The manor of Gurkinn's friend was built into a tree. Their house was at the roots with smaller rooms higher up in the branches, with wooden bridges connecting them. Korrina knocked on the door.
"Hello? Is someone here?" she said. "My Grandpa Gurkinn told me to come and see you."
The door opened, and a Mawile greeted us.
"Welcome." she said. She had a small, pink, orb pinned to the root of the large black jaws emerging from the back of her head.
"Where's your trainer?" Korrina said.
"Over here!" We turned and saw an elderly woman riding a floating cart. Attached to it was a large wheelbarrow full of flowers. Mawile hurried over to her. "Thank you for watching the house, Mawile. Welcome, children. My name is Mabel." Mabel looked to Korrina. "I was told you were coming. Why don't the two of you demonstrate how strong you are?"
"Of course."
We headed to an open field. Mabel and Korrina stood on opposite sides with their Pokémon while the others and I stood on the sidelines.
"All right, let's begin." Mabel said.
"Ready, Lucario? Mega Evolve!" Korrina touched her Key Stone and Lucario Mega Evolved.
Mabel held onto her hat as waves of aura hit us like gusts of wind. "Your Lucario has such divine aura." Mabel lifted her cane, revealing a Key Stone at the tip, and touched it. "Now, Mawile, Mega Evolve!"
The same magenta light bathed Mawile, and she Mega Evolved.
"Mega Mawile..." Ash said. "I can't wait to see how this battle turns out."
"Power-Up Punch!"
Mega Lucario got a running start before he leaped into the air. His fist flowed with orange energy, and he dove towards Mega Mawile.
"Jump, please."
Mega Mawile jumped out of the way. Mega Lucario growled and brought his hands together. He summoned Bone Rush.
"Bone Rush? I see..."
"Now, go for it!" Mega Lucario charged.
"All right, Mawile, dodge it."
Mega Lucario swung the glowing bone at Mega Mawile several times, but each time she gracefully dodged it.
"All right!" Korrina said.
"Korrina..." Ash said sternly, wiping the smile off her face.
"Right... We can't battle this way."
"Mawile, use Iron Head."
White energy showered over Mega Mawile's head, and as Mega Lucario lunged at her, she headbutted him and sent him flying. Mega Lucario landed in a crouch and dispelled the Bone Rush.
"Lucario, no! I need you to listen to what I tell you to do, okay?" Korrina said. Mega Lucario growled and stood up, hunched over. "Oh, no... Not again."
"Korrina managed to reach Lucario before, but it was only for a short time." Serena said. "Why is this still happening?"
Mega Lucario roared, shooting out waves of aura that whipped our hair around. He summoned Power-Up Punch and lunged at Mega Mawile.
"Stop, Lucario! Please, listen to me!" Korrina cried.
"Mawile, Fairy Wind."
Mawile spun around rapidly, summoning a tornado of pink wind. The tornado wrapped around Mega Lucario and threw it back to the ground. Mega Lucario reverted to his original form, unconscious.
"It looks like that's it." Mabel said. "Very well done, Mawile."
"Thank you." Mega Mawile said as she reverted to her original form.
"You'll be okay." Korrina said, helping Lucario sit up. "Don't worry. You'll be able to control your powers in no time, remember? That's what we came here for." Korrina looked up at Mabel as she and Mawile approached her. "We promise we'll do our best. Please, help us, Mabel."
Mabel smiled. "Come, let's return to my house."
Flowers of different shapes, colors, and sizes filled Mabel's home. Some hung from the ceiling in baskets while others sat on tables in vases.
"These flowers are so pretty!" Bonnie said.
"Thanks. I picked them earlier. Since they're so beautiful, I thought I'd have Korrina and Lucario arrange something for me." Mabel said.
"I'm sorry, but I think our time would be much better spent doing some training." Korrina said.
"No need to be so hasty. Would you all like to make some flower arrangements, too?"
"Yeah! That sounds like fun!" Serena said.
"Great. If you don't mind, I'd like you to make your flower arrangements with your Pokémon."
"Let's do this, Dedenne!" Bonnie cried as she scurried over and gathered armfuls of pink and white roses.
Around me, my friends worked with their partners to make flower bouquets: Serena and Fennekin, Bonnie and Dedenne, Ash and Pikachu, Clemont and Chespin, and Korrina and Lucario.
"Would you like to make one, too, Rylee?" Mabel said.
