After some time passes, Merrick eventually concedes to the possibility that the Lovers presence had chased the trainers clear into another town. He gets up and wanders around the campsite, checking every bag to make sure they didn't have any abandoned Pokeballs before digging through his magic duffel bag, pulling out a gold scepter with two decorative jars clutching a
Water Crystal between them, and pointing it towards the slowly dying campfire.
"Kindness Drops!"
The rune within the crystal glows a watery hue as a sparkling drop of water drops from the sky and lands on the fire, causing a minor poof to evaporate the remaining blaze, leaving only a mixture of smoke and steam. Synthis meanders over and kicks some dirt onto the collapsed remains of the logs, ensuring that the sparks don't reignite and cause a forest fire.
"We should get back to the city," he sighs, "As much as I want to help chase off that odd, overwhelming sense of Lovers energy, we haven't gotten much rest for most the night, and I have a feeling the professor we set out to search for has already come back."
Synthis nods in understanding as the two start to make their way back towards Petalburg City.