A raspy, gentle snore harmonized with the low hums from the air units in the hotel room. Auburn had fallen into a deep sleep, while a pair of bright ruby-red eyes stared endlessly into the ceiling. Hydra wasn't tired, and it would be more productive to take this time to think to himself.
"You are the world's second chance, and yet you are the world. The world is your second chance, and yet you are the chance. Arise."
He heard a voice speaking to him just before he regained consciousness. The meaning of those words had yet to be realized by him. Were they talking about him? Was he the world's second chance...and the world? What did that even mean?
Part of him felt like he was living in someone else's body. Would his memories ever be returned? Was heactuallyHydra? For all he knew, his consciousness wasn't real.
And yet, he still feels like things are familiar. Every now and then, the grasp of who he once was returns to him, like when he remembers a move or sees a familiar pokémon. It's funny, he didn't find Aagor familiar...but Auburn? He rang a bell for some reason. Same with Pixie and now Epilson, both pokémon he has never met before. Why was he finding the pokémon he'd never met so familiar?
A paw whacked him on the side of the head.
Hydra turned over with a dull expression to see Auburn sprawled widely across the bed. With a bed this big, the jackal was shocked at just how much the Leafeon hogged up the sheets. Any more and Auburn would turn into a Leafeon burrito.
He contemplated waking him up to let him know of the open space behind him but felt as if it wasn't necessary. Not knowing how heavy of a sleeper Auburn was would help the jackal recognize how easy it was to nudge him back. A small sleep hum, but the Leafeon was still completely unconscious.
Hydra's ears twitched at the sound of creaking outside his window. He figured it could have been the room settling, or even a bird pokémon deciding to perch up on the window sill. His head turned to gaze at the small crack in the curtains he had made.
A shadow, and far larger than any bird pokémon—at least one small enough to perch on the edge of a window. His sensors instinctively rose to inspect the aura on the other side. The outline of a pokémon was hard to tell, as there was a thick wall separating them, but he could read the emotion rather accurately. A light orange haze.
Deep orange means joy, and any lighter would mean that the pokémon on the other side was feeling excitement.
Hydra held his breath and slid off the bed as quietly as possible. The jackal was slightly hunched so as to not have his heavy footsteps make noise, and for being so big he sure managed to keep them silent. Could this be the person they were looking for? Why else would they be behind his room window?
It was still impossible to tell the species behind the curtains, and he needed a closer look. Or...he could try and apprehend the pokémon before asking questions, it's better safe than sorry, right?
One paw slowly reached forward, preparing to shove open the window while his other fist readied up a move. What could he use in this situation? Right now all he knew were a few Fighting moves, maybe he should try something more apprehensive?
"Hydra?" A voice innocently—and tiredly—murmured to him from the other side of the room. Auburn had woken up, and he was staring at the jackal as he tried to tidy up his bedhead.
Before he could register what had happened, Hydra watched as the shadow on the other end leaped off the sill.
"Damn!" Hydra grunted and shoved open the frame to look down. All he could see was a faint silhouette of a cloaked pokémon landing in a bush and running off into the empty street. "Stay here."
Auburn raised a brow at Hydra's statement before he watched in horror as the Lucario leaped through the window.
Now it was the Leafeon's turn to run over to the window sill and peek his head down. "Hydra!" His voice shrieked in fear.
It was the same experience, Auburn watched as the jackal surprisingly made the landing in the bush and darted towards the empty street in pursuit.
"What the hell is that guy made of?" Auburn scoffed and shuddered after realizing just how high up he was—it wasn't that high, just too high for him. He rushed over to the other side of the room and shoved the door open. "I guess I'll have to take the slow route down there..."
Hydra could tell his body was not used to being this active, but he still pushed forward each time he noticed the cloaked pokémon turn a corner. It was leading him somewhere isolated, as with each turn he took the streets grew darker.
"Hey!" Hydra's voice roared as he pursued the chase.
