Part Six: Blood, Magnets, and Tears

Chapter Thirty-Six: In the Broad Daylight

Heavy raindrops poured down from the sky. They were at the riverbanks at Driftveil's northern edge, about to leave, and Boreas could feel his friends wishing he'd hurry up as they waited for him to say goodbye to Aqua.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye," Boreas said awkwardly, not quite sure how to handle it.

He was about to turn away and walk off with them when Aqua's lips suddenly interlocked with his. Boreas could feel his legs give away as his mind was enveloped by the highly sensual kiss. He rubbed Aqua's back lovingly and felt her rub his back too. They lay on the ground firmly entangled as they kissed for what seemed like ages. Boreas felt Aqua wrap her legs around him as they kissed passionately.

"Hum-hum," Octa scraped his throat.

With a stab of disappointment, Boreas slowly ended the kiss, reminded of the world. They kept hugging each other very closely, though, relishing in the physical contact. "Well, my love," said Boreas, "I'll see you in Mistralton, then." He jocularly added: "if you still want to, that is."

"I want you right now, Boreas," Aqua whispered in his ear, "but I'll settle for waiting until Mistralton."

Boreas began kissing her again, but this time they let go of each other after a while. After winking one last time, Aqua jumped into the water and swam away. Boreas followed Black in a happy daze as they left the city while he chilled the rain above him to give himself a very cold shower.

–

Boreas usually enjoyed travelling and seeing new, unpredictable places. In fact he loved it and had a tendency to get annoyed and bored whenever they stayed in the same place for a long time. The horizon would seem to beckon for him, to invite him to come see what was behind it.

But not this time. Boreas pined for only one thing, and it was Aqua. The only part of the horizon that seemed to call for him was the part behind him, where he had left her. He could barely appreciate the forest they travelled through as they journeyed over Route 6. Instead he would spend most of the time thinking of Aqua, thoroughly lovesick. If he wasn't thinking about Aqua for a moment, he would soon be reminded of her by basically anything. Any amount of water would spark happy memories, and though he knew she wouldn't be passing through these rivers on her way to Mistralton, his heart jumped at every shadow in the water and every wave. In fact, anything blue would make him very joyful for a single moment, only to feel disappointed next. It seemed even the clouds conspired to remind him of the forked shape of her tail, or the finned shape of her head, or the pointed shape of her ears, or the curved shape or her hip, or the round shape of her eyes...

He was beginning to have a lot of second thoughts about choosing not to leave the team. He couldn't help but think he would've been much happier if he had chosen for Aqua, at least for now. Of course he might be unhappy eventually in some distant future, but he wondered if it had been worth sacrificing his current happiness for.

"Did you ever wonder how Capella can move without legs?"

"Wah!" Boreas startled, "Oh, Selene, it's you. Uh... Can't say I did."

"It's just weird," Selene croaked, "she doesn't have any legs or wings, yet she moves... I wonder how she does it."

"It's not really that strange, you know," Boreas explained. "Just look at her, she sort of keeps the front of her body on the ground and then slightly lifts her rear and-"

"Are you talking about my rear?" Capella suddenly asked.

"No, no, no," Boreas blushed, "of course I wasn't. I mean, I was, but only because I was explaining how you can walk without legs to Selene, who didn't understand that."

"Why don't you ask Lucius?" Capella suggested, "I'm sure he'll be glad to enlighten you."

"Okay, I'll go ask him," Selene flew off.

"So... How are you holding up?" Capella asked.

"Oh, fine," Boreas said with as happy a smile as he could muster, "A bit lovesick, I guess."

"That's very understandable. You two really seem to have something great going on between you."

"I can't wait until I see her again... She's so lovely."

"She certainly is," Capella agreed. "I hope the thought of her waiting for you in Mistralton cheers you up a bit."

"It does, it does. Also the fact that you're with me helps a lot too. All of you, I mean, but you in particular. You always seem ready to support me with kind words or wise advice, and I want you to know I really appreciate it."

"Thank you," she smiled.

Boreas sighed. "I can't wait for Mistralton... How long d'you think this route will take us?"

"Well, the route won't take very long, but we'll have to cross Chargestone Cave afterwards. You weren't there, but Clay gave Black all kinds of advice and information about it after our battle. Apparently it's a cave full of powerful electromagnetism, with many electric and steel types calling it home. Clay talked about floating stones, held afloat by sheer magnetism and gigantic electric arcs like lightning. It'll be quite a spectacular place if even half of it is true."

Boreas would normally love the idea of exploring such a bizarre place. "I guess," he sighed, "but to me it'll just make the journey to Mistralton a few days longer."

"More like a few weeks, if Clay is to be believed, actually."

"Weeks?" Boreas exclaimed, "Aww, I wish we could just skip it."

