If I Were Just a Little Braver

by SullenFool

Fée, a timid Eevee with a deep - seated desire to explore, finds herself thrown into a world far larger than anything she could've ever imagined. In order to fulfill her dream, she must first overcome her cowardice and learn what bravery truly means. A story based partially on Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky. Reviews appreciated!

30. The Princess' Power

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Chapter 28

"The Princess' Power"

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"Ew, not another one!"

A young Pokémon, clad in a pristine white dress let out a disgusted cry as she hurled the sweat – stained strip of cloth into the air. The soiled headband landed in a small wicker basket that was filled to the brim with similar, rancid objects. Pinching her nose, the white – dressed Pokémon trotted over to the basket and glanced down at it. Her pale face turned bright green as a jolt of disgust traveled through her dainty body.

"You'd think that the guys would take better care of their junk!" Kirlia grumbled, clutching her sides as she shivered out of revulsion. "Especially when they know that there's two lovely girls cleaning up after them! Seriously, I think I found three or four pairs of socks just lying there, moldering underneath a bench! And I think all of them are from Tyrogue!"

Her anguished cry resounded all around the large, rectangular room she was in. The solid stone walls of the Machoke's Guild training room returned her voice in the form of an echo. Her scream sprung off the clay floor below, bounced around the walls like a pinball, before finally springing up toward the wooden beams holding up the ceiling.

Dust and silt slipped off the rafters and landed down on the floor, making little piles of gray all around the place. Following that, a single sock, having been stuck up in the rafters for who – knows – how long was jarred loose by her scream. The piece of clothing landed right on top of Kirlia's head with perfect accuracy.

"Aieee!" Kirlia screamed. Snatching the sock off her head, she threw it into the basket. Her face a mask of fury and revulsion, Kirlia hurled a powerful kick at the basket, sending it skittering away toward the opposite end of the room.

"Disgusting, disgusting, disgusting!" Kirlia screamed, dancing on her tiptoes as she mussed up her hair out of disgust. "I hate this part of the job! None of the cute boys are awake, everything smells of sweat, and everywhere I look there's a stupid and stinky sock!"

The basket slid across the surface of the floor, spinning around like an out of control Hitmontop. As it skidded over the clay – topped floor, the wicker basket struck an uneven patch of earth and began to tip over. The hair – curling contents within peered over the top of the container, preparing to leap out and escape their confinement.

But, right before catastrophe struck, the entire basket and its contents were enveloped in a bright, deep purple light. Trapped within the bright glow, the basket and its disgusting cargo lost all inertia, frozen in mid – spill. In a way, it resembled a kind of strange, abstract art. Albeit a very disgusting, stomach – churning piece of strange, abstract art.

"If you are going to complain, then do it with your mouth shut."

A quiet scribbling noise filled the air. Sitting at a dark corner in the training hall was Gothorita, clad in her usual black dress and hidden beneath a dim shade. Uninterested in the chaos unfolding around her, Gothorita's eyes were instead pointed down at a squad, black notepad that was hovering above her lap, covered in the same purple glow as the basket. A small, also – black feather quill was held in her hand, skittering to and fro across the surface of the notepad as the gloomy – looking Pokémon engrossed herself in her project.

"I have to wonder why you are picking up the used laundry with your bare hands, Kirlia," she murmured, not taking her eyes off her work. "have you forsaken your psionic powers for physical, menial labor? You befuddle and bewilder me."

Gothorita held up her left arm and waved her hand around. One by one, the many pieces of soiled clothing began to circle around the basket. With great finesse, every sock, headband and so on and so forth folded themselves into neat stacks of off – white in midair before dropping themselves inside the basket. Once all the junk was neatly tucked away, the purple glow faded and everything landed back onto the floor.

"Show off..." Kirlia snorted. She strode over to Gothorita's bench, all the while making sure to give the disgusting basket a wide berth. The green – haired Pokémon sighed and placed a hand on top of Gothorita's notebook, "Gothy, didn't I tell you earlier that I wasn't going to use any psychic powers for the entire day today?"

"No, you did not." Gothorita replied, brushing Kirlia's hand away. "I am going to assume that it was for a pointless and meaningless reason."

"It was not for a pointless and meaningless reason!" Kirlia steamed. She plonked herself down on the bench beside Gothorita and folded her arms in a huff. A twinge of annoyance crossed the black – clad Gothorita's face, and she inched away from her irritated friend.

"Well! If that's the case, then I'll just have to tell you again!" Kirlia announced, drawing out an annoyed groan from her friend. Clasping her hands in front of her chest, Kirlia closed her eyes and smiled wide as she began to fantasize.

"It was yesterday morning when I met him. The sun was shining bright above my head while I was taking my beauty stroll by myself down the Marketplace streets. That place is so much prettier when there weren't a gazillion peddlers taking up all the space, don't you think?" she turned to Gothorita, but the gloomy Pokémon had already returned her attention to her notepad. Miffed, Kirlia snatched the quill out of the air and scowled.

"Don't ignore me, Gothy!" Kirlia scolded. "I'm telling you the story of how I met him!"

"Ugh..." Gothorita eyed the poor quill crushed within Kirlia's dainty fingers with disgust. With how hard she was gripping it, it didn't look like her friend was going to let go of it until she had finished regaling her tale to her. With no other choice than to sit and suffer through her friend's asinine story, Gothorita let out a defeated sigh and closed her notepad.

"Anyway!" Happy that Gothorita was being cooperative now, Kirlia held the quill up to her cheek and smiled. "At the time, the sun was so bright and hot overhead that it made me feel like I was going to melt into a puddle! So I ran to the center of the Marketplace and rested my tired, hot body in the shade."

"So you went to go sit down at a tree. Riveting."

"Oh hush, you! I'm getting to the good part!"

Gothorita sighed again.

"So I was there, sitting all by my lonesome underneath that tree. Wondering when and where I will go next, pondering about what will I do before I have to head here for my part – time job..."

"Oh yes, because you think so much about your work."

"Shut up and let me tell my story! Gosh!" Kirlia cleared her throat and continued. "As I was saying! While I was sitting there pondering my options, I heard somebody calling out to me. Let me tell you Gothy, when I heard that Pokémon's voice, I felt like I was going to faint! It was so... smooth, so suave sounding!"

"Really."

"And then, and then!" unable to contain her excitement, Kirlia pressed the black feather quill against her cheek even harder, bending it like a piece of licorice. "When I turned around, I saw the most handsome Pokémon I've ever seen in my entire life!"

"That doesn't mean much." Gothorita grumbled, scowling at the mistreatment of her quill. "You say that about every handsome Pokémon you meet."

"Well, I mean it for real this time!" Kirlia retorted with a pout. "That Pokémon was like... he was like a beautiful painting come to life! His face was so handsome, so sleek! And the way he spoke... he just had this unbelievable cultured aura emitting from every word he said! I just couldn't believe that such a Pokémon lived here in Treasure Town!"

"I can not believe it as well." Gothorita sighed and relinquished the glow around her notepad, letting it flop back onto her lap. She turned toward the starry-eyed Kirlia and frowned. "You speak so much about this Pokémon, and you have yet to tell me who or what it is."

Kirlia giggled and dismissed Gothorita's words with a wave of her hand, "It doesn't matter if I tell you, Gothy. He's not your type at all" Her eyes narrowed as her smile turned into a snide smirk, "The Pokémon I met was cool, sweet, handsome, cultured and classy! Just my type!"

She puffed out her small chest and beamed, "While the kind of Pokémon you prefer are those big, bulky musclebound types that have no dignity whatsoever." Kirlia shot a glance at the stench – filled basket and wrinkled her nose. "The kind that just junk their socks and garbage all over the place!"

"Tch," peeved, Gothorita furrowed her brow and turned away. She entertained the notion of using her psychic powers to hurl the wicker basket at Kirlia for that remark. It would be a good way to get back at her for being so callous with her remarks. But upon thinking further about it, Gothorita decided to forgo getting revenge it for now.

Dumping an entire guild's worth of dirty laundry on her friend will cause more trouble than it will solve, she figured.

"Anyway," completely unaware of how close she was to danger, the carefree Kirlia continued with her story. "that Pokémon asked me if I knew which way was to the post office – which was a big surprise to me! He must've been really confused, since I can't believe anybody would be looking for the post office while wandering around in the Marketplace!"

"Or he could have just moved into town a few days ago..." Gothorita pointed out.

"Oh!" Kirlia's eyes lit up as she turned toward her friend. She tapped a slender finger against her chin and pursed her lips, "That must be it! I never even thought about that! Ooh...! If he is from out of town, I wonder where he's from? That incredible accent he has... I wonder...!"

Gothorita sighed and shrugged, "How would I know? As far as I am concerned, this Pokémon of yours may as well exist only in your delusions. I see no reason to put any stock in it."

"Must you be such a gloomy stick – in – the – mud all the time?" Kirlia grumbled, jabbing the quill at her friend's cheek. "You know, every time Buneary and I try to invite you on to our boy hunts, you always end up scaring them away or creeping them out!"

Taking this chance, Gothorita snatched away her quill from Kirlia and stuck it between the pages of her notebook. "It is not my fault that your boys cannot appreciate the elegant tapestry that I weave with the magnificent knitting needles that I deign to call my literature."

"Oh blah, blah, blah," Kirlia mocked, opening and closing her hand to mimic her mouth. "all you ever do is write trashy love novels that involve you and whatever musclebrain that caught your fancy that day. Don't try to make it sound more than it is!"

"Kirlia..." Gothorita hissed, her face turning a dark shade of purple.

A mischievous look crossed her face as her eyes flitted over to the notepad. In a blink of an eye, her arm shot out and snatched the notebook out of Gothorita's hands. Giggling, Kirlia undid the clasp on the cover and flipped it open. "Speaking of which, who are you writing about today? I bet it's someone stupid, like Machop."

