This one's a little weird, admittedly. What is love? Awkward, that's what.

11: Days of Our Youths

Grimsley arrives in time to that small grove to find Reina unconscious and a sickly purple shade. As he pulls out anti-venom and presses it against her arm, he suspects that he could ask Reina for details before confronting the message he received. The needle goes deep as he injects her with the chemical concoction and prays that it works.

As he checks the transceiver again, the message still relays having been sent anonymously from a number among his group. If he went to ask them all, he might trigger the killer into hiding. He didn't even know for sure what group the supposed murderer would be from. He'd have to alert the other Leaders and possibly post guards in the forest.

Every single time a good group shows up, shit like this happens. Grimsley hates talented people. They always think too well of themselves and others pay for it.

Pulling the girl up into his arms, Grimsley proceeds to exit the forest. Whether Reina liked it or not, her participation was done. Maybe she wouldn't get into the Elite Mistralton Academy. But that would be better than living among an assailant in the mist.

…

Tyson watches the full moon's power fade as it wanes in intensity across the brightened sky. We're lucky enough to have an interloper impede on this little test and that idiot wastes an opportunity gifted to us. Father should never have even tried with this one. Jackson was his only real chance and now it's up to me. As he returns to the outer limits of Marshall's encampment, he finds a smile form upon his lips as the others sleep. With that stupid bastard unmasked, I can do pretty much whatever I want unseen and frame him.

As Tyson plots a few different options for his next move, he catches sight of Jamie guarding the outside of Billy's tent as if begging for him to try something and pay for it.

"Maybe not…" Tyson sighs and heads back to his own tent. "Can't give up the game this early and expect not to get handled."

With his return to his gaudy golden tent, the night moves along uneventfully for Marshall's exhausted squad. Tomorrow the test would resume and some hoped it would end as well.

…

Luke finishes his small venture and walks back to the camp with his three partners following him. Torbital speaks up first. "Voltorb, Tor!"

"It's hard to translate when Aqua isn't around, Torbital." Luke tries his best despite that fact. "Even if it did those things to us, it wasn't born to. No one is born a monster."

"Shaaa…" Midnight mews in a mysterious and light voice. Midnight carefully hops up on his shoulder.

Luke takes every step with care so as to not reopen old wounds. "I'd say it's different than breeding a good boy like you." He scratches underneath Midnight's chin and earns a few purrs for his trouble. "You were still born with the same potential we do. No one kidnapped you and made you a bad Pokémon."

"Star!" Skittle chimes in with a small chirp. "Star, Star!"

"It's just sad how it had to happen." Luke speaks truths he knows they may not grasp as he does. "You can't let evil thrive but it still hurts to fight." With the blade he used to fight in his pocket, Luke removes it and holds it to the moonlit sky. "I could have tried to kill him with this and end it but… I don't know if I could ever take someone's life."

Without anything else to say about it, Luke returns the blade to his pocket. "Aqua might still be short if I had done it, anyways." A joke doesn't lighten him up like he hoped it would. "Now she can stop asking me to pick her up to reach things."

Midnight's quick responsive meow makes Luke think he said something akin to 'her not wanting to hear that' and nods. "Yeah, I guess she'll still want to be picked up. God, if she evolves again I doubt I'll be able to lift her like I used to."

As the four friends begin to see the signs of their little campsite fire growing in the distance, they hurry along.

…

Inside the girl's tent, Kelsie offers Daisy and Aqua small cups of tea. With her new body new to her, Aqua nearly drops the cup in her hands and burns herself on the green tea. As she gently licks a bit of it off of her scalded finger, she appreciates the spices within and smiles at her friend's hard work.

Daisy remains silent as Kelsie and Aqua make themselves comfortable and place pillows underneath themselves to match Daisy's height. Aqua pouts as it takes two pillows to meet their gaze.

Grimsley better save her. Aqua manages to parse that thought from Daisy's mind due to the utter strength with which she thinks on those words repeatedly like a mantra. As her mind reading powers and telepathy slowly start working more and more, Aqua wonders if it's wrong to use that power.

