A/N:

Hey guys, sorry for the wait! Huge thanks to Lunar Archangel for proof reading all of the chapters and finding the typos that I'd overlooked.

Still don't own Pokémon.

"…" - Spoken dialogue

Italics - Character thoughts

'Italics' - Telepathic dialogue

. . . . . - Time skip

/\/\/\ - Lemon Scene

Chapter 3

— — — — —

Tristan

— — — — —

Tristan stood guard over the fallen outlaws as Liam transported them out one by one. The process was a lengthy one at that, but the luxray could easily handle the criminals in their weakened predicament. They were strewn about, within a shallow pool of water. If one of them so much as moved a muscle, they all got a nasty shock. He'd already given them several.

Three of the outlaws remained, Liam having carried Venom out of the cave back to the authorities. One thing concerned them though, and that was the prospect of moving the nidoking. There was no way either of them would be able to carry him, let alone over half a mile of twisting tunnels. And dragging him would take forever. Even as strong as Liam was, this was way beyond the two of them. I'm sure we'll think of something, Tristan thought. His ears perked up in response to the sound of incoming footsteps. Who the hell did he bring with him?

He stood up and peeked around the corner. Liam was being followed by several officers and a machoke. "Brought some help," the lucario stated.

"Alright, I think we'll be able to take the rest out in one go then."

"Thanks again for this," Liam said to the machoke.

"Not a problem! Thanks for taking out Venom."

"Yes," a magnemite said, its robotic voice as monotone as always, "this outlaw has been particularly concerning to us. It is good to know that he will no longer terrorize people."

"Yeah," Liam said, looking down at the unconscious outlaws. "Listen, I didn't mean to… you know… I missed my shot. I was aiming for his arm, and I just… I don't know what happened…"

"That is alright," Magnezone stated. "Venom would have been given the death penalty, and given his violent history, death was going to likely come with his defeat." Though violent outlaws typically had the "dead or alive" condition understood, Team Retribution always tried to bring them in alive. This hadn't been the first kill under Liam's career, and it didn't keep him up at night - not any more, at least. But the fact still stood that it was quite uncommon for them, and he didn't mean to do it.

The first time, on the other hand, nearly devastated the poor lucario. It had been half a year before Tristan had joined the team. He and Selina had taken a job on Mount Travail, where they pursued a houndoom named Cerberus. The outlaw had given them both an intense fight, keeping Liam at bay with his fire-type attacks and wearing Selina out with his ruthlessness. Then the accident; Liam struck the houndoom with such force in an effort to end the fight that he sent Cerberus rolling. The hit clearly knocked him out cold, and the job would have been concluded with another successful capture, except for the fact that he rolled over the cliff. Liam used extreme speed, attempting to grab on to him before it happened, but he was too late. He watched as the canine fell to his death.

Liam struggled with it for days, and everyone in the team tried to cheer him up to no avail. All he had seemed to want to do at the time was sit at the base and try to clear his mind of it. But every time he closed his eyes, images of the dismembered houndoom flashed into his mind. Only Selina had managed to break through to him and convince him that it wasn't his fault. Tristan shook his head. None of it made sense - Liam was better than that. To beat one's self up over the death of a criminal was beyond the luxray. Though he did feel sorry for what his partner had gone through, he couldn't understand it in the slightest. But then again, he hadn't killed anyone yet. And here's hoping it stays that way, he thought.

The machoke hoisted the nidoking over his shoulder - a testament to his impressive strength. Liam helped lift the mightyena onto Tristan's back, then assisted the magnemites in carrying the blaziken. Liam led the way out one final time, and the sound of the roaring water greeted their ears once again.

Truth be told, Tristan was more than ready to get back. Soon it would be dawn, and if they kept a good pace, they might actually be back in Treasure Town around noon. While the magnemites went about chaining the living outlaws, Magnezone brought Liam and Tristan aside. "The two of you have done us a great service by taking care of this outlaw." The lead officer signaled another, who brought forth a decently-sized pouch of coins. "This is the bounty for taking care of Venom and the others - Ᵽ15,000." Wow, Tristan thought, that's not a bad payout…

"Thank you officer," Liam said. "If you don't mind me asking, who were the other three? What were they doing here?"

"Nothing more than a group of thieves. Robbed a couple of Kecleon Shops here and there. I probably shouldn't say this, but that is rather impressive. They should be behind bars for awhile, but they'll get out eventually."

