Lucia had to start thinking of what costumes would be good for Doug so that he could join them next year! She wasn't one to judge, but maybe dressing up as Tapu Lele wasn't in his list of "Most Ideal Costumes". Plus, maybe he'd look better as something cooler or more wise, like a Slowking or a Blissey! They seemed super smart and did healing stuff! Her mind was lit with possibilities for the next year, though enjoying her time with Yuina regardless.

When the pair came to a stop before the next stop of trick-or-treating, the child looked up to Yuina as she dropped to her level with such comfort. Her words made her feel all weird...but the good kind of weird. She felt wanted for the first time in her life since her brother left all those years ago. Her gaze fled from the other woman's for a moment out of uncertainty. She wanted to believe that they enjoyed her company and didn't think that awful of her...

But did they though? Lucia was still just some runaway whose parents were likely furious at her leaving. One recurring nightmare was her opening the front door one day to reveal her mother and father, who proceeded to drag her back into that jail cell from when those people were abducted into that prison. Despite nearly a year having passed, the weight of that mask felt so familiar to her.

The hand squeeze solidified these warm thoughts, parting the wave of despair that had overcome her once again. Doug had always said that she tended to overthink things, whatever that meant. Lucia moved her eyes back at Yuina and matched her smile while moving closer to the woman. Her arms wrapped around the other woman and squeezed back just as hard. Sure they weren't related by blood, but Lucia considered the two family. "You're the best family I could have asked for." Lucia said during the little hug.

She broke away in better spirits and made her way up the stairs to go to the bucket full of Halloween candy. The lights inside weren't on, so maybe they were absent or something? She looked down at the bucket and decided to help herself to some of the candy inside. Not a whole lot, maybe 2 or 3 handfuls before returning to Yuina. She led the way back towards the main street as the pair returned to the growing crowd.

A pair of twins dressed as Plusle and Minun walking along with the father, who was dressed as a Pikachu and a mother who was a Raichu. The family passed the two by while Lucia and Yuina walked down the street. Hero slithered behind the girls, his Druddigon costume making him look so ferocious! Lucia looked up at two guests in the crowd who she had recognized, her face lighting up. Judging by how theirs did in return, it was a chance meeting.

A woman seemingly in her mid 30s or so with short brown hair waved at Yuina and Lucia, her lips spread into a gleeful smile. While not in a costume, her dress contained artistic depictions of various ghost types, swirling and smeared in a style reminiscent of graffiti. Behind her was another girl with glasses and blone hair in a ponytail whose costume was of a an Audino. She hid behind the other woman as Lucia waved back at the pair.

"Fancy seeing you out, Lucy."
"Hi, Mrs. Cliff!" Lucia greeted in return, then glancing over at the other child. "You too, Sadie!"
Sadie didn't say anything, but would peek her head out from Mrs. Cliff's leg in greeting.
"Are you guys trick-or-treating too?"
"Yep! Sadie's been killing it this year! And you must be Yuina. It's nice to meet you in person, finally!"

The teacher extended a hand to her, while looking at the house closest to them. The lights were on, decorations were on, and it was the perfect little opportunity. A playful glimmer crossed the teacher's eyes as she motioned to the open house. "Why don't you kids go on up to that house on the hill up there? We'll be here."

"Okay! C'mon, Sadie!" The timid girl hesitated but slowly walked behind the eager Lucia as the children went to go hike up the hill towards the house. Mrs. Cliff walked a bit behind, going beside Yuina.

"Lucia's been such a treat to have in class! I was a bit worried when she started, given how antisocial she was, but she's made amazing progress so far."

Yuina Higashi

☉

The blinding light could be seen from miles, with Lucia covering her eyes while Hero fought with Wavecrest's jaw as his form began to elongate before Navy and Lucia. The smaller of the two gasped at Navy's observation, her eyes widened in surprise. The Dunsparce's body shook with a tremendous energy, before its body had experienced growth. Two more segments of his body pushed out of his midsection, alongside his drill letting out an audible whirr of invigoration!

