[X] My Assistant

[Master Houndoom]

It was a much, much brighter day in Arthro town when the reunited group arrived. The trip home had gone late into the night, and there was another session of sleeping under the stars followed by a poorly received early morning to make it back to the pokécenter.

Amongst the humans, there wasn’t a whole lot of talking. Reilly was silent, his brow furrowed, as if he knew something had gone on, but just what it was eluded him. It had to be a strange feeling, and it was causing him to act strangely in the eyes of his companions: He didn’t complain or grumble under his breath. He just walked along, silently, contemplating.

Tuesday, too, was quiet, but the two older teens were far too used to that to have it be of any concern. However, she, too, was engaged in a strange activity. Every once in a while, she would stare at one or the others of the older two of the group; at one point, she had reached out and touched Jaima’s wrist, just above his pokégear. When he’d looked down to see what she had wanted, he caught her staring at where her hand touched his, then, pulling away, watching her fingers. Jaima had looked at Meiko with a little concern, but both had agreed; the two had been through something that was borderline traumatic, and didn’t need a worried big brother, or teenage jokes, or a hovering big sister type. So they walked, and waited, and made sure that mother the other two did was seen as scornful or wrong.

Unless they had actually done something scornful or wrong, but there were no incidences of this to speak of.

Finally, they made it to Arthro town. Jaima arranged for the rooms, four which, if needed could be downgraded to two, while Meiko took the two youths and all of the pokemon, including Jaima’s to see the nurse.

“OK,” Jaima said, holding up the keys. “We can do this two ways: We all get separate rooms, or we can split two rooms: boys and girls. Up to you two.”

Meiko smiled at him, if a little sadly, and Jaima winked at her in response. She blushed, but if Reilly or Tuesday saw it, neither mentioned it. Jaima was being quite accommodating. In fact, the only arrangement he wasn’t about to allow was Tuesday and Reilly in the same room. Not after the kiss he’d seen them swap the last time they had arrived in town.

And since he wasn’t going to let them do it, he and Meiko couldn’t, either.

Finally, the choice was made, and Reilly and Tuesday took the keys to the rooms they had chosen and went ahead to make their way to bed. Jaima and Meiko stayed in the small lobby.

“Worried?” Meiko’s face had a knowing smile on it, and it was Jaima’s turn to blush.

“A little… It’s obvious something happened…” He shook his head. “But if I try to pry it out of them, they’ll just shrink into themselves. Right?”

Meiko grinned. “I’m so glad you’re open to learning… it would take so much longer to train you up properly…”

Jaima smirked. “Speaking of training…”

“I’ll be good!” Meiko said, biting both lips and looking, at least partially, mock frightened.

Jaima looked toward the Nurse’ station, already darkened for the night, but Meiko reached down and took his hand. “They need rest too, Jaima. We’ll be OK. And if anything happens, Mercury can get out of her ball…”

* * * * *

Nightwish was out of her ball, lounging against the shelf, sighing. Usually, by now, she’d have the gist of her newest mark. By now, she’d be planning on how to get the most out of the trainer, then leave them with a post hypnotic suggestion that would have them breaking her poke ball thirty minutes after she’d taken their food, potions, and, a few times, money.

Not this time. This time, the trainer had gotten under her skin. This time the trainer had reminded her of Nightwish’s first, when she had simply ben called Gothi. When she had been…

Ugh. She had almost said “happy.” How terribly cheesy.

But she had been. Meiko reminded her of what Cyndy could have been, had…

Cwap, she thought as the tears came. Cyndy had gotten sick, and, though the gothita was almost too young to know what was going on, she knew her trainer wasn’t going o get better.

Cyndy had had cancer.

Then her uncle ‘took in’ Cyndy’s pokémon, and made the mistake of talking to his partner about how much gothitelle could get with certain individuals. The mental pictures were almost as bad as the words.

But Cyndy… before that horror, before she had run away for the first time, Cyndy had been a good, happy, kind trainer. And now, despite her hardships and fears and other issues, Meiko was a good, happy, kind trainer, with good friends…

Nightwish felt the tears leaking down her face. gweat. just great…

There was a pop, and two arms enfolded her from behind. Nightwish tensed, but then, slowly, relaxed. You’we wucky i don’t thwow you thwough a waww.

There was no reply, but the hug got tighter, and Nightwish sighed and relaxed. Thanks, Mewcuwy…

What are friends for?

I’m just now stawting to wemembew…

[Master Houndoom]

It was impossible to deny it. The Joys knew it. The entering and exiting customers could see it. Some of the pokemon could see it.

There was a couple in the lobby, and they were snuggling.

