Love is in the Air

My eyes slam open.

I forgot to call Zoey!

I cram through my stuff in the dark and pull out my phone... It's 5 AM in the morning!

I slept for like 15 hours!

But my cramming must have woken up my pokemon. Buneary and Salandit stir awake at the same time and creep out under my blanket. 

"Isn't that uncomfortable?" I whisper out to them. "I hate it when my head is under the blanket."

They just shrug, I think.

I give both a short petting session and change my attention back to my phone.

After connecting to the hotel-wifi I check the new missed messages and find a few from Barry and Zoey. 

Zoey is actually online right now.

"Hop on." My pokemon climb and hop on my shoulders and I pick Lucario's egg up before moving to the bathroom, but not before snapping a photo of the girls.

It's just too cute how they are all cuddled up on the bed.

Cyndaquil and Zorua are on the foot-end, cuddling together while the other pokemon have been recalled to their balls. 

Oh! And Mawile is out too! She broke out of her ball somehow and cuddles with Dawn. Her horn is dangerously close to chomping down on her arm.

Akari and Marley have ended up spooning and Dawn lies across them like a starfish, with Mawile mostly underneath her.

I send Zoey the picture and the ones I made during our last adventure before writing to her.

Swole: "Good morning. I'm sooo sorry for not calling yesterday. I fell asleep as soon as I laid down on the sofa."

Swole: "Are you awake? Can you call me?"

While waiting for a reply, I pet my pokemon some more and I also give some attention to the egg. 

It's probably not going to do any good, but I pet the shell a little too.

Buneary and Salandit relax and enjoy the petting. Salandit looks like she's about to fall asleep at any moment.

The way they are right now, I can almost forget about how weird my pokemon are.

I wish I could just forget about yesterday. But Salandit is just so brazen, she would do it again.

I wonder if I'm the only one with that issue...

Poke-Web: "help! my pokemon are perverted"

... 'Content violation. Your request was blocked.'

Of course it's censored. Damn it! Everything 'adult' about pokemon is always censored!

Poke-Web: "pokemon breeding, are humans viable partners"

'License required. Your request requires a valid pokemon breeder identification'

"Urgh! Stupid internet."

And I don't know any illegal websites for that sort of stuff either. It's all regulated to make sure non-trainers don't find out the ugly truths about pokemon.

Stuff like breeding, bleeding and ... pokemon... attacking... humans.

Ohhh, is that why there weren't any pokemon with the refugees? They got afraid of them after seeing the brutality of real wild pokemon?

I think these people actually abandoned their pokemon while they fled to safety...

What a pathetic bunch of pussies.

'Ohhh, that pokemon was mean! Now I abandon my family pet.' Absolutely disgusting behavior.

Trainers are just made from different stuff than civilians.

I still remember seeing Buneary ruthlessly kill a Magikarp in front of me and my first thought wasn't how it was immoral or even vile. 

My only worry was an Officer Jenny catching us someday.

Is there something in people's DNA? Or is it just the way they were raised?

... No; Marley saw the 'vile' pokemon and still kept her Growlithe and doesn't mind our pokemon either. So it probably isn't genetic.

Ring ring. Oh Zoey calls!

I pick up the call and activate my camera immediately.

"Oh my Arceus! You're really alive!"

Zoey appears on the phone's screen. A bright smile on her face and she wears a semi-transparent night-gown... without a bra underneath and her plain white panties are visible through her clothing.

"I'm so glad you're alive!"

"Me too. And It's really nice to see you again. How are you doing?"

"How am I doing? How are you doing!? What the hell happened? All I know is that a piece of Kanto was suddenly in Sinnoh and the ferry you were on has gone missing! And you didn't respond in days..."

"Awe, you missed me so much?"

"Of course I missed ya, you dummy. You owed me a few pics, after all." She winks. "But I see, you finally delivered. I'm not sure which one is my favorite... The fantasy lake is very pretty but the abs are really juicy too."

"Hehe, thanks. Speaking of pretty views, the one I'm getting isn't too bad either. Have you started working out?"

Zoey flexes both of her arms a bit. Not for a lot of effect but she has clearly more muscle than Dawn now. "Is it noticeable already? I've started running in the morning and doing yoga in the evening, when the guys aren't around."

I honestly have thought that she would like the attention. "Is Brock still causing you trouble?"

"Nah. Ya don't need to worry about it. He's a creep but he's harmless. And his Croagunk does a decent job of reeling him in, whenever he is creepy. But you dodged the question. How are ya doing?"

I feel my face contort a bit and notice Buneary getting a little bit closer to me. 

She's so caring... I pet her head a bit. 

"Could be better."

"What happened?"

I take a deep breath. "Basically, I found out that Lucas died and I had found and befriended a Lucario... She died too. And... well..." The world is ending. "Well, I also got a new pokemon and a Riolu egg! Things could be a lot worse too."

I shouldn't unload all my issues on Zoey. If anything, I should be making sure that she is safe and happy.

"But how about you? Tell me a little about your adventures."

"Sure, if ya prefer." Her face takes on a smile but it seems just a little forced. "At the beginning, it was pretty bad. Brock was a total creep and the clowns from Team Rocket attacked us every second day."

So they really survived that explosion... And they really were the clowns in Jubilife City.

"But I got used to Team Rocket fairly quickly. They are a bunch of idiots with too much money. Every time they come with some weird gadget and every time it blows up in their faces before the day is over. They had a few close calls with abducting Glameow but Misdreavus always pulls through in the end."

The two pokemon in question make annoyed and pleased sounds, somewhere behind the camera.

"I'm not blaming ya, Glameow! It's just that Misdreavus can just phase through their traps. I didn't mean anything bad by it... Come here?"

Glameow enters the screen and curls up on Zoey's lap.

My own pokemon seem to take that as a challenge and cram themselves on top of my lap too.

"Anyway, I got Brock off my back easily enough. I just told him that I have a boyfriend and he stopped asking me out."

What?! She has found a boyfriend already?! B-But I have just been away for a few weeks at most!

Fuck. "Congratulations..."

"What do you look so disappointed for? I meant you, you dummy... At least... I hope you want the same thing?"

Oh thank Arceus!

"Whew! This was actually something I really wanted to talk with you about since you sent me that picture... Just... the adventure called. And... And I would really want to be together with you... But I'm actually not so sure about what I really want anymore."

"Oh... Oh! Wait! If this is about who you like, I don't mind sharing you. The more girls, the better!"

"Well, that was there too but I guess I lucked out." I wink. "Anyway, this isn't what I meant... I was talking about my career... I-I want to become the pokemon champion and I don't want to ever give this up."

"Doesn't sound like an issue for me. I like a man with drive!"

"It's just-- The problem is, when I'm traveling, I don't really have any time. We walk for 8 hours; Where we have to be alert at all times for possible ambushes. We cook for 2 in total and then I train my pokemon and myself for 6 hours before I go to sleep for another 8 hours."

"Y'er still doing your insane training?"

"I have to." I don't have much time. 10 years, did the earthquake article say? "I need to catch up to Cynthia of all people."

"Haha... Yeah... That will be very difficult... But don't you like me?"

"Of course I like you! You look incredible, you are confident, a good pokemon trainer, very attractive, funny and easy to talk with and hot! And you are a human! What's there not to like about you? But as nice as it is to dream about a harem... Is that really feasible?"

"Snort."

"What?"

"Haha, this isn't a pokemon fight, ya know?"

"What do you mean?"

"You are trying to plan out the whole thing in advance. Why don't we simply try it out? It's not like I can steal too much of your time away with me all the way in Oreburgh City."

