The lowest level of the all the Ranger bases in Fiore contained a physical fitness training room. It hosted various exercising equipment including a series of exercising machines used for strength training and cardio training – treadmills, dumbbells, bikes, punching bags, bench presses and even rowers. To the far corner of the room were three rather large bookcases. But instead of books, the shelves were stocked with potions, vitamins, and rare candies for the pokémon as well as energy drinks and water for the rangers.
It had been two weeks since Lunick was discharged from the hospital and he was finally ready to get back to work. He'd been given the all-clear from his doctor to return to his usual everyday activities but just to prove to his Leader he was ready to get back in the field, he added one hour of aerobic exercise to his workout routine and kept a record of his endurance and stamina. He also recorded his respiratory rate and wore a heart rate monitor watch and chest strap to track his heart rate. Going the extra mile to prove his fitness paid off as his Leader gave him the go-ahead to return to work that morning, which Lunick was happy to hear. He hated sitting around doing nothing nearly as much as Solana did. After he was finished with his morning run, he was to sign in and start immediately.
Also in the Ringtown Ranger Base's gym was Freddie, aggressively pounding a green punching bag. After dropping Niema off at the center earlier that morning he had been called on a mission at the Kisara Plains. He was finished quickly enough and probably should have returned back to Wintown, but after greeting Lunick on his way in the base he decided it was best to stay a little while longer, wanting to relieve some of his built up tension.
And from the way Freddie was attacking that punching bag, Lunick could tell he was letting off some serious steam.
"Man…" Lunick said between gasps. "You're really giving it to that punching bag?"
"Yeah, well," Freddie said in between punches, "I gotta lot of anger inside me I have to release before returning to work."
"Something wrong?"
Freddie continued to pound the heavy duty exercise bag.
"Just a pest problem I've been having. It's annoying the hell out of me and it's affecting my performance at work. The whole situation is really aggravating."
"Wanna talk about it?" Lunick asked, seriously.
Freddie stopped punching the bag, breathing heavily.
"It's just…The more I think about it the angrier I…get!" Freddie punched the bag hard with his right fist on the last word, subconsciously to punctuate that last word.
"Keeping things bottled up inside you is never a good thing."
"That's why I'm here. Trying to release some of my frustrations before I return back to Wintown for my next assignment."
Lunick started running faster on the treadmill.
"Does Leader Eilta know you're troubled?"
"I haven't told her but I know she can sense it. I'm pretty sure everyone down there knows it. I haven't exactly been discreet, even though I try hard to be."
Minun and Freddie's Weavile were having a strength training pokémon battle in the back of the training room.
"Maybe you should be upfront about it? Elita may be able to help you better if you let her know what's bothering you."
Freddie sighed.
"I don't feel comfortable talking about it. Besides, she's got her own stuff to be worrying about."
"But keeping it pent up won't help you either."
Freddie pulled off the padded fingerless black gloves he was wearing.
"That's why I was having it out with this bag. Thought it would help calm me down."
"Did it help?"
Again Freddie sighed.
"No. It only made me more mad."
Lunick looked down at his heart rate monitor watch before looking back up ahead of him.
"Then…I say talk to someone about it. What have you got to lose? It may be cathartic."
Freddie walked over to the weightlifting section of the room and sat down on the table of one of the barbell bench presses.
"I told you, the more I think about it, the angrier I get. How is talking about it going to be any better?"
"You'd be surprised by the relief you'd feel from getting something off your chest, believe me," Lunick said as he turned off the treadmill. He jotted down his results on a notepad he had resting on top of the treadmill. Taking his towel that was spread across one of the handles of the treadmill, Lunick wiped the sweat that was dripping from his face before hanging the towel around his neck.
"Yeah, well. Unless I need to tell someone my business, I think I'd rather keep my personal life private."
Lunick rolled his neck.
"Suit yourself, man. But you know I'm here for you if you need me?"
Freddie smiled weakly.
"Yeah. Thanks, man."
"Always," Lunick said as he walked over to him and gave him a mid-five handshake. "You'll figure everything out, I'm sure."
"I hope so."
Lunick then walked over to one of the other barbell presses and lowered himself underneath it, grasping the weight.
"So, you're retuning to the field today?" asked Freddie.
"Yep," Lunick breathed as he lifted the weight upwards with his hands, careful not to lock in his elbows, then lowered it down to his chest and completing one repetition. "Gotta be in tiptop shape."
"I commend you on working so hard but do you really need to do some reps right now? You just ran for like two hours."
Lunick raised the weight again.
"Too pumped to stop now. Besides, I gotta look my best for that shoot this afternoon."
Freddie put his hand to his chin.
"Yeah, I nearly forgot. Niema's been prepping me for it herself."
"She's prepped you?"
"Yeah, you know: taking pictures, wearing makeup, strutting her stuff."
Lunick again lowered the weight down to his chest.
"Strutting? She does know this is not a runway show?"
Freddie chuckled.
"I did it to humor her. Anytime an opportunity for her to smile and enjoy herself presents itself, I welcome it."
"She does have a pretty smile."
Lunick completed twenty reps before putting the weight back on the hook. He sat up and looked at his heart rate monitor watch, the recorded the time and rate before taking off the timer. Then he walked over to the fridge located by one of storage shelves and took out a bottle of water. He took several large gulps.
Freddie got up as well.
"I bet the girls are hyped for it. It's probably like a dream come true."
Lunick swallowed the water he had in his mouth and screwed the cap back on the top of the water bottle.
"Well, for Leilani, yes…I'm not so sure that's the case with Solana."
"Why? She's got some preshow jitters?"
"Well, it's a little more than jitters. It's like full blown anxiety."
"Really?"
Lunick nodded.
"She confided in me the other day how scared she was about doing the whole thing after you guys left the mall."
"She's scared?"
Again Lunick nodded.
"Very scared. Petrified even. Abnormally so."
"But we've taken pictures before?"
"That's what I said. Apparently, it's different in her eyes. I told her if she was so uncomfortable about it not to do it. But she's determined to. I'm a little worried about her going through with it."
"Well, Solana is pretty reserved." Freddie thought before he shook his head. "But I'm sure she'll be fine. This is Solana we're talking about."
Lunick looked away briefly.
"Yeah…My girl's strong but she's still human." He whispered. He looked back up at Freddie. "Hopefully Leilani will be able to help calm her down about it. They're out shopping again."
"Again?! What is it with girls and shopping?"
"Beats me." Lunick shrugged. "They got a little break after completing a mission this morning and the first thing they did was go to the mall to drop some bills."
Freddie shook his head again before looking up at the wall clock.
"I think I'm gonna be heading out now, man. I really need to get back to Wintown. I'm sure Leader has some work for me to do."
Lunick nodded.
