Chapter 12 - Change

"Honestly, was me showing up in the first place not enough of a giveaway?" The Espeon mused with a sigh, offering a sidelong glance as she did so. You really haven't changed at all, haven't you?

"I… I…" I sputtered, taking two steps back for every step Joy took towards me.

I'll give you some credit though, I didn't expect you to answer those letters so soon. I thought I was going to have to wait at least another year before you had the guts to come see who your big, bad, stalker is. She grinned, taking a moment of silence, as if she were waiting for me to respond to her patronizing, but my mind was too busy spinning out of proportion to even consider speaking, much less make up a retort. Joy frowned when the only thing I could manage was to return her gaze with a face that was sweating profusely and breathing heavily. C'mon Milo, relax. I'm not here to hurt you or whatever it is you're scared about. I just wanna talk.

"T-Talk?" I spat out. I wasn't buying it. My instincts were screaming at me to make a fight-or-flight response the longer I was here, alone in a dark forest with the physical embodiment of my nightmares. In fact, I probably would've tried to make a mad dash towards home at this very second, if I hadn't discovered that I had backpedalled into a tree at the edge of the clearing. Joy put on a satisfied smirk at my predicament and sat on her haunches when she was a few feet in front of me. "You j-just wanna talk?"

Isn't that what I just said? The psychic rolled her eyes. And how many times do I have to tell you to speak through your mind?

Oh… right. I gulped. I found what little comfort I could get from bracing myself against the thick trunk behind me and pressing my back against it, hanging on for dear life. And I can leave after we're done, right?

Shouldn't that already be a given? She yawned, I don't know about you, but I'd rather be sleeping right now.

I took a deep breath and shifted uncomfortably, Okay, so… what did you want to talk about?

She brought her head up suddenly, revealing a bright smile. It seemed so genuine that it made it off-putting. I just wanted to say thanks.

The remark made me subconsciously loosen up. Thanks?

Joy nodded, the moonlight failed miserably at hiding the faint blush on her cheeks, though I wasn't going to comment on it. Yes. Thanks.

I slipped my back off the tree and returned to a normal posture on all fours, eyes narrowed. For what?

For saving Mabel of course. What else would I be thanking you for?

I failed to notice that my jaw had dropped. Umm… haven't you said that already?

The still flustered Espeon nodded once more, her forked-tail whisking silently behind her. I have. That was for the first time you saved her life. Now I'm here for the second time.

What? When did I do it again? I never-

Whether you know it or not doesn't change the fact that you did, so I called you here to express my gratitude. She turned away from me to show that she had regained her composure, as well as her attitude.

I don't-... I have no idea what you're saying… I looked down and scratched my head, Is this some kind of trick?

She scoffed, If it was, do you really think I would tell you? Is this not what you were expecting?

I bit my lip, trying to gather up my thoughts, then I gave the most stern and rebellious glare I could manage, knowing full well that it was not going to intimidate her in the slightest. "Yes, actually." I exclaimed, "Are you saying that every single one those creepy letters you sent over the years, including today and yesterday, were all because you wanted to say thanks?"

Joy responded with an annoyed stare, even standing on all fours, like she was about to protest my discontinuation of telepathy, but stopped herself and laid face-up on the grass, supporting her head by using her forepaws as a pillow as she looked up towards the night sky. She opened her mouth, hesitated, and then spoke. "That's correct."

I huffed at her lack of a reaction, even though I was expecting it, but I still couldn't help but start to get frustrated. "That's it? That's all you have to say? You ruined my life in Cradle and all you have to say is that?"

"I'm simply answering your questions." She said nonchalantly, closing her eyes. "I owe you some favors now that I'm in your debt, don't I?"

"And you expect me to believe that none of what you say are lies? Because it seriously sounds like you are."

"Except I haven't." Joy quickly countered, "You're just going to have to take my word for it." She cracked an eye open and motioned for me to take a spot next to her. I declined and opted to sit where I already was. "Well go on then, I'm done with what I have to say, but how about you?"

