1x1 Pokétopia Tour (Tala x 122)

(Indeed he could. Somehow)

"My partner..." Leon started. "I actually don't know. I have to find her." At that, he gratefully took the flag and added it to the existing collection.

Now that they had a moment, Belle also sat down beside Hao to catch her breath. She looked around her and thought about where the next flag could possibly be.

[I sure hope we'll find her,] she said.

 

(That would mean Michelle would have found the fourth and last flag)

The staff member who was just walking back to the table noticed Michelle. “Oh hi there! Picking up your flag?” she greeted Michelle. “Where’s your partner?”

Meanwhile, after Leon, Belle, and Hao had rested up, they left the table and resumed their hike.

 

(True. Unless they met up together... Then everything would work out)

Belle patted Hao's leg. [We'll find her. I'm positive! This forest isn't that big.]

She and Hao followed Leon's lead. Leon continued using the compass to guide him but reminded himself to watch his footing. He wasn't going to have another slip-up for sure, especially when Michelle wasn't around.

It had taken some time for Leon, Belle, and Hao to get back on track. The trail was level for now with trees and running water all around them. As they walked, Leon snacked on some dried beans while Belle helped herself to more water. This was a lot of work!

"It shouldn't be that far off. Maybe the table is near the colosseum," Leon suggested to Belle.

[It's possible,] Belle agreed.

 

It had taken less time than Leon thought to reach the section of the forest trail where he could see in the distance a mountainous island on the ocean with a waterfall falling down from the peak. He could also see pathways and rail lines leading to the island too.

"You sure you're okay, Hao? If you need a lift, I can help," Leon offered. Even then, he kept on walking forward and tried whatever he could to get the compass to work. On the other hand, with the way Hao was sniffing, maybe he could also help track down Michelle faster.

 

“Huh? Hao?” Leon perked at the Umbreon’s motion. At that point, he and Belle followed wherever the Umbreon went.

As they walked though more brush and forest, the compass began to blink. Seeing this as a sign, the group followed wherever the compass led them.

 

Watching the reunion brought smiles to Leon and Belle, and it also showed them a side of Michelle that they weren't aware of. Despite what jumpy impression she had given of herself to them, Michelle was showing a side of herself that even she held things close to her.

[He needs to get someone to heal him, you know...] Belle squeaked.

"Aw, give her some time," Leon said to Belle. "But yeah, we might not want to stay around for too long, since we're racing the clock."

 

Leon gratefully took the flag from Michelle and then handed Michelle's bag to her. "I have your bag here. Actually, Hao was really brave enough to carry everything for us when we disappeared."

[Yup! He even took Leon's hat with him,] Belle said. [Make sure he gets the right amount of rest.] From this distance, Belle was reminded of the bond she had with Leon when she was an Oddish.

Then she felt herself being picked up by Leon, right as Leon began making his way towards the trail. "Come now. All that's left is to reach the colosseum."

 

"I do wonder how you got him as a shiny too. That's really neat," Leon added.

Leon and Michelle started making their way to the main trail which conveniently led them in the direction of the hill where the Waterfall Colosseum was positioned. This hill was a lone hill that faced the ocean and had a majestic waterfall flowing from the top and to the colosseum behind it.

As Leon and Michelle got closer, they could hear the buzzing of foot traffic and helicopters nearby. Seemed all that was to follow the compass to the final stop, which was a check-in counter located at the gate of the Waterfall Colosseum.

 

(Ahaha doesn't hurt to remember)

Leon smiled slightly. There were definitely a lot things that he had yet to know about Michelle.

Then they approached the check-in counter to clock in their time. "Well, I hope that we're doing good for time too." After he and Michelle went to check in together, the digital clock recorded their times.

The girl at the counter greeted them and handed over a ticket to Michelle. "Well done! Now, proceed to reception over there where reception will count your flags to check if you will receive any penalties. That ticket will help her document your time."

 

Eventually, the flags had been tallied and Leon handed over the compass too.

"Ooh. Well done, you've collected all the flags. Did you know that if you miss one, it adds thirty minutes to your score? That would basically mean you'll add two hours if you skip the whole thing!" the receptionist said. "So that brings your total time to... one hour and ten minutes. Not bad."

Leon could also sense that Michelle had tensed up, so he went up to her. "Hey... You okay?" Leon said softly.

Even Belle went to Hao's side to tug Michelle's ankle.