The final corner he'd follow them in would lead the two to a dead end. Only now could he get a good look at the pokémon he was chasing. A pitch-black cloak obscured most of the pokémon's features, but the most prominent one was that they were on all fours—a quadruped? Hydra has never seen a physical structure like this, however.
"What do you want?" Hydra growled and readied a fighting stance. "Are you the one challenging people to fight at night?"
They didn't reply. Instead, all they did was slowly creep forward toward the jackal, seemingly looking for a fight. Luckily, Hydra knew this was bound to happen.
"Look, if you stop doing this now you ca—" Hydra attempted to reason before he was cut off by a dark purple blur slashing across his body. He put up his arms just too late before the jackal skidded on the gravel below, just barely keeping himself standing. A low growl escaped him as he looked back up to see the cloaked figure's glowing claws. "You're fast."
Hydra needed time to register just how quick that move was. He noticed the color of the claws resembled a Shadow Claw, meaning the move didn't even have priority properties. The jackal knew he wasn't going to be given a break, so he readied a counterattack. Maybe this person was powerful enough to take a hit from him?
Right on queue, the cloaked figure leaped across the narrow walls in the alley for a better angle. Once they were just above Hydra, they reeled their head back and lunged forward to release a potent flame.
Not expecting a ranged attack—let alone a Fire one—Hydra swiped the flames away and stepped back. The two traded places after this interaction; Hydra was the one backed into the corner now.
"Flamethrower and Shadow Claw?" Hydra scoffed as he felt a small grin crease on his lips. "What kind of move pool is that?"
The cloaked 'mon didn't respond. Taking this chance to try and fight back, Hydra curled his arms around a sphere of steel energy. He focused his eyes on the target before hurling the attack forward. The Flash Cannon appeared to hit for just a split second before the pokémon suddenly vanished into thin air.
"Right, a Ghost type," Hydra muttered through his gritted teeth as he watched the attack crash nowhere in particular. "They just do that."
After running out of the confined alleyway, Hydra's sensors rose to analyze the aura surrounding him. He immediately picked up on the energy of his target before shifting his direction toward it. Hydra surprised himself at how fast he caught up to the cloaked 'mon this time, and he could tell that he caught them off guard.
In what seemed like a desperate attempt to escape, the pokémon leaped off food carts and shoved any rubble they could toward the Lucario. Hydra rammed through the debris and focused his aura sensors; he could read that they were displaying the slightest mixture of purple with an orange outline—a fearful excitement.
Hydra's arm spun back to charge a new move. He knew that pinning down a faster person than him would prove difficult, so he mustered up all the aura in him and gathered it all into one large blue orb, an Aura Sphere.
Knowing this was a move that could never fail so long as he focused on the aura patterns he was reading, Hydra simply launched it as fast as he could the moment the cloaked figure was close enough. He felt something was off, though, as his eyes and aura told him two completely different things.
With his aura, the figure was running on the main gravel path, while his eyes told him that the figure was turning the corner and running in the other direction. Regardless of which was correct, his attack landed and their true location was found. After the Aura Sphere connected with a potent explosion, the pokémon fell to the ground instantly. Perhaps they used a move to try and escape him through hallucinations? He'd have to do more research on Ghost types after this.
Wait.
Ghost type...and his Aura Sphere connected? Come to think of it, why did he even try to use a Fighting move against a Ghost type? Even more surprising, the attack succeeded, meaning the pokémon wasn't even what he thought it was.
Curiously, Hydra walked up to the cloaked figure and simply watched. Their dark clothes and rags swayed in the wind as they refused to turn to the Lucario. It was a painful silence, and neither of them seemed to know what to do.
Hydra heaved a long sigh, letting the sensors on the back of his head rise. If he focused his aura hard enough, he could tell the identity of any pokémon without having to unmask them—so long as they stayed decently still.
Managing to read their energy, he focused on the purple energy to create a mental outline of the species.
He concentrated...
And concentrated...
