Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: Infrared

DLC: Happy Birthday, Arven

Song: "A Sister Needs Her Brother" - Eva Kroon Pike

One month later

Seventeen years old. Gosh, Arven was getting old. He could have sworn he was already starting to see gray hairs.

Returning to school felt strange, but he had started seeing Naranja's grief counselor. Scarlet usually went with him to his appointments because Arven was not ready to talk about his mother alone.

Now there he was—walking with Mabosstiff and Koraidon on Poco Path after a long day of school and therapy. His friends wanted to throw him a birthday party, but Arven didn't feel like celebrating.

He and his Pokémon crossed Poco Path to Cabo Poco, where Nemona and Scarlet lived. They changed from strolling on the grass to a cobblestone path that branched into three directions: Nemona's house on the left, Scarlet's on the right, and a beach straight ahead.

Arven and his Pokémon made their way down to the beach. They climbed over rocks and hopped onto the sand. It wasn't white and soft like the tropics, but it was still comfortable to trek on.

Arven saw a cluster of sharp-pointed rocks in the Paldean Sea. He kicked off his boots and dropped his knapsack. It felt nice to get that weight off his shoulders.

He and Koraidon raced each other into the warm water, but Mabosstiff stayed with Arven's things. They splashed one another, and Koraidon batted at a few seagull-like Pokémon, Wingull, who soared close to the ocean's surface.

Half an hour passed, and Arven wore himself out. Koraidon kept playing, but Arven stepped out of the water and went to his knapsack. "Excuse me, Mabosstiff," he said, sitting down. Arven stole his bag from him and unzipped it. He pulled out Kenji's folder.

With Mabosstiff over his shoulder, Arven flipped through the pictures of his sister. He caressed her cheek, and a tear splashed onto the beach.

A voice sounded behind him. "Ah, I thought I'd find you here."

"Hey, Scarlet." Arven rubbed his eyes.

His friend got down with him and hugged her knees. Scarlet glimpsed at the pictures. "Waiting is always the hardest part. May I?"

"Sure." Arven handed her the folder.

Before studying the photos, Scarlet added, "Oh, I came because Tatsugiri was growing impatient." She glanced behind her. "It's okay, Tatsugiri."

"Giri?" Yellow fins grasped Scarlet's ankle, and Tatsugiri poked out.

Arven chuckled. "Are you always this shy, Tatsugiri?" He allowed the Pokémon to crawl into his palms and lifted it off the ground.

Koraidon soon joined Arven and Scarlet, and Scarlet's Koraidon busted out of his ball.

She picked up a rock and tossed it for him.

Scarlet's Koraidon shuffled, but he didn't chase it. Instead, he sniffed Scarlet's backpack and pressed on it.

Arven's Koraidon was the one who fetched the rock and returned it to Scarlet.

"See, Koraidon?" Scarlet threw the rock a second time. "Now that's a good Koraidon. But since you insist..." She removed a few sandwiches from her bag and offered one to Arven. "I brought us a picnic, Arven. Think of it as a mini birthday celebration."

Throughout the picnic's duration, Scarlet kept her phone face-up on the sand. Was she expecting a call?

Arven tried not to think too hard about it. He and Scarlet laughed, ate sandwiches, and shared the picture album. Both Koraidon and Mabosstiff played, but shy Tatsugiri remained near Arven.