Man did I take long to put this out… to say I was stumped and in a depression rut and writer's block would be putting it lightly. Then again, with the current situation in the world that shouldn't surprise anyone…
It's mental to think I haven't uploaded anything since before this whole corona thing started, but I guess that's just how it is. I don't know if anyone's still around, but if you are, then I'm glad you stuck around, know that I'm fine, surprisingly, and that there's more to come down the pipeline!
Now enjoy something to take your mind off of the current state of the world!
From me to you, my friends!
Chapter 15
Vacation
A much needed rest before the storm
"Are you sure you won't need our help to try and find the assassins?" Eric's question came as he and his team boarded the boat, him and Serge being the last ones on, the Pidgeot still hanging out with the Absol on the dock.
"By this point it is likely they are long gone, and far away from the range of whatever our militia would be able to scout. Unsurprisingly, Tharmius took with him some of our best warriors, so we are quite… exposed. Not to regular thieves, but more skilled assassins and even armies would pose a serious threat to our peace."
"Hence why you know how to fight." Jake's comment rang true with the Absol's response, who nodded in agreement and tied up that loose end.
"Once again, I am terrible, terribly s-"
"I swear if I have to hear ya apologize again I'm going to have to stay here and make sure you go get a doctor!" Serge joked as he fluttered up. "Don't worry, we're sort of used to this kind of stuff, and the compensation you gave us was… well, unnecessary to say the least."
"Unnecessary but welcome!" Nox suddenly shouted overboard, patting the sides of the ship. "Maybe we can like, afford some actual rest with it!"
"I think we'll be able to afford more than just rest… With this, I'm pretty sure we can get someone to start digging us out a basement, for starters! I know someone's been asking for it."
"We need some storage if I'm going to have enough food to last us winters and feed you gluttons." The rare sassy Zed showed his face once more, the others laughing. "Though considering how big the house is, I'm pretty sure I can make do with a small room for that much food. The rest can be anything you guys want it to be."
"Oh I've got some ideas lined up~" Lucy's mischievous comment went largely ignored except for Zed, who returned to shaking like a leaf and blushing, his Luxio girlfriend licking her lips. The plank would be lifted and they'd lean over the edge as Maria waved them goodbye. "Good luck sorting all this stuff out!"
"And good luck to you too! When we find more evidence and my father starts feeling better, I shall contact you with a letter!" She kept edging a bit closer to the port… before she finally slipped off the edge and splashed into the water, the team members gasping in shock, or trying to hold back laughter, as Serge was ready to take off and help her off, before she surfaced from the water, and swam to the surface. Once they made sure she was ok, they would all turn around, except for Serge, who kept staring… and would eventually see her, with bright red cheeks as she got on the surface, her fur so wet it was sticking to her sides… and what he saw in her figure was enough for his wings to suddenly spread out, blushing and then turning to face away and head inside the boat hurriedly.
"Geez, what's gotten into him?"
"Probably have the hots for Maria."
"I mean… she's pretty hot, yea." Elly rolled his eyes at Nox's comment whilst Eric laughed.
"I thought you'd be the one fawning all over her, since she's so beautiful!" Suddenly, he'd feel a pair of icy, sky blue daggers stabbing at him from behind, and quickly clarified. "F-from a purely platonic point of view, of course!"
"Meh… Yeah, I guess?" They were all surprised to see him so distant and just seemingly thinking about other things. The ship would keep on sailing, the coast disappearing from sight, but far into the horizon, they could see that tall, white tower in the distance.
Two days later…
"I told you we'd get caught by the rain!" Elly exclaimed as she and Eric raced through town, having just gotten back, and instead of going back home straight away, like she'd suggested, he'd opted to go for the guild to turn in their assignment. They barely made it to the entrance, Loudred spotting them from the watchtower, where he was sitting… cooking something?
"Yeah yeah, just stop yelling it at me! Brrr!" He shook his fur as they walked in, splashing water mostly everywhere, but it was mostly on their coats, so they weren't too wet. The building was full of pokémon just talking and discussing their current assignments or the ones they were going to take sooner or later. They spotted Chimecho over the counter, and approached, turning in their assignment, and the lost items.
"And the thieves?"
"We already sent the message to Magnezone, we ran into them on our way back, and he told us they were already under custody." Elly stretched. "Dang, is it just me or has it been a long time ever since we did this?"
"What do you mean? Just a regular mission like this one?"
"To be fair, you guys barely come around, or at least when we're up, like normal people. I've seen you and the others maybe at six in the morning, maybe seven, but I'm barely a pokémon then so it doesn't count! We barely talk anyways, it's like you guys left the guild, and you cut ties with all of us!" She sounded quite sad, leaning on the counter. "Come on, what's going on in your lives? You two gonna tie the knot sometime in the future? Get properly married?" They both looked at her, blinking and blushing.
"Well… we've never really thought about that."
"We never did believe in those kinds of things either. At the very least, I haven't." Elly's statement got her a weird look from Chimecho, but she shrugged.
"I mean, it doesn't have to be through a religious institution or anything like that. Just like, civil marriage, and have fun. Just an excuse to celebrate it, have something to look forward to every year, besides your birthdays… dunno, I just think it's so romantic~" She looked up dreamily as Sunflora just so happened to swing by right then and there. Totally accidentally, as she'd put it, overhearing their entire conversation and giggling.
"If you wanna see a marriage you ought to find yourself a man, Chimecho~ Like, you're just wasting away your youth at this rate!"
"Oh zip it yellow weed! Your boyfriend's literally a walking speaker!"
"Hey, he's got a few round edges, but he's a sweetheart! Even if he's… a bit on the loud side."
"A bit? He puts Chatot to shame!"
"Uuummm…" Elly cut in, chuckling. "Unless Chatot's lost his voice while we were gone, I think you're wrong there. At least when Chatot's mad, I think he definitely beats Loudred."
"I dunno… Loudred did have that nasty habit of scaring the shit outta us when we woke up late… which was nearly always." He shook his ears, remembering the deafening shouts they got nearly every day, all four of them chuckling as they remembered the good old days with everyone in the guild. "Fuck. What's happened to the good old days, they feel so far away now…"
"About five years soon… oh, speaking of that, we're nearly halfway through December right? Why don't we try to have a more normal party like the old times? Like that one party we had near Sharpedo Bluff… Aaand then I got kidnapped by Nymphe and…" She shuddered. Those were not some good memories, and it opened up a whole depressing can of worms that Eric swiftly closed down by petting her with a smile.
"Truth be told, we haven't really had a proper, good end of year celebration with everyone in the guild… So how about it? This year, we REALLY ought to break the tradition!" The tradition of the new year being ruined by some kind of disaster.
"Goodness you know how many pokémon that's going to be for a single party?"
"Not enough to the point where Zed and I can't make some killer food for everyone! He's still cooking, right?"
"Hell yeah he is, and he's getting better. Better than you have at this point!" Elly's tease had the intended effect, making the psychic type scoff, and look away with a sly smirk.
"Well, well, the whelp is surpassing his master? Then I guess I'll just have to knock him back down to earth!"
"He was already pretty good at cooking before he met you, he just got better then, and from there on just improved and improved!"
"Hah!" She waved Eric's comment off, before reconsidering. "Well, if that's the case, I feel like a cook-off is in order then. Bring it up with him whenever you can, but I shall not take a no for an answer, I must protect my reputation as the best chef in Treasure Town! I already barely took the title from Spinda but… I think I've good chance!" Chimecho's playful boasting would make the others chuckle. It really had been too long since they'd last been there and hung out with their former guildmates, something that was even more true for Elly.
"Well, alright, we'll tell him about the cookoff, and who knows, maybe I'll join in. I'm not an… expert cook, but hey, no one complains when I'm doing the cooking."
