[Wow, it has been an entire year. I'm so sorry about that guys. Time really got away from me there. Anyway, update at the end. Enjoy. Note: I do not own Pokémon. All rights to it's actual owners]

Chapter 15: Wait? What About Us!?

(Tony)

After our pretty great lunch (definitely coming back to this place), the group and I had left the diner, which I decided to pay for, and were now deciding what to do.

"I told you guys, it's fine. Consider it a thanks for the invite and making me feel welcomed." I stated genuinely.

"We're definitely not letting this become a habit of yours though." Flara stated sternly.

"Got it." I said sheepishly.

"Dude, just how loaded are you?" Dew questioned before getting a vine slap to the back of his head.

"Dude, that's really rude to ask." Snive said as Dew rubbed the spot where he got hit while glaring at Snive.

"Oh don't you talk about what's rude after how you acted around Sally." Dew stated.

"Here we go..." Flara sighed.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." Snive stuttered, turning around from Dew with a slight but noticeable blush on her face.

"It's everytime we come here. What is your beef with her?" Dew questioned.

"I don't like her vibe. So bubbly and clingy with you...AND OTHERS!" Snive exclaimed that last part quickly.

"She's friendly, so what!? She's able to be fun around while others constantly have a stick up their ass, like a certain grass-type I know." Dew stated, causing Snive to snap back around towards him.

"Uh oh." I whispered.

"Time to step in." Spark sighed as Ema hopped off Tepper's head.

"What's that supposed to me-" Snive was cut off by Ema and Spark paralyzing her and Dew, having them become stiff as boards with shocked looks on their faces. Tepper quickly caught them before they tipped over and leaned them against the wall of an adjacent house.

"Those two are going to start hating each other at this rate rather than tell each other how they really feel for the other." Tepper stated.

"With all they've been through, they would be great for each other." Spark said.

"Have y'all tried pushing them in the right direction?" I asked.

"Snive is too stubborn to admit it." Flara stated.

"And Dew is too proud and oblivious, feels like she'd do better given her royal status." Spark said.

"Royal status?" I asked.

"Oh right, you don't know." Flara said, grabbing my attention. "Her mother is the queen of the Arbor Area making Snive the princess."

"It's kind of funny how her, Tepper, Dew, and Flara are the kids of the leaders of the Arbor, Crag, and Cove areas." Spark said sheepishly. "Not in that order of course."

"Come oooon, that's not all we are." Tepper said as he picked up Ema and placed her back on his head.

Honestly, that's kind of cute. I smiled a little at the pair.

"I'm sure it isn't. You guys are definitely an interesting group though aside from that."

"Thanks." Flara said with an infectious smile while I returned one. She, however, quickly shook her head and said "Anyway, while we're out here, we might as well do a bit more exploring of the town. I'm still pretty new to this place as well so it could be fun."

"That sounds like a great idea. I can show you two some spots while we wait for Dew to come to." Spark said.

"Heeeeey Sparkyyyy." Yelled a familiar penguin from the diner entrance. We all turned to see Prince stroll out of the diner, giving a confused glance over to the two paralyzed pokemon. "Misunderstood argument?"

"Bingo." Ema said.

"Knew it. Anyway, Sparky here is gonna be mine for the day, sorry guys." Prince said, walking up to and wrapping an arm around an embarrassed Pikachu.

"Your boss let you out early?" Spark asked.

"Yeppers. And since it is also your day off..." Prince then proceeds to pick up Spark and hoist him on his shoulder, much to everyone's amusement. "We're going out today."

"Princeee...oh who am I kidding. I'm enjoying this too much to be embarrassed." Spark said as Prince starts walking away with him. "I'll see you later guys. Don't wait up."

"See ya later." We all said before Tepper chimed in with "That's our leader for ya."

"Never a dull moment." I stated with Flara humming in agreement. It was a cute sight. Love seemed to be in the air with these guys. I then looked towards the two paralyzed Pokemon and then a flash memory of Vixie appeared in my head. I frowned a bit at it.

Well, not for all of us.

"Who!? What!? Where...Oh not again." Snive groaned, taking me out of my thoughts as she finally broke her paralysis and got back her footing. "Fuck I was a bitch again..."

"Hey, don't put yourself down like that. Emotions and feelings make us all do things we don't want to sometimes." Flara stated.

"Yeah, I'm sure Dew would be feeling the same way if he were awake right now." Ema said.

"That still doesn't excuse my behavior or what I said. *huffs* I think I'm gonna be on my own for a second, clear my head, and figure out how to apologize to him without messing it up." Snive said as she quickly turned and walked off.

