Chapter 14- So We Meet Again

"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival." C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

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The two battling trainers watched the Typhlosion bounce across the ground painfully for several yards in our direction, before coming to a stop about twenty feet ahead of us. Naturally, this caused both the battlers to look up at us, to see who was intruding upon their grudge match.

An identical scowl of hatred and revulsion must have crossed all three of our faces as Gold, Silver, and I stared each down. Typhlosion shook itself off and stood back up, gingerly trotting back to Gold's side. It limped a bit, still reeling from that last hit.

"Tch, now you're here too? Can this day get any worse?" Gold complained.

"And he brought friends. Hmph. Not that I can blame you, considering your team's cornerstone is a Raticate. You must need all the help you can get," Silver commented snidely.

I scowled harder. As always, the closer the insult comes to the truth, the worse it hurts. Stuart was a fantastic Pokémon, but in a straight up fight against powerhouses like Feraligatr or Typhlosion, it wouldn't stand a chance. But I also realized that with Bruno and Jass on my side, we could dictate how Gold and Silver's little rivalry match turned out. We could probably even beat them both together- not that Silver would ever team up with someone else, particularly Gold, even against me.

"Hey, Gold," I called, causing him to raise an eyebrow in acknowledgement. "Let's say we team up and take this punk down, yeah? You can't beat all of us, but this way you get to bring in Silver, and then we go our separate ways to fight another day. A win-win."

Gold grimaced at the thought of teaming up with us, even temporarily, but he was also well aware of the poor state his Typhlosion was in. I didn't know what led to him using Typhlosion against Feraligatr, but it probably meant he was in desperate straits. After a moment of hesitation, he nodded in agreement.

Silver, however, had witnessed the exchange, and was neither stupid nor arrogant enough to try his luck in a 4 vs 1. "Hmph, you're a coward, little Goldilocks, just like those Rocket scum. In a four on one you can take me, but you all better watch your backs. If I find any of you alone," he grinned evilly, "then we'll see how tough you really are. Go, Geodude!"

"Not this again," I groaned. "Bruno, send out Rocky! Everyone take cover"

As the Geodude began to glow white, Bruno caught on and quickly released his Onix, who we all crouched behind. Gold, demonstrating his remarkable speed once again, returned his Pokémon and sprinted to our position, diving behind Onix just as the Geodude's Self-Destruct went off.

The noise was loud, but the blast was not as deafening or destructive as it had been in the enclosed space of the Sprout Tower. Rocky growled in mild discomfort, but was relatively unharmed.

Gold was the first to stand and poke his head out, but Silver was nowhere to be seen. "Damn it," he muttered, frustrated. "His Pokémon are so strong…"

"What did he have?" I asked, curious as to what we were dealing with.

Gold hesitated, then apparently decided that the enemy of his enemy was worth sharing information with, even if he wasn't exactly a friend.

"A Rhydon, for one. I had nothing that could deal with it, and it steamrolled me. I know he has a Pidgeot and a Nidorino too. And Feraligatr, obviously. Maybe he still has an Exeggcute, but I haven't seen it since Violet. Beyond that, I don't know."

"Don't forget the seemingly endless supply of self-destructing Geodudes," I added dryly.

"Yeah, those too," Gold agreed, removing his hat and running a hand through his hair. I could tell he was trying to act calm and casual, but we both knew he was in no position to fight if we wanted to start something. "Anyway, what are you guys doing here? More Team Rocket mischief?"

I rolled my eyes. "I wouldn't tell you anyway. Besides, what has Team Rocket even done that has you so worked up? We stole an HM, sure, but we weren't the ones who bombed the tower and injured Master Li. That was Silver. I hate that lowlife punk as much as you do."

Gold frowned, but didn't back down. "I'm sure you're plotting something nasty, and it's probably only a matter of time before you start the next Kanto/Johto war or something."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, right. Whatever. You've got the wrong idea about us. We're making the world a better place, a utopia for humanity, and you'll see it someday. Just wait and see."

Gold frowned, but didn't argue further. "Whatever. I'm going to go. I plan on battling Leader Jasmine soon, but I also need to catch a water type or two. Keep an eye out for Silver, he's a menace. If you run into him again, take him down and turn him in, yeah?"

"We'll see what we can do," I replied, and watched as Gold left. I turned to Bruno and Jass, who had been silently observing the conversation. "Well, that's Gold and Silver, my old pals from Violet. One hates our guts, and the other is a terrorist bomber, who also hates our guts. They're the best."