"I appreciate the offer, but I'll just watch." I said.
"Oh, come on, Rylee. Here, I found some flowers to get you started." Clemont said. Clemont handed me two bouquets of roses, one of white and one of green. "I think it'll help you and your Pokémon work together. Strengthen your bond."
I stared at the flowers with shaking eyes. I accepted them and turned around. I set them on my table and leaned against it, controlling my shaky breaths. Clemont watched me with knitted eyebrows. Finally, I heard his footsteps trail off to his table. Zoroark and Sylveon glanced at each other.
"Are you okay?" Sylveon said.
I shook my head and walked to the other side of the table. I placed the flowers in the vase. Silently, I arranged the white and green flowers to make a pattern, quietly refusing the help from my Pokémon. I stepped back and examined my finished product. The arrangement was made mostly of the white roses, and I added one green rose for every three white, creating simple splashes of color.
"Well done, everyone!" Mabel said after we all finished. "Your flower arrangements are reflections of your personalities." Mabel walked over to Ash's arrangement of tall, puffy, white flowers. "From this arrangement, I can tell that yours and Pikachu's hearts have become one. This is a very powerful piece."
"Wow, thanks." Ash said.
Mabel walked over to Korrina's and Lucario's arrangement. "Wow, you've made two arrangements in one." Mabel said, referring to the mixture of blue daffodils and purple pansies.
"It's pretty, huh?" Korrina said.
"Yes. From this arrangement, I can see that you have similar personalities and understand each other deeply."
"Yup! We've been together since we were little, so we're deeply connected. Our bond is really strong!"
I fumbled with a couple of green flowers, and they slipped out of my hands and landed on Zoroark. She shook her head and they toppled off and onto the ground. Mabel picked up the flowers and approached my arrangement. She started at it for several moments with a blank expression.
"I see. Well, I look forward to impressive arrangements tomorrow, too." Mabel said as she headed towards the door.
"But what about our training?!" Korrina said.
"No need to be so hasty. For now, I look forward to tomorrow." Mabel exited the room.
The next morning, Mabel sent us to go find more flowers. She sent Korrina and Lucario in a different direction than the rest of us, most likely for a bonding experience or for Korrina to receive revelation about her errors.
"These daisies are beautiful!" Serena said.
Bonnie collected a handful and draped them over her head. "They match my hair!"
"Look! These flowers are black!" Zoroark squealed as she gathered a large bouquet of them.
"They'll go nicely with my blue ones." Sylveon said, carrying a bouquet of baby blue flowers in her ribbon-like feelers.
I watched my Pokémon gather flowers with a small smile.
"Aren't you going to collect flowers?" Clemont said. "Mabel wants another flower arrangement."
"I'm going to let my Pokémon do one together. It'll be a good bonding experience for Zoroark and Sylveon." I said, my back turned to him. "I think those are enough flowers. Let's head back."
Zoroark and Sylveon pranced ahead with their flowers. I ignored Clemont's concerned stare.
"These arrangements are lovely!" Mabel gushed. "I can't wait to see what you make tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?!" Ash said as Mabel turned around and headed for the door. "We have to make more tomorrow?!"
"Yes. Tomorrow and the day after."
"We've had enough of the flower arranging!" Korrina pouted.
"Don't say that. I want to see the beautiful flower arrangements that you and Lucario make when both your hearts are one. Please?"
Korrina sighed in defeat.
For the next couple of days, all we did was make more flower arrangements for Mabel to see. Each day, I noticed the time I spent speaking with Clemont grew more and more scarce. I knew Clemont was aware, too.
"If I have to arrange one more flower, I'm gonna scream!" Serena groaned as she rested her head on a desk in the room the five of us shared. "I know they're pretty, but still..."
"I like it! I'm having so much fun!" Bonnie said. Serena sighed.
"But why is Mabel having us do this flower arranging all day, every day?" Ash said.
"She must have a good reason for doing it." Clemont said. "The first time did the flower arranging, she mentioned how she wanted us to do it with our Pokémon. She was able to understand the deep meaning behind our arrangements, like when she said Ash and Pikachu's hearts were one or how Korrina and Lucario understood each other."
"It must be to bring us closer to our Pokémon." Serena said. "The flower arranging must be how Korrina and Lucario will be able to fully understand each other and master Mega Evolution."
I nodded absentmindedly as I leaned against the wall next to the large window that led to the balcony.
The window shattered. I cried out as glass sliced my arm.
