Several hours passed.
Flareon Light passed out. Pain lashed out at him in his sleep, but Ariel's power shielded his mind from it. He didn't fight to break the wall, knowing what waited on the other side for him. His peaceful, relaxing stupor spared him the worst of it.
Gentle rain hit the roof of whatever building he ended up in. His eyes opened to a closed window drizzled in raindrops with brown drapes covered in prisms and artistic wave patterns. He laid on his side on top of soft, white covers and stared out. He shifted to straighten out his back. Out of a gray sky, trails of raindrops flung themselves at the window.
A familiar weight shifted with him. As expected, Sky Shaymin Ariel's arm crossed over in front of him. She stirred awake.
"Light?" she asked. "Hey. You feeling okay?"
"Feel like my insides got yanked and pulled on like strings," he said.
"Well… That's accurate."
"What even happened?"
"Sacred Treasures kind of gnaw away at your body's chi, including the chi to keep your heart beating and breathing. I had to re-route it back."
"Are the others okay?"
"They're fine," she said, tightening her grip. "I mean, some of them will have scars, but they're not in any pain. I talked to all of them since I knew you'd ask. They're okay. I mean it."
"Right…"
"Think you'd be okay to talk to that Butterfree?"
"Did he want to?" Light asked.
"He told me to bring you down when you woke up for a short talk. He… really is the president of the WPO, so I, uh… have to listen."
Light frowned. He shoved himself up to his feet. His paws stung. He flinched and rolled back on his side.
"It's okay," Ariel whispered. "I'll carry you."
Ariel lifted him up on her back with ease. She floated off the bed onto a carpet, walked past cream walls, and opened a dark brown door that led out of the room.
In the hallway, exotic fish tanks lined pitch-black walls. Octopus, squids, and fish he didn't know the names of floated inside. He tugged on Ariel's back to stop and look at one. The fish inside had small eyes and jagged teeth.
"Is that a piranha?" Light asked.
"Yeah," Ariel said. "We're in a hotel that doubles as an aquarium. Apparently, they're pretty famous."
"But wouldn't I have gone to the hospital?"
"You did, for a little bit. Doctors couldn't really do much other than advise that you rest up for a few days. Just let me know if you're in any pain, okay?"
"You don't have to-"
"I do. There's no reason for you to go through pain when I'm around."
"Let me grow from it," he said. "If I'm never in pain, I'll never grow to be able to handle it."
Light's head rumbled. For a moment, he knew Ariel's anger lashed out.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Ariel groaned. "Every time I try to do something nice for people, they always insist on denying me. It's annoying."
"I'm not in any pain right now."
"Yeah, yeah…"
Ariel turned a tight corner. The hallway opened up to a wider, open room. She walked across wood panels over clear water with colorful fish swimming about underneath. At the end of it, a maze of wood tables sat underneath a huge fish tank. Lights from inside the tank tinged the whole room in a light blue. Up above, chandeliers showered down more light.
At one of the tables, Butterfree Marciel waited for them across from a single, larger velvet cushion. Sky Shaymin Ariel walked over and set Flareon Light down first. He couldn't find his balance, and ended up leaning on Ariel's shoulder as she sat next to him. If it weren't for Marciel staring, he would've closed his eyes and gone back to sleep.
"I'll keep it as brief as I can," Marciel said. "I'd like to apologize for misunderstanding you, White Star. I didn't realize right away what happened. You acted heroically. Unfortunately, given what happened, I have to insist that your journey to fight against Reshiram ends here."
Light's heart jumped. "Why?" he asked.
"Your amount of powers, as described by Rayquaza before it fell, are outside of the scope of any currently known class of Scion. The Acuitan blessing, the Wilderbeast gene, and Candor all being combined isn't natural. And what's worse, Reshiram's body acting by itself is downright wrong..."
"But I… I have to."
"I find it suspicious. Not you, to be clear, but all of the circumstances around you. You're either being led into a trap, or are a cog in one. The WPO will offer you enough compensation to last lifetimes, for each member of your Guild, but it has to end. Someone's trying to use you. I'll steal their thunder and take the rest from here."
Light released a quaking, warm breath.
"I refuse," he said. "Well, I refuse to do nothing. I want to help."
Marciel lowered his head to the table. "You already did so much. No one died yesterday because of you."
"And I want to keep it that way."
"I used to share your opinion," Ariel spoke up. "But Light's capable, smart, and has the most impact in battle since it always targets him. We'll have a better understanding of our enemy observing the trap they set that we know about instead of avoiding it and getting hit by the next one."
Marciel nodded. He gazed down at the table for a moment.
"True," he said. "I heard about this 'Hannah' from Luke, that she became a Scion to Lugia when it was acting very similar to Glass Reshiram. More than anything right now, we want to understand why this happened, and why so many Scions are appearing in the first place."
"If I may."
