Flareon Light was too tired to see how the rescue was organized, or who was even coming. He only realized from the familiar voices ringing in his ears that it was other Wayfarers.
Before he knew it, he was on Arcanine Zhen's back as the group looked for a way out. The cave's only two entrances were the hole up top and the hole they came down from, also up top. They'd probably have to make a new path to get out themselves.
Emolga Alisha and Roserade Storm were also with Zhen. They searched around for a way out while the others got ready to leave. Light's eyes stayed closed the whole time. Everyone's voices were soft on his ears. They almost seemed to be whispering.
"Hey guys," Markus said. "I think this wall is super thin over here."
Markus knocked against the rock wall hard enough for everyone to hear. Light opened his eyes and looked up.
Slowking Chad walked up next to Meowstic Markus. They nodded to each other, then kicked the rock wall at the same time. Sunlight poured in, and Light closed his eyes against Arcanine Zhen's red fur.
"You know, don't we have to part ways soon?" Markus asked. "I mean, it's not like we can go with them to the next city considering..."
"We'll escort them to a carriage," Zhen said. "We called for one at the base of the mountain, and it's very close after that. Let's get them there so we can save time."
________________________________________________________________________________
The beginning of the way down was bumpy and rough, but Flareon Light settled down when they reached a smooth, forest path down the mountain. Everyone stayed quieter than usual, with the exception of Slowking Chad who randomly pointed out different plants on the side of the dirt road. With the help of wind singing against the trees overhead, he fell asleep.
When he woke up, it was from strong, soft arms picking up. He felt dizzy being moved so suddenly, but it settled once he was set down by Sky Forme Shaymin Ariel on top of a soft cushion. She sat next to him, and Shaymin Mei came close after. They were in a carriage.
Outside the doors, Slowking Chad, Meowstic Markus, and Arcanine Zhen all looked in. Emolga Alisha floated down and landed shortly in the distance behind them. Light lifted his head and yawned. He felt too sleepy to bring his paw to his mouth.
"Thaaanks..." Light said breathing out. "For coming to help," he finished.
"No problem," Chad said, smiling. "When you get to the city, you might need to take a day or two to rest there. Even if you do, we're still ahead of schedule."
"Okay. And, uh, sorry about your sword."
"Hmph," Shaymin Mei scoffed from a cushion next to the inner wall. "That thing was way outdated, anyways."
"Will you shut. Up!?" Ariel hissed.
"I think it's best that it happened," Chad said with a sad smile. "It was sentimental to me, but a weapon's purpose in my hands is to protect the ones I care about. And if the weapon itself fails, then I should wield a better one. Some things are more important."
"We'll find a new one," Light said. "A reaaaaaally," he yawned, "good one."
Chad nodded. "Good luck. See you."
"See you."
"Later," Markus nodded.
"Don't overdo it," Zhen warned. "Stay safe."
"You too," Light said.
Light watched as Zhen and Chad closed the doors. Ariel floated up and flicked the two lights on overhead, then sat back down. Light realized she had been carrying his backpack.
"Thanks for carrying my stuff," Light said.
"Yeah," she said, turning the side of her bruised face away. "Sure. No problem."
"I'm sorry," he blurted. "I wanted to use Helping Hand, but it was all too fast..."
"Just means we have a card to play next time."
The carriage started moving. Light rocked back and forth in place and closed his eyes.
"Hey," said Ariel, "sorry we never got to cutting your fur. Hope it's not bothering you."
Flareon Light's fur grew overnight at its usual rate of nearly doubling in size. His gray mane and tail were puffed up, and the white fur on the rest of his body had edges like a cloud.
"It's okay," he said. "It's not that bad, just really tired. It's weird that Chad, Markus, and Zhen aren't coming with us to the city for a pit stop, though. Since it's so close, why don't they resupply?"
"Oh, did I leave out that detail?" Shaymin Mei asked herself. Light turned to her with his eyes barely open.
"What?" he asked.
"It's the city of Nǚxìng, the city of women. Men aren't allowed in."
Light had a weird feeling. Surprise rocked his brain, but he was too tired for it to reach his body.
"Do... do they think I'm a girl?" he questioned slowly.
"No," she answered. "But you have a lot of honorary citizenships. So, you specifically can go in whenever you'd like. In other words, you're a special guest. A very, very special guest."
Questions piled up in his head. How it was enforced, if it changed the infrastructure. The top question he had was how the population worked. It must've been completely made up of pokemon coming in some way or another.
"Have you ever been?" Light asked. "What's it like?"
