-128-
As night descended upon the quiet marble city of Olympus, a group of six Gallades were escorting Artemis, Eric and his comrades through the quiet palace to their rooms for the night. One Gallade led Andre, still carrying Victoria in his arms, down a corridor and away from his comrades. The Gallade looked over his shoulder with a friendly smile on his face.
"Congratulations, Prince Andre," said the Gallade happily, "And best wishes to you, Princess Victoria."
"Thank you," said Victoria cheerfully, smiling and blushing as her mate carried her onward.
"Yes, thank you," said Andre as the Gallade led onward. After traveling down the corridor for several minutes, the Gallade and two Gardevoirs came to a stop in front of a door.
"Prince Andre," said the Gallade with great respect as he turned around to face the royal newlyweds, "Glacian has given you and Princess Victoria this room. This is where you two will sleep from now on." Andre took a deep breath.
"Is something bothering you, my dear?" asked Victoria sweetly. Andre didn't want to say it, but he was extremely nervous about his wedding night. He just couldn't seem to come to terms that he was about to go to bed with his wife for the first time.
"Just so you know, all the rooms around yours are unoccupied for the time being," said the Gallade matter-of-factly.
"May I ask why?" asked Andre nervously.
"Well, it's just his highness, King Glacian thinking ahead," said the Gallade calmly, hoping to somehow reassure the nervous groom, "After all, you are expected to have children someday, so the surrounding rooms will be for them."
"I'm looking forward to that," giggled Victoria blissfully, "Aren't you looking forward to being a father, my dear prince? I almost can't wait to hold our first Ralts…"
"Well," said the Gallade as he opened the door for the young couple, "If you need anything, just call for the servants. Okay?" Andre nodded his head.
"Thank you," said Andre as he started to carry his bride through the door. The Gallade bowed towards the prince and princess.
"Have a wonderful night, Prince Andre and Princess Victoria," said the Gallade with utmost respect.
"Don't worry," giggled Victoria, "We will." Andre blushed nervously as he carried Victoria into the room. The Gallade softly closed the door behind the two lovers. Victoria reached out with her right hand and locked the door. Andre let out a heavy sigh as he carried his bride through the lavish suite, complete with a large, finely-furnished living room, a spacious bathroom and a large bedroom, fully furnished with fancy furniture with a king-sized bed at the center of the back wall. Andre took a deep, nervous breath.
"Is something wrong, dear?" asked Victoria. The female Gardevoir may have been looking forward to getting to lie down with her husband for the first time, but by no means was she going to force Andre into doing anything he did not want to do.
"I'm just very worried…" said Andre with a heavy sigh.
"What about?" asked Victoria, "Shall we sit down in the living room and talk about it? I want to help you, my love." Andre nodded his head in reply and promptly carried his bride into the living room. Andre took a seat on a red couch, keeping a good hold on Victoria as she sat down on his lap.
"Okay, Andre," said Victoria sweetly as she held onto his hands, "What's troubling you? I don't understand why you're not happy." Andre looked up and stared into his bride's eyes.
"You want to know the truth?" asked Andre.
"Of course I do," said Victoria with a nod of her head, "Whatever it is, you can tell me. No one else has to know about whatever your problem is but us."
"Thank you, Victoria," said Andre as he drew in a deep breath, "I can't do this, Victoria… I don't think we should be together after all…" The young bride was shocked upon hearing this.
"What do you mean?" asked Victoria calmly, doing her best not to show any signs of sadness or grief, "You came into my sewing shop and proposed by your own free will. I love you and spent several weeks making those wonderful dresses just for us. We got married today: exchanged our vows, rings and you even prepared my wedding dress for when I'll receive my wings."
"Victoria," said Andre with despair, "I did a lot of things I'm not proud of years ago. I worked with Cipher to mercilessly capture your people and imprison them in Dr. Namwen's laboratory. You all would have become Shadow Pokémon or would have been forced to breed in captivity. I don't think a criminal like me deserves to be with a lovely lady like you…"
"Weren't you once a human?" asked Victoria sweetly.
