Episode 4: A Date With Prem! Hot Spring Indulgences
"Do forgive me for this, My Lord," Kristen muttered as she raised her arm. A small Moonblast materialised in her palm, just pink and sparkly enough to tickle the fur. She dunked it on Leos' sleeping figure and prepared for the impending explosion.
"Gack- who's there?" Leos screeched and flew out of bed. He breathed fast and instinctively glanced back and forth across the room. It took an embarrassing minute for him to realise that it was only her, so he straightened up. "Uh, Kristen?"
"As things are now, I believe I am allowed to be a little less formal with you. And you My Lord, are a very silly Oshawott," she giggled and gave his nose a little flick.
"A silly- surprised you went with Oshawott and not hybrid," he said. "But whatever. What gives? Is something happening?"
"Are you awake, Leos?" she said with a half-lidded smirk.
"Yes?" he raised an eyebrow.
"Are you sure?"
"Get to it, Kristen."
"I can't very well allow you to oversleep on the day of your first date now, can I?" she giggled again.
"My first da- oh my gods, how high is the sun?" Leos rushed over to the window. There was no sunlight, but the colour of the clouds and mountains implied it wasn't far below the horizon. "Never mind, how late am I?"
"Calm down. You aren't late at all, My Lord. But I did have to wake you up a little later than the recommended time. About half an hour, to be exact. You still have two hours until your meet with Prem in town," she said.
"Ah, phew. Sorry. This is why I can count on you, though. Do you mind getting me breakfast? Bring it up here and such," he said. After a pause, he began to gather a few items from his piles. She became curious as he picked up a small bottle, a present box, an unopened pack of soap, and other unexpected things.
"Will it be the usual? Spelon mash on light toast?" she asked slowly.
"Oh, right. Uh uh, I can't have that this time, it'll make my breath smell." He came to a stop. "Grab whatever simple that has Oran flavour to it."
"Understood, My Lord," Kristen said blankly, even nosier as he pulled out a hairbrush of all things. He ignored her completely and dug into the contents of a stone cupboard, where he threw aside accessories like bows and scarves. It's wonderful to see you taking something seriously again.
Even though he was told that he had time, he still felt frantic. The first thing he did when Kristen left was head for the washroom, using the aforementioned soap to cleanse himself thoroughly. More thoroughly than usual. He never thought of himself as lazy with hygiene, but his preferences for archaeology meant a bath was always low priority. Right now, he was too excited to let things mess up due to something silly like a bad stench.
He felt he'd done a good job in the bath since it overflowed with bubbles even after he was out of it. Once back in his room, his mirror only served to boast that, since his fur was now so clean that it shone all over. From here, he stressed over how to actually use the miraculous substance of hair gel, and argued with himself whether to style his excess fur into something new or keep his familiar bangs. Before long, the sun shone through his window, so he gave up and stuck with his normal look. There was still an effort to get that fur straighter and fancier than usual, though.
When all was said and done, he was certain that he looked his best. His ponytail was a little ruffled toward the tip and fell below his bubble collar. He felt fancy enough to attend a ballroom dance. And as he stared in that mirror admiring it all, he knew that he never wanted to go through this morning procedure ever again.
"Now I do hope you don't go and mess all that up." Kristen's voice made him jump. She balanced a couple of plates and had a tissue wrapped around her tail instead of her usual bow.
"How do you not mess up fancy fur?" he puffed out his cheeks. "Also, Oran Cake? Was that really the easiest breakfast there?"
"You did ask for fast food," she said as she laid down the plates. He immediately stuffed an entire muffin in his mouth. Crumbs spread across his face, to which she giggled and picked at his bulging cheeks. "You slow down and take things more easily, My Lord. Eat slower, keep away from puddles and grass, and most definitely, don't go exploring."
"So basically, stop having fun." He brushed her away. "The rules of dating are going to take longer to learn than I'd hoped."
"There are plenty of fun things to do besides fighting feral Pokémon or digging around uncharted scraps, My Lord," she said. All the time they spoke, she dutifully worked around him like it was second nature. She folded the tissues to lay beside him, sorted out the mess he made with the cupboard items, and every other little thing that needed doing.
"Not to sound entitled, but I'm not a villager. I really don't know what I'd be doing if not fighting," he said.
"Try these today. A mere suggestion and a gift from me." She revealed two three-pronged leaves. He raised an eyebrow until he picked them up. They were paper.
"These are for the Halcandra Bathhouse. Are these yours?" he said.
"They're for you, silly. I meant it when I said I was making preparations. And a day at a hot spring is just perfect for you and Prem, if I must say," she said as she used his mirror to tie her usual bow to her tail. "Remember that Prem has been active on missions recently, and you have been working ever so hard on your training. You both deserve to relax those bones of yours, maybe talk things over, too."
"That… actually is a good idea. A little left-field for me, but I can see how it goes," he said. He stuffed the remainder of a toast slice in his mouth, tightened a bow around his chest, and then headed out. She watched him with a naughty smile on her face, and gave a dreamy sigh when she was alone.
"Have fun, My Lord," she said to herself.
It felt weird walking through the castle, as for the first time when going somewhere, other Pokémon looked straight at him. Some were the expected salutes and straightened poses, but it almost looked like some Pokémon were smiling at him, too. Whatever they were doing, more eyes were on him than usual, and that meant his efforts to be clean had paid off. He hated how it felt, though.
How long has it been since I've been out on my own? He realised as he stepped out onto the mountain road. This almost feels like freedom. No Kristen, no schedule, just me and Prem. Just like the old days.
The thoughts made him slow down. He knew where to go, and he knew he had more than enough time to get there. He tucked his arms behind his head, but withdrew the moment he felt the stickiness of the gel in his fur. A few Pokémon were out and about thanks to the early hours, but even they would comment if he messed his appearance up this quickly. No. I can't be oblivious. Things aren't like the old days. They can't be anymore, and it's clear Prem doesn't want them to go back to that, either.
