Craw sighed as they were at lunch the next day. The last two days they learned mostly about berries and seeds that were commonly found in a dungeon and are the most used items in the daily work of any dungeon explorer. But today they started to get deeper into the material. They learned about enhancing items like scarves, other clothing and most important bracers. The bracers were special since they could be upgraded with some stones that disappeared after they leave the dungeon. "Why there is so much to know about?"
Ariela picked with her fork onto her food. "You will get everything very soon."
Kathrin looked to Ariela. "Something isn't alright with you."
Ariela sighed. "I am fine."
Craw looked to her nervous. "What is it?"
Ariela looked to him for a moment. "It is nothing..."
Craw tried to kiss her cheek but she moved her head away so he couldn't kiss her.
Kathrin growled. "OK. What do you have done?"
Craw paled. "I-I didn't do anything!... Or at least I don't know that I would have done something..."
Ariela sighed. "Kathrin please shut up..."
Kathrin looked at Ariela surprised. "Ariela! What is wrong? You never got angry like this..."
Ariela sighed and stood up. "Please excuse me." She took her plate and brought it away before she left the lunchroom.
Craw stood up. "I will look what is wrong." He left as well following her.
Brighton, Damion and Kathrin looked at each other not knowing what to do.
Craw quickly caught up to her. "Hey, Ariela please wait."
Ariela stopped and sighed. "Craw I don't want to talk about it. Not now."
Craw looked to her. "Did I do something wrong?"
Ariela looked to him. He could see she wanted to come closer and kiss him but she stopped. "No. You didn't do anything wrong... But please... Don't ask me... It is something that I can't tell anyone right now... I just need some time OK?"
Craw felt he flattened his ears. He didn't even know he could do that. "Are you unsure? I mean about us?"
Ariela looked at him nervous. "Craw... I really love you but please let me sort this out on my own..."
Craw looked to her unsure. "OK... I trust you on that... But please... If there is anything that I did wrong or that I can help you with tell it to me OK?"
Ariela sighed and nodded. She looked to him. Something was with the way she looked at him that made Craw feel uncomfortable.
Ariela left him alone.

The lesson didn't went so well. Craw was distracted and Anubis didn't seem to spare him. "And that's it for today." He stood up. "You all can leave for dinner now."
Craw waited till everyone left. "Anubis? I have a problem..."
Anubis sighed. "Not mister Anubis so I guess it is not about the lesson today..."
Craw shook his head. "What did you talk about with Ariela?"
Anubis looked to him. "I can't tell you..."
Craw looked to him with a mixture of surprise and anger. "What? What did you two talk about?"
Anubis sighed. "Craw. That was something private. If she doesn't want to talk about it then I won't tell you. Sometimes there are secrets that I can't tell you..."
Craw looked to him. "Well... Whatever you told her... She acts all strange now... She doesn't even want me to touch her anymore..."
Anubis looked to him nervous. "I am sorry that I caused such trouble... But I still think it would be the best for you to not ask any further... Let her some time. She will come back to you."
Craw stared at the Lucario for about a minute before he turned to go. "I hope so. She means the world to me..."

Ariela sat in her room. She didn't even go to dinner. She just wanted to be alone a bit. She even asked Kathrin to let her alone. She lay onto her bed. She wished her mother would still be alive. She could ask her about Craw. She could talk with her. Her mother was the only one who truly understood her. She started crying. She knew she couldn't ask her father. Her father... She called him father but in truth he was just the man her mother married as she already had hatched. He wouldn't understand nor he would give her any answers. She pressed her pillow onto her face and screamed into it. She never wished more than now that her mother was still alive and be it only to explain everything to her. She cried into her pillow

