There was a strange sense of both bliss and unease when she woke up, and remembered the events from yesterday. From last night. She could feel herself growing wet at the thought, and quickly stifled herself. She lacked fur or clothing to conceal any leakage, so she didn't want to expose herself so easily.

Her gaze drifted about the semi-dark room. She'd shared the bed with Ares, who was stiff as a board on his side of the bed, arms at his side, facing straight up. He was so weird. Grayson had been swamped by Runa and Ade, the former still at the foot of the bed, while Ade had finally taken a nap at Gray's side, nuzzled up next to him. That couldn't be good for Gray's health, that pup was sapping his lifeforce by being adorable.

Fortunately, a "psst" from Atena made the pup's head shoot up, and he turned to look at her, tongue lolling out. She waved for him to get off the bed, and the greavard happily bounded off, now starting to run laps around the room. The gardevoir shook her head before she slid her legs off the bed, holding her dress over herself as she glanced about. It would be convenient if she had human clothing to wear.

Her gaze drifted toward Gray again as she thought about it. Picturing herself more human than ever, clothed. Maybe even appearing human enough to get away with wandering about with her trainer in public. Standing as tall as she could to reach his lips with her own.

She wasn't helping her situation in the slightest.

Shaking her head to clear the thought, Atena stood up. When she did, Ade bounded to the door, wagging his tail. He seemed to be under the impression she was taking him for a walk. He really was too adorable for his own good. She held up a finger to tell him "in a minute" before she wandered into the bathroom, grabbing some toilet paper to wipe herself with, thankful Gray wasn't awake to witness this embarrassing situation.

On her way to the door, the gardevoir paused, glancing toward her left, at Grayson's wallet. She debated with herself for several moments, contemplating on something, before she came to a decision. He wouldn't mind if she spent a little bit. She was going to surprise him, after all.

Out of the lobby she walked, the greavard frolicking about, sometimes behind her, sometimes ahead, all times energized. The sun was barely starting to peak, a dim and ambient blue light illuminating the sky, though it would still be a while before the sun appeared over the mountains. She had two purposes here: Letting Ade have his morning fun without disturbing anyone (anyone in the hotel, at least), and also buying clothes for herself. The idea had been somewhat spontaneous, but it had rapidly grown on her. Not that she had an ass to begin with, but maybe it could be more pronounced in a pair of skinny jeans. Maybe Gray would notice that.

Unfortunately, she was making herself wet again. She usually didn't have this problem, but after last night, after feeling what she'd felt...

Her eyes gazed about the various stores. Most were your standard Pokémon shops, selling balls and potions, and the rare revive. Others were for food. But there, she'd found it: a clothing store called "Fashionista Joey's."

It was closed, as was expected. Everywhere was at this hour. She didn't require doors, however. Once she approached the shop, she peered in through the glass to see rows and rows of human clothing, and distant rows of accessories. It was perfect. She could take what she wanted and leave the money on the counter, her plan was flawless.

She called Ade to come to her, and when he did, she teleported the both of them inside. Possibly a mistake, if the greavard wanted to go wild, but she wasn't about to leave him outside.

Once in the interior (she was fully aware she was technically breaking and entering), the gardevoir made her way to the women's clothing as Ade leaped all over, excited at all the new smells to sniff. Atena sifted through a row of jeans, checking their sizes. She had no idea what her size was, so she'd just have to experiment.

Collecting a bundle, she made her way to the dressing rooms and flipped on the interior light, before closing the door behind her, and looking toward the mirror. She stared at it for a moment, taking in how... ordinary she was. She wasn't a differently-colored gardevoir, nor did any of her features particularly stand out. She'd always enjoyed being "normal" among her kind, but this recent idea to wear human clothes was exciting her. Her eyes fell to her dress, and her hands sifted over it for a moment. It was in the way now. It would grow back, should she cut it off, but she wasn't sure if she could.

Atena contemplated this as she stared for a long while, before she pursed her lips, deciding to avoid removing it for now, and instead started slipping on jeans. Her dress was fortunately grown from just above her waist, meaning the bands of the jeans could slip easily right in the cranny of them. Jeans after jeans she tried on, some too small, most too big, before she found a pair that fit sound and snug. Atena rubbed her hands up the sides, feeling the material over her legs. It felt so strange... yet exotic. It was exciting. She felt her butt. It didn't really help pronounce it at all. She had no fat there to lift.

Then it started to itch a little bit. How did humans wear these all the time?

She exited the changing room, turning off the light behind her, and started trying to find where the other pants belonged. That was all that was necessary for now. She could show it off to Gray when she got back, and-

"Hello?"

Atena froze, rooted to the spot at the unfamiliar voice. Her head snapped to the direction of the front, where the silhouette of a police officer stood, the doors open behind him. Why was he in here? Had he seen them go in? Had Ade's antics attracted his attention? Whatever the reason, he was here, and she was reminded that both she and Gray were on their radar. He'd avoided them so far by being seen with Ares, and previously being a bit wild with his hair.

To the gardevoir's dread, a howl came from the back of the store, like a ghostly call. Atena darted down, trying to crawl onto all fours, only to find her new pair of jeans were too tight, and limited her mobility. Maybe she'd need something more flexible.

