With Tentacruel and her allies finally taken care of, the heroes of Tokyo were glad to have another break from fighting evil. As satisfying as saving Tokyo was, they still hoped that they would get more time to enjoy themselves before another villain decided to attack.

Currently, everyone was out for a day on the town to show Meloetta just how much things had changed. Sure, Tentacruel had shown her quite a number of new inventions, but she had also given the green-haired girl false information regarding how a lot of them worked and why they were made. She was especially happy to discover the real reason why headphones were made, glad that people did not use them as weapons like she did hers.

After a bit more sight-seeing, Meloetta was brought to the one place Machop and her friends wanted her to check out most of all, the club. Needless to say, the owner was more than happy to see them, especially Machop who he was surprised to see up and about as soon as she was.

The group sat on the couch as Vigoroth looked around and asked, "So this is the place you guys hang out at during your free time?" Meloetta smiling and saying, "I think it looks nice."

Isamu nodded as the sloth shrugged her shoulders, saying, "Honestly, I expected more than just a few pool tables and a bar," Rinko shrugging and replying, "Well, there's also a karaoke machine," pointing at it.

Meloetta blinked and asked, "You mean it makes carrots?" Vigoroth sighing, "Karaoke, not carrot. It's a machine that plays music from already existing songs and you have to sing along with the words."

Meloetta's eyes sparkled as she asked, "Can I try it?" Machop shrugging and replying, "Of course. As long as no one else is using it, you can pretty much go up there and give it a whirl anytime," Meloetta about to question that when Vigoroth sighed, "She means you can use it."

"Right, she's been in a cave for hundreds of years," Torchic said, "For some reason, I keep forgetting that," Venipede suggesting, "Maybe it's the headpiece. If she wasn't born with it, I'd swear she bought that in recent years."

Meloetta got up on stage and looked over the songs, noticing one titled 'I Look Up As I Walk'. The title sounded pleasant to her, so she decided to give that a go as a lovely melody played, the girl singing along with the lyrics that appeared on the screen in front of her.

All of the guests stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her. Hers was one of the most beautiful singing voices anyone had ever heard. The tone and pitch were perfect as Machop grinned, saying, "I should totally introduce her to Mama. They'd probably sing the nicest duet ever."

"Oh yeah, I forgot you're mom's a famous singer in France," Venipede replied as soon enough, Meloetta finished the song as everyone applauded her.

The green-haired girl blushed bright as Vigoroth grinned and said, "Well, your voice is actually really pretty when it's not used as a weapon."

"Really?" Meloetta asked as the owner nodded and said, "I can honestly say you're the best singer we've ever had here."

Eiko clapped and squealed, "I wish I could sing like that!" Isamu sighing, "Me too," patting her on the shoulder as she folded her arms and retorted, "What's that supposed to mean!?"

At that moment, the owner brought the group their beverages, saying, "Drinks on the house for my new favourite regulars," handing them out as Machop said, "Thank you," taking her fruit punch as Meloetta asked, "We're not sitting on top of a house."

"When you get something in an establishment like this on the house, it means you don't have to pay for it," Vigoroth replied, "In other words, it's free, and I'm pretty sure that had the same definition I'm referring to back in your time."

"Yeah, I know all the meanings of 'free'," Meloetta replied as Rinko and Vigoroth were the only ones with an alcoholic drink, Rinko with her usual beer and Vigoroth having a cocktail.

Meloetta blinked and asked, "Can I try a bit of that?" Vigoroth nodding and saying, "Careful. Alcohol can be pretty strong."

Meloetta took a light sip and smiled, saying, "Actually, that's pretty good," taking a sip of her own drink and saying, "I'm not sure which one I like better."

"Huh, Meloetta likes alcohol," Isamu said with a shrug, "I never would have imagined someone that innocent liking the taste," Machop sticking out her tongue and groaning, "I can't stand it. I can see why Mama and Daddy never got into it."

