Author's note: Hello all! Apologies for the long delay. A combination of summer jobs and side writing projects would be most of the cause, though as of now I can confidently say that I remain set on continuing this story for as long as I am able. A big thank you for those who continued reading even in that delay. Without further adieu, here is the latest chapter.

The room itself was a relatively drab thing. Putrid grey bricks lined the walls in a square that seemed to get smaller with every minute. Only the occasional cabinet, stethoscope, or shelf of amalgamated berries broke up the monotony, as well as a large, red cross painted onto one of the sides. Had it not been for the sole window opposite the cross, the three pokemon occupying the WFG medical office would have no trouble mistaking it for an underground bunker.

Eoin sat on a wooden stool adjacent to the red cross, claws fidgeting and feet alternating in rapid taps. Between that, and the clock stationed above the window whose hands seemed to tick with an amplification equal to a Kricketune chirp, chilling silence had overtaken the room. His neck craned, first glancing to the clock, then to the forest trail through the window with carriages of all manner and size moving through. It came to rest on the center of the room, with a Gardavoir and Raichu, standing adjacent and sitting on a medical chair respectively. The latter's legs were freshly wrapped in a thick layer of bandage and cast, holding an expression with bated breaths that equaled his own. The former held an almost blank demeanor, having spent the past hour or so attending to both of their care. In spite of this, Eoin did not miss the occasional glances the Gardevoir would give to himself, or to the goggles, tail cone, and freshly applied scale paint that the Pallid could only pray did a sufficient job at concealing his identity.

"Are… are you sure she is going to be alright?"

The Gardevoir let out a deep sigh, returning a layer of bandages to the shelf before locking eyes with Raichu and Charmander alike. From that same shelf, she procured a pair of crutches, leaning them against the chair.

"Like I said, recovery might take a while, but the damage wasn't as severe as I thought it would be. It was a gift from the gods that you got to her as fast as you did, not to mention Argon here was a lot more acclimated to colder environments than most of the tropical Raichu I've treated… 'mons will start shivering like it's Articuno's hatchday when there isn't a snowflake to be seen."

Every ounce of breath Eoin and Argon were holding in seemed to exhale at that moment, accompanied by a smile between the two that shined with a brightness not discovered before. A slight chuckle left the Raichu's lips, closed eyes suggesting its direction to be no one but herself.

"Thank you, doctor," Argon replied. "I-It means a lot, guess all that time trudging through snow back home amounted to something."

A moment of silence passed as Raichu and Charmander stared at each other. The Pallid raised a hand to his goggles, nearly lowering them until a reminder of their present company stayed his hand. Instead, he let out a half chuckle, one that Argon was glad to match.

"At the very least," said the Pallid, "there is a bright future ahead of this dark business. With your approval, I could start practicing my bridal carry for our first night at the beach."

"I wouldn't stop you," Argon replied. "But that's a big burden for a pokemon that's already swept me off my feet once."

They turned to the Gardevoir, finding her quite immune to the levity that had infected them both.

"Anyway, I'd give it maybe two weeks or so until the tissue heals enough to walk again. I'd also recommend that Eoin here keeps off his tail until the puncture wound fully heals. In the meantime, dare I ask what mission of the guild was so important that the three of you nearly had to kill yourselves to achieve it?"

A slight slouch overtook the two as their smiles froze in place. Neither said a word. Eoin shook his head a miniscule bit as Argon's eyes wandered over to the blue radiance seeping from his canvas bag. With a sigh, the Pallid stepped in between them, posture shifting so that the bag was concealed from view.

"Simply a scouting mission, one of my own creation if you can believe it. The Bagon did have a certain insistence that we complete the mission, one we were willing to follow despite the hardships we faced. I-I doubt many pokemon have charted the peak of that mountain before."

The Gardevoir's brow furrowed. She glanced over to Argon, a second passing before the Raichu gave a corroborating nod.

"If you insist. Must've been important for you to press on through that storm. I am just the doctor though, not like the Presider pays us to ask questions. Treatment wise, you two should be good to go, guess they'll bring the Bagon over when—crap…"

The Gardevoir shot to attention. After half a second of thought, and a green palm lifted in defeat to her own face, she made her way to the door. Argon and Eoin could only look at each other as the Gardevoir opened the door a smidge.

"He's already—"

She closed the door, turning back to Argon as she lifted a hand to her back, tugging the pink spike protruding from it like it was a collar. In the brief moment the door was open, the Raichu could have sworn she heard footsteps, accompanied by the creaky squeak of wheels.

"I'm sorry, Argon," the Gardevoir said. "I probably should have told you this earlier, guess my mind gets all muddled when it's in the immediate treatment phase. A little while after you all left on that expedition, Executive Binair told us he had gotten a letter, asking where you were. A few hours later, we were told we'd be having a very special guest from outside the region for when you all got back, one that wanted to speak to you alone. I-uh… I suppose it'd be best if I let you see for yourself."

As the Gardevoir went to open the door, something clicked inside the Raichu's mind. The explanation and sound ran over and over in her mind. Eoin placed a hand on her shoulder, finding her expression turning into a deeper shade of terror with every second.

"Argon, w-what's wrong? Are you alright?"

The Raichu stared toward the door, feeling the creaking of wheels and pawprints becoming ever closer as it began to open.

"No. Please, not now. N-Not when I'm like this."

The door opened, seemingly of its own fruition. Argon's feet shook with every creak of the hinge, paw raising to cover her eyes. The Raichu was nearly about to turn away and let her own bandaged legs be hidden by the medical chair, but turned back as the final beam of light flowed in from the opening. She let out a deep sigh, giving her head a preparatory shake to clear the mind.

"I understand this was short notice! You have my word this won't happen again, but is it too much to ask for a 'mon to see their own dau—oh, sweet Arceus…"

Standing in the doorway, holding an expression of shock that not even an encounter with a legendary could equal, was a Ninetales. Flecks of grey fur coated his main. His mouth stoop agape. His face held perpetually bagged eyes and wrinkles that only time, and a nearly endless life of leadership could bring. In spite of this, the feature that drew the most gazes from Charmander and Gardevoir alike were the two prominent wheels mounted to the flank of the fox. They shone in the sunlight that reflected in, being positioned against two stumps that served as the Ninetales' rear legs.

"I… I…"

The clock ticked, and tocked. Every click was like a crash, punctuating the silence that had settled over the room. A dead eyed stare filled the Ninetale's gaze through his stammer, as if preparing for a hypnosis attack that would never come. With every shift of the clock hands, his eyes seemed to likewise shift between those of the Raichu before him, and her two, bandaged legs that bore into his conscious like nothing else existed.

"I-It's good to see you, Dad," the Raichu finally said, doing her best to pull up a smile. "I… I'm sorry for not writing sooner."

With a lurch of her hands to move on the seat, Argon turned to Eoin and the Gardevoir. After a slight chuckle devoid of any sense of humor, she gestured to the two, while locking eyes with the Ninetales as best she could.

"E-Everyone, this is my dad, Sean. Was a former guildmaster outside of Faire; couldn't ask for a better parent or explorer."

The Ninetales blinked, as if needing a moment or two to even decide whether the statement was true. He let out a small nod, before placing his front foot forward to carriage him into the room. Just before the rim of his back wheel would have left the door, he stopped, letting it hang open. Now but a few feet before Argon, Sean turned towards the other two; at the very least, the stare was gone.

"Pleasure meeting you," he said, pausing only slightly at the Charmander's attire. "I-If you wouldn't mind...would my daughter and I be able to have a little discussion, in private? On my honor as a guildmaster, I swear that you will have nothing to worry about."

In an instant, the Gardevoir nodded, making her way through the door. The Pallid's feet, however, remained rooted in place, unwilling to move until his own eyes locked with Argon's. From the Charmander's upright posture, to the neutral expression of support that ignored the outside world, a simple message was conveyed without a single word uttered.

I'll stay with you, for as long as you need.

An especially tempting voice in the Raichu's mind suggested to say yes, but was silenced as she took the time to glance over her father. He had always been good at hiding his own melancholy, his own weakness. However, the trained eye of a Pichu had no trouble seeing his downtrodden stare, or the way his eyes would blink in rapidity, as if from knowing what would seep from his tear ducts if he didn't.

"Y-Yeah, it'll be fine, Eoin," Argon said. "This...this needs to be done."

Blue and goggled eyes irises met one last time as Argon gave a silent nod. With a final glance between the two, the Pallid departed. The door closed with a final click, leaving Ninetales and Raichu to look at anywhere in the room but each other. Even before it had closed, Argon could hear it. Her vision seemed to flash as she closed her eyes. Visions of letters unwritten, of days unused. Of a lazy and scared Raichu chucking into the sea what she thought was the last hope she had of becoming something even comparable to the pokemon before her. Her ears drooped in preparation; this had been a long time coming, hadn't it?

"I—"

"I-It's not serious," Argon interjected. "Well, not too much. Just got a bit careless on a mountain exploration. You got nothing to worry about, I promise. I'll be back on my feet in no time."

The Raichu could only guess the cacophony of emotions running through Sean's mind. His mouth opened, trying to speak, before shutting as his gaze returned to the floor. The process repeated, again and again, before the Ninetales finally flared to life. The two wheels creaked in objection as he slammed a paw to the floor, causing a nearby tray of medical supplies to rattle in its wake.

"But it could have been!" Sean almost shouted. "I would know. A few minute's delay in getting treatment, a storm the slightest bit chillier than you think it's going to be. It's a dangerous business, what you're doing. What if the next exploration you go on, you are not as lucky?!"

She blinked, blinked again, and blinked once more, unable to parse whether the Ninetales before her had even known the one she had grown up with. After all the training, all the explorations, all the speeches, this was his highest priority?

"... Y-You're not—"

The Ninetales forced his head to the floor, beating her to the punch as an ember from the back of his throat almost scorched the ceramic tile.

"You could get hurt, hurt enough that every waking moment of your life is forever changed. You could have the pokemon you work with and pass by on the streets forever look at you differently. You could end up driving the very pokemon that mean the most to your heart away from tearing apart your own body! I-I don't...I can't…"

What happened next, the Ninetales couldn't stop. Sean's next words died in a whimper. His breath hitched on his throat, ember inside lulling to ash from its previous inferno. His ears drooped, twitching only the slightest bit as he heard a faint lurching sound, accompanied by something akin to footsteps. The beginnings of tears had begun to form around his eyes when his head raised, finding a paw from Argon raised toward him, above the two crutches she used to support herself. At the offer, he lurched forward. The Raichu was nearly knocked off balance, regaining herself as she returned the tight embrace of Sean's paws. With his head resting to her side, she could only let out a sudden yelp as what tears hadn't already collected on his fur soaked into hers; when was the last time her father had cried in, well… ever?

"I-I'm so proud of you, Argon," Sean whimpered. "By the gods, I'm proud. I just… I wish you didn't have to go down this path. The danger. The pain. I-I never knew what that little Pichu had to fear when I put that piece of parchment in front of you, guess now I know."

It took a fair amount of restraint on the Ninetales' part for Argon to not be crushed by his grasp. Upon spotting a loose pile of paper on one of the shelves, she reached a paw to her temple, covering a single sheet in a psychic aura. Strangely, the processes seemed to come much earlier than normal, as if some unknown force was helping to push the paper along. It stopped in front of Sean's nose, allowing the ninetales to lose some of the excess mucus that had come with his tears.

"I don't understand," Argon whispered. "I-I mean, I'm not complaining, but you always said that injury was just something an explorer had to accept. Even after it happened, you never wavered on that."

"That was when they were my own," Sean instantly replied, nearly knocking over the two from abruptness. "That was… t-that was before I knew the pain my example would cause."

The Raichu's ears perked up. Something seemed to click as she ran her paw over the Ninetales' back. The biting chill that had invaded her as the door was opened had vanished, replaced by a skip of her own heart staring towards her father's unending shivers.

"B-Before you ask, this isn't on you, Dad," Argon replied. "A while back, I had thought it was fate. That whatever I did in my life I was going to end up following in your footsteps. I was wrong, though. Gotta accept my share of the responsibility of this whether I like it or not. I-I chose to do this, every step of the way. Wouldn't be fair to you or anyone else to shoehorn away the consequences."

The ticking of the clock dulled into the background as the two sat in silence, paws clutched around the other's back. Little by little, second by second, the Ninetales' sobs faded. He took his paws from her back, signalling the end of the embrace. The two backed away, at least as well as they could, with one donning wheels and the other crutches. Sean blinked, tears in his eyes still shining in the overhead light. At the very least, the worst of it had faded, instead replaced by an expression no less somber towards the Raichu.

"Yet it wouldn't be fair to you for me to avoid my share in it. I have no doubt that this whole venture was your choice, Argon, but my actions still led you to it. You wouldn't be in this state if I hadn't pushed you, even in your early youth. I-I just… wanted you to experience the same purpose and wonder I had, little did I know what that would entail."

"W-Well, if it's any consolation," Argon replied, letting out a soft, bated chuckle, "I'd probably be dead right now if you hadn't, or at least would have lost a lot worse. I'd be lying if I said that your example didn't help pull me into this, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing, is it, Dad?"

The Ninetales blinked, shaking his head upon realizing his gaze was still locked onto her bandaged legs. Brief bits of ash left his maw as each of his tails drooped. His eyes wandered, aimlessly wandering around the room.

"Do you still have it?" he asked. "That old guildmaster acceptance form I somehow thought was a good idea to frame? Please don't tell me you kept it for my sake."

Again, the Raichu let out a humorless chuckle, shifting her weight ever so slightly away.

"Y-Yeah. Does a great job covering that a hole in the plaster from when I thought moving that heavy cabinet against the drywall wouldn't mess up my concentration. But… that wasn't all the reason why I still have it, at least not now."

"Then, why?" Sean asked. "It would make excellent kindling, I say that much. Especially after all this."

Argon lifted a paw to her chin, words failing. In her haste, a crutch nearly slipped from under her shoulder. She let out a small yelp, nearly falling to the floor before some force seemed to steady her; either an invisible ghost pokemon was on community service, or she was just being delirious.

Regardless, the question bored into her. Why? Why keep something laden with such memories, unsigned, even? Ever since leaving for Faire, it went against everything the Raichu had stood for. What happened to making her own fate? To 'living life in the easiest manner possible'? She scratched her head, locking eyes with her father as an answer at least somewhat fitting manifested.

"I-I guess… it was to serve as a reminder, even after I made that promise after you and Mom waved goodbye. Of the Ninetales who could come home after his third fourteen hour shift in a row and still smile from knowing he had helped other pokemon. Of the parent that, even though we had our disagreements, still wanted the best for his child. O-Of the pokemon that, even after losing so much, still did more through his lifetime than I ever will."

Sean stood in a paralyzed stupor. His eyes were wide open, moisture from previous tears still reflecting in the overhead light. He looked over the Raichu, desperate to spot any of the tells that years of experience showed would reveal her dishonesty. Rapid blinks, feet shuffling involuntarily from their own trepidations after she would proclaim her enthusiasm for studying management philosophy. Yet, her ears twitched, and her paws trembled from adrenaline, but none of the former Pichu's usual signs made their appearance.

"You really mean that?"

Argon nodded. She tucked in her chest, lasting for a good few seconds until the stoic facade broke, and she couldn't hold her breath any longer. Three long breaths left her snouts as she returned to her father's stare, mouth curled into a tepid smile.

"Yeah. I do. I-I'd probably still be in my room if it weren't for you and the others, doing Arceus knows what as the days passed. In the past few weeks, I've felt more purpose out of this than the last four years here. I-I've formed a team, explored places and seen pokemon that seem straight out of an adventure novel. I've even-uh… found someone."

At the last statement, the Ninetales blinked, brain short circuiting for a brief moment. A second later, his eyes shot open, accompanying a gasp Argon hadn't heard since she took her first steps.

"The Charmander?"

She nodded, ear to ear smile met by a look from Sean of shock, and something else she couldn't exactly describe.