The reactions were many and varied. The joys, almost unanimously, smiled in their general direction, but thought little of it otherwise. Older couples, even younger adult couples, tended to think it sweet, also gracing the pair with unseen smiles, the elders fondly remembering their own young love days.

Children, on the other hand, if they were awake when they came in, varied from fascination to disgust. It was quite funny, in retrospect.

The pair themselves did not seem phased by any of this, but couples seldom are, to a certain point in their relationship. And, to be honest, they were only snuggling. There was no PDA, no kissing, no roaming hands. Simply leaning into each other, arms wrapped around one another, enjoying the warmth and scent (even though, admittedly, if this had been planned there would have been showering first, the other found little to no fault in the smell of the other. At least not enough to complain about it) and touch of the other.

Meiko peeked up through her bangs, causing Jaima to blush in a way she still found delightful. “Huh,” she said, blinking her large blue eyes.

“What?” Jaima said, his own light blue eyes very slightly enlarged by the prescription of his glasses.

“Well,” Meiko said, pulling back enough to look Jaima in those eyes. She briefly got lost in them,then flushed in a way Jaima still found attractive. “Tuesday took a key. And Reilly took a key. But they never said if they wanted to sleep alone or with one of us…”

Jaima blinked at her, owlishly, then, with an exaggerated motion, pulled a hand away from her and placed it over his face. She giggled.

“Well, then it’s our choice.” He looked down at her.

She looked up at him.

He looked down at her for a little longer.

She bit her lip. He wanted to, but refrained (the five year old girl making exaggerated gagging sounds helped in that regard).

Both of them were thinking the same thing. And both of them, reluctantly, discarded the idea.

We could get our own room if we wanted…

“I’ll go get spare keys.”

“I’ll go with you.”

They rose, blushing a bit, and and walked to the desk. The Joy on duty smiled at them, and nodded her head in understanding, giving them both the keys to the two rooms she had assigned and taking back the oohs that would, until someone else came in, remain empty.

Jaima and Meiko went down the hall and to their rooms, stopping in front of Jaima and Reilly’s room.

“Goodnight, Jai-chan,” Meiko whispered, planting a kiss on the conner of his mouth.

“Night, Mei-chan, Jaima murmured against her cheek.

They separated and Jaima went into his room, creeping past the sleeping (possibly) boy and into the bathroom to take a quiet shower.

Meiko stepped to her room, seeing what she first thought was Shadow sleeping against the door. Confused, she checked to see if she had gotten the wrong room, but no, that was Tuesday sleeping in her bed.

She noticed that the lucario in front of the door was leaner than Shadow. It must be Zorro. She nudged him with her foot, but he didn’t budge.

She tried poking his cheek, but he slapped her hand away, gently, and kept right on sleeping.

Finally she huffed. “Really?” Instead of complaining further, she managed to get behind him, wrap her arms under his shoulders, and drag him into their room. “Kami-sama, you got heavy,” she grunted before managing to close the door.

* * * * *

Shut. Up.

Mercury tried to put a paw over her mouth and stifle her giggling, but they escaped anyway. Nightwish glared at her from across the room. Mercury took a moment to compose herself.

Come on, Nightwish! It was hilarious! I actually thought you had teleported!

Nightwish crossed her arms and turned her back. Fweaking wucawio came out of nowhewe… This admission brought about a fresh round of giggles from the kirlia. Worse, Nightwish felt the corner of her own mouth twitching upwards. She tried to deepen her scown as she turned, which only resulted in Mercury having a harder time stifling her giggle reflex.

It was, for a short time, a vicious circle. Mercury would almost get her mirth under control, when Nightwish would try to contain her own, sending Mercury into fits trying to contain this new development, which would, in turn, amuse Nightwish again. Finally, with a look, both gave up, laughing their blue and black crested heads off. And this is what Shadow, Desertdancer, and Tsunami saw when they, too, left their poke balls.

Tsunami and Desertdancer took one look at the giggling psychics and returned to their poke balls, Desertdancer with a confused, “shrew?” which caused another paired howl of laughter.

* * * * *

The following morning saw a very subdued group. Not out of any lingering sadness, though for two of them it was possible. Not, either, out of guilt. It was simply one of those kinds of days. A trying event, even successfully navigated, tended to wear one down.

It was Jaima’s insistence that they meet for breakfast. He had texted Meiko through their poke gears to alert her, and the promise of no training (though it had always been elective for her) prompted her to agree.

Soon, the four were gathered around the table and eating, a continental breakfast that was satisfyingly vast for such a small town. Jaima caught Meiko’s eye, then, gently, looked at the two younger teens.

“So… what exactly happened..?”