"Boring," Mei said. "Well, for the most part. Backstabbing. Phony compliments. Backhanded insults. Amateur tactics for getting into people's heads, but it got me off to a great start..."
"Mei just met some bad people," Ariel said. "I'll be here to help out with it all."
"I mean, how do the people feel about me being there?" Light asked.
"Based on what I read online, all the ones that don't literally hate all men are fine with it," answered Mei.
"No one will try to kill me, right?"
Ariel and Mei glanced at each other.
"Guys!?" Light questioned. "Why do you look unsure!?"
"Remember what happened to the last guy?" Mei asked.
"Yeah" Ariel sighed. "Lost his tail. Nearly an arm, too."
Light's eyes zipped from one of them to the other. The both grimaced.
"Okay," Light said, "we're not going."
"It wasn't in the first plan," Mei said, "but, we have to go."
"Why?"
"You don't look well. A few shades darker than usual. That city has the closest doctor to take a look at you."
"I'm not letting anything happen, Light," Ariel said. "Just go back to sleep. They don't even know you're coming, so we'll be perfectly fine."
"But I feel fine."
"That's good, but I'd still feel better if we went. So, let's compromise and do my idea."
"Well, alright..."
________________________________________________________________________________
Light caught a few more minutes of sleep on the smooth road. He felt tired, but he couldn't bring himself to sleep anymore after. He sat up and stayed awake.
Ariel seemed like she caught at least a little sleep last night. Mei's face was extra sour, but it was impossible to tell if she slept or not. He'd have to shut them down if they got on each other's nerves when they were both tired and stressed out, and now he had to do it by himself. He hoped it wouldn't be too bad.
It was hard to tell when they had reached the city. It was quiet, but Light could make out the familiar noise outside when they arrived. With how much stopping and going rocked the carriage, the streets must've been crowded.
"How do they enforce that no men come in the city?" Light broke the loitering silence.
"They have checkpoints to legally enter," Mei said. "At those checkpoints, they give these kinds of passes. Police check for these passes in the streets if they feel like it. It's really just a pass to check your gender, or for special cases like you."
"But we didn't get any passes."
"I called ahead of time. Police won't bother you of all people. The only one who needs to be concerned is Ariel."
"That was just a phase," Ariel groaned. "I don't look like a guy."
"I'm not trying to insult you," Mei shot back. "It'd be annoying if you were taken by police when we're trying to get somewhere."
"I already told you, I don't look like a guy. Right, Light?"
Light didn't want to have to answer this question. If he did, he'd have to say how he could see it being possible. Her voice was deep, and she almost looked like a ruffian sometimes. She did especially with her mangled fur and darkened eyes. He needed to make it sound positive. Maybe not even that. It was attractive.
"It's part of your charm..." he mumbled, looking away. Unsatisfied, he blurted out words. "It's, uh, cool. So they're just stupid."
Mei stared at him with a mildly confused look. Ariel seemed to slowly accept what he said.
The carriage stopped longer than usual. Sky Shaymin Ariel was the one to stand first and crack open the doors to look outside.
"Okay," Ariel said, turning her head back. "Let's go."
Light tried to stand up. His limbs almost instantly shook and gave way under his weight.
"Sit down," Mei said. "I'll guide us in. Carry him, Ariel."
"Right."
Light flopped down as Shaymin Mei and Ariel traded places. He looked at his arms breathing heavily.
"Did I snap something...?" he asked.
"No," Ariel said. "You're not hurt. That's kind of why I'm worried since you can't even walk that much..."
Ariel reached under Light's arms and wrapped them over her shoulders. With how much she randomly picked him up to give him a hug, Light noticed she was moving a lot slower. She must've been battling for a while longer last night.
Shaymin Mei hopped down to the black pavement. Ariel followed.
They were surrounded by other carriages of the same size. White lines forming boxes told Light they were in a parking lot. Their driver, a Lilligant, turned down and nodded towards them as they walked away. They left their belongings inside, so she would probably stay and wait for them. Light strained to look up at the hospital.
It was a longer building with one floor. It had clean, eggshell walls and a white sidewalk in front of multiple sliding glass doors for entrances. Smaller carriages were closer to the front of the building, and larger ones were further away. They left their carriage somewhat in the middle. Different roads led into a maze of trees around the building.
"Now they don't expect us," Mei said. "Try and keep calm. Anyone that sees you can guess why you're here."