With their job here being done, and both of them being exhausted, Liam and Tristan decided to head out. It was still early in the morning; once they got back, it would be far too early for most people to turn in for the day. Screw that, the luxray thought, the moment I get back, I'm headed to bed.

"Good work back there," Liam stated.

"Thanks, you too. Way to stick it to that beedrill," he laughed. Liam simply rolled his eyes.

"Very funny."

"Anyways… how much is the guild getting?" Liam looked over at him, visibly confused.

"What do you mean? You know the rule. Ninety percent." Yeah, but that rule is bullshit.

"Don't you think that the team has been doing that shit for long enough? Hell, over three years? There's no way your and Selina's training hasn't been paid for several times over. There are definitely ways we could avoid that stupid tax."

"Clearly you have something in mind. What is it?"

"Simple, really. The reward wasn't posted, right? So how the hell would they know what we made?"

"So you're suggesting we lie about what we earned?" Liam asked.

"I mean when you say it like that…"

"How else could I say it?"

"You know, we aren't in the wrong for defending what we rightfully earned. And there's no set law or anything making us pay this ridiculous amount. There ain't any reason why we should have to work our tails off just so the Guildmaster can sit on his ass all day and decide what to do with the money that we earned."

"I know it kinda sucks… but it's not like they're keeping the money. Think about it like this - we're growing the town by doing what we're doing. All these new people moving in, all these new businesses opening up - that's all because of the funding from exploration teams like us."

"It's not their fucking money to be handing out," Tristan retorted.

"…No," Liam admitted, "it's not. But I'm fine with it as long as it doesn't go into anyone's pockets and keeps helping the town. Besides, Selina and I are easily the richest people in Treasure Town. Not like we're taking a big hit or anything."

"Maybe you're cool with it, but I'm sure as hell not." Though he may have joined Team Retribution on his own accord, there wasn't any reason as to why he should have to comply with an unwritten rule that he didn't agree with - even if the leader did. "I might be willing to pay a fifth, maybe a quarter - but ninety percent is complete bullshit and you know it."

"Alright, fine," Liam sighed, "I'll talk with Chatot about it. Can't make any guarantees, though." Figuring that was as good of a response as he would get, Tristan dropped the issue.

— — — — —

Liam

— — — — —

Finally… After a long journey back, the outskirts of town were always a welcome sight. Despite the fact that he wanted nothing more than to sleep for hours on end, there were still a few more stops that he needed to make.

Before he paid the guild, he decided that a bath was an absolute must. Liam retreated back to the team base, finding it to be empty. That's strange, I didn't see her in town… Deciding to focus on the task at hand, the lucario grabbed a cake of soap and headed to the stream of water that flowed through the room. It never ceased to amaze him just how much dirt his fur could manage to hold. As he finished rinsing himself off, the trapdoor entrance to the base could be heard opening. Huh, Selina must be back.

"Back so soon," she said with a playful smirk. "You simply couldn't stay away from me, could you?"

"Haha, we'll go with that."

"Aww, you didn't even miss me a little?" she asked with a forced pout.

"Alright," he grinned, "maybe just a little." He grabbed a large cloth and began to dry himself off. "Anyways, we took care of Venom. Had some other guys with him too."

"Of course you did. He didn't even stand a chance, did he?" she asked proudly. "Not against you."

"No. Learned that I need to lay off the iron thorns, though."

"Why's that?"

"Accidentally threw one through his heart."

"Oh Arceus," she muttered. "You missed and killed him?"

"Yeah. I don't get it, either. I almost never slip up like that. Not at that range, at least."

"What did Officer Magnezone say?"

"That since he was a violent criminal and would've gotten the death penalty, it was fine. That and the fact that this was more of a dead or alive type of thing. I'm not in trouble or anything, and I'm not about to beat myself up over it… just kinda didn't mean for it to happen."

"Well don't let it bother you anymore. Oh, almost forgot - there's someone outside waiting to meet you."

"There is?"

"Mhm. Someone interested in joining the team." Hah, good luck with that one pal. Team Retribution only accepted the best recruits, and as harsh as it sounded, they had turned down way more people than they had allowed to join.

"Have you spoken with 'em?"

"Yeah. Bounty hunter. She's easily one of the best I've ever seen. She uhh… got the first master ranking… without any teammates…" Liam's eyes went wide in shock.

"Good lord, how in the world did she manage to accomplish that?" As harsh as their standards were, there was no denying that whoever this new recruit was, she had to be incredibly adept to pull off something like that. Such a feat put her among the most elite teams, and she had no partners.

