Chapter 4: Taking One Step at a Time

Back in Unova, not one Pokémon was able to sleep, thanks to Genesect's constant destruction. Every legendary Pokémon took every chance to stop him with their strongest attacks, but so far, Genesect has taken down Celebi, Jirachi, and Victini, who was appointed as Arceus' helper, but failed. The horrifying Paleozoic Pokémon approached the three fallen Pokémon and ate them all, leaving the other legendary Pokémon beyond terrified! Arceus called for immediate action and suggests that they should all work together to apply a spell called Travel Block. Dialga had this hidden spell and had doubts about its effects on a massive force of evil like Genesect.

"You dare to have doubts about this important maneuver?!" Arceus asked with anger. Dialga nodded in response.

"I just don't know if it'll be strong enough to block Genesect." He protested in a handsome voice. "Even if we combine all our types together, still… it'll only be strong enough to hold Genesect back for only one month. That's… not enough time, is it?"

"On the contrary." Palkia protested in his deep male voice of an angel, making his partner show a look of shock. "Look, I know this is all for the sake of Meloetta, but since she's in this new Aria Harmony Forme, that appears to be more than enough time for her to learn the mechanics of this new form."

"Hmmmm…" Arceus hummed in deep thought as he started pacing around the heavens. He took a quick glance down at Genesect, who just finished consuming Jirachi and belched at a sign of his satisfaction before he went on to continue his search for Meloetta, destroying any Pokémon or buildings that got in his way. "…we'll have to try. If it'll give Meloetta any amount of time to learn the ways of her Aria Harmony Forme, then it shall be done. Let's assemble our powers and lay this Travel Block curse on Genesect."

Meanwhile, down in Unova's Virbank City…

Genesect just destroyed about fifty percent of the city with ten massive shots of his Techno Blasts and Zap Cannons each before he started feeling a small burn within his body and it lasted for about five minutes, leaving him unconscious for a full thirty seconds until he regained consciousness and realized what just happened to him.

"What the fuck…?!" He exclaimed with anger as he shook the dizziness out of him. "Did they just summon a Travel Block on me?! Grrrr! I hate those bastards. That could only mean one thing then… Meloetta's alive, but she's not here. I'll never know where she is at this rate! Damn it! That's fine, then. I'll just continue to release my rampage upon Unova and the other regions as well, if that's what Arceus wants. When I do find out where Meloetta's really hiding, I'll break out of this Travel Block and destroy her where she stands! She cannot escape from me forever!"

Meanwhile, at the Totanuki Mansion…

A glorious sunrise brightened up the entire mansion and the sun's rays shot through Meloetta's window, prompting her to wake up peacefully. She did so by slowly opening her shiny blue eyes with a heavenly smile. Deep down, she still had high concerns about how Genesect was doing in Unova. Knowing him, he would give no mercy to any Pokémon who dared to face him and she wishes she could stop him, but unfortunately, she hasn't even discovered if she still has Relic Song yet. All that mattered to her right now is the interaction with this one-of-a-kind family she adores so much in order to discover her own mysteries. With that in mind, she still held her perfect angelic smile as she sat up, stretched with elegance, and walked out of her room towards Tommy and Ibuki's room first.

On her way there, she was about to knock on their door, but her treble clef slightly vibrated and it made her turn her attention towards the triplets' door and out came Jaymes… shirtless with the biggest pair of baggy pajama pants she's ever seen on any human. Seeing this made her smile turn from peaceful to amorous as she never said a word and just stood there admiring the man she grew fond of.

Oh, wow! Just look at his body! He's a whole lot stronger than ever, now that I can take a better look at him from a distance. Hearing that he's the best ninja in all of Japan is starting to become more and more convincing every time I look at him. Arceus also says that there's just something about him that might help me bring this new form to life, but he just can't quite point it out to me. Keeping close contact with him is gonna be easy… too easy.

"Hey, Meloetta." Don greeted, slightly scaring her as she made a surprised squeal, getting Jaymes and now, Dyvo and Zari's attention, as all three of the triplets were just looking at her with puzzled looks on their faces. "Oh, sorry! Did I scare ya? You were staring into space or something for a second there."

