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Beau knew when it was time to get going. And the second the Claydol arrived while he was busying himself with returning his tow Pokemon to their Pokeballs, the going suddenly looked good. Giving a wave to the ranger, Beau would dive towards the Claydol as he hoped they would be teleporting away. "Sorry about the mountain. hopeitallworksoutkthanksbye!" He shouted, pink energy enveloping him as he disappeared.

[Two days after the encounter with the Open Sky Titan.]

The Snagems would spend the day after the fight with the giant Bombirdier to rest, at Sub's insistence. With two Herba Mystica acquired, both in Aile's possession, the Snagems could now confirm the authenticity of the most of the Violet Book. There was one problem though; the book only detailed one more Titan Pokemon and barely hinted at the fourth, something in the desert. Anything else would be found in the companion volume, the Scarlet Book which was still lost.

Regardless Freth would discern from the book that the next Titan Pokemon should be located somewhere in the wastes of Area Three of the East Province. The book refers to it as the Lurking Steel Pokemon, describing its nature of traveling from one location to another, hiding away somehow in spite of its size, making locating it difficult. What was strange about this however, according to Arven, was this particular location is heavily mined so it would be shocking that no one had located the giant Pokemon already.

For now though Sub had instructed only three of the Snagems to go seek out the Lurking Steel Pokemon, wanting the others to continue to rest and, especially Freth, see if they can't uncover any clues as to where the Scarlet Book and Ms. Raifort are. There was still the question as to where she got off to.

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Aile, Sol, Brian, and Arven were sent to locate the Lurking Steel Pokemon. Arven would be their local guide and Brian assigned to make sure he was safe, not wanting another incident as like what happened with the Titan Klawf. Aile would be especially helpful in this landscape and how the Titan is assumed to live underground, not only that but her Ursaluna now had a nose for sniffing out the Herba Mystica. Then we have Sol who is also helpful in knowing the local landscape but also a powerful hybrid, much needed muscle. Plus if the book's nickname for the Titan was accurate, 'Lurking Steel', then Aile, Brian and Sol were perfect for this encounter, their type expertise all Super Effective to the Steel type.

Now finding themselves standing in front of the Zapapico Pokemon Center the quartet were ready to set out into the wastes, to track down the illusive Lurking Steel Pokemon. Unfortunately they have no idea where in the wastes the Titan could be and this area was rather large so they would be relying heavily on Ursaluna possibly picking up the scent of the Herba Mystica or Aile maybe even sensing a large underground presence, provided it does indeed travel underground though now looking at the wastes in such a largely empty expanse it had to live underground, someone could have easily seen it by now if it were out in the open with zero tree coverage.

Shortly after getting back from the hunt for the Bitter Herba Mystica:

"So... What exactly is going on here?"

"Just come back to HQ for right now and I'll explain as best I can..."

Odd had received an unexpected call from Lykas as he was returning to his dorm room and it sounded like the hybrid was panicking about something. He'd already had his team healed up at the Pokemon Center by the time his SNAG went off, thankfully, so he was ready to jump back home with relative ease at any time and so he called for Claydol to let Glissando rest some more after the mess of a battle he'd gotten into on the mountainside with all those blasted birds.

It didn't take as long as he'd expected for Lykas to calm Odd down once he had arrived but the Channeler appeared to be a bit shellshocked. "How... How exactly did this happen, again?" Odd asked, sitting on the couch and staring at the small creature before him. "Creature" was a bit impersonal and, admittedly, a bit rude, he realized as Lykas took a breath and began to repeat himself for the third time.

"Remember that promise Sub made to Countess Pump to get her to come help back during the Battle for Black City?" The hybrid asked.

"Yeah... He promised he'd make sure she was given an heir within a year, right?" Odd replied, recalling how upset Sub had sounded over the idea at the time. He'd assumed Sub would find some random orphan after the war was over and take them to be adopted but this? It had never crossed his radar as a possible outcome of it.

"Well... She decided Sub was taking too long and decided she wanted me to keep that promise for him right after I got knocked out of the World Tournament back in Galar last year." Lykas explained. "I told her to make sure Sub knew what was going on but I guess he either never got the message or forgot to pass that along to you. I assumed you were caught up on it all since you never brought it up and it never bothered me so I never thought about it afterward to say anything, myself."

"No, I get all that and honestly, that doesn't bother me. You're you and I'm not upset with you or even Sub for anything. I'm just... confuse, I guess?" Odd replied, standing up and running his fingers through his hair as he tried to organize his thoughts.