"I don't understand it either. I talked with her yesterday, and I just haven't seen anyone like her. She's willing to give that ranking up in order to join the team. That is, if you're up for it."

"What, uhh… what do you think?" he asked.

"She's very nice, that much is for sure. She wants to leave the life of solitude behind, so she figured that she'd try to join a team. Definitely aiming high. And yet, I see no reason to deny her."

"Alright, I'll head up there in just a moment," he said as he finished drying himself off, before combing all his fur back into place. "What's her name?"

"Rachel." Liam stopped what he was doing. Where had he heard that name before? And so recently…

"Wait a second, she's that new lucario in town, isn't she?"

"Yeah. Have you met her before?"

"No, but I heard the name back at the guild the other day." He hurried up his preparations - lucarios were incredibly rare, and now he finally had the chance to meet another member of his species. "Do I look presentable?"

"Sharp as always." He grabbed his sash and was getting ready to put it on. "Hey now, there's no need for that."

"What? But I always—."

"Arceus, Liam, that's not how you introduce yourself to someone."

"Same way we met Tristan. And besides, she's a bounty hunter of all things. Why would this be any—."

"Liam," she said sweetly, knowing fully well that it would work, "please don't. There's really no need, and you know it."

"Alright, alright." He set the sash to the side and joined her near the door. Try as he might, he'd always been unable to deny Selina - especially when she asked in such an endearing manner. "One of these days I'm gonna learn how to look past that you know…"

"No you won't," she said with a smirk. Clearly the umbreon enjoyed the fact that she had Liam wrapped around her paw. They climbed the stairs outside, where a rather attractive lucario stood waiting for them.

— — — — —

Selina

— — — — —

For once, it looked as though Liam were having trouble remaining professional in front of the other lucario. She certainly had his attention to say the least. Seeing such a blank stare from her partner struck a cord within the umbreon, and Selina shifted ever so slightly closer to him, though she didn't know why.

"Hi there," Rachel said, her previous assertiveness having been lost within Liam's presence. "I assume… that you've heard of my request?"

"Yes," he said with a nod, "I have. I've gotta say, your past experience is impressive - I don't know of any single person who's climbed through the ranks like that."

"Thank you," she said cheerfully.

"I want to make sure that you know this beforehand," Liam said. "You do know that your current organization will be disbanded if you join us, right?" Rachel nodded.

"I am fully aware of that."

"And you are fine with this?"

"I am."

"Well alright then. Could you give Selina and I a moment?" Liam and Selina went into their house for privacy. The decision was always to be made by the two of them, and even though Rachel's "credentials" were impressive, it would be sort of off to come to a conclusion right in front of her. "What do you think?" he asked.

"I say we let her in. She could really help with all our outlaw missions with all her experience."

"My thoughts exactly."

"So… it's settled then?" the umbreon asked.

"Yeah, I guess so. Let's go up and tell her." The two partners approached her once again, this time with a confirmation.

"That was quick," she stated.

"Yeah, you didn't give us much to discuss," Liam said. "I don't see how we could turn your request down. Your rank alone would lead us towards accepting you." A large smile spread across her face.

"Thank you so much," she said, before quickly hugging him, much to their surprise. Countless confused thoughts swarmed Selina's mind, the foremost being agitation. Just who did this girl think she was doing such a thing to Liam? Apparently realizing the awkwardness of the situation, Rachel backed away. "S-sorry about that."

"That's okay…" No it isn't, Selina thought, though she decided to keep it to herself. "Before you can join us, though, you will need to disband your own team. You can do that by speaking with Chimecho over at the guild."

"Sure thing," Rachel replied. "I'll take care of that right away!"

"Good to hear. I better head down there myself. Gotta hand in the guild's percentage of the last job's earnings." The female lucario turned to leave, but then stopped for a split second.

"Thank you two so much. I'll be sure not to let you down!"

Once they were alone again, Selina hopped onto her bed and reflected on her previous state of mind. Liam had always been her closest friend, so it was only natural that she would feel protective over him. But if she was being honest with herself, she had to admit that her thoughts and discomfort had been borderline possessive. Ugh, what's wrong with me? As she looked out of the corner of her eye at Liam, who was sitting at the table counting the money, she couldn't help but think about what Liam meant to her. To her, the most treasured person in the entire world - nothing less. But was there something more?

"And that's Ᵽ13,500," he said, finally separating all of the coins. "Alright, I shouldn't be long. Gotta make a couple of stops, then I'll be back. You got any plans for the day?"