Until suddenly, there was a hitch in his breath filled with realization.
"Hydra!" He heard a voice call out to him from a distance. It was Auburn.
Hydra turned to the fallen cloaked figure in front of him with pained eyes. "You should go." He reasoned.
Only now did the shrouded pokémon turn to him with a confused look. Everything was obscured except for those bright, reckless eyes. A beautiful turquoise.
"Don't try this again, just go. I'll pretend I lost you," Hydra insisted with a stern expression, his gaze unwavering.
The figure didn't have to be told twice, they turned back to scurry over a wall and disappear into the darkness.
When Auburn arrived he would witness the small crater in the brick wall and Hydra completely stationary. "Whew! And I thought I was fast, what happened? I saw you chasing it for a bit."
"I landed an attack on them, but they got away. We can try again tomorrow." The Lucario turned to face the Leafeon with an exhausted look.
"Awee, but you nearly had them! Can't we keep looking?" Auburn pouted up at the jackal.
"I have a lot of information that could help us later, so for now I am satisfied with ending our search there. We have to find a way to inform Aagor about my findings." Hydra folded his arms and idly walked back toward the hotel, Auburn followed suit.
"Whatcha find?" The Leafeon tilted his head.
"Just a couple of theories, I'll have to put them together before saying anything conclusive," Hydra turned to smile at the eeveelution. "Sorry for scaring you back there, I didn't have enough time to explain."
"I get it!" Auburn hopped in place with a sly grin. "You also have a spark for battling, I can see it!"
"Uhuh?" Hydra playfully scoffed.
"Yup! Keep that energy up and you'll be as good as me!" The Leafeon cheekily laughed and stopped in front of the Lucario once they reached the hotel. "You should honestly train more, I can tell you have some potential."
Hydra blankly stared at him for a small moment. It was kind of obvious to realize he had potential; according to Aagor, he was the general of the Ghan defenders. However, it took him this long to realize that he had to work for it all over again due to his amnesia.
"I appreciate that, maybe I will," Hydra answered honestly, offering the Leafeon a warm grin. "You have potential too, you know."
"I appreciate that, buddy!" Auburn chuckled. "I can call you buddy, right? Are we friends?"
"Yes, I would consider us friends."
"Ooh! Cool! We can be like travel partners!"
"Travel partners?"
"Yeah, like the ones that go on adventures!"
"I see..." Hydra humored him with a small chuckle and opened the door to the lobby.
Waiting for the two of them was a familiar Floragato, her arms crossed with a small smile visible on her expression. "Did you two have a good adventure?" Meadow teased.
"How did you know?" Auburn nearly jumped at the sight of the Floragato standing in the center of the empty lobby.
"I'm sure it wasn't difficult to see a giant Lucario falling from my window!" She crossed her arms and shifted her teasing gaze to the jackal. "Epilson and I were one floor below you guys."
"Oh, you guys stayed here?" Hydra raised a curious brow.
"Last minute decision," Meadow shrugged and smiled. "Epilson was too tired so we decided to just stea—borrow a two-bedroom and knock out here."
"Ooh!" Auburn perked up. "Speaking of rooms, we might need a new room key."
"Why?" Meadow awaited his answer with her hands on her hips.
With no hesitation, Auburn giggled. "'Cause I might have completely locked us out of the room when I rushed out!"
"I can climb up the window to get it out," Hydra offered.
"No need, there's bound to be a master key here somewhere..." Meadow turned to leap chest-high up on the front desk, forcing the two boys to respectfully turn away. Once she was no longer bent over the table, Hydra turned back to see her with a jet-black card in her paws. "Right here! It can open any door."
"They just leave that on the front desk?" The Lucario questioned.
"This place is pretty respectable, but if it gets packed I imagine they're a bit more strict with safety," Meadow turned to playfully wink at the jackal. "Let's get your room open, shall we?"
