After everyone ate lunch and took a short break to decompress from the trip up to Moonbyul's place, Mrs. Moon hustled them out the front door and down to the bottom of the street where the Pokémon shelter had been built.
It sat on the edge of the Moon Estate and was a set of three small but modern-looking buildings that overlooked several enclosed fields and pens where Pokémon could roam free. A short path led from the back of the main building down to the beach where another fenced-in area had been placed for those Pokémon that enjoyed the water.
"How long has your family operated this shelter?" Seulgi asked as the group of them approached the building.
"I wanna say seven or eight years? This place isn't as big as some of the region-run shelters so we're almost always at full capacity. Volunteers count as most of the workforce and some of the other neighbors in the area look after the shelter too." Moonbyul swiped a keycard in front of the locked door and opened it up, ushering everyone inside.
Once everyone was inside, Moonbyul shut the door behind them and turned on some of the lights. "This is the intake building, if a Trainer finds they can no longer take care of a Pokémon, they can bring it here to find a new home. We also take in injured wild Pokémon and have a separate building for them so they can recover without feeling overwhelmed by people."
The lobby was nicely decorated and felt homey, with several plush couches lining one wall. A large bulletin board detailing some of the shelter's happy endings hung from another. Seulgi read a few of the happy letters that had been pinned to the corkboard and smiled. Lucky, a three legged Leafeon found his forever home with ten-year old Hayley, who says that in a few years they'll be the new Kalos Champions.
Thank you so much for taking in my grandfather's Sawsbuck after he passed. I hope Rudy finds a Trainer who will love him as much as my Gramps did. And just under that letter was another one. Rudy's doing fantastic with our program, he's really taken to working with the patients in Physical Therapy and he's so gentle with them. Forget having one loving Trainer, Rudy has eleven!
"Come on back, guys! There are extra work clothes and a place to put your things just down the hall."
Hearing the summons, Seulgi tore her gaze away from the bulletin board and followed her friends into the back rooms. A set of work clothes were already laid out for her and while they were a little big on her, they were comfortable enough and soon she was standing in a large kennel attempting to stifle a squeal as she saw a litter of the cutest Poochyena playing with each other.
"I knew you'd like this room, this is where the little ones stay until they're old enough to be placed with new families. These little guys were found by the side of the road in a cardboard box, it's a miracle none of them got injured," Moonbyul knelt down and was immediately accosted by the puppy Pokémon. She laughed as they attempted to climb all over her.
"Who would do such a thing?" Seulgi asked as she followed Moonbyul's lead, giggling when one of them started pulling at her shoelaces, letting out the cutest growl. She picked it up and plopped it in her lap, scratching behind its ears.
"Plenty of people, to be perfectly honest. When Mom first got them in here she noticed that all of them had been extremely well bred. Now I'm not one to make any judgements since we don't actually know why they'd been abandoned, but it looks like some Trainer was breeding a ton of them in an attempt to get a shiny one."
Seulgi's hand stilled, and the sudden lack of attention caused the Poochyena to tilt its head back to look at her. "That's barbaric."
Moonbyul hummed in agreement, picking herself off the floor and displacing the puppies that were surrounding her. She offered a hand to Seulgi who gladly accepted, gently placing her newfound friend back with its littermates. "You've seen how much money some shiny Pokémon sell for, that doesn't make it right but what matters now is that these little ones are safe. We even have the Academy's security division coming out here next month to test the pups and see if any of them would make good guard Pokémon."
"Well I for one definitely think you have a few good candidates here."
Moonbyul chuckled. "I almost forgot, we met for the first time at the kennels. I still don't approve of the way Irene treated you, but I have to admit, if not for her I don't know if we would have ever gotten acquainted."
The two of them joined back up with the rest of the volunteer party who were busy cleaning up and repairing a section of broken fence in one of the play areas. Seulgi picked up a pair of work gloves and a hammer, falling in line next to Jihyo and getting to work. I wonder what Irene's doing right now?
XXX
A few hours later, Leeteuk's black town car stopped in front of a familiar set of wrought-iron gates.
"Why do I feel like I've been tricked?" Irene grumbled as the car she was riding in drove smoothly down a familiar tree-lined road. She thought Leeteuk would take her to one of the local League buildings but instead she found herself right outside of the Moon estate.