"Rylee!" my friends cried.
A fast-moving silhouette flew into the room and grabbed Pikachu. I cringed at the sharp pain in my arm. I clutched it, and I gulped at the stickiness underneath my sleeve. I glanced at my arm and saw red staining my shirt.
"Are you okay?" Clemont said.
"I'm fine." I said, attempting to climb to my feet. "We need to go and help Pikachu."
"You're injured. You need to stay here and bandage that wound."
"We'll go. I have a good idea who it is." Ash said. "Serena, Bonnie, let's go."
The two girls nodded, and they left the room.
"Your sleeve is soaked." Clemont said to my sleeve, which was tainted red with blood. "I'll go get some gauze. You can ask Mabel to fix your shirt."
Clemont walked out of the room, and I took off my shirt. I straightened the black racerback tank top I wore underneath, wincing as the fresh air touched my wound. I looked at it and saw a long cut stretched across my bicep. I summoned a ball of Heal Pulse and applied it to my wound, which helped to stop the blood flow. Clemont returned with a rag and gauze. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a Potion. He spritzed the Potion onto my wound, reducing it to a faint sliver.
"Are you okay?" Clemont said, wiping the blood off my arm. "You haven't talked to me that much in the past couple of days."
"I'm fine." I said.
"I doubt that." Clemont lifted my arm up to the side and began to cover my cut with gauze. "Was it something that I said?"
I remained silent as he pinned the gauze close.
"Let's go." I said, standing up and heading to the door.
"Wait, Rylee!" Clemont said.
"But Team Rocket-"
"Team Rocket can wait!"
I clenched my fists. "I know what you meant when you talked about your bonding theory..." I said, bowing my head. "And I don't want to hear any more of it."
"Why not? I want to talk about you and Cilan."
"There is no me and Cilan!" I cried, turning around and flaring my eyes. "There never will be!"
"How can you be so sure?"
"How can I be sure? He hates me. I don't have to see him again to know that." I shook my head in disbelief as sadness overwhelmed my anger. "I envy your ignorance, Clemont. I miss having that. I'm sorry, but that's just wishful thinking. I abandoned that notion a long time ago. It's best if you did the same right now." I headed to the door. "The sooner you do, the sooner you can stop delaying the pain."
The next morning, Ash filled me in on what I missed last night: Korrina successfully managed to snap Lucario out of his Mega Evolved-induced sanity, and they defeated Team Rocket. It made me glad to know that they had finally achieved what they spent so long to reach.
We said goodbye to Korrina and Lucario. Now that they had master Mega Evolution, Korrina would return to the Shalour Gym and prepare for the upcoming battle between her and Ash.
"Rylee," Mabel called from her door, "may I speak to you for a moment?"
"Sure." I said, separating myself from my friends as they continued packing up their possessions.
I followed Mabel to the room where we made our flower arrangements. Countless vases brimmed with different types of flowers.
"I wanted to talk about your flower arrangement." Mabel said, leading me over to my green and white flower vase.
"Is there something wrong with it?" I said.
"I'm disturbed by its meaning- not just the arrangement's meaning, but also the process's meaning. Do you want to know what I saw of you in this flower arrangement?"
I gulped. "Sure..."
"When I witnessed your friend give you these flowers, as well as the sadness in your eyes, I perceived that you once had someone very dear to you in your life, but now they're gone. As you made the arrangement, refusing help from others as you mixed the small flecks of green into the white, I saw innocence that had become tainted. You became isolated as something changed within you, and you abandoned the person you once were." Mabel said. I stared at the flowers as my eyes shook. "When I walked in the next morning, I noticed something new in your arrangement."
"What?" my voice cracked.
Mabel walked over to the flower arrangement and turned the vase, showing me the other side. A single blue rose sat in middle of the bouquet.
"I saw hope." Mabel said.
"I... I didn't put that there." I said.
"I know. Someone else planted that seed of hope midst all the turmoil, and it bloomed into something beautiful."
My lip quivered, and a tear fell down my cheek. Mabel smiled at me.
There was a knock, and the door opened. Clemont peeked his head in. "Sorry to interrupt. Rylee, we should get going. Ash is getting anxious."
I turned and looked into Clemont's blue eyes- the same blue as the rose. I wiped my cheek and smiled.
"Okay." I said. I bowed to Mabel and walked over to Clemont. As we left the room, I threw my arm around his shoulders and pulled him into a side hug.