"…uh… no… um… I was just…" Meloetta stuttered as she looked back over to the triplets, who were just heading downstairs to start cooking breakfast for the very first time since they've become adults. Before Jaymes made his way down the steps, however, he looked over at Meloetta and gave her a smile that would send many women swooning to the highest core. The only thing the tall Melody Pokémon could do… was blush lightly… all while she still kept her beautiful smile in check. This left Don puzzled for a quick moment before he casually made his way downstairs by the time Jaymes just started. Ibuki and Tommy saw the whole thing from their bed and Ibuki had to be the one to say it while Tommy showed a look of observation.

"I saw that." The grandmaster kunoichi started with sly sarcasm, gaining Meloetta's attention with a look of total embarrassment. "You were eye humping Jaymes, weren't you?"

"…what if I was?" Meloetta asked in a curious tone of her adorable voice.

"It's okay, if you were. I was just wondering… especially since you're blushing a little bit there."

"I am?" Meloetta immediately turned away to hide her face after she said that and this made Ibuki giggle as she got out of bed, showing that she was dressed in a black pajama tank top with matching panties, and made her way to the usually timid Pokémon with a proud smile.

"Awww, it's alright, Mel. You're just like all the other girls in town. They just can't get enough of Jaymes."

"I can see how he's gaining that much attention. He's so… strong… and yet, he has a baby face, just like you."

"Yeah, he does look just like me in both the hairstyle and the face, except the eyes, of course."

"That's what I've been meaning to ask you." Meloetta finally turned around after that last word, looking down at Ibuki with a regal look in her glowing blue eyes. "What is wrong with his eyes? They're different colors."

"Yeah, he was born with, what the doctors call, Double Eye Color Syndrome. He has my brown eye on his left and Tommy's bright green eye on his right. Having those eyes plus the golden brown version of my famous ponytails, the fact that he's all Asian, being both Korean and Japanese, and that extremely diesel body… makes him one lethal sex symbol all over the city."

"…I see. What about Dyvo and Zari?"

"Oh, they get just as much attention as Jaymes." Tommy came in as he just approached the two ladies with a handsome smile. "All three of them are major sex symbols all over town. Jaymes only stands out just a lil' mo' because of those kick-ass dragon tattoos drawn on both sides of his upper back, pectorals, and arms."

"Oh, okay, I get it. I guess it's safe to say that I was 'eye humping' Jaymes… whatever that means."

"Tee-hee-hee!" Ibuki giggled. "It means that you're admiring him, as if you like him… very, very much. That is true, right?"

"…um…" Should I tell her that I'm enamored with Jaymes for more than just the fact that he looks so incredibly sexy? I doubt she'll understand that I have to be at his side at all times in order to slowly unravel the many mysteries within this new form.

"Well? Is it?" Well, she is a ninja after all. I think she'll understand.

"That's half-true." Meloetta confessed. Ibuki showed no sign of confusion as she allowed the Melody Pokémon to continue. "Arceus gave me strict orders to stay by Jaymes' side… just so I can slowly solve the many mysteries within this Aria Harmony Forme. He tells me that there's a secret entity deeply embedded within his being and he's had it since he and his brothers were born."

"…wwwwwhat? Are you sure?"

"Arceus never lies and neither do I."

"Whoa. That's… that's pretty serious, if you ask me. Well, I guess that's a perfect excuse for your sensual stares towards my baby triplet. He does have the biggest heart in the world, so he'll understand. Just… take it one step at a time and you're golden. I promise."

"Thank you so much, Ibuki." Meloetta embraced the elder kunoichi with all the respect in the world, making her feel special. Tommy saw this and just admired the scene in silence with a smile. "I promise to stay out of the way, if necessary."

"I know you will. Now, let's eat. I can smell the boys' breakfast from here." After that was said, Ibuki and Tommy left out of the room first before Meloetta followed them just seconds after with an appreciative smile on her face.