"I mean, you just make large portions… Though your baked pasta is pretty good!" Eric had to defend himself and cover the back of his head before Elly smacked the back of his head. "Hey come on, it's good food, but it's not amazing food!" She rolled her eyes and he just sighed in relief. "Anyways, as for life in general, I suppose it's alright. I've fully recovered from that Rebscura fight by now, so I was trying to get back into the swing of things but…"
"I heard that you guys ran into another one while you were in Unova." Sunflora, the neverending spring of rumors was right on the money, and Elly's face spoke volumes of the experience. "So it's true then?"
"How'd that even get out?"
"I overheard some explorers from Unova talking about it… so it's true then? That's… unsettling, that there's so many Rebscura popping up now." Sunflora's discomfort was understandable: they'd lost a lot of good friends and loved ones during the attack in Treasure Town, and hearing that Rebscura, and even stronger ones at that, were popping up seemingly at random and wreaking havoc brought back memories.
"Well, that's the thing… We don't even know if it was a Rebscura or not, at least the thing we fought. It was armored, and looked very different… Either way, yeah, after those two we're not exactly in a very optimistic mood."
"And then she got targeted by an assassin while we were meeting with Maria, a priestess that wanted to ask for a favour… we were in Johto too." This last bit of information was seemingly too fresh, then again, it had happened less than a week ago, so perhaps Sunflora's web of information and gossip didn't spread that far.
"Good lord… it's starting to sound like you guys are getting back into big trouble again. Are you doing ok? Mentally I mean, it can't be nice to see stuff like this starting up again." Eric and Elly were glad for their concern.
"Truth be told, we are doing fine. It's draining, and slightly disappointing, since we both thought this was all over. The others though, aren't doing well. Though Lucy evolved, she seemed to have a very bad experience with the second Rebscura, or whatever it was… So she's been walking eggshells these past few days. Zed's been trying his hardest."
"I've caught Jake pulling a lot of all-nighters ever since the first Rebscura."
"The one from the forest?" Elly was confused, since he hadn't been too terribly involved in that fight, but Eric shook his head.
"No, the very first one that we fought in the mountains, before the trial. Jake got gutted…"
"Oh! That one. That was the first of all of them, and honestly I'd almost blocked out the memory."
"Oh I haven't heard about this one either! Was this supposed to be some super secret mission or something?" Sunflora's big shit eating grin told them that they'd messed up, remembering that this had been a mission they'd received straight from Ferrus himself. Though their reaction was enough for Sunflora to mischievously wink and hold up a leaf to her lips. "It'll be our secret, relax~"
Chimecho though, seemed to be focused on something else. "Hold on a minute, you said that Jake got gutted? Well… I saw him just the other day and he looked… well, not gutted."
"Oh, that was because of Vincent." The guild members looked at each other, confused, and Eric remembered that he'd never really come back with them. "A Roselia we met while we were staying at Cunabula. Ferrus convinced him to tag along, and it turned out he had some crazy healing powers. Like… touch your wounds and they close up in a few seconds kind of crazy."
"That… that exists?! Holy moley, where can we find this guy I'd kill for those treatments whenever we come back from fights!" Chimecho coughed behind the Loudred, and he rubbed the back of his head. "Though uh… we don't get hurt that badly most of the time, so Chimecho's healing is great and all…"
"You better be grateful, you and Bidoof always come back roughed up… Anyways, if that's true, which coming from you guys, I'm guessing it is, that's crazy. You ought to make him a member of the team if you can, I've got a feeling you might need his help on your side sooner or later."
"Well… that's foreboding." Elly's comment made the Chimecho shrug.
"I mean, I'll be entirely honest, and a bit pessimistic here, but it seems that when big trouble starts brewing you lot are the first ones to run into it. Rebscura, whatever it is you guys fight… We can't deal with that ourselves, and the last few fights we know of at least, he got knocked out hard and had to stay in bed for a week." Eric smirked and rubbed the back of his head.
"So? I got better."
"Most normal pokémon don't just get better from the stuff you guys seem to be able to come back from, let alone handle. Honestly, the more people you have on the team, especially someone with those powers, the better. If it comes down to it, you'll be the only ones that can protect us, and…"
"Hey hey hey." Loudred hit the counter with his hand a few times. "Chill out! You're forgetting we're also explorers! We don't have crazy powers, sure, but we can manage, get people out of danger and fight if we need to! We're not gonna sit tight and let this city get destroyed. Not again."
"It's not about that Loudred… I think I know where Chimecho's headed with this." He looked at her, then seemed to realize what she meant, and his head tilted down slowly. They might have won that war, but they lost a lot of people along the way. Silence hung over their heads for a while, before Eric sighed.
"Wow, this got depressing pretty quickly… Alright look, yeah that sounds like a good idea. You lot know where your limits are, but we are only seven… well eight now, with Cherry, and we can't be everywhere at once. We take care of the big stuff, you lot take care of the small stuff."
"Even though the small stuff somehow pays more consistently than the big stuff… I mean seriously, we've only gotten paid twice for these past few missions, and one of them wasn't even official, it was more of a donation or apology on Maria's part for what happened in Yanicelum."
"Geez man, you gotta talk with Ferrus about that! We know you lot like doing this saving the world business, no doubt about it, but doing it for free sounds a bit too much!" Eric and Elly both laughed at Loudred's observation, and so did the others: partially because it was way too true.
"They quite literally don't pay us enough for this, lemme tell ya… But well, we get by with what we have, and that's enough. With the money we got from Maria we've finally been able to fund that basement that we've been wanting for a while. Maybe now Zed will stop complaining that we don't have enough room for food."
"Did she give you guys that much money?" Elly nodded, and the Sunflora whistled. "Holy crap, girl's stacked."
"Supposedly we shouldn't worry much about it… I had my own reservations about taking money for the inconvenience, plus the implication that it came from Tithe… but at this point, it's not like we are going to complain. Besides, I'm pretty sure with all that happened, it was the least she could do to compensate." Of course, there was also the implication that Maria had paid them off that handsome sum to hope they were indebted enough to her to keep their promise that they'd bring a stop to Tharmius… but given how his presence and actions seemed to be in direct opposition with their own, a confrontation with him waited for them up ahead.
But those things were likely far, far into the future, so for the time being they could afford to be a bit sillier and enjoy some peace and tranquility, especially as things seemed to be winding down and getting ready for the end of the year. And speaking of that, it seemed like they weren't the only ones discussing the topic, as behind them they could hear a familiar bird approaching, conversing with the guildmaster himself. "I will never understand why criminal activity seems to lower in these last few weeks of the year."
"Well, it's the spirit of the season, Chatot friend. Not all criminals are heartless monsters."
"But that would probably make it more likely for those individuals to start up some serious trouble…" He looked up and spotted Eric and Elly looking at them from the counter, waving their way, the duo returning the wave. "Fancy seeing you here today! Rain caught you?"
"Almost. Waiting for it to slow down, dark matter or not, we'd get drenched if we go out right now."
"I see I see… Though it is pretty much slowing down right now, and it is almost lunchtime." They all looked at the clock above them. Sure enough, it was long past noon, creeping up on lunchtime.
"I suppose we'll just have to make a run for it then, or else the others will eat lunch without us, and I don't feel like eating cold leftovers today." Eric walked over to Wigglytuff, shaking his paw before hugging him as a greeting. "We'll see you two later then, we should talk sometime."
"Indeed, friends! Now go, and enjoy lunch, and give your fellow team members our regards!"
"Well, if what we planned out goes through, you might end up seeing them all soon!" She walked out the door, her dark matter unfurling from her neck, in the form of a handkerchief, and becoming a sort of umbrella floating over her head, Eric soon joining her under the umbrella, before walking off towards the house. There were barely any pokémon in the street, most hurrying home or fumbling to close their stands. As they crossed over the river and headed down the road and to the outskirts, where their house was. Eric quickly pulled out the keys and walked inside, the scent of a nice warm stew filling his nostrils. "We're home!" Elly chimed in from behind him as she stepped inside, both her and the Riolu sweeping and cleaning their feet with the bucket and towels at the entrance.