"So what should we discuss?" Kelsie grabs their attention as she cuddles up to her cute Pikachu pillow while her Ninetales pajamas have small Vulpix running along the sides of the pant legs.

Daisy shrugs off her question as the haze remains in place. "I don't know. I don't have friends."

Aqua frowns at that. "Well, I have friends but not… girl friends. Everyone else Luke caught so far is a guy."

"I don't know if any of his Pokémon comes across that much like a guy to be honest." Kelsie sighs with disappointment creeping in. "So Aqua, how do you like everyone in our group then?"

…

Luke reaches an inviting scene. Four tents are centered on each other and lights vary across the inside of them. Music plays from inside and he notices one of the tents has a side door. As he carefully unzips it and steps inside, the massive tent creation opens up to Nathan and Mark chugging soda with two piles next to them both while Jonas counts the time off.

The end to the soda drinking challenge comes when Jonas clocks it and Nathan finishes what Luke counts out to be his thirteenth can. As Mark drops his eighth and hangs his head in shame, Nathan cheers. "Private Noble wins again!"

"You better stop. We're running out of snacks." Jonas warns them both. "Save some in case the trip goes on too long."

Mark shakes his head and begins tossing the trash away into a bin he has. "Private Nitz has failed on this harrowing day."

Jonas leans back against a bean bag chair that Luke can't fathom was brought in normally and he answers him. "You think we can only put Pokémon in capsules? Living things are way more complicated."

"Just never put a capsule inside of another capsule." Mark warns with a reference so vague it must be undetectable. "Welcome to the Mancave, Luke! You have any thoughts?"

Luke shakes his head and sits down on the soft tent floor. "A lot I'd rather keep to myself. I'm sorry I took so long."

"What were you doing?" Nathan asks as he plants himself down on the floor between Mark and Jonas.

"I was burying the thing that attacked us." Luke's words give Mark pause. "I just didn't want to leave it like that."

Nathan understands the feelings Luke is going through. "My dad buried a POW once. They ended up escaping from a camp together and the poor guy didn't make it. He was from the enemy side but he tried to defect. So they tortured him."

"Humans can be cruel indeed." Jonas agrees with the sentiment. "My father is at least above torture. He'd never stoop so low."

Mark raises an eyebrow. "The whole Rocket rumors don't mean anything to you?"

Jonas leans over and grips a fresh cold can of soda from the ice chest. "Look, anyone with money in Mistralton has those rumors around them. My father's a distinguished partner with Silph Company. You'd be better off looking at the Banks family."

"Daisy's parents?" Luke inquires.

"Father." Jonas corrects him. "Madeline Banks was the heir and after they had Daisy, she went and disappeared. They never found her. Her husband James… I think? He runs it now. That guy ended up being a total sleaze ball and had a kid on the side while they were together."

Luke thinks back to the other classmates they had. "Tyson, right? What's his deal?"

Mark chimes in as he snacks from a bowl of popcorn. "He's a real leader type. Apparently he was looked down upon for years but when Daisy didn't get in last year, well…" Mark decides to skirt around the rumors. "We think Tyson will be named heir if he wins when Daisy doesn't."

"Let's not discuss this." Nathan stands tall. "Instead we must live and die by the dreams of men!"

"What are you proposing?" Jonas worriedly asks.

Nathan slams back down onto the tent floor and gives every other guy there a 'the look' before answering. "I've never personally done it but I'd love to play truth or dare!"

Mark rolls his eyes. "Nathan, you need girls to get any fun out of that. Who are we going to kiss?"

"No, Mark. You don't get it." Nathan cuts him off. "We're learning about each other the right way. House rules: after two truths, you have to pick dare. Nothing illegal is allowed; unless it's funny. No getting people hurt and no weird shit. Understood?"

Mark opens his mouth to complain but Jonas interjects. "Who goes first?"