Meadow led the way with an enthusiasm that made the two behind her question if she somehow managed to have already slept. When the elevator doors swung open they revealed a familiar Zoroark wrapped in a large purple blanket that dragged along the ground.
"Epilson?" Meadow was taken aback by her sudden appearance. "I thought you were sleeping."
"I was," the Zoroark yawned. "I was wondering where you went."
"Just to pick up these two hooligans!" Meadow cheekily grinned and turned to eye the comforts. "You quite literally dragged the bed with you, I would have stayed in."
"Doesn't matter..." Epilson groggily protested and leaned into the elevator wall.
Hydra locked eyes with Epilson for a split second before he had to turn away. He had the eyes of someone who wanted to say something but decided it wasn't a good time. Before he could open his mouth, a new voice was added to the group.
"Hydra!" Aagor had made his way through the entrance and spotted the four just before they entered the elevator. "Perfect timing, we must discuss something."
Next to the Flareon was yet another familiar face, but only to two of them.
"Hello again," Kade waved his blade toward the jackal, offering him a small smile.
"Oh, Kade," Hydra's ears perked at the sight of him before he offered the Gallade a slight bow. "Didn't expect to see you here..."
"You know Kade?" Auburn turned to crane his head up at Hydra.
"He was the one who found me after my amnesia..." The jackal turned to nod at the Leafeon next to him.
"Found you?" Epilson raised a brow of suspicion. "After your amnesia?"
"Uh oh..." Auburn whispered.
"You had amnesia?" Meadow's gaze softened with worry.
"Hasamnesia," Aagor corrected with a small frown. "We're trying to help him out."
"So you sent him to deal with our problem?" Epilson let out a bitter scoff. "Great."
"I think we're all missing important context," Kade crossed his arms. "Maybe we should catch up a bit and explain everything we know."
Luckily, everything that could have escalated settled down once the group gathered in the lobby to discuss the situation. Hydra was seated criss-cross on the ground with Auburn on his haunches next to him, while Epilson was huddled up with her knees up to her chest on the couch. Both Aagor and Kade chose to stand while Meadow paced around the room.
"So let me get this straight; you woke up with no memories other than your name, correct?" Meadow occasionally paused to face Hydra.
"Correct," the jackal answered.
"And slowly but surely you're remembering little things like your moves?"
"Correct."
"Dear Zapdos..." Meadow scoffed in awe. "That must be hard, huh?"
"I'm managing, I suppose." Hydra shrugged and leaned against the wall.
"I'm sure there's a way we can find out what happened to you," Kade slugged his bag over his shoulder and shuffled inside. "I know a lot of people who can try and track where you've been before you were found."
"He was missing for a year, though..." Aagor braced his lips sourly. "If the entirety of Ghan couldn't find him then I'm sure other guilds wouldn't have."
"It's still worth a try." Kade shrugged and unrolled a large scroll for him to read. "I have most of the guild leader's schedules here."
"Most?" Auburn pried.
"Except for the Yin guild, they refused to share their leader's schedule," Kade answered with a small hum. "Come to think of it, they've always been secretive about that."
"It's our duty to be open to our people." Aagor placed a paw against the fur tuft on his chest. "They should not be hiding things."
"Our..?" Hydra narrowed his eyes in confusion.
"My dad is a leader, silly!" Auburn grinned. "I feel like we forgot to tell you, but now you know!"
What an important piece of information to just hold off on.
"What would any of the guild leaders know about it?" Epilson questioned through the blanket covering her muzzle.
"Most of them, maybe not much, but the leader of the Birch guild might! He's dealt with many gadgets and has assisted a lot pokémon in his time as a leader." Kade's bladed arm scrolled around the paper to scan for the aforementioned schedule.
"Who would that be?" Hydra tilted his head curiously.
"Storm, a Jolteon. He's the one that organizes a lot of preparations for the festival that happens in Arceus' eye." Kade's eyes never tore from the scroll he was reading, seemingly reading all the information aloud. "He's usually up in the mornings, so if we travel there tomorrow we'll be able to find him."
