A chef on a quest to find new flavors and foods, while proving herself worthy of her passions. With her Pokémon and her friends, she’s ready to cook up a storm in the Pokémon world!
All information is up to date as of October 18, 2025, after Session 6.
General Information
| Gender/Pronouns | Female, She/Her |
|---|---|
| Birthplace | Paldea |
| Eyesight | Can See Good |
| Dexterity | Right-Handed |
| Voice | Feminine, Cheery and Louder |
| Physcial characteristics | Tall and plus-sized, generally a larger figure. |
| Long, curly, and fluffy brown hair. Thick enough to house a Pokemon in. | |
| Tanned skin | |
| Generally wearing dresses/skirts, more flowy clothes, and scarves/bows/similar accessories | |
| Common colors are orange and blue, but likes a variety of outfit colors | |
| Personality | Scatterbrained, may act on impulse when surprised |
| Very positive and glass-half-full person; tries to see the best in people, or at least focus on their good points when they aren’t good people | |
| Amicable, good at talking to new people and happy to help them | |
| Deeply cares for her friends and would go a long way for them | |
| Can hyperfixate on things easily | |
| Sexuality | Pansexual |
| Favorite Food | Sweets |
| Anything she cooks | |
| Anything her dad cooks | |
| In particular, her dad had a recipe for Eeveelution-themed custard pastries that she loved very much growing up. |
Soundtrack
- Battle Theme: Via Dolce (ARMS)
- Overworld Theme: Welcome to Yoshi’s Island (Mario RPG)
Backstory
Early Life
Born in Los Platos, Paldea, Anita was born into a fairly average family as far as status and wealth goes. Her needs were generally met growing up and her parents were able to get an average salary. Her mother’s job as an Ace Trainer and competitive battler, however, kept her traveling a lot. Often, it was just Anita’s father and her for longer stretches of time, as he worked at a local café.
Anita’s time was often spent at the café, when not with friends or at school. It was here, and at home, that her dad’s appreciation for food rubbed off on the young Anita. She was able to see how much it meant to him and his customers, along with their Pokémon, and it began to mean much to her as well.
Thus, as she grew up, Anita began to help out at the café when she had the time. Her dad was more than happy to teach her everything he knew about cooking, and she learned it very well. Customers began to recognize her work just as fondly as his, and their Pokémon felt the same. Cooking became a major pastime for Anita, for all of the joy it brought her and others.
It certainly helped that Eevee, one of the family’s Pokémon, was always willing to try samples herself. Eevee was originally one of Anita’s father’s Pokémon, and a regular helper around the café alongside his Fidough. Those two, and her mom’s Liepard, were the “household” Pokémon, that were out and about around the house more instead of in their Poke balls.
The three Pokémon showed Anita how these creatures could help out in all facets of life, in battle and beyond. She loved just being friends with them more than anything. Of course she cheered her mom on, but she didn’t totally understand why the battles were necessary for “growing each other’s bonds” or whatever…
The Uva Academy
When she was of age, however, her competitive mother had her own ideas. She wanted her daughter to become a top-notch battler just like her, to see the joy of battles like she did. Anita showed a clear distaste for wanting to battle so hard, and her dad saw this, but her mom wouldn’t have it and eventually applied her to the Uva Academy, to discover the passion she was so desperate for her daughter to have.
Thus, Anita ended up at the Uva Academy, alongside Eevee who wouldn’t leave her side. While there, she ended up having a really rough time improving her battling skills, even though her other classes went swimmingly. She did a wonderful job learning about Pokémon and even picking up some handler and breeder knowledge. And this knowledge carried into her ability to cook a wider variety of foods on her own time. She just… couldn’t find the knack or passion for battling that she was supposed to be finding.
Thankfully she was able to make some great friends while at the academy, even if she wasn’t the best on the battlefield. She ended up spending a lot of time with Selene and Rio, two other students who were far better at battling than her. Often times, they’d help her with battle practice and she’d return the kindness with cooking and hospitality. The three of them ended up getting very close, and the other two ended up showing her what real passion and love for their crafts can look like.
Rio, the Big Heart
As two Paldean residents, Rio and Anita were at Uva together from the start, though it took a little bit for the two to actually meet. Anita was aware of him and had talked to him a little bit, but he seemed super reserved and nervous around others and it made interactions kind of awkward.
One day, when walking around campus after school, Anita noticed Rio off to the side, kneeling down and holding onto… something. Getting a different angle showed he was actually holding a little Zubat, who wasn’t looking too hot. In fact, it looked really hurt! Anita was nervous knowing her previous attempts to interact with Rio, but seeing him look so broken up over the Zubat made her get over those worries. In fact, she made a little plan this time.
Anita grabbed her lunch from her bag, getting out a smaller tupperware, and carefully approached student and Pokémon. She quietly made her presence known and wanted to see if the little Zubat would like some food, showing the crepes in her little container. Rio seemed unsure for a second, but then gave it a try, taking one from Anita and giving it to the Zubat. She seemed really excited to take a taste and slowly ate it happily, relieving Rio.
Anita took this opportunity to sit with the two, asking a little bit about the Zubat. Rio explained that he had just found the little guy with a broken wing. He was trying to do what he could to help it but wasn’t sure it was enough, worrying him greatly. Anita offered to help if it was ok, thinking nearby Pokémon Center would be a good start. Rio seemed a little more receptive to her after the Zubat’s snack, and the three headed off.
The Pokémon Center accepted the little Zubat and took it to the back to check on. The two decided to wait together, though Rio seemed unable to actually rest. He was so nervous, pacing around and not really thinking about anything else. Unsure of what else to try, Anita sat down, opened her tupperware again, and offered Rio the second crepe to relax. That at least got him to sit with her, and with Anita taking the last treat in the container, the two ate for a while and actually got to know each other.
Anita realized how silly and kind Rio actually was, now that they were a little more comfortable with each other after the day they’d had. He was suddenly joking around a lot more, and the two had a great little rapport going as they talked about their time so far at the academy and their love of Pokémon. Anita realized how much she wanted a friend like him around, now that she finally saw his true self.
Eventually the nurse let them check on the Zubat, who was recovering well. It seemed she wouldn’t be able to fly for a bit, but she was in better spirits than before. Rio was practically in tears with how happy he was that Zubat was ok, starting to call it Nos in the process. He mentioned that was the name he’d started to give her, wanting to see if she’d like to join him for more adventures. Nos seemed happy to be with him, though Rio didn’t seem to have a Poké ball on him… thankfully Anita had a couple spares, and he was able to officially catch Nos.
Since Nos wasn’t fully recovered, Anita offered her dad’s café for a little bit to take care of her. Her dad may have some ideas on how to make sure it was comfy and recovering well. Rio was happy to join and the two went to the café. After initially getting some advice from Anita’s dad, the two would meet here regularly. First it was to take care of Nos and give it nice snacks, but after the recovery they just kept meeting there to do homework or just hang out together. They became fast friends, and Anita was overjoyed to have someone like Rio to joke around with and grow their love of Pokémon together.
Selene, the Battle Fanatic
One day, when Anita and Rio were doing homework at the café together, a mysterious new girl came in, ordered some food, sat at an empty table, and pulled out her own schoolwork. The pair didn’t really give too much thought for a bit; after all, new customers came and went all the time. However, Anita suddenly noticed the girl had materials with Uva’s logo… she was a student too?
Anita and Rio agreed that they had never seen this girl, and realized she must be new! They figured together that they may as well go say hi, what’s the harm? They walked over to her and introduced themselves, mentioning their same school. The girl seemed a little nervous, but did end up introducing herself as Selene. As they thought, she was new, and still kinda finding her way around the academy and town.
Rio asked if they could sit with her and study with her, and she quietly accepted their company. They sat together for a while, doing their work and occasionally talking and getting to know each other better. For a little bit Selene seemed really nervous about saying too much, and Anita was worried they were being too overbearing.
Thankfully her dad came out with snacks, before Anita could inevitably do something boisterous and worse. He introduced himself to Selene and talked with the trio for a while, with a couple of vague mentions about a big tournament mom was supposed to be in that weekend (just told to Anita as the “big weekend”) that she was away for. When he went back to the kitchen, Selene asked what that was about, and Anita explained her mom’s career as a competitive battler.
Selene immediately lit up on hearing that, asking a ton of questions about her mom and her mom’s Pokémon, suddenly being able to explain battle tactics before Anita had a chance to actually finish explaining what they were. Selene was immediately enamored hearing about this, and eventually just going off on her own about her love of competitive battling. She excitedly proclaimed her own goals of succeeding in the Pokémon Leagues and becoming the best battler in the world, coming to Uva to get a good start alongside all of her other battle knowledge.
Anita and Rio were both shocked at this transformation in Selene, but they both agreed: she was their friend now.
