She watched the epic battle occur and applauded, thoroughly impressed, once it was finished. "You are a good trainer!" she exclaimed. Maybe defeating a Pokemon that was already weakened from having been caught wasn't so impressive, but the execution had been very stylish! "And Trapinch made the perfect drainage ditch!" She was becoming more fond of the tire-biter.

Michi got back to work, stretching the plastic over the thin frame of piping Matchan had mostly erected. She tied each joint off firmly, determined that the winds wouldn't be able to mess up the little greenhouse. "Zac, will you stand on the other side?" she called, standing on her tiptoes to shake and stretch the plastic over the highest point of the arch. 

As she did-- she noticed something. The little sprout and mound where she thought they'd planted Poturtle was gone-- instead, a couple of bushes seemed to be growing from the ground there, looking very green and healthy in the Heliolisk's false sunlight. How strange. I was sure this was where we planted her. Oh well, it was better to leave nature alone!

A short while later she finished her side with a sigh, tying off the stakes. Michi glanced over at Turtonator to see the Cacnea that had been resting there was gone, now replaced by a taller, more flowery cactus. Had it driven the smaller succulent off? Now we're causing territorial problems, Michi thought sadly, wanting the (round) cactus to come back. Scooping up the Pokeball she'd tried to use on Aromatisse before Oranguru had co-opted her Michi Style, she tossed it at the Maractus instead.
 

Maybe Zac couldn't see it, but Michi could. As the men flew down the hard-packed dirt driveway and towards the barn, Michi was still struggling to wrap her scarf around her neck as she hurried after them, one arm in her coat sleeve with the other flapping behind her. Maki had stayed behind in the doorway, watching them go. Her silhouette was black against the distant light, like the wick of a candle.

But Michi wasn't alone. Dreepy skimmed past her like ribbons of wind, toothless mouths gaping. Some of them held sprigs of bitter-looking herbs from Maki's garden. Some of them carried round blue Oran Berries instead, two laboring under a single fruit as they squealed and fought in the air. Pests, Michi realized. This must have been what Jun-jun was talking about back at the pet store. But why the animals?

There was no doubt in Michi's mind what was going on by the time she caught up with Zac and Junjun. "Do your best, Matchan!" she cried, pumping her fists as the four-armed fighting-type swiped at the literal cloud of tiny dragon Pokemon around the Miltank behind him. Despite the speed of his punches, Machamp was not impervious. Michi could barely see the Miltank's belly for all the little dragons clustered on it.

"They been taken by the madness," Junjun said, shuddering. "It's a sickness that's been going on around here at night. Char-Char-Maru did it too-- he ran off chasing after nothing down the old well, barking his head off." He took off his hat and wrung it in his hands. "Damn! I didn't think your Machamp would get it so soon! I'm sorry, Michiko. It's something in the water here."

"It is not madness," Michi said indignantly, drawing herself up. "It is Doreepi! There are so many, and they are taking many fruits and milks!"

There was a silence as Jun-jun evidently wrestled with this information. After a moment he stilled, putting his cap back on his head. "Come to think of it, Michiko, you drank that water too, didn't you..."

"Ah! They are leaving now!" Michi interrupted him, shuffling back as the cloud of dreepy suddenly floated up, their heads turning as one as if summoned by a hidden signal. Their eyes, luminous, glowed in the night as the tiny dragons passed like a swarm of fireflies. Matchan slumped, exhausted as they went. "Goodbye, Doreepi!" 

"Michiko, let's get back to the house. You're welcome to stay the night, Maki will take care of you until you're safe to drive in the morning." Jun-jun gestured back towards the house, trying to take Michi's arm to guide her back in that direction. She shook him off.

"No! I want to find Char-Char-Maru, and Zac is taking care of your pest problem you did not want to talk about!" Jun-jun seemed surprised as the older woman whirled on him, hands on her hips. "I also have Doreepi, so we have.... Doreepi Connection!" To prove it, she pulled out its Pokeball and waved it triumphantly. "Zac saw also! He believes me!"

Michi stripped off her shoes and socks and sat on the edge of the hot spring, sighing as she lowered her bare feet down into the water. She, among several others in her tour group, had opted to enjoy the soothing heat and minerals of the underground pool. The faint whiff of sulfur was the only downside, but Michi had positive associations with the smell. It reminded her of long weekends in Lavaridge with her family.

