Grandma Wilma

"Oh? You know me, kid?"

'Of course! The woman who teaches Draco Meteor for free!'

"Yes! You're Grandma Wilma! I hear people in town talk about you all the time," Allen said without the slightest hint of embarrassment as he lied.

Grandma Wilma only smiled at this. Since when did the townspeople talk about her? But she didn't expose him. He was probably just one of the kids from someone she knew.

She turned toward the swarm of Dustox in the sky, but rather than attacking or driving them away, she simply observed them. Then, with a wise and knowing smile, she chose to share her wisdom with the two children beside her.

"It's because the seasons are changing," Grandma Wilma explained. "Dustox always pass through Celestic Town around this time of year. Sometimes, they just fly by, but other times, they stay for a while. Hopefully, this group is just passing through. But if they don't, we'll need help from the Pokémon Association again."

"Why?" Cynthia blinked a few times, her nose scrunching up in doubt.

Grandma Wilma smiled at her cute expression.

"If they stay too long, the ground could have a problem," she said gently. "You see, Dustox lay eggs, and those eggs hatch into Wurmple. If they hatch around this time, it's not too bad because the little Wurmple are still sleeping. But when winter ends and they wake up, they get really, really hungry! And guess what they love to eat?"

Cynthia blinked. "Um… leaves?"

"That's right! But not just any leaves—your family crops! If too many Wurmple hatch at once, they could eat all the plants in the fields, and then we wouldn't have enough food to grow."

'But my family doesn't have crops...' Cynthia was confused and was about to ask, but Allen beat her to it.

"Grandma Wilma, aren't Dustox native to Hoenn? Why is there a Dustox swarm here now?"

"That doesn't mean they can't be seen elsewhere. Pokémon have ways of traveling far beyond their native regions. Some follow food sources, some migrate with changing climates, and others are carried by strong winds. Some are also part of recovery efforts."

"Recovery efforts?" Allen was taken aback.

"Uhm, a long time ago, when there was a natural disaster in Celestic Town, one of the efforts to restore the environment included relocating and reintroducing Pokémon that were essential to the ecosystem. Wurmple was one of them."

'Ah, so it's about introducing Pokémon from one region into another.'

Cynthia was confused by their conversation but her attention quickly was drawn to the sky.

The Dustox swarm moved as one. Some flapped gently, their wings scattering a faint, glittering dust into the air, while others glided effortlessly, riding the currents that carried them forward. The air felt alive with the quiet hum of their wings, a soft, rhythmic whisper that filled the night.

Then, as if answering an unspoken call, the entire swarm shifted at once—turning in a wave of iridescent green and violet, flowing through the sky like a ribbon of light. It was mesmerizing, a sight that felt both magical and mysterious, as if nature itself was painting the night with living brushstrokes.

Cynthia watched in awe, her earlier confusion forgotten. She had never seen anything like this before. Even Allen, who was usually full of questions, stood silent, his eyes reflecting the glowing wings above.

The Dustox were passing through, carried by the wind, moving toward a place only they knew. Soon, a hush fell between them as the last of the Dustox disappeared beyond the treetops, their glowing wings fading into the night.

"That was..." Allen voice barely above a whisper.

"Beautiful," Cynthia finished for him, her gaze still lingering on the sky.

For a moment, neither of them moved, as if afraid to break the lingering magic of what they had just witnessed—until Grandma Wilma's voice snapped them back to reality.

"This is bad..." she muttered.

Both Allen and Cynthia turned to look at her, but Grandma Wilma was only glancing around, scanning their surroundings as if searching for something, completely ignoring them.

Usually, when Dustox appeared, other Pokémon would either hide or at least keep their distance, since the dust scattered from their flapping wings could be bothersome.

But now, something was off. The usual Pokémon had yet to return, as if still wary of something unseen. And then—Grandma Wilma's nose scrunched slightly as a new scent reached her.

"Pheromones..." she uttered, her expression darkening.

"Grandma?" Cynthia asked worriedly.

Grandma Wilma simply smiled at her concern but was kind enough to offer an explanation. "Do you smell anything?"

Cynthia wrinkled her nose and took a deep breath, but she couldn't detect anything. She could only give Grandma Wilma a confused look.

