[POV: Tal]
{I wonder if you love me as much as I love you…}
So close, he thought, as he inched his way through the brush towards his target, making sure to be as quiet as possible. Won't even know what happened. He let out an evil chuckle.
There was his target, sitting next to a river and daintily washing a paw. As he approached, he saw the creature's ears perk up, and it began to look around. Tal crouched even lower, so that he could barely see it, and it would be hard pressed to spot him at all. The quadruped whom he was stalking shrugged, and went back to dabbing its paws in the river, oblivious to the fact that something was after it.
He crept closer, till he was just a meter away. Now, he thought, as he wriggled his rear in preparation for his assault. Then he leaped forward, putting as much force as possible into his hind legs to get the most out of his pounce, forepaws outstretched towards the other pokemon. He grinned evilly… and then let out a squeal as the flareon dipped her head to take a drink from the river, causing him to sail over her head and into the cold water.
"Aaaah!" he screamed, before being cut off as he impacted the water. His momentum was so great, that he went all the way to the bottom of the river, where his shoulder slammed into the ground, knocking some air out of him. Then, still underwater, he shook himself and pouted. Damn. Foiled again. Then he grudgingly made his way to the surface.
As he broke out from underneath the water, he inhaled the air above him deeply, filling his lungs of what he had lost. Then he shook his head to clear the water from his ears, allowing him to hear the beautiful sound of Aileen's laughter. He pouted some more as he turned his head towards where the lovely flareon was currently rolling on the grass.
"Oh my Arceus!" she laughed. Tal glared at her, before sulkily swimming to the shore and pulling himself out of the water. Then he made his way over to her, where he stood over her giggling form, waiting for her to gain control over voice again.
After a while, it became apparent that she wasn't going to stop any time soon, so, grumbling the whole time, Tal shook the water out of his fur, effectively showering the laughing 'mon in cold water. She let out a loud yelp, before jumping to her feet and away from him.
"That wasn't very nice," she giggled at him.
Tal pouted at her. "And it wasn't nice of you to make me end up in the water again. That's the third time this week!" he exclaimed. Aileen just giggled at him.
"Well, you wouldn't have ended up in the water if you didn't try to push me into it," she told him, sticking her tongue out. Tal looked away, and grumbled to himself, before cracking a smile and laughing.
"Well, maybe I wouldn't be so tempted to push you into the water if you didn't have to go against the stereotypical fire type and enjoy it so much," he retorted.
She giggled some more, before walking up to him and swatting him with her bushy tail. "I like having my paws clean! That's not really my fault, now is it?" she asked.
He deadpanned at her. "Yes. Yes, it is. You could be like most pokemon and wash them with your tongue," he returned.
Her face crinkled in displeasure. "After everywhere I've walked? No thank you. Who knows what I've stepped in," she said.
Tal grinned at her mischievously. "Dirt," he chuckled.
She glared at him, and let out a soft huff. "Probably a lot more than dirt," she pouted.
He winked at her. "Most pokemon avoid stepping in pokemon or human waste."
She swatted him again. "That was one time!" she shouted, fur bristling softly. Tal chuckled lightly.
"Once is enough hon," he told her with another wink. His heart began to swell a little as he saw her face blush deeply, before she looked away. Beautiful.
Briefly, he wondered if this was why Zero acted the way he did. He knew that he could never fully be like his Zero, but… if by borrowing some aspects from his better personality he could help out someone, then he wasn't going to complain one bit.
Then he shook himself to clear his mind, and grinned easily at the blushing flareon. "So, do you wanna get some food? I'll buy?" he asked cheerfully.
She shook her head, and then smiled at him, blush fading. "Sure! But you always buy… aren't you going to run out of money?" she asked hesitantly.
Tal shook his head. "Nope! I have a rather large amount of poke, more than I could possibly spend in a life time. You can thank my friend Zero for that. Don't ask why, he never said," he replied.
She frowned at him. "Zero? I think that you've mentioned him before… who is he exactly?"
He sat down, and then gazed up at the clear sky. "Well, I suppose that Zero is more of a nickname for him. Anycase, he's an umbreon, whose name is actually Wolfe. He's a mercenary of sorts. He's actually been hired for a while, three years to be exact. I don't know everything that he's done, but still. He's a good pokemon, though I wouldn't tell him that if I were you. He's sorta convinced he's a bad 'mon due to some events in his past. Heck, one of his other nicknames is Demon," he answered.
