"Hey Val, look just up ahead!"
The gentle breeze blew on through the evening, whistling a quiet tune as it filtered through the nearly-barren branches of autumn trees. The few leaves that remained stuck to their branches glowed a fiery red and orange-a combination which the sky would soon envy and take for itself.
Panne pointed her nose towards the mountains just beyond the treetops. Two of the smaller cliffs conjoined at a much lower point than the rest of the range, effectively splitting the impassable wall of rock in two and revealing a great deal of the sky behind it. This was the easiest northern passage to scrape between the two halves of Water Continent, used almost daily by travelers and traders alike. It was known as Sunrise Pass, mostly because the first spots the morning sun would touch on the western side were within its crevice.
"Took long enough. Finally time to camp," Panne's voice stood out against the serenity as they stepped away from the beaten path and into a clearing littered with crunchy fallen leaves. The Fennekin glanced towards a tree so tall that its spindly branches arched over half the open sky from the spot they were standing. It was no wonder why there were so many piles of leaves just in this particular grove. The naked tree itself twisted with splendor like a roof of lightning, casting jagged shadows all across the clearing. Given they put in a little effort to clean up a spot to start a fire, this was definitely a great spot to stay for the night.
Despite the sea of leaves, the two managed to reach the base of the wooden monolith that towered over the surrounding forest. Just the width of the trunk alone seemed three times that of any of the trees nearby. The bark which covered its hardened flesh was craggy with age and generously coated with patches of green moss. This tree had seen its fair share of autumns, but one couldn't help but wonder when its last would be. How long did trees like this even live for, anyway? Regardless, its limbs were so high that it was very likely safe to build a fire beneath them.
Panne immediately collapsed into a deep pile of leaves and nearly disappeared completely. A contented sigh came from within the bump she had made. "Ugh, I'm so hungry. We should have had breakfast. Why didn't we eat breakfast? I can't believe I forgot to eat breakfast."
"You were too excited to leave. Besides, if Kecleon's out of stock, then I don't think there are many shipments coming in from anywhere besides the docks. It's probably a riot back there." Vallion jumped backwards into a decently sized mound and was swallowed up in a satisfying crash. A little itchy, but surprisingly comfortable with how much distance they'd made today. Maybe they could press a bunch of leaves down once they've cleared a space out and make a bed out of them.
"I wish we didn't have to miss the cafe by leaving so early. It's just impossible to get used to traveling on an empty stomach," The Fennekin's voice seemed distant and muffled while they were both buried. "I mean, I know traveling on a full stomach isn't such a good idea either, but what if we had a way to bake stuff while out here? Like not an oven but a kiln or something? Imagine the kinds of stuff we could end up scrounging up to cook out here. We'd be like, culinary nomads."
"Culinary nomads," Vallion mouthed the words to himself and closed his eyes. It became so quiet that the breeze was the only thing he could concentrate on. A sigh fell from his mouth as the tension in his muscles melted away, giving way to a satisfying ache. There was a rustling in some nearby leaves followed by grunt of relaxation as Panne stretched out in her own little pile. The Snivy couldn't help but think about how her little paws splayed out as she relaxed, chin flat up towards the sky while her arms curled up over her chest. The urge to suddenly crawl over and join her pushed its way into the forefront of his imagination. He immediately put a stop to the fantasy before it could grow into something too exciting. Now was absolutely not the time to have those kinds of thoughts, especially not with a mission on their hands. She probably didn't even like him in that way.
It didn't take much longer for Vallion to grow restless from that point on. Before he had any other unwelcome daydreams, the Snivy sat up and brushed himself off, rested just enough to finish off the last of their duties for the day. After all, they still had to make camp before anything else. That meant clearing out the area, building the pit for a fire and finding its fuel, and finding water-and maybe some late-growing fruit if they were lucky. He still didn't really trust whatever he had snagged from the larder, so some insurance wouldn't be too awful.
As usual, Vallion was going to be the one gathering up tinder, since having both vines and hands made it much easier to carry things. Panne's job was to fix up the camping site and get everything settled in, not to mention make sure nobody tries to swipe their stuff while all of this is going on. It wouldn't be the first time they've lost entire bags of supplies just because a wildling saw something shiny.
