The story was originally published for the WAAPT side stories archive in 2012, and later for the general public as part of Serebii Forums, Valentine's 2015.

Being a Valentines story, it can be posted to new sites only on Feb 14 of any given year. There is an Announcement Thread on Mastodon tracking cross-posts and re-releases. The version on AO3 was announced separately.

This story is actually a refurbished version of a gaiden story for WAAPT, “Silly rabbit, Baluarkos is for Inka~”, that I was working on during 2012 and 2013 detailing the backstories of my Nidoran characters Baluarkos and Inka. Eventually and due to interest in the lack of representation Nidoran have in the fanfic marketplace, I decided to repurpose the opener as a backstory for the Suocéverse version of the characters.

Here, Baluarkos is a recently evolved wild Nidorino from the La Plancha Sovereignty, he forms part of a “hlessi” or “outcast” troop that goes into one of the nearby human settlements (most likely Isparus), where he sniffs the trace of a Nidorina - and now love is in the air. He has to try and surpass the challenges of human civilization to reach inside the Pokémart where the female, Inka, is hiding.

The gaiden was originally released in 2012; the opening entry was refurbished as a Valentine's treat for Serebii in 2015 and then for PokéCommunity in 2016. Ideally it would be released in other sites for Valentine's in upcoming years.

Debuts:

• Baluarkos.
• Inka (as a Nidorina).

The original (WAAPT-specific) version of the story is stated to take place in the hillside districts of Goldenrod City and closer to Rt. 34.

The new, general version of the story takes place in the wilderness's edge of the La Plancha Sovereignty. While there are no specific locations named, the fact that the human settlement is close to the La Plancha Sovereignty would suggest Isparus as the best option. See also the Suocé map.

With the publication of Inka's Character Interviews in Serebii mid-2016, this entry is now canon to the Suocéverse.

The story takes place between one and two years after Interim, and likely in about the same time period Sixth does.

The story also has an indirect sequel in Tricks of the Love Fast.

Nominations:

• Serebii FFA 2015: “Best Comedy Fic”, “Best Pokémon-Centric”, “Best Non-Human Main Character” (Baluarkos), “Funniest Scene”.
• The originating version of the story, can be read at the WAAPT in-universe archive (link); in that continuity, both Baluarkos and Inka originate from the Route 35 (Johto) colony and the action takes place in the outskirts of Goldenrod City, but everything else is basically unchanged.