A small and bitter part of me wanted so badly to lash out at her, but I couldn't. I took a deep breath. She was right - I did have a lot of questions - and my curiosity demanded that I don't lose this opportunity. "So, assuming that you are telling the truth that you did all this just so you could say 'thank you', why couldn't you have randomly pulled me aside one day and said it then, instead of doing all this?" I asked suspiciously, and maybe a little too spitefully. I was trying to make her realize how unbelievable her perspective is. Though, if she truly does mean no harm, I might just collapse in relief.

"... I have my reasons." The pink eeveelution said blankly, eyes still closed.

"What? I thought you said you were going to answer my questions."

"I am, aren't I?" She shrugged, "Doesn't mean I have to elaborate."

"You're really not helping your case that you've been telling the truth to me, you know that, right?"

"I'm aware." The Espeon chuckled. "Besides, everything worked out in the end, hasn't it? I think Floridity is much nicer than Cradle."

"It would've worked out sooner if you hadn't-"

"Oh hush. I'm not here to argue. The sooner we're done with your questions, the sooner we can both go to sleep."

"... Fine." I took in another deep sigh, "What about that time back in Cradle where you tried to kill me with super-sharp sticks? How can you justify that?"

"You seriously couldn't figure that out? I just wanted to scare you into finally meeting with me, which obviously hasn't worked." She explained matter-of-factly, flicking her tail. "And I wasn't trying to kill you - I knew where I was aiming."

"You almost hit my neck!"

"Almost." She emphasized, "Exactly what I was going for. Look at it this way, I'm a psychic, that alone should wash away all of your concerns." The red gem on her forehead glowed momentarily to prove her point.

"It doesn't." I muttered under my breath. Joy's ears twitched, indicating that she probably heard me anyway, but didn't say anything. The only thing I've gotten so far out of this conversation is how cool it would be to be an Espeon. Psychic's must really have it easy if they can just use their powers as a scapegoat for everything. "What about my tree?"

"What tree?"

"My Sitrus berry tree that you chopped down back in Cradle!"

"You mean the one that was in the middle of your garden?" She giggled when she saw my nod, "Oh, I was doing you a favor for that one. It looked pretty wilted to me, so I thought I'd help you get rid of it. You even said it yourself."

"I only said that as an excuse at that time, because it wasn't! It was still growing! I've been raising it ever since it was a sapling!"

"Okay okay, settle down. I'll take the fall for that one. I guess I don't know much about gardening as much as you do." She met my growing fluster with a smirk. "You're not going to lecture me about plants now, are you?"

Suddenly my burning passion was morphed into a childish excitement. I felt no shame when my ears perked up at the offer. "... I mean if you want to-"

"Stop." Joy sat up and raised a pink paw up to my face. "I was being rhetorical. You'll bore me to death."

My ears drooped.

"C'mon Milo, I thought you wanted this to be serious. I can't believe how easy it was to get you sidetracked." She said tiredly whilst rubbing her temple, "Next question."

"O-Oh… right. This is a bit off topic, but uhh..." I said awkwardly. My statement caused Joy to roll over on her side, looking attentive. "What does Mabel mean to you?"

The Espeon shifted her eyes up towards the sky, as if to ponder what I said, before giving me a sly look. "She's a good friend - that's what you would say, right?"

I flared up. "W-What? Hey, don't turn the question back at me!"

"Are you saying I'm wrong?"

"Yes! W-Wait… I-I mean, no!" I panicked.

"So am I wrong or am I not?" She giggled with a playful, mocking intonation, "Maybe I've misinterpreted the question. How about you rephrase it?"

"R-Right." I hastily agreed, taking a moment to catch my breath. I should've known by now that talking to Joy is just as dangerous as talking to Mabel. "Umm… what I meant to say is… what do you think of Mabel?"

"That's better… so, what do I think?" Joy repeated, placing a paw on her chin to make herself look thoughtful, "The short answer to that would be that I think she's very strong."

Strong? Interesting word choice. I gave her a strange glance because of it. "What's the long answer?"

Her smug grin implied that she was waiting for me to ask that. "Let's just say that if someone were to be around her long enough, she eventually starts rubbing off on you. I like to think I'm 'someone', and I have reason to believe that you are a 'someone' as well."

I couldn't help but raise a brow at her ambiguity. "What do you mean?"