After this, the three kept meeting up both on campus and at their dad’s shop. They quickly became close, and were inseparable for most of the time. Oftentimes Selene and Rio would work together to help Anita with battle knowledge, including having battles with Eevee. And in return, she’d take over her dad’s kitchen for a bit to make some treats for her friends.
Anita felt so fortunate to find friends as cool as these, and they made her odd time at the academy more than worth it. To this day, one of Anita’s favorite keepsakes from this time is a photo that the three of them took in the Academy courtyards, that she keeps in a transparent phone case with other photos. Even as those other photos were swapped with new ones, this picture remained and helped her remember the good times with her friends when she missed them.
Aurel, the Mystery Kid
There was another friend that Anita made as well, though they were a little dodgier than her little trio. One day on campus, Anita was alone and sitting with Eevee, grooming him, when someone else decided to join after seeing how cute Eevee looked. He introduced himself as Aurel, and introduced his Espurr as well. The two Pokémon immediately got along as if they’d been great friends for a long time, and that instantly seemed to make the two trainers friends as well.
Ever since that initial meeting, Anita and Aurel made sure to meet up regularly, to talk about all the cute things their Pokémon were doing. It was nice that this new friend saw Pokémon beyond the battles, as they rarely talked about that stuff. And they were incredibly supportive of Anita’s real passions, hoping that she’d be able to find her way to accomplish those goals more.
He was a kind of a strange one, as he would often be incredibly blunt with his words in discussions. He’d sometimes rather just sit and vibe instead of talking as well, though he always made sure to be present when they agreed to meet up. Anita was aware that they had been trying, with less success, to be friends with Rio and Selene as well. But Anita certainly got along with him, seeing past anything that was “weird” and enjoying how much the two seemed to radiate off of each other’s positivity.
There was a specific time, in a home economics class, where he cut himself incredibly badly and needed to be taken to the academy’s nurse. The normal teacher was out, but Anita was up quickly to take them to the nurse instead. She made sure to stay with him to make sure he was okay, even after they were already being treated by the nurse. At one point, possibly under the influence of his pain, Aurel confessed that he was… envious of Anita. And that he wished he could be more like her. He didn’t clarify any further, and never brought that up again, but Anita never forgot that. Mostly for wondering what they could be seeing in her.
The Paldea Tour
At some point Anita ended up in the exchange program at Blueberry Academy, presumably from her mom’s influence. Thankfully Selene had also joined the program, but it was still incredibly stressful. She was not prepared for the level of talent here, and was immediately out of her element among the high-tier trainers here. It was a mess, and Selene’s kindness was the only thing keeping her going.
Seeing Selene’s passion continue to burn here was inspiring for Anita, watching her commit her all to this thing that she loved so much. It made Anita realize she should also be doing that, making her moves to make her passions come true. So, she had a plan…
She dropped out of the Academy on her own accord, and left to go pursue a culinary career at a few different restaurants. She ultimately wanted to show that her way was just as valid and exciting as any Ace Trainer’s life could be.
She returned home for a little bit, after telling her parents of her choice. Her mom was civil enough about it, though she’d often make snide remarks about giving up and the like. Thankfully her dad, who knew his daughter, was incredibly supportive and happy to see her. He let her work in his café officially for a little bit as she got all of the ropes of cooking as a full-time career. In not much time at all, Anita was ready to get out there and make her mark.
Big Dreams (and Small Results) in Medali
She initially moved to Medali, setting her hopes very high (possibly too high) with a goal of working at the famous Treasure Eatery. She figured a place with its prestige would provide a lot of opportunities for her to grow as a chef. It wouldn’t hurt to brag about how she immediately became a star in the culinary world as well, showing she had already made it to a peak in life…
However, when she moved in, she saw that they weren’t actually looking for new hires at the moment. She decided on a bold plan, taking a much smaller job while she waited for the opportunity to strike. She ended up becoming an assistant at a little food cart, a Chic Kebab. She immediately thrived, making the little cart more famous than ever and bringing in a lot more customers than usual.
This also stole attention from the nearby food stalls, and created a bit of a rivalry with one of them. Anita specifically ended up getting into a rivalry with one of the co-owners, a woman named Skylar, who would get irritated at Anita’s cheery attitude. Well, “rivalry,” really; Anita was actually having more fun and saw Skylar as more of a friend than an enemy. She was impressed with her work a lot, and it encouraged her to improve herself even more at her own little food cart. She admired a lot about Skylar, even if the feeling wasn’t super mutual at this time.
Suddenly, however, Skylar left. It wasn’t confirmed what happened, but it was assumed she just found another opportunity elsewhere. Technically the food cart rivalry was still happening, but Anita just… didn’t have the heart for it without Penny as her opposition anymore.
Coincidentally, the Treasure Eatery suddenly got an opening for a chef, and Anita jumped at this chance. Her initial application was successful, but she was required to participate in a more thorough test, cooking to impress some of the higher-end clients. It was a very rigorous test, involved a ton of recipes across a variety of food genres, but Anita’s know-how helped her make everything. And in the end, she impressed some of the clients, including the gym leader Larry…
…but ultimately not enough of them. She didn’t pass. And quickly after, someone else got the position. She’d failed her goal, unable to make it big here like she hoped.
She stuck around for a little longer at Chic Kebab, but with the failed try at Treasure Eatery and with Skylar gone, she suddenly didn’t feel happy sticking around at this place marked with her failure. She moved on, to try again elsewhere.
(Additional Note: Anita caught Combee during this time, while on a camping trip in the South Province)
The Comfy Community of Monteneyera
She then ended up in Monteneyera, a much smaller town than before. There wasn’t a ton of action here, with people mostly visiting for the gyms or the nearby snowboarding slopes. And that was Anita’s gambit: what if she could help make it a thriving food community?
She nabbed a job at Sushi High Roller pretty easily, and quickly made a name for herself in the town. Since it was smaller, her name got around more as she learned and grew quickly in her skills. This also meant that she quickly got to know everyone really well in return, being able to personalize dishes more easily to suit their tastes. She really got to know these people and felt like part of the community. In a way, she felt more like her dad in his little café, getting to know all their lives and goings on, bonding over food and drink. It was really nice…
(Additional Note: Anita caught Lillipup during this time, one night when closing up the restaurant.)
Anita and her Parents
…though there was a little thing in the back of her head that kept pushing her away from it. Or rather, a little thing on her phone.
Throughout all of her travels, Anita made sure to keep in touch with her parents. Generally it was good to catch up with them, especially her dad. He’d always mention how proud he was of her for finding her way, and giving her new cooking tips that he claimed would “save her life in the kitchen” some day. It was really nice and comfy to hear his stories of home.
Her mother, however, was a lot more stressful. She’d constantly send Anita flyers for battle scrimmages and tutors wherever she was living at the time. Every move was hit with messages that she should have a place and a goal figured out, none of this aimless wandering when a perfectly good life was there for her to grab at the Academy. Even in Monteneyera, where Anita felt like she was figuring things out, her mom would still drill it into her head that she could be doing more.
And eventually Anita did move on, broadly saying there were “new opportunities” in the world and the like. She also, in her mind, kept saying how her Pokémon (especially Combee) would probably like somewhere warmer to live. That’s all it was for.
Hitting the Big Time in Levincia
She decided to dream big again, looking to Levincia with all the skills she’d learned to really hit the big leagues of cooking. And this time, it actually worked! She ended up getting a job at Gastronomie en Famille, a very high-class restaurant in the region. She was immediately able to learn so much, and make a name for herself. It felt great, she’d finally started achieving some huge things!!
As a bonus, she reconnected with Skylar, who turned out to have moved here all that time ago looking for a big-city opportunity. Since they weren’t actually “rivals” anymore, the two quickly became inseparable friends. They’d always enjoy going out and doing stuff together, and constantly trade cooking techniques (along with just cooking for each other). It was wonderful to have a friend like this again, thinking back to her Academy friends and realizing she had someone as close as them again. She was amazing.
(Additional Note: Anita caught Ducklett during this time, during an incident at a street market while out with Penny.)
Another boon was having the money to go on trips by herself, as she visited other regions periodically. In total, she’d been to various places within Kalos, Unova, and Hoenn, where she learned a lot about different foods and cultures. It was amazing learning just how much MORE there was to learn in this world. So many different people, so many different foods to bring everyone together in so many ways, and so many tastes to get to know people by…
(Additional Note: I’m considering adding an additional important person who ends up being like a pen pal or something, that she meets on one of these trips. Winter/Soapy/Daisy if y’all are reading this I’m down to hear advice)
…but this also made her realize… was she limited just staying where she was? Was this… not the goal she wanted?
Anita and Selene, Friends from Afar
To back up a bit, Anita and Selene had been keeping up fairly regularly after the former dropped out of the Academy, as they kept each other updated on their lives and happenings. Selene was still at the academy, as expected for someone that, as Anita saw, was so passionate about her battling. And it sounded like there was a lot of exciting stuff going on! Anita was there in calls and messages to cheer on her friend for catching a Venipede, that she was insanely proud of. And she rooted for her friend after getting into a relationship with a nice girl named Violet, excited to hear all of their little stories and dates and the like. She was there when, a couple years later, the couple broke up. At least it sounded amicable, but Anita was very determined to make sure Selene was alright after it.