Leeteuk shot her a small smile. "I know you haven't been spending a lot of time with your friends recently, so I figured what better way to reconnect with them? Besides, you and I both know that Moonbyul's mother won't take no for an answer."
Irene had to agree with the last statement. Moonbyul's mother was everything her father wasn't, and it admittedly left her more than a bit jealous to see the Hoenn Champion with her family, talking and joking around. "I suppose this isn't the worst idea you've had…"
The car came to a stop outside of the manor, and Leeteuk helped Irene take her things out from the trunk. Moonbyul's mother hurried outside to greet them with a huge smile on her face that Irene couldn't help but return. She was quickly swept up in a warm embrace, which made Irene's heart ache with longing.
"Joohyun. I'm so glad you decided to join us after all! It wouldn't be the same without you."
"It took a bit of persuasion on Leeteuk's part, but I'm here now. Are Moonbyul and Solar here yet?"
"They got here this morning, along with the rest of their friends. Everyone's down by the beach right now, they deserved a break after I made them volunteer at the shelter."
Irene smiled genuinely for the first time in what felt like months. She remembered visiting here for the first time with Moonbyul, and immediately being put to work by the Moon matriarch. Hard work is the best character-builder out there. I started Moonbyul early and look where my baby is now. Champion of the whole Hoenn region!
"I'm sorry I missed it, Leeteuk and I had a few things to do before making our way over here."
Mrs. Moon tutted, "Nonsense, there's plenty of time for you to visit the shelter later this week. You did make it in time for the Beachside Festival though. Why don't you set your things down in one of the guest rooms and then help me get started on dinner?"
"Aye-aye ma'am," Irene grinned, grabbing her suitcase from the back of Leeteuk's car. She had to admit, Leeteuk knew how to make her day. "Leeteuk are you staying for dinner?"
Leeteuk tried to brush off the request but one look from Moonbyul's mother had him stepping back in surprise. "I guess I am. I have to warn you though Mrs. Moon, I am not a good cook whatsoever."
XXX
"Whoa, something smells delicious," Seulgi stopped in her tracks at the good smells wafting through the house. The seven of them had just come back up to the house after playing at the beach, and while she was bone-tired from their work at the shelter she was too content to let it bother her.
"This entire day we've been in heaven and it's just gotten better," Wendy agreed, turning her head in the direction of the kitchen. The two of them let their noses lead the way and before they knew it they were standing in the doorframe to the kitchens. Seulgi's jaw dropped.
"Wendy, am I hallucinating or is Leeteuk, renowned Kalos Champion, standing in Moonbyul's kitchen?"
"Oh good, you see him too. He's also wearing a chef hat, right?"
Seulgi nodded. She couldn't believe that the region's best Pokémon trainer was chopping up vegetables a few feet from her. Leeteuk looked up from his task and shot the two girls a winning smile.
"Hey there! You must be some of Moonbyul's friends."
"Y-you're Leeteuk," Wendy stammered. "And you're wearing a chef's hat."
"Don't let the hat fool you, the only thing he's allowed to do is chop vegetables, otherwise he'd burn the house down," said a voice from behind Leeteuk.
Leeteuk placed the knife he was using over his heart and feigned sadness. "You wound me, Joohyun. I tried to tell Mrs. Moon that I would be less help than a Magikarp but would she listen?"
"Irene!" Seulgi grinned as the other girl appeared behind Leeteuk to grab the vegetables he'd chopped up. "I didn't know you were coming."
The Champion smiled gently at Seulgi, "You can thank Leeteuk, I was going to spend the week up in Kiloude with my Pokémon but I was unfairly kidnapped and brought here."
"Hey," Leeteuk interjected, "I don't see you complaining about things."
Seulgi and Wendy were dumbfounded at the way the two Champions were bickering back and forth like a pair of siblings. It certainly shattered more than a few preconceived notions of the powerful Trainers.
"Do you guys need help with dinner?" Seulgi asked, remembering her manners. It would be rude of her to stand here and watch them argue without offering to help them cook.
Irene shook her head. "It's okay, we're almost done here anyway. Besides, as much as I'd love an extra pair of hands in the kitchen I'm afraid Leeteuk would take it as an invitation to slack off even more."
Leeteuk stuck his tongue out at his mentee childishly and threw a piece of carrot at Irene. Seulgi couldn't help the smile that grew, it was a rare treat to see her roommate smile and joke around so carelessly. Leeteuk must be very important to her, she thought as she continued to observe them.
