I'm probably gonna stop naming chapters at this point because I can't come up with titles that well. However some might still be given a proper name but probably very rarely since there are some titles I already have for pre-planned chapters and others I may just come up with a title as I write.
At the time of editing: I apologize for my long absence but i have been distracted with other things as of late and haven't had the time to edit chapters. I do have the next chapter written but will probably hold of from posting it for at least another week. I appreciate those who are still following the story despite my absence and thanks to all who have followed and faved it as well. Anyway I wont delay any longer, here is the next chapter.
Chapter 41
Following the departure of their friend the day before, nothing has really changed with the crew as they resumed their daily routines.
Aura and Prince had left earlier that morning to train with Gurkinn while the rest of his team remained within the suite. The sky had begun to look a little gloomy and the forecast called for a heavy rainfall that day, so instead of sitting out in the rain, Alice suggested they all watch some movies to pass the time. But after they finished their second movie and were about to start the third one, Alice suddenly got off the couch without a word and retreated to her bedroom.
Stan looked back and wondered why she left, turning to Lee to ask, "Where's Alice going?"
The Lucario just shrugged and looked over to the bedroom he shared with his mate. As Alice exit the room with her purse over her shoulder and a light blue umbrella in her hands, the Lucario got her attention with a quick wave, "Where are you headed off to? Getting tired of just sitting around watching TV?"
Alice grinned and headed toward the door, "A little bit. I just figured I might as well go do some shopping before the weather gets too bad. Maybe buy some stuff to do some baking."
Diamond's ears swiveled around and she glanced over the back of the couch. "Baking?" Alice looked to the fox and nodded. Diamond looked out the large window to see the dark clouds were still a ways away, then she looked to the umbrella Alice held in her hands. "Would it be okay if I came with you?"
Alice kindly tilted smiled at her and shrugged, "I'm fine with that. It'll be nice to have a little company." Diamond beamed and stood from the couch. She made her way around the furniture toward the woman. "Alright, we shouldn't be gone too long, and since Darlene and Kibbs went with Aura to the tower, Lee, hold down the fort until we get back! okay?"
Lee lifted his arm over his head to give his partner a thumbs up, too engrossed in the opening scene of the film to look away, "Sure thing, babe. Have fun." Alice snickered at the jackal before her and Diamond left the suite.
Thankfully the Pokemon Center sold umbrellas since Diamond didn't have one, and because the two sharing a single umbrella wouldn't have been easy, Alice made sure to pick one up for the fox Pokemon before they left.
As they walked down the street, Alice turned to Diamond, "So why did you wanna come with anyways?"
Diamond looked down and fidgeted with her new umbrella, "I've been interested in cooking for quite a while now but I haven't really had the chance to actually practice much, so I thought maybe this would be a good chance to learn more about ingredients and maybe...ask you more about baking?"
Alice pat her on the back, "I'd be more than happy to teach you how to bake."
Diamond's tail swished back and forth, "Really?"
Alice snickered, "Why not? Since Aura's gonna be busy with training we'll have plenty of time to practice," she suddenly looked at Diamond with a large grin, "and just maybe, you can surprise Aura when him and Prince get back later."
Her tail swished even more as a blush grazed the fox's cheeks, "I'd love that." She muttered, lightly nipping at her claws.
Alice full out laughed now and wrapped an arm around Diamond's shoulders, "I'm sure he'd love it too. And don't worry, I'll be there to help you every step of the way." Finally reaching the grocery store, the sky had become completely grey and the rain slowly started coming down. Stopping inside the entrance, Diamond looked back out into the streets and wondered how Aura was doing. "Come on, Diamond. We can't take too long."
"O-oh. Right, sorry about that." Diamond quickly turned back and followed Alice through the store.
"Stay close to me. It's easy to lose each other in a supermarket when you don't have a way to keep in contact. And since I'm pretty sure you don't know how to read the signs, if we get seperated then meet back at the entrance, okay?" Diamond nodded as she looked around at the shelves.
"There sure is a lot of different coloured boxes here?" The fox curiously stopped for a moment and picked up a large box that was mainly red in colour with a bowl full of multicoloured shapes and a happy cartoon Miltank printed on the bottom corner of the box. She squinted at the wording at the top, not noticing a man passing by giving the Delphox an odd glance.
