Hey, everybody! Sorry for the massive delay, so in return for being so patient, this chapter is extra- long for your viewing pleasure. Hope you all enjoy! Ratings: 1st United States, 2nd Germany, 3rd Philippines, 4th Australia, 5th United Kingdom.

A woke up, opening his eyes but expecting it to be a pointless endeavor. However, he wound up shutting his eyes, thinking the sun too bright.

"Ack, Green, could you turn down the lights? They're too bright." Green jolted up, asking

"What'd you say to me?" A paused for a moment, then repeated

"Turn down the lights; they're too bright." Green paused, then giggled. A asked

"What's so funny?" Green playfully pushed him, replying

"How can you even see the light? I thought you were blind." A paused again, then slowly opened his eyes, realizing

"Hey! I can see again!" Xeron then appeared with his back turned to them.

"About time!" A smirked and told him

"You got something to say to me, then say it to my face. I can see that you aren't facing me now." Xeron responded

"Wait... so Green doesn't sleep in a nightgown? And here was I trying to be respectful." A sweatdropped, telling him

"Um... Xeron? Green wears pajamas. You can look."

"Alright." He turned around with a wide grin, greeting

"Good morning to you both!" A smirked and replied

"Morning. Man, I kinda forgot what it looked like, but things are still kinda off. Guess that's what happens when you lose your vision for three weeks." Xeron reasoned

"This has to be a little alien to you. So tell me, do you want to go see your parents' things? Aeru is not in the house, so we shouldn't have a problem." A nodded, answering

"Yeah, just let us get dressed and have breakfast first, and we'll get right in it, okay?"

"Of course!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Xeron led A through his old study and asked him

"Ready to see a piece of your family history?" A nodded eagerly, replying

"Yeah, I want to see this whole side to my parents I never even knew existed."

"Well, you've been warned." He then pushed a hidden plate in the wall.

"Here it is! The armory of the old team." A wall then moved aside from the rest and reveal a large room that was full of weapons and armor of a good number of individuals. Xeron led A through the room and pointed towards a claymore and a set of pretty standard light armor.

"That's your father's sword and armor. The armor is pretty strong and flexible. It's also pretty light." A looked it over, remarking

"My father was a big man, bigger than I am. Though I took after him pretty well. I'm only five-eight, but that's still a good deal taller than my mother. So that claymore was the one he actually used? What could it do?" Xeron explained

"It was pretty much a powerhouse of a weapon. It also had three functions: Breaker, Bloodsucker, and Demolition. Breaker could cause him to break through most, if not all metals and shields. Bloodsucker made him too dangerous to spar with as Bloodsucker would deal damage onto the enemy that clashed with him. So he doesn't have to make contact, he just need to have both blades fight for power. Finally, Demolition sacrificed defense for attack and made the user's attack and speed increase dramatically. Demolition also carried a gigantic force in each swing that it could cause shockwaves." A's eyes were wide, and he finally commented

"Whoa... sounds like the perfect weapon for dad. Had a lot of power in it... I don't know if I have the chance to use it like he did... but I'm willing to try." Xeron motioned to it, saying

"Go ahead and take it. Technically, it belongs to you." A looked up in wonder, then slowly took the blade from its resting place. It wasn't as rusted as he would have expected metal to become, especially after so many years. He eyed the weapon from hilt to tip, marveling at it. He asked

"You think maybe I can use this against Alpha?" Xeron shrugged, responding

"Maybe, but I wouldn't count on it. Alpha is pretty strong." Xeron the made A walk up to a small glass case in front of a round mirror that was about a foot in diameter. The case had a beautiful multicolored gem ring that was set up on a small pedestal.

"This is your mother's engagement ring. She wanted me to preserve it here in case you ever came." A set the sword back up to go and inspect the ring, which he found to be quite lovely. His father certainly had a good gut feeling.

"And... did she say exactly what I was supposed to do or avoid with it?" Xeron grinned and shook his head.

"Nope! Its purpose is ambiguous, but she wanted you to decide what you wanted to do with it." Xeron the typed a code on a keypad and the case was removed from around the ring.

"Go ahead and take it. I've fulfilled my duty to your mother." A did so, removing it gently from the case. It was lighter than it appeared, but then again, so was the claymore. Perhaps A's strength was just beyond what he estimated.

"I think... I know exactly what I'm going to do with this." Xeron said to him

"I hope you'll take your time to think about what you're going to need that ring for. As for now, let me show your mom's mirror." Xeron reached forward and grabbed the mirror that was behind the ring's case.

"This silver mirror is what we loved to nickname the 'Potential' Doomsday weapon." A carefully pocketed his mother's ring and took the mirror, inspecting it closely. It was rather unassuming, it didn't particularly look like a weapon. However, Xeron told him

"That thing is one of the strongest weapons and shields in the armory." A continued to inspect the mirror but asked

"Really? So do these weapons still work after many years of neglect?"

"Of course! Once they are activated, they are rejuvenated to their prime." A considered the information for a moment, then remarked

"Then I'll have to take these home and see their power for myself. Where's the sheath to Dad's claymore?" Xeron walked back to Jonathan's stand and took a small dagger sheath from the armor. He handed it to A.

"Here you go!" A scrutinized it uncertainly for a moment, then placed the sheath against the blade. It shrunk down, much against his expectations, to a more manageable size until he could finally place the sheath onto it.

"Wow, now that's what I call a compact weapon." Xeron chuckled.

"Yeah. Your dad loved that weapon. Your mom also had a short sword, just in case the mirror was out of the question." A nodded absentmindedly.

"Did it have any special powers, or was it just a regular sword?" Xeron shook his head, answering

"It was a regular sword that she would use in compliment with the mirror, but sadly Mortilend shattered the sword a long time ago."

"Oh, that is disappointing. Well, at least we've still got the mirror." Xeron retorted

"Which Mortilend shattered as well, but Mew and Cresselia re-forged it." A scoffed, asking

"Damn, what didn't he break?" Xeron waved a careless hand, answering

"Oh, he broke almost everyone's weapons, but my Shadowbane survived his disarmament. The Legendaries had to reinforce everyone's weapons so that they didn't shatter under Mortilend's power." A rolled his eyes.

"Figures your weapon survived. Well, as long as Dad's is still capable of using its power, we'll see where it goes. I might even try it out against Alpha and see where that goes."

"We'll see. However, you won't have to worry about him. Aeru has control over him and will soon manage to drive him out. I'm confident in that." A grunted.

"I sure hope so. But I'm still keeping this in reserve; who knows when it'll come in handy?"

