The following morning, I woke up early and went to eat breakfast. As I was eating, Arti came out of the bedroom, and then got next to me.
"Good morning," she said. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yes!" I replied. "Thanks for asking."
"Don't mention it!" she said. "I heard you talking last night. About yourself..."
"About myself!?" I yelled in surprise. I didn't remember telling anyone about my personal life!
"How was that?" I asked.
"You talked in your sleep... Well, I listened carefully", she told me, blushing slightly (and yes, I knew). "Actually, I wanted to ask you something..."
"What is it?" I asked. "Are you worried about something?"
"Maybe..." she responded hesitantly. "Can I talk with you later?"
I started to worry about whatever problem she might have. If, by an unfortunate turn of events, Arti ended up finding out the truth about me and tried to harm me, I'd die instantly!
But I preferred to think that our friendship meant too much to both of us instead of thinking about Arti attacking me... Or perhaps I simply needed to put more effort into keeping secrets? Anyway, I promised to wait until later for answers.
After lunch, I left the house and walked over to a nearby path that led to the shore. I thought it was a good idea, because, if Arti wasn't too serious about this subject, maybe she would forget about it altogether.
As I got to the beach, I relaxed and enjoyed the sea breeze. There was nobody else close enough to disturb my peace here, except for two lapras who swam nearby. They stared curiously at me while playing together. When they noticed that I didn't care about them for a while, they began chasing each other back to the ocean.
After the comfortable experience, I finally returned to Arti's place, walking along the sand, as I realized that I hadn't seen her anywhere during my trekking trip. Maybe she flought somewhere else or something...
But when I reached home, I found Arti standing outside of their door, staring at the ground sadly. Seeing her like that gave me chills. Did she really realize the truth?!
No, that couldn't happen. Still, fear gripped me nevertheless. Now I wish that I kept quiet about my secret!
As I walked nearer to the entrance of the cave, I prepared myself mentally for facing either disappointment or disbelief from Arti. As I walked to the entrance of the cave, she realized I was there.
However, her reaction was far less aggressive than I expected. Instead, she just sighed deeply.
"Sorry..." she apologized. "I shouldn't have overheard you earlier."
"No worries!" I reassured her. "Besides, what did you listen to anyways?!"
Before answering that question however, Arti took a deep breath as if calming herself down. Finally, she spoke softly:
"Ahem... Can we go inside please?"
So we went inside, whereupon we walked to the living room. Afterwards, silence filled the room. An awkward tension hung between us, which lasted several seconds.
"Tell me something," I suggested. "Why haven't you attacked me yet?"
She raised her head quickly and turned her gaze onto mine. Her expression changed drastically. "Why should I attack you? What makes you think I want to kill you!"
Surprise appeared on my face for a second: I wondered why she reacted like that. Why wouldn't she try killing me if she knows the truth?
After all, I was just someone who tried to spy her! I really hope I didn't mutter anything about that topic!
However, I decided to keep silent in order to avoid a situation that could end with me being killed. Especially considering the extremely powerful pokemon Arti was.
Then, Arti continued: "...if you are trying to get information outta me, do it right! Ask me what you truly want to do."
And, even though the situation might be far from comfortable, I felt, in fact, encouraged to continue the conversation.
Is this calmness coming from the confidence in her actions? Oh god, how can I say this without sounding stupid?!
I nodded nervously and cleared my throat before speaking:
"Uhmm..." I stuttered awkwardly. "Well.. You see, I need help in catching a pokemon, as I don't have any companions in my life."
Arti then looked at me again. "You are pretty intelligent, did you know? Asking for help from a legendary pokemon is a good opportunity to get powerful allies to join you!"
She said proudly. "But a birdie told me that battles aren't what you were interested in anyway~".
Her words threw me off balance. Just now, I had no other fake story to tell! Having such thoughts running in my brain caused me some mental confusion, making me speechless once more.
Fortunately, Arti quickly picked up on my discomfort and laughed loudly, causing me to laugh also. Suddenly, things became lighter around the atmosphere, almost recovering normalcy.
She giggled quietly. While smiling kindly towards me, she explained further:
"...It seems you're lying... Don't be shy... Tell me honestly your intentions!"
In response to her request, I calmed down.
"Yes, I lied to trick you. Sorry. I'm sorry; forgive me."
At those words, tears welled up in my eyes, but she rubbed my hand with her head happily nonetheless.
"Don't worry about it! Really!" she said before heading to the bedroom. "Come with me."
Following her, I entered the bedroom, warmly lit by the sunset light that shone through the icy roof.
Feeling relieved by her kind gesture, I walked in and faced her confidentially.
"Now, tell me what you REALLY wanted to ask me..." she ordered cheerfully, as she looked at me with a look as if saying 'don't hold back'.
Trying to gain control over myself somehow, I gathered courage and spoke shyly:
"...Can I watch you mating for real?"
By doing so, an embarrassed feeling spread across my whole body. I knew perfectly well that I was into voyeurism, but I never imagined anyone finding out! And not just a regular stalker, but Arti herself!
The mere thought of Arti mating under the moonlight sent shivers through my spine.
Then, I really thought Arti was going to attack me. Actually, I guess she must have been shocked by my sudden confession.
But Arti, instead of attacking me, simply smiled brightly (maybe due to the surprise) and asked me casually:
"...What do you mean watching me mate for real...? Are you talking about watching me having intercourse with someone?"
Slightly panicked by her unexpected behavior, I froze in place unable to answer. Then, she stated confidently, while staring directly into me:
"Of course NOT!" she said strongly. "You aren't going to watch me breeding with another male, obviously!"
Then, I felt really ashamed as if I had committed an unforgivable crime against Arti...
But as I was going to leave, Arti suddenly pressed my body to the wall, making me face her. Even though it was surely a really small fraction of her true strength, I was unable to escape her foot's grip.
However, immediately afterwards, her attitude completely switched, turning serious:
"Listen." She whispered sternly in my ear. "You won't see me mate with any male. Any, but YOU!"
