As soon as Haru had stepped in through the cell door, a humanoid figure in dark-orange tried to tackle him to the ground. However, Haru was quick enough to sidestep the attempt and catch the assailant in his arms.
"As expected, Homura, you've forgotten how to tackle properly." He smiled at Homura, who had an embarrassed look on her face.
"Why would I even remember that by now, Haru? I'm not a Fennekin anymore." She set herself free as the duo walked towards the center of the large room.
"Yet you tried that anyway. You know, in a real battle, that would've given your opponent an opening." Haru tried to give her a headpat, but she avoided it with a quick wiggling of her head.
"Well, that's because you left me early yesterday! You owe me for that!" Homura crossed her arms.
"How about I take you outside the lab? Will that suffice?" Haru was barely able to contain his grin. Homura stared at him in awe, trying to comprehend any hidden meanings behind his words. She quickly caught on, but had a hard time believing it.
"You mean - You mean I'm free now? I can leave the lab? How did you even manage that, Haru?" She spoke with her mouth ajar, even though she was just communicating mentally.
"Of course you're free now! How can we be mates for life if one of us is confined? And as for how I did it, let's just say, uh, magic?" Haru scratched the back of his head.
It wasn't magic - Haru had to compile a detailed report about the compatibility of the Delphox species with the Hoenn ecosystem and he concluded the report with a high probability of positive outcomes from adding the Fennekin line to the list of possible starter candidates for young trainers of Hoenn. His report was up for peer-review, but their work was technically done. There was another, more concerning matter - Devon Corporation most likely would've put Homura in some other project, so he submitted another request to 'acquire the specimen for personal training' and the willingness to compensate the company financially from his personal earnings if that was necessary. It sounded vulgar to him, so he chose to withhold the details from Homura. She wasn't some kind of object - not in his eyes; but it was best not to tick off those higher along the chain of commands.
"Is that a Wingull?" Homura pointed towards the flock gathered near the dock. Everything was new to her; most of her training and interactions with Hoenn and its inhabitants had been done through simulation and virtual reality within the confines of the lab. While they were accurate enough, they couldn't beat reality. The sky looked especially beautiful to her. The artificial lighting in the chamber fell pale in comparison to the real sun.
Haru had never approved of the use of simulation in lieu of real interaction, but he was still a junior researcher, and relying on simulation reduced the cost dramatically, so technically the authorities had a point. But seeing Homura all happy and excited now filled his heart with joy. The past wasn't going to hold them back any longer.
"And that's the dock, right?" Homura recognized it now.
"Yes, you can board the ferry from there and reach other parts of Hoenn. The easiest way to get to the mainland if you don't want to fly. I actually went there yesterday." The couple spoke as they strolled through the beach.
"Ah, so that's why you ran off early. What did you do there? Can I go there someday? With you?" Homura could barely contain her excitement.
"Of course Homura, whenever you wish! I was just getting things in order for our marriage to be official, that'd be the answer to your earlier question." Haru gripped her paw in an assuring manner.
"What is this 'marriage' thing, exactly? It sounds more complicated than simply choosing a mate, like us Pokemon do." Homura felt a little embarrassed to ask. But she had to know, right?
In her mind, she and Haru were already mates, since they had exchanged vows the day before and engaged in a courting ritual afterwards. But humans seemed to needlessly complicate things.
"You're right; human customs are pretty exhaustive. There are multiple acceptable ceremonies, but the bare minimum requires the bride and groom to be wedded - eh, share vows in the presence of a priest and multiple witnesses. And since we're a special couple -" Haru paused to wink at Homura, "We'd need blessing from a revered Pokemon, too. And the mediation from a lawyer." He tried to keep the explanation simple. The couple were now walking through the town square, oblivious to everything but themselves.
"That does sound complicated. But we'll be fine, right?" Homura nervously asked.
"You have to trust me. Actually, to be honest, I feel nervous, too. There had been only three ceremonies like this within the past century, one of them before it was legalized, so things aren't entirely transparent." Haru tried to assure her, "Hey, we can just pretend it's just a championship battle with us as opponents, practicing 'Attract' and 'Sweet Kiss' on each other! You can think of the others as judges or the audience."
Homura brought a claw up to her chin, "You really manage to make it sound so simple, Haru!" She ended her sentence with a giggle.
Haru blushed, "That's my job - making complicated things simple."
"There you go, sounding cruel again! Am I just a job to you?" Homura inched closer to him, "Are you going to tell me that mating with me is your job too?" She felt her body tingle as she spoke.
"What? No! Can you please not put it that way?" The idea of mating with Homura made him all flustered. Now was not the time to think about that! This was a public place!
"So... Who will be this revered Pokemon, again?" Homura sensed the discomfort in both of them and tried to change the topic.
"Uh, yeah, the revered Pokemon, huh? Most likely the Milotic this town's shrine is dedicated to. I'm thinking of holding the ceremony there, if that's okay with you." Haru was relieved to find a change of topic.
"I trust your judgment. But why the Milotic?" Homura felt a tiny pang of enmity towards the Water-type Pokemon. Perhaps it was in her blood.
"Well, I heard the shrine was erected in her honor after she protected the townspeople from a great flood. I didn't live here back then, so I don't really know what happened. My father might know, but I'd rather not talk to him." Haru thought it might be a good idea to introduce his fiancee to his family dynamics.