"Alright. Just make sure you shower before you go. Don't want your reekage to permeate the entire base."
"Look who's talking? Even your sweat is sweating. What would Sole say about this?"
"As if. My lady loves my manly muskiness."
"A Skunktank wouldn't like your muskiness."
"Ouch! Harsh, dude. A Skunktank? Really?"
Freddie laughed. "Let's go, Weavile!"
Freddie's Weavile saluted Minun before hopping out of the ring and running up to her ranger.
"See you later, man."
"Alright." Lunick said as he picked up another towel and wiped his face. "And bathe, dude! You stink!"
"Skunktank, hombre! Skunktank!" Freddie shouted back as he left the room.
Running up to Lunick, Minun held up a wet washcloth.
"Thanks, buddy," Lunick said as he took the small cloth and wiped his face with it.
Minun then screwed up his face in disgust.
"Mai Mai! Mai Mai!"
"What is it?" Lunick asked.
Coughing, Minun ran away from Lunick before retuning shortly afterwards with a spray can of body deodorant and spritzing it several times on Lunick.
"Hey!" Lunick cried as he snatched the can of body deodorant from Minun. "I don't smell that bad, Minun!"
"Mai Mai!" Minun argued. He crossed his little arms before pointing to the men's locker room on the far left side of the gym.
"Mai Mai!"
Lunick arched his eyebrow before looking back down at Minun.
"Really? You're talking about me but after that battle you just had with Weavile I think someone else here needs a bath."
Minun's expression instantly changed from anger to fear.
"Mai Mai!"
"Oh, yes you do. Come here, Minun."
"Mai Mai!"
Minun quickly tried to get away but Lunick was too quick and scooped him up. The little mouse pokémon flailed as his human took him in the back to the shower.
"Okay. How 'bout this one?" Leilani asked as she held up the bikini. She had been pressing Solana to get a new swimsuit all week.
"Have you lost your mind?" Solana cried as she eyed the skimpy white bikini. "I'm not wearing that! You'd be able to see everything once I got wet."
"Hehe…That's kinda the point, Sole," Leilani said slyly.
Solana folded her arms and glared at her.
"No."
Leilani sighed as she hung the hanger back on the rack and went back to browsing.
"Man, Sole. You take the fun out of everything. Live a little. Carpe Diem. I'm sure Lunick would've loved that."
"Lunick and every other red-blooded male who saw me in that."
"Not if you only wore it for him. Like say in, I don't know, a Jacuzzi?"
Solana gave her a serious face.
"No."
Leilani sucked her teeth and once again started rummaging through the clothes.
"I don't see why I can't just wear my blue bikini with the red ribbons. It's only three years old."
"Girlfriend, you were just a girl when you bought that. You're a woman now with womanly assets. That bikini would fit you no better than the one I just showed you…Actually, you know what? Go ahead and wear it. It was really cute."
Solana shook her head.
"You're enjoying yourself, aren't you?"
"That I am." Leilani said cheerily. "You're so easy to mess with."
"Haha. Very funny."
"How about this one?" she held up a sleek, strapless celeste blue bikini. The top and bottom both were layered in ruffles and lined with dangling pale pink fiesta-fashion pom poms. "It's designer. PilyQ Pom Pom Ruffle Bandeau Bikini."
Solana took the bikini from Leilani and held it.
"It's nice. Really nice. You'd have to have a killer bod' to work this."
"Which you do," Leilani said as she started pushing her to the fitting room. "Now try it on."
After Solana stripped out of her clothes and stepped into the bikini she looked at herself critically in the full length mirror for a long while before Leilani called her out for taking so long.
She squealed when she saw her best friend in the swimsuit.
"Oh my gosh! You look amazing!"
"Are you sure?" Solana asked, uneasily.
"Of course! Look at you! That bikini was made for you! It shows off your body so fully! It hugs every one of your curves so perfectly and shows off your flat taut stomach so amazingly! The light blue color matches your hair so fantastically and it accentuates your eyes so richly. They appear to sparkle and glow so brightly. Hell, your eyes are practically aflame! Turn around for me?"
Solana did just that.
"And it shows off your tush so deliciously. A perfect mix of seduction, class, elegance, innocence, and beauty. You look as heavenly as the color of the bikini. Doesn't she guys?"
Plusle nodded her head excitedly while standing on a bench.
"Plah Pla! Pla Pla!" Plusle cried as she waved her tiny paws. Lucario didn't comment. He opened his eyes briefly to see what his human was talking about before bowing his head back down and closing his eyes in thought.
"You so need to get that!"
Solana turned back around.
"Are you sure? I feel so…exposed."
"Of course you're exposed, Sole. It's a bikini. But you look so good! This will drive Lunick mad crazy. How I wish I had abs like yours."
"Well, I wish I had a cup size and butt like yours."
"Girl, please. You're hot and you know it."
Solana smiled weakly.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Leilani, but I'm still not sure. I mean, don't you need to have a bikini body to wear a bikini?"
"Solana, if you can wear a bikini, you have a bikini body. This suit is totally your style!"
"Plah Pla!"
"See, Plusle agrees. And who knows you better than me and her? There's no doubt Lunick would love it. You said it yourself; he'd think you look good in a paper bag. Well, how do you think this is gonna make him feel, girl?"
Solana shyly looked away, hugging herself as she usually did when she was uncomfortable or sad.
"I'm not too sure…You've got to be like model quality to wear bikinis like this."
"Well, we are models now, aren't we?" Leilani said assuredly with a smile. "I mean, we were hired by the one and only Victorian Starsi."
"Yeah…right…" Solana whispered.
Her sad demeanor did not go unnoticed by Leilani and Plusle.
"What's up, Sole? Something wrong?"
"Plah Pla?"
Solana looked back up at Leilani.
"No. I just…I just feel a little self-conscious."
Leilani walked up to her and put her hand around her girlfriend's shoulder.
"We're all a little self-conscious, Sole. Don't let your insecurities get the better of you, girl. Trust me when I say you look amazing."
"Pla Plah!" Plusle nodded.
Again, Solana smiled weakly.
"Thanks, Leil. I can always count on you. You too, Plusle."
"Pla Pla!"
"Always." Leilani replied. "Now go ahead and strip outta that thing so the cashier can ring it up."
"Have you seen the price on this thing, Leil?"
"Yep." She said easily. "And it's totally worth it. Go on and take it off. I've gotta get a new 'kini too, remember?"
Solana shook her head as she was pushed back into the fitting room by Leilani. She knew it didn't matter what she said, Leilani was going to make her buy it anyway. Or buy it herself if she didn't.