"Hey guys! Finally, lunch's almost done!" Zed walked out from behind the kitchen, balancing some plates on his head that Jake and Cherry were helping him place. Or in Cherry's case, doing an even riskier balancing act on her head… that was just that, an act, because she was using her powers to glue them together.
"Oh noooo! It's gonna fall!" As if to make a point, she leaned on her side to the point she was almost horizontal to the ground, but the plates were on her head. While this got a smirk out of nearly everyone, Jake was still unimpressed, and the little Espurr pouted, which in turn got him to smirk. "Meanie!"
"I merely don't find your little parlor tricks entertaining after the 15th time in a row… but your little fits of passion are slightly amusing."
"Meanie times two! Meanie to infinity and beyond! Meaniieeeeeee!" She began to gently hit the Sneasel's side, much to his annoyance, but he merely rolled his eyes and kept helping set up the table whilst she chased him around and kept hitting him. Lucy and Nox were currently playing some card game, and Serge, as always was snoring away in his favourite armchair.
"Yeah, you three don't even bother acknowledging us."
"And risk her switching my cards? Nah man, this bitch straight be cheating if you take your eyes off her!"
"Am not. I'm seriously not, there's no way I could switch out your cards from right under your nose. Promise!" She was so full of shit Eric could smell it from a mile away. She'd gotten much, much faster ever since she'd been forcefully evolved, and the glowing mark on the back of her right front paw had not gone unnoticed by anyone, making her the fifth pokémon on the team thus far to have one of those marks on the back of her paw.
"Gross misuse of your powers there, lil' minx." Turned out that Serge was actually awake, or he'd just woken up, as he cracked an eye open, and pointing at the slightly shifted cards besides the two, the Houndour quickly shifting through, and spotting cards that had literally just been in his hand, discarded everything and screamed in frustration, whilst Lucy rejoiced in torturing him.
"Oh come on, it's always funny to see him getting mad… And besides, I'm still trying to come to grips with them overall… These are some pretty sweet powers, not going to lie. Faster, don't have to worry about friction, strong bolts of electricity… what's not to like?"
"The fact that you got them out of touching some kind of weird metal fragment that we've seen turn others into monsters?" She rolled her eyes at her mate's comment. "I'm serious, it's weird, Lucy."
"Details, who needs 'em? Besides, it'd be understood that we all got into contact with one of those thingies, and that's how we got our powers."
"Except I haven't touched any and I don't have a mark."
"And I have no recollection of ever touching one of those fragments, be it during my younger years in the time freeze or during my time with you. The closest I ever came into contact with one was when we fought the Hunter, but that was about it."
"Alright alright…" Eric stepped in as Nox and Jake made their observations, rubbing the bridge of his muzzle. "Let's all take a break, alright? Things have been pretty crazy these past few weeks, the last thing we need is to start overthinking all this stuff and seeing things where they might be nothing."
"Eric's right… besides, we were just talking with Chimecho, Sunflora and Loudred, and they were already making some plans for celebrating the end of the year, and offered us a spot so we could join them."
"Woo! Well, at least that's something to look forward to for once!"
"Well… that won't be all." Eric cryptically said, as he sat at the table, everyone paying attention to him. "Well, given how intense these past few days have been, one after another, and every attempt we made at trying to chill out and relax was thwarted in one way or another, I can understand we've been rather tense as a group. Plus, after talking with Chimecho and the others, they really made it obvious that we are about to run them out of business." They all chuckled or laughed at that, knowing that it was true, they'd been putting quite a bit of work, if not with the special assignments, taking all the hard and well paying jobs from the boards. "So I was thinking it might be time for us to take a small break."
Everyone but Elly, who already saw this coming looked at him first in disbelief, then excitement as the prospect of taking a few days off was something that always resonated with this team of slackers, as he sometimes jokingly called it. "A few days off eh? Well if that's the case… I think I know just the place to spend those days at! Carefree, without having to cook, clean, or do anything of the sort!"
"If you're suggesting we go abroad somewhere expensive, forget it, I was thinking of a small three day break." However small it was, three days were quite welcomed by the others, but Serge's suggestion went further.
"Well, not technically abroad, but it is maybe half a day away from here, technically less if we fly over. Nox and I were talking about the bathhouses that they'd recently made up in the central plateau, right? Where the old hot springs used to be. Well, they're still there, but they've also added an inn, with some pretty good food I've heard, some shops… They say it's been made into a full blown tourist hot spot!"
"Ooooh! Is that why there's been so many ships arriving in town recently? Rumor has it that they were considering opening an inn here too, to try and take advantage of the influx of people, boost the town's tourism a little."
"Yeah, they're probably landing here so they can make the trip over there."
"Well, if it's a tourist hotspot it's probably going to be pretty expensive…" And there it was, the issue of money rearing its ugly head again, and of course it was Eric who brought it up, who basically handled the finances alone and had more than once been caught by Elly freaking out about the team's "ridiculous" expenses on food. This time, however, the Eevee was ready for him.
"Well, that's probably the case… but last time I checked we weren't exactly short on money Eric! We spent a chunk of money on getting that basement dug out, and they've still to get started on it."
"So cancel that and go on a three day vacation?"
"Oh hell no, we need that storage space if we are going to make it through the winter with how much of an appetite you guys have. Also, come on over, lunch is served!" Zed finally got the food out on the table, plates of lentils for each of them that day it seemed.
"Oh come on it can't be that expensive can it?"
"Well… last I heard, the prices were very affordable for the service. It's not insanely cheap, but they said that you'll get your money's worth." Serge's statement got Elly to gesture at him, as if trying to convince Eric further. It seemed like she was pretty on board with the idea, and wouldn't stop until he caved in… which he did shortly after, sighing and taking a spoonful of his plate.
"Alright fine. Serge, think you can fly over later and check the prices for… eight pokémon staying over for three nights?" The Pidgeot stood up so fast and so suddenly he bumped on the table and almost knocked everything over, saluting.
"Yessir! I will go over right now if I have to!"
"Oh no you won't. Last thing we need is to take care of your sorry ass if you catch a cold if you go flying in the rain. Sit down, eat your food, and then later when the skies clear, you fly over and tell us what the prices are looking like, got it?" Serge sat back down instantly and began to just… gobble his food down.
"Arceus Serge just because you eat faster won't mean the rain will go away faster."
"You have any idea how excited I am for this? I oversaw the place when we went to Evergreen and the Forest of Giants and the place looked awesome. Been trying to drag you guys back there for ages now, but nooooooo. It's too expensive, we've other places to be, or some other tauros shit…"
"Swear jar!" Cherry suddenly chimed in, shaking a glass jar with several poké in it already, the Pidgeot groaning as he pulled out a coin from his satchel and dropped it in. "You know at this rate we might get enough money to fund the trip from your own wallet Serge!"
"Oh zip it ya lil' gremlin." He pulled her closer and gave her a wing noogie, which was terribly ineffective due to the fact they were wings, but it looked cute nonetheless, making the Espurr giggle, before the team went back to enjoying lunch.
"You know, I'm surprised how well you're adapting to living with us Cherry." The Espurr nodded emphatically at Elly's comment as she swallowed a big mouthful of lentils, her lips stained with the food.
"Yeah, it really really feels like I know you guys! I don't know where from though…" She had to go quiet as Jake just silently wiped her mouth clean with a napkin before she made a mess of the table… again. "But I feel super duper happy and cheerful when I'm with you!" She was essentially like a little girl to the whole team… a little girl with some pretty intense powers from what they'd been able to see, but as long as she behaved and they took care of her, things would likely work out just fine. She definitely had her quirks though, but she fit in just fine with the rest of the weirdos making up the team.
