Who'd have thought that after such a trying day that sleep would be so hard to come by? Even returning to the couch with my mind and body exhausted, rest seemed determined to avoid me. Brio had left with Asgard for his training, leaving me and the sleeping Aeris alone in the room. The only sound was that of the Gligar's steady breathing and the occasional murmur in her sleep, yet I couldn't relax. It was so much easier to sleep before the training, but now I was wide awake.
Worse yet, my mind was prone to moving towards deeply unsettling thoughts and images whenever I closed my eyes, whether it be the imagined proximity of the Venomoth's spores, or the psychotic glint in Huntress' eyes when we had last fought. And now I had started to wonder about that Cubone she had attacked, and whether he actually played a real role in this situation. He had been picking something up when she had confronted him, and now he'd have to return home with injuries and his belongings gone.
Strange for me to focus on such things now. Seeing sleep as impossible, I shifted my position, sitting up as comfortably as I could manage and resting my chin on the couch arm, staring at a spot on the wall.
Huntress...who exactly was she? If she was after those Plates, what purpose did they have to her? How did she know where to find them? The one Aeris had found, Huntress had been after almost immediately afterwards, and tracked the Gligar to the library in such a short time. And then later, we met again in time to see her snatch a second from an innocent who just happened to have one. Something wasn't right about that Servine, and for all I knew, she would soon disappear entirely, impossible to find before our time was up.
I shut my eyes, fighting the onrushing feeling of panic. What I would give to be Aeris right now, to not have to deal with the crushing consequences of my actions, at least mentally. Brio and I were shouldering the burden and stress until we found a way to break the news to her. I have no idea how long I can manage to keep it in like this.
"You okay, Sy?" Aeris' voice suddenly came out of nowhere and I flinched, opening my eyes and looking over at the Gligar. I hadn't noticed until now that her sleep sounds had stopped, nor had I noticed that she had come over to the couch and sat down on the other side. I gave a weak smile.
"Um, yeah...can't sleep," I said wearily. Aeris returned my smile and moved closer, to the point of practically cuddling.
"You know what I do when I can't sleep?" Aeris said, her voice pleasantly soft and quieter than normal. I shook my head. "Guess!" Aeris insisted, stifling a giggle.
"Aeris..." I wasn't in the mood for guessing games. They were fun when I wanted to find amusement, but there was just too much on my mind for that.
"I think of everything that makes me happy," the Gligar blurted over my weak protest. I didn't reply, yet she smiled and snuggled against my side, now speaking in an even softer tone. "I close my eyes, and I think of stuff like how my treasures shine in the moonlight...or the smell of dirt after a rainstorm, or just gliding off a tree and that awesome moment when you drift like a dandelion seed..."
I couldn't resist a smile at the imagery. Aeris rested her head on my shoulder.
"And I think about how nice you are, and how much I like talking to you, because it's so hard to find a friend like you, Sy," Aeris continued, in the same tone. I suddenly felt my throat close up, making it difficult to reply. She seemed oblivious to my reaction, looking up at me for a moment. "Close your eyes, Sy!" she giggled. "How are you going to sleep if you don't do that? Just let me talk to you, and tell me when you're asleep, okay?"
I nodded, closing my eyes and allowing the Gligar to chatter on about other things that made her happy and helped her sleep, whether it be her favorite food, or funny things she'd seen or done in the past. All the time, she kept that oddly soothing, gentle voice that was so unlike her usual excitement, without losing any of her bubbly-ness.
I don't know when I fell asleep, but the next thing I knew, it must have been several hours later. Brio had evidently returned from his training, seeing as he was laying on the opposite end of the couch, and Aeris wasn't even in the room, no doubt called for her own training session. I yawned and rubbed my eyes, blinking in the dim light. I was far more adjusted to morning sunlight than artificial lighting.
"Good morning," Asgard said. I twitched, looking up to see the Togetic hovering in the doorway. Brio stirred, his ear twitching before he opened his eyes to look over at the fairy Pokémon. "I hope you slept well. Mom wants you two to come to the training room after breakfast."
"Ugh, why?" I grunted. I was already feeling the soreness setting in from all the exertions yesterday.
"Don't worry, it's not for training. She's got another client this morning," Asgard assured me.
"Does she sleep at all?" I wondered flatly. So far, starting from meeting Sensi, she seemed to be training someone at all hours of the day, emphasized with how she did a private session with me, Brio, and Aeris in succession.
Asgard frowned. "Mom's sleeping habits aren't really your business," he said, in a tone so defensive I hastily backpedaled.