After some loud and silly farewells, Vallion swiped up both their canteens and pressed into the brush, squinting against the barrage of twigs and leaves. His eyes immediately started to pick out landmarks by which he'd be able to find his way back. The huge tree was visible through the skeletal canopy for a while, but soon he was forced to find other prominent features in the woods. Gnarled holes in trunks that kinda looked like hurricanes, cliffs that curved in certain specific ways, and blooming autumn flowers that seemed to bravely press on into the winter months. Each landmark was meticulously listed in the Snivy's thoughts as he traveled deeper into the chilly forest.
Vallion used one vine to sift beneath the bed of leaves for sizable twigs and branches, then gathered them into the other vine in one big bundle. Most of the kindling he found seemed a little too damp, but there wasn't much that could be done. It probably rained every other day around these parts, especially at this time of year. All Panne had to do was heat the moisture out of the wood before it became usable again, but he really wished she didn't have to go through all that extra effort.
While searching for any sign of green among the endless red ceiling, Vallion noticed that the sky grew more purple by the second. The sun had dipped behind the mountains to the west and left the woods in one giant shadow. What little scraps of light came down from the vibrant sky were all he had left to see by. Was he really going to have to turn back so soon? It couldn't have been more than a few minutes since he left! Maybe winter was closer than he thought.
Thankfully enough, the Snivy managed to pick up on a gentle burbling coming from the bottom of a decline. He lowered himself down the slope using his free vine as a rope. Vallion pressed through the final bushes and stepped onto a shore of gravel. The stream itself wasn't too wide, but it was so clear that he could still see distortions made by what little light was left. His eyes went upwards to the opposite shore and caught on something even more interesting. Some of the trees looked like a different species to what was common, and better yet, there was still a little bit of ripe greenness in their leaves. Everything he needed all in one place!
The pebbles crunched beneath his weight as the Snivy drew closer, but even at the very edge of the water he couldn't quite see what the fruit exactly were. He sighed and took the canteens from his back, popped the lids open, and dunked them into the stream. The mountain water was shockingly cold compared to the valley air, and the fact that he had to swim through it twice just to get to dinner made him grimace. Vallion closed the caps on the canteen and found a concave spot to store them and all the kindling he'd found. He turned back to the water and sucked a deep breath into his chest. It was only going to get darker the longer he waited, so it was best not to wait at all! Pebbles kicked up as he dived into the current.
The cold struck Vallion like an electric shock, leaving him stunned in the water for a brief moment. He opened his eyes and pushed off the mud beneath his feet. surging forward against the current in one swift motion. The leaf of his tail acted almost like a fin as he pushed onward in one continuous serpentine movement. The stream wasn't actually that wide to begin with, but overcoming the current alone made him gasp for breath as he crawled up onto the crumbling gravel of the opposite shore. He allowed the excess water to roll off his scales for a good few moments before standing up. He probably would've even felt refreshed if it didn't feel like he just swam through a glacier.
After a few seconds of shivering, the Snivy looked up towards the greenish tree and trudged across the shore. Now that he was closer, it was easier to tell that the odd shapes sprouting from between the leaves were plums-or at least a fruit that looked suspiciously similar to a plum. Either way, he definitely had a better feeling about these things than the random items he piled into his bag back at the Society. Vallion wrapped his vines around the lowest sturdy branch and began to retract, lifting himself into the air like a winch. Once high enough, he pulled himself onto the branch and began to twist the juiciest-looking plums off their stems and let them drop to the ground below.
A snarling hiss erupted from somewhere close above his head. Vallion immediately fell from the branch in shock, barely managing to catch himself with the vines he still had wrapped around it. The leaves rustled and shook, and from the darkness came six spindly legs. "Sssstay away from my tree!" The Ariados screeched.
"Alright, alright! You win! I'll stay away from your tree!" Vallion stammered as he lowered himself to the ground. "But, uh...What about those trees over there?" He pointed towards several of the other plum trees that leaned over the shore.
