Falinks Ahoy!

Today was going to be a good day. Steven just knew it. There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky as he took his daily walk along the paths in Mossdeep City, looking for new rocks to collect. And, so far, he had added a good five rocks to his collection! Two smooth white ones, and three with what looked like little gemstones on the inside. From his research, Steven theorized these to be geodes of some kind! As soon as he was back at his cottage, he was going to bust out his favorite kit, and see if there was anything worthwhile inside of his little rocks…or, perhaps, he would sit them on his windowsill, and leave them be.

Steven walked for a couple more minutes, before reaching the grass-covered exit of the forest that led into town. Despite the sunny day, there weren’t too many people out now, at least not in the square. In fact, Steven seemed to be the only one that was out and about! He hadn’t seen anyone on the trails, either, nor had he seen anybody as he was leaving his cottage that morning. Perhaps they had taken advantage of the nice day, and had gone to the beach to enjoy the aqua waves; or see if the Feebas were biting.

Which, knowing Feebas…

Those things were definitely biting, and hard.

But Steven had never been the biggest fan of the beach, or of fishing, either, aside from walking along the shores for shells. Just a few weeks ago, he’d gotten a very nice shell. Purple, with little black speckles on it. He’d thought it had maybe come from a Shellder, or maybe some other unfortunate Pokémon, but after doing a bit of looking and his own research, he’d come to the conclusion that it had just been some ordinary shell.

After another couple of moments of thinking, a deep exhale came from Steven, and he stepped off of the dirt-covered path, onto the grey brick of the town square. Even if everyone else was at the beach, he knew at least one person who would be working that he could visit!

“Maybe I should stop by the coffee shop and see how Emmeline is doing…” Steven said to himself, sticking his hands into his rock-filled pockets. The shop wasn’t far from the entrance to the woods. In fact, he could already see it now. He had helped Emmeline put up the new springtime decorations, with colorful little Flabébé decals all over the place, and there were also fresh flower boxes in the front, too. Little yellow bees were already staking a claim to the flowers…though some of them were attempting to pollinate the stickers on the windows.

It caused Steven to chuckle, shaking his head. Springtime was one of his favorite times of year due to all of the wild and plantlife that started to return, especially after a particularly hard winter. Not to mention, it was a great time to train Pokémon! Lots of new aspiring trainers made their way to the Pokémon Center during this time of year, lining up to explore the region and fill up their dexes.

Maybe someday, Steven would go out again. He nearly had his Hoenn Dex filled up, but there were a handful of Johto Pokémon he still hadn't logged; though he was absolutely positive he had seen them in passing, on days where he didn't have his dex on hand. Not that it was too terribly important to him anymore. While Steven still cared dearly about Pokémon themselves, the idea of engaging in the hobby put a sour taste in his mouth, thanks to his father.

Steven narrowed his eyes, stopping in his tracks. He had begun crossing the square towards the coffee shop, but thinking about his father tugged and tore at his mind for a second. Last time he'd seen his dad had been the day he and Emmeline had gathered his things, so he could take the next train out of Rustboro City, and back to his sweet cottage in Mossdeep. His father hadn't said a single word to him, choosing to ignore him. Steven thought bitterly about the argument he had had with his father at the coffee shop in Rustboro…the argument that they had had about Emmeline. How upset his father was with him that he chose to “associate” with “someone like Emmeline”.

For once, Steven had fully chosen to stand up for himself, telling his father to back off, and that he cared for Emmeline deeply; and that he held her to his heart. To this, Steven's father had backed down nearly immediately, though not without informing Steven that he would no longer be supporting him, and that was, without directly saying it, cutting Steven off completely. Though, Steven would still have the Devon Corporation to look forward to once his father passed on, but at this point, Steven was unsure that he even wished to inherit it.

But that was enough lingering on poor memories. Steven was in the present now, and pushing on towards the future. Some part of his heart hurt over how things had ended up, but…oh, well.

Steven took a deep breath, and shook his head, pushing open the door to the coffee shop. Despite how it had looked from a distance, there were quite a few customers already in here, though most of them were situated already. Emmeline also wasn't the only one working today! There was another person behind the counter, making up some drinks for a customer waiting near the entrance to the bar. Emmeline, however, was leaning on the counter down near the other end, talking quietly with a small group of Falinks.