Craw prodded on his food. It was a sandwich with roast beef. He normally liked roast beef but right now he didn't care much. He sighed. He wished he could help Ariela somehow.
Brighton looked to him. "I know you feel miserable but you have to eat something."
Craw looked to him. He nearly wanted to tell him to shut up but he didn't. He sighed and nodded starting to eat. "Thanks that you always care for me..."
Brighton smiled. "What a friend would I be if I wouldn't?"
Craw smiled weakly and continued eating.
Damion and Kathrin looked at them for a moment. Kathrin seemed rather annoyed. "You really make everything harder for me. First you come and flirt around with my partner, then she misses important lessons because of you and now she is totally depressed just because of you." She bit into her food angrily. "If I would know that she doesn't love you anymore I would beat you up right here and now..."
Craw looked to her a bit nervous. "Thanks so much for not doing so..."
Damion sighed. "Aren't we a pretty messed up bunch? A Buizel that can't get a girl to like him, a prince that is so unsure about himself that he doesn't want to have a girlfriend..."
Brighton chuckled. "Guilty on all charges..."
"An Eevee that seems to be so full of anger that no boy even dares to speak with her..."
Kathrin pouted. "As if I need one."
"A Kirlia that is so depressed that she pushed her boyfriend away and a Riolu that doesn't know how to help his girlfriend..." He bit into his food that looked like a fish sandwich.
Craw prodded on his food again. "True..."
All four of them sighed in unison.
Craw stood up. "I have to go to my coaching... Don't wait for me." He stretched himself.
Brighton looked to him. "Do you need help?"
Craw sighed. "Nah... Ariela and I mostly did it to spend more time with each other..."
Brighton nodded.
Then Craw left for his coaching.
Anubis was already waiting as Craw entered the classroom. "You are late."
Craw sighed. "Sorry... I was a bit distracted."
Anubis looked to him. "I can understand that you are distracted but you can't let it interfere with your duties." He took some sheets and put it onto Craw's desk.
Craw growled. "Do you even know how that is? I can't think straight anymore! I finally was happy and now you told her something and she is totally depressed! I can't even help her because she don't want to talk with me about it!"
Anubis glared at him. "STOP!"
Craw winced and flattened his ears nearvously.
"Sit down and listen!" He was visibly angry. That was very strange for Anubis to show such anger.
Craw sat down nervously.
Anubis glared at him for some seconds and took some deep breaths. He sighed as he calmed down. "I know exactly how you feel. Before I met my wife I loved someone too. I don't want to talk much about it but she was beautiful and I loved her. At some point she got a deep depression and she didn't want to talk with me about it. I knew the reason and I tried to talk with her. Every minute on every day I tried to force her to talk with me about it. I thought I could help her but she didn't want me to help her. In the end we couldn't be together in a room anymore without starting to argue. The last day I saw her we... Well let's say we had a really bad dispute and as it looked like if we were finally getting to the point she started crying. Then she finally opened up and we talked. We talked the half night and I already thought that we would finally get over it and that everything could be like before again. It even went so good that we slept together again... But as I woke up the next morning she was gone. I only found a letter. She wrote that she couldn't stay anymore because she had too many bad memories. She was sorry for what we went through and that she would start all over again. She wanted to start a new life... A life without me and all the bad memories..."
Craw looked to him. He felt really bad now. He didn't know that Anubis lived through all that. "I... I am sorry... I didn't know..."
Anubis looked to him. He seemed to be sad. "I know. It is something that till today only a few know about me... But what I want to tell you with that is that you shouldn't push her. Wait till she comes to you. I will talk with her but please don't push her."
Craw nodded nervously.
Anubis sighed. "OK. Do you think we can continue with your coaching now? Before you know this I won't let any of your team to the training dungeon."
Craw sighed. "Can I come back in about an hour? I could need a walk to get my head clear..."
Anubis sighed and looked to him. "I will make an exception this time. But it will be the last one."
Craw nodded and stood up again. "Thanks." He left the room and took a walk in the late evening.

