Ember despised rainy days.
It wasn't even the rain itself that bothered her, because in all honesty, she didn't really mind getting her scales wet. Exposing her tail flame to water was a more unpleasant experience, but contrary to popular belief, doing so would not seriously jeopardize her health. Provided they were healthy, a Charmander could stand outside during a raging thunderstorm for hours and emerge little worse for wear. Even extinguishing the flame by submerging it in water would pose little danger, although Ember could say from experience that it was about as enjoyable as climbing into a bathtub filled with ice.
She honestly had no idea why so many humans and Pokemon alike had the misconception that her species would perish within seconds of touching water, as if she were made of sugar. If Charmander were that really susceptible to water, then it was truly astonishing that the species managed to survive at all.
Ember snorted softly. The main reason she hated the rain was because of how bleak and depressing the world became. The sky would get dark, with moody gray clouds blocking out the sun. The rain itself was fine, and even enjoyable in moderation, but Ember hated how rainy days made her feel. Rumbling thunder used to scare her when she was a kit, and although she'd never admit it, she still felt apprehensive whenever she saw lightning in the distance, knowing a clap of thunder would soon follow.
The day had started off so well, too. Adrian and Marcus had planned another group training session, now that Avis and Blaze had adjusted to their evolved bodies enough to battle more effectively, but just before they were about to begin, the rain had started. Marcus had again picked the path leading to the Solaceon Ruins area as his venue of choice for their training session, so at least the Ruins itself served as a convenient shelter from the rain.
The exterior of the Ruins had the appearance of a simple cave entrance, but the interior consisted of a narrow stone corridor, with a number of crumbling stone staircases branching away from this beginning passageway. The walls were decorated with a number of carvings and inscriptions, written with ancient hieroglyphics etched into faded stone tablets.
Aureia had taken one look around the room, snorted derisively, and gone back outside to frolic in the rain. Ember took private delight in describing the behavior as such, if only because it was so unusual to see the Vaporeon in such high spirits. She had even invited Blaze to accompany her, but the Sylveon declined, preferring to remain where it was dry.
"You said 'no'?" Avis asked him incredulously. Blaze had proceeded to stammer an explanation, only for the evolved grass lizard to gently shush him. "Let me just walk you through this for a second, Blaze," the Servine murmured, phrasing each sentence delicately and with careful emphasis. "Aureia invited you. You're not imposing. She wants you to be present, because if she didn't, she wouldn't have invited you."
Blaze fidgeted, understandably wary of the Servine's intentions. Evolution had produced a drastic change in Avis' behavior, almost to the point of her acting like a completely different person. Gone were many of her childish and cutesy mannerisms, replaced instead by an unnerving degree of smug confidence, further amplified by the intensity of her crimson eyes.
"I just want to stay dry," Blaze mumbled, drawing his ribbons closer to his body, almost like he was hugging himself. In contrast to past behavior, Avis appeared to recognize the male's discomfort, and backed out of his personal space. When she spoke again, it was in that same calm, delicate voice.
"You're not an Eevee anymore. Your fur is not as thick, so getting wet is not as grave an issue," Avis pointed out, and then smiled, adding more of a chirp to her words. "Think of the occasion as if you're taking a shower. The invitation to symbolically shower together is a level of intimacy she does not ordinarily extend, and rejecting the invitation for a petty reason could be seen as a rejection of an attempt to open up to you."
Blaze scowled slightly. "I think you're either messing with me, or trying to look for some hidden meaning that wasn't intended to be there in the first place."
"Hm...that's possible," Avis admitted, and she stifled a giggle. "She DID invite you to take a bath with her before, though. That night we stayed in Hearthome."
"She was definitely messing with me," Blaze retorted, although his cheeks flushed. Ember had to fight to keep a straight face, because she vividly recalled how Aureia's sarcastic offer to help Blaze bathe had made the then-Eevee so paranoid that he refused to go near water until he had confirmed the Vaporeon was somewhere else.
"Probably," Avis conceded, but her smirk widened slowly. "But it's weird that she suggested bathing you, rather than threatening to hose you down. I'm just saying that Aureia doesn't tend to express her true thoughts or feelings in the most direct, or even logical, manner."
"Why do you even care?" Blaze demanded, bristling slightly.
"I don't," Avis sighed softly, shaking her head almost pityingly. "Forget me reading into things too deeply, and just focus on how she enjoys being out in rainy weather, but still asked you to come with her. She's already in a better mood than normal, and the thought of having you out there with her doesn't bring her mood down."