Nathan's smile frightens the others as he answers that in a creepy tone. "The house always wins. Jonas, truth or dare?"

"Truth." Jonas replies in haste. "I have nothing to hide."

"Is your dad actually a criminal?"

Jonas spits out his drink and glares at Nathan while Mark weeps at the sticky soda clinging to his face. "I wouldn't know! I don't go into his business meetings!"

"So he could be the newest administrator for Unovan Team Rocket!" Nathan jokingly confirms a theory held by many in their grade.

"Weren't there rumors Surge was an admin himself back in Kanto?" Jonas turns it on Nathan. "I'd say a strict militaristic hierarchy could be coming from military men too, you know."

"Naw." Nathan dismisses him. "Soldiers hate the top guys. We'd never want to be one."

"That's not how promotions work." Mark wipes his glasses off and breathes on them. "Every one of 'those guys' were one of yours at some point."

Jonas looks over at Luke. "So truth or dare, brawler?"

Luke glances over at Mark and Nathan. "Well, if I say truth they have to do dare, so truth."

"You son of a bitch…" Nathan squints at Giratina made flesh. "We might die here, Private Nitz."

Jonas ponders on the free question he gets to ask his greatest rival and settles on one. "Why did you suddenly challenge me to battle when you've never shown interest?"

…

Aqua feels the unsettling quiet cover the tent and asks Kelsie. "I could have you message Skyla. I know her number. We could have her join us and tell us what we're supposed to talk about."

Kelsie hastily hands her the phone from her pocket. "Do it. I didn't think it'd be this hard to think of something to talk about."

"We don't really have friends." Daisy mutters. "I'm forced to train for this, Aqua's been in the wild, and you… Why don't you have friends?"

"Friends are hard to make with how I live." Kelsie's tone darkens before her face shows light her voice doesn't quite reach. "It's not like I haven't tried."

Aqua realizes she can't use her powers across the phone and tosses it to Kelsie. "Here!"

Kelsie grabs it and lifts it up high. "Oh, hey, Skyla? This is Kelsie from Luke's group. Aqua wanted me to know if you'd want to hang out with us girls. She's missing you pretty badly." Aqua pouts as Kelsie rubs her head to appease her. "Yeah, that's great. The trackers are right; we're at the encampment just past the bridge."

"I'm glad you have reinforcements to call in." Daisy teases them.

…

Skyla quickly gathers a few key items and pockets them in her bag. "Aria, I'm heading out to meet some friends."

As she heads out from the campsite that Caitlin's camp is settled around, Aria questions her motives. "What if there's a monster out there? This forest is home to tragedies beyond our knowledge."

"Ya it is!" Jaycen agrees as he lifts his head from the log he's sitting against near the dead fire. "Ya should at least let me escort ya."

"I'll be fine." Skyla reassures them. "My dad told me to dress for the best and stock up on essentials for self-protection."

Aria makes an inopportune joke. "You better have protection sneaking into someone's tent this late."

Skyla tilts her head as the question mark is clear on her face. "I don't need protection to see my friends." Thinking of Aria as a weird one, Skyla sneaks out into the dark.

"Yer a pretty forward one, ain't ya?" Jaycen asks Aria with utter shock holding his face in place.

"Skyla's a beautiful young woman." Aria answers his unasked questions. "I wouldn't be surprised if someone tried something."

…

Darren wanders down a forgotten forest trail lost to time. In his hands he holds a small locket attached to a cheap gold necklace that hangs around his neck. By his side a lonely Phantump floats beside him in the dark. "Where are we going, Steve? Is it near here?"

Steve floats a little further down the trail and points. "Damn. That might be way out of where we're headed." Darren shakes his head. "Look, if we don't find it tonight, we'll get some help."

Steve nods and Darren steers his resolve to continue walking deep into the horrifying forest he's inside.

As Darren walks down the road and into the forest proper, Taba watches from a distance. "So he has been sneaking out!"

"I wonder why." Emi tries to use what she knows of Darren to discover his motives. "Phantump is a ghost type, right? Why is he letting it lead him?"

