The next few days passed like the scenes of a single sweet dream. The people of Alola prided themselves on the region's friendly, relaxed, and interesting temperament, and Colress could finally see it for himself! He was also highly productive—he studied how this morph of Raichu developed its new abilities in order to surf over Palossand, only for the predator to prey on their weakness to ghost-type moves, reorganized the data he collected on pokémon with little potential calling on pokémon with greater potential for assistance, and attempting to decode the radio signals he recorded from Staryu. Throughout these ventures, Colress photographed interesting and amusing sights he stumbled upon and sent them to Ghetsis for them to discuss. He realized they should have formed a friendship when they first met, as opposed to their initial undefined bond. Their current, combined discourse was so entertaining, it was like a dam had burst!
He was sitting on the soft grass, in the shade of Konikoni City's lighthouse, looking below the cliffs and into the sea. The ocean blushed with the myriad of Corsola and the Luvdisc who made homes in their branches. Occasionally, a Mareanie would come by, causing the other pokémon to scatter in a fast-moving cloud—it looked like Persim berry powder had been scattered among the waves.
"My first drawing is complete," said Ghetsis. "Having the references you sent was very helpful. I'm assuming you'd like to see it after you pestered me into exploring leisure?"
"Yes! If you'd like, please send it to me—I'm excited to criticize your faulty perspective, in more ways than one!" Even though there was no need to type anything, Colress excitedly fluttered his fingers against his console.
"You can say whatever you want, my friend, just be aware that I won't be listening!" Ghetsis said, amused.
Colress received the email with a scan of the drawing attached. He opened the file—the drawing showed a Breeder with a long braid watering a patch of flowers, which were clearly based on the yellow flowers of Melemele Meadow. The water flowing from the watering can was precisely rendered with streaks of hatching, with a blank area indicating light reflecting straight at the viewer. Behind the Breeder lay a field, the blades of the tall grass curved and swaying in the wind. Two Mareep were playing amid the grass, one hopping into the air while the other watched with an impressed look. In the background were hazy hilltops that were hatched-in, without outlines. This entire pastoral scene was surrounded by a border of intricate columns with a Flabébé theme. The bottom of the border contained a rectangular space with text inside. The caption read, "Sunshine" in proud lettering, apparently the title of the drawing. Colress was starstruck, and words escaped him!
"The color scheme would consist of pastel yellows with a few touches of cool colors—it would be ideal if I used dyes or watercolors, but this paper is of such low-quality, it would damage the drawing… I would have to trace it, but I don't have access to the necessary materials," said Ghetsis. "Here, the staff claim to use art as a therapeutic activity, but any true artist imprisoned here must be screaming in frustration. Well, actually, I'm fairly pleased. The optimistic subject of my artwork successfully convinced the nurses my condition is beginning to improve! Thank you for suggesting this activity, my friend—I'm very grateful."
"I-I must admit… this is a marvelous work, even in black-and-white, without the optimal materials," Colress said, breathlessly. "Other than finding watercolor paint, what else will you do once you free yourself, other than accomplishing your dreams of conquest?"
Ghetsis gasped theatrically. "And no sarcastic comments out of you? What a wonderful present." A shuffling noise came through the speaker. "I'm still expected to produce an heir—unfortunately, though my daughters were nothing but dutiful all their lives, grooming that freak for my benefit, my heir must be male and part of the Harmonia bloodline. I must either select or have a woman worthy of becoming queen chosen for me beforehand, of course. You'll cackle—or giggle, more accurately—at this, but I used to fantasize about my future marriage often whenever I was subjected to long hours of studying alone. That dream seemed beautiful to me, and I considered my ideal wife and wedding ceremony."
"I see… it's unfortunate you'll have to put resources into another child, though I suppose you're accustomed to it..." said Colress, fiddling with a patch of clover. The memory of long days spent experimenting with needles, magnetism, and electricity alone while his parents left him unattended on business trips arose in his mind, but he quickly shook himself out of it. "Oh, why would I giggle at your hope? That is an understandable fantasy, considering the importance of bonds to humans and pokémon… though I notice you you referred to your daydreaming in the past tense—do you still long to be wed to your ideal woman, or is the thought no longer as appealing?"
There was a lull in the conversation. Colress listened to the sounds of ships and the bustle of the city behind him as he waited for Ghetsis to answer. "...The thought of it is—I mean, I have a great deal of other thoughts to consider," said Ghetsis. Colress was about to tell him that did not fully answer the question, but Ghetsis cut him off. "I must leave now."