"Understandable. Where is he, anyway? Shouldn't you introduce me to him?" She didn't like the idea herself, but it had to be done. Better sooner than later.
"He's on a fishing trip. Won't be returning before a few days." Haru paused before adding, "Actually, I told him about you. He had agreed to us being mates."
"He did what? Your father agreed, just like that?" Homura stopped in her tracks, as did Haru. They were in the neighborhood of Takahashi Residence already; no need to rush anymore. Might be a good idea to catch their breaths.
"Well, that's because he doesn't know yet that you're not some fragile human he could boss around." Haru smiled coyly.
"You know, Haru, for someone without sleeves like mine, you're hiding quite some tricks! But, what happens when he finds out?" Homura couldn't help but worry a bit. More about her fragile human mate than herself.
"Nothing, really. As you said earlier, what's he gonna do? Dump water on us?" Haru chuckled. "If he kicks us out we can just go back to the lab. Neither of us are assigned to anything right now, but I still work there."
"But weren't you afraid of losing your house in the first place?" Homura felt like she was missing something.
"Homura, look at me." Haru grabbed her shoulder and forced her to look into his eyes. Homura began wondering why her mate was acting like her trainer again.
"It was never about the house, Homura. Or the inheritance. Or any privileges that might come with a marriage. I just couldn't stand being handled like a puppet for his selfish needs! Had you not come to my rescue, I'd have just kept on bickering with the old man until one of us gave up or passed away." Haru put it firmly.
"But you still wouldn't pick any other girls?" Homura blinked.
"Of course not! I only chose you because I've liked you for a long time, and then you said you felt the same!" Haru blurted out. Homura could read the air currents quite clearly. He wasn't lying, not in the slightest. Still, she couldn't resist the urge to toy with her dear mate for a bit.
"So, are you saying that I'm special to you?" She coyly asked, gripping his collars and leaning in closer. Haru was a bit startled at the sudden shift in power. Wasn't he the one holding her firm earlier?
"Hey, let go! I didn't teach you that!" Haru struggled, but he was no match for the much more powerful Pokemon.
"I think you just did. Spell it out for me and I'll let you go!" Homura tightened her grip.
"Uh, you're special to me?" Haru stammered.
"Again." Homura demanded.
"You are special to me, Homura." Haru closed his eyes in defeat and softly spoke.
"Ahem!" A loud, forced cough startled the couple, separating them from one another in an instant. Had they not been oblivious to the world until now, they'd have noticed sooner almost the entire neighborhood had gathered around them. Most of them looked at the two with smiles of approval and adoration, but a few others were horrified beyond measure, like witnessing an apocalyptic event. The voice that startled them was one of the latter.
"Aren't you the Takahashi kid? Would you mind explaining what exactly is going on with the display of obscenity?" The shrill voice of the old man demanded to know.
Haru quickly regained his posture, as did his partner. They were facing the crowd now.
"Certainly, Mr. Genji!" Haru faked a spiteful bow before continuing: "I was just trying to have a conversation with my bride-to-be before you all had to stick your noses in here. Does that answer your question?"
"Absolutely not, you brat! What do you mean, your bride-to-be? That thing's a Pokemon!" The old man by the name of Genji spoke between wheezes. Maybe the forced cough earlier was too much for his lungs. Homura snarled and was about to leap into action, but the firm grip on her shoulder from Haru calmed her down. She had to trust his judgment on this one, like everything else so far. The rest of the mob was simply watching in silence.
"With due respect, Mr. Genji, you will address my fiancee with respect. She's not 'a thing'. You may not address her as such." Haru fixed his collars and chewed out those words. What was it with old people and their attitudes?
"Or what, you freak? What are you gonna do?" Mr. Genji was about to reach for his wooden sandal.
"Or I'm going to upload the footage of you trying to get it on with the beach floozy last summer with your limp dick to the global network. It will be free for the whole world to see." Haru smiled at the old man.
The whole crowd audibly gasped.
"Why you - Why you have that footage, you little -" Mr. Genji was suddenly too busy trying to put his foot back in his sandal.
"I don't. But you literally just admitted to it in front of the whole town." Haru yawned, tired with this rubbish.
The whole crowd erupted into laughter as Mr. Genji finally regained his footing and ran back to his house as fast as his legs could carry him.
In the ensuing chaos, Haru whispered to Homura:
"May I make an announcement to everyone here regarding us? With your permission, of course."
"Of course, darling." Homura answered, still laughing with the rest of the crowd.
Haru took a long, deep breath; thinking for several seconds before yelling out his declaration:
"My good people of Dewford, it is of great pleasure to us to announce that I, Takahashi Haru, the Human, and Homura, the Delphox, have chosen to take each other as spouses. Before you plan to grab your Poke Balls and pitchforks, I would like to remind you that such an union is legal in the eyes of the law and permitted by ancient traditions. Those in doubt might wish to consult the authorities and the librarians of your choice. If any of you have any qualms with us, you're welcome to challenge us in a fair manner. We will not be taking any inquiries before afternoon. We are both tired and wish to retire for the day at our household. Have a good day, y'all!"
Neither Haru nor Homura was expecting it, but the crowd broke into a series of applause and cheers. Not all of them, of course, but it was enough to warm both their hearts.
"They approve of us." Homura spoke in her silent, personal voice to her mate.
"I guess they do." Haru whispered back, smiling.
