Days had passed. Aggron was still in rough shape, but he was stable. Sceptile was helping as best as he could. The group stayed in a hotel close to the hospital. Infernape had the others gather in the lobby, they were all incredibly curious as to what he would say.
"Alright, so you're probably wondering why you are here? I figured that now was a good time as any to introduce you guys to Lopunny!" The others were bemused but they decided that there was no harm. Lopunny waved at the group,
"Hello everyone!" Gardevoir outstretched a hand for the normal type.
"Hello, I"m Gardevoir." she greeted, "Love what you did with your fur."
"Oh, you mean this?" she said, referring to the maya blue fur on her ears, wrists and feet, "I didn't do anything to it." the others were confused, but soon they collectively connected the dots at the same time.
"YOU'RE A HYBRID?!" yelled the group in surprise, with Blastoise rolling his eye with a grin. Lopunny giggled at the reaction.
"THAT'S LIKE ONE IN A BILLION ODDS!" Garchomp pointed out. Infernape embraced the ice type,
"Yeah, and she's mine." Gardevoir beamed at the visual of Infernape being so happy, it was like he was back to normal after all this time. Ampharos then asked,
"What is a hybrid? Sorry if that was ignorant." he apologized.
"I don't mind, at least you're not mean about it." nodded Lopunny.
She explained everything about what makes a hybrid to the group The explanation she gave was about the same as as gave to Infernape. As to not waste time I have chosen to omit this detail. From their, the group decided to split up into a couple different groups to get their minds off of things. They all hoped that Aggron would be okay.
Lopunny decided to hang out with Gardevoir and Garchomp at a local cafe, one of the few still open after the events before. They sat down at the table and began to chat.
"So how has your adventure gone so far?" Lopunny began enthusiastically.
"It's been an interesting time to say the least." Gardervoir answered.
"I never thought I would be a Senshi, but here I am.," Garchomp added, leaving Lopunny curious. With a raised eyebrow, she asked,
"What do you mean?" Garchomp then elaborated.
"My mother is a lawyer and I wanted to follow in her footsteps. Of course, it wouldn't be that easy. I was framed for a crime I didn't commit." Gardevoir patted her friend on the back. Lopunny felt guilt for bringing up a potentially traumatic experience. She decided to try to change the subject.
"So how long have you known Infernape?" she asked Gardevoir.
"Oh, I've known him since high school." Gardevoir began, "I met him after… well you know. To say we've had our ups and downs would be an understatement." Lopunny nodded along as Gardevoir explained further. There was so much Lopunny wanted to learn about Infernape.
"Does he have any hobbies?" Lopunny asked. Gardevoir thought about it for a moment before replying,
"I'm not a hundred percent sure. I never really paid attention to the happenings at school." Gardevoir confessed. Lopunny was disappointed but couldn't be mad. The waiter brought their food and they began to eat.
As they ate, Garchomp decided to talk to Lopunny about something,
"So how is Infernape as a boyfriend?" Lopunny was excited to answer,
"Not sure if I want to saw the L word yet." she said, "It's still early. But so far, he's alright." Garchomp chuckled before getting on to the main point.
"How did you confess to him?" Lopunny definitely raised an eyebrow at this rather strange question. Seeing this, Garchomp subtly glanced over to Gardevoir. The rabbit then noticed and realized what Garchomp's intention was.
"Well, it was the other way around. He just told me how he felt. No pussyfooting around. I like it that way. and for good reason. It's not good to keep that kind of emotion locked up, especially in this line of work." Lopunny explained. Garchomp silently thanked the rabbit and started to create a plan on how to confess to Gardevoir.
Aggron lay in the hospital bed, conscious but unable to move, he heard the door open to see Sceptile and Roserade enter the room. Through his oxygen mask, he asked,
"What are you doing here Roserade?" The grass type sat down in a nearby chair,
"I just wanted to hopefully take your mind off things. I've got some books here to read to you," she explained. Aggron groaned but decided to listen in. Roserade held up a red book titled: 'Humans and Where Did They Go?' by Carlos Santana. A blue book called, 'The Mechanics Behind Aura' by Nayami Tanaka. Finally, there was a brown book called: 'The Battle of Dragner, an Honest History' by Dmitri Ivankov.