Steven remembered the Falinks from their brief visit to the Galar region. Rather than six, they only had five, having lost their leader some time before Steven and Emmeline had found them. They were walking around blindly without any sense of direction, and Emmeline had nearly begged Steven to allow her to bring them home. Which- Steven wasn't going to argue. He, too, took pity on the poor creatures. According to his Dex, they were unable to even defend themselves without their leader, and when Emmeline had approached them, the normally hard-to-catch Pokémon hadn't even tried to run away from her.

Emmeline had also vehemently refused to put the Falinks into a Pokeball, which had led to a very interesting ride home, as the creatures had stomped all over their lunch, and had been general nuisances. But, Emmeline was happy, and that, frankly, was all Steven was concerned about. Seeing that smile on her face as she was overjoyed with her new friends, introducing her to her other Pokémon- who, she had refused to put back into their balls once they were out, despite Steven’s insisting!

Now, it seemed that Emmeline had convinced the little critters to help her out while she worked. The smallest of the five jumped off of the counter, followed by two more larger ones, and they waddled their way over to a dirty table, hopping up onto it, and gathering the trash that had been left behind. Then, Steven watched the little group head back to the counter, giving the trash to Emmeline to throw away, looking rather proud of themselves.

Steven chuckled, and walked over to Emmeline and the happy Pokémon. “I see you're already setting them to work,” said Steven, sitting down in one of the barstools. “How have things been today?”

Emmeline gestured to the coffee shop around her, and shrugged. “It's been a bit slower than usual. Most people are just stopping in after visiting the beach, or coming back from the caves and stuff. But I've still had plenty to do! And the Falinks have been an amazing help. They really like being given directions.”

The smallest Falink, who Steven had determined to be the leader, stood on tiny tiptoes to get a better look at Steven, its little eyes wide. It seemed to be studying him for a moment, looking him over, before deciding he was okay, returning its attention to Emmeline, who handed it a rag. The little creature bounced off of the counter, and led a few of its friends over to the table they had cleared off. The little group started wiping it down together, using their little bodies to move the damp rag around the table. Everything appeared to be a group effort for them, especially where the smallest of the group was concerned.

“I suppose you’re their leader now, eh?” Steven teased, raising his eyebrows. The two that had been left on the counter both looked up at Emmeline as he said these words, their bodies seeming to vibrate with excitement at the idea that Emmeline was their leader. A small chuckle came from Steven as he watched the small creatures dance around their leader now, and after a moment, the three that had gone to the table returned to do the same, leaving the rag where it was.

“Hey- no- I’m not their leader.” There was a whine to Emmeline’s voice, but a smile was slowly spreading on her face as she looked down at the happy creatures. “Come on, knock it off, you five.” Emmeline’s tone was gentle, and she waved her hand at the Falinks, who were not discouraged in the slightest. In fact, they seemed to get even more excited! “You five are such a handful!”

The smallest of the group, the one that had been sizing Steven up, hopped around excitedly, its little feet clicking against the counter. In unison, all five began to let out little noises, sounding like a small group of soldiers about to march into battle. The caring look on Emmeline’s face warmed Steven’s heart, and he closed his eyes for a moment, listening as she spoke to the Falinks as if they were her children. Which, in a way, they were. Emmeline had taken in the poor creatures, and now she was all but their mother, so to speak.

 Steven knew that there would be many adventures to be had with these little creatures. Them choosing Emmeline to be their leader was only the beginning.

---

Two weeks later, Steven woke up to the sound of someone rummaging in his bedroom. He lay stiffly for a moment, hoping that it was just his imagination, but then he heard his laundry hamper hit the ground with a resounding crash! 

He shot up from his bed, his eyes wide, a panic washing over him, only to see a little Falinks in his room, digging in his laundry hamper. There was a small ‘P’ painted on its back. “Hey- Paprika-?” When it realized that it had been spotted, it hopped out, and sprinted away, running down the hallway. Steven jumped out of bed, slipping on his slippers, following the Pokémon into the living room, where three of its siblings were.