Did I really do that?

"Look. We are young people. We can make mistakes and get away with it. Just because you and I start dating, doesn't mean your life needs to revolve around me."

She's got a point... In my mind I was already managing a harem of who knows how many people and no way in hell do I have the time for that.

And right now, this would just be a long distance relationship with only Zoey.

"And you don't need to be afraid of commitment. Especially with me! You find someone you like more? Get her in the team! Haha... ha."

But what if I need to choose one day? Not just chose between Zoey, Dawn and Akari; But chose between a relationship and the championship?

... I know I would choose the championship... It's been my dream my whole life.

"... Are you still there? Awe man... Look, if you really don't want to be with me--"

"Nono, no! Wait! I want to! Ahem, but... you're not going to be mad at me, if I spend a few days only training and not calling you?"

"Whew-- Ahem, no, silly. Of course not. I get you. I'm not like some other coordinators; Cough Dawn. Who just want to become a model or something after they fail their contest-careers."

Dawn doesn't take her pokemon career seriously?

"My goal is to become a pokemon coordinator like Fantina. I will open my own gym in Solaceon Town or Snowpoint City and then I will change the local laws so my family has an easier time farming Gogoat. It's why I decided not to travel with ya'll in the first place."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"You are attractive, smart, driven, really good with pokemon and reliable. Not to mention very mature compared to your peers. It's like I'm traveling with a kindergarten. I didn't want to risk my own career either... But I regret that."

"You do? Why?"

"Argh, it's just so annoying to deal with Ash, Barry and Brock! And Team Rocket! You should see it! One moment, Ash and Barry stumble into some wacky and weird adventure, caused by Team Rocket, by the way. The next moment, Brock gets knocked out by his own pokemon because he flirted with a random woman! Urgh! Something is happening almost every day! Sigh..."

Her face changes from frustrated and annoyed to forlorn and lonely in almost an instance. "And I miss Dawn and Akari. And I miss you too. And... I just want my adventure to be a little better. With you."

"Wacky adventures? Snort. Seriously? Well, we do get dangerous adventures on our end from time to time. Not sure if that is better. But... I do miss you as well. How about we meet up again when we all travel around Mount Coronet? I assume you take the northern routes?"

"That sounds nice. Let's do that. I can show you around Snowpoint City then! And maybe we will meet up even sooner: Because we need to stay a bit longer in Oreburgh City. Barry and Ash both lost their gym battle and my next contest battle is on Friday-- I mean, tomorrow... Will you be watching?"

"I will" try.

I still need to schedule my own gym battle and see if I have time on Friday. Worst case, I just watch the reels afterwards.

"... Just to make it official, you're my girlfriend now... Right?"

"Haha, yep. And you are my boyfriend. Nice!"

"Nice."

Knock Knock I startle and drop my phone.

"Hey!" Dawn's voice comes through the bathroom door. "Could you masturbate a little faster in there? Others need to use the bathroom too!"

"Haha." Zoey's beautiful laughter echoes through the phone.

"... I swear I'm not!"

"Hahaha!" ...

My pokemon laugh too.

"It was very nice talking to you. I need to hang up now though. My annoying roommates! Want to go into the bathroom now."

"I'm not annoying! You are! Stop masturbating!"

---

"... I was calling Zoey. Not fapping."

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, let's talk about our plans for today."

Finally. It was like I was being investigated for a crime. I could barely get dressed with the attention on me.

"I need to go to the gym to schedule my battle. And then I need to train. We are going to fight a 2 versus 3, so I want to have every advantage I can get."

"Alright." Dawn says. "I guess you won't come with us to the food kitchen then?"

"For volunteering?"

"Correct." Akari responds. "And for Marley. We will try to look for relatives of her, while we are there."

"Oh, that is a good idea. But keep your pokemon out of their balls, alright? I don't want anything to happen to you while I'm away."

"You really think someone would try to attack the volunteer workers?"

"Don't be naive Dawn. You're going to be working with people who have nothing to lose and you are all very pretty girls who are doing well enough that they can spend their time doing volunteer work. Who knows what they would do to you, if you relax too much."

"You think I'm pretty?"

Akari facepalms. "This is what you got from that?"

"Oh no. I understand his point. But with Prinplup and Mawile around, I'm not worried about the boring stuff. Swole, you said we're all 'very pretty girls'?"

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, Akari and Marley, you will make sure that Dawn isn't being stupid? Right?" 

Dawn's face scrunches up in a cute pout while Akari and Marley chuckle at the teasing.

"Anyway, I guess I will head out... I'm going solo today. Hehe. See you later."

"Urgh." - "Haha." - "What's so funny?"

"It's his last name. Swole Solo. He thinks he's funny."

"Oh... I think he is funny..."

"Thanks Marley. But I need to get going now, bye!"

With that, I pick up my backpack, my pokemon hop and crawl on top of my shoulders and then I leave.

"Farewell." - "Bye." - "Goodbye."

A smile crosses my face as the girl's pleasant voices accompany me on my way out.

---

I cross the final street on my way to the gym and enter a large, fenced off campus with an open main-gate. 

A large building comes into view in front of me. It has a lot of reserved space around it with green grass and lush coniferous trees dotting the area.

A few pokemon trainers are out and about on the grass to train their pokemon: Magnemite, Bronzor and Drilbur.

It might be my imagination but I think the trainers all glare at me a little. I feel very exposed as I walk closer to the main building.

The building itself is heavily metal stylized.

The ground level is covered in gray boulders that make it appear like bare mountain-tops and on top of that are thick sheets of steel that cover the walls of the gym. 

It looks like a construction site, or a military pill-box, growing out of a mountain. Only the sliding doors differentiate it from a weird art-piece.

"The Canalave City gym..."

Finally. 

It's been over two months since I headed out to get my very first pokemon and now... I have finally reached the first gym.

This feeling... My blood is pumping. My breathing is erratic... It's incredible.

~"Why are you grinning so much?"

"Am I? I guess I'm just happy. Hehe, I don't even have my first gym badge yet but I already feel like this... I love being a pokemon trainer!"

It's amazing! "Oh, I just can't wait anymore! I want to beat Byron and get the Mine Badge!"

I start running to the entry, but stop myself after the first step.

As excited as I am, I still reign the spring in my step back in and try to walk through the sliding doors as normally as I can.

The inside looks like the lobby and reception of a hotel, except everything is steel-themed.

A woman, pushing to the end of her 20s is seated behind a metal desk with sheet-metal hiding her legs from view.

A few construction steel-beams are acting as ornamental/structural-support pillars and an enormous smeltery furnace stands in a corner of the room, doing nothing right now. Could be ornamental. Maybe they use it to make their equipment.

Who knows.

Anyway, I get closer to the woman. 

Even she is metal-themed. She has piercings in her left eyebrow, the bridge of her nose, the corner of her bottom lip and she has multiple studs in her ears.

She notices my approach and looks up from her work for just a moment. 

"Hello there." She greets me with a wave of her left hand and there is a thick, steel-colored engagement ring on her ring finger. "Are you here to sign up as a gym assistant?"

Gym assistants... The grunts of trainer-society. They do all the work in a gym and sometimes help the city out with law enforcement and other emergency services.

Nothing wrong with that; Hey, they get free education and training from that.

But they are basically 3rd class citizens compared to field researchers.

Despite that, they still enjoy a higher social status than 'normal' people.

"Nope. I'm here as a challenger for the Mine Badge."

"Ah. Another one." She doesn't seem too impressed. "Do you need any help to fill out these forms for your trainer ID?"

Huh?