"I'm not sure." Taba replies as chills run down his spine. "Maybe he lures kids down that path to make more of them."

Vivian watches the two of them and sighs softly. "You could just ask."

…

"I think I needed to take that step." Luke finally answers amidst the silence. "If I end up passing this test and going to some illustrious school or some shit, I need to know how to battle properly. I just suck at it."

Jonas grimaces at that remark. "What are you implying about me then?"

Luke leans back against the pillow and nearly falls over. "You blow your best attack too early and leave yourself open. Houndour have naturally low physical defense yet your boy still gets too close?"

"I didn't expect legitimate criticism tonight, man." Jonas crushes the empty soda can between his hands and throws it into the trash. He licks his lips to wet them and grabs a bottle of water from the cooler. "I guess that answer makes sense."

"Mark, dare or dare?" Luke gives him only the most varied of options.

"Dare." Mark's defiance is wavering as every second ticks by.

What kind of person is Luke? Even he questions the results to that thought as he runs through a list of possible ideas. "I guess I'll be nice. I dare you to do fifty push-ups every time someone chooses dare the rest of the night."

"Oh, you're a right asshole." Mark complains immediately.

"Oh, and if they choose Dare and you have to do them, it skips your turn." Luke corrects himself.

"I swear I'll get you back." Mark threatens.

"Bet. You can't dare me unless it's the limit. If I get to choose, you don't." Luke grins. "Go ahead; it's your turn."

"Nathan, truth or dare?" Mark asks tentatively.

Nathan salutes him. "Dare, soldier. Now give me fifty!"

Jonas laughs as Mark begins his push up count in suffering.

…

"You didn't have any idea what to talk about?" Skyla can't hide her embarrassment at their situation. "Even if I know what girls our age like to do, what if you don't like it?"

Daisy sighs. "Just pick something." She reads over her many text messages and gives a half-second glance at her recent photos. If she isn't okay I'll… Tyson will pay.

Skyla sits between Kelsie and Aqua and thinks for a moment. "Well, Elesa likes to talk clothes but I'm not as sure about that as an option."

"Why not?" Kelsie asks as she and Aqua stare Skyla down.

"Well, for one, Aqua's naked." Aqua looks down at herself and hides under the nearest cover. "Oh come on, all Pokémon are!"

Aqua can't stop from turning into a ripe tomato. "Yeah, but it's awkward now! What if the other Pokémon see me like this!?"

Skyla hesitates to crush her false illusions of how things are. "They… they have. This entire time they have. It's not like you have anything to hide."

She doesn't expect the thrown bag of chips to hit her face and when it does, Aqua folds her arms and refuses to look her way. "Hmph!"

"Hey, maybe when you evolve you…" Skyla pauses. "Actually, I don't know enough about that kind of thing."

"What kind of thing?" Daisy asks, now interested.

Skyla knows she could never phrase it in a normal way. "Well, um… According to Amos… Um…" She can't find the right words. "Apparently, when people… uh… and Pokémon… uh, like Reyvin, you know…"

Aqua leans in really close, sparkles shining in her eyes. "What!? Do you know something about me I don't!?"

"Well, it's something he refused to elaborate on so I went and researched it and…" Skyla feels the life fade from her own face. "Do I really have to share it?"

…

"Dare." Jonas stands fiercely as Mark begins his fifth set of push-ups. "Sorry, dude. Anything to avoid giving you power when you're this mad."

Mark's temper flares as sweat covers his body from head to toe and his breathing outpaces his lung capacity. "I'll. End. You."

"Fine, fine." Jonas turns to Luke. "Call it off then?"

Luke nods. "Sure. Mark, after that set you are good."

"Glad to hear it!" He shouts in pain.

Jonas turns to Nathan and waits for Mark to finish. As he sits back up and rests his exhausted body, Jonas asks the question. "Truth or Dare?"

"Truth." Nathan answers resolutely.