Light's lips moved on their own, in an alien way.
"I have an idea," he continued. "The key to all of this is locked in Reshiram's memories. If I use Candor, I could return to it and establish a link. It would allow for a kind of memory transfer so we can reclaim its knowledge of what happened. But I'm the only one who can do this. If you destroy it without me, you won't learn anything about this second presence. Both Lugia and Rayquaza's bodies, and valuable memories, disappeared along with their bodies. This is an opportunity, but only with me."
Light pushed his lips together once it stopped. Ariel and Marciel stared at him.
"I'm a bit useful."
"I will consider it again, seriously," Marciel said. "I'll have a decision before you're done healing, Light. In the meantime, I have news from Charlotte."
"My aunt?" Light asked. "Why isn't she here?"
"She's been working so hard, I heard she passed out. But before, she made a discovery and capitalized on it. Remember how you all couldn't melt or change the shape of Reshiram's glass?"
"She found a way?"
"She did. As it turns out, your body's own energy resonates with the material and allows it to mold easily. She designed a device that would produce energy to match your own and mold all of the collected glass into suitable weapons and protectors. The most she'll need from you is a blood sample."
"That's… that's amazing." Light smiled.
"To be expected from a world class inventor. I see you're weary, so I won't bother you any longer. It's thanks to you that I'm able to deliver this good news. I hope to work together with you from now on to bring more. I won't be far."
"Right. Thank you."
"Thank you."
Marciel flew out of the room as quiet and elegantly as a butterfly could.
"He's probably one of the strongest pokemon in the world, isn't he?" Light asked. "Politically, and literally."
"Yeah. You're probably right."
Light returned his attention to Ariel. Looking up at her face, he noticed dark circles under her eyes.
"Can I be honest?" he asked quietly.
Ariel smirked. "Oh boy, here you go again. Yeah?"
"I have a bad habit, at least, I think I do, of taking advantage of people without realizing it. And when I see you and everyone else working so hard, I get worried. That's the real reason I don't want you just 'handling' all my pain. Especially you, since…"
"Since what?"
"I know you didn't have an easy home life."
"I get it. But don't worry. You aren't the reason I decided to be with the Wayfarers. I'm just like you. I want to be an explorer."
Tears burst out of Light's eyes. He closed them and smothered his face against her arm. Ariel turned, wrapped her other arm around his head, and lowered her face.
"Hey?" Ariel asked. "Light? What's wrong?"
"When Marciel said it was over, I was so relieved," he sobbed. "When everyone… on the beach. Right then, I regretted everything. I'm not like you. I want to go home. But now I can't."
Ariel rested her head on his. "You've let this nonsensical guilt drive you so far, haven't you? What happened on the beach was a fluke, because I'm going to be even faster and stronger next time. You won't have to see anything like that again. I promise."
"I don't want to manipulate you."
"And all because I want to."
With his tears wiped, Light's muscles relaxed. He released a heavy sigh. A small sting in his back stopped him from falling asleep.
"Airy?" Light asked.
"Yeah?" she asked.
"My back hurts. Could you help?"
"I'd be glad to."
Ariel smooched his cheek. Light's eyes shut. She wrapped her arm around his mane and kept him steady.
In truth, Ariel did want his help for dealing with some of the potential recruits that would be walking in here any minute, but she could handle it. After all this time, she had a good idea of what kind to look for. Anyone that wouldn't obey Light's directions could throw him and everyone else off and get them all killed. She'd pick those strong enough and who could follow plans. From what she knew, Abujan culture had a small obsession with fame and glory. That wouldn't do.
A winding carpet with bubbly, ocean patterns led to glass double doors outside. A Pyukumuku hopped down towards the table. Ariel recognized him; the screaming idiot who somehow survived being shot with Draco Meteor at point blank. She'd have to analyze a little more thoroughly.
"Hello?" Pyumuku said quietly. "Is he asleep?"
"Yes," Ariel said. "Please. Come in."
Under her influence, sleeping beauty wouldn't wake up for a few hours unless an earthquake hit. As Pyukumuku hopped on the cushion across from them where Marciel sat earlier, she decided to raise her voice for him to get the impression Light was just a heavy sleeper. He appeared to be a teenager, so he probably wouldn't suspect a thing.
"So," she said, "your name is Kaleb, correct?"
"Yes," he answered.
"Well Kaleb, I saw your performance myself yesterday. By now, I think everyone saw you. So since you have that glory you wanted, why do you want to join the Wayfarers?"
"For me, it's not about the fame. Glory is all in my own heart, and I wouldn't have earned any if I didn't continue to do the right thing."
Passable, for now.
"Alright," said Ariel. "So, what are your strengths?"
"I'm a fucking god, and I never die."
He gave a questionable answer, at best. Though, considering what happened, she couldn't deny the backup to his mouth.
"Weaknesses?" she asked.