"Snive wait." Ema said but Snive just ignored her. "Arceus damnit girl. I'll catch up to her and see if I can help. Her being alone is definitely won't help. Tepper, you take Dew for when he wakes up."

"On it." Tepper says as they winked at each other before Ema quickly flew off Tepper's head and towards Snive. Tepper went over to Dew's still paralyzed body and hoisted him onto his shoulder. Tepper then quickly took off in the opposite direction.

"Wait? What about us!?" I yelled out so both of them could hear me.

"We got this you two. Y'all go and explore." Ema said winking towards us as we both realized what they just pulled.

"Hey...Wait! Ema!" Flara yelled out but got no response.

"Don't you dare try anything with my sister or you'll be hearing from me!" Tepper yelled out catching Flara, I assumed, and I off guard.

"What!?/Tepper!" We both said out loud simultaneously before we both looked at each other. We quickly turned away, me blushing, now realizing the situation we were now in.

Okay, just alone, with her, no biggie.

"I am so sorry about them. They're so gonna get it." Flara said as soon as we both calmed down.

"It's cool. This is really not a problem." I stated.

"Yep, just two new pals hangin' out." Flara said.

"Buddy-Os"

"Trainer and student...Actually that sounds a little weird." Flara said as I laughed a bit realizing the weirdness. She soon joined in with a short giggle.

"Let's just keep it to friends for now." I stated.

"Agreed." Flara said as she jokingly stuck out a hand which I still shook. We laughed a bit afterwards.

"Now that we got that out of the way. Where shall we go from here, tour guide?" I said looking around.

"My knowledge for this Area is pretty basic. I think since you are the expert explorer here, maybe you would know." Flara jokingly remarked before quickly stating, waving her arms out in front of her, "No offense given."

"None taken." I laughed. "Though if we're looking at it that way, it would be a good learning experience for your future endeavors if you lead the exploration of Cove Town."

"Huh, when you put it like that..." Flara said thoughtfully. "I'll do it."

"Awesome. Alright Exploration Team Leader Flara, I'm ready to begin." I said jokingly while saluting, causing her to laugh.

"Ooo, I like the sound of that. And that makes you an honorary member of Team ElectricFire." Flara stated, smiling.

"I'm honored." I stated. "Now which way, leader?"

"Um..." Flara looked around unsure before pointing in a random direction. "That way?"

"Lead the way, I got your back." I said. It seemed to have given her a bit of a confidence boost based on her now determined face.

"Right! Let's go!" She exclaimed, grabbing my hand and dragging me in that direction. I almost protested but I looked towards her back and her hand holding mine and I just got a warm feeling within myself and just smiled at her instead.

(Hours later)

"YOU HAD TO FIGHT A WHOLE GROUDON!?" Flara exclaimed, nearly choking on her drink and drawing a few looks from passing pedestrians. "No way."

So far, Flara and I have been wandering around Cove Town, side by side, taking in the sights and just enjoying each other's company. We passed a few stores and only got drinks so far, both Rawst Berry juices coincidentally. We soon got into a conversation about my past adventures.

"Oh yeah. Even though it was only an illusion, it felt so real. Was sore and had bruises for days afterwards." I stated, laughing a little at the resting period.

"How'd you beat it?" Flara asked.

"Good teamwork and a lot of luck. It's a miracle Vixie and I got out of that. It was mostly thanks to her though, but she still denies it. We lucked out in finding a TM for Energy Ball and she carried us through the fight." I stated with a short laugh at the end.

"You two must make a pretty impressive team." Flara stated.

"One of the best, wouldn't have gotten far and through these years without each other..." I trailed off, having stopped walking, causing her to stop as well. I then started feeling a familiar sensation and my tail flame slowly started to turn black.

No! Not now! Not in front of her...

I internally tried to hold my back the black flame before hearing Flara's voice.

"What happened next?" Flara quickly asked.

"Huh?" I asked, being brought out of my thoughts and bringing my attention to her.

"What happened next? It can't end with just an awesome fight. I mean it could end that but I'm curious if there's more. Maybe a treasure of sorts?" Flara asked curiously.

"Oh, well, I can't really say what comes after. The guardian made me and my other guild mates promise to not tell what we saw there and how to get there. Had to omit some details from my story telling just to keep that promise." I stated.

"Oh, ok... I understand where you're coming from. Any other stories like that?" Flara said looking a bit disappointed.

"Yeaah but they're few and far between. The most interesting ones, in my opinion, are the ones that I can't tell. Sorry about that though." I apologized sincerely before she gave a sweet smile.

