Walking back onto the recommended Route, Claire let out a sigh of relief. The bug-infested area had been a challenge and, in hindsight, I wasn’t convinced that traversing it had been wise. The number, and strength, of wild Pokémon there had pushed our partners and us to their limits, maybe even a little beyond, especially when we realised that a not insignificant number of them were nocturnal.

Getting attacked multiple times during the night wasn’t conducive to a good rest, though it was interesting to watch knocked out wild Pokémon come back to their senses after a while. There had been a Kricketot that decided to attack, only to get knocked out by Myna. When Claire woke me for my turn to keep watch, I had considered tossing it into the forest, but decided against it, instead simply watching. It took almost until dawn, but when it finally started to stir, it looked around for a moment, before realising that Vio and I were there, with Vio snuggling against my legs. It simply froze, remaining utterly still for about a minute, before fleeing as if it’s behind was on fire. Compared to the careful, stealthy way the other knocked out Pokémon had snuck off, it was just too funny.

“We did it.” Claire cheered, looking down the forested path. “How long till we get to Jubilife?”

I considered her question for a moment, before guessing at distances as I tried to find relevant landmarks. It was a little difficult, there were multiple described landmarks, but none that I could see at our position.

“If we hurry, we should get there before nightfall. But we’ll have to push if we want to make it.” I replied, giving her my best estimate. She considered for a moment, before giving me a nod.

“Great. Let’s push, I want a hot shower.” she declared, a feeling I could perfectly empathise with. While there were a couple of ponds, brooks and even a small stream, near the Route,that we had used for drinking water and personal hygiene, it was far from comfortable.

Setting a fast pace, we continued down the Route and it didn’t take long for me to spot a few of the described landmarks. Markings on trees, peculiar rock-formations, things other trainers had prepared to let people gauge their position in the wild. If one knew what to look for and what they meant, determining your position was simple. In this case, the markings told me that we were roughly where I had estimated earlier, maybe a little further from Jubilife than I had thought, but close enough to get there.

“It kinda sucks that I didn't manage to catch a Shinx.” Claire groused, looking back between the trees where we had come from.

“Happens. The two you tried didn’t want to stick, and you rejected four yourself.” I shrugged, not certain what Claire’s criteria had been. She had based it on a combination of readings from her Pokédex and gut-feeling, not that there was a good, scientific way to determine compatibility. It was all empirically based, people catching Pokémon and training them, trying to bond with them and watch them grow. For most people, a specific type of Pokémon just clicked with them, Pokémon of that type growing up nicely and acting as reliable partners, while Pokémon of other types simply didn’t mesh with them. They could work together, if necessary, but they never flourished.

“Maybe you just aren’t a feline person.” I added, a grin on my face. That was another possibility, that it wasn’t the Electric-typing that didn’t mesh, but the physiology. Such was less common, but it was entirely possible.

“Maybe.” she accepted my suggestion and I could see the determination to try catching another Electric-type, if she found one she felt right about. It was something I had to think about, too. What type of Pokémon did I want to consider next? Did I want to go for a type, did I want to specifically visit areas where I might stumble across a particular one, looking for one that I meshed with?

There was always the option to catch first and if trainer and Pokémon didn’t mesh, a certified breeder would take the Pokémon into their care. Some breeders even took them in on a limited basis, if the trainer wanted to attempt bonding with a specific Pokémon later, but I wasn’t certain I would ever be able to do that. Just imagining giving Prince Charming into another’s care made me reach for his Pokéball, to make sure he was still there.

My musing was interrupted when a weird, chirping noise caught my attention. By now, we had heard it a couple of times, the sounds came from a Kricketune and to us, it was the call to battle.

“Do you want it?” I asked Claire, who considered for a second, before nodding.

Following the noise into the trees, we quickly found the noisemaker and Claire pulled out Myna’s Pokéball, sending her avian partner into battle. Similar to the first time she had fought a Kricketune, Claire didn't try to go for a quick knock-out, instead using the advantage of flight to its full extent. Slowly, methodically, disrupting the Kricketune’s equilibrium with sonic attacks, punishing any of its attempts to fly and waiting it out when it tried to Bide, absorbing the incoming attacks for a punishing counter-attack. Only that there was very little to absorb, when the attacks were just trying to annoy and disrupt, not damage.

It took her almost three minutes, but finally, the Kricketune was on the ground and no longer noisy, a great improvement in my eyes. When Claire was moving up, to apply some Potion to Myna, she froze in shock, letting out a surprised gasp.

Looking over, I was taken aback for a moment, the white glow around Myna reminding me of the way she looked when using certain moves, but I quickly realised that it wasn’t the case. It wasn’t the glow of an attack, it was the light radiating from a Pokémon as it changed. Evolved.

“Congratulations.” I wished Claire, fascinated by the process. I could finally make out Myna’s outline, despite the light radiating from her core, that ephemeral locus that made a Pokémon into what and who it was. Lucian, or maybe Renata, might be able to explain the mechanism, but I wasn’t too interested. Not while Myna was taking a significant step on her own path, towards the best state she could achieve.

It didn’t take long, within less than a minute, Myna’s previously small, slightly chubby form was replaced by a lean, mean flying machine. Easily double the wing-span, its beak and claws having turned into actual, serious weapons that one wouldn’t want to get hit by, even without the inherent strength of a Pokémon behind their attacks. It had turned from a cute, almost soft-looking songbird into an obvious predator, a true raptor.

“Myna…” Claire grinned, before stepping forward,gently touching her partner all over, as if to make sure she was still there. Myna’s affectionate reaction to her trainer, preening and rubbing against Claire’s hands, made it obvious that it was still the same being, only now in a much improved form.

“Congratulations, Myna.” I added, despite my envy. Myna was looking glorious, her evolved form impressive and undoubtedly powerful. But soon, it would be Prince Charming’s turn, he’d become a Charmeleon, taking his own step towards fulfilment.

“Why don’t you let her rest, she earned it.” I suggested, trying to get Claire to move. She still looked like she couldn’t quite believe it but with a bit of prompting, she called Myna back into her Pokéball and continued onwards, the silly grin remaining on her face.

“Shouldn’t we be there already?” Claire asked, looking a little apprehensive, likely due to the fact that night was slowly falling and it was getting darker by the minute.

“Almost. We’re almost there.” I assured her, projecting a confidence I didn’t quite feel.

Luckily, before I could truly begin to question myself, we reached the crest of a hill and, in the distance, could see light filtering through the trees, coming from some distance away.

“See.” I grinned at Claire, stretching my legs in an attempt to cover as much ground as possible. I didn’t quite start to run, but I definitely walked faster than before.

Claire hurried after me and it didn’t take us long to leave the forest and step into the fields around Jubilife City. Stopping for a moment, the two of us looked down at the city. We were a little elevated, allowing us a good look at it, and it’s grandeur. And it certainly was a large city, the largest in the region, home to about a quarter of all of the region’s inhabitants.

“Let’s go.” Claire shouted, her enthusiasm on full display. “The shower awaits!”

Following behind Claire, who dashed down the hill, I kept going, amused at her antics. Even if I agreed with the sentiment.