It was all downhill to the Route 5 bridge Shay had pointed them to, and the easy walk matched Brandys Partner's upbeat attitude.

"You're so good when you're all Fire-blooded," Sparky said, nudging Calcine's side with her elbow. "She was just melting to your touch."

"That Corvisquire had already melted and was a puddle with you. She never stood a chance." Calcine bumped Sparky with her hip back, making her stumble and dive back in with a laugh.

So it was a Corvisquire. It would bug Brandy all day about how to tell between them and Rookidees. She was trying to keep pace with the two bundles of energy next to her, but Brandy's thoughts were getting in the way.

"Brandy!" Sparky squeaked, "You were so cool too. I love it when you get all bossy and in charge. Cassidy looked like she'd just swallowed her own tongue."

Brandy gave Sparky a smile and dipped her leg to give her a polite curtsey, "I didn't like how she attacked you. It was no big deal."

"It was a big deal! You and Calcine really bounced into action. I'm impressed as hell."

"Mmm," Brandy nodded and returned to chewing an idea over. She knew it'd kill the mood if she voiced it, and she really didn't want to spoil anyone's buzz. They deserved a nice clean win.

It was foolish to think Calcine and Sparky wouldn't spot her attempt to shrink into the background. The pair stopped, got each side of her, and squeezed in. All their packs rattled as loose items on straps banged off each other, making the hug a somewhat back and fore bouncy one. Not that she could escape it, she was between a Rock and a Soft place.

"What's up, our little Talonflame?" Calcine said, rubbing one of her stubby horns under Brandy's chin.

"That's not the one I pretended to be at school before you start on that," Brandy said, maybe a little sharper than she meant to. "I'm fine, just thinking."

"About Morgan?" Sparky said, "Hrmmmm, no, you're worried about her, but it wouldn't mess you up like this."

Brandy bristled at that and put a hand to push Sparky off her, but the idea of actually physically pushing Sparky away was enough to make her stop. She took a breath, cleared her head, and sighed. "Sorry, I don't want to be a mood kill. You both did really well."

They didn't reply right away, everyone thinking about what to say that wouldn't inflame the situation more. The smell of curry wafted along the gentle slope as they walked in an increasingly awkward hug sandwich. A Trainer was cooking on the side of the road while a Minccino gave them some big hungry eyes. The Pokémon's ridiculously long and fluffy-looking tail waved madly behind her as she waited for the meal. 

"We love you, you giant hottie." Sparky finally said, nuzzling her head into the side of Brandy's chest. "If worrying about killing the mood upsets you, don't hold back. The mood has it coming. Kill the mood dead."

"I'll dig a grave for the mood," Calcine said. 

"We'll swear a pact never to tell what you did to the mood."

Brandy snorted. Idiots. But well-meaning and very huggable idiots. 

"It's Cassidy," Brandy admitted. It felt like she was spitting poison on their victory dance, but she wouldn't make them suffer if they insisted she come clean. 

"You're mad she attacked us? Or what she might have done to Morgan?" Calcine said, clearly concerned but trying to keep her tone light.

Brandy chewed the inside of her mouth, those things did bother her, but she could understand Cassidy's actions there. The truth was she wasn't entirely sure why Cassidy annoyed her so much. Something about her really had Brandy fuming. 

"I don't want to take away from your victory. You both did really well. Like, I'm super proud." Brandy gave a wobbly smile as she gently tried to breach the thing itching at her. 

"Oh, my gawd." Sparky groaned. "Get it out, or I'll bite you!"

"Not in a sexy way," Calcine said, nipping Brandy's earlobe. "The nasty kind of Bug Bite."

"She wasn't trying," Brandy said, with more bitterness than she intended. "Cassidy's a Flying Ace, and with four partners, she has to be a good one."

"Stands to reason," Calcine nodded. "The Swanna, Harper, she seems the prideful sort of Flying Type. I don't think she'd settle for a weak Trainer."

"Right!" Brandy felt the heat in her voice was dangerously hot, but getting this out felt good. "She should have been smart, but she tried to bumrush us, stupid."

Sparky shrugged. "I've never even fought a Flying type before. Why's that so bad? I thought she got a really good drop on us."

Calcine was quieter, thoughtful even, by her side. Calcine had a fantastic head for tactics, so she'd probably already worked out the issue. Brandy didn't mind that Sparky wasn't as good at the tactical side. The Joltik more than made up for it with just how damn useful she was in a fight, and using her education a bit was a pleasant change for Brandy.

"That was good. I'll give her that. But everything after was so bad. Flying is all about mobility. Getting all of them stuck in a close-in fight with us made it way too easy for you two to absolutely destroy them."

"Which we did!" Sparky smirked, "Because we have an awesome Trainer who knows when to punish someone for a mistake."

"Suck up," Calcine said fondly. "You're a sucking ace."

"Wow!" Sparky covered her mouth in mock offense. "I suck her dick one time, and she never lets me hear the end of it. It's true, and I meant it. Brandy did great. But go on, tell me what she should have done. We might have a Flying Type in the gang sometime, and I don't want to embarrass her by not knowing her tricks."