Leilani pulled out another designer bathing suit – a turquoise seafoam-colored Wildfox Swim Goldie Tankini. She went into the fitting room to try it on before walking back out to get feedback from Solana. The top featured a scoop neck, adjustable spaghetti straps, and a flowy overlay with "Wildfox" written across on the front of it. The flap could also be flipped up to reveal two hearts on either side of the chest. The panty piece of the tankiki also featured a flowy drape that made it appear to look like a skirt, but it could also be flipped up like the top to reveal a heart in the center of the groin.
Solana put her hand under her chin.
"It's…nice?"
"You don't sound too sure there, Sole." Leilani observed.
Solana lowered her hand.
"No, it really does look nice. The color is really good on you and compliments your complexion nicely…It's just the hearts underneath the overlay are kind of…suggestive."
Leilani flipped her hand.
"That's just for fun to amuse the wearer of the suit. Kinda like that whole coconut and starfish gag."
"And that joke is suggestive too. I'm telling you, this thing has a racy undertone going on with these hearts."
"All in good fun, Sole. Don't take it so seriously. It's not like anyone's gonna see the hearts anyway. I'm keeping the covering down."
"I guess." Solana shrugged.
Leilani stepped back into the changing room to put back on her clothes.
"It's different. I like different. Think I'm gonna get it. If for no other reason than to drive our guys crazy."
That piqued Solana's interest.
"Come again? Our guys?"
Leilani gasped quietly as she quickly tried to recover.
"I-I meant your guy. Lunick. Your suit's gonna drive him crazy."
Solana folded her arms again with a sly smile this time.
"You already said that earlier. And besides, we weren't even talking about me just now. We were talking about your suit."
"I, uh…I mean…" Leilani stammered as she held out the bikini over the top of the fitting room door for Solana to take as she finished getting ready.
Solana took it.
"Don't even try to Wurmple your way out of this, Leil. I heard you clear as day. You've got a man?"
"No…Not technically."
"Leil…"
Leilani timidly stepped out of the changing room.
"Well…It's not really official…"
"Is it who I think it is?" Solana asked slowly, dragging out every word for emphasis.
Leilani nervously rubbed the back of her neck.
"Um…well…It might be…"
Solana lifted both her eyebrows, mimicking a roguish smile and facial expression that Leilani had launched upon her many a times.
Leilani jokingly shoved her as they started walking towards the cashier. Their pokémon followed behind them.
"Okay. It's Alejandro."
"I knew it!" Solana exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me you guys had become an item?"
"Because technically, we're not. We've been hanging out a lot, yes, but nothing above anything you'd usually do with a good friend."
"Good friend?"
"Granted, we haven't known each other that long and there's still a lot of stuff I don't know about him…but he just makes me feel so good about myself. So alive."
"I know the feeling."
Both girls put their swimsuits on the counter for the cashier.
"We've been going to the movies, to walks in the park, we've played basketball. He's even accompanied me to the mall."
"That sounds like dating to me."
"Yeah, well, not officially." Leilani said as she handed the cashier her debit card. "We haven't exactly told each other if we feel any sort of way but the sexual tension is through the roof! My God! I'm trying so hard not to fall too fast and easy for this guy."
Solana and Leilani each picked up their respective shopping bag as Leilani took her card back from the cashier and they exited the store.
"Well, he seems like a nice guy."
"He is!" Leilani exhaled. "UH! This whole situation is driving me crazy."
"Why don't you just tell him that you like him, Leil?"
"I don't want to come off like I'm crazy. I mean, I barely know the guy. I don't want to move too fast with him. Furthermore, I don't want to open myself up for another heartbreak."
Leilani sighed and stopped walking.
"I just don't want to go through that again, Sole. Really liking somebody, hoping that they'll feel the same way and then come to find out that they don't…It hurts a lot…"
Solana nodded her head slowly. Leilani was crushed when she discovered that Murph had feelings for Aria. The pain she saw in her friend's very essence was so intense, Solana found herself crying to Lunick about Leilani's situation. It took Leilani several weeks to even pull herself together so that she could go to work and do her job at the bare minimum.
"Well, I'm glad you're being cautious, Leil. That really is the best way to go."
Again, Leilani sighed.
"I know. It's just driving me mad. I know he's been direct and flirtatious with me before so I know there's something there…He makes me weak in the knees just by smiling at me…But in a way, that kind of makes me scared. That he can affect me so much by barely doing anything. I don't wanna be weak, Solana."
"Oh, Leilani," Solana cooed, "You're not weak for being infatuated with a guy. You feel what you feel. Don't be ashamed of that."
"I'm not ashamed…Just wary."
Solana patted her on the back.
"You'll be fine, Leilani. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be. Don't force it. Just keep doing what you're doing and you'll be okay. You're friends so it's a start."
"I guess you're right." She admitted as they started walking again. "I just hope I'm not too gaga over Alejandro to focus on the shoot today."
Solana's eyes went wide as she stopped walking.
"S-Shoot?"
Leilani stopped ahead of her and looked back.
"Yeah, we have our first photo shoot with Starsi's crew at 3:00. Did you forget?"
"No…I didn't forget…I just didn't realize it was so soon."
Leilani was confused.
"Are you sure you're okay, Sole? You look like one of the girls in a scary movie who are tormented by a paranormal haunted house."
Solana chuckled nervously.
"Oh, no. I was just…thinking. Lost in my thoughts for a moment."
"What kind of thoughts?"
"Oh, nothing in particular," she said as she hurriedly rushed passed Leilani. "I've got to hurry up and get back to the base. Gotta be ready in case I get called on a mission. Okay, ba-bye, Leil! Let's go Plusle."
"Pla Plah!"
Leilani watched her friend nearly sprint down the path to East Road with Plusle running swiftly behind her.
"What was that all about, Lucario?"
"Loo." Her partner pokémon replied questioningly. Living with Leilani for a while now he had learned a lot about humans, but he was just as confused about his mistress' comrade's behavior as she was.
Spenser sighed as he finished writing up his report for the Union. After a few weeks of unpaid leave, he was just starting to return back to work intermittently. He had been working from home mostly but it just wasn't the same as working from the base. While it was true that most of his rangers were already at the Top Ranger status, he was still their Area Leader, and as such, he still had commandant directive over them. Most of his rangers were out on missions at the moment so that gave him some much needed time to catch up on his administrative work and manage his files.
Murph was busy changing the light bulbs in the base's lobby. He had spent most of the day changing light fixtures but it was better than sitting around in the base with absolutely nothing to do. Standing on an extension ladder, Murph held the glass part of the light with both hands and turned the dome counter-clockwise to loosen it. After detaching the dome, Murph held it out with his left hand for his partner. Slowking took possession of the glass dome with his Psychic and passed Murph two florescent light bulbs. After tampering with the wires and uninstalling and reinstalling the light fixture pan, Murph took out the dead light bulbs and inserted the new ones.