Mei walking closer triggered the glass doors to open. The hospital lobby was mostly empty, with the exception of a few older pokemon reading magazines on top of wooden panels on the floor. At the front desk underneath a shorter ceiling, a Shinx wrote on papers with a pen before she turned to look up at them. Her yellow eyes grew continuously.
"Oh, hello. Hello!" she repeated. "Uhm. Oh."
"Hello," Mei finished. "We'd like some help. Our friend is feeling down."
"The... The White Star," she said. "Uhm, sure. Yeah, let me just call someone in."
Shinx pushed a series of buttons and picked up a curved, black phone. She brought it to her ear and said "Hey, we've got someone who needs a room. Yeah. Okay." Shinx set down the phone. "She'll be right out."
A Ribombee burst through the door on the other side of the room. As Shinx flinched, she flew over towards the desk and stopped just shy of tackling them.
"Oh," Ribombee said. "Wow. Uh, right this way?"
"Thanks," said Mei.
With Light on her back, Ariel followed Mei and the Ribombee through the open, white door she burst through. The walls and floor tiles were so white, Light felt like he lost his sense of scale until the Ribombee opened another door.
It looked like some sort of exam room. There was a sink on top of a short counter, and lots of long drawers. Ribombee covered a gray, cushioned table with a thin strip of paper. Ariel set Light on top of it after. He faced the green walls ahead without moving.
"So, what happened?" Ribombee asked, fumbling with different items on the counter.
"A rough ambush in the mountains," Ariel said. "He took a bad hit, but he's not hurt. He's super tired. And his fur is a few shades darker."
"That's strange..." Ribombee said. "Just sounds like his body's tired out, but those are strange side-effects. I wouldn't be worried too much if he's not in any pain."
"Well yeah," Ariel frowned. "But, like, he can't even walk."
"Yes. It's usually not this extreme. I think there's something more with his fur and all. I can help with the fatigue for now, though."
Ribombee floated in front of Light's face. She held an orange, fluff ball that looked like a small cloud. Light had heard about Pollen Puff, but this was his first time seeing it. She handed it to him, and he bit into it. The texture was like cotton candy, but it tasted much sweeter. He savored every bite.
"I can do some research," Ribombee offered. "It's from a big lack of energy, but I don't know what could cause it to this degree."
"So, he'll be fine?" Ariel asked.
"Yes, he'll be fine. But I'll have to ask that you stay while we look into it."
"How long?"
"Well, it'll be a top priority, so just a few samples and two days is all we need. We understand if you're on a tight schedule, but I'd recommend it since it could be dangerous if it's too extreme next time. But it's not really anything to worry about right now."
"Of course we'll stay. Right, Mei?"
Shaymin Mei nodded, still standing in the doorway. "That's fine. Even with all of this, we're ahead of schedule."
"Great," said Ribombee. "Alright, this won't take too long."
________________________________________________________________________________
Light recovered a lot of strength in the time it took for Ribombee to take fur and do other tests. The Pollen Puff made him progressively more hyper, but it slowed after a while. He planned on saving his stamina. In between one of her tests, Ribombee covered Sky Shaymin Ariel's bruise with some kind of ointment and a white bandage. She picked at it with a tired look on her face as she rested in a blue cushion in the corner. Shaymin Mei stood around in the opposite corner.
Once it was all over, the Ribombee re-entered the room. Mei perked up, but Ariel didn't budge an inch.
"Alright, you're all set!" Ribombee said. "Do you all have any arrangements for places to stay?"
"A hotel," Mei said.
"Alright. Which one?"
"The Red Roses Hotel."
"Ohhhh... Uhm, would you like recommendations in case it falls through?"
"What do you know about the place that we don't?"
Mei really cut to the chase fast. Light wondered about it too, but he didn't ask straight up like that. Ribombee's cringing face told him Mei was right.
"They're rather... hateful of, uhm..."
"Boys?" Mei guessed. "He's the White Star. It won't be so bad."
"Yeah. Well, a lot of hotels are, uh... Not the best. I'd strongly recommend having some kind of backup plan. I can recommend a couple that are a lot more friendly."
"We'll be alright. So, we're all set?"
"Yes. I recommend the Pear Mall for any shopping you plan on doing. It's a hub for a lot of travelers. Naturally, it's not too far from here. You'll still have to deal with the crowd outside, though."
"What crowd?" Light asked.
"Well, some people saw you walk by in the lobby," Ribombee explained. "I mean, lots of folks want to meet you. And, well, a few young ladies are rather excited."
Sky Shaymin Ariel's head lifted off her cushion. Her green eyes were open. Ribombee's wings fluttered as she noticed.