"I guess. Now, do you want to see pictures of your parents?" A grinned, setting the mirror down gently and replying

"Yes, please." Xeron then pressed onto another hidden plate in the wall and another wall disappeared, revealing a large room full of pictures and safes.

"This is my memories room. All the moments of the old days is stored here by person, date, event, and battle. You should go through your parents' safes. They have their pictures there, along with a few of their wedding photos and your mom pregnant with you." A smiled, responding

"Remnants of an age I don't know and few else can remember. True treasures indeed." Xeron nodded and told him

"If you find videos then I will play them for you." A raised a curious eyebrow, asking

"You guys made videos, too? Would they work on my tv?" Xeron shrugged.

"They should. I can always send down a VHS player."

"Okay, if I need that I'll let you know. I might have to make several trips to get all of this home, if that's alright?"

"I don't mind." Xeron then opened a safe and pulled out a picture.

"Here! This is a photo of your parents' big kiss at their wedding." A looked at it for a moment, then smiled.

"Yep, that's them, alright. Almost exactly as I remember them, though Mom wore her hair differently then. Has she always had that jacket? And why? We lived in a desert."

"People have prized possessions." He then pulled up another picture.

"This one is your mom pregnant with you. Now, we weren't really with them at the time, so they mailed this to us." A scrutinized the photo, remarking

"She wasn't very far in at this point, so this must have been a few months after I was conceived."

"Yeah, but she still had the baby bump." Xeron then pulled out another picture, saying fondly

"Here's my favorite. The group picture we took together after we won the war. All of the team members are here, except for one, who did not survive the war." A frowned, asking

"Who?" Xeron sighed, explaining

"Nenaze, one of the most powerful mages in our team. She died at the end with Mortilend." A's mood saddened, and he told him softly

"That must have been hard. I've lost friends myself in the course of battle, and I know more of that awaits me." Xeron nodded, replying

"Yeah, but she was never truly alive to begin with. We found that out later on. She was reincarnated."

"Hmm, a lot like Green and I. I want to see how far we'll go..." He continued in his mind

"After all, I'm just about ready to make the next step." Xeron nodded and agreed

"Yeah... wait, what?"

"What?" Xeron pressed

"I sensed some sort of emotion coming out of that last statement." A shrugged noncommittally.

"Yeah, what of it? Isn't it clear I love my girlfriend? I say it every day." Xeron hesitated before nodding and dropping the subject.

"Understandable. Now, do you want to see the journals?" A grinned, responding

"That will be interesting; what kinds of things did my mother and father talk about during this period?" Xeron argued

"Well, I was not giving the permission to read them, but your mother mailed me their journals and gave me instructions to give them to you." A cocked his head, pressing

"Anything specific?" Xeron shrugged helplessly.

"I really wouldn't know. I was not allowed to read them. You'll have to find out for yourself."

"Okay, fair enough. Where'd you put them?" Xeron walked over to a more secure safe and put in a combination. He opened it and ten journals were revealed within the safe.

"Knock yourself out." A pulled them out and began looking through them, then chose his father's earliest journal. He opened up the first couple pages, perusing curiously. At some point, his eyebrows arched in surprise.

"Huh... I didn't know anything about this..." Green walked up, sitting next to him, and asked

"What happened?" A frowned as he read on, answering

"Apparently there's a club of some sort, exclusive to Eeveelutions. Dad had all five of them, or so he says here. Boy, the things you can learn." Xeron snapped his fingers, remembering

"Oh yeah! He spoke about that at times." A grunted and continued

"I guess he didn't know anything about Leafeon and Glaceon at the time. But considering where he was, the time-frame, and the fact that he describes most of the club members as 'Tight-lipped, big-egoed jerkwads', I think he had no way of knowing." Xeron asked him

"So I guess it's not something you'll be interested in?" A shrugged.

"I might be, depending on the circumstances."

"Who knows if they still exist, but keep reading." A nodded and did so. After a moment he remarked

"This was shortly after my grandfather, his father, died. Apparently my grandmother was getting... forgetful." Xeron nodded.

"That's not new. Some old people start to forget a time." A retorted

"Yeah, but she was only in her late thirties, early forties at best."

"Why so early?" A shook his head, answering

"Doesn't say yet. Maybe later."

"Alright. Are you going to read your mom's journals?"

"Of course, but I can only read one thing at a time, and since I saw less of my Dad, I want to read his first." Xeron nodded understandingly.

"Alright, that makes sense. You want to know of your old man."

"Yeah. The most I ever knew personally was that he was my dad and an Eeveelutions master, plus his undying love for his family. And his curse. But in everything else, I'm pretty well uninformed." Xeron motioned to the journals, encouraging

"Well, here's a perfect chance to get to know him." A nodded, responding

"Exactly what I intend to do."

"Better get studying, then. Do you want to stay in this room or do you want to take it to your home?" A looked at the pile around him, then answered

"I'd like to take all of this home with me."

"Then go ahead. It's yours now." A nodded gratefully.

"Thank you. I'll have to make several trips... unless... can you guys help me bundle all of this into a pile?"

"I can help with taking all these things over to your home."

"Okay. Just take it all to the living room; I'll sort it out from there." Xeron snapped his fingers and all material that had something to do with A's parents vanished.

"Done!" A nodded, thanking him, then teleported home with Green, finding more than he imagined when it wasn't so organized.

"Boy, I've got a lot of work ahead of me." Xeron teleported next to him, bearing a wide grin.

"Yes, you do. However, there's no rush to it. You have all the time in the world." A smiled and looked around, then sighed and said

"Well, I think I'll start out with the photos. That might pass the time happily."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Several hours into the process of sorting through his parent's memorabilia, A heard a knock on the door. He quickly answered the door, spotting Rick and Alara. He greeted

"Hey guys, what's up?" Alara replied

"When we heard that you received your sight back, we had to come to see you. Also, are you ready for all the fun?" A continued to grin and retorted

"I'm already having fun!" Rick asked with a confused tone

"What do you mean? Have you gone to any of the local carnivals?" A's grin faltered, and he asked

"Carnivals? What are you talking about?" Rick explained

"It's how the people of the Sanctuary celebrate the Harvest Festival, by creating activities in each den." A tilted his head, asking

"Harvest Festival?" Rick was now equally confused.

"You haven't heard of it? So what are you doing for fun?" A was quick to answer

"Oh, after I regained my sight, Xeron took me to a secret room where my parent's left their stuff behind... including a couple personal items should I come by chance."

"Really? Well, I guess that has its own fun, but Alara and I came here to take you and Green to celebrate with us. It IS the day when Alara and I became a couple." A's face brightened up a little.

