'Another sleepless night. A small price to pay.' The thought rattles throughout Vulpix's mind as she watches over her trainer as he sleeps.

'You can't keep doing this.' Her conscience speaks, filling the void. 'You need to take care of yourself and sleep.'

'He needs someone, I'll be that someone. No one deserves nightmares. I can stop them. I will.' Her trainer looks peaceful in sleep, not a hint of unease.

'When you fail, I'll be here to keep you company. Sleep well, little Vixen.' The voice grows silent.

Vulpix does not respond and continues her vigilant watch.

After a few hours, her eyes grow heavy, and she unwillingly slips into slumber.

Vulpix stands in a forest. One that looks and feels wrong.

The trees are unnatural, highlighting an eerie silence.

There is nothing around her, only a man on the ground surrounded by crimson.

Nick.

He looks pale, though the poor light is not helping.

As she closes the distance, he groans and reaches out to her.

"I'm… sorry. Live well, please. Smile this- "A coughing fit interrupts. "-this happened, not that it's gone."

His arm falls as his gaze becomes unfocused.

"No…" Vulpix mutters. "No!"

She howls a scream.


Warmth, comfort, and calming relaxation.

Fresh air and a cozy friend keeping company.

'Honestly, this is a startling, yet welcoming change.'

"Well Villy," he talks as he idly strokes the fur of his companion. "as much as I love this, and we're doing this more often in the future, because this is probably the only source of decompression I have, and I essentially have years of unprocessed emotions to get through, because I can't afford a therapist to save my life… Where was I going with this?" He retraces his mental steps. "Right, right, training. That thing we should probably do."

From his lap, a sleeping Vulpix gives a quiet "Merp?" of reply.

A small smile emerges. "I know, I know, but I'd like to make at least a little bit of progress every day." He looks over towards the pond. "And if we get it done early in the morning, we can spend the rest of the day doing more lowkey things. Exploring, relaxing, researching, enjoying each others company. Go for a swim in the pond, probably not that stagnant of water from what I can see and not smell."

The sleepy vixen responds with a huff.

As he smiles, slight chuckle follows. "Yeah, I know. Not a fan of water. Still giving you a bath. You know it's going to be real awkward for you when I get a Vaporeon or a Blastoise or something. Heck if I don't end up with a menagerie of water friends. This is a dream come true. Anyways, future aspirations aside, gotta look up average physical characteristics of Vulpixes later. Vulpi? Vulpodes? Do they use Greek, Latin, or English. Hmm…" He loses himself in thought. "Or is it like Moose where the plural is itself. Surely they have books on nomenclature."

Villy grumbles.

Nick gives a quiet sigh. 'Suppose I'll have to see if Lyra or Ethan share my interest in nomenclature.' Thinking as he looks to her, "Why are you so sleepy, anyways? Didn't rest well, I take it?"

Vulpix does not respond.

With a single nod, "Alright, let's just stay here for a little while longer. Don't want you training on so little sleep."

The pair continued for an unknown amount of time, watching the clouds float by lazily as the world went about it's business.

It wasn't until a while later did a figure emerge from the lab and with a bit of searching, spot and approach the two. As the lab door closed, Vulpix' ear twitched and they started to raise their head. "Shhh, it's okay." Nick says, gently stroking the tuft of her fur. "You're safe, just rest. I'll wake you up if anything happens." With a quiet murmur, she replaces her head in his lap.

He looks towards the approaching baseball cap clad figure. 'Wonder why she's so skittish about things. Worse than a seal with separation anxiety… Or a dog, I guess."

As Ethan approaches, Nick notices the differences from a few hours earlier. Whereas before he was dressed casually, sporting jeans and a red jacket, he now has a thin pair of blue shorts with a loose white t-shirt and light blue jacket. Still has the black cap, though. 'Bet he's going on an adventure. To uh, Fushia? I think?'

