The berries either rolled into Maoja’s leg or went straight past her without a second thought. She could hear the soft crinkle of grass as they did so, but she only saw one or two within arms reach. “Sorry, not very good at catching things!”

Oh well, she shrugged mentally. There were berries, and there was water. During winter. This didn’t seem like a good idea, but she trusted Jack enough to know what he was doing. Thus, she took the first Oran berry and offered it up to the Wooloo. They gave it a loud sniff or three, then took a timid bite.

“Woo!” They took a second bite, much longer and stronger than the first. Maoja giggled and set it down on the ground in front of them.

“Don’t worry, ya little goofball,” she rubbed their head as they finished up the berry. “We’ll take good care of you!”

I will, anyway. Water soaked into their surroundings without any rhyme or reason. That Water-type must’ve been of the gung-ho variety, as Ride got absolutely Soaked in the crossfire. She crouched down and violently shook her body free of the water, which only made the matters worse. Some of it got onto Maoja, and she shivered.

But, somehow, the Wooloo did get covered in water too. They shook in place, and Maoja continued to comfort the creature and give them berries. “It’s okay, don’t be afraid! We’ll get you nice and clean and good as new!”

---

Jack Napier

Huh?

Maoja could only guess what happened, but Ride figured it out rather fast. She ran up to the second Wooloo, the one clearly from the wild, and gave it a few tentative sniffs. Earthy, like wet snow and mud. A few berries were stuck deep in the wool, which she happily stuck her face in to collect.

“Ride, what’d you find?” Maoja asked. She started to walk over to the commotion, a Wooloo bleating as a Cyclizar invaded its personal space, and considered the newcomer. Yep, can’t tell them apart for Jack!

However, she approached the one Ride harassed and gently nudhged her back. “Come on, give… Lis? Some room?”

This one wasn’t Lis. This little one didn’t have a collar, much like the one right next to her (after she gave that one a feel around the neck. So, this was the Wooloo Jack had promised? Why did it smell so dirty? Like a sack of potatoes, and just as rough-feeling. The wool felt like the steel variety.

“Oh, Jack, this is pretty cool! But… you couldn’t have given them a bath or anything? A good ol’ spit shine? Poor thing,” she rubbed the top of the wild Wooloo’s head. It leaned into the hand and bleated softly into her glove.

Guess I’ll get to figure out how to give a Wooloo a bath… that’ll be fun! I think.

---

Jack Napier

“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry for Ride’s behavior.” Maoja quickly stood up and walked over to where the white ball of softness shook. She wasted no time and quickly rolled the Pokemon to the side, until Lis’ feet were properly underneath her. Her cheeks were flush red, and she quickly turned to the direction of Ride.

“Ride, please be gentle with the smaller Pokémon! Wooloo roll, but not like that,” she gently scolded the Cyclizar. What is with her? Is she feeling upset or something?

Ride felt anything but. Her chest sac expanded and contracted rapidly, and she snorted alongside the motion. The closest thing a Cyclizar could get to a chuckle, she did a quick circle in place before she walked up to Maoja and rubbed her face against her trainer's leg. One she saw rather clearly, because Ride shoved her face into Maoja. A gentle face, full of emotion and misty eyes.

Aww… oh, how can I stay mad at a face like that! The trainer pat the creature on the head and turned back to Jack. “I don’t think she meant any harm, just playing! But I’ll stay on guard for any more mischievous behavior.”

With that, she turned her attention back to the Yamper. Yet another cute as heck Pokemon, all for her to enjoy! But… she’s not why I’m here.

“So, Jack, you said you had a Wooloo for me, right? But…” Maoja quickly looked around. A mostly futile effort. If there was one present, but they stood perfectly still, the odds of her seeing them were next to none. She looked back to Jack with a grin plastered on her face. “Are you hiding it? If so, I probably won’t find it!”

Ride let out a short bark-like noise, and quickly scurried off. First, she shoved her nose into the thin layer of snow. Then into a distant tree. And then another patch of snow, on the prowl for a second Wooloo. Her search wasn’t fruitful in the slightest, no matter how many blades of grass she nibbled or how much snow she shoveled down her mouth.