"Oh, alright. Just lemme clear things up a bit... and I gotta take care of something else, too. Come on in while you wait." Rick and Alara walked inside and sat in the living room, Rick asking

"How long will we wait?" A assured him

"Just a couple minutes. Be right back." He went to his room, looking around constantly to make sure Green wasn't around, then quickly checked on his mother's engagement ring, making sure it was still hidden and safe. Once he made sure it was, he found Green and took her back to the living room, explaining what was going on along the way.

"Alright, where are we going first?"

"The First Den, of course!"

"Alright, then let's go." Rick quickly held everyone and teleported away to the First Den. Once they arrived, A and Green saw a large number of jolly and happy Pokemon all celebration. The buildings were all decorated and there was also a large carnival in the den's main square. A blinked, remarking

"I sure missed out on a lot, didn't I?" Rick nodded.

"Yes, you did. So tell me; do you want to try your luck in some carnival games?" A grinned, replying

"What do we got?" Rick then listed off

"We have strength testing, archery, bobbing for berries, rides, and anything that you would really find at a carnival. You can also win a prize for yourself or for Green." A rubbed his hands together, smirking evilly.

"Then I guess it's time to set some records." Rick smirked, responding

"Good luck with that; I hold many of them." A retorted

"Records were meant to be broken, you know. And did I ever do some record-breaking within my life." Rick shrugged, telling him nonchalantly

"We'll see if you can do it." A rolled his eyes, arguing

"I don't doubt my abilities, Rick. What's first up?" Rick pointed, answering

"Bobbing for berries." A's head tilted to the side as he stated

"I'm not sure I know how that works." Rick explained

"You stick your head in a large bucket of water and you have one minute to take it as many berries as you can with your mouth."

"Oh... doesn't sound too hard, I guess." Rick nodded, assuring

"It's not, but it's very competitive. But before we actually go celebrate, we need to change into more appropriate clothing for the time." A looked down at his typical clothing, then asked

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Rick explained

"For the festival, and its subsequent celebrations, there are traditional clothes." A thought for a moment, then asked

"Will they cover me in either form? Because I switch sometimes without consent." Rick nodded.

"The clothes I'll give you are made for Gallades, but they fit human males just as well." A hesitated, then relented

"Alright, I guess..."

"Tell me, are you allergic to silk? This is a question for you and Green." A shook his head, answering

"I'm not allergic to anything." Green answered for herself

"I'm not allergic to anything that I'm aware of."

"Then this should go swimmingly!" Rick then teleported all of them to his house and soon they all returned dressed in their traditional clothing. Alara told A

"It must be odd for you, but it suits you just fine." A grumbled slightly, uncomfortable, and remarked

"I hate wearing a dress." Alara argued

"It's not a dress. Besides, it has pants. It feels like you're wearing a bath robe, but it's a very important outfit here." A retorted

"I never wear a bath robe."

"So this must be new to you. Luckily here in the Sanctuary it doesn't get cold until mid-November." A grumbled

"That's hardly of any concern to me. I just feel ridiculous in this thing." Alara lost her temper now, and told him

"Oh suck it up! You only have to wear it if you're going to be participating in the festival." A grumbled but didn't complain further. Rick then said to Green

"Well, we've seen how A feels about it. But how do you feel about your kimono, Green?" Green smiled, replying

"I don't mind it, actually. Feels pretty comfortable." Rick nodded, agreeing

"Yeah. That's what I like about it. I don't see why A hates it." A asserted

"Because it's beyond my experience and doesn't feel right." Rick rolled his eyes.

"Just because it's not casual clothing or armor, doesn't mean that it's bad." A argued ostensibly

"Until we get attacked. Then we're screwed."

"It's the Sanctuary. We'll be alright." Green rolled her eyes and told them

"Don't worry about him, he's just more paranoid than ever since he lost his sight." Rick threw his hands up, exclaiming

"Man! We can't catch a break! There's nothing for him to worry about." Green tried to defend him;

"There's really not much you can do about it, but you really shouldn't blame him." Rick rolled his eyes, replying

"I don't. I've grown used to it."

"Well, let's just get to the carnival and try to have fun." Rick smirked

"Ready to lose at the games?" A grinned, retorting

"I'm not gonna be the one wearing the title of loser tonight."

"You're right. You'll be wearing the title of defeated." A smirked, responding

"I don't think so. I'd hate to steal that from its owner, i.e., you." Rick growled and teleported them to the bobbing for berries game.

"Alright, smartass! Let's see how you do here!" The game official saw them and asked confusedly

"When did you... never mind. Are you ready for the game?" A smirked and stated

"Anytime."

"Well let me explain some rules we added this year. Oran Berries are one point, Sitrus Berries are five points, Leppa Berries are ten points, Chesto Berries are twenty points, Lum Berries are thirty points, and Enigma Berries are fifty points." A nodded understandingly.

"Sounds easy enough to remember." The official added

"Also no powers and hands on your back for the duration of the game."

"Fair enough." Everyone positioned themselves in front of a basin where the different sorts of berries bobbed. The official called out

"Ready, set, GO!" A's head dunked immediately into the basin, and he quickly searched over the berries, his years as a trainer helping him decipher them fairly easily. He came back up in a matter of seconds with an Enigma Berry. He looked at Rick and saw him pull out and Enigma Berry himself and Rick stuck his tongue out at him. A didn't bother returning the gesture, but instead dove back in, pulling up the last Enigma Berry and a Leppa Berry simultaneously, since the Leppa Berry was so tiny. Rick kept his pace and pulled out many berried until the official yelled

"Alright! Time!" A spit out his last berry, an Oran Berry, since he had pulled out all the higher-point berries ahead of time. The official announced

"It was a close one! Yet the winner made it out with the record and over seventy points ahead of everyone! Can you guess who?" A waited with baited breath, and the official proclaimed

"The winner, setting an all-time record, is... Lady Alara and her pregnant self... she ate all the berries in the bucket." Alara remarked

"They were delicious too." Rick facepalmed and said

"I just fed her not even an hour ago." A fell to his back, laughing aloud, and said

"Well, looks like we're both the losers here!" Rick growled

"Should have known that we would have lost to Alara." A calmed down, sitting up, and replied

"Well, what else could you expect from an expecting female? But does it really count if she scarfs down the berries?" The announcer explained

"She brought them out so we could mark them down."

"Oh, and then she gulped them whole." The official nodded, adding

"It was a disturbing sight." A looked at Rick, saying

"How about you and I agree right now not to try a pie eating contest?" Rick laughed nervously

"I was actually going to suggest that, but then I thought about it."