"No! They are all my tree! Now go away!" The Ariados assured that it had gotten its point across by shooting a poisonous barb inches past the Snivy's face. Vallion took the hint and quickly dropped to the rocks below with a crunch. He snatched up all four of the plums he managed to pluck and left the bug type to hiss and grumble.
Tossing the fruit over the span of the river was a simple enough task, but the thought of having to cross it again left Vallion procrastinating at the water's edge. The cool autumn breeze still felt like tiny needles dragging across his scales from the last time, and he had to make the whole trek back like this. The Snivy took two steps back and sniffled. The sooner he got back, the sooner he'd be able to lay out in front of a fire and be done with it. He sucked in as deep of a breath as his lungs could fit and rushed forward, diving in without a second thought.
Vallion crawled up onto the original shore and spat out all the gritty water that had somehow gotten into his mouth. Swearing under his breath at the cold, he gathered up the scattered plums and washed them in the stream before shoving them into his bag. He took the kindling into his vines and clamored up the side of the bank. He went through the list of landmarks he had compiled on his way here as he climbed, making positively sure he knew the route back piece by piece. This wasn't even a particularly complicated forest to travel through, he just wanted to get back as soon as possible.
Before long Vallion began to recognize his surroundings a little better than just tiny landmarks. He passed by a warped old tree that bent in the same direction he came, then climbed over a mossy log whose enormous roots seemed to point east. A murky pond which had once held a sleeping Surskit was now completely empty, which likely had something to do with the fresh tracks in the mud. Did something scare it away or was it a predator that managed to sneak up on it? Vallion nearly jumped four feet into the air as a sullen growl broke the silence, only to realize that it was his own stomach that made the sound. He sighed at himself and marched even faster through the piles of fallen leaves, more than thankful that Panne wasn't here to see that. Although he probably wouldn't have minded all too much if she decided to tease him about it. She'd probably think it was cute more than anything-No no, none of those thoughts. Absolutely none of them.
By the time Vallion had made it back to camp, the stars were already out and there was barely anything left of the sunset. The clearing they'd chosen to set up camp had started to look like an actual field. A proper fire pit had been expertly dug out and lined with stones. Even all the leaves were moved into two huge piles at the base of the giant tree. Panne had even dried and flattened the ground where they would sit in front of the fire. He couldn't have been gone for more than half an hour, too.
Panne's ears swiveled around as the Snivy pressed through the bushes. She whipped around so fast that her tail should've came loose and fly off into the distance. "You're back! I got camp all ready! Did you manage to find anything?"
Vallion spoke as he unloaded his bag beside the fire pit. "Yeah, there were some nice plum trees across a creek. Had to go through an Ariados to get anything but I managed well enough."
"... Val, you're shivering. Did you seriously swim through the water to get them? It's almost winter!" Panne's ears fell sideways as she placed a paw on his forehead. "Oh my gosh, you're freezing! I really need to get this fire running soon, don't I?
The Snivy tried to shrug, but the gesture was indiscernible from the shivering. "The trees were on the other side and it was getting late, so I just kinda...took the fastest route over. Probably could've thought it out a little more before diving straight in, though. I mean, I'm totally fine anyways." He dumped all the firewood he had collected into the middle of the pit.
"Fine? You're not going to be fine if you catch a cold!" the Fennekin jumped into the pit and immediately started to dry out the damp pieces of tinder.
Vallion sighed and slumped to the ground. There was no arguing with Panne while she was worried, that's for sure. "I can't catch something I already am." He muttered to no one in particular.
The Fennekin swung straight around. "What? Are you sick already? Oh jeez, I didn't even pack for this!" The concern in her voice stuck in Vallion's chest like an arrow.
"Wha- No, no! I'm fine. It's-Whatever. It was a dumb joke anyway." Vallion assured her and motioned to continue on with the fire.
She stared at him for a moment longer before finally turning back to the firewood. "Alright, if you say so. You better not get sick, though."
Flashes of color and light erupted across the campsite as Panne blasted the tinder dry. Each controlled burst of fire sent waves of heat across the Snivy's scales, prickling against the numbness that had already settled in. He happily sprawled out on his back while Panne worked her magic. After a few minutes, the violent flashes of fire were replaced by a gentle, flickering glow. Vallion sighed and crawled a little closer, gathering up every drop of warmth he could and letting it soak in. It was difficult to believe how cold it really was out here.
