Maybe it was an anticlimactic trick to finish out on, but Locke couldn't help feeling proud of Manta-Manta for landing them all anyway. There was no chance of them winning, but at least from here on out they could just have fun!

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Hey, hadn't they thrown a few balls at this guy already? Well it looks like he's already gotten his crown, so now it was their turn again!

---

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Locke gave the tree a once-over, seriously considering the idea.

"…We'd need a lot of honey."

But they could think about trapping Pokémon later-they still had one to free now! And trust the resourceful young girl to have just the right Pokémon in mind for the task, releasing a friendly-looking Masquerain next to Kiss-Kiss in the air.

"Perfect!" they exclaimed as the two exchanged playful greetings. "Kiss-Kiss, go make a friend okay?"

She dutifully followed Eris's Masquerain, flitting between the branches and around the trunk with a Follow Me gesture to keep the other Togekiss' panicked attacks trained on her and not the hard-at-work bug, tossing in a Life Dew here and there to lessen the pain of the honey's grasp.

Eventually, the honey gave, and the Togekiss slipped from the tree and to the ground. Kiss-Kiss worried above wild Pokémon as it tried to rise into the air a few times, but simply dropped back to earth without any of the fairy's usual grace. Even with the light amount of healing it'd received, it still seemed too exhausted to properly fly away.

"Hmm, it still looks pretty rough…" they mused concernedly. "I've got a friend in Fortree who could help, if we can get it there."

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

"Knock this one in, and we'll take a break for snow cones!" Locke said as his Aipom excitedly readied another toss.

Maybe they shouldn't make promises their wallet can't keep...

---

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

And got it one! Maybe they really were getting better at this!

"Last two! Let's go for that three-sixty thing next!"

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Locke scanned the horizon for the Eon Duo, but the only sign of their presence now was the occasional splash in the distance. Hopefully Latias would eventually remember why they were out here in the first place.

"So, have you found anything good yet?" Maybe his friend's had better luck than him so far...

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Locke could understand how Matias could kill Chu-e Choi. The two men were on opposite sides of a conflict bigger than either of them individually, and he only did what soldiers are made to do.

But to not regret that it happened-to callously say he wished for another chance to end someone's life…



Their gut twisted in freezing knots of-disappointment? Betrayal?

Shame, their mind supplied. It was their own fault, after all, for having such high expectations of the man.

"…Is this an interrogation?"

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Doro-Doro seemed to sense something was amiss, as she stepped up beside her trainer and began nibbling at his coat. Locke swallowed, feeling the tension snap taught like a fishing line between him and Matias.

"Did you kill Chu-e Choi?"

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Locke turned to face angelo vestri, either a sarcastic quip or a plea for help on their tongue, and in that moment lost their grip on the Lanturn's back. They skipped along the surface of the water once, twice, three times-before finally sinking under the waves.

Latias continued unaware of her lost rider, speeding past the pilot and casting another wave over him in pursuit of her unseen brother.

Locke resurfaced a moment after the dragon disappeared, his Milotic gently raising him above the water while he sputtered and gasped for air. "These Pokémon are trying to kill me, Ange..."

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz