Chapter 2: Evolving Friendship
Several hours had passed by the time the Riolu had left Zephyros, and evening was fast approaching. A soft, salty breeze from the sea blew in over the island, rustling the trees of the dark and dense forest that covered its center. The boughs of the trees creaked and wavered gently as some leaves were torn from them and tumbled into the air. Some of these leaves crossed the Riolu's path as he traversed the wooded route leading to the southern side of Zephyr Island. The young Pokémon clutched the ill-gotten Gracidea to his furry chest, keeping it close to him and away from the potential prying eyes of anyone he would meet while on the road.
He made his way through the edge of the forest, following the quiet dirt road. He would sometimes pass by a quaint roadside farm, but the fields were mostly empty save for a scarecrow or two standing guard as their baggy clothes flapped in the breeze. Every now and then he'd spot a farmer tending to their fields, but they wouldn't pay much mind to him, nor he to them.
Plain black crows seemed to be plentiful in the area, flocking together in the orange skies and huddling wing-to-wing in the branches of trees as they peered down at the Riolu while he passed by. The young fighting-type made sure to hold the Gracidea close, ready to shield it from any curious crows that decided to swoop down and try to nab it from him. He figured that to them, it might have looked like a bright, tasty treat. A lot of the time, it seemed as if the wildlife of the island was just as sticky-fingered as its more supposedly civilized inhabitants.
Runes were carved into some of the bigger rocks on the sides of the road. He could read some of them, but others were lost on him. As he traveled farther along the road, the rocks with carvings on them began to outnumber the ones without them; a sure sign that he was nearing his destination. The road then cut through the sides of several hills, with cracked and faded murals painted on stone sheets where they had been excavated, most of them depicting a wide variety of Pokémon wielding an ethereal blue and white energy.
After traversing the road for a while, the Riolu came upon a familiar stand of tall and mighty spruce trees. He walked past the trees and saw a great silver spire rising from a great temple, constructed long ago from white marble and chiseled gray stone. It was built on three successive levels with three floors each, while a giant dome and silver spire topped it off. Unlike the spire, the rest of the temple had seemingly lost its luster and was now worn and battered by years of exposure to Zephyr Island's infamous winds. Vines and ivy grew rampant on the sides of the temple's first level, going so far as to envelop many of its doors and windows.
Branching off from the central, round structure were several smaller extensions. Apart from them, there were other buildings each of varying size, giving the grounds the appearance of a small village. The presence of a high stone wall encircling the temple and the other structures only added to this aesthetic. The wall had two gates; one connecting to the path the Riolu was traveling down, and one off to the side that faced towards a forested basin. There was a graveyard between the temple and the basin, filled with what seemed like hundreds of gravestones and quite a few mausoleums. Pokémon could be seen milling about the temple grounds, but they were too far away to make out exactly what species they were. The faint flickering of lamplight could be seen in almost all the windows, with more firing up as the sun dipped further below the horizon. The activation of the lamps reminded the Riolu that he had important business there and that he would have to hurry if he wanted to get into the temple and do what he wanted to in time.
The Riolu had no delusion that he'd be able to get in through either of the two gates, or even over the wall without being spotted. He was hesitant about resorting to diplomacy, as he had a strong hunch that the guards inside would at best let him in under strict terms only so he could grovel for forgiveness, or at worst simply tell him to get lost. If he made a dash for it and attracted the attention of the other guards inside, he would most likely have to fight his way through, and he knew for a fact that such an endeavor would end badly for him. The young fighting-type had no interest in futzing around for too long, as he was there for a very specific reason that only involved one Pokémon in particular. He looked down at the flower in his grasp once more, and a sly smirk appeared on his face. It looked like there was only one option left.
It was a good thing he knew of a secret entrance.
The sun had all but completely disappeared below the horizon as night began to fall upon the island. Within the stained stone walls of the temple grounds, the Pokémon that inhabited them were preparing to turn in for the night. They walked back to their homes along paved paths and underneath the many trees that shaded the complex from the elements. Light from numerous windows and lamps cast a calm orange glow upon most of the grounds, complemented by the emerging silver radiance of the rising moon.