Ariela was still crying as Kathrin came back into their room.
Kathrin looked to her and closed the door. "Ariela? What is wrong? Can you please talk with me?"
Ariela sobbed and wiped her tears away. "Please don't Kathy... I-I just want to cry right now..."
Kathrin looked to her worried. "Please... You need to talk with someone about it or it will just get worse."
Ariela looked at her angrily. "Just let me alone!"
Kathrin looked to her. "I will go on a walk..." She left the room again.
Ariela was alone with her thoughts again. "Great... Now I push her away too..." She cried again. She couldn't believe it. She was so upset and so angry and so sad about all of this. She just wanted to cry. Why it had to be like this. She wished her mother would have told her... She wished she would know what to do... she wished she could talk with anybody about it without getting so angry about the topic... She screamed out of anger and frustration and suddenly everything in her room was flying around smashing against the walls. She was startled. Without noticing it she used Psychic. She panted out of shock. "Damn..." She looked around nervously. For a moment every of her fears was gone. She stood up and looked at all the stuff that was now lying on the ground. She cried again a bit out of frustration and a bit because she was sad and startled that she lost control over herself for a moment. She slowly started picking up the things. Most of them were still intact but some were broken. She started cleaning up. Somehow it made her stop thinking about her problems. She sighed as she saw Kathrin's snow globe had a crack now. "She will be so angry about it..." She continued to clean up. As she saw the picture of her mother with the broken glass she started crying again. She pressed the picture onto her chest. Luckily the glass didn't break in a way that it could cut her. She just sat there and cried about an hour. As her tears stopped running she looked at the picture again. Again anger built up in her. She wanted answers and there was only one Pokémon that could give them to her.

Craw growled. He was angry and sad at the same time. He didn't know what to do. Why he always felt so helpless? He looked to the sky. He screamed out of frustration. He didn't care that everyone around him stared at him. He sighed. He felt a bit better after he screamed. He wished it would be so easy. Just scream out all his frustration and anger into the night and everything would be fine. That would be great. He sighed and continued walking. He looked to the sky. It didn't fit to how he felt. It was one of these warm summer evenings that painted the sky into beautiful colors. He shook his head. Why? Why couldn't it be easier? He kicked a stone away. It hit a wall and rolled over the ground a bit before it stopped moving. He just wanted to help Ariela but he couldn't. Anubis was right... If he pushed her too hard he would drive her away... He just wished he could help her like she helped him. But she didn't even let him touch her... Not even to think about her telling him what was bothering her... He sighed and looked at his paws. Again he was wondering what it was that was upsetting Ariela so much...
"HEY ASSHOLE!"
Craw needed some seconds to realize that she meant him. He turned around confused just to see a brown paw hitting him right into his muzzle. For some seconds he saw some stars. As his senses came back he felt that his nose was bleeding. His whole muzzle was hurting. "Damn! What was that for?" He held his paw onto his nose trying to stop the bleeding.
"For upsetting my partner so much!"
He realized who had punched him. He looked to the Eevee. "Brighton was right... You really need an anger management therapy..." He slowly stood up.
Kathrin glared at him. "Be careful with your words or I will continue."
He held his nose up trying to stop the blood from flowing this way. "I didn't do anything with her. I don't even know why she is so upset. Damn I wish I would know! Then I could probably help her!" He was angry. "She is the reason why I didn't give up yet! She is the most important to me! I wish I could help her somehow but she doesn't let me!"
The Eevee growled. "So instead you walk around and enjoy the evening or what?"
"I am taking a walk to get a clear head again! I am so frustrated I would like to punch everything into small pieces right now! I don't know what to do to help her and it makes me so angry!"
Kathrin looked at him. Craw couldn't tell what she was thinking. "If you know anything I want to know it."
Craw sighed. "I don't know anything..." His nose was finally stopping to bleed. "But I know where to get answers." He just let the Eevee stand in the alley. He was so angry right now he didn't care anymore. He needed answers.
"Hey Craw! Where are you going? HEY! Don't leave me like that!" The Eevee followed.

