Emolga was extremely frustrated at whoever designed these tables. They weren't suited for someone of his height at all; if he were a foot or two taller, he thought, he could deal with the table. As it was, his frowning face barely poked out from his chair and his hands couldn't reach anything on the table. He would have to stand up to eat anything, and that would defeat the purpose of having a chair in the first place.

All of his worries evaporated nearly instantaneously when he saw who was entering the Swanna Inn. The Legendary Pokémon Virizion, said to be the most beautiful woman in the land, was walking over to Emolga's table. The two used to be on horrible terms: Emolga for Virizion hurting his best friend, Dunsparce, and Virizion for simply looking down upon him as she used to do everyone after her heart broke.

However, the wounded and freezing heart of the swordswoman mended and healed as she grew closer to the people of Post Town, particularly the two heads of the Pokémon Paradise. She, alongside Emolga, found Keldeo, Virizion's old friend who had broken her heart to save her from the suicidal cult of the Bittercold. The Bittercold would later be defeated and a peaceful life would soon become the norm.

As Emolga caught himself staring at Virizion, his mind wandered back to a conversation they had in the Bittercold. The two had reflected on how they used to dislike one another, and how their relationship had grown. Emolga felt himself heat up in his fur when he remembered Virizion calling him "adorable." He had finally gotten why everyone in town was enamoured with Virizion, but for a different reason.

Everyone had fallen for Virizion's looks; Emolga fell for her heart.

"Um..." Virizion had made her way to Emolga while he was lost in thought. "I don't believe I can sit in this chair," she remarked as she nudged the chair closest to her with her leg.

Emolga remembered why he had been so upset. "These tables aren't really made with you and I in mind." He found himself getting openly frustrated. "It's so dumb! You can't sit down because of how your body works, and I can't even eat here because I'm too short!" His yelling was starting to get the attention of the other people in the room, but everyone was somewhat used to it aside from visitors.

Virizion laughed when she saw her companion mad but stopped nearly immediately. "You know, you're cute when your mad," she commented with a bright smile on her face.

Emolga's face from a frustrated scowl to one of bashful surprise. The blush on his face wasn't noticable under his fur, thankfully, but the look of surprise was very apparent. "H-Hey, you can't just say that out of nowhere to people!"

This exclamation earned him another chuckle from Virizion. "I'll keep that in mind," she half-promised. "Should we go somewhere else?" She began to ask with a tilt of her head. "You did invite me here to eat."

Realization dawned on the electric squirrel and he facepalmed. "Darn it!" He jumped out of his chair and ran over to Swanna. "I'm gonna need that food I asked for in a basket, please!"

Virizion smiled as she watched the small Pokémon count out the money he needed for the food as well as the basket he was also having to buy. Emolga had a good heart and was quite the charmer, she thought. He had helped her break out of her shell and she was eternally grateful for that. She and Emolga hadn't been friends before their second adventure to the Great Glacier.

She admired Emolga's dedication to his friends, Dunsparce especially, even when he was being openly antagonistic towards her. Virizion found herself growing fond of the small Pokémon even before they had their conversation in the Great Glacier. She was glad their relationship had grown since then.

Virizion mentally backpedaled and clarified that their relationship was only that of friendship. Yes. Friendship.

She looked around the inn and recognized a few denizens: the carpenters were all eating together, and the Leavanny family were chatting with the Herdier family. Virizion also noticed her best friend Keldeo was there eating...something. She walked over to him.

"Hello, Keldeo," Virizion greeted her friend while beaming; she was always happy to talk to her friend ever since they mended their relationship with one another.

Keldeo looked up from his food and grinned. "Hey, Virizion! What's got you here?"

"I was planning to eat with Emolga, but the seating arrangements weren't exactly the most agreeable," the deer related to her friend. She knew how oblivious Keldeo could get, so she explained it to him in case he was too distracted by his food.

"Tell me about it," he groaned. "My hooves are killing me." He was indeed standing with a chair shoved away from him to make room. He went in for another bite, but comprehension suddenly dawned on his face. He turned from his food to face Virizion. "You're eating dinner with Emolga? Alone?"

"Yes," Virizion answered with a slight raising of her left eyebrow. "As friends do."

"Remember when we'd travel around and go to inns together? And how everyone thought we were together?"

"Why wouldn't they? We're practically like brother and sister."

"Not to the guy who tried to get us a honeymoon floor," Keldeo snarked.

Virizion felt a blush come onto her face. "I am most certainly not on a date with Emolga, if you are wondering."

"The blush on your face says otherwise." As Virizion turned away from Keldeo, he added: "I heard you call him cute, you know."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Emolga somewhat struggling with the picnic basket had just bought. "I should be going," she said as she walked to the door way faster than she needed to.

"I could use some help with this, you know!" Emolga shouted at Virizion as she left. She froze in her tracks and went back to help him with the picnic basket. He thanked her as she lifted the basket out of his hands with her mouth.

As they left, he led her to the highest spot in Post Town where no one was at that evening. The light of the sunset shone on Virizion in all the right ways, showing him every part of Virizion's beauty in all the right ways.

He snapped out of it as Virizion placed the basket in the shade of a large tree. "Say, isn't this where we opened the Magnagate to go to the Great Glacier?" Her inquiry brought back memories of when he had shoved Dunsparce into the Magnagate to go to the Great Glacier in his place.

"Yeah, it was," he confirmed as they set up the picnic blanket. "I'm glad Dunsparce was able to have fun there with you all."

Virizion chuckled lightly as she recalled her first visit. "I recall him covering my back more than once," she recalled.

"Of course he did!" Emolga declared with pride in his voice for his friend. "He wouldn't have done anything else!"