"Yeah, it's not a good idea. I actually have a feeling Alara would not only finish her pie, but even knock us over and finish ours." Rick's eyes shot open and he said

"Look at your berry pile." A looked down and found it missing, then pointed toward Rick and remarked

"You might wanna take a look for yourself." Rick looked at his pile and saw Alara gorging herself on the berries. He asked her

"How many stomachs do you have?" She smirked and replied

"Two. Mine and the baby's." Rick sighed and said to A

"Yeah, let's not do the pie eating contest." A fell back, laughing again. Rick walked up to him and picked him up, growling

"It's not that funny." A chuckled

"The heck it ain't! Trust me, when you lose your sight for a couple weeks, then one of the first things you see is that, it's hilarious." Rick thought for a moment, then suggested

"Let's go to the archery game." A retorted

"I've never held a bow before, so I think I'm at a distinct disadvantage."

"Fine! How about we do the arm wrestling competition?" A grinned, answering

"I think there you're at the disadvantage."

"Wanna bet?" A continued grinning, asking in a light tone

"What're the terms?" Rick thought again, then said

"If I win, you have to buy my groceries for a week. I have to go grocery shopping three times a day now." A snickered, then asked

"And if I win?"

"That's your decision." A thought for a moment, then said

"I get charge of the Sim room for a week for some... battle experiments, I've been thinking over." Rick asked with concern

"Are they dangerous?"

"They could be, which is why I haven't experimented with them yet." Rick considered the term, then grinned and held out his hand.

"Alright. Deal!" A grinned and the two shook hands. A told him

"To make this more fair and interesting, I'm restricting my strength to your level. This will be determined by willpower alone."

"Very well. Prepare to lose!" With that the two made their way to the arm wrestling table and got into position. Alara asked

"Is this necessary?" A nodded, telling her

"This a battle between alpha males. I'm sure that makes sense."

"Can't you two control your testosterone?" Both Rick and A rolled their eyes at her question, and once the countdown reached one, they began their competition. Rick exerted a large amount of strength, attempting to move A's arm. A moved against him, matching his own strength to Rick's exactly, so while both arms moved in either direction, they never went much farther than an inch either way. Rick began to growl and pushed more and more. A grinned and pushed back, and after a couple minutes of this, Alara tried to intervene.

"Alright, you two, that's enough." Still straining, Rick and A told her simultaneously

"Butt out!" A large vein pricked up on her forehead, and she grabbed and separated their fists. Both males only were able to look at her for a second before she drove their fists through the table, sending them sprawling on the ground and leaving them dazed. After a moment, A remarked dazedly

"I'm starting to see a pattern here..." Rick asked

"What do you mean?"

"No matter what we do, Alara is going to win." Rick then groaned

"She's pregnant. Of course she is!"

"Then who wins our bet?"

"It's a tie. We both lose. We both have to do the bet." A considered the supposition

"Hmm... I think I can live with that. My finances are still pretty steady."

"Good! Remember, no junk food." A rolled his eyes, replying

"Duh! I'm the one who told you that!"

"Oh yeah! So I know I can trust you."

"Of course you can! Remember, I'm a licensed professor of pokemon. Truth be told, I'm as famous in my time as Oak is here." Rick nodded.

"I don't doubt that. Just do what you gotta do." A nodded, then stood and helped Rick up, grinning.

"Wanna add to the fun? Best two out of three, next contest, if we manage to keep it between us."

"Well, another one we can do for guys is the sparring contest." Rick then pointed at a sparring ring that was in not too far away. In the ring, Neil was there dominating two opponents. A smirked, replying

"Now that's something I can go for. Though hopefully not in this bathrobe; I won't be able to move around like I need to."

"Are you sure you don't want to do it because you get to fight Neil?" A scoffed, answering

"Are you kidding? I needed to settle things with that egomaniac for a while now. Did you know he was taunting me from time to time because I was struck blind?"

"Don't let him get to you." A rolled his eyes, telling him

"I refused to satisfy him. However, this is my chance to show him I'm not nearly as weak as he taunts me."

"I think you've proven that enough."

"And yet he doesn't get the message. I'm making sure he knows it." Rick sighed, exasperated.

"Don't go making problems worse."

"Take it easy, I'm not planning on tearing him limb from limb, just make him submit to me." Rick sighed again, saying

"Go ahead and blow some steam. Just don't go too far."

"This ain't blowing steam; just showing what I'm made of. Now, please tell me we don't have to wrestle in these outfits."

"You don't."

"Good." He looked around a moment, then lowered his voice and told Rick

"To tell you the truth, I wouldn't mind the chance to show off in front of my lady, you know what I mean?" Rick chuckled

"Go ahead, but I don't know how she'll react to it."

"I guess we'll see." He walked over to the ring, waiting for Neil to finish thrashing his current opponents. Meanwhile, Green watched, somewhat apprehensive. Neil finished his domination and yelled out

"Who here can take me!?" A jumped onto the ropes of the ring, holding his arms out and saying

"I'll go. You owe me, anyway."

"Well, well, I thought you would have been at home; having your girl wipe your ass for you." A's face became stoic, and he threw off his kimono, revealing his built musculature, which made Green blush. He hopped inside the ring, telling him

"I'm done with your jeers and insults. After tonight, you will respect me." Neil sneered

"Not gonna happen."

"We'll see. Now, are we gonna waste time talkin' or are we gonna wrestle?"

"After you, little lady." A's face settled in a determined expression, and he crouched low, beginning to sidewalk in order to flank him. Neil matched his steps and smirked, taunting

"Look at you! Trying to be all skilled and crap." A smirked before diving and rolling under Neil, knocking him off his feet, but before he hit the mat A grabbed him by the arm and threw him to the ropes, where he was thrown back and clotheslined by A before he backed away.

"I think that took considerable skill, actually." Neil suddenly punched A in the gut, lifted him, and power-bombed him. He walked around him, kicking dirt on him and said

"Skill alone won't help you." A grinned and rolled over, lunging at Neil and tackling him to the ground, where he flipped him on his back and wrung his hands together in an iron grip, forced his head down, and pinned his right knee on the small of his back, while the free leg was used for support to make it that much harder to throw him off. Neil struggled under the grip. He flailed around until he used his massive strength to break A's hold and elbow him in the face. He fought against the other hand, but found more resistance. He swung his head back and head-butt A, dazing him. Neil then flipped him over and elbow dropped him. A grunted with the blow, but forced his hand to grasp Neil's face and throw him off, then allowed himself a moment to catch his breath as he stood back up, wiping a hand across his mouth. Neil got up and remarked

"Looks like you know a little about fighting." A scoffed

"A little? Well, maybe when it comes to personal fighting, I've only done it for a short time. But I had good teachers." Neil smirked and asked, almost demonically

"How many of them did you kill? I've killed all my teachers." A's face twisted, and he replied

"I couldn't; Arceus would have my head for killing the Musketeers, another Knight, and the Warlord."