Anita did notice that Selene was very quick to avoid talking about school; when Anita asked about it, she’d just respond “it’s going fine” and moving to another topic. Though it was fair enough to Anita; school couldn’t be THAT exciting, after all. She seemed to be enjoying her time outside of the actual Academy and in Castelia instead, so she was clearly finding other ways to live out her battle dreams.
In return, Anita would tell Selene of her many adventures. Anita kept Selene up to date with her many moves, though she would obfuscate the exact reasons each time. She felt like it’d be weird to hear all of Selene’s passions coming to fruition, only for her to speak of her… failures… so she’d just blanket the moves as “new opportunities” and keep her optimism about them. Anita also did talk about Skylar, a lot, in both Medali and Levincia, and all of the fun stuff the two got up to. Anita’s trips were discussed in detail as well. She was happy to be able to show Selene that she was also growing in the thing that she loved, alongside her friend.
A Big Wide World of Food
Selene was also the first to hear about Anita’s new, lingering feeling she’d gotten from her trips. She realized how much there actually was to learn in the world, with so many different people and Pokémon with all of their own tastes. So many new foods, ingredients, and recipes just begging to be explored. So much more beyond the kitchen she was in for a lot of her time, and the city that felt big enough to house someone forever if they wanted. Anita also considered how nice it was to just meet people and cook for them, as she learned about them by way of food. She still thought about Monteneyera fondly for that.
Selene didn’t hear that, additionally, her mom was still giving her grief, this time about how she still wasn’t doing anything big or important while she was stuck in that little kitchen. How she could be doing more… through battle.
A lot of new thoughts moved through her head, and Selene became the first to hear about them as someone she really trusted to talk about her dreams with. Eventually, a plan was formed in Anita’s mind, and soon that plan was ready: she’d be going on-the-road with her cooking! No restaurants to get stuck in, no stagnant life cooking the same things over and over. She’d learn so many new things, help and meet so many new people, and become the most versatile chef of all time! Her mom would HAVE to see how important cooking was then, if someone could get THAT big. And she’d be able to live her own dreams to the fullest. There were still some details, but she’d figure them out along the way. As a first step, she said goodbye to her time in Levincia, and promised Skylar she’d be back often. She decided to go home for a moment to get ready.
The Journey Begins
As usual, her dad was happy to see her, and proud (if not a little surprised) at her daughter’s sudden fire for an adventure of this magnitude. He saw how his daughter had made a name for herself already, and was ready to see where she’d end up next. He did recommend Galar first; he remembered hearing of some interesting and potentially powerful dishes to try making there, and figured it was worth a look for Anita.
Her mom, however, was livid. She tried to stay civil, but a couple nights before Anita headed out, the two had a massive argument over everything. Mom didn’t hold back, calling her daughter aimless and just floating through life with no drive and purpose. Contributing nothing with her wandering and lack of committing to anything. Battling would have given her something concrete, and she threw away a perfectly good opportunity to love it like her! What was she doing?
Anita snapped back, for the first time since all this began. She just couldn’t understand why her mom couldn’t see that she wasn’t happy being an ace battler like her, why she just wanted to love and be friends with Pokémon in this way. She barely understood how battling made friends in the first place, when there were other ways to get to know people without it. She was so much happier in her new path, and her mother’s disapproval was the only thing keeping her from being completely happy. She just wanted her to lay off, she didn’t have to understand her daughter’s life but she could at least support her.
While things simmered down the next couple of days, there was still a tension in the air between the two.
When it was time to head off on her journey, she felt a lot of weight lifted off her shoulders as her dad saw her off. She was ready to find her way. She didn’t know exactly what she’d be getting into, but she was ready to explore a wide world of cooking, and show everyone, especially her mom, that her path was worth it. Even if she was still… figuring that exact path out a little bit.
Only time would tell what all she’d learn and how she’d see the world on her journey. But as a chance encounter with old friends would quickly show, even she couldn’t have imagined what she’d learn about cooking, Pokémon, and even her own capabilities.
Campaign Events
Reunion
One of Anita’s first stopping points on her journeys was Turffield in the Galar region. Arriving during a major battle festival was incredibly lucky, as she had every intention to tour the food stalls and glean their recipes. She even agreed to help out at some food stalls, managing the large crowds and making some extra money to go with it. She rented out a hotel for a while, marking the time she had intended to stick around.
Her plans changed, however, after Team Stygian caused havoc on the main festival square. Alongside grunts stealing Pokémon, A massive Steelix appeared from the ground and began tearing up the scene, attempting to instill further panic for the grunts to do their work. Anita was present during this, attempting to keep her own Pokémon in line before taking stock of others in need. This led to her reuniting with Selene and Rio, who each had their own reasons for being at the scene. The trio fought back and managed to stave the Steelix off in an abnormal reunion. Still reeling from the fight and from the sudden meeting of old friends, Anita offered her hotel as a place to rest while they all got their stories straight.
Some of the gang’s Pokémon resting and getting to know each other in the hotel tub. Features Anita’s Ducklett and Rio’s Carvanha and Toxicroak
While Anita and Selene kept up through calls and texts, Rio had been unseen for a long time, and it turned out he’d been very busy. He told them of Team Stygian, the perpetrators of the attack and the team he’d been a part of for years. He’d had enough that day, and his teamwork with Anita and Selene was his first move to stop them from stealing more Pokémon. Anita was incredibly happy to see both of her close friends again, and after hearing about Rio’s story, she was more than happy to help her friend in his time of need. The trio decided to find their local base and stop their wanton troublemaking, heading out immediately.
The Mushroom Interlude
During their journey, they stopped to take a break and see the Pokémon in the area. Anita’s curiosity of new ingredients also got the better of her as she saw some mushrooms nearby, curious if they could be used in cooking. When trying to nab them however, she was stopped by various mushroom Pokémon who were either afraid or defensive of them. Anita didn’t want to start any trouble, but at least tried to reason with them that she wasn’t going to hurt them and only wanted a little bit of the mushrooms.
Rio utilized some Ranger gear to help out, using a styler to befriend a Paras and try to convince it further that Anita meant no harm. Instead of backing off, it instead beckoned them to follow it… unsure of its motives, the gang decided to follow. The Paras led them pretty deep into a mushroom forest, eventually to a massive mushroom! Anita was almost too enticed by the big fungus to notice they were all being watched, but Rio pointed this out as some larger Pokémon, like Parasect, eyed them down. Rio, with help from the Paras, convinced them that the party meant no harm, only expressing Anita’s interest in cooking with mushrooms. The Parasect understood, cutting off a large slab of the huge mushroom and giving it to Anita. Before they left, a curious Morelull had been eyeing the party, and it made itself known by wanting to battle Selene. After a quick Pokémon battle, Selene caught her and added it to the party! There was also an incident where a Shiinotic knocked out Rio with it’s Spore, but thankfully everything was ok.
Anita’s mushroom gift || Selene’s new Morelull friend || Rio is Spored to sleep
A Parasect led them out of the forest in a different direction, leading them to a massive trench of dug-up earth. The party realized this must have been where the Steelix went, and they began following this path as they continued to the Stygian Base.
Stygian Cave Raid
On reaching the cave where Team Stygian made their base, the party was almost immediately split up after some unfortunate interactions with the grunts. While Anita was able to, amazingly, pull off an impeccable boulder disguise with her hair, Rio was forced to pretend he was still a grunt while Selene was taken away by the others. The latter managed to sneak her Pichu to Anita, and when everything was calm again, she began a solo mission to save her friends.
Anita’s amazing boulder disguise
As Anita was able to better piece together what was going on, she was able to enlist the help of Selene’s Pichu to knock out the power in the base, creating chaos for her friends to work with in their escapes. She also managed to knock out a grunt with her Combee’s loud assistance, retrieving a Poké Ball in the process.
Thankfully the chaos from the power outage helped her friends escape their predicaments, and she was able to reunite with them to take on some grunts before facing the big boss, Lexis. Through an impressive amount of luck, Anita ended up the least scathed of the battle, with her and her Pokémon pulling off a solid offense with… very comical-looking attacks. Of course, her friends and their Pokémon fought more impressively, demolishing some of the larger members of Lexis’ team and helping Anita’s Pokémon out of scrapes.
Various battle scenes against Stygia: Anita’s Pokemon all Biting a grunt’s Inkay, Pichu’s shriek breaking Honchkrow’s heart, and Carvanha tearing a piece off of Steelix with a powerful Aqua Jet.
The party managed to best Lexis and her Pokémon, and even though she escaped, they were able to stop Team Stygian and retrieve all of the stolen Pokémon. Said Pokémon were led/carted back to Turffield, where Selene and Anita handed them off to the Rangers. The party was able to rest easy knowing they were successful in their mission, and that their own Pokémon were getting healed that night.