In a secluded corner of the temple grounds, there was an old well that no longer drew water. It was simply constructed, and had a rickety old canopy supported by two wooden poles with a disused bucket hanging from it. A Riolu's head suddenly poked out of it as his magenta eyes scanned his surroundings. The Gracidea was now tucked behind his ear, looking just as pristine as when he had first nabbed it that afternoon.
After he was sure that no one was watching him, he climbed out of the well and crept behind a long line of bushes that followed the curve of the stone wall bordering the temple grounds. He wasn't that far from the temple itself with only a few buildings and walls between him and it. He had his destination in mind, but he had to make sure he would arrive there unseen.
Arriving as dusk turned to night was most definitely a double-edged sword, as it gave him a bit more cover to sneak around but there was also a chance that the very person he came all the way there to see would have gone home by that time. He sighed and looked up towards the domed building at the heart of the temple, wondering if he should just check her place right away instead of bothering with the other location he had in mind.
"On second thought, no thanks. I'm not even gonna try to deal with the Sage if I don't have to."
Even if he didn't have to deal with the Sage, he would still have to contend with others that could imperil his mission. He was reminded of that fact as he saw another Riolu much like himself walking along a nearby path with a Pokémon that closely resembled his own species. He sported the same blue and black fur pattern that a Riolu would, only this other Pokémon was almost twice the size. Riolu had two appendages hanging off the sides of their faces, while this Pokémon had four appendages hanging from the back of his head. He was a Lucario— the evolved form of Riolu. They both wore identical white scarves around their necks, which were embroidered with gray runes at their ends.
The Riolu in hiding needed no primer on their species as they weren't so different from him. He was well aware of their ability to read and manipulate Aura in both combative and non-combative instances, and he didn't particularly fancy being on the receiving end of any of their attacks. It was best that he didn't tangle with one.
"Maybe they know where she is…" he thought as he hunkered down and perked up his ears so that he could listen in on their conversation better.
"I'm telling you, man. A couple of white-scarves like us don't have anything to lose by trying out for the Guardians. It can't hurt to explore our options," the scarf-wearing Riolu said to his companion as they walked.
"I dunno, it just feels like it'd be the most boring job to do around here. All they do is guard gates and then sometimes go out into the forest to look for trouble. And guess what? They never find any!" the Lucario sighed.
"Who said there always has to be an imminent threat? I quite like peace and quiet! And there's nothing wrong with simply protecting this place. It deserves to be protected!"
"Protect it from what? Just between you and me, I think they'd have to make trouble so that they can justify their existence."
"Aw come on, don't say things like that. And what do you mean from what? This place was attacked by a Darkrai not too long ago!"
"Not too long ago as in sixteen years ago? Yeah, I think the threat's gone now!"
"You never know! It could be lurking right around that corner… Or in those bushes over there!" the scarf-wearing Riolu snickered.
"Very funny…" the Lucario groaned as they walked out of earshot.
The Riolu in the bushes stood up and stepped out from them once he was sure that they were gone. "Well that was a big help…" he snorted. His gaze shifted back towards the large central structure of the temple, more specifically at its second level. Dim yellow light was glowing from within the three stories of windows on the side of the second level's circular edifice, which gave the Riolu a bit of hope. "If I know her at all, she's probably in there studying…" he thought. "Its getting late though, I'd better hurry!"
"Hrgh… Almost there…"
Only a few minutes later, the Riolu was climbing up the side of the temple's first level, which like the other two levels was three stories high. He had managed to sneak by a few patrolling Pokémon and maneuver his way around, above, and below the buildings and walls that stood in his way. Conveniently, the vines and ivy growing up the sides of the temple's first level provided ample means to scale it with relatively little effort.
