When the pair left, Daniel took a moment to compose himself. He felt embarrassed for letting his emotions get the best of him, but getting everything out felt great.

  “R2…”

  Rotom nodded gravely, his usual smirk gone. After quickly entering the TV, he projected his team's information.

  Even after making up his mind, he still hesitated. His breath caught up in his throat and his chest tightened. His mind swam as the weight of his decision rested on his shoulders.

  Quietly, Casper wrapped herself around him, trying to comfort him. She reminded him of their earlier conversation at Drayden’s ravine, of the promises they silently agreed to.

  With a small sigh, Daniel gently scratched her head.

  “Yeah… we won’t forget about them.” He nodded. “R2, Donald, erase the connection to our old box.”

  [ARE YOU SURE, MASTER?]

  Their voices echoed, but he didn’t back down.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “Yes.”

  After watching the “BOX” window disappear from the team, he went to the printer. It felt like taking out a sword that was piercing his heart. It was hurting, a lot, but he knew it was necessary to heal properly.

  “It’s time we make this our actual home…” He murmured, queuing several photos.

  The first was taken on his first day with Mothra and Lily. He was in front of their apartment with the Larvesta wrapped like a baby and the small Audino waving at the camera.

  Next was the one at the end of his first circuit. He was posing with a bronze medal in one hand and a disgruntled Drakloak in the other. Mothra looked with jealousy nearby, too big to be held the same way since she evolved. Lily stood with the same pose and an amused expression. Santo was flexing his new muscles as an Incineroar. Rodan stood behind everyone, cool as a mountain peak. Sadako, his other ghost at the time, floated near the young dragon, mocking her.

  Then some family photos. Some with his mother. Others with his brother were either posing to the camera or about to throw punches. The picture his dad took of the day he was born. Also, from the time father and sons were caught with their hands in the chocolate jar, mouths and cheeks covered in brown.

  The last one was from his championship win. He stood proud and strong along with his Pokemon while holding his trophy. Casper, his ace. El Santo, his bruiser. Arnold, their ‘murder bot.’ Sadako, his special attacker. Grimmsnarl, his wild card, and support. And Dracsire, his tank. He was well in his 30s by the time he could claw a win in both categories. His hair and beard were much longer at the time since he didn’t pay that much attention to his image. Only his Pokemon were at the forefront.

  He didn’t regret anything. If he had the opportunity to make his choices again, he wouldn’t have changed a single thing. ‘Maybe a thing or two. I’m sure Lyla was hitting on me when we were teens.’ With a chuckle, he hung all the photos along the halls, and the living room, and left the one with his brother, both already champions of their leagues, for his nightstand.

  The rest of the morning passed without trouble. He made simple bracers for his soon-to-be apprentices. They had simple dimensional storage exclusively for Pokeballs, slots for ‘battle gimmicks,’ and a small ‘cannon’ to shoot Pokeballs. Since he didn’t have extra Rotoms trained to deal with the tech, he made everything function with voice commands. In the future, if everything went according to plan, they would be able to upgrade them to function with aura.

  Next, a loom. It didn’t compare to a Loovanny by a long shot, but it would do until he could build one. So, while the rest of his team lazed around, Mothra was stuck on silk production duty. To test that it was working properly, he made a small handkerchief, tinted it pink, and the machine embroidered a small Audino and some berries.

  “I bet this would be a killer gift at this time, something to consider next time I see the professor…” He mused while petting the grumpy moth. “Remember when we got a roll of Frosmoth cloth when we moved out? You jealous little thing… Shit, I haven’t met the neighbors yet…”

  Despite everything, he didn’t set aside time to properly acquaint himself with his new neighbors. He couldn’t blame culture shock on that, since communities inside the superstructures were tightly knit.

  With a heavy sigh, he went to the kitchen to prepare welcoming gifts. “I would horrify Grandma with my manners.” He thought with a smirk. “Can already imagine her making us grovel for not properly introducing ourselves.”

  “Elizabeth! Lily! We have some gifts to prepare!”

  ***

  Giselle Joy was having a quiet afternoon and was thankful for that. After Opelucid was attacked, it was all hands on deck for several days. She ran ragged with the number of injuries that the incident caused. Even her mother was pulled out of retirement to help the swamped workers. After three grueling days, some degree of normalcy returned. The gravely injured still received special care, but most of the Pokemon and trainers were discharged.