They were sitting in a circle, chattering to each other, all of them looking rather worried. Emmeline was there, too, looking underneath the couch. It appeared that they were missing something- or someone- and they were bound and determined to find it! Confusion clouded his gaze, and he tilted his head to one side, frowning.

“Er- Emmeline…?” Steven rubbed the sleep from his eyes, looking down at Emmeline, who immediately jolted, her head hitting the underside of the couch, a cry of pain coming from her. “Oh- oh, shoot, I’m sorry-”

“No, it’s fine- I’m fine. I’m sorry for barging in like this, but- ugh- Cinnamon, the- the one they usually follow? The tiny one? Oh, Steven, I can’t find it anywhere. It seems to have wandered- and I don’t want them to lose another one of their siblings!” Emmeline wiggled out from underneath the couch, pulling herself up onto it. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and there was a distinct pout on her face as she looked at Steven. The remaining Falinks returned to their search, marching off towards the kitchen.

“Well, I haven’t seen it anywhere, Emmeline, I’m sorry. Have you checked all over the coffee shop? What about your house? Have you put out any bait for it, or its favorite treats…?” Steven sat down next to Emmeline, and rested his hand on her knee, giving it a gentle squeeze. Truthfully, he hadn’t seen any of the Falinks wander too far away from Emmeline! Usually, they hesitated to even wander away from her while she was at work. Hell, they didn’t even seem to want to be “babysat” by Steven when their leader was busy, either.

“Yes, yes, yes and yes! And- nothing! I can’t get a straight answer out of any of the others. I- oh, Steven…I feel terrible!” Emmeline rubbed at her eyes, and shook her head. “We thought that it may have come here…or, at least, that’s what Nutmeg suspects. Those two have always been…close…” WIthout another word, Emmeline buried her face in her hands, and he could hear her sniffling as she sat there. Steven glanced towards the kitchen, where he could hear the quartet causing trouble in the kitchen. He frowned, and half-considered shooing them back into the living room to be with Emmeline, but had a feeling now wasn’t the time to be concerned with the worried Pokémon.

It hurt Steven’s heart to see Emmeline like this. She was absolutely distraught, it seemed, over the tiny Pokémon.

I have to find it…

Steven shook Emmeline’s leg, and stood up, looking around his living room. It appeared that Emmeline and the others had already done a thorough search of this area- so, he decided, he would return to his bedroom, where he had spooked off the first Falinks he’d seen. He traipsed through the house, and into his room, glancing at his disturbed bed. I…would really like to be sleeping right now…Steven thought to himself, a sigh of longing leaving him. But, he pressed onwards, looking through his hamper, to no avail. Then, he searched his dresser, finding nothing but a couple of old magazines that he chucked into the trash without a second thought.

There were not many places in his bedroom in particular that the creature could be hiding. It was very small, and very neat, and he was absolutely sure that Falinks didn’t have any type of camouflaging abilities! Unless he had been reading his Dex wrong, but he had a good feeling that this was not the case!

“Come on, Cinnamon…” Steven muttered, ducking to look underneath his bed, which was cluttered with old rock-collecting kits, and some dirty pairs of shoes. “You’re worrying your leader now. Emmeline misses you.” Using his arm, he scooped out some of the junk, on the off-chance that the Falinks had managed to curl itself up inside a box or something, but only managed to scoop out another very crusty pair of socks. Steven made a face, and chucked them into the hamper, shaking his head.

Steven stood up, and walked over to his closet, which had been closed up until this point. It was a longer shot than the rest of this; considering the fact that Falinks were so tiny, and didn’t have the opposable thumbs that would be needed to get inside of the closet. But, Steven took a deep breath anyway, pulling open the wooden doors. Inside of his closet hung some of his nicer clothes, and some shoes in a pile on the floor. He hardly used his closet anymore, unless there was some sort of event he needed a suit for.

Which was hardly ever these days. Not since he had left his father and the Devon Corporation behind him. He wasn’t dragged to stupid events for his father anymore, and he was free to spend more time with the people he actually cared about. Though that didn’t mean he dressed like a total slob when he hung out with Emmeline!

But that’s something to think about at a later time. He had a naughty little Falinks to find, and he needed to find it fast.

