up the call.

“Hey, Brock, what’s up—”

“Do you guys happen to have a very hungry Deerling?” Brock’s voice came through the line, equal parts exasperated and amused.

Drew blinked, confused. “Uh… yeah, why?”

“Well,” Brock continued, “because she’s currently in my herb garden eating everything in sight. And I mean everything.”

May, overhearing the conversation, groaned and facepalmed. “Not again!”

“Wait, how did she even get to you?” Drew asked, pacing around the kitchen. “We’re like half a mile away!”

“I was going to ask you that,” Brock replied. “She just showed up and started munching. I tried to stop her, but, uh… she’s faster than she looks.”

May threw down her towel and muttered, “I knew I should’ve closed the gate earlier.”

“We’ll be right there,” Drew said with a sigh, ending the call. He turned to May, exasperated. “She’s at Brock’s place, eating his herbs.”

“Great,” May groaned. “That’s just what we need—our Deerling making enemies of all our friends.”

Drew grabbed his jacket. “Come on, let’s go before she decides to eat his entire garden.”

When they arrived at Brock’s house, the scene was almost comical. Deerling stood proudly in the middle of what used to be a lush herb garden, chewing on what looked like the last remains of a basil plant. Brock was off to the side, arms crossed, giving them a look that screamed you owe me big time.

“Deerling!” May scolded, marching over. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Deerling turned to look at her, ears twitching, and let out a cheerful cry as if saying, Hi, Mom!

“Don’t you ‘hi’ me!” May said, wagging her finger.

Drew approached Brock, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “Uh… sorry about this. She’s been on a bit of an eating spree lately.”

“A bit?” Brock replied, raising an eyebrow. “Drew, she ate my entire supply of rosemary, thyme, and mint. All of it.”

May groaned, grabbing Deerling by the lead. “We’ll make it up to you, Brock. Promise.”

“You’d better,” Brock said with a chuckle, though he didn’t seem too mad. “That Deerling’s got an appetite like a Snorlax.”

“No kidding,” Drew muttered, helping May guide Deerling away from the destroyed garden.

As they walked back toward their house, Drew glanced at May. “We really need to figure out a way to curb her appetite.”

“Yeah,” May agreed, sighing. “Or at least make sure she doesn’t leave the property again.”

Deerling, oblivious to the scolding and guilt, happily trotted between them, looking entirely pleased with herself.

It was the dead of night, and the peaceful quiet of the forest surrounded their cozy house. Drew was fast asleep, sprawled comfortably across his side of the bed. May was curled up on her side, clutching her favorite stuffed chicken, softly snoring.

The sudden chime of the doorbell jolted both of them awake.

Drew groaned, rubbing his eyes. “Who the heck is ringing the doorbell at this hour?”

May yawned, clutching her stuffed chicken tighter. “I don’t know, but if it’s another delivery guy leaving a package for the neighbors, I’m going to lose it.”

They shuffled to the door, Drew opening it cautiously. Standing on their porch was none other than Ash Ketchum, holding a very familiar Deerling by the reins.

“I believe this one belongs to you,” Ash said dryly, motioning to the Pokémon.

May blinked blearily, trying to process what she was seeing. “Ash? What are you doing here? And why do you have Deerling?”

“Why?” Ash said, his voice dripping with exhaustion. “Because I found her raiding my mom’s garden!”

Drew’s jaw dropped. “Wait. Your mom’s garden? As in… Delia Ketchum’s garden?”

“Yes,” Ash said with a grim nod. “Your Deerling plowed through her carrots, her tomatoes, and even her leeks. She’s lucky Mom didn’t bring out a broom.”

May blinked again, clutching her stuffed chicken tighter. “But… we live fifty miles away from Pallet Town! We’re literally in the middle of a forest!”

Ash shrugged, gesturing at Deerling. “Guess she’s got some serious stamina. Or she just really likes fresh produce.”

Deerling, entirely unbothered by the situation, wagged her tail and let out a cheerful cry, nuzzling Ash’s hand.

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” Ash muttered, clearly still irritated.

May sighed heavily, rubbing her temple. “This is getting ridiculous. Drew, we need to put a tracker on her or something.”

“I’m starting to think we need an electric fence,” Drew replied, crossing his arms.

“Look,” Ash said, cutting into their discussion, “I just wanted to bring her back before she causes more chaos. But you guys owe my mom some new veggies.”

“Yeah, we’ll make it right,” Drew said, taking the reins from Ash.

“Thanks for bringing her back, Ash,” May added, trying to smile despite her exhaustion.

“No problem,” Ash said, turning to leave. Then he stopped and looked over his shoulder with a smirk. “But seriously, you two might want to rethink having her as a contest Pokémon. She’s got a different kind of… talent.”

With that, he disappeared into the night, leaving May and Drew standing on the porch with their troublesome Deerling.

May groaned, leaning against Drew’s shoulder. “I can’t do this anymore. She’s going to drive us insane.”

Drew sighed, leading Deerling back inside. “Yeah, but at least she’s our little troublemaker.”

Deerling let out a happy cry, oblivious to the chaos she had caused, and trotted happily into the house.

The first rays of dawn crept over the forest, painting the sky with soft hues of pink and orange. Inside the house, Drew was sprawled across the couch, snoring lightly, while May clung to her stuffed chicken in bed, blissfully unaware of the outside world.

Then, the doorbell rang.

“Not again,” Drew groaned, throwing an arm over his face as the sound jolted him awake.

May stirred, mumbling sleepily, “If that’s Deerling raiding the fridge again, I’m moving to Johto.”

Drew sighed, dragging himself off the couch and trudging to the door. He swung it open, expecting anything but what he saw.

There, standing side by side, were Ash and Ritchie. Each of them was holding onto a very familiar Deerling, who looked suspiciously cheerful despite being restrained by not one, but two trainers.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Drew muttered, rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating.

“Morning,” Ash said with a wry smile, shifting the squirming Deerling in his arms.

“We found her,” Ritchie added, sounding a mix of amused and exasperated. “Again.”

Drew blinked at them, utterly confused. “Where this time?”

“My campsite,” Ritchie said, adjusting his grip on Deerling. “She ate half my food supply.”

“And my leftover pancakes,” Ash chimed in. “We were comparing notes on where she’s been causing havoc when we realized we were both tracking the same Deerling.”

By this point, May had groggily made her way to the door, clutching her stuffed chicken like a lifeline. “What’s going on—” She froze, her eyes narrowing at the scene before her. “Why is Deerling outside again?!”

Deerling let out a happy cry, wagging her tail like she hadn’t just been caught trespassing on two different trainers' properties.

“I swear, this Pokémon has a teleportation ability or something,” May grumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“You might want to consider a leash,” Ash joked, though his voice held a serious undertone.

“Or maybe a GPS collar,” Ritchie added.

Drew sighed, stepping aside to let the two trainers bring Deerling in. “You’re right. She’s officially grounded. No more unsupervised walks, no more garden raids, and definitely no more teleporting to random places.”

Deerling tilted her head innocently, as if to say, Who, me?

“I’m serious!” Drew said, wagging a finger at her.

May groaned and flopped onto the couch, her stuffed chicken still clutched tightly. “We should just rename her Trouble. It fits.”

Ash and Ritchie exchanged amused glances before setting Deerling down.

“Well, good luck,” Ash said, giving them a mock salute.

“Yeah,” Ritchie added with a smirk. “You’re gonna need it.”

The two trainers turned to leave, leaving Drew and May to deal with their mischievous Deerling yet again.

As the door closed, Drew slumped into a chair, staring at Deerling, who had somehow managed to start chewing on his shoelaces.

“You know, May,” Drew said, his voice weary but laced with a hint of humor, “this might be the toughest contest Pokémon we’ve ever raised.”

May groaned, burying her face in her stuffed chicken. “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.”

Deerling, as usual, remained completely unbothered.

Two days later, the long-awaited electric fence arrived. Drew and May worked tirelessly to set it up, determined to finally keep Deerling—now unofficially renamed "Trouble"—contained.

The fence stood tall and gleaming, a state-of-the-art barrier equipped with enough voltage to dissuade even the most determined Pokémon from sneaking out.

May wiped her brow as she surveyed their handiwork. “That should do it. No way she’s getting past this.”

Drew nodded, crossing his arms. “If she manages to escape this, I’ll officially believe she’s part ghost-type.”

For the first time in days, the two felt a glimmer of hope.

But thirty minutes later, just as May was beginning to relax with a cup of tea and Drew was scrolling through his phone, the doorbell rang again.

Drew sighed, already dreading what awaited them. “If this is who I think it is…”

He opened the door to find exactly who he was expecting: Ash and Ritchie, both looking exhausted and frazzled, standing with Trouble in tow. Sparky was perched on Ritchie’s shoulder, wearing an expression of pure exasperation, while Pikachu was eating Oran berries.

“Guess who we found?” Ash said, holding out the mischievous Deerling.

May walked up behind Drew, clutching her tea. “No. No. How did she even—” She gestured wildly toward the back of the house. “We just put up an electric fence!”

Ritchie rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, about that… It looks like Trouble jumped over it.”

“She cleared it in one leap,” Ash added, sounding both impressed and annoyed.

“WHAT?!” Drew and May exclaimed in unison.

Trouble, entirely unfazed, let out a cheerful cry and wagged her tail as if she hadn’t just undone hours of their work.

May buried her face in her hands. “This can’t be happening. It’s like she’s mocking us.”

“Mocking us? She’s practically taunting us,” Drew muttered, glaring at the unrepentant Deerling.

Sparky let out a tired “Pika,” as if in agreement.

Ash crossed his arms. “You know, you two might have to consider something a little more intense. Like a high-security Pokémon containment unit or something.”

“Or a full-time babysitter,” Ritchie added.

May groaned, setting her tea down on the nearest table. “At this rate, I’m going to need a babysitter for me.”

Trouble nuzzled Ash’s arm, looking as innocent as ever.

Drew threw his hands in the air. “That’s it. I give up. Trouble wins.”

May sighed deeply, eyeing the playful Deerling. “You know what? Fine. She can stay in the house from now on. But I’m buying baby gates for every room.”

Ritchie laughed. “Good luck with that. Something tells me she’ll find a way around those too.”

Ash gave them a sympathetic pat on the shoulder before handing Trouble over. “Just… keep an eye on her, okay? My mom’s running out of patience, and I don’t want to find her in our garden again.”

With that, the two trainers left, leaving May and Drew alone with their seemingly unstoppable Trouble.

Drew shook his head, slumping onto the couch. “I’m starting to think she’s smarter than both of us combined.”

May nodded, sinking into the seat beside him. “At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if she knows how to use a key.”

Meanwhile, Trouble trotted happily into the kitchen, where she immediately began eyeing the cookie jar.