I knew they would understand… and I know Jaymes will, too. I can already sense his nature from here. He's… gentle, sweet, caring, and just a pleasure to be around. I don't sense any evil on him, despite the tattoos. I guess those tattoos represent his almighty power of the dragon, something I know he can control very well. I only hope Unova's in good shape, despite all this. I pray that they'll keep Genesect away from me until I can get to the very root of both me and Jaymes' special powers.

Meanwhile, back in Unova…

Genesect's rampage continues on, despite the fact that he now has Travel Block embedded within his system. Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres were now the ones trying to suppress the deadly insect and so far, Zapdos and Articuno have been taken down hard by Genesect's powerful Techno Blast. As for Moltres, he was able to use Flame Wheel with his flaming wings and the deadly Paleozoic Pokémon was, once again, put on hold, due to the massive damage from that giant blast of fire. While the large purple insect was unconscious, Moltres flew back up to the heavens to meet up with the other legendaries with a proud smile on his face.

"Excellent, Moltres." Arceus started as he inspected Genesect from where he stood. "Genesect appears to be down and out, but not for long. As long as he can't get to Meloetta, he's no match against us."

"I know he must be getting pissed at this point, man." Moltres commented in a male surfer's voice. "At this point, Genesect doesn't stand a chance against us. Speaking of Meloetta, did you get a status update on her sexy ass?"

"So far, nothing has happened yet. I am keep a close eye on her and she's still very fond of this man named Jaymes. I already have total faith in him. I sense nothing evil in him, even from this mysterious entity. That much I can detect from it."

"Wow! Awesome, dude! Do ya think it might turn into a deeper relationship a little later?"

"That is for me to know and for you to find out."

"Awww, man!"

Back with the Totanuki Family…

The triplets were just serving their first breakfast cooked by them to the family, which consisted of a stack of three pancakes, three strips of turkey bacon, and old-fashioned hash browns with a hint of teriyaki sauce to give it an Asian flavor. Even Don and Snow had their small share of it in their food bowls next to Tommy on his left. After a few seconds of serving those individual plates, Jaymes held the last two plates for him and Meloetta, who just arrived at her chair. The youngest triplet carefully placed down the two plates and showed his respect towards the beautiful Melody Pokémon by pulling out her chair for her. This shocked the rest of the family and made Meloetta smile with admiration before she reluctantly took her seat after staring at his adorable face for five seconds. As soon as Jaymes took his seat, he slowly started eating his pancakes while he just looked at the rest of his family with humor written all over his smile.

"Heh-heh… what?" Jaymes started before he took in his first forkful before Meloetta followed suit. "Just showing my utmost respect for a mythical Pokémon."

"I know that, but Tommy's never done that for me." Ibuki quoted with sarcasm, making her husband roll his eyes with annoyance.

"You never asked me to, baby." Tommy protested playfully. "Besides, you still loved me regardless."

"Yeah, true. Now, boys… Tommy and I have a very important appointment at Animals of Happiness today, so I'm counting on you to protect the city whenever they need ya. Just do what you do best and make sure nothing goes wrong. Got it?"

"Got it!" The triplets replied with determination in their eyes, having Jaymes showing the most out of the three with his odd eyes. Meloetta was in full observation mode as she saw this family moment continue while she ate her breakfast.

"Good. Snow, as usual, you stay here and protect this house with your life while Don… well… Don, what do you wanna do today? Stick with me or with the boys?"

"Well, last time, I stuck with you." Don replied with honesty, looking up at his older sister. "So, I'll hang with the boys this time… keep Jaymes on his toes."

What? What does he mean by that?

"Good, 'cause remember last time, Jaymes?" Ibuki asked her youngest triplet. He nodded with shame written all over his cute face. "You really took it out on that guy who said you were in terrible shape to be a ninja. Try to control your emotions this time, okay? I don't wanna face another lawsuit because of you."

"I'll try, Mother." Jaymes replied as he bowed his head in honor. Hearing this made Meloetta look at Jaymes with the widest blue eyes she's ever done in her life.

Jaymes has been… violent… towards another person?! And all because they judged him by his appearance?! Blasphemy! I can't let that happen again. Big as he is, I just don't think Don can do it alone. Arceus was right. I HAVE to stick with Jaymes at all times in order to keep him in check. Still, I haven't sensed any evil in him since my arrival.