"Let's finish this Hero!" The fresh Dudunsparce cried out in unison with his owner, whirring his drill tail up and pushing back against the bite of Wavecrest. The child's eyes honed in on her pokemon, cheering him on with a renewed fervor. Her body felt sensitive, every pore screaming with energy as she matched the movements of Hero with both fists. The sudden force of the normal-type caused Wavecrest to let out a pained roar as the Dudunsparce had overpowered it and soon, rocketed into the skies with its drill tail, knocking the Gyarados back.

Hero land square on a platform as Wavecrest's OUTRAGE had ended and left the great water beast confused. Seeing their opportunity, Lucia ordered Hero around as their spirits joined in unison! "Ancient Power, Hero!" The Dudunsparce summoned forth an ancient, mysterious energy that surrounded himself. With Wavecrest out of commission, she was subjected to the powerful blast of energy, dealing far more damage due to the type difference between them.

"We got her on the ropes! One more time, Hero! Hyper Drill!" The Pokemon's tail began to grow in size once more, coating itself in a mysterious energy as Hero took aim. With a sudden push, the normal-type flung through the air with his tail aimed at the Gyarados's wounded body. Just as it had snapped out of its confusion, Hero approached with a fearsome HYPER DRILL! He struck Wavecrest head on and the Gyarados splashed back into the water. The form of grass snake appeared on the water as he fell back near Lucia and Navy.

The Gyarados reemerged from the water, letting out a pained groan as it was pretty beaten up, though was reluctant to listen still. Lucia took responsibility and walked forward on the ice platform to face her. The fear was visible in the child's eyes, though she would only have this chance if Wavecrest was going to pause enough to listen to her.

"Look, I know you're mad at me, and you have every right to be. I did the worst thing a trainer could do to a Pokemon and blamed you for everything that was my fault. I just started my journey, and ever since I found you as a Magikarp, I didn't know what to do with you. You can be upset at me and hate my guts, maybe try and hurt me if I call you out again..." Lucia said, looking away for a moment, with a tense pain in her eyes. "I just want to let you know that I'm sorry for everything I've done to you. If you want, I'll let you free here, and you can be on your way. We'll never have to see one another again if you want."

The Gyarados said nothing, gazing down at Lucia and then towards Hero. She was breathing heavily, letting out an angry but short growl. Wavecrest said nothing for a moment, then moved to gently lower herself down and brush her whisker across the younger human's cheek. Lucia looked up in time to see the eyes of the water-type and smile to herself. The Gyarados let out another few grunts and returned to its ball, with Lucia a bit wide eyed, but accepting answer. Her hand held onto the ball and dropped it back into her storage.

Hero slithered up to the platform again while Lucia let out fangirlish squeal and picked the Dudunsparce up, twirling him around. "Oh my gosh, Hero, you were amazing! I knew you could do it! Look how brave you look now!" Their heads nuzzled against one another, pokemon and trainer caught in a moment of celebration, as both had taken a large step forward in learning the bond between Pokemon and trainer. The pair laughed and Lucia doted upon Hero more and more, his tail trailing on the ground.

"We're sure to be Champions with you like this now! And we'll do it together!~"

Navy

☉

"I'm not your-" The child looked back up at the older couple and how troubled they looked before she caught on that something was up. "Not your cousin. Yeah, I'm her niece! My Mom sent me to stay with her while she's busy working!"

Lucia's brows lowered themselves at Yuina's sudden hesitation to answer the elderly couple's looks. Did she say something bad just then? Are kids supposed to have been trick-or-treating for a while? There had been some kind of strange disconnect that Lucia couldn't really understand what the issue was. It wasn't until they were walking away that Yuina had explained what the problem was.

"I'm sorry for embarrassing you, Yuina. I didn't mean to." Lucia apologized, while Hero slithered beside the girl, carrying her bucket filled with Halloween candy thus far. The air was still crisp with the stench of mischief and pumpkin spice while the two continued their romp through the autumn air. It was a lovely night, all things considered, though the younger trainer continued to walk along with her. But the news at this being Yuina's first Halloween as well had shocked the smaller girl.

No way! She had never gone trick-or-treating in her life? Well, as far as she could remember. Lucia frowned at the revelation and looked troubled at the news from her. "Really? I didn't know that this is your first time as well! I should have picked a costume out for you!" Her lips pursed together into a pout at the lapse of information. If only she had known earlier, then Yuina could be enjoying things with her. Hero stuck his head to taste the air around them, and shuffle off into another house whose porch light was on, with a candy bowl in the open.

