Haru got back up on his feet, admiring Homura's quick reflex. The object wouldn't have hit either of them, judging from the angle and direction it was headed towards before being suspended mid-air, but he didn't expect his father to suddenly start throwing things, so it caught him off-guard. This was going to be really troublesome.

"Thanks, Homura." He sighed. Flying projectiles were the least of his concerns at this point.

"Do I throw it back?" Homura inquired. That was her first instinct, but she remembered what Haru told her about fighting. The old man who threw it looked healthier than Mr. Genji, maybe he could stand a taste of his own medicine, but she didn't want to upset Haru or escalate the situation.

"No, please drop it, Homura." Haru reached out and pulled her closer, causing her to drop the object due to sudden interruption. The remote hit the floor with a thud, startling Senior Takahashi who had been staring at his son and his cohort. Was this the same Homura he was talking about yesterday? Did this Pokemon just use telepathy to threaten him? Then the rumors were true. What was this madness? He gripped the sides of his forehead with his fingers, slowly shaking his head in confusion. This can't be real, right? Maybe it was just a joke, that'd make more sense. Yes, that had to be it.

"Father, please stop insulting yourself. That's not a very good first impression to make on your future daughter-in-law." Haru smirked with his throat drying up inside. This wasn't really a good time to be cheeky, but if it de-escalated the situation, then he was all for it.

"This - This is Homura? The girl you've been seeing?" Senior Takahashi stammered.

"Yes, father. And we're getting married soon, just as you wanted."

Senior Takahashi went back to sit on his couch again, staring at the TV with a vacant expression on his face and no way to conveniently change the channels. Somehow, it felt like a really, really bad dream. When did his own child become such a monstrosity? Maybe he'll wake up soon and find himself back on the fishing boat.

Haru instinctively reached his pocket for his cigarette case, only to realize that he'd left it back in his room. The room seemed like a pretty good place to be in while his father tried to come to terms with the situation. He motioned at Homura to follow him as he tried to take advantage of his father's distraction to cross the room and climb the stairs.

"Where do you think you're going?" His father snapped, stopping them in their tracks. Homura growled, causing the old man to flinch and sink further into his couch. Did his son bring this Pokemon to fight him because he wasn't man enough to do it himself?

"Homura, leave him alone. You shouldn't fight someone who's given up." Haru dragged her with him. He felt a little bad about his father, but the old man basically brought it down on himself. Maybe a good night's sleep will calm them both down.

"That went a lot easier than I anticipated." Homura remarked after the pair sat down on their bed, with Haru taking his socks off and going cross-legged.

"Eh, that was just the beginning, Homura. Knowing him, he isn't just going to accept it and move on." Haru laughed with spite.

"Hey, I know that much!" Homura said with slight annoyance, "But I felt like he was going to attack us again or something, but then he just, like you put it, gave up. Does he always react like that?"

"Only when shocked and can't accept reality. Pretty common with humans, I think. But he usually retaliates afterward in some stupid manner that worsens everything." Haru surveyed the room as he spoke. Most of his daily necessities and work-related stuff were packed into a briefcase for easy access and to allow him to leave on a short notice. Even if they got kicked out tonight, he could just grab the briefcase and leave with Homura and crash somewhere else for the night. Not the best way to spend the first night with one's partner, but better than being around his obnoxious father.

"Has he reacted like this before? What did you do last time?" Homura was intrigued. She doubted it had to do with the 'Primarina incident'. What creature was even a Primarina?

"Yeah, when he found out I had a girlfriend back in high school." Haru realized the concept of a 'high school' was most likely unfamiliar to Homura, so he added, "That was like, eight years ago. You needn't worry!"

"Where did that come from? What is there to worry about you having a female friend?" Homura innocently asked, "And did your father only want you to bond with male friends?" Maybe his father didn't want him having friends at all, that seemed like a valid possibility in her mind.

"Well, uh, a girlfriend or boyfriend is the term humans usually use to refer to a potential mate. It didn't work between us, obviously!" Haru fumbled with his fingers in the air like operating a non-existent holographic panel.

Homura felt somewhat amused at his urgent manner of explaining himself. Did he think that she'd get jealous? To be honest with herself, she did feel a tiny pang of it, but it was natural to check out potential mates, was it not? She did that too as a Braixen, before being isolated into her personal chamber and later developing feelings for this particular researcher who, by some miracle, became her mate. She giggled, feeling both happy and a bit flustered. Haru blushed in response, tucking his hands back to his lap.

"S-Sorry." He muttered.

"Don't be. But now your father sounds like what you humans call a 'hypocrite'." Homura began grooming herself out of habit, starting with the fluff in her ears.

"How come?" Haru looked at her preen herself, finding the sight adorable.

"He didn't like the mate you picked out, and now he desperately wants you to find someone. And then he doesn't like me, either!" Homura crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well, I like you, isn't that the important bit here? Haru asked. Why would anyone ever want his father's approval? He had stopped seeking it long ago.

"Absolutely! But he needs to make up his mind instead of being trapped in a paradox."

"I doubt he ever will. Homura, you do like me, don't you?" Haru asked in a serious tone and with a sense of uncertainty. Maybe he shouldn't have dragged her into his mess of a family. Was that selfish on his part?

"Haru, look at me." Homura said in a stern voice.

Haru did, only to be met with a light slap across his cheek. It didn't hurt, but it took him by surprise.