She blinked in surprise. Then she smiled slightly. "Well, I think that I would like to meet this umbreon that's such a good friend of yours," she said happily. Tal grinned at her, before jerking his head in the direction of Haven. Then they walked, side by side, towards the Pub.
As they walked, Tal turned his thoughts to the beautiful flareon walking next to him a smile on her face. More importantly, to his thoughts and feelings about her. What had started as him trying to cheer up a sad looking pokemon, had turned into him falling for her. Hard. As he stared at her out of the corner of his eye, noticing that her smile appeared to be genuine, he felt another twinge in his chest. I wonder if I'll ever be able to tell you how I feel about you, he thought wistfully. But, he didn't let any of his internal thoughts show, keeping an easy grin on his face.
He briefly wondered if she did, or even could feel the same way about him. He knew that he got attached very easily, but it just wasn't something that he could help. It was in his blood. He decided that, whatever happened to them in the future, he'd at least always be able to count on her to be a friend. Or at least he hoped anyway.
As they walked through Haven's gates, which were now much sturdier looking, though still made of wood, Tal took a moment to admire how far their little village had come. It was starting to look like a proper city, albeit a small one, and slowly at that. He supposed that having so many able-bodied workers around helped things move along considerably. It was a lot more than he had ever hoped for when they first left the other civilizations and secluded themselves.
Making their way down the main street of Haven, Tal turned a brief thought to how other townships and cities were doing with the plague. While it had only been about a year since they first left Forn, he knew that the plague had been running rampant in the world for a good three years before that. Thinking about Forn, however, had the effect of him thinking about Lura.
For whatever reason, he still loved her. More so than he did Zero, in any case. Since she had left, he found that he was missing her, and everything about her. He sighed sadly as they walked through the door into Cook's Pub, heading towards their usual seats. It's almost her birthday again, he thought with another sad sigh. Then he chuckled and shook himself. Ah, but she's happy now! And besides, I found Aileen because of that! I'm not entirely sure that I would have noticed her as much had Lura been here. Or Zero for that matter. Though, I'm thinking that I might care for Aileen more than him…
Just thinking about his own thoughts and emotions had his head spinning, wondering if Aileen felt anything towards him. And if so, was it really him? Or was it the personality that he had borrowed from Zero? If so, could he rightfully ask her to be his mate, when she didn't even know the real him? Would it even be fair for her? For him? He didn't know. And the more he thought about it, the more he wondered.
"Tal?" he heard a sweet voice call, bringing him from his thoughts. He shook his head vigorously, and then smiled at Aileen.
"Yes?" he asked.
Aileen frowned at him. "You didn't respond when I talked to you earlier. What's on your mind?" she asked softly.
Tal hesitated, as he tapped their table with a paw anxiously. Should I tell her now? Or should I wait?
He hesitated only a little more, before he finally made up his mind. Steeling himself, he looked at Aileen attentively, trying to find the words to express his thoughts.
"Aileen… what are your thoughts on… well, on me?" he asked.
She frowned at him, clearly not understanding his question as he meant it. "Well, you're a very sweet guy, which is something that I love about you. You're always trying to cheer me up, even buying me things just to try to get me to smile. I think that's really sweet of you as well. Overall, you're a great guy, and I'm happy to call you my friend," she replied with a smile.
Tal found that he couldn't speak again. Then he sighed deeply, and looked at her with a slight smile. "Aileen… what if I told you that I-," he was cut off by angry shouting coming from halfway across the room.
"I already told you, filthy human, I'm not interested!" a feminine voice shouted at the waiter, who was looking embarrassed.
"Miss Braixen, I'm sorry, I'm just following the owner's rules! He doesn't want customers who aren't buying to sit in here, that leaves less space for paying customers. If you don't want anything, I'm going to have to ask you to leave," the man told her, sounding a little hesitant.
Tal saw the braixen's eyes flood with despair. "But… I don't have any money…" she said sadly.
"I'm sorry Miss, but then I'm going to have to ask you to leave," he replied.
Tal saw her eyes flash with anger now. "And what if I don't want to leave? What are you going to do? Force me out?" she snarled.
Tal quickly looked at Aileen, who was already looking at him with a questioning gaze. He shrugged, and then hopped off his chair to walk over to the arguing pair. "Excuse me you two!" he called to them.