"I know you will, baby." Ibuki reassured as she gently placed a slender hand on her youngest son's huge one. "I believe in you."

"What about lovely Meloetta woman?" Snow came in. "What can she do?"

"Oh, yeah. Meloetta, you wanna stick with the boys today? See why they're the best warriors Japan has to offer?"

"I'd love to, yes." Meloetta replied sweetly, returning her eyes to normal again as she resumed her meal while giving both Tommy and Ibuki her undivided attention. "But, I have to ask… what exactly did Jaymes do?"

"Some bastard just shot his emotions down like a shotgun shooting through someone's chest, calling him a 'Wannabe Ninja' right in his face after he took a good look at him. Jaymes started the fight with a lethal right hook to that guy's face and the whole food court went nuts over the fight. It lasted for the longest ten minutes in his life and it ended up with both Jaymes and the guy getting so bruised up and bloody, they had to bring in ambulances as a precaution. They released Jaymes in the next two hours while the guy he fought was released an hour earlier. And with Tommy out of town on important animal rights business with his Mother that day, I had to be the one to go to court with Jaymes and his lawyer to give him another chance to clear his name. It was a success, but it still left a massive emotional scar on my heart as well as his. With Don by his side this time, he won't get into trouble again… I hope."

"Hmmm…" I don't think so. Don will need assistance and it's gonna be me. Jaymes needs me as much as I need him. "…I will assist the tanuki."

"Are you sure?" Tommy asked with concern as he just started sipping his orange juice. "You weren't there when that fight happened. It was extremely violent, Mel."

"I've been in tight situations before. This will be no different. In fact, Genesect is the only tight situation I have right now. Arceus is helping me keep him under control until I'm ready to face him."

"A'ight, if you say so…"

"You are a powerful mythical Pokémon." Zari came in. "I'm pretty sure Don could use one by his side, in case Jaymes' emotions get the better of him again. I'm pretty sure that same bastard will have learned his lesson."

"That's the problem." Ibuki protested. "There might be someone else out there trying to test his patience. Meloetta, you and Don have to keep Jaymes' under control. Make sure NOBODY comes within five feet of him with an angry look on his or her face. Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am." Meloetta replied as she just finished her plate and started on her glass of orange juice. "As a Mythical Pokémon of Unova, I will protect your youngest triplet at all times. Nobody shall bother him."

"Wow." Don gasped with surprise as his older sister and her husband nodded in agreement before they raised their glasses in honor. "And she meant every word, dude."

"Indeed." Snow agreed with a proud smile.

Fifteen minutes later, on a pleasant walk towards the SilverDragon Mall…

The triplets were dressed in their casual outfits of a black tank top, baggy blue jeans, and expensive pure white sneakers for Dyvo, a baby blue sleeveless collared shirt with five out of the nine buttons undone, baggy black jeans, and matching blue and black sneakers for Zari, and Jaymes was just rockin' a pair of baggy black jeans with brown stripes down the sides and matching black and brown sneakers while he was, once again, completely shirtless for the world to see those massive, but very artistic purple and black dragon tattoos on his arms, pecs, and upper back. As for Meloetta, she was walking in her usually graceful best between Zari and Jaymes, still wearing her signature black and green-stripe-at-the-midsection dress with that sexy slit going up the side of her right leg. As for Don, he was being the typical good tanuki and walked alongside Jaymes on the opposite side. In other words, it was a peaceful walk towards the mall. All five of them had confident smiles on their faces as they looked forward to a worry-free day, despite the boys having their respective weapons of titanium katana blades and hidden ninja stars and kunai knives at their arsenal, just in case they are needed to stop any crimes along the way.

Meanwhile, in the Pokémon Heavens above Unova…

Arceus still kept a watchful eye on Meloetta while Moltres and Groudon worked hard on getting Victini back. They were both able to with their Flamethrowers and the heat got so high for Genesect that he was forced to puke out the unconscious Victory Pokémon and that knocked him out for another undisclosed amount of time. Arceus saw this and smiled with satisfaction as he saw the firebird bring back the small Victini and worked on reviving him with Sunny Day while Groudon just stood by the Alpha Pokémon's left side, watching Meloetta with him and gasped with shock, seeing her Aria Harmony Forme for the first time.