"Uh, uhm... For autographs," Ribombee said. "And to give gifts."
"I thought they'd try to tear my arms off?" Light asked.
"Oh, there are starkly different contrasts in opinions around the city. Maybe you should get going before it gets too wild out there."
"We will. Thanks."
Light pushed his limbs underneath him. He felt strong enough to stand up and hop down to the floor. Ariel and Mei stood up and followed the Ribombee with him as they left out of the room and returned the way they came.
The lobby was still empty, if not more than before. The same couldn't be said for the parking lot.
Not far past the sidewalk, a couple dozen pokemon swarmed the pavement. The carriages were barely even visible past their bodies. Light stared at them through the window and shrunk back into the doorframe. Mei and Ariel both had to step back behind him.
"You good?" Ariel asked in a high voice.
"Yah, uh, I dunno."
Light's racing pulse continued to spike as Ariel wrapped her arm over her back. She brought her face right next to his.
"Deep breath," Ariel said.
Light copied her as she breathed in, then out. Tension in his back and jaw settled down as she nuzzled his side. His pulse didn't slow instantly, but it started to.
"Let's go get you some food," she said. "Okay?"
"Thanks," Light breathed out. He pushed his forehead back against her chin. He sighed again as his body warmed up.
A buzzing feeling on his back prompted Light to turn around. Shaymin Mei stared back with a bewildered, distraught face. It cleared up the moment he looked at it, but he already stole the mental image.
Light let Ariel go out first, then followed. As sunlight hit his eyes, small cheers and excitement broke out along the wall of pokemon in front of them. Their driver, the Lilligant, waited for them on the sidewalk sitting at the front of their carriage. She used the panel in front of her and pulled the carriage forward a few paces at a slow, steady pace.
"Excuse me! Sorry!"
Light noticed someone pushing their way through the crowds. A Gardevoir's head popped up over a Kommo-o's shoulder. She slowed down once she got to the front of the crowd and walked forward. Her attention shifted from Light to Mei.
"Mei," she breathed, taking steps forward. "You're here?"
"Where else would I be?" Mei asked. "Light, this is Chen," she whispered. "She's the mayor of Nǚxìng. She answers to me."
"Oh, well, it's nice to meet all of you here," Chen said. "It's been a long time, Ariel."
"Chen." Sky Shaymin Ariel dipped her head. Gardevoir Chen dipped hers lower.
"I wanted to welcome you myself," Chen said. "A sort of popularity boost so you aren't bothered during your stay. We haven't had a special guest here in over twenty years. And he didn't come back after losing his tail and nearly an arm. And very nearly- Oh, there's nothing to be afraid of."
"Could I ask how the city started?" Light asked. "I mean, just kind of."
"Why we exist?" Chen smiled. "Well, before the village that was here fell under Lao Shen, it was the location of a monastery to help women in need. Lao Shen kept a lot of different traditions from villages that fell under its rule, including ours."
"I see. Is the monastery still functioning?"
"Yes, it is. This whole city sort of piled on around it."
"Okay," Flareon Light said. "Thanks for explaining it to me."
"No problem," Gardevoir Chen nodded. "Would you like to have a few pictures?"
"Oh, uh, sure."
Light's vision of the crowds changed. He noticed a lot of pokemon writing things down and pointing cameras at him and each other. They also didn't move past the invisible wall that seemed to keep them from approaching. Chen held his paw and shook it. As she did, she turned her pleasant, smiling face to the cameras. They kept the same posture for a few seconds.
Chen retreated her hand. "Alright, now before you go, I have a helper I'd like to have go with you during your time here."
"A helper?" Light asked.
"Yes," she said, smiling brightly. "We don't want another situation like last time. I'd love for you to accept my daughter's protection while you're here."
"Is she protecting us or watching us?"
For a split second, Light saw right through her red eyes to the answer. It was both, but there was also something else. Chen paused and stared.
"It's fine," Light said quickly. "Did you raise your daughter here?"
"Yes," Chen answered. "She's never left the city."
"So, she's never met a boy before?"
"No, she hasn't," Chen said in a low voice. "In truth, I was in the monastery myself after her father passed. After I became mayor, it was too much of a challenge to organize some kind of trip."
Light had wondered if anyone like her daughter existed, and now he knew. Even knowing, though, he couldn't imagine what it was like.
"I'll meet her," Light said. "We'd appreciate the protection, after whatever happened last time..."
"Of course. Bao!"