"It's okay, I don't mind. The life of an explorer is full of mysteries. Some of those mysteries are bound to be kept mysterious. I just have to get some of the mysteries for myself." Flara stated.

"Well said. I like the sound of that." I said as we both started walking again. "Now I think it's your turn."

"Hmm?" Flara said, confused.

"I feel I've been talking about myself the whole time that I want to give you a chance to talk." I stated.

"What? Me? I don't really have much that's interesting to talk about. Especially stuff that can compare to your feats. I'm pretty basic and not really all that interesting..." Flara said, now looking downtrodden.

"What? You are interesting. And don't compare certain feats with others. They're your feats and that makes them all the more special. Plus...I do want to learn more about you." I said sheepishly.

"You think so? And really?" Flara said with me noticing a slight blush on her face.

"I do...as well as learn more about the others but you most of all. Hope that's not weird to say." I quickly said that last part.

Definitely sounds weird.

"Wow...I mean, it's fine." Flara said before shaking her head a second before continuing. "Okay, I'll do it. But you do owe me more stories at another date."

"Deal." I said smiling which she returned.

"Okay, okay. Flara, who is Flara..?" She thought out loud giving the signature "thinking look" which I chuckled a bit at. "I honestly don't know where to start. I'm one of those people where if you ask me to talk about anything about myself, I draw a blank."

"I know the feeling. Just say the first thing that comes to mind." I suggested.

"Got it. Um...born and raised in the Crag area...but you already know that. Favorite color is purple." Flara stated.

"Cool, mine are red and black. Can't choose." I chimed in. "Sorry, continue."

"*giggle* You're good. Hmm...I always wanted to be an explorer from the very moment I heard about them. My mom used to tell me stories about her adventures and was just so enamored with it. Even though I feel like my brother got all the prowess and skill...and is most likely the one to inherit dad's position as leader of the Crag Area...I want to use my own skills to carve my own path and I see being an explorer as a way of doing so. It'll be a way to break out of my families' massive shadow. I'll get to explore the world, try new things, and meet new Pokemon. That's my goal in life." She stopped our walk and gave me a determined smile that I couldn't help but share.

I've been smiling a lot today haven't I?

"I-Wow, that's honestly an amazing goal to have." I gushed.

"Y-you think so?" She said shyly, looking away.

"I know so. Hold on to that dream girl. It'll get you places. And I know this may not mean much but I support it, and I'm sure the others do as well." I stated while gently putting my hands on her shoulders as to bring her attention back to me.

She brought her attention back to me, still looking unsure and her mouth slightly opened as if wanting to say something. I only gave her a comforting smile which had caused her to suddenly let out a few tears and sniffles.

"Oh crap. What's wrong? Was it something I said?" I asked immediately, feeling guilty and retracting my hands.

"No no, you're fine. I'm sorry, I get emotional at the worst times." She sniffled while wiping away the year with her arms before looking back at me with a smile. "I just wasn't ready to hear something like that I guess. I never really told anyone but Ema that dream outright and hearing you praise it? It's a bit overwhelming but also appreciated."

"Oh, well I'm glad to share the truth. Still sorry for overwhelming you with all that. I'll be sure to tone it down next time." I said.

"Well...I wouldn't mind a hit of acknowledgement or praise every now and then." She said sheepishly before quickly stating "Only if you, OR ANYONE, feel that I deserve it. Mainly cause I do value your opinion."

"Really?" I asked.

"Well yeah. You haven't given me a reason not to, you're basically a legend, and those words you said were genuinely heartfelt." She stated.

"How can you tell?" I asked.

"Psychic abilities, remember?" She said with a wink.

"Oh right. Brain fart here." I facepalmed as she giggled, with me soon joining in. I soon stopped and looked up at the darkening sky. "Wow, I didn't realize how late it was getting."

"Same here, we should probably start getting back." Flara said.

"Agreed, don't want anyone getting the wrong idea." I said.

"Too late." Flara said but I missed that comment.

"What?" I said.

"What?" Flara quickly said back trying to make an innocent smile. I chose to let it slide.

"Anywho...it's probably gonna take a bit to get back." I stated.

"It may not be. Come this way." Flara said, gesturing me to a specific direction in front of us. We soon walked towards a group of Drifblim floating side by side next to each other.

"Umm?" I stood there confused.

"This, my monkey pal, is the Drifblim Air Taxi Service. Or DATS for short. This will allow us to get to places around PokéPark much faster than walking, for cheap too." Flara gestured to them as they slowly waved at me. I awkwardly waved back.