"I guarantee they won't matter," said Kaleb. "I'll add my strengths and only my strengths to the teamwork. I won't hold anyone back."
Ariel found herself nodding. He mentioned having a role where he adds to the team. She already knew his strength, so that meant he checked out everything he needed to.
"Alright," Ariel smiled. "We'll take you under consideration. Thank you."
Kaleb blinked. "Oh, that's it?"
"Yes, for now. We'll contact you again soon, though. Thank you, Kaleb."
"Thank you, Guildmaster! Is it okay if I call you Guildmaster? You're both… right?"
Ariel nodded. "Yes."
"Alright. Thanks again."
Pyukumuku Kaleb hopped out of the cushion and to the hallway. The hotel hosted a lot of potential recruits and competitors from the arena for them. Ariel imagined the publicity would pay for itself for years to come.
After a few minutes, a Krookodile opened the glass doors and poked his head in.
"Come in!" Ariel called.
Krookodile continued to walk inside. The table rumbled with every footstep he took. Ariel almost worried Light would wake up. His tail flinched, but he didn't by the time Krookodile sat down.
"Hi," he greeted. "My name's Ibo. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"You as well," said Ariel. She meant it, too. Kaleb had no manners, albeit this Krookodile looked older, somewhere in his forties, so he had the advantage for those.
"How is he?" Ibo asked.
Ariel glanced down at Light's peaceful sleeping face. "He's fine. He was going to speak with you, but, as you can see, he has some recovery to do. You'll have plenty of opportunities to speak with him."
"Good to hear." Ibo's eyes fell on the table. "I messed up. I didn't pay attention when he told us to watch out, and he had to swing Courtain to save our lives back there. I need to pay him back, and just saying 'thanks' isn't enough for me. I want to join the Wayfarers and help put a stop to this."
Ariel had watched the footage from Light's camera, which had most of the encounter recorded. It had already been uploaded to the internet, and gone viral. She knew how this Krookodile launched an attack even Reshiram reeled back from. He had this in the bag.
"You're more than welcome," she said. "Even though that happened, you still helped Light out when he got stuck with few options. Since Light got there helping me, you really helped me out, too. I'd like to thank you for both of us."
Ibo smiled. "Thank you for having me. I'll get out of your hair."
Krookodile Ibo stood up and walked down the hallway, more quietly than last time.
"So, that's it for today."
Ariel glanced over towards the door. Her eyes fluttered around until they landed on Sky Shaymin Mei. She flew through the air and landed on the cushion across from her.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"There aren't any more people who want to join," Mei said. "The bounty may have doubled to unimaginable portions, but even the competitors in the arena were scared off."
Ariel didn't expect there to be that many in the first place, but only two even offering made her stomach drop.
People were scared.
"Why didn't you try and talk Light out of it?" Mei asked. "I was watching from up above." She gestured towards a ramp leading up to a balcony with multiple doors on the second floor. "Didn't you hear him say he doesn't want to do this anymore? Aren't you the one manipulating him to keep going when he doesn't want to?"
"I'll get stronger," she said. "I'll get so strong, it won't even be a problem."
"Your solution to everything…" Mei sighed. "Why do you always throw yourself at problems like that?"
Ariel rotated her neck and frowned. "Alright, Mei. What would you suggest?"
"I don't have another suggestion for this situation. I mean when you went years without really talking to me and just… threw yourself into training."
"Well, you were pretending to be my mom all the time, and it got on my nerves. Guess I needed a lot of stress relief."
Mei blew air out her nose and turned her face away to the side. "What do you plan to do when this is over?"
"Not whatever you feel like having me do," Ariel said. "I'll decide based on what I feel like."
"Well, if I can be honest with you… You know why I pressured you into it, right?" Mei met Ariel's gaze. "You'd be a much better Empress than me."
"I think you're wrong. You just don't believe in yourself to do it, so you're pushing it on me. You want to be Empress, don't you?"
"Maybe." Mei glanced away.
"Then why don't you just make it official? Just because you're Empress doesn't mean I won't be here as backup."
"I'll think about it." Mei paused for a moment. Her eyes shifted to the second floor. "You know, there's a restaurant up there."
"Really?" Ariel asked.
"Yes. Want to see?"
"Excuse me!"
A woman's voice stopped Sky Shaymin Ariel and Mei from standing up. The front glass door had been pushed half open.
"Is this where tryouts are for the Wayfarer Guild?" she asked.
"Yes! Come in!" Ariel called.
Her spirits lifted. There could be a few more after all.
"I-is the White Star inside?"
"Yes. Come in!" Ariel repeated.
A Diancie pushed through the door. Her gemstone eyes shone when they laid on Light. Ariel recognized her from the other day. She saved his life, and just as notably, used a Sacred Treasure to do it.
"Hello," Ariel's voice lowered. "Light's asleep right now."