Ariela knocked at the door before she entered not waiting for an answer. She was a bit surprised that Craw wasn't there. "Anubis we need to talk."
Anubis sighed. "Today seems to be one of these days when everyone wants answers but doesn't want to really listen..."
Ariela glared at him. "Why did you tell me that? I mean you give me engagement bracelets for me and Craw and the next moment you tell me that my mom was married with him?"
Craw gasped. He stumbled into the room. "W-What did you just say?"
Kathrin was standing right behind him. She closed the door behind her after she entered. She sat into a corner and kept quiet.
Ariela and Anubis turned to Craw and looked to him shocked.
Craw looked at them. His face could only be described with pure chock and disbelieve.
Ariela looked from him to Anubis. She didn't know what to say.
Anubis sighed. "Craw I know you didn't want me to tell you about your past but I think I have no other choice."
Craw glared at him. His face changed from shock and disbelieve to hatred. "Oh you better have a really good explanation!"
Anubis sat down. He was tired. He was just tired of all the secrets. "You know how hard this is?" He looked to Craw and Ariela and waved his paw. "OK OK... Sit down please... This could need some more time..."
Craw and Ariela sat down. Craw was still extremely upset while Ariela seemed to be more unsure than upset.
Anubis sighed. "It wasn't long after we joined the guild. Grace... Ariela's mother was still a young Kirlia back then... Craw you nearly instantly fell in love with her and she loved you as well... But to not worry her too much you didn't tell her that you were human... You two were inseparable. As you two were old enough you married. But then the tension between the countries got more intense... After some time as we knew already that war would come you decided to take all the fault onto your shoulders to create peace again. But at the same time you wanted to make sure Grace would be save. So you started arguing with her and acted like if you were mad. After some time you two broke up and shortly after the war started. Sadly it was too late to just take the fault for the war so you had to do many things and take preparations... Together with allies that we made over the time and with Pokémon that we could trust we spread rumors to make sure everyone would believe you were fault for the war. It needed nearly ten years till we were successful... And then you died... Of course Grace had heard that you are a human in the meantime and tried to speak with you but as far as I know you two never met again..."
Craw looked at the Lucario. "I can't believe it..."
Ariela started crying. "S-So it is true..."
Craw looked to her nervous and confused.
Anubis was just confused. "What do you mean?"
Ariela cried and looked to Craw. "Craw... I don't care that you were married with my mom... I mean sure there are things that make me worry... But..." She cried more.
Craw looked to her nervously and tried to pull her into a hug. This time she didn't stop him. "What is it then? Why are you so upset?"
Ariela cried. "M-My mom... A-As I asked her who my father was..." She sobbed trying to stop crying. "S-She told me that it was from the Riolu line and that she really loved him! That was the only thing she wanted to tell me! She said she had too much bad memories about how it ended!"
Craw looked to her nervously. "Ariela... What do you want to tell me with that?"
She sobbed. "Craw... I am 19 years old! It was nearly 20 years ago that you ended the war! M-My mom must have met you once again!"
Craw shook his head. "N-No... Please not..."
Ariela started crying again. "Craw! You must be my father!"
Anubis stood up. "Ariela stop!"
Craw couldn't believe it. He stared at Ariela in shock and disbelieve.
Anubis stood up and slapped both of them. "HEY LISTEN TO ME!"
Kathrin growled angry but Anubis just glared at her.
As both of them finally looked at him and Ariela only sobbed a bit Anubis took a deep breath. "Ariela... You are completely wrong... Craw isn't your father. Your story began five years after the war broke out. Grace was desperate to find Craw and so she followed me all the time. There was not even one day she didn't stop following me and I... I fell in love with her. It didn't need long till she found out and after some more time we became a pair. As the end of the war she got depressed that she didn't find Craw before it was too late... Back then she was a Guardevoir already and I had evolved into a Lucario by then. We had argues and disputes about her depression and why I didn't bring her to Craw... In the end we had a real bad one but it ended with us finally talking about it and we were finally able to settle things again. Again we felt this spark of love that lead us together so long ago... We spent one last night together but as I woke up she was gone..."
All three of them looked at Anubis in disbelieve.
Anubis sighed and stroked Ariela's head softly. "Ariela what I want to tell you with that is that not Craw is your father... I am your father."

Author's note: Phew... That was something that I wanted to get out of my head for some time now. I hope you like this twist! XD You must feel like in a roller coaster now with all these twists XD
Sorry but not sorry for the star wars joke here XD

Still searching for a beta reader.