"Ahhh!" Elliot shrieked, tumbling backward onto the floor.
Before panic could fully erupt in the classroom, a confident command cut through the noise.
"Ludicolo, Fake Out!"
Standing right beside Teacher Fiona, Ludicolo reacted instantly. With a sudden and explosive clap of its hands, Ludicolo sent a sharp wave of kinetic energy toward Lileep, causing Lileep to flinch and retract its stretching tentacle just a second before it could snag Elliot.
Gemma rushed over to Elliot, who was still sitting on the floor, breathing heavily. She extended a hand to help him up. "I am so sorry, Elliot! It's entirely my fault. I forgot to mention that Lileep is still incredibly territorial. It isn't used to anyone but me getting close to it, so it must have mistaken your sudden movement as a threat."
"Uhh... yeah," Elliot muttered, eagerly taking a couple of hasty steps backward. He looked visibly shaken and suddenly very wary of the Lileep.
Harold watched the scene unfold, leaning down to whisper to Teddiursa. "See that, Ted? That's why we have to keep our curiosity in check."
"Ted-di!" Teddiursa gave Harold a tiny thumbs-up, letting him know it got the message loud and clear.
"It's alright, Gemma. Don't be too hard on yourself," Teacher Fiona said gently, walking over to pat Gemma's shoulder. She could see how upset the young girl was about causing trouble on her very first presentation.
Teacher Fiona began to clap, and Harold immediately joined in, prompting the rest of the class to follow suit. "Alright, everyone, let's give Gemma a big hand for showing us such a rare, ancient Pokémon! She also just taught us the absolute number-one rule of being a Pokémon Trainer: never get too close to an unfamiliar or potentially dangerous Pokémon!"
Teacher Fiona then leaned in and spoke softly to her student. "Gemma, you can head back to your desk with Lileep now. Just remember to keep it in its Premier Ball for the rest of the day, just to be safe."
Feeling a bit disheartened, Gemma kept her head down and murmured, "Thank you, Teacher Fiona."
As soon as Gemma walked back to Harold's side, she just sat quietly in her spot, watching the other students present their Pokémon.
The classroom filled with a vibrant mix of partners—Wurmple, Zigzagoon, Meditite, Sandshrew, Plusle, Oddish, Magnemite, and Poochyena. Each possessed different traits and typings, making them unique in their own ways. Soon, it was Harold's turn to show off Teddiursa. The cute little bear was absolutely thrilled to receive a round of praise from the rest of the class.
Once all the presentations were finished, Teacher Fiona asked the students to work together with their Pokémon to rearrange the desks and chairs back to their original places—a test to see how well the Pokémon listened to their partners. Because Gemma didn't call out Lileep to help, Harold and Teddiursa kindly stepped in to take care of her side of the room.
Ring!
After a long day of classes, the bell finally rang, and the students left the school happily. Some walked home together, some planned where to play next, and a few decided to start a Pokémon battle.
But Harold had a different priority: he wanted to take care of his friend.
"Hey, Gemma!" Harold called out, jogging up from behind. He was followed closely by Teddiursa, who walked quickly but carefully this time, remembering how it had slipped on the stone path earlier.
Gemma stopped, turning to look back at them.
"Are you free today?" Harold asked politely. The moment the words left his mouth, he felt a wave of awkwardness hit him—it sounded a bit too much like asking her out on a date.
"Yeah, I guess. It depends," Gemma replied softly. She was still in a somber mood, lacking her usual energetic spark.
Harold pushed his nerves aside, telling himself to be brave. Cheering her up was the most important thing right now. "I just realized... since we've been friends for two years, I've never actually brought you to the Daycare. Would you like to come over today?"
Gemma looked surprised by the invitation. After considering it for a few seconds, a small nod broke through her gloomy expression. "If that's the case, then yes. I have some free time today."
Route 117 Daycare.
The daycare had been built by Grandpa Arthur and his Machoke when they were young, and you could clearly see patches of green moss climbing up the corners of the walls. Time had definitely left its mark on the building.
Hanging from the ceiling at the front door was a strange, upside-down Pikachu plush. Grandma Martha always told Harold that the plush wasn't actually a Pikachu, but a Pokémon called Mimikyu. Harold didn't believe her for a second; it was obviously just a weird, knock-off Pikachu doll. How could there possibly be a Pokémon that looked ninety percent like Pikachu but wasn't actually one? That was just crazy.
"Grandma, Grandpa, I'm back! I brought a guest today!" as soon as Harold pushed the door open, he called out loudly so his grandparents could hear him.
Noticing that Gemma was still standing outside, Harold waved her in. "Come on in, Gemma. You can just leave your shoes on the rack. Make yourself at home."
"Thanks," Gemma answered softly.
Tup, tup, tup.
Grandpa Arthur walked out to meet them, leaning on his cane, while Grandma sat on the sofa enjoying the television.
"Well, that's a rare sight, Harold! A girl! I thought you didn't even like girls since I've never seen you play with one, haha!" Grandpa Arthur's booming laugh made Harold incredibly awkward, but the old man didn't stop there. "Come on in, little lady, make yourself at home. Have a seat."
"Oh, okay. Thank you, Grandpa," Gemma replied politely, a faint blush creeping onto her face that went unnoticed by the others.
Once everyone had settled onto the sofa cushions, Grandma Martha spoke up. "What's your name, dear?"
"I'm Gemma Stone, Grandma," Gemma said, nervously fidgeting with her fingers.
"What a lovely name, though it sounds quite familiar. Hmmm..." While Grandma Martha was thinking, Grandpa Arthur had already figured it out.
"Is Steven Stone your brother? You two look so much alike—just like a pair of chopsticks! Haha!"
"Yes, he is my big brother," Gemma admitted, while Harold worried about where the conversation was heading.
"Grandma, I brought Gemma here today to show her the daycare. Would you mind letting us head out back to see the Pokémon? We can have Hugo help us out," Harold interrupted politely, trying to pull Gemma out of the awkward spotlight.
"Oh, yes, of course," Grandma Martha replied. She caught Harold's look and decided to just go along with whatever he wanted.
As Harold and Gemma turned to leave, Grandpa Arthur called out to remind them that Hugo was currently training with the Aggron that had been boarded with them since last week.
"So, Hugo is a Pokémon?" Gemma asked curiously as she walked alongside Harold. Everything about this place seemed special to her; she could feel a deep sense of harmony all around the daycare.
Harold nodded. "Yeah, he's my grandma's Pokémon. Her other partner is named Cicee. My grandma only owns those two."
"Only two?" Gemma was surprised. In her world, most trainers aimed to have at least six Pokémon to make a full, competitive team.
"Yes, only two. Grandma Martha isn't a Pokémon Trainer—she's a Pokémon Breeder, just like Grandpa Arthur. They choose their partners really carefully because they truly view them as family members. That's actually why they all have human names," Harold explained patiently.
"That's so sweet. What kind of Pokémon are they? I can't guess just from their names," Gemma said.
Harold quickened his pace slightly, looking back with a grin. "Keep guessing! The answer will be revealed soon! Haha!"
"Hey, wait for me!"