Aggron saw the book about Aura and was way too curious to pass it up.
"What's Aura?" asked the steel type. Roserade smiled,
"Great! Let's get started. Hopefully, I won't sound daft explaining it." She opened the book and read it aloud,
"Aura is an anomaly unlike any seen on earth. It is not known where it comes from or why only some Pokémon can use it but what we do know is how to use it."
Aggron was growing increasingly regretful for his decision. The book started with an incredibly boring explanation of how Aura was discovered and who discovered what. He was struggling to listen but then something piqued his interest.
"There are three types of Aura: Offensive, Defensive, and Environmental," Roserade said. Aggron was now back to his curious state, if he had Aura, he could become even stronger. He silently urged Roserade to continue and she notice and obliged.
"Offensive Aura is what you see the most often. It's your Aura Spheres, your lasers, Aura fists, that sorta stuff. Defensive Aura is using Aura to deflect elemental attacks and wrap it your body to improve your armour. And Finally, Environmental Aura which lets you silence sound waves, render people unable to notice you and, if you're really good, locate exactly where people are in an area. Apparently, It only manifests in certain individuals and usually under some great stress." Roserade read. Aggron was growing increasingly more attentive as she described each technique that he could possibly learn. He couldn't help but get a little excited. If nothing else, it was a decent distraction.
Infernape was now by myself exploring the damaged city. He had decided to go got a walk. Parts of buildings had crumbled, windows shattered, and cracks across the road. He was thinking to himself. So far, he had been proven wrong every step of the way. The duel against Groudon should've been it. His friends were there, he found a woman he loved, and his fear was beginning to fade. It was the perfect time for fate to sock him in the throat and either kill him off, or kill the others and leave him alive to suffer.
He pulled out his WristOn to look up directions. The screen then displays a map with his location and his destination in real-time. Walking, and walking, and walking through the city, he watched the shattered windows and rubble-strewn the street. Thankfully, no buildings had collapsed. It was far from the worst it could've been. Eventually, he reached his destination. He sighed in relief as he saw that the building was untouched by the damage caused by Groudon. Cautiously, Infernape entered the store and smiled. Rows upon rows of musical equipment and instruments lined the store on racks and shelves. There was a bookshelf for various guides for each instrument.
"Hello there, young man." The store owner greeted from the counter. Infernape waved at the man,
"Thank goodness your open. I thought this place would be more closed off than the Silverind Mansion."
"Well, we were incredibly lucky." the owner said.
"Hey, uh, you don't mind if I play with some of the equipment, do you?" Infernape asked. The store owner just shrugged,
"Alright, just don't damage anything." Infernape nodded and walked over to the piano first. He sat down and hovered his fingers just above the keys. He started playing, not trying to be good, just trying to find a good rhythm to build off of. After a bit of testing, he found a rhythm that he found satisfying. He then went over to a bass guitar and picked it up, ready to test out a bassline. He sat on the floor and strummed his first note.
A wave of emotions washed over Infernape like a fierce wind. Euphoria coursed through his veins as the notes echoed out through the air.
"What is this feeling?" He asked himself. As he continued to strum on the bass, the feeling began to overwhelm him. He stopped playing for a moment, confused about the emotions running through him before he smiled.
"I can't believe I forgot." he exclaimed, "I guess after all these years, it just slipped my mind." He began to play with unrivaled enthusiasm. A passion on display that had been buried for eight years was now finally free. A passion for music.
Once Lopunny finished her time with Garchomp and Gardevoir, she left the cafe to look for something else to do. She looked around for her boyfriend. She hadn't seen him since she left for the cafe. Her attention was grabbed when she saw Ampharos staring at a movie poster in front of a theater. She was intrigued so she walked over to him and tapped his shoulder. Ampharos screamed in terror before calming down upon seeing Lopunny.