"H – hey! Do not touch my Grimoire of Despair!" Gothorita protested. She tried to snatch it back from her friend, but Kirlia leapt off the bench and pranced away. "Kirlia!"

"Hee hee... ooh, let's see!" Kirlia flipped through the pages of the notepad with glee sparkling all over her eager face. "Ooh, here's the latest one! The Chance Meeting Between the Goddess of the Dark and the Prince of Brawn!" Giggling, the white dressed Pokémon spun around and smiled at her blushing friend and commented, "It looks like your titling sense is as good as ever, Gothy!"

"Kirlia!" the Goddess of Dark seethed as she rushed after her friend, her face burning a bright, flaming red. "Unhand my Grimoire right this instant before I call down a million curses upon your Lum – green head!"

"Curses?" Kirlia giggled as she danced away from Gothorita's outstretched arm. "Oh, you mean like this one you wrote here? The Curse of Everlasting Chills Down Your Spine? I'm so, so scared, Gothy!"

"Rrgh!"

The two girls ran around the training room, with Kirlia holding out the Grimoire of Despair like a flag while Gothorita chased after her. Their frantic game of keep – away lasted for a scant few seconds before both girls had to stop and rest, with Kirlia grasping her knees and panting while her friend straight up collapsed on to the floor to catch her breath.

"Haah... haah..." Kirlia held her chest as she gulped down mouthfuls of air. She shook her head and shot her exhausted friend a smirk. "Looks like I'm still the victor here...! I'm still... faster, just a bit...!"

"...as if that means anything...!" Gothorita shot back. "You are... still tired... like me!"

"Hee... but I'm still standing!"

Kirlia tried to straighten herself up, but her knees buckled beneath her and she ended up falling onto her behind with a thud. Groaning, she tried to hoist herself back onto her feet, but she found herself unable to move from the spot. With a quiet sigh, she gave up on trying to stand back up and instead turned back to Gothorita.

"W... well, at least I can finish telling you my story now."

Gothorita groaned out of frustration in response. Like Kirlia, she wasn't the most adept when it came to stamina or anything regarding physical exertion, really. While she did want to retrieve her notepad as soon as she can, it wasn't possible if she had to chase after her irritating best friend.

"Fine..." Gothorita conceded. "I will listen to the rest of your stupid story. But you will have to give back my Grimoire when you're done, alright?"

"Hee... I still can't believe you call it that, Gothy. It's so cute."

"It is not cute!" Gothorita spat back. "The Grimoire of Despair is an elegant and mystical name, fitting for one so in tune with darkness such as I! Now finish your stupid story before I change my mind!"

"Right, sure. Whatever. So where was I...? Oh right, I was meeting the most handsome Pokémon I've ever seen in my entire life!" Kirlia accentuated her words with a fluttering sigh. "He was so dreamy... when he was looking at me from above, I could see sunlight illuminating his face from behind. A halo of beautiful light surrounded him, and when he spoke... oh, I felt like I was going to melt into a puddle when he asked me if I was alright!"

"Save the descriptive details and just get on with it, Kirlia."

"And you call yourself a writer, Gothy." Kirlia giggled as she spun the notepad around in her hand. "So he was asking me where the post office was. I, being the polite and well – mannered girl I was, I very specifically told him that the post office wasn't in town."

"Yes, you told him to head to a place that is currently inaccessible. Very polite."

"Oh no, of course I wasn't that rude!" Kirlia tapped her cheek and winked. "I did the nice thing and offered to teleport him all the way down the beach myself. And I even told him that I'd be willing to wait there until all his errands are done so I can bring him back to town."

"Teleport? You?" Gothorita threw her head back and belted out an unladylike chortle. "If you had attempted to take him to Wingull Walkway with your so called teleporting, we would have had to send out a rescue party all the way to Spring Town!"

A fierce shade of red splashed onto Kirlia's face, "I – I'm not that incompetent at teleporting!" She twiddled with her fingers as she muttered to herself. "I – I'm just a little bad at the calculation aspect of it..." She shook her head and slapped her cheeks, "A – anyway! It doesn't even matter... I didn't get to take him there in the end..."

"Oh? Why is that?

Kirlia sighed and fanned her blush away with Gothorita's notepad, "When I suggested that I take him using teleportation, he refused. He said he preferred take the slow, scenic route by walking."

"Yes, walking," Gothorita sneered as she mimed the action of walking with two fingers, "all the way from the Marketplace to Wingull Walkway. It would have taken the of you an hour, perhaps two, to reach there while taking a leisurely stroll."

"That's what I said!" Kirlia said. "I told him that it would take ages if we walked! But he insisted that we walk instead of using any sort of psychic assistance! It was so weird!"

"And that is why you're not using any of your psychic powers today then?"

"Well... something like that," the white – dressed girl wiggled her fingers in front of her, conjuring up a small speck of green light before her face. "we did walk for a bit, going a bit toward the Main Plaza. While we were walking, I asked him why he was so adamant against teleporting. And you know what he said?"

"No, how would I?" Gothorita grumbled.

"He told me that he wasn't very fond of psychic powers!" Kirlia announced, looking outraged. "Can you believe that?"

"Yes, yes I can," Gothorita played with one of her hair ribbons for a moment before adding, "so that's why you are not using any of your powers today? What a petty reason."

"I – I believe that's because h – he's definitely more into girls who can pull their own weight!" Kirlia protested, grabbing the hem of her skirt with her hands. "So! I decided that if I was going to ask him out someday, I better make sure I'm capable of doing everything I can without resorting to using my mind!"

"If that is the case, when why do you not go on expeditions with your sister or Buneary?" Gothorita asked. "It would make far more sense to go on an actual training regimen instead of performing brainless tasks like picking up socks with your bare hands."

"I – I don't want to be a burden to big sis Gardevoir!" Kirlia said, blanching. "The last thing I want is to futz up one of their important expeditions! Besides... big sis is always trying to teach me how to better use my psychic powers anyway, so it wouldn't help my situation in any way!"

"Great story," Gothorita said, clapping her hands. "it was very entertaining. If I were a publisher, I would definitely give it a hardback and limited edition print. Now may I please have my Grimoire back?"

Kirlia turned and shot Gothorita a dirty look for a second before shaking her head in defeat. She tossed Gothorita's notepad back at her, wherein the black – dressed girl caught it in a bubble of purple psionic energy. Smiling, Gothorita took her book back and hugged it close to her bosom.

"Honestly, you should work on your listening skills," Kirlia said, brushing her hair back in a huff. Stretching out her arms and legs, she pushed herself off the ground and planted her hands on her hips. "Come on Gothy, let's get a move on. It's getting late, and this place is as clean as it'll ever get. We'll visit Buneary's place and see if she's back from exploring with her sister yet, and then we can go grab some dinner together."

"Truly, the most sensible thing you have said all day," Gothorita remarked. She tried to get off the clay floor as well, but she only managed a few inches off the ground before she fell back with a thump. Her face flared up as she rubbed her sore behind.

Kirlia tittered as she held out a hand to her friend, "Maybe you should think about getting some exercise too, Gothy?"

"Please," Gothorita grabbed a hold of her friend's hand and pulled herself up. "my darkest artes allow me to do everything anybody else can with out even so much as lifting a finger, Kirlia. You, of all Pokémon, should know this quite well."

"Yes, yes," Kirlia said, tapping Gothorita in the cheek. "you're so skilled at your 'darkest artes' that you can do everything anybody else can. Except attract any of your favorite beefcake boys, eh Gothy?"

"Errgh...!"

The last straw has been broken. Her dignity was now at stake. With little else she could do, Gothorita decided to take her sweet revenge on her insulting friend! She dredged up her darkest, innermost energies from the deepest pits within her (not really) ashen black heart. Once her energies have surfaced, Gothorita took hold of her dimness and unsealed her (supposed) great powers of darkness that was being smelted within her body, drawing it out in order to use as a heinous fuel for her most evilest evil and most accursed curse against her worst enemy (and best friend), Kirlia!

"Take this!" she howled, startling Kirlia with her sudden increase in volume. Gothorita held her arms high above her ribboned head, clutching her dark energies within both of her hands. "Forged in the raging flaming of Mount Kiln, molded by countless spectres under my contract! Behold! The curse to end all curses! The almighty Curse of Everlasting Ch –!"

Bwam! Thud!

The two girls, startled and scared by the sudden noise, clung to each other out of instinct. All pretense of cursing or insults gone. Shivering, Kirlia and Gothorita both turned their gazes toward the entrance of the training room. The large wooden doors that separated them from the dark corridor appeared to have been blown off their hinges; both doors were now hanging loose, held up by a single nail.

"Bwahaha! Come on in! Come on in! It's nice and bright here!"

The unmistakeable sound of the most bombastic Guildmaster in all of Treasure Town boomed into the training hall, causing the rafters and the benches to vibrate from the sheer force of his vocal chords alone. Kirlia and Gothorita both breathed a sigh of relief as they saw the musclebound Pokémon stride through the busted up doors, a beaming grin plastered on his face.

"Oh?" Machoke flexed his right bicep when he saw the two girls standing in the middle of the room. "Well if it isn't Kirlia and Gothorita! What are you two still doing here? Catching up on some last minute reps?"

"G – Guildmaster?!" Kirlia stammered, feeling both mollified and surprised at the same time. "What are you doing back so soon? Weren't you supposed to be gone for the entire night at that Guildmasters' Meeting?"

The rest of Machoke's party filed in through the busted up doors after him, with Hariyama sighing and shaking his head at yet another piece of furniture destroyed. Fée, Blue and Brin looked glad to be out of the darkness, and were gazing all around the massive training hall with interest. Feyley, on the other hand, wore a stoic expression on her face and stood beside Hariyama without speaking a word.