Alice took the box from her hands and set it back on the shelf, "These are sugary cereals kids usually love to have, what we're looking for should be at the back." She explained.
Diamond blushed and followed behind Alice, "Sorry. I've just never been inside a store like this, we would usually just stop at a normal PokeMart or eat at the Pokemon Center."
"I can understand that, but speaking of, I guess while we're here we might as well pick up something for supper tonight." She leaned in towards her, "This way you can surprise Aura with supper and dessert."
That made Diamond's tail sway even more with her ears somewhat perk up yet fold back anxiously, "You sure he'd like it? I-I mean, I haven't made anything for so long, and even then I always burnt it or messed it up somehow."
The two stopped so Alice could take out a jug of milk from the refrigerator and set it in the small shopping cart. "You're just overthinking it. Aura would appreciate anything you tried to make because he knows you're only doing your best. And although I can't say that if you made supper on your own it wouldn't be a little...blah," she said, trying not to offend Diamond, "but with me helping you out everything should work out fine."
Thankfully, she appeared unfazed by the honest words, Diamond did let out a slow sigh but made it clear she understood and accepted the truth of the matter. "Thanks for being honest, I know I still need to improve my cooking and I'm glad you're here to help me with that."
A relieved breath escaped Alice's lips. "I'm just glad I didn't offend you. How about something a little easier to start with? Like a stir-fry?"
Diamond nodded, "If you think it's a good start then I have no complaints."
"Perfect, once we pick up the rest of our baking stuff we can go get the vegetables." After another couple minutes and picking up some cocoa powder, flour, sugar and eggs, they headed to the produce section of the store near the entrance. The rain was coming down a lot more now which made them glad they brought along umbrellas.
While browsing along the display of produce looking for anything to add to the stir-fry, Diamond was in the middle of picking up a carrot when she suddenly felt something bump into the back of her legs and tug on her fur dress excitedly.
"Mommy! Mommy! What Pokemon is this?!" She heard a young voice cry out.
Diamond turned around and looked down to see a small child wearing a yellow raincoat holding onto her fur while looking back towards the entrance. She followed the boy's gaze to see a woman hurrying over with an embarrassed flush. "Harry! You don't grab at a Pokemon's fur like that!" The woman scolded. She knelt down and gently made the boy let go of Diamond before pulling him back a little bit. "I'm so sorry about my son," she apologized and bowed her head towards Alice, "We're visiting from Unova and he's never seen a Delphox before. I hope he didn't hurt your Delphox!"
Alice shook her head and looked at Diamond. "Oh, she's not my Pokemon. She belongs to a friend."
The fox in question simply place the carrot back on the pile and waved her paw with a kind smile, "It's okay. He just surprised me a little." The woman went wide eyed.
"I'm sorry. I've just never heard a Pokemon speak English before." She apologized again.
Diamond waved her hand and giggled, "It's fine. I keep forgetting Pokemon rarely speak like humans, even Psychic types." She replied kindly. "My name is Diamond, by the way."
"I'm Alice."
The woman smiled, "My name is Cheryl, and this is my son Harry. Again, I'm very sorry to disturb you."
"Not at all. I suppose this is something mothers have to put up with a lot?"
Cheryl laughed, "More than you know, I love Harry to bits but he can get out of hand sometimes. But it's all worth it in the end."
Diamond rubbed her stomach, "I guess I'll have to keep that in mind when I have my kit."
Cheryl seemed to lighten up a lot more, "You're pregnant? Congratulations."
Diamond smirked, "Thank you. To be honest, Aura and I were very surprised when we found out, but we're both happy either way because it means we're even more of a family than we were before."
"So Aura is your partner? I hope you don't mind me asking what kind of Pokemon they are?"
Diamond shook her head, "Well actually, he's not a Pokemon."
This surprised Cheryl, "So he's a human?" She watched Diamond look a little down and quickly blushed as she waved her hands, "S-sorry. I didn't mean anything bad by that, I don't see anything wrong with interspecies relationships!"
Diamond's expression lightened up a little, "Thanks. For a second I thought I might have said too much. Aura and I have had some issues with our relationship in the past, but we've always gotten through it together." She explained, remembering the time Aura literally smashed Tyler's face in after he insulted their relationship.