"Hey, I wasn't trying to pry, take it easy," I said, shaking my head and looking over at Brio. The Glaceon yawned and sat up. A quick glance over showed that he had received fewer burns to his fur than I had, and the ones he had didn't seem to be causing him abnormal discomfort. Lucky him.
Asgard didn't say another word to us, and went off to do his own thing, whatever that may be, leaving the two of us to navigate the hall back to the dining area, where Aeris was already waiting.
"Hi!" she chirped, her mouth already packed with berries. "Sleep better, Sy?"
"Hm?" Brio looked at me curiously, but I shook my head. I'm not going to go into details about my sleep problem last night. I shared a brief smile with Aeris and focused on the food.
After eating, the three of us gathered in the brightly lit training room. Sensi was already waiting for us, her fire mane blazing strongly, her eyes as alert and stern as when we first met her. Maybe she was immune to the requirements of sleep, because otherwise I simply can't figure out how she has so much energy and yet such a busy schedule.
The Typhlosion cleared her throat the moment we had entered. "I see you got the message. Good, good..." she paused to assess our physical conditions and I glanced myself over self-consciously. I hadn't bathed like I normally do in the morning and had attempted to compensate with a bare-bones grooming job, but now I wasn't sure how well I had done.
"I'm here now, Mom," Asgard announced from the Typhlosion's left shoulder. She nodded.
"So I have a client in a short bit, and during that time, I thought you might want to take the time to study your own techniques for us to go over at noon," Sensi said. She gestured in Asgard's direction. "If you require anything, Asgard specializes in technique training, so he can certainly assist with any minor fixes and advice. While staying here, do not feel limited to training only when I am available. Any questions?"
She paused to glance around at us for a few seconds. Aeris raised a claw excitedly. "Ooh! I do! Um...where do we go for this?" she wondered.
"This is the main battle hall," Sensi replied, gesturing around the field. "This is where most of my past achievements are recorded and trophies kept, but it is not the only training ground we have. Behind the building is a smaller field if you prefer to practice in an outdoors environment, and Asgard can show you to the secondary hall, which is nearer to the entrance. That hall is the one I'd most recommend. Anything else?"
Brio raised his paw, and Sensi pointed to him. "Yes, um..." he paused, shifting his weight briefly. "Is there a history with most of these awards?" he asked, pointing to the nearest display case.
"Of course. That can't be all you're wondering, though," the Typhlosion answered with a slight frown.
"Well, no," Brio admitted. "I was just asking because there are a lot of them here, but I'm not sure what they're from. Why do you have them here?"
"When I began this dojo, my former trainer left me many of them as mementos. They were earned while under his care, from various tournaments or events throughout our career," Sensi said, her tone stern, yet wistful. "They add credibility and remind me to continue training myself to become even stronger alongside my pupils. If there is a specific award you'd like to ask about, please do so when we meet later. I don't have the time for reminiscing right now."
The Typhlosion paused to catch my eye, but I shook my head, my tails twitching awkwardly. Why did I have to be the only one without a question? It made me look disinterested...oh, what do I care? I'd just take this time to train a little before noon, and see where that got me.
The battle hall Asgard led us to was nowhere near as spacious or as well-decorated as the first one, but it was definitely going to suit our purposes, even if there were three of us training at the same time. Considering that Brio had brought a book, I somehow doubted that'd ever be the case.
"Seriously, Brio?" I deadpanned when the Glaceon settled down on the ground and began turning pages distractedly. "What are you doing?"
"Reading," the ice type answered. Hm, at least he knows how to state the obvious. I waited a moment for elaboration, but he was oblivious to the expectation until I cleared my throat. "Oh! Uh..." he paused to check the front cover. "Battle Training for the Sufficiently Intelligent Life Form."
"What?"
Brio grinned. "It's deliberately titled that way to contrast the 'For Idiots' series."
I frowned. That didn't clear anything up, but I don't think I really wanted the longer version of the explanation. Talking to Brio about his reading always ended with awkwardness when I ran out of questions that didn't make me sound moronic. I learned that the hard way when I first met him. Thinking of something else to say, I looked over at Aeris, who had gone over to the center of the battlefield, and was excitedly gesturing for Asgard to come over.
"So what are you reading about?" I managed finally. Brio's eyes flicked towards me and I detected a hint of annoyance in his glance. I crossed my arms and stared at him. He almost never became openly snippy, but it was always really easy to notice that he hated being distracted while he was reading.
"The book was written to teach human trainers how to command their Pokémon. I'm studying it for ideas on how to cut out the trainer commands and just do similar training on my own," he answered, sounding a little too reluctant to elaborate for me. Naturally, this only made me more interested.