"Well, it got really boring, so I ditched!" Machoke said without a single shred of shame in his voice. "Other than seeing Wiggly break every window with his snoring, there really wasn't anything interesting going on at all! It was just hours and hours of ol'Kadabra and Chatot droning on and on and on about the economy, the frontier, expedition projects and blah, blah, blaaaagh!"

The Guildmaster stuck out his tongue and mimed being punched in the gut. His second – in – command sighed and slapped a hand over his face. Kirlia let out a nervous giggle and glanced past the wincing Machoke. While Gothorita was busy being enamored with Machoke's impressive bod, Kirlia noticed the other visitors behind him. Her eyes lit up as she recognized one of them in particular,

"Ah!" the white – dressed girl rushed released her grip on Gothorita and rushed past Machoke and Hariyama. She raced over to the entrance of the training room, and reached out her hands ahead of her.

"Eh?" Blue's eyes widened as he found himself being pulled forward by his paws, away from the rest of his friends. Kirlia grasped both of his paws tight, smiling wide right into his face as she continued to pull him toward the middle of the training room.

"I knew we'd meet again someday!" Kirlia squealed as she jumping up and down with unbridled glee while she gripped his paws tighter than a Kingler's pincers. "Do you still remember me? I was the Pokémon that registered you for the big event the other day! I even gave you your badge!"

"R – registered?" A cold feeling of dread slithered down Blue's spine, prompting him to shoot a quick glance at Feyley. The Mienfoo's eyes had narrowed to tiny slits, and were directed right at his guilty face.

The sheer amount of suspicion that was emanating from Feyley's expression was enough to make the dishonest Riolu sweat marbles. Gulping, he turned toward Fée and Brin, looking for help. To his dismay, the two of them looked just as perplexed as he was at this turn of events.

"You do remember me, right?" Kirlia asked, staring intently into his awkward expression. "You can't have forgotten the face of such a cute, adorable girl like me, right?"

As of this moment, the conflicted Riolu was presented with two choices. Either lie to this 'cute, adorable girl's' face about their meeting, or admit to his lie in front of Feyley and eat a much harsher punishment. Neither option stood out to Blue as the correct one. He didn't want to hurt Kirlia's feelings, and he definitely didn't want to be hurt by Feyley.

That's it, Blue slapped his face and groaned. I'm never lying again.

"Are you alright?" Kirlia asked, tilted her head below his chin so she could see his frustrated expression from under his paw. "Hee hee... are you blushing because you got to see me again?"

Feeling bold, Kirlia stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Blue's. She pulled him toward her, embracing his arm as she smiled wide up into his face. Fée and Brin both frowned at this sudden display of affection, while Feyley's lip twitched in annoyance.

"Erm..." feeling more confused than embarrassed, Blue tried to shake himself free from Kirlia's tight grasp. But her arms were wrapped far tighter around his arm than he had imagined. It was as if a giant Tentacruel had attached itself to his arm. The strength behind this girl's grip astounded the captive Riolu.

Once more, he glanced around him in a desperate bid to find somebody that could get him out of this troubling situation. Guildmaster Machoke was too busy posing for a rather starstruck – looking Gothorita. Hariyama and Feyley were both staring at him, stone faced and looking as though they didn't want to interfere. Fée and Brin, on the other hand, seemed to be discussing something between each other.

"Say! Do you have any plans for later, Riolu?" Kirlia asked, pulling his attention back to her. She twirled a strand of hair around her finger and put on a coquettish smile. "I was thinking of going to have some dinner by myself at Lickitung's in a bit. But you know... I wouldn't mind if someone else would come along with me."

"Erm...!"

Before Blue could swallow his confusion to give an adequate reply, a sudden flash of deep purple erupted before him. When the light faded from his eyes, he saw a thick, purple glow surround Kirlia's body, levitating her off the ground and separating her from Blue.

"Waaah!" Kirlia swung her arms around in the air, looking for something to grab onto as she was forced farther and father away from the Riolu. Once she was a fair distance away, the purple glow vanished, depositing her on the ground in front of Gothorita.

"You are hopeless," the black – clad Pokémon remarked with a snort. She grabbed Kirlia by the shoulder and started to drag her farther and farther away. "what ever happened to 'let us go visit Buneary and then go have some dinner together?' Not to mention you appeared to have already forgotten that handsome Pokémon you were raving on and on about earlier... you are incorrigible."

"Gothorita!" Kirlia hissed. "You're ruining my chance at a date!"

"Good. Consider this payback for ruining my quill."

Kirlia let out pouting whine and reached out toward Blue, "Riolu! Save your Princess from this evil countess! Please!"

"Erm..." still a little out of it, Blue glanced toward Fée and Brin in an attempt to discern what he should do. However, the two of them were still locked in some kind of discussion with each other, ignoring the Riolu's plight. Sighing, Blue scratched the back of his head and gave Kirlia a dour wave of his paw and a shake of his head.

"S – sorry," he said, feeling rather guilty for some reason. "I can't. I... uh, I have other plans tonight."

"Aw!" Kirlia cried out. "W – well, maybe we can go eat together some other time! Alright? Alright?!"

"Erm..."

"Kirlia..." Gothorita shook her head and covered her face with her hand.

"Come to think of it," Kirlia tapped her cheek and gazed around at all the Pokémon standing around Blue. "other than the Princess, there's a lot more new faces around here than usual. What's the occasion, Guildmaster?"

"Bwahaha!" Machoke folded his muscular arms and chortled, "What's the occasion, you ask? Well, why don't we have the Princess herself explain it to you two? After all, aren't you three good friends?"

"Please do not lump me together with these two," Feyley retorted with a scowl. "to be associated with them... how insulting... insulting indeed."

"Princess, that's really rude!" Kirlia said, puffing out her cheeks in indignation. "I can't believe you're still so cold to us, even after all we did for you! Buneary and I spent a long time getting you ready for our boy hunts yesterday, and you just ran off without even so much as a thanks or a goodbye!"

"You have done nothing to merit my respect," Feyley spat. "I had no interest in participating in your 'boy hunts,' nor was I particularly fond of having you and Buneary slather berry juice on my face for hours on end."

"It's called makeup!"

"It's called a waste of my time. A waste indeed."

"Oooh!" Kirlia stamped the floor and pouted. "The reason why you can't get any boys is because you keep acting like that! You're not living on a mountain anymore, Princess! You need to loosen up!"

Feyley stuck out her fist at Kirlia and scowled, "Would you drop that blasted 'Princess' moniker already? I accepted it at first out of politeness, but it is becoming a nuisance now that everyone in the guild calls me by that! I have a name!"

"I'll stop calling you Princess when you stop acting like a spoiled brat!"

"Funny words coming from someone who isn't even a guild member."

"I work here!"

"I train here."

"Rrgh!"

"Hmph."

A thick tension settled over the two of them as they glared daggers at each other. It seemed like the two of them were about to jump at each others' throats at any moment. To everyone else in the room, it felt as though two blazing bonfires had been lit behind the girls, each trying to outdo and consume the other.

"Perhaps if you spent more time honing your skills rather than flirting and ogling, you'd be able to accomplish more here than cleaning and organizing!" Feyley snarled. "You are wasting your potential with these frivolities!"

Kirlia brushed her hair back and sneered, "And if you spent more time caring about yourself, I wouldn't have to bother with you! I mean, look at you! Your fur's a mess, your face's marred with blemishes and your whiskers are all tangled! You say I'm wasting my potential? Then how about you?"

"My potential of what?" Feyley snorted. She flicked two punches into the air and kicked her right leg high, "I do not care about being pretty like you! I'm a warrior! A warrior indeed!"

Kirlia clicked her tongue and snapped her gaze toward Blue, startling him. "Don't you think it's a shame that she's like this, Riolu? This girl could stand to be much cuter, don't you think?"

"Don't you dare say a word, Riolu!" Feyley snarled in response. "Or else!"

"Erm!" Blue felt a shiver rush down his spine as both Feyley and Kirlia directed their flaming hot glares right at him. Once again, he felt like he was being forced to pick between two undesirable options. For one, he didn't even know what he was being asked. For another, he had no clue as to why they're even asking him!

"Well?"

"Riolu!"

Blue gulped down the lump in his throat and backed away. He turned toward his partner and his friend, his eyes begging for help. Fée and Brin turned toward him, their noses raised high and their lips pursed. An expression Blue hadn't expected to see from the two, friendly girls he had come to know.

"Wow. You're really popular all of a sudden, Blue," Fée remarked in a cool, dull voice. She turned to Brin and made a big show of tilting her head out of curiosity, "Gee. I wonder why that is?"

The Braixen giggled and folded her arms, tilting her head as well to mimic Fée's movement.

"Brin, maybe we should go and leave him here and go visit Duskull," Fée suggested. "he seems like he's in good company."

"Hee..." Brin held her hand over her mouth as she tried to muffle her mirth. The two girls shared a quick smirk between each other as they watched Blue's horrified expression out of the corners of their eyes.

"Y – you two..." feeling abandoned, Blue let his arms and ears flop down as he let out a depressed, defeated sigh. As he stared at the clay floor, Blue pondered whether it was possible for him to dig a hole in the floor with his paws and scream in it until he understood just what was going on.

Clap!

Everyone in the room leapt off the ground from the noise of that explosive slap. Hariyama, having seen and heard enough, folded his arms before his chest and planted himself in between Feyley and Kirlia; his expression, stern.

"Kirlia," Hariyama said in a low voice, making the white – dressed girl tremble. "as you are not a member of this guild, I hold no authority to scold you. However, I will suggest that you do not criticize the lifestyles of others – especially that of Feyley, who is new to this town. Do you understand?"

Kirlia gave Hariyama a meek nod, and backed away. Hariyama then turned toward Feyley, who was wearing a smirk on her face.