"Now you pick that, you asshole!" Mark's exaggerated anger earns a few laughs from Luke and Nathan while Jonas thinks.

"If we pass this test and move on, what are you going to do as Elite?" Jonas takes the easy road and picks another gentle question. The nicer he was to others, the less cruel they would be to him. He'd rather be bored than regretting his choices.

Nathan takes his hat off and rubs his near-shaven head. "I guess I'll try to become Champion. If I don't win, I can still make good money. I won't be bitter about it like some people."

Jonas thinks that answer fits Nathan well. "Glad to see the competitiveness of this whole charade hasn't dampened your spirits yet."

"I'm not some weak-willed freak who has to win at all costs." Nathan sharply replies. "Mark, truth or dare?"

"Truth." Mark glances in Luke's direction in such a way he regrets having removed the limit on his previous dare. Then he remembers that wouldn't have even saved him. Did these two do that shit on purpose!?

"Why are you here?" Nathan repeats an earlier question to keep the game as calm as it will be before the storm.

Mark thanks his lucky stars it's an easy fastball pitch of an obstacle to overcome before vengeance becomes him. "I wanted to become a champion when I was younger but I've since sharpened my interests. I'll find members of my own intellectual kind and we'll go found a Lab in a less popular region. Then we'll begin research on whatever we want. I want to discover things about Pokémon AND people that no one ever has."

"I bet Reyvin said that." Luke jokes.

"It's nice to know your future." Jonas says while thankful he didn't have to answer that question.

"So Luke…" Mark's evil eyes lock onto their prime target. "Dare or dare!?"

Luke pretends to mull over the difficult question. "Well, you see, dare is horrible, but dare, oh dare is evil incarnate."

Mark hatches a new fun choose your own slaughter idea. "Okay, hear me out. Dare 1 will be something humiliating and Dare 2 will be a painful dare. Your call."

"Oh… Oh shit that is an option." Luke actually struggles to answer. "I pick…"

…

"You can't go quiet at the best part!" Kelsie pushes for Skyla to finish what she was saying. "Tell us!"

Skyla always looked at herself as a normal girl with occasionally questionable interests. Elesa helped create an urge in her for fashion and designing things like the cannons Miles had in his gym despite his protestations. She even tried to encourage sky battling in Unova to spice up her adventures and encourage the use of flying-types. Her tinkering with plane parts left her covered in motor oil more than once.

In this moment, it was hard to admit she researched Reyvin after she met Aqua to learn more about hybrids of Pokémon and people. The results were embarrassing and outside of her realm of knowledge.

"So you saw how Midnight is different from other Glameow? He's a dark cat and a dark-type." The others nod along to the normal part of the answers she found. "When you breed two different species, they end up producing variations. The more different the two Pokémon are, the more the differences can vary."

Daisy begins to grasp the meaning to her words. "Oh, I see. So if someone was dumb enough to breed, say, Skitty and Wailord, they might come out like ugly whales or cute fat cats?"

Skyla thanked Arceus she never saw that experiment play out online. "Yeah, yeah that sounds right."

"People and Pokémon are significantly more varied." Kelsie voices her own thoughts on the matter. "It's not acceptable in most circles but I'd say a decent amount more of people than we think forge relationships like Reyvin did. I know some do it to try and make something better."

"Better?" Daisy begins to find some interest in the subject to Skyla's chagrin.

Kelsie tries her best to remember the documents her father carried around when she was but a child. "Well, like with Ditto. They transform into people. Some studies have suggested using Ditto to turn into people who can't naturally have kids to… You know, since they'd be the same biologically…" She pauses. "I don't know if being half-Ditto affects the children or anything but…"

Daisy retrieves a notebook from her open bag and begins sketching something out of pure unadulterated infatuation with the information provided. "That's so sad. I'd hate to not be able to be a mother one day."