"Then why even mention showers or whatever?" Blaze asked suspiciously.
"Because if you think of the rain as a shower, you justify getting wet as 'oh, I get wet when I wash up, and that's not so bad', and then you get your tail out there and spend time with the female that obviously likes you," Avis said, unable to contain her exasperation any longer. "Virizion help me. By not going, she might think you're saying that getting wet is too much an inconvenience to be worth spending time with her. And she's a Vaporeon, so that's just dumb."
"She really might think that?" Blaze asked, casting Ember a concerned look, evidently trusting her to answer more honestly than Avis.
The Charmander hesitated. While she and Aureia were surprisingly close, they had never discussed a situation, hypothetical or otherwise, where this sort of problem might arise. For the most part, Aureia was introverted, preferring to be alone or with just one or two other Pokemon nearby. Ember was the same way, so maybe the best response would require her to first decide how she would feel in Aureia's place.
"I don't think she'd interpret it quite like that," Ember stated finally. "But...I do think Avis has a point. Aureia made a point of inviting you...and she wouldn't do that unless she wanted you along."
"So she's giving me a choice, but planning to punish me for it if I choose wrongly?" Blaze asked, frowning.
"No, no, nothing like that," Ember insisted, shaking her head fervently. "Look, I'm hopeless at predicting relationship stuff, but I do know how Aureia acts. If you had been the one to ask if you could come along, she'd just say she doesn't care, even if she secretly wanted you there. But she went out of her way to invite you...and that's a rare gesture that I don't think you should ignore...at least without a really good reason."
Blaze mulled this over for a few moments, and then nodded. "Thank you," he said, offering both females a small smile. He took a deep breath, and then went out into the rain, making his way over to where the Vaporeon was frolicking.
"That was rather sweet of you," Ember told the Servine.
Avis smiled slightly. "His evolution clued me in to what I found so odd about him," she murmured. Her eyes flicked over to make eye contact with the Charmander. "I said before that most people make themselves look stronger to avoid conflict, but that he does the opposite. I was right - he makes himself look weaker, so that others think he's not worth fighting. But what I was missing before was that he resents the role he takes on. He needs to feel loved and accepted."
"How did his evolution tell you that?" Ember asked blankly.
"Evolution allows one to surpass their previous limits in pursuit of growth and fulfilling their dreams," Avis murmured, gazing up at the gray sky. "For many, it is merely the desire for strength and respect. But for Blaze, it allows him to truly express himself with less risk of rejection and confrontation. Cute Charm will continue to endear him to females, and so he is not as dependent on Aureia's acceptance. He no longer feels the need to kiss up to her in the hopes of receiving the smallest taste of affection, and this will embolden him. It'll be healthy for both of them."
Ember frowned thoughtfully. One of the more unnerving changes to Avis' demeanor was the way her smug confidence bled into her commentary. It was nearly impossible to tell whether she was highly intelligent and insightful, or if she was making things up to serve whatever narrative she was telling. At least when she was a Snivy, her childish and playful tone caused half of anything she said to reasonably be labeled as exaggeration or falsehoods, but as a Servine, the distinctions were infinitely harder to make.
"Excuse me," Raze interrupted from Ember's shoulder, and she jumped, almost singing the Buizel with her tail flame. He smiled apologetically. "Didn't mean to startle you, love, just wanted to slip outside and enjoy the rain while it lasts."
Ember's cheeks grew hot at the endearment, and she pressed herself against the entrance wall, allowing the Buizel enough room to pass. Avis smirked, but likewise stepped aside so that the Water-type could leave. Her gaze lingered after him for a few moments, before refocusing on Ember.
"Do you think they know he's leaving?" Ember wondered, nodding towards the two humans. Adrian and Marcus had been walking around the passageway, pausing every few paces to examine the various tablets and inscriptions along the walls. Sparky was sniffing at each of the staircases, and Laura was hovering near the trainers, almost like a bodyguard.
"Doubt it," Avis answered, peering outside again. "Doesn't look like he's lingering in the area, either. Visiting the town, perhaps?"
Ember shrugged. Adrian was much more lenient than most trainers by allowing his Pokemon the chance to roam around without his immediate supervision, but he usually did this within confined or familiar areas, and usually only for a set period of time before checking up on them. Justified in that he was assigned to look after potentially volatile Pokemon, and he couldn't afford the legal ramifications of letting his Pokemon run around unchecked. Ember was kept on the shortest leash, due to her volatile temper, and Adrian was usually reluctant to let her out of his sight unless she was accompanied by Aureia or Avis.