"Ope, we got another Arctozolt over here! Now, we probably shouldn't let that one get too close to the hot spring." People were edging back from another long yellow neck that had just poked into the cavern, peeking around owlishly. "Electricity and water and all that. Mrs. Maeda!" Michi looked up. The tour guide was waving to her. "Care to add another to your collection?"

Michi smiled, shaking her head. "No, thank you!" she called politely, and heard the tour guide turn to some other nervous but interested tourists to instruct them how to throw the ball correctly. She swished her feet in the soothing water, sighing in content. Despite what the guide had said about ice-types and heat, she had let her Snom-buddy with the handsome Snom babysit her Snom for the time being. She hoped they could meet up for playdates after the Safari was over!

The tunnel went down, down, footsteps punctuated by bursts of song, chanting, or the occasional targeted advertisement ("So you folks know, we sell special Snom Chow in family-size value packs up at the Warden's Office-- we don't get much snow down here in Hoenn, so they need a special diet to keep their ice shells spiky and shiny!").

Despite the ice Pokemon's cool presence on her head where it had snuggled into her hair, Michi felt more and more like she could feel the earth growing warmer. Her breath had come out in clouds of steam up in the Ice Caves, but now the mist was everywhere, bringing with it the sour smell of brimstone.

"Aaaand HALT! We're here!" 

The tour group stopped their singing and stopped, waiting in their formation. Their headlamps illuminated the mist, creating warm, golden-yellow auras that bled together into a sea of light.

"Lamps off, spelunkers! We're at the main event!"

Michi reached up to turn off her headlamp, the others around her doing the same, and gasped. As the last bulb finally winked out, they saw it: just down the ledges ahead was a warm, shimmering pool of water. Steam rose from its surface in gossamer sheets, rising towards the ceiling and beading on the stone there. I wasn't imagining things, Michi realized, dazed, It is a hot spring!

Small lights had been placed inside the hot spring to illuminate it from below, casting it in a milky, emerald light. "These pyroducts we're walking through may be empty, but that doesn't mean volcanic activity is completely null!" the guide exclaimed over their oohs and ahhs, "This area's fed by a natural hot spring, ladies and gentlemen, making it a natural oasis for the Safari Zone Pokemon during the winter months." Michi could see shapes in the pool and realized some Pokemon were actually sitting in the warm water.

"Oh, here comes a Darumaka! It's a little-known fact, folks, but ice types don't mind having a dip as long as they don't stay in too long and incur any burn effects. They have a reputation for being brittle, but you'd be surprised how resilient they are!" Awed, Michi watched the round white Pokemon wade into the shallows and settle down with a sigh, closing its eyes contentedly.

"So, how about it? You all want a dip?"

Michi made a soft, sad sound hearing about her friend's lost Growlithe, Char-char-maru. The name is very cute... it is too bad. She looked back at the kitchen, where Maki had retreated to compose herself, and bit her lip. How would I feel if Thor disappeared? she thought, and immediately felt terrible. No wonder there was a strange atmosphere over dinner-- this was a family still grieving.

"The rice is delicious, Maki," Michi piped up after the woman returned and they'd continued eating in quasi-silence. "The lamb is... also delicious! Is it from Jun-jun farm also?"

"Yes, it is," Maki answered, throat sounding a little tight. She seemed to relax a little as she got back into talking. "We've been experimenting with different wool blends from both Mareep and Wooloo. We find the market is trending towards Mareep here in Hoenn, though, so we're cutting back on our Wooloo stock." 

"Oh! I know Wooloo! My husband said there are many in Galar! Their wool is very warm, he says." Michi clasped her hands, remembering the picture he'd sent her of the pastures from the train. Feeling suddenly queasy, she decided not to think too closely about the meat on her plate. Of course it was natural, but it was still jarring.

Jun-jun nodded, sitting back in his chair and wiping his mouth with his napkin. He'd just finished eating. "You've got it in one-- you know what the Hoenn climate's like, Michiko. Mareep wool's just a little bit lighter than the Wooloo stuff, so people tend to go for it. We've still got a few of the little roundies around, but we're givin' 'em away if you know anyone who wants any."

Lighting up, Michi opened her mouth to say something, but froze.