As she and her friends rested and recovered in her hotel, they all came to an agreement to go on further adventures together, and were all ready to move forward to support each other. More than anything, Anita was just happy to be with her best friends again, ready to go on more adventures with them and all of their Pokémon pals.
The next morning, when the others headed off on their own errands, Anita realized she suddenly had an additional Pokémon: a Tynamo from the Poké ball retrieved from the grunt she and Combee knocked out. Since her and Selene needed to speak further with the Rangers on their Stygian run-in, she decided to check with them on this Pokémon’s owner.
Tynamo after trying Anita’s cooking for the first time
Professor Olive and the Pokedex
At the Ranger’s office, Selene and Anita gave their accounts of the events that had transpired the previous night, making extra sure to leave out Rio’s name since he was still, for all intents, a criminal. During this, they learned that the Tynamo had actually belonged to the grunt; Anita decided to keep the Pokémon and keep an eye out for the original owner while promising to give her a good home in the interim (and beyond if needed).
The regional professor, Olive, was also present during the meeting with the Rangers, and afterward asked to meet with the three of them at his lab. Wary, the party decided to meet with him to see what he had to say. While he was, frankly, weird and kinda creepy, he agreed to sponsor the three of them, giving them all Pokedexes to take into the world and begin learning more about Pokémon with. This also helped Selene out, as she had been planning to begin her Pokémon League journey in Turffield.
Anita took a bit to figure out why she’d be helpful at all with her new Pokedexes, but the professor and her friends helped her see the potential of the device in her culinary quests. Every Pokémon has different tastes after all, and if someone was gonna be able to unravel all of their secrets, it may as well be Anita! Anita really began warming up to this, ready to meet and scan as many Pokémon as she could to begin her quest to understanding them and their tastes better. Hopefully, she could help her friends’ Pokémon out as well, and unlock their full potential in battle too! Maybe she could finally show her mom that cooking isn’t just for fun, too…
Anita’s new Pokedex
New Battles and New Friends
Selene went to register for her first Gym battle against Milo, and with a few days in between the party decided to take advantage of their first time in a little while to relax. Besides some usual shopping, the party decided to go out and explore for a bit. Rio also showed Anita the… uh… “benefits” of dumpster diving, using what he’d learned in life to potentially find cool items and food in a nearby dumpster. While looking, a Venonat appeared and warned Rio and Anita about a large Pokémon bullying others in the area. The two agreed to keep an eye out (Selene was farther off, refusing to get near the dumpster like her friends.)
Rio at the dumpster
While Selene focused on her battle prep, Anita and Rio began using their Pokédexes in earnest, meeting some of the Pokémon outside of the town. Rio caught a Nymble, and then immediately took on the top Pokémon of the area, a mighty Serperior, impressing Anita with his bravery for such a tough fight.
During this big battle, a Sprigatito showed up to Anita, trying to find a playmate. Her and the little Pokémon had a good time playing, and Anita hoped she could convince the little guy to join her party. However, a mishap led to the cat entering her hair and annoying Eevee, the current tenant. Eevee and Sprigatito had a tussle that became a full-blown Pokémon battle, to Anita’s fear, but she decided to try and battle the Pokémon to see if he could join the team that way. Sprigatito and Eevee both fought hard, with lots of biting, but the former Pokémon ended up defeating Eevee, leaving Anita unsure of she really should continue this fight and feeling less than great about her battle skills like before. However, her mind began flashing with the what-ifs: if she could catch the Sprigatito, learn more about him, become friends with him, and watch it enjoy her food like the rest of her family… and that gave her the spark she needed to continue the fight. With Lillipup’s help, she managed to defeat and capture the Sprigatito, adding him to her team!
Eevee and Sprigatito fighting in Anita’s hair
The Stolen Pichu
After all their battling, the party decided to take a break and have a picnic! Anita began working with the new mushroom she’d been given, and the three friends talked some about everything that had happened and their new goals. Anita took some time to meet Sprigatito, and thought about her new goals as a master Culinarian. She vocalized her newly-cleared-up dreams to her friends, as Rio introduced his new goal as a Contest participant. Additionally, as Selene gave her fears about training her Pokémon, especially as she and her Pichu butted heads, Anita and Rio reminded her how her Pichu would always be there for her, as he was in the caves when he worked hard to save her with Anita.
Before they could eat, however, a massive Braviary swooped down, startling everyone. Pichu became riled up and attacked it, and in retaliation it grabbed Pichu and flew off. Selene ran after it, Rio attempted to convince his Serperior to help catch the bird with his speed (to no avail, as it was a newly captured Pokémon and not used to Rio yet), and Anita was simply shocked at the whole ordeal, as she had been cooking as well.
Thankfully Lillipup was willing to help, quickly getting to work and using his powerful nose to immediately grab Pichu’s sent and track where he was taken. Rio and Anita caught up with Selene, and the three began their quest to find Pichu. Lillipup kept up a good trail (unlike Anita, who at one point grabbed a lemon thinking it could possibly be Pichu), and the gang quickly found a massive tree, and the nest of the Braviary.
Anita finding the lemon that is definitely Pichu, definitely
As they had hoped, Pichu was there, along with the Braviary and… another guy? This mystery figure was in battle with the bird, holding on to the weak Pichu. Wasting no time, the gang joined the fight, with Rio and Anita providing additional offensive support while Selene got Pichu back into his Poké ball. The combined forces managed to get the Braviary to retreat, at least long enough for the trio to meet their mystery trainer.
Or rather, remember him: This was Aurel, a classmate from the Uva Academy. He’d attempted to be closer friends with the group, but for one reason or another it just never worked out then. And here he was now, considerably older and more rugged than before. He talked down to Selene regarding her Pichu, and general acted as though he had everything under control before stealing an egg from the Braviary’s nest.
Suddenly the bird returned, and ANOTHER Braviary appeared from the other side of the tree. One began to lift the nest out of the tree, while the other attempted to knock the tree down to destroy all of the intruders in one fell swoop. The party initially tried to stop them, using their Pokémon and with Selene stalling it using a Poke ball, but this ended up failing and the tree began to fall. Our trio managed to escape unharmed, with Anita somehow having the most effective escape while Selene had to be pulled up from the cliffside. However, Aurel was unlucky; as he fell, he threw the Braviary egg to Anita, and his Espurr to Selene.
The gang knew they had to try and help save him, which would be a multi-stage task with one of the Braviary still present and violent. Thankfully Selene had a few ideas. She sent a small party of Morelull and Espurr, riding on Golbat, to seek out Aurel and attempt to heal him if necessary. To keep them safe, their other Pokémon distracted the Braviary by leading it towards the cliff they were at using their attacks. Once baited, in an incredible gamble, Venipede used Rollout down the cliff, slamming into the Braviary in a knockout blow and ending their troubles then and there.
The gang knew this was their chance to check for Aurel, and they all went down the tree with Selene first going to retrieve Venipede. Rio and Anita managed to find Aurel, who against all odds was totally fine! He hadn’t even needed the Morelull’s assistance, and looked good as new. Anita gave him the egg back, and with Espurr back as well he headed off on his own adventures. Rio and Anita were still really confused about him, but Anita had a feeling they’d see him soon enough.
The two met up with Selene and… well, not Venipede. The extreme Rollout ended up being what Venipede needed for evolving, and it became a Whirlipede before their eyes! With their new wheel buddy, the trio headed off, hungrier than ever and ready to actually have their interrupted picnic.
Selene’s Whirlipede just after evolving, and her reunion with Pichu
A Picnic and some Battles
At last, the party was able to have a little more time to themselves, actually getting to have their picnic and relax. While Rio and Selene had time with their own Pokémon teams, Anita got to work FINALLY putting that big mushroom to use. Her usual cooking team got to work, and she made sure to offer her new Tynamo and Sprigatito the chance to join in her favorite family activity, if they wanted. Sprigatito, understandably, was still more comfy sitting to the side, though closer than before. Tynamo, however, was ready to experiment; she was able to bring a “lightningy” flavor to the meal that Anita had never tried before, and was very excited to build on in the future!
The trainers and all their Pokémon had a great meal, and were able to catch up on the events of the day. Selene was still a little shocked after her large emotional journey that day, but everyone was just happy that they were all safe, and proud of their Pokémon for working hard to save Pichu. Rio mentioned that his new Serperior had maybe warmed up to his Carvanha a bit too, good news after their cold meeting. They also hyped Selene up, with Anita especially in awe of her friends and how hard they worked and how cool they were.