"Yes, I was," said Andre, "But that's not why I can't bear to be your husband. I know very well that I'm a full-blooded Gardevoir and a member of the royal family of Olympus." Andre bowed his head low with shame.
"Andre," said Victoria with a sweet and gentle voice as she tenderly lifted Andre's head so she could see him face to face, "I married you because you are not just adorable, but you're a true gentleman. All the days you have lived in Olympus have been peaceful and everyone in this city has forgiven you. You even fought alongside the Guardians of Gardev in one of the last crucial battles against Cipher."
"What are you saying, Victoria?" asked Andre with a heavy sigh.
"I'm saying that you are no longer the evil man who used to work for Cipher," said Victoria with warm laughter, "Do you really think a nice girl like me would ever marry you if you were a horrid, conniving Gardevoir? I think not!"
"So…" said Andre, "You're okay with being my mate…? You want me as your husband despite my dark past?" Victoria nodded her head.
"You're no longer that man, Andre," said Victoria softly, "You're a handsome young Gardevoir prince with a grand future: a future I get to share with you as your wife."
"You really mean that?" asked Andre. Victoria smiled as she slowly nodded her head and showed Andre the wedding band he had slid onto her right, middle finger.
"I love you, Andre," said Victoria sweetly, "You do love me, don't you?" Andre leaned forward and kissed his mate.
"I do love you," said Andre tenderly, "Thank you, my love…" Victoria giggled happily as Andre tightly wrapped his arms around her and stood up, carrying his bride once again.
"Would you like to dance for a little while before we go to bed?" asked Andre softly, "It might help me feel better."
"Of course I will, Andre" said Victoria as Andre tenderly set his bride back on the floor, her feet softly landing on the red carpet as she turned her gaze upon her mate "Anything for my handsome Gardevoir. Why it looks like there's even enough room in this living room for a few good waltzes, before we get to bed." The two lovers needed no music as they started to dance in the silent and low lit room. While Andre admired his lovely bride, he couldn't help but think of his comrades, wondering if they were as delighted to be married as he was. Of course, Andre was right. Eric was very happy getting to spend his first night with Ariel. Alvin was lying next to his bride on their bed, the Gardevoir scientist and Sandra admiring each other's wedding dresses. Cecil and Jenifer had decided to step out onto their very own balcony and just took the time to look at the stars before going to their bedroom. Elizabeth couldn't keep her eyes off her handsome, winged Mewtwo prince. David still did feel quite right having to wear a wedding dress as per Gardevoir tradition. Still, the happy look David got from his mate was all the comfort he needed as he slowly carried Elizabeth away to their bedroom. As for Artemis and Fina, the two newlyweds had also decided to venture out onto their private balcony. With their arms wrapped around each other, they trained their eyes to the bright stars in the cloudless night sky. Artemis brought his hands down lower from her upper back and gently placed them on Fina's waist, tenderly stroking his bride and enjoying the feeling of the soft embroidered satin and smooth gems on his fingers. Fina giggled happily and embraced Artemis even tighter. For them, this was a dream finally come true, one they had to wait several years to finally come to be. Artemis froze when he heard something rustling in the bushes one story down below. Fina's delightful expression on her face soon gave way to alarm. The lovers wondered who would be down in the palace gardens at this hour with the palace grounds and corridors all but empty.
"Wait here," whispered Artemis as he pulled his arms away from Fina and quietly walked towards the edge of the balcony. Fina took a few steps towards the balcony's entryway and held her breath as Artemis peered over the edge of the balcony, ready to unleash a psychic blast if whoever was hiding in the bushes turned out to be hostile.
"Who's there?" asked Artemis quietly and forcefully. The rustling in the bushes stopped at once.