"Hey, Gold didn't seem that bad," Bruno offered, returning his Onix. "That might be because my only point of comparison right now is a homicidal maniac, but still."

I snorted and pulled out my Pokédex. "Might as well see where we are supposed to go, now that we reached town. Petrel said to check our Pokédex for details," I explained as I searched through the messaging function. "In the excitement that came with leaving the base, I never took the time to see what, exactly, the details were."

I pulled up the message from Petrel, and my companions looked over my shoulder to read it with me.

"Agents. Get to Olivine. Call Admin Ariana for details. -A.P."

"What a stupid git," Bruno muttered, looking at the brief note. "He could have just told us that in the office."

"Archer probably mandated that he send us written instruction," I suggested, shaking my head. I switched my Pokédex to the video call function, and hit Ariana's number. She picked up quickly.

"Greetings, my favorite little two-star grunt, Ariana speaking," she answered, causing Bruno and Jass to snicker. I shot Ariana a petulant glare. "What?" she asked. "If you didn't want to be teased, you should have gotten promoted. I saw Bruno already has five stars. Quit your slackin' and get crackin'. And is that a lady's snicker I hear behind you? Who else is with you?"

"We picked up a stray," I replied, earning a glare from Jass. "We got permission from Petrel to let her tag along. A bit of a hassle, but you know us, bleeding hearts for the little lost children of the world and all."

Ariana frowned. "Just one, huh?" she said quietly. Before I could ask, she continued. "I assume you are on your way to Olivine? Have you made it past Ecruteak yet?"

"Ecruteak? We're on the outskirts of Olivine right now," I countered, taking some pleasure in the surprise that flitted across her face.

"What? But Petrel only sent you out last night. Did you sprint the whole way? Did you even sleep?"

"We had a bit of trouble leaving Mahogany," I answered vaguely. "We had to book it to get over here. We can explain more once we meet up. Where should we go?"

Ariana looked displeased at the lack of explanation, but settled for assurance of hearing the whole story soon. "Go to the Olivine Lighthouse. I'll send someone to pick you up from there."

"Got it. See ya."

Twenty minutes later, we approached the lighthouse, and found Alfredo waiting outside the entrance. "Hey guys, welcome to Olivine! Who's the new friend?" he asked warmly.

"Sup, Alfredo," Bruno answered, as glad as I was to be reunited with our friend. "This is Jass, a friend from Mahogany. So, you're our contact? Where are we going?"

"Follow me," he replied. "We don't have a real base here; more of just a hang out. The only Rockets here are me, Ariana, and Avery, so it's nice to have some new company."

We followed Alfredo to a seedy looking bar and grill near the ocean shoreline. "This is the place. The owner is friendly to our cause, an old buddy of Archer's or something, and he lets us sleep in the back room. Come on in."

We walked in and saw Ariana and Avery sitting at the bar. Avery was drinking water, but Ariana looked to be drinking something a bit stronger. They looked over when we walked in, and smiled at the sight of us.

"Welcome to ya home for the next weeks," Ariana greeted, a slight slur to her voice. "Hey, Alex, get new friends some welcome home drinks, wouldja?"

The bartender shook his head and poured us both a cup of water, setting down in front of us with a stern look. "This is the hardest drink you get around here, got it? I owe one to Archer, and I'll let you all sleep here, but I'm not going to be responsible for a bunch of drunk, underage hellions running around the city."

I nodded, then looked to Ariana, then back to the bartender. "What about her? How many has she had today?"

The bartender sighed and shook his head. "Unfortunately, she's of age, so I can only do so much. But as for how many, she had one drink after a phone call this morning, and it put her in this state."

I shot Avery a look, and she nodded in confirmation. "I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it myself. She ordered who-knows-what after that phone call with you earlier, and this is the result."

"Ok, well, let's not let her do that again," I said, walking over to Ariana. "Can someone fill us in on our mission now?"

"Magicarp!" Ariana declared slapping the table with an open palm. Apparently, that outburst was explanation enough, as she went back to staring dreamily at her empty mug.

"Well, she's not wrong," Alfredo confirmed. "Archer sent us here after Petrel informed him of the great success they're having over in Mahogany, and instructed us to catch all the Magicarp we can get our hands on. We've been following orders, but no one's told us what Petrel's 'big success' pertains to. Maybe you can fill us in on his operation?"