They both immediately turned to look at him, the braixen with suspicion in her eyes, and the waiter with relief in his. Tal smiled at both of them.
"If she would like, she can sit with us, I don't mind paying for another," he told them cheerfully, pointing a paw over to where Aileen was sitting. She waved at them with a paw.
The braixen still stared at him, though the suspicion was fading from her gaze to turn into a look of gratitude. She nodded once, before hopping off of her chair and walking over to one of the two remaining chairs at their table, where she greeted Aileen, and sat down. As she was walking, Tal almost had to do a double take upon seeing her tail. Her tail tip was blue instead of red. Then he turned to the waiter again.
"That work?" he asked.
The waiter nodded with a smile, and then walked over to the bar to talk with the man manning it. Tal shook his head with a grin, and walked back over to the table to join Aileen and the newly met braixen.
"So, what's your name?" he asked her.
She stared at him for a little bit, but then shook herself. Then she grinned at him. "The name's Lucille! Pleasure to meet you!" she exclaimed, holding out a paw to him.
Tal blinked in confusion, and then lightly poked her paw with his. She frowned at him. "Have you never heard of a hand shake, or paw shake in this case?" she questioned. Tal blushed as he understood, and then placed his paw in hers, where they both gripped and shook paws.
Lucille then turned to look at Aileen. "So, who are you two then?"
Aileen giggled softly. "Well, my name is Aileen, and his is Tal," she told the braixen.
Lucille grinned, and turned back to Tal. "Well, thank you, Tal! I… I really don't have any money…" she said, trailing off. Tal laughed.
"It's all good! I can cover you easily," he told her cheerfully. Then he frowned. "Uh, if you don't mind me asking… where is that you're staying?"
Lucille shifted uncomfortably. "Around," she said shortly.
Tal raised an eyebrow. "If you need a place to stay, my house has an extra room that you can have, at least for a while," he said with a smile.
Her eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to speak, before closing it again. Then she nodded mutely. Tal's smile widened.
Over the next hour, Tal learned very little about the braixen. One thing that he could say definitely, however, was that she had a fiery attitude, which amused him to no end. He could see himself getting along with her, as she seemed able to at least keep up with his energy. That was the only downside to being as talkative and energetic as he was. But, he was getting better with it.
After they had all eaten their fill, Tal led them all to his house, which was humble, but then again, so was a lot of Haven. His house was only recently completed, just a week or so earlier, and so far, he was loving it. Rio still lived with him, though he wasn't always home. In fact, it seemed that he was only home at night, otherwise he was out doing who knows what. Tal assumed that he was with Stephen and Betty, but he couldn't really tell.
Regardless, Tal loved his home. It had three rooms, and one living room, with a kitchen as well. And best of all, it was his. Though he obviously couldn't use the kitchen like bipeds could, but it was still nice to have. Plus, it kept Rio happy.
Once they had reached it, he stopped and turned to Lucille. "Well, here we are! Make yourself at home! Your room will be the first door on the right as you enter. It has a bed, already made, as well as a couple shelves. Oh, and it has a nightstand as well! Personalize it as you want, you can consider it yours for as long as you might need. I'll be walking this lovely pokemon right here home, and then I'll be back," he told the braixen, who nodded her gratitude, before she disappeared into the house. Then he turned to smile at Aileen, who was blushing again.
"Well, Miss Lovely, shall we?" he asked, gesturing with a paw. She nodded with a smile, though she was still blushing.
Another thing that Tal could be thankful for, was that she lived relatively close to him. It meant that he could visit her anytime he wanted, though he made sure that he wasn't bothering her at all. So, the walk to her home was silent.
As they approached her little hut, Tal again wondered if he would ever be able to tell her how he felt about her. Hell, he was still trying to work up the courage to ask her to move in and live with him. Although, now that Lucille was in that extra room, she would have to sleep with him, which he wouldn't ask her to do until he knew if she returned his affections or not.
He looked at her smiling face longingly, before he sighed and looked at the ground. If only I was actually as outgoing as I have been acting around her…
"Thanks for the great day again, Tal! I enjoyed it immensely. But…" Aileen started saying, before her voice trailed off uncertainly. Tal glanced at her with a small smile.
"You can ask me anything, I'm not going to judge you for that," he told her gently.
She smiled at him gratefully. "Well, I was curious what you were trying to tell me earlier today, before Lucille," she said hopefully.