  She was having tea while watching TV, wearing her Snorlax onesie she used as pajamas. Lizzy, her Audino, slept beside her looking drained. There were some commotions here and there about her new neighbor, but she was too tired to care. Common courtesy demanded she introduce herself and hand heartwarming gifts, but she hoped the man could understand her situation.

  The sound of the doorbell caught her attention. She checked the time and noticed that it was a bit early for her pizza delivery. “Coming!” She yelled, startling the Audino awake. “Sorry Lizzie, go back to sleep.” She cooed at the Pokemon until she went back to sleep.

  After taking some money out of her purse, she opened the door, only to freeze at the sight.

  “Hello!” Her new neighbor was at the door carrying a basket. Daniel, if she remembered his name, appeared older than her by at least 10 years. His clothes indicated he was part of the veteran division, but she didn’t remember any family members making it there. The whole family would have known about it in a matter of minutes if that was the case. “Sorry if I woke you up?” He said with a wry smile.

  Her face heated as blood rushed to her cheeks. She took a deep breath to prevent herself from panicking. It was already embarrassing not visiting him first, but her onesie being her first impression was the last straw. With practiced professionalism, she shoved everything into a dark corner and shook her head.

  “Not at all, I was just resting.” She said with a strained smile. “It’s been hectic lately.”

  “I can imagine. It’s been like that on my end too.” He nodded and sighed. “Still, no excuse for not introducing myself properly. I’m Daniel, nice to meet you.” He extended his hand with a bright smile on his face.

  “Giselle, likewise.” She gently shook his hand, returning a smile on her own.

  “These are some gifts that I prepared, I hope you like them.” The man handed her the basket. “Don’t worry about returning the basket, it’s part of the gift.”

  The basket itself was made of synthetic fiber but was woven so expertly that she thought it was natural. It was covered with a delicate pastel pink handkerchief. A small Audino doing a victory sign was embroidered on one of its corners, while the others had berries.

  The gift itself was a roll of the same cloth used to make the handkerchief, but pure white instead. Small confections resembling cakes still hot from the oven were also included. Finally, a small figurine depicting a Reuniclus sleeping with an Audino was included.

  Giselle froze up once again, admiring the sheer quality of the items presented. The basket itself would probably cost her at least a week of her paycheck, not to mention the very expensive roll of cloth. Just from measuring it by eye, it would be enough for at least 2 dresses, 3 if she was conservative.

  “I…” She tried very hard to slip back into her mask, but the texture of the handkerchief against her fingers prevented her. The softness, the sheen, the lack of weight… “I can’t…”

  “I made it with the help of my Pokemon.” The man shook his head, hitting the nail on the head. “So don’t worry, it wasn’t as expensive as you might think. So please, accept my token of friendship.”

  “Y-yes…” She said with some difficulty. “Sorry for not having anything ready on my own…”

  “It’s ok.” Daniel shrugged. “My grandmother taught me that it was good manners to bring heartwarming gifts to the neighbors.”

  She was sure it was supposed to be the other way around, but it was hard to reject his kindness. She thanked him with an embarrassed bow.

  “I would invite you for tea but…” She briefly looked over her Onesie, making her ears burn up.

  Daniel chuckled and shook her head. “My bad for intruding in your free time anyway. Hope you like the poffins! I made them myself.” And with that, the man left for another house.

  Giselle had the presence of mind to close the door before collapsing to the floor. She muffled her screams with her onesie. Never in her life, had she felt so… humiliated by her carelessness. She was sure the man wouldn’t forget her and her strange tastes.

  Lizzie came running and checked her over, making sure she wasn’t hurt. “Dino! Au! Au!” She exclaimed, fussing over her like she usually did to their patients.

  “I’m okay Lizzie.” She said weakly, gently cradling the basket in her arms. “I’m… okay.”

  When the Audino finally relaxed, she took one of the puffs and bit it. “Sweet…” It was a bit sweet for her taste but still delicious. Her Pokemon shared a different opinion, absolutely loving the confection. With only 2 bites, it disappeared inside her mouth.

  “Alright.” She stood up, basket in hand. “We need to prepare something back for Daniel. To repay this humiliation.” She said with mock anger.

  “Au!” Her Audino exclaimed and nodded.

  “But first, let’s finish these poffins…”

  ***

  Their little tour was cut a bit short since not all their neighbors were at home. Some were still hard at work because of the disaster in Opelucid, something he was partially responsible for. For those, he made an extra roll of cloth, since he felt bad for causing all that trouble.