The world smells of fresh sea air, and I know today is the perfect day to get going. It's almost fall now, and the two months of the journey we've under taken have been hard. I think of Pyro, Stella and Shin for a second, before I block the thought from my mind.

With a creak, the already open windows fling open as the soft breeze turns to a turbulent and violent wind. I slam them, and the sea-smell lingers for moments before dissipating into nothing.

I sigh inwardly, looking at my still sleeping team. No, not all of them- Pich's eyes are wide open and staring at me. Geyser is sorting berries in my back pockets.

Slowly but surely, the rest of the team wakes up to me switching TV channels.

"If only I could-"

Click.

"Please, never change."

Click.

"BUY NOW FOR ONLY 9,999,999P!"

Click.

"Shut up." Chrona mutters, falling back to sleep with Mimsy bouncing up and down besides her.

"Well, I have news for everyone. Since we have uh, three new members that we may want to put into the party. Anyone fine with going into the box for the time being?"

To my surprise, Juliet raises an ear, while Geyser raises a paw and Mimsy raises one of her strings (are they strings? Drifloon anatomy is strange).

"All three of you?!" I ask, somewhat frightened. "Do you guys hate me?"

"I'm no fighter. I should've seen that sooner. I'll be around if you need me." explains Juliet, smoothly and casually. How could I have accused her of hating me? Our bond is one of the thicker golden lines, and I'm glad of it.

Mimsy says nothing, shrinking behind Chrona, who retorts, "If I hated you, I would get up and go. We all know you're too soft to stop me."

"To put it nicely, we're here to support you. You're a good person. We know you're telling the truth and if we can help you get home, that beats waiting for natural selection to pick us off in the wild. Plus, you may or may not be the chosen one."

We all decide to leave it at that and get some pancakes. "You sure you'll be okay in the PC?" I ask them.

Geyser nods.

Mimsy says nothing.

Juliet sighs. "It'll be boring."

I hand her something. She opens it, her eyes wide. "Do you think they'll let me bring this? Will it translate into virtual reality?"

"We can find out."

She takes her shiny new laptop and then heads off to the Pokemon Center. After I spend a while settling my new debts with the local bank, I find her and the computer in the PC, not bothering to question how that works, and then withdraw three new Pokemon- Crypt, Kimiko, and Dusty.

"Shall we grind?" I ask my three older teammates and the newcomers.

Kimiko flexes his muscles. "Thought you'd never ask."

The new route is by the sea, and the sea breezes keep Pich aloft but also threaten to throw her into the cliff. As a result, she clings to Rune, who covers for her, burning things with his wand. Chrona enjoys poisoning the wildlife and watching it wither. Have I mentioned she scares me?

Dusty hides from the water types and Chrona, staying close to my feet. I feel a rush of affection for the tiny Sandile. Scooping him up, I ask, "Is this better?" He nods. I stroke him gently, and he makes little clicking noises filled with content, even though they sound eerily like rattling bones.

Kimiko, leading the charge, is chopping left and right, beating down others like they're Team Flare Pokemon and then helping them up when he's sure they're finished. He looks dismally around at the beach, as if he still half expects to be in the cave.

Crypt races ahead, yelling as the others fight. "Get 'em! Get 'em!" He dives in and out, biting here and there, tripping over his tiny feet and skidding through the sand.

I flash to Pich, feeling her wings, and now we know we can be above any wind. We soar upwards, the freedom exhilarating, human mind on Pokemon, and Rune calls up, "Are you okay?"

"Yes! Great!" We say, our trilling dual toned voice ringing like a bell into his sensitive ears.

"Stop showing off, both of you." We're obviously not fooling him. He knows when I'm with her, strengthening her movements.

"What gave it away?" We laugh.

"Oh please. It's so obvious. Don't keep doing that, it scares me. I'm not sure if you're flashing or if you're crazy and about to fly into a cliff." He flicks his wand, anchoring both of us to the ground.

"It doesn't matter." Pich says casually as I return to my own body, staring straight ahead at the city.

"We're here."