"Okay, Slowking. I'm ready for the dome."
Nodding, Slowking levitated the glass dome that covered the bulbs back up to Murph.
Taking the hollow hemisphere, Murph carefully secured the glass dome over the bulbs before turning it clockwise to tighten the hold. He let go it once he couldn't turn it anymore.
Just then, Aria entered the base, her Meowth tucked into the pet purse that hung from her shoulder.
Murph smiled and immediately lit up.
Aria approached Spenser's desk.
"Excuse me, Leader Spenser?"
"Yes, Aria. What can I do for you?" Spenser asked as he looked up from the form he finished filling out.
"My Leader Joel sent me over here to pick up something from you. Said it was for the Professor?"
"Ah, yes." Spenser said, getting up. "Wait right there, Aria. I'll be right back."
Spenser headed to the base's elevator and took it to the upper level.
Murph quickly scurried down the ladder and excitedly approached his girlfriend.
"Aria!" he shouted ecstatically as he took off his black textile gloves.
Aria looked up at Murph and slightly raised her eyebrows.
"Hi, Murph."
Murph could barely contain his excitement.
"I can't believe you're here!"
"I won't be for long. I'm still on a mission right now. Just stopped by to run an errand for my Leader."
"Yeah, I know you're busy workin'," Murph nodded. "But it's still so good to see you. You look very pretty today."
Aria faked a small smile.
"Thank you, Murph…You look…nice…too."
"Really?" Murph asked joyfully. "'Cause I've been trying to do what you say and eat better and I really think –"
"Here you go, Aria," Spenser said as he exited the elevator.
"Thank God," Aria muttered under her breath.
Spenser handed her the package.
"The Professor's been waiting for that package. Make sure to check it in with Joel before you deliver it to him."
"Yes, sir."
Spenser walked back over to his desk.
Murph frowned.
"You're leaving now?"
"Still working. On a mission, remember?" Aria said as she placed the parcel in her pack.
"Oh. Yeah…" Murph said dejectedly.
Aria glanced back up at Murph briefly before hesitantly placing her hand on the side of his cheek.
"Don't…worry…I'll text you when I get off. Okay?"
That cheered Murph up.
"Really?"
"Mhmm. And I'll try extra hard to remember this time. Okay?"
Murph nodded.
"Okay."
Smiling weakly, Aria kissed Murph lightly on the cheek before walking out of the door to deliver the package to her boss.
Murph stared at the glass sliding doors for a long while before his partner snapped him out of it.
Looking down at Slowking, Murph nodded and went back to changing the light bulbs in the base's lobby.
It was then that Solana and Plusle entered the base.
Spenser again looked up from his desk and smiled.
"Hello, Solana. Are you done with your break? You still have ten minutes left."
"Hello, Leader. And yes. I'm done."
"Good."
Solana looked around the base. "Where's Lunick?"
"He's on a mission in the Olive Jungle."
"You sent him on a mission without me?" Solana asked.
Spenser stood up from his desk and approached Solana with a two folders in his hand.
"You were out on your break. I really didn't want to bother you and Lunick was eager to get back work. He contacted me not too long ago to inform me he was wrapping up. He should report back here soon. When he does, I have another mission I would like the two of you to tackle as a team."
"Yes, Leader." Solana answered.
Spenser nodded.
"Good. I have to enter these files into the Union's database. You think you can manage the front desk for me while I go enter these? I still need you to type up your report from this morning."
"Yes, Leader."
Nodding again, Spenser made his way back over to the base's elevator and again took it to the upper level while Solana made her way to her Leader's desk.
"Hello, Solana." Murph greeted from atop the ladder.
"Hello, Murph." Solana replied back she took a seat in her Leader's chair and rested her shopping bag down. Plusle hopped up onto Spenser's desk.
"How're you doing today?"
"I'm great. I mean, you know, changing light bulbs all day isn't all that fun but seeing all the folks come in and ask for help makes it not so tedious. What about you?"
"Oh, I can't complain," Solana answered as she logged into Spenser computer. "I don't mind cleaning the Waterworks but we're really gonna have to try to find a suitable home for those Muk and Grimer. They've been away from their natural habitat for so long they've turned the entire sewage system into a sludge storage area. All of Waterworks has become a slimy cesspool of bacteria. Some of that gunk is backing up into the pipes. If we don't do something proactive about it soon and mitigate its effects on the surrounding atmosphere, all that sludge is gonna increase environmental degradation and drain the land of its sustainability. A lot of pokémon will suffer if we don't do something about it, not to mention the city."
"The Area Leaders and Professor Hastings are already in discussion with the mayor about rerouting the sewers to a wastewater treatment plant as opposed to just letting the drainage flow back into the ocean. They're talking about setting it up in the fields beyond that industrial factory in the west but the mayor's not too keen on that idea with the function hall building already having been postponed on construction for that site. I'm sure they'll come to an agreement, though."
"I hope so," Solana said as she continued typing up her report from her morning mission.
Just then a young girl about a year or two younger than Solana entered the base. She had blonde hair pulled to the side of her head in a tight ponytail with a blue scrunchie and wore a torn up and partially burnt frilly blue dress.
"Please, you must help me," she cried breathlessly.
Solana looked up.
"How can I –" Solana began before she stopped midsentence as she looked at the girl.
"Iyori?" Solana questioned.
"Please, I need help," the young girl replied.
"Oh my, you look awful." Murph said as he climbed down the ladder. "Do you need medical assistance? We have a nurse if you need –"
"I do not need a doctor," she cut him off. "I need to find the boy that rescued me. I need to find Renjā Lunick."
"Lunick?" Solana asked. "What do you want with, Lunick?"
Iyori still wore a look of distress on her face.
"I need him. He said he would protect me. Keep me safe."
Solana stood up and walked around to desk to Iyori.
"Well, my boyfriend's not here right now but maybe some else here can help you."
"No!" she said as she pushed her hand away. "Renjā Lunick will keep me safe. He promised! I am only safe when I am with him! He said so himself! I must find him. I must find Lunick-chan."
Solana's eyes flared slightly. That hit a nerve.
"Well, Iyori. Again, my boyfriend is not here right now and is currently out on a mission. But maybe someone else here can help you with what you need."
"No one else will do. Only Lunick-san will keep me safe. He promised! I must find him!"
"Oh, now he's Lunick-san?" Solana asked suspiciously. "What happened to the little term of endearment you just used?"
"I do not know what you mean?" Iyori asked confused.
"Oh, I think you know exactly what I mean." Solana replied back sharply.
Murph could feel the fire rising within Solana and held up his hands to separate the two of them.
"Okay, let's just take a step back here, Solana. Iyori came here for help so we gotta help her, right?"
"What kind of help is it that you want, Iyori?" Solana asked coldly.