"Maybe not me..." Meadow sheepishly laughed. "I'm kind of busy with all the performances here."
"Me too." Epilson quickly added.
"I don't think you have a choice, Epilson." Aagor frowned at the Zoroark from across the room. "Your presence is always requested before a festival."
"Urgh..." She groggily murmured.
"Oh, that reminds me! Dad, can we pick up my gear before I go?" Auburn excitedly turned to the Flareon with a wide smile.
"What kind of fighting will you do there?" Aagor raised a brow.
"Sparring, of course!" The Leafeon hopped.
Aagor thought for a moment before shrugging and nodding his head in approval. "Speaking of sparring, how did yours with Hydra go? I imagine you two battled."
Hydra bit his lip in hesitation as Auburn answered for him. "It went great! I learned a lot of cool stuff, Hydra is very strong!"
The Flareon turned to offer the Lucario a slight smile. "Alright, then. What's your status on the night dueler?"
Epilson playfully scoffed at the name once again before Hydra answered. "I had an interaction with them earlier. No apprehension but I gained a lot of useful information about their identity."
"I see, well done." Aagor nodded and leaned forward to stretch. "No need to tell me, I'm sure it's in good hands with you."
"I do have a question regarding Auburn's fire abilities," Hydra curiously leaned his head. "How did that come to happen?"
"Good question!" Aagor let out a small chuckle and paced toward the Leafeon to playfully run his paw down the younger eeveelution's head. "He always used Copycat on all of my fire moves, for starters."
"I told him that at least..." Auburn huffed. "He means how it works with all the weird sciency stuff you mention."
"Oh, I see!" Aagor nodded and turned to lock eyes with the Lucario. "Are you aware of the formula for speed?"
"Distance traveled over time," Hydra answered subconsciously, not even realizing he remembered it.
"Correct, now take that formula and calculate the temperature most commonly recorded with the speed of Mach 5." Aagor seemed to be challenging the jackal, and for good reason, as Hydra seemed to comfortably answer each time.
"At that speed, the surface of such an object traveling that speed would reach one thousand degrees Celsius, or eighteen hundred in Fahrenheit." Hydra placed a thoughtful paw on his chin. "But what does speed have to do with his ability?"
"After a few days of research, I've learned that Auburn is capable of summoning his leaf attacks faster than the speed of Mach 5. He can ignore the need for distance by materializing the leaves in place fast enough." Aagor idly stared at his paws before continuing. "This wouldn't be a problem to other Leafeons, but due to a genetic anomaly, Auburn's leaves contain less moisture in them than normal."
"Ignition temperature would be far lower...you wouldn't even have to be at Mach 5 to burn." Hydra thought aloud.
"Correct, hence why he seems to be able to control it. Any more flame and..." Aagor paused to look at the Leafeon—more specifically, the burnt ends of his leaves. He fought the frown tugging at his lips before continuing. "The fire starts at the lamina, which is known as the blade of the leaf. It can change depending on which Grass move he decides to use."
"So because of his condition, he can only do this with Grass type moves?" Meadow curiously chimed in.
"That's pretty cool, though." Epilson smiled down at the Leafeon.
"I know!" Auburn grinned.
"'Cool', but dangerous." Aagor frowned. "There's still a lot we don't know about it, so I don't want him to overdo it, especially without his protective gear."
"Protective gear?" Epilson faced the Flareon.
"Just a few pads that were created to numb the effects of fire."
"I never got to ask you!" Auburn grinned at the jackal next to him. "How does your aura work? I've noticed you can see through walls with it!"
"That's true, but it might not be what you think it is." Hydra craned his head down and smiled warmly at the Leafeon. "It's not like x-ray vision."
"But I swear it is!" He pried. "If you can see things through walls, I call it x-ray vision."
"Think of it like this; I can see energy and aura patterns, not outlines. Unless I can directly focus on the specific pokémon, energy patterns look like balls of mist to me. What I can see through walls like x-ray vision is terrain since the aura is always stationary and easy to adapt to."