Alice stepped up and placed her hand on Diamond's shoulder, "I'm so sorry, but we've gotta hurry up and get going. Aura's going to be back from training in a while and we need to get back to make supper. It was nice meeting you, Cheryl."
"Oh, sorry to keep you two then, but it was nice meeting you too." Cheryl looked at her son, "Say bye now, Harry." The boy lifted his hand and flapped his fingers, saying "bye bye" with a cheery smile.
After Cheryl and Harry walked off into the store, and Alice and Diamond had finished gathering ingredients and payed for them, the duo exit the store with their umbrellas open and walked back to the suite.
Diamond groaned and she felt the wet ground on her paws, "Ohh...my dress is getting dirty!" She lifted up her fur dress and saw the bottom had carried some wet dirt from the street, imagining that her paws weren't much different as she felt wet sand between her toes.
Alice shrugged, "I guess this is a lesson for next time. If you'd like I can probably help trim your fur a bit while we're here so this doesn't happen again, and maybe we can get your fur styled as well."
Diamond thought about it for a moment and smiled, "I wouldn't mind trying it out. Aura might like a new look."
Alice sighed. No matter what, Diamond's mind always seemed to trail back to what Aura would like, but she had to admit, it was rather cute how she just wanted to look more attractive for Aura than for herself.
Feeling the chilly rain from above pelting their exhausted bodies, and the slimy wet sand below their aching feet and stuck between their toes, Aura and Prince lunged forward in unison with their eyes dead set on their targets: each other.
Letting out a rough cry, Prince launched into the air with his fist pulled back. Arching down towards his trainer from above, Prince thrust his fist forward and nearly struck Aura directly in the chest, the Guardian managing to leap back just in the nick of time so that the Lucario collided with the ground instead, kicking up a wave of wet sand in all directions. Aura landed on his feet and skid backwards, shielding his eyes from the shower of sand that splashed against his bare torso and shins (having removed his shirt and shoes earlier while only wearing a pair of jean shorts).
The two stood up and eyed each other down intensely. "Now it's my turn!" Aura scowled.
Kicking up some sand as he rushed forward, he reeled back to jab his fist into Prince's cheek, but while the Lucario brought up his arm to swat it away, Aura perfectly shifted his weight and smoothly pivoted in the sand, using Prince's raised arm as a leverage point as he swung his body in the other direction utilizing all of his weight and the momentum to deliver a powerful strike to just below the Pokemon's rib cage.
Prince let out a pained cry while Aura kept his right arm hooked around Prince's left arm and used his body weight to pull the canine down, freeing his grip on his arm and forcing Prince to twirl on his foot and collapse into the sand.
Aura reeled back to deliver another blow to the Pokemon, but froze as Prince clenched his teeth and hissed in pain as he held where Aura had hit him. Aura immediately dropped his stance and knelt down, though he kept his guard up just in case it were a trap. "You okay?"
Prince hissed as his body instinctively curled up to shield the injured area. "Y-yes." He replied in a scratchy and strained voice. Aura helped his partner sit up in the sand. Both of them had small cuts and a lot of bruises from the day's training, and they were both extremely exhausted, Aura had even suffered a nose bleed from being kneed in the face after slipping up when the rain was still in the distance, but after that blow to the kidney, Prince coughed up a small glob of bloody mucus with a red trail down the side of his mouth.
"Sorry about that, Prince." Aura apologized. Though they were instructed to not use any special abilities to enhance their strength, the two were still considerably equal in power despite being different species.
Letting Prince wipe his mouth before assisting him in standing, they walked to the stone patio at the base of the stairs where Darlene, Kibbs and Gurkinn stood under a wooden structure similar to a gazebo. Gurkinn looked at them with his arms crossed and nodded, "Excellent work, both of you, despite caring deeply for each other even in the heat of battle, you both put great effort into your fight without holding back. That proves you already have a strong bond."
Aura huffed and sat Prince down on a bench, "Thank you." Taking one of the towels stacked on the table, Aura handed it to Prince while taking another for himself.
Gurkinn looked up into the sky, "Perhaps it best we take a longer break for now to allow you both to regain your strength and to sooth your injuries."