Diancie leaned her head around Ariel. She moved her arms so she could see. Powerful, deep relief washed over her face.
"Your name is Jasmine, right?" Ariel asked.
"Yah," Diancie said. "Sorry, we didn't get acquainted earlier."
She noticed her Valorian accent. Based on everything, she could've known Light back in Valor. Sky Shaymin Mei stayed quiet for some reason.
"We were lucky you were there," Ariel said, smiling.
"I wouldn't exactly say that," Jasmine said. She walked to the edge of the table. "Sacred Treasure Svalin lurched out and guided me there. I've never felt anything like it. Apparently, the same is true for Marciel and Gungnir."
"Courtain acted strangely as well. It has me suspicious."
"Me too. I won't cut into your time too much, but I really wanted to thank you for what you did on the beach… Both beaches. I couldn't tell you how horrified I was watching him. He doesn't hold himself in high regard, so I've always known he'd be the first to sacrifice himself if something happened. I hope I can help keep him safe, from now on."
"Of course," Ariel said. "If I may ask, how'd you come to know him?"
Jasmine glanced down at the table, and away from Ariel's eyes for the first time. "Well, as a mythical class species, you understand how expectations are, right?"
Ariel nodded. "Yeah."
"Well, my parents were poor, and thought they gave birth to a gold mine. As their hopes dwindled, they… Uh."
"Sold you?" Mei asked.
Ariel's blood ran ice cold. She fell at a loss for words. She couldn't imagine. She swallowed down an erupting fireball in her chest.
"Light managed to keep me sane," Jasmine said. "And in the end, he was able to rescue me so I could go anywhere. I went on to form a Guild of my own, but before I could come back to him, it happened." She smiled. "He was a hero long before anyone called him 'White Star'."
"So what do you plan to do?" Mei continued. "If you have a Guild of your own, won't that get in the way of helping?"
"We're very small, and would like to help however we can. I want to travel with you all until we've won."
"Sounds good to me. Ariel?"
"Uh, yes…" she said. "Of course. We'd be lucky to have you."
"You seem tired," Jasmine said as she smiled and tilted her head. "I'll let you both rest. We can talk about this when everyone's present."
"Yes, good. See you then."
"See you."
Diancie Jasmine walked away. Sky Shaymin Ariel huffed and let her shoulders slump. Mei watched until Jasmine left earshot.
"You often forget that, don't you?" Mei asked.
"Yeah," she admitted.
"It's a sign of progress. You're too dull to see it, but you're changing everyone's perceptions of us. So just keep doing what you do best with problems and bulldoze it."
Mei tapped her fingers on the table and stood up. Ariel stared down as she walked away.
This time, Flareon Light woke up with warm tingles spread across his body. The tapping of rain on the roof continued to lull him. Feeling a slight chill, he grabbed onto a weight over his shoulders and nuzzled his face against it. Sky Shaymin Ariel woke up. Light shifted and rolled around on top of white covers to face her.
Ariel's other arm curved under Light's side. His face fell on her paw. Her eyes sparkled with new energy built up from a long rest.
"Hi," said Ariel.
"Hi," Light said, smiling.
"You look like you're feeling better… A lot better."
"Yah. Thanks to you."
A random outburst of confidence possessed him to rotate her paw and rub his cheek against the back of it. He held it with his own paws and smooched it. It quaked. Ariel murmured something incomprehensible. He hugged her arm and sighed.
"You were really heroic back there," Light whispered.
"R-really?" she asked.
"Yah."
"T-thanks. You're… acting weird."
"Weird?" he asked.
"Not used to you being so… forward. But I think I like that."
Ariel's cocky smile came back. She stroked her paw across his cheek.
"You feeling better?" she asked. "About everything?"
"Yah," he said.
"Good. You want to go get some food, cutiepie?"
"Yah."
Ariel stood up, picked up Light, and walked back out in the hallway again. His limbs ached, and he couldn't grip anything with his paws. What happened all but destroyed his sense of time. He only knew he had a pit in his stomach. She walked back to the front lobby and up a ramp to the second floor.
Before he knew it, the hallway opened up to a restaurant. The floor stole Light's attention right from under him.
The restaurant sat on top of the same massive fish tank they had a side view of in the lobby. Underneath the glass floor a miniature ocean ecosystem bustled around. They must not have had any predators to keep them all in there. Even more fish tanks held pufferfish, lobster, and other fish he didn't recognize. A larger one on the wall held a whole shark in it.
"We can pick our own seats," Ariel said. "We're special guests. Where do you want to sit?"
"Over by there," Light raised his paw and pointed.
"Got it, cutiepie."
Light rubbed his cheek against the back of Ariel's head. She purred as she walked over. He chose a small table in front of another fish tank decorated with coral at the bottom. From what he could tell, sushi floated about inside.