"That makes two of us, then..." Lykas remarked, closing the distance between the pair and hugging Odd closely. "I'm still not sure why she even bothered to say anything to me in the first place but when I heard the way she spoke about it, I couldn't just leave..." He explained.

"What do you mean?" Odd asked, hands on Lykas' upper arms as he held him at arms' length and stared into his lilac eyes.

"Apparently she had two. This one doesn't seem to have a knack for the Ghost-type and that's all she cared about. Called it useless, even..." Lykas explained, turning away from Odd as he bent down to the small being. "I couldn't let someone who would talk about one that way get away with it but I was worried if I tried to do anything in the moment, she'd have hurt it or something...."

"So...she just saw the other one as a prize and this one as some kind of trash she could just throw away? That's disgusting..." Odd replied, kneeling beside Lykas and looking at the small being more closely. "So we're going to take care of it from now on?" He asked, sounding a bit concerned as he did.

"If you're okay with that?" Lykas replied quietly. "I was so upset at the time, I didn't stop to think how you might feel about it before I took her and left." He admitted.

"I can't say I'm not...worried. Apprehensive? Terrified of the very idea, even." Odd replied, swallowing hard toward the end of it but continuing afterward. "But I can't say I never wondered if we might do this someday. I just never thought this would be how it happened." Hadmitted, a small chuckle escaping him as he did. "So... What's her name?"

Lykas reached out for the small being and lifted her into his arms as he spoke. "According to Pump, she was at least kind enough to give her one. It's Libelle. Libelle Fenrrall, apparently."

"She even gave her your surname?" Odd asked as he held his hand out in front of Libelle and wiggled his finger, giggling as her tiny hands reached and grabbed at it, the infant cooing as she did.

"Apparently so. Seems she could already sense the Ghost affinity her brother had within hours of their birth but Libelle still showed no signs after several months and that's when she contacted me and basically dumped her on me so she didn't have to be bothered." Lykas responded, gently bouncing the baby as she played with Odd's fingers.

"Well... I can't say it's not going to be weird for a while but... I'm actually glad she did." Odd replied with a gentle smile. "Are we really ready for this, though? We're barely in our twenties and we work for an international strike force for containing bioweapons, basically. Is this the best environment for a baby?"

"Are we ready for fatherhood? Absolutely not but from what I hear almost nobody ever is, even when they planned it." Lykas laughed. "As for the environment? Snagem may be chaotic and our work might be dangerous but can you honestly tell me she'd be safer growing up around anyone else? We have some of the strongest hybrids and channelers in the world as best friends and chosen family and we all live together. Plus, didn't Ter and Keiko have a kid not too long ago? She'll have other kids to play with as she grows up, too, I'm sure. I imagine Blizz and Freth will end up with baby birds eventually but with Tristen taking up a lot of Blizz's attention, that might still be way off for them." The hybrid continued, laughing a bit more the more he thought about it. "Besides, you don't only do Snagem work and both her dads are super strong in their own rights."

Odd couldn't help but pause as Lykas called them Libelle's 'dads' but immediately began to grin like an idiot."Yeah... Yeah they are." He agreed quietly, taking the infant in his arms properly at last. "Then... Why don't you come back to Mesagoza for now? We'll get you a room at a local hotel or something so I can see you both easier and still go to class?" He offered. "I still want to continue this school thing for now but I definitely want you nearby while I do, now even more than before."

"I guess that's fair..." Lykas replied. "Let's go. I'll have to look around and find a place with space to set up a crib for her, at least, before I say we will for sure so it might take a day or two before I can tell you where to find us, though."

Odd nodded. "That makes sense. I need to get back to the school before they notice I'm gone so let me know as soon as you find somewhere in town and I'll come help out if you need anything at all to get settled in."

Lykas nodded. "Got it. I don't want to keep you if you're actually enjoying it there so go on back to class. I'll keep in touch." The hybrid assured, offering his partner a kiss as he took the baby they had been saddled with back from Odd and sent him on his way back to Paldea for the time.

Arriving back at the school a while later, Odd made his way back to his dorm room and crashed into the bed for a bit. This was an unexpected turn in life to put it as nicely as he could and he was already exhausted just thinking about what it meant for the future.

Those two days of rest were quite revitalizing for Brian and his team. He was able to work with a few of his team on new moves, and he'd noticed that Randy had been using a move that looked a bit like Drill Run, but had much more power behind it, and instead of his whole body, only his tail moved.. What in the world was that move? It didn't look like a Ground-type move, but if it wasn't, then what type of move was it? He shook his head, deciding to think more on it after they'd dealt with their next titan.

Arriving at the designated location, Brian couldn't help but wonder what in the world they could be mining here. Was it precious metals, or something else? He wasn't really concerned with finding out, however, as they had a different task at the moment. Hearing Aile ask about ideas to get going, he shrugged. "We could always try and see if there are any anomalies in the area that shouldn't be here," he suggested. "I mean, a hulking great Titan should be easy to spot, right? Unless it's underground, of course."

"The boom in the what now?" Sol asked, such information being news to him and making him stop for a moment. Freth did remark about Blizzard running into something that sounded like it'd be related... and something Tsuki talked about too. Were those crystals and orbs why the shift in stance surrounding it? "You mind elaborating while we search? Another of the students mentioned some Terastalization thing, but he didn't know a ton on it. One of our own did run into someone else at the Academy using something to cause it, too... I've had rare run-ins in my younger days as well, but back then, the advice was to avoid them out of safety. Admittedly, I'd meant to ask the Director about it, but the chance hasn't arisen."

Much as he looked around, he wasn't able to make the kind of headway Aile might be able to. He kept an eye as her Ursaluna sniffed around, waiting to see if anything might be noticed that he and the others wouldn't.

Brian gaped at Arven for a moment. "What are Tera Orbs?" he asked. "Are they anything like Mega Evolution?" He didn't think it was, but anything was possible. Hearing something about a Pokemon called Orthworm had him tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Seems kind of like Onix in that regard," he said. "They love to take over old mining areas, especially in the mountains." Seeing Aile and Dega starting to head off, he followed, making sure that Arven wasn't too far away, as he was their guide and it wouldn't do to leave him behind.

Brian didn't think Tera Orbs really were like Mega Evolution, and hearing Arven's explanation had him tapping his chin thoughtfully. "How would one go about getting such a thing?" he asked. "Are they available to the public, or are only a select few allowed to use them?" As they moved, he noticed an abundance of wild Pokemon, not just ones he recognized, like Growlithe and Diglet, but also one that was relatively new to him, Orthworm. Seeing it, even at a distance, made him remember the one that he'd seen with Monique, and he wondered just how many of the steel snakes were there. Seeing Voltorb here made him wonder just how long this area had been like this, but he wasn't able to focus on that, because right when he was trying to flatten his hair, which was standing on end from the Voltorb's static, something slammed into his back, making him stumble forward. Luckily, he managed to catch himself before he could lose his balance, but when he turned to see what had hit him, he wasn't expecting to see a small, blue Pokemon standing there, growling up at him.

"I'm guessing ye want a battle," he said, looking the Bagon up and down. This one was feisty if it had the gall to attack a human head-on like it had done. The Bagon, hearing his question, let out a cry of affirmation, almost dancing in place. Brian smiled, then pullout a Pokeball and was about to toss it when another one popped open, revealing Randy. Surprised that the Dunsparce wanted to battle, he put the ball in his hand back on his belt and decided to let it go. "Alright, Randy, Dig," he ordered, just as the Bagon released a Flamethrower. Wait, this little one already knows Flamethrower? he thought. This was a luckier find that he'd originally thought, since normally the Bagon line didn't learn that move until they were already Shelgon.

Bagon let out a cry of frustration as it saw its attack miss, but it couldn't get out of the way quick enough to dodge the Dig it was hit with, throwing it back as Randy reappeared in front of Brian. Seeing the yellow and blue Normal-type above ground, Bagon used Scary Face, and Randy flinched a bit as his speed was lowered. He wasn't exactly fast to begin with, but now Bagon would be able to move before he could, unless he had priority moves he could use. Seeing the Dunsparce as a sitting target, Bagon leaped forward with its head glowing pink, and Brian recognized the move as Zen Headbutt. Thinking quickly, he called out another move. "Dragon Rush, stop its momentum!" Randy gave a slight nod and enveloped his body with the blue energy of Dragon Rush, leaping forward to meet Bagon's charge head-on. The two attacks met in a rush of wind, and for a moment, it looked like Bagon would win, but at the last second, Randy pushed through, hitting Bagon with the super-effective attack and sending it flying. It hit the ground hard, winding it, and laid there for a few minutes to catch its breath before it got back to its feet, clearly hurt from the Dragon Rush.

"Give up, Bagon," Brian said, gaining the Dragon-type's attention. "That last attack was a critical one, and ye're hurt. It won't take much more to knock ye out. Quit while ye're ahead." He'd been hoping that Bagon would see the sense in his words, but instead, he seemed to anger it further. Instead of giving up, as he'd suggested, the Dragon-type decided not to listen, and its eyes turned red as it attacked recklessly, indicating it was using Outrage. Brian sighed; he'd been hoping to end the battle quickly, but it seemed Bagon had other ideas. Now he had to deal with this; hopefully it would end quickly. He didn't bother giving Randy orders; the Dunsparce had disappeared underground as soon as Bagon started attacking. Bagon didn't seem to realize this, but when Randy appeared and fired off an Ancient Power before disappearing underground again, Bagon let out a cry of pain and anger. It took a few minutes for the Outrage to finally subside, and when it did, Brian knew this was his chance. Taking an empty Pokeball from his bag, he lobbed it at the now confused Dragon-type, the ball sucking it inside in a flash of red light. The ball fell to the ground and wobbled for what seemed like an eternity before it finally clicked and fell still.

Giving a slight sigh, Brian walked forward and picked up his new Bagon's Pokeball, wondering just what he was going to do with the spirited Dragon-type. He'd never trained a Dragon-type before, and he honestly wasn't sure at first if he wanted to keep it. As he thought about this, however, he knew that if he wanted to be a good Pokemon breeder, he had to be accustomed to working with Pokemon of all types. So for now, he would keep the Bagon; he would work up a name and a training regime for her later. Right now, he needed to get back to the group.

When he returned to the others, he saw Arven trying to tame his frizzy hair, and he chuckled at the sight, knowing his own hair was still standing on end. "We'll get it fixed once we're done here," he said. "I've got a special spray that I use for things like this in my bag." As he was talking, he was unaware of the situation they were about to be in, but noticed Dagobah stopped in front of a wall. Had it picked up on the scent of the Herba Mystica? Wait, was it behind that wall? If that was the case, how were they going to get to it without potentially risking destroying it? A thought struck him, and he was about to reach for Lu's ball to have her tunnel in behind the rock wall when her ball suddenly opened on its own, revealing the Lucario standing there staring at the ground. She was growling slightly, and Brian had to wonder just what she could sense. Was she picking up on something underground? "Lu, what is it?" he asked. The Lucario ignored him for the moment, an Aura Sphere forming in her paws as she readied it to throw once whatever was underground made its presence known.

Odd had received a call from Lykas early in the day and was currently helping him set up a crib in a hotel room somewhere in Mesagoza when both their SNAGs went off, strangely. GRAY must not have gotten the message that Lykas had abandoned classes at this point. "Sounds like this is a Snagem job and not a school assignment." Odd muttered as he put his SNAG away afterward. "I know you don't want anything to do with classwork on this lot but do you think you'd be able to help us out? I'm pretty sure having an almost-fully-actualized Water Master on the job would be a lot more helpful than a half-baked Ghost Sage." Odd asked, grabbing a screwdriver as he did. "I'll keep working on this and try to come join you as soon as I can get it finished and figure out who can watch her for us."

"I can't exactly turn down a request like that after dumping this lifelong task on you, can ?" Lykas asked with a laugh, standing up and stretching out as he did. He walked over to the bed and lifted the sleeping Libelle into his arms, giving her a warm hug and a small kiss on her forehead before laying her back down. "I have another reason to care about doing things that matter now, anyway. Can't agree to take care of her and then let the world go to shyte just because I want to be lazy." He admitted with a small laugh. Pulling his SNAG out of his pocket, he signalled for Claydol to come pick him up for the job. Upon the clay doll Pokemon's arrival, he gave a quick explanation that he would be going in Odd's place and was swiftly whisked away to Casseroya Lake.

Upon arrival with the others, he looked around, offered a small wave and then looked out over the lake to find the scene of a massive fish attempting to reach a purple-haired woman of indeterminate age it had managed to trap on a tiny island. "Odd'll be along later, when he finds a babysitter. I'll explain later." He announced as he considered options.. "Never seen a lake this big before. Or a Whiscash quite that size, either." He remarked as he dropped a Pokeball and released Furor, his Gyarados. "Down there! We're in a hurry!" He directed, pointing her to where he needed her to carry him off to.

"If anyone else is coming, best be quick and climb on. Furor doesn't like to wait." He announced as he jumped onto her back and secured himself in place with his tentacles. After a short moment to allow anyone else who needed a ride onto her back, Furor would throw herself into the air with a mighty whip of her tail and begin an undulating, glide toward the water at just under a complete freefall. "I've got something in mind when we get down there if no one else has a plan. I doubt anyone's going to like it, though." The hybrid announced to anyone who had come along"