"Is that you, Artemis?" asked a voice quietly.
"Yes," said Artemis, still on edge and ready to attack, "But who are you? Show yourself, or else…"
"Okay, okay!" said the voice fearfully, "I didn't mean any harm…" Artemis looked on with amazement as a familiar Ninetails poked his head out from the top of the bushes. For some reason, the Ninetails was wearing a ruby pendant with a gold chain around his neck.
"Wildfyre?" asked Artemis with disbelief.
"That's me!" said Wildfyre happily, "Nice to see you again! Do you suppose you could give me a lift up to the balcony? It wasn't easy to sneak into Olympus and past all the guards. I really would rather not find out whether I'm welcome in this city or not." Artemis nodded his head and stepped away from the edge of the balcony. Wildfyre held his breath as he felt an invisible force gently lift him off the ground and into the air. Less than a minute later, Artemis set Wildfyre onto the balcony floor with great care as not to hurt the Ninetails.
"Thanks for the lift!" said Wildfyre with glee, sitting down as he turned his gaze upon Fina and bowed slightly towards her, "Nice to see you again, milady."
"Likewise, Wildfyre," said Fina happily, "Why, may I ask, have you journeyed all the way to Olympus?"
"That's what I'd like to know as well," said Artemis, narrowing his eyes at Wildfyre, "And in secret, I might add."
"I mean you no harm," said Wildfyre calmly, "I merely traveled all the way here because word got out that you, Artemis and Fina, were getting married today. I ended up missing the wedding so I climbed Mt. Ivory as fast as I could and was hoping I could see you before you and Fina got to your chambers for the night. I do hope I'm not intruding… am I?"
"It's okay, dear," giggled Fina, "For a moment there, I was afraid you had completely forgotten about us."
"Certainly not," said Wildfyre, "In fact, I have a wedding present for you, Fina. See the pendant around my neck? I want you to have it." Fina stepped up to Wildfyre and leaned over to get a better look at the piece of jewelry. The pendant consisted of a large, crudely cut, but well-polished red ruby: the deep red crystal had a tiny, golden screw drilled into it with a hook sticking out of the ruby ever so slightly. The hook was wrapped around a small link in the gold chain.
"It's beautiful," remarked Fina with a bright smile, "But, where did you get it?"
"My father gave it to me a week before I idiotically cursed you, Fina," said Wildfyre, "It's been in my family for ages, but I want you to have and wear it for the rest of your days. A reminder of how sorry I am for what I did to you and my commitment to make amends for my foolish actions."
"That means a lot to me," said Fina sweetly as she walked up to Wildfyre, gentle wrapped her fingers around the pendant's gold chain and then carefully lifted the pendant up and over the Ninetails's head, "Thank you Wildfyre… and I do forgive you."
"Thank you very much," said Wildfyre with relief as Fina put the pendant on around her neck, "I really appreciate it."
"You can stay here for the night, if you want," offered Artemis, "I'm sure Glacian would not mind you being in the palace at all. After all, you're now a close friend of mine and Fina's."
"I greatly appreciate your hospitality," said Wildfyre happily, "I would be honored to stay. Where shall I rest?"
"Just take the couch in the living room," said Fina cheerfully, "If anyone gives you any grief, just call for me and Artemis and we'll be there to help sort out any trouble."
"Thank you, Fina," said Wildfyre as he slowly walked across the balcony towards the entryway, stopping only for a moment to glance over his left shoulder at the two newlyweds.
"Congratulations to you, Prince Artemis," said Wildfyre with a friendly smile, "And best wishes to you, Princess Fina."
"Thank you, Wildfyre," said a happy Fina.
"Yes, thank you," said Artemis with joy, "You have a nice night, Wildfyre." Fina giggled as she walked up to Artemis's left side and put her right arm around his shoulders.
"You know we will!" said Fina, blushing and smiling blissfully as she leaned against her mate.