After some yapping, the gang decided to check out all the Pokémon nearby, each with their own desires to, possibly, catch some more. For Anita, she remembered her feelings when catching Sprigatito and realized she would have to get more used to battling to see her goals become a reality. So, she pointed at a Munchlax and challenged it to battle! However, the Munchlax simply ran up to her and started trying to grab her bag for food. First shocked and annoyed, she then realized she had an easy in with this little dude. She gave him some of the leftovers from the picnic, and promised him more if he joined her. (The Munchlax did end up nearly eating her hand through this.) She then held out a Poke ball to show her intention to catch him. The Munchlax then ate the Poké ball, activating it and catching himself… which somehow worked! Thus, Anita had a new, very hungry, friend!
Anita and the party excitedly talked about their new catches, with Selene catching a Growlith (Hisuian) and Rio nabbing a Sneasel (Hisuian). Well… Selene was excited, Rio was distraught that he accidentally made his catch faint, and since it went back to the box… he was ready to start heading home. It was getting late and the sun was setting, so the entire party decided it was a good time to head out.
They all returned to Turffield and to the Pokémon Center to heal up from the day and meet their new Pokémon better, but there was one more surprise… the Tauros from the Stygian Cave was suddenly in Rio’s box! It was given to Rio after it didn’t have a willing owner to go back to. The trio got to re-meet the big guy, and then finally go get their rest.
Carnival Games
The next day started relatively calmly, with Anita cooking breakfast as usual (yummy nanab bread…). With little going on Rio led the party back to the dumpsters from yesterday to check on Venonat. He wasn’t found and the gang decided to return later, after shopping and walking around town. The festival from before was back in action, with all kinds of colorful stalls and snacks and games to enjoy. While Rio bought a balloon for Selene, Anita eyed all of the games and their respective prizes.
One of them, a Froakie Flip game, had a lot of cute little plushies, and she let Eevee take a look at them. He immediately zeroed in on a little Torkoal plush, and Anita was then determined to win it.
Attempt 1… Anita slipped and nearly launched the Froakie toy out of the stall.
Attempt 2… Not a complete failure, but still too strong.
A crowd had begun to form as Selene and Rio cheered her on, encouraging her as she gathered all of her focus and skill to try one last time, for Eevee. She had learned a lot from the previous attempt, and was sure she could win this time. She got ready, focused up, and flipped the Froakie…
It neared the rim… and then bounced off. Anita then bought the plush for Eevee instead.
Eevee with his new plush Torkoal
Seeing Eevee so happy with his new little Torkoal plush made her happy as well, forgetting that she was unable to actually win the game. The crowd was elated for the two as well, still cheering Anita on for her attempts and for her happy Pokémon. Everyone was so distracted by the scene that only Rio really noticed the next stall over, where a Dreepy was attempting to steal some takoyaki. He warned the shopkeeper, who shooed the ghost off. He thanked Rio, explaining that this wasn’t new; this Dreepy had been stealing fair food for a while now. Selene reasoned that this was a strange place for a Dreepy to be at all, wondering if they could track it down to find it’s trainer or why it was in Turffield. After her Growlithe and Anita’s Lillipup were both too distracted by the fair to track Dreepy down, the gang decided they’d at least keep an eye out for it.
It was around this time that Selene remembered: the Exhibition Match! The whole reason she was here! Champions Leon and Cynthia were set to duke it out in a battle that would surely be a spectacle for all to see, and Selene was suddenly excited once more to see it in action! However, Anita and Rio didn’t have tickets; they weren’t originally in Turffield for this show. They considered seeing what scalpers might have, but then realized Professor Olive may have some connections to get them in. Calling him up revealed that he did have multiple tickets! One for himself, and some for… his Smolives. According to him, they needed the extra room to sit. The gang tried to question his reasoning and barter with him to let them use those extra tickets, before he settled on a strange plan from Rio: create an Exeggutor costume for the Smolives to get them all in as one. The gang would let the little guys sit on their laps as well. They decided to head out to buy some crafting supplies, and check on Venonat as well, before heading to Olive’s lab.
The Turffield Bully
Rio and Anita went back up to the dumpsters, with Selene still not willing to get near them. There was still no sign of the Venonat, until a box suddenly started vibrating. Carefully, Rio lifted the box… and it was Venonat. Severely injured, missing patches of fur, beaten up, and terrified. The two were aghast, realizing that the bully had probably gotten to their little friend. With some of the leftover breakfast, Rio and Anita managed to at least calm it down enough for Rio to pick it up, with the intention of taking it to the Pokémon Center.
During this, Selene had been watching from afar, but also aware of a Trubbish watching them. Eventually it ran off, and she decided to give chase. Worried what Selene may be getting into, Anita agreed to go after her while Rio headed to the Pokémon Center.
Anita caught up to Selene as they were completely blindsided by the horrible odor. But they persevered, finding a massive pile of trash housing a massive, noxious, mean-looking Garbodor. The two realized this was the bully, and sure enough it was ready to fight them with it’s two Trubbish underlings. Selene got out Whirlipede and Woobat, Anita summoned Eevee and Ducklett, and the battle began.
Selene was able to get some work done, but it was a mess (literally and figuratively) on Anita’s end. Her Pokémon were beat up. Eevee was literally sat on and Paralyzed, and the Trubbish took pot shots that Poisoned Ducklett. Anita was constantly on the backfoot, trying to keep her friends up and running. It was incredibly stressful, and next to the confidence of Selene she was becoming more and more afraid of her shortcomings, and that she was just leading her team to pain because she couldn’t hang. It got worse when she looked at Ducklett and saw… white feathers? Was she ok, where was this coming from, is she in worse shape than she realized??? Oh god, oh god, oh god…
But, Ducklett stood tall and proud, even with the poison. Pokémon and trainer eyed each other up, and Ducklett gave Anita a burst of confidence that they were more than ready to keep fighting. So Anita got back up and continued to fight with Selene. With their combined efforts they did manage to knock out one Trubbish, scare the other one a bit, and damage the Garbodor a lot. Things were looking up!
Ducklett nailing a solid Wing Attack on Garbodor
Until.
All of the attacks had made the Garbodor angrier and angrier, until it was in a blinding rage at these interlopers. In a brutal move, it gathered up a massive ball of trash and SMASHED it onto Ducklett. Anita was unable to reach her in time, forced to watch as her little pal was demolished under a mountain of trash.
No one could say anything, for a bit. Not even the Trubbish. The Garbodor’s war cry was the only noise in that alley. Anita was frozen in shock for a moment, before sprinting to the trash pile. She started trying to dig through the trash, crying for Ducklett and trying to free her. She couldn’t believe this had happened, and under her watch. She dug and dug, terrified that her friend was gone. She dug up more… white feathers?
Suddenly, white light erupted from the trash pile. It burst, and standing there looking more fighting fit then ever, was Anita’s Pokémon… Swanna. SHE EVOLVED!!!!!
The newly-evolved Swanna
Swanna summoned some rain to wash herself off, and stood proudly, looking back at Anita with a gaze of love and confidence. She was ready to finish this battle, and wanted Anita to know that she was more than confident in her trainer to see this through to the end.
Inspired, Anita got back up, checked her Pokédex for Swanna’s attacks, and got ready. After the past few days of trying harder to battle and still only kinda getting it, she finally understood. She saw how her bond with her Pokémon was strengthened more than ever before, as her Pokémon gained the spirit to break her limits in the face of death. She was already very close with her Pokémon, but this felt closer still, knowing they had a love that could overcome anything. And she loved that feeling, knowing she could be even better friends with her team and that they could build each other up more than she knew possible. With her heart exploding, she commanded an Aerial Ace, and Swanna performed an attack so blindingly fast that it looked like nothing happened at all. But suddenly, the Garbodor was wracked with slashes, and defeated. The remaining Trubbish was too afraid to do anything.
It took a second for Anita to get out of battle mode after that, but eventually she loosened up and ran to her Swanna in a mess of love and tears. The two hugged for a long time, Anita blubbering about how glad she was that Swanna was safe and how much she loved her and everything. Eevee joined in the embrace as well, and the trio just stood there for a bit, happy to be together.
Eventually, they joined Selene and left to go check on Rio. On the way they watched Swanna gracefully fly around, still in awe of how beautiful she was. They talked over the battle, with Selene praising Anita’s courage and Anita in awe of Selene’s level headed stratagem during the whole thing. Eventually they reached the Pokémon Center, where Rio was pacing back and forth nervously. Venonat was being checked at the moment, so there wasn’t much else to do at that point but wait. Anita and Selene told of their battle and of the evolution that happened, and Rio was proud of them for being able to hold their own without him. Selene decided to get some fresh air after everything, and Anita stayed with Rio, finding a chair to rest in after all the action and letting Rio use her hair as a pillow to rest on as well. The two just dozed for a while.
The nurse eventually came out from the back to let them visit Venonat. Thankfully he was doing ok, recovering fast from his injuries. Rio went to meet him first, overjoyed to see his new little friend. He gave the Venonat some food, and then asked if the little guy would like to join his team. Venonat was more than happy to join, getting in a Poké ball. Selene returned to the Pokémon Center, and Anita summoned her back with them to celebrate! Selene also introduced them to a Klink she caught, and showed that she was able to teach it (and Whirlipede) Rapid Spin!