"We'll let you guys go then," Wendy piped up, dragging Seulgi out of the kitchen by her sleeve. As soon as they were out of earshot she playfully smacked Seulgi upside the head. "I know you have a crush on Irene but damn, make it more obvious why don't you?"
Seulgi pouted, "I do not have a crush on Irene."
Wendy scoffed, "Oh please, you were giving our Champion the biggest heart-eyes I've ever seen and I've seen Jihyo and Daniel looking at each other like lovesick puppies."
"Is it that obvious?"
Wendy sighed. She had taken the last couple of weeks since their outing downtown to do some serious thinking. She liked Seulgi a lot, sure, but it had become painfully clear that the taller girl was harboring feelings for her roommate. Wendy knew she wanted Seulgi in her life and so even if it was just as a friend, she'd be happy. Didn't mean it was easy, but Wendy was slowly getting the hang of things.
"Little bit. Look, if you like Irene just tell her. I can tell you right now that you're one of the few people I've seen Irene give that smile to."
"There's no way Irene likes me like that. We've only just gotten our relationship past the whole 'I hate you' phase."
"That's how all epic romances begin isn't it? Enemies-to lovers? Give it a few weeks and you'll be in the middle of an argument when suddenly the two of you will start making out passionately." Seulgi looked horrified and Wendy chuckled. "But seriously though Seul, it's okay if you like Irene."
Seulgi sat down on one of the benches outside the kitchen. "My plan wasn't to start crushing on the Kalos Champion. Get to know her, yes. Become friends, maybe if the stars aligned."
Wendy sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Love doesn't work like that though it just smacks you in the face with a big 'fuck you'." She paused, unsure if she should tell Seulgi this next bit. "It's how I felt about you."
Seulgi looked up at her, "You…liked me?"
"What's not to like, you're gorgeous, smart, you always give me that exasperated look when I tell you I didn't do my homework."
"But I fell for Irene," Seulgi whispered. "I'm so sorry, Wendy."
Wendy shook her head. "You have nothing to be sorry about, Seul. I admit when I saw that picture of you two kissing it threw me, but I realized that there's enough of women hating other women because of love in this world. I'm not gonna be the kind of person that gets angry just because my feelings aren't reciprocated. I'd rather have you as a friend than not at all."
Seulgi took one of Wendy's hands in her own. "Thank you for telling me, Wendy. I know it wasn't easy. And I for one feel so, so honored to call you my best friend." The two of them shared a hug, Seulgi resting her head on Wendy's shoulder. She could feel something wet soaking through her shirt.
"Sorry, I don't mean to be a blubbering mess," Wendy sniffled. Seulgi shook her head and gently wiped the tears from the other girl's eyes. It must have been really hard for Wendy to confess, knowing that Seulgi already had feelings for someone else.
"I will always be here to love and support you Wendy. I knew from the moment you grinned at me when I threw that tennis ball in Taeyong's face that something precious was there."
Wendy sniffled, and shot Seulgi a watery grin. "Don't make this too cheesy, Seulgi."
Seulgi laughed, "Gotcha. Come on, let's go back to your room and get you all fixed up before dinner. Runny mascara looks good on no one."
"Are you insinuating that I can't rock this look?" Wendy gestured to her face, runny mascara and all
"That's exactly what I'm insinuating. Besides, the beach festival is in a couple hours what if you find your special someone there?"
"Oh god, you're right. Fix me up Seul, I got girls to hunt for."
XXX
Dinner was a rowdy affair with eleven people to feed, but Seulgi didn't think she could have had a more fun time. Wendy still looked a little down, but their relationship had improved a thousand fold with their conversation earlier. After the meal they retreated back to their rooms to get ready for the beach festival. Seulgi put on a pair of denim short shorts and a white short-sleeved shirt, since the weather was still so nice out. She met back up with their group of friends and walked down to the beach.
Seulgi was awestruck. The whole beach had been set up with various food and souvenir stalls, and people and Pokémon alike were enjoying the evening. She reached for her belt and called out her Vulpix as their group started to break apart to enjoy the festival. Moonbyul and Solar went to go talk with some of the townspeople and she saw Jihyo and Daniel break off to take a walk together by the beach. Even Wendy broke off from the group to look at some clothes with Joy and Yeri.