Rinko shrugged and replied, "Your loss," chugging hers down as Venipede chuckled and said, "I'm not allowed to have alcohol, myself. If my mom ever caught me drinking it, I'd never hear the end of it."

Rinko smirked and nudged him, holding her bottle in front of him and saying, "You know, she's not here to see you do it," the centipede retorting, "I can't betray her trust! I mean, well-" the brunette adding, "Come on, just one sip. Beer's not as strong as most alcoholic drinks."

"Well, okay," Venipede replied, "But only a tiny bit," Rinko nodding and pouring a little bit into the lid, Venipede gulping it down as he shrugged and said, "Not bad. It's kinda like ginger ale but without the sugar."

Machop rose an eyebrow and said, "So it's like sparkling water? I don't really care for that either," Venipede replying, "It's not quite like that either. It's hard to describe, but I kinda wanna try more."

Rinko smirked and said, "I had a feeling you'd like it," Meloetta giggling and saying, "You two make for a really cute couple."

Both stared as their cheeks turned bright pink, Rinko laughing nervously and uttering, "Um, we're not..." Venipede cutting in and saying, "We're just really close friends."

Machop, Isamu and Eiko lowered their eyelids and looked at one-another. Even Vigoroth was trying her best not to respond to this.

Meloetta, on the other hand, seemed to believe their words as she nodded and said, "Oh, okay," as the next couple of hours went by smoothly. Even Vigoroth had started to warm up to the club and felt that coming to it had, indeed, been worth it.

And with that, the group was ready to head their separate ways as Meloetta smiled and said, "See you tomorrow," Torchic asking, "Hey, if you don't mind me asking, where are you headed?"

The green-haired girl blinked as Isamu said, "That's a good question. You don't have money, right? So I'm kinda wondering where you're living if you can't afford a house."

"Well, when I was working with Tentacruel, I shared a cave with her and her friends," Meloetta replied, "It's not much, but it's somewhere I can stay until I get a job or something, which is actually possible now," a sweet smile forming.

"Oh no," Machop remarked with a stern look, "Meloetta, you will not subject yourself to living in a cave," Meloetta asking, "Then where will I live?"

Torchic grinned and said, "I think I know what you have in mind," Machop nodding and saying, "You've spent hundreds of years waiting for this, so you're gonna have a nice place to live. Come with me. I'll show you your new home."

The green-haired girl had the biggest smile on her face as she walked next to Machop, Eiko saying, "Wow, she's so generous," Isamu nodding and adding, "I was about to make a similar offer."

Vigoroth nodded as Torchic turned to her and asked, "Say, where are you staying?" the sloth replying, "Oh, I found this nice little shack that's free of charge. It has a pretty weird paint job on it, but it's got an interior that suits me," the others knowing exactly which shack she was referring to.

And soon enough, Machop led Meloetta to Lairon's place as she blinked and said, "This looks like a really nice house," Machop nodding and saying, "Come inside."

With that, both girls entered as Garchomp grinned and said, "Welcome home, Machop," before bowing her head to Meloetta and adding, "And hello to you, too."

"Why are you here, Miss Garchomp?" Meloetta asked as the dragon replied, "Well, this is my home," Eri running into the room and panting happily, her tail wagging as Machop smiled and knelt down, petting her while saying, "It's nice to see you too."

Meloetta's eyes sparkled as she squealed, "I love doggies," before joining in and asking, "Wait, I thought you were going to show me my new home. Why are we at Garchomp's?"

"Well, this is where I'm staying," Machop replied before turning to the dragon in question and asking, "Say, can Meloetta live here too? She doesn't have anywhere nice to go."

The green-haired girl's eyes widened as she squeaked, "What!?" Garchomp nodding and saying, "Absolutely. I just know Lairon would be perfectly fine with this."

Meloetta stared silently as Machop grinned and said, "Surprise," the green-haired girl looking down and uttering, "Wow, that's a really nice gesture. I'm actually really happy you thought of this, but I don't know. I don't want to impose."