Dreepy’s Haunted Mansion
With everything sorted out, the party decided it was time to head to Professor Olive’s and figure out this costume for the Smolives. They walked by the festival again, where they saw… the Dreepy from before! It was carrying off cotton candy from another stall, and the gang was determined to see where it was going. They followed behind it, eventually entering a dark, creepy forest. Selene tried to catch the Dreepy but it kept moving, farther and farther away. Selene ran after it, to Anita’s dismay. But her and Rio followed their friend, deeper into the darkness…
The vibe of this session, as our Halloween 2025 session, was very very very different than the usual adventures. It was a lot scarier, and a lot more gruesome. Due to the nature of this, I wanted to put it in it’s own page as it has it’s own content warnings that are unique to it, versus the rest of the story. This is also a sort of “moment in time”, so it works out in this format. You can read this chapter at Halloween 2025 - Dreepy’s Haunted Mansion. The ending is included here as a transition point back to future adventures, however.
“You idiots…”
The three of them suddenly started waking up, outside of the forest that they were at. All of them had remnants of the pain they’d felt, though they soon realized they were all fine. Anita felt all over, but had none of the bites in her that she remembered having. She only had a trace of that intense desire to fight, and soon it was gone altogether. She checked, and Eevee was fine. She made sure to give him a big hug.
The three of them began to realize, it was… a dream of some kind? They certainly all had the same one, so that was weird.
They spent a little time considering what had just happened, but Anita ultimately didn’t want to think that hard on it. She was just happy that she was with her friends (who she also surprised with a big hug.) Her and Rio ate the cotton candy that was near them after all of this (to Selene’s confusion), and the three headed off to Professor Olive’s place, for real this time.
Costumes for Smoliv
Upon arriving to the Professor’s lab, Anita got to visit Lillipup while Rio met up with some of his Pokémon (though Murphy, his Murkrow, was oddly absent). They also found a very grumpy Professor, upset at being woken up at the awfully early time of 11:30 AM. Nevertheless, he let the three in before locking himself in his room.
The gang quickly rounded up all the Smoliv and got to work on their costumes. Thankfully all of them seemed to have some crafting experience, and they didn’t have too much trouble. In particular, Anita was able to recall her abilities making costumes for Eevee, aiding her work here. Soon enough, they had a few little Exeggcute costumes that looked high-quality. They’d probably pass for the real thing! Probably.
One of the Smoliv’s Costumes
Rio’s Nymble, Nympi, tried to train the Smoliv to move and act in unison like an Exeggcute. It… kinda worked? At least, some of them were able to act like the real thing. They figured it’d be good enough to get them into the stadium, at least! Rio and Anita proudly showed the professor their work, and while he wasn’t confident in the plan’s success, he still gave the two their tickets for the exhibition match and shooed them all out of his lab.
As they left, Rio did eventually find Murphy, who was excited to show the gang the stash of shiny objects he’d been accruing outside of the lab. There were… so many different items. It was kinda crazy how many different things he’d collected, including a multi-tool that Rio was able to trade for to use himself. It was surprising to see how well Murphy was doing, but everyone was just happy to see him after he wasn’t found earlier.
They’d finished their main task, but there was still a lot of time before the exhibition match. The three decided to split up for a little bit, after Selene suddenly started feeling exhausted. Anita in particular wanted to restock a little bit on ingredients and snacks, after recent adventures had used up some of her stock. She headed off on her own, leaving Rio to do whatever Rios do on their own.
Poppy’s Cooking Challenge
Anita’s keen eye for food led her to a little shop on one of the side roads of Turffield. It was a smaller place, nestled into the buildings on the street and very inconspicuous, but the door was open and there seemed to be a lot of items in there. She entered, and while it was generally devoid of customers, the shelves really were PACKED. So many different beautiful fruits and vegetables, meats of all kinds, spices she’d never seen before… it was heaven…
After the stars in her eyes cooled down a bit, Anita realized there didn’t seem to be anyone in the store. No customers, no one at the front counter. Thankfully, after calling out, a little old lady walked out from the back to greet her. She was incredibly friendly, and the two quickly bonded over a love of cooking.
The old lady introduced herself as Poppy Fletcher, and invited Anita back to her kitchen. It was such a cozy place, and Anita immediately felt at home. So warm, and inviting, and full of love. Every tool, every piece of furniture, felt so intentionally picked out to create a space that truly felt cozy, lived in, and loved. Anita couldn’t help but think about her family’s kitchen seeing this, and all of their own loved tools and utensils. It made her feel warm inside (and a little bit outside as Poppy’s Litten came to say hello).
A little doodle of Poppy (I kinda want to try an actual piece for her, huh…)
The two talked for a while, and Anita described her journey so far. Poppy was incredibly welcoming and cozy, and Anita was willing to say a lot to her about her family and life up to this point. After some time together, Poppy asked if Anita had an hour or so to fulfill a request for her: cook her something. Anything at all, with any ingredients in the store, and within an hour.
Anita was surprised at the odd request, asking what this was for. Poppy simply wanted to ensure that the tradition of cooking was alive and well, going down a good path for new generations of chefs. While that did sound like a big deal, Anita accepted her little challenge, happy to have an opportunity to cook!
Anita thought for a minute: anything was allowed, so what should she make? There was one thing that kept flashing through her head for some reason: her dad’s Eeveeloution Custard Pastries, that she loved to make and eat so much. She wasn’t quite sure why they were at the forefront of her mind, but they made her nostalgic for home and for eating them. She decided this would be her creation for Poppy!
With the idea in mind, Anita got to work. She always started this recipe with the usual decision, deciding which Eeveeloution to create. Each one has a different look and different flavors after all, so this had to be the first choice. Anita enjoyed letting Eevee pick, letting him flip through pictures on her phone to decide. After some careful deliberation, Eevee selected the image of Flareon, and the two got to work picking things from the storefront.
It was a bit of a balancing act to account for the limited time, so Anita had to prioritize what to actually make from scratch versus what was premade. Anita did her best to judge this out, knowing that the filling inside would be the key part of this. For Flareon, the recipe required a unique filling of chilis and nanab, reflecting Flareon’s heat and sweet comfy vibes coming together as one. She put a lot of extra time into this specifically, ensuring that it would be a good blend of the too flavors. Adding that heat is a major balancing act, but one that Anita had done so many times before. She was able to create the inner custard with enough time to put together a decent pastry crust as well, though with a little more premade ingredients than before. And thankfully, she had enough time to bake everything and decorate with premade icing.
One thing that she realized as she worked was how… lax her technique had become. Throughout the process, Poppy was careful not to intrude much, but did provide little ways for Anita to improve her technique. “Hold your off hand like this while chopping”, “make sure to use this bit of technique when mixing”, those kinds of tips. And Anita slowly realized that these were things her father used to tell her. Every little improvement to her technique just made her feel like she was making things at home again, cooking with her dad, lost in how special cooking could be.
She realized, sometime before this new journey, she’d kinda lost that spark she used to have. Sure, cooking was still her favorite activity, but this reminded her how much the little things meant. How much the little details reminded her of home, and the love that went into the process. It wasn’t a perfect preparation by any means, but she was more proud of her work than she’d been in a long time.
Eventually the big pastry was ready! Everyone took their pieces (with Anita saving some for her friends as well), and had their taste test.
And the love and pride seemed to radiate through her work. Everyone loved it.
The Flareon Custard Pastry
Anita was happier with her result than ever. It tasted everything like she hoped and then some. Eevee and Litten enjoyed their pieces, chowing down until it was all gone. And Poppy was overjoyed with the result. She was surprised and delighted by the flavors on display, and was so complimentary of Anita’s work. By all accounts she’d passed… whatever that actually meant, though her happiness was enough for Anita.
They talked a little more, with Poppy thanking Anita for the meal and for the experience of watching her cook. And Anita thanked her back tenfold, for helping her realize the heart that she’d lost and was finding again in this comfy little kitchen. For helping her see that there’s a lot to still learn, and a lot to remember from before. And for showing her the true heart of being in the kitchen again.
Though she had to meet up with her friends again, Anita promised she’d be back before they left Turffield to chat again. She also bought some new ingredients, over some lovely discussion over the many uses of their favorite vegetables. Anita and Eevee left with lots of new ideas and happier hearts than they’d had in a long time. They really felt like they were home in their family kitchen again. And they were so excited to bring this love back to their friends, and everyone they would meet on their adventures.
Anita arrived back at her hotel, finding Selene awake and Rio with a very spoiled (and happy) Venonat. She gave her friends her pastry gifts and listened to them talk about their adventures for the day. It really had been a while since they’d had her family’s custard pastries, and Anita was beaming with pride as they enjoyed the treats once again.