"Well, I guess that's another thing to consider." Skyla regretfully returns to the question Aqua's intense staring remind her she must now discuss. "So when people and Pokémon do reproduce, it mostly depends on the Pokémon involved. When they're in the human egg group like your mother would have been…"

"What!? What!?" Aqua jumps in place as she forgets the level of nakedness she is at.

Skyla wishes she had a cover to hide under. "Well, Pokémon sometimes take on more human traits." She reaches out and presses a hand to the Kirlia's cheek. "Sometimes it's all in the bone structure, other times people have noted changes in body type. For all we know, you could look like a normal human woman once you've fully evolved."

Kelsie tries to piece it together. "I'm sort of lost. Why…?"

"Well, it doesn't often show up in pre-evolved forms unless they're compatible. But when hybrids evolve, they can…um…" Skyla wants to die. "Well, sometimes they look more like adult women do than what the parent did."

Daisy is one step ahead of Aqua and Kelsie and practically dies from the utter insanity of it. "Hah. Tits."

Skyla proceeds to curl up under the cover and try to forget the suggestive pictures she found on the net. Kelsie short circuits and steam comes out of her mouth as her brain fries.

Aqua stares off into the distance before twisting the knife. "What are tits?"

Daisy points to Skyla's chest. "Those fun bags right there are tits."

"Daisy! What the hell?!" Kelsie's entire face threatens to fall off just to avoid the situation.

"They are what they are." Daisy shrugs off the horrified looks of the other two girls there. "You could just say she might have breasts. Why are you of all people so pure when you dress like that!?"

Skyla takes one quick check-up on her outfit. "Hey! It's aerodynamic and I don't sweat too much in it!"

Daisy rolls her eyes. "It's hard to sweat onto clothes that aren't there."

"Pokémon can…" Kelsie wants to cry. "Does this mean that…? Oh Arceus."

Aqua imagines what her future body might appear to be. Her own mom was beautiful in her own way with kind eyes and a calming smile. As her oldest memories return to the surface, she decides her mother was an amazing woman regardless of where she ended up.

"Look, the point is that Aqua, and other hybrids like her, tend to look more human than they would otherwise. It goes for both male and female Pokémon and the affect gets stronger the more generations are intertwined. Reyvin thought the secret to human evolution is to be found by testing this theory. He thought if he could find the missing link between us and Pokémon, we'd learn to live together better. He was doing it so when Aqua became an adult she wouldn't be seen as an outcast." Skyla reads off the last remaining words left by Reyvin before his disappearance. "If he had some massive scientific breakthrough, he wouldn't have to justify his love or his family anymore."

"Father…" Aqua kept hearing stories from all over about the man her dad was. All she remembered were rough callous hands and a deep voice professing his love for her and her mom. "I wish I could have met him. I hope if he's alive that… that at least he's happy."

Aqua begins to cry and Kelsie jumps in to revive the conversation in a way to pep her up. "So do you think Aqua will look more like us then?"

Daisy murmurs just loud enough to be audible. "I bet Luke would like that."

"Wh-wh-what!?" Skyla exclaims without any concern for how loud she is.

"Well, we just established Aqua is naked." Daisy treats it so casually. Her father was a cruel man, a murderer maybe, but he didn't care about what Daisy did in her spare time. Daisy explored even the weirdest things on the internet and that jaded part of her aided in times like these. "Luke gets to look at a naked woman whenever he wants. Teenage boys would kill to be him."

Skyla stands up despite herself. "Luke isn't that kind of guy!"

Daisy raises an eyebrow at that. "How would you know? Men are simple creatures. Power and women are like, their entire point of being."

…

"I'll go with pain." Luke finally answers. "I've lived through enough of it."

Mark's glasses gleam as the largest light in the tent goes out. "I dare you to punch Gulag."

"Rude." Nathan replies before releasing his boy. "Gulag at arms!"

Gulag gears himself for a new order. "This man is instructed to strike you. I want you to show him how strong you are!" Klink wavers as if to agree.

Luke stands up and presses the fabric against his knuckles. He pauses for a moment and then brings his hand down into the Klink. As the gears whirr from the punch hard enough to cause a little smoke, Luke winces in agony. "Jonas, truth or dare?"