"That you will, my friends," said Wildfyre, chuckling warmly, "Good night and see you two love birds in the morning." As Wildfyre walked into the palace, Artemis turned his head to his left, looking his bride in her eyes.
"Are you ready?" asked Artemis sweetly, blushing as he put his arms round his bride. Fina giggled, blushing deeply as she nodded her head in reply. Without another word, Artemis swept his bride off her feet and into his arms. The princess bride smiled, closing her eyes and leaning her head against Artemis's chest as she was carried into the palace, she and Artemis looking forward to their first night together: something they had hoped would happen for many years.
-129-
Darkness had fallen over the sprawling metropolis of Alakaz well over an hour ago. K-1 skillfully guided the massive S-5 carrier around skyscrapers while Gremlin, a big smile on his face, sat in the co-pilot's chair with his arms around his blushing bride, who was happily sitting in his lap.
"Those people down there must be completely blind or something," said Gremlin as the Titan whizzed by over the brightly-lit city, "It's like no one can see us at all."
"That's just it," said K-1 proudly, "The S-5's jamming array and silencing technology makes us virtually impossible to detect on radar, infrared scanners, ultra-violet scanners and even the naked eye. Right now, if you were standing outside the Titan, you wouldn't see anything, not even a shadow. In fact, you can't hear or even smell this vehicle when it's running at full power if you happen to be outside. Well, unless you gave the S-5 a new paintjob, something gets sucked into one of the jet engines, something in or on the S-5 catches on fire, someone tries cooking food in here and either prepares it properly or ruins it, if someone were to walk right into the S-5, if the S-5 were to be covered with rotting fish…"
"We get the picture, K-1!" laughed Crystal, "No one is going to spot us and we'll stay safe that way."
"Indeed," said K-1 cheerfully, "So, how much further do we have to go to get to our destination, Gremlin?"
"Just keep flying straight and follow your maps," said Gremlin calmly, "You're looking for the Alakaz Dance Hall on the run-down northwestern outskirts of the city. You'll know the building when you see it: it's the largest one on the block."
"Very well," said K-1, "Then we should be arriving there any moment now." Before long, K-1 saw what he had been looking for: several blocks of shoddy and old buildings at the very edge of the city. Only some dim streetlamps provided any illumination in this desolate area of Alakaz.
"Land in the parking lot in front of the building," ordered Gremlin, "There should be more than enough room to touch down." With the exception of discarded paper, cans, bottles and other kinds of old garbage getting blown about, there was no sign, not so much as even a sound from the S-5 as it landed softly on the dilapidated and cracked pavement. K-1 quickly powered down the engines and any other unneeded systems.
"May as well conserve the rest of the fuel," said K-1, "Everything on this ship is powered by nuclear generators and will never run out of energy. Well, except for the jet engines: those still require fuel."
"Haven't you come up with a better propulsion system yet?" asked Gremlin with curiosity as he tightly wrapped his arms around Crystal, stood up from the co-pilot's chair and walked up to K-1 with his bride in his arms.
"Mack and I have with Central's help," replied K-1 as he quickly checked the S-5's sensors and instrument scopes, "It's just a matter of acquiring the needed raw materials and building the new engines. Most likely, they will either be ion engines or something a little more conventional like electric jet engines. Instead of burning fuel, this new 'Electro-Jet' configuration simply superheats air using powerful and durable heating elements. The air is drawn into the engine via the turbines, just like a regular jet engine, but the air is then heated quickly by the heating elements, instead of using fuel to create what is literally a controlled explosion. The extreme heat causes the air to rapidly expand and the rush of the superheated air through the back of the engine is what will create forward thrust. Simple enough, isn't it?" Gremlin and Crystal looked at each other, confused expression on their faces.
"Well, you did ask," said K-1 with warm laughter, "Not my fault if you don't understand the language of techno-babble."
"Gremlin, aren't you worried about there being any humans around?" asked Crystal with fear, "What if some stupid trainer tries to catch us?"