As they finished lunch and the sun began to slowly sink towards the horizon, the skies cleared enough for Serge to quickly take off. With his speed and sudden surge of motivation, it likely wouldn't take long for him to call them back with an answer, as everyone settled in for a few days of rest and relaxation that they had earned after the crazy weeks they'd had to endure. "Hey Jake, you wanna play chest?" Cherry, of course, felt like playing, hyper as she always was, and the Sneasel was the only one who hadn't gone up their rooms to rest or… "rest".
He glanced at her from behind his book, and shook his head no, which aggravated her. "Last time we played, you clearly ignored every rule of the game… and it's not "chest", it's chess."
"Chest, chess, cheese, chase, it's the saaaame!" She flopped down on his chest and wiggled her way and head under his book, interrupting his read session and stuck her tongue out cutely. "C'mon."
"No."
"C'mooon."
"No." Their back and forth usually went on for a while, but the Espurr's face changed drastically midway through her next sentence, slipping back and out of the Sneasel's sight, allowing him to return to his reading… for a grand total of five minutes, before he heard the sound of pieces scattering on the floor. He glanced over and saw that Cherry had brought out the board nevertheless… and was playing with them with her powers, making them hop around in front of her, whilst she had erected a full blown throne make out of cushions and Serge's favorite armchair. She had two rooks jousting and fighting, before one of them smashed into the other violently over and over, and was tossed out of the board.
"Hah! And you thought you weaklings could wind the favor of your magnificent queen… you're all so weak, and useless… Little pieces of trash under my heel, none of you are worth my time!" She grabbed the other pieces, and threw them away almost at random, until only the white king and the white and black queens remained on the board, staring at them intently. "So… you little bitch…" She stared at the white queen. "Who gets to be queen of wonderland today, hm? You… or me?" The white piece would move suddenly and smash the black one into her face, breaking her focus entirely with a yelp and toppling her throne and to the floor, buried by all the pillows.
Jake just ignored her situation as he just thought she was messing around, and would pop out from under the cushions any second, but as minutes passed, he saw nothing emerging from the pillows. Sighing, he snapped his book shut and stood up and walked over, parting the pillows over her to reveal her shuddering form, sobbing silently. "Did you hurt yourself?" No response. "Cherry." Calling her name got a response as she stood up and shook herself, back to normal.
"Huh? What? What's up? Oh hai! You wanna play chess with me then?" He looked at her and let out an exasperated sigh, leaving her even more confused, before the door swung open, and Serge flew back in, humming to himself.
"Oh, you two are still around, hm? What, having some quality time~?"
"Attempting to." Jake's words got twisted by the Pidgeot against him however, as he smirked, walking past him after getting himself a glass of water.
"Alright alright… I won't get in the way between you two budding lovers." Jake took a swing at him with his claws as he quickly ran up the steps and to his room in the attic.
"Meddling…" He groaned and laid back down on the sofa to continue his reading, spotting a blushing Cherry besides him, glancing at her. "What?"
"A-are we…"
"No." Cherry settled down after that, trying to put her thoughts together and Jake returned to his reading. Later on in the day, once everyone was awake, Serge notified them: there was room to spare, surprisingly, and the prices were more than affordable, especially with the boost that Maria had given them as compensation for their unfortunate encounter.
Everything was perhaps moving a bit too fast for Eric, who found himself surrounded by everyone as he sat at the table, looking at him expectantly. "So…"
"So." Nearly everyone, bar of course Jake, who was more or less okay with whichever outcome, knew exactly what they wanted, and they wanted to hear it straight from his mouth. With a sigh, the Riolu gave up.
"Fine, we'll go." Immediately the entire team erupted into cheering and jumping as he was kissed by Elly, and he just sighed. "You people better not complain if we have to tighten our belts this winter…"
"Oh it'll be fiiine! We'll have plenty, and besides, we need this now, and it's likely we won't when the festive season rolls around."
"Honestly, the fact that I could make reservations for the eight of us was astonishing." Serge's comment got Eric to glare at him.
"Did you seriously make those reservations while you were there without consulting me first?" The Pidgeot smiled coyly and sat in his armchair.
"Details, details! Point is, we've got three rooms: two small, for two pokémon, and a big one for four. It was cheaper that way, trust me. And I'm sure Jake and Cherry won't mind sleeping with Nox and I."
"You mean not sleeping then."
"Yay! SLEEPOVER!" Cherry quite literally screeched and went hyper, bouncing and jumping all over the house and somehow miraculously avoiding damaging anything in her path.
"What if I'd said no?" Eric was still trying to have his voice be heard, but considering the look he got from Elly… it was likely he'd have said yes in the end. Either way, what was done was done, and they all went to be that night with excitement in their bodies for what awaited them the following day.
The next day...
"Y'know, I wish we made this kind of pace whenever we are moving to an objective in a mission." They'd literally covered half of the continent at this maddening pace, with Lucy now a Luxio she could carry two people on her back, and she had Zed and Jake riding on her back, whilst Serge was carrying Eric, Elly and Nox, with Cherry seemingly floating alongside them and matching their pace, and whenever she fell too far behind, teleporting to their side in the blink of an eye.
"To be fair, we've very recently gotten some nice upgrades to our mobility in the form of Lucy actually being able to carry some of us."
"This is so weird… Like, I'd only done it once or twice before, and it was only Zed… Y'know, feeling someone else's junk on my body is so weird."
"Excuse you!" The Sneasel shouted back, blushing somewhat, making everyone, especially Serge laugh.
"Just you wait until you have to carry Elly, she'll fucking snap your spine in half."
"What was that?" The Eevee smacked the back of his head playfully, he faked getting knocked out and plummeted to the earth, before quickly recovering and snatching them up from the air and onto his back again, much to their dismay. "Dickhead…"
"You're only mad because you know it's true sister~" He teased her back, just flying ahead as the morning sun rose to its highest point by the time the mountain ridge appeared in the distance, and right there, on a plateau where once had been erected a fortress of pain, was something quite different. For starters, said fortress was long gone, replaced by what seemed to be a massive bath house, likely the main attraction, while at the far back of the plateau and getting closer to the long row of mountains that split the region in half was a smaller, much more secluded and serene building, likely a shrine to honor those that had perished in that prison. Of course, it was easy to see how clearly overshadowed it was by the large, brimming with life village at the front of the bath house, a series of rope elevators and scaffoldings allowing those without the gift of flight to ascend, which mean that Lucy, Jake and Zed were stuck on those elevators and waiting to ascend. "Oh well, I suppose I win our little race, Lucy! You owe me a bottle of sake once you're up here!"
"Yeah, to shove up your ass I hope. And what the hell is Sake anyways?"
"It's an alcoholic liquor that is quite common in the western regions of Johto, I do believe Serge has brought it up numerous times." They had some time to burn, so Serge explained how come Sake was essentially like wine, which of course caught Elly's attention, not exactly a heavy drinker like Serge, who enjoyed the stronger stuff. "I think I might try some myself then, if it isn't too intoxicating."
"It ain't, but it'll fuckin' rush to your head fast, because it goes down very easily… then again, forget I said that, the chance of seeing a drunk Jake is too good to pass up on!"
Jake rose a hand to try and aim at the now landing Pidgeot up the cliffside.
"Just… a little closer…" Whilst Lucy certainly didn't mind the Sneasel giving the Pidgeot an ice enema, Zed told him to lower his arm, a request to which the ice type complied, slowly ascending and meeting up with the group… who were currently being surrounded by pokémon and welcoming them to Onsekōgen. How that "o" was properly pronounced was beyond everyone except Serge however, whose accent now seemed less weird when surrounded by the locals. With that, they walked into town, the scent of strange and exotic foods hitting them in the face as they walked through a burgeoning market full of shops: from weapons and utensils, several stands with blades or shields or some armor pieces for pokémon of different shapes and sizes, pottery common in Johto, but that went for incredibly high prices in Treasure Town was on offer for much cheaper, and looked like the real to boot, ingredients and other kinds of food rarely seen… It was like a slice of another culture, another world, had suddenly planted itself smack in the middle of their region. Everything was new, everything was different: candle lights hovered above them, turned off at the moment but later in the night Eric could see them being lit up and allowing for a much different mood.