He clawed his way up the side of the structure using one vine at a time, switching between them by leaping from one to another depending on which had a better hold on the wall. He had climbed up walls using vines before, so he had a bit of experience with detecting which ones would hold his weight and those that wouldn't. Even so, he wasn't necessarily perfect at it. As he jumped from one vine, he latched onto another only to hear a soft snapping noise. In a split-second he was starting to fall as the vine became detached from the side of the building. "Shit!" he swore as he frantically reached out to grab another vine. He whipped back to the wall as he successfully grabbed onto a stronger vine, thudding hard against it as leaves rained down onto the ground about twenty feet below. Thankfully, it seemed like the vine he was holding onto was strong enough to support his weight, allowing him to let out a sigh of relief as he continued climbing.
He managed to make it up to the roof of the first level, which was sloped and covered in rickety old tiles. He crawled up the sloping roof until he reached the top, where he was able to access the windows of the second level. A light breeze blew through his fur as he searched for any open or unlatched windows. It didn't take long for him to find one, and once he did he took one more look around to make sure he wasn't being watched. He slowly pulled it open, allowing moonlight to pour into the large, dimly lit room.
It was the temple's library; thousands of tomes and scrolls stuffed into a two-story tall, fan-shaped chamber. There stood several towering bookcases arranged in rows on both floors, each of them filled to their frames with literature of all kinds. There were many tables and chairs on the lower floor, surrounding a large, ornate globe that displayed a map of the world. The window the Riolu had opened was on the second floor, which consisted mostly of a balcony that wrapped around the diameter of the room and a staircase leading to the lower floor. The chamber was decently illuminated by some oil-fired lamps that hung on the walls and from the ceiling, giving it a warm and somewhat cozy feeling. The air was musty and thick with dust, which sparkled in the beams of moonlight that streamed in from the opened window.
The Riolu was silhouetted in the pale light as he stood in the window frame, cautiously poking his head inside to look around. He jumped onto the balcony below and quietly closed the window before walking towards the railing of the balcony. The Riolu looked over the side to the bottom floor but didn't see anyone around. He would've believed that he was the only one in the entire library if it wasn't for the presence of a faint orange glow behind a bookcase on the other side of the room.
Wasting no time, he vaulted over the railing and landed on all fours, perking his ears up as he tried to listen for any voices or footsteps. "Could that be her?" he wondered as he stood up and quietly made his way to the other end of the room. He approached the bookcase and spotted some of the unknown glow shining from a gap between some of the books on the fourth shelf, so he took the opportunity to take a peek through it to see if there was anyone on the other side. He stealthily removed one more book to widen the gap, giving him a better view to work with.
Sure enough, he saw the shadowy figure of a Lucario standing by the next bookcase, illuminated by the faint orange glow of a candle they were holding as they also held an open book in their other paw. They were wearing a bright orange scarf around their neck, stitched with silver runes at both of its ends. "Damn. Well its not her, but I might be able to ask them if they've seen her come by here," he thought. "If they don't rat me out to the guards, that is."
The Lucario appeared to be female, judging by the slender curves of her torso and the width of her hips. The Riolu's tail began to wag as he couldn't help but notice how alluring her form looked in the dim glow of the candle. He couldn't exactly see her face at the angle he was observing her from, but then again that wasn't really the part of her he was most intrigued in at the moment. The Lucario then turned her back to him, shutting the book she was looking at before reaching up to place it on one of the higher shelves. She wasn't exactly tall enough, so as she did this, she had to stand on the tips of her toes to reach it. Even then she appeared to be having a bit of trouble as she tried to push it back into place, her hips wiggling and swaying along with her tail. "Oh sweet Arceus…" the Riolu gulped internally, his eyes growing large as he ogled her swishing backside. Unfortunately she dropped the book on the floor and grunted in annoyance before naturally bending over to pick it back up. The view that this simple action gave the young male caused his jaw to drop and his entire body to freeze up, leading to him dropping the book he held in his paw onto the tiled floor. The resulting thud that echoed throughout the library caused the Lucario to jolt upwards and look towards the direction of the noise.
However, the Riolu was no longer peering through the gap as the second the book hit the floor he immediately ducked and darted off to the side. Once he was near the other end of the bookcase, he stayed as still as a statue, gritting his teeth while his pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks. "Way to go, dumbass! Well, that's what I get for being a pervert, I guess…" he thought as he slowly stood back up and shook his head. "That's just great! Now she's definitely gonna think I'm up to no good! At this point I should probably just bail out of here while I still can and get to the third level..."
As the Riolu turned and walked alongside the bookcase to leave, he was stopped in his tracks as the Lucario he had been watching abruptly stepped out from the other side of the bookcase and bumped into him, knocking him to the ground. He grunted as he fell backwards on his rump and sat there dazed for a moment, but quickly gathered himself as he realized who he had just run into. An awkward silence hung in the air as his cheeks burned red, and he found that he couldn't even bring himself to look up at her face regardless if she knew what he had just done. His mind instantly switched to con-mode as he tried to come up with an excuse as to why he was creeping around the library at this hour. He grinned and kept his eyes closed as he sheepishly began to rub the back of his neck.
"Uuuhhh… Heh heh… Hey there…" he chuckled nervously. "Sorry for bumping into you, I really should've paid more attention!"
The Lucario towering above him simply stood there in silence. The Riolu could feel the awkward tension rising, so he kept talking.
"R-right, um… I was sorta looking for someone— the Sage's granddaughter, Lara. She comes in here a lot and I wanted to ask if you—," he started to ask, but was silenced as the Lucario finally spoke.
"Eli?" she asked him softly.
As the Riolu heard her address him by name in that familiar voice, his eyes flew open as he slowly looked up at her. He recognized the messy, black tuft of hair that stuck out from the center of her forehead, as well as her black-tipped ears. He finally gazed into her sapphire-like eyes and saw within them the very Pokémon he had come to see.
"L-Lara?!" Eli stammered as he hastily stood up, completely baffled by his friend's appearance. "W-what the… You… You…!"
"Evolved?" she replied, smiling as she proudly placed her paws on her hips.
"You got hot!" the Riolu exclaimed. That statement of his was almost instantly followed by a powerful blow to his gut, which sent him flying back towards one of the stone pillars holding up the balcony.
"Oh, Eli… Charming as always," she sighed after sending him flying. The Riolu slammed into the pillar with his back, eliciting a pained and astonished yelp before he dropped to the ground on his paws and knees. "Oh I'm so sorry! I'm not entirely used to my own strength yet! In fact, I evolved just a few days ago!" she snickered mischievously as she began to walk towards him.
"Ch… Cheap sh-shot! We're n-not even in a battle!" he retorted as he shakily stood back up.
"Oh like you're one to talk! I'd say you owe me at least one because of how long you've been gone!" she huffed as she turned her nose up at him while reaching behind and brushing her four appendages as if they were long hair. "You really are a piece of work, Eli— making a girl wait an entire month for her chance to whoop your stupid ass! We trained for weeks and you were finally getting the hang of battling like an Auracle! Then you just up and leave, completely blowing off our big match like it was nothing!"
"I uh, r-really thought you'd be happier to see me back…" the Riolu squeaked, trying to change the subject as he anxiously watched her approach.
"Oh, I'm as happy as a girl could be! I just have a different way of showing it!" Lara beamed as she closed the distance between them. "I've got you right where I want you. What exactly did you expect?" she growled, smirking at the shorter male.
"Heh heh… Um… A hug? A tearful reunion? You not killing me?" he whimpered as she menacingly towered over him.
She waved one of her digits and winked at him playfully. "Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! You really let your guard down because of my new look, huh? You should've known we had unfinished business," she chided him. "On top of that, the way you failed to take my punch tells me you haven't been keeping up with your training. Even though I'm evolved now, I'm sure you could've fared better against my opening strike if you had just braced yourself properly."