Light followed Chen's eyes and looked along the edge of the wall of pokemon. A Kirlia walked forward on the tips of her feet. Her eyes darted across Light's with a frantic, intimidated look on her face. Her red eyes seemed so similar to Chen's, they might as well have been the same.
Kirlia Bao didn't say anything, but she reached out her hand. Light reached out his paw and shook it once. She retracted her arm back after and stood stiff as a board. She hid any emotion behind a plain face.
"White Star," Gardevoir Chen said, "This is my daughter Bao. She wants to become an arena competitor one day. She'll need to do a lot of traveling in order to do that."
"Hello," she said in monotone. "Nice to meet you."
"You too," Light nodded. "And thank you for the warm welcome."
"No problem," Chen said. "And I won't pry, but we noticed that you're at the hospital and that your White Knight has a bruise on her face. Did something happen?" she asked quietly.
"We were ambushed in the mountains," he said, matching her low volume.
"Do we need to organize a party to find them?"
"It was just one. And it's too dangerous."
"Just one...? Really?"
Chen turned to Shaymin Mei and Sky Shaymin Ariel. They both gave low nods. Chen's eyes fell back to Light's face.
"Well, thanks for letting me know," Chen said. "I'll need to re-route some supply lines away from that area for now. By all means, go have some rest. I won't keep you any longer. Bao, untense those shoulders before you hurt yourself."
"Thank you for allowing me to stay here," Light said. "I've been having a hard time walking, but we'll be heading off as soon as we can."
"Oh, take your time. By all means. We wouldn't want to be the ones sending you out into danger again. Where are you heading now?"
"To the Pear Mall, then to the Red Roses Hotel."
"I'll make backup reservations," Bao sighed.
"Wonderful," Chen said. "Thank you, dear. There should be a lot for you to do at the mall, so have a good rest of your day."
"Thanks, "Light said. "You too."
After a last nod, Gardevoir Chen turned back towards the crowd. Flareon Light walked over towards the carriage with Mei and Ariel close behind. Kirlia Bao lingered behind them as they circled around to the back of the carriage.
Light reached up to pull open the doors, but Sky Shaymin Ariel bounded in front of him. She put his paw over his and stopped him from reaching up while she pulled the doors open one by one. After she did, she lifted him off the pavement, floated in, and set him down on a cushion.
"You know I'm feeling a lot better?" Light asked.
Ariel pushed her lips together. "Uh-huh. Aaaand?"
"You can relax a little. I'm okay."
"Well, I'd prefer to keep my little sugar-pie from falling."
Shaymin Mei hopped in after them. Kirlia Bao looked up twiddling her fingers, seemingly as a silent way to ask for permission to enter. Light nodded in her direction. She hopped in and closed the doors behind her. Ariel flicked the lights on right as she did.
"Uhm," Kirlia mumbled. "I was pretty surprised to see you both here, uh, miss Chingyang's..."
"Just Mei is fine," Mei huffed, sitting down. "What about it?"
"Well, it's just that I'm surprised to see you out in the open like this... M-mei..."
"Hey," Light whispered up into Ariel's ear as she sat down next to him. "Who knows about you two? It didn't seem like anyone did back there except for the Gardevoir."
The carriage started to move. Light's nose brushed against Ariel's ear.
"Only certain people in leadership know," Mei interjected.
"But why is it so secretive? I mean, if you're the leader of a huge nation, then..."
"Purely because neither of us are age twenty-one yet. Our political power is weaker until we become of technical age to hold office. I still have two years left."
"We were pretty surprised to see miss Ariel on the television," Bao said. "Around here, they call you the White Knight."
"Oh, yeah," Ariel nodded. "I noticed the doctor called me that. It makes me sound pretty cool..."
"If I may ask, what's the destination of your trip?"
Light didn't speak up. He wasn't sure if it was fine for her to know or not, even if she already knew a lot.
"Mount Ài," Mei said.
"Oh, I see. Are you going to head towards the top?"
"Why do you ask?"
"You might find a good use for climbing equipment, if so. We don't have a lot in the way of weaponry in the city, but there's a lot for travelers."
Light became distracted from their conversation. As they continued on about the specifics, he hugged Ariel's side. She flinched at first, then giggled and lowered her chin on his forehead.
________________________________________________________________________________
The ride only lasted five or six minutes. Apparently, the Red Roses Hotel was just a street away from the mall. Flareon Light looked forward to stretching his legs a bit and then taking a nap after. He felt Sky Shaymin Ariel started to relax on the trip over. He even heard the shadow of her snores when the carriage stopped moving. He almost hoped she would fall asleep, but her eyes quivered and then opened.