It was usually recommended for Pokemon that temporarily split away from their trainer to at least inform one of their teammates where they were going, or at least when to expect them back, so that someone could track them down if something happened. Maybe it had simply not occurred to the Buizel to do that, or maybe he didn't plan to be gone long enough for it to matter. It really wasn't Ember's problem one way or the other.
Avis' nose twitched, and she blinked, gazing around with a mixture of apprehension and curiosity, sniffing the air. "Do you smell something?" Avis wondered.
Bemused, Ember sniffed the air a few times, not really sure what sort of scent she was trying to detect. After a few moments, she shook her head. "Just the rain," she answered dully.
"No, not the rain," Avis insisted, frowning, her nostrils flaring as she turned in different directions, attempting to locate the scent. "It's almost like...something burning."
"I have an active flame on my tail," Ember deadpanned. Avis gave her an exasperated look, but nevertheless moved nearer and sniffed the air nearer to the Charmander's flame, taking great care not to move too close as to risk getting burned.
"No, it's different than your flame," the Servine insisted, frowning. "There's a subtle fragrance to it...like a scented candle, I guess. Sweet, vaguely alluring...but simultaneously bitter, like a campfire. It's...um..."
Avis trailed off, struggling to describe the smell she was detecting. Ember sniffed the air a few more times before giving up.
"Avis, I'm around fire and smoke all the time. Most of the time, I don't even notice those smells," she sighed. Avis frowned uncertainly, then made her way over to Sparky and began conversing with him in a low tone.
Since evolution, Avis had seemingly made it a priority to make peace with many of the Pokemon she was on poor terms with. In addition to being more mindful of Blaze's personal space, the Servine had gone out of her way to apologize to Sparky for her behavior during their battle. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Luxio had initially remained hostile towards her, but the situation was definitely improving with time.
The sound of nearby voices jolted Ember from her thoughts, and she stepped over to the entrance to peer outside, just as a blue and tan blur unexpectedly charged through the opening, plowing into her stomach with enough force to bowl her over. The Charmander hissed with surprise and pain as she tumbled to the ground, her body scraping painfully against the coarse stone floor.
"What the-?"
Multiple shouts of confusion echoed in the confined corridor, making it difficult to discern who was saying what. Adrian hurried over and helped Ember climb back to her feet, asking her in an undertone whether she was okay.
The Charmander waved him off irritably and shot a nasty look at the offender, a quadruped with tan and blue fur, fire blazing from active flame vents situated on its head and hindquarters.
"I'm so sorry!" the Quilava gasped, her blue eyes widening. "I was just trying to get out of the rain and I didn't expect you to to be-"
"What kind of idiot charges into a cave?!" Ember demanded forcefully.
"I know...I'm really sorry," the other Fire-type said, looking down guiltily. "A-are you hurt?"
"No, I'm fine," Ember grumbled. It was nearly impossible to stay angry at someone who was admitting fault and behaving submissively, rather than getting defensively angry.
There was an awkward pause, as everyone around them seemed unsure if the conflict had truly been resolved or not. Movement behind the Quilava caught Ember's eye, and she looked up to see a familiar, fairy-like Pokemon, its limbs pitifully small in proportion to its distinct, egg-shaped body, yet its neck seemed almost too long. A pair of wings fluttered from the Togetic's back, but Ember knew it did not need them to remain airborne.
"Kaito?" she blurted in surprise. The fairy did a double-take, and fixed Ember with a look of utter confusion. The Quilava cocked her head to the side, but after a moment, her eyes lit up.
"Wait...you're Ember, right?" she asked. At the Charmander's nod, her expression brightened. "I'm Cecilia, remember? We met back in Johto like...three weeks ago!"
"I remember you!" Avis interjected, waving a paw. Unfortunately, she seemed to have forgotten how small her limbs were relative to the rest of her body, because the gesture was incredibly ineffective at getting anyone's attention.
"Why are you in Sinnoh?" Kaito asked blankly.
"Nice greeting," Ember scoffed, crossing her arms. "Wasn't expecting a hug, but damn, sometimes you're just cold."
Kaito chuckled quietly and moved further into the corridor, pausing to examine the nearest stone tablet. The two trainers stared at the newcomers with expressions of bewilderment, but Adrian in particular seemed most perplexed by Kaito, squinting and blinking at him as if not quite sure whether he knew him from somewhere. Not unsurprising, since as far as Ember knew, Adrian had last seen Kaito at the Ruins of Alph back in Johto, doing much the same things there as he was doing now, making it an unlikely coincidence at best, and utter absurd otherwise.