What was going on?

---

Jack Napier

“That’s what I’m saying!” Maoja nudged Jack on the shoulder. Ride once again nudged her trainer in response. She rubbed the Pokémon’s head warmly, and then hopped the fence in one clean jump. Her legs missed the top of the fence by mere inches, but she made it over all the same. The Cyclizar followed with a similarly smooth jump.

Still got it. The girl bent down in front of the yellow mass and immediately reached out her hand to pet the small canine. “How can such a sweet little thing be useless? She’s just, y’know… goooooood at other things! Like asking for treats.”

Can’t blame her. I’d do the same in her shoes. Paws? Feet.

Ride the Cyclizar wasted no time either. As the Yamper stopped for a brief moment, the long dragon took on the mantle of Wooloo chaser. Not that it mattered– she caught up with Lis in mere moments, around two seconds after it began. Her fangs gently sank into her wool and lifted her high off the ground.

And then… Ride tossed her to the side, right towards Maoja. The fluffy creature bounced right off her leg and got a startle out of her. “Woah, what the– Ride, what are you doing? You shouldn’t be throwing Lis around like that!”

A low purr rumbled from its throat, and its throat sac puffed out to full size. “Don’t pout with me, girl. Please.”

---

Jack Napier

“Sure is! This here is my… my–hehe,” Maoja couldn’t contain her giggle. The Cyclizar rolled her eyes at the trainer, but she pushed on. “My Ride! Cause her name is– is– I call her Ride!”

Ride headbutted her trainer in the back of the knee, which cut off her laughter in a moment’s notice. “Oh come on! It’s all in good fun.”

“But yeah, I got her from some doctors-slash-government officials. Don’t want legally blind people out freely on the road,” she leaned against the fence and pulled down her sunglasses, showing off her eyes from the top of the frames. “Not fun for anyone involved.”

It was almost impossible to see, but there were faint scars of… something, around her eye sockets. Before Jack had a chance to look, though, she backed up and put her thick, black shades back properly on her face. “But enough about me. I got your message, so I figured I’d get here safely and in style!”

Without Frank, she added mentally. He hadn’t been nearly as enthusiastic as the rest of them had been when the news came. To be entirely fair, very little got him excited. But it did mean she needed another Pokémon to accompany her. Wouldn’t be fair to bore a good friend with something they didn’t enjoy.

That and I had no idea how to get here.

“So,” she peered over the fence, towards the two shapes that gyrated in the short distance, “what do you got there? I think that one’s a... Wooloo… and the other is…” Maoja squinted. 

---

Jack Napier

“Oh, don’t worry about my time! Came out here just to enjoy it, and enjoy it I did,” Maoja reassured Jack. After all, what better way to spend a day out in the park with a herd of Wooloo? Even if their owner didn’t think so, his description of daily life sounded just as dreamy as she assumed.

But…

“If you want some coffee, we can get some more,” she stood up suddenly from the bench. It wasn’t late enough (hopefully) for her to stay up all night with one more cup of coffee. Even if hers wasn’t as warm as she liked, the opportunity presented itself as the livestock did earlier.

Perfectly on time and in the best position for me possible!

“However, if you want to lead the way, I’d appreciate it. I’d feel a lot more comfortable with a shepherd in the lead,” she said. It wasn’t an entire lie: having someone in the lead was always easier. But she didn’t remember the exact way back, and navigation at this time of day tended to cause problems.

Better to let an expert handle it. And handle it he did as they walked down the chilly street sidewalk, Alakazam and four Wooloo in tow. At least Frank made sure they didn’t run into the street– or roll.

---

Jack Napier

Maoja rode up to the scene with shivering limbs and a curious excitement in her bones. Thank goodness Ride knew how to figure out destination instructions. Otherwise, she'd have to figure it out all on her own. That would be its own adventure worthy of its own tale. For now, she'd be perfectly content with a Wooloo.