Iyori's eyes hardened.
"I told you. I need to find Renjā Lunick. That man will find me and kill me! Lunick-san promised to protect me. Said I was safe so long as I was with him always."
"We're not bodyguards, Iyori. We can't follow you around 24/7." Solana answered as she folded her arms.
"Iyori," Murph began. "We can get you partnered up with a counselor and find out what your needs are. We can get you some temporary housing until you can figure things out."
"No! No!" Iyori slammed her hands down at her sides, startling Murph. "I cannot stay in some strange place! That man will track me down and kill me! I am not safe anywhere but with Lunick-san!"
"He's not here!" Solana yelled back. "We can get you in touch with relief services but that's as far as our courtesy extends."
"No! I must find Lunick-chan!"
"You just did it again!" Solana spat out. "How dare you?! You don't even know him!"
"Solana, calm down."
"Don't tell me to calm down, Murph! I may not be fluent in Japanese like Lunick but I know terms of endearment when I hear them!"
"Where is he?! You tell me where he is!" Iyori yelled.
"Excuse me?!" Solana started walking towards the frightened young girl but Murph held her back.
"Solana, please."
"Where is he?! Where is Renjā Lunick?!"
"Um…What is going on here?"
All three of them turned around to see a confused young man with Prussian blue hair and teal highlights enter the base.
"Lunick-chan!" Iyori cried as she rushed to him and fiercely hugged him, crying hysterically into his shoulder.
Lunick was surprised by the sudden embrace. He uncomfortably put his hands around her and rubbed her on the back to try and console her.
"There There. It's alright. You're safe, Iyori. Anata wa anzendesu." You are safe.
Lunick looked back up and mouthed "What's wrong?" to Murph, who just shrugged and nodded his head to Solana, who he was still holding lightly with one arm around her back and one holding her left hand.
Lunick looked at Solana and mouthed "What's wrong?" to her but she only responded by looking away. Lunick looked back to Murph for an answer but he just shook his head, indicating that he couldn't talk about it right now.
Lunick didn't understand what was going on but he had to try and get Iyori to calm down. He continued to rub her on her back.
"Sore wa daijōbudesu. Naite teishi shite kudasai. Subete ga daijōbu ni narudarou. Yakusoku shimasu." It is okay. Please stop crying. Everything is going to be okay. I promise.
Solana growled at seeing Lunick hold another girl. Iyori lifted her head up from Lunick's shoulder.
"I was so scared. How could you leave me there? You promised you would keep me safe!"
"I was discharged from the hospital, Iyori. I couldn't stay there. Somebody else would need that bed."
"But something could have happened to me! That man could have found me!"
"He would not have found you. The hospital is safe. And I made sure another ranger was there to watch you so that you'd feel less vulnerable."
"It did not work! Renjā Ken did not make me feel safe! Only you make me feel safe, Renjā Lunick. Only you can protect me. You saved me!"
"Uhhhh…" Lunick really did not know how to respond to Iyori's hysteria. He knew she was still very fragile but it didn't appear that she was listening to him at all.
Spenser returned back downstairs and stepped off the elevator.
"Lunick! You're back."
"Yes, Sir." Lunick replied back uneasily.
He noticed the demeanor of all his rangers and he was a little unsettled. Then he noticed the young girl Lunick was embracing.
"Um, would someone care to inform me what is going on here?"
Lunick tried to loosen himself from Iyori's grasp but she would not let go.
"Leader, this is Iyori. This is the girl who I rescued from the burning apartment building two weeks ago."
"Oh," Spenser replied, "Well, I'm sorry to hear about your misfortune, Iyori. But we're here to help you as much as we can. Have you spoken to a counselor yet?"
"Counselor?"
Spenser looked at Lunick.
"Why hasn't she spoken to somebody?"
"As far as I know, she was only released today. She had some pretty serious injuries from the fire."
"But still, someone should have interviewed her."
"Well, I tried. But she was just so distraught at the time I thought it best to leave it alone."
"I see," Spenser said as he returned to his desk. "I apologize for the delay Miss…I'm sorry what is your last name?"
"Aihara." She answered timidly.
"Miss Aihara. I'm sorry we were not able to assist you sooner but we can remedy that and get started right away. If you'd have a seat, I can try to get you set up with some services."
"I…Do not know…"
"It's okay. It's for your best interest, Iyori," Lunick tried to console. He walked her over to a work desk that was near Spenser and helped her sit down in the chair.
"Give me a hand here won't you, Murph?"
"Yes, Leader!" Murph said excitedly as he let go of Solana and sat in a chair next to his Area Leader. Finally, he was going to be doing something aside from checking inventory and changing light bulbs.
"Oh, and Solana and Lunick, I have your next assignment."
Solana quickly ran up to Lunick's side and held his left hand. She really did not like the way Iyori was clinging onto him.
"Did you finish writing your report, Solana?"
"No, Leader. I did not."
"Well, you can finish it when you get back. Some loud tremors have been emanating from the Krokka Tunnel. Since it is one of Fiore's major traffic arteries it is important that we determine the cause immediately and ensure that it's safe to travel. I'm worried that some civilians and trainers might get hurt en route to Fall City or Ringtown when cutting through the tunnel. We've closed it off but I'd like you to investigate to see what's going on."
"Yes, Leader." They answered in unison.
They turned around to leave.
"You're leaving?" Iyori nearly shrieked as she held on to tightly to Lunick's right arm. "You cannot leave! You promised to keep me safe."
"You are safe, Iyori. You're in a place surrounded by pokémon rangers. You're with my boss. He's the one who taught me everything I know. No one's going to let you get hurt."
"No, no! Please! Do not leave me again, Lunick-chan! Please!"
"You're starting this again, Iyori? Seriously?!" Solana asked harshly.
"Solana," Lunick whispered to her.
Spenser was starting to understand what was going on.
"Miss Aihara, I assure you, you will be very safe here and will be treated with the utmost care. We really need to get you in contact with some relief services so that you can work on returning to a life of stability and normalcy."
"Please do not leave me, Lunick-chan! Please!"
"Stop calling him that!"
"Solana!" Lunick hushed.
"Please! Please, Lunick-chan! Watashi o hōchi shinaide kudasai!" Please do not leave me!
"Subete wa, Iyori daijōbudesu. Anata ga osoreru koto wa nani mo arimasen. Anata wa anzendesu. Watashi o shinjite kudasai. Anata wa anzendesu. Watashi no jōshi to yūjin wa anata o tasukeru tame ni shiyou to shite imasu. Subete wa bakkin ni narimasu." Everything is okay, Iyori. You have nothing to fear. You are safe. Believe me. You are safe. My boss and friend are going to help you. Everything will be fine.
Iyori's eyes shimmered.
"Everything's going to be fine. I promise."