Within a couple minutes, Ethan crosses the field and makes his way towards the shady tree the pair have been hiding under. "Hey you two! Sorry 'bout leaving so quickly earlier, had to tend to the big blue lizard. How's your mornings been?" His enthusiasm as present as ever.

"Not bad, mostly just been enjoying outside and letting Vulpix sleep. Didn't sleep well so we're making up for that before we do a bit of light training." Nick carefully traces the length of her spine and tail, following each one before moving onto the next. "Probably nothing intensive today, but how's she doing? Feraligator, I mean."

A brief crack appears in his demeanor. "Well, that's why I'm out here. Going to have to head up to the Pokécenter in Florando to tend to the stuff I can't. She's stable, but there's more broken bones than I'm willing to count which means, travel day! Had plans, have new plans. Which brings me to, do you want to come with?" His excitement is almost contagious as he makes his sales pitch. 'Ah, discount Florida. Not Fushia. Explains a lot with the gators.'

"No pressure, I get if you want to keep up with your plans of training but figured I'd extend the offer, least I can do. Can show you around, give you a little tour, explore more of nature, show off the Florandian delights, sights, and fights."

"Hmmm…" He lets out, pondering the offer. "How far is it? And can't imagine you've got a car in your back pocket."

With a laugh, "Hah, even with the money the lab gets, we can't afford one that would be useful out here. Nah, we'd bike. Few hours each way, though who knows how long Luce will spend at the Pokécenter. Hopefully it'd be quick and she can recover at home, but you never know with them." He produces a Pokéball and tosses it between his hands. "Worst case, I'll stay the night and sleep in one of the lobby chairs."

'Huh, like an airport lounge?' He ponders just how big a Pokécenter is, and if they're actual hospitals. "Let me consult with the fluffy one, see what she wants to do."

As he finishes speaking, Vulpix rolls over in his lap and looks up towards him. Without so much as a thought, Nick gently rubs her now exposed belly and meets her gaze. As they exchange looks, the weariness of his body makes itself apparent. Tightness, soreness, and the lingering effects of general malaise which were briefly faded by the fox's comforting presence reasserted themselves. 'Wonder how long I'll feel like this. Maybe I should swim. Light full-body aerobics.' Refocusing, he asks, "What do you say, Villy?"

The fox gives a purr as she wiggles under the gentle scratches.

Her trainer gives a small nod. "Yeah, we'd love to but both of us are in rough shape. A light walk is fine, but I don't think I could handle that long of a bike ride. At least not the return trip." With a light chuckle, "It might end up being a one-way trip for me."

Ethan holds a slight look of befuddlement. "What, can't handle a bit of exercise? Seem like the strapping sort!"

Nick shakes his head. "Nah, bruises still bad. Light activity for a bit for me."

Ethan's look shifts to full blown confusion. "Wait, they're still bad? Couple-nights rest shoulda been enough for some bruising. Doubly with the treatment." The silence lingers a moment as his eyes narrow. "Well." With a shrug. "It's not my place. Don't overexert yourself. Something both you and your Pokémon should learn and keep in mind. Last thing you need is to have your body flunk out on you when you need it most." He turns towards the lab. "I ought to head out. Lyra and Elm are still in, Meganium'll be fine. If you need anything, don't hesitate to talk to them." He looks back to the pair sitting in the lush grass.

With a slight bow from the blonde trainer, "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind."

Ethan pauses briefly, "Keep your head up, eh? And if you get a chance, check in on Lyra. It's nothing serious, don't panic, just think she'd do well with someone who's not me or Elm for company." Another shrug follows as his previous enthusiasm returns. "But hey! What do I know? Maybe a nice charcuterie board is all she needs. It's worked in the past to mend bridges after all."

"I know I'd appreciate a charcuterie board." Nick responds, taking the lighthearted exit. "Though I'm broke, so I can't procure the stuff for one. Best I can offer is a cheese single and a slice of toast."