Sky Shaymin Ariel set Flareon Light down on a cushion and turned to walk to the other side. Light leaned and snagged her paw. She turned back and smirked.
"So clingy," she chirped. She snaked down next to him, sat on the cushion, and wrapped her arms around his gray mane. His tail flipped around from her scratching his neck. "We got a surprise for you."
"We?" he asked.
Ariel guided Light to look out at the lobby. His heart leapt.
A tiny mob of pokemon walked in his direction, led by Slowking Chad. Their cacophony of footsteps pushed the fish under them away. He scanned over every single thick, white bandage spread across his Guild. Through it all, most of them smiled brightly.
The Wayfarers stopped in a wide semi-circle around the table. Light shrunk under Ariel's arms.
"Light," Chad said, "if it weren't for you choosing to swing Courtain when you did, and for that warning, most of us wouldn't be here right now. We wanted to thank you, together. Especially…"
"Especially me."
A dry voice croaked from behind the circle. Chad glanced behind himself and stood off to the side.
Emolga Alisha stepped forward. White bandages covered the entire right half of her head. Based on the shape, some of her ear got lobbed off. By the look of it, so did her eye. He cringed wondering what she could say; what there was to say.
"I hesitated," Alisha said, "thought you were being scared when we had an opportunity to win. I lost this eye all on my own. I snuck out, so I should head back to the hospital. Unfortunately, I won't be able to follow where you go next, and Roxanne insisted on staying with me. I wanted to let you know that you were a great Guildmaster in person, and since you guys probably could leave in a blink, I had to come."
Light re-routed every course of action he chose with Alisha. If he knew she would've pushed forward too hard, he would've positioned her differently.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"Course you'd say that," she spat. "Still immature. Keep tabs on him, okay?" Alisha pointed at Ariel. "Especially you 'White Knight'. I won't be around to talk some sense or realism into him, so you better pick up the slack."
"Yeah," Ariel said. "I think we got it covered."
"I'll walk you back," Chad offered Alisha.
"Sure," she said. "So, see you all later, I guess. I want to see you guys again, once I'm stronger, and not on pain meds. I may have just lost an eye and an ear, but, I actually did have fun. And, uh, bless your hearts."
Alisha scratched the back of her head and turned around. Chad followed behind her. Light watched her back as she left. She intimidated him out of talking to her a lot before. He regretted it now, too late. She meant well all along, and he didn't understand that. But, she told him not to apologize, maybe since being young wasn't his fault.
"Just saying 'thanks' isn't really much, though," Meowstic Markus said. Light noticed he had a thin white bandage going over his eye, which was still intact. "So, we're pigging out instead. And updating each other with a small Guild meeting about how we nearly all died."
"Hey, Guildmaster?"
Galarian Ponyta Nadia raised her voice. Light called her forward with eye contact. She and Mienfoo Robin were spared getting hit by any glass, and thus, bandages, since he ordered them to run and warn the city,
"Hey," Light said.
"Hey. I wanted to show you something I've been working on. For Guild badges."
A small rustling drew his attention to the table. On top, a white star with a gray outline sat in front of his face. Sky Shaymin Ariel reached out her paw and dragged it to the table's edge for him to touch. It buckled under it, as if made out of…
"I made it out of all that fur we keep having to cut off," said Nadia. "I figured since edges are used to identify which Guild you belong to, it would be best to make it really recognizable like this since you're our symbol."
"I like it," Ariel said. "Nice job, Nadia."
"Thanks... "
"Is everyone done crowding around?" Sky Shaymin Mei's voice rose up.
Light had to look around for her. She floated down next to the table. "Well?" she asked. "We can have all this formality later. Go pick tables and eat."
"Mei, Nadia, Robin, sit with us," Ariel offered.
Mienfoo Robin and Galarian Ponyta Nadia glanced at each other. Mei paused, and nodded. Robin and Nadia pulled out cushions from a nearby table while Mei took the one opposite of Light and Ariel.
As the Wayfarers spread out the room and Nadia and Robin sat down, Flareon Light picked up Ariel's huge paw again and kissed it. He hugged and nuzzled it against his cheek.
"Did Jewel learn how to use Heart Swap or something?" Mei asked.
Manaphy Jewel raced to Mei's side. Mei gasped and jumped in her seat.
"Nope," she said.
She darted away. Mei sighed.
"Aw," Nadia smiled. "So much cuter without the shell."
"She grows on you," said Robin.
Ariel shifted behind Light. With her free paw, she scratched the top of his head. He purred and leaned up into it.
"Who's vanilla now, Mei?" Ariel asked.
"He's literally just a puppy," she said, flat-faced. "I could've gotten you one of those years ago."
"A puppy wouldn't have been as fluffy or beautiful as my little snookums…"
"Writing in your diary any?" Robin asked.
"Yeah," said Ariel. "Everyday. Well, almost. They didn't get my treasure chest to my room yet, so I didn't write in it yet today."