It is a well-known fact, of course, that most prophecies and expectations turn out to be mistaken. It is probably a good thing too, as it means our universe is an unpredictable, interesting one. But on occasion, someone says something so uniquely and thoroughly mistaken that it becomes a deliciously piece of hilarious irony in hindsight. When Bill Gates said "There's nobody getting rich writing software," or when Napoleon told the inventor of the steamship "you would make a ship sail against the winds and currents by lighting a bonfire under her deck? I have no time for such nonsense," they were these kinds of situations.

Capella said: "Cheer up, Boreas, I'm sure we'll all have a great time in the cave."

–

It was clear that winter was coming to an end. The snow had already disappeared before they reached Driftveil and temperatures were pretty warm now as well. But only at day; it was still frigidly cold at night so Black and all his pokémon would sleep in the tent, underneath all of Black's spare clothes and coats to keep them warm.

On one of these nights, most of them had gone to bed already. Only Toxica was still outside. Boreas was nearing sleep, his brain a soft, empty pillow of sleepiness inside his head, when he was suddenly snapped awake by a voice whispering: "Psst, Octa? You awake?"

"Yes," Octa whispered back, "I believe I am quite awake."

"Well, come on out 'ere!" Toxica whispered, "The stars are gorgeous tonight, you really 'ave to see them!"

There was a bit of a pause. Then Octa said "Yes, I believe I shall go outside," and Boreas could hear him sneaking out of the tent.

Boreas considered just going to sleep for a moment, but then rejected it and sneaked out of the tent himself. It was indeed an unusually beautiful night. Hundreds of stars glittered in the sky, and all five moons were up. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky. Octa and Toxica were sitting on a small slope, uncomfortably close to each other for Boreas' tastes. He walked up behind them and suddenly sat himself down between them, though there wasn't really enough room left between them. "Hey guys," he said cheerfully, "nice night we're having, isn't it?"

They made a bit of room for him. "Yes," Toxica spoke with a withering glare.

"Quite," said Octa. "My dear fellow, could I have a word with you in private?"

"Uh, sure." They excused themselves and walked some distance away, until Octa stopped, apparently satisfied Toxica couldn't hear them any more.

"My dear fellow," Octa asked, "Why do you exhibit this behaviour?"

"Uh... What do you mean?"

"Do not obfuscate stupidity, my dear fellow. I know you're doing it on purpose, and I ask you what the reasoning behind it is, for your interference makes me feel quite glim-flashy."

"What do you mean?"

"Fine, if you want me to spell it out for you: you have systematically been attempting to interfere in the friendship between Toxica and myself for a long time now. Why do you do this? Do you honestly believe I would ever consider her more of a friend than you? And even if you do, what makes you think you have the right to interfere?"

Boreas felt very embarrassed. "Well... I don't know how to put this, but... Um... I think she might be interested in being more than just a friend to you."

"Well, obviously."

"What?" Boreas asked flatly, "You mean you knew that?"

"Do you think me blind and stupid, my dear fellow? Evidently I knew it, it has been quite obvious for a long time now. But that is completely irrelevant."

"Well... I... Huh? But..."

"You have such a way with words, my dear fellow. I anticipate your next syllable with great eagerness."

"But you always seem not to notice... I just thought you were oblivious to it or something."

"Quite, yes, because obviously a disinterest in obvious romantic advances showcases obliviousness towards them, rather than simple disinterest. Isn't it quite obvious that I am in no way romantically interested in Toxica? Honestly, for one so smart you can be quite stupid, my dear fellow. Yet all this is entirely irrelevant to the discussion we're having. Whether I consider Toxica a friend or a romantic interest is not the issue, the issue is your apparent belief you have the right to interfere in my relationships to others."

Boreas felt very embarrassed and rather silly about it now. "Uh... Yeah, sorry. I shouldn't have, you're right. But-"

"No, you shouldn't have. And I would appreciate it if you ceased this behaviour at once."

"Okay, I will. I suppose it was rather childish of me. But, you know, on occasion it really seems as if you like her too in that way."

"Total codswallop. Poppycock. Nonsense. Utter balderdash and cobblers. Rubbish, tosh, tripe. An utterly mistaken impression, my dear fellow. I am not in the least romantically interested in her, and even if I were 'twould not matter, for she is neither of my species nor of noble birth."

"So?"

"Therefore, even if I was romantically interested in her in some bizarre kind of alternate universe, I could never allow myself to mingle with her in such a way. After all, thirty-five generations of my ancestors were properly bred to give me the great gift of a noble birth, so I could hardly deny that gift to my own descendants, could I?"

While Boreas had liked to hear Octa wasn't interested in Toxica, he didn't like the sound of this at all. "I thought you said that whole idea of not mingling with non-properly bred pokémon was outdated and only your great-aunt Galaxia still believes in it?"

