The boys watched the end of the show, the winner of which was handed one of the sought-after ultra balls in his possession. The thirty or so Druids spent their sweet time mingling afterwards, all discussing their various opinions on the performance and what Hank actually said back their; On the other hand, Eros and Hank were discussing what ships they would board and when they would leave. Using his X-I-phone, Hank managed to schedule a trip in about five days, giving Eros enough time to travel back to the fort and check on Alice, providing he has a quick means to return to Ashport (flight coming to mind).
The students hired another bus, letting everybody who drove one way return with the same means. It was almost seven, as the sun had disappeared without the lingering rays that shot from the horizon, meaning that by the time they returned home it was nearly the next morning, giving Eros the time to explain to the now cheery Xerxes the current situation before nodding off on the bus. He awoke to a few light nudges from Dusk that prompted him to leave the bus and step into the city of Snowpoint, one which he gladly left for his old home.
The fort was indifferent compared to when they initially left, although a few Pidgys had to be kicked out of the avian dorm. After a little bit of maintenance, Eros decided to check the rooms to find out what happened with Feraligatr and Alice, since the two had to spend a whole day alone in the fort. As he searched dorm after dorm, he eventually found the Eevee overmatched by the massive Feraligatr thing in one of the human dorms. Figures.
"How's she doing?" Eros walked into the room with full confidence.
Alice whimpered and frowned on the cot, attempting to run in her sleep. Feraligatr spoke, saying, "She's been having nightmares. She took nearly three hours to recover. Arceus, Xerxes is scary..."
"Yeah. Well... She still asleep?"
"Yeah, but..." A sad-like smile drew across Feraligatr's face, making him appear a little less intimidating. "Ever since she woke up, she seemed a lot more... With it, if you know what I mean. I like her better this way. She's better."
Eros smiled back, albeit a little nervous. "Yeah, well, that's good. Well, you can take your time recovering, but don't stay forever."
"Okay, we'll head out when she recovers." Feraligatr stared back upon Alice, bringing his massive hand to cover her body and calm her nightmares. "There was a mystery dungeon in one of the rooms, by the way. Weird, since this didn't seem like the place for that kind of thing. It hasn't opened up since we closed it, though."
"Great."
Eros was about to walk out when Feraligatr spoke again, "Look, I don't mean to be brash or anything, but... Alice burnt an awful lot of bridges back at the guild. I mean, I could return, but she has nowhere else to go, and... And... I can't help her at all. She spent all this time looking for you, and when she did she couldn't bear to face herself. She even wanted to die. Please, can't you do something?"
Eros returned aside the bed and looked down upon the girl. She wasn't whimpering anymore, but her face was anything but happy. He brought his hand over her head and felt her lean in a little; And to think, she was obsessed with him only a year ago... "I could try changing her back."
"Changing her back?"
"You know, into a human. Dispelling and all."
"Oh." The neutral demeanor of Feraligatr drooped into a morose one, one whose looks deceived the words he spoke. "That'd be great. I think she'd like that."
Eros, understanding that something saddened Feraligatr, brought his hand over Alice and attempted to focus on the magical energies surrounding her body, expecting to find some sort of seed or binding around her soul or spirit; Rather, there was almost nothing particularly different or exceptional about her that was truly distinguishing. He tried to focus on the body, ignoring the fact that there was nothing special about it; And, to his surprise, possibly due to knowing the nature of her curse, Eros could tell that her form was actually artificial, a body that was created from some foreign magic or alike.
The only remedy he knew for this was to apply his will and essence to this fake body, even though the body itself wasn't the core of the curse; None the less, he did what he could, attempting to suppress the physical state of the body in its entirety. This was different from dispelling something simple like Sicily's shield, though, since the body felt more constant and immutable, as if it not only resisted the presence forced upon it but also was a constant itself, not existing as a temporary exertion of energy but rather a fixated object, of which the properties could only be suspended.
After a minute or so of suppression of power and exertion of will, the Eevee suddenly changed forms into a youngish girl, who I assure to you is completely and appropriately clothed. Her eyes opened in an instant, the shock of physical transformation alongside the sudden increase in weight forcing her to consciousness. As Eros attempted to look upon the girl's face, the only detail he could pick up being her long, dark hair, she transformed back to her other form less than a second later.
She jumped up and looked around, inquiring about what just happened and receiving an accurate response from the two boys. After spending a few moments calming down, she approached Eros on the bed and looked at him intently, stating, "You transformed me in my sleep!?"
"I, uh... Yeah."