"First, let me ask you this: I was honestly expecting Mabel to be here with you as well, but she isn't - am I correct in assuming that this is because you've spoken with her before you went to confront your worst nightmare?" She seemed especially proud to say those last few words.

My expression turned into a skeptical one. "... Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Now consider this: have you told her about your stalker problem previously?"

"No…?"

"Uh huh…" Joy nodded excitedly, like we were solving a riddle together. "And…?"

"...And?" I nodded along with her, waiting for her to say more, but she was merely staring at me intently. "And what? Where are you getting at?"

She facepawed. "Okay, let me give you another example: have you noticed anything different about me?"

I eyed her up and down and saw absolutely nothing of note, causing me to feel hot and worried. "Err… was I supposed to?"

"Ugh… boys." She grumbled, "Have you noticed that I haven't been scowling at you, or that I'm more expressive than I usually am?"

"Well, now that you mention it…" I agreed passively.

Another eye roll, courtesy of Joy, "And can we assume that we've both known Mabel for a long time?"

"... Sure?"

"Uh huh…" Her voice trailed, along with her nodding expectantly again. "And so that must mean..?"

I started scratching my arm. "Ermm… I'm not sure I follow…"

An overdramatic groan roared out of her. "Never mind, I give up." She slapped her forehead with her paw and tiredly dragged it down her face. "Why do I even bother with you?"

"Can't you just tell me what you mean?"

"Nah, less fun that way." She shook her head, "Changing the subject... any last questions?"

I kept quiet for a while, debating my next inquiry, "Does Mabel know that it was you?"

"Of course not. She wouldn't be able to hide the fact." Her gaze turned towards the sky once more. "Are you going to tell her?"

"... No, I won't."

I could've sworn I saw her recoil. "Interesting. May I ask why?"

"I don't want to ruin your friendship with her. It isn't right." I said tentatively, feeling a bit squeamish.

"How noble of you. Maybe I've misjudged you." She replied monotonically, "Clearly, you don't know Mabel very well. I doubt she'd think much of it if you did tell her."

"... I see." I said with my head hung low. I've heard enough, and my drowsiness was beginning to arise. I stood up and began to walk back towards Floridity. After a few steps I looked behind me to see if Joy was going to stop me. She was laying on her back with her eyes perpetually closed, not moving a muscle. "I need to hear it again."

A single, lavender-furred ear flicked upright. "Hear what?"

"Did you really send all those letters, even when you knew how I reacted, just to say 'thank you'?"

"... Yes." I nodded, surmising that now is the best time to leave. I only managed a few more strides before I was suddenly surrounded in a bright blue light and lifted into the air. Another round of adrenaline was surging through my veins. Too bad that it was being wasted when all I could do was ungracefully swing my four limbs around, doing nothing but confirming that I was literally floating. Not long after, I was quickly spun around to face the source of the anomaly. An Espeon was steadily making her approach to me, her crimson jewel shining its white gleam. "... And no."

"H-Hey! Put me down!" I shouted, "You said you just wanted to talk!"

Her forehead gem flashed in response, putting a stop to my frantic motions by taking away my control of them. My arms and legs were spread wide apart, like I was trying to make a snow angel in midair. Except for my head and neck, I was having an involuntary, full body paralysis; I couldn't move no matter how hard I tried. "I lied, but believe me when I say that this will be the only time. You would've been a lot less cooperative otherwise."

I gulped. "What do you plan to do with me?"

"Giving up already?" She sighed, "Fine, I'll keep my evil monologue short, just for you." She began pacing around, moving back and forth between the left and right of my peripheral vision. "You see, while I'm grateful for you saving my best friend - truly, I am - there is something else I want you to know." She pointed an accusing paw at me. "Do you have any idea how difficult this is for me? I want to like you because you're why Mabel is so happy now, yet I want to hate you because you nearly killed her."