"If I didn't like you, would I have agreed to be your mate? I don't understand your human laws, but in my eyes, we're already bound. Stop doubting yourself or me, Haru!" Homura angrily blew some smoke from her mouth.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it to come out like that. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." Haru awkwardly apologized and caressed his cheek. She didn't actually hurt him, and it felt more like an affectionate slap than anything. He wouldn't mind getting slapped again. This didn't go unnoticed by Homura.

"Wait, did I actually hurt you?" She asked, feeling concerned. Humans were fragile, but they couldn't be that fragile, right?

"No, no, it's fine." Haru smiled. "It felt good, actually."

"Huh?" Homura tried to sense his emotions. He actually seemed pleased for some reason. Without warning, she pulled him closer, rubbing her own fluffed cheek against his, trying to soothe him. Closing his eyes, Haru let out a soft noise of satisfaction.

"You're strange, Haru, but in a good way. I really like you." She closed her eyes as well, enjoying his warmth.

The couple's peaceful respite was interrupted by the loud voice from downstairs.

"Haru! Haru, come down right this instant! We need to talk!" His father shouted.

Haru groaned. Couldn't that man just sleep it off or something?

"Would it break your crumbly bones to come upstairs? We're busy." Haru shouted back after breaking free of the awkward snuggle. Homura whimpered in frustration.

The sound of angry footsteps climbing the stairs was annoying enough, but the man behind it turned out to be even more annoying himself.

"Get out of the house! You can't address your father like that!" Senior Takahashi yelled from the doorstep. He wanted to barge into his son's room and drag him out himself, but the Pokemon looked quite formidable. Nothing like he has seen in his life. And the way she was glaring at him didn't look inviting, to say the least.

"Forgive me, father. Which part of my address to you was disrespectful?" Haru sarcastically asked, not moving an inch.

"My bones aren't crumbly! I used to be a hiker, not sitting in the comfort of a lab like you!" His father retaliated.

"Oh, now you got a problem with my job, too? You don't complain when I deposit half of my salary into your account!" Haru gritted his teeth while Homura watched in silence, feeling that it would be unwise to intervene.

"That's your duty to look after your father in his old age!"

"It was your duty to raise me properly, but you spent your time in the mountains. Do I ever complain about that?"

"But - But I paid for your living and put you through college, son!" Senior Takahashi stammered.

"That's literally all you did. Mom raised me, and when you came home, you spent your time berating her. Maybe I should spend that money to build a shrine in her honor instead." Haru finally raised his voice. Homura placed her paw on his arm in an assuring manner, feeling sadness radiating from the one person she didn't want to be sad. Death was inevitable, but most found it hard to accept.

Senior Takahashi was at a loss of words. What's gotten into his son lately? Was it this Pokemon's influence? That seemed to be the case. It probably was a Psychic-type, based on how it used telepathy earlier to speak and manipulate the object mid-air. Not a type he was used to dealing with in the mountains, but this Pokemon seemed like a real bad influence on his son right now. He had to protect his only child. He cleared his throat.

"Haru, you can't marry that Pokemon." He declared.

"Her name's Homura, I told you. And give me one valid reason why not." Haru tried to calm himself down by flicking an imaginary lighter in his hand. Maybe today wasn't the best day to try and give up smoking.

"Because she's a Pokemon?" Senior Takahashi tried to drill some sense into his misguided son.

"And?"

"And - And what? You can't marry a Pokemon!" Senior Takahashi yelled again, this time in desperation.

"You're back to square one, father. Give me a valid reason." Haru cracked his knuckles while Homura tried to decide whether to fling a small fireball at the doorstep or not. It didn't seem like a good idea to her, so she decided to silently keep watching like before.

"Uh, you're human, so you're supposed to marry another human." Senior Takahashi tried to reason again.

"You and mom were humans. Did that work out well for you? I don't remember it that way." Haru spat on the new bedsheet. He paid for it, he had the right to misuse it a little bit.

"That's enough! Stop digging into my life, or your mother's! That's none of your damn business!" His father considered throwing his sandal at his disrespectful child before remembering what happened with the remote.

"I'll do that when you stop digging into mine. My life's none of your damn business, either." Haru closed his eyes, not wanting to look at this man any longer.

Senior Takahashi stared at the sheer display of madness unfolding before him and this Pokemon called Homura giving him a death glare. He couldn't look at her without feeling chilled to the core. He finally turned around and declared:

"I will - I will see to the end of this! I'll make sure you two never get married!" With that, he stormed off downstairs. A loud slamming noise about a minute later indicated that he had left the house.

Haru slowly inhaled as much air as he could, held it for a few seconds before exhaling it all at once. Homura simply closed her eyes and tried to concentrate, trying to get a glimpse into the future. It rarely worked for her in the lab, thanks to the Dark-type biomaterial woven into the walls, but out in the real world, she could actually utilize it.

The future didn't look too good to her. There was going to be more trouble in the near future, but she wasn't capable of deducting what kind. It'll probably come from the old man.

"Haru, your father wasn't bluffing. He's going to try something stupid, like you said." Homura opened her eyes and let him know. Surely Haru would know how to deal with his own father better than she did.

"See? I told you. Maybe I could become a Psychic someday!" He simply laughed, trying to lighten up the situation. "I'm going to make some coffee. You want to watch and learn?" He offered.

"Sure!" Homura brightened up at the idea. They had the house to themselves again. Who cared about what the old man was plotting? They were going to deal with it together.

[Author's Note: Thank you for reading. I apologize for the irregular updates. My college schedule has become pretty tight lately. I should be able to update regularly from the following week. Your readership and patience is most appreciated.]