"Miss Aihara, we must get started." Spenser pressed.
"It's okay, Iyori. Everything will be okay. Trust me."
Hesitantly and reluctantly, Iyori slowly released her hold on Lunick. Solana wasted no time pulling him away and out of the door. Iyori watched them go and continued to weep quietly as Spenser guided her on what to do.
"You want to tell me what all that was about, Solana?" Lunick asked as he and Solana walked through the Lyra Forest.
Plusle and Minun trailed behind them nervously.
"Me? What about you? Holding her and talking softly to her like that." Solana asked irritably.
"What are you talking about? I was trying to console her. Didn't you see how panicked she was back there? She is terrified."
"Please. You're coddling her."
"What?!" Lunick stopped walking. "How am I coddling her?"
Solana stopped walking too.
"You are treating her like she's this frail victim who needs you to hold her hand every step of the way."
"She is a victim! Her house was burnt down, Solana. She has nothing. Not to mention the fact that she's paranoid that she's going to be killed. I'm treating her no differently than I would treat any other survivor."
"I know you are. But don't tell me you didn't notice her calling you Lunick-chan."
"She was speaking from a state of panic. She's calling me that because I'm the one who rescued her from the fire. She trusts me."
Solana sighed and started walking forward again. Lunick looked at her strangely for a moment before running up to keep pace with her.
"Wait a minute, is that what this is all about? Her using honorifics with me?"
"It's not the fact that she's using honorifics, it's how she's using them. She keeps calling you Lunick-chan. That's more than just friendly."
Lunick continued to match her strides.
"It doesn't mean anything, Solana. The girl is scared out of her mind. She's addressing me that way because she feels safe with me."
"Well, I find it rude and disrespectful. It expresses endearment. Affection. Why would she be talking to you that way if she didn't feel anything?"
"She's traumatized, Solana. We've dealt with traumatized victims before."
"But none of them talked to you as if you're their lover!"
Lunick pulled back and stopped walking. He stared in disbelief at his girlfriend.
"Lover?…" He asked. "…You really think Iyori sees me as her lover?"
Solana also stopped walking.
"I don't know how she sees you, Lunick. I just don't like her talking to you that way." She said quietly.
Lunick looked down at the ground for a moment before looking back up at Solana.
"Do you believe I love you, Solana?"
"Of course I do." She replied, somewhat shocked that he would even ask her such a question.
"Then why would you even go there?" he asked incredulously. "Why do you think I would want to be with Iyori?"
"I don't think that."
"You don't think I have any self-control if another girl comes on to me? Do you really think I'm that weak-minded?"
"No."
"Then why would you say that?" Lunick asked again, this time a little harsher. "I can't believe you're reading so much into Iyori's behavior as you are, but even if we entertained the ridiculous notion that she is in love with me and sees me as her 'lover', that has absolutely nothing to do with us."
"I know –"
"Why would you even go there? How can you even think like that, especially after I made that huge declaration to you about you being my one and only –"
"Lunick, stop it!" Solana cried.
Lunick fell silent again but this time he got a good look at Solana's features. She didn't look angry or upset like she was earlier but looked more ashamed and frightened. He hadn't realized it but he was actually making her cry with the way he was scolding her. He wasn't trying to vilify her for what she said. He just didn't understand why she would say Iyori was in love with him. But perhaps there was something buried beneath the surface that held a deeper reason for why Solana said what she said.
"I…I'm sorry, Solana," Lunick apologized, surprised by how angry he had become. "I shouldn't have criticized you like that."
Solana wiped her tears and shook her head.
"…Don't apologize…You're right…I shouldn't be thinking that way…I don't know why I said what I said or behaved like I did at the base. I just became so incredibly protective and defensive, and maybe even borderline possessive of you when I heard Iyori using '–chan' when referring you. She didn't deserve that. I see she's really clingy to you but logically I know that's because of the fire and because you did in fact save her…But hearing another girl using a term of affection to you…It just gets me so riled up on the inside."
Lunick walked up to her and put his arms around her, giving her one of his peerless cathartic embraces. Solana rested her head on his chest.
"I get it, Solana. If I heard another guy calling you 'baby' or 'Lana' I'd get pretty pissed too. I'm sorry for snapping at you."
He leaned back and brought her head up to face him.
"But you don't need to worry about losing me. I don't want anyone other than you, Babe. And no one's going to take me from you. Okay?"
Solana nodded her head quickly.
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay." Lunick replied as he hugged her again.
He held her for a little while longer before kissing her on the forehead and letting her go with one of his arms.
"Now, let's go complete this mission, okay?"
"Yeah, okay." Solana replied.
Lunick smiled and hugged her with his left arm and the two of them continued their trek to the Krokka Tunnel with a relieved Plusle and Minun following behind them.
Sekra was home to many plants and pokémon. Standing in the heart of the overgrown forest was a cave encompassed in a Kapok Tree, a tall giant tropical tree that towered above the rest of the forest trees and was the den of a very prominent pokémon and his family.
Sceptile had reigned as King of the Sekrian Forest for many lunations since his father's passing. While he was honored to carry on his father's legacy, he was still skeptical about what an effective ruler he was to the forest pokémon and found himself constantly comparing his methods of leadership to his father. While he knew he would not be able to lead Sekra exactly like his father had, he wanted to try to rule as close as he could to uphold his legacy. His father bequeathed his to him his will and he had to preserve it delicately.
Aside from the many responsibilities and decisions he had to make as a leader, Sceptile was finally able to see the forest the way his father had – as a gorgeous biome overflowing with life and rich in beauty.
There was so much Sceptile loved about the Sekrian forest. The emergent trees were spaced wide apart and stood tall with umbrella-shaped canopies that grew above the forest. The upper canopy of the giant trees allowed light to be easily available. There was so much food available at upper canopy that some pokémon never went down to the forest floor. The leaves had drip spouts that allowed rain to run off, which kept them dry and prevented mold and mildew from forming in the sometimes humid environment. And it contained many various and exotic fruits, berries, and flowers he hadn't been able to enjoy as a warrior.
Sceptile thought the Sekrian forest was the most beautiful wilderness on the planet. Much of the forest's natural beauty he had overlooked while he was still Prince, but once he became King he was able to settle into his den more and was finally able to see it through his father's eyes in all its natural glory.
In addition to the duties he had as King of the Forest, he also had a responsibility to his family. Soon after his father's passing he had become the mated partner to Lopunny, the daughter of one of the forest's minder mothers and a sanctioned healer. Lopunny was always a loyal subject to the King but it was not until they were partnered together on an extended assignment by his father that he developed romantic feelings for her while she all along carried feelings for him since they were small (only he didn't know it). And not too long after their union did they welcome their first young one into the world.