"That reminds me," Mei said, "we'll be needing funds soon."
"What'd you do?" she asked tiredly.
Mei glared. "Nothing, Ariel. Charlotte's machine is completely new and has dozens of parts that need to be bought and imported. It's expensive, and I don't want us to have less than a huge wad of money in case of emergencies."
"What's Charlotte's machine?" asked Robin.
"It's a machine to use Light's chi to make glass weapons for us, which is important considering almost everyone in this room got shanked."
"Wow… She was really able to make something like that?"
"To design," Mei corrected. "Building will take longer, so we need money schemes. And considering the state of everyone else, it's up to us. The WPO promised us a good share of the bounty from here on out, but it won't be handed out until Reshiram's defeated."
"Does anyone have… rrrrrrrgh..." Light stopped and purred as Ariel scratched his head. He strained his voice to talk through it. "Does anyone have any ideas?"
"I'll compete in the arena," said Ariel. "We can advertise that I'll be there and make a big tourney pot, then I'll kick ass and take it home."
"Anyone have an idea if the bulldozer gets embarrassed on the world stage?" Mei asked.
"We could go out on the street and have a fundraising event," said Robin.
"Talk to Abujan leaders and see if they can lend us a hand for ensuring this city is still standing up straight?" Nadia suggested.
"Much more sensible," Mei said. "But how should we use your posterboy?"
"Advertisements," Ariel said. "Videos, posters, fliers. Let's put this cute little angel cake face to good use."
Ariel leaned down and kissed Light's cheek. He trembled.
"Dammit, that's annoying now," Mei huffed. "Light, how much do you know about… I don't know what to call it. Marketing? Modeling?"
"Modeling?" Light looked up. His voice squeaked.
"I'll…" Mei's face contorted in confusion. "Okay. I'll just call for models to come help on social media. With the advertising they'll get from you, I'm sure they'll come help."
"I like this plan," he said quietly and smiled.
"Yes." Mei turned to Robin and Nadia. "Really counting on you two."
"Mei," Ariel said, "you know he's adorable. Admit it."
"Even if he was, you don't have to fangirl over him every single second."
Ariel didn't reply. She alternated between kissing Light's cheek and nibbling the edge of his ear. She seemed to like his ears a lot lately, and kept fiddling with them. He had no clue why.
Twenty minutes after ordering (Light let Ariel pick for him), a waiter Chatot set down a small, glass cup on the table filled with red liquid. Before Flareon Light could raise his head to inspect it, Sky Shaymin Ariel covered his eyes.
"Mei," Ariel said. "What is that?"
"It's a snake's heart," Mei answered. "See? It's still beating."
"That's… disgusting," said Robin. "Why?"
"They kill it on site. Have you ever seen such beautiful brutality…? Ah hah..." she sighed wistfully.
"You're not going to…" Ariel paused.
"Well, I want to eat it before it stops beating."
"Oh shit… Mei, uh, please, no?"
"I can't let this snake's sacrifice go to waste. Life is so… so precious… Hah…"
Light heard Mei pick it off the table. Ariel's arms tensed against his face. Based on the silence, he assumed she drank it. He knew food differentiated in cultures, but Mei sounded… too excited about this one. In fact, he'd never heard her close to this excited about anything. Her voice boomed like Ariel's.
"I think I'm gonna throw up…" Nadia said.
"I haven't even eaten its guts yet, so if that was too much for you, move to another table."
"Eugh. You move to another table. Are you going to eat, like, a whole snake?"
"You are what you eat, and I would love to be part cobra… And also, they say it's great for, well… 'romantic activity'."
"Mei," Ariel said, "at the rate you're moving, you'll never have to worry about that. Or anything remotely similar."
"You can't even kiss your 'boyfriend' on the lips without getting torched, so I don't really care about what you think."
Light shifted in place. Ariel brought her arm from around his eyes and scratched the top of his head again.
"My snookums is just a little nervous," she argued. "Probably doesn't help that my sister just ate a beating snake heart."
A gentle buzz invaded Light's head. He sensed the Acuitan blessing, specifically, his grandfather. Given the range, he could be anywhere in the building or just entering.
"My grandad's close," Light said.
"It's uncannily cool you can do that," Robin admitted.
"How is he? After the attack."
"Grumpy, grouchy," Mei listed off. "Scares everyone's souls into their pockets. He wasn't hurt that badly."
"That's good," he sighed. "I got scared since he was so close to everything."
"Want us to move so that he can talk to you?" Robin asked. "It wouldn't be a big deal. Seriously."
Light got a message through Mienfoo Robin's eyes. She wanted to leave so she didn't have to watch Mei eat an entire cobra, and have an excuse so she wouldn't make fun of them for it down the line. Or he could be overthinking it.
"Thanks," he answered. "Sure. If Airy's fine."
"Go ahead." Ariel nodded.