"Can we eat yet? Any longer and I'm going to implode!" Panne shouted over the crackling of the fire. Now that the Snivy was warm again, he suddenly remembered the gnawing pains in his stomach. Vallion sluggishly made his way over to their bags and began to unfasten the many knots that held it closed. Panne was practically bouncing up and down behind him, peering over his shoulder at every opportunity. "Ah. finally!"
Vallion opened the sack he had filled from the larder and peered inside. After a few moments, a rainbow of emotions began to pass over his face: confusion, disappointment, and finally a tiny glimmer of amusement. "Yeah, that's what I figured. It's such a good thing I found those plums."
"What? Val, what's in there? Lemme see already!" The Fennekin circled around and tried to stuff her face into the bag. Vallion pulled away and laughed, pulling something from the deepest part of the sack before dumping the rest onto the ground. Out clattered a fork, a rubber ball, two crumpled up wads of paper which he could only assume were trashed orders, and the broken shell of a chestnut.
Panne was speechless. At least ten seconds ticked by before she kicked at the rubber ball. "Wha... What was this even doing in the larder?" she said. Vallion chuckled. "No, I'm serious! Like, why would there even be a rubber ball anywhere the kitchen in the first place? Where did it even come from? You grabbed all this off a shelf in the larder, didn't you? Swirlix had to have put this in there on purpose, right?!"
The Snivy held up the object he pulled from the bag with both hands. It was just a single roll of bread, but he clutched it like it was a precious relic, its rough texture casting dramatic shadows in the firelight. "I ventured into the larder of the gluttony demon, your highness, but this was all I could steal. Our whole kingdom is riding on the fate of this single roll-No, this magnificent example of baking prowess! The future of this land is determined now by the might of yeast and flame," he spoke as deeply as his tiny vocal chords could go. His cheeks hurt from the grin he was suppressing. As he knelt down and presented the legendary roll, Panne failed to stifle a giggle. "Hark! Thine stomach shall be blessed by this hallowed piece of baked dough! Dine upon its dry, spongy flesh and lead our kingdom towards salvation!"
"Of course, Sir Val," Panne regained enough composure to play along, dropping to her front legs and bowing her head, "I, daughter to the throne and master of fire, accept this mighty responsibility. I have trained my whole life for just this moment alone."
"Then feast-" he split the roll in two. "-and become whole. Both your Pops and your people are depending on you." Vallion touched her half of the roll to each her shoulders, then let her bite down on the bread. They both chewed thoughtfully on their halves. The bread was stale and tasteless, and it was so dry that he immediately became thirsty upon swallowing it. Such was the price of power, so it seemed.
Panne broke character with a sigh. "Now that we have yeast-based superpowers, can we start eating those plums already?"
There was two for each of them, but with the way Panne bounded towards them it was almost like she was about to swallow the four of them whole. She still kicked two behind her and flashed him a smile before going to town. As soon as the Snivy bit down, a flood of sweetness rushed over his tongue and escaped out the corner of his mouth. They were perfectly ripe, which was probably incredibly lucky this far into the year. Panne had already finished off her two by the time Vallion had made his way around to the second. Was she still hungry? Maybe he should have grabbed more, or have given her the third plum...
With full bellies and heavy eyes, they both collapsed onto dried spots of grass in front of the fire, soaking in the heat in relative silence. Vallion squinted up at the emerging stars, a dumb grin stuck on his face. This was exactly the kind of feeling he traveled for. Exploration and discovery were cool and all, but there was absolutely no coming close to moments like this. The Snivy turned his head just far enough to glance at Panne, whose half-closed eyes were stuck firmly to the night sky. Well, it probably wouldn't be the same feeling without her, anyways. That was kind of the point.
