"Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Eight o' clock! Eight o' clock!" sounded the strange clock on the wall. A green model bird of the same species as the one she had seen in the meadow of Pallet Town—Pidgey, was it?—popped in and out of a pair of opening doors several times before going back to sleep inside of the clock. Yuki couldn't help a small laugh at the sight of it.

She turned her gaze back to Mai, who was gazing out one of the large windows to the night outside. They had been there in the lobby for just over a half hour, taking the time to relax after the soothing bath from before.

Yuki watched the older girl's profile intently. The lobby was well lit, but in the corner that Mai sat in, shadows crept onto her face. They darkened her expression, yet at the same time brought out a peculiar color in her eyes—an almost violet shade of blue. Her hair, pulled into a curly ponytail, was draped over her shoulder and also seemed to glow against the dark blue outside the window.

Almost like she knew Yuki was watching, the nurse turned to her. "Something the matter, Setsu?"

"N-nothing," Yuki said quickly. She averted her gaze in embarrassment without meaning to.

Mai only smiled. "It's an armchair, not a stool. You can relax, you know."

Yuki blinked before asking in a small voice, "Am I not relaxed...?"

"Well, you're sitting a bit straight," the teenager said. "Isn't that kinda uncomfortable?"

The young girl glanced down, though she couldn't see anything irregular about her sitting position. "Is this...straight? I'm sorry, maybe I'm just different..."

"No, no, no," Mai interjected quickly, shaking her head, "that's not it. I bet it's just a culture thing, you know?"

"Culture?"

"You know, like... Like something common in a certain place. Kanto people can't use chopsticks, but Sinnoh people can, right?"

Yuki nodded. She hadn't used chopsticks often, but sometimes guests to the Migato manor who were uncomfortable with forks and knives had requested chopsticks. Her father then stubbornly insisted that everyone use chopsticks, so Yuki had been forced to learn despite rarely using them.

"Well, that's part of culture. Kind of like custom...well, if you know what that means."

Though she didn't, Yuki kept her silence and just nodded.

Mai opened her mouth to say something, but she was distracted by the soft sweep of the opening glass doors. Yuki turned her head to look around, only to blink in surprise.

A young man in a black suit stood at the door. He was obviously of Sinnoh descent; his hair and eyes were both dark. A strange cylinder of what looked like paper was sticking out of his mouth, and he chewed on it thoughtfully as he looked around the interior of the Pokémon Center.

She looked a bit down and noticed a brown-haired boy staring back at her. She averted her eyes before she could figure out why.

"Sorry," the man said, his voice gentle but heavy at the same time. He took the thin paper cylinder from his mouth as he spoke. "I'm sure it's a bit late, but mind if I check in?"

"No, I don't." Mai stood up from her seat and walked over to the two slowly. Yuki also rose from her seat, though she lingered where she stood.

The nurse held a hand to her chin in a thoughtful manner. "If it's a room for two, there's a good one on the second floor..."

"No, no, that won't be necessary," the man said, shaking his head. "Just for this ki—Derek, here." The boy looked up with an expression that seemed to be something between a laugh and a scowl. The man shrugged his shoulders apologetically.

"Well...if it's just him, I suppose a closer room would be better..." Mai frowned, and her brow furrowed a bit. "Are you sure you're okay leaving him here, though?"

"Miss," the boy Derek said, his voice surprisingly cold, "please don't assume that he's my guardian or anything."

"Now, now." The man put his head on the boy's head, ruffling his hair gently and making the boy glare up at him indignantly. "That's no way to treat a lady."

Mai gave an indifferent shrug, though she turned to Yuki with an exasperated expression. Her eyes seemed to say something along the lines of, "Don't think you'd get along with this kid." Yuki had to admit, she didn't think so, either.

The man cleared his throat, turning Mai and Yuki's attention back to him. "I'll be on my way, then. There's no cost or anything, is there?"

"The place is so empty, I'd rather pay you to stay," Mai said jokingly. Her tone cracked a smile out of the man. "No, it's free of charge, so no need to worry. You can go on your merry way."

"Then, please excuse me. See you, Derek. I'm sure we'll meet again somewhere."

"As long as it isn't when I'm going to sleep again."

The man chuckled, patted Derek on the head again, and then made his way out the door and into the darkness outside. It was oddly silent as the boy stared out the glass doors behind him, watching where his companion had been just a few seconds ago. Only now did Yuki realize how tired he looked: his hair was full of twigs and dirt, his clothes were torn and frayed, and his slumped shoulders made his whole figure look much too tired for his young, petite body.

He eventually turned to Mai and Yuki, his expression calm. His eyes seemed a bright color, though from the distance, Yuki couldn't tell exactly which one.

Mai stepped toward him, a placating smile on her face. "Well, I'm Mai, the Nurse Joy of this Poké..."

Her voice suddenly faded into silence, as if snagged by a line. Yuki, perturbed by this, made her way over to Mai, only to stop in surprise. Her curiosity was answered.

The boy's eyes were red—tinted a bloody crimson.

His eyes flickered from Mai to Yuki in a disgusted manner, his lips pulled back in a scowl. Something changed in his eyes, from a spark of anger to something much darker. He dropped his gaze to the ground, letting out a quiet, long breath.

"I suppose I should excuse myself, then," he said curtly, though his voice shook slightly. He let his bangs fall across his face, shadowing his eyes. "Ignore what he told you about the room."

He turned around, triggering the automatic doors. Neither Yuki nor Mai could snap out of it fast enough to stop him from running. He wasn't particularly fast (no faster than Yuki herself), but the darkness swallowed up any traces of him. By the time the nurse had exited the Pokémon Center, just a few seconds later, the boy was already completely out of sight. The small light the Center gave off wasn't enough to track his steps.

A deafening silence followed.

Yuki watched as the doors closed slowly, forming a glass wall between her and Mai's shadowed figure. She stared past the things in front of her, however, her mind focused on the boy.

What beautiful eyes, she thought, still stunned by their alluring shade.