Tal felt his gut clench as he was brought back to that moment. Well, here's my chance again. He opened his mouth to speak, but cut himself off quietly as he stared at the ground. Then he sighed, and shook his head. "It's… it's nothing, just a silly question," he told her eventually.
He heard her pad up to him, before she nosed his cheek gently. "Now I'm going to return what you told me, mister. You can ask me anything, I'm not going to judge you," she breathed into his ear.
Tal suddenly felt very warm, as he kept his gaze on the ground. Then he sighed again, and looked up at her with a smile. "Well, I suppose you're right. Well, here goes," he said. Then he took a deep breath, and continued. "I… I was going to ask you, what if I told you that I… loved… you?" he asked, blushing furiously.
He saw her gaze widen in shock, as she inhaled sharply. Then she blushed deeply, and looked at her paws. She waved one in a circle, apparently searching for an answer. "Then… I would say…" she said, before she looked up with a small smile. "That I love you too," she finished.
Immediately, Tal felt a wave of happiness flow through him. He beamed at her brightly, and was about to speak, before he cut himself off again. Then he frowned, and looked at the ground. "But… but what if I told you that… that I may not be who you think I am?" he asked sadly.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
He breathed deeply again. "Well, you see… I'm not exactly as confident, or even as charming as I am around you. I… well, I suppose you could say that I borrowed that to try and cheer you up when we first met…" he replied, trailing off.
He waited for her to curse him, to hate him, to yell at him. To do anything to signify that she was disgusted with him. He was not prepared, however, when she giggled at him.
"Tal, I knew that. No pokemon is truly that at ease, charming or flirty around stranger pokemon. So, I was just waiting to know you more, and eventually your true personality will come out. Which, it did. And I think that I love that even more about you," she told him happily.
Tal's jaw dropped. Then he shook himself. "You mean, you knew?" he asked in disbelief.
She nodded with a smile. "Yes, I knew."
He grinned at her. "Whew! That's a relief, let me tell you! Although, you are actually mistaken about something," he told her.
She frowned at him. "What do you mean?" she asked.
He smiled at her slightly. "Well, you said no pokemon is truly that charming, flirty, or at ease around stranger pokemon. I told you that I borrowed that, right? Well, I borrowed it from my friend, Zero. That's how he actually is," he said.
Her eyes widened slightly, before she frowned some more. "Are you sure about that?" she asked.
This time, it was Tal's turn to frown. "What do you mean?"
She hesitated. "Well, what I mean is, do you really know your friend as well as you think? To me, it sounds like he's hiding something. Like… I don't know. Maybe he's hurting inside? Or maybe he's just broken? I don't want you to question how good your friendship is at all, I'm just curious about this…" she said, blushing brightly.
Tal chuckled lightly. "No, you could be right. I guess we won't know unless we ask him, now wont we?" he replied cheerfully.
Her blush cleared a little, and she smiled at him gratefully again. Tal looked at the sky, and smiled to himself brightly. "Well, I suppose I should probably get going home," he said regretfully. He looked at Aileen again, and saw that she was staring at the ground, blushing brighter than he had ever seen her.
"You… you don't have to go quite yet…" she mumbled, still staring at the ground.
Tal frowned at her. "Why is that? Did you want us to do something else today? I suppose we could go for a walk if you'd like," he said, slightly confused.
Her blush deepened, if that were possible. "W-well, w-what I w-wanted to do, w-we would have t-to do somewhere... private," she stammered out. Tal's eyes widened slightly. Then he smiled, and kissed the top of her head.
"If you want to do that now, then we can. Or, if you aren't ready yet, we can wait," he told her gently.
She looked at him, eyes filled with an emotion that he couldn't establish. "I'm ready now," she told him. Tal smiled at her gently.
"Then lead the way," he said. She nodded, with a very small blush, and turned around to walk into her hut, with her future mate right behind her.
[POV: Unknown]
Silence. Nothing. Then sound, followed by a rush of air. Wind. He opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was the clear blue sky, with a couple clouds filling it here and there. He took a moment to admire how fluffy they looked. Almost the perfect cloud. Then he frowned, and slowly sat up to take in his surroundings. Immediately, he gasped.
What the hell, he thought. This doesn't look like home. Wait, home? Where's that?