Battle! Cynthia vs. Leon
Pretty soon it was time to head to Turffield Stadium; the Exhibition Match was near! The gang quickly made it, only to reach their greatest challenge yet…
… the lines …
The lines to get into the stadium were really, really, really long. But there was nothing for it but to wait and catch up a little, on all the time they spent apart. Anita, still full of the warm fuzzy feelings from before, couldn’t help but recall her time at Monteneyera. Getting to meet all of the wonderful people, and getting to feel like a little family with the small, cozy community, was one of her favorite times of her travels. She also remembered that Ryme was a wonderful person, super fun to be around and a very skilled gym leader. She hoped that they could get Selene up there at some point to introduce the two! Rio talked about his time in the Orre region, still up-and-coming in the battle world but with smaller groups starting to form. Rio saw this as another great opportunity for Selene to expand her battle prowess, if they head there one day. And Selene discussed the comfy vibes back in Veilstone, where she had enjoyed so much time outside of the academy. She had lots of interesting sites, like the nearby Lake Verity, that sounded incredible to see in person. All of them realized they now had three great places to aim to see on their travels, hoping to make it to all of them one day.
The discussion seemed to make the time go by faster, and soon they were in the stadium and at their seats. Professor Olive showed up too, in the most elaborate Leon costume ever. He did not have the body to masquerade as Leon, but besides that it was perfect. He even managed to pull off some of Leon’s poses perfectly, shocking the gang and causing lots of cheering among the crowd. The Smoliv looked so good and cute in their little costumes, and everyone was accounted for: it seemed like there weren’t any issues, and everyone was ready for some battles!
The initial match was pretty cool, nothing super special but a solid warmup to get everyone excited. Anita was more impressed with Selene’s commentary: she seemed to know so much about the strategies at play during the battle. She even seemed to have ideas for alternate strategies they could be using. It was kind of incredible… Anita was happy to see Selene having such a good time, and hear her battle wisdom again.
Soon, though, the real event was ready… Leon vs. Cynthia. Two of the strongest trainers in the world, here to put on a match of a lifetime. All of them knew what was up, and they were all hyped as hell to see the fireworks fly. While Leon had gotten lost again, he was eventually found and looking more confident than ever. And Cynthia was looking… well, Anita wasn’t aware how pretty and hot she actually was until now, damn…
The battle was insane. Both of the competitors battled their hardest, both trainers in perfect sync with their Pokémon. They were evenly matched, with so many electrifying clashes and knockouts traded back and forth. Eventually, the finale that everyone expected was here: Leon’s Charizard vs. Cynthia’s Garchomp. Leon went for the Gigantamax pretty quickly, with Charizard’s massive and unique form. Meanwhile Cynthia went for the Mega Evolution, just with… a different form than normal? Apparently it was known as Mega Garchomp Z, though it seemed like most people were shocked by this. Even Selene seemed surprised! With this new Mega form, and careful timing through a late Dynamax, Garchomp ended up with the winning blow after Charizard’s Gigantamax wore off, and the battle was over. Cynthia had won.
The crowd went insane. Everyone cheered so loud, regardless of their allegiances. Even those who wanted Leon to win were happy for such an amazing battle. The gang were all incredibly hyped, with Selene especially going crazy from excitement. It was a wonderful time, and the celebrations lasted for a while into the night. There was even a bet that Rio had to fulfill, eating an incredibly spicy takoyaki that nearly knocked out the other two and the vendor from the aura alone. Somehow, Rio survived his trial.
Eventually, the partying tired everyone out, and they headed back to the hotel. Anita was so ready to sleep after the busy day she’d had. As she fell asleep, her heart was so full from the day. Feeling her cooking spirit return, and all of the amazing times with Rio and Selene, made her happier than ever. She was so excited to see what was next for her and her friends.
Memories of the Mansion
Selene's Interlude
Player Soapy had a solo session in which, that night, Selene returned to the spooky mansion from earlier, unable to break her curiosity of the strange place. You should ask Soapy about this for the full details, it was really amazing to listen in on. But a few broader details:
- Selene had her own heart-wrenching experiences in the mansion, but was fine and did end up returning at some point during the night.
- Anita and Rio were incredibly tired, and slept through Selene’s exit and re-entrance. They were so out of it that even when they got up for things like the restroom, they never realized Selene was actually gone. They had also switched sleeping places by the end of the night, for some reason. ADDITIONALY, the spicy food caused a lot of… stomach issues… for Rio that night.
- Something about Selene’s interactions with the mansion caused Rio and Anita to more clearly remember their time in the mansion.
Anita had a strange sleep that night. Thought it started great, with warm dreams about the previous day, they quickly shifted to terrifying nightmares. A creepy mansion intent on torturing her and her friends, mannequins chasing them, her friends getting taken, fury and fighting and rage… Waking up that morning was a little rough, with the intense memories flooding through her.
Wait, memories?
Oh yeah… that stuff in the mansion did happen, huh.
Rio and Selene woke up as well, and Rio confirmed the same thing as Anita with his own dreams. That mansion was real, and they did go through that. Admittedly Anita was going to just let it slide but Selene piped up, letting the others know that she had returned to the forest that night, and the mansion, from before. She was too curious about what happened, and wanted to explore to see what was really going on. In the process, the spirits within were apparently subdued, and it caused the memories to return to them in full.
Selene was distraught at the realization that her friends remembered such horrible memories. She apologized profusely, feeling incredibly guilty for her curiosity leading to this. Anita and Rio began to let her know that things were ok, just happy that she was safe. Anita wished she’d at least let them know first, but as long as she had made it back, it was alright. Suddenly Rio had to hurry to the restroom after last night, so Anita and Selene went out onto the hotel balcony to let him relieve himself.
Outside, Selene continued apologizing, furious that she couldn’t just leave her curiosity behind. She wished she could keep it locked away, to stop hurting others. Anita tried her best to comfort her, assuring her that her curiosity is wonderful and that it’s good to want to explore these emotions. After all, it was because of following her own curiosity that she was even there in the first place! She made sure to let Selene know how happy she was that she was willing to follow her spirit and curiosity. And even if they had to remember the events from that scary place, that just made things sweeter knowing they were all right and together. Anita couldn’t tell if it was helping, but Selene at least looked calmer. The two stood there for a bit, just watching the sun rise.
Gym Preppies - Selene vs. Milo
Eventually Rio conquered his bathroom trial, and the three decided to get ready for Selene’s big gym battle! Selene headed to the Pokémon Center on her own to start prepping, leaving Rio and Anita to wander. The two went out to get some food, settling on a crepe stand after derailing from more spicy food. The two reminisced a little bit about their first meeting, also with crepes. They were both happy to be back together again, enjoying food and time together.
Somehow there was a stall still open that had a bunch of celebratory fans for sale, which the two purchased from to help them cheer Selene on. They then headed to the stadium, to find good seats and help Rio’s stomach settle some more.
The two learned that they actually could go down to watch Selene on the ground floor, and jumped at the chance to do so! They went down to join Selene where she was getting ready, and she gave them wristbands and special access to watch with much better views. Selene got registered, with her new jersey and everything! With a number of 201, she was ready, and Anita and Rio cheered her on!
Suddenly another guy showed up to register, a large man named Mitch. Mitch was apparently late for his own match, and angrily berated the receptionist before storming off. Rio went to comfort the lady behind the counter, and in the process she learned of Rio and Anita simply coming to watch their friend battle. She then offered to register them for future fights, if they wanted! They were both shocked, but Rio took the offer up without much time to think. Number 071 was ready.
Then the question was pointed to Anita. Now, before, she would have immediately said no, she was in no place to battle, no way. But after the adventures she’d seen in the past few days, things were different. She’d actually battled now. She had a little more of an idea of what’s going on, why you battle, how to battle. Swanna had showed her she may have a chance at this. And after the previous night, she couldn’t help but feel a little more inspired. She accepted, number 007 (this was Skyler’s favorite number). Her friends were shocked, and truth be told, so was she. But, Anita figured she may as well try!
Thus, all three of the gang were scheduled. And first up was Selene the Battle Fanatic.
Battle! Selene vs. Milo
With everything in order, Selene got out onto the field while her friends took their special seats. They were so ready to cheer their friend on with their cool fans and their loud spirits. Maybe too loud, people were very bewildered by them, but no matter. For Selene, it was worth it!
After a little introduction, the battle began. From the outset, Selene was hitting incredibly hard. Her Woobat did more than its fair share of damage, knocking out one Pokémon immediately and sending the other into dangerously low HP, letting Whirlipede get the knockout. Selene’s strategy came into full force, and she looked amazing out there with her team. Anita and Rio cheered hard at every little victory she had, watching their friend take Milo on with style and power. It was incredible to watch!
Then, his Ace, Eldegoss, entered the field. It immediately flattened Selene’s Growlithe with a powerful Leaf Storm, and the vibe shifted a little bit. Anita had faith in her friend though, and sure enough, Whirlipede was able to return to the fight without fear. The battle was fierce, with both sides trading blows (but also constantly benefitting from the Grassy Terrain Milo planted, heightening the stakes). But with determination, Whirlipede held true, dealing lots of damage and staying afloat.