"Feyley, that sentiment extends to you as well," he stated, making the Mienfoo's smirk vanish in an instant, "while I am aware you come from a land with far different culture than ours, I would advise you to try and be more accommodating when Kirlia is helping you fit in our town. Furthermore, I will not tolerate you looking down upon others like this. Do you understand?"

"B – but..." Feyley tried to argue back, but one look at the heavyset Pokémon's face made her reconsider. She dropped her head and nodded, "Yes master. I understand. I will strive to do better in the future."

"Very good. Now then," Hariyama cleared his throat and gestured for Blue to come over and stand beside him. Feeling thankful that he was freed from the awkward situation, the Riolu complied, taking his place opposite Feyley.

"Feyley," Hariyama patted the Mienfoo on the shoulder. "as this challenge was your idea, why don't you inform your opponent the rules of this place?"

"Yes, master." Feyley said, holding her fist before her chest. She strode out from Hariyama's side and pressed her fist against Blue's chest. "Listen up, Riolu. This will be a one on one duel, no assistance allowed on either side."

She held up two fingers and pointed at his eyes, "There will be no striking at vulnerable points: no eyes, no behind the head," she moved her paw down to his belly and gestured to his groin. "and no hitting below the waist. Combat will continue until one side concedes defeat or is deemed unfit to fight."

"I see..." Blue mimicked Feyley's actions, pressing his fist against her chest, gesturing to her eyes, pointing at her groi–.

Wham!

"Guah!"

"That is all!" Feyley snarled, her face a searing scarlet as she covered herself up with her paws. "Master Hariyama, may we begin now?"

"Once your opponent is back on his feet and not groaning in pain, then we may begin."

Nodding, Feyley shot the twitching Blue a scornful look before trotting over to the other side of the training room with her white box held beneath her arm. After giving Blue a quick look – over to see if he was alright, Hariyama followed after the Mienfoo.

"Bwahaha!" Machoke chortled and threw his beefy arms over Kirlia and Gothorita's shoulders. "Show's about to begin! Why don't we grab a seat at the sides and get ready?"

"Anything you say, Guildmaster Machoke!" Gothorita squealed with surprising eagerness.

"Eh? So that's what this is all about?" Kirlia covered her face and giggled. "Really... the Princess versus him? This is going to be exciting!" She raised her arm and waved at the groaning Riolu on the ground, "I'm rooting for you! Teach that bratty Mienfoo a lesson!"

"Ergh..."

---

Blue stared up at the training room's ceiling, counting the innumerable glowing crystals embedded in the gray stone high above. It resembled the night sky, filled with bright, twinkling stars. One... two... three...

Feyley's blow to his gut wasn't all that painful, but it was still intense enough to knock him off his feet. As he laid his back on the cold, clay floor, he could hear faint snippets of conversation between Feyley and her master. Mutterings about fighting, strategies and how to best beat that Riolu's face in.

Once again, he wondered if all of this pain could've been avoided if he had just came clean earlier and admitted to his lie. Tapping his forehead with his paw, he thought back to when he first fought Feyley back at the Battle Royale. His leg was still in a horrid state at the time, which made that fight more of a desperate run and tumble act than an actual duel.

And yet, Feyley seems to regard it as something important to her.

Sighing, Blue pushed his torso off the ground and dusted his head off. There was no helping it now, he figured. He glanced over at Feyley and Hariyama. The two of them seemed to be doing something with the white box she had bought from Meowstic's, but he couldn't quite see what it was from behind Hariyama's large frame.

"Hey, are you alright?"

The face of his partner loomed over his vision, drawing away his gaze. While she had been somewhat teasing of him earlier, Fée's expression now showed nothing but concern and worry. The Eevee wedged her head underneath his arm, giving him a boost back onto his feet.

"I'm fine," Blue said, pushing himself off of her. "she just tapped me, that's all."

"I wouldn't consider that just a 'tap,' Blue," Fée retorted with a wry smile. "Are you sure you're fine? Did you hit your head?"

"Gee, now you're worried?" he poked Fée in the forehead. "You were all but leaving me to suffer alone earlier. Both of you."

Fée and Brin both giggled at his sour remark.

"You never did explain how you got into this situation, Blue." Fée said, bumping against his side with her tail. "Brin and I are still in the dark here about what happened between you and that Mienfoo, you know."

Blue scratched the back of his head and frowned, "Mmrgh... I meant to tell you guys earlier in the corridor, but everyone got distracted in the end." He sighed and shook his head, "What I can tell you now is that I–"

"Have to fight her, right?" Fée finished for him with a worried smile. "I pretty much got the gist of that by listening to everything going on. Is there no way you can refuse?"

Blue glanced over to Feyley and Hariyama again. The Mienfoo was pounding her fist into her palm, over and over again.

"Probably not."

The Eevee rubbed her paw over her ribbon and pondered for a moment.

"I have to wonder just what you did to make her so mad," Fée asked, glancing over at Feyley. "she seems like she really, really wants to take a bite out of you, Blue."

"...just a bite?" Blue let out a hollow chuckle and rubbed his collar. "Honestly... it's really not a big deal. At least, I don't think it is."

"Blue. I don't want to see you get hurt."

Chuckling, Blue patted Fée on the head with his paw, "Look. It wont be as bad as all the other times I fought before. I have both of my legs this time, and I'm still feeling pumped up from being healed by Brin. I'll try to finish this as fast as I can so we can bring Brin back home, and get some of that delicious bread from Duskull!"

"I'll hold you to that," Fée replied, pressing her paw against his chest. "I believe in you, after all. Just... be careful, alright? I don't want to see you getting hurt again, especially after Brin fixed you up."

Brin agreed with Fée's sentiment, nodding while crossing her arms before her chest. She walked up to Blue and knelt in front of him, putting their faces at eye level. She took her hand and placed it firmly against his chest, feeling his heart beat against her palm.

Though it had been about a day or so by now, Brin could still feel the residual heat from her aura radiating inside of him. Like a little mischievous ember of flame, it flickered and danced inside of his body. While she wasn't too fond of the idea of her friend getting into yet another fight so soon, she knew that he had no choice either way.

"Brin?" Blue voice drew Brin away from her thoughts. "What's the matter?"

Shaking her head, Brin patted him on the shoulders, chest and sides, as if she was checking him over for any injuries. When was she finished, the Braixen smiled back at him and poked him in the chest with a finger before standing back up and giving him a playful poke him in the chest.

Even if he got hurt, she reasoned, she'll be there to patch him back up. Her aura... her so called Panacea... while it worried her to be using her gift in such a callous fashion, she had no reason to doubt her friends. So what if she got exhausted or achy after healing one of them? As long as they were fine, she would be happy.

Besides, it didn't sting that much to cure Fée's paralysis earlier. Maybe... just maybe, if she were to use it more often, she might be able to control it a little better...

Feeling a little gleeful at the thought of that, Brin hid her smile behind her hand and giggled.

"Someone's happy," Blue said, poking Brin back in the belly. "are you looking forward to meeting Duskull again?"

"Mn..." Brin shook her head. But then, she thought about it mid – shake, and tried to correct it by nodding instead. She ended up doing some kind of strange, diagonal nod – shake by trying to do both simultaneously.

"Ehe... what are you doing, Brin?" Fée said, patting the blushing Braixen on the leg. "Come on, let's go grab a seat at the benches over there so Blue can get ready."

Brin nodded and made her way over to the benches where Machoke, Kirlia and Gothorita sat. Fée made to follow her, but stopped for a moment. Thinking, she turned around and looked at Blue again, who was warming himself up by boxing the air.

"Hey, Blue," she said to him. "good luck."

---

Now standing by himself at his end of the training room, Blue took a deep breath and began to warm himself up for the fight. He loosened the muscles in his arms, cracked his neck and rotated his shoulders a bit.

He gave extra attention to his right leg in particular. A small feeling of glee entered his mind as he ran his paws through the smooth, thin black fur that covered his leg. There were no scars, no wounds and no bruises. It had been the first time he have had both of his legs in pristine condition since Fée dragged him out of the ocean a few days ago.

"Hm..." a smirk crossed his features as he straightened his back. He stamped the ground with his right foot. No pain, no numbness. He pounded his fist into his palm. Everything was there. He could fight. There was nothing holding him back anymore.

If I remember correctly... Blue began to think back to when he first fought the Mienfoo – back during the big Battle Royale in town. All she really did was try to hurl herself at me, foot first. Those flying kicks seriously hurt, but they were easy to see coming...

He tapped his toe against the floor and smiled, Well, now that I can actually move, dealing with those kicks shouldn't be too hard.

"Blue, are you ready?"

The Riolu's ears perked up when he heard Hariyama addressing him from across the room. Feyley was standing at her side of the arena, her arms raised and her gaze serious. For some odd reason, Blue noticed, there appeared to be two long white pieces of cloth wrapped around her wrists. It reminded him of the scarf that Fée was enamored with back at Meowstic's store, except this pair were far longer than the scarf was – long enough to be trailing onto the floor.

That's new... is she thinking of cleaning the floor before we fight? Blue thought wildly. Or are her paws just cold?

"Do you need some more time for preparation?"

Snapping himself out of his idle thoughts, Blue gave Hariyama a quick shake of his head and got into a fighting stance. While he was still curious about the strange strips of white on the Mienfoo's paws, Blue figured that he had more important things to worry about. Like how said Mienfoo seemed to be trying to bore a hole through his chest by the sheer intensity of her glare alone.

Here goes nothing...

"Remember the rules of this duel, the two of you." Hariyama stated as he raised his arm. "On my signal, the battle between Blue and Feyley will commence. Are the two of you ready?" He shot both Blue and Feyley a quick glance, receiving a nod back from both of them.

"Very well... begin!"

Without even waiting for Hariyama to swing down his arm, Blue launched himself toward his opponent. Like a bolt of lightning, Blue charged across the clay with his fists already drawn back. Within seconds, he had reached Feyley's side of the arena. The Meinfoo's stunned expression filled his gaze as he sent his right fist rocketing toward her chest.