Seeing this, the old woman chuckled. "That's not surprising," she said gently. "Pheromones don't have a distinct 'smell' like normal scents. But for those with experience, there's always a subtle trace—something earthy, musky, or faintly sweet, depending on the Pokémon that released it."

She glanced around thoughtfully before continuing, "If it's from Dustox, it might carry a powdery, slightly sweet scent. But if it's from Beautifly, it tends to have a more delicate, faintly bitter aroma."

The explanation only piqued her curiosity further, so she kept sniffing the air, trying to catch even the faintest trace of a scent.

While Cynthia and Grandma Wilma were busy, Allen's attention was entirely drawn to the large, blue bird curiously watching him.

Step by step, he tiptoed closer, careful not to startle it. When he was just about a meter away, he couldn't help but admire the soft, cloud-like feathers covering its body.

It looked so fluffy that he had the sudden urge to reach out and touch it. The Swablu line was known for being gentle creatures.

As long as someone approached calmly and without any ill intent, they could usually get close without issue. However, if he made too much noise or startled it, there was no doubt this Altaria would swat him away in annoyance.

"Hello...?"

"Taria~?"

"May I touch?" Allen asked softly, already so close that his hand was just a breath away from the Altaria's cloud-like feathers.

The Altaria tilted its head cutely. "Taria~?"

What truly piqued Allen's curiosity was the lack of records in the wiki he had read regarding the differences between Altaria species.

According to common knowledge, the Swablu evolutionary line consisted of only Swablu and Altaria—nothing more, nothing less. There were no additional records or classifications beyond that.

Yet, after observing his aunt's Altaria, Tyltalis, and now this one before him, he could tell at a glance—there were differences. Subtle, but undeniable. This Altaria was noticeably larger than his aunt's Tyltalis.

"The Swablu-Altaria line originally comes from the Hoenn region, though they can also be found in other regions," his aunt had told him.

Allen also already knew that much. He also know that they preferred quiet, undisturbed areas, which often kept them far from human settlements.

Aunt Drasna had then added with a proud smile, "It's extremely rare to see an Altaria in the wild, you know, little Allen? The moment they spot a human, they fly high into the sky to avoid them. And yet, your aunt managed to get one."

Her words only deepened his curiosity. He needed to know more—to fill the gaps in his scientific Pokédex. So, he buried himself in research, scouring his aunt's books in her study. If he ever hit a dead end, he would ask her directly.

His research soon led him to an intriguing discovery.

Studies had confirmed the existence of a high-altitude Altaria migratory path between the Sky Pillar and Routes 114-115 in Hoenn.

However, historical records suggested that early settlers of Fallarbor Town had driven them out, forcing most of the population to take refuge in the long-abandoned Sky Pillar. While some Altaria still made the return flight, most had begun nesting atop the pillar.

Researchers predicted that within a century, the species would move there permanently, disappearing from mainland Hoenn altogether.

As a result, wild Altaria had become increasingly rare. Now, the only ones commonly seen were those raised by trainers, while their once-thriving flocks in the wild had nearly vanished.

Digging further, Allen found something even more fascinating. Later, trainers from Sinnoh and Unova had reported rare sightings of Swablu and Altaria in their regions.

Some had even caught Swablu and noticed subtle differences in their features compared to the Hoenn-native ones. Curious, researchers conducted genetic tests—and the results were astounding.

The captured Swablu showed strong genetic ties to the Sky Pillar population, suggesting yet another migration was underway.

But since Swablu weren't capable of traveling across entire regions on their own, their presence in Sinnoh hinted at something remarkable: the species was actively adapting to new environments.

To protect these relocated populations, researchers from Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova began monitoring them closely, implementing strict anti-poaching measures.

If any of the Pokémon showed signs of struggling in their new habitats, efforts would be made to return them home. However, to everyone's surprise, they thrived.

Many had settled in Sinnoh's Mount Coronet and Unova's Twist Mountain, proving that this resilient species was finding new ways to survive—even far from home.

"Taria~?"

The sudden touch made Altaria tilt its head forward, studying Allen carefully with its beady eyes. But soon…

"Ta~~riaa~~"

The bird let out a soft, pleased coo as Allen used slow, circular motions with his fingertips along the base of its wings—an area that carried most of the strain from flying.