Jonas chooses truth and keeps his composure. "Ask me anything, my dear rival."

"Why? Why did you start bullying me?" Luke's question cuts to the heart of the matter.

"Oh, that…" Jonas realizes he can't run from that any longer. "My dad is a task master. Most of our parents seem to be. All the kids with GOOD parents went home to normal schools." His bitter tone belies a pained heart. "Alistair, my father, he was never the same after mom died. When I came to school and met you, when your parents dropped you off on that first day and told you they loved you, it made me so angry."

Luke is taken aback by the confession.

Jonas doesn't stop since he wouldn't finish the thought if he didn't. "You had no friends, no Pokémon, and no money. You came to school in tattered clothes and aced every test they gave you. Your grades were better and despite everything, you were tougher than me too. I hated that. I hated you. I hated seeing the kid my dad wished he had with the parents I wished I had! Of course I took it out on you!" His voice rises in pitch and his emotional state takes hold over him.

"Jonas… I never…"

"When I received Baron, I thought I finally had you." Jonas nears the end of his tale. "Then you go and beat him up too and I just… I can't compete. I gave up. Now we've fought a real battle and I confirmed what I always had known. I could never hope to beat you. Not as I am; not the lonely angry kid who drags Jack and Viv around every time I want to take my anger out on someone. I need to become the kind of man you already are."

Luke feels a plethora of emotions overwhelm his senses. He never had once thought Jonas was jealous of him personally. Jealous of others, certainly, but he was envious of the loser everyone ignored?

Jonas controls himself enough to focus and turns on Nathan. "Well, Private Noble? Truth or dare?"

"Truth." Nathan answers in the way that gives him unlimited power right after.

"In your honest opinion, who of us do you think has the best chance to win it all?" Jonas decides to test the waters. "Out of us four, who do you expect to make it to Champion?"

Nathan answers swiftly. "I think it will probably be you." Nathan's assessment is quick and sharp. "Mark wants to study, I want to make money and live, Luke… Well, Luke hasn't exactly said why he's here yet. But you, you're in this for blood. Your blood… I mean, you could spill it from other people but you're doing it for family. That goes a long way."

Jonas seems satisfied with that answer. "I certainly will try. If I can't even beat this Reject, when will I ever live the way I want?"

Nathan stares Luke down. "So buddy… Dare or Dare?"

"Do I get a choice?" Luke makes a humble request.

"No." Nathan drops the niceties and cuts to the point. "I want you to sneak into the girl's tent and kiss one of them. I don't care which. Once your mission is complete, return to base."

Luke feels his heart drop. "You can't…"

"The house always wins, Luke. The house always wins." Nathan practically hands him the shovel to dig his own grave as he ushers him to the Mancave's exit. Mark follows after him with his phone out, likely to immortalize the moment Luke died forever.

Luke hoped his parents would at least be able to identify the body.

…

Skyla struggles to find the right words. "Men are… Well, I don't know that much about them."

"Of course we don't." Kelsie throws in an awkward laugh that dies on arrival. "I mean, I've never dated anyone."

Aqua remains confused. "Why would Luke like to stare at me?"

"Oh, bless your heart." Daisy gives the phrase a country tone. "You know how … how kids are made, right?"

"No." Aqua answers instantly.

Kelsie prays that Daisy won't do it to them. Skyla knows she will. Aqua waits on baited breath.

Even Daisy makes a point to think before she speaks wholly unfiltered. "Well, Pokémon tend to breed. It's why we have Pokémon Breeders. Though… I guess Pokémon clearly can still also love… So…"

"There's a process where two people or two Pokémon show their attachment, their attraction, and their love for one another in a physical way." Skyla phrases it as nicely as possible. A small noise outside the tent leaves her worried she's hearing things.

Kelsie finds her heart skipping beats to the point she's afraid her death is incoming. "It's an intimacy thing. People also do it to have kids. So you know, your parents did it."