Garchomp chuckled and replied, "Trust me, you are more than welcome here. If anything, I'd be more upset if you didn't have somewhere to stay," Machop nodding and saying, "Same here."

Meloetta let down light tears as a big smile formed on her face, the green-haired girl giving Machop a hug and squealing, "Thank you so much!" as Machop smiled warmly and patted her on the back.

During this time, Venipede and Rinko were in the middle of training in the brunette's house, the two trading blows. However, just as Venipede was about to send a punch into Rinko's chest, his eyes widened as he stopped his attack, taking a hard punch to the cheek.

"Oh, sorry!" Rinko groaned as the centipede rubbed his cheek, saying, "Hey, we're training, right? We're supposed to hit each other," before laughing nervously, not wanting to bring up his actual reason for holding back. But why? It was not as if he meant anything perverse by aiming there.

Either way, Rinko shrugged and said, "Alright, as long as you're okay to continue," the two resuming sparring, though right now, the brunette was feeling a tad distracted too.

Vigoroth, meanwhile, entered her new home, and just as the others suspected, she had chosen the old Mach Family shack. She held her hands against her side and said, "Well, it's not much, but this is just fine by me."

She then opened up a treasure chest with a set of weights in it, saying, "I don't know who left these here, but I'm glad they did," the sloth immediately lifting them while thinking, 'Look at this, I'm actually independent and not living in my dad's bungalow. Never thought I'd see the day.'

During this time, Machop showed Meloetta to her room and said, "Since this is the only guest room, Garchomp and Lairon have decided we may as well share it," before patting the bed and adding, "As you can see, there's enough room for both of us."

Meloetta nodded with a light smile and replied, "That's great. It'll be like having a sister. I always wanted one of those," Machop grinning and thinking, 'Yeah, it is like I have a second family, isn't it?'

Lairon had returned home not too long ago as he had heard everything that had happened, the dinosaur nodding and saying, "Well, I wish you'd called me first, but you're right. I'm more than happy with her living here."

Garchomp nodded and said, "You know, maybe we should check up on Aron, see how he's doing," Lairon remarking, "But you know what he's like. He hates it when he worry and pester him. If anything, he's probably glad we haven't called him yet."

"Well, at the very least, I'm gonna send him an email," Garchomp replied as the dinosaur shrugged and replied, "That I'm sure he'll like," the dragon pulling out a laptop computer and turning it on.

After another hour, Garchomp had prepared a nice dinner. Lairon entered the kitchen once she was done and said, "Smells good in here, honey," as the dragon nodded and said, "I want Meloetta's first day here to be truly memorable."

With that, Garchomp walked toward the staircase and called out, "Machop, Meloetta, dinner's ready!"

Machop grinned and squealed, "Sweet! Come on, Meloetta! You're gonna love this!" the green-haired girl nodding and following Machop out of the room and down the stairs.

When she saw what was being served, her eyes sparkled in amazement. She had never seen anything like this. Garchomp had prepared a seaweed salad, Japanese meatballs and soba noodles with grilled tofu.

Lairon grinned and said, "If you think this is great, wait'll you actually try it. Your taste buds will explode," Meloetta blinking and uttering, "Is that an expression?" Machop nodding.

Garchomp proceeded to serve them up, placing a plate in front of Meloetta and saying, "Enjoy," the green-haired girl's eyes widening.

She remembered a time when she still had a mother, a beautiful woman who looked almost exactly like her with a few key differences. Not only was her hair orange as opposed to green, but it was wrapped up like a turban with her headpiece attached to its tip. Her eyes, jewel and belt formation were also orange and the bottom of her dress-like torso was spread out like a tutu.

Meloetta remembered how she used to make her dinner everyday, using what few resources she had to make it good. And every time, she had the warmest smile on her face as she set a plate in front of the green-haired girl, saying, "Enjoy."

Tears welled up in Meloetta's eyes as she sniffed, Garchomp and Lairon staring with concern as the dragon asked, "Is something wrong?"