"Interesting..." Kade hummed. "So it's only living beings that are harder to track?"
"I wouldn't say harder, just less specific. I can see exactly what emotion they are feeling, even through a wall." Hydra crossed his arms and turned to the Zoroark. "Epilson is feeling a little annoyed right now, for some reason."
"That's just so handy." Epilson narrowed her eyes and stuck her tongue out at the jackal. "Stop reading my emotions, doggy."
"That's so cool!" Auburn giggled.
"You'd make a good interrogator," Meadow snickered. "Imagine all the mental games you can play."
"I'm sure many people are aware of a Lucario's aura reading, so they try to control their emotions for anonymity." Aagor yawned and motioned toward his son. "We should go, Auburn."
"Huh? Where?" The Leafeon frowned in realization.
"Home," Aagor stated and turned to walk toward the front door.
"Awe, but I wanted to stay with Hydra!" Auburn pouted and tailed the Flareon. "Why do we have to go all the way back to Ghan?"
"You want your gear, correct? Traveling to Ghan and all the way back to Birch would mean going back and forth." Aagor turned to the Leafeon with a stern gaze.
"Where is Birch located?" Hydra questioned.
"It's south of Dalarin." Epilson was the one to answer. "Straight line shot to get there, but Ghan residents usually have to stop by Dalarin to get there because Arceus' eye blocks the path there."
"Unless you wanna break a giant glass dome!" Meadow grinned. "The gods will be very angry with you, though."
"I'm not even sure it's possible to break it." Kade didn't even humor the thought. "There's been many attempts over the years but their attacks all disappear."
"I don't mind picking it up for you guys." Hydra offered. "I walked that distance pretty fast, I'm sure it wouldn't be so bad."
"It's dark," Aagor warned.
"Just look at the guy," Meadow slyly grinned and patted her paw against the Lucario's side—just about the highest she could reach. "Who's gonna mess with this guy, right?"
Aagor stared at the jackal with hesitance, and yet something inside him felt like he could trust him. Perhaps it was just the nostalgia talking.
"Kade," Aagor called the Gallade, who promptly stepped forward and handed the Lucario a separate scroll.
"These are the directions to his house. Find Auburn's room and look for a bag, it's pretty small compared to you so you'll be fine." Kade instructed with a small smile. "When you're back, you should meet us at Birch, we'll be waiting for you there."
"Alright," Hydra nodded and took the scroll with a nod. "I suppose I will see you all tomorrow morning, I won't take too long."
"Thanks a ton, Hydra!" Auburn cheekily grinned up at the jackal.
"It's nothing, buddy." The Lucario returned the gesture, earning an even bigger smile from the younger Leafeon.
"We'll stay in a room here, then..." Aagor nodded and flashed a gentle grin toward the jackal. "I appreciate your efforts, Hydra."
A distant wind chimes as if it were a gentle instrument in the air. Hydra stood to take a gander at the night sky. The moon was at its fullest, shining bright enough to where the path ahead was illuminated—quite opposite to what Aagor had warned.
He took his first few steps forward after getting his bearings. After a hitch in his senses, the jackal immediately paused and turned around.
"Wow~!" Epilson gaped as she unveiled herself from the shadows. "That aura of yours is really good."
"What is it?" Hydra questioned as he watched the Zoroark stand by his side as if she were tagging along.
"Coming with you, of course. Got nothing better to do." Epilson shrugged, knowing full well that there was a greater reason.
The Lucario craned his head down to make eye contact with the fox. They essentially had a full conversation by just staring into each other's eyes, but Hydra especially, recognized those turquoise orbs.
"Does it hurt?" Hydra turned away with a frown and continued walking, the Zoroark following suit.
"It did, but I think I recovered alright..." Epilson heaved a long sigh. "So you knew it was me the whole time?"
"Yeah..." He answered flatly.