"Sucks to be the pet, the trophy, and the errand boy." A's face settled as he retorted

"Can't be any worse than the reckless experiment that went wrong."

"What experiment?"

"You, of course. You were clearly a lab experiment gone wrong, seeing as how we found you locked up in a maximum security prison." Neil rolled his eyes.

"Oh please! I was locked in there because they couldn't contain me. I've killed a lot of people." A scowled, telling him

"That's not something to be proud of. Any law system outside of here would execute you for mass murder."

"Now ask me if I care. There's no law that can contain me." A scoffed.

"I beg to differ. If you start becoming a viable threat to Arceus' realm, the Knights will have no choice but to put you down." Neil smirked and retorted cockily

"And I'll destroy them, one by one."

"I don't think so. There's no way you could take us all on at once."

"I'll die trying." A shook his head, tired of arguing with an idiot.

"So be it. If, then, you do become a threat to Arceus' realm, you'll be put down at the hands of the Knights." Rick then yelled out

"Can we throw some punches or are you going to keep talking?" A rolled his eyes, shouting back

"You wanna get in on this? Then pipe down!"

"This ring is for fighting." A rolled his eyes again, then lunged and took Neil's legs out from under him, standing straight back up, and then jumping to the ropes. Without pause, he turned and threw Neil down, then quickly pile-drove him. Neil growled and somehow twisted his body around and put A in a leg lock. A thought quickly, then grinned and bent his body, pushing past the leg lock, and put Neil in a headlock, commonly known as "The Sleeper". Neil fought against the hold and tried hard to get out. He then dropped onto the ground, slamming A. A grabbed back onto Neil and flipped their positions, forcing him onto his stomach. He reached his legs around and pinned Neil's arms to his body, then reached with his right arm, locking it around his neck. Rick sent A a telepathic message

"You know that he won't give up, right?"

"And neither will I. I'll go on as long as I need to until he finally respects me. I'm tired of his constants insults, jeers, threats, and complete lack of respect for his fellows." Rick argued

"He leaves me well enough alone."

"Well, all he shows is contempt for me, and I'm not taking it lying down! I don't have to take it!" Rick stated

"You guys have to end this rivalry." A retorted

"I'll be done with it as soon as he stops disrespecting me."

"I don't know how you intend to get his respect by beating the ever living crap out of him, but I've been surprised before."

"When two alpha males fight, the loser must submit to the winner, and that includes respect. Haven't you ever seen rival packs before?"

"You guys are not feral beasts. Start acting like men." A grinned and told him philosophically

"Even the most civilized people are primal at heart, Rick."

"Yes, but you guys are part of my team and I don't like fighting among one another."

"Once we settle this rivalry, which will hopefully be decided by this battle, we shouldn't have any more problems."

"I sure hope you're right." Neil suddenly displayed amazing strength and pried A's arms slightly off of him. He then bit him, forcing A to let go. Neil quickly kneed A in the stomach and repeatedly punched him.A covered his face protectively, growling, and kicked hard, sending Neil caught himself on the ropes and used the rope's momentum to return with a clothesline. He quickly picked A up and got him into a headlock. To strengthen the hold, he wrapped his legs around A's arms and held the hold in place, hoping to knock him out.

A held his breath and decided to play Slakoth. After about a minute of fake struggling, he slowly went limp, faking having been knocked noticed and let him go. He got up and declared his victory with a war yell.A smirked and rolled away from him, only to jump and tackle him to the ground, once again pinning him down roared in bitter anger and began to fight against the hold, butA tightened his grip, forcing Neil down and making it now impossible to break the hold. He then played a waiting game. Neil hissed

"If you think I'm going to quit, then you're sorely mistaken." A retorted

"And if you think I'm going to stop, then you're deluded." Neil grinned.

"Then we're going nowhere." A reasoned

"All I have to do is wait this out long enough. You're bound to get sick of staying here eventually."

"I was in a cell for years. This doesn't bother me." A sighed, saying

"Then I guess I have no choice but to knock you out the way you thought you knocked me out."

"Sure. Go ahead. I am tired of hearing you talk. Boring as hell." A rolled his eyes and locked his arm around his throat, placing both sides against the sides of his neck rather than cutting off his air. After a matter of time, the blood flow would be weakened enough that Neil would not be able to sustain consciousness. Soon, Neil was unconscious and Rick let the fight end. Rick then asked A

"Satisfied?" A gently set him down, being respectful, and replied

"We'll see. The victory is officially mine, but will this command his respect toward me? That's the only way I'll be truly satisfied with this fight." Rick noted

"He was defiant to the end." A nodded, responding

"Yeah, which isn't a good sign. Let's get outta here before he regains consciousness."

"That would be smart. You fought him for no reason."

"I wouldn't say that. I fought to command his respect, and hopefully he sees it reasonably, but that might be a long shot."

"Yeah, but we're talking about Neil here." A sighed, commenting

"Then I guess the rivalry continues."

"Most likely. It seems like one of you has to relent... eventually."

"And given both our natures, neither of us is likely to give in."

"Let's get some snacks to forget about this." Alara suddenly said

"I'm down for that!" Rick whispered to A

"I had to open my big mouth." A regarded her for a moment, then asked

"When did she devolve into a teenager?"

"She never stopped being a mental teenager."

"Hmm. Then how did I never see it before?" Rick explained

"Because she's pregnant now, she's a whole lot more spontaneous."

"I see. Well then, I guess we should get going." A retrieved his kimono and put it back on, blocking the chilling air. Rick said to him

"What would you like to eat first?" A answered

"Anything that doesn't have meat is okay by me."

"Alright... damn it! I guess we'll have to go to the pie sampling then."

"So everything here has meat?" Rick shrugged.

"Not really. I just don't want to risk it."

"Oh. So you're telling me I couldn't ask, or see if it does or doesn't?"

"You could. However, I thought you were the kind of person to want to get things over with quickly." A smirked, explaining

"I'm a complicated person. Some things I would rather run through, while others I'd rather take slowly and get everything in order. And my diet just so happens to be one of those things."

"Alright." Rick then stopped and smirked. He then began to chuckle. A paused for a moment, asking

"What's so funny?"

"Wouldn't you want to be alone with Green? I sense that you really want to be with her." A nodded.

"Well, of course I would. But we're hanging out with our friends right now."