A hearty laugh escapes Ethan as he gives the sitting trainer a small wave. "Maybe that'll do it! I'm going to hit the road though, you two stay safe and enjoy the day! We're supposed to get rain tomorrow so best get the outdoors in now."

"I'll heed your advice, have a safe journey and hopefully you're back before that rain. Travelling while wet is less than ideal." Vulpix growls at the mere mention.

"That's the plan! Onwards, Tauros! We ride!" As he shouts, he deploys a Pokéball which reveals a mountain of a bison, standing at head level and seemingly as wide as it is tall. It takes only a moment before it begins to run in the direction Ethan points and the two sprint off towards the town proper.

'Bloody hell that's a big Pokémon. If they're modelled after bison, which its almost as big as one, why's Meganium so small? Most sauropods were bloody big.' He pats his pockets, swapping hands to ensure Vulpix always receives attention. "Really gotta start carrying a notepad with me. Things I have to check into later. In any case, want to get that training done so we can enjoy the rest of the day?"

With a little wiggle, the fox gives a "Pix!" of approval. Presumably translates into 'Absolutely!'

"Perfect. So, Ember I'd rather not practice without someone else here to help in case of a fire." He looks towards the pond. "Maybe I should get that Vaporeon sooner rather than later. Would let you practice the big flames without a care. Though I wonder if they have the same aura here as they do back home. Sincerely hope not." His mind wanders. 'In terms of male human and female Pokémon... Actually, that begs the question, is that even a practice here?' With a few seconds of pondering, he shakes his head. "On second thought, let's not contemplate that. Tis a silly place."

He gently picks up Villy and places her on the ground to his side before standing up. "Right, lets take it easy and practice Quick Attack. Some light aerobics without being too taxing on the… fire… powers. Really gotta check how that works too. Tangents." He strolls into the clearing and takes in his surroundings. 'Mostly empty, suppose she could hit a tree. Practice range maybe?'

Turning back to the tree, it looks as if it had been the target of training in the past. 'Rather not, I am now fond of that tree.' Looking to other options, there are a couple possibilities. "Welp. We'll hit that one, and worst case kindly ask Meganium to fix it. Shall we, dear vixen?"

Vulpix gives a determined nod. "Perfect. Let's see what the range on Quick Attack is… And see if we can make the damage really connect. Alright, when you're ready, hit that tree with a Quick Attack!" Nick points at a relatively thin tree on the edge of the treeline.

With a few seconds of warmup and a couple side to side hops, Vulpix lunges forward. Barely touching the ground as they move, they close the hundred-meter distance in second and strike the targeted tree, bouncing off it and using the momentum to leap back to her master's side. That one leap cleared the entire distance.

As she lands, she takes a deep breath. "Woah." Nick says as he stares in awe at the tree. 'She cleared a football field twice in what, less than five seconds?'

He leans down and gives her a head scratch. "You, my little Vulpix, are a speed demon."

Vulpix pushes into his hand.

"Well," looking towards the tree once more. "What do you say we keep it up? Try to transfer more of that energy into a solid strike."

With a ruffle and another few hops, Vulpix lunges once more.


Following an hour of practice, the Quick Attack of Vulpix and the jogging from the tree and back for Nick, the pair opt to take a break by the pond. 'Not much compared to professional athletes or Pokémon, probably, but it's a starting point.' The water looks as cool as it is refreshing. 'Rome wasn't built in a day and all. This is enough.'

Nick sits with his legs in the water, tediously rolling up his pant legs before cooling off as best as one can following physical exertion. Vulpix sits near the waterline but remains a respectable distance away.

From within the pond, a Quagsire floats lazily surrounded by lily pads. In the middle, the beginnings of a beaver lodge could barely be seen above the surface. 'Bidoof lodge?' By the side, a Psyduck and the resident Totodile were playing on the water's edge.