"Damn, they really went all out with the decorations huh…"
"Is this… what Johto looks like?" Lucy's inquiry was met with a chuckle from Serge.
"If you go there at the right time of the year, yeah, but not all the time. I think they're just boosting it to the max and then some here to appeal to tourists." As they walked through town, they came up to open restaurants and bars, pokémon standing around chairless high tables or in front of the bar themselves, ordering and eating and drinking. "Talk about a tourist trap holy hell. How'd they build all of this in a couple years?"
"Lot of money and influence I guess. Whoever built this place must've been gilded." Nox wasn't too far from the truth: this kind of scale for the village, which looked mostly completed, on top of living quarters and houses in the sidelines of this long, busy street that looked ready to move in and live inside of, and that opulent bath house… Someone had likely spent a large sum of poké to make this all spring out of thin air.
"And I betcha they broke even and doubled their investment in a couple of months. People here in Sinnoh will eat this stuff up. Beats the dread and oppressiveness that you can see everywhere else… and meanwhile people here and living it out as if the world wasn't in a shit state." Eric's comment came out much more depressing than he intended, and seeing like no one answered, he quickly corrected himself. "Of course, there's nothing wrong with that, even we came seeking a way to disconnect and relax from everything that's been going on as of late. Though as tempting as it is to dive straight away into all that this village is offering, how about we head to the bath house, find our room and leave everything there, then hit the village for some lunch and exploration?" That definitely got everyone back in a great mood again, and they decided to do just that, simply scouting out the area as they walked down the street. The only thing that was missing, according to Serge, was something he called Cherry Blossom trees.
"These trees with like, pink petals. They're very pretty, and they let out a lot of leaves… then again, I doubt we'd see many of them right now, this time of year."
"Then I suppose that's just a reason to go to Johto sometime in the future then!" Elly's mood had improved drastically as soon as they'd arrived, and the lively ambiance of the city was only helping to brighten her up even further, something that Eric was very glad to see. As they reached the bathhouse and entered, two Politoeds in kimonos greeted them, one pink, the other blue, who then led them to the front desk, where an Illumise sat behind and arranged some papers, before turning her attention to the newcomers and bowing.
"Welcome to the Shimizu Inn, how can I help you?"
"Hello. We had a reservation, by the name of Team Star?" Her eyes lit up at the mention of such a reservation, and turned to the Pidgeot who was standing behind the Riolu that'd just spoken to her.
"Aaaah! I knew I recognized you! Finally did manage to bring your friends along, did you? I'm so happy!"
"Yeaaah… took a little convincing, but hey I managed it! Thought we could use some R&R, you know how it is."
"Oh yes, Serge here told me a lot about you… and well, the stories filled in the rest. The genuine team Star huh… Well, I'm afraid we don't have a discount for exploration teams as of yet, sadly, and I'm not sure if management would offer such a discount even to illustrious guests such as yourselves, but we do quite hope you enjoy your stay here!"
"Oh, there's no need, we came prepared to pay what we had to, we wouldn't want to take advantage of your kindness, or our rank." Already Eric could hear the others calling him hypocrite through the crystals, and he quickly told them to zip it. "Are our rooms ready? We would like to load off our luggage before exploring the village."
"Yes, of course! It is a miracle you managed to find some open rooms, we have some reservations placed but were cancelled at the very last minute… and Serge here just so happened to walk in around then, and signed everything up for another 8 pokémon. Let's see… one large room, two small ones, yes?" They nodded in response and they'd be handed their keys, which were wooden tokens with notches and numbers. "The big one is on the second floor, the small ones are on the third floor. We hope you enjoy your stay!" She bowed, and they were led further into the building and then to the right. They got a better look of the hall now, an impressive building was in front of them, a pair of sliding doors that would lead them outside to a courtyard with a spiritual looking garden, with paths of gravel that were being raked and straightened at the moment, a small fountain with bamboo rods, and an air of serenity about the building that made them relax simply from looking, the wooden hallways surrounding the courtyard leading them to a set of stairs.
They would split up at that point, taking off to their respective floors and rooms, as Eric and Elly tried to enter their room however, they'd be stopped by a pokémon coming down the hallway. "Excuse me?" They turned to face a Roselia, which… made them falter for a bit, because they thought they were looking at a familiar face, but of course, not quite, with her being a female first and foremost, and the roses on her wrists a bright red instead of Vincent's deep blue. "You wouldn't happen to know where the external baths are?"
"Oh… no, sorry we just got here. We uh…"
"Hold on! I think I saw something that looked like an exit downstairs, around the back of the building… Maybe try there, and if not, there's always the front desk!" The grass type smiled and put her hands together in a rather adorable way.
"Thank you!" She would then… walk off in the opposite direction?
"H-hey! W-wait?" Before Eric had a chance to explain to her that that was the wrong way, she was already gone. "Well, someone's a bit lost… alright come on, at this rate we won't catch up to the others… Honestly for a second I thought we knew her."
"I know right? Have to wonder how he's doing, not gonna lie… as much of an ass as he was, he really helped us out."
"Yeah… Maybe if he were around we wouldn't have to come here… Oh don't look at me like that. Then again, if he WERE here then we'd probably have come even sooner, anything to have him shut up and stop bitching about having to heal us up. He used that ability like… twice, and he was getting up in our case about it."
(Cherry Blossom Storm - Okami)
To drive the point forward, he mimicked the Roselia's mannerisms, earning a chuckle from Elly. "Eh, whatever, come on, let's hit the town, the others are probably already having all the fun and leaving us with none of it!" Elly tugged him along by his paw before he could even ask how that made sense, as they rushed out of the bathhouse, by now it was lunchtime, and most of the crowds were starting to gather around the food stalls and restaurants, which in turn lightly cleared out other areas. First order of business for Elly was of course what looked like a bookstore, the Eevee having a blast just looking through the books and parchments within. One of the books caught her interest too, the story of a Chimchar that used magical pecha berries to pacify and befriend other pokémon to rid the land of evil. It was a charming children's book, and Eric already knew what she was buying it for.
"Planning ahead, hm?" He asked as they walked out of the store, the Eevee leaning against him and nuzzling his side.
"Can you blame me? For once, it feels like we're slowly getting somewhere, even if it's really rough… I've just got this feeling that everything will turn out fine at this rate."
"I mean… considering how much we've been fighting and struggling… then again, we've basically come out on top in one way or another so far. We saved the world once, who says we can't do it again?" She nodded, agreeing with him.
"And this time, when we do… I want us to go further, Eric. Hopefully, what happened last time won't repeat itself… And we can both relax, and enjoy the aftermath together. And be together for what comes next." The Riolu gave her a beaming smile, the kind he hadn't given her for a while, and kissed her on the lips as he rose her to her level. "Promise?"
"Promise. Now come on, there's plenty ahead!" He meant that in the positive and the negative sense… but their tails intertwined somewhat as they walked, knowing that by staying together, they'd be just fine. A few meters from the bookstore, they came across what looked like a boutique of sorts, and at the front they spotted Cherry in an adorably oversized pink kimono, much brighter than her purplish fur, whilst Jake tried out a far more serious Yukata. "Well, look who it is, trying on some new clothing!" The Sneasel almost jumped out of his skin, the Espurr running over and dragging the kimono a bit, waving.
"W-well… I mean, I do think it looks quite good. There are even some for quadrupeds." That was true, Elly had seen some on first trip through the village.