Aura and Prince resumed drying themselves of the rainwater and clearing the sand from their bodies. Aura helped Prince to get the sand out of his fur while Darlene had Kibbs help her warm up their lunches. "Here you go, boys. Eat up while it's hot." After giving them both some food, Darlene went around and place a heated towel around their shoulders, "We don't need you getting sick."
"Thanks, Mom."
Without a word, Gurkinn came over and sat opposite from the pair, resting his elbows on the table and his chin on his interlocked hands. "So, Aura, I hear you will be participating in the tournament next month?"
Aura blinked at him, "Yeah? But how'd you know?"
Lightly chuckling, Gurkinn leaned back a little and straightened his back, "Well as the one hosting it, it's only natural that I should know who is all competing. However I was also informed that you hadn't even heard of the tournament until yesterday, so I assume it's safe to say you don't know the rules too well."
Aura shrugged, "Not really. You wouldn't mind explaining them to me though, right?"
"Not at all. It's rather simple actually, for the most part it is standard League Tournament rules with very few alterations. The biggest of which is that, during the first round, each competing trainer must only use the Pokemon they intend to have as their Mega Evolution partner. This is to test the trainer and Pokemon's bond against the bonds of others." Gurkinn rubbed his chin in thought, "Speaking of the tournament and Mega Evolution, when Lady Arceus had asked me to assist in your training, she had also brought up the subject of Mega Evolution and that you could very well master it much easier than what is considered normal. This is thanks to not only the ideal bond you share with your Pokemon, but because of your exceptionally powerful essence. Therefor, I have a proposal for you."
He leaned forward and looked Aura dead in the eye, "Though it was not a request from Lady Arceus, I will help you both train for the tournament while also helping you both strengthen your bond. Your bond may be ideal, but you still need to learn how to properly harness it's power, otherwise you and your partner could be overwhelmed by the powerful energy and could very well go mad."
"So what are you saying?"
"Up in the mountains there is an area closed off to the public without permission. The reason it's restricted is because the Pokemon there can be aggressive and will often attack trainers. Thankfully a majority of them won't attack without warning since they desire a fair fight, but some will fight without any warning." He pointed at Aura, "You and Prince will hike up to this area and camp there for three days. I will give you one day to prepare for the trip and I expect you to be up at dawn to head out the next day."
Aura and Prince looked at each other a little concerned, but at the same time they were both intrigued by the challenge and were driven by the promise of growing stronger. Aura calmly set down his dish and gazed into Gurkinn's eyes. "We'll do it. Even if we don't make and progress towards Mega Evolution, it'll still help us reach our goal and help fight the Corrupted Guardians."
"Very well. Then today's training is now over." Gurkinn stood and walked towards the stairs to the tower, "Get some rest tonight and be ready to head out the day after tomorrow."
Still drenched from head to toe in rainwater, Aura and Prince entered the Pokemon Center dripping wet while Darlene followed behind them with an umbrella held above her and Kibbs' heads. The white tile of the lobby was covered in muddied footprints of both people and Pokemon with multiple wet floor signs put up around the room.
Wanting to dry off as soon as possible and clean the sand from their bodies, they all hurried to the elevator and ascended to their floor. Thankfully no one else had called the elevator while they were going up. As soon as they reached the top floor and the metal doors slid open, Aura and Prince took the lead while Aura reached into his pocket for his key. He nearly began to panic when he couldn't feel anything but sand, then he remembered he gave his key to Darlene to hold on to fearing it could get damaged or lost during training. So stepping aside to let Darlene unlock the door, the two followed in behind her and noticed right away a delicious scent wafting through the air.
"We're back!" Darlene announced, dropping her wet umbrella into the holder.
Diamond excitedly skipped around the counter and approached Aura with her arms outstretched, however, she suddenly recoiled at the sight of her mate coated in wet sand. She pulled in her arms and sheepishly stepped back, "So...how was training?"
Aura looked over the fox and smirked, she was wearing a long pink apron with a few brown smudges over the fabric, he found it rather adorable on her if not a little sexy from how the fabric had partially tucked in between her slightly swelling breasts, making them appear larger than they really were. With those thoughts aside, Aura noticed how she instantly drew back after seeing him and took this chance to have a little fun.
