The morning was still pale and marching along on Sydney’s grounds, but the trainer was nowhere to be found. The incredible flurry of activity between her and her team spanning the night and morning had left everyone feeling weary, and the pokemon were all slumbering.

Which meant nobody noticed when Sydney went missing.

The pokemon shouldering her slumbering form along, a moderately-sized turtle pokemon with lapis-colored skin and feathery ears with a matching tail, grunted. He was a wild Wartortle, and served as a bullied servant of a powerful local pokemon. His boss had sent him off to find food, and Wartortle had chanced raiding a human property—and on doing so, had observed this trainer willingly breeding with her team.

His boss had also harangued him to find a mate lately.

Most nearby pokemon hated the one Wartortle worked for, not unlike Wartortle himself, and the females had long since done their best to avoid him.