My heart thumped. "K-Killed her?! When did I-"

"Figuratively - though probably literally, to some extent." Joy continued, clearing her throat. "I honestly don't know what to think of you, so I'd like for us to start over, starting tomorrow, or the next time we see eachother." She stood up on two so she was at eye-level with me, or at least as close as she could get with someone currently floating a few inches off the ground. "Until tomorrow arrives, however, I still have one score to settle. Before you saved Mabel's life a second time, you hurt her, badly, so I will have to acknowledge that as well." She placed a reassuring paw on my shoulder, except her increasingly darker tone seemed to be cancelling that effect. "More specifically, because of your actions, you put Mabel and I through almost a year of unimaginable suffering, and I'm afraid I'm not as mature as you or Mabel." She grabbed hold of the leafy sprout appendage on my upper chest, simultaneously pulling me closer to her face and twirling it around her paw in a taunting manner. "Fortunately, there is a way I can forgive you and relieve myself of this grudge. As it turns out, there is a universal weakness that all males have, do you have any idea what that might be?"

The close proximity of her face made me desperately try to avoid her piercing gaze. "Uhh…"

Apparently she wasn't waiting for me to answer, as she instead stepped backwards without warning and jerked one of her legs upwards, where it crashed into a region that should never receive a substantial amount of kinetic energy so suddenly. I learned at that very moment that perhaps the reason why Joy wanted to meet at this faraway outskirt at night was so nobody could hear the agonizing howl that erupted from my maw. The turquoise aura enveloping me faded away soon after, allowing me to crumple onto the ground. I was clutching my groin area so hard that I had basically curled up into a ball.

I barely heard Joy trying to stifle her laughter through my whimpering. I picked my head up just in time to see her prancing around, her malicious demeanor now a thing of the past. "Well, that was a lot more satisfying than I thought it would be." She giggled uncontrollably. "That was the first time I got to exploit that little flaw about you males. You have my thanks again, Milo." She sang, voice giddy. "Now I have truly said and done everything I wanted tonight. What about you? Anything else you want from me?" The jolly Espeon asked quickly.

"N-No… I-I'm fine." I grunted. I rolled around in hopes that it would remedy some of this excruciating pain I was feeling. It didn't.

"Alright then. It's getting late, so I'll be going now. Enjoy the rest of your night." The Espeon waved, turned tail, and started skipping away. Then she stopped just before she reached the edge of the grotto, spun around and bounded towards me. I froze up when she crouched down beside me. "One more thing. I'm happy to inform you that you won't be hearing from Beta Leaf anymore." She leaned in even closer until her mouth was directly above one of my ears. "But if you were to - hypothetically - hurt Mabel ever again… well, I'm sure you wouldn't want that to happen, would you?" Her expression was still a gleeful smile as she whispered the last sentence. My natural reaction was to shake my head feverishly at her demand. "Good! I'm glad we understand eachother! See you later!" She chirped, then disappeared into the forest with a bounce in her step.

I breathed a huge sigh of relief once I determined that she was gone. I laid there alone on the grass, basking in the moonlight and wishing that I was a female for about half an hour. For the first fifteen minutes I was moaning and groaning, though I did get brave enough to peek down below my waist to assess the damage. Miraculously, there were no signs of injury, not even a bruise, so at least the pain was internal and everything was still intact, but it didn't stop me from wondering if I was ever going to urinate properly for the rest of my life. In the latter fifteen minutes I was debating if I might have to crawl my way back home. I had one paw still on my crotch and used my other arm to pull myself forward, which was actually quite a task. I only travelled about five times my body length within the span of ten minutes until I decided how terribly inefficient it was. I spent the rest of the time willing myself to stand up and start limping all the way to my house.

The trek back to Floridity was like a fever dream. Ignoring the obvious casualty, which my body liked to remind me about with every step I took, I had survived my fateful encounter with my terrifying stalker completely unscathed… physically speaking, probably not mentally. I'm positive that I'm at least moderately traumatized by this event. I knew already that I was going to cringe the next time I saw Joy. What am I supposed to say to her now? Thank her for not running a tree branch through my gut when I was totally expecting her to? And how in the world are we going to "start over"?

What exactly goes through the mind of someone like her?