He shook his head, but couldn't force a smile. This was supposed to be a holiday, so he needed things to be as positive as they looked around him. With the sky clear and the sun out, today was set to be a scorcher, and the fire Pokémon were full of energy. His slow walk through town and he already spotted at least three of them let out fire attacks into the air for the fun of it. They were supposed to be cooking the food on their market stands.
Oh Prem. I hope this doesn't get too awkward. Then again, I can say what I want without Kristen around to tell me otherwise. He looked up at the sky, and then the hill leading into the town's central park. There weren't many Pokémon here, but those that were all had kids and looked to be on morning walks. Prem wasn't amongst them. Doesn't mean what I want to say would be right. If our history is anything to go by…
He stopped dead in place once the Pikachu came into sight. Prem was already at the top of the hill, sat on a bench. It didn't look like the Poipole was around. No Leos, don't be stupid now. This is the chance to apologise. To make things right.
He couldn't move. His heart raced and his face became fierce. Just be honest. Just tell the truth. Say what's on your mind. He'll appreciate it. You pushed him away once, but those feelings weren't honest. Now, it's time to be.
The moment Prem noticed him and waved, he felt like his heart stopped. He took a deep breath and shivered. Whether he felt ready or not, he walked, and put most of his effort into trying not to look too stiff. The best he could manage was a trembling march. This is it, Leos. It's time to date.
"Leos, morning. O-oh," Prem said.
He could almost say the same line. The Pikachu was the same as he always was: noticeably taller than an average Pikachu, and clothed tightly in a Mega Charizard themed poncho that completely hid his ears and tail from view. The mega stone by his neck gleamed in the sunlight.
Actually, the poncho was rougher than he remembered, discoloured and a little torn from use. Prem looked a little firmer, too. The past two years had clearly toughened him up, but that failed to take away his cute, Pikachu appeal.
I'm allowed to be an adult, right? It's been so long, I forgot he was this cute. N-no Leos, no pervy thoughts. You have to do this properly! Just, be normal. He shook his head. "Good morning. I wasn't expecting you to be here already. You're early."
"Oh er, it's been a while since I've been to Halcandra. I don't know my way around at all, so I left early." Prem rubbed his face and stood up.
"Good thing I didn't keep you waiting, then. Are you feeling alright?" he said. So far so good.
"I'm just a bit surprised. You dolled yourself up," Prem said.
"You noticed, ahaha. I wanted to take this seriously. I er, still couldn't figure out that hair gel stuff, though. It looks bad, doesn't it? Everyone was staring at me as I left," he said, and Prem giggled.
"No, it looks good. Like, really good. Like you let a stylist do your fur this time or something. I never thought I'd see the day," he said.
"Oh wow, seriously? I did it myself, I don't have time for a stylist!" Leos tapped at his ponytail.
"I know. It looks like shiny plastic." Prem turned away with a cheeky smile.
"There it is. So it doesn't look good," he sighed.
"No no, I'm kidding. It does look good for you," Prem said.
"For me isn't a high bar though, ha." He waved it off. "What happened to the little one? Laurent, right?"
"Your new retainer was adamant that I left them with her. Lau gets hungry a lot and they're super curious about Etheria, so I hope she can really handle them," Prem said. "Er, should we walk?"
"Aw geez, you felt Kristen's wrath already then, huh?" he said as he led the way through the park.
"Exactly. She's not the kind of Pokémon you'd keep around. What gives?" Prem said.
"Mother and Rune hired her soon after… you know. I didn't want her to 'replace' you, so I didn't treat her properly for like, the first six or something months." He shrugged. "But she's really come into her own since then. It may not seem like it, but there's something… interesting about her. She's pretty determined, too. The way I treated her, I don't understand why she wanted to stick around."
"Well maybe it's just the prestige. She's working for royalty, it's not exactly a job you happily quit." Prem threw his arms up.
Not good. Shift the conversation, Leos. Got to talk about him, not Kristen, he gasped in his mind. "But how've you been?"
"Me?" he said.
"Yeah! All I know about are the stories. You've really come into your own, too. Like, really exploded in fame more than I thought."
Prem took a while to answer, and met Leos' confused face with a stern gaze. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Er- I, I didn't mean that badly or anything. I just mean, like…" His mind started making jumps, so he started to pace and emphasize with his hands. "You got like, celebrity status. I was hearing news of your exploits from the Second Country, and it seemed like every week, you or someone from your team was headlining the Pelipper papers. I knew you were special, but now you're like, a way lot of Pokémon look up to you!"
"Then there's your answer," Prem said, and walked off. By now, they were heading downhill towards the southern half of the town. A lot more shops and roads that led out into the fields and mountains beyond were here, and in far more touristy fashion than the festival getup from yesterday.
Ouch. That went horribly. B-but it's okay. We can fix this. We've just started. No need to get disheartened. No one said things were going to be peachy from the start. Leos shivered. "I wanted to hear it from the Ponyta's mouth."
Prem paused for long enough for Leos to catch up. "There's no point in dancing around this, Leos."
"Huh?" Leos replied and the duo came to a stop. Not many Pokémon were on the path, so they weren't in the way.
"Why did you do it? Why did you kick me out?" Prem asked. Leos gulped. "We grew up together. We fought together. We lived together. We did everything together. I earnestly fell in love with you, and I thought you were proud to show it just like I was. Even now, I find it hard to just – go on, just standing here next to you, knowing you might not be telling me the truth. That you're gonna hurt me again."
"Prem," he said.
"I don't think I can ever go back. I don't even know if I can do this. I feel sick right now." Prem looked away.
