You've returned, hallelujah. I'm so glad to see all of you , how are you. I'm trying something new in this chapter, the amazing and ultra incredible time skips.
I don't really enjoy using time breaks in my stories, but I'm kinda lacking inspiration for this chapter. Other than that...I think there's nothing left to report, so just enjoy the read.
"My flute! Oh my precious Pokéflute!" Lord Shabboneau cried as he hugged his treasure to his chest so it couldn't be taken from him again. He had nearly tackled Caleb to get his flute back after seeing it in his hands when we entered the throne room.
'Seriously...he's a king?' I deadpanned while watching the man dance around like an idiot. He was making a complete fool of himself and didn't even seem to care. The man was his own brand of weird, I'd even take Allie's attitude over this cringe worthy sight.
"Thank you thank you, I don't know how I could ever repay you" he said before suddenly stopping his dancing and holding a finger in the air, possibly coming up with an idea, "I know, we'll have a fireworks display to celebrate and then I'll play the flute to get Snorlax off of the bridge."
"There's no need for all that your highness" Caleb rubbed the back of his head sheepishly after hearing the kings proposal. Shabboneau just shook his head and twirled around so he was facing away from his throne before taking a seat.
"Nonsense, this is a truly momentous occasion, you deserve a celebration for helping me and all of the other trainers that wish to continue on their journeys" he reasoned and held up a hand to stifle Caleb's protests, "It will not be a hassle or burden for anyone young friend. We enjoy doing these kinds of things on a daily basis, it always puts the entire town in a better mood. What better thing to do to celebrate than to make everyone happy."
This guy was actually making sense now, there's no way Caleb could find a hole in his logic. Even I found myself agreeing with the man, which kind of scared me. I nudged Caleb's leg and nodded for him to just go with it. He just sighed and grinned before looking back up at Shabboneau.
"Alright Lord Shabboneau...we'll accept your offer" Caleb said, making Shabboneau cheer from his seat and ordered Harold the butler to inform the fireworks crews to get everything ready.
"This is going to be so much fun, you'll love it, I guarantee it" he said with unsuppressed glee. "Now go off and enjoy the city, we won't be getting started till tonight, I already ordered one of my loyal servants to tell everyone in town about you. Enjoy yourselves in my city, everything in town is on me, so shop till you drop if you wish." He should not have said that.
I glanced over to Ashley to see if my suspicions were warranted. I instantly feared for the man's wallet after seeing the twinkle in the girls eyes. I had to let the man know what he had just got himself into, so I tried the first thing that came to mind. I closed my eyes on focused my thoughts, then directed them to the man in hopes that the telepathy would work again.
'That is a very bad idea with Ashley around' I thought towards him. I smiled widely when I saw him looking around in confusion.
"Who said that?" he demanded while glancing to each and every person in the room, confusing Caleb and Ashley greatly.
"Said what your highness?" Ashley asked.
"I swear I heard a voice...am I going crazy?" he scratched his head, making me snicker at his reaction to my voice.
'Maybe, maybe not' his eyes widened even further and he started cowering in fear of me without knowing it was actually me. He looked pretty pathetic like that, so I decided to have mercy on the guy.
'Down here' I tapped his leg with a paw, making him jump a good foot in the air while holding his hand over his heart, did I scare him that badly.
"What?" he glared down at me for scaring him so bad.
'Peace malord, twas only me' I said, jokingly trying to sound like a medieval knight addressing his feudal lord. He just stared at me until his brain managed to catch up and register that he was not crazy or on any danger, and then he actually started laughing.
"oh dear me, you got me good there little one" he chuckled and patted my head, "I thank you for the warning, but don't worry, I have plenty in my treasury." He was acting like a little Riolu talking to him in his head was completely normal, but I guess it would be normal since Mew said that Riolu and Lucario can use telepathy.
"Um...your highness, did you hear him in your head too?" Caleb asked, pointing down to me. Shabboneau nodded happily and I decided to have a little fun with my trainer by trying the same thing with him as I did the king.
'What, is it really so hard to believe that I'm smart enough to use telepathy?' I asked in mock anger, making him think that he had offended me. He was taken aback by both my voice in his head, and its tone.
"A-Aaron...d-d-did you j-just-" he stuttered out, but I cut him off before he could finish.
"Yes I did boy, seriously, do you have to doubt me about this as much as you do.' I tried my best to suppress a giggle as I continued my little rant. I was having way too much fun messing with the kid, but as always, Lilly came to his rescue.
"Aaron, quit whatever your doing, your scaring him half to death " Lilly ordered, making me put an end to my charade and cross my arm with a disappointed scowl on my face.
"Man...why you gotta ruin my fun" I pouted and kicked the floor in mock irritation, trying to get a rise out of her. I wanted to have some fun and messing with my friends is the best way I know how. I forgot a very important rule though, never mess with Lilly.