Eventually Milo seemed to halt the fight. Nothing was going on. What happened, was Selene alright???
Soon though, Milo made the announcement: Selene had won his challenge!
Anita and Rio were a mess of yelling and cheering, and Anita slammed into Selene for a hug to celebrate. Selene had done wonderfully, her battle technique was so cool to see, she was awesome! Selene got her badge from Milo, marking her victory.
After some final logistics, the gang left the stadium to get Selene’s Pokémon healed up. At the Pokémon Center they spent more time talking about the battle and how proud Rio and Anita were of Selene’s work. When the Pokémon were all better, Selene treated the gang to lunch, finding a Paldean-themed restaurant that reminded Anita and Rio of home. The gang were able to finally rest up after their exciting morning, all of them beaming with pride at Selene’s victory.
Soon, the next battle would begin. Rio’s turn to take on the Fighting Farmer…
Selene’s Lessons: Battling Milo
Battle! Rio vs. Milo
To be continued…
Anita’s Pokémon
Listed in the order they joined her team
Eevee
Eevee was one of Anita’s family/childhood Pokémon, and her closest partner since she was sent to Blueberry Academy. Eevee’s been through a lot with Anita and has seen her struggles, and just wants to be able to be a friend and confidant for his trainer no matter what. Even if that’s just being a little fluffy bud, he’s there.
Eevee is also the first to try Anita’s cooking, without fail. He’s been there even when her trainer was… inexperienced… in the kitchen, and has been able to help Anita get better and better through his tastes. This has also allowed Eevee to have a pretty sophisticated palate, understanding food and flavors to an unusually high degree.
Eevee’s small stature and speed are useful in battle, though he often uses this more to catch and reach things that Anita is unable to keep up with. He’s often Anita’s extended/third arm around the kitchen, and the two have been able to find a rhythm to their combined work after being together for so long. Eevee is hard working with Anita, though he also really enjoys being lazy and snoozing when he isn’t needed for work. He can often be found napping in Anita’s fluffy hair.
Eevee isn’t against evolution but hasn’t found the right spirit to do so yet (explaining why he isn’t an Espeon or Umbreon, let alone the other ones that require a stone). Maybe he’ll be ready during Anita’s coming adventures, but only time will tell.
Updates made during the campaign
After so much time together, Anita and Eevee have a great rapport and are able to understand each other very well even with a language barrier on Anita’s end. Eevee has a good understanding of theatrics to be able to let Anita know of various things, and has reminded Anita of important information that she forgot on their adventures through pantomime.
Eevee sees himself as the primary tenant of Anita’s hair, getting mad when other Pokémon enter it even by accident. Eevee has also learned how to compartmentalize Anita’s hair, storing treasures like his Torkoal plush very safely within.
Anita made many costumes for Eevee growing up, for various parties and holidays. Eevee was usually fine to go along with the ride, and accepted a variety of looks. Some included Pumpkins and little chefs. There were also some costumes of the various Eeveeloutions, and Eevee was very particular about these.
Combee
During a camping trip, Anita wanted to try using the local fauna to make a sweet treat. She ended up being so successful that she attracted a stray Combee! Anita was happy to let the little bee try her snack, and from that point Combee was more than happy to stay by her side.
Combee is a very silly and jolly Pokémon, happily buzzing around when it’s meal time or when out having fun with the other Pokémon on the team. She’s very good at raising the spirits of the other trainers and Pokémon in the team, whether she’s trying to or not. Though this does mean she’s also pretty slow to notice when things are really wrong, and she has to be calmed down when needed.
Combee has a massive sweet tooth and will try to add sweet flavors to any and every dish. Even if the dish really doesn’t need it… thankfully Eevee keeps a good eye out for any wayward honey or similar ingredients. This does make Combee a wonder at locating more unique flavors in the wild. Always helpful for a sweet treat!
Updates made during the campaign
Combee’s silliness translates to her battle style, where she commonly adds theatrics into her moves. She will play up attacks as bits, such as Bug-Biting in more comical fashions ala old cartoons.
Lillipup
One night, when closing up the restaurant, Anita found a Lillipup rummaging through the trash for scraps. Seeing he was really hungry, she decided to give him the leftovers she was going to take home. The Lillipup was incredibly grateful for the meal! While eating, Anita decided to take the Lillipup home with her, and he ended up officially joining her team!
Anita quickly noticed that Lillipup’s nose was incredibly powerful, and he became great at locating specific ingredients while out in nature. He’s also keen at noticing irregularities, like when food is spoiling. His little nose has been incredibly lifesaving while on the road, and he’s happy to help.
Along with his nose, Lillipup as a whole is a very cautious Pokémon. He tends to stick closer to Anita when not asked to do things, and even then tends to make sure she’s within line of sight. He is happy to act as Anita’s guard when needed, to make sure that both himself and her are safe. That said, when he’s totally sure everything’s safe, or when Anita is nearby, he’s able to, finally, relax a little.
Swanna
- Started the campaign as Ducklett
Ducklett and Anita had a rough first meeting, where the former initially swooped down to steal the latter’s groceries after a shopping trip. While Anita was outran (outflew, I guess), Eevee managed to cunningly catch up to her and stop her, retrieving Anita’s goodies. Ducklett then made a second attempt to grab her groceries…
This time, though, Anita was more prepared to take a stand. Instead of a battle, however, she somehow convinced Ducklett to wait and see what the food was going to be used for before it got stolen again. The Ducklett cautiously followed Anita home, and after a meal she was happy to stick around and join Anita’s team.
Ducklett continued to be a rowdy little Pokémon, but she channeled that energy into helping keep Anita safe. She acted as a primary battler for Anita, and would more often be happier to start fights over other solutions to problems. This also includes the party, where she has started squabbles on a few locations. (Often, she’d steal a few bites from the others’ food…)
Updates made during the campaign
After evolving, Swanna’s bravery evolved as well. The dire circumstances of her evolution, during the battle with the Garbodor Bully, led to her better understanding Anita’s true heart and fear of failure. Her fighting spirit has mostly moved past petty squabbles, as her new grace has led to a more mature demeanor. She now wants to guard Anita’s heart from her own self-doubts, showing her that she is more than capable of finding her way even when things look grim.
Swanna’s grace has also manifested in her movements, as she moves in a more dancelike fashion whenever she can. Even her waddling seems more graceful, and she loves showing her new moves off whenever she can.
Her new grace hasn’t stopped her from at least being a little mischievous, and she’s happy to pull little tricks for fun. She just… doesn’t steal snacks anymore like before.
Pokémon from this point on were caught during the campaign
Tynamo
During the raid on Team Stygian’s Turffield hideout, Anita obtained Tynamo’s Poké Ball off of a Stygian Grunt, assuming it was stolen. She then, somehow, forgot that she was holding it, only realizing it the next morning when getting her other Pokémon out for breakfast. Further investigation showed that Tynamo actually wasn’t stolen, being a captured (but unregistered) Pokémon from said grunt.
Anita decided to keep Tynamo, deciding that she’d be better off with her team than with the Pokémon Rangers. Rio also noted that Tynamo would probably be better off with her than her original grunt owner. Anita has at least decided to keep an eye out for Tynamo’s original owner, though confident in giving her a good home and team if that never comes to pass.
Tynamo is a curious and excitable little Pokémon, always ready to investigate new findings. She often does this with taste, choosing to nibble on new discoveries more often than anything else. This also includes peoples’ fingers, which she sometimes has to be removed from.
Sprigatito
Sprigatito originally appeared to Anita outside of Turffield, simply wanting to play. While Anita quickly became attached to the little cat and wanted to add it to her team, the usual peaceful methods didn’t really work as intended. Instead, a misunderstanding led to a quarrel with Eevee, and eventually a Pokémon battle. Anita managed to battle and catch Sprigatito, making him Anita’s first Pokémon actually caught through this method.
Sprigatito has just joined the team, and is still getting used to Anita and her friends, Pokémon or human. Not used to a Pokémon caught this way, Anita is doing all she can to show him that he’s a loved member of her party as much as anyone else. He at least seems content, and is enjoying her snacks!
Munchlax
After the Pichu rescue, the gang had a picnic around some local Pokémon. Anita was determined to try and battle again, to catch another Pokémon for friendship and culinary research. A Munchlax caught her eye, and she triumphantly called it to battle. The Munchlax simply walked up to her and began trying to grab for her snack-laden bags. She realized what it wanted and decided to go back to her usual plan: convince it to join with food.
Anita gave him some food, and her offer: more food IF he joined her in her culinary research. She confidently held out a Poke ball as part of the offer. He then… ate the Poke ball, catching himself in the process.
Anita’s still trying to process if this was done intentionally or if he was just blindly driven by food. She’s also still trying to figure out how smart in general he is, and how much he just… wants more food. Regardless, she’s excited to cook for him and see what she can learn!