"Do you want to just go to the hotel and get some sleep first?" Light asked quietly.
Kirlia Bao and Shaymin Mei both looked at Ariel for her answer.
"Huh?" Ariel gurgled, blinking. "Sorry?"
"Do you just want to go to the hotel now?" Light repeated.
"Oh, no. I'm pretty hungry, too."
Ariel's body shivered as he stretched her back. She yawned a second after.
"We'll just get food for today," Mei said to Bao. "We can talk more later."
"Anything you want in particular?" Light asked.
"I'm fine with anything," Ariel smiled down at him. "As long as it's a lot."
Ariel pecked his cheek. Light broke out into nervous giggles as she stood up. He walked behind her as she pushed open the carriage doors and grabbed all of their backpacks. Light hopped down after her to the pavement.
The carriage had parked right in front of a brown, stone walkway leading to the mall's entrance. Light leaned his head back to see the sun poking out over the edge of the roof. A wall of metal glass doors rested underneath the basic, cream walls. Along the path, huge, stone pots held soil and green, bushy plants.
Shaymin Mei and Kirlia Bao hopped down after him. Light turned up towards the Lilligant that drove them the entire time.
"Thanks for the help," Light said.
"No problem," Lilligant answered. "Have a nice day."
"You too."
The carriage started to pull off. Without it in his way, Flareon Light could see out into the small lot with other parked carriages nearby. The road winded back down into the forested path. He turned back towards the wall of glass doors and followed Kirlia Bao, Shaymin Mei, and Sky Shaymin Ariel. Ariel pushed forward to open the doors. She stared at Light while the other two walked through.
As Light walked through, Ariel followed right behind him. Her left ear drooped over his back.
Despite being inside, the space was just as open as outside. The shiny, tiled floor reflected light coming in from a dome of glass on the roof. Kirlia Bao walked down the path leaning towards the left as they walked.
As they passed, Light peered in through the store windows. There were a lot of clothes stores. They seemed to have slightly differing styles, but it all seemed the same to him. There weren't a lot of pokemon about, but Light caused a Skiploom passing by to walk straight into a wall when she started staring at him. He pretended not to notice.
"When was the last time you came?" Bao asked Mei.
"Many years ago now. Looks like a lot of shops closed down."
"They just moved is all. Oh, right here."
The restaurant was at the end of the hallway. Past the entrance, another wall of glass doors led back outside.
At first glance, Light couldn't tell exactly what kind of restaurant it was. The only seats were in front of some kind of bar. The kitchen was visible for everyone to see just behind the low, wooden countertops. A Pignite stood idle in front of a stove. She blinked and lifted her head as they walked in.
"Bao," Pignite said. "You brought... Wow."
"Hi," Sky Shaymin Ariel smiled.
"They ran into some trouble in the mountains," Bao explained. "They'd like some food and rest."
"Okay," she said. "Well, I've got one of those things. How do you all like your ramen?"
Light leaned up to Ariel's ear. "What's ramen?" he asked.
"Really?" Ariel whispered back. "Let me order."
"Okay."
Flareon Light took a cushion right next to Sky Shaymin Ariel. Ariel let the backpacks slide off of her back and fall behind her. On his left, Shaymin Mei sat down with Kirlia Bao to her left. Bao sighed as she sat down.
"The usual," Bao said.
"Fishball noodles," Ariel said. "Two of them, one for you."
Ariel nuzzled Light's forehead. He purred and smiled.
"Make it three," Mei huffed. "No pink rainbows in mine, thanks."
"Want a few spiders in it?" Pignite joked.
"I've eaten a snake's beating heart before. Let me know if you have any black widows."
Light could see the shiver roll up the Pignite spine's as she turned around and reached into a drawer. She began to work on the food and turn on the stove right in front of them.
"What kind of trouble you run into around these parts?" Pignite asked.
"A bandit in the mountains," Mei spoke up. "A real brute."
"Oh, wow... There hasn't been trouble around there for a long, long time. I mean, just the other day, that other Guild passed through there just fine..."
"Another Guild!?" Mei raised her voice. "I'm sorry? What other Guild?"
"The Peacemakers Guild," Pignite said. Her hands moved a little slower as she studied their faces. "You haven't heard of them? Well, I suppose they did just pop up out of nowhere. But they're the only other group that became an official Guild sponsored by the WPO like you all are. It's a shame you didn't meet them in the mountains for some help. Rumor has it their leader's strong."
"How strong?" Ariel asked curiously.