"Take it easy," Leos said. He moved to sooth his friend, but thought twice on touching. He didn't have that right anymore. "I don't know how much this means, but something like that is never going to happen ever again. I really want to make things up to you."
"Make things up to me? Leos, you don't just, 'make things up' for something like this. Is all this just a game to you?" Prem raised his voice. "You throw me out in the wild, I get lucky because I've got a history with some high figures. But I come back and now we're playing a dating game, while you've got some obsessive Constellar sucking up to you? And I saw the way you're with Griselle now, too. Was that all this was about? Did you want me gone so you could get with Griselle?"
Leos swallowed and pursed his lips. It took everything he had not to start crying at the way the Pikachu stumbled about, rambling like this.
"I… I don't even want to be here now. I got what I came for with Laurent. I just, I thought I could get an answer from you. Something that'd help me move on for once," Prem said. He turned his back to Leos, and the wings of his poncho spread out. "But I'm just kidding myself, aren't I? Royals really are like what the Pokémon say they are."
"When did you start thinking like that?" Leos cried and leaned forward. Prem slowly turned to him, so he stood down and shook his head. "Sorry. That's not relevant right now."
He didn't get a reply, but as Prem walked past and led the way, he could feel the misery pour off the Pikachu's form. It had the same effect on him, and he felt horrible. If there was any way to turn this scene positive, this is my only chance to do it. Here goes. Just, be honest, Leos.
"Back then, I had feelings I didn't really understand. The way I felt, I was doing my thing, fighting the war and trying to get to the bottom of Mother and Father's mess. To me, I had you at my side just tagging along. As in like, despite everything you assured me, despite everything we'd been through, despite everything we did, all I saw was a Pikachu who'd dedicated their entire life to me, and I'd dragged them through the worst of it in response," he said. He kicked the floor and came to a stop. "Do you remember what we were fighting for?"
"Like I'd ever forget." Prem turned away.
"We overthrew legendary Pokémon. And we did it because we believed we as Pokémon would carve our own path away from prophecy and legend. But that's what I felt when it came to you," he said. Prem looked at him in surprise. "I felt like you were wasting your potential, dedicating yourself to me so much. I wanted to see you flourish and do the things you wanted to do in life. But when I first pushed the idea of you going off to do that, you argued so hard that I knew force was the only option. So I told everybody that we had a major falling out, and then forced myself to kick you out."
"So you got what you wanted, really. Now I'm a rescue team leader," Prem said. Leos smiled a little, and turned to the sky.
"The moment you left, I never stopped regretting it. Seriously, I broke down into tears and everything. Couldn't stop feeling lonely or telling myself how much I'd messed up," he said.
"Then why didn't you stop me?" Prem said.
"I didn't know what to do. After everything, I didn't know whether it was for the best that you were getting on by yourself, or whether you were back by my side. I was in love with you, and I didn't even realise until you were gone," he said, and shook his head. "By the time I worked up the courage to apologise, you were in a team, you'd stopped an entire forest fire, and Pokémon were calling you a hero. At that point, what would I be if I came crying back to you?"
Prem's face tensed up. "So it was your pride. You didn't want to admit that you were wrong, so you couldn't work up the courage to see me."
"It's not pride, Prem! Ah, how I can I put this in a way that doesn't sound like a nasty ego trip?" he cried. He sighed went back to pacing. "You have a life now, Prem. If anything, I'm the one imposing on you. You've got Pokémon who need you, and your own friends and stuff. I can't just come out of nowhere and start begging for you to serve me again. And I sure as heck know marriage isn't going to magically fix everything, either."
There was a pause. "But did you want it to?"
The question surprised him enough to gawk, but Prem looked serious. He pulled his poncho over his front to hug himself, and his stance was straight. "Go on, tell me. If I said I was over the moon about the chance to marry you and get together again, would you say yes to it?"
"I er- whoa- that's, kinda putting me on the spot. I can't just- I mean, am I really marriage material?" He shivered.
"Then you don't really know for sure whether you love me or not," Prem turned away.
"Hey c'mon, isn't this whole thing ludicrous to you? After everything, the most I was expecting was just for us to start talking again. I messed up, and I pay the price for it." He leaned forward. A light sniffle made him flinch. "P-Prem?"
"… You're so dang cute," Prem said on a shivering voice. Leos' mouth hit the floor. "This is so stupid. I was scared you were growing out of me or something, but here you are, still with that out of control ego that just doesn't know what to do for himself. You're so stupid, Leos."
"P… Prem?" He gasped. At last, the Pikachu turned around, but his face was dry and he had a warm smile on his face.
"Did you have a plan on where to go today? I figured you know the town more than I do, so I didn't bother planning anything. Let's have fun today," Prem said, and opened out his poncho.
"Oh er, y-yes, I actually did. It's a bit corny, but I thought with all the work you'd been doing lately, you'd want to take a rest. So I have these passes for the hot spring in town." He started to murmur as he rummaged through his belongings to find the leaves. He came across his wrapped gift, but hid it. Not yet.
"This place has hot springs? I guess with the volcanoes that were nearby and stuff," Prem said.
"I actually had them built. Besides being a castle town, the hot springs are one of this town's main attractions," Leos said, hands on his hips.
"I'll be impressed when I see them. I'm almost weirded out by how a town on Eris can be this civilised," Prem said.
I can't tell whether this has worked out or not, but at least he's smiling. It's probably not a good idea to ask whether he's being serious or not… but I really don't know. He slowly shook his head. You know what? It doesn't matter. I'm getting to go to the hot spring with Prem. If things went any better, it'd be wrong.
"We'll take the scenic route so you can see the rest of the town." He pointed to one of the main roads that circled the park they had just walked through. Prem nodded, and they were off.
Leos made a point of talking about and admiring the livelier icons he passed, or at least, the things that interested him. Even though he was curious about the town, Prem had stayed quiet the whole way there and let Leos happily ramble about the history of Halcandra and its modern design.