There was a Dreepy in the room. Her eyes followed it as it floated over to Jun-jun's now-empty glass of beer. It peeked through the glass at her, yellow eyes grotesquely distorted, before coming out the other side. "Michiko, are you interested in a Wooloo?" Jun-jun asked again, "Most of 'em are pretty tough and stringy at this point, so we can't make good mutton out of them."

"No-o-o. I mean, yes," Michi said distantly, watching the Dreepy. It flew over to Zac's glass next, its forked tongue flicking out and dabbing into the surface of the liquid. Didn't he notice?! It made a face and zipped away again.  "Yes, Wooloo is very cute. Maybe, I can take one."

"Then it's decided! I'll show you the flock and you can pick your favorite," Jun-jun said, seeming more cheerful. The Dreepy phased through the table from below into her glass of water and Michi stood up quickly, chair scraping against the floor. "That sounds... amazing!" she said forcefully, response a bit delayed. Maki and Jun-jun were too polite to stare, but they seemed... concerned.

I'm causing trouble for everyone, she thought, quickly gathering up her things. Best not to mention the Dreepy. "Zac, maybe you also are interested? Let's go look! " She quickly turned away from the table and her empty plate, willing herself not to see the tiny dragon zero in on a basket of coffee creamer and lift one thimble-sized cup into the air, bobbing under the weight.

Jun-jun hadn't even reached for his jacket when there was suddenly an outburst of noise from outside. A cacophony of animal sounds, squeals and deep moos-- and, Michi swore, one distinct <Matchaaan!>

Jun-jun paused. "It's happening again," he said, as if afraid. 

He and Maki exchanged glances. 

Coat thrown over one shoulder, the farmer-- followed by the rest of them-- flew out the door towards the feedlot.

"1, 2, 3, 4, I declare a SNOM war!" 

Footsteps marched in time with the beat as the tour guide blew his whistle, walking stick raised high. Lifting their Snoms up and down to form a wave behind him, the people in the tour group tried to sing along. It would be optimistic to say the song wasn't broken up by a lot of fumbling and mismatched beats, but it was fun and it passed the time. 

"5, 6, 7, 8, try to keep your SNOMS straight!"

Those with female Snoms like Michi quickly rushed to match their Pokemon up with a male partner and vice versa. The older woman ended up with a teenage girl who was carrying her dashing boy Snom on her head. "Ooh, he is so handsome!" Michi exclaimed. "Thanks, your little baby is cute too!" the girl said. "Oh, look! Wooper!"

Slap, slap, slap, slap! Along the sides of the tunnel, where water had collected in deep rivulets, round little heads popped up and rocked side to side in time to the singing. Their flat tails slapped the water rhythmically. <Woop, woop, woop, woop!>

"They are amazing!" Michi cried. She put her Snom on her head, like the girl, and began to clap along. She couldn't wait for what came next!

"9, 10, 11, 12, how far can you dungeon delve?"

Michi knelt, sipping her cocoa contentedly across from Matchan as Zac disappeared to shout at something in the woods. He came back to the pair wrinkling their noses and fanning the air, the clean scent dissipating from the Weezing already replaced by a familiar, sickly-sweet one.

It was Michi's turn to get up and confront the fluffy pink Pokemon perched on top of the greenhouse frame Matchan had been building. She wasn't sure when it had come sailing down-- maybe while Zac was gone lecturing the Weezing-- but it was actually her first time seeing the powerfully-scented Pokemon. She'd recognize that signature odor anywhere, though.

"This is myyyy..." Michi aimed the ball at the Pokemon in her signature pose with her arm straight in front of her face, "Michi-Style Throw: Galar Galore!" She was actually quoting a character from the manga (Winter in Wyndon) she'd been reading lately. Aromatisse wasn't from Galar so it didn't make much sense, but it was so fun to actually say for herself!

Of course, she had to open her mouth and breathe in the strong odor in order to say it, which caused her to choke. Surprisingly enough, her throw flew true, bonking the Aromatisse and pulling its energy-- and with it, the sweet scent-- into the capsule. "Thank goodness!" Michi said, letting out her breath as the ball rolled down the plastic and away from their little pool of light and heat. 

Something caught her ball in the darkness.

Something that went oo-oo in the night.