This is a much more exciting thing to share with everyone at work anyway, she considered as Ride slowly skid to a halt. Like her, everyone enjoyed stories that involved cute Pokémon. Especially if you pulled it out a few seconds later. She'd be the talk of the day, and there's no way her boss could get on her case if they got to pet such a soft little thing!

But first, she had to obtain the Wooloo. That's where Jack came in. Sure, his message didn't come in from the way she predicted it would. But she got the message, and that's what really mattered. Thankfully, she knew it was the right place because she could hear the man doing his thing from a country mile away.

Once Ride finally stopped, she carefully got off and patted her on the head, "Thanks for that, Ride!"

A giggle escaped her lips. Oh, I am too good sometimes.

Maoja led herself to the noise, nearly oblivious to her surroundings that would've surely sent her to the ground. That's what the Cyclizar was for, though. She nudged her to the side when the fence to the park came up, and off the right side of the sidewalk as opposed to the opposite side.

"Hey, Jack! Been a hot minute, how you've been?" She waved in his general direction, only known by the strange dance of the blobs at his feet. "Sounds like you've got your hands full!"

---

Jack Napier

“A wandering shepherd, eh?” Maoja stared off into blank space, eyes hidden behind her black sunglasses. “Sounds kinda nice, in a way. Just get to walk around, meet all sorts of people, and always get to walk away from those you don’t!”

How can you lose them anyway? She glanced down at the obvious balls of fluff, which stood out like sore thumbs against the dying grass and wide strip of concrete. Well, mostly stood out. However, she was the exception rather than the rule. I shouldn’t say anything on the matter, then. Not my place.

“Well, can’t be the worst thing in the world,” she sipped her coffee. “Like meeting people! Look how that’s going for you right now!”

Frank walked over to the pair and stood behind the both of them. He looked entirely unfazed by the cold (or didn’t show it), but kept his gaze affixed to the various living cotton balls. Maoja put one of her now gloved hands on his, “And I’m sure that anyone that needs your expertise is mighty glad to see you when it matters.”

---

Jack Napier

“Nice to meet you Jack! And your herd,” Maoja glanced down at the various blobs of white. Sure, she knew the names. But the identifiers were too hard to make out for her. As long as Jack didn’t quiz her on it then she’d be perfectly fine! Right?

“Anyway,” she sipped from her lukewarm coffee and leaned further into the park bench, “My plans were to just… sit here for a while. You’re more than welcome to join me, if you really want! Just trying to relax after work.”

Out of sight, out of mind. She wasn’t in that awful building getting yelled at or harassed by the people or her coworkers: she was in nature, with a guy who had four really nice and soft Wooloo and a cup of warm coffee in her hands. This is good! I am good! This is just what the doctor ordered.

“What do you do for a living?” She asked. "Are the Wooloo the breadwinners? Or do you just really like them?"

Like I now do, she added mentally.

---

Jack Napier

“We got a code… three? I think it’s three,” The daycare employee grumbled. They set down the magazine onto the black, rickety coffee table, reached down to their side, and picked up a gun. Not a gun-gun, but a tranquilizer gun.

They pointed it right at the now-evolved Sneasel, Sneasler, Lizzie, whatever– and shot without a moment’s hesitation. It did not take long for the sedatives to kick in, and Lizzie was firmly knocked out on the ground. All the other children Pokémon merely spared her a glance before they returned to whatever kiddie stuff they were doing previously.

“Code three? More like Code… pee! Yea, hehe,” they chuckled to themselves. Good one. Their magazine was picked up, and they quickly ruffled the pages back to wherever they left off. If they concentrated hard enough, they could ignore the Kirlia who was sobbing against the daycare playpen wall.

Surely…

---

Bullet Valentine

“Better than me, anyway,” Maoja chuckled. She let go of Frank, who let out a quiet sigh of relief. Dodged trouble like a bullet, but left with little else to do. It had already lost interest in the Wooloo, as they held no interesting qualities. A super inflated volume but practically zero density, like thousands of bubbles stacked atop each other.

“Here,” she pulled out a little notepad and pencil from her coat pocket. With it held a few inches in front of her sunglasses, she wrote down a series of numbers carefully and slowly. Once done, she pulled it off and held it out in the direction of Jack. “My phone number. I’d hate to forget, and hate for you to forget, sooooo…”

I will not let this opportunity slip from my fingers. She returned the items back and sipped on her coffee. Not as hot as before, but it nearly burnt her tongue before. A perfect trade off, and a perfect dose of sugar. Why did she get it before anyway?

Oh, right. Work. She sighed and sat back down on the bench. A moment of sadness came to her face, but it left just as quickly. She would not let her job ruin her afternoon, no matter how much it tried! “Well, what are your plans now anyway? I hope I didn’t distract you from something super important… oh my gosh! Where are my manners– my name is Maoja! I work at the DMV here!”

She shot her hand out like a rocket towards Jack, “And you are?”

---

Jack Napier

Once more, Big Man found himself on the end of Lizzie’s awful attacks. Even with the increased height and longer arms, the Sneasel had some sort of chip on its shoulder. At least he could read her lips without all that hair in the way.

“Hat? That wasn’t a hat, that was my hair! Let me go,” he tried to wriggle his way out of her grasp. Tiny arms swung backward, and his legs kicked hard. His trainer had always told him to never let a bully get the better of him, and now was the time to make her proud! If he swung enough times, surely one of his hits would–

Hit, bingo! With one lucky blow, he managed to hit both Lizzie’s nose AND eye. The moment of confusion allowed him to break her grasp and shoot forward. While the back of his neck stung, he was free from her grasp.

However, all he had to do was look back to feel that sense of terror once again. Her face was… oh Arceus, he was going to die!

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA–” Big Man threw his hands up and ran towards the edge of the pen. Any hints of courage burrowed back into his heart, now taken over by absolute fear. “HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP–”

“-LIA KIRLIA KIRLIA KIRLIA!” A voice called. One of the daycare attendants looked up from their latest volume of ‘Hoenn’s Gossip Digest’, annoyed but obligated to pay attention. All they say was a Kirlia about to shit itself and a Hisuian Sneasel with the most violent look on its face. Yea, that was a Bullet Valentine Pokémon alright.

“Hey, knock it off over there! I’m a little busy right now!”

---

Bullet Valentine

“Oh, you don’t need to do that… BUT, if you’re offering… who am I to say no?”

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES–

A nearly impossible quiet bump got Majoa’s attention away from Jack: the sound of wool-against-wool. Two vague white shapes touched and then split once again. She looked to Frank, who looked completely enamored in the pursuit of science. Even with her terrible vision, it wasn’t hard to figure out what had occurred. “Frank, what are you doing? They aren’t toys, they’re Pokémon!”

Very warm, comfortable, and pleasant ones, She added mentally. Frank only spared her a wayward glance, visually exaggerated to convey the action to its trainer. A shrug followed: they were too light and undense to cause any damage. It could throw a thousand of those things at a brick wall, and the biggest problem would be getting them all to stay in one place.

“Sorry about Frank,” she said as she tried to stand back up, “he can be a bit… curious at times.”

As much as it hurt, the two Wooloo were left on the ground to their own devices. She gave each of them a rub on the head and rose to be on eye level with Jack. She blindly reached for the bench, careful not to knock her coffee over onto the white fluff balls.

“I hope whichever ones those are,” she motioned with her free hand towards the two farther white blobs, “don’t get too upset with Frank here. I’m sure he means well! Isn’t that right, Frank?”

She wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Her face got really close to the Alakazam’s, a bright yet deceptive smile for it to see. A sign that anything but agreeance spelled disaster for their relationship. Frank looked away, unsure on how to respond. They didn’t look too mad. At least, one of them didn’t. Whichever one got rolled looked fine. It was the target that looked absolutely pissed.

However, it was also a Wooloo. What could it hope to do back to an intellectual genius like itself?

---

Jack Napier