"Just yesterday, actually. His name's Eoin. N-Nothing serious, we've more or less decided to take it slow from here on out, but… he's nice, really nice. Smart. Gentlemonly. Type of pokemon to give you comfort in your worst moments."

From Sean's expression, one would think the pokemon before him had just earned platinum rank and defeated primal dialga single-handedly.

"I-I'll say, my little Pichu's all grown up. I'm glad, Argon. Real glad. Take care of him likewise in his lows. If he truly is the one, I can say from experience that the two of you won't have an ounce of regret as your grow into old age together."

"Seems easy enough," Argon replied, giving a slight chuckle. "From what he's told me, seems like Eoin will only get happier as his scales start to grey."

Upon final mention of the Charmander, Argon's ears perked up. Her head raised to the clock, a slight gasp escaping her maw; had it really been that long?

"In fact, I should probably be getting back to him. He's been really anxious about showing me… something. It's apparently got him pretty worried."

"Oh?" Sean replied. "Curious. What could possibly—"

Ever so slowly, the Ninetales lowered his head from Argon's face. Careful not to look, but enough that the message was conveyed.

"You will have to walk, I presume?"

"Probably, y-yeah. Don't quite got these psychic powers mastered, as you can probably tell. Heh, might be months before I finally figured out how to do it consistently, even if my legs heal before then."

In spite of her words, the Sean's head raised. The two wheels on his rear creaked as the Ninetales flared to life, wide eyes and beaming smile the very same from when the guildmaster of old would discover a new valley to explore.

"Well, I wouldn't say that. You have talent, Argon, you simply need a method to bring it out into the open. I could be your instructor in that regard. It'll be just like old times! Somebody with enough knowledge and experience that, in time, I have no doubt you will have enough psychic aptitude to put Uxie himself to shame."

"W-Well, I wouldn't know about that," Argon replied, scratching her neck. "I mean, first of all I… never mind, but second of all, I'm not really sure if it's something the two of us would be able to do. N-Not that I wouldn't appreciate your help, but something like that would probably need an experienced psychic, somebody who's been doing stuff like levitation for years."

Sean simply chuckled, filling the room with his voice as he walked up right before Argon, a knowing smile on his face.

"A practical concern, but you'd be surprised what a retired fox with all the time in the world occupies himself with over the years. Perhaps… a little demonstration is in order."

Argon was given not a second's warning as her father's fur began to glow, surrounding itself in a deep, rose-colored aura. The two wheels at his rear did likewise, filling the room with a soft rumble. Frame and all, they began to buckle. Followed immediately was a slight rasping sound of the assembly moving, of its own fruition, away from Sean. The Raichu was tempted to jump forward and catch her father from falling, but was stopped by his stare, lips smiling as he looked toward the Raichu without a care in the world. With the assembly gone, the Ninetales' flank was suspended freely in the air, psychic aura dissipating to a faint tinge.

"W-What? How did… how can—"

"Simple practice," Sean replied. "That, and a few favors called in from the guild's most experienced psychics to speed up the process. After the first few weeks, I was able to keep this up uninhibited for hours. Wheelchair became more of a public formality than anything after that. With a determined explorer such as yourself? Once you get back from what Eoin needs to show you, I'd estimate you could attain this in half the time."

Finally finding the strength to speak, a deep smile was shared between Raichu and Ninetales. She took hold of the crutches, ambling up to the levitating Ninetales to hold him in a tight embrace.

"Thank you, Dad. Really. I-I'm so sorry I didn't write earlier. Gonna feel great connecting with you guys again."

"Pleasure is all mine, Argon. I have no doubt you'll make your own fate as time goes on, whether in my footsteps, or through your own path."

As the hug continued, Argon felt her tail move from her back, seemingly of its own fruition. Like a magic broom, it lowered itself under her, allowing the Raichu to free her hands and clasp further around the Ninetales. When her eyes open, she saw Sean glancing toward the door, a grin on his face the slightest bit mischievous.

"Now, let's go back to your suitor, shall we? Would be a shame for you to miss the dad talk a former guildmaster can give to that Charmander.