"Let's enjoy trick-or-treating together, then. Next year, I'll try and help you get a costume too!" Lucia's hand squeezed Yuina's a little, the child doing her best to give the other woman a smile that Doug could have given. "And if it helps, I'd love to be your niece. You guys have helped me with a lot, and I can't even begin to pay you back. But that just means I have to try harder!"

Yuina Higashi

☉

"Oof, yeah. I didn't mean to fall inside of that wormhole. But at least it let me meet you in person!" Always one to really look on the bright side! Lucia continued to look around the environment for her dear jacket while Desiree urged her to forgo it so that they could leave. But the child refused adamantly, still scouring around the backstage for it. "It's my brother's, the last thing I have to remember him by. I can't leave it here to get lost forever, so I'm not leaving until I- There you are!"

Sitting on top of one of the racks in here was an oversized black varsity jacket with the icon of a school back in Paldea. Lucia plucked it from the racks and hugged it close to her, nuzzling her cheek against the hardened fabric. "Ooooh, I thought I lost you forever!" With a voice of relief, the youngling slipped her arms into the oversized jacket until the tips of her fingers were just barely visible. Turning back to the star of the show, Lucia gave a thumbs up with Hero doing the same. "Let's get going!"

The area around them shook violently, with her eyes going towards the elegant yet puncturing sounds of heels digging into the ground in front of them. A Tsareena...but it was made out of metal?! It gazed at the both of them with a hostile eye but came to be interrupted by the Grimmsnarl jumped into the fray to do battle with the metal Tsareena. "On it! Help him out, Hero!" The Dunsparce slithered into battle, rushing at their metallic opponent with DRAGON RUSH and slammed into the Tsareena with a draconic might. The force had pushed the artificial Pokemon against the wall as Hero rattled against the Grimmsnarl. With it strained against the wall, Hero rose his drill tail into the air again, firing off a DRILL RUN at the opponent.

But meanwhile, from the rooftop above came crashing down was the metallic shape of a large mechanical Corviknight, letting out a wiry, electric screech while it flew towards the pair of trainers and the Florges. "Agh, it's coming right at us!"

---

13. Battle, flee or become captured by a massive mechanical corviknight that continually hunts you to cage in the castle.

DESIREE BLOOMS

☉

Just as she had made contact with the water, a black shape appeared underneath Lucia. A Greninja that had caught her after flying off of the platform. "Whoa!" her eyes widened in awe, finding the shiny Greninja quite the sight to behold. One headpat later and she was placed on top of an frozen part of the water, enough to support her while observing the battle from afar.

Hero continued to hold his own against the Gyarados tail slam before deflecting it away from the attack. Still skittering around the smaller dock area, the water dragon was targeted by the electric attacks sent towards it by the Iron Valiant. It brings forth the ire of the fish's rage. He let out another furious roar as Wavecrest continued his OUTRAGE against anything remotely in front of him. the waves of the water smashing into the pier, separating a few boards of it from the mainland. Hero had still hung on, against all odds! Lucia looked over at Navy pushing himself onto the icy platform beside her.

"You can do it, Hero!" Lucia said, the younger trainer pumping her fist out for her Dunsparce. His courage renewed by the cheering. Hero would continue to fight against the opponent that far outranked him. The Gyarados lunged at him against, aiming to smash into the platform in full. The assault had landed with incredible power against him, throwing him into the water below. "Hero!" Lucia cried out, ready to dive into the water to swim if not for Hattori and Navy. Wavecrest took pleasure in felling the Dunsparce and turned his attention back over towards Navy and Lucia, aiming to rush at them as well.

But a sudden giant Drill had landed square in the Gyarados' side! Hero looked on from the shore, pained but still ready to fight! The child's horror had turned into hope while she beamed with delight again. Wavecrest, however, turned around to aim at hero again. Lucia looked at the Dunsparce and readied to return him back to his ball. The red beam shot out from the Pokeball, but Hero dodged to the side while readying his tail again. "Hero, please! You can't survive that again!" she called out to her Pokemon, worried that he was also not listening. The Dunsparce let out another shaky cry as Lucia frowned, but relented. "I trust you..."