"Should have known that a Lucario's aura can see through my Illusion ability." She scoffed.
Hydra didn't respond to this.
"Why didn't you rat me out?" Epilson crossed her arms. "You found out I was the night dueler, so why not just reveal it?"
"You must have a good reason." Hydra also folded his arms before turning toward her. "I felt it in your emotions...like everything you were doing was for a good purpose."
"Do you think it was?" The Zoroark grimaced and tore her gaze from the jackal. "I have many, but why would you care? You don't know me, you're just here to do your job."
"I don't even know myself, why would I judge you for something I don't know?" Hydra exhaled.
Epilson thought about those words for a few moments before heaving a deep sigh. "I do have a reason, but you can be the judge if it's a good one or not."
"I'll listen."
"You've heard me complain about the Dalarin defenders, right?"
"Yeah," the jackal nodded.
"It's for a good reason...there's been a group of people harassing me lately, and the Dalarin defenders can't do a thing because they're much weaker." Epilson's strut had a bit more anger to it as she continued, Hydra was able to tell with his aura. "I'm not allowed to defend myself cause..."
The Zoroark hesitantly turned to the Lucario, a pleading look on her expression. "Hydra, if I tell you something, can you promise you won't treat me differently?"
"Why would I?" Hydra crossed his arms and turned to her with a grin. "It's not like I'll hate you...unless you want me to."
"Ha ha." Epilson sarcastically uttered. "No, I mean like...you'll get what I mean."
"Alright..?"
"It's nothing big, it's just...ever since my dad was given leader I was crowned countess of Dalarin, meaning that I'm very important to decisions made for the guild and village respectively." The Zoroark refused to look at Hydra while she said this. "You could say this is a good thing, but it's been nothing but awful my whole life. I've been treated like some delicate princess my whole life, and people see it as an excuse to talk shit to me."
"I'm sorry to hear that, but may I know these people?" Hydra turned to the fox, clearly showing intention to act.
"Don't bother, I'm sure you can beat them up but they come in numbers and manipulation, not brute strength. They'll tarnish your name in every way if you fuck with them." Epilson held her head with a slight grimace. "I'm tired of it."
"Why would they want to come after you?" Hydra questioned.
"To them, I'm basically an excuse to get close to the leader. It's my choice, but I don't live my life like a leader, even though I have similar authority. I don't make choices, my dad does...but they can't harass my dad about it, they'll get thrown in a cell for it."
"But you can tell your dad and have them thrown in a cell for what they're doing to you?"
"I..." Epilson bit her lip in frustration. "On paper, yes. But Hydra, I have a life. If I tell him that, my dad will not let me go. I don't want to go back to that royalty stuff."
"I'm guessing you cannot withdraw from that role?" He deflated at the sight of the Zoroark's stressed expression.
"No, and it'd still be a dishonor to everyone in the village. Dalarin works differently from the rest of the guilds in that we value our honor and culture. This system has been here for hundreds of years and it will never change."
"What do they even harass you about, then?"
"Take a look at me, Hydra..." Epilson clutched at the Lucario's arm, pausing the two on the spot.
Hydra took her words literally and stared her in the eyes.
"No, lower," Epilson commanded.
Now he was feeling a little more flustered. "What..?"
"I mean it, try it." The Zoroark nodded.
Hydra felt like this was a trick, but still followed instructions regardless of his worries. His gaze scrolled down her body as he analyzed her curves and figure. From what he noticed, Epilson had a decent hourglass figure while also having a bit more plumpness to her hip and thighs, and as the jackal continued to look he felt a tingly feeling in his stomach rise.
"I looked, now what?" Hydra forcefully tore his gaze away from admiring her figure and stared at her with a complicated expression.
"This is what they harass me about." Epilson exhaled. "It's never'Hey, we think you guys should address this issue in the town 'or' We need help with this!'"
Hydra could sense where this was going as he witnessed the Zoroark's expression grow more teary-eyed.