"Honestly, this would be nice. Have a little water wildlife refuge." He reclines into the grass, letting the sounds of the water whisk him away.

'Wonder if there's any Magikarp in the water. Or if they're indeterminate growers here as well. Pretty sure they're found in both fresh and salt water. Not unheard of but still unusual for something as common as that. Maybe Pokémon are unaffected by salinity?' As his thoughts drift, broken by the occasional sounds of Pokémon around him, what pulls him back sounds like a low growl. Nick's eyes shoot open, he sits up and looks to the source only to see his Vulpix standing, hair raised and staring daggers at something.

Following her vision, a small pink creature has emerged from the pond. 'This must be Elm's Corsola. Or he has multiple.' Turning back to his Vulpix, "Hey Villy it's okay, no need to worry, just a new friend. Okay? We're all okay." Reluctantly, she sits down and wraps herself in her tails, her gaze unwavering.

Turning back to the Corsola, it has several hard pink protrusions coming out of its body with a blue, rocky look at its base. The core body only rose maybe a ruler's length, but the growths easily doubled that. On the front, two small beady eyes look back at the trainer.

"Well hello there little fella, I've not seen one of you up close before." He slowly extends a hand towards the coral Pokémon who, with some apprehension, approaches. 'It looks like a stony coral yet has the movement and reaction of a soft coral. Pokémon intelligence notwithstanding.' He gently touches one of the tips of the pink protrusion. 'That's definitely hard coral. Where are you getting your calcium from?' As he prods one of the arms, the Corsola vibrates momentarily.

With a few seconds of vibration, the pink arm falls to the ground. The coral Pokémon looks once again at the trainer. "Huh. That's new," Nick takes hold of the detached piece of coral and inspects it. 'Did they just shed a part of their coral? Like a lizard or something? It looks just like pink coral. Can't tell it's from Pokémon.' He turns it over in his hands. "Did you shed this for me?"

Corsola lights up, as well as a creature made of coral can at least, and nods. "Well thank you, I'll have to get some salt water for it." He says, looking at the details. It seems to be a fine piece of coral. 'Minimal dead areas, solid skeleton, healthy colour. Could be the start of a nice reef tank. Or maybe it'll grow into another Corsola. That'd be badass.'

Returning to the Corsola before him, "Are you alright in both fresh and salt water? Do you have a preference between the two? Could you survive in fresh water indefinitely?"

The walking coral shakes in response to the question, blinking twice at the trainer.

"Man." Nick mutters as he looks over the creature before him. "What I wouldn't give to have a conversation with you. I have so many questions. The convenience if Pokémon could talk. Though I suppose that goes for all animals." Holding the shed coral, he lies back on the grass. "Corals, hard corals surviving in fresh water and above ground, crocodilians getting to those sizes and having the mobility and endurance they do, not only able to harness the powers of their size but seemingly supernatural powers of energy manipulation. Not to mention Vulpix. What are the limits to your capabilities?" He double facepalms, covering his entire face with his hands and inadvertently cutting his cheek on the coral in the process.

"Oof. Sharp. Yeah, that's authentic alright." He sets down the coral, before returning to his aggressive facepalming. "Why must things be difficult."

As he wallows in self-pity, Vulpix saunters over and gives his hand a lick. "Nerd."

"Don't you call me a nerd, this is the first sign of difficulty I've faced that I can't get out of and I'm allowed to wallow in- wait." He uncovers his face, sits up, and looks towards the fox. "Did you just talk?"

Vulpix turns her head to the side as she returns the look. "Vul?"

After staring blankly for several seconds, "Huh. Wonder if this coral has psychoactive agents. Because I'm definitely losing it." Rubbing his forehead, he continues. "Well whatever inner voice of feminine wiles. Nerd or not, I'm allowed to wallow. I'm going to stop now, but it's not because of that comment. It's because I have a cut on my face I need to look at and make sure it's not going to get infected or anything. I have few redeeming qualities, but my face is one of them. Now come on fox I'm hallucinating can speak and walking sentient coral, we're heading inside." Without wasting a moment, he springs up and begins to walk. Vulpix easily keeps pace. Corsola, meanwhile.