She pushes a small stack of paper to me before returning to her computer. The stack is at least a centimeter tall.

"I already have a trainer ID though." I say as I cram out my pokedex.

This seems to get her attention. 

She leans forward, over her desktop and takes a closer look at the info displayed on my pokedex while she taps her finger on the desk a few times.

"You're not from Canalave City? Did you travel here through the new wilderness already? That's pretty fast. Hm... Swole Solo?" She leans back again and eyes me with a little more attention.

"I was half-way here from Jubilife City before... well... The wilderness encroached. Anyway, can I get an appointment for a gym battle?"

"Oh! Sure, yeah. I saw you had 0 badges and you're in luck! We got a couple new recruits to handle the newbie fights." Newbie? "The next open slot is on... Monday!"

"Damn. So long?"

"Sorry about that, kid." Kid? "New orders from above. We have to prepare our trainers more carefully and the weekend slots are scheduled for pokemon contests now. No exceptions."

... "Ah. That makes sense. The league must be trying to quell the current social unrest and is pushing for higher quality entertainment. I can only assume that they will be trying out new things for contests and gym battles as a result as well."

"Y-yes. That is actually pretty much exactly what the email said to Byron."

HAH! Who's the kid now!

"Do you wish to register your pokemon for the fight already? We're supposed to tell trainers, it's so the bureaucracy can go smoother but you seem like a smart kid. You can probably figure out the reason for it."

... Is she messing with me now?

"Good grief. If I had to take a guess, it's so you can make the match more evenly balanced. A beat-down isn't entertaining to watch for anyone."

"Bingo. Although we also set a minimum difficulty to filter out the chaff. Don't want any bratty newbies to compete in the big league, right?"

"... Right."

"... What I tried to say with that, is that maybe, you should get a 3rd pokemon before trying to battle here. Eggs can't fight and you're only carrying 2 pokemon with you."

She is messing with me! 

Oh, it is so fucking on!

I will make her eat those words when we beat up her shitty gym assistants in a 2v3!

"Nah. It's fine. I will beat your trainer with just those two. We're simply a little better than the chaff around these parts. I'm registering Salandit first and Buneary as my second pokemon. Got that?"

"If you say so." She's sporting a grin as she types my choice into her computer. "Just don't cry after you lose. It's bad on television."

"Tell that to your gym assistant. Do you need me for anything else? I would like to look for a spot to train in peace."

"Nope. I got everything. You may take your leave. I would recommend the park up on main-street, closer to the harbor. You can't miss it, but if you get to the shopping district, you went too far."

"Thanks. Goodbye then. See you Monday. I will destroy your gym's defender. You hear me?"

"Oh yes." Her grin widens even more. "We heard you. And we will be waiting for you."

Weirdo.

Anyway, she's weird and confrontational. Doesn't matter; I just make my way back out the building--

But as I walk back to the entrance, something on the wall stands out to me.

There is a cork board with a bunch of news article cut-outs. Most display some feats by Byron himself or a trainer working under him... But one is of me.

'You hear that Byron? I'm coming for you!' Is highlighted in yellow marker.

It's the picture of Akari, Ash and me together with... Miss Mars? The red-haired lady from Team Galactic. Along with the group picture are smaller portraits of each of us.

And a few snippets of our interviews are in the article.

Akari talked about her love for her pokemon, how important it is to battle together with your pokemon and to try to truly understand them; All to become a better, stronger pokemon trainer.

Ash just talked some crap about becoming the champion. As if I'd let him here in Sinnoh.

And then there is me... I actually got a surprisingly large portion of the article. 

Looks like Jubilife TV tried to shit-talk Kanto and used my political opinions for it. 

Haha! They basically called Kanto trainers incompetent and childish by using my quote on Ash slightly out of context.

And then there is the part about Byron and I think that was the face I made when I talked directly to the camera for dramatic effect.

Good to know that my reputation already precedes me. Ha!

---

Oh, what a fucking bitch!

This is a fucking playground! For children!

Well, there is a section for pokemon adjacent to it, but the main part of the park is a playground and little kids are playing on it.

To be fair, this seems like one of the few places around Canalave City that is clean. Looks like the parents are not allowing any homeless people to dirty up the place. Any normal park is probably in a lot worse condition.

Anyway, I'm already dressed in joggers and a tank-top shirt and I'm basically ready to train, but I still go around the park to ask the parents if it's alright if I use some of the playground equipment for training. 

Don't want to creep them out by being a sweaty adult around their children.

None find an issue with it and some ask me back if their children can watch my pokemon train in turn; Which I'm alright with and Buneary and Salandit don't seem to mind either.

"So." I start addressing Buneary and Salandit. "First things first, we need to train up our opening move for Monday. I'm setting a timer on my phone, every 15 Minutes we are doing a short sparring session."

Buneary's face scrunches up in confusion but Salandit seems to get it.

"Salandit is going to start with Poison Gas, Fake Out and Will-O-Wisp in that order. Buneary, I want you to try to deflect the Poison Gas projectile: Let's start with Pound for that. Don't worry if you get poisoned, we still have a lot of Pecha Berry."

Buneary nods shakily and Salandit tries to dumb-down the explanation for her. ~"Parry with Pound. For ssimple pokemon to undersstand."

Hehe.

"Ouch. Hey, what did I do?"

~"You thought it was funny."

Because it is. "You know me so well, Buneary. For Fake Out, you're going to need to use..."

Most pokemon who know Fake Out will be normal type. That means we need to train with STAB in mind. Which means we need to beat 60TE reliably to avoid the move.

Pound would match it with Buneary's STAB... And each kick of Double Kick would match it too because of the type advantage.

But Double Kick allows for an instantaneous follow up. "Double Kick. I want you to be as quick with the move as you can get. Then finally, for Will-O-Wisp, you're going to use the environment and do a counter attack with Jump Kick."

"Salandit." She explains it to Buneary and then both move to get ready.

"Wait, Salandit. You know what Buneary's going to do, so I want you to be creative and try to get the combo through however you can. I'm going to try to think of some solutions as well but our fight in the gym will rely on this."

"Sa."

"Good! Now, on three? ... One, two, three!"

Immediately, Salandit spits a glob of dark purple poison and Buneary's ears are glowing in preparation.

The projectile arcs slightly through the air and Buneary uses Pound to smash it into pieces.

However, the projectile instantly turns from a dark liquid to a pink smoke and envelops Buneary.

I look back over to Salandit and see that she is already busy with charging Fake Out. Then, without giving any prior indication, she starts zooming over the battlefield only to be met by Buneary's right-foot.

Boom

Her left foot follows suit and kicks Salandit in her snout.

Bam

Affected by the pain, Salandit tries her best to right herself in the air but she lands badly and flops over the ground a few times.

Buneary starts running to catch back up with Salandit while Salandit's back starts glowing up as she prepares Will-O-Wisp.

3 purple glowing orbs of fire then shoot out of Salandit's mouth and home in on Buneary who uses some dirt and gravel to deflect 2 of them. 

By pure chance, the 3rd orb of Will-O-Wisp manages to weave past Buneary's counter and arrests her momentum as she is forced to dodge the move.

She lets out a painful sounding cough and looks back up... only to see that Salandit has run all the way back to me and is hiding behind my legs.

"Good fight!" I call out and motion with my arms to end the spar.

Some cheering rings out in the audience of children but I ignore them to write down my findings in my notebook before I forget them.

I try to ignore the rest of the world as I let the fight play out in my memories again while I write everything down that bothered me.

...

"Good attempt, for a first try." I tell Buneary and Salandit as I sit down and double check that Lucario's egg sits comfortably in the carrier-sling.