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I can save my reflections for later. This time, for real, my adrenaline was gone. The reality in that I had not slept in over twenty-four hours was hitting me in full force now. I've yawned over a dozen times, and I wasn't even halfway home yet. Fast forward several minutes and I could barely keep my eyes open when I reached the edge of the forest and onto the paved commercial district in Floridity. It was a miracle that I managed to keep myself awake long enough to reach my destination. I've never been more glad to see my unnaturally large and oversized stump residence.

My exhaustion finally got the better of me when I stumbled through my door. The last thing I could recall before falling flat on my face and clocking out was a Leafeon screaming and rushing towards me.

I woke up on my bed with my blankets draped over me. A quick glance out my bedroom window told me that it was sometime in the afternoon. It had to have been well past midnight when I got home last night, so I must've been asleep for about twelve hours. It would explain why I felt so refreshed.

I tried to sit up and stretch, but then froze midway when I found that I wasn't alone in my room. There was a fellow member of my species sitting on a chair right next to me, still wearing her signature black-rimmed eyeglasses. She was leaning forward on my bedside and using her arms as a pillow, not to mention she was sound asleep. I carefully calculated my next movements so I wouldn't wake her. Unfortunately, my days as a dexterous ninja were long gone, and my stealth capabilities were not like they used to be, not that they were much to begin with. I didn't even get the chance to pull my covers off me when Mabel stirred awake.

"Hmm?" She murmured, rising her head off her arms and blinking several times. She froze as well when our eyes met. I was just about to wave a nervous hello to her when she tackled me into a hug. "You're awake!" She cried. I would've returned the gesture if not for the unusual angle at which she pulled me towards her, which forced me to move at an awkward angle, resulting in an overwhelmingly uncomfortable sensation in my pelvis to flood my senses. The terrible feeling was more than enough to make me yelp, causing the tan eeveelution to break away. "Oh! Sorry! I didn't break anything, did I?"

"N-No, it's fine." I said dismissively, too busy clutching my groin again. It probably wasn't the most appropriate thing to do in front of a girl, much less in a bedroom environment, but the coincidence in that I still had my blankets over me worked as a blessing in disguise in hiding my lack of modesty. "Just no more sudden movements like that, okay?"

"Okay, got it… wait a minute! I'm supposed to be mad at you right now!" She thought aloud. She abruptly grabbed hold of my shoulders and started shaking me violently, seemingly forgetting my previous warning for the sake of being dramatic. "What the hell were you thinking!?"

"Wha-?" Now I had to deal with both dizziness and the aftermath of getting kicked between the legs. "W-What did I do?"

"Last night! Who in their right mind decides to pass out the second they get home? I almost had a heart attack!" She yelled, glaring daggers. I didn't miss the odd twinkle in her eyes that seemed to be displaying an emotion completely opposite from her anger. "Do you have any idea how worried I was? I had to skip school to watch over you!"

"Uhh… I'm sorry?" I said, both confused and embarrassed. I didn't exactly choose to sleep on the floor. "I was just tired. You didn't have to skip your classes for me."

"Whatever." She huffed. "Joy's letting me copy her notes later today, so it doesn't matter." I subverted my own expectations when I winced at the mere mention of her name. Eventually Mabel let her arms off me so she could cross them instead. She puffed her cheeks into a pouty frown, which ended up working against her by making her come off more as adorable rather than intimidating. "You're lucky you came back unharmed. I would've put you on permanent house arrest if I even found your fur a little ruffled!"

"Aright, alright, geez." I begged, unable to resist the urge to scratch my arm and look at anything but her.

Mabel must've assumed I had learned my lesson, as her expression softened. "... But how? I thought you were going to get yourself killed by that stupid stalker of yours, yet there's not a single scrape on you. What happened?"

I instantaneously straightened up into an overly stiff posture. "Oh, you don't need to worry about that. We just had a chat."

"Who was it?"

"Umm…" My face started to feel hot. "I-It was just some fan who recognized me. You know, back w-when I used to-"

"Stop lying!" I recoiled at her accusation. "You're stuttering and acting weird! And you're all sweaty!"

"But i-it's the truth! And we really did just talk!" I retorted quickly, still blatantly demonstrating the three things she called me out on.