"If you say so. However, I feel like it should be a night for the both of you." A assured him

"Trust me, we'll have that. I'm gonna make sure of it. But for right now, you invited us, and I have enough sense to know it's rude to brush friends off like that, especially when I consented to come along."

"Very well." They then made it to the food area.

"Alright, choose what you want to eat." A looked over the selection, asking

"Is there by any chance a berry-kabob around here?" Rick nodded.

"Yeah. Right there." He said as he pointed to the appropriate stand.

"Okay, then I'll buy that. How much is it?" Rick shook his head, explaining

"For the festivals, they're free because they're funded by the government." A thought on that for a moment.

"Huh... interesting. Alright, this should be sufficient, then."

"How many are you taking?" A thought for a moment, then said

"I don't wanna be greedy, so I'll just take two."

"Alright. Want anything else?" A shook his head, answering

"Nah, that's fine. I don't wanna get fat, you know?" Rick sweatdropped, replying

"I highly doubt that'll happen." A retorted

"You'd be surprised. Back when I was a trainer, I would eat whatever I could get, because I traveled often and hard. Now, when I'm sequestered in one place, it's not going to be that easy."

"So now you need to eat less?"

"It might be a good idea. If nothing else, I need to ration my diet anyway." Alara suddenly appeared with a mountain of food in her hands. She said to A

"You lightweight." A rolled his eyes, telling her

"Don't get started with me. I bet your little adventure is quite paltry compared to mine."

"At least I know how to enjoy my food." Rick sighed and said

"Just ignore her." A grinned and shook his head, replying

"Nuh-uh, I'm taking this. Alright, Alara, beyond meat, I'll eat anything you can." Alara replied

"I'm not challenging you." A smirked, taunting

"Why? Can't do it?" Rick sweatdropped, telling him

"Don't tempt her." A argued

"Why not? I kept hearing all this stuff before about how girls are just as good as guys, and while I respect that, guys are just as good as girls, and I'll prove it." Alara shook her head, explaining

"I'm not the competitive type." A smirked, asking confidently

"Then are you forfeiting?" Alara exclaimed

"Of course not!" A paused, then said with somewhat deadly calm

"So let me get this straight; you refuse to play, and you refuse to quit? You can't do both."

"Who says I can't?" A's face was beginning to show more irritation as he answered

"I do. I don't like double players; that's cheating."

"How is it cheating? I'm not playing, but I won't quit if I play." A smirked and scoffed

"Lightweight." Alara smirked

"My tactic won't work on me." A rolled his eyes, retorting

"No, that's all me. After sixty-plus years of battling, anyone who doesn't accept a challenge in my eyes is a lightweight. Normally I'd say weakling, but you've got extenuating circumstances." Alara nodded, commenting

"Yes, I have a baby in my womb."

"But it's an eating contest, and while we're not going to have anything greasy or particularly meaty, we can still make a competition work." Rick grumbled

"Why do you want a competition with her?"

"I felt a challenge when she called me a lightweight for eating lighter, and I don't turn down a challenge like that. Or any kind, really, unless it puts someone in danger." Rick told him

"Alara may eat a lot but, believe it or not, she has a limit." A picked up the platter she was using, looked at the food piled on, and remarked

"Yeah, about the size of my body, it looks like." Rick assured

"Trust me, she wasn't going to eat all that. She eats until the baby and her body feel satisfied."

"Then her insult was groundless?"

"Not entirely. For hours she's been eating to her heart's content. You, however, only eat light." A shook his head, refuting

"Not quite. When I'm traveling constantly, or am liable to move hard, fast, and almost certainly immediately, I eat like there's no tomorrow." Green interjected

"I can vouch for that. I keep wondering where he puts it all, though." Alara insisted

"Still, there's no contest." A rolled his eyes and cleared the first of the shishkabobs in one swipe.

"Fine." Alara groaned and said

"No need for the attitude." A rolled his eyes, retorting

"Oh, don't talk to me about an attitude. I've been around longer than you've been alive, missy."

"What does that have anything to do with this?"

"I don't know, I just don't like getting talked down by someone much younger than me. It doesn't feel right."

"You have to remember just because you're older doesn't mean that you get special treatment." A shook his head, saying

"I'm not asking for special treatment, just don't tell me something I've known for probably twenty or more years." Alara sighed, replying

"Alright, sorry. Anyways, who wants to try the dunk tank?" A smiled, answering

"That sounds fun, to an extent. I just hope it'll be easy to get dry." He thought for a moment, then facepalmed, muttering

"I'm a freaking idiot. Of COURSE I can get dry quickly."

"Don't worry. Jean volunteered to be the dunk victim."

"That seems more like punishment; a Fire type getting dunked? Isn't that dangerous for his health?" Rick explained

"Jean took aqua training as a teen so he could be more resistant to water."

"Hmm... alright, but I'm still wary about this." Seras suddenly appeared and asked

"Are you guys going to try to dunk my boyfriend?" A sweatdropped, remarking

"Wow, it's like a conspiracy. Beyond the obvious, what'd he do to you guys?"

"He bought an indoor pool and drenched the condo building... we can't explain that. Point being, there was a lawsuit, we had to pay over $5 million in damages, and he's going to go down. The water is actually over a two way mirror. He thinks he's seeing the water, but the water actually has Carvanha in it." A thought on that for a short while, then said

"Wow, I have mixed feelings about this. Yes, he deserves punishment for his crimes, but to go so far as to set vicious fish on him?" Seras assured him

"We have an agreement with the fish."

"I doubt Jean agrees." Seras scoffed

"He knows nothing about this. How is he going to agree?" A snapped a finger, responding

"Exactly. You could be dooming him. Carvanha are known to be extremely vicious, especially to an intruder on their territory. Basculin are usually contested as nearly vicious as them, but the only advantage they have is in numbers. One single Carvanha, though, has the capability to rip apart metal. How do you think it's going to do against flesh?"

"As I said. We have an agreement with the Carvanha. They can hurt Jean, but to an extent. No permanent damage, no lasting pain, no killing." A regarded her for a moment, then remarked

"So you've conspired with the natural-born killer. How on earth did you negotiate that?"

"Promising to cover their feeding costs for the duration of the year." A thought and answered

"Hmm... that's going to be a tall order, but if you can follow through, then I guess we'll be alright."

"We also promised to shock the water if they go out of hand." A nodded.

"I see. But isn't that more of a threat than a promise?" Seras shrugged, answering

"Kinda. Let's face it, they're vicious creatures." A chuckled

"You don't have to tell me. I devoted several months before to study them... not a pleasant experience."

"I would guess. So are you going to try?" A hesitated, then said

"Maybe. First I'll have to get over the compulsion I have to stop you from doing this to him in the first place."