Is waddling at a snail's pace.

Or hobbling.

Both are apt descriptors.

Nick makes it a few steps before turning back to ensure his entourage is keeping up. At the sad sight of the Corsola behind him, he returns and gingerly picks them up careful not to cut themselves once more. "Hot damn you're heavy. No offence, but like. I mean I guess you are essentially solid stone." Corsola wiggles slightly in his hands. "Might as well get you up here too, Villy. I'll be the bus today. Since honestly that'll the least weird thing that's happened."

With minimal finagling, Vulpix rests upon one of us shoulders. "Perfect, onwards! Medical treatment and food calls!"

The trio, two carried, make their return to the lab for the aforementioned food and medical treatment. 'Sure hope the hallucinations don't get worse.'


As the trio approach the lab, the vibrations and sounds emanating from within are felt long before they make it to the door. Cracking open the door, they are met with what can only be described as the sounds of a pod of blue whales, thirty-three moose, and a single duck all screaming at the same time. "Definitely getting worse."

Pressing inward, they are ultimately met with a chaotic sight. The lab is in chaos and anarchy, furniture is thrown about, bookshelves empty with their contents scattered, and at the heart of it all was a raging Meganium, a tornado of destruction.

As he looks over the sight, a simple "Nope." of acknowledgement as he turns and begins his walk out. "I'm going to go sit under the tree until this all wears off." Cracking open the door once more, a small purple critter scampers out between his legs and into the tall grass before him. Calling out from the room behind, a frantic and feminine "Nick!"

Turning back, he sees an approaching Lyra "Did you let it out? Is it gone? Please tell me it's gone." The sounds of a menagerie of animals comes to an end.

"Huh wha- let what out?" He asks in confusion.

"The Rattata!" A desperate shout.

From within the depths of the building, a masculine "Found it!" before a Pokéball is thrown at the Meganium.

"I-I think so? They're purple, right? Because a purple thing did scamper out, yes." He replies, trying to focus upon one thing at a time as seven separate items are pulling at his attention. In his hands, Corsola continues to wiggle and gives a coarse, happy "Mya!"

The Pokéball flashes white, and the Meganium disappears from the room. "Yes." Lyra responds, letting out a deep sigh of relief. "Thank Arceus, I was taking care of Chiko when a Rattata got in, lost his ball in the immediate chaotic aftermath, was trying to calm him down and everything went to downhill. Also, what happened to your cheek?" Relief pivots to concern.

Nick blinks twice. "Long story. So wait, this all actually happened and I'm not just hallucinating more."

Giving him a look of confusion, "What are you talking about?" Lyra asks.

With a slight grimace, "Alright, actually that's a future problem. For starters, I need to put down this coral." He gently places the Corsola on the ground who quickly waddles their way into the nearby office. "Secondly, need help dealing with… that?" He motions towards the mess of the lab.

Lyra turns towards the mess and frowns. "Probably, yeah. But I can probably handle it. My fault and all. Wouldn't feel right asking for help. How's your morning been, though? Good times hopefully?" She asks, hopeful as her gaze returns to the trainer and his Vulpix.

He stares blankly towards the anarchy in the lab. "Define good. Like, do you want the short version or the long version?"

Lyra blinks, "Uh, long? I guess? Don't have much else going on, really. Aside from. You know." She thumbs to the chaos.

With a deep breath, he begins. "Alright well ignoring the early morning walk I went on where I got interrogated by a cop ranger person, I did some training with Vulpix, took a break at the pond, this little Corsola appeared, contemplated the nature of them, complained that Pokémon can't talk because things would be so much easier if they could, accidentally cut myself on coral, and then hallucinated Vulpix talking. Which, just to make sure, do Corsola have psychoactive properties? Asking for a friend. It's me. I'm the friend." He takes a second breath as he finishes his ramble.