"What the…! Is that Meloetta?" Groudon asked in a growling male voice, nearly as God-like as Arceus', who nodded in response. "Wow. She looks… magnificent. What form is this?"

"That is her new Aria Harmony Forme, an updated version of her original Aria Forme." Arceus replied. "She is not yet well aware of her increased Psychic power, but when she does finally get the hang of it, she'll give us the signal and we will take off Travel Block and allow Genesect to find her. This man named Jaymes Thompson Totanuki secretly holds the key to unlocking her true power and that's why she must stay alongside him at all times, especially since I've just heard from his Mother, Grandmaster Ibuki, that he has a history of letting his emotions explode on various innocent, but very judgmental people."

"Oh, no. Which one is Jaymes?"

"Him there… with the massive tattoos of a pair of dragons, having their fierce jaws aiming for the man's heart."

"Ah, I see. Well, we've successfully retrieved Victini and Moltres is currently reviving him as we speak. Genesect has been knocked unconscious again as well."

"Excellent. By the time he awakes, Victini and I will handle him from now on. The rest of you… keep your eyes on Genesect. I can supervise Meloetta and assist you all from where I stand simultaneously."

"Yes, Father." Groudon went over to check up on Moltres and Victini after that was said, leaving a hopeful Arceus alone with his eyes closed in deep prayer, hoping that nobody will lynch Jaymes with Meloetta by his side.

Back with the Totanuki Brothers at the SilverDragon Mall…

The boys, Meloetta, and Don just got through the entrance and was greeted by one out of the fifteen security guards by the time Don made a graceful leap towards Dyvo's left shoulder.

"Well, hey there, fellas." The country-accented male guard in his mid-thirties started with a cheerful grin. "Looks like you three healed up nicely since that last fight a few days ago."

"Thanks, Dennis." Dyvo replied with handshake. "We won the trial, too."

"Good. Jaymes, are ya still a lil' shaken up from dat fight?"

"I do admit it. I still am, yes." Jaymes replied with complete honesty. "But, I'm sure that bastard won't mess with me again."

"Now dat he sees what ya capable of." Dennis finally noticed Meloetta and smiled even wider. "Ooooh, who is dis lovely lady?"

"This is Meloetta." Zari replied. "Believe it or not, this is the one and the same Melody Pokémon Meloetta. She's just in a brand new form."

"Huh! Well, I'll be! Nice ta meet ya, Meloetta." The usually shy Melody Pokémon just stood there with a lovely smile as her response as she shook the friendly guard's hand. "Hm! Can she talk?"

"Yeah, but she knows that you can't understand her just yet, so… yeah…" Don replied.

"Ah, I understand. I've heard that she can be rather shy at times."

"And that's okay." Jaymes reassured as he gently pulled her closer to his shirtless body, making her slightly shiver at the touch while she blushed a light shade of pink in her cheeks. "That's what makes her special to us."

Oh, my. His muscles… they feel so hard and rough. It's like he was born to be this strong! It's incredible!

"Awww, that's so sweet." Dennis commented. "I neva woulda thought that you boys were gentle giants."

"Yep!" Dyvo declared with confidence. "Never underestimate us. Anyway, has anything happened before we got here?"

"Nope. Everything's been runnin' smoothly. I see ya'll got ya weapons ready, just in case."

"Yeah. This time, we're making sure they know who they're messing with."

"Ohh, good. We've got ya back as usual. Ya'll take care now."

A few minutes later…

The group just headed for the food court to monitor the entire area, having Meloetta freeze in her tracks by the time the boys and Don passed the first table. Seeing so many people triggered her usual shy nature and this was her perfect opportunity try out her powers in this new form. While nobody was looking, she stood there and started to turn invisible, just like in her original Aria Forme. This satisfied her to highest core as she started flying into the air, surprising her even more when she stopped herself from hitting the ceiling. As she floated there, she saw Don and the Totanuki Boys walk around the food court casually, greeting every person they passed by.