The joys that came with being a parent were feelings Sceptile had not experienced before. He was unsure of what life would be like when Lopunny produced the Egg, but once his daughter hatched, Sceptile knew that his life had yet begun. Treecko was a sprightly pokémon. She was vivacious and always full of energy, always wanting to explore the forest with her father and battle to test the limits of her strength to become even more powerful. While Sceptile loved spending time with his daughter, he did have to bestow upon her the necessary teachings of being a good leader as his father had done with him, but he felt she wasn't taking her role very seriously.
Even now as he tried to guide her she was not paying attention. He had teased his comrade Absol about young rearing when she was still an Egg, but he had not realized that young rearing would be so frustrating.
Treecko continued to giggle at she continued to make her tail glow white while practicing charging her Pound attack.
Sceptile closed his eyes and gave an irritated sigh.
"Treecko."
Treecko didn't hear her father and continued to study her illuminated dark green tail.
"Treecko!" Sceptile called more forcefully.
It was effective in snapping his daughter out of her trance and caused her power down.
"Huh?"
"I asked you a question."
"You did?" she asked as she swished her tail back around and stood up.
Sceptile's eyes hardened.
"You were not listening to me."
"I was too listening!" she insisted.
Sceptile put his claws behind his back.
"Alright. Then answer the question I posed. What are the top five qualities of being a good leader?"
Treecko bit her lower lip and hesitated before answering.
"Uhhh….Spirit…uh...A sense of humor…Commitment…Intuition…and Power."
Sceptile's eyes hardened.
"You were not listening to me."
"What? No! I was too listening."
Sceptile again closed his eyes.
"The ability to delegate, communication, confidence, honesty, and wisdom.
Treecko shyly looked away.
"Oh…"
"You are not listening to me."
"I'm trying to. It's not my fault! These lectures are just so boring." Treecko exhaled as she sat back down.
Sceptile's eyes flared.
"Boring?!"
"Pa, I know intuition has something to do with being a good leader. And power is important, right? How are we gonna keep the baddies away without power? I mean the only thing I really need to be taught is how to become a better battler."
Sceptile again sighed in annoyance.
"Treecko, what am I going to do with you?"
"We could go down to the watering hole for a training session?" she asked hopefully standing on the tips of her toes.
"There is more to being an effective leader than battling." He said sternly.
Treecko sighed and fell back on the ground.
Sceptile again closed his eyes and rested down the tree limb he held in his claws when giving his lecture.
"How do you expect to be Queen of this forest some day if you do not take my lessons seriously?"
"I'm sorry, Pa. I am not purposefully not paying attention. The lectures just are not reaching me in a way that I can understand. I can't just sit here watching the leaves fall from the trees when there is so much I could be doing."
"We are doing something. And you should not be watching the leaves fall from the trees. You should be listening to me."
Treecko stood up.
"But it's not engaging. It's not any fun! I want to have fun!"
"The safety of many pokémon is dependent upon the competency of the ruler. A leader is responsible for many things. Having 'fun' is a leisure you do not always have the time for. Such is the life of a King and Queen."
"Well, perhaps I do not wish to be Queen."
Sceptile's eyes widened.
"What have you just said, young one?"
Treecko crossed her arms.
"If all being a ruler entails is working, lecturing, and making laws, and meeting with other pokémon to discuss more work and give more lectures and make more laws, then I do not wish to be a Queen. It does not sound like it will be very pleasurable. And it carries too much of a burden. Surely another pokémon would be better suited to take on such onus."
Sceptile approached his offspring.
"Treecko, saying you do not wish to be Queen one day is the same as saying you do not wish to be a part of the family from which you were born. What you say is dishonorable to the progenitors of Sekra."
Treecko uncrossed her arms.
"I am not ashamed of our lineage, Pa. I just do not desire to sit on my hind all day making laws."
"There is more to being a leader than simply making laws."
"But there seems to be little time for anything else. Why do we not train more, Pa? Explore the land, tend to the mythical herbs, interact with other pokémon and grow closer through battle?"
Sceptile again sighed at his youngling's impatience.
"Treecko, being a warrior is important but knowing your history and being skilled in communion and community relations are equally if not more important. Fighting is only necessary when we our kind is threatened."
"But you are an excellent battler. Mother even says you are so great, you once countered the will of a legendary beast and brought the downfall of a great evil that was plaguing this land many moons ago."
Sceptile looked up from his daughter to the falling yellow leaves outside of his den. He watched the foliage twirl and flow down softly to the ground from the wind.
"Yes, I was a headstrong fighter and an exceptional battler."
"See?"
"But I was also very foolhardy and rash." He looked back at his daughter. "You are not defined by your physical prowess, Treecko. Your value and worth lies with what you do with your life on this earth. It is nice to be powerful and strengthen your dexterity. But you must hone all the skills in your being including your mental adroitness. Otherwise you will fail to lead this land to glory."
Treecko bowed her head and looked away.
Sceptile turned around and plucked a Pecha Berry from the tree that intercepted cave.
"When I was your age I listened to my father's teachings."
Treecko rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"I have heard your many tales of the Sire Pa but I do not think it is appropriate to compare me to you as we are not one and the same, Pa."
Sceptile turned back around to face her and approached her holding the Pecha Berry in his right claw.
"See this Pecha Berry, Treecko?"
The Hoenn grass-type starter looked as the pink fruit.
"Yes, Pa?"
"It once started out as a tiny blossom unable to care for itself. But through nurture it has became a luscious sweet fruit. Without pruning and cultivation it would not have lived this long. Only by giving it the tools it needed to survive was it able to grow and flourish."
Sceptile pulled a leaf off of the Pecha Berry.
"The fruit is made up of the sum of parts, which all dates back to the propagation from its parents. Its parent trees are important as they provide the genetic components that were passed down to the seedling. Without the strength of its genealogy, the seedling may not have been able to handle being on its own at all. And yes, some berries are extremely heterozygous and do not inherit the DNA from their parents, but they still need the joining of its parents in order to be."
Sceptile held up the berry.
"Together with the assistance of its parents and the nurture affecting its development, the seedling has grown into a sweet delicious fruit. But, if one of those important elements were wanting, the seedling may not have grown into a sweet plump succulent berry but perhaps a bitter sunken one, or it may have grown adequately but when faced with the hardships of life, it couldn't rise to its potential and rotted into degradation or perhaps…"
Sceptile suddenly crushed the berry in his claws, startling his offspring.
"It would have not lived to see the day at all."
He dropped the deflated berry and its juices dripped from his claws.
"Do you understand what I am trying to get you to comprehend, young one? It was more than the berry's physical components that allowed for it to grow into what it was. It took the union of its parents and the nurture of its environment to mold it into a nectarous drupe. It is not defined by its starch. It's defined by its integrality."