"Then I will make him wish he'd never been born…" cackled Gremlin evilly as his eyes began to glow with red light.
"Well, you're out of luck," said K-1, "There are no signs of life at all in the surrounding ten blocks, which… is rather strange. Shouldn't there be someone living here?"
"Not anymore," said Gremlin, "I read in one of Warren's older newspapers about how this entire set of old, abandoned city blocks are going to be torn down to make way for new housing units and business buildings. Demolition is scheduled to begin in just four weeks."
"So why are we here?" asked Crystal eagerly.
"You shall see," said Gremlin as he started on his way out of the cockpit, "Please follow me, K-1." The robot nodded his head and followed close behind Gremlin and Crystal as the Sableye made his way down the narrow hallways of the S-5, climbed down a flight of stairs and were soon standing outside the cloaked S-5. Sitting right in front of the two Pokémon and one robot was a large, three story brick building. Many of the windows were shattered and the only thing that could be seen inside the old building was darkness. A light breeze blew over the parking lot.
"Whew!" whistled K-1 with amazement as he surveyed the scene, "This place would be perfect for shooting either a horror movie, or a mystery movie. Even Dracula, the Wolfman or Dr. Frankenstein would be proud of a place like this." Gremlin cackled with glee as he laid his eyes on the old building for the first time in many years. A large sign, lying on the ground in front of the four front doors in large, tarnished bronze letters said "Alakaz Hall for Dance and Performance."
"This, my dear," said Gremlin with pride as he took a few steps closer to the building, "Is where I learned to dance. For ten years, I haunted this place, unseen and unnoticed. Every night, I had the best seat in the house from the stage rafters watching all kinds of dancing being performed. Hula, belly-dancing, the waltz, ballet, can-can… almost anything you could imagine that was graceful or energetic. If I remember correctly, the can-can was only performed on Friday nights. They actually dressed quite modestly and man could those young ladies dance! For years, I watched in the shadows, observing the dancers and the many forms of dance they performed. I quickly learned to mimic their steps, routines and performances down to the slightest detail. I even high-jacked and modified some costumes to better perfect my talent. All was well, until I foolishly decided to join some ballerinas in their performance of The Nutcracker. I'll always remember that day…" Gremlin had a bright smile on his face.
"Dare I ask what happened?" queried K-1 hesitantly.
"Well, I had everything ready," said Gremlin happily as the vivid memories came back to his mind, "A wore a white ballet dress, much like the one I have now, as well as a pair of pink ballet slippers that some little girl had left behind after a practice session earlier that month. Anyway, the scene of the ballet was 'Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy' and the young ballerinas were making their way on stage as the music began to play. Witlessly, I jumped on stage, front and center thinking I would join the dancers in their performance. Instead, I cleaned out the house in a matter of minutes as every single human in the building went into a panic. They were yelling, screaming and desperately were trying to leave the dance hall in a flurry to escape the 'Scary' ghost Pokémon. Since that night, no one has ever again performed here and the dance hall was closed down a week later as no one wanted to practice or perform any longer as the building was now haunted."
"Did you feel bad?" asked a saddened Crystal.
"I was at first," laughed Gremlin, "But not for long as it quickly sank in just how successful I had been at scaring so many people out of their wits at once! Why, everyone had left the building in such a hurry and no one wanted to venture back in that not even the fancy, expensive dance costumes were ever recovered. They're probably all still there in the dressing rooms, untouched for the last 30 years."
"So, you brought me to the very place that used to be your home," giggled Crystal with joy, "And also where you learned to dance. Now I know why you're so good on your feet."
"Aint it the truth, my dear!" cackled Gremlin, "But this is also where we'll spend our honeymoon. This building is going to be knocked down in a matter of weeks, so I just had to come here and relive the good old days while it was still here: most importantly, with you at my side."