Stepping forward casually, Aura shrugged his shoulders. "It went pretty well all things considered. It's actually pretty fun sparring with Prince like that." He shot Diamond a sly grin as he approached her with outstretched arms, Diamond taking another step back with a slight sweat on her face, "But in the end, it's nice to be back with my lovely mate."
Approaching the fox for a hug, Aura laughed as she just as quickly distanced herself from him. "C-can you please go wash off first?"
Aura paused and feigned being hurt by her words. He forced out a sad sounding sigh, "So you're not happy to see me?" Just as he was hoping, Diamond walked right into his trap.
She jerked and extended a hand, "N-no! I-I mean, yes I'm happy to see you too, but-" Aura cracked a grin and practically jumped for Diamond with his arms outstretched like before. The fox nearly screamed and ran from her dirty mate as he jokingly pursued her with a lighthearted laugh. "No! Stop it!" She cried.
Aura laughed hard, "Aww~ come on~! Don't you wanna give your loving trainer a hug?"
At this point Diamond picked up on his intentions and couldn't help but laugh as well. "No~! You're all dirty!" She screeched.
Everyone just watched in silence as the trainer and Pokemon ran around the room. Eventually Darlene and Kibbs both let out a groan as Darlene extended her hand with a faint blue glow emanating from her palm. Next thing they all knew, Aura suddenly smacked into an invisible barrier and fell back on his butt. Diamond slowed and turned to face her trainer, a look of concern on her face for a moment before snickering under her breath.
"That's what you get for trying to dirty my fur!" She scolded with a sly grin and crossed her arms.
Aura rubbed his lower back and chuckled, "Guess I deserved that." He looked around the room to Alice, seeing her shake her head and gesture to his mother. He looked almost bewildered for a moment before remembering his mother was also technically an Aura Guardian like himself.
Darlene lowered her hand the transparent barrier blinked out of existence, "Yes you did." She scolded him, "I know you were just playing around, but I'm pretty sure Diamond doesn't want her fur getting covered in sand. You know how her species prefer to stay clean."
Aura rubbed the back of his head and shrugged, "Kind of. Though I've never seen Diamond act too dramatically when it came to being a little dirty, even as a Fennekin and Braixen." He stood up and smiled at his mate, "But I love that she's not exactly like her species is expected, it makes her unique." Pausing for a minute, Aura noticed a slightly damp but still clean towel hanging from Darlene's bag and rushed over to grab it. Bringing it back over to Diamond, he held it stretched out in his arms before suddenly wrapping around Diamond's side, "Sorry for teasing you." He pecked her on the cheek.
Diamond smiled and reached up to pat his arm. "It's okay. Now go take a shower, supper is almost ready." She told him, jokingly pushing him away and returning to the kitchen.
Aura looked to Prince then to the empty bedroom that Dan recently resided in, "Think you can work the shower on your own, Prince?" The Lucario somewhat looked to the bedroom with a little bit of doubt, Aura quickly took notice of this and signed, "Right, you've never actually used a shower before… I guess we can just shower together then."
Prince slowly nodded, "If you wish. I apologize for the inconvenience."
Aura waved his hand as the two walked into his bedroom, "Don't worry about it. The showers are big enough to fit like two or three people anyways, and besides, we're both guys as well as partners. Hell, not too long ago we were literally rolling around in the sand and I was already half-naked." He laughed, referring to their earlier training.
Once the boys retreated to the bedroom and quickly headed to the bathroom, Aura shut and locked the door before undoing his belt and dropping his pants. Prince casually averted his eyes from his master as he undressed, not wanting to be rude and awkwardly stare at his exposed trainer. After tossing his soiled garments into the plastic hamper, Aura entered the large shower with Prince and slid the glass door shut.
Unlike your everyday standing-shower, the VIP suite actually had a smaller room off to the side next to their jacuzzi tubs in every bathroom, making the normal price of nearly one thousand Poké more understandable. The tiled room was at least four feet by five feet and the floor was lowered by three inches inside with a drain in the middle. They even had a couple plastic stools stacked in the corner to sit on while showering.
