Okay, okay. I know that this is a very short story, but a lot of work and studying was put into it. Through my time writing this, I was talking with my friends and asking them for advice. We laughed a little, cried a little, and discussed a lot.

So, without further delay:

akugarashiro2099
Thank you so, so, so much for listening to my rambling about random nonsensical stuff. You're amazing! And thanks for those jokes you would make when I was having a tough time planning. I really appreciate it.

ErinOfCarson
Where do I even begin??
First of all, thank you for your support. And not just in this story, but every single one I've ever made. Your comments and kind words help me out more than you can even imagine. Thank you for always sticking with me, in the good times and bad.
Your guidance is actually what helped me publish this story. For a long while, I was considering canceling it because of its dark tone, but you helped me fix it to actually tell a real story.
Thank you so much for all of your help and support!

Literature428
Well, thanks... I guess.

I'm only joking!
Gah! I don't even know what to say!
I can't thank you enough for how much help you have been. From your really great suggestions to your awesome editing skill (no I am not joking) and everything in between, you rock! (And also, thank you for suffering through my speeches, whether it's before school, at lunch, or after school at soccer- I mean football- practice with everyone looking at us like we're crazy. Like honestly, how do you manage to cope with me??!)
I won't ever forget that day after school, when we were in the library... (geez Josiah!).
Argh, I can't even find words to express my thankfulness to you. You're the best, and I'm so glad to have a best friend like you!

(And just to those who are curious, she's the one who came up with the idea for the ending with Bea and Alli reuniting. I was having a lot of trouble, and then she came up with the perfect idea on the spot.)

And lastly, thank you to everyone who has gotten this far. You guys are the best and I love you all!

⚔️ TRIVIA 🛡

🌊 The main character was originally going to be an oc, but I scratched that idea before the first sentence

🌊 Dylan is actually my own character that I created as Bea's brother

🌊 Dylan is eighteen, Bea is sixteen, and Alli is fourteen in this. Other characters' ages are: the boys (8-10, with Conner being the oldest), Piers (17), Melony (38)

🌊 This all started after I began asking myself "Do natural disasters really happen in the Pokémon world?" I mean, we hear about them (through Absol's 'Dex entry) but we never actually see anyone talk about them nor do we see the effects of them

🌊 Dylan's name was originally going to be Josiah. I later scratched it because it just sounded too much like a little-kid name

🌊 I found out halfway through the story that Dylan's name literally means "born of the sea." How fitting!

🌊 The small meeting between Bea and Piers at the ending was originally meant to be between her and Nessa

🌊 Josiah was originally not going to survive, but I just couldn't bring myself to kill this innocent child

🌊 Allister was originally going to have feelings for Bea. However, I didn't want romance to be the driving motive behind everything, so I changed it so that friendship and family are the motives

🌊 In the original draft, I was supposed to have a Marshadow appear, as it is t he only Ghost-Fighting Type. The Marshadow was actually Matt's spirit. This was cut due to the fact that would now be a Pokémon. It would be too cruel to have him be caught by someone

🌊 The order I wrote these chapters was 1, 2, 4, 3 (I couldn't find any good words to describe part 3)

🌊 Part 3 is the shortest chapter, at exactly 2,000 words

🌊 This story is a mix of both the Sword and Shield games. You can tell because Bea is a Leader here, as well as Melony (Bea- exclusive to Sword; Melony- exclusive to Shield)

🌊 I know I didn't explain this, but Dylan originally had a Tympole at the start of the story. At the fight with Lanturn, it evolved into a Palpitoad. This is why he claims that his Pokémon was too weak to actually catch anything in the beginning