YES! There's two parts of my original Aria Forme discovered so far. I did have a feeling that I could turn invisible, but I never thought I could fly. I can secretly monitor the entire mall like this. I just need to let the boys know… without showing myself in front of all these people. To be honest, I never knew humans were so focused on shopping like this.

Keeping herself invisible, Meloetta flew down towards Jaymes specifically to tell him that she was planning to monitor the entire mall for the boys. Before she arrived, Jaymes turned right towards her and he looked as though he could see her transparent self, which shocked her as she landed gracefully before him.

"Finally discovered your invisibility, didn't you?" Jaymes quoted professionally with his signature charming smile, making her smile without blushing this time as she nodded in response. "I also heard that you could fly as well before you changed into this form. Is that ability there as well?"

"Yeah." Meloetta replied with a calm tone in her adorable voice. "And I'm guessing that, despite my invisibility, you can still see me."

"You're smarter than I thought. Being the world's most professional ninja, I'm prone to detecting every source in every condition, except my own hidden sources, of course… if I happened to have any."

Huh! Funny how he mentioned that. He does have something hidden in that massive body of his and yet, his own senses can't detect it… yet. He's impressing me more and more by the second. Now, I can secretly admit that I really like him… I… I really do. My treble clef's vibrating again. Does this mean something more? Hmmm…

"That's impressive!" Meloetta exclaimed as she slowly started levitating before the young ninja master. "Well, I wanted to tell you that I'll be watching the entire mall like this. When something comes up, I'll let you know."

"By doing what?"

"…hmm… I don't know. I wonder…" Meloetta remained floating right where she was and closed her eyes in deep concentration. A few seconds later, a soft angelic screech was heard deep within her treble clef and Jaymes' brain all at once, signaling the both of them. "…did you hear that?"

"Loud and clear. I guess that'll be your warning just towards me. It seems like Dyvo, Zari, and Uncle Don didn't hear it."

"Damn it! Let me try again." And she did so. Dyvo, Zari, and Don approached the two this time, having Dyvo nearly bumping into Meloetta from the back. "There we go. I knew I could increase the signal. There's another part of my new power well tested."

"Jaymes, what the hell was that?" Dyvo exclaimed.

"Relax, brothers and Uncle Don." Jaymes reassured. "That was just Meloetta testing out a new signal. She just recently discovered that she could fly and turn invisible as well."

"Turn invisible?" Dyvo paused as he saw the transparent Meloetta as well and blushed at where his hand was before he moved it. "Oh… shit, man-my-hand-was-right-on-her-ass."

And somehow, it felt right. Tee-hee.

"Wow, amazing!" Zari exclaimed as he too saw the transparent Meloetta. "Well, I guess that this will officially commence our supervising duties. Meloetta, please be sure to use this signal whenever something doesn't seem right. Any sign of the smallest suspicious thing can turn deadly, if we're not careful."

"Affirmative." Meloetta replied with a salute before she flew off with such serene grace, making Jaymes and Don, who was on his right shoulder after Dyvo and Zari went back to their former positions, watch with interest.

"Geez, Louise!" Don muttered with astonishment. "Meloetta's like the perfect woman, even if she's a Pokémon. Don't you agree, Jaymes?"

"Indeed, I do." Jaymes replied as he crossed his massive arms with a smooth attitude. "She's taking it step by step when it comes to discovering her new powers. Next thing you know, she'll wanna fight crime with us."

"Ohhhh, man. That'll be sweet! Well, we better get the watchin'." After that was said, Don made another graceful leap off of his youngest nephew and just continued to wander around the food court with watchful eyes. When he was gone, Jaymes looked back up towards where Meloetta just flew off and uncrossed his arms as he showed a sexy enamored smile. He was starting to have some small feelings for her, but he wasn't sure if it was typical feelings for a best friend or a passionate feeling. Either way, it made him keep his smile as he resumed his supervising duties with his uncle and older brothers.

To be continued…