Brandy fought off a laugh at Sparky's antics. For all her teasing of others, she was just as quick to tease herself if it might get a smile. Maybe she didn't know fighting tactics, but Brandy had to remember not to underestimate Sparky's ability to say the wrong thing at just the right time. 

"Mobility," Brandy repeated. "Flying Types can, well, fly. So they should use it, bombard you with long-range attacks you couldn't fight back against. Or use their incredible speed to strike and run. They should have got a hit in and taken off again. Your Type advantages wouldn't be as strong if you had to fight harder to land a hit."

"Makes it sound like they're really annoying to fight." Sparky drummed her fingers on her arm. "Kind of like me, but if I could fly too? Oh yeah, that would be so annoying."

"Done right, they're amazing on a team. Their mobility lets them control the fight. We'd have to try to lay web traps, maybe a Smoke Screen to throw off their shots and some kind of high wire throw." Brandy bit her lip. "I don't know, it would have been tough, but Cassidy wasn't thinking. She just dove in and thought that'd end the fight. She has to be better than that to have four Partners."

"So you're mad she didn't give us a challenge?" Calcine said, "I don't mind an easy win now and then. Not everyone is going to be their best."

Was that what bothered Brandy? No, not really. She judged herself pretty harshly, but her failures didn't annoy her. Maple had got crushed by Mercury, but she'd never hated Maple for that.

"She's chewing her lip," Sparky whispered, "That wasn't it, Calcine. You're smart. What's your second guess?"

"Hrm, what would annoy me if I was a tall redhead who loved Pokémon to bits," Calcine said as she flicked at Brandy's skirt. "I think she doesn't like that Cassidy failed her team."

"That's not her fault," Brandy said quickly, "She's torn up about losing a Partner,"

"But it did annoy you anyway, didn't it?" Calcine said as she snuck a hand under Brandy's skirt to squeeze her thigh. That made walking an awful lot more complicated. "Oh! I just got why you like Maple so much. She's a huge tryhard."

Brandy blinked at Calcine, a little shocked she'd insult Maple. She'd never expect that from Calcine. Was she jealous of her? 

No, that wasn't Calcine's style. She was just being a little too blunt, and well, Maple was a tryhard. But in a good way! 

"You think I'm mad at Cassidy because she didn't put in the effort?"

"Our amazing victory was soured because she didn't try her best." Sparky snuck a hand under the skirt, entangling her fingers with Calcine's and joining in on the thigh groping. "You said it, not us. That'd annoy me. She didn't just fail her side. She messed up our win as well by not giving her all."

It made sense. Brandy didn't like it because she knew she shouldn't be hating on Cassidy for that. She was heartbroken and emotional and needed someone to care about that, not a good fight. But there was no getting around it. The lack of effort really did bother Brandy. 

"Am I prideful?" Brandy said hesitantly. Putting out a flaw for her Partners to judge. 

"You tried to win a Gym the day after you'd caught us."

"You thought you could beat Mercury."

"You're dating the hottest lady in your hometown and not even acting like she's way too good for you."

Sparky got a slap on the rear for that last one. The Bug was pushing it, but the point had been made. "I want the best for you, and I'm not going to stop doing that."

"Hey, we've talked about it." Calcine said, "I don't mind if you make grand plans, just as long as you think about it."  

"And I love the adventure." Sparky grinned, "Keep making big stupid decisions. They're so much fun. Besides, you got Calcine and me on your team. You gotta have some pride about having bonded with such clearly sexy and talented individuals."

"I know you're joking, but I really do. You're both great. Way better than anything I'd imagined." Brandy sighed and shook her legs to get their hands out of her skirt. "Sorry, I need to clear my head. The bridge isn't that far, and I don't want to find Morgan there reeking of sex."

"It'd be a good lure." Calcine said, "Might get her to come out."

"Nice try, put the Fire back in your chest. If she is there, this will be rough to navigate, and I need you focused."

"We all got flaws," Calcine said, but she did remove her hand, keeping her fingers locked with Sparky so they could hold hands around Brandy. "Your pride is a problem, but it's also good. You try extra hard for us, and you'll try extra hard for Morgan too. You'll be fine as long as you can see when it's getting in the way."

Put like that, Brandy was just going to have to own her flaw. Because she sure as hell wasn't going to try less to keep her Partners happy. The rest of the walk was quiet but with smiles from all three. They wouldn't have to dig that mood grave after all. 

The bridge on Route 5 was massive, with grand arches that crossed the valley separating Turrfield and Hulbury. Brandy had been along it a few times for summer trips but had no fond memories of it. It was just a big thing between two places she enjoyed being, nothing more. Now she was taking it in; she could see the access ladders letting you get to the lower-tiered levels of it. There was never really a reason to go down there, but they must have served some purpose. Maybe a place for Wild Pokémon to hang out or some kind of maintenance access? 

They'd find out soon enough. Somewhere down there, a Dark Type was hiding out. Possibly a heartbroken one, and Brandy had committed to at least trying to fix that. Time to put her pride to work.