"Oh, I hear she's like you, White Knight. You should probably try and get help from them sometime."
Light would have to ask Chad about more details. This Pignite seemed pretty knowledgeable about the area. If she didn't know much else, most likely no one did.
Bao, Mei, and Pignite talked about different villages along the mountains. There were a few families that lived in singular homes. It sounded like a fantasy compared to cold city streets. Light wanted to live around in the mountains now. There was plenty of room and fresh air. He could pick out beautiful views.
Sky Shaymin Ariel leaned over and pushed hard on Light's side. He pushed his head up to keep up with the weight. Within a few seconds, he realized she fell asleep and had toppled over. Light shifted his body and cushioned her head with his tail instead of letting it hit the floor. Pignite noticed, in the middle of cooking, but she didn't seem to have anything to say.
"Hey Mei?" Light asked. "How hard was Ariel battling? Did you see?"
Shaymin Mei leaned back in her seat and looked down at Ariel. She breathed out a small puff of air.
"It was hard to see very well thanks to that blinding Dazzling Gleam and all of the mist after. But Ariel's always been hot-headed. The only times I've seen her lose to guards in the palace was when she burned through all of her strength too fast."
"Did you ever battle her?"
"Yes, lots of times. It was embarrassing."
Light looked down at her face. She seemed a lot more peaceful than she did before they got to the hospital.
"So, what was this about your Helping Hand Ariel mentioned earlier?" Mei asked.
"Oh. Well, I'm just good at using Helping Hand is all, really. Very good."
"Why that move?"
"Do you know about the Nightlights in Valor?"
"The Nightlights," she mused. "They're basically just police, right?"
"Well, they handle all of the government activity. Like maintaining roads. But yah. When I was a thief, I was too young to hit very hard. So I mastered Helping Hand early on."
"Sorry you had to go through that. We have problems left in Lao Shen still, too."
"Yah, there's always something..."
"Sounds like Ariel was impressed with your Helping Hand, though. I can see why you're Guildmaster. Must be a great team player."
As the Pignite's food sizzled, she spoke up. "Reminds me of a weapon I saw not too long ago. You'd probably be great with it."
"What kind of weapon?" Light asked.
Pignite looked up. She seemed to mull over something. "I forget what the base of the weapon was, but it was implanted with an All-Power Up Orb. I remember being told that if you combined it with Helping Hand, you could have enough power to spread it to multiple people at a time. "
"Orbs are rare enough on their own," Mei said.
"Well, it was in the city," Pignite said. "Maybe you can find it with some digging. If you're as good as Helping Hand as you appear to be, you might just be able to up your entire Guild's power with it."
"I already did some research. You must've met some sort of traveling merchant. There's nothing local."
"Yes, that was probably the case."
"It's still worth our time, though."
"How hard are Orbs to make?" Light asked.
"They take full college degrees, and plenty of experience to make a military grade one," Pignite explained. "You'd need to recruit someone that could make something like that, and then there are all sorts of materials needed, too. For something as serious as what you're doing, I doubt you could make do with someone with more standard skill."
"We don't really have a lot of variety to be honest..." Light said quietly. "So far, we're pretty much completely made up of bounty hunters and arena fighters. We don't have any doctors, or blacksmiths, or energy weapon specialists. Muscle's just not enough."
"I'm sure there will be people willing to help on that front," Mei said. "Especially if they don't have to risk their lives and get good pay. The problem is that Lao Shen put an emphasis on getting rid of a lot of military money, especially after... recently."
"Yeah," Pignite murmured, "and all of the skilled workers went to find work elsewhere. It's good for the most part, but it's a big problem for you guys it sounds like."
"We'll find someone," Light said. "Right now, I'm fine with Ariel getting her rest."
"Bao, maybe you can give them a hand or two."
Light and Mei turned to Kirlia Bao. She'd been extra quiet.
"I've worked with crafting Orbs before is all," Bao said. "I don't have the skills necessary to help you."
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure," Pignite said. "But it's all your choice."
The Pignite reached over the stove with bowls in hand. She slid them in front of each of their cushions on the countertop.
Light wasn't sure how to wake Ariel up. Just poking her arm seemed weird. He opted to grab her paw and move it to wake her.
She gripped back. Light felt whatever energy his body could scrape together shoot through his limbs. Ariel smiled and pulled her head off of his gray tail. Her smile sent searing heat across Light's face. The green fur on her head spiked up at weird angles. Her face seemed softer ever since she started to wear it down instead of in a mohawk.