"H-Hello!?" the officer called again, his voice shaking. Ade's howl had evidently spooked him as he shined a flashlight over the racks of clothes. "Who's there!?"

Atena found a good spot, off to the man's right, before she raised her arm. The air seemed to shimmer for a moment between the two of them, before the officer's eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he collapsed, Hypnosis knocking him out.

A second later, the greavard bounded out toward them happily, and proceeded to start licking the unconscious cop's face, slathering it in slobber.

Atena whistled to get his attention, ready to leave, before something caught her eye. She turned to the right, looking over some kind of white, silky, threaded poncho. It was very cute. And very irresistible. She pulled it off, left the money on the counter, and teleported herself and Ade a safe distance away in a nearby alleyway, nearly on top of a wrinkled bearded man, who grunted in annoyance at their intrusion, before he huddled his moth-eaten blanket around him tighter.

After getting Ade to stop licking the homeless guy's face, Atena led the pup back to the street and quickly to the hotel, slipping her new poncho on. She'd been right. It was adorable.

Satisfied with this, the gardevoir brought the greavard back up to the room, and opened the door to find Ares standing at attention directly in front of them, his arms crossed as he stared back at her.

[Do you think Gray will like it?] She asked, almost breathlessly as she stuck a leg out from under her dress, showing off her jeans, before she pulled on the poncho to show it off as well.

The blaziken simply stared back, before he stepped to the side to let them in. Runa was still on the bed, and was annoyed when she was greeted with wet kisses from Ade. The bathroom door was shut, and the shower seemed to be running. Atena was struck suddenly with a very lewd thought, and bit her lip, closing the door behind her, before she glanced at Ares.

He shook his head, seemingly knowing where her mind had gone.

[Oh come on, you were so supportive of it before.]

[Of resolve,] Ares replied coolly. [Sexual relations is a bit far.]

That kind of stung. Atena frowned back at the blaziken. [So what would your ideal solution be?]

[Return things to normal, but without the constant "will-they-won't-they" baggage. You two should know better than this. A kiss you can hide. Not much else.] Ares stated, before he turned and walked toward his corner of the room.

Atena watched him go, before she turned away, feeling somewhat dejected. A part of her agreed with her companion, she'd always known poképhilia was quite illegal, but her fantasies had always been in her mind. It was difficult adjusting to the fact that, at least two of her fantasies, had become reality already. That she and Gray had finally consummated. Then her thoughts reflected back on last night, what her trainer had said to her. How he feared he'd lose the chance to be with her. The conversation with Lex from months ago flashed through her mind.

She agreed. Ares wasn't as quite in-the-loop as she and Grayson were. He just didn't understand their motives and reasoning behind this, it was more complex than "lust."

Atena did, however, decide to appease Ares by not visiting Gray in the shower, despite the fact that she really wanted to. When he finally came out, she immediately noticed he'd combed his hair—a rare thing for him to do. In fact, he'd even applied some cologne over his deodorant. She was struck with the thought that he might have been doing that for her. In plenty of her romance novels, she'd read how men would improve themselves when trying to impress, or engage in a relationship, with a girl. She found this behavior to be romantic.

Their eyes locked when he stepped out, and she could see his face run a shade darker. She could feel her own face heating up. Atena didn't need to establish a link to know they were thinking exactly the same thing: last night. She parted her dress, letting one of her legs rise up from it to show off her pants, and only now did Gray notice what she was wearing.

Sensing that he wanted to establish a link, Atena opened a telepathic pathway, watching his shoulders tense then relax.

[Do you like them?] She asked.

[I... dunno,] he replied. Well... at least he was honest. [I'm trying to adjust to it, it's so weird seeing you wearing pants. Do you even need them, with your dress?]

[I've been thinking of cutting it, actually,] the gardevoir claimed. Gray blinked in surprise.

[Seriously? Will it grow back?]

[In time. I just... want to... try something different, I guess.]

[I'm not complaining, do what you want. Where'd you even get those pants? And is that a poncho?]

[Cute, isn't it? I bought them from Fashionista Joey's.]

[You used my money, didn't you.]

[I did.]

He shook his head with a slight chuckle at her response. [Ask me next time. We're short on Pokédollars as it stands. And... well... you look good in that.]

She approached her trainer, unable to contain her smile as she brought up a hand to his hair, running her fingers through. [I'll do that, and thank you.] She leaned in to him, feeling his hands grasp at her waist, her other arm draping around his neck. Was this what a romantic relationship felt like off the pages of a novel? Somehow, it was better than she'd dreamed of. She felt his lips against hers, and melted into her man, eagerly pressing her tongue against his lips, prying it through to enter his mouth. She'd thought it would feel more awkward and strange, but upon performing an act she'd read in her novels countless times, it felt all too natural.

Sadly, it ended too quickly. Gray pulled his face back before they'd even really begun, though she could feel his reluctance at ending it. [Not... not right now.] His eyes glanced at the Ares, then Runa.