"They're so smoooooth and soooooft!" Cherry grabbed one of her sleeves and caressed it with her cheek, purring adorably, and the Eevee went ahead and caressed the fabric as well.
"Hey, wouldn't you know, they are quite comfy… I wouldn't mind trying one or two out tomorrow or the day after, could be a nice souvenir." She glanced at the blue yukata Jake had on, then back at Eric. "And I think you'd look good… in a white one."
"What?! Come on, I'm not putting one of those on, it looks way too feminine for me."
"Are you questioning my masculinity, mister testosterone?"
"Are you questioning my fashion sense, mister I-go-naked-everywhere?"
"Are you questioning my adorableness, mister grumpy pants? ...Wait that's not right." The Riolu was hounded by Jake, Elly and somewhat by Cherry in that order, making him back away, rubbing the back of his head and trying to find the words, before Elly burst out laughing, Cherry giggled and Jake chuckled all at his expense.
"Still, I do believe a Yukata would look quite nice on the both of us, and perhaps Serge even."
"Would have to get the Snorlax size for him then." Eric got himself a couple chuckles with that one. "But alright, if you two insist, I suppose I can try one out later. I don't know how much money we'll have by the end of this trip…" Once he noticed that the issue of money was coming up again he quickly corrected himself. "But! It doesn't matter right now, we owe ourselves some rewards for the fruits of our labors, especially you Jake. So treat yourself, it's on me." He raised his paw for a high five, and while the Sneasel looked at him confused, he quickly caught on and raised his hand to meet his paw.
"Yes. Thank you, Eric."
"And what about meeeeee?" Cherry looked at them inquisitively, using her puppy eyes with extreme prejudice.
"If you fancy a kimono, I will provide you with one from my own funds… it shouldn't be too terribly expensive."
"Wait, you mean y-" Elly covered Eric's mouth before he said anything else, and smiled nervously.
"Alright, we'll be taking our leave then, you guys have fun now! Oh, Jake, there's a bookstore just a little up the road, go check it out, they had some great stuff on display!" He thanked his fellow bookworm for the tip, and the team leaders were off. "You have to stop thinking about that kind of stuff!"
"Well I mean, I wasn't about to give her a gift when she's been on the team for less than a week. If he wants to, that's fine by me, but I do hope he knows what he's spending his money on… Where'd he even get that anyways, much less keep it?"
"Who knows… If I had to guess, it's probably from that special mission he took a few months ago from that Froslass, remember? He's probably not had much to spend that money on ever since, since we cover basically everyone's expenses, with a few exceptions."
"So what, he's got plenty of money lying around that he can throw it away like that, or does he care so little about it he doesn't care what it goes toward?"
"It's his money, Eric, come on don't be so judgemental."
"I know I know…" He crossed his paws behind his head. "I'm just wondering what's going through his head, making a choice like that…" A gentle breeze blew through the street, swaying the paper lamps above them as they walked down the road, a row of pokémon dancing past them as they left an open restaurant, with many pokémon sitting near the bar and eating their meal right then and there, and in the middle of them all they saw a familiar Pidgeot and Houndour wolfing down so much food that it was a miracle they didn't get sick. "Good lord, if anyone looked at you two they'd think we keep you on a strict regime." Both of them sharply turned around to look at the couple, the Houndour speaking up first.
"Duuuude, you have to try this stuff out, it's delicious! Here!" He pushed what looked like a plate with weird white jelly things, but that once he picked up turned out to be some kind of dough, soaked in soy sauce. He and Elly tasted it… and it was absolutely delicious, the stuffing was unlike anything they'd ever tasted, soaked in spices and juices and blowing their minds.
"Oh Arceus, that's so good!"
"I know right?! Here, we ordered even more, this is our third serving." Nox gave them another pair, whilst Serge laughed.
"That's all your free sampling, I still want this guy to try out stuff like Sushi and fried rice I run out of cash. Newspapers don't pay nearly as well as they used to back in the day."
"Bet you're real happy then to be with us… Seriously, this is amazing." Eric bit into his second bun. "How'd you even figure out this stuff was so good?"
"Oh, Serge had already had them before right?"
"Yeah, this stuff was pretty common back home even my mother used to cook them for when my brothers and I went outside to play." That was the first time he'd actually mentioned his family, but no one brought attention to it, since he immediately followed up. "Of course, stuff like Sushi wasn't commonly found there… most of the stuff they have here that I know is tasty as hell I found out during my travels, I went around Johto a lot… part of the reason was the food." He took a bite out of his own bun. "Man, I hope Zed learns how to cook this stuff, it's out of this world good."
"Wait…" Elly swallowed. "So you're from Johto then? Didn't know that."
"Nah, just that back home they imported this stuff from Johto… or something like that. Don't quite remember, nor do I care… you guys wanna stick around to try out the sushi? You pay for it yourselves though!" He'd quickly overwhelmed them with information, the last thing on their minds was inquiring on anything other than all this delicious food.
"Well… that does sound tempting, but it IS our first day here, so I don't think blowing all our money just on food would be a great move. I think we'll buy two more of the two of us?" Eric's proposal was denied by his gluttonous mate, and he temptatively raised it to four, which she found 'acceptable'.
"Well, I don't really care for anything other than food. All that other stuff is temporary, like gifts and souvenirs and whatever… but I can always remember how tasty this stuff is!" The Houndour went back to wolfing down the buns, and showed them all just how much more temporary those buns were. They weren't judging though, as Eric and Elly picked theirs up, they left them with a brief warning to not spend all their money in one place, and left.
"Heeey, I can't believe you didn't hound them over money this time!" Elly teased her mate, who rolled her eyes.
"It's Serge, he's old enough and knows what he's doing."
"Fair point, except that it's Serge."
"...Yeah, you're right, he's totally going to spend it all in one place and bitch and moan about it later…" He sighed, bit into his bun as if trying to suppress his disappointment, and spoke whilst he chewed. "Guess I'll just lend him a bit, maybe that'll keep him from wasting it all, knowing it's not technically his money." The Riolu's plan was devious, but knowing the Pidgeot it was the most likely course of action. "Still, those two were having plenty of fun."
"Don't they always? Honestly, if it weren't because they're different species I'd say they're related."
"Ya think?" They both chuckled and finished off their buns, continuing on with their walk in silence for a bit, taking in the scents and culinary delights being prepared around them, getting both their mouths watering at the sight. "Dang now I want more…"
"I'll buy ya one more when we make our way back to the bathhouse…" He bent down a bit and poked her belly. "Fatvee." He received a playful smack to his thigh, earning him a laugh whilst Elly blushed.
"Stop with the teasing, dang it!" She pouted playfully. "I don't hear you complaining about it at night!"
"I'm not the one that's going to keep complaining about it, I can handle you just fine."
"So can Serge, he just enjoys being an asshole…"
"Well, I certainly hope he isn't doing this sort of handling!" A swift move of his paw and a squeal from the Eevee later earned him yet another smack, this one a bit harder, same as her blush. "Come on, you basically set yourself up for that one."
"Shush. I'll have enough having to hear Serge and Lucy complaining… speaking of which." She motioned ahead, and sure enough, they spotted the Luxio inside a shop, looking bored out of her mind whilst Zed inspected rows of cooking utensils, specifically knives.
"Hooo boy, looks like she's going to try and put those to use any second now."
"We better get in there and prevent that, don't you think?" She led the way and poked her friend's side, who by now was a tad bigger than the Eevee. "Sup?"
"Nothin' much, just this dumb mummy checking out just how expensive these knife sets are… supposedly super sharp and all that jazz, but like, bloody hell you see these prices?" She pointed to them, and sure enough it was well outside of their own personal budget.
"Hey, you pay for quality here! I'd always heard about the wonders of Johtorian kitchen utensils, but these definitely meet my expectations…"
"Why do you need those though? We've already got some back home, Zed, and I've got my psychic blades, which I guarantee you are much sharper than what these knives can ever manage… plus, they won't degrade." Whilst Elly's reasoning was sound, it was extremely ineffective against Zed's culinary fervor, who almost seemed offended she told him to stop.