Vallion turned back to the stars and started to mentally draw lines between them. There were definitely shapes he could make out, but nothing really made a full picture like it would for someone who really knew the constellations. His grin started to fade. He did know the constellations at some point, didn't he? Maybe back before the time his memories got erased? It hadn't occurred to him until now that he's never asked Panne to point them out. Despite it being no big deal in the grand scheme of things, Vallion suddenly felt like he was totally out of place. Anyone from this world could look up at this sky and point out the pictures that the stars make. Anyone but him.
"Aw man, the fire's already almost out!" Panne whined. Looking back to earth, Vallion saw that there wasn't much left but a tiny blaze and a few cinders. He was so focused on the sky that he hadn't noticed how dark it had gotten. Maybe he should have gathered more firewood, as well.
"Hm. Oh well," Vallion yawned. "At least we don't have to worry about putting it out, huh?"
The Fennekin caught his yawn before she could manage to reply. "Whatever. We'll need to get up early, anyways. The more daylight we have to search for Larvesta, the better of a chance we're going to have."
The dim light of the moon was the only thing that guided their feet as they stumbled towards the base of the huge tree, its skeletal branches casting jagged shadows over them. The piles of leaves Panne had assembled earlier stood firmly against the breeze, all up until they both jumped in one after the other. After the shrill crash of leaves faded, there was a brief quiet, then an almost constant sound of crinkling as they tried to find a comfortable position to sleep in their scratchy beds.
"Night, Val. Get lots of rest for tomorrow, 'kay?" Panne's voice got muffled as she sunk deeper into her pile. Vallion hummed and curled up into a ball, duly aware of how cool the air was and how slightly itchy this bed felt. He tried to get beneath a few extra layers of leaves for warmth, but it wasn't much better. It was good to call it a night so early. since it was going to take him a good while to fall asleep like this.
For the first few minutes, the Snivy only tried to clear his mind of all distractions. He focused on the quiet sounds of the forest and forced himself to only think of a blank sheet of paper. The process took more effort than it would have if he was just relaxing, but before long he started to feel the edges of his thoughts start to go fuzzy. His breathing slowed all the way down, his limbs started to feel heavy, and...actually, he didn't really feel all that tired after all. The strategy seemed to be working as intended, but as soon as he got even close to dreaming, his brain woke right up.
He tried again and again, but without any luck. He tried counting Mareep jumping over a fence, yet it only reminded him of a story Mawile once told about Ampharos' old adventures. One by one, his strategies for falling asleep all failed. Vallion loudly turned over in his pile of leaves, but he wasn't even sure if his new position was more comfortable than the last. Seconds of valuable rest were ticking by and he couldn't even figure out how to lay still anymore. Panne softly snored from the other side of the tree, so at least one of them was getting decent sleep tonight. Vallion sighed as he felt himself give up.
This was just something that happened sometimes. He never really was a heavy sleeper, anyways. There were plenty of nights where-no matter how comfortable or warm or peaceful everything was-it was impossible to get to sleep. It was much more common of an occurrence before they'd beaten Dark Matter, but that was just probably from stress and worries, and he didn't really feel all that stressed out right now. There really wasn't a reason to feel upset nowadays. Back then, it was a matter of being alone and scared. He barely even knew his own name at that point, much less why he was put in this world in the first place. Vallion could recall countless times where he'd just be tossing and turning all night in Nuzleaf's house until the sky outside the window started to turn blue again...Well if it wasn't stress on his mind, what was keeping him right now?
Panne was the first thing that popped into his head, and it was kinda obvious now that he was thinking about it. They were literally put on his planet to be together, as deigned by divine forces beyond their comprehension and all that jazz. It only made sense that these new feelings he was stuck on would start to affect all aspects of his life. What was the relationship between Mew and his past self like? Were they even closer together than Panne was to him now? Were they...more than friends at all?
Vallion rolled over onto his side, the sound of the leaves like thunder in the silence. Maybe that's why he liked her so much. Maybe it was something he inherited from his past self, like a universal law or something. There was no way for him to really find out, anyways. Not without finding some way to absorb the memories that had been erased from his head-and after the last time one of them did something like that...Not knowing something like that wasn't that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. Then was then, now was now, and he definitely wasn't getting any sleepier from thinking about it.