"First up is your--" Buneary coughs and I am reminded that she's still poisoned.

I hurry to pull out the berry case with the Pecha Berry and feed her a quarter of it. Some purple smoke leaves her body and I feel better, now that I know that she feels better.

"Buneary, first up is your deflection. I think you used too much strength and you angled it wrong. Let's practice that with rocks later."

We might have to change from Pound to Double Hit too, if she can't angle Pound better.

"Salandit, good job with Fake Out; I saw you started the move well before Poison Gas hit Buneary. But from now on, we're going to strain your normal type as much as we can, so you can do it even faster next time."

"Then, next time, Buneary, you're going to follow Salandit with Quick Attack. You spent too much time running after her. You can angle the attack into the ground in order to use the environment to deflect Will-O-Wisp. Or use it to dodge horizontally faster if something like Ember came instead."

"B-un... eary?"

... "I'm going to call out your moves next time, so you don't have to remember the actions you need to take. Just... try to remember the principles?"

"Bun!"

"And last but not least..." I level a glare at Salandit. "Don't use me as a meat-shield. Use literally anything else to get away from Buneary. Like the trees. In the gym, there will be sandy ground, large boulders and most likely steel-beams in the environment. The sand and boulders are a standard feature and I think the steel gym will use some kind of steel as their special feature."

"Sa, Sa."

I level another glare at her. That sounded a whole lot like 'yeah yeah'. "Repeat after me, 'I will not use my trainer as a meat shield.'"

I can see her roll her eyes but at least she says it. ~"I will not usse my trainer'ss ass as a meaty shield."

"Good! Alright! That was a very fruitful first attempt. Salandit, try hitting the ground with Scratch as often as you can for the next 15 minutes."

"Saaa..." She sulks off and starts charging normal type energy in her claws.

"Buneary, I'm going to throw rocks at you and you need to hit that tree over there behind you with the rocks."

"Bun!"

"... If you pulverize the rock, it counts as a failure."

"Bu-bune!"

"I know it's not fair, but you're going to need to learn to save on power for some tricks."

"Buneary..."

"Grumble around all you want, but I'm going to start throwing rocks now."

---

"Good fucking job!"

"Bun!"

Buneary finally managed to deflect the pebble and hit the tree.

"Alright, let's try again. Might have been a fluke." I wink and she growls.

Ding

I quickly check my phone and see it's a message from Dawn.

"I want to see you hit that tree at least 2 more times, alright?"

I wind my arm back, lift my left leg a bit, and throw!

Buneary's left hook hits the pebble in the side and... misses the tree completely.

We made sure that none of the children stayed to watch to our right side, because that pebble could have knocked someone's eye out.

"Angle's too sharp. Again."

This time the pebble explodes in a cloud of fragments... The poor imaginary children were just hit by a shotgun blast.

"Are you getting angry? Want to take a break?"

"Bun..."

"Alright. Salandit, you doing alright?" I check up on her and she's breathing heavily and is covered in sweat.

"Sa ... lan ... dit."

"Alright. Good job you two. And a break seems like a great idea."

I pull out a Leppa Berry and break it in 2 halves, same with an Oran Berry.

... I just wish there was a berry to cure Buneary's mood. She's getting increasingly pissed over her lack of progress over the past 3 hours.

Wait! There is! 

I also pull out a Tamato Berry and push it closer to her.

~"Thanks!" She happily gobbles the disgustingly spicy berry up.

"Salandit!"

"Huh? You also want a treat? Could you repeat what exactly do you want? I didn't catch the meaning."

~"I want - Salandit."

"Try again?"

This time I sit down, close my eyes and focus on the little connection between us.

~"Cooofffeeeee. I want cooofffeeeee."

I open my eyes again and see her with the cutest fucking look on her face as scaled up on my knees and begs me for a treat.

"Alright, it's time for lunch anyway. We can hit up a small diner and I will order you some coffee."

Her eyes glimmer with a little sparkle and she continues eating her half of the berries.

I use the off-time to finally check what Dawn wrote to me.

Dawn: "Hey, sup? Got your gym battle scheduled yet? Still training? Where u @?"

Swole: "Hey. Yup. And we will train for the whole day, just taking a lunch break RN." I also send her my geolocation.

Swole: "Btw, can you also send me your live geolocation? Just in case something happens to you, I can try to track you."

Dawn: "Can't live without knowing where I am 24 7? ;) " Yet she still sends me her live location, which updates every 5 minutes.

Dawn: "It's only working if I have WiFi anyway." 

... How's my phone working then? Did they fix the cellphone tower?

Dawn: "Don't head out for lunch just yet. I'm gonna be there in 10 minutes."

Swole: "Alright. See you soon."

Swole: "Oh, can you bring some coffee? I need to bribe Salandit."

Dawn: "Sure. Anything else? <3"< p>

A heart emoji? ... Does that mean something? Or is she just being girly right now?

Swole: "Just your sweet ass is enough for me. <3 " < p>

But I delete it before hitting send.

... It probably didn't mean anything...

Swole: "Just you is enough." 

I wrote it again, a little more tame, but my finger just can't hit the send button.

... "Buneary, you need to do it for me."

~"Do wuaht foa yuh?" Her mouth is stuffed to the brim with Tamato Berry and her paws are covered in red juices.

~"Uhhh! Lemme ssee!" Salandit rushes in and taps with her claw on the screen.

... It just uselessly slides around on the glass surface... I stop her before she scratches it. "Sssal" I think that means 'shit'.

I look back at the message I want to send.

... Best case, she thinks it's funny. Or she thinks I'm serious and she appreciates it.

... Worst case, I can say it was a joke. Would she believe it?

Probably yes. It's not too far off from our usual jokes.

I hit send.

And I lock the screen and put the phone far, far away. All the way back into my pocket.

It's done. It's a thing of the past and I can't change it anymore. I just need to live with my decision from now on.

Ding

I ignore my phone.

I don't even think about my phone.

Or the message I sent.

Or what Dawn responded with.

I think of none of those things.

Not a single thought is wasted on it.

...

Oh Arceus! 

'Just you is enough'??? What the hell was I thinking! 

Oh my fucking Arceus that is so cheesy!

Mew! Why didn't you stop me!

No, Mesprit! Why did you make me do it?! It must have been you!

The phone somehow made its way back into my hand.

What did she write?!

Dawn: "Cringe. OwO "

"Fuuuck."

I'm never going to live that down.

"Urgh! I can't believe I'm so cringe. What's wrong with me?"

Ding

Dawn: "But thanks... That was actually pretty cute. :D "

"What the hell Dawn. First it's cringe and now it's cute? Decide on one thing, woman!" I can't help but shout my frustrations out against my phone.

Buneary and Salandit seem to try to hold themselves together in order not to laugh at my misfortune and somewhere in my imagination, someone just called me cringe again.

Dawn: "How come you aren't sweaty today? Did you really train? Or were you just lazing around?"

... I slowly close my eyes.

I shut out the world and sense the aura around me... There she is. Standing a few meters behind me.

From the shape of her blob and the feelings of mirth radiating from her, I can tell that she is having the time of her life right now.

Stay calm, Swole Solo. She might have hit me with a good shot, but the fight isn't over just yet.

I open one eye and type out my response.

Swole: "Pah. I bet you wouldn't say that to my face. You never trained a day in your life!"

Quickly, I focus on my surroundings again.

Her blob slowly gets closer. Close enough that I can make out some more details. When her arm is just about to touch my shoulder, I can tell exactly where both of her armpits are.

I jump up, spin around and grab her under her arms.