"What do you mean, what'll happen if you're not there and I have to use subpar tools to make some excellent dish? What if we have esteemed guests suddenly appear, or plan a special dinner? What will happen then, when I am not properly equipped?!" He just started to accelerate and speak about more and more incredibly specific situations where those knives might be marginally better than the ones they had home… and at one point, Eric stepped forward. The Eevee fully expected him to finally be able to shut him down… but instead offered him the remainder poké he needed to buy the set. "W-wha…"
"Now come on, don't complain that I don't do nice things for you guys! And besides, I'm buying you these knives expecting that you make Elly and I a proper delicious meal for our anniversary, got it?" The Eevee's eyes widened, remembering that the date was coming up… technically. They hadn't really gotten together officially until they were in that twisted future… but before that, they had revealed their feelings for each other near the end of December. Either way, when Zed heard this he gave Eric a big hug and thanked him, promising him the best meal he could muster for such a day before running off to buy the set.
"Hey hey, if you're getting those knives then you better cook something for me as well!" The Luxio chimed in, especially once he came back looking quite happy with himself and purring, caressing the now carefully packaged and wrapped knife set.
"Yeees, don't worry! Armed with these new weapons, no ingredient will be spared… I will become the greatest chef in town!" He certainly sounded excited, quite unlike his normal self as they walked out of the building.
"You always sound so happy when it comes to cooking huh. Well… Here's to hoping these give you the 'edge' you need to win against Chimecho!" Both of his friends glared at him, and even his mate gave him a silent look.
"Wow. Seriously?" Was Lucy's sole comment before she walked off, with Zed in tow, probably to go somewhere she wanted to go for a change… though they couldn't hold their laughter once they saw Eric's face as they walked off without saying much else.
"Oi! Come on!" He sighed, looking at Elly, who was still glaring at him, yet her lower lip trembled and cracked a smile before breaking down completely. "Oh come on."
"I'm sorry, but that was just such a bad pun, come on."
"Hey, I tried! Serge's puns are way worse anyway."
"Yeah, but he knows they're bad, that's why it's funny!"
"Oh whatever… Some friend Zed turned out to be… I bought him that set, he could've at least pretended that he found it funny!" He was obviously joking, and Elly giggled at his fake outrage.
"Hey, lighten up. I'm sure he'll make us some fantastic meals for our anniversary… which I'm going to be honest, totally forgot that was coming up soon."
"Same, I remembered it a couple of days ago, and again today when we talked with Chimecho and the others… we've just been so busy we haven't really had the time to plan much, have we?" They both stood there, silently looking off into the distance and trying to come up with excuses for the other, though eventually Eric gave up. "Eh, whatever… I know that I will have a great time eating alone with you by some candle lights, even if we have to kick everyone out of the house for the rest of the night."
"Pfft. Come on, don't be mean, especially now that you're being so nice to everyone again." The Riolu rolled his eyes, and looked upward. Time had really flown, and the sun was starting to descend, preparing for sunset.
"Time really raced by huh… I'm still kinda beat from the trip here, want to start heading back and rest in the hot springs?" That sounded just great to Elly, and they both began their trip back to the bathhouse. "Also, I haven't been that awful to everyone these past few weeks, have I?"
"Huh? Where'd that come from?" Elly was confused at first, but then remembered her comment. "Oh! No no, nothing like that, but you've just been uh… how do I put it… focused and…"
"A downer."
"...Look, chin up, and don't sigh like that. I know why you've been so stressed out as of late, some of us have had quite the… intense run ins with danger, and you feel somewhat responsible, don't you?" He nodded.
"At the end of the day, as independent as everyone is on this team, I'm still the leader, I call the shots and make the plans, so when something goes wrong… I just feel guilty about it. I still feel terrible about what happened to Jake, and by extension you, Lucy, and the others when you went to Unova… if I hadn't been a dumbass then I would've probably been in better shape and gone along with you. Probably would've stopped that from happening and maybe they wouldn't have gotten away with that fragment. It's just a series of bad things that keep happening and that stem from my own mistakes."
"How is what happened to Lucy your fault? Or Jake for that matter? No matter how good of a plan we had, those things were just out of our control. He managed to pull through by the skin of our teeth, but that's how we've always done these things Eric, don't deny it. Don't get caught up in the what ifs, and learn to share some of these concerns."
"Even if they're stupid?"
"Specially if they're stupid! Maybe if you do, we'll be able to knock some sense into your head from time to time, most of all myself!" She poked his head playfully, making him chuckle. "I know you better than anyone Eric, even yourself at times, and I think that out of everyone else, you deserved this break more than anyone. And I think the others thought that too." He remained silent for a bit.
"Geez… am I that transparent?"
"Not quite, more so insufferable at times, especially when things don't go your way… but today's reminded me of the old times, when we didn't have so much to worry about, and everything just felt great… And I think everyone else got that vibe too." She was right, and he knew it, he'd felt himself being much more relaxed and enjoying himself fully with the ambiance and the others. Nearly every other time a chance like this had presented himself he wasn't feeling up for celebrations or there was something always nagging at the back of his head... and while that was still the case now, of course, he could more or less push it out, and enjoy the moment. And enjoy he did, picking Elly up and kissing her deeply, showing his gratitude and love for the normal type as she returned the affection by pulling him closer, paws caressing his feelers as she wrapped her forelegs around his neck.
"Thank you for everything Elly… you're the reason I keep fighting and pushing onward. I love you, with all my heart and soul."
"Heh… I know, silly." She returned to the kiss, enjoying their proximity, though having to end it before the sunset caught them out in the street as the temperature dropped slightly, ushering them to hurry back to the bathhouse, and picking up everyone else on the way there, their spirits high and ready to enjoy the remained of that day and the following ones.
And it was going to be a long one.
(Stop the music)
"Cannonball! Weeee-" Cherry was grappled in midair by a dark matter hand from Elly, as they walked into the women's bath.
"Now hold on just a second there missy! Don't you dare jump in and bother whoever is bathing right now!" Truth be told, it wasn't incredibly tightly packed, but there were enough where she had to apologize in the Espurr's stead, Lucy walking in after them and taking a dip into the water, before jumping in.
"Wow, this is so warm… And we don't have to worry about the others looking under our tails." She sighed, dipping her head underwater whilst Elly and Cherry walked in as well, meeting up with the now floating Luxio. "Did ya see Nox's face? He looked so disappointed. I bet Serge fed him some bogus stories that he'd get to see us with our furs sticking to our bodies and stuff." Elly shrugged, didn't know, didn't care, she simply just wanted to relax and have fun.
"We can just come back later with Eric and Zed and spend some quality time with them alone, not with the others tagging along."
"Agreed."
"Awww… I can't tag along?" The Espurr's question sounded just a bit innocent, before she giggled and floated away across the water.
"This sucks man! Serge I thought we'd get to bathe with girls and stuff in here!"
"Hey, I thought so too! They must've separated the spring in two at some point… ugh, that's a mood killer."
"I honestly hope you weren't planning on spying on our mates." Zed and Eric were just chilling, leaning against the lukewarm smooth rocks around the edges of the bath. There were some bamboo thickets where Jake was quietly meditating and trying to evade the overwhelming heat from the thermal waters, whilst Serge and Nox were leaning and checking out the wall, trying to find some kind of peephole.
"Nah man, legit, we already have enough of 'em back home. We just wanted to check out some other girls… What?" Nox had been hitting Serge's side for a bit, and pointed higher: there was a bamboo thicket near the corner that rose above the wall, and if they climbed up and grabbed on tight, they could remain somewhat hidden whilst taking in the view.
Eric already saw where this was going though, sighing. "You two are going to get us into trouble."