Treecko sighed.
"I understand, Pa."
Sceptile nodded. He walked back beside his father's resting boulder.
"Good. Now onto our next lesson."
Treecko exhaled loudly and slumped to the floor.
Just then, a few pebbles could be heard falling from outside the tree's cave.
"May we enter?" a voice asked.
"You may." Sceptile answered as he walked to the cave's entrance to see who greeted him at the door.
A fox-like creature with silvery white fur and nine cyan-tipped tails entered Sceptile's home along with a pure white wolf-like creature with a sickle-shaped growth on the side of its head.
Sceptile smiled.
"Ninetales. Absol. What a pleasure it is to see you again."
"How very nice it is to see you too, Young King," Ninetales said as she dipped her head.
"To what do I owe this visit?" asked Sceptile.
Absol spoke.
"Shiftry wishes to speak with you. Tension is rising between the Gloom and Skiploom tribes, with the Skiploom having problems with the Gloom's excretion of their foul pungent effluvium which is inducing the young Hoppip to faint and the Skiploom pollen clogging the ducts of the Oddish and Gloom. Jumpluff is soon ready to battle Vilplume to force them to relocate."
Sceptile sighed.
"That Jumpluff is always thinking with her spores. What of Trevenant? What has he said of all this?"
"No beast will listen to Trevenant as he is a newcomer to the forest."
Sceptile shook his head.
"Shiftry has been able to temperate the two clans but your discipline is needed." Said Ninetales.
Sceptile nodded his head.
"I understand. But Lopunny has gone to gather some herbal berries for the Stantler injured from the human hunters who wished to take their antlers as trophies. The herd is still fighting to recover from the last ambush. Who will watch Treecko while I am gone?"
"Watch me?" Treecko got up off the ground and ran to her father's side. "I need no watching, Pa. Why, I can even help with your settlement of the villagers. I can provide the voice of reason. And if all else fails, I can amaze them with my supreme battling moves so much so they will fear fighting any pokémon."
Sceptile's eyes once again hardened as he looked at his offspring.
"Have you learned nothing? We do not instill fear or intimidation in any beast to achieve our objective."
Absol again spoke.
"Perhaps I have a resolution to your young sitting dilemma." He called down from below the cave. "Solie!"
A few rocks could be heard falling from beneath the cave.
Absol looked back at Sceptile.
"Solie was to keep account of events that were to transpire at the meeting but it seems you will have a more imperative use for her given your predicament."
Another pokémon who looked the same as Absol but was half his size entered the den.
"You called for me, Father?"
"The King has need of you."
The adolescent Absol looked at Sceptile.
"Yes, Sir?"
"Solie, I need to resolve an issue with some of the forest pokémon. Do you think you would be able to young-sit Treecko for me while I leave with your parents?"
"Young-sit?!" Treecko shouted. "I am not a hatching, Pa!"
Sceptile ignored his daughter.
"Will you be able to do this for me, Solie?"
She nodded her head.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"What?!" Treecko cried.
"Solie is very good at young-sitting," Absol added, "She has done it many times before with the pups of our pack."
"I will not let you down, my King. Treecko is in good claws."
"I know she is," Sceptile said with a smile. He walked closer to the cave's entrance. "We must hurry. I worry what Skiploom may do if we do not move post-haste."
Sceptile looked back that his daughter.
"Be on your best behavior, Treecko. Do not give Solie any trouble."
Treecko didn't answer and merely eyed her father with crossed arms.
Chuckling to himself, Sceptile hopped down to a boulder below and began his descent.
"Be careful, dear," Ninetales warned as she nuzzled her youngest pup. "We shall return soon."
She turned around and lowered herself to exit.
"You know the rules for migratory pokémon?" Absol asked.
"No admittance under any circumstances. My directive is to supervise the princess until King Sceptile returns."
Absol nodded to his daughter.
"Good girl. We shall see you soon."
"I will not disappoint, Father. You, mother, and King Sceptile have nothing to fear. I will care for Treecko exquisitely, on my honor."
Solie watched her father descend from the cave with a smile. When she turned around, she saw Treecko staring at her angrily with crossed arms.
Solie shook her head.
"I know what you're thinking," she sing-songed as she walked up to her and sat down. "You are not going anywhere, little one."
"You cannot keep me here, Solie."
"The only way to leave this cave is to get by me." She said easily.
"I'll battle you if I have to then. I've been practicing a lot."
Solie smiled smugly.
"I bet you have. But my orders are to keep you here. And that is exactly what I intend to do."
"We'll see about that!" Treecko yelled as she incited her Quick Attack.
Just as she reached the entrance a black feeler wrapped around her leg and pulled her back. She fell to the ground with a Thud! as Solie reeled her back to her, the sickle-cell growth on her head glowing a blackish-purple.
"Nice try. But there is no way you can beat me." She said as she released her, the black feeler recoiling and absorbing back into her horn moments later.
Treecko stood to her feet.
"No fair! You used a preemptive attack!"
"I could have used any attack. You would not have made it through that exit." She said as the glow disappeared from the growth on her head.
"Well, then try it!" Treecko yelled as she materialized a glowing green ball of energy between her hands and released it towards Solie.
Solie quickly released a glowing amethyst-colored crescent-like blade from her horn that intercepted the Energy Ball, causing a small dust cloud.
Attempting to seize the moment, Treecko once again used her Quick Attack to try and exit the den. But she was immediately tackled by Solie and rolled back to the center of the cave.
"We can do this all day, Treecko, but it will be a lot easier on you if you just sit still and do what you've been told." Solie said as she dispelled the white streaks that appeared around her when she did her Aerial Ace.
Treecko stood up and turned around with a Humph!
"Isn't there some exercise you should be doing right now?"
"I do not want to study. I want to have fun."
"Well, we can still have fun. We just cannot leave the den."
"Yeah, right," Treecko said as she spun back around. "If it is not training or exploring or battling, then it is not fun."
Again, Solie smiled.
"Alright. How about we recite some metrical compositions with musical modulations of our voice?"
"Cantillate long-established ditties and lullabies?" Treecko asked flatly. "How young do you posit me to be?"
"Come on. Crooning is lovely. We can even enact it."
"Simulate pointless jabber? Really?"
"Let me show you." She sat as she got up on all four legs and suddenly crouched down, crawling sneakily towards Treecko.
"If you go out in the forest today, you're in for a big surprise!" she sang exaggeratedly as she bared her teeth. "If you go out in the forest today, you better go in disguise! –"
"Please, stop it!" Treecko yelled as she walked around Solie with an irritated sigh. "Maybe I'll give myself a refresher of the top 5 qualities of an effective ruler again."
Solie watched her walk to the back of the cave. Self-satisfied, she laid down and crossed her paws as she smiled.
She was so good!