Unsatisfied, she leered at me dead in the eyes for what felt like an eternity. I could literally feel each individual sweat drop trickle down my face and neck. Whatever expression I was using to stare back at her must've somehow been perceived as an amorous invitation, as she leaned forward and crashed our lips together, completely out of the blue. The sudden stimulus caused me to shriek into her mouth, which translated into a muffled "mmph!". I flailed around as I went back and forth deciding if I should push her off or not. Mabel interpreted my struggle as a signal to press down even harder, amplifying her assault on my senses tenfold - effectively making my brain go numb and my arms turn limp. One, two, god-knows-how-many seconds passed, though I can be sure that it was several times longer than the other two stunts Mabel had pulled. My eyes were in the process of rolling themselves back when she broke away.

"If you're not gonna tell me, then fine, don't. What happened in the past can stay in the past." She sighed happily, unfazed by what she just did moments prior. It was almost insulting how she was already breathing steadily while I was still gasping for air. At least I had her beat in having the most flushed face. "I was just kidding about being mad at you. The only thing that matters is that you're okay. I'm glad nothing happened last night."

"... Yeah." I spaced out. I wondered if she was aware that she had put me into a stupor.

"Welp, now that you're awake, it's time for me to go." She readjusted her eyeglasses, which had become slightly disarranged after she lunged at me. "I'll see you tomorrow!" She flashed another smile and then started for the door.

You're leaving already?

"Wait!" I reached out, my actions taken over by my thoughts. Mabel had a paw on the doorknob when she turned her head towards me. She looked as surprised as I was at my outburst. I lowered my arm down tentatively. "Uhh… I mean… nevermind."

"What were you going to say?" She padded back to my bedside. "If it's about work, I already did all the filing and accounting stuff that you left out in the living room yesterday, so stop worrying and relax! I know you had a long day."

"Oh… yeah, that was it." I stared at her with my mouth agape. "Thanks."

"Your welcome!" She beamed, making her leave once more. "Okay, I'll be going now!"

"... Bye." I said distantly, though I ended up saying it a minute after she had shut the door behind her.

I decided to spend the rest of my day in my backyard. Mabel wasn't joking when she said she did all the paperwork that I had put off. She even left them neatly organized in my office, or hers, more likely. It meant that I had nothing to do except wait for my berries to grow until they could be shipped off to complete my orders. I discovered that I never fashioned myself a new hammock ever since I moved to Floridity. What I had instead was a makeshift bench that I made a while ago as a placeholder. It would have to do for now. I plopped onto it and started relishing the feeling of being surrounded by my beloved plants, looking at nothing in particular. Luckily my berry crops were in their flowering stages, and I didn't hesitate to take in the pleasant aromas they were giving off.

It was weird to think that I was refusing to even step outside about twenty-four hours ago, now I was placidly sitting alone in my garden and taking in the sunlight. I was in the mindset that I was going to make my last stand against Beta Leaf here in my own home. In hindsight however, that probably would have led to me going insane or starving to death, whichever came first. I didn't dare to think about what would've happened if Mabel wasn't there to put a stop to my self-destruction.

If only I had told her sooner…

I arched back with my forepaws planted on the bench and started kicking my legs aimlessly, skimming the grass below. I ignored the discomfort in my groin from doing so. I'll give it a week for my condition to recover before I go see a doctor.

I went into that secluded clearing last night with the full expectation that I was not coming back. It probably would've been the case too, if my would-be-assailant turned out to be someone else. I was admittedly a bit too foolhardy going into it. Instead, I was able to come out with only an attack on my masculinity - not an ideal outcome, but I'm far from complaining. If what Joy said was true about what I did to her and Mabel, then I probably deserve a lot worse than what I got. I don't think I will ever stop having doubts about the other things Joy said, but I'll keep the grubby little fingers on my paws crossed.

She said she is strong and rubs off on others… what does that have to do with me or her?

I sighed and looked skywards. An occasional cloud drifted by the clear, blue atmosphere.

Flynn is right. I can't keep dwelling on the past. There are still a lot of things I must do to make up for what I did. Now that I'm free from the terrors of being watched by some unknown assassin, it's no longer necessary to keep looking behind me. I never would've believed the day would come where I had nothing to worry about. I stood up triumphantly at the thought, paws on my hips and all.