"No," she said quietly. Liam caught on to the slight dismay in her voice.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing's wrong…"

"Selina… you know you're a horrible liar." Yes, she did know. "Seriously, I'm here for you. What's up?"

"No, really," she persisted, this time being sure to speak in a much more lighthearted manner, "I'm fine. There's nothing wrong." He didn't look too convinced, but decided to let the matter go for the time being.

"Alright then…" He took the coins with him in two different pouches and left the umbreon to herself. She didn't mean to blow him off like that, but how in the world could she be upfront with him about such a thing? It would have been embarrassing, that's for sure. And what would come out of it? Liam surely wouldn't know how to respond.

One thing was for certain - she needed to take her mind off of this somehow. Maybe when Liam came back, he'd want to go out and do something. After all, it had been quite a while since they had gone to the beach. But then again… Liam might be tired after yesterday's mission… Well, it wouldn't hurt to ask, would it?

— — — — —

Liam

— — — — —

How the hell he was going to explain this to Chatot, he had no idea. The way in which Team Retribution split the earnings was simple division amongst all the participating members. Everyone had to pay their ninety percent, though; that took precedence above all. Or at least it had. Tristan's request would, all things considered, greatly lower the guild's profit from jobs taken by their team. And if Tristan decided to take on a job by himself, the guild would earn very little. Great, that bird's gonna be pissed. And yet there was nothing the second-in-command of the guild could do about it. Tristan had no ties to them.

Liam stood on the sentry grate, then, after gaining clearance, headed inside. Most of the guild's inhabitants were out for the time being, either in town or off exploring. Perfect - that meant that surely Chatot would have a few moments to discuss this. As he descended into the lowest level, he found the person he was looking for.

"Another successful mission I presume?"

"Yeah," Liam replied. "You could say that."

"How much did you earn?" Chatot asked.

"Ᵽ15,000 total."

"Arceus!" the bird exclaimed. "That's one of your highest yet!"

"Yep. Come and find out, Venom was with a band of thieves. We got paid for bringing those three in as well."

"What about Venom?"

"…He won't be terrorizing anyone ever again, that's for sure."

"Oh… I see," he muttered. "Well, the fault lies with him and him alone."

"Yeah, it just is what it is. Nothing I can do about it now." He retrieved one of two pouches - the larger of the two - out of his bag. "Anyways, here's the guild's share of the rewards." Chatot motioned for him to set it on the ground level with him.

"Thank you for your contribution. With this, we should be able to set the foundations for more settlements, and we might even have enough to expand the roads out to the new sites." Ah great, just when he's happy and all… But now was as good a time as any to tell him; he certainly wouldn't want to break the news to Chatot on a bad day.

"Listen, there's something we need to talk about…"

"Alright, I'm all ears."

"Well… after we finished the mission, Tristan and I were talking, and to sum it all up, he dislikes paying ninety percent of everything he earns to the guild…" Chatot's eyes went wide - he clearly wasn't expecting to hear that.

"Wh-what do you mean? All of the money goes towards—."

"I know," Liam interjected, "I know. But he feels as though it is unfair, especially considering that he has no ties with the guild. There's no law about this; it's all practically donation. But his reasoning is that it's his money and his choice, and that he's only willing to give up to a quarter of his earnings. While I will personally continue to fund the guild at my usual rate, I have to agree that for someone within Tristan's predicament, it is quite unreasonable."

"But… Team Retribution is tied to this guild! And as team leader, you have the ability to put your foot down on this one!"

"True, I may have the ability," Liam admitted, "but do I have the right to do such a thing? I lead the team, not its individuals' personal decisions. I can't say I like Tristan's decision… hell, I don't like the tax myself. But I'm willing to go through with it because I know that the money's going towards good causes. If Tristan isn't for it, then I'm not making him abide by a rule that's nothing more than a pushy recommendation." Liam immediately realized how much harsher his tone was coming across, and Chatot looked rather irked at his statement.

"Pushy?! You signed up for this!" Yep, definitely pissed him off.

"Selina and I signed up for this. Tristan and the others did not. Keep in mind that Team Retribution could easily separate all ties from this guild and go private. We wouldn't be losing business at all, and we'd get to keep nearly everything that we earn. So yeah, I would say that this stupid ninety percent thing is pushy, especially considering all the other more profitable possibilities we could engage in. If Tristan doesn't want to pay it, then he shouldn't have to."