He was in the middle of an expanse of rolling hills, covered in dry grass, with wind whistling through their blades. To his right, he could see what appeared to be a road, though it was like no road he had seen before. In the distance, he could see what looked like a medieval city, with high stone walls, and what appeared to be a drawbridge. Now, that alone was impressive. But, there was something that almost ruined the image, filling him with a sense of despair.
There was a thick plume of black smoke coming from the city, deep and black, leaving him with the feeling that something awful had happened. He shook his head, and rubbed his eyes to try and clear them. When he pulled away his hands, let out a short squeak of shock. He had paws.
They were a cream color, and seemed to be rather small. "What!" he exclaimed, before glancing down at his body, and turning around to look at the rest of his body, feeling a brief wave of panic flowing through him as he stared. He wasn't a human. He didn't know what he was.
He had short fur, with the front half of his body being a cream color, and the back part of him being a blueish color. He let out another squeak of surprise. And then he leapt forward as he saw a burst of flame appear behind him. He turned around quickly, feeling something bang against his chest as he did so. He frowned. There was nothing behind him, though some of the grass looked a bit scorched. He unconsciously leaned forward, catching himself with his front paws as he did so, and walked towards it, sniffing furiously. All he could smell was smoke and grass.
He frowned, and then looked down at where he had felt something bang on his chest. His frown deepened, as he pawed at the necklace hanging from around her neck. It was a clear purple gemstone, that looked like amethyst, with a small, round stone in the center of it. Pretty, he thought. Then he looked over his neck at his back again. What am I?
'Quilava,' a masculine, yet gentle voice spoke in his head.
His eyes widened. Quilava? What's a quilava?
'It's what you are. A pokemon, known as a quilava,' that same voice in his head spoke. He frowned.
Why am I a quilava? And where am I?
'You're in a territory call Norovia, just on the outskirts of Nor, actually. If I were you, I wouldn't stay around for too long either.'
His face contorted into a look of confusion. And where should I go? Where can I go?
'Go north. You need not worry, I will guide you and keep you safe.'
Who are you? What are you?
'I am known as many things, but you can call me Nydum. As for what I am, I suppose you can call me a guide. Not my actual species name, but it functions for now. You'll learn more about me as we go, just like you'll learn more about yourself.'
Nydum? Well, Nydum, why am I here?
'That's something that you'll find out as you go.'
He snorted. That's all? Just that?
'Yes.'
He frowned. So, are you the only of your species?
'No I am not.'
How many of you are there then?
'Many. And that's all that you need to know. Now, I would get moving if I were you. Oh, and stay away from Nor, which is that smoking city over there.'
He turned to gaze at what he now knew to be Nor. It made him sad, as well as more than a little curious as to what happened. He looked up at the sky, and saw that the sun was almost directly overhead. He frowned again.
Which way is north, he wondered?
'Facing the city, it will be directly to your left.'
Oh. Thanks.
With that in mind, he turned to his left, and started walking. As he walked, he took in even more of his surroundings, wondering where on earth he was. Then he frowned once more.
He couldn't remember anything before waking up a few minutes earlier. He knew he used to be a human, and that was it. He couldn't definitively say how he knew things that he did, he just knew. Which, confused him.
Nydum? Why don't I remember anything?
He waited patiently for an answer, but none came. He sighed sadly, and then looked up towards the horizon, and continued walking.
[POV: Artul]
"Alright, you can stop now," Derrick told him. Immediately, Artul stopped everything he was doing, and began to pant furiously. He raised his head to look at the target he was currently trying to shock, and let a slight grin out. Bullseye, he thought.
Then he sat down. It was hard to generate a huge amount of electricity for an extended period of time. Especially after running around a sand pit at top speed for three hours. Then add on that you're not in the body that you grew up in. Fun stuff, really.
Then Artul frowned, as he turned to Derrick. "Sir, why are we stopping? It's only been six hours," he questioned. The old luxray smiled at him.
"Because you have a visitor," he told him, gesturing to the room's entrance. Artul frowned some more, then turned to see who it was.
Needless to say, he was surprised to see Via, the espeon, sitting at the entrance patiently, waving a paw at him cutely with a small smile on her face.
"Greetings, Artul!" she greeted cheerfully. Artul smiled slightly.
"Hello," he returned. Then he frowned. "What do you want?"
She beamed at him. "Well, I know that you have been here for a little over two weeks, and was curious if you'd had time to see all that the Dark Army had to offer?"