"Hyaaaa!?" She lets out a startled scream as I quickly lift her up by her armpits.

It's very difficult but I put all my effort into not sounding strained.

"Awe, did the wittle child try to play a prank on me?"

I lift her higher, like one would lift up a small child, except she is 50kg instead of 20.

"Hyaa! Let me go! Let me down!"

"Let you... Dawn? -- Oi, stop struggling so much."

Uh oh.

The fine sand of the playground... It's pretty hard to keep my footing on it.

"Kiyaaa!" Dawn screeches in fright as we go down together.

"Oof!"

My back hits the ground and Dawn headbutts my chest with all her momentum.

Fuck! That hurt like a bitch! "Are you alright, Dawn?" I cough out as my lungs struggle to fill themselves back up with air.

"Ouchie. How did you do that?"

"You're, like, half as tall as me."

She pushes herself up and punches my arm, but curiously, she stays seated on my lap. "You're just a head taller than me. And I mean, how did you know where I was?"

"Aura sight."

"You can do that already?!"

"You could too, if you actually practiced it. Or trained a little. Your body is a temple, don't you know?"

I also sit up.

... Her face is very close to mine now.

I can't believe how pretty she is up close. Or far away for that matter. Actually she is so pretty all around.

And knowing that she hides a mess of hair under her beanie just makes her so much cuter.

... Oh Arceus... I really do have a crush on her.

I feel my face heating up while she's developing her own blush.

Her pink sweater matches the color of her cheeks and, "You're not wearing a skirt today?"

"Wow! You actually said that out loud." She punches my arm. "Unbelievable."

She punches my arm, again.

"And yes, I choose to wear jeans today in case any perverts had some funny ideas." If glares could burn, I'd be a crisp right now.

Still, if that was a skirt, it might have been worth it.

"I heard that!"

"Stop reading my mind, woman."

"Stop having a dirty mind!"

"Never!"

...

... "I should probably get up before the parents start complaining."

Oh fuck! I totally forgot that we are in public. 

On a playground of all places!

"Yeah... Let's not be weirdos."

She gets off and brushes some sand off her legs.

"So... Did you want to go eat lunch with me?"

"Actually," She starts cramming through her bag and pulls out 2 items.

One is a thermos, with coffee, I assume.

The other is a lunch box.

"Akari gave me an even better idea. I made lunch for you... She calls it a bento box."

She hands me the box and a pair of chopsticks with a nervous smile.

"She said that the chopsticks are necessary."

She would say that... 

"Wow! Did you make that yourself?"

In it are rolls of fluffy omelet, a rice ball, sandwiches and some strawberries.

The rice ball is wrapped with seaweed on the left and right side and is shaped like a heart.

"It looks amazing. But what are you going to be eating."

Her smile strains and her eyes widen before her smile falls apart. "Oh fudge! I knew I forgot something!"

"The pokemon will also need lunch. Let's go and find some steak for you and the team, I will eat this there."

"Sounds good..."

---

"Are you alright?" 

We got some lunch, and fueled ourselves back up for more training!

But Dawn has been acting off today, ever since I mentioned to her that she forgot about everyone else's food.

She has been very quiet and only talked about necessities.

Like wanting to train with me.

"What do you mean?"

We're taking another break right now. Buneary's ability to deflect the stone has greatly improved and we started ignoring her aim with it.

It's only important that the deflection angle is low, not that she can hit something with it.

"... You're acting... shy?"

In the most recent spar, Buneary finally managed to let the poisonous glob bounce off from her Double Hit. It exploded on the ground, far enough away that she didn't get poisoned by it.

None of the children were hit either!

That gave her the first "win" of the day. 

Buneary dodged Poison Gas and countered Fake Out. 2 points.

She reliably avoids Will-O-Wisp but Salandit always manages to flee from her, denying the follow-up attack. 1 point each. So 3 to 1.

"I'm not acting shy..." Dawn says while she plays around with a strand of hair.

Does she wear her beanie like that specifically so she can still play around with her hair?

"Uhhh huh. If you say so." It's cute when she does it, so I don't mind.

Where was I? ... Right. Buneary won. 

And seeing how she did that by deflecting Poison Gas, I can think of an easy solution to even the scales again for Salandit.

"... Are you alright?" I hear.

If Salandit attacks the ground that Buneary stands on, she could use the gaseous property of the move to hit Buneary... No. If Salandit's aim is slightly too low, then she misses by meters because her attack angle is just too low.

"What?"

How high can Salandit jump? With a higher angle of attack, hitting Buneary, or any grounded target really, should be a lot easier.

"Are you alright? You seem very distracted."

... That's actually brilliant.

"Hello? Swole?" She nudges me and I look her in the eyes.

"Hey. What's up, Dawn?"

"What's going on? Can I help you in some way?"

"Uhhhh... I don't think so. And what do you mean, what's going on?"

"Urgh. Whatever. I'm going back to training."

Huh?

"Hey, wait! Come sit back down! What's going on, Dawn?"

What the hell did I do wrong?

She glares at me for some reason. "... Are you actually going to be talking with me?"

"Uhm. Sure. If you want to. Let's talk." I say as I reseat my body to give her my attention.

"Wha-? A- Are you serious?" She says before shaking her head and sitting back down with me. "You were very distracted right now."

'Were' and 'right now'? And she calls ME distracted?

"I was just thinking about Buneary's and Salandit's training. My battle is on Monday..."

"So? You still have the rest of today, tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday to train. I don't know why you're stressing out about it now."

"... Zoey mentioned that Barry and this Ash-guy both lost their first gym battle. And I get the feeling like they are upping the difficulty this year... And I can only leave Canalave City after beating the gym... I don't want to be the reason why I'm slowing you down... To waste so much of your time..."

She puts her hand on my knee.

"Don't worry about me." Her voice is soothing. 

I didn't notice that my knees were shaking until they stopped. "You're going to win. I'm sure."

... I take a deep breath. "Thanks... But not if I don't train, or do my best. What about you? When is your contest?"

"I'm going to fight on Saturday. Prinplup has his choreography down, only Mawile... I'm not sure how to use her in contests yet. None of her moves are very flashy."

"You could just destroy your enemies."

"Hah! Destroy? Enemies? They are--"

"Good afternoon, Swole and Dawn." Dawn and I both jump a bit as Akari's voice comes from behind us.

With lightning speed, Dawn pulls her hand away from me before straightening her back and failing to look inconspicuous.

"... Good afternoon..." Marley's shy voice follows suit. It feels like she gets shyer every day.

"Oh! Hey girls!" Dawn greets them back after standing up and brushing sand off her pants once again. "Are you done in the food kitchen already?"

"Indeed. Food for today and tomorrow is already prepared. What about yourself? Was your shared lunch successful?"

"Oh... Weeeell..." Dawn struggles to get an answer out.

One of mom's teachings comes to the front of my mind: 

Dawn did a nice gesture for me, even if she didn't pull it off perfectly. 

If a girl ever does something nice for me, I'm always supposed to be grateful and compliment her character in public. Specifically her character, not just her skills.

"It was very nice." Dawn bashfully plays with her hair while I reply to Akari for her. "The food was very tasty and I liked the little details she put in it. It was very sweet of Dawn to do that for me." 

Was that enough? 

I think it's something about girls caring more about their image than anything.

"Thanks..." Dawn replies with a quiet voice as her cheeks gain a light pink color.

Mom was right.

"Next time, I won't forget about our pokemon."

"Or about yourself, I hope?"

"Hehe, woups."

"Nevertheless." Akari interrupts our mumbling. "At what time do we go for dinner today? I would like to invite you all, as I have announcements to share."