Take her down before she can even attack!

Wham!

"Gah!" Feyley held up both of her arms in front of her chest just in time, lessening the force of Blue's furious blow. But even that wasn't enough to fully reduce the damage. The heels of her feet skidded against the clay floor as she was sent sliding a few inches backward.

Feyley grimaces as she struggled to lower her arms. It felt like a thousand stinging nettles had stabbed into them, rendering her nerves screaming and unresponsive. What an explosive blow! The Riolu was strong... strong indeed! Growling, she opened her mouth and bit down – hard – on her forearm.

"Haaah!"

Not wanting to give his opponent the chance to recover, Blue closed the distance between them with a short leap forward. He held his fist over his head, readying for a heavy blow to her collarbone from above.

The bite did the trick. The short spasm of pain in her arm washed away the dull feeling in her nerves. Now back in control of her limbs, Feyley snapped her gaze up toward the descending Riolu in front of her A smirk crossed her face. Taking a defensive stance, she leaned her upper body backward and crossed both of her arms above her head. The long scarves tied to her wrists fluttered beside her like a pair of long curtains.

"Eat this!" his fist fast closing in on the Mienfoo, Blue put all his strength behind his downward blow. But, right before his paw made contact with her chest, Feyley uncrossed her arms. Both of the long cloths attached to her wrists whipped upward, wrapping themselves around Blue's outstretched fist like a silken lasso.

"Wha –?!"

Blue's momentum vanished in a blink of an eye. Blue glanced down at his arm, perplexed as to why he was just standing still now. To his utter surprise, Feyley's scarves had bound themselves to his wrist. He tried to pull himself out of the strange clutch, but the long, silken cloths held fast, trapping his arm like a Pinsir's vise.

"What is this?!" Blue said, astounded by how strong the cloth was. He tried once more to pull

"You surprised me with that quick blow earlier..." Feyley said, disregarding his question. "but even a child could've seen such an obvious attack like that coming!"

As if to prove her point, Feyley raised up her right knee and slammed it deep into Blue's gut.

"Guagh!"

Feyley's terrific blow blasted the wind out of his lungs, forcing him to crumple forward out of pain. Then, while he was still reeling from the blow, Feyley released his wrist and planted her palm against his chest in one single, smooth motion.

"Hah!" she hurled her entire weight into her arm, sending an immense force down through her palm and into Blue's body. An invisible explosion erupted out from between them, sending the Riolu spiraling away across the arena like a rag doll.

What in the world was that? Blue thought as he watched Feyley's outline get farther and farther away.

Blue slammed his paws onto the floor, scraping against the clay to slow himself down. He glanced back up at Feyley, who was now standing a few feet away from chest throbbed a bit as he got off the ground. The feeling he got from her counter attack was like taking a hammer to the chest, despite his opponent not having thrown a single punch at him at all.

Did she use the wind to blow me away, like Zubat's attacks? Blue wondered as he took another deep breath. He shook his head as he recalled how Zubat attacked him yesterday, No... I don't feel any cuts on my body, and she definitely wasn't swinging her arms around like his wings...

All she did was touch my chest, and it sent me flying. Just what was that?

"Tch," unable to figure it out, Blue patted his chest and looked down. A few strands of his fur were darkened, looking as though they had been singed by fire. He narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Are you giving up already?" Feyley shouted from across the room, drawing his attention back to her. She had her arms folded across her chest, and a small smirk was gleaming on her face.

Scowling, he shook some loose clay off his paws and clenched them into fists as he got back into a fighting stance. The Mienfoo's smirk grew wider as she did the same.

She effortlessly blocked my punch earlier with those weird scarves, he thought. I can't just rush in like I usually do. I'll need to figure something out.

While keeping his eyes trained on Feyley, he began to walk toward her instead of breaking into a run. Feyley, on the other hand, stayed her ground and did not move. As the Riolu continued to stalk toward her, something caught his eye. The faint twitching of her paws, and the shaking of those cloths...

Her arms... they're still shaking! That first strike must've left some lasting damage. If that's the case, then I have an idea...

With this tidbit of info glowing inside his mind, he felt a small smirk crawl its way onto his face. He lowered his posture so that he head was level to his torso. In response, Feyley raised her arms higher up her chest, covering the front of her body with her long cloths. After taking yet another slow step toward Feyley, he stamped his foot into the ground and broke into a dash.

"Another sneak attack?!" Feyley was ready for it this time. She crossed her arms in front of her again – the same defensive stance she took before – and prepared herself for the oncoming blow.

"Block this!"

Blue halted himself right in front of Feyley, not throwing any punches toward her raised guard. Instead, he reached his paws out to the side, sneaking around her defense and grabbing onto her sides.

"Hieeh!?" A ticklish feeling snaked through Feyley's body, sending an involuntary shudder down her spine. Blushing, she tried to move her arms down to stop Blue from grappling her. However, the numbness in her arms had resurfaced, preventing her from being able to move more than a few inches.

This didn't go unnoticed by Blue. Taking this chance, he slammed the top of his head into Feyley's paws, knocking her guard away. Then, while she was still stunned by his attack, he released his grip on her sides and spun around so his back was facing her.

"Hah!" With a hearty shout, he struck her in the chest with the back of his shoulder. The force behind his shoulder thrust popped the Mienfoo's feet off the ground, sending her flying up and away from her assailant. Not ready to let up just yet, Blue raced in and stuck his right arm in the air – grabbing Feyley by the paw and pulling her back down to the ground while readying his left fist to strike her as she fell.

But, right when Feyley was about to fall right onto his fist, she kicked out with her foot and struck Blue underneath his chin. Letting out a yelp of pain, Blue was forced to release his grip on Feyley's paw. Now freed from his grasp, Feyley landed back on her feet and nipped at her forearms again – one bite for each arm. Snarling, the Mienfoo extended both of her arms out to her side and rushed toward her opponent.

Whap! Whap! Whap!

Quashing down her numbness through sheer force of will, Feyley began to spin her arms around her like a cyclone. Streaks of white cut through the air as her cloths whipped around her, lashing Blue over and over again in a maelstrom of silk.

"Tch...!" Gritting his teeth, Blue planted his feet firm on the ground and leapt back to avoid her silken strikes. However, just a single step backward wasn't enough to escape her range. The tip of one of her cloths lashed him on the tip of his muzzle, forcing him to wince from the throbbing pain.

"Yow!" Blue grunted in pain as he clutched his glowing red nose.

While he was dancing about with his throbbing snout, Feyley quickly closed the distance between them and swung her right arm. The momentum from her swipe sent her cloth whirling toward his head. Blackness covered his entire vision, reducing Blue to stumble around like a fool while trying to dislodge the white cloth from his head. But tug as he might, it was just bound too tight for him to pull off with his paws.

"I thought we weren't allowed to go for the eyes!" Blue shouted through the silk.

"Are you blind?" Feyley snarled back. "I'm not attacking your eyes, you fool!"

While Blue was indisposed with his blindfold, Feyley grabbed onto her right wrist with her left paw. Her eyes closed, and she took in a long breath of air. When she exhaled, heat from various points in her body began to congregate within the center of her right palm. Once enough heat had emerged, a small spark of blue flashed inside her paw, drawing her eyes back open.

She grabbed a hold of her cloth and pulled on it, hard. Blue was thrown off balance by the sudden yank, forcing him to stumble toward Feyley in his blindness. Once her opponent was close enough, Feyley pulled on her cloth again and unraveled the blind around his eyes.

"Gah!" Bright light flooded into the Riolu's eyes, sending multicolored balls erupting all over his vision. His paws shot up to rub his eyes on instinct, leaving his body unguarded. By the time the Riolu had realized his mistake, it was already too late.

Feyley pressed her right palm up against Blue's exposed chest once more. The gathered heat within her paw began to sear the tips of Blue's fur. Once again, she threw the entirety of her weight into her right arm, causing a great explosion of force and flame that blew the Riolu away.

"Again?!" Blue howled as he struggled with straightening himself in midair. Chunks of clay flew off the floor as he landed back onto the ground. Coughing, he spat onto the floor and took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

The spot on his chest where she had struck him again was now glowing, burning with a bright blue flame. Frowning, he planted a paw over his chest, dousing the heated spot. To his surprise, he felt no pain from the fire itself. Instead, he only felt the dull ache from having something heavy slammed into him. There was a darkened, palm – shaped imprint marring his chest, but other than that, he felt nothing else.

When he looked back up, he saw sparks – faint embers of blue flame surrounding Feyley. She raised her right paw to her lips and blew away the remaining wisps of heat that remained on her palm before returning to a fighting stance. Her two long, scarf – like cloths flowed around her as she moved. An elegant, yet deadly weapon.

Just what kind of power does she hold? Blue growled to himself as he stared at Feyley's glowing palms. I've never seen anything like this before...

He glanced down at his own paws. There was a tiny sliver of blue flame nestled within the fur on his right paw. Could he do the same? Maybe it was some kind of strange trick regarding palms and chests, he reasoned. He clenched his fist, crushing the ember, and put on a devious smirk. No harm in giving it a shot, he figured.

"Feyley!" He shouted. He jabbed a finger toward something over in the distance, "What's that over there?!"

"Huh?" To his surprise, the Mienfoo fell for his cheap tactics. She turned her head around, staring at the stone wall behind her.

"Chance!"

Holding back the mischievous laughter that was trying to escape his lips, Blue rushed forward and planted his palm against Feyley's chest. His muscles began to tense with excitement as he grabbed onto his right wrist with his left paw. He recalled how Feyley blasted him away earlier, and sought to recreate that motion. Opening his mouth, he bellowed out a great shout!

"Haaah!"

...silence. Nothing happened when he threw his weight into his arm. He managed to shove Feyley back a few inches, but that was all. No explosion, no blue flames... just silence.

"What are you doing?"

"Wha...?" Blue retracted his paw and stared at it, confused. He shook his arm, then looked back down at his palm. No flames, no explosion, nothing. "Why didn't it work? I mimicked your motions perfectly!"

"You..."

A chill rushed down Blue's spine when he heard Feyley's voice. Her paw gripped his wrist tight, forcing his palm off her chest. A lump formed in his throat when he saw the look on Feyley's face. She had on a glare that could freeze even a Magcargo!

Her right palm flared up with a blue flame, raging and blazing bright as if mirroring her unbridled fury. She slammed it against Blue's chest with an extreme force, forcing a cough out of his throat and his eyes to bulge.

"Just what is going through that empty crate you call a head?" Feyley snarled as she shoved her palm even deeper into his gut. "What in the world made you think you could just copy my technique?!"

"W – well... I just assumed..."

Blam!

Whatever excuse Blue was about say was interrupted by a blast of flame to his chest. Blue let out a despondent sigh as he was sent soaring away again.

---

"A – ah...!"

Brin noticed something – something familiar to her. Her widened eyes reflected the glowing blue sparks that littered the air around the two combatants. Those flames... those embers... were they not the same kind of flames that she used in order to perform her gift?

"A – au..."

Aura. That's what it was. Blue's opponent was striking him with an invisible power, a power formed by the user's own energy! To Brin, this was an utter shock. To imagine that someone else out there in this world had the same kind of ability as she did... it was astounding!

Brin clutched the fur on her chest and bit her lip as she watched Feyley brush away a single ember of flame off her shoulder. The way that Mienfoo controlled her aura – the very energy that flowed through her body – impressed her. Seeing Feyley fight using it got Brin thinking. Could she also use the Panacea that way? She could heal others – of course – but what else could she do with her aura? At least, what else could she do without exhausting herself?

"The Princess is really kicking butt, isn't she?"

Kirlia's voice pulled Brin out of her thoughts. Sitting at the other side of her and Fée, on the opposite end of the bench, was Kirlia and her friend, Gothorita. For some odd reason, Machoke was laying down on the ground behind the bench, doing push ups instead of sitting like everyone else.

"I would imagine," Gothorita replied. "she did come from that warrior village high atop Mount Travail, after all. It'd be a shame if she could not... 'kick butt.'"

"A warrior Princess!" Kirlia said, clapping her hands together. "I never want to visit that place if it's full of Pokémon like the Princess. It must be the dullest, drabbest place in the entire frontier!"

Gothorita sighed and clapped her palm over her face.

"I don't understand..." Fée said. She grasped the strap of her Explorer's Pack and wrung it with her paws, "Just what did she do to Blue? I couldn't see any punches being thrown at all!"

She turned to Brin and asked, "What do you think, Brin? Did you see how Feyley attacked him?"

Brin clutched her wrist and nibbled on her finger. She knew what it was that the Mienfoo was using, but just how can she explain it to her friend? It wasn't the simplest thing to explain... but she had to try somehow. Brin's hand went up to her throat. Maybe she could try speaking...?

"F – Fée... a... aur..." she tried to force the words out of her mouth, but speaking every syllable felt like she was swallowing stinging nettles. "uuraa–"

"Ah!" Kirlia spoke up all of a sudden, interrupting Brin's attempt to talk. The white – dressed girl clapped her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide and her cheeks paler than usual. "No way!"

"W – what is it?" Fée asked, surprised by her outburst. "Do you know what it was that Feyley used?"

Kirlia held up her finger and pointed it at Feyley, "No! It's something far more important than that!"

"More important?" Fée echoed, looking confused. "What could be more important than this?"

"W – what if they end up falling for each other after the battle?!" Kirlia stammered, clutching her cheeks in horror. "The stubborn Princess and my Riolu... that would be devastating for everyone involved!"

"...huh?" Fée blinked. That wasn't what she had expected to hear at all. For a moment, Fée hesitated to ask Kirlia to explain what she meant. But – much to her consternation – her curiosity got the better of her in the end.

"What do you mean by... 'falling for each other?'"

"Hm, hm..." Feeling smug, Kirlia spun around in her seat and held up a finger to the confused Eevee. "Allow me to enlighten you, Bookee!"

A look of displeasure shot across Fée's face when she heard that name, but Kirlia – all wrapped up in her delusions – hadn't noticed.

"Hm, hm... it's a common scenario that happens in all kinds of stories!" Kirlia folded her arms and gave the annoyed – looking Eevee a dramatic nod. "Picture this... two longtime rivals, facing off against each other while a burning sunset illuminates the field around them. They lock eyes, fierce determination burning hot behind their stoic visages..."

"A single leaf touches the ground, and they spring into action. Feet touch the ground, fist touch fur... the two of them become embroiled in a spectacular ballet of courage underneath the orange heavens! And then... at the end of it all... both warriors fall to the ground, side by side. One looks over and they look into each others eyes..."

"I think I know where this is going..." Fée grumbled under her breath.

"And they say to each other: 'that was a great fight, partner!' 'Yes it was, partner!' And the two of them shake hands as the sun sets behind them!" Kirlia finished. "Ah! How romantic! I'm surprised you don't recognize this pattern, Bookee! It happens in any story where there's a fight between two Pokémon!"

"Not every story has an ending like that..."

Fée sighed out of irritation. Sure, she had read several books that had endings like that, but those were just stories. Not even an avid book lover like her would imagine such a cliché ending like that would happen for real.

For one, they were indoors. So there was no way for Blue and Feyley to be fighting under a 'burning sunset.' Second, the battle was nowhere near as romantic as Kirlia had made it out to be. If anything, it was more of a one – sided beat down than a 'spectacular ballet of courage.' Shaking her head, Fée let out a disgusted grumble and scooted herself father away from the delusional girl.

Brin tapped her finger against her chin, tilting her head to the side out of confusion. She glanced over at Fée, wondering just what the Kirlia was talking about. Brin thought about asking Fée for an explanation, but one look at the Eevee's odd, sour expression made her think twice about it.

"Gah!"

A loud shout from the arena drew Brin's attention back to the battle at hand. Like before, Blue was sent flying away by another aura – infused blow by Feyley. The Riolu landed amidst a pile of glowing embers, scattering light all around the training room. Snarling, he flipped off the floor with his fist outstretched in an attempt to counterattack.

Whap!

Brin winced when she saw Blue get smashed back down into the floor as Feyley swung her cloth down on his head. In a single, fluid motion, the Mienfoo reached down and yanked him up by his collar. A surge of aura emerged from within Feyley's fist, coating it in a brilliant blue flame.

"Hah!"

Blue attempted to guard the blow by crossing his arms in front of his chest, but it was of no use. A palm was slammed against his guard, and a shining spear of blue flame pierced straight through his forearms. For the fourth time since the battle started, Blue was sent spiraling away like a rag doll. He tried to land back on his feet, but ended up planting his muzzle into the clay.

"Pathetic!" Feyley shouted. "Where was the drive you showed when you first fought me? Is this really all you can do? I'm disappointed, Riolu! Disappointed indeed!"

Brin watched as Feyley retracted her fist, straightening out her fingers and letting the remaining embers of aura flutter off her fur. But, as the Mienfoo tried to clench her fist again, something gleaming caught Brin's eye. Small beads of sweat were trailing down her face, dripping onto the floor below her. Despite being able to counter all of Blue's attacks in an almost effortless manner, why did she look like she was exhausted?

A single spark of blue flame flashed bright for a split second, extinguishing itself before Brin's eyes. And then, it dawned on her.

Aura. The energy that flowed within one's body. When Brin used her Panacea to heal others, she was pulling her own aura out to form a salve for the injured. For Feyley... she was using her aura to bolster her own strikes. While Feyley's ability was nowhere near as self – sacrificing as Brin's Panacea was, it would come to reason that both of their abilities ran on the same principle.

'Impressive! So you've figured out the Princess' power?'

"A – aah?!"

A boisterous voice erupted inside of the Braixen's head, making her jump off the bench out of shock. Nervous, she clung to her skirt as she glanced around the bench, startled at the sudden intrusion inside her thoughts.

"Brin?" Fée looked up at her friend, surprised. "What's the matter?"

"N – nng..." Brin shook her head and sat back down on the bench. Her hands went up to her head, rubbing her cheek as she tried to figure out who it was that spoke to her.

'Don't be so surprised, Braixen girl! Something as easy as telepathic conversation is nothing to somebody as skilled as I am! Bwahaha!'

Even though she hadn't been in this town for long, there was no mistaking that unforgettable – and rather obnoxious, in her opinion, – laugh. She turned around and looked behind the bench. Guildmaster Machoke was still there, lying on the floor and doing push ups with a single arm.

'That Feyley... to think that she had such a dynamic secret weapon hidden behind that pretty face of hers. No wonder Hariyama was so insistent on taking her as his disciple back then! I'm jealous, and annoyed now!'

Brin continued to hold onto her cheeks as she replied back to the odd stranger in her mind, 'W – what are you talking about...?'

'Aura, of course!' Machoke's laugh echoed inside her mind, making her wince from the sheer volume of his mental 'voice'. 'Not many Pokémon here in Treasure Town... well, not many Pokémon in general really, know about the existence of aura. For good reason, of course! Bwahah!'

'S – so then...?'

Machoke turned his head around and flashed Brin a bright smile, 'C'mon, Braixen girl. You're far smarter than I am. You know the answer, right?'

Brin thought back to all the times she collapsed and fainted whenever she used the power of the Panacea, 'The more she uses her aura like this... the more she's exhausting herself!'

'Quite a self defeating power, isn't it?' Machoke replied. 'I don't know your story, but you seem to have a good grasp of how aura works. Good on you, girlie! But, as you can clearly see, Feyley doesn't. This'll be a good lesson for her, so I'd like you to keep quiet about this for the time being, mm'kay?'