"Sorry about that." she apologized, "Whatcha doing?" Ampharos looked back at the poster,
"I wanted to try being braver so I want to watch a scary movie." He explained. Lopunny grinned at him,
"Well, why aren't you going in?"
Ampharos visibly shivered at the thought of actually seeing this movie.
"W-well I...uh." He couldn't even come up with an excuse. Lopunny chuckled,
"Come on, give it a shot." She gestured, "tell ya what, I'll join you. I love horror movies, I should be able to tell you when the scares show up." Ampharos grinned at the gesture,
"Thanks, but is it alright with Infernape?"
"Oh it's fine, he won't care." She assured him as she dragged Ampharos into the theater.
It was a surprisingly fun experience. The film was pretty run-of-the-mill, some monster hunting down a group of brain-dead teenagers. It was pretty easy to warn Ampharos of any jump scares. As they left, Lopunny was giving a review of sorts for the film.
"It was kinda average. To be fair, it had a good scare at the end but overall it was kind of mediocre." She reviewed. Ampharos nervously chuckled,
"It still got to me though."
"Well, it was your first horror movie. The first time is always the scariest." She comforted. Ampharos had to admit that he had a good time.
Garchomp led Gardevoir towards a cliff side, she decided now was the time to confess. She had a plan and was ready to enact it. If there were legal documents to approve dating, She'd have already done them. The two stopped at their destination: a cliff side with a railing to keep them from falling down. The view of the sea was simply incredible, the light reflecting off the water as seagulls flew above.
"You know, It's still weird that some Pokémon are like the animals." Gardevoir pointed out. Garchomp just shrugged,
"Well, that's evolution for you." Garchomp then stared at the psychic type, looking up and down her body. Garchomp knew now was the time to finally get these feelings off her chest.
"Hey Gardevoir," she began, getting the attention of her crush. "Listen, ever since you rescued me, I've had these feelings that have built up inside of me. I can't keep them hidden anymore. Gardevoir, I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Garchomp declared. Gardevoir looked into Garchomp's eyes, a smile across her face. Garchomp blushed at the sight, was this going to be the fairytale confession that she wanted?
"Of course, we'll be together, especially if we sign up to be Senshi." Gardevoir stated before looking back at the ocean. Garchomp was caught off guard, was this rejection or obliviousness? Garchomp had to test that theory.
"Well, what if I want to be closer than that?"
"Hm, I'm not sure there is a level beyond best friends." Gardevoir mused. Garchomp was completely slack-jawed in awe,
"She's fucking with me, there is no way this doesn't see that I'm flirting with her." Garchomp decided to remove any pretense of subtlety.
"I have to admit, with all that action we just endured, normal life seems boring by comparison." Gardevoir mused.
"Maybe we could have fun in bed!" Gardevoir looked over at Garchomp in surprise. Garchomp thought that Gardevoir finally understood.
"Garchomp... I didn't know you liked... pillow fights."
Garchomp screamed into her elbow in frustration, leaving Gardevoir confused.
"What's wrong?" she asked. Garchomp looked over Gardevoirs in exasperation and said,
"Fuck it." before kissing Gardevoir. The psychic type's eyes widened in surprise. The two then separated,
"I love you, alright. Do you feel the same?" Garchomp snapped. Gardevoir blushed as she realized what Garchomp's statements in the past meant.
"I-I-I...You really feel that way about me?" Gardevoir asked, her face red. Garchomp nodded. Gardevoir remained worryingly quiet, leaving Garchomp concerned about Gardevoir's response. The psychic type nervously smiled,
"To be honest, I've had these strange feelings about you for a while. Ever since we had that talk about my family. I just never knew what they were until now." Gardevoir admitted, leaving Garchomp stunned. Gardevoir looked lovingly at the dragon type and embraced her. Garchomp smiled back and hugged Gardevoir as well.