"Convenient, let's take it for a spin." I said as me and Flara paid for two Drifblims, Flara shutting me down from paying for both rides immediately, and we soon made our way back to the school. The flight there was a sight to behold, especially with the stars coming out as we reached our apex in flight. I stole a couple of glances at Flara during the flight and just admired her beauty in contrast to the stars and night sky.

Hopefully she didn't see me looking.

We soon found ourselves at the front of the school at the top of the staircase. We touched down and said our thanks and goodbyes to the retreating Drifblims before going to the door. We showed the guards our badges and they let us inside. We then made it to the intersection where one hall heads to student dorms and the other faculty.

"Thanks again for inviting me out. I had a good time and found some great places." I said.

"I'm glad you came. You made this day even more fun and I hope we can do it again sometime with other Areas." Flara stated.

"You can count on it. So part two on the hang out?" I asked.

"*giggle* Definitely." She smiled, which I returned.

It was a couple seconds of silence between the two of us before I said. "Welp, I think it's best we call it a night. Goodnight Flara, and make sure to give the others my thanks as well."

"I will. Goodnight Tony." She said as she turned down her hall with me going down mine. I got a few steps in before hearing. "Tony, Wait."

I quickly turned to see Flara trot up to me. "Think I could get your explorer badge for a sec?" She asked.

"Uh sure." I said handing it to her. She soon started fiddling with the screen that popped up from it when she pushed the button at the bottom of the badge. "Why though?"

I soon heard the beep and my badge saying "Contact added" before Flara handed back my badge.

"I just added my contact info to your badge. I learnt it from the others. Just thought it might be good to have someone to talk to in your free time about random things..." She trailed off a bit at the end while shifting in her feet.

"Oh, uh thanks. I appreciate it but what brought this on?" I really shouldn't question why I was receiving a cute girl's contact info but I couldn't help it.

"Well...I saw you looked a little upset today and saw your...tail flame turning black..." She trailed off again as I started to realize things now.

"Oh..." I said simply, looking down in shame and embarrassment.

Great, good job Tony. You just have to ruin an awesome day with your dumb emotions.

"I'm sorry for bringing it up but it happened at Combat Training as well and I can't help but be a bit worried for you. I know it's not my business to pry or ask but if you want to talk about whatever is bothering you, I'll lend an ear." She had a comforting look that, despite me feeling down, perked me up a bit.

"Thanks, sorry for making the day awkward with that and I appreciate you not being too invasive about it. It's just...the thing that's bothering me is pretty recent and I don't think I'm ready to talk about it just yet." I said honestly.

"Oh...I understand." She said hesitantly.

"I still appreciate the sentiment though. It means more than you know. When I'm ready, I'll definitely talk to you about it. I just...need some time." I stated.

"I totally understand. Just say the word and I'll see what I can do to help." Flara stated.

"That's great to hear. And it goes both ways Flara. You ever want any help or just to talk, I'm one call or message away. Aside from work, I don't have much going on." I said sheepishly.

"I'll keep that in mind." Flara giggled before turning around. "Now I think it's time we call it a night. Remember what I said Tony, Goodnight."

"Same goes to you girl. Goodnight Flara." I said as I started my walk to my room. Now that I was alone, the conflicting thoughts soon started popping in, bringing a frown to my face.

She seems like she really cares. Maybe this is what you need.

Or you could potentially mess thing up again like you did with Vixie and not only leave yourself hurt but Flara as well.

But Flara may be the push you need to let Vixie go.

But we all know that deep down you're still clinging on to a nonexistent chance that you could be with Vixie. Torturing yourself because you failed so miserably and left in such a petty note instead of facing it.

Stop, you're Tony, Leader of Team Unity, you know torturing yourself won't help in the long run. Take this chance. You like her and maybe she likes you too.

YOU'RE PATHETIC AND DESERVE NO ONE!

My tail turned pitch black again.

(Flara)(Same time)

OMA OMA, you just gave a guy your contact info. I'm nervous but also a bit...excited? Yeah, that seems right. Ugh, priorities girl. You did it cause you want to help. Talking to him is just a bonus...I do hope he's okay though. And I hope I'm doing the right thing...Ugh Ema's not gonna let me hear the end of this.

[Sorry again for the disappearance, life just got really busy. I have been working on this story in the meantime so I didn't totally forget. As for the two stories that I mentioned in the last chapter, they're also going well. The Lion King story hit a bit of a snag because I don't know where the story should go but the Pokemon story is coming along slowly but surely. I hope to bring them to you all soon. I also began to use Google Docs to help in spotting errors so I hope my writing gets better because of it. Anyway, onto the outro

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PEACE]