"Oh, evidently, I consider that rubbish, otherwise we would not even be friends. But this is just being friends and socialising, 'tis hardly the same as squandering the noble Equinox blood running through my veins willy-nilly by procreating with non-pure-blooded, non-well-bred pokémon."

"You've got your priorities in a very weird order, you know? First of all, just because you're in love with a girl or romance with her doesn't mean you're automatically going to have cubs with her." He shuddered at the thought of suddenly having cubs to care for due to his relationship with Aqua. "Also, it seems to me you're kind of limiting yourself to a very small group of girls there. I mean, how many female Snivies, Servines, and Serperiors of pure blood can there be who aren't related to you? What if you don't like any of them?"

"'Like' doesn't enter into it, my dear fellow. When my breeders and my family decide 'tis time for me to procreate, I shall do so, regardless of whom they choose."

Boreas was shocked by this. "But that's disgusting! They're just gonna choose some girl they want you to breed with and you have to sleep with her to make little Snivies without even knowing her?"

"Now, do not denigrate that which you do not understand, my dear fellow. I would know her, as we shall of course be properly introduced and given time to woo one another before the matrimonial ceremony would be conducted. After that, yes obviously 'twould be our duty to produce progeny to make sure the noble blood of Equinox flows into the next generation, but our union would be a loving one, my dear fellow."

Boreas still thought it was completely ridiculous. "But what if you don't love her?"

"Love shall grow eventually even if it may not be present at first. Our respective personalities shall be taken into account when my mate is chosen, my dear fellow, don't worry."

"But what if you love someone else? You can't even choose for yourself, that's so horrible!"

"I suppose 'tis the downside of being of noble blood, my dear fellow. I have a duty to both my ancestors and my descendants, therefore 'tis irrelevant whether I love another than my chosen mate. You see, my blood is quite a lot more precious than yours, or that of most pokémon, for 'tis not just mine, but that of my entire family. 'Tis my duty to ensure my descendants shall be able to claim the same birth that I can."

"To hell with your 'duty'!" Boreas shouted angrily, "You can't let them do this to you, it's totally unfair!"

"To. Hell. With. My. Duty." Octa slowly and coldly articulated. "I know you do not view duty and honour as very important matters, but I do. I would consider both of them more important than my life, and frankly I find the suggestion that I should just ignore my duty deeply insulting."

Boreas was about to argue with Octa, but recognised his friend was adamant about this and if he argued it would turn into a very nasty argument. "I still disagree, but I'm not going to argue about it. Anyway, back to Toxica, if you don't like her in that way, why don't you just tell her so? It seems kind of mean to let her think she has a chance for so long instead of just breaking her heart quickly and getting it over with."

"Well, she has never admitted her feelings towards me. The day she does I shall be forced to tell her the truth, but until that day I see no reason to unnecessarily complicate our relationship with a sudden declaration that I see her as no more than a friend, and couldn't consider her more than a friend even if I did. And now, my dear fellow, I'm going to return to Toxica to gaze at the celestial panorama. I would appreciate it if you didn't interfere."

Boreas returned to the tent, but he just couldn't get to sleep. What Octa had told him seemed horrible, and he didn't wish it to anyone, let alone his best friend. He reminisced about how he had fallen in love with Aqua, spent so much wonderful time with her, kissed her; and felt horrible when he realised Octa could never allow himself something as wonderful as that. Octa would never be in love, when he kissed someone it would be because he had no choice, and he would only ever be with a girl for the rest of his life because he had to. Boreas trembled with the unfairness and with annoyance that Octa himself, who could easily just ignore all that nonsense and love whomever he liked, would proudly continue that idiocy.

He also felt sympathy for Toxica. He might have found her obsessing over Octa annoying, but now he really felt sorry for her. When she finally collected enough courage to admit her feelings to Octa, all she would get would be a refusal and the same cold-hearted story Octa had told Boreas. It would feel far worse than when Febby had shown up with a boyfriend, Boreas realised.

–

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Lucius' answer to Selene? "How can you fly without a brain? Some things no-one can answer, you crazy bird."

FEEDBACK: UNKNOWN: Q: Hmm, Octa's change of mood seems rather rushed, no? Haven't heard of him so... bipolar?

A: Hmm, maybe you're right, it may have been a bit rushed. A moodswing like that doesn't really fit Octa. Though it was caused by his joy that Boreas isn't leaving, and he probably talked about it with Capella before.

Q: To be honest, I was kinda dreading this gym battle. Why? 'Cause Clay's gym was so annoying thanks to the moving pads and trainers! Originality is just another reason why I like this story,I suppose.

Rattlez: Q: I can't belive boreas would hope octa gets poisoned!isn't it bros before...nevermind O_o

A: Well, when you get down to it he probably doesn't really want Octa to be poisoned. He's just very angry at him and has a tendency to let his anger get the better of him.