Teddy sat on the bed of his hotel room and watched his Team.

  Dinner was great. He had chosen a quiet place called Linette and Linoone, a quaint restaurant run by a kindly lady and her Pokémon.

  He had been worried about choosing a more sedate establishment, but Togepi hadn’t woken after her Hyper Beam and he wanted her to rest.

  His fears were unfounded, as both MunchMunch and Shadow behaved wonderfully.

  So wonderfully in fact, that the owner herself had offered him to return anytime.

  Although it might have also been the size of the ticket that came with feeding a Munchlax, he thought ruefully.

  Now, he was watching his Munchlax and still-drowsy Togepi play on the bed while Shadow stared out the window.

  Always North.

  I’ll get you to Ecruteak soon.

  As if she could hear his thoughts, Shadow turned to glance at him. She blinked a gentle smile, tracing her stare across the two on the bed before returning to the darkness outside.

  “Muuunch,” his little food gremlin whispered to Togepi.

  Well, his version of a whisper anyway.

  The amount of love the baby Pokémon fixed on her big-brother almost stopped Teddy’s heart.

  Then MunchMunch proceeded to pull out various berries he had saved from dinner, just for her.

  Togepi happily ignored every single berry. Oran, Sitrus and Cheri all held no appeal.

  He was shocked she didn’t care for Pecha, as the candy berry was a traditional favorite for baby Pokémon.

  When she sniffed the Aspear berry, her eyes immediately dilated.

  “Pii~!” she cried, reaching out to grasp the berry — which MunchMunch happily relinquished.

  So, you like sour huh? Teddy laughed.

  He wished he could say it fit, but honestly… it made no sense at all. Or maybe it did?

  She was a Fairy after all.

  He still didn’t know how to raise Shadow.

  But… watching his Togepi cuddle a berry almost as big as she was and attempt to eat it made him smile.

  He would figure it out. And until then, he would do his best.

  ____

  Happy didn’t like the Oran berry.

  That surprised MunchMunch, since it was one of his favorites.

  Well… every berry was his favorite in a different way.

  MunchMunch giggled as he ate the Oran berry and offered a Sitrus to Happy — which she promptly rejected.

  MunchMunch made sure to eat that one right away, too.

  He didn’t want it to feel left out.

  “There are lots of different foods in the world,” MunchMunch continued. He knew, he had already had three different types of Chocolate cake.

  “And I think one of the best things is getting to try them all.”

  He offered a Cheri berry to Togepi. This one she did take, her eyes wide.

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  “Oh, I like that one too. It doesn’t taste as good as the other berries — it makes my nose tickle. But, it’s still a berry, so I love it!”

  Happy didn’t seem interested in eating it, though. And when he tried to take it away so it didn’t feel left out, she cried.

  So he let her keep it, while she happily cooed and looked at it.

  “I like looking at food, too,” MunchMunch nodded sagely. He had seen Mama Gastly nod like that. Now that he was big-brother, he should do it too.

  “I remember one time, I looked at food so hard it appeared in my mouth!” he gasped, remembering the moment fondly.

  Gastly cackled softly from the window, but didn’t turn to look inside.

  MunchMunch smiled. She had been quiet lately, he was glad she laughed.

  MunchMunch took out an Aspear berry. This one was one of his not-so-favorites, but —

  Happy immediately froze when she smelled the berry.

  Then burst into a series of coos and babbles as she reached eagerly for the Aspear, her Cheri forgotten for the moment.

  She immediately latched on and started devouring the berry the moment he gave it to her.

  MunchMunch giggled.

  “That one is a face-scrunch berry,” MunchMunch explained as he watched Happy try to hold the berry that almost as big as she was.

  Since he had grown big and strong, and since food loved him the most — he could eat the whole berry in one bite.

  But she was trying her best — that was important!

  “Aspear, MunchMunch,” Shadow called from the window.

  Happy froze and looked over at Shadow when she spoke, but Mama didn’t turn around.

  “Yup, but face-scrunch makes more sense!”