She growled in annoyance and pelted me with a flamethrower, reminding me of this rule in the most painful way possible. I thought about how earlier events were starting to repeat themselves as I rubbed the singe marks on my fur. I was afraid of becoming a Lucario later if she kept up these acts of violence towards me. Lucario were part Steel type, which was weak to fire, this meant that a flamethrower to the face like I just had would hurt a hundred times worse.
"That's a scary thought" I said to myself after finally getting my fur back to its original color instead of gray from the soot of her flames. I was literally dating a walking fireball...doesn't that just sound so exciting.
"Aaron, where did you learn telepathy?" Caleb asked, still sounding a little wary of me.
'No idea' I shrugged, 'all I know is, life is about to get a bit more interesting for us.' This got a nod from my trainer before we both found ourselves being forcefully pulled out the door by both Ashley and Lilly.
"Come on you two, we have an all expense paid shopping spree in front of us, and I plan on taking advantage of it." Ashley said as she dragged Caleb while Lilly did the same to me.
"Yeah Aaron, it'll be so much fun." I heard Lilly say, her voice muffled from having my arm in her mouth. All we could do was stare at each other in horror as we were forced out the door and thrown into every shop in town.
5 hours later
'Caleb...help!' I cried in distress as I collapsed from the weight of the shopping bags and found myself buried under the mountain of paper bags that the girls made us carry. I decided to add some dramatics by holding a shaky paw out of the top of the bags while begging for help from my trainer. I quickly found myself being pulled from my paper prison and into Caleb's arms, where I was then hugged securely to him while we both stared at the girls with fear in our eyes.
They both just looked back at us with a bored expression.
"Don't be so dramatic" They said in unison, making us both of give them a fake pout before we burst into laughter. We had wanted to have our little share of the fun, so we had been messing with the girls and generally acting like children during their entire shopping spree. Needless to say, they were not amused, not even a little. We, on the other hand, were having the most fun that we've had all week.
I was glad to see that Caleb had his own childish side to go along with mine. This made him the prime candidate for my partner in crime as we continued our childish antics.
"So...heavy" he grunted as he pretended to struggle in his efforts to pick up all of the bags. They definitely weren't heavy, seeing as they held pretty much nothing but clothes and multiple kinds of Pokétreats, as well as grooming supplies. I mirrored his actions by picking up my share of the load with a pained whine, getting another annoyed glare from the girls.
"I swear, you two are acting like children" Ashley sighed, getting a nod from Lilly.
"That's the point sweetheart" I snickered, tilting my head to avoid a small fireball from my beloved fox. I could tell we were nearing the limit that our actions would allow with the girls and shot Caleb a warning glance. He noticed it and became his normal self to avoid making them both truly angry at us.
"The fireworks will probably be starting soon, we should be heading back to the castle" Caleb suggested, making us all look up at the darkening sky with mixed emotions. Me and Caleb both looked to the night with relief since it meant that we would finally be done with shopping. Ashley and Lilly saw the night with disdain as their fun came to an end.
"Fine...let's head back." They both began to sulk as they walked behind us with their heads down in sorrow. I could tell it was faked though, you can't fool a Riolu with fake emotions. Caleb though, like everyone else in our group it seemed, was unable to see past their charade and tried to cheer them up while I rolled my eyes at his obliviousness.
15 minutes later
"Welcome back my friends" Shabboneau greeted as he ushered us forward while his butlers and other servants ran around us.
"Hello your highness...what's going on?" he smiled and gestured for us to follow him out the door next to his throne. We decided not to ask questions and did as we were told, soon finding ourselves on the castle balcony that overlooked a very impressive garden. It wasn't as amazing as the garden at the Parfum Palace, but it was amazing nonetheless.
That wasn't what really got any of our attention though, what we all had our focus on was a large buffet table. It was covered in many different foods and even had a small section devoted to us. We stared wide eyed at the entire spread and I found my mouth watering at the delectable scents in the air.
"Impressive, is it not?" Shabboneau chuckled as he judged our reactions, "I had all of my best cooks prepare a feast for you and your Pokémon to help celebrate the return of my flute."
"But...isn't this a bit much?" The king waved off Ashley's concern as he shook his head.
"Of course not, what you have done has helped more than just me. You have helped all of Kalos by giving me back the item needed to wake up Snorlax."
"All this though...I don't know what to say" Caleb said. The king smiled and held his hand towards the table.
"No words are necessary my young Caleb, simply do me the honor of thanking you as I wish." He replied.
We didn't argue with the man and began to dig into our respective side of the table. I was a little upset that I wouldn't be able to eat human food again, but was at least thankful that the Pokémon food didn't exactly taste bad to my tongue. This food though, made me completely forget about all other food on the table. The food was like nothing I had ever eaten before.