He hesitated for a moment, and then shrugged. "No, not really. Just been here, the sparring arena, your cave area and our sleeping wing. Why?" he asked.
"Well, I could show you around a bit more if you'd like," she told him.
He hesitated again. Then he smiled softly, and shrugged. "Sure," he said. She smiled brightly, and then got to her paws, gesturing with a flick of her tail for him to follow her. As he passed Derrick, the old luxray dipped his head to him, and winked, which caused Artul to blush slightly. Then he shook himself, and followed Via out of the room.
She took a right down the main hall, away from her cavern area, and towards what he knew to be the entrance. "Well, I figured that it might be nice for you to first relax a bit, so I'll take you to the hot springs first!" she exclaimed cheerfully, glancing back at him with her bright green eyes. Artul smiled at her again, and nodded.
She giggled lightly. "You know, you can talk, right? There's no rule banning speech. And if you're worried about offending a potential superior, then don't. I'm not one to get offended," she told him, smiling.
Artul frowned slightly, before smiling as well. "It's not that I feel pressured into not talking, it's just that I don't have a whole lot to say," he replied. Then he hesitated. "Though, I must admit, you seem different than when we first met. Why is that?" he questioned.
She nodded once, still smiling, as she turned to face in front of her. "When I'm on duty, I'm always a lot more formal. But, I can't stand being so stiff and uptight all the time! So, I relax a bit when I'm in my free time. Well, I relax a lot I suppose," she replied, looking at the ceiling thoughtfully. Then she shrugged, and smiled at him. "That's not a problem, is it?"
He shook his head vigorously. "No, it's no problem at all! Although, that raises another question. You aren't working right now?"
She shook her head. "Nope! It's my day off!"
Artul blinked. "Then… how come you wanted to spend the day with me?"
She giggled, and playfully swatted him with her tail. "Because, silly! You intrigue me! I know the majority of everyone in the Dark Army's future. Yet, I don't can't see anything about you, or Wolfe, or Kage. But, I was also curious about you specifically, just because you seem to be so lost… I hope I'm not intruding or anything," she told him, now frowning slightly. He smiled slightly, and shook his head.
"No, you aren't intruding at all. I was just a little surprised that so beau-… so important of a pokemon was interested in me," he said, blushing slightly.
She giggled again, before sighing unhappily. "Yeah, I suppose that would seem kind of strange, now wouldn't it? Well, to completely honest, me being so important is a big reason as to why I decided to talk to you. You see… I don't exactly have a whole lot of friends due to my role. And… I'm a very young pokemon in the grand scheme of things. I'm only 16, after all," she said, glancing at him again.
"But, when we first met, and I, admittedly wrongly, accused Wolfe of being the cause of the plague, you alone stepped up in my defense. In doing so, I… well, I saw that you were to be someone of importance in the future. For whatever reason, I couldn't see how or why, at least not very clearly, but I know that you will be crucial in the events to follow. In that, well, I suppose I saw a kindred spirit. You're also one who is awfully young to have to carry so large a burden on your shoulders, and I thought that, perhaps, we could be… friends?"
Artul's eyes widened in shock. Then he shook himself, and frowned. "But I thought you just said that you couldn't tell anything about mine, Wolfe's or Kage's future? How could you see mine?" he asked.
She smiled slightly, before facing in front of her once more. "Well, I'm not sure. Before that, I hadn't. After that, I still haven't. Perhaps how your important involves me in some way, which I suppose could make sense, as I do get glimpses of my future every now and then. For instance, I know that I will live well beyond what would be a normal lifespan, because I've seen myself in a shining future, surrounded by blurry images. In this future, there are metal wagon things that move without any force pushing or pulling against it. There are giant metal birds, as well as huge cities, so clean and neat that it appears as though one of the legendaries must have created them, though I get the sense that it was not them. I see all these things, and I'm in every single one of them, with a few more scars than I'd like, but still. I always look so young, yet I get the sense that I am so old as well. It's… confusing, to say the least," she said thoughtfully. Then she shook herself, and continued, saying, "But, to answer your question, your future could involve me somehow. But, I do not know, and will not know, until that point arrives. Which, from my best guesses, will be in about six years."
Artul's eyes widened significantly as he came to a stop, though she kept walking. Cars! She saw cars! And airplanes, and I'm guessing skyscrapers! He shook his head, and smiled at the back of her head slightly. Well, you've given me a new hope, Via.
