Inside Dante's bedroom, a cream-colored Pokemon with a large jaw on its head, and a blue-black canine Pokemon suddenly appeared.
"Mawile?" (Hmm, is this the other world?)
Mawile and Riolu rubbed their eyes, reorienting themselves from the sudden location change. When they entered the sleeping quarters, the two were told that they would be going to a secret space of their team and not to panic.
"That's right. Welcome to the human world, Mawile, Riolu."
The two Pokemon turned around in vigilance after hearing the strange voice, only to be met with the amused gaze of a two-legged Pokemon.
"Azu-marill." (Don't worry, you two. That's just Dante in his human form.)
"Ursa!" (Yeah! It's still Dad.)
"Pika pika." (Hehe, I have the camera ready.)
Hearing the three, no, their two partners' reassurance, Mawile and Riolu dubiously looked at the white-haired teenager. Mawile was the first to step forward, her nose turned upward as she walked over and sniffed.
"Mawile!" (It's really Dan! Oh no, how could I have not recognized you!)
Mawile wailed, rushing and squeezing Dante's chest. Dante grimaced as the bed's headboard creaked with Mawile's movement.
Riolu suppressed the urge to complain after seeing her actions. That's too fake, sis.
He closely examined the supposed 'Dante' who was patting his sister's head. Noticing the familiar white and red hair, Riolu tentatively believed it was really their team leader.
"Riolu?" (Gramps said humans have disappeared in the past. Did you escape to a different world?)
Riolu asked while feeling uncomfortable standing at the soft and springy thing at his feet.
"Hmm, how should I explain this? Humans from this world are different from the ones in your world. I think they don't even know the existence of your world. In my case, I gained the ability to travel to your world only months ago."
Dante told them how he had always been human. And it was only recently he found himself transformed into a Pokemon when he gained the ability to travel worlds.
"So Mawile, as you can see, I'm really a human. Therefore, while I'm flattered about your feelings, I'm afraid I won't be able to reciprocate it."
Mawile had been enjoying the feeling of Dante patting her head while listening to his story. When he suddenly told her this, she was caught a little off guard.
"Mawile?" (Why? Can't humans and Pokemon be together?)
Mawile tilted her head upwards and looked at Dante. Noticing the tears forming in the corner of her eyes, he patted her head again and continued softly.
"It's because of a difference in aesthetic. I can't see Pokemon as a potential romantic partner."
When Dante said this, he had a thought. Would the humans from the previous world consider his words as racist?
He wasn't given time to think further about it as Mawile smiled and buried her face in his chest.
"Ma~wile!" (It's fine then~ If that's the reason, I'll just make you see my womanly charm!)
Her voice was filled with confidence as she said those words to Dante.
Dante's mouth opened and closed several times. Looking at this stubborn Pokemon, he didn't know what else to say. Isn't his rejection clear enough?
In the end, he just helplessly shook his head and continued to pat Mawile's surprisingly smooth head. If she still wants to try after all that, then who is he to stop her? And at least in this way, their team will remain stable.
He just hoped she wouldn't go crazy after learning he had a girlfriend. Well, she had no special reaction to Teddiursa calling him Dad back then, so maybe she doesn't care about exclusivity?
Since the confession problem had been resolved, Dante and his team teleported back to the PMD world. After doing basic tasks and collecting gummies, they returned to this world to sleep. Here, Dante encountered another problem.
Normally, whenever Shinobu is not visiting, he and his Pokemon would sleep together on the ultra-wide bed that he bought. Even with Ursaring's large size, they had no problem fitting in. However, the problem comes from Mawile.
He looked at said Pokemon who was sneakily glancing at him from time to time. In the PMD world, although they slept in a single room, there was a separate haystack for each of them. But here, Dante was a little worried that she wouldn't be able to control herself and attack him while he was sleeping.
Oh, he's stronger than her, never mind then.
"Come on, let's sleep. I'll introduce you two to my friends tomorrow and take you to see this world."
Mawile wasted no time to snuggle in Dante's arms after seeing him lie down on the bed. Ursaring had a sad look in his eyes when he saw this.
That was his previous position. It was a pity that after evolving, he couldn't fit in his Dad's arms anymore. He could only crawl and lay down on his stomach behind Dante. The rest followed suit, sleeping in various positions on the bed.