'B – but, Blue...'

'Bwahahah!' The Guildmaster hopped onto his feet and struck a pose. 'You shouldn't write him off that quickly! If he's any bit the Pokémon I believe he is, I'm sure he can handle a few blasts and burns! Bwahaha!"

Leaving behind one last ringing laugh, Machoke left Brin's mind and plopped himself down in between Kirlia and Gothorita. The inside of her head pounding, Brin pinched her temple and let out a deep sigh. There really were a lot of different Pokémon outside of the forest... wasn't there? How strange...

Still... what Guildmaster Machoke said was true. If Feyley's aura worked on the same rules as hers, then there is no doubt in her mind that the Mienfoo would be running out of strength before long. And when that happens...

"Brin, look!" Fée grabbed onto her friend as she pointed at the arena. Her mouth was curled up in a great big smile as she shook Brin's arm, "Blue's fighting back! He finally broke past her scarves!"

Of course he did. Brin covered her face with her hands and giggled. Closing her eyes, she sent a telepathic cheer over to where Blue was. While there was no guarantee that he'd receive it, it made no difference to the hopeful Braixen.

'You can do it, Blue!'

---

Every square inch of his body felt like it was on fire. Stinging bruises, irritating lashes and glowering red cuts covered his arms and legs. While it wasn't anything he couldn't stomach, the lasting damage from being unable to dodge those annoying whips was beginning to build up. It was like his limbs were becoming heavier and heavier with every attack he took – as if he was sinking ever deeper into a pit of sludge.

Growling, Blue grit his teeth as Feyley unloaded another barrage of cloth strikes at him. He ducked under a horizontal swipe, but he couldn't jump out of the way of a second, diagonal, attack. The long scarf slapped against his thigh, leaving behind an angry red bruise on his rump.

As the Mienfoo retracted her cloth whips to prepare for another assault, Blue took this chance to spring at her. Baring his teeth, he shoved his fist far ahead of him – planning to slam it into Feyley's face with the power of his momentum.

"Predictable!" Feyley sneered as she saw the battered Riolu rushing at her again. She ducked low under his reckless attack, letting his fist sail over her head. She opened her right palm, gathering her aura within it for another knockback blow.

"Guh...!" Realizing his mistake, Blue tensed up the muscles in his belly to try and withstand the blow. Feyley shoved her palm upward into his gut, transmitting her aura through her arm and into his body. An explosion of flame and force burst out between the two, sending the Riolu upward toward the ceiling.

"You just never learn, do you?" Feyley remarked as she watched him fumble around in the air. She leaned back and extended her right leg as he began to fall back down toward the floor. Right before Blue became a crater in the ground, Feyley caught him with a powerful spin kick to the midsection.

"Gack!" Blue gasped as he felt the air be kicked out of his lungs. He doubled over, clutching his belly as he hit the clay in a heap. His paw went up to his chest as he inhaled to replace the missing air in his system.

Feyley watched as she stood above him, letting the crumpled Riolu catch his breath after his latest failed attempt. She had already returned to her fighting stance, her cloth whips dangling in front of her body. Beads of sweat were forming on her temples, and little wisps of blue flame were leaking out into the air from in between her fingers.

Clicking her tongue, she tried to clench her fist to stem the outward flow of her aura. But it had little effect. She had opened the dam to her reservoir of inner strength, but now the flood of her aura was far too intense for her close. By using her power, she had set a time limit on herself. She needed to end this as soon as possible, otherwise she'd be the one of the floor instead of him!

"Gotcha!"

Feyley's momentary lapse in attention was all Blue needed. He swept out with his leg, catching Feyley's shin with his foot. The Mienfoo let out a sharp squeak as she hopped off the floor on one foot, nursing her other with her paws. Not giving up this chance, Blue scrambled off the floor and rushed in while Feyley was still distracted with her stinging shin.

"Hah!" Blue threw a jab at Feyley's chest, trying to knock her down with a single blow. However, his aim was off, and his fist glanced off her shoulder instead, achieving nothing at all. Cursing his bad luck, Blue hurried to pull back his arm to try again.

"As if I'd let you!" Feyley snarled. Releasing her foot so she could use her paws, she swept her cloths upward, wrapping them around his outstretched limb. Once Blue was bound by her attacks again, her aura flared up within her palm. Feyley loud howl as she shoved her burning paw forward.

"Gotcha again!"

Before Feyley could plant her palms on his chest though, her captive rushed forward and crashed his chest into hers. Then, with his free arm, Blue wrapped it around Feyley's long cloth whips and pulled her even closer to him. With hardly any space left between their bodies, Feyley's aura – infused palm had no target to hit!

"L – let me go!" Struggling, Feyley attempted to separate herself from him, but it was no use. By wrapping his own arm around her whips, he had somehow managed to trap her own arm as well! She couldn't escape from his clutch, no matter how hard she tugged and yanked against his grip.

"I still have no idea what kind of strange attack you're using against me, but I know that you need to touch my torso to get it work!" Blue said, smirking into her scowl as he tightened his grip. "You can't hit me when we're this close. Can you? And even if you could hit me with it, you'll be sending yourself flying along with me!"

"Y – you...!" When she looked up at him, all she could see was her own furious face being reflected in his crimson eyes. She felt appalled and indignant that this forgetful Riolu had figured out her attack. Feyley bared her fangs and tried again to untangle herself from his grapple. But the Riolu held fast, not letting her gain even an inch. He wasn't going to let her go, no matter what!

As she continued to struggle against her opponent, she felt a spasm of pain run through her arm. A jolt of panic rushed through the Mienfoo's mind, drawing her gaze toward her glowing palm. The aura that was building up within her paw was growing hotter and hotter by the second, covering almost up to her wrist in a radiant blue glow. Panicking, she tried to stem the flow of aura that was cascading down her arm, but it was too late. The dam had burst, and there was no stopping it now.

She needed to release it! It doesn't matter where, she just needed to get rid of this heat before she ended up burning herself! Her eyes darted around in a panic as she tried to find a target – any target at all. Her opponent was holding onto her in such a tight embrace, there was no way she could disentangle herself and expel this energy in this instant.

Tears were forming in her eyes as the flame in her palm intensified. Whatever options she had remaining were dwindling. She had to act fast! Her eyes darted around the two of them. She couldn't strike the Riolu, doing so would only send her barreling away along with him! If only he wasn't holding onto her cloths... then she could escape!

…wait! That's it!

"Gyaaaaah!" She screamed as she pulled her body back as much as possible. She stretched out her cloth whips, revealing a sliver of silk stretching out between them. Then, Before Blue could even fathom what she was planning, she took her blazing palm and pressed it against the soft fabric.

Blam! Scrrrip!

The explosive force from her aura burned into and destroyed the cloth, letting Feyley tear herself away from Blue's clutch. The sudden separation and impact from the blow threw the two of them backward. Blue and Feyley both fell on the floor several feet away from each other, while torn pieces of what remained of Feyley's cloth whips fluttered down to the ground between them.

"G... gahh..." Blue winced as he rubbed his sore behind. He hadn't expected her to destroy her own weapon like that. But from the looks of it, everything that had happened was in his favor. Her cloth whips were in tatters, and she looked like she was exhausted after that desperate attempt to separate them.

Everything was falling in place, and it was time for him to finish this! Scrabbling his paws against the clay, he scrambled back onto his feet. He pounded his fist into his palm and rushed toward the groaning Mienfoo on the ground.

"N – no...!"

Feyley slammed her fists into the ground, the tattered remains of her cloth whips fluttering around her wrists. A little bit of aura still remained in her palm. It wasn't much, but it was enough! She quashed down the searing pain that was building up in her arm and swung it at the charging Riolu.

Whoosh.

Her fist fell just short of his muzzle. Her eyes widening, Feyley tried again – swinging her left fist at him.

Whoosh.

Blue, looking a little surprised, simply leaned his upper body back and let her fist cut through the air instead. With a furious snarl, Feyley threw one more punch at him.

Thud.

"I get it now..." Blue said, holding her fist in his palm. "So that's why you were wearing those scarves! Your arms are a lot shorter than mine, so you needed a way to extend your reach!" He tossed her paw aside, and quickly caught another one coming his way.

"What are you talking about?!" the Mienfoo snarled as she wrenched her paw out of his grasp. She ducked low and tried to uppercut his chin, but Blue just held his paws underneath his face and caught it.

"Not to mention..." Blue picked up Feyley's paw. Looking curious, he uncurled her fingers and squeezed them. "Your punches are pretty soft, Feyley."

"S – shut up!" Feyley's face turned an awful shade of puce as she hurled her fist right into his curious face. "Don't talk as though you understand everything, Riolu!"

Blue turned his body to the side, letting Feyley be carried past him by the momentum of her strike. As she was recovering from her missed strike, he prodded her in the back with his finger. A cold shiver traveled down her spine, making the Mienfoo twitch and fall onto the floor with a squeak. She grit her teeth and slammed her fists into the clay, growling and snarling as she fought with her embarrassment and frustration.

"Come to think of it, you didn't throw any punches then as well," Blue remarked as he gave the furious Mienfoo a wide berth. "you were a lot more fond of launching flying kicks instead of using your fists." He rubbed his chest as he recalled the pain he had suffered from taking one of her kicks head on then.

"...what did you just say?"

Blue circled his chest with his finger as he placed a paw behind his head, "I remember when you struck me right in the chest with your heel. That seriously hurt! Hahahaha... ha... ha..."

Ice. It felt as though he had just been thrown into a lake filled with ice. Shuddering, he turned and saw the expression on Feyley's face. In an instant, he felt like screaming.

How could he make such a devastating mistake?!

"You... you..."