The brunette rubs the bridge of her nose. "Okay, that's a lot. More than I was expecting. Where do I even…" She looks down at the little pink wiggly Corsola. "I've cut myself more times than I can count on her and I don't think I've hallucinated anything, so I'm not sure about hearing your Vulpix talk." Her gaze shifts. "Did you talk to Elm about the rangers?"

"'Course, did that as soon as I saw him. And great, I'm going mad, if I start speaking Latin or something, I'm not long for this world." Following a few moments of awkward silence. "Well anyways, I don't know about you but I'm hungry. How's about I check my cheek, grab a snack, and help you out with this?"

"If you're sure, I would really, really appreciate it." She shares a small smile.

Returning the smile, "Well, let's get to it then yeah? I'll be right out." Nick makes his way to the small bathroom and tends to the cut. 'Superficial damage, quick wash and it should be fine.' Spending less than a minute in the washroom, he makes his way into the common area.

The pair make their way into the destroyed room. Nothing looks strictly broken, thankfully. Just tossed about in disarray.

As Nick and Vulpix give a collective sigh at the sight, Elm speaks up from a corner. "Right! This situation seems somewhat under control, I'm going to head out for lunch. Let me know if anything's broken yeah?" and with pitch of a Pokéball towards Lyra, he makes his exit.

"Wait, he's just leaving?" The Vulpix trainer asks.

Another sigh. "Can't say I blame him. I wouldn't want to organize this if my understudy caused the mess." Lyra looks to him once more. "You sure you don't want to back out? No shame in it."

Ethan's words echo. 'Well I would have agreed to help anyways, but that just reinforces my decision.' A genuine small smile, "Wouldn't dream of it. Let's get at this, sooner we're done, sooner I can get Villy some food."

Lyra's face illuminates. "Villy?! Oh my gosh that's such a cute name!" She quickly raises a hand to the shoulder-mounted Vulpix before pulling back. "Is it okay if I pet you?"

Vulpix gives a nod and a "Pix."

Without a second of hesitation, Lyra smooshes Villy's face. "Aren't you just the cutest little Villy, the absolute more adorable little fluffy buddy."

Vulpix attempts to pull away briefly before resigning themselves to their fate.

After half a minute of vulpine compliments, Lyra eventually separates themselves from the fox. "Honestly," Nick starts, trying to keep the easy atmosphere, "She makes a great cuddle buddy or lap dog. I'm sure with a bit of coaxing you'd be able to spend some time with her too."

A contagious grin spreads across her face. "I'd like that. If you're okay with it, I mean." She looks to the fox once again, giving her head scratches. "Okay, future cuddles aside, lets bless this mess with the powers of organization!"

After an hour of tidying, organizing, and general friendly banter, the pair settle down for some lunch. Lacking the energy to prepare anything fancy, they opt for some grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches with some pecha berries on the side. 'The ethical concerns of Pokémon bacon are… concerning.'

Taking their place at the table, each on an individual chair with a plate of food and a smaller plate with a mini sandwich for Vulpix, Lyra breaks the ice. "So, you heard your Pokémon talk to you earlier. How did that make you feel?"

"What are you, my therapist?" He asks, eliciting a snort from Lyra which quickly turns into coughing as she was mid-bite. "Well Doctor," he continued, "it all started when I was but a wee boy…"

"You know what I mean, ass. How did you feel." She raises a hand and rests her head upon it on the table. "Okay, how about this. Did you see her physically talk? Was it a whisper? Shout? How did you pinpoint it to her?"

Words fail him. "Okay, this time, it's hard to explain. It's this intrinsic feeling I got. The other times I heard a weird spooky voice which hindsight, probably also her or a ghost. It was more of like an echoing talking from all around."