"Huh, that makes sense," Bruno replied. "Petrel found a way to force Magicarp to evolve. We'll probably ship all that we catch up to Mahogany to evolve them, then distribute them amongst the ranks. I wouldn't mind a Gyarados myself. We realized in Mahogany how badly we could use a good water type."

Alfredo looked a little pale. "What? They are forcing the Magicarp to evolve? That can't be healthy for them… are there any side effects?"

"I'm not sure," I answered. "Petrel had at least three Gyarados that came from this process, but I never saw them in person. He did mention they were hard to control, but I think that's just par for the course when dealing with Gyarados, right?"

"Yeah, wild caught Gyarados are notoriously hard to manage," Alfredo confirmed, "but usually they are significantly more obedient when a trainer succeeds in evolving them from a Magicarp. I have a bad feeling about this…"

I shrugged. I didn't like Petrel, but I couldn't deny that he was a brilliant scientist. And if Archer was signing off on this mission, that was good enough for me. "So, how are we going about this?" I asked.

Avery tossed me a fishing rod. "With these. Ariana and I have caught a few, but Alfredo is a natural angler. He's been hauling in about five per day, and we've been here for a few weeks!"

Bruno whistled. "Wow, that's impressive. Can you imagine the kind of havoc we could wreck after turning all of those into Gyarados? That's a straight up Pokémon army at our fingertips. When's our next fishing shift?"

Avery shrugged. "We normally go early in the morning and late at night, since those are the best fishing times. We probably won't head to the docks again until after dinner. We use the rest of the day to train our Pokémon, or just hang out around town. Speaking of which, want to explore the lighthouse with us? I've heard trainers from all over come to battle there, and we've been meaning to check it out."

"Sure, I'm down," I agreed. "Bruno? Jass?"

Bruno smirked. "A tower full of trainers ready to battle? I love this town already."

Jass looked a little conflicted. "You know, I haven't had time to heal my Pokémon since the Rocket Tournament yesterday… Can you believe it was only yesterday? Anyway, I'm going to swing by the Pokémon Center, then I can come back and keep an eye on Admin Ariana. You can fill me in on how it went after."

Bruno and I nodded. "Here, take my Lairon for me," Bruno said, handing over the Pokéball. He needs a checkup after being worked over by that Machoke. Growlithe should be good to go by now, that Flareon didn't hit him that hard."

"All my Pokémon are good to go too, seeing as how Petrel so conveniently called me away from the championship," I muttered. Avery and Alfredo looked at me curiously, but I didn't feel like explaining the cold relationship dynamic between that admin and myself.

The bartender spoke up again. "Hold up a sec. The tower will take a while, why don't you guys take some lunch to go? You must be tired of trail rations, and the top of the lighthouse has a beautiful viewing area. You can eat lunch while overlooking the open ocean. I highly recommend it."

I grinned in gratitude, and we took a few premade lunch bags. It wasn't gourmet eating, just some sandwiches, chips, and fruit, but it beat the trail bars we were used to subsisting off of. "Thanks, Alex. These look great. Alright guys, everyone ready? Let's go!"

The five us set off together, with Jass branching off from the rest of us after a short distance to head to the Pokémon Center. The rest of us proceeded to and entered the lighthouse.

"So, how we gonna do this?" Bruno asked, smiling in eager anticipation for the upcoming battles.

"Let's just take turns, yeah?" I suggested. "We can go alphabetically. Alfredo, Avery, Bruno, then me."

Alfredo nodded, and grinned himself. "I've been waiting to show you guys how much my team and I have improved. I won't be dead weight on a mission anymore. Watch and see!"

Almost immediately a finely dressed gentleman and a sailor approached us. The aesthetic contrast between the sharp dressed older man and burly, gnarled sailor was a bit disconcerting, but apparently they were well acquainted. The sailor spoke up first. "Ahoy, newbies! Yar' here to battle?" he asked with a grin. I'm not sure if he meant it to be menacing, but it did come off that way to me.

Alfredo nodded and drew a Pokéball. "Yeah, I'll take you on!"

"How about a friendly wager, then?" the gentleman asked. His grin was definitely malicious, in a calculating, manipulative sort of way. "I'll battle someone also, and we can stake, say, $200 on each battle?"

Bruno and I sweated a bit at that. After recent extortions, our wallets were once again running on empty.

Avery and Alfredo apparently had no such concerns, and Avery grinned eagerly. "You're on! What's the rules?"