"Unbelievable," he said through a gritted beak. "To think that we could lose such a significant portion of our funding… Oh, the Guildmaster might just…"

"Chatot, you know that Selina and I will always fund the guild. Only Tristan has thrown out such an idea, so most the others are most likely going to stick with it. And if by any chance you all are short on funding, you know you can come to us. We have always been here for you all."

"Alright," he relented, "Tristan… will now be asked to pay twenty-five percent of the money earned from jobs." Though the bird sounded bitter about the whole manner, there really wasn't much he could do about it.

Once he had finished his business with the guild, Liam took the eastern road from the intersection - towards the new settlements. He would notify Tristan of the change and give him his share of the job. Surely the luxray would be happy to hear that he would no longer be handing over the vast majority of his earnings. Although, truth be told, Liam didn't know why exactly Tristan had all of a sudden stated his dislike of the guild's policy.

His destination came into view, and he soon found himself standing on the doorstep of a quaint, clay-brick house. A wide rug sat before the door, with two blackened streak drawn straight down the middle. He knocked, then entered upon receiving the acknowledgment. "Hey, got good news for ya."

"Really? So birdbrain decided to stop being a prick?"

"Eh, something like that. You're down to a quarter now." He set Tristan's share of the previous mission onto the low-lying table in the middle of the room.

"Nice. 'Bout time I actually got to keep something. With both food and the house, it was hard to get everything squared away."

"Tristan… we didn't know that you were struggling to make ends meet. Why didn't you say something?"

"And take that kind of blow to my pride? Nah, I'll pass. Rather be able to live by my own earnings than off of charity."

"So then that's why you wanted out of the guild's policy for the most part…"

"Yep. Shit, you have no idea how much of a relief this is."

"Yeah, I bet. But still, I feel kinda bad that you went all this time like that."

"Don't worry about that one bit. It's all done with now."

. . . . .

Almost there. Though sleep called the lucario's name, there was one other thing that he needed to do - something that had been stuck on his mind ever since it had occurred. The commotion inside of the café was rowdy as always; the clattering of plates and drinks infused with talks of adventure and of gossip. And perhaps the voice of an individual or two that had had a bit too much to drink.

Liam headed straight for Spinda's station, though he had no intentions of trying out his latest mix. "Liam," the disorienting pokémon said. "How's it going?"

"I've been well my friend. And you?"

"Can't complain - business is thriving. What can I get for you today?"

"Information."

"Oh? Not here for a drink?"

"Not today bud. No, I need to hear the whereabouts of someone," Liam stated. "And since you know just about everything going on in this town, I figured you'd be the best person to come to."

"Alright. So who are you looking for?"

"Weavile from Team AWD."

"Oh, the troublemaker, eh? Why would you want to get mixed up with that crowd, huh? Ain't like you. And besides, didn't you bring them in once?"

"Yeah, that's true. But this is aside from that, and it's really important that she hears something." Spinda nodded, then thought it over for a second.

"If I recall correctly, Team AWD left a few days ago after preparing for an exploration. Not sure where to, though." Liam swore under his breath - he had just missed her, then. She had probably been buying supplies for an exploration that day. And now there was no telling when she would be back. Just great.

"Wait… isn't she breaking her parole?" Liam asked.

"I mean, technically… but that's an issue for the police. For a bunch of petty thieves, I doubt they'll care enough to lock her up."

After thanking Spinda for the help, Liam walked back to his and Selina's residency. Throughout the walk through town, the scene of Weavile chained up and beaten flashed through his mind. All of it disturbed him far more than anything he had encountered over the years. The knowledge of what had gone on, of what her captors had done to her… her captors… He stopped in his tracks. Oh Arceus, he thought, I knew those guys seemed familiar. The realization that he had now personally seen the people involved in the vision struck him as terrifying. But then again… they were going to be behind bars for a long time. It was impossible to know when the event would occur, but it certainly wouldn't if those three were locked up for years to come. Surely there was still cause for concern, but given the criminals' predicaments, the advantage was not on their side. And if they tried anything… he would know where to find him. And he certainly wouldn't hesitate this time.

But one thing still bothered him. The blaziken in the vision had mentioned something about a sentence being carried out. Whatever that meant couldn't have been good, and it could suggest a number of things. It certainly didn't seem as though the thieves were working for the police; that much was certain in the way they both spoke to and treated Weavile. With all things considered, maybe he would've been doing everyone a service had he thrown an iron thorn or two into their chests. He could take comfort, though, in knowing one thing: that if a threat were to arise from the likes of those guys, it wouldn't be for quite some time.