The closure of the Hunting Grounds made more room for a trade farm, while a network of underground waterways made it possible for things like the fountains or the hot springs to exist. With Leos and a few others idea to create a coach system for easy travel, as well as make an attraction out of features like the dojo, Halcandra soon became a worthwhile capital that brought life to the once barren town.
Prem never once sounded rude or appeared disinterested in that story, but Leos did feel a sense of losing him by the time they reached the hot springs. A tall structure made of bamboo built into a tall mountain right on the very edge of the town.
"And this is it. The saunas are on the bottom floor while the springs are hidden from view at the top. Shall we?" Leos bowed to let his friend through first. But Prem didn't go, and instead scanned the area.
"You said it was an attraction, but not many Pokémon are around. It's so quiet," Prem said.
"Well it should be quiet, but the Pokémon are probably all at the town. Rune did say it was a town-wide party," Leos said, and led the way in. Oh gods, please tell me Kristen didn't make this a private booking.
It was rare that he got to come here, but whenever he did, he loved it. And that was even without getting to go into the actual springs. The moist warmth that filled the building made it a pleasant place to be in. The soft, tatami floor and pretty patterned walls decorated with paintings and scrolls were a bonus.
"Oh my goodness, Your Highness Leos, Master Prem? What're you two doing here?" an Audino behind a counter greeted them. Several Indeedee, both male and female, emerged from other rooms in the back. They all appeared to be busy as they held towels, clothes, and cleaning tools. Each and every one of them wore a yukata patterned with pink petals or navy blue scales.
"I believe one of my retainers made a booking for us today." Leos held up the two paper leaves. "We're a little late, so sorry about that."
The staff all exchanged glances. Worried glances, with blushes, sweat, and wary mumbles. Eventually, one of the male Indeedee approached and bowed. "I'm terribly sorry to have to do this, but would you mind waiting a while, Your Highness?"
"If you're still getting things ready, that's fine. We're in no rush." Leos smiled, and turned to Prem. "I didn't even ask if you were hungry."
"It's better to eat after a bath. I don't mind waiting here," Prem said, leaning on a paw.
"Er, that's the thing," one of the female Indeedee said. "I-it's more like a situation than a wait."
"Shh! Don't tell them that you klutz!" the male Indeedee replied.
"A situation?" Leos said. Both Indeedee slapped their paws over their mouths. "C'mon. I built this place. I would be a failure of a prince if I didn't help out when I could. Tell me what's wrong."
"Ah, I couldn't ask this of you at a festive time like this, Your Highness. W-we'll sort it out. We promise," the male Indeedee said.
"Then think of it as I'm passing through, and I'm offering to help," Prem said, and flashed his badge. "Rescue team leader, here."
"Wow, you brought your badge," Leos said. Prem rolled his eyes. Heh, when did you get so cool?
"Ah, but still, we couldn't—"
"Oh just bloody let them help already. It'll save your sorry butts from getting taken out again," Audino cried and came out from behind the counter. "Honestly, can you believe them, Your Highness? Psychic-normal types taken out by a bunch of ghost and poison types. I know we run a bathhouse here, but that is some next level wimpiness."
"Marin!" the female Indeedee cried.
"It's fine, seriously. Just tell me what's going on." Leos folded his arms.
"A bunch of hooligans came in here and claimed the place as their own. We haven't been able to get 'em out of here," Audino said.
"They called themselves the Ghost Gang," the female Indeedee said, playing with her fingers. "Marin made us seem weak, but truly, we're severely outnumbered. We got beaten down by some pretty rough attacks."
"I believe they're a real team as well. They knew a good variety of moves, and used wonder orbs on us," the male Indeedee added. Leos rubbed his chin the whole time.
"So just drive them out? Seems easy enough. I doubt Friedrich would want to come here, though," Prem said. Leos turned to him. "He's the Ninetales of my team. He's the strongest, but ice types hate heat, after all."
"Honestly, they're just kids. Legends as tough as you ought to be able to handle it," Audino said with a fist raised high.
Can we? It's been two years since we've fought side by side. Leos shuddered. "It sounds simple enough. But, well—"
"I don't mind doing this. It's literally my job, and if we came across a needed rescue, I would've dropped to do it," Prem said without looking at him.
"Spoken like a real hero," Leos said with a sigh. "Okay. But let's try and make it quick? This is supposed to be your day to relax, after all."
"I seriously don't mind. Where are they?" Prem said.
"They're on the highest level." The female Indeedee pointed up. "The last time we checked, they all occupied the main bath. They're using up an awful amount of water."
Prem nodded and went to head up. He had a surprisingly impatient stride in his movements, so Leos had to stumble in front to stop him. "Wait a minute. It sounds like we're going to get into quite a big fight, so we need to be prepared and stuff, right?"
"I have my Treasure Orb. You should know I don't go anywhere without it," he said.
"Well, not just that, but, well," Leos began to mumble as he rummaged through his bag for the gift he had. Prem barely cracked a smile at it. "I was going to wait until later to surprise you, but I think it's important you get this now."
That got a reaction out of him, although it was only an awkward curiosity rather than eager happiness he wanted Prem to show. But when Prem opened it and saw the fabric inside, his face lit up until his eyes sparkled. He dropped the box and held up the poncho, shuddering at it. It was a poncho themed after Mega Audino, and just like his current Charizard one, it had a real Mega Stone attached.
Leos never understood it, but Prem had mysterious powers when it came to these ponchos. When the Pikachu wore them, it was like they became part of his body, extra powers included. He didn't exactly become a super Pokémon, but he could use the Charizard's wings to float.