"No," Meloetta replied with a big smile, "I'm just so happy!" as Machop chuckled and said, "Somehow I knew that would be the case."

When Meloetta tried some of the seaweed salad, her eyes lit up as she said, "This is the best thing I've ever tasted," Machop saying, "Try the rest."

The green-haired girl did just that as she said, "I stand corrected. The noodle dish is better," a big smile on her face as Garchomp chuckled, saying, "Well, I'm glad you like it because you're gonna eat like this for a long time."

Meloetta tried her best not to tear up again as she continued to enjoy her meal. And afterwards, she figured the least she could do was help clean up. Garchomp insisted that she could handle it on her own but the green-haired girl felt as if she owed the dragon for taking her in without question.

Shortly after dinner, Machop decided that Meloetta should have a shower. After all, she had not truly cleaned herself in years due to her being unable to and thus she showed her to the bathroom.

Meloetta stared at the shower as Machop said, "This is what we use to clean ourselves quickly. It's called a shower," the green-haired girl nodding and asking, "How does it work?"

Machop turned the knob as water came out, Meloetta gasping and squealing, "It's just like a waterfall! That's what I always used to clean myself!" Machop nodding and saying, "It's similar, but with a shower, you can actually choose the temperature."

She then led the green-haired girl through the various different settings, explaining how the colour blue meant cold and how red meant hot. When Meloetta got a good understanding of that, Machop added, "And before you enter, it's a good idea to feel the water with your hand to see if it's at the temperature you want, though wait a few seconds before passing judgement. It doesn't heat up right away."

Meloetta nodded as Machop exited the bathroom and said, "I'll leave you to your shower. In this day and age, it's recommended that we shower in privacy, even though our kind has little to hide."

"I see," Meloetta replied as Machop exited the bathroom, the green-haired girl working the shower with ease. Among all of the modern creations she had come across, this was one of the easier ones to figure out.

Just as she had gotten the temperature she wanted, Machop asked, "Hey, are you alright in there?" the green-haired girl replying, "Yeah, I'm good. Thanks for asking."

Even something as simple as having someone ask her a question like that made Meloetta feel so happy. While having friends was new to her, having a family was something she had missed dearly.

In fact, all of this great treatment reminded her of arguably the saddest day of her life, the day she had been sealed. She and her mother lived in a small cottage located away from Tokyo as the orange-haired woman did not wish to endanger her daughter by entering it.

Recently, she had caught a deadly disease but had hidden this fact from Meloetta as she did not wish to worry her. However, today the disease had reached a critical stage and if the woman did not receive treatment soon, she would surely die. Thus, despite her mother's warnings, Meloetta raced into Tokyo to ask for help.

But when she arrived, it was just as bad as what she had told Tentacruel. She was immediately pegged as a monster and driven out of town. And to make matters worse, the people chased her into the depths Nippara Limestone Cave where a wizard cast a sealing spell on her, trapping her within the stone.

All Meloetta could assume in present time was that her mother never got the treatment she needed and died from her disease. The only upside to all of this was that at least she did not have to see her daughter have the spell cast on her.

Looking back to that day brought tears to Meloetta's eyes, and needless to say, these were not tears of joy like the others that had formed earlier. But after two minutes, she wiped her eyes and sniffed, looking up and thinking, 'Well, Mom, I finally have the good life you always wanted for me. I just know you're probably smiling up there and want me to do the same.'

With all said and done, night time soon rolled around as Meloetta crawled under the covers next to Machop, smiling and saying, "Wow, I've never slept in an actual bed before."

Machop grinned and replied, "Get used to it. This is your life from now on," Meloetta nodding and saying, "Again, thank you so much."

With that, Machop turned off the light as both girls wished each other a goodnight. And soon enough, they were sound asleep, Meloetta feeling not just comfortable but happy. Now she was actually glad to have been sealed for all those years, otherwise she never would have been able to experience a world where her kind was accepted by society.