"Single battle, two Pokémon each," the gentleman proposed, drawing a Pokéball of his own. "I will face the young lady, and Huey the sailor will face the young man. Agreed?"

"Agreed!" Avery and Alfredo chorused in unison.

"Very well. Noctowl, I choose you!" the gentleman called.

"Go, Pidgeotto!" Avery answered.

The sailor tossed his Pokéball next. "Poliwhirl, go!"

Alfredo's grin widened. "Poli, show him what you got!"

Bruno and I stepped to the side, eager to watch the battle. After whispering an explanation to Bruno, I stepped behind some nearby crates to hide myself from view and released Froslass. I closed my eyes as we merged, savoring the familiar icy sensation that had become more pleasant and refreshing since my adventures in the Ice Path. When I reopened my eyes, my sight was clearer, more focused. And I was given insight beyond what normal eyes could perceive.

It came as no surprise that my friends were winning their battles. Domination would be a more appropriate word; Pidgeotto was already flying circles around a frustrated Noctowl, and Alfredo's Poliwhirl was steadily beating his opponent into submission in a physical brawl. But what I really wanted was a good look at the trainers themselves.

As I suspected, Alfredo was covered in a turquoise aura, designating him as a Water Elementalist. After witnessing his little Poké-whisperer act with the Poliwag in Ilex Forest, I was a bit perplexed, but Morty's description of Elementalists gave a fitting explanation to the phenomenon. Much more surprising was the sight of Avery: she was covered primarily in a beige aura, but with thin streaks of electric blue running through it. The blue was a much brighter shade of the color than my ice aura. I didn't know what either of those colors meant, and I pulled out my Pokédex to send Morty a quick message asking about it.

When I looked back up, Poliwhirl was delivering a knock-out Mega Punch, and Pidgeotto swept in for a lightning fast Wing Attack finisher on a battered Noctowl. Both the Pokémon fainted, and their trainers recalled them.

Without further banter, two new Pokémon took the field, a Spearow and a Tentacool. Avery and Alfredo returned their own Pokémon as well, replacing them with a Togetic and a Seadra.

"Woah," Bruno said eloquently, having joined my proximity. He leaned against the crates as he observed the ensuing onslaught. "Your little graduation gift to Avery has grown up, I see. It looks much more formidable now than the ready-to-cook omlette it used to be. And a Seadra is no joke either. Alfredo is becoming something of a water specialist, eh? Can you imagine if his Magicarp actually evolved? I wouldn't want to face him."

"It might not be a question of 'if' his Magicarp evolves, given Petrel's experiments," I pointed out. "but I agree with you. Once it evolves, I sure wouldn't want to face him anywhere near a body of water, let alone on the open sea. And between you and me, he's a Water Elementalist."

"No kidding?" Bruno asked, raising an eyebrow. Then he shrugged. "Ah, it makes sense, I guess. I just feel bad for Avery, being the only one in the group who doesn't have cool affinities. Wait, have you checked Jass yet? I wonder if-"

"Hold up, what makes you think Avery doesn't have any affinity?" I asked, watching as her Togetic laid a beat down on the opposing Sparrow. It was kind of pitiful, really. Tentacool was equally outmatched in terms of power, but at least he resisted Seadra's water attacks, so it didn't look quite as merciless. The battle was coming to an end, so I desynced from Froslass and walked back over with Bruno. The embattled trainers hadn't even noticed me step away.

"Really? No way, what affinity is she?" Bruno asked excitedly.

Just then, my Pokédex let off a ding, signaling a reply from Morty. I quickly scanned his response and grinned. "Looks like she's primarily a Flying Elementalist, but maybe she has a touch of latent psychic power too."

"What? C'mon. I mean, the flying affinity I can believe, but psychic? We would have noticed that, right?" Bruno asked skeptically.

Morty had sent me several paragraphs of info, so I read a bit further before replying. "Morty said Psychic Elementalists tend to vary widely in power, more so than other Elementalists," I explained, skimming through Morty's rather lengthy reply. "Leader Sabrina from Saffron, for example, has an incredibly high psychic proclivity. There are others, like Avery I guess, who have very minor psychic latency. Morty says that most can communicate with psychic Pokémon. People like Sabrina, on the other hand, have been rumored to be able to read the minds of non-psychics, have visions of the future, and even teleport short distances. Wow, can you imagine? That's incredible."