"What'cha doing there, Milo?"

My fur stood on end on the sudden introduction of a feminine voice. I screamed and tumbled back down onto my bench. There goes my pride. "Mabel! What-… what are you doing here?" I countered, hoping it sounded casual enough to hide my embarrassment. "You were just here an hour ago!"

"I forgot to drop off some of my homemade tea!" She answered confidently, effortlessly hopped over my garden fence as she spoke. She produced a familiar glass bottle from her satchel and held it out towards me. "Here you go!"

"Oh… right, thanks." I said dumbfoundedly, accepting the warm container and placing it to my right, which Mabel took as a sign to promptly sit to my left. "Is there something else you wanted?"

"You haven't told me what you were doing." She said innocently. "Seems like you were in a good mood."

"Sorta." I scooted a couple inches away from her when I noticed that our sides were practically touching, knocking the bottle of tea next to me onto the ground in the process. Thankfully it didn't shatter, so we both pretended that it never happened. Mabel seemed more intent on closing the distance between us back up anyway. "I was just thinking."

"About what?" The Leafeon leaned in. She could not be putting so much pressure on me without being conscious of it.

"That… that umm…" I bit my tongue to prevent myself from saying something I would regret. She giggled when I took several deep breaths in front of her in an attempt to suppress my anxiety. "... I owe you."

Her head tilted to one side. "What makes you say that?"

I chuckled nervously, "Well, for starters, I never would've been able to do what I did last night if you hadn't been there."

"What are you talking about? All I did was knock some sense into you! That's nothing compared to you what did for me!" She argued passionately. "I should be the one that owes you!"

"Say what you want, but that debt belongs to the old me. You're currently talking to someone else." I said defiantly, "Can't you at least hear how I'd like to repay you.?"

That seemed to pacify her. "... What is it?"

I sat up straight and turned my body towards her, trying to appear as formal as possible. "Well… I've been thinking… do you remember what I told you back at Cradle?" I stammered. I debated if this was really the right time to bring this up.

She looked like she had just been told the most idiotic question of all time. "There are a lot of things you said to me at Cradle."

I cringed at my mistake. I'm going to have a long self-conscious episode for that one later. "N-No, I mean like… when you first confessed to me?" Now she seemed intrigued. I even managed to get her to blush a little.

Can't back out now...

"... I think so. You said you'd-" Her voice suddenly abandoned her, leaving her mouth in the shape of an 'o', which she quickly covered up with a paw. Her eyes started to get watery.

"That's right. I said I'd be ready once everything blows over." I finished her sentence with a smile. I took advantage of her shock to curl my leafy tail around hers. She didn't seem to notice. "And now that I don't have anything to worry about, thanks to you, I was wondering if you'd like to… I don't know… go out with me?" I asked meekly.

I felt lightheaded as I waited for her response. She remained like a statue, making me afraid that I hadn't said my request loud enough. Then a tear streamed down her red cheeks, then another, and another. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. She tried again and again to say something, but not a word could be spoken. She finally settled for biting her lip and giving a very subtle nod. I was already pulling her into a hug the moment the first tear began rolling down - not an excited one, but a slow and gentle one. It wasn't because I assumed what her answer was. It was simply a force of habit, which had developed ever since she first came to cry due to a broken heart.

"... Yes." She finally managed.

We stayed in that position long enough for my chest to be thoroughly soaked. My gut wrenched the entire time. I wanted to be anywhere except being stuck in this position, but my duties demanded that I attend to her for as long as she needed. She sobbed until her eyes were puffy and dry.

"I'm sorry I made you cry, Mabel." I apologized when the embrace was over.

"... Who's Mabel?" The Leafeon replied cheerily, wiping away her remaining tears. "My name is Maple."

END

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for the Epilogue!

Please review if you'd like! I always love to read your criticisms and answer questions!

I'd also like to quickly mention the previous special chapter about Joy. I was blown away by the amount of views it got. Even if most of them were likely re-reads, that still means you guys really liked it right? I'm glad you all enjoyed it as much as I did writing it! I'd love to know what you guys thought about it! And this chapter too!

Stay safe out there everybody!