...At some point, he was going to have to confront this fuzzy feeling in his chest. This doesn't feel like something he could just ignore until it went away on his own. Still, even thinking about it at all felt like he was compromising something sacred. If they already had a perfect friendship, why even risk trying to go any further? Vallion suddenly heard Swirlix's words in his ears and recalled how everyone had already been assuming they were in a relationship. The Snivy bit his tongue, the memory leaving a boulder in the pit of his stomach. At least Panne didn't seem to know. It would have been obvious if Panne knew.
Vallion started going over his methods of falling asleep once more, but now his heart was beating too fast. Each time he even got close to drifting off for good, he'd hear Panne's soft breathing in the silence and the whole process would start right over. God, why did it have to be tonight? They were about to go on a mission! Someone's life could be in danger and he's staying up fantasizing about things that won't happen! The leaves continued to scratch at his scales, the cold air stuck to his throat and burned in his nostrils, and he was starting to get hungry again. A groan of exasperation escaped past his lips.
"Hm?"
Vallion nearly jumped two feet into the air before he realized it was just Panne. After a few seconds had passed, that relief just turned to a different kind of despair. He had been tossing and turning so much that he hadn't even heard her stop snoring. A pang of guilt shot through him as the Fennekin whispered once more, "What's up, Val? Are you okay?"
"It's-it's nothing. I'm just having a little bit of trouble sleeping," Vallion whispered back, silently vowing to stay as still as a board for the rest of the night. "I'm really sorry if I woke you up. I'm just kinda cold is all. Don't worry about it."
"I know what kind of mood you're in. You're just not going to get sleep tonight, are you?" Her voice cut through the air like a razor.
The Snivy didn't reply. He peered through the cracks in the pile up at the moon, squinting at how bright it seemed. After a moment passed, he couldn't bear the silence anymore, "I'll be fine. It's not like I'm not used to functioning with no sleep, anyway. At least one of us should be well-rested for tomorrow. I'm sure I'll fall asleep at some point."
She sighed in response, making his heart hurt even worse. "Oh stop. You're just going to pretend to be asleep so that you don't end up waking me up."
Vallion grimaced and grabbed at his chest. "Sorry." He muttered. It was all that he managed to push out of his lungs, even if there was a dozen more apologies on the tip of his tongue. Dammit, why couldn't he have just stayed quiet to begin with?! She wouldn't even have the chance to worry if she was still fast asleep! Gah, what an idiot! Stupid, stupid!
"...Cold, huh?" Panne said, the mere sound of her voice enough to pull all of his attention. He heard the rustling of leaves, but the noise was moving around the trunk of the tree. Before the Snivy could figure out what was happening, he felt the brush of fur against his scales, and the inviting warmth that came with it. Vallion gasped and tried to twist around, but Panne wiggled behind him while she got her bearings in the dark.
Vallion started to stutter in confusion, but was quickly hushed as the Fennekin started to wrap around him. It seemed like the whole universe was exploding with sensation, but he was completely frozen in place. She, however, didn't even hesitate to press up against him from behind. One paw somehow slipped its way under his neck while the other came up over his side and pulled him even closer. He even felt her fluffy tail overlap his own. The Snivy had to manually remind himself to start breathing again.
After a bit of wiggling, Panne finally came to a rest. "There. You can't possibly stay cold while snuggling with a fire type, so now you're out of excuses." She murmured so closely behind his head that an uncontrollable shiver went down his spine, her hot breath tickling the back of his neck. It felt like his heart was trying to beat its way out of his chest.
Vallion didn't dare move an inch, forcibly controlling each breath so that Panne couldn't hear how shaky they were. The blush that erupted across his face burned like he was in front of the campfire again. He tried as hard as he could to hide how flustered he had become, but it felt like a pointless battle. She was so intimately close that there was no way he could mask it all. The length of her body curved so perfectly with his that it was like the final two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. They'd slept next to each other plenty of times before, but this-this was so completely different from those times. He never would have guessed how wonderful and absolutely frightening it would be to sleep together like this. Was this even happening? Did he end up falling asleep after all?