Almost there, he thought as he walked towards Sharpedo Bay's outlook. But as he neared their home, he found Selina to be sitting before the entrance, clearly waiting for his return. Her kind, gentle smile was always a welcome sight to the former human - always something he looked forward to. She padded over to her tired partner and gently nuzzled his side.

"Get everything taken care of?" she asked.

"Yeah, for the most part. Went looking for Weavile while I was out. Turns out she and her team have gone off who knows where."

"Of course she has," Selina sighed. "Seems she can't follow a rule to save her life…"

"Nope, not her."

"Well I'm sure she'll be back before long. She always swings around here."

"Hopefully. But it also helps that Tristan and I took out the guys in my vision."

"Wait, what?"

"Those guys we fought last night - the nidoking and the blaziken, at least - they were the ones in the vision."

"Well now that they're locked away, she shouldn't have anything to worry about, should she?" Liam shook his head.

"I guess not, but you know that the Dimensional Scream has never been wrong before…"

"Eh, true…" she admitted. "So what now?"

"Nothing I can do, other than wait for her to come back. If some day those thugs ever get released, I'll just make sure they know just who the hell they're dealing with." Selina smiled up at him, releasing one of her adorable giggles.

"Mmm, I do love it when you talk tough," she teased. Liam rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but grin. Her sense of happiness was always contagious. "Say, what do you have planned for today?"

"Sleep," he stated simply. "Damn, Tristan and I've been up for almost a day and a half without stopping. What about you?"

"Oh. I was thinking about heading down to the beach. All the krabby should be out before long. It's been quite awhile since we've gone down there, too." Huh, she's right. It has been awhile…

"That sounds nice," Liam said.

"Will you be joining me?" she asked.

"You know it."

— — — — —

Selina

— — — — —

The waves gently rolled to the very brink of their feet before receding back into the orange sea. This had always been her favorite place to come whenever she wanted to think, or just to relax. It was always a nice retreat from all the work they did, and served to bring back one of her most cherished memories - that day three years ago when she had found an unconscious riolu washed up on the shore. Looking over to the side, she could recall the exact spot; right beside those two lone stones among the sand.

Of course, this beach had also been her dreaded escape during the worst period of her life. Those months when Liam had been gone - truly erased from history - had been the most sorrow-filled, painful memories she had. All those days of coming here and trying to grasp at memories with her friend, just to come to the bitter realization each time that he was no longer there. All those days of crying, of starving herself, and of tossing and turning. Even thinking about those times made her want to cry. But then Dialga had given her the best gift of all. The gift of the future.

Thousands upon thousands of large bubbles were carried out to see as the krabby did their evening ritual. Now this beach was no longer the embodiment of her depressed loneliness; now it had everything it needed to be perfect once again. The lucario right beside her. And speaking of that lucario…

Liam had decided to lay back, noticeably struggling to keep his eyes open. Aww, he's trying not to fall asleep. Trying without much success it seemed. She watched as his eyes would slowly come to a close, only to spring open in an effort to keep himself from succumbing to exhaustion. All because he wanted to come out here with her. She decided to join him in laying down in the soft sand, ever-so-slightly touching their sides together. He looked at her questioningly, but she just smiled in response.

"Go ahead," she said quietly. "I know you're tired." He certainly wasn't in the mood for debate, so he simply nodded and began to close his eyes. His breathing became slow and steady, and she could tell that it hadn't taken long for him to give in. How wonderful it was to be able to look at him once again like this. No longer did she have to mourn while her friend became nothing but tainted memories. She gently nuzzled his shoulder; he was out cold, no chance he'd wake up. And besides, it wasn't like they hadn't had their little friendly gestures towards each other before. No, these had become much more common ever since he returned from the plane of non-existence; she knew fully well how important he was to her once he had no longer been in the picture.

What in Arceus's name am I doing though? Giving small hugs over the years had been one thing, with maybe a few being more intimate, but rubbing him like this? It was much more… sensual. She pulled away. What's gotten into me? she wondered. That had been strange - no doubt about it, and with her irritation towards Rachel's action earlier… she didn't quite know what to make out of all of this. Well… I don't think that bothering myself about it is going to help anything… Instead, the umbreon kept her gaze towards the beauteous night sky, her mind consumed with thoughts of the adventures that were in store for the two of them.

A/N:

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