"Can you read to me?" I asked, adding a teasing tone to my words just so he'd know I wasn't serious. This was probably a good idea because the Glaceon bristled, only to calm down a moment later. "Whoa, I was kidding, Brio."
"I know," Brio muttered, turning a page. I watched him for a few seconds, intrigued by his paws managed to support the book while still turning the thin pages without damaging them. Obviously, he had practice with doing this. Losing interest with the Glaceon's reading, I returned my focus to Aeris and Asgard. They were talking in low tones, and Asgard broke off when he saw me coming over.
"We'll see later," he told Aeris, looking a little uncomfortable with my proximity. "Did you need something, Syren?"
"Not really, I felt like invading your personal space for my own amusement," I said brightly. "Aeris, you busy?"
"Nope!" Aeris chirped, gigging at my comment. Asgard just looked puzzled, but he suddenly froze, cocking his head to the side.
"Excuse me a moment, please," he said, exiting the room abruptly. I glanced after him before fixing Aeris with a curious look.
"What were you two talking about?"
"Guess!"
"No," I answered, as flatly as possible. Aeris' grin faded, and I felt a jolt in my stomach at the shift in her attitude. Maybe I was a little too harsh, but I really just wanted a straight answer this time around.
"Fine, don't guess," Aeris pouted, pivoting to face away from me. The whole silent treatment act would have worked better if she didn't glance back to judge my reaction. There was a moment of tense silence before the Gligar giggled. "I asked for another date!"
"And?"
"He said he'd think about it. Something about being busy for his mom. He was kind of vague," Aeris replied brightly, but she shrugged her wings. "I think he likes me!"
I think she's assuming too much, but I wasn't going to say that out loud. "Awesome, good luck with that. So what now, you want to practice with me for a bit?"
Aeris blinked. "Oh, sure! What do you need?"
"A target," I replied. I gave her a second or two to realize what I said before playfully blasting her in the face with a jet of water, with just enough force to knock her backwards. The drenched Gligar coughed, and then burst into a fit of giggling.
"That's cheating!" Aeris protested through her giggles. I grinned in spite of myself, inhaling as if to blast her with another jet, but she rolled backwards onto her feet and dove out of the way. Even when I adjusted my aim, she managed to keep one move ahead, gliding back and forth to distract my shots whenever possible. I could see why Sensi considered her good at evasion.
I had just remembered the Typhlosion's comment about Aeris being susceptible to feints when I felt a sudden chill down my spine, prompting a yelp of alarm from me and a reflexive swipe of my tails in that direction before I swiveled to fact the source. I expected Brio to have snuck behind me to play a trick like that, despite the fact Brio had never done anything like that before, but what I saw instead was...absolutely nothing.
"Wha-?"
"Over here," an unfamiliar feminine voice said to my left. I jerked my head in that direction, but also came up with nothing. "Oops, I meant here." My third change in position yielded the same results as the first.
"Who's doing that?"
There was a giggle and a white shape literally appeared out of thin air. I blinked and recoiled a pace, taking in the physical features of the other Pokémon. A hovering shape, somewhat doll-like in appearance, with pale green eyes peering behind an icy mask of a face, and a flowing lower body with no legs. A bow was tied around its midsection, and its limbs were as flowing as the rest of the body.
"And...I have no idea what you are," I said finally. Aeris giggled behind me, but I ignored it.
The creature held out a paw and I hesitantly extended my own arm to shake, only for the paw to pass right through her body, as if it were not flesh, but rather a shapely fog, and the touch was even colder than ice. I recoiled with a yelp, shaking my paw and staring with wide eyes at the creature.
The creature giggled, delighting in my alarm and unease. Her green eyes stared into mine, dramatically increasing my sense of discomfort.
"My name..." she cooed, the eyes seeming to draw me deeper into them with each word, "...is Tamashii."
"You're a Froslass," Brio said, the suddenness of his voice snapping me from the mild daze that had come over me. I shook my head, then nodded, then shook my head again, dispelling whatever fogginess had lingered.
"Am I?" Tamashii asked with false surprise. One of her paws rubbed her chin. "I guess I am. Thanks for clarifying that." She giggled, pausing when a chime rang. "Whoops, can't be late for my appointment, can I?"
With that, she disappeared from the room.
"Sy, you okay?" Aeris asked suddenly. I nodded, but the room seemed to be swaying a little bit.
"I just need to sit down," I muttered, falling backwards into a sitting position. "I'll be okay...just need a rest. Really tired..."
And then I was out like a light.