The Gyarados closed in on Hero's location again, surging forward with its mouth wide open and speeding by the water where Hero had been. Both plunged underneath the water as the fight continued with baited breath, Ominous bubbling appeared a short distance away before Wavecrest submerged from the water with his mouth open. Hero lay on his tongue, his tail upwards and pushing back against the dragon's bite. Lucia gasped, watching on as the Dunsparce's strength had begun to wane. Every second, the Gyarados was coming closer and closer to biting down fully and turning him into a snack. She panicked, terrified of losing her first Pokemon to a mistake that was her fault.

"WAVECREST! STOP!" she cried out, to which the water-type refused. Hero shook with pain and fatigue. No matter how much was pelted at him by Roland, he refused to stop. Lucia paced around in a crying, aggravated mess before trying one last hail mary.

"Ah-I know you're afraid Hero, and I know it hurts! This is all my fault! I didn't ever want you to fight, but ever since you saved me in Paldea, you're the strong Dunsparce I know!" she said, her heartfelt pleas causing Hero to slowly try and fight back in full. "But I need you to keep fighting! Everyone looked down on us and beat us at Blueberry, when we ran away, even during our training! But I don't care about that because YOU'RE MY HERO, AND THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS!"

Suddenly, a faint glow began to surround the Dunsparce, wrapping Hero's form in a golden light. Lucia had to cover her eyes to keep from being blinded while looking to Navy. "That light's coming from Hero! What's going on?!" she asked, while the Dunsparce's form would begin to change before their eyes. Wavecrest continued to try and bite down, but felt a force pushing his jaw back from doing so.

Navy

☉

Lucia's eyes looked over at a small group of kids who were traveling up to one of the many lit houses of the neighborhood. The small group of three came to a rest before the front door and rang the door bell to summon whoever was inside. Their reward for braving the perilous night was a handful of candy, dumped in their awaiting buckets. It seemed so simple when put so simply like this!

"Let's do that then! C'mon, Hero!" Lucia began to hurry down to where the group before her had been with her trusty companion, the Dunsparce slithering away behind her. Her speed was only slightly faster than Yuina, but she did wait for the other woman before ringing the door bell. A few seconds later, the girl dressed as a Chandelure smiled up at waiting couple before them. "Uh, trick-or-treat!" The older couple beamed at the pair, with Lucia receiving A handful of delicious candy for her efforts.

"Such an adorable looking ghost! Are you having a good Halloween?"
Lucia smiled, nodding her head up and down. "Yeah, this is our first house tonight. I haven't ever done this before!"
"You haven't?" The pair looked up to Yuina, perhaps with a hint of judging in their eyes.
"Usually I was busy with schoolwork to try trick or treating before!"

With a few more passes of conversation, the couple bid the two and goodnight as Lucia pumped her fist with the widest of grins. "Yes! We did it! Let's go to the next house!" In an effort to encourage Yuina to match her excitement, the girl gently tugged on the other woman's hand in the direction of the next house. Her heels took her up towards the driveway, just as before. "Some other kids in class were talking about the costumes they were going as. Can you remember if you ever trick or treated before, yuina?" The kid asked while pressing the button for the doorbell once again. "Or is this your first like mine!"

Yuina Higashi

☉

Trick or treating. It was a phenomenon that Lucia had always been fully aware of, given her age. Yet her parents had never been around to really partake in the festivities due to their heavy work load. Her studies at Blueberry hadn't exactly lent themselves to allowing her to try either. Now that she had free time in the trainer school that John Sullivan had enrolled her into, it was the perfect opportunity! Doug was busy with something, and so, three timid knocks came upon Yuina's door, alongside a question if she could help her with something.

About twenty minutes later, Lucia was all dressed up in the costume she had spent a good portion of the money she had saved up since the beginning of fall. She stood outside one of the neighborhoods with a large plastic Pumpkaboo bucket, looking up at Yuina expectantly.

"I don't really know what I'm supposed to do..." Lucia admitted, still trying to stay balanced in heels. Her gait was akin to a newly born Deerling, quaking with every step as she did her best not to appear too awkward. Hero slithered by her, the brave Dunsparce sporting his own costume consisting of one half of a Druddigon onesie. "Do I go up and say "trick or treat" or do they just give me the candy?"