"Are you sure?" She's poor. "I don't mind paying."

"I have recently gained a portion of the research investment by the professors. They are still in the 'bidding' process, but this is the first 'royalty' I have received. I am not certain what that means, but I have a few thousand pokedollar on my 'bank account'. I believe I am rich now."

A few thousand isn't rich.

"Lucas explained that to me once." Dawn says. "I didn't bother to remember most of it, but professors bid against each other for earlier access to research results. Everyone involved in the research gets money from the bidding, depending on how much they contribute."

"Buneary, Salandit," I address the pokemon who still look exhausted despite the break we already had. "I think we need a longer break anyway. What do you say about going for dinner a little earlier?"

~"Yesss, finally!"

~"Steak?"

"You already had steak for lunch."

~"More steak?"

... "Looks like we can head out for dinner now. Anyone against steak for dinner?"

"Can we go to a different steakhouse at least?" Dawn asks. "I don't want to seem weird by going to the same place twice on the same day."

"Sure. Let's just head to the harbor and see if we can find something."

---

Dawn-POV:

My eyes wander around the eerily empty harbor. Half the stores are closed and the streets are empty.

When they hover over Swole, I quickly look away again before he notices me staring.

While we were searching for a place to eat at, we managed to find professor Rowan of all people.

He is in Canalave City on a secret mission and tried to get rid of us after just a short, friendly greeting. 

He didn't say it was secret. But that much is obvious. What else would he be doing here?

At some point we crossed through the market. Usually, a bunch of vendors would be shouting for people to come and look at their wares; But today, it was literally just 1 person, who was actively trying to sell his items.

Everyone else seemed in a funk. And with the dirty streets and gray buildings and metal stalls, everything seemed dystopian about Canalave City.

The vendor was selling jewelry and while the other girls and I were just window shopping, he managed to convince Swole to buy us all gifts.

Which is very nice of Swole and something my mom would have told me to do.

Sometimes mom would try to teach me some of our 'aristocratic values'. Like 'how to make sure your peasants stay happy and healthy'...

I always thought that stuff was going to be useless because the Platinum family would take care of all that, but it looks like I was wrong.

Swole also tried to be sleek about it. I saw him buy something for all of us and for Zoey too, but he treated it like something illegal. Like, putting it away quickly and then pretending it's for his mom. 

The vendor played along.

I only rolled my eyes at his antics and let them have their fun.

We walked a little further but couldn't find another open steakhouse. Sooo, we went to a fish restaurant instead.

"Stop complaining, Buneary. It's basically steak."

I can't help but let out a small chuckle at Swole's comment. Their banter is always so funny. It's incredible how close he is with both of his pokemon already.

Meanwhile, Mawile still bites me...

And Prinplup doesn't let me cuddle him anymore...

"It's a really nice place." I state out loud.

The tables and chairs are polished, stainless steel and they are all very shiny. The windows all reach up from the ground to the ceiling and give a view to the old-town harbor.

The floor and ceiling are both made from black material and it's giving everything a very sleek look.

A look at the signs at the entryway gives a hint away as to why it looks so sleek: It's a 1-Cyclizar-Star rated restaurant. Meaning the food and ambience is incredible and the prices are high.

"Akari, are you sure you want to invite us out to eat here?"

"Yes, Dawn. I wish to give back at least a little for what you and Swole have done for me."

Did we even do anything special?

"It's no problem Akari." Swole echoes my thoughts.

"However much of a problem it has been, I still wish to pay for today's dinner. And do not hold back on my account, please."

She knows us too well.

A rather rotund server shows us to our seats. Then he gives each of us a menu and a recommendation for 'Fine de Hulbury Auster Thermidor with Trüffel and Spinat' as a starter and he leaves.

I know that Auster is just oysters. But Fine de Hulbury means they are from Galar; Specifically Hulbury, which is known for its seafood quality. And finally, Thermidor comes from a lobster recipe.

In other words, it's baked oysters with a very tasty sauce, topped with truffle and spinach.

The prices are pretty high.

Each oyster is 5₽ and half a lobster is 50₽.

"Hey, Akari. Do you want to share the sushi plate with me? It's gonna be too much for me otherwise."

Akari's eyes tighten at me in suspicion but in the end she relents. "I also wish to eat the sushi. So I am agreeable to sharing the larger plate."

"Prinplup, do you want to get something?" He already had a big lunch and should be full. But he loves fish sooo...

His head nods in excitement at the prospect. ~"Yes!"

I have no idea when it started, but sometimes I get the feeling that I actually understand his answers. 

It's so weird. 

It's probably just something that trainers learn. Like that weird gender-thing; How I'm able to guess a pokemon's gender 100% of the time.

"What about you, Mawile?"

She shakes her head and gets closer for cuddling instead. 

She's soooo cute!

Ouch!

She's so cute, she always makes me forget to watch my hands around her. "Stop biting me."

A moment later the server comes back already and takes everyone's orders. "I would like a fillet of cod with potato wedges on the side. Could I have the fish still raw in the center?"

Prinplup sometimes wants to eat his fish raw. And I never know if today is a raw or cooked day for him, so I just started cooking it less for him.

The server looks at me weirdly but then just writes it down before moving on to the next order.

Swole gets a full, 1 pound Hummer Thermidor for himself, some sushi for Salandit and a tuna steak for Buneary. Marley matches our order and gets herself and Growlithe sushi as well.

Then, finally, the guy leaves. I don't like him.

"Ahem." Akari clears her throat once we are alone again. "I would like to make an announcement concerning the future of our travel group."

She straightens her back and looks at Swole. "Marley and I have decided to work with Team Galactic to reoccupy route 218. They are paying for our food and we will get to keep whatever area we manage to conquer."

Wow! That's a lot of potential profit.

"Maybe you could try to occupy the Tree of Beginning?" Swole suggests. "You know how to get to Mew and you could ask her for help. She owes us a favor."

"What do you need to do to 'conquer' an area?" I ask.

"We will be required to ensure that humans can go after their business unmolested; However we want to go about it. In which case, asking Mew for help would be an incredible idea."

"So you won't be in too much danger?"

"No, Dawn. I will travel with Marley and my superior officer." Does she mean her boss? "Thanks to my result in our school bout, Team Galactic offered to recruit me with favorable circumstances. Tis why we are allowed to keep everything."

Then her face changes from hopeful and excited to... sad.

"And... furthermore... I do wish to try and look for a way home."

... Oh...

... I-- I want what's best for her... But I don't want her to leave again...

She's quickly managed to become one of my best friends in the world...

"If there is a method for me to travel back in time, I am sure that my chances are best at Team Galactic."

Marley leans back in surprise after hearing that. "You're a time traveler?"

"Indeed."

"Huh... Cool... I had a time traveler in my family too... Supposedly."

She did? Huh. 

I guess that makes sense. If so many people are disappearing as time travelers, some must have popped up in the past and... made children.

"Do you know that time traveler's name?" Ha. What are the odds that it's Lucas?

"Uhm... My grandpa said his name was only passed down as the 'Traveler'... Sorry."

'Traveler', huh? Could be anyone.

"By the way, Marley. What's your family name?" I know asking that to a ... peasant... No, a villager; Doesn't make much sense, but I should at least know the full names of my friends.

And I really shouldn't be calling my friends peasants. It's a mean name and I shouldn't keep mom's mindset in the modern times either.

"Oh... Uhm... I didn't tell you that yet? ... My name is Marley Diamond... Nice to meet you properly."

What!?

"You are descended from the Diamond clan?" Akari is shocked too.