"Thanks," Ariel groaned. "Sorry, I'm pretty beat. Thanks for being such a gentleman, though."
"Y-yah. No problem," he replied. "As long as you're feeling alright."
"I feel good. I might want to borrow your tail again later, though. It's big and warm and fluffy and soft. Wish I had it."
Ariel let go of his paw. Light slowly wrapped his tail around her back.
"Wow," Ariel sighed, "so you get to have this all the time?"
"I mean, you can borrow it whenever you want. It's kinda bigger since I haven't trimmed it"
"Yeah. Okay. Thanks. I'll pass for now, though. I'll fall asleep and faceplant into dinner."
"Alright."
________________________________________________________________________________
Ariel cleaned her plate in minutes and fell back asleep. Light took half an hour to get through his giant bowl. Mei and Bao took about as long as he did. After they ate the Pignite said it was on the house. All she wanted was a picture, probably for advertising. He also left a small tuft of white fur from his arm in a sort of display case. It was something like an autograph.
After waking up Ariel the same way as before, they got lazy and called another carriage for a quick, minute long trip. It stopped in front of a fountain with marble Gorebyss and Huntail statues intertwined over the water. The outside seemed basic enough. The building was rectangular with cream walls and red highlights along the edge of the roof. Inside, the whole building dripped culture.
Red cushions and dark, wood tables rested on top of a brown, carpeted floor. The hotel lobby was lit with red chandeliers that had lightbulbs shaped like dumplings. Shaymin Mei handled talking to the Ampharos up front and getting them to their room.
Mei opened the door to two beds parallel to each other against the wall. In between them on the wall, there was a painting of a red rose. Tall lamps sat on top of two short tables in between them. Both beds had itchy looking white blankets. Flareon Light grimaced looking at them.
"Do you plan on staying here for the rest of the day?" Kirlia Bao asked, lingering behind them.
"Yeah," Sky Shaymin Ariel said.
"Alright. I'll head home, then. Let me know if you want to find anything."
"Sure. Thanks."
Bao bowed and walked down the hallway as they entered. Ariel went straight to setting down their backpacks. She put Mei's on top of the bed closest to the window covered with a pale curtain. She set down her own and Light's on top of the other. Mei paused and watched her.
"I think you're confused about the arrangements," she said.
"Eh," Ariel's voice cracked. "I trust Light not to do anything more than you not to kill me."
"Ha," Mei groaned.
"It's okay," Light said. "I'll just sleep on a cushion. Tomorrow, though, I'd like to visit that monastery. There's a lot to learn from watching how people help each other."
"Me as well," Mei added. "It's world renowned for its success. I've looked into it for a long time."
"Sounds good," Ariel said. "Let's all get some rest. Can I borrow your tail, Light? These beds look awful."
"Ah, sure."
Light followed Ariel towards two cushions in front of a TV. Mei already claimed one of them, so Light and Ariel had to share. She moved towards the side, but the crater her weight made in the fabric made Light fall right next to her shoulder again. Before he could move, she wrapped her arm around his back. Light took in a deep breath to lower his body heat. He didn't want to burn her.
Mei fell asleep in what felt like seconds. She had turned the TV on, but the sound was off. Light stared at it without watching.
"Hey Light," whispered Ariel, "I wanted to ask you something,"
"Yah?"
"About your... parents.... Who told you that, they, uh, went missing fifteen years ago?"
If he thought about it, it was Reshiram. He still didn't feel comfortable enough to tell anyone about his dreams, though.
"Just on the web," Light said. "Why?"
"Must've been an old article. It was more than twenty years ago."
That didn't sound right. Reshiram wasn't lying. It hates lies. It could only mean Reshiram's timing was off, but he couldn't figure out why.
It meant something, though. Light's dream about being an egg in the Nightlight Association's tower actually happened a while before he was born. That meant that egg that was experimented on wasn't him, but he knew who it could be.
Twenty or so years ago matched with that Sylveon's age. And she called herself One, and said she was "the first of many".
"That Sylveon was my sister?" Light asked quietly. "And there could be more?"
"Yeah. I called your grandad earlier. He's coming to Lao Shen to look into it. He'll be pretty far behind us, though."
"What else did he say?"
"Well, he sounded pretty angry. Said that having a child with the Acuitan blessing without telling anyone is 'treason'."
"Sounds like he didn't have an idea of what she wanted either, then."
"We can call again together. Later."
Ariel rested her chin on Light's forehead. He continued to guess about how something like Reshiram could be wrong.
Flareon Light was lucky his phone was just within reach. He grabbed it and started to write a text.