The Snivy expected to wake up from this incredible dream at any second, but it never seemed to end. Every little ounce of affection he had pent up over the last few weeks came to the very front of his thoughts, and it felt like he was going to burst at the seams. Sure, he was panicking, but it was the most fulfilling panic he's probably ever had. What if he twisted around and nuzzled into her a little more? Would she take it as platonic or jump straight to the obvious answer? What if he kissed her? God, it was so hard to concentrate with her breathing right down his back.
Maybe she really did know how he felt for her. Maybe she didn't. That wasn't what mattered right now. The reason she crawled behind him was because they both needed sleep and this was the only way he was going to get it. At the very least he could rest on the fact that it was going to be much easier to confess to her later, and oh god did he want to tell her so bad. It was only three words-no, barely even that. All it would take is three syllables to tell her how he felt. But it was time to sleep, dammit! Stop thinking, start sleeping!
Gradually-very, very gradually-Vallion's muscles started to loosen up. Once the first of his defenses started to go down, he practically melted into her. He took all the courage and bravery he could muster up, took a deep breath, and turned his body just enough that he could rest his cheek on her forehead. The tiniest little movement to show a mere fraction of his affection, and it was more difficult for him to pull off than lifting a boulder with one arm. When Panne's response was to bury deeper into his neck, he had to bite back a gasp. He could have sworn he felt her face contort into a smile.
Panne's strategy in warming him up was overwhelmingly effective. She was so soft and comfy that it was almost impossible to stay awake now that he had relaxed. The problem now was that he wanted to stay awake, just so that this moment could last as long as possible. It was way too much of an uphill battle. He couldn't even open his eyes anymore, they were so heavy. His thoughts started to fuzz over before long, and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. A smile stuck on his face, Vallion committed as much of this feeling to memory as he could before everything faded into warmth.
...
"Again."
The moonlight was all they had to see by, but it had to be enough. A few yards away, the Chesnaught huffed and puffed as they motioned to take stance again, but their form was getting sloppy with exhaustion. That didn't make them any less penetrable, it seemed. With a shuddering sigh, the Serperior lowered himself close to the ground, tensed up his tired muscles, and somehow found the strength to surge forward.
Once the Chesnaught raised their armored arms to brace themselves, the Serperior veered right and drew his vines. The first vine hardened at the tip and flattened into a blade, and in the next split-second was brought down over the Chesnaught's shoulder. The attack glanced harmlessly off their hardened shell, but it still drew enough of a reaction to distract them from the second vine, which came around to jab at the opposite side. The Serperior grimaced as his trick was effortlessly blocked.
Back to square one. The Serperior strafed around his opponent in search of an opening, all the while attempting to confuse them with winding strikes and feints. The Chesnaught was no stranger to this dance, anticipating the validity of almost every blow and parried each attempt with graceful ease. A fraction of a second went by, and suddenly the Serperior had broken the dance and lunged forward, fang bared. There was no time to sidestep the attack, so instead the Chesnaught grit his teeth and took the bite on the leg, then reared up to deliver a counterattack.
The Serperior pulled away too late. The spiny arm came down on his upper body like a boulder, knocking the wind from his lungs. He slithered away as fast as he could move, but with each reeling cough that forced its way up his throat came a spike of pain. Once he made enough distance to recover, the Serperior twisted around and hissed, the tips of his vines sharpening once more.
This time, the storm of stabs and feints didn't last nearly as long. When the Chesnaught finally had enough of defending, they rushed to grab one of the vines that was in the process of faking an attack. The Serperior's reaction came too slow, and instead of retracting the vine their hand before they could grip down on it, he was violently pulled Chesnaught stomped forward to balance themselves, then came down on the Serperior like a mountain. The entirety of their weight pushed him into the grass, one arm pinning Serperior behind the neck while the other still strangled the limp vine. All motion stopped. After a few seconds had passed, the battle was decided and the Chesnaught released the snake.
The Serperior wheezed painfully, then lifted his head with a disconcerting popping sound. "A...Again," he growled, quivering with effort. This time, the Chesnaught refused to take stance.