"Wait, doesn't that mean you're a pokemon trainer?" Swole asks.

I need to ask something too! "Uhhh, are you my cousin?"

Marley recoils at the barrage of questions. Her head pulls back into her shoulders and she retreats as far as she can in her chair.

"... My grandmother hated pokemon and she forced my grandfather to leave the... Family business behind. We aren't trainers. ... I don't know if we are related... I don't really know anything about my extended family..."

Huh. What are the odds? 

The 1 human we meet between the former Tree of Beginning and Canalave City, is related to me.

And if this 'Traveler' is related to the Diamond clan; Or rather the Diamond family that it became later... Could it be Lucas?

... Did Lucas fuck his own great-great-great... you know-mother? Heh. That's actually pretty funny. I think I will just stick with that theory.

Lucas Diamond. The guy who is his own great-great... you know-father? Hilarious.

Kinda gross, if it's actually true.

Wait! That means he fucked one of MY great-... you know-mothers too! Gross!

Iew! He's my cousin and great-... you know-father! 

Yuck!

... I'm just going to do what Swole does best, and pretend I never thought of that.

~"That explains why Marley isn't afraid of pokemon..." Swole mutters to himself.

"What do you mean? Why would Marley be afraid of pokemon?"

"Huh? Did I say that out loud again?" Yep. "Anyway, I have a theory that... peasants aren't meant to be real pokemon trainers. Something is wrong with their genetics or something. You guys saw the refugee camp, right? Not a single pokemon in sight."

... And they looked at us... with fear?

I thought it was just fear of outsiders. Could he be right?

"When they saw the way wild pokemon behave, they got scared of them. Dawn,"

He asks me directly and I focus on him.

Specifically, on his bright blue eyes, framed by his luscious blonde locks...

"Do you remember when we got attacked by Ariados?"

It was so scary! I never want to be caught off guard in the wilderness again!

I nod.

"Afterwards, you held onto Piplup like he was your guardian."

That's... right. I held him in a tight hug right after. "Right. But why would I be afraid of Piplup? He protected me after all."

"Exactly! Why are the refugees afraid of their own pets, to the point that they got rid of them, while Marley, who descends from trainers, turned into a trainer the moment things became harsh for her."

"Maybe it's the way people are raised?"

"Maybe, but I don't think so. They watched the same TV programs we did."

"I dunno, Swole. Sounds a little racist, don't you think?" But he's got a point.

I'm pretty sure even mom thinks that sort of stuff. She never said it out loud and has always been polite about it... but she does think less of peasants.

"It is, isn't it? But no matter what the reason for it is..." He trails off.

Probably monologuing in his head again.

I'm used to it, so I just give him some time. And after a while, he starts talking again.

"The majority of Sinnoh families have pokemon pets by now." He states. "Even low-income families get Sewaddle or similar low-cost pokemon."

That's... true. Ever since food has become abundant, everyone is getting at least 1 pokemon. 

And Sewaddle are by far the cutest bug pokemon. There is no competition, really. No wonder people get them.

"But none of the hundreds of people we saw at the refugee camps had any pokemon out... I can only hope that they were all in their balls for no reason at the same time... Because I don't want to think about the hundreds or even thousands of pokemon that they have just abandoned."

Oh... Arceus... That can't be true, right?

But when my eyes travel over Marley, I can't help but get this sinking feeling...

Just how many people did they leave to die alone? And how many pokemon did they abandon to fight alone for their lives against the wilderness... 

All to save themselves. 

And we cooked for them...

Akari, Marley and I... did we put in our hard work and effort to make meals for cruel monsters?

Suddenly, I notice our server returning to deliver our food.

He looks down at us with contempt-- What? Why? Am I seeing things?

He silently places our dishes at our places and then he leaves without another word.

Was he like this before too?

Did he hear us talk and not like it?

From the corner of my eyes, I can see him spectating us. 

Does he expect us to dine and dash? 

Unbelievable. For a star-rated restaurant I honestly expected friendlier service.

Judgemental asshole.

... Maybe it really is because he isn't a trainer.

... But not every trainer is nice either... Asshole wasn't nice. Neither were the city guards.

Anyway, we eat a part of our food in silence without further discussions; Swole looks preeetty awkward about killing the mood.

Buuuut eventually Akari speaks up again.

"I have something else to say." She carefully puts the chopsticks away she was using to eat our shared plate of sushi.

"First of all, I apologize for breaking customs. I know this is supposed to be done by my parents but since they are not here anymore, I have to do this myself."

Do what?

"I am very aware that my chances of returning home are slim. And I wish to prepare for the very likely outcome that I am stranded in this time period."

"Akari, I think you're worrying about nothing." I say. "No matter what happens, we are going to be there for you."

"Dawn's right. You can just count on us." Swole agrees.

"I appreciate your sentiment, however my concern is about something else. I will be turning 16 later this year and I still have not been engaged."

What?

She digs through her bag and pulls something out.

"Swole. Usually, my father would do this." She says as she slides a TM over the table. "But since he is absent, in his stead, I would like to offer this as dowry for my hand in marriage to you."

WHAT?!

Wait a fucking minute, WHAT?!

Did... did she just fucking propose to him?! Did that actually just happen?

'For my hand in marriage to you'... She fucking did!

What the fuck!

"What?" He asks. Clearly as baffled as I am.

"Ahem. I said, I would like to offer this as dowry for my hand in marriage to you. It is the tea em Protect. I believe it is a good dowry for you?"

There she said it again. 

I really didn't mishear it. 

She actually proposed to Swole.

~"I can't believe it." I hear him mutter under his breath before saying out loud. "Uhm... I have a girlfriend?"

"I am aware. I had called Zoey earlier today to gain her blessing."

Ridiculous. 

Absolutely ridiculous.

What the hell Akari! You can't just marry people out of the blue!?

Is what I want to shout out but I can't get my voice to come out.

My arms and legs are feeling stiff, my mouth is dry and my hands sweaty.

"I-- Uhh... Alright... I mean..." Swole is struggling to make a coherent answer. "C-Can I think about it for a moment?"

There is no way this is happening right now. 

I must be dreaming.

"Of course. Take your time."

I need to leave. "Excuse me... I-I need to go to the toilet..."

---

Within a blink of an eye, I find myself in the bathroom.

I can't even recognize my own face as it looks back at me from the mirror above the sink. 

I'm a mess. Mascara runs down in streaks and my eyes are puffy and inflamed.

This can't be happening.

No, no, no, no!

Why!?

Why? Why is this happening! What is wrong with me!?

First Zoey steals him away from me and now Akari marries him!? Damn it!

How could this happen? I-- I didn't do anything wrong? Right? 

Am I ugly?

'I have a girlfriend' ... Is he actually together with Zoey already? Is that what their phone call was about this morning?

"Shit." 

I... 

Lost.

Zoey is a better trainer than me and she is sexier.

And Akari... She is better at everything than me! Her skin is prettier, she is a much better trainer, a better cook, she doesn't even need makeup to be pretty... She's the perfect wife.

She is even okay with sharing Swole...

... Is that it? My only option is to share?

My perfect dream is in shambles.

A year of traveling together. 

He becomes the champion and I a top coordinator. Then we confess our love to each other and we get married.

After 3 years of doing newly-wed stuff, I would unexpectedly get pregnant and I would take a break from my career to raise our first of many children.

I'd move back to Twinleaf Town so our kids could see their grandparents while Swole would go after his champion business.

Whenever Swole would come home, he would be the perfect father and our son and 2 daughters would look forward to him coming home from work trips.

Then when we get older, he would eventually retire with a perfect track record and our children would become the next generation of trainers.