"You mean we'll have a huge stage all to ourselves?" asked Crystal with excitement, "We can dance there whenever we want?"
"Any time you want to," said Gremlin, "I figured we could also take the time to brush up on our ballet skills."
"It will be challenging to dance in this wedding dress instead of my ballet attire," giggled Crystal, "But I'll manage."
"There are also a few fully-furnished apartments on the top floor as well as a full kitchen," explained Gremlin, "The kitchen is yours to deal with, K-1. All the utensils should still be there, although I would recommend replacing all the foodstuffs. I doubt my bride wants to dine on 30-year-old canned tuna or creamed corn."
"I'll have the R-25s offload all the supplies at once," said K-1 with a nod, "Just let me know when you and Crystal want a meal or a snack and we'll get right on it."
"Sounds wonderful!" said Crystal with delight.
"The master bedroom has a big, cushy bed, too," said Gremlin sweetly. Crystal was suddenly not so enthusiastic about spending her wedding night and honeymoon in a dusty old building.
"Gremlin," said Crystal with uneasiness in her gentle voice, "If no one's been here in over 20 years, doesn't that mean all the rooms up there are a huge mess? Has that entire building really not been cleaned by anyone in decades?" Gremlin froze: the blissful smile on his face replaced with wide-open eyes and a slack jaw in an instant. Sure, Gremlin may not have minded mountains of dust on the floor, all over the tables, counters and furniture as well as cobwebs in every nook and cranny, but he quickly realized that a lovely Kirlia, like Crystal, may not care at all for such dirty décor.
"How senseless of me!" said Gremlin with shock as he quickly set Crystal down back on her feet and rushed towards the old dance hall, "K-1! Keep a close eye on my bride until I get back! I shouldn't be more than a few minutes!" As the wedding-dress-wearing Sableye rushed through the building's front doors, slamming them shut in his wake, K-1 and the Kirlia bride exchanged looks of utter bewilderment.
"What do you suppose he's up to now?" asked a perplexed K-1.
"I haven't the slightest clue," replied a confused Crystal. There was a loud, resounding "Boom!" from deep within the building as a cloud of black smoke appeared out of nowhere and engulfed the entire dance hall. There was a bright flash of blinding light that made Crystal cover her eyes and temporarily overloaded K-1's optical sensors.
"What the heck was that?" thundered K-1 as the bright light soon vanished. Crystal said not a word as she and an equally astonished K-1 laid their eyes on the old dance hall again. The shattered windows had been repaired and the lights in the building were now all lit. The building still looked like a wreck from the outside though, as Gremlin proudly walked out through one of the front doors and towards Crystal.
"That took a lot out of me!" said Gremlin, smiling as he took a deep breath, "At your insistence, my young lady, I have arranged some alternate accommodations for us."
"What do you mean?" asked Crystal with disbelief, "What did you do in there? Hey!" Crystal protested as Gremlin walked up, put his arms around the Kirlia bride and threw her over his left shoulder. This time, Crystal was kicking her feet and struggling for real, confused and somewhat scared as to what her unhinged husband was going to do next. Gremlin whistled a nameless tune as he pushed open and walked through the front door on the left. Crystal stopped wiggling the moment she saw what had awaited her. The bride was awestruck: the building looked as good as new from the inside. The carpet, the paint on the ceiling and walls, the light fixtures and other decorations looked brand new.
"How did you do that?" asked Crystal with amazement, "How could you have possibly repaired and cleaned this place so fast?"
"That's my secret, for now," said Gremlin softly, "I'll tell you about my power later during out honeymoon. Do you mind waiting until then, my love?"
"I don't mind," replied Crystal happily, "You can tell me all about it when you're ready."
"Well, how about we move into our chambers for the next few weeks?" suggested Gremlin with a tender voice, "The night is moving on without us."
"Yes, let's go!" giggled Crystal, blushing as Gremlin carried her down the left hallway over his shoulder.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" asked Gremlin with warm laughter. Crystal was again confused.