Lopunny, Ampharos, Gardevoir, and Garchamp reunited at Hydroton's central plaza. They discuss how their days have been when they noticed that someone was curiously missing.
"Where's Infernape?" Gardevoir asked Lopunny,
"I haven't seen him since he left the hotel," she said. Then, they heard what sounded like a small crowd cheering for someone. Intrigued, they walked towards the noise. They found a music store with, as they suspected, a large crowd in front. What sounded like a rock song was playing. However, the music was speaking to them almost. There was no other way to describe it. Despite being entirely instrumental, the electric guitar, bass, and something they couldn't quite notice collaborated to make this sense of determination and triumph. It's as though the song itself was telling them,
"I am here, and I am back." The group pushed their way through the crowd to see who was playing this music.
"Infernape?" Lopunny called out. He didn't notice her, he was too invested in his music piece. His fingers were precision tools, each movement wasted zero time. He didn't showboat or gloat about his skill, he just played. Once he strummed his final note, the crowd roared, snapping Infernape out of his trance.
He stood up and bowed to the crowd before running towards his friends, beaming.
"That has to be one of my best instrumentals! I thought I was going nowhere until I had the idea to use a synth to make that subtle arpeggio! You can barely hear it but oh my god, does it work!" He bubbled before kissing Lopunny. Infernape then ran towards the shopkeeper and grabbed the bass guitar he used,
"I would like this bass please." The shopkeeper was stunned at the skill on display and gave Infernape a fifty percent discount.
Infernape ran back to the group with his new bass guitar.
"Infernape, what was that?" Gardevoir asked. Infernape chuckled,
"I'm surprised you didn't know. I was a musical sensation in high school."
"THAT WAS AWESOME!" Lopunny cheered her eyes shining in admiration, "You've got to teach me some of those chords!"
"Wait, you play guitar?"
"A little bit a few years ago. I do want to get back into it."
"Oh my god! I could teach you!"
"Really?!"
"Yeah!" The interaction between the two warmed the hearts of those watching.
Gardevoir and Garchomp decided to keep their relationship hidden for now at least, they didn't want to take away from the moment. The group returned to the hotel to rest after the long day. Lopunny met up with Blastoise in his room. She had prepared his favorite dish, sesame seed salmon. As Blastoise set it aside, Lopunny wanted to discuss something with him. She sat down and began,
"Alright Grandpa, I'll just be upfront. I want to join the Senshi." Blastoise looked at her,
"And why is that?" he asked, already knowing the answer but wanting to confirm it.
"Well I want to help people, plus it gives me an excuse to join Infernape." She explained. Blastoise raised an eyebrow,
"You are lying to me."
"W-What?"
"I know why you're going. Can you at least be honest about it?" Blastoise asked disappointingly. Lopunny looked down into the floor,
"Well... it's been getting boring around here and I had the time of my life against the cult guys so..."
"You wanted an excuse to fight." Blastoise finished. Lopunny nodded,
"But also thought that it would help me find my parents." Blastoise sighed, he was disappointed to be right.
"Look, I know you want to find them but remember how you did in the exam."
"I did great and you know I did. It was the written exam that got me." Lopunny argued.
"That is still an important part. It tests your preparedness for situations."
"Please, I know how much you care about me but I want this." Lopunny pleaded. Blastoise thought very intensely about this. On one hand, if this is what she wants, he has no right to stop her. But on the other, she's a hybrid and related to him, the number of crime syndicates that would want to get their hands on her would be staggering, even despite his efforts to keep her safe.
He stood up,
"I need to think about this." He told her as he went back into his room, taking the salmon with him. Lopunny frowned, to her, that was a no. She stomped up to her room and laid down on her bed, she couldn't be too mad at him, but it was frustrating nonetheless. As for Blastoise, he ate the salmon that Lopunny made for him. As he took a bite, he cringed. It was over-seasoned, overcooked, and poorly presented. However, he knew this must've taken a while to make so he ate it anyway.