"You've had enough, Alex. Any further and we're both going to start suffering from real injuries. In truth, we should have stopped a long while ago. It's dangerous to spar in such dim light," the Chesnaught spat out between gasps. The Serperior said nothing for a time, then lowered his head in resignation.
Together, they scaled the side of a nearby hill and followed the sound of water running over rocks. A small stream snaked its way through the forest, rushing down from the mountains to join up with the main river. Chesnaught dropped to a kneel and scooped up the water into their huge hands, both to drink and splash on themselves. The Serperior chose the far less graceful option of dunking his whole head beneath the water and greedily gulping as much as possible before having to gasp for breath. This really was an excellent place to train. Isolated, quiet, and with a constant source of cold water that served both as a way to cool off and as a static road in the middle of a mystery dungeon. There really wasn't much more he could ask for.
A full minute passed before either of them had the breath to speak again. The Serperior was first to break the silence. "Thanks for the training, Reinhardt. I'm really starting to get soft on some of my techniques, it seems. I'll make an attempt to remaster them as soon as possible."
"I don't think it's your memory that's weighing you down," Reinhardt said. "You were being way too reckless at times. You only get that way when something's bothering you, Alex."
The Serperior did not turn to meet his partner's eyes. "Am I really that easy to read?" He muttered to the stream, water still dripping from the curves of his face.
"I've known you for a very long time. If I couldn't at least read when you're upset, I'd probably call myself a horrible friend." Reinhardt stared at him with unease. "Though I suppose I already know what's bothering you, right?"
"Yeah." Alexander's normally sharp eyes seemed to soften as he turned towards the Chesnaught. "I knew this wasn't going to be easy, but I honestly didn't expect to have to do some of the things I've already done to get this place in order. There's just so much resistance, I can't do everything I need to without looking like a villain. It's hard to believe how well you've handled Paradise all this time."
The Chesnaught gave him a big reassuring smile. "It was difficult, but I had you by my side the whole time, didn't I? And just the same, I'm going to keep supporting you all the way until this whole thing is done. You can't build a fence without getting a few splinters, hm?"
"Pfft. You're starting to sound like Quagsire...I know that this is all going to work out in the end, it's just-" he hesitated to find the correct words. "-I just wish we didn't have to deal with as much retaliation as we're getting. It's hurting pokemon we really shouldn't have to hurt, but what else can I even do? This kind of stubbornness is the exact thing I'm trying to wring out of this place. Everything ends up being a difficult decision with no right answers."
"There never really is," Reinhardt added. "You know, if it weren't for your leadership and strength, we would have already been kicked out of this region long ago. Sure, things are going to be tough, and you're going to step on toes to make sure everything goes smoothly, but look at what you've already done! We're halfway towards a goal that everyone in their right mind would assume was impossible! Think about how many wildlings have already agreed with your cause. Only you have that kind of power. I can fight and build and think all I want, but I'll never be able to talk like you."
Alexander tried to hide the proud smile on his face. "That's funny, usually it's the other way around. I remember having to chase you halfway across Mist Continent just to keep up with your dream." The Serperior looked up at the stars and huffed through his nose. It looked exactly the same way as it did when they were just kids, gazing up at the moon and wondering how they were possibly going to accomplish the impossible. Time really did move fast, didn't it?
"Whatever happens..." Reinhardt whispered. "Whatever you chose to do, and whatever trouble crosses your path as a result, I promise to still stand beside you. As an adviser to the king, pr as a close friend, or as anything you wish. I'll have your back for as long as I can still breathe."
"Reinhardt-I'd be worth nothing if it weren't for you, and in several cases I'd already be dead." Alexander blinked at the moonlight. "A friend like you appears maybe once in a century."
"And I wouldn't even hesitate to do it all again, Alex." The Chesnaught stood with a grunt. "Now come along. We've been out here for way too long, and I'm going to starve if I don't get some food in me soon."
Alexander nodded and slithered over to where he had dropped off his supplies before training. He extended a vine and scooped up the bag, along with a golden necklace that glistened in the dull light. The emeras slotted into its links glowed faintly. The Serperior undid the clasp with the single vine and wrapped it around his neck. With everything gathered up, he hurried after his partner on their way home.