... None of that's going to be happening now.

Damn it.

That sucks.

I dig through my handbag and pull out some cotton swabs to get rid of these ugly stains on my face.

I can't compete with them. 

Zoey... Akari... My best and only female friends... Oh, beside Marley the wallflower, of course.

I guess I have no other option except sharing.

...

But I don't want to share! I-- I just don't want to.

But I don't have a choice... 

I pull my left eyelid down to reapply my eyeliner, exposing more of my inflamed eyes in the process.

Wait... Akari is going away to work with Team Galactic... And Zoey is traveling somewhere else.

I... I could still have a chance!

If I steal him back from those hussies...

... I shouldn't call them that. They are my best friends, damn it!

Chicks before dicks.

My eyes land upon the lipstick I packed. 

It's still in its original package. 

A slightly redder tone than my natural lip color.

I could try to be perfect myself.

Maybe he will choose me over them?

A perfect trainer. With perfect looks. And I will learn how to cook perfectly. 

And I will train my body. With how often Swole comments on me being unfit, it has to be a preference of his.

The bathroom door suddenly opens and I am stuck like a Deerling in headlights. Is that Akari? Or worse, Swole to check up on me?

The door gently closes and whoever it is, steps closer to me. Only when I see who it is through the reflection of the mirror, do I finally relax.

"Hey... are you doing alright?" Marley asks as she puts a gentle hand on my shoulder.

"No... Not really."

"Oh... Yeah, that was a dumb thing to ask... I'm sorry."

Her hand retreats but before she could get away, I put the lipstick back down and hug her.

"Thanks for coming to cheer me up."

"N-no problem... Do--... Never mind, sorry."

"Do, what?"

"Do... you want help with that?"

I get back out of the hug to see what she means. Her finger is shaking but pointed at my lipstick.

"Oh. If it doesn't trouble you. I'm... I've never really used lipstick before, beyond playing around with mom's cosmetic set, hehe."

"I can help. I used to wear a lot of makeup before... you know... I actually used to be goth."

Marley? Of all people, Marley, used to be goth?

"No way. Really? Why not anymore?"

"Money."

Oh. That was a stupid thing to ask. "You can use my makeup if you want."

"Thanks. But it's... too colorful... Just a little... But could I use your eyeliner?" Her voice rises hopefully.

"Of course you can."

"Let me help you with the lipstick first... Do you have a lip liner? ... No? No problem. You need to pucker up your lips, as if you want to kiss someone... Exaggerate more..."

I feel like a Ducklett. 

Marley's left hand moves up to my cheek to steady my face, while her right hand, holding the tube of lipstick, moves closer to my lips.

She applies a layer of lipstick on my upper lip. Starting in the center and moving right, before repeating it for the other direction.

"Now... just press your lips together and... lightly rub them together."

I do as instructed and Marley leans closer to inspect the finished result. She then dabs her finger on the tip of the lipstick and corrects a spot on the corner of my lips.

"Perfect." She grins brightly. "Slightly frayed for a more natural look. And just the right amount of color."

I turn to inspect myself in the mirror... and I like what I see. My lips appear bigger, fuller and cuter from the light pinkish-red color.

"Can you teach me that properly in the evening?"

"Sure." She replies but I need to take a double take.

Her eyes are pulling me in. 

Her eyeliner is applied perfectly. And she did it in just a moment!

"Woah! And that! How long did I look away for? 5 seconds?"

"Haha, but I can't teach you that trick. It's just a whole lot of practice."

"How do you have so much more practice than me? You're what... 13 years old?"

"I'm 16! ... Sorry for getting loud."

Marley is the oldest!? "No way! You're so small! And no need to apologize. You're among friends."

"I'm not small.... Do you want to go out now, to show them the results?"

---

This is a nightmare. 

It just has to be.

I return with Marley from the bathroom and what do I see?

Swole has changed seats and sits next to Akari now, who gently rubs over a new ring that she's wearing.

Looks like silver with a small, sparkling, deep blue gemstone in the center. Maybe a sapphire? 

It suits her eyes and hair very well.

... It's a very pretty ring.

He must have accepted already.

... Damn, I'm so jealous.

"What's up, Dawn. You alright? No... indigestion or anything?"

"... Yeah... Haha. I'm fine..." I am a fucking meme. "And don't ask a lady that question. It's rude."

"Hehe, sorry."

... I wish I could blame someone. But I have no one but myself to blame.

I just had it coming. 

Zoey was making advances on him constantly and ... well ... I would never have expected Akari to just get engaged with him out of the blue.

But she 'asked Zoey for her blessing'.

... Meaning, if I had just been faster, I could have prevented this.

Urgh! Unbelievable! He actually got a harem. That's such a load of bull--

"What's on your mind?" - "Shit."

"... Okaaay. So you do have indigestion? Should we be worried about the fish?"

I glare at him. 

This ought to tell him exactly what I'm thinking right now.

"A little late for that." He ate his lobster already. Most of the shells too. "Are we going to train more after dinner?" 

Even if we aren't going to train as a group, I will need to start picking up the pace.

If Swole trains 6 hours per day, I'm going to train 6 hours too! 

I will--... I will even--... Urgh. I will even train my own body! With yoga and aura for now.

"Yeah. I will train until 8 PM. I want to get back to the hotel before it starts getting dark."

Until 8 PM!? Is he kidding me?! "I will join you today... Until 8 PM..."

"Marley, Akari, what about you two? Do you want to join us?" Swole asks.

"Uhm... I'd rather not train until 8 PM... I could join for maybe an hour?" Marley suggests.

But Akari nips that suggestion in the bud. "Marley and I are unable to join today."

"Oh."

"We will need to try and purchase survival equipment for herself and myself. By the time we are done, it might already be dusk."

"Okay..." Marley replies quietly.

She is such a cute girl. She's so shy, I just want to hug her and tell her she's safe!

Buuut, this is actually pretty good. Now I'm going to be alone with Swole the entire time.

Swole won't know what hit him when I deploy my full range of womanly charm against him.

He's going to fall for me right then and there!

...

...

...

"Ouchie, be careful. My everything is tender!"

Oh Arceus, what a stupid mistake that was!

Why did he even have a yoga instructions book ready the moment I asked for it?!

And as if turning myself into a pretzel wasn't enough, apparently aura training can fuck my muscles up even further.

"I told you to take breaks. Aura training is insidious in the way the fatigue sneaks up."

But I don't want to slack off. Anymore. As much as I used to.

"But good on you! I don't know what's up with you, but I like your newfound motivation! You managed to keep up all the way until the end."

My glare doesn't have the intended effect since he can't see my face.

"Can't you carry me again?" My arm is slung over his shoulder and he helps keep me upright, but everything still hurts so much and I have to share the space with Buneary and Salandit.

"My own legs are already jelly. If I carry you, we're going to get nowhere."

"Yeah... But I wanna be carried."

"Good grief. Alright. You big baby. But you need to hold on to the egg."

"Hyie!" Suddenly he moved his arm under me and picked me up!

Ahhh! Princess carry?? This is so embarrassing!

"P-put--" No! I don't want to be put down again!

Ahhh! This is so bad!

... OMA... He's going to walk me through half the city like that.

"Salandit." His pokemon says something.

"You know. I think you're right. But I guess she just has to live with it now. It's this or walking on her own."

"Buneary."

"Haha, she does look like a Tamato Berry."

Arceus, my face is on fire.

M-maybe I'm just going to close my eyes for the rest of the walk...

He smells nice...

...

Swole: Huh. She fell asleep. How cute... Man, my arms and legs are killing me.