"What do you mean?" asked Crystal as Gremlin started to walk up a fancy flight of stairs, leading to the third floor.
"You married a little monster, remember?" said Gremlin with mischievous laughter, "And there's no escape for you now." Crystal laughed with glee. She decided to humor Gremlin, kicking her legs playfully and wiggling in his grasp with fake attempts to escape her fate.
"On, no!" laughed Crystal, a blissful smile on her face as she blushed deeply, "I've married a horrible monster! Won't someone rescue me from his cruel clutches?"
"There's no hope for you now, my pretty!" cackled Gremlin playfully as he kept a tight hold on his bride, "You're mine now and forever!" Downstairs, K-1 cocked his head to the left, perplexed as he heard Crystal's laughing and pleas for help as Gremlin's maniacal laughter echoed throughout the building.
"Most interesting wedding night I've ever seen," thought K-1 as a group of six R-25 robots walked past him, each of them carrying two large crates of food and other supplies into the building. Outside, the Titan was still cloaked as the lights in the building were soon shut off. A few minutes later, a passing bum was walking by the dance hall when he heard the sound of someone calling for help as well as horrid laughter.
"What on earth?" said the bum to himself as he cautiously walked through the rightmost front doorway and peered into the black darkness of the building. He had heard rumors of the building being haunted, but the homeless man was quite undaunted.
"Heh!" said the bum to himself with disbelief as he looked about the dark, shadowed hallway, "I don't believe in ghosts! This building will be a perfect place to live. Well, until it gets knocked down, anyway." The poor man jumped when evil laughter seemed to come from every direction at once.
"Help me!" said a feminine voice with a bloodcurdling scream, "Save me from the demon's vile clutches!"
"I don't believe in ghosts! I don't believe in ghosts!" said the bum to himself, trying his best to keep his cool as he slowly stepped back towards the front doors, ready to make his escape. They all suddenly closed behind the homeless man, locking him inside. The bum pounded onto the doors, yelling obscenities as he tried to force his way back outside… but to no avail.
"What have we here?" laughed an unholy voice as the black darkness in the hallway became blacker and blacker with each second. Soon, the man could see nothing, not even his hand in front of his face.
"Save me! Please save me!" screamed a girl's voice.
"Ah! Another victim!" said the loud, hideous voice, "Perhaps you'd like to join me and my bride in celebration? You, my friend, can be the main course!" Horrible laughter echoed down the black hallway from practically every direction as the poor man leaned back against the doors crying out with fear. Suddenly, the door right behind the bum flew open and the man fell backwards, flat onto his back. Without another word and with great haste, the terrified bum went running into the parking lot. Two pairs of eyes watched the man running away from a window on the building's third floor. Gremlin and Crystal smiled as they stood alongside each other, holding hands as they blushed and laughed happily together.
"You were great, Gremlin!" said Crystal with glee, "That poor man was scared clean out of his wits!"
"You were perfect too, my dear," cackled Gremlin as he took Crystal up in his arms and gently put her over his left shoulder once again, "Then again, you're always perfect, my love." Crystal kicked her legs, laughing as Gremlin carried her onward.
"Our room is just ahead," said Gremlin with glee, "Are you looking forward to our wedding night?"
"Oh, yes I am!" said Crystal, blushing deeply as she giggled with delight and excitement. K-1 slowly shook his head back and forth as he walked back into the kitchen from the hallway, flicked the lights back on and then helped the R-25s get the kitchen clean and restocked.
"Heh… Showoffs…" thought K-1 with dread, wondering what he had been thinking when he volunteered to keep an eye on a mischievous Sableye like Gremlin and Crystal, a lovely, yet scary Kirlia for the next few weeks. A Kirlia who seemed to greatly enjoy Gremlin's antics as well as showing a very devious side of her otherwise sweet personality for the first time.