"I'll give you a hug if you want one," Cecilia offered brightly, without a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Ember stared at her, silently debating whether the Quilava was serious, or just having a joke at her expense. After a few seconds, she shrugged.
"Yeah, okay," she answered finally. Without any hesitation, the Quilava sat back on her haunches, lifting herself into a more bipedal stance, and gently wrapped her forepaws around Ember's shoulders, bringing the Charmander into a close embrace. Feeling a little awkward despite agreeing to this, Ember put her own paws around the Quilava's back, silently noting that the placement of Cecilia's flame vents was actually rather convenient, in the sense that even a non-Fire-type could hug a Quilava without a high risk of being burned.
Cecilia's fur was delightfully warm, and although lacking the same blissful softness of Sorin's wings, Ember felt a sense of comfort and security from the embrace. Fully aware of the attention of those around them, Ember broke away from Cecilia a moment later, her tail flame wavering as if blown by a gentle wind. Cecilia giggled, dropping down onto all fours again, purring softly from the back of her throat. If not for the fact that Ember had met the Quilava in the company of Sorin, she likely would not have trusted Cecilia in her personal space. Hell, the semi-random offer of a hug was bizarre on its own, but might have been justified, considering the above context.
Ember really didn't know how much Sorin had divulged about their history, but if Cecilia had caught the end of her match with Inferna, then she probably had known how well Ember responded to a comforting embrace.
"What are you doing out in Sinnoh?" she asked, more directing the question to Kaito than anyone else, but she somehow doubted she'd receive a satisfactory response from him.
"Studying the Ruins," Cecilia replied, with the same sort of resigned tone that Aureia employed when discussing the same subject. "I've been here before, although I didn't get as far in as Lin and Force did," she added.
"Is Sorin with you guys?" Ember asked, noticing that no one had come inside after Kaito, and Sorin certainly would not have consented to stay out in the rain.
"No, he's taking care of something else in Johto," the Togetic answered. "I don't think he knew you were coming out to Sinnoh."
"Adrian's just been visiting his brother," Ember explained, gesturing towards Marcus. "We should be heading back in a day or two."
Kaito made a non-committal noise, turning his attention to the different staircases leading out of the central room. Cecilia heaved a heavy sigh, shifting her weight restlessly.
"Kaito, this whole place is a stupid maze. Most of the stairs lead to dead-end rooms, and the only way to get further in is to take the staircase those stupid symbols instruct you to," she said, all but pouting, and pointing towards a stone plaque at the back of the chamber.
The Togetic moved over to the back of the room, carefully navigating around the two bemused humans in order to reach it. Marcus leaned over to whisper something to Adrian, and the older human merely shrugged and whispered something back. It didn't take a genius to guess what they might have been talking about, considering how intently they were watching Kaito.
"What are you looking for this time?" Ember asked bluntly, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes. There would be no point in playing dumb in this situation. The Charmander might not know any of the details, but she knew Kaito had to be searching for something here. The Ruins of Alph had contained a hidden chamber, but Kaito's Zoroark rival had taken what had been stored inside. Whatever that item's significance may be, Kuro had then gifted it to Inferna, dangling it over Ember's head as some sort of prize to be won. Kaito may claim to merely be doing research or studying relics of the past, but that answer presently would not satisfy her.
"Nothing," Cecilia answered, a little too quickly, only to flinch when Ember growled.
"Don't give me that," she snapped. "Kaito, you were looking for something back in Johto as well, but Kuro got to it first. What are you looking for here?"
Kaito swiveled around to face the Charmander, his expression serious. "Honestly, nothing specific. We already have the item that was hidden here. However, some time later, one of the Ruins guardians attacked in an effort to retrieve what was taken. I came to try and discover what was so special about it. We didn't encounter any guardians in Johto, so what sets this site apart from the rest?"
"Now just hold on," Laura interjected, and Kaito flinched, turning towards the Lopunny with a blank expression. "You guys stole something from here, and then came back? You're going to get attacked again."
"I didn't do anything; I was in Johto at the time," Kaito said pleasantly.
Laura narrowed her eyes, clenching her paws into fists. "If you coming here ends up putting Marcus, or anyone else, in danger, I'm going to kick you two so hard that you'll be indistinguishable from the writing on the wall. Got it?"
Cecilia and Kaito exchanged a look, and the Quilava forced a smile on her face.
"Okay, that sounds fair."