Mienfoo Robin and Galarian Ponyta Nadia stood up and walked a table away, leaving behind two cushions. Light kept a lookout and found him; a grumpy Umbreon with a small, white bandage wrapped around his arm. He waddled on his way over, worrying him. Amadeus made it to the table and sat down without a word. Even Mei buckled under the pressure.
"So," Amadeus said, "how fare you all?"
"I'm… We are well," Ariel said. She caught herself up in the middle of choosing her normal speech or eloquent persona. Light didn't know which to choose, either.
"I watched the encounter from just about every perspective it was recorded from," he continued. "And Ariel, that was pretty awful."
"Not so hot yourself," Mei said.
Light retreated back into Ariel's arms. Amadeus pushed his lips together and glared at Mei. He raised up his right, black paw, on the arm without the bandage.
It trembled in the air. He held it "still", but it shook and vibrated violently.
"And it's partially my fault," he finished, finally tearing his gaze off of Mei's pale face. "I taught you strategies that would be useful against normal species, not Reshiram specifically. I'll have to continue this for some of the basics, but after that, I'll be teaching you specific techniques that I'm not capable of anymore myself. And Light."
Light flinched back when Amadeus turned his expectant eyes on him. He found himself clenching Ariel's paw.
I'll be training you on survival and some fighting, if you're willing," Amadeus said. "You'll be a capable leader and tactician if you continue how you have been. I just don't like the idea of you having died without Jasmine coming in to save you. I'll leave you all to eat."
Amadeus sat up, nodded, and walked away. Ariel nuzzled her cheek against Light's. He realized he strangled her paw and lowered the pressure.
"I guess I see the relation," Mei said. "He's dense like Light, it's just that he's a snarky ass underneath instead of a puppy."
"You didn't have to defend me," Ariel said.
"I wasn't defending you... "
"You like me."
"No."
"So, you like me a lot?"
Mei glanced away as if it'd help her dodge the question.
"What should I wear for modeling?" Light asked.
"Thigh high socks," Ariel said quickly.
"That was a… fast and specific answer."
"If you heard how she talks about you when you're not around," Mei huffed, "you wouldn't find her half as endearing."
"That's not true!" said Ariel. "I only say good things about Light."
"You're a foulmouth pervert. I know. He knows. The entire Guild really knows since you annoy the ever living…"
"Thigh high socks are not perverted! Stop trying to twist my words to make me look bad…"
"It's okay, Airy," Light said. "I lived on the streets. I know words."
The waiter Chatot returned, this time rolling a tiny steel cart across the floor. He picked up each plate individually and set them on the table.
On Mei's plate, a rounded, brown mass of a snake's spinal cord sat in front of her face. In front of Light, two big cheeseburgers and a heap of golden fries blocked his view of it before too many details cursed his eyes.
"Snake bones," Mei said. "Lots of calcium, they say."
Light looked up when Ariel didn't say anything. Meeting her big, green eyes, he could tell something danced on the tip of her tongue that she wanted to say.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Nothing," she said.
"Don't be like that, tell me what you were thinking."
"Okay…" Ariel leaned down to Light's ear and grabbed his attention. "Eat that whole burger so we can get some more meat on those thighs."
Belts of steams rose up off Light's fur. His gray tail coiled around him and helped him transform into a ball. He was only a little underweight now.
"Told you," Mei said.
Light stuffed himself eating his entire plate. Once he found out it was nighttime, he turned in. Since he slept recently, however, he couldn't get back to it right away.
As it turned out, Ariel had been "containing herself" the entire time he knew her, and he did not know nearly as many words as he thought he did. Since she couldn't sleep either, and no one stayed up to talk to them, Flareon Light ended up locked in her arms on the only bed in the room (apparently, some of the Abujans thought they were married or engaged for some reason) on top of the thick, white covers, trying not to set them on fire. She made it difficult.
As he laid on his side with Ariel cuddling him from behind, questions formed. It seemed like overkill that so much of her focus landed on him. He liked her a ridiculous amount, but something didn't sit right. As rain continued to barrage the ceiling and kisses his cheek, he decided to ask.
"Hey, Airy?" Light asked.
"Yeah?" Ariel replied.
"Do you love Mei?"
"Yeah. Feels one-sided sometimes."
"It's not."
"Hey Light? Thanks for letting me be enough."
"Always."
A short silence passed. The growing inferno in Light's chest smoothed out into a gentle flame.
"Why do we only have one bed?" he asked.
"There are lots of special guests with us staying, so some Wayfarers volunteered to double up."
"But you said that last time, too… And this hotel is a lot bigger…"
"Okay. I lied… I told them we were married and needed a big room."
"Both times?"
Ariel smacked her lips. "Yup. Every time."
"You know if you wanted to cuddle, I would've."
"To be honest, it's because I have nightmares."