"Good night, everyone."
…
Waking up, Dante shook off Mawile who had used her jaw to clamp his arms in her sleep. It would seem he had been worrying too much, she still knew what not to do.
After getting ready, Dante led Mawile and Riolu around his current dorm. Here, he and his team introduced the basic appliances to the newcomers.
"Pikachu!" (Behold! The sacred mirror to another dimension. With the universal controller, one can command it to move through the universe!)
With a click of the remote control, the TV turned on to show a scene of a Gardevoir crying as she watched a Bisharp fight against a group of Galarian Linoone.
"Riolu!" (Whoa! He's so cool!)
Riolu's eyes lit up when he saw Bisharp's movement. Slicing and dicing through the battlefield, dodging the claws of the Linoones and counter-attacking them. Just as Bisharp was about to take down everyone, an Obstagoon arrived with Gardevoir in his arms.
"Rio!?"(What!?)
Riolu bared his teeth when he heard the Obstagoon mocking Bisharp, telling him to kneel on the ground or he'd hurt Gardevoir. The blue canine Pokemon ran towards the screen. He planned to jump into the 'portal' and help Bisharp when Pikachu bolted in front of him.
"Pika pika pi!"
Under Pikachu's frantic explanation, Riolu finally learned that this was the same thing as the moving images in Pikachu's phone, just larger. It was not the so-called mirror to another dimension.
Seeing that he finally understood, Pikachu breathed a sigh of relief. If the TV broke, he would have to wait a few days for the replacement.
Next, they visited the kitchen and the dining room. When they came to the guest rooms, Azumarill and Ursaring introduced their gaming setup as well as their personal items.
"Mawile." (Why are your things in here? Don't we all sleep in Dan's bed?)
"Ursa." (It's for when Mom sleeps over.)
"Ma?" (Mom?)
Mawile's eyebrows raised. She looked at Dante, her eyes conveying her curiosity.
"She's my lover. Every weekend, she comes and stays with us. Don't worry, I'll introduce her later."
Mawile's open mouth closed after hearing the latter part of the sentence. She nodded seriously and began to tidy herself up.
After they finished touring the house, Dante decided to take his team to have breakfast in the school's cafeteria. There's still an hour before class starts. He planned to give them a brief tour of the school after eating.
But on their way, they encountered two, familiar sisters.
"Hey Dan! Are you also- oh my!"
A streak of white and blue zoomed past in front of him, leaving with it the fresh scent of vanilla. He turned around, seeing Furina squatting in front of the vigilant Mawile.
"She's so adorableee! When did you get her, Dan?"
Watching Mawile get glomped, Dante chuckled.
"I haven't technically caught her yet. However, I do plan for her and Riolu to be my next two Pokemon."
"Riolu?"
Furina looked up, searching for said Pokemon. There, she found him standing beside Ursaring.
"When did you get these two Pokemon? Especially Riolu, such a unique species?"
Focalors strolled over and stood beside Dante. The two watched as Furina tried communicating with the wary blue canine.
"To be accurate, instead of me finding them, it was them who looked for me. They want to become strong, and it seems they heard that I'm the strongest Trainer around."
"Hmm, really? But you only have two Badges. You'll need two more if you wish to officially include them in your team."
"Haha, don't worry. I plan to challenge the Gym after the Ranking battles. I've already set an appointment."
—
At the Normal-type Gym in San Fernando City, Central Luzon
"Hey, Dad. What's up?"
In the office of the Normal-type Gym, a tall, lean, middle-aged man with short black hair with a single fringe at the center with three edges and dark eyes held a phone to his ears.
"May, I remember you said you wanted to meet the Trainer named Dante, right?"
"Hmm. I want to ask how he trained his Pikachu and Azumarill to be so strong. Why'd you ask, Dad?"
"Haha, come stop by the Gym next weekend. He'd be coming by then."
"Really!? Wait, did he issue a challenge?"
"Yeah. With his fame, I'm sure most people would come to watch. Make sure to cheer for your old man then, yeah?"
After talking with his daughter for a few more minutes, he finally hung up the phone. He looked past the window towards the Gym's training ground where a Slaking was bench pressing more than a ton of iron weights.
"Partner, a worthy challenger has appeared. It's time you get to stretch your muscles again."