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Bridget managed to find Quinn first. It was only because of the growing, increasingly animated energy of the crowd around them that Quinn did not leap out of its shoes and relinquish zir hold on their fresh catch of the day. “Hi! Hello!” Quinn said. He held up the Net Ball for Bridget’s inspection. “Look! My very first attempt at fishing and I have come away from the experience with a Goldeen! This hat was not an unpropitious omen after all! In fact, I am already very sure that Pisces and I are going to be very good friends.” At this, the Net Ball wriggled in Quinn’s hand. Unlike just prior on the dock, this wriggle felt like it was more of excitement than a struggle, but Quinn still dutifully returned Pisces to his place with Quinn’s other Pokémon. “But what about you? Have you also found some aquatic acquaintance to match with? And where is Nathaniel?” Before Bridget could answer that question, though, a bell near the fishing hut rang to signal the end of the tournament. The crowd cheered, and it rang a few more times. “I suppose we will find him soon enough,” Quinn said, trying and failing to raise xir voice over the sudden cacophony. Quinn wondered, how much of that did Bridget actually hear? It did not matter, however, because before Bridget would ever get a chance to respond, the ringing bell was interrupted by a bang. A bomb went off! Suddenly, everyone was going this way and that. It was not quite enough energy for screaming and panic, but many understandably wanted to get away from potential smoke and debris, while others hurried closer to aid in the search for injuries. Quinn was trapped between the two instincts, motionless for quite a while until Quinn heard a familiar voice taking credit for the explosion. “We are Team Phoenix, and we’re going to change the world!” It was Alicia’s voice. Alicia, the woman who Quinn had met earlier and rescued from her hunger. Had Quinn known just who this woman was, well, she still would have done both of those things, because Quinn had not been lying when he said e would not wish starving on anybody, but Quinn would not have also offered kind words of encouragement or even an introduction! Quinn’s body was moving before hir mind even had the chance to process any more than that, and it was moving directly toward the source of that voice. Quinn even passed by Nathaniel as he started to engage with one of the grunts off to the side. Quinn had no such designs. “YOU!” Quinn shrieked, extending a single accusatory digit Alicia’s way. “After everything we shared together, this is how you repay us?” Alicia looked confused for a moment, “Shared?” but she covered it up with bravado. “Oh right, that. What, do you think one conversation makes us best friends or something? And what do you mean ‘repay?’ All we’re doing is taking what we need for our goals -- just like everyone else does. Quinn could not believe his ears. No, to be more precise, she refused to believe it. “It is those sorts of actions that will haunt you for the rest of your days,” Quinn said. “And, if the Guardians of the Boundary Between Worlds permit me, so shall I.” It was the first time Quinn had threatened to haunt someone since becoming a ghost. It had been assumed before, with some of the other children in Etena City teasing the possibility, but this was Quinn’s first utterance of such a curse. And again, Alicia did not give such a moment its due weight. Instead, she was reduced to babbling nonsense. “We’ll see who’s haunting who when we complete our goal!” she said. And again, Quinn was moving without thinking. Cassiopeia’s Pokéball was already in the air, and, one flash of light later, there she was, as big and protective as a balloon Pokémon with string for arms could be. Alicia threw out her own ball and out came a Salandit, all crouched over and with a wicked grin on its face. Alicia said, “You know what to do,” and a gleam flashed in the Salandit’s eye. Quinn had not realized how used they had been to the smell of the sea until it was gone. It was replaced with something sickeningly sweet, like overripe fruit that was just about to rot, made even worse by the contrast of what had just come before. The Sweet Scent seemed to affect Cassiopeia even more. No longer was she the high-flying, skittish balloon she always had been. Her movements were still smooth, but they came out more deliberately, as though she really had to focus on them. “Cassiopeia, if you Minimize yourself, maybe that could wind you back up,” Quinn said. “Just be ready to expand back out to react when-” By the time Quinn was talking, the breeze shifted. The salty air was back, but it was shifting hue now, to a wretched purple. Even after warning Cassiopeia, Quinn still reacted first. “Poison! Cassiopeia, use Gust!” And thankfully, Cassiopeia did indeed have the mobility required to send her air all over the place, displacing all the poison she could without taking any in, picking up some splinters from the dock and blowing them into the Salandit too for good measure. But the Salandit did not seem to care, rushing forward, with an acidic drool in its mouth that it spat in Cassiopeia’s face. Cassiopeia was not able to avoid that one. The Venoshock attack struck her right in the face, and the poor Drifloon let out an anguished cry as she tried to recover. “No, do not rub your eyes, Cassiopeia, that will just get the poison further in!” Quinn said. “Try and blow it off with another Gust!” This did work better, though Quinn did have to cover its own eyes from more of the toxic spittle. Cassiopeia also did not wait to ask permission this time, she produced the Oran Berry Quinn had given her and popped it in her mouth. That was not to say Quinn disapproved, but they did try and offer her Pokémon a little more advice while she chewed. “We were perhaps too reactive,” Quinn said. “Next time, let us get in there and get them to think twice about trying that. We will really Astonish them, how does that sound?”