"You've had that old poncho for years and stuff, so I thought you could do with a new one. I wanted to give you that as an apology for pushing you away back then," he said. He felt his face heat up even though he struggled to look at Prem, and kicked the floor. Darn it Leos, keep it together.
"And you kept it all this time?" Prem whispered, and then gasped. "How did you even get this? It's the real thing!"
"Er, erm, I made it. Researched how they're made and sewed it by myself," he said, still facing the floor.
"Are you serious?" Prem cried even louder. That got him to look up, though he was more surprised that Prem was surprised. The Pikachu giggled. "You know how to sew an authentic Constellar garb, but you can barely gel your head fur? Leos, you big dummy!"
"Hey, those are two different things. One gives you powers, the other makes other Pokémon stare at you." He folded his arms.
"They both make Pokémon stare at you," Prem giggled. "C'mon! Let's try this on right away. Is there a private room here?"
"Of course. Right this way," the male Indeedee said. "Ghosts have no use for it, so our changing room is untouched."
"Wait, why does this place need a changing room?" Prem raised an eyebrow.
"When Faernians came here, so did their lifestyle. More Pokémon wear clothes and accessories for fashion nowadays than ever before." Leos smiled. They were directed down a hallway on the ground floor, where Indeedee soon stood aside and bowed to them. "A lot of clothes aren't waterproof, so places like these have storage. And then we have cases like yours, where you need to change in privacy."
"You know what? I can believe that," he said as he walked in.
"Er, I'll wait out here," Leos said. Prem paused, so he gave him a look, and then was dragged in by the Pikachu. "P-Prem?"
"You know you're okay with seeing the real me." He closed the door and immediately got to removing his poncho.
"U-um, ye-yeah I guess, but," Leos gasped. He clammed shut when the hood of the poncho came off, and Prem's biggest secret was revealed.
This was the other thing he never understood about Prem: how he managed to keep an excess of loose head fur bundled into a hoodie so perfectly. Prem had fur that went as far down as his feet in length, and even though he hid it inside the hood of his poncho day and night, it was perfect when he took it off. Silky smooth, shiny clean, and flowy like a dancing Milotic.
He couldn't take his eyes off that beautiful figure, even though it made him blush embarrassingly. He felt blessed knowing what Prem really looked like, but he never expected to be blessed with that sight again, yet here he was. And then Prem turned around to put the Audino poncho on, where he revealed a new secret Leos didn't want to see. He took in a sharp breath as his body turned cold.
Prem was covered in damage. From marks caused by cuts, to clearly untreated wounds that left disgusting black scabs. The brown stripes of a Pikachu's back were obscured by this damage, and to make matters worse, all of it appeared to be recent. When Prem turned back around, his smile flipped.
"Are you okay?" Prem asked.
He shuddered, hard. "P-Prem…"
Prem hesitated, but glanced side to side. "Did somebody see me? Did you spot something wrong with the poncho?"
How heck do I even approach this? He slowly looked down. After things were looking up, too. There's no way we can go into a battle like this.
"Seriously, what's wrong? I'm all changed, so we should hurry," Prem said.
"… With you like that?" he said. Prem cocked his head. "Your back is covered in wounds, and they're all recent. What in the world happened to you?"
"…Oh." Prem looked down and away.
"You look like you've been pushing yourself to death. What's up with that, why would you do that?" Leos raised his voice.
Prem didn't answer, but his face became intense.
"You haven't been hurting yourself, have you? Or does anybody else know about—"
"I haven't been hurting myself. I promise this is a recent mishap." Prem faced him. "And it's nothing you need to worry about."
"No, Prem! I will worry about it! You expect me to be okay letting you do this when you're in this condition? Seriously, do you know what you look like?" Leos stepped toward him. "I-I can't think straight. I-I can't believe you just… you're hurt. W-we need to go back."
"No we don't," Prem said.
"You're hurt, Prem. We need to get you looked at," he said.
"Seriously Leos, I'm fine," Prem raised his voice.
"You're covered in bruises. And they're recent! You're not fine, Prem," Leos said.
Prem sighed as he stumbled away. "You're really choosing now to care about that?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Leos said, and then shook his head. "I didn't know you were hurt because you hid it. The fact that you hid it—"
"Then I'll take on the Ghost Gang alone. I already accepted the mission. That's that. You don't have to come with." Prem threw his arms up and pushed past.
Leos shuddered in hesitation. In that brief moment, his chest twisted and churned – Prem really would leave if he didn't do anything. So he grabbed puffy tail of Prem's new poncho.
"Don't try to stop me, Leos." Prem's cheeks sparked small yellow bolts.
There was another moment of hesitation, and then he tightened his hold. "You can try and paralyse me. I'm not letting you get hurt pointlessly."
"This isn't pointless!" Prem said.
"We can call your team for backup. We can call another relief team. We can get some soldiers from the castle. You don't have to push yourself when you're wounded over this. But you choosing to kill yourself over it is pointless," Leos said. Prem looked down and away again, this time without a sigh. "Why would you push yourself this hard, anyway? It's only your average ruffian scenario."
Now Prem sighed, and pulled his tail free. "You didn't realise this even though the reality is right in front of us. How broken Etheria really is," Prem said. Leos felt his heart speed up. "To make it in this world, you have to push yourself this hard. In fact, this is nothing."
"To… make it?" Leos said.
"Pokémon are in constant need of rescue. Somewhere, someone's suffering for some reason or another. So when I have to take the day off to heal a cut, or because I feel tired… I could be costing somebody their life," Prem said. He slowly turned around. "And other Pokémon don't care. Because I saved Etheria alongside you, Pokémon expect a bare minimum from me. A single wrong move, a single lazy day, or a single selfish action, they'll never forget it, and I'll be done for."
"But that's just—" Leos hissed, and slapped his hands over his mouth.