Light flipped himself around. Guilt weighed down Ariel's frown.
"Why didn't you tell anyone?" he asked.
"I mean, Mei would just make fun of me, the others might post it online…"
Ariel and her pride almost had a better relationship than her and her sister.
"How long have you been having them?"
"Ever since Mount Ài," she said. "To tell you the truth, I can't sleep unless I'm holding you. I tried. Not that I don't like holding an absolute babe."
"What are they about?" he asked quietly.
"I don't know…" she sighed. "I just wake up scared. And... shaking, and nauseous, and without you, kinda lonely..."
"I wish you told me this sooner. I could've been looking into how to help."
"I mean, you have so much you're doing already. Besides, I'm literally the front line. I can't have people know I have nightmares and stuff."
"But you can let me know. I care a lot about my, uh…" Light cleared his throat and lowered his voice. "Sexy ass beast."
"Oh, please don't let my mouth infect yours. You're too precious for that. I gotta tell ya, barely anyone here would believe you were actually in a street gang if it weren't for Jonathan being so metal."
"Why not?"
"Because you take honey baths."
"Well that seems biased."
Three minutes passed.
Ariel continued to nuzzle Light's forehead. His eyes drooped. Ariel slowly grabbed his paws and held them. With her strong, rumbling purr in his ears, he relaxed.
"Jasmine came by," Ariel said. "I talked to her, while you were sleeping."
Despite his surprise, Light's body didn't react to it.
"Is she okay?" he asked.
"Yeah. She wants to talk again soon. She told me about what you did. Makes me wonder what other heroic things you did."
"It wasn't that heroic. I was a lot colder back then. I only talked to her because…"
"Wait, hold on… Let me guess."
A dash of heat ran across Flareon Light's face. Sky Shaymin Ariel flipped him around and lowered her face to look at him. She kept her arms wrapped around his gray mane.
"Alright, I know you were a little cold when I first met you," she said. "After I learned about the Acuitan blessing, I understood of course. So, imagining you colder… Well, actually, I should focus on this 'Jasmine', huh?"
Light gulped. He looked away from her mischievous stare.
"A mythical class species. She seems pretty strong from the footage. She seems like the type you'd crush on from afar and never actually say anything to."
"You don't have to poke fun…"
"I'm not poking fun. I'm just glad you think I'm awesome."
"Okay… But why socks?"
"Cause you have cute little paws and feet."
"I don't follow."
A knock came on the door, three being exact. Light didn't recognize it. He sat up along with Ariel.
"Come in!" Ariel said.
They pulled the door open. Out of the dark hallway, Slowking Chad put one foot through the door. He looked out until his eyes landed on them.
"Chad?" Light asked. "What are you doing up?"
"Oh, good," he said. "I wanted to talk to you both."
Chad closed the door behind himself and walked over to the bedside. Light and Ariel shared a glance. His worn face showed a lack of sleep.
"This is about your partner, right?" Ariel asked. "I mean, I haven't been keeping up, since…"
"I'm sorry," Chad said, "but you're right. I have to go. All the way back to Valor."
"You're… leaving?" Light asked. "But… I mean, we've-"
"You and Ariel are partners now, right? In some respects."
"Yah…"
"Well, even after explorers quit, our partners are like family. If Ariel ended up in trouble somewhere, you'd go to her, right?"
"I… I would. I understand. It's just that you were here from the beginning. And this-like it's… sudden."
"I know. If it's any consolation," he nodded facing down. "If it's any consolation, I think I'll help us all being out there more than I did against Reshiram."
"You know, you never finished telling me about how she beat a hundred pokemon," Ariel mentioned. "I really wanted to know."
"I won't be leaving until I'm fully healed and everything's set up. I still have a day or two.I can finish tomorrow."
"I'm… gonna miss you," Light realized as he said it. "I mean, yah… Wow…"
"I'll miss you too," he smiled. "I wanted to take Jewel with me to keep her safe, but, strategically, her staying here with the likes of Markus, Amadeus, yourselves… She's a lot safer not coming. I wanted to tell you both before anyone else. I'll be going door to door telling the others."
"Thanks, Chad," Ariel said. "We'll respect your decision. And, uh, we hope when you're back with us, it's to share a big ass bounty."
Chad breathed out, jolted his head, and smiled. "Me too. But don't say your goodbyes too easily. After all, we'll have to have a rematch tomorrow, Ariel."
Ariel's face soured. Chad chuckled and turned away.
"Sleep well," he said.
Chad closed the door behind him as he walked out. Ariel flopped back on her side.
"You'll win," Light said.
"No I won't," she groaned.
"You've been practicing looking at your opponents' movements past the obvious, and you're twice as flexible as last time. You're smarter, faster, stronger… And, uh, hotter."
"You are so bad at flirty talk sometimes. Now get down here so I can get back to my me time…"
Light's next breath trembled. She had more talent for it.