"Already? How frustrating! May we talk again this evening?"
"Yes… of course. Farewell." Ghetsis hung up.
Colress put his phone away. He wondered what the lighthouse looked like at night—he would have to visit this place again and watch the light show. He saved Ghetsis's drawing before leaving the field and heading back through the busy city street.
Ghetsis more than made up for the abrupt end to the afternoon call when he called Colress back that evening—they spoke long into the night and covered a myriad of different topics. Colress was half-prepared for sleep, wearing only his underclothes, lying in bed on top of his blanket, with his cell phone pressed closed to his cheek even though it was on "speaker." The illumination from the phone screen and the moonlight filtering in through the windows were the only sources of light in the hotel room.
"I see you've long since run out of pressing questions for me, yet you always call—how sweet of you," Colress said.
"But everything about you is questionable, my friend!" said Ghetsis.
"That is true, and it is how I should always be… the benefits of my approach are invaluable! I should give you instructions!" Colress nestled his head deeper into his pillow. "You know you do not have to continue referring to me as 'my friend,' don't you? Or do you simply enjoy reminding us of our friendship?"
"After all that's happened, yes," said Ghetsis. "...Every time I feel like I might finally be content, something outside of my control takes that contentedness away from me. So it naturally follows that I'd want to remind myself of this development."
"Oh…" Colress looked up at the moon. "Well, there may be many unknowns in this world, and many questions that don't have answers, unfortunately. But you can rest assured in the knowledge that our friendship is a constant!" His eyes were wide open and his pulse was racing, despite the late hour!
At first, Colress could not hear Ghetsis reply. But slowly, a quiet hum, or perhaps a purring sound became just barely audible. Colress turned up the volume—it was indeed Ghetsis purring very softly.
If Colress's heart had been racing before, now it was at lightspeed! He shot up in bed. His fingers fluttered against his sheets, and so he clenched his hands into tight fists, a futile attempt to contain his burst of energy. In the process, his phone flew out of his hand. The clack it made as it hit the hardwood made him start! Colress whirled around and reached out, then gingerly lifted the phone back up. He placed it in front of him, where it was cradled by his now-wrinkled blanket.
"C-Colress!" Ghetsis's said, too loudly. He took several heavy, labored breaths before continuing, more quietly, "Did you throw down your phone?"
"I-I did accidentally drop it." Colress put his hands to his chest and tried to calm himself, but he could not collect his thoughts. He felt as if his mind were a giant puzzle that had been disassembled, its pieces scattering everywhere! "What was that sound you made?! It caught me off guard!"
Ghetsis made a strangled noise, like words were refusing to leave his throat. "...Tell me… what is so unpleasant about my making some… sound… of surprise?"
Colress tightened his grip on his undershirt. "I… it..." He searched for the right puzzle piece, found nothing, and settled on a high-pitched noise.
Something collided with the desk Ghetsis was sitting at, resulting in a thump. "What about the sounds you keep making? You never make them in front of anyone but me—it's always been like this. Do you want to embarrass me?" he spoke in a hushed tone, clearly suppressing the urge to shout.
"You are—th-things are different with you, that's the way it's always been, and we both know it now!" Colress's mouth started quivering, and his face was red hot. He swallowed hard. "The sound you made was… interesting, but… it was not unpleasant, Ghetsis." Colress brought his hands down to caress the cell phone.
Ghetsis gasped. All was silent for a few electrifying seconds. "Well then… I should confess that the mewling sounds you make are… also never unpleasant."
Colress sighed. He wished Ghetsis were brave enough to do more than reword his own confession, even if that was a hypocritical thought. Though, what else was there to say—nothing important, most likely! They had already been so heartfelt as of late. "Of-Of course they are not unpleasant. They are adorable, as I am the embodiment of the concept."
Ghetsis snorted. "If your arrogance is so great, why do you feel the urge to continually flatter yourself?"
"I'm not flattering myself, I'm simply bestowing myself with the praise all must see I deserve." Colress smiled. "I believe we both need to sleep, and that this need is altering our behavior."
"You are right… and exhaustion must explain the noise I made. It is rather late, and I must return to my room before anyone becomes suspicious," said Ghetsis. "Good night, Colress."
"Ah, sleep well." Colress put his phone into sleep mode. He felt his scattered thoughts converge into a single desire as he slipped under the covers and curled up, letting the softness envelop him. He carefully put his glasses on the nightstand, and although he knew it was inadvisable, he ended up resting his head against the phone as he embraced sleep.