"Seriously, you're compelled to stop us?" A explained

"I'm compelled to protect pokemon, and as far as I can see, what you plan to do, even with all your safeguards, could potentially kill him."

"He's survived worse." A shook his head, retorting

"I don't care. As I see it, his life is now in danger, and by his own friends. It's a strong compulsion." Seras sighed with exasperation, telling him

"Just go dunk him." A waved her down, responding

"Give me a minute to get it together, alright? I can watch, but let me get used to it before I do it."

"We won't have him killed." Seras sighed, adding

"I can't have him killed. Hell, I'm dating the big idiot."

"All of which is preventing me from outright stopping this. I know you'll make sure he isn't, but it's still hard to resist intervening for me." Jean suddenly yelled out from the dunk tank

"Any one of you weaklings want to try your aim?" A rolled his eyes, remarking

"Looks like he's eager to get eaten." Seras sighed and said

"No one has successfully dunked him. It takes two accurate hits to dunk him in that machine. One is to get rid of the two way mirror and the other is to drop him." A scoffed, saying

"Is that all? That's an easy shot! How has no one else made it yet?" Seras explained

"Because he's somewhat cheating. He's turning his aura invisible and using it to protect the button." A thought for a moment, then asked

"How strong is the aura?"

"He has a very powerful aura. He's redirecting the balls' paths the moment they are thrown." A narrowed his eyes, asking

"You think he could block my most powerful shot?" Seras shrugged.

"It's kinda hard to tell." A looked into the distance, then relayed

"I could throw any one of you to the far side of the den from here, and outside the shield. Does that help?"

"Wayland can do the same and he lost." A nodded, continuing

"Yeah, except it probably wouldn't take nearly as much effort on my part as it would his. I'm trying to think of something that won't hurt as much. If I'm using full strength, I could probably throw you guys to Pastoria City." Alara groaned

"Are you going to go dunk him or not?"

"Not before I know whether or not he can deflect my shot. If he can, then I need to devise a strategy. If he can't, then I make the cheater pay." Jean heckled them again;

"Yoo-hoo! You ladies putting on your makeup?" A scowled, beginning to feel the effects of his Orrian pride. Jean taunted them once more;

"I know you're scared about losing, but there's no shame in failing." A cooled down slightly, asking Seras

"Tell me now; can he beat my ultimate strength or not?" Seras replied

"No." A grinned evilly, then stepped up and said

"You've insulted the pride of Orre. Now you're goin' down." Jean asked, confused

"When did I insult Orre?"

"By calling me a lady and a loser. The people of Orre do not take kindly to such insults, and I'm no exception." Jean rolled his eyes.

"Good Arceus! Learn to take a heckle." A grinned evilly again, tossing the ball up and down before saying

"Learn to stop cheating." He gripped the ball hard, took careful aim, then hurled the ball hard, breaking straight through his aura and striking the target for a bulls-eye. Jean was shocked but his shock turned to fear when he saw the two way mirror disappear and saw the Carvanha

"WHOA! WHAT HELL IS THAT!?" A grinned and tossed up the next ball, saying

"Your comeuppance. Happy fishing!" He threw the other ball, striking the target directly. Jean fell inside and began to get nommed on by the Carvanha, screaming

"OW! OW! Stop freakin' biting me!" A laughed and whooped, shouting

"That was easier than I thought! I just had to have my pride insulted, and I can do anything!" All he could hear was Jean screaming

"WHY ISN'T ANYONE STOPPING THIS!?" A turned back to Seras, asking

"Should we grant mercy? Has he been punished enough?" Seras replied

"Give him a few more seconds." Jean kept screaming

"Ow! OW! THEY ARE BITING ME IN THE ASS!" Seras sighed, telling A

"Okay, get him out of there." A smirked and transformed, using his natural Psychic abilities to lift Jean out, looking drenched and rather miserable. Jean yelled again

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?" A grinned, warning him

"I've got a good hold on you now, but say if something distracted me, like, oh I don't know, maybe that cotton candy stand-" Jean drifted lower-

"Or the strength tester-" he drifted even farther-

"Should I go on?"

"NO! NO!" A laughed and pulled him up, setting him on dry land once again.

"That's what you get for wasting five million bucks, and for cheating." Jean jumped to his feet and yelled indignantly

"THAT'S WHAT THIS WAS ABOUT!?" A rolled his eyes, saying

"Talk to your girl about the money, but as for me, yeah, I don't handle cheaters very well." Jean paused, confused.

"Wait...Seras was in on this?" Seras yelled out

"I planned it, you dumbass!"

"Oh come on! How did you even convince A to help?" A interjected

"For the most part, I didn't. I was even against this almost entirely until I heard how much you wasted. You sealed the deal by insulting me the way you did." Jean grumbled, asking

"Was it really worth it!?" A smirked and replied

"With my pride restored, yes, I think so. Besides, you've learned your lesson about destroying expensive property and cheating around me, haven't you?"

"I'm hating you right now." A rolled his eyes.

"I'm not fond of cheaters myself, but as you've seen, I can beat you, so I don't suggest you trying anything."

"I wasn't. I'm just kinda mad... give me a minute."

"Okay." A walked back to the rest of the group. Rick groaned

"He's mad." A shrugged.

"Well, I don't exactly blame him. What do you suggest we do?" Seras then said

"He'll cool down in ten minutes, order a pizza, and ask if he and I can mate, which I will reject." A blinked, a little surprised.

"Well, you admitted that rather easily."

"It happens a lot. I told him that it won't happen again unless we're married." A blinked, looking around, rather unsure now. After a moment, he asked in a low voice

"Is sex such an easy concept to everyone now? What happened to the good old days?" Seras sighed, telling him

"Trust me, those days are dead. I still wish for the same kind of discreteness." A insisted

"I'm talking about the days when it was special because it was something two people who were deeply committed could share together that no one else could join in on. Now I get the feeling someone could just pick any random person off the streets and completely destroy that meaning."

"Umm...Jean and I only did it once and it was because of love." A hesitated, then stated

"Well, I've always been paranoid. I tend to blow things out of proportion... though I sincerely hope this is one of those times..."

"Look, I rejected all his requests after that day because I want us to be married... also I got scared."

"Well, I could understand that. If you're following the old ways, then you really want to avoid a shotgun wedding." Sears nodded, agreeing

"Yeah. I'm glad I didn't get pregnant and Jean and I have been together for five years now. I'm just so frustrated. I can only wait to get engaged or married for so long." A shrugged, reasoning

"If your values won't allow you to have children outside of marriage, then you should be willing to wait, if for no other reason than to learn everything you can about your potential partner."