Then he shook himself again as he realized that he was falling behind rather quickly. He began to run after her, not realizing that he had paused in amazement for over a minute. He saw Via disappear into a cave entrance where he had noticed steam coming from when they had first arrived. So, it appeared that his initial guess had been correct, and it was a spa of sorts. As she rounded that corner, Artul was hot on her heels… only to collide with her rear as she apparently halted, sending the two of them sprawling. Somehow, Via ended up standing on top of him, giggling.
Artul blushed deeply. "Uhm, oops," he said. She giggled again, and gently placed a paw on his nose.
"Watch where you're going!" she chided cheerfully. Artul nodded, still blushing. She hopped off of him, and walked down the entryway that apparently led to the hot springs, with her tail swish rhythmically from side to side. Artul got to his paws, and walked after her, although slower this time. He quickly saw why she had halted.
The entire cave area was packed with humans and pokemon of all kinds, so many that Artul instantly got slightly uncomfortable. He came to a stop as Via began to slow down, looking thoughtful. Then she shrugged, and began to weave her way through the crowd, stopping for a minute to signal for Artul to follow her. He grudgingly nodded, and began doing as she was, and made his way through the huge crowd, making sure to keep Via's forked tail in sight as he did so.
After what seemed to be forever, the crowd finally began to thin, to the point where he could make out Via's body. He followed her as she made her way over to the left side of the entryway. She slowed down a bit for him to catch up.
"There was actually a lot of thought and planning put into this particular area, and we used a lot of ground and water types to make it how it is. Essentially, it's divided into three areas. There is the commons cool area, which will be down another tunnel that splits off to the right. Everyone shares that, it's essentially a large underground pond. Straight ahead is the commons hot pool, which, again, everyone shares. It's a warmer version of the cool area. And then, over to our left, is the private areas. There are, in total, 32 rooms that are completely secluded from each other, each one with a smaller, much smaller, version of the commons hot pool. This is where we are headed, as I'm not one for large crowds. This place is very popular, for obvious reasons. But, Duke expects the best, and he gives the best, in his own words. All of the water areas are monitored by water types to keep clean, as well as to make sure no one drowns. Which, hasn't happened, thankfully. Someone came close once, though the water types on duty were quick to rescue him," she told him loudly, so as to be heard over the roar of the crowd.
Artul thought that it was very similar to how water parks in his old world were, what with the monitoring and the noise and what not. It still made him uncomfortable, however. So, he was glad that they were going to the private areas. He just hoped that they weren't all taken.
As she led the way down another tunnel, he quickly noticed that there were doors on either side of him, with a fifteen-foot gap in between them. He also noticed that on each door was a set of little hanging rocks, one red and one blue. He guessed that these signified if a room was open or not, with the lower one possibly meaning which one it was. He frowned, as he noticed that they nearly all had the red one hanging lowest, all except the one at the very end on the left.
Via had spotted it as well, and was making a beeline towards it. Right as she was about to reach it, the door suddenly opened, and an umbreon stepped out, tugging on the red stone gently. Via came to an immediate halt, and sighed, turning to look at Artul who was now frowning. Then the umbreon spotted them, and its face lit up.
"Oh, hey you two! Were you wanting to use a private room?" Wolfe asked cheerfully. Via turned back to him, and nodded.
"Yes, yes we were. Sorry, we won't bother you. We'll find another one," she told him formally, avoiding eye contact. Wolfe raised an eyebrow at her, and then chuckled.
"Nonsense, I would hate to turn such a beautiful 'mon away! Besides, I haven't seen Artul in a while, so why don't you two join Lura and I? The rooms plenty big enough, and the more the merrier as they say!" he laughed, gesturing with a paw.
Via hesitated again, and looked like she was about to decline, when a familiar blue pokemon's head poked out of the room, underneath Wolfe.
"Who is it?" Lura asked curiously. Then her eyes brightened upon seeing them. "Oh, Via! And Artul! Are you guy's joining us? Please!" she begged, with a bright smile.
Via giggled lightly, and turned to look at Artul. "Well, it's up to you I suppose," she said with a smile.
Artul shrugged, and gestured for her to walk in. Lura let out a happy squeal, and ducked back into the room. Shortly afterwards, they heard a shriek, followed by a splash. Wolfe peeked back into the room, and shook his head, chuckling. Then he turned back towards the approaching pair.