"It's always the weirdest and creepiest comments I've ever heard. Do people even know how to flirt?" Epilson let out a bitter scoff before she continued walking forward, Hydra following next to her. "So there. That's why I challenge people to duels at night, because each time I get spoken to like that, I beat them up later."
The Lucario thought for a moment, letting the silence settle in for a few seconds. They didn't notice at first, but the moon wasn't as bright as it used to be, and they took to walking closer to each other because of this.
"I'd say that's a valid reason." Hydra heaved a short sigh and shook his head. "It's a shame that has to happen in the first place, but I still think you're risking a lot by being the night dueler."
Epilson scoffed at the name before continuing. "So what? It won't matter if I always win, they're always weak."
"Epilson, what if I had revealed your identity? What would happen to you, then?" Hydra raised a brow at the Zoroark.
"Probably would have been arrested..." She shrugged. "A better life than getting harassed all day, I'd say."
"I'm not encouraging this, but if you're gonna attack them, why not do it the moment they intrude on you? You can always say you were defending yourself." Hydra tilted his head in curiosity.
"I'm the countess, you think I should be getting my hands dirty? To them, I'm some delicate princess that has never fought aside from Battle Dancing, which isn't real battling, it's choreography." Epilson tucked her arms under her chest. "What would they think if they saw me whoop someone's ass right in front of them?"
"That you're a strong and capable person?"
"Yeah, and not their countess anymore!" She frowned. "I'd disappoint everyone! I'm not even gonna start with what my dad would say."
Hydra let the silence seep through their conversation as the silhouette of Ghan's walls grew closer. Nights in the Ghan village were far less populated than Dalarin, considering that tourism in the village was regulated to one side of the land.
After waving down the guards who luckily knew the two, Hydra and Epilson made their way down the empty street. Unlike Dalarin's thick gravel, Ghan's streets were mainly composed of brick ground, which felt much better on the Lucario's paws.
"Always quiet here..." Epilson idly remarked as her gaze scrolled across the houses in the distance.
Suddenly, Hydra paused. His tail flicked as the sensors on the back of his head flickered. "Did you...feel that?"
"No? I think that was just you." Epilson turned to the jackal with a brow raised.
"Hang on..." Hydra frowned and rushed around the corner to look at what his aura had detected.
On the other side, he witnessed a Sylveon outside of a bakery. She was audibly sobbing into her hands, her ribbon-like feelers obstructing her face. Hydra had detected her negative emotions from around the block.
"Pixie?" He called out to the eeveelution, who immediately whipped around and greeted the two with a forced smile.
"H-Hiya, Hydra! Oh, wow! It's Epilson!" Pixie's voice slightly croaked and hiccuped before she shook the fresh tears from her cheek. "How are you guys doing?"
"Pixie, are you alright?" Epilson's brows furrowed in concern.
"Me? I'm dandy!" She beamed as best as she could. "As fine as a Sunflora in summertime!"
"Are you sure?" Hydra's sensors dropped to the back of his head.
Pixie knew that he could read emotions, but she still hoped they wouldn't pry any further. She hesitated for a small moment before shaking her head once again—as if that would help.
"Would you two care for a cupcake? A muffin? Maybe some poffins?" Pixie desperately offered.
"U-Uhh...we're here to pick something up for Auburn at his place." Epilson motioned toward the road ahead.
"Oh, great! Can I come with?" The Sylveon reeled back from entering the bakery and instead closer to the two.
Knowing she wanted to escape from something personal, Hydra humored her with a slight smile. "Alright, but just know you can talk to me about anything, I've already gone through one therapy session."
"Hey..!" Epilson pouted in response but found herself inadvertently grinning. "So rude."
"Okie-dokie!" Pixie, as if she hadn't found crying seconds ago, leaped between the two and marched forward. "To the leader's den!"
"To the leader's den..." Epilson heaved a small sigh.
"To the lea—"
"Okay, we don't all have to say it." Epilson playfully snapped.