"Guess it's just you and me buddy," she said, scratching the fur behind his ears and her Vulpix growled in contentment.
"Room for one more?" a voice behind her asked. Seulgi turned around to see Irene and her Alolan Ninetales.
"Always," she replied, falling into step with the Kalos Champion as they walked around the festival together. Seulgi's Vulpix had quickly taken a shine to Irene's Ninetales and the two fox Pokémon were running a few meters in front of their Trainers, playing around in the sand. Seulgi and Irene walked in companionable silence for a while, just enjoying each other's company. "You didn't tell me you could cook, Irene."
"You never asked. I had to do a lot of cooking before I came to the Academy, I fell out of the habit after I became Champion."
"It definitely doesn't show, that food was amazing."
"I'm glad you liked it, even if I did have the region's worst cook helping me out." Irene looked at Seulgi with a happy smile, her eyes turning into half-crescents. Seulgi's answering smile was shy as they lapsed into silence again.
Wow, Seulgi looks fantastic tonight, Irene thought. Her shorts showed off just how often the taller girl exercised, and wow were her thigh muscles impressive. Seulgi had moved a few feet in front of her to keep an eye on her Pokémon, which gave Irene a great view of her backside. Whoa there, down girl, Irene had to scold herself. We're roommates, nothing more.
"Irene come look at this!" Irene was jolted out of her reverie by Seulgi's excited call. She sighed and followed her roommate to a small stall at the end of the row that looked to be selling jewelry and elemental stones. Seulgi had picked up a Fire Stone and was chatting animatedly with the shopkeep, an old woman with wrinkled skin and bright eyes. "I've been looking for a Fire Stone for a while, when Vulpix gets old enough I want him to be able to choose which form to evolve into. Fire Stones are pretty rare in Alola."
Irene was unable to keep a smile off her face as Seulgi turned back to the shopkeep to ask about prices. The other girl was truly a thoughtful and incredible Trainer to think of both methods of evolution in order to give her Vulpix a choice.
The shopkeeper easily agreed to trade Seulgi the Fire Stone she wanted for a Golden Bottle Cap from Alola. As the two of them completed the transaction, Irene felt her gaze getting drawn to a small heart-shaped scale on the table.
It glittered with all the colors of the rainbow and there was something about it that made Irene curious. She'd heard of these scales before but had never seen one in real life. "Is this a Heart Scale?"
The shopkeep nodded, impressed with her knowledge. "Yes, some people find them beautiful and enjoy collecting them. There are others still who think Heart Scales contain some kind of mystical power that we haven't yet discovered."
Seulgi leaned over Irene's shoulder to take a look at the scale. The closeness would have previously made Irene freak out but somehow when it came to Seulgi nothing made sense. "I've seen a few in the Alola Region. There's an old tale that if you hold a Heart Scale it will glow when you're in the presence of who you're meant to spend the rest of your life with. That's why most weddings in our region make use of them in the ceremony."
The shopkeep winked at the pair. There was something very special about the bond between these two girls, if only they could see it. Irene huffed. "That sounds completely ridiculous." The Champion picked up the Heart Scale and held it in her hand. Irene and Seulgi shared a glance and waited with bated breath. Of course nothing happened. "See? It's just a story."
Seulgi shook her head. "You can decide whether to believe it or not Irene. Fairy tale or not, there's gotta be some truth to it."
"Hey guys, Solar and Moonbyul found a few of the locals to start a beach volleyball game with, you wanna join?" Wendy, Joy and Yeri sped past them with a volleyball. Seulgi grinned, thanked the shopkeep one last time and ran with them over to the courts, leaving Irene staring at the Heart Scale.
"There's gotta be some truth to it?" Irene thought, turning the scale over in her hands. "Ma'am? How much is this scale?"
The shopkeep tutted, "For you dear, it's free. You're young, you never know when you'll find that special someone."
Irene looked over her shoulder at Seulgi and Wendy. The latter was busy complaining that if both Seulgi and Moonbyul were on the same team it'd be cheating since they were the tallest. "I don't think love is in my cards anytime soon."
"You never know, love seems to always find its way to people who are looking for it." Irene gave her a quizzical look and put the scale in her back pocket. "Even if they don't know it."
The old woman waved goodbye to Irene as she turned away to join her friends on the court, chuckling under her breath as Irene's back pocket began to glow with a soft blue light. "Not all fairy tales are false."