"Wait, you were just using your natural strength? You weren't using Aura… like at all?" Eli gulped.
"Of course I wasn't. I'm still learning how to properly harness it! Don't tell me you've gone soft…"
"G-gone what?"
"Soft," she reiterated.
"Soft… Oh, R-right! I see what you're saying!"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I mean, n-no idea! I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about!" Eli exclaimed, his face burning red as he attempted to look away.
"You know, on second thought I don't think I want to battle you anymore… At least not in the state you're in! Maybe when you've evolved and caught up on your training we can have our battle," she scoffed begrudgingly as she shook her head and glared at him.
Eli let out a long sigh of relief and nearly collapsed back to the floor as his friend seemed to show him an undue mercy. "Heh! Well thanks for that… To be honest I thought I was gonna die..." he croaked.
"Yeah whatever, jerk. Just remember to think twice before you go and make everyone worry about you…"
"L-look… Lara, I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly. It's just… I dunno, I'd been thinking about a lot of stuff and I felt like I had to do something about it," the Riolu explained as his ears began to droop. He then looked her in the eye and spoke with an adamant tone. "I know you know what I'm talking about."
Lara simply nodded back, still seeming somewhat miffed at him. "I think I might. But honestly, Eli! Where have you been? What the heck have you been doing all this time?"
"I know. I really do owe you an explanation. But listen, I don't wanna get caught up in all of that right now. We can talk about that stuff later," he told her.
His last statement caused the Lucario's ears to perk up. "Hm? Later? So… You're back?" she asked him.
"Well uh, I'm not exactly back for good. You see, I really only came back to see one Pokémon in particular," he murmured with a little smile.
As she saw him smile, Lara couldn't help but smile back. "Who? Gramps?" she giggled.
"Yeah right. I snuck in here specifically to avoid talking to him," he snickered.
"What? How did you sneak in?"
"Through that busted wall in the cave near the cliffs! You know the one that leads to the well?"
"Oh, right! The one we found all those years ago," she remarked. "Is it still as dingy and gross down there as it was back then?"
"You would hate it! There were tons of rats and bugs down there… Not to mention your butt's probably too big to fit through the hole now anyway," he teased.
"Actually, you know what? I've changed my mind— I'm just gonna kick your ass right now," she groaned as she got into a fighting stance and reared back, ready to punch his lights out again.
"Wait wait wait! Peace offering!" Eli shouted, wincing and defensively holding up a paw in front of him before reaching behind his ear and pulling out the Gracidea, presenting it to her with a flourish. The Lucario eyed the pink flower for a moment as she stood there, her paw still poised to strike.
"Wait… Is that what I think it is?" she asked, looking intrigued.
"For your garden!" Eli said, proudly holding it out for her. "I got it just for you… Happy Egg Day!"
Her expression instantly flipped from mild curiosity to an elated, beaming grin as her cheeks glowed pink. "A… A Gracidea!? Are you for real?! I've never seen one in person before! Thank you so much, Eli~!" she squealed with delight as she took the flower from his paw, admiring it with starry eyes as she gently held it. "I didn't even notice you had this on your head! I was just so surprised to see you back. I'll be sure to take great care of it!"
"So does this mean you're not mad at me anymore?"
"Nope~!" she replied as she sniffed the flower.
"Oh…"
"Though I'll admit, it helps a little!"
"Oh!"
"But really, thank you! That's very sweet of you," she said before clutching it to her chest. "Though I'm curious— where exactly did you find one?"
Eli blushed lightly as he saw how happy his gift had made her and began to sheepishly rub the back of his neck. "In Zephyros! They were selling them for the Springtide Festival. Let's just say I had to trade my entire deck of cards for it," he answered shiftily.
"Wow, really? You know, you didn't have to give them up just for me."
"Eh, don't worry about it," the Riolu shrugged. "I had a feeling they were cursed anyway."
"Oh, so that's why you keep failing those magic tricks you like showing me," Lara teased as she daintily tucked the Gracidea behind her ear.
"Suuuuure, let's go with that…" Eli murmured. He then put his paws together and took a deep breath before letting it out. "Speaking of the festival, I had something I wanted to ask you…"
She perked up and crossed her arms as she gave him a knowing look. "And what might that be?"
"Well, I really wanted to spend some time with you. Just you and me," Eli began, making her cheeks glow a light pink. "And well, I wanted to do something special for you since I… you know, messed up a bit," he continued as she nodded back to him. "On top of that, I can't really stay here for long right now, and I have some important things I wanna talk to you about. Don't worry, I'll explain everything later," he said as he grabbed her paws and held them in his own, causing her to blush even brighter. "What I'm trying to ask is… Lara… Will you…" he began, but stopped himself as he noticed something. "Uh, this is going a bit differently than it did in my head. It must be because I'm shorter than you now… Hold on a sec!"
He let go of Lara's paws and walked over to a nearby table, returning as he pushed one of the chairs up to her. He then hopped up on the chair and grabbed her paws again before clearing his throat, making her giggle. "Let's try this again. Lara… Will you go to the festival with me?" he asked earnestly, his eyes locking with hers.
Lara cracked a huge smile, blushing as she shook her head. "Okay, first of all, that was way too dramatic," she laughed. Eli stood there with bated breath, giving her a nod as he implored her to continue and give her final answer. "And secondly, yes… I'll go with yo—," she began to say, but was cut off as Eli pulled her into an impromptu hug.
"Thanks, Lara… You're the absolute best! I really mean it! I'm gonna show you the best time ever at the festival!" the little Riolu exclaimed. She was a bit caught off guard with how emotional he became, but she couldn't really blame him because despite the stupid decisions he made sometimes, she knew that he truly cared for her. She would admit that in a way, her anger at him running off without giving her a proper fight was her way of showing that she cared about him in the same way.
She suddenly felt something wet drip onto her shoulder. "Are… Are you crying?" she asked, chuckling lightly.
"SHUT UP YOU'RE LIKE MY BEST FRIEND, OKAY?!" he blurted out as his voice cracked, making her laugh even more. He pulled back from the hug and gazed at her with teary eyes as the Lucario reached up and wiped some of them away. "Y-you really said yes even after all I've done to you… Sometimes I think I don't deserve you as a friend at all…"
"You know, you're awfully cute when you grovel~," she giggled.
"What? I'm just happy to have you as a friend!" the Riolu sniffled as cheeks turned even redder.
"Hmm, you've been saying friend an awful lot…"
"W-well I don't wanna overplay my hand, y'know?" Eli laughed nervously. "I-I'm not the kinda guy to assume things."
"Oh, will you just cut the crap already?" she sighed as she pulled the Riolu closer to her and pressed her snout against his'. "I don't know about you, but I'm not assuming anything~."
The young male was caught off guard as his friend suddenly pushed the flirtatious undertones aside for something more… direct. She had smashed her nose against his' and was staring straight at him with those beautiful, half-lidded eyes. His eyes were as big as they could be and his heart was beating like a pounding drum. "Oh Arceus, is this really happening?!" his mind screamed as the Lucario's eyes began to close and her lips parted. "Okay, okay, keep it cool! Get a hold of yourself! This is your first kiss, so make it count!" he thought frantically. He smiled back at her and gulped, slowly closing his eyes as well before puckering his lips. They both gently leaned their faces towards each other, lips only inches away from touching.
Suddenly, their eyes flew open as they heard a loud click echo throughout the library, causing them to freeze just seconds before their lips met. The large door of the library creaked as it swung open. They both exchanged panicked looks before Eli hopped off the chair and ducked behind a bookcase, while Lara hurried over to the same bookcase and grabbed a random book off one of the shelves. She opened it up and pretended to read it as footsteps could be heard coming in from the hallway outside.