She preferred privacy, too. She just got caught up with the opportunity. Atena gave him a nod, before she leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the lips. [Then I'll settle for what I can get right now.] She let her arms slide off of his shoulders, their gaze lingering for a few moments, before he was the first to look away. She could feel his conflicted awkwardness. He wasn't having second thoughts, was he?

Atena mentally shook herself. She didn't need possessive thoughts to invade her mind at the moment. It was fair of him to have second thoughts, they were in dangerous and uncharted territory. Perhaps it would be better to try and take things a little more slowly. They'd practically already consummated their relationship now, anyway, right? Was he more than her trainer? More than her best friend?

Grayson began to rummage through his bag. Atena glanced toward Ares, who was staring back with a blank stare. He didn't approve of the approach she was taking. [Are we ready to take on Clair?] She asked her trainer.

[As ready as we can be.]

[After we beat her, what then?] Atena asked.

[We leave Blackthorn as soon as we can, get somewhere isolated and quiet, ride out whatever storm Lex brought on us.]

Atena pursed her lips, before she sat on the edge of the bed, feeling one of her legs get itchy beneath her jeans. [Don't you think we should check on him? What if something happened?]

[I... I don't know...] Gray seemed distracted. [To me, it seems like he's already in police custody, or worse. I'd rather we stay as clear of it as we can.]

[What if it was one of us in his place? Ares? Me?]

[But it's not. Lex can take care of himself. I just... can we drop this?]

Atena frowned. [No. We can't. What's wrong?]

Grayson audibly sighed, and stopped shuffling aimlessly in his bag, sitting down on the ground, leaning against the bed. [What if we help him, and we're taken into custody?] He asked. [What if Lex was right, and we're all separated. What if the choice between helping Lex, or not, determined whether we stay together, or not?]

Atena dropped her gaze to the floor, soaking it in. His fears were valid, she shared them too. Was it worth it, abandoning others to preserve what they already had? Was that selfish? The gardevoir got up from the bed, and joined the human on the floor, gesturing for Ares to join them, connecting a link with him as well.

[No matter what happens, we'll always be together,] she assured her trainer as the blaziken hesitantly took a seat on the other side of Gray, unsure what was happening. Atena reached inside of the bag and pulled out the Pokédex, flipping it open and activating the camera.

She held it out in front of them, and took a picture.

[We don't have enough of these,] she told Gray. [And if something ever did happen... we'd have the memories, and this.]

The picture appeared on the screen a moment later, showing Atena leaned up against Gray, who was in the process of trying to smile when he'd realized a picture was being taken, leaving him with a goofy half-grin compared to the gardevoir's wide smile. Ares looked like Ares, and Runa was in the back, peering into frame from atop the bed. A blur in the back signified Ade, bounding about and on the bed.

Grayson smirked at it, before he accepted the dex back from Atena, and gave a nod. [So what do you think we should do?] He asked.

[We see if we can help Lex,] Atena replied. [He's our friend. We can't just leave him to whatever trouble he's in, especially if it involves us. Maybe they're just looking for him, and we could help an investigation. Maybe Lex was wrong about all that "new world order" talk.]

Her words seemed to settle well on Gray, who closed his eyes, and gave a nod.

[Alright. We'll head to the station first thing, then. Then we'll fight Clair.]

Once it was settled, they set out gathering what they could, and tidying up the room to look like a greavard hadn't thrashed it. Once that was all said and done, they returned the key to the front desk, before they headed out, making their way to the police station, the sun barely beginning to peer through the tips of the mountains.

Unlike last night, the police didn't seem as active this morning. They encountered none by the time they reached the BPD. Atena noticed that the old woman at the reception desk had been watching them through the windows of the doors, up until they stopped in front of her. She was smoking a cigarette.

"I'm Grayson Oak," the trainer greeted the woman, who raised a brow at him. When she said nothing, he cleared his throat and continued. "Um... I think you guys were looking for me?"

The woman blinked slowly, before she leaned into a microphone, pressing down the intercom button. Her voice sounded like sandpaper. "Chief? Grayson Oak is here to see you about the Wilson situation. Chief? Grayson Oak is here to see you about the Wilson situation. Chief? Grayson-"

"YES, I HEARD!" A door to the left opened quickly up, a balding man stepping out, a thin mustache on his upper lip. He seemed like military more than police. "Please, Miss Fisher, you only need to say it once. Please."

The receptionist, Ms. Fisher, just rolled her eyes before she took a puff of the cigarette.

The chief approached them, deftly taking the cigarette from the receptionist and flicking the ashy end off into her full ashtray, before he tossed the butt into the trash, and finally addressed Grayson. "You're a difficult man to find, Grayson."

Atena glanced toward her trainer, and noticed he seemed nervous as he replied with; "Yeah, good to see you too, Striker."

She hadn't been expecting the familiarity. They seemed to know each other. The gardevoir shared a glance of confusion with Ares, before "Striker" looked at each of them, then back to Gray.

"You haven't changed."

"Had no reason to," Gray replied. "Why'd you need me? What's going on with Lex?"

Striker grimaced, before he nodded to the door he'd emerged from. "We'll speak in my office. Don't bother us while we're in there, Miss Fisher."