"So you've heard this before?" Lyra asks in between bites.

"Yeah, I just never thought it was Villy. Pokémon can't talk, you know? Least I don't think they can, apparently my knowledge is extremely limited. In almost every way." With the solemn enthusiasm of a slightly off turnip, he bites into his sandwich. The tastiness cannot overcome the implications of his recent potential discovery.

"Not in the strictest sense, no. They can't." Lyra replies, "But things get fuzzy once you start getting into psychic Pokémon. There's quite a few who are able to talk to their trainers going so far as to have full blown conversations basically right out of the egg. Abra, Ralts, even Slowpoke. Though they're a bit slow."

She looks to Vulpix. "Now that might not seem the most applicable to you, but some of the stories around Ninetails are of haunting voices and figments of imagination made manifest. They have significant psychic prowess and are able to apply it in ways one would not think immediately evident. Since Ninetails have that, it's not out of the realm of possibility Vulpix also has that. They have some latent power with the psychic with Confuse Ray and the like."

"Huh. So Ninetails can talk, then?" He asks, once again pondering the potential of a firestone.

"Maybe? I really couldn't tell you. Don't know off hand, and also our knowledge on them is fairly limited. The only person who has several is really tight lipped about them." She thinks a moment, "I mean technically everyone who has one is tight lipped. But Blaine would know more than basically anyone. He has like, five total I think."

'Damn, dude has five Ninetails? Commitment. Or insanity. Power hungry? There's definitely an adjective in there for him. Maybe he's who I have to talk to if I ever wanted to follow in his footsteps.' His eyes drift towards his Pokémon who is happily eating a berry.

"Now I've not heard much about Vulpix and their psychic tendencies, but I've also not looked too much into it. What all has she said? If you can recall, that is." Lyra also pops a berry in her mouth, still resting on the table.

"Well today she called me a nerd." Nick glares at the fox. "Called the ranger earlier a nerd too and yesterday during training someone who I'm pretty sure wasn't you said the word 'better'. Probably also her. Or it's a ghost. At this point, I almost prefer it be a ghost."

Lyra lowers herself to the table and asks the fox with complete seriousness. "Did you call Nick a nerd?"

Vulpix rolls her eyes and continues eating.

"Well, there you have it. Somehow, your Vulpix is able to communicate with you. If only to call you a nerd. May she use her powers for good and only occasional evil."

"Wait wait wait, just like that she can talk? There's no fancy test you do or something, just a single question and you can tell? Where's the study? Where's the testing?"

Lyra shrugs. "That's all I really need to be confident. I'm sure Elm has a book on telepathy around here somewhere if you want to verify yourself, but I wouldn't waste the effort. Not yet at least. If it progresses, maybe but for now? Just something else for you to work on."

Nick blinks and sweeps his gaze between the two others at the table. A few seconds of scanning, and he hears a faint whisper of "Nerd."

"There!" He shouts, "Did you hear that?! She just said something!" Pointing accusingly at Villy, who continues eating berries.

"Can't say I did, what'd she say this time?" Lyra asks holding a cloak of mild disinterest.

As he goes to answer, he cuts himself off at the thought of once again announcing that his Pokémon potentially called him a nerd. His cheeks redden.

With a smirk, Lyra looks to Vulpix. "Did you call him a nerd again?" They respond with an enthusiastic "Pix!"

Lyra shrugs once more. "There you go. She can talk, and conclusively thinks you're a nerd." With a waggle of her finger, "You know, you should definitely act less nerd-like in front of Villy. Gotta impress her, you know?"

Nick leans back into his chair. "This… This is a blessing and a curse. I quite literally got exactly what I wanted and asked for just a few hours ago, but I have a feeling it will have come at a terrible price." As he looks towards his Pokémon, Vulpix holds a face of overwhelming smugness.