Blue took a step back out of nervousness. The small, fading flame on her paw had reignited in an incredible fashion. Instead of just covering her paw, it had expanded to encompass her entire body. Her arms, shoulders, and even her head were covered in a brilliant, azure flame. Her fury had transformed her into a veritable bonfire!

"So... you remembered our first duel after all..."

She stumbled toward Blue like a zombie, her head bent down and her arms swaying from side to side. Tiny embers of flame slid off her body, touching and extinguishing themselves on the floor. For a fraction of a second, a smirk crossed her features.

"You... you liaaaaaar!"

A wave of pure energy billowed forth from the furious girl, slamming into Blue like a tidal wave of fire. The force from her howl threw Blue off his balance, knocking him off his feet and down to the ground. Feyley then clamped her paws together, holding them both before her in the shape of a blooming flower. The fire that surrounded her body began to travel down her arms, congregating in the middle of both her palms in the form of a sphere.

"Feyley, stop!" Hariyama shouted in a panic. But his disciple was no longer capable of hearing anything other than her own growls. The glowing orb in her palms grew larger and larger as she poured what was left of her energy into it. The brightness of Feyley's aura was intensifying at an incredible rate, forcing everyone in the room to cover their eyes with their hands and paws. The sound of roaring wind began to fill the air, growing ever louder as her sphere increased in diameter.

"W – what's going on?!" Blue hollered at Hariyama as he clamped his paws over his eyes. "What is she doing?!"

"She's losing control over her aura!" Hariyama replied. He pointed at the glowing sphere and said, "That orb she's holding is proof of that! It is nothing more than her anger made manifest!"

"Bwahahah!"

Machoke's laughter rang out through the training room. He stood up on the bench, his hands at his hips as he guffawed over the noise of Feyley's chaotic show. Fée, Brin, Kirlia and Gothorita all gaped up at him, startled and confused by his odd reaction to the terrible event unfolding before them.

"Guildmaster, you must put a stop to this!" Hariyama appealed. "If this goes on any longer, both of them will be in danger!"

"Oh, don't get your skirt all wrinkled up over this, Hariyama!" Machoke said, waving his hand at his subordinate. "I'm sure everything will be fine. The Princess is just having a bit of a temper tantrum, that's all."

"Guildmaster!"

"Riiiooolluuu!" Feyley howled as she infused another pulse of aura into her sphere, expanding its size even further.

Grimacing, Blue pulled himself back onto his feet and stood his ground against the radiant ball of energy. His instincts screamed at him to run, to dodge that attack coming his way. But as he stared into the orb, something sparked at the back of his mind. That strange orb... that glow... it all seemed familiar to him... but where had he seen such a light before?

As he tried to think about it, a sudden jolt of pain shot through his skull. He dropped his guard and clutched the sides of his head. Of all times for his blasted headache to return, why now?! He struggled to bring his arms up to a defensive position again, but every move he made just caused him to wince and return to gripping his throbbing head.

"This really isn't the time to be blacking out...!" Blue snarled to himself.

"Gyaaaaah!" With a frightening scream, Feyley drew back both of her arms and thrust them into the sphere. The orb was sent flying, rocketing toward Blue like a cannonball.

"Hup! Dynamic!" Machoke leapt high into the air, swinging off one of the wooden beams on the ceiling and landing in the middle of the arena. With one hand, he grabbed onto Blue's collar and with the other– "Bwaha!"

Boom!

"Your energy is great, Feyley!" Machoke chortled as he raised up his right arm. A gasp rose from the audience when they saw that his hand was now glowing a bright blue. The ball of aura warped and undulated within Machoke's tight grasp, burning his palm as he gripped it like a toy. "But you need to learn how to better control it! As it is right now, this thing is nothing more than a handball to me! Bwahaha!"

"Machoke?!" Blue gasped.

"And you, Blue! What kind of idiot just stands there when an attack is coming your way?" Grinning, he hurled the Riolu high into the air, throwing him toward the ceiling. Then, while Blue was busy screaming above him, he crushed Feyley's concentrated aura into nothing more than a few wisps of flame with his fingers.

"Waagh!"

Machoke chuckled as he reached out with his arm, catching Blue by the leg as he fell back down to the floor. Then, before the Riolu could even make heads or tails as to what the Guildmaster was doing, Machoke spun him around and wrapped his arms around his waist in a powerful – and very uncomfortable – grapple.

"Behold! Guildmaster Machoke's Legendary! Dynamic! Suuuuuper Seeeeismic Suuuuplex!"

"Super Seismic wha–?!"

All of a sudden, the world turned upside down for Blue. Machoke threw himself backward, arching his back like a bridge while swinging the hapless Riolu toward the floor – head first.

For a moment, Blue felt as though his entire body had become weightless. Time seemed to slow as he saw the glittering jewels embedded in the ceiling above. They resembled the beautiful, twinkling stars of the night sky. A wondrous, mysterious panorama of beauty. Blue reached up with his arms, wanting to touch, to grab one of the many pretty stars and hold it close to his ches–.

Thud!

Blue blacked out on the spot.

"Take a nap for a bit, Blue."

"W... what... Guildmaster...?" Feyley panted, holding on her knees for support. Her reserves of energy were spent. It took up to the very last drop of strength she had left just to stand and stay conscious.

Relinquishing his hold on the unconscious Riolu, the Guildmaster straightened himself back out and grinned. The Guildmaster turned around, beaming at the exhausted Mienfoo. He took his hand and curled his fingers together in an O shape.

"You did well, Feyley," Machoke said as he held his hand against her forehead. "at least until you lost your temper. When that happened, you lost. Both your temper and your chances of winning in a cool, dynamic way!"

"C – cool...?" Feyley gasped.

Machoke nodded, "That's right. No matter what kind of situation you find yourself in, you must keep your head nice and cool! Otherwise you'll end up making dumb, uncool decisions like spending all your remaining strength on a big, wasteful attack like that!"

"Wasteful..."

"I'm sure Hariyama can lecture you better about this later, but for now..."

He released his finger and flicked her in the forehead. The light shock blew away what remaining scraps of energy Feyley had left, knocking her unconscious. Machoke caught the exhausted girl as she fell, and waved his arm at Hariyama and everyone else.

"Kirlia, Gothorita. Go call the Audino. These two aren't too badly hurt, but it's better to give them a look over anyway," he commanded.

"Yes, Guildmaster Machoke!" Kirlia and Gothorita saluted together. Both girls rushed toward the exit of the training room, with Kirlia shooting the unconscious Blue one last, worried glance before the two of them disappeared into the dark corridor.

---

"What a mess..." Hariyama sighed as he held his disciple in his arms. He glanced down at the tattered scraps of cloth hanging off her wrists. "Well, I suppose I'll have to make another order at Meowstic's tomorrow."

"Bwahaha! Any kind of spending is only a drop in the bucket if it's for our darling apprentices, Hariyama!"

"I agree," Hariyama murmured as he looked over Feyley's paws. Her fur was singed, and her skin showed signs of minor burns. Bite marks littered the surface of her forearm, along with a growing bruise from where Blue had managed to strike her.

As Hariyama removed the torn cloths from her wrists, he noticed something unexpected about his disciple. Despite the anger and fury she displayed in the battle mere minutes ago, the young Mienfoo wore a complacent, almost pleased – looking smile on her face.

"Blue! Blue, wake up!"

"B... Blue...!"

Machoke and Hariyama both turned to look at the other fallen warrior in the arena. The Riolu's friends, the Eevee and the Braixen were crowding around his unconscious form, trying to rouse him from his suplex – induced slumber. Hariyama sighed as he placed a hand on his Guildmaster's shoulder.

"Did you really have to knock him out that way, Guildmaster?" Hariyama asked as he watched the Eevee shake the Riolu's body. "Surely there had to be a gentler way..."

"Hariyama, don't you find it strange?" Machoke cut him off, folding his arms in front of his chest.

Hariyama turned to Machoke and asked, "Strange? What's strange?"

"I might not know much about the local gossip around town, but aren't Riolu supposed to be adept at handling the power of aura?" Machoke muttered, rubbing his chin with an uncommon, pensive expression on his face. "The way Blue reacted to Feyley's aura attacks, or rather, the way he didn't react... it seemed to me that he had no clue as to what he was throwing himself against."

"A Riolu..." Hariyama murmured back. "despite the low view many have of his kind, it's quite well known that Riolu are far more in tune with their inner strength than any other Pokémon here in our world. You have a point, Guildmaster. It is odd that Blue couldn't find a way to counter Feyley's inexperienced aura."

"Hm... maybe he does know a thing or two about it, Hariyama."

"What makes you say that?"

Machoke rubbed his nose with his finger and pointed it at Feyley, "When she was getting out of hand with that big ball of aura in the end, Blue didn't move at all. That kid just stared it down, as if he were mesmerized by it or something."

"...I noticed that as well," Hariyama nodded. "isn't that why you jumped in at the end?"

"Well, I couldn't just let him take a hit right in the schnozz like that, now could I?" The Guildmaster stared down at his burnt palm and grinned. "That Blue's a strong one. Not many Pokémon could just stand there with his guard up instead of jumping away. He's nowhere as strong as I am though! If he took that blast of aura head on, he would've been out for a week! Bwahaha!"

"And yet, you still knocked him out with a suplex."

"Better me than her," Machoke smirked. "trust me on this, Hariyama. It'll be better if I take the fall here for these two."

"If you say so, Guildmaster." Hariyama bowed and looked back at the unconscious Blue and his friends. "So then, what do we do about him and his friends?"

Machoke let out a snort and placed his hands behind his head, "Get them to the infirmary, Hariyama. Blue's friends can come with him too, it'll be better that way." He poked his subordinate in the gut and jabbed a thumb at the corridor behind him, "As for me, I'll be in my chambers writing up that letter for the Dugtrio, as well as jotting down whatever I can remember from that boring meeting."

"As you wish, Guildmaster."