Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Seasons of Heaven

LAST EPISODE: The Definition Of Hero

"I've packed you guys multiple Escape Orbs and a whole lunchbox full of Sitrus Berries, too. You'll find the Oran Berries in your personal packs, and the Sitrus ones in the middle bag there. Use those to keep your strength up and don't feel bad for not hoarding them, okay?" Marina said as she ran through a checklist. The group were awkwardly posed and lined up while a whole host of agents checked them over.

It looked like the entirety of Everend had come to see them off, or at least see what the crowd was all about. Lute tried to look away while Marina straightened and combed his fur, meanwhile the agents made the whole thing look like a military operation. Thankfully that kept the general public a good distance back, even though there was no police tape.

"Mum, this isn't a field trip," Lute groaned and brushed her paw away.

"That doesn't mean you can't look good during it. I wish you would take a page out of Esther's book," Marina said. That made him exchange glances with Infia, and the two of them set off giggling. "What's so funny about that? I'm serious."

"You don't know her the way I do. It's okay, don't worry about it," Lute shook his head. "What's taking Sophitia so long? Kuri's not here yet either."

"I'm not surprised he's keeping a lady waiting," Esther said, paws on her hips. He happened to arrive just then, and palmed his face when he saw the agents.

"You guys are takin' this seriously, aren't you? Are you all prepared?" Kuri asked.

"Of course! Clothes clean, weapon sharpened, tummy stuffed, restroom used, and all stretches done," Esther announced. "How about you? Applied enough makeup yet?"

"I was catching Gen up to speed with everything that's happened. She can't come with us, so she's planning on helping out the other continents if Artemis' Pokémon come off planet," he stated. "I don't want this to come to war, though. We're both too exhausted from it."

Esther opened her mouth to give a cheeky retort, but let it go instead. The last thing they needed right now was a little bickering. So she gave him a happy smile and held Infia's paw instead.

"Guys, sorry for the holdup!" Sophitia cried as she dashed through the crowd. She was sweating a bit, but gave them a toothy smile. "I got caught up with a little something. Didn't mean to make you wait."

"Is everything okay? It is not like you to be late," Phoenix said. She nodded at him and approached Lute.

"Close your eyes and hold out your paws," she sang. He obeyed, although wary about it. "Hope you're not allergic to feathers."

"It's," he said, confused about it. It was a little red plastic collar with a shiny blue feather sticking out the side of it. He could easily clip it on underneath his mane where it wouldn't obstruct his necklace. Only the feather stuck out. "Huh. It's neat. But why?"

"I always thought you could do with a little more style. And well, I made it a bit of a parting gift. That's why it's blue," Sophitia said with a smile. "Look after it, won't you?"

"A parting gift? What for? Who's parting?" Raiju said, making her shriek.

"Raiju! don't sneak up on me like that!" she gasped.

"Oops, sorry. But really, who's parting? What's parting? Did you mean partying?" he said, bouncing up and down. "Shock that, what's happening? You guys are altogether here and it looks super cool and I wanna be part of it!"

"Will you pipe down for one second and actually let others answer?" Cinder complained. "But seriously, even I'm curious. This is quite a scene."

"You didn't tell your school friends?" Marina said, drawing all attention to Lute. He grumbled a little.