"Slow down hun" I heard Lilly tell me as she and Lee, who I had requested be released so he could enjoy the food, watched as I downed the food with gusto. I usually ate slower than all of the others, but this food was simply just too good and I couldn't help myself from tearing into it as fast as possible.
She tried again to tell me to eat slower, but I still didn't acknowledge her, completely enraptured by my meal. She growled at me for ignoring her and pulled the food away from me. I whined at the loss of my food and looked at her with sad eyes. She was unaffected by my puppy eyes and even laughed at the sight of the begging Riolu before her.
"You need to slow down sweetie" she giggled cutely, earning another pout from me.
"I can't help it, it was just so good...can I have it back by the way...please." she tilted her head in thought before a wide smile overtook her muzzle. I saw the mischievousness in her aura as she slid the bowl back over to me. I reached out for it, but she smacked away my paw before I could get anywhere near it.
I was practically at the verge of tears by now from being denied my food, but she just scooted up next to me with that same mischievous smile on her face. I looked at her, my eyes reflecting my confusion, earning another giggle from her. She reached a paw down into my food bowl and pulled out a single piece before offering it to me. I shrugged, figuring she was doing this to stop me from making myself sick, and reached out for the piece of food. I whimpered when she pulled it away from my reach, before she surprised me by bringing it back just an inch from my muzzle.
I looked at her questioningly before opening my muzzle and letting her feed me the food. I found myself flushing from the fact I was being fed by her, but soon found myself doing the same for her. I laughed when I heard Lee gag from the sight of our affection, not quite being old enough to see relationships in a mature manner.
"Isn't that just adorable?" I heard Ashley say with a muffled squeal as I saw her point to the two of us out of the corner of my eye. Lilly rolled her eyes at the comment and fed me the last piece of food from the bowl with a noticeable grin on her face.
"Lilly, I know that look...what are you thinking?" I asked nervously as she rose to her paws and pushed me with her head.
"I'm thinking about what you promised me earlier today." I tilted my head questioningly before it finally hit me.
"Wait! Please don't make me go back!" I begged as she dragged me from my spot on the balcony and towards the door.
"No can do, you promised me" she told me with a shake of her head.
"But what if she's there?" I asked in a last ditch effort to avoid my possible demise. She didn't answer, just kept her eyes forward while continuing to drag me away from the party.
'God help me.'
30 minutes later
"I wonder why they haven't started yet." I heard Lilly mutter aloud from her spot on the stone bench we claimed for our night time excursion to the the Parfum Palace garden. The landscape was absolutely beautiful at night, but the statues gave it an eerie feel that made Lilly stick a little closer to me out of paranoia, not that I really minded.
"I'm sure their just making some last minute adjustments" I told her to ease her anxiousness. They had not started shooting the fireworks off yet, much to my surprise, and she was being forced to sit there impatiently while staring up into the sky. I was a little anxious myself, but I didn't let anything as trivial as my own patience interrupt my time with my little vixen.
"We just have to be patient." I smiled as I nuzzled her ears while stroking her silky tail to straighten out the fur the way she liked it. She smiled back and licked my cheek affectionately before turning back to the sky when she heard a distant whistle. I looked up and watched the dim streak of light fly up into the sky before bursting, turning the black sky a glorious red. The initial explosion surprised and scared Lilly as she yelped and his her face in my neck. I chuckled and held into her tightly as I turned her head back to the sky, just in time to see another burst of light that covered us in a verdant green.
"Those are the fireworks sweetheart...the product of human ingenuity and their desire to celebrate." I laughed a little at my comment as I watched Lilly's reactions more than I did the fireworks.
"Their...amazing" she muttered, totally in aww at the wonderful colors that filled the sky. I smiled and lightly scratched the tuft of fur behind her ears.
"They represent something when you think about it...cause fireworks are nothing but powder and pretty colors that are meant to be enjoyed for only a scant moment. They show that something truly beautiful can come and go before your very eyes. Their beauty lives forever though...because we will always remember the true joy that each and every one can bring us." I cupped Lilly's jaw and turned her to meet me eye-to-eye.
"Lilly...you are my firework...you are truly beautiful in my eyes. That is why you will not fade like those pretty lights up there. Your beauty is eternal...for you are my little firefox...you are what truly makes the night beautiful." I saw a small tear start to form from my heartfelt, but slightly cheesy, statement. I took my free paw and wiped the tear away, not wanting to see it try and take away from her beauty.
"Aaron..." Was all she was able to say before I saw her face edging ever closer to mine. I felt my heart start to race as we both closed the distance slowly before we finally met in a kiss. One of true love and compassion, and there we stayed for most of the night, well past the end of the fireworks.
We were sure we would get in serious trouble for not coming back soon, but that didn't matter to us. Tonight was our night, and we were just getting started.
I'm sorry about the last scene y'all, I just couldn't help myself. I had wanted to feed the romance side of the story and is was just the perfect setting for it.
Hope you enjoyed it, I'm out.