"I don't want to think of what that ugly bastard did to my mom, thanks." Daisy acts offended. "Just say what it is. They fuck."

"Can we just like, not do this?" Kelsie begs.

Skyla works up the courage and leans closer to Aqua. She whispers into her ear and Aqua collapses as her face turns white. "Yeah, those… those links told me a lot about people and Pokémon."

Daisy's interest is gained once more. "You saw videos, huh? Do you have them saved?"

"I'm not a freak!" Skyla waves her hands around. "I was just curious what they were about! I didn't watch the whole thing!"

"Boys are going to love a girl like you." Daisy clicks her tongue in disgust. "You're a kinky girl at heart."

Skyla decides to give up the fight and she stands up. "Well, I'm not here to argue about stuff like this. The point is that if you end up looking… unconventional, Elesa will be glad to make you an outfit. She loves any excuse to dress people up."

Aqua stands up and finds her body leaves her lacking in height to reach someone's face. "Do you think Luke likes one of us enough to fuck?"

"We're not old enough to do things like that!" Skyla exclaims as quickly as she can. "You have to be an adult!" She hides behind a new line of thinking.

"That is something I agree with." Kelsie nods. "You can't just go around doing that kind of thing. You have to be sure you're ready and that takes maturity."

Aqua thinks over their words. "So when I grow up, I can?"

Daisy manages to overlook the hundred implications there. "If he wants to, technically. Granted, he may not like you that way. Hell, do you even like him that way?"

"Skyla?" Aqua decides to pass the buck. Girls liked doing that. At least, that's what Aqua learned from them. "Do you like him that way? Is that why you said not to?"

"I…"

The tent flap is torn open and Luke walks in with total fear in his eyes. Kelsie, Daisy, Aqua, and Skyla all lock onto him instantly. Had he heard them!? Was Arceus sending him as divine punishment for gossiping behind his back!?

Luke pauses for a moment and decides to make the decision logically. If he kisses Daisy he'd piss Skyla off. He also didn't know her at all. She might kill him.

Kelsie was cute, sure, but if he kissed her, he'd have to deal with possibly playing with a girl's feelings. His dad told him about a time a guy lost something dear because he did that to his wife. That was a no sell.

Skyla asked him out but she clearly didn't like him like that. He refused to believe that. She might be merciful with him if he explained it, but THEN she'd think he did it for the dare and not because he did think fondly of her.

As he notices Aqua staring up at him with a 'why is he here' look on her face, he weighed those options. With Aqua he could reason it off as a dare to kiss a Pokémon and him thinking only Aqua would let him. Then he wouldn't have to explain why he didn't choose the girls. Rationally it was his only option.

Emotionally he was terrorized no matter what he did.

Luke leans down to meet Aqua's gaze. If he had known what they were just discussing, he would have quit the dare and taken an ass beating instead.

Without hesitation for a moment of that would stop him in his tracks he brings his lips to Aqua's and kisses her. The gentle peck remains for a moment longer than he thought. Luke moves to pull away but Aqua caresses his cheek and pushes against him.

In the moment, Aqua manages to read the mind of Daisy who once again thinks something very strongly. If he puts his tongue in her mouth, he'll never be able to go back on that display of affection.

Aqua uses that moment they are together to enjoy all the little moments they spent together. Luke would always hold her close and keep her warm through the night. Every time he let her out of the capsule she would spend idle time away inside he never looked happier.

It was in this moment that she chose to do something for her.

As she awkwardly sticks her tongue out, the camera goes off from Mark's hand. As he releases the flash is on, he tries to hide it. Before he can, Skyla has already tackled him to the ground.

Daisy and Kelsie move over to stare as Skyla pins Mark down to the dirt and lifts his right leg up until he gives. As he drops the phone and whimpers in pain, Luke is taken aback by Aqua's intrusive maneuver. As he parts from her and a bit of saliva falls from between them, he has a single thought.

How do you come back from that!?