Steven pushed some boxes on the top shelf aside, and shook his head. Then, he paused. One of the boxes was definitely heavier than he had last remembered it. He narrowed his eyes, and pulled the box down. It was full of rocks he had brought with him back from his father’s home, some of the nicer ones that he had yet to put back in their rightful places. There was also a couple of stands mixed into the box, though he couldn’t remember if the stands were for the ones in the box or not. He would need to sort through them eventually, and make sure that everything was in its correct place.

Oh- and there was a little red-and-yellow shell thing in there too, that was chattering rather noisily. Wait-

“Cinnamon!” Steven put the box on his bed, and pulled the small, but heavy, Pokémon out of the box, looking the little Falinks over. In its small red hand, it held a bright purple stone with what looked like black flowers engraved in it. It was a stone he had meant to give to Emmeline some time ago, but had completely spaced it! Cinnamon let out a bark of defiance, and attempted to struggle away from Steven, but he held onto it fast, shaking his head. “Did you seriously come all the way here for a rock-?! Come on, your siblings and your leader are worried sick!”

Shaking his head some more, and letting out small tsssks of disapproval, Steven carried Cinnamon out ot the living room, putting it on the ground. Immediately, it tried to stomp away, back towards Steven’s bedroom, but unfortunately, the other Falinks had detected that their sibling was nearby! All four of them stomped out of the kitchen, crowding Cinnamon before it could even get close to the hallway. The stone in its hand clattered to the ground, where Steven scooped it up.

Hearing the commotion, Emmeline pulled her face out of her hands. Her eyes were bright red and puffy, and she sniffled, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. “You found Cinnamon! Oh, Steven…! Where was it…?”

“He was in my room! I found it hiding out in the closet…” Steven rubbed the back of his neck, and shrugged his shoulders. “It, uh, had managed to climb to one of the boxes on the top shelf, and it was trying to get this.” Steven handed Emmeline the stone, and looked down at the Falinks again. Cinnamon was still trying to make an attempt to get away from the other excited Pokémon, though it didn’t seem to be having any luck in that regard. It appeared that the loss of their original leader had scared the creatures into a bit of a frenzy whenever one of them vanished.

Steven turned his head back to Emmeline, who was now looking over the stone, her eyes going wide. She was silent for a few seconds, rubbing her thumb over the flower carvings, before, finally-

“Cinnamon picked this out for me…? I bet it was just shy!” Emmeline said, slipping off of the couch to rest on her knees next to the Falinks. She scooped Cinnamon (who was struggling) up in her arms, holding it to her chest, nuzzling the top of its helmet. “You’re so sweet and thoughtful, Cinnamon! But you really shouldn’t wander off like that, even to get me a present! You had me completely worried sick!” She put Cinnamon down, and her eyes followed as the Pokémon dashed off towards the kitchen, followed by its siblings once again.

Steven rubbed his shoulder, frowning. “I think it’s really sweet that they all stick together like that- and even sweeter that they’ll go to the ends of the region to find one another once they’ve lost one of their siblings, y’know…?” Tiredly, Steven tried to ignore the crashing noises that were coming from the direction of his kitchen now. They were just babies after all, weren’t they?

Emmeline let out a soft laugh, and stood up, turning to face Steven. She was still holding the stone, clutching it tightly in her hand, in face. “Steven, I know that the stone came from you. But I didn’t want to make Cinnamon feel like its efforts were for nothing! I wonder how it even managed to- you said it was up on the top shelf?” Steven nodded. “I wonder how it got all the way up there. Falinks aren’t exactly known to be good at climbing.”

“It’s a good thing it didn’t fall,” Steven agreed, nodding his head. “It could have been so much worse. It-”

Before Steven could finish his sentence, he found himself pulled into a deep hug by Emmeline. A soft note of surprise left him, and his eyes went wide…but after a moment, he relaxed into the hug, holding Emmeline almost as tightly as she was holding him. He could just barely feel the stone digging into his back, but he didn’t mind at all. The very faint aroma of some kind of sweet was wafting off of her, and Steven couldn’t resist taking a deep inhale, closing his eyes for a moment.

If he could spend the rest of his life like this…

He absolutely would.