"What else is there to learn? I lived with the guy for many years and have been by his side since we got together." A smirked, telling her

"You'd be surprised. I worked with my Milotic and Serperior for nigh on sixty, seventy years, and I only learned about a week ago that they had feelings for each other." Seras shouted at him

"That's not the same!"

"How? Maybe I should add that they're both female?" Seras shook her head.

"No. I meant that you aren't with them all the time. I'm sorry, I'm just frustrated. He keeps giving me an excuse as to why he hasn't proposed yet." A shrugged, saying

"Behind every excuse is a valid fear, or so my mom used to say."

"What does he have to be afraid of?" A shrugged, replying

"That's his business, not mine. But we all have fears, no matter what we say; don't doubt that he has any." Seras motioned toward the Blaziken, telling him

"Go ask him." A shook his head, arguing

"I just told you it's not my business. If you want to know, ask him yourself."

"Please? He won't answer me if I ask him." A sighed, replying

"Fine. But I don't expect him to open up to me; he and I aren't exactly what you call close, especially since I just dunked him into a tank of blood-thirsty fish."

"Thank you." A walked over to Jean, not certain where he was in his state of recovery.

"Hey, you doin' okay?" Jean replied

"Much better now. What's up?" A explained

"Well, frankly, Seras is having some concerns. She explained this process to me, and her concern, so you don't have to worry about that."

"You sorta lost me there. What is she concerned about?"

"Well, she tells me that you keep giving her excuses as to why you won't propose to her. Is this true?" Jean sighed and then replied

"I hope you don't think that I don't want to marry her." A shook his head, saying

"Not at all. If that was the case, she would know, and she would have killed you for it."

"Well, many of my excuses are legitimate." A told him

"My mother always said that behind every excuse was a legitimate fear. But if your arguments have as much meat as you think, then why is Seras so frustrated?"

"Because I've given her excuses for years."

"And why can't you pull it together?"

"Because of what I am." A tilted his head, asking

"Can you explain that better to me?" Jean sighed, explaining

"You see, in Blaziken culture, marrying outside of your species was... taboo. My family still sees it that way. They made an exception for my dad because my mom was already in good standings with my family. However, my family doesn't like Seras. Only my dad and my sister."

"I thought they already met? Besides, do you love her? Really love her?"

"Of course I do. Only my immediate family has met Seras." A waved a hand, saying

"Ignore that last part for now. If you really do love her, and she loves you back, then that should tell you everything you need to know. You're an adult who's capable of making his own decisions, and will be prepared to accept the consequences with equanimity." Jean nodded.

"I know. I want to marry her already, but I still don't have a house for us, this war is still going, and Dartz hasn't given me his blessing. However, that last part is because I know that he forgot to give it to me." A smirked, replying

"Yeah, I could understand that much, at least. Unfortunately, my sister never had any suitors, so I couldn't perform my duties as her brother and last male of the family. Still, you shouldn't let all that stop you." Jean chuckled

"What? You're going to give me a house and end the war?" A shrugged, replying seriously

"I could offer you a house in the Twenty-Second Den, maybe. As for the war, I'm doing my best, but ultimately it's not my place to end this war." Jean shook his head, telling him

"Seras wants to stay up here in the First Den. I'll ask Rick if he can help with the house. I'm already helping with this war. Also, why can't you end it?" A shrugged nonchalantly.

"Because it's not my place. There's a reason Rick's in charge of the war, and not me."

"True that. Anyways, I guess I should think a bit more about this."

"Do give some more thought, but keep in mind that no girl is willing to wait forever." Jean sighed and nodded.

"I know. I hate it when she's mad. You don't want to meet her when she's mad."

"I think I've gotten a glimpse. But let's be honest, no guy wants to see a girl mad; not only does it spell disaster for the offender, it's just bad all around." Jean then groaned

"Especially Alara." A held up a hand, warning

"Well, let's not go too far, but my point is, you really need to get it together before she loses patience. Don't put it off for too much longer, alright?"

"Yeah. You should probably go back and tell her." A felt a flash of irritation, asking

"Why me? Why don't you tell her yourself?"

"You're the one who came here to get information from me." A rolled his eyes and began walking back, muttering under his breath

"I came her because she asked me to... what am I, everyone's messenger boy?" Soon he arrived to where the group was and Seras asked

"What did he say?" A huffed, answering

"Probably nothing you haven't heard before; family, home, brother's blessing, and the war." Seras shot up from her seat and nearly hissed

"More excuses?" A held up his hands, saying

"Don't kill the messenger. Now look, I had a long talk with him, and I've convinced him to move things along. There's not much we can do about the war currently, but I think I talked him pretty well through everything else." Seras seemed to have ignored him and walked towards Jean. When she arrived to him she immediately slapped him and stormed off, leaving a confused Jean holding his cheek. Jean walked over to the group and asked A

"What did you tell her?" A appeared just as baffled, but replied

"I told her what you told me. I also told her I helped you through these problems, but now I'm just baffled."

"She seemed pissed... damn it hurt!" A quickly told him

"Well, don't let her get away. You won't be doing yourself any favors by letting her simmer like this." Jean nodded and took off to catch up with his enraged girlfriend. Rick was shocked and commented

"Seras rarely snaps like that. She's always cool, calm, and collected." A remarked worriedly

"I hope I didn't cause this; the last thing I need on my conscious is breaking up a couple." He thought about that for a moment, then revised

"Okay, not necessarily the last thing, but I still don't want it." Rick thought for a second, then told him

"We're not far from the condo building. We should check in to see what's up with Seras." A was wary and asked

"Are you sure? Because spying is a very, very bad idea to do to a Psychic, especially a pissed off one."

"Who said we were spying? I meant that we should visit them." Rick then got a video call from Dartz, he answered it and Dartz asked

"What did Jean do to my sister?" A sighed and answered

"He hasn't managed to propose to her yet, and you've got a share of blame in this for not giving him the blessing yet." Dartz sighed, mumbling

"I knew I forgot something. Still, she's pissed about that?"

"Well, he's been pressured by the war, not having a proper home yet, the war, then that blessing. All that was stopping him from confidently proposing to her." Dartz told them

"Well, you should probably come and explain that to her because she's in her condo, throwing always all his stuff out of her home and at him." A argued

"I tried to explain it, but apparently that's what pissed her off."

"Don't tell me, tell her!" The sound of glass breaking was then heard and Seras yelling

"Get out of here!" A groaned and thought intensely, then turned to Rick, saying

"I might have a plan."

So, there it is. I'll be working on the conclusion of this little piece soon, so look forward to it!