"Tch, that's so stupid. Why do you guys get all the cool powers? I want to know what else Fighting and Steel Elementalists can do. So far, all I've discovered is 'hit things really hard' and 'get hit really hard'," Bruno complained.

"That may be more useful than you give it credit for, you know," I reasoned, "but we are in Jasmine's city now. We can swing by the gym and have a chat with her later. She might know something about Steel Elementalists."

"Yeah, fine," Bruno agreed, shrugging. I recalled Froslass, and we started walking towards our friends again. "Let's do it after clearing the lighthouse. If we're alternating like this, we'll probably still be fresh enough to challenge Jasmine herself when we're done."

Alfredo and Avery finished collecting their prize money and walked over. "Ka-ching!" Avery announced, waiving the money around. "I love the smell of hard-earned money. And I can use this for another Pokéball!"

Bruno shook his head. "Still catching every Pokémon you see?"

"Not all of them," she protested. "But I have caught, like, twelve now."

"All fear Avery and her army of Sentret," I mocked lightly, earning a snort of laughter from Bruno. "Let's keep going. I wanna battle now."

We rotated battles all the way up the tower, and none of us had any issues with the rather inexperienced trainers on the lower floors. The higher up we got, the stronger the opponents. Avery was the first to lose a battle, when her Skiploom and Butterfree lost to a trainer with a Graveler and a Charmeleon.

"Qualified over quantified," Bruno quipped, not helping Avery's bitter mood.

"It's quality over quantity, dope," Avery shot back petulantly.

Bruno smirked, undeterred. "Yeah, that too."

The rest of us held our win streaks all the way to the top, where we found a young woman tending to a shivering Ampharos. The girl herself looked quite pale as well, as if she were literally worried sick over her Pokémon. She was kneeling on the floor, resting Ampharos' head on her lamp.

"Oh no, is your Pokémon sick?" Avery asked the girl, who looked up at us nervously. "Shouldn't you take it to a Pokémon Center?"

The girl slowly shook her head. She spoke softly, such that we had to lean in and strain to hear her. "Amphy is badly sick. She needs a special medicine, from Cianwood. But I don't want to leave her. Would you be willing to pick it up for us?"

I exchanged glances with the others. We all felt for the sick Pokémon, but we had a mission to do. "I'm sorry, ma'am," I answered. "We aren't heading in that direction. But we could-"

"I knew you were a bunch of heartless jerks!" came an echoing voice from the far side of the room. We all looked over, and Gold strode into view, a look of contempt maring his face.

"Are you blind?" he asked angrily. "This Pokémon is dying, and you're too busy hatching a selfish scheme to try to save it's life? I think I understand you now. You may not be as outright wicked and malicious as Silver, but you're still selfish, only looking out for yourselves!"

I looked at him, bewildered. "Well, duh? How naïve are you? I look out for me and my own. That's how you survive in this world when you don't have a mommy who gives you a half dozen Pokémon to start your journey with," I said, a touch of bitterness bleeding into my voice. Gold flinched a bit. "We live in the real world, Gold. I don't have any animosity here. But going all the way to Cianwood for some medicine that mightheal her Pokémon? That's storybook stuff, for fools and heroes, of which I am neither."

Gold bristled. "You're wrong. To feel compassion for someone else, to do what you can to help someone in need, that's not foolish or heroic. It's human. To care only for yourself and your crew, that's no better than animal."

Gold's words hung in the air as we stared each down. But he was wrong. I had to prove him wrong. "No, it's survival. Looking out for ourselves is how we evolve and grow and strong. It's how we survive. Look at the strongest Pokémon in the wild. They're alive because they care for themselves, and to some extent their pack. That's it."

"No, you're wrong. Go, Spiff!"

I immediately reached for my own Pokéball, but Gold held up a placating hand. A Pikachu materialized from the ball, and Gold gently picked it up and set it on his shoulder. My eyes widened when the Pikachu turned to face us, and I saw a huge scar running the length of his body, from his right shoulder nearly to his left hind leg. Gold explained. "When I was about to leave Azalea, I ran into Silver. We fought, and it was an all-out brawl, six on six, none of the nice one-on-one league style. His Croconaw knocked my Quilava aside and decided to take a Slash at me. I didn't see it coming. But my Pichu did. He evolved into Pikachu on the spot, and moved faster than ever, using a Quick Attack on me to knock me out of the way. But it left him wide open, and Croconaw took full advantage. I didn't think Spiff was going to make it. But he evolved in order to protect me. He may never be able to move as fast as he used to, after the damage that attack caused. Is he weaker than other Pikachu because of what he did? No! It's his heart that makes him strong. Not your philosophy of looking out for yourself first, not Silver's B.S. about some people naturally being born with more innate power and potential. Spiff will prove it to you. I'll prove it to you. Just you wait."

I thought back to my battle against the Woopers, where Stuart evolved. Was it to save himself? Or save me? I thought about Sapphire, evolving as we were under attack from the falling Piloswine. Was it out of self-preservation? Or out of concern for me? Stuart didn't evolve until after I started getting attacked in the water. Sapphire didn't just evolve, she maneuvered herself to take the attack for me. She tried to shield me even before she evolved. Then it dawned on me.

"Yeah, of course…" I said quietly. Then louder, so Gold could hear. "Spiff evolved because he considers you one of his pack. It's a mutual relationship. He evolved to save you, so you can grow stronger and protect him." Even as I said it, my conviction faltered. It just felt… wrong. Inadequate. It was more than that, and I knew it.

Gold shook his head. "Even you don't believe that. What I have with my Pokémon, it's more than just a mutual survival mechanism. It's love, it's friendship. I would die for them, and they would die for me. And what if we extended a little bit of kindness beyond our pack, our crew, our friends? What would that world look like? Maybe it is a bit naïve, but that's my vision for the future. I'll show you. I'll fight to help other people see it too. And I'll start by getting this medicine." He turned to the young woman. "I'll be back as soon as I can, Jasmine. Just hold on."

He walked out stiffly, a look of stern resolution on his face. I hated the fact that it felt admirable. He was wrong. He could wrap up his ideals in pretty words, but it wouldn't work. It couldn't work.

I turned to the girl. "You are Gym Leader Jasmine?"

She nodded weakly, and I continued. "I'm sorry we can't be of more help. I'm sure Gold will be back soon. Here." I pulled out my lunch bag and handed it to Jasmine, who looked a bit startled at the offer. "It assuages my conscience. Let's go guys."

We were turned and left the quiet girl behind. We remained silent ourselves the whole way down the lighthouse. Perhaps the others were in as deep of thought as I was, or they were just politely giving me some space.

What Gold said bothered me. He was convinced that what he said was true. But it conflicted with my innermost truths: that the most important thing in life is to survive, and that to do that, I had to look out for myself first. I could mentally justify everything I've done in my entire life with that logic. It made me think, though, is that why I was friends with Bruno? Because we could help each other survive? Or did it go deeper than that? Would I die to protect him, or Avery, or Alfredo? Why would I even feel inclined to do such a thing?

And in the Ice Caves, I had tried to use my body to shield Sapphire. Why? Was my instinct conflicting with my rational desire to survive? Why would I have an instinct that would increase my likelihood of death, when there was a perfectly accessible option of using Sapphire as a shield? Or even if that seemed too immoral, mere passivity would have allowed Eevee to take the hits for me, but I actively moved to protect her with my own body. My actions defied my own survival logic, and I didn't understand it.

"So uh, Han," Bruno quietly roused me from my thoughts after we exited the lighthouse and started heading back to our temporary hideout. Alfredo and Avery were several paces behind us, where they couldn't overhear Bruno's uncharacteristically soft voice. I wondered what he thought of the whole idealistic argument between me and Gold, if it made him question our friendship. Would he hate me for this? Would he think I'm some sort of monster, just a brute animal unworthy of his friendship? I looked at him, holding in the anxiety and pain I felt at the thought. "I was thinking," he continued in the same small, quiet voice, "do you think that, uh, do you think we'll run into Jasmine again? I never got to ask her about the whole Steel Elemental thing. I kinda want to know if I can turn into metal or something."

I almost laughed. Relief flooded me at Bruno's simple question, one that I could understand and answer, and at least for the moment flee my existential turmoil. I held in the laugh, but couldn't hold back the relieved smile, which seemed to confuse Bruno. "Yes. Of course. I'm sorry, Bruno, I got so caught up in my spat with Gold that I completely forgot that you needed to talk to Jasmine. I feel a little awkward going back right now, though; want to go back tomorrow?"

Bruno smiled, pleased with the answer. "Tomorrow sounds good to me. We can chat with her and enjoy that ocean view the bartender told us about."

"Yeah, that sounds great, Bruno," I said, returning my best friend's smile. "Enjoying lunch with friends overlooking the ocean? That's a picture worthy of a postcard. Let's do it."