Stepping down from the narrow platform right by the door, Aura looked around the small room a little and smiled. "Every time I see these showers I'm just amazed. They're so much different than what I'm used to." He rubbed his hands together, "Now, let's get cleaned." Prince watched his trainer curiously as he pulled the shower head off the wall and began adjusting the water's temperature, spraying it against his foot to test it's heat until it was just right, though strangely hissing slightly under his breath. "Alright, mind grabbing us each a stool from the pile there?" He pointed to the corner there the stools were neatly stacks.
After Prince turned his back and was picking up a stool, Aura grinned and pointed the shower head at the Pokemon, pressing down on a small switch that sprayed the water. The Lucario let out a yelp as ice cold water hit him in the back and made him suddenly drop the stool with a loud bang against the floor.
Prince spun around to see Aura bent over laughing hysterically. Prince crossed his arms and scowled, "That was not very honorable, Master Aura."
Aura wiped his eye and his sighed, "Sorry, sorry. I just couldn't resist myself. I feel like everyone's just gotten more relaxed since we got here, you've even lightened up a lot since you evolved."
His laugh died down to nothing as Prince resumed fetching them each a stool, looking over his shoulder a little more cautiously than before. "I understand, Master Aura. I too have felt the air around us all lighten up compared to before." The canine smirked as he handed one stool to Aura and followed his lead as he set down his stool, though Aura instructed him to move his in front of the other and sit down.
"I'm sure the sand is probably more annoying for you since you have fur, so I'll help you clean off first." Prince nodded and sat down in front of Aura. He thanked him while Aura turned up the water temperature and began rinsing off the loose sand and dirt.
While those two washed off the dirt and grime, Diamond and Alice returned to finishing up tonight's supper. Diamond had done most of the cooking with some help and guidance from Alice along the way. Diamond stood in front of the stove with her ear fur tied back and her arm fur strapped down with hair-ties. The combinations of vegetables and noodles sizzled in the pan while Alice showed Diamond how much of each seasoning to add before she stirred it around.
Diamond looked at it all nervously, "Am I doing this right?"
Alice looked over her should and nodded, "You're doing it just fine, just remember to flip some of it around while you stir to mix it all in."
She nodded and did as instructed, a few bits of vegetables spilled over the edge but Alice just told her to keep going and either lighten up or go a little faster. But over all Diamond was doing well enough. Eventually Alice reached over and turned off the burner, telling Diamond to move the pan over to another burner while they checked on the brownies.
Another ten minutes later, Aura and Prince entered the room with their hair still somewhat damp from the shower. Aura took a moment to sniff the air, "Wow, something smells good."
Alice looked over from the kitchen and smiled, "Thanks, we just finished making supper so once everyone's ready we can begin." Aura nodded and sat down at the table with the Pokemon all gathering around and waiting for their food. Once everyone was seated, Diamond and Alice began serving the food before sitting down themselves with their own servings.
"This is pretty good, Alice." Aura praised, shoveling another fork full into his mouth.
"Actually, it was Diamond who did most of the cooking."
Aura paused and looked at his mate. "You made all this?"
Diamond shyly nodded and rubbed her arm, "Y-yeah, but Alice helped me a lot."
"But you still did really well." Alice chimed in, "She wanted to learn how to cook so she could surprise you."
"Mmh, well this tastes really good. I'm actually really impressed, Diamond." He sighed and leaned back a little, "And speaking of surprises, I've actually got an announcement."
"What is it?" Diamond asked.
"Well the day after tomorrow, Prince and I will be going out to a secluded area to do special training for a few days." Aura looked down a little and sighed, "I feel kind of bad now since you put so much effort into such a nice surprise just for me to say we're leaving for a while."
Diamond rubbed his arm, "It's okay. I know how important this training is for you...but when will you be coming back? The festival is this weekend."
Aura waved his hand, "Oh, Gurkinn only said we'd be out for three days so we'll be back the day before it starts." He looked to his food and smiled, "One thing I'm certainly looking forward to when we get back is more of this food." He stuffed his face and hummed in satisfaction, "It's delicious."
Everyone looked over to the kitchen as a ding sounded off, Diamond's ears flicked with Alice standing up with a grin, "Well if you like the stir-fry, I'm sure you'll love the brownies."
Sorry for the abrupt ending but I needed to get it done before too long. I got the general idea across but I had forgotten generally how I was gonna structure this ending scene because I was unable to write for a while, but I think it went well enough. Anyway that's all for now, until next time. ~Aura