Virizion smiled as Emolga beamed over his best friend. "I wish we could have enjoyed the second trip more together though."

"Who?" Emolga asked. "Me or Dunsparce?"

"You, of course. We did travel together in there after all."

"Oh..." Emolga went back to setting up the picnic.

The two prepared the picnic in silence then ate. They made small talk as they ate, with the two of them learning things about the other person. For example, Emolga enjoyed listening to Meloetta's songs in his spare time and Virizion had decided to move to somewhere just outside Paradise. The two ended up talking until the sun went down, laughing all the while.

"Say, Emolga," Virizion started to ask, "does Dunsparce still talk about me?"

"Here and there," Emolga responded casually. "He kinda stopped after you and I started to hang out together."

That surprised Virizion internally but she didn't let it show on her face. Dunsparce lost interest after she started being friends with Emolga? Did Dunsparce think that she and Emolga were an item? She only responded with a simple "Ah" verbally.

This also started to weigh on Emolga's mind. Emolga didn't want his best buddy to give up on his friendship just because he was hanging out with Virizion. He sighed out loud. "If you've been doing anything to him..." He tried to sound threatening but his heart wasn't in it.

"Of course I wouldn't," she responded instantaneously, not even offended at his threat. "He's my friend as well as yours."

They finished the meal in relative silence. Emolga stood up suddenly and walked to the edge of the cliff. "I have to go," he said emotionlessly. He suddenly jumped off the cliff.

Virizion started to panic. She raced to the cliff with Quick Attack to catch her seemingly suicidal friend. She caught a glimpse of yellow and white fur zooming towards the trees.

Emolga was gliding into the trees at blur speeds, careful not to jostle his bag too much. He was upset both at himself and Dunsparce. He was angry that he created a rift between his two friends, and he was saddened that Dunsparce must have felt like he was stealing Virizion.

He found cave with some plants in the front and set down his bag. He fell with his back against the cave wall and groaned into his paws. Emolga began to weigh his options. He could either drop Virizion so that she and Dunsparce could be friends, or keep hanging out with Virizion and neglect Dunsparce's feelings.

"What do I do..." The entire situation was so dumb. Dunsparce was Emolga's best friends but Virizion was close to Emolga too. He cared deeply for both of them, in Virizion's case looo...luuu...

Emolga had to come to terms with his feelings now. He loved Virizion. Everything about her he loved and it burned him up inside. Her personality foremost. She was kind, funny, wise, and just a great person to be around. She was also drop-dead gorgeous who could even make women blush. Virizion could also fight better than any Grass type he could think of.

He suddenly felt a pressure on his chest. "What are you doing in my home?" Emolga recognized the voice and hoof on his chest as Virizion's.

"Uhh..." Emolga had no idea what to say.

"And why would you leave me so suddenly like that?" She pressed both verbally and with her hoof, making Emolga wince. "Why would you run away like that from me?"

"Because..." He hesitated with his answer.

"Because what?"

"Because I love you!" His declaration echoed into the cave.

Silence hung in the air like moisture, clinging onto the tension between the two. "I..." Virizion started to speak. She started to lift her hoof of of him.

Emolga tried to scurry away, grabbing his bag. Virizion responded by pinning him on the floor with her body. As Emolga tried to worm his way out of the weight on his lower body, Virizion asked dryly, "You're trying to run away from me because you love me?"

"It's not like that at all..." Emolga started, but was interrupted by Virzion.

"You nearly killed yourself because you love me? You tried going into my home because you love me?! What's wrong with you?!" Anger and worry traced in her words at the Electric type Pokémon. "Talk to me instead of running!"

"Fine!" Emolga shouted back at her. "I don't want to be in the way of you and Dunsparce's friendship! I'll never talk to you again if it means that he would just talk to you more!"

Virizion said nothing in response.

Emolga flipped open the bag. It was a Frism. "I was hoping I could play you this when I told you about my feelings for you." He laughed bitterly. "I guess it doesn't matter now." With a touch, the Frism activated.

It played a beautiful song of which Virizion had never heard before. A female voice accompanied by music sang wordlessly. It was warm and romantic, yet almost haunting in a way. "I had Meloetta compose a song to set the mood; costs a lot for commissions like that."

"You went through all that effort...for me?" Virizion asked with turbulent emotions bubbling in her heart.

"Yes."

"And you're willing to throw that all away?"

A tear streaked down Emolga's face. "Anything for my best friend."

Virizion paused for a moment, listening to the music. "I'm sorry, but..."

She leaned in and kissed Emolga as the music went to its climax. She drew away mearly instantly. "I can't let you do that."

Emolga started to sob. "I hate you so much, Virizion," he declared inbetween sobs. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I love you as well."

Emolga shut his eyes and leaned in to kiss Virizion back. The tears on his face stained Virizion's fur as well as his own. His paws went up to her face, grabbing the sides as they kissed one another. They continued on as the song ebbed out and finished.

Emolga broke away. "You're the worst..." he growled at her, tears still streaking down his face.

"If my friendship with Dunsparce is so important to you, then I'll simply make time for both him and you." She nuzzles his face on his to try and dry his tears. "Especially now that we're in love," she added with a wink.

Emolga's blush was so intense that it started to appear over his fur. He turned away from her. "I need to get back home soon. They'll start to wory about me."

Virizion started to laugh. "Of course." She got off of him. "You're lucky that I live over here now. Otherwise, I would have had you all to myself." She winked and walked deeper into her cave, emphasizing her strut knowing Emolga was watching.

Emolga stared at her until she got out of eyesight. "That's not how I planned that at all." He placed the Frism back into his bag. "But I think this might have been better." He took his time walking back to Paradise, almost in a trance.