"Don't worry, it'll be fiiine. I'll take responsibility for whatever happens… if anything happens." He was lying through his beak and Eric knew it, but at this point he knew his warnings would fall on deaf ears, and let them climb up and gaze upon the other side.
The minutes went by, it was a nice, relaxing bath for Lucy and Elly, finally getting to have some rest and relaxation. "So… what does evolving feel like?" The question had been burning in the back of Elly's mind for a bit, and doubly so since her species apparently had so many options to choose from.
"Hm? Well… I don't actually remember much, but it hurt a bit, let me tell you. Don't know if that was because of the fragment, because I was already hurt or the process itself is painful. Eventually, it kinda fades away, you can feel the growth, and a surge of power and then… it feels like you just woke up from a really good nap, bursting with energy 'n shit. Like seriously, I was kicking so much ass it wasn't even funny. And ever since I've been running faster, getting tired less, and I swear I can take a hit or two more than I couldn't before… Oi, what are ya smirking about?"
"Taking more hits? Really? Maybe I guess your thick skull grew a bit larger then." She poked her playfully, the Luxio groaning and rolling her eyes.
"Whatever… either way, yeah, it's weird. Could've asked Serge though, he's a Pidgeot."
"Yeah but… I kinda don't want to ask him, lest he tells me something weird, being a male… and besides do you ever picture him as anything less than a Pidgeot? I can't imagine Pidgeotto Serge for the life of me, let alone Pidgey."
"I'm guessing it was an even more annoying, smaller version of him."
"So Nox then?" Elly's comment got them both to giggle.
"Yup, pretty much!" After their giggling died down, Lucy looked around, and found Cherry to be completely absent. "Where the hell's she gone to now?" Both females looked around, and spotted her floating along the surface of the water and grabbing one of the buckets, and then sneaking back behind a few bamboo shoots near the back. Elly trudged her way over and turned the corner… only to see her stacking buckets on top of a pokémon's head, who was actually covered with towels, so they were basically impossible to tell who they were.
"Cherry!"
"Look! Look how many she's balancing! She's balancing herself on the water and balancing all of this on top!" The tower of buckets, while impressive, was terrifying, the clatter they would make if they crashed down would be the least of their worries, because the pokémon on whose head this tower had been erected was none other than a familiar Frogadier, who Elly recognized and made blood drain from her body.
"Cherry! No! Take those off her, that's-"
"Miss Ayame!" The sudden shout snapped Cherry's concentration, as she whipped her head around to stare at a bath assistant, a Vaporeon at that, whose mouth was agape in horror. Of course with Cherry's concentration broken the tower of buckets fell, but against all odds, before Elly could use her psychic to keep them from crashing down, Ayame's eyes snapped open and quickly spun on the water. She had a towel wrapped around her left arm, as tendrils of water shot up and snatched the buckets with her propelling upward and grabbing a few with her arms, dangling from the handles, and then landing back on the water without so much as a tiny ripple. Afterwards, she stood up, and gently let the buckets rest against the stone floor.
"Yes?"
"You uh… have an appointment in twenty minutes."
"Thank you. I will be coming shortly… not before greeting you first, of course." She turned to face Elly, who was reprimanding Cherry.
"You can't just do t- Oh! Sorry, sorry. It's nice to see you as well Ayame, I didn't expect to find you relaxing h-" The sound of racket coming from over the bamboo wall and the shoots violently shaking, followed by grunting snapped the girls out of their conversation. "Alright then? I didn't expect to find you here, of all places."
"I suppose pokémon of our caliber deserve some rest. If anything, I didn't expect you, or other members of your team to be here. Or am I assuming too much?" As Elly was about to ask, Lucy rounded the corner, calling her name, before stopping dead in her tracks and staring at the water type. "I suppose that answers that question then."
"Yeah, the others are in the other bath."
"Very well, I wish you all a good rest then." With that, Ayame stood up and left the bath, with Cherry clapping her hands excitedly.
"She's soooo cooooooool~!"
"...you can say that again." Lucy walked over to Elly, who was still deep in thought, shaking a paw in her face. "Yo, earth to Elly, you alright?"
"What? Yes yes… I was just thinking about the whole… miss Ayame thing, and her having an appointment." The Luxio shrugged, not exactly sure what Elly found weird there, and went on to be lazy once again, something that Cherry joined her in, her excitement over Ayame's display of skill and reflexes fading away as suddenly as the event itself.
Serge and Nox groaned in pain, the Pidgeot on his back, hyperventilating still and Nox letting out slight pained howls, having landed in the water after being sent reeling back by a panicking Pidgeot. "Oh we're so fucking dead…" Serge muttered under his breath, likely having seen too much. Eric and Zed just ignored them, chatting in a low voice to be respectful, whilst Jake only cracked a smile and cracked an eye open to glance at them.
"You were warned." With that, the afternoon faded into evening, and they left the baths to go get some dinner. Elly told the guys about their encounter with the mercenary, and while Nox and Serge feigned ignorance, their paranoia as they looked over their shoulders said quite a lot. Either way, as they sat down and looked around, they noticed that there weren't that many pokémon, either waiting for service or serving. "That's odd… There seemed to be more pokémon in the baths than there are here for dinner."
"Betcha they're going out for dinner… I mean, the food probably sucks. Establishments like these usually have really good services, but when it comes to food they slip a bit, so that way the restaurant and businesses around the place don't die out." Serge's 'tidbits of wisdom', as he called them placated their curiosity for the time being, eventually they were served, and since their stay covered dinner, they enjoyed their meal, which was rather poor in variety. When confronted about it, their waiter simply looked at them, and his eyes seemed slightly vacant, sending chills down Zed's spine.
"Our apologies… some of our cooks are taking a sick leave today." And with that, he walked away.
"...Ok so what the fuck was that?" Zed hadn't been the only one unsettled by the display, the others whispering and trying to figure out what was going on.
"Honestly… This place is going from bad to worse… should we just cancel and get out?" Eric's proposition earned him some glares, but to be fair things were really turning out to be weird and underwhelming.
"Awww! But the rooms looked so niiiiiiice!"
"Cherry's right in a way. We likely should at least stay the night, and leave tomorrow morning. I'm sure it shouldn't be an issue…" Elly yawned and interrupted her train of thought. "Like… I can't be the only one tired after today, right? Those baths were so comfortable."
"True enough. Reminded of those times when we went to those hot springs with that Torkoal… man those were the times." After Eric yawned again, the others decided to hit the hay too. "Man, yawns really are contagious huh."
"I blame Serge, he's always sleeping and yawning."
"Oh so what, I infected you with the lazy, that it?" He rubbed Nox's head affectionately, laughing and having some fun… though soon after their racket died down, the oppressive silence in the hallways would make it all unsettling once more. "Man… everyone must be out then. We're going to bed early."
"Look who's talking! 'sides, we're just beaten up about everything that's been happening so far, so we just need a good night's sleep, and hopefully tomorrow stuff gets interesting again!"
"Hopefully." Eric opened the door to his and Elly's room. "It's either that, or we're leaving at noon, not going to throw our money away here. But don't worry, we'll try to find another place to stay at for our short vacation that isn't home."
"Heh! You can count on me for that, I know a few more tourist spots! Anyways, good night!" Eric and Elly went into their bedroom, leaving Lucy and Zed to go into theirs and the others to follow the Pidgeot into their bigger room. The Riolu laid down on the strange bed on the floor: it wasn't a straw bed, like the ones back at the guild, and the floor underneath them was slightly padded and comfortable to lay on.
"I think these were called… futons? They're super comfortable, aren't they?" As Elly slipped into bed with him, and poked his back… she'd come to realize he was already snoring away. The Eevee rolled her eyes, and after failing to wake him up with a few more pokes, and exhaustion creeping over her abnormally fast, she conceded and kissed his cheek, before slipping away herself into a dreamless sleep…