Another familiar face had entered the seat, but this time Locke lit up at the sight of skyler dross. If he counted right, his throw could make or break her crown. Maybe he should hold back?

Nah-the captain always seemed to prefer a challenge.

They spared her a small wave, before mercilessly launching the ball towards the target.

---

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Locke blushed at the compliment, satisfied just to have had something to contribute to their adventure.

They were a bit less-satisfied with Priam's new plan.

"I dunno," they said uncertainly. "Isn't that-"they quickly looked around for anyone listening to the children's now-whispered conversation-"stealing?" All of the adults seemed pretty distracted by the Lapras, and finding the owner would definitely take a while…

Well, it technically wasn't stealing if they brought it back, right?

With another peek about for any lookie-loos, Locke slid into the dinghy behind his friend, landing opposite of Priam with a little 'oof'. He reached around for the rope holding the vessel in place, struggling a little with the knot before he was proudly showing off the undone loop. Just like Mom showed him!

He tossed his end of the rope off the side, then stretched out as far he could to shove against the pier pole. As soon as they were moving, he inched back inside the boat and reached for one of the oars.

"I guess we'll probably haveta get pretty close, huh? I dunno how good Veevy can swim with all that fur."

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

In hindsight, he really shouldn't have in town stayed so late.

Locke adjusted the collar of his shirt, trying to find some relief from the muggy summer night as he wandered aimlessly down the boardwalk. All his usual spots were occupied by drunks and out-of-towners, and he didn't even bother checking the Pokémon center-even if this wasn't already the region's biggest city, the festival ensured there wouldn't be any vacancies tonight.

A Rotom phone buzzed impatiently beside them, closing the motel search page briefly to give their trainer a tired scowl, which Locke returned with a gesture to their open-and empty-wallet. "We can't," they repeated, "Even if any of the cheapest ones had room, we couldn't afford it."

As much as the League had tried to use the festivities to reassure the region's populace, Hoenn's current fishbowl situation had still hit the courier's already-pitiful finances hard. At least the meteor won't be a problem when they starve to death first.

"We'll just set camp up on the beach somewhere. S'not the worst place we've ever slept."

And if the cops asked, they could just play it off like they were tourists or something.

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Angelo's easy confidence in the face of the unknown was reassuring-and even a little infectious. Curiosity fluttered softly against the back of their mind, slowly blooming as they raced their friend up and up and up. As expected, even with both Dori-Dori's Agility and a helpful Tailwind from Latias, Angelo soared ahead of Locke and the more endurance-built Fearow.

It was more than enough at least to keep them ahead of the disappearing trail behind them, and soon enough they joined the pilot atop a floating paradise. A meadow of Gracideas greeted the party, broken up by odd portions of barren dirt. Without any clouds to cover it, the sky stretched for seemingly forever above them-as blue and endless as it appeared in their dreams.

Locke instantly decided this was their favorite place in the entire world.

"Don't suppose this is on any of your maps?" he asked breathlessly, noting how despite their current altitude the air wasn't nearly as thin he'd expected it to be-a fact likely owed to the abundance of flora surrounding them.

He wandered over to one of the flower-less patches, leaving his own Gracidea in Dori-Dori's care while she stretched and preened her wings. De-De stooped down beside him, mimicking his thoughtful pose as he inspected the ground. A quick dig revealed an absence of roots here, something that struck him as odd given just how much life there was everywhere else. One hand brushed the dirt from his knees as he stood, while the other pulled another Pokéball from his bag.

A Herdier appeared in a flash beside her trainer, immediately taken by the unusual sights and smells around her. "Pup-Pup," Locke directed her attention to the ground in front of him, "Can you smell anything strange here? As anyone else come through?"

Pup-Pup bent forward to sniff at the earth, catching the scent there and following it out of the dirt and into the field proper. Locke kept close behind, careful to avoid catching any of the flowers beneath his shoes, until the Herdier suddenly stopped.

Her nose twitched at open for a moment, before she took a few steps to the side and stuffed her whole head into a bushel of blooms. De-De was quick to follow the dog, almost disappearing entirely within the bouquet.

"What's that? Ya find something?"

---

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Locke stepped carefully down the slippery runway, hoping it looked more graceful than he felt. Helping him was Moko-Moko, a tall Ampharos wearing a cute yellow raincoat, whose arm he gently leaned into as she led them forward.

Her other arm was raised overhead, casting a shimmering Light Screen above the pair while they walked. It blocked most of the Water Guns, leaving only a light mist raining down that kept them just dry enough to avoid looking like soaked rats, but just wet enough to reflect the halo of rainbows forming above them as the water passed through the light.

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

"Alright, let's go down one more time and call it a day!" Locke announced without protest from his team. The sun was just beginning to set, and nobody seemed up to continue into any late-night dipping.

"Everybody ready? All together now! Three, two, one-"

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

This was it.

Attempt number ten. This had to be the one, Locke could feel it in their bones.

Deep breaths.

And leap!

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

His arm was starting to get tired at this point. How many more times would he have to come up here? Was this soem kind of eternal punishment for something he did wrong?

Let this next toss free them from this hell...

---

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Spotting angelo vestri amidst the crowd would prove impossible-if he weren't exactly where Locke expected to find him at a big event. At the bar striking up a conversation with the nearest available person.

He vaguely recognized the boy he was talking to, in the way that he could probably rattle off the number of disasters he's spotted his face at before ever getting to the guy's name.

A nearby chirp told him Latias had also spotted their mutual friend, and was just as eager as Locke to join him. He turned back to the flock and gave a sharp whistle, doing one last headcount as they rounded up.

Final count:
18 heads
17 Delibird

They blinked down at the not-Delibird at their feet. It kind of looked like a Meowth having a bad hair day after having about a hundred bad hair days. Was it a stray?

It gestured towards the half-eaten cones the flock were carrying and made grabby-hands with its paws.

Locke held out their own empty hands in turn.

"Sorry buddy-looks like we're both going hungry…"



A handful of Delibird broke off from the rest to crowd around the newcomer excitedly, while Locke tried to think past the dual-firing attraction meters of 'pretty face' and 'muscles' to find the name of this unnatural photoshop job-

"Paxton!" they greeted, then quickly crouched down to scold their own Pokémon. "And De-De! Ya shouldn't run off like that. You're supposed to set a good example." The Delibird was unfazed, too busy showing off paxton concordas to the remainder of the penguins.

"Sorry," they apologized, "I think some of them remember you from that bonfire last year. I've, uh, gotten a few more since then." They had-in fact-tripled the amount of Delibird they owned since the last time Paxton had gotten to see the entire flock. "Speaking of things that've changed since the last time we met-what's with the hair? You go through a bad breakup or something?"

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

They were getting closer-they had to be! His Vermilion pride was on the line here!

"Again!" Locke encouraged his Mantine. "Ninth time's the charm!"

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

"Drop it!" Locke cried, trying to pry open Cramo-Cramo's beak. "Drop it right now!"

A little Spark from Chou-Chou was enough to finally convince the Cramorant to spit up the Clamperl lodged halfway down her throat, something the oyster might've been grateful for if it wasn't so traumatized. Locke sighed, gently balancing the Pokémon on La-La's shell. Maybe some time alone with the Lapras would help it recover.

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Here we go! A complete stranger-already soaked from falling in. Locke had nothing to feel bad about this time, so he could put everything he had into this next toss!

---

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz