Tia and Aidan meet again and give each other gifts.
“It’s nice to see you again,” Tia said, smiling.
“Same,” Aidan answered.
They were on Nugget Bridge, staring out at a forbidding-looking cave just on the outskirts of Cerulean City.
“That’s where we’re going?” Tia asked, pointing out the cave.
Aidan nodded. “Cerulean Cave. Also known as the Unknown Dungeon. It’s notorious for having high-level Pokemon and is closed to the public. You’d have to get special permission to go in.”
“And how did we get permission to go in?” Tia asked, skeptically.
“You need to have at least 8 Gym Badges to enter-”
“And you do?”
“Uh… yes, actually I do,” Aidan answered sheepishly. “Or you need to have the recommendation of a Pokemon Professor and at least one Pokemon at level 60.”
Tia nodded. “I see.”
They stared at each other for a moment, until Tia tore her gaze away.
“I found something while shopping the other day,” she said hastily, pulling a small box out of her pack, “It made me think of you immediately!”
Aidan opened the box to find a large purple stone sitting inside. “This is…”
“It’s called a Dusk Stone,” Tia said, “It’s supposed to evolve certain Pokemon that are Dark or Ghost type. For you, who trains Dark types and investigates all sorts of mysterious things, I figured it would come in handy.”
Aidan nodded, closing the box. “Thanks.” He put down his pack and carefully slipped the box inside. “Actually, I have something for you, too,” he said, pulling out another box and handing it to her.
Tia opened the box, to find a bundle of 20-30 pink and purple Poke Balls stashed inside. She looked up at Aidan, questioningly.
“They’re called Dream Balls,” Aiden said, answering her unspoken question. “There was a rumor a few years ago that these Balls would appear for people who dreamed about a certain forest filled with Pokemon. Then, recently, I heard that they were actually for sale in certain shops in Galar.” He chuckled. “I’m not sure if I believe the part about them appearing in dreams, but the part about Galarian shops selling them was true.”
“You ordered some for me?” Tia said, excitedly, “Thank you!”
Aidan smiled. “You’re welcome. According to the shop, they work the best when used on Pokemon that are sleeping.”
“I wonder if we’ll find any sleeping Pokemon in Cerulean Cave,” Tia said, putting the box of Dream Balls away. “I hope we won’t find any… uh…”
“Any what?” Aidan asked.
Tia side-eyed to the left and the right, then looked straight at him. “Bats,” she whispered.
Aidan laughed. “You’re afraid of bats?”
“It’s not funny!” Tia retorted, “I really am afraid of them. The flapping in the dark, the squeaks, the fangs…”
“All right. I’ll let you know if I see any bats in there,” Aidan answered, smiling.
“Or just show me where they are and I’ll throw these at them,” Tia said, holding up a handful of Luxury Balls. “I’d rather catch them and not have to see them, than have to run away from them!”
Aidan laughed again. “All right.” He shouldered his pack. “Are you ready to go?”
Tia looked back across the water at the entrance to the cave, then nodded. “Yeah.”