"What the peasants think," Prem said. The room went dead quiet. "You like to think you don't look down on them, but that's exactly what this is. From your position as crown prince, you get to live your life as idealistically as you want. But once I was free from that and had to live with them, that's what my life became. If I didn't have my history with you, who knows where I'd be."
His thoughts raced by faster than he could fathom. So many questions, so many feelings, so many fears. So many embarrassing realisations. He realised he was staring at the floor, had to blink away tears, and then took in a breath through his nose as he looked up at his old friend. Prem was dead serious. "Is that why you came with? To be selfish for once, and take care of yourself?"
"I came to you to get help with Lau, remember? This scenario just happened to line up. I hadn't actually gotten any invites to return to Halcandra," Prem said. "We should get a move on and take care of these ghosts before they get bored."
"Prem… I don't get it. After all that stuff you said earlier," he said.
"Can we just take care of the Ghost Gang? The sooner, the better. We can both get what we want: me relaxing," Prem said, waving a paw about.
He sighed deeply. "Alright, but if you're in my presence, we do things my way. And that means you stay behind me."
"Aww. You're going to be my hero again?" Prem said with a dreamy-eyed sway.
"H-huh? I just want to keep you safe. The less fighting you do in that state, the better," he said, leaning back.
"Hee hee hee, but that's how we used to fight, remember? If I can still keep up with you, those ghosts won't stand a chance," he said.
Goodness, Prem. Keep on like that, and I'll be struggling to keep up with you. He gulped as he made his way out. The Indeedee from before bowed to them as they passed. Alright Leos, time to put your back into it. It's time to fight.
"You good to go?" Audino said as they passed the front desk again. They spared her a glance. "Now now, I was confident earlier, but do know that I've got your back. If you boys find yourself in trouble, please come back down. You're honoured guests before you're workers."
"Got it. Thank you." He nodded, and then made his way upstairs.
At the top of this short staircase was a glass door that led into a straight hallway. He was wary enough to check the hallway ahead before making a move. The way this place was laid out, the stairs were at the ends of these hallways, while individual rooms sat in between them. He didn't know what these rooms were for, but they had sliding doors, so it would be easy to take a peek in as he passed.
"The ghosts are at the top, remember?" Prem said as he leaned into the first room. Thankfully, it was empty.
"I-I know, but they're ghosts. We can't be too careful." He shrugged, and continued onward.
He grew a little more relaxed by the end of the first floor. All of the rooms were empty and seemed to be massage stops, besides the one storage room. But when they reached the third floor, his wariness flew right back.
The laughter of teenagers muffled by the walls filled the air, while the steam of indoor baths made everything damp and misty. He appreciated the moisture, but he was not prepared to do battle in this heat. And to make matters worse, as they arrived, a Haunter was sat right in the middle of the hallway.
"Yo there. Didn't the girls give ya the message?" Haunter said as he floated off the ground. He leaned on a hand as if bored, though. "Place is off-limits for a while."
Leos didn't move.
"Turn around, head downstairs, go complain to the staff and stuff. But the whole place is reserved," Haunter said.
"Strange. I got given a different story," Leos said. "It's also a bit funny. I am certain that the Ghastly family of Pokémon don't respond very well to body heat."
"Oh yeah? What's yer point?" Haunter said.
"If the story I heard is true and your little gang are making trouble here, I'd think it makes sense to put the one who hates heat on guard duty. No need for you to get all hot and bothered in a bath," he said, hands on his hips. Haunter leaned forward and bared his hands like claws. "Now come on. I understand you guys are young. Don't make this have to come to a pointless battle."
"Talking doesn't work. That never works. Why are you trying?" Prem said.
"He's right, ya'know. If yer confident enough to challenge the Ghost Gang, then why beat around the bush?" Haunter smiled. His tongue hung out of his mouth.
"Tsk. It's formality," Leos said. He swiped his scalchop off his belly and held it behind him, where it formed his signature weapon. The blade came out of both ends of the scalchop, making for a double-sided Razor Shell. "I can't just run in and fight everything in sight. Pokémon always have a reason for doing what they do. I just have to make sure that that reason needs righting."
"Well the only rightin' that needs to be done is you guys heading outta here. If you won't leave, then I'll make you!" Haunter said.
"That's my line," Leos said, and shifted forward a little.
Haunter burst into laughter as he dashed to the left, where he instantly disappeared into the wall. He promptly reappeared, but only for a brief moment. He zigzagged towards them, dashing through the walls so that he so that he couldn't be tracked. But Leos clocked the pattern, and waited with a tense stance.
Right when Leos expected Haunter to appear in front of him, he threw his body into an upward swing, but hit nothing. "Wha-what?"
"Behind you!" Prem choked as he stumbled back.
Haunter came through the floor with his tongue extended and attempted to lick Prem. He missed barely, close enough that sticky saliva splattered off onto Prem's fur. Just as Leos spun around to slash at him, he was gone again, vanishing into the wall.
"We can't let him alert the others," Leos hissed. Mocking laughter came from beyond the walls, followed by Haunter popping in and out of them from various spots.
"A bit late for that. Stand back a second," Prem said. He slapped his cheeks to generate a few sparks, and then thrust a palm forward. A yellow sphere of light surrounded him, and the moment Haunter appeared close, bolts of electricity showered everything within the sphere.
"Grrk, wha-what?" coughed the Haunter amongst a round of jumpy gibberish. His body lurched as the electricity lingered over it in yellow crackles.
"Leos, now!" Prem cried.
Leos watched in a daze, but the moment he heard Prem's tone, he flew into action. Thunder Wave had paralysed the enemy, so now he could do what he did best. He stretched an arm back and tensed up to lengthen his Razor Shell, and then swung with all the momentum he could muster. Haunter cried out as he was sent flipping through the air, and then whimpered as he landed upside-down, his eyes turned to swirls.