[ Mission: TRICK OR TREATING ]

Yuina Higashi

☉

Maybe it was the sight of Lucia that had caused the Gyarados' nostrils to flare up. Or maybe it was the perceived threat of the Iron Valiant that had caused her to let out a guttural, furious roar across the water. Whatever the case may have been, it caused Lucia and Hero to brace themselves for the impact. The Dunsparce let out a rattled cry of defiance, emboldened by his close proximity with his owner. The Dunsparce's tail rose into the air, gaining significantly larger as it prepared itself to defend Lucia with a HYPER DRILL.

Upon seeing it, the Gyarados paused its charge a medium sized distance away from the party, with Lucia trembling in fear. Her eyes widened, the look of a child who had stared down death before, yet had to look at it once more. "Ah-I...I'm..." She tried to stammer out while the water-type watched on, then grew tired of her incessent babbling. Wavecrest reared her head back before blasting the two of them with a powerful HYDRO PUMP. The sheer force of it had backed Lucia into the water, swimming up to the surface while searching around wildly.

"Hero? Where'd you go?" she asked, spotting the normal-type clashing against the Gyarados' tail with his own. The force of the attacks of two Pokemon had caused the ground beneath them to crack, sand blasted from the shockwaves around them.

Navy

☉

Tera shards? Lucia was surprised that they had moved over to Hoenn from Paldea so fast! Lucia, like the mega bracelet, had been driven a bit out of her price point, though hoped that maybe some day, she could afford one of those neat little Tera Orbs. May one day she could stop blowing all of her weekly allowance on plushies and buy one, but she just HAD to have that $500 life sized Snorlax plush! Maybe Doug had some side jobs or something he needed done...

The child tagged along behind Navy as he went out of the building, the ever vigilant sidekick to now another important person of the region taking out her Gyarados's pokeball and rolling in between her hands on the way to the beach. Her thoughts worried about how angry Wavecrest likely was over the ordeal, thoughts swirling around how she could ever make it up to the Pokemon. "Iron Valiant, or Roland for short. It's nice to meet you, Roland! Thanks for helping Navy and I with this." she cheered, before then going near the water once the crowd had gathered at the beachside. Lucia threw out the pokeball containing the angry dragon-like Pokemon...

The Gyarados' form appeared in front of them and let out a terrifying roar in Lucia's direction. Her tail swung behind her, smashing into the water behind the Pokemon as she looked over at the two. "Wavecrest, please, just listen to me! I want to apologize!" Lucia cried out to her. The angry water-type charged before towards the Dunsparce and the Iron Valiant. Hero trembled in place, but after looking back to his trainer, the Dunsparce rose to defend her. Hero raised his drill tail to the sky and charged forward to meet the Gyarados' attack.

Navy

☉

Practice, study, that's what every adult said! Lucia, impatient as ever, would give a small groan of indifference at his answer. She had been trying to memorize each and every single Pokemon and their typings AND what changed about them when they evolved but that was like, enough information to fill up an entire classroom of people! She chided herself for the shortcoming and felt her frustration grow once more. "Ugh, everybody always says that though!" Her pout did get a little confession out of Navy though, as he seemed to share some history with it.

"Really?! I know, right! That doesn't make any sense why it doesn't. Rules are so stupid sometimes." It had gotten the child out of her mental funk enough to focus on something else at least, and she was all the more happy to just be told about mega evolution hurting some pokemon and then frowning at the news. "I-It does?! But why would anybody do that to their Pokemon?" she asked, then would frown. "I'll never mega evolve Pokemon EVER! I won't let them get hurt like that!"

One childish proclamation aside, Lucia looked up at the strange Paradox Pokemon that Navy had called out and gasped in amazement. "It's a robotic Pokemon! How did you get this?" she asked him with awe. "With your help, we'll have Wavecrest calmed down in no time! Thank you so so much again, Navy! You're like the coolest former gym leader ever! Whenever you're ready to go somewhere with some space, I can call out my Gyarados. I promise Hero isn't like other normal types! He's the coolest and best Dunsparce ever!"

The titular Dunsparce was coiled around his trainer's legs and trembling in fear, his form shuddering to imagine going up against such an intimidating foe, though perhaps he would show his true colors in battle?

Navy

☉