"Honestly, I think you're lucky." Lyra sits up once more from her previously disinterested position. "What I wouldn't give to be able to have an honest, two way, heart to heart with each of my Pokémon. Chiko especially, but I wish I could talk to all of them. I've had my concerns with Sentry that they're not happy but just tagging along for reasons unknown. Tangela as well is an enigma wrapped in a mystery. The one saving grace is Porygon who can at least message me. But the rest?"

She sighs.

"I think you might have something good going. Sure it might feel weird or awkward or whatever, and you'll probably get called a nerd a whole lot more, but at least you have that. You'll know that they think you're a nerd in that moment and can adjust your actions accordingly." A cough to clear ones throat, followed by a sip of water. "We might be trainers, but something that's overlooked is that they're competent in their own right. Left to their own devices, they'll survive, thrive, and live their own lives in the wild. They have knowledge. They know what they're doing. Sometimes going so far as to know better than us. Yet we'll never know that. Or at least I won't. You can be different, though."

Their eyes meet, and Nick's gaze lingers. Her eyes seem misty.

"S-sorry." She quickly stammers, breaking their eye contact. "I shouldn't get all preachy. Just. Envious, I suppose."

"No no, it's okay. Communication is important. Never apologize for expressing yourself and your feelings. I appreciate everything you've had to say, and you're probably right on all accounts." He looks between Vulpix and Lyra. "If it's any consolation, I doubt Chiko would call you a nerd as often as Villy does me."

This elicits a small smile. "Probably. Hopefully Chiko likes me more."

"Well, if Villy get's better with her spooky brain whispers, maybe she can act as an interpreter. Assuming Pokémon can talk amongst themselves." He wonders how that works. 'Pretty sure they can in the media, but in "real life?"'

"I might just take you up on that. But until then, want to finish this up?" Lyra motions towards the remaining mess

"Absolutely." Nick replies.

With a small pep talk, the pair resume their tidying.

Another few hours pass until the room is mostly organized once more. With a self-satisfied pat-on-the-back, the pair break once more.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm taking a shower." Lyra stretches as she speaks. "Too much has already gone on today and I deserve to treat myself."

Nick gives a nod, "You're not wrong there. I might later as well but for now, think I'll go try and read about psychic powers. Between this morning's shenanigans and the cleaning, my back hurts and I'm sore. Which means it's time to not move for a while."

She returns a sheepish smile. "Thank you for the help, sorry it came at such an expense. I'll try to save some hot water for you."

He waves her off. "Nah, I'll manage. I'm used to cold water. Thank you, ocean. Now go relax! I have words to read."

With a bow and a wave, she makes her exit. The blonde trainer and his Vulpix soon follow and return to their room.

As the door shuts behind them, they're left with a relative silence and peace. "Alright, gotta grab that paper and pen, note down things to look into that aren't freaky brain powers, look into said freaky brain powers, and- Heck." He pats his pants pocket. "The coral. Must have left it outside. Okay, new plan, grab that, then do all the other things, and also remember to ask Lyra or Elm or someone about some salty water for said coral. And ask about water Pokémon. And see if Corsola reproduce via budding or whatever."

He takes a deep breath, sinking briefly into the desk chair in his room and looks to his fox companion.

"So much for me to do. Still tired?" He asks, stifling a yawn.

Villy, unable or unwilling to stifle one, lets out a loud-for-her-size yawn.

"Well, once I grab the coral, I'll be in here a while if you want to rest. Make up for that lost sleepy time last night." With a motion to the bed, "Can get as snuggly as you want. The entire bed is yours."

Vulpix gives a quiet "Pix!" in response before looking towards the door.

"Alright, let's get that coral, then I need to organize my life. Again. Or at least the 'To-do' list. Existing one is too small; I've had way more chaotic thoughts since last night." He looks towards the list conveniently labeled 'TO DO' sitting on the corner of his desk.

"Future me problems. Come on, Villy. Let's go get some pink rocks again." With a creak of the door, the pair depart once more.