An older male Lucario wearing a blue, white and black, short-sleeved tunic entered the room. He had a striking presence and was quite tall even for a Lucario. His expression was steely as his emerald green eyes rapidly scanned the room from the moment he stepped inside, focused solely on reading his surroundings. The tunic he was wearing stretched down to his thighs, its hems embroidered with silver runes similar to the scarves that many other denizens of the temple wore. He also wore light shoulder armor fashioned from blue-dyed leather, with white runes engraved along their edges. Four long, white tassels were tied around the bases of the four appendages on the back of his head, which dangled down to just below his neck.
The Lucario turned his attention to the younger female and took a few steps towards her before stopping and crossing his arms.
"Lara. You still studying?" he observed succinctly.
"Yeah…" the female Lucario responded casually.
"Well that's good. Your grandfather will be happy about that," he said as he gave an approving smile. "Don't mind me, then. I was just making some of the rounds myself since most of my Guardians are out patrolling the woods. Try not to stay up too late, okay?"
"R-right. Have a good night, Viggo!" she replied, turning back to him with a smile of her own.
"You too, Lara," the Lucario nodded to her before turning to leave. After taking a few steps towards the door, he suddenly stopped and looked back at her. "Oh, and there was just one more thing I was curious about. Where'd you get that Gracidea?" he asked. "I hear they're pretty rare."
"O-oh, um… In town," she replied hastily as she looked back to her book.
"You mean in Zephyros? When did you have time to go there?" he pressed her.
"Well, I didn't exactly go and get it myself…"
"Hmm. Might the explanation be that someone else brought it to you?"
"Mmhh…"
The Lucario chuckled and shook his head as Lara stood there, her face growing red under her fur. "Alright Eli, come out," he sighed. "Don't even bother hiding. I know you're there!"
A few moments passed as complete silence hung over the library, only for it to be broken as Eli poked his head out from behind the bookcase and glared daggers at Viggo. "Way to ruin the moment, big guy!" he griped as he came back out into the open.
"Well hello to you too," the Lucario murmured.
"Let me guess… You saw my Aura, right?" Eli grumbled.
"Yep. Through the wall, and I could hear you two talking from out in the hallway as well."
"Ugh… What a show-off!" he huffed, crossing his arms indignantly.
Viggo raised an eyebrow and looked at Lara, who merely shrugged. He then turned his attention to the pouting Riolu. "Sorry for ruining your two's little uh… thing, but I can't really have you on the premises if you're just going to sneak around and avoid talking with you-know-who."
"Well if he wants to see me so bad, he can come down here and talk to me himself!" the Riolu protested as he turned his nose up.
"The Sage went to bed not too long ago, so there's that. However, I won't force you to deal with him if you don't want to. If that's the case, I'll just escort you out and we'll pretend like this never happened," Viggo explained coolly. "Sound fair?"
After hearing the Lucario's offer, Eli looked over to Lara for support. She nodded in Viggo's direction, as if to let him know that the Lucario was doing him a favor. The stubborn Riolu rolled his eyes and sighed as he started to walk towards Viggo. "Fine, let's go…" he grumbled to him.
"Good choice," Viggo remarked with a smirk as he waved goodbye to Lara. "Take care, Lara! See you tomorrow for some more training."
"Sure thing. Goodnight, Viggo… And you too, Eli!" she replied as he and Eli began to walk towards the door.
Eli then stopped walking and turned back to her. "I'll meet you in Windfall Square on the first day of the festival!" he yelled to her, grinning wide.
Lara giggled and smiled flirtatiously as she waved to him. "Sounds great! I'll see you then!" she replied.
The Riolu shot her a quick wink, making her blush softly before turning around and walking through the door with Viggo. Once the library door was closed, they began to walk down the long, drafty hallways of the temple. They walked in silence for a bit, the only noises being their footsteps as the air between the two was a bit tense. That was, until Viggo decided to break the silence.
"Sheesh! Took you long enough to ask her out!" he chuckled.
End of Chapter 2…