"She fell into the water," he told them, as he held the door open for them to enter. Via giggled as she passed him, and Artul couldn't hold back a smile either as he entered the private room.
Inside, he saw that Lura had indeed, fallen into the hot springs, where she was now sitting and giggling softly. "Yeah, I probably should have been more careful," she giggled.
"Probably just a bit, love," Wolfe told her with a grin. She closed her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him. Wolfe chuckled, then suddenly disappeared, before reappearing in front of Lura, where he immediately kissed her. Lura let out a soft squeak as her eyes shot open. Then she faintly giggled, and closed them again.
Artul blushed slightly at the show of affection, and turned to look at Via, who was staring at Wolfe in shock. Then she blinked, and turned to face Artul. "Well, this is a private room. They're very nice for when you don't want to be surrounded by hundreds of other people or pokemon. Which, I personally am not a fan of," she told him, acting surprisingly formal again.
Artul nodded, though he was now frowning. "Yeah, I don't like crowds much either," he replied.
"Well, while I don't mind crowds, I wanted to be more alone with this naughty little vappy here," Wolfe cut in, causing Artul and Via to both face him and Lura, who was currently blushing slightly. Then Wolfe gestured for them to enter the water. "Well, don't just stand there! We're all friends here, and Via, you can relax. I'm not one to hold a grudge, nor am I one to be so petty as to start arguments where there are none. No, today I simply want to relax, and enjoy."
Via smiled at him gratefully, and then elegantly waded into the small pool, with Artul a few steps behind her. As soon as his paws touched the warm water, he sighed blissfully. Yeah, I needed this, he thought happily.
He noticed that the water progressively got deeper the further out you went, though he also noticed that it couldn't get that deep, as the pool was only about six meters long, and four meters long. He also saw that that there was a clearly visible bench along its sides. Just like in my world, he thought as he made his way over to the side, with Via joining him.
"He's a rather playful mercenary, isn't he?" she asked him quietly, flicking an ear at Wolfe, who turned to look at her with a wide grin.
"Why yes hon, I am rather playful! If you'd like, we can go someplace quieter after this and I can show you exactly how 'fun' I can be," he told her, complete with a suggestive wink. Via and Artul both blushed, and Artul found that he was actually getting rather irritated with Wolfe.
Before either of them could say anything, Wolfe held up a paw with a laugh. "Relax you two, that was a joke. I'm sticking right by Lura today, and Cordina tomorrow. So, calm down, Artul. I'm not stealing your girlfriend from you," he laughed. Artul immediately blushed even deeper, though he did relax.
He briefly wondered why he had the reaction that he did. He didn't have any personal attachment to Via, did he? No, that was stupid. He barely even knew the gal.
Lura giggled, breaking through his thoughts. "They're red like tamato berries!" she squealed happily. Wolfe instantly turned his grinning gaze to her. Slowly, he began to approach her.
"Oh, so they're like tamato berries now, are they? Well, what if I were to do this?" he murmured to her, as she gazed at him confusedly. Then Artul heard her squeak and saw her face flush a deep purple as she blushed. Artul tilted his head at her in confusion as she began to pant softly.
Finally, she squealed, and then leapt at Wolfe, tackling him under the water, with his loud laughter being cut off as his head was submerged. He turned to Via with a questioning gaze, only to freeze at her shocked and blushing face. He poked her lightly with a paw, which caused her to squeak and leap away from him. As her blushing face met his quizzical one, Artul noticed that she was rather pretty, though he already knew that he supposed.
"What was that about?" he asked, flicking a tail at the two pokemon who were currently wrestling underwater in the deeper end.
She blinked at him in amazement. Then she shook herself and laughed gently. "You really have no clue, do you?" she questioned. He blinked, and then shook his head. She laughed, and then shook her head. "Don't worry about it then," she giggled.
He hesitated, and then shrugged, turning to look at the two pokemon again, who were now holding each other as they kissed. I wonder if I'll ever have a relationship like that?
He couldn't answer.
As he made small talk with Via, as well as Lura and Wolfe when they finally resurfaced about five minutes after they had initially gone under. When they broke the water's surface, Artul briefly wondered why they remained hugging for so long, but eventually decided that it was probably just something that mates did.
As he sat in the hot springs, letting all the tension soak out of his body, he couldn't help but realize something.
He couldn't remember the last time that he was as happy as he was right now.