"Glad I came?" Prem said.
Leos looked at him after a moment. He wanted to high five him like he usually did for victories like that, but for now, he had to be the more caring Pokémon. "Just don't try to overdo it. I would've had him after a minute."
"You won't always have an extra minute." Prem rolled his eyes.
"Let's… just try and get this done quickly," he said, walking quickly down the hallway. Keep it together now, Leos. This can still go well. I have to believe this can still go well.
The next floor was steamier than the last, but that seemed to be because the other doors were open. He slowed at the light splish and splash that came from his steps here. No matter how softly he thought he could walk, he couldn't help but make a sound. Even so, the Sableye in the first room didn't seem to notice him peek in. It appeared that this floor had indoor steam rooms and shallow baths.
He put a hand to his lip and glanced at Prem, who acknowledged his plan to stay back. Returning his scalchop to his belly , he cupped his hands and gathered water to form an orb between them – his Water Pulse attack. He grew it until the attack was over half the size of his head, and then bowled it into the back of the Sableye, knocking it face-flat into the bath it was soaking its feet in.
"They can't hear us," he mumbled after a moment, and glanced at Prem again. Prem snuck into the room to pull the Sableye out of the water, confirming they were knocked out. "Wait a minute, what?"
"Hmm? What?" Prem said, and froze.
"How did you just do that?" he said. Prem cocked his head. "You picked them up. A ghost. Aren't they incorporeal?"
"Ghosts can control their states like that. Think about the Haunter," Prem said. "He flew through walls like they weren't there, but once you defeated him, he fell face flat like any other Pokémon. It's just the way their bodies work."
"So the whole invisibility thing is more like an ability they have rather than a physical quality. I think I understand." He rubbed his chin. "I can't believe I didn't know that."
"Some ghost types don't even have that ability at all. You have to wonder what makes them ghost type, in that case," Prem said.
"Oh, I can actually answer that one. It's to do with other features, like how scary they look, or how they feed off grudges and curses," he said. "Ghosts can be spirits, or mummies, and all sorts of otherworldly manifestations. Just picture: if it can be related to the horror genre, it's probably a ghost type."
"… I'm actually more impressed you managed to word that so simply." Prem smiled.
The other rooms on the floor were dealt with in equal fashion. Shuppet sat in one bath, while a Dreepy couple played about in another, and a Banette seemed to be dancing in another. All of them were unaware enough that Leos could sneak up and defeat them quickly.
And then they reached what appeared to be the top floor. There were windows in the walls here, which let a cool wind sing through the short hallway. This hallway circulated the roof of the structure in a square, with each room leading to small baths obscured by rocks and mountains. The only set of double doors here were wide open, where a wooden slope led into the biggest bath the house had to offer.
"Ah, there's loads of them," Leos mumbled, and immediately hid. Prem joined him, though he didn't look nearly as intense.
The bath itself was a grand spectacle, and were it not for the loud, partying ghosts occupying it, Leos would be excited to dive in. Clean, mountain rock walls, a curtain of bamboo woodland that shimmered in the misty light, and calligraphy patterned flags surrounded the giant hot spring on one side. It looked like one of those amazing paintings of calming scenery, only since it was real, it bolstered his urge to explore.
But with the ghosts around, he felt angry instead. Furious, even. Dreepy shot around the place, splashing each other and the others. Gourgeist sucked up water through their pumpkins and spat it out through their upper mouths at Drifloon, who bounced along the surface while drawing shapes in the water. An absurd amount of soap had been dumped in the water, making bubbles and foam cloud everything, despite the water's steaminess. Large sacks of salts and other fancy bath pleasures lay torn open on the side, giving the water a murky, unusual green. The only things in the right place were the candles, which created dim dots in the misty distance.
"What're they even doing?" Leos said with a growl. Laughter, curse words, and crude conversation could be made out. He heard something about a sexy Mismagius, and chose to zone out. He didn't need to think about that, now.
"Wow, it really is a group of kids. I thought about using Discharge, but that seems like a bit much," Prem mumbled.
"Right. It'll take them all out in one go for sure. Save for maybe the one Drakloak," he mumbled.
"They're just kids, Leos. Electricity in a setting like this could cripple them. That's not worth it," Prem said.
Being opposed made him cross, but when he saw Prem's face, he gave it a proper round of thought. "It's just like you to still be kind. No violence whenever possible, right?"
"And I will never drop that philosophy." Prem nodded.
Leos shut his eyes for a moment. "Okay. I hope you still know how to use our Z-Move."
"Our Z—" Prem replied, and then shifted back. "Are you out of your mind? I just said we shouldn't hurt them."
"Hydro Vortex would wash them out of the place if I target the hot spring. You'll get pulled under too, which I don't want, but I don't really see how else we'll get them to leave without a brawl," he said. "You ready for this?"
Prem scratched his chin. "Are you going to be alright? If I remember rightly, you and Z-moves…"
"Used to be a thing, but not anymore. All that training at the dojo's paying off on my end." He bragged, and flexed his arms. "All these battles and walking today, and I don't feel the slightest bit worn out."
"You don't look it, either," Prem mumbled. "Okay. We'll give it a shot. But if things don't work out, do not fret over me. We can fight this."
"Gotcha. It's a promise," Leos said, and then stepped out into the open. It took a moment, but eventually the ghosts began to quiet as they noticed him and Prem, and soon, dozens of eyes were on them. He couldn't help but gulp and blink, but searched for their leader.
Duskull floated out of the water and approached, while Sableye sharpened their claws. There were far more Pokémon here than he realised, but very few of them were evolved forms. Those that were, the Drakloak, didn't look very strong or refined enough to work as gang leaders. All the ghosts avoided a large bundle of seaweed in the middle of the spring, though.
"How'd you get up here?" one of the Drakloak said. "Forget I asked, actually. Don't care. Just get outta here."
"Wow. Warm greeting." Leos shrugged, stopping at the foot of the water. Contrary to all the steam, it was very cold.
"That's 'cos it ain't a greetin', smartass," Sableye said. She flashed her teeth at him. "Ain't gonna give ya much more of a warnin'."
"You're not curious why I'm here, but I'm curious why you're here. Why'd you guys take over a hot spring, of all things? I would've thought gangs would be more interested in treasures or gald, especially when they're as abundant as you," Leos said.
"We aren't here to answer your questions, child," another Drakloak said, floating to the front. "But if you are aware of who you are messing with, then you are either here for a fight or just plain foolish. Likely both."
"You managed to come to that conclusion, but you don't realise who this is confronting you?" a very deep, low voice spoke up. As it spoke, the water around the seaweed rippled, and the other ghosts all shifted back.
"Please, don't trouble yourself, boss. We'll have them out of here in no time," Drakloak said.
"Oh be quiet. You're damn lucky royalty have an image to uphold, unlike yourself," the voice said.
The seaweed? Leos flinched as the seaweed began to rise. From underneath it, an aged, rusted anchor came, which the seaweed draped off of. Prem seemed just as surprised, but quickly righted himself.
"Those girls got the prince of Etheria to kick us out, huh? Talk about crying to the highest authority," the Pokémon spoke. "You look a little confused. Haven't you ever seen a Dhelmise before?"
Leos corrected his appearance. "I've read rumours of a species by that name. It took me a second to connect the dots."
"Hmpf. Rare as we are, a hot spring both does and does not make sense for where you could find us, doesn't it?" Dhelmise said. There was a long pause. "We're here for… the beginning of a reformation."
"Reformation? Of what?" Prem said.
"Prem, stay back," Leos mumbled.
"It is no surprise that fate would have us confront like this. Although, I did not expect it to be so soon. Attempting to explain the boss's reasoning to you now would give us the same result: a brawl between our two parties," Dhelmise said. He shifted forward, and his fellow ghosts moved with him. Many of them prepared for battle, sharpening their claws, snickering, and other aggressive poses. "So instead, I would have you show us how serious you are about this. You came to drive us out of this area. Show us how you would do that."
"Is that a direct challenge?" Leos said.
"Make of it what you will. Depending on your response, a war might start," Dhelmise said.
"Let's not be silly, here. You lot are just a bunch of young street punks who think you own the town. 'War' is far too strong a word for this," he said. Dhelmise didn't reply. "I do appreciate the haste, though. You're cutting into holiday time for us, so we'll get straight to it. Ready, Prem?"
Prem responded by raising both paws, and then they began their motions. In perfect sync, Leos and Prem crossed their arms, which caused them both to glow a golden light as the surroundings darkened. They slowly unfurled their arms to their sides, then stretched them straight forward, where they crossed again.
"Align the shining stars, I call upon thee," Leos said as he and Prem unfurled their arms again. This time, they began to sway their bodies side to side in a similar fashion to a hula dance, though they undulated their arms more and more as the pose went on. "Grant me the sacred power to fell this wicked foe!"
Prem was bathed in a sparkly, fiery gold light for a moment, and then the light split from him in several streams. The streams engulfed and soaked into Leos. His body now emanated with a shiny, bright blue energy, and his fur flowed wildly with a heavy wind that gushed from him.
"E-er, boss? Isn't this? Shouldn't we?" One of the Sableye said as he staggered back. The ghosts had long since devolved into nervous chatter and unsure movements, yet Dhelmise didn't move an inch.
He watched as Leos and Prem continued to move in perfect unison with each other. While Leos continued his incantation, he raised a fist high, punched the floor, and then launched forward with a sprint start boosted by a powerful gush of water.
Leos arched through the air and slammed into the hot spring directly in front of Dhelmise, who finally let out a struggled cry as he tried to remain in place. The water quickly turned into a raging whirlpool, pulling every Pokémon present into its deep current. Prem was the only one that wasn't getting thrown about like a doll. Even so, he was tensed up and had to hold his breath.
Before they knew it, the attack hit its climax. The whirlpool grew tall enough that it looked to reach the clouds, and then dispersed in a deafening splash. Every single one of the ghosts that had been swept up was thrown miles away, many of them fading into the distance, while a pleasant rain fell from the attack's aftermath. Prem and Leos were the only ones left behind, in the same positions as when they started. The water level for the hot spring had returned to what it was before, too.
Prem was the first to let out a sigh, and stumbled forward a little. He held his paws out to the rain, and smiled at the refreshing change of temperature. "That really worked. After all this time, we really can still do it."
Leos didn't answer, or move.
"I never should've doubted you. Seriously, cool move!" Prem said. He held a paw up for a high five, but Leos still didn't move. "Leos?"
Silence. He hesitantly stepped forward and half expected Leos to fake him out. But he made it to Leos' front, and found him drenched in sweat and strained like he couldn't breathe. Before he could cry out, Leos gave into to whatever was ailing him, and fell into Prem's arms.
"Leos? Leos? Leos, open your eyes!" Prem cried. After a few moments, Leos began to tremble a bit, and struggled to wake up.
"Prem," he said weakly, and coughed. "D-dang. My chest just tightened up and… g-guess I wasn't as ready as I thought I was."
"Z-Moves still do this to you?" Prem said. There was a long pause, where Leos tried to keep his eyes open, but couldn't. To his surprise, Prem chose not to wait for an answer, and hoisted him carefully.
"Wa-wait, Prem? What're you—"
"Don't talk, save your energy," Prem said, carrying him out of the spring. Leos couldn't help but sigh, and let his arms and feet hang loosely.
"Some things never change, huh?" he said dryly.
"Just like old times. I really don't mind, though." Prem smiled at him.