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>> Nostus Belongs to @forgottenjade over at: https://bsky.app/profile/softsheepewe.bsky.social

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Chapter 1.6

That evening, mother and daughter settled into the house the League had arranged for visiting researchers.

It was larger than necessary, spacious enough for Nostus' six veteran Pokémon should she decide to release them from storage. The study had already been claimed as a temporary office, but even so, binders from Elm's laboratory sprawled across half the dining table like a paper avalanche in progress.

Ravina stared at the small mountain of documents before sitting down beside her mother. "...You've been here four hours."

"I'm making progress," Nostus murmured, her focus locked on the document in her hands.

"You're nesting."

"I'm organizing."

"That's what nesting is," Ravina whined, gesturing dramatically at the growing pile.

Nostus simply smiled, her pen never pausing as she continued her assault on Elm's disorganized empire.

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Chapter 1.7

The evening settled around them as boxes from the fish and chips shop sat half-empty on the table, the scent of fried cod and malt vinegar hanging in the air between them. Ravina methodically collapsed cardboard while Nostus remained entrenched in Professor Elm's files, her pen scratching against paper with relentless precision.

"Ravina."

"Hm?" She flattened another box with a sigh.

"Professor Elm mentioned something today," Nostus said without looking up.

"Oh?"

"He needs someone to pick up something from an old colleague tomorrow."

Ravina paused, her fingers hovering over the tape dispenser. "...Me?"

"He asked if you'd be interested." Nostus's tone held that parental quality of making requests sound like inevitabilities.

"I've been in Johto for exactly one day," her daughter countered, eyebrow raised.

"Which means you're uniquely qualified."

Ravina laughed, the sound echoing slightly in the spacious room. "I don't think that's how qualifications work."

"No?"

"No."

Nostus finally closed the folder, the soft thud punctuating the conversation. "Professor Elm is looking for some trainer assistants for his Pokémon research."

"Yes? And?"

"He'll probably offer you one."

"One what?"

"A Pokémon."

"What, really?"

"Probably."

"...Probably?" Ravina's fingers stilled completely.

"He seemed to think so."

Ravina blinked, processing.

"...Wait."

Nostus propped her chin in her hand. "You're going to be here for months while I rescue his laboratory from administrative collapse."

"Mhm."

"So… you could spend every day sitting in this house..." She gestured vaguely at the growing paper empire on their dining table. "...or you could see Johto."

The room grew quiet as Ravina's gaze drifted toward the dark window. Outside, the lights of New Bark glimmered like scattered stars, a peaceful scene that suddenly felt more like a launching point than a destination. She'd arrived expecting a long vacation, perhaps some mild sightseeing between complaints about small-town life.

Now... she might be leaving with a Pokémon. A slow smile spread across her face despite herself. "...I suppose one errand couldn't hurt."

Nostus returned the smile, her expression knowing. "I had a feeling you'd say that."

That night, while Ravina drifted off to sleep, the sound of waves rolled gently against New Bark's shoreline.

Tomorrow would begin as an ordinary errand.

Neither Ravina nor anyone else in New Bark yet realized that before the sun set again, three young Pokémon would find his partner, and the quiet little town would become the starting point of three very different journeys.