  “Aspear berries are sour, MunchMunch — that’s why they make your face scrunch,” she laughed, turning slightly so she could see him.

  “Oh! So sour means it makes your face do funny things? Ok!”

  “Yup, that is a sour face-scrunch berry, Happy,” he corrected proudly.

  Mama Gastly snorted and turned to look back out the window.

  MunchMunch rolled down from his bed while Happy continued eating.

  “What are you looking at, Mama?” MunchMunch asked, waddling up next to Shadow.

  “Hmm?” Shadow hummed.

  MunchMunch looked out the window with Mama Gastly. He didn’t realize they were so high up.

  Outside, the Park sprawled beneath them, stretching into the distance. Softly glowing glowy-sticks brightening just enough so the different paths showed.

  Pokémon that glowed also hovered around the grass. MunchMunch thought being able to glow must be really cool.

  “Mmm, I am just looking forward, to our next stop,” Shadow answered.

  “How far away is that?”

  “I don’t know, but Teddy will tell us soon, I’m sure,” she smiled, turning to look at him.

  MunchMunch thought she looked very serious, but also very pretty. Her shadows were a really pretty purple tonight.

  “I think your shadows look really nice,” MunchMunch said seriously. “I’m usually asleep at night. Do you always look different when the sun is down?”

  Shadow blinked, then smiled as she turned to look back outside.

  “Not always, but the hallow-winds are very strong tonight.”

  “What’s that?”

  Togepi suddenly cooed and face-planted her tiny head into the berry, falling asleep on top of her meal.

  She had almost managed to eat a whole quarter of the berry! MunchMunch remembered when he was small. Sometimes, he couldn’t finish all of his food.

  He didn’t have that problem anymore.

  Their Teddy laughed and headed over to clean her up and tuck her in.

  She looked so comfy, he wanted to join her. But, he also wanted to stay up.

  He was a big-brother now, after all. If Shadow and his Teddy stayed up, he should too, right?

  “Go get some rest, MunchMunch. I will tell you all about the hallow-winds when it is the right time, ok?”

  “But, I need to stay up!” MunchMunch explained, doing his best to keep his eyes open.

  “No, little one — you need to sleep so you can grow even bigger and stronger. You did good today. Really good. Don’t worry, I will keep watch,” she smiled, eyes drifting over the park.

  “I did good?” he repeated.

  Mama Gastly nodded and MunchMunch felt his tummy go warm. It went so warm his foot-paws felt warm, too.

  MunchMunch sighed a really nice yawn. It made his whole body relax.

  “Ok. Thanks, Mama Gastly,” he said, waddling tiredly back to his bed, where he cuddled up next to his baby-sister.

  “I’m glad you’re here,” he whispered to Togepi, as she blew tiny bubbles in her sleep, her tiny paw resting on her Cheri berry.

  Then he turned to check on his Teddy, and his Gastly.

  His Teddy was at his desk, writing in his notebook. He did that a lot lately.

  MunchMunch wondered if he was already writing things in there about Happy?

  That idea made him happy.

  Then he looked at his Gastly, who turned to smile at him.

  “Sleep, little one,” she whispered, her eyes flickering softly.

  MunchMunch exhaled and fell asleep, hopefully to dream about Chocolate Cake.

  ____

  Shadow continued her silent vigil, long after Teddy yawned and turned out the lights.

  He still made sure to come over and give her a good night pat, just like he had every night since she had joined him.

  And she did her best to make her gases thick enough to be patted.

  But now, it was very dark, the only light coming from the lanterns in the park.

  The moon was New, and even if she weren’t, the clouds wouldn’t have let her shine anyway.

  Shadow liked it that way.

  There was beauty in the darkness.

  Calmness.

  Stillness.

  And yet, she couldn’t shake the feeling she was being watched.

  The hallow-winds didn’t seem to blow so much as flow this night.

  Flow somewhere to the North. North, where the Ancients waited.

  Were they really strong enough to alter even the hallow-winds themselves?

  If so, maybe she wasn’t only being watched.

  Perhaps she was being called.

  She liked that idea, very much.