"Dude!" Alice snapped at Eros, causing him to stagger back. "You didn't look at me, did you?"
"What? Of course- Oh, I see the problem! Don't worry, you were wearing clothes and all."
"I- well, I guess... Wow... I can become human again..." Alice nearly drifted off with the end of her sentence. "Wow... Just..."
"Yeah, but I can't do it forever right now. I think that the more I know, the better I can stop it. At least in the movies it works like that."
"Yeah... Wow, movies... I could go see a movie... Or just walk around..." Alice drifted off for a moment, staring into nothingness for a while. "Yeah... I've made a lot of mistakes and I really, really need to start over." Another pause interrupted her speech. "It's pretty kind of you. You know, how you saved me from the curse, even if for only a moment..."
"I can do better, I promise."
"Was I pretty? You know, when I transformed back?"
Not taking any sort of hints here, Eros replied brusquely, "Uh, I think. Kinda cute, I guess. Didn't really get a good look."
Alice smiled and let loose a long exhale, closing her eyes and nearly dozing off; However, the gesture changed to something drastically different as she tried leaning up and towards Eros, her diminutive body whispering, "Take me." Eros stared in confusion before misinterpreting what she was doing, while Feraligatr scowled and made a few unpleasant grunts.
"What? What do you mean? Like out of here or something?"
Alice snapped out of her state and knelt back, blushing intently under her fur. "Oh, my bad... I was just... Woozy! Right! I was just thinking about Taylor Lautner."
Eros, stern yet easily hiding his embarrassment, replied, "I-I mean... Taylor Lautner's not that hot... Baka!" He contemplated her turning back and enjoyed the prospect of a friend person (who's just a friend and nothing else and definitely doesn't care to be shipped with this guy) and finally having another human about, especially if it served to benefit her mental health in whatever fashion he thought it would. It helped her mind, right? He hoped she wouldn't become worse as a result of her experiences in his adventures... No, no! No more thinking about Taylor Lautner!
Feraligatr heard this and picked Alice up, startling her as he rapidly spewed, "Well, it looks like you have a plan then. Casually practice returning her to normal until you get it, nothing else! Well, we'll be around, but don't mind if we abruptly leave-"
"What are you saying, Feraligatr? Pepe is a friend! We can stick around for at least one adventure, right? Anyways, he always has better stories than us! Plus, well... Isn't he a little cute-"
"Well, if you insist, we can leave after ONE quick journey. No need to weigh yourself down with a human boy or anything." Feraligatr left before anybody else could respond, leaving Eros to his own thoughts. What's wrong with him...? He left, ready to prepare for the journey to Kalos.
And, sitting just above the room and listening to it all, Sicily scowled and brooded to herself. How could she love him? Eros didn't need anybody. No, he didn't need anybody besides Sicily. Was she becoming jealous...? No, no, she's just concerned, that's all... Maybe Feraligatr would like to discuss this...
Eros waited a few days so that he may fly to Ashport, sometimes attempting conversation with Alice and transforming her back into a human for a few seconds at a time before Feraligatr insisted upon them leaving and deciding upon a short, unemotional journey they could embark on. Sicily also provided a bit of confusion, as she insisted upon staying with Cerci in Ashport so that she may train her powers, something completely unlike her; However, as Eros respected her free will, he would allow her to travel with him and stay with Cerci as they headed into Kalos. Along side Xerxes and Dusk, Alice and Feraligatr offered to travel with him, although they'd be spending most of their times out in the open as they refused any sort of Pokeball, an opinion Eros was unwilling to challenge. As it was set, he'd have a pretty powerful and balanced team for whatever journey lied ahead, although he couldn't help but regret being unable to bring Sicily...
Blah blah blah they make it to the bus in Snowpoint and ride it all the way to Ashport, making it a very uncomfortable ride for the people who had to sit next to Feraligatr, since he didn't have a ball to go into. To help her travel more easily, Alice spent most of her time resting atop the head of Feraligatr, only ever dropping down at the sound of a threat or to find berries to eat, had she the desire. The bus was rapid in bringing the group to Ashport, although the general transit did make quite a few stops before the journey was over; However, as the party reached the docks, it was a little better for them.
The boat, labeled the S. S. Fennekin, appeared grand and classy from the outside. Not only could elegant music be heard from the speakers onboard as attendants in fine white uniforms led the passengers onboard, but from the posters and stands outside it could easily be gathered that there were various commodities such as a pool, an onboard Pokemon Center, a stage and even a battle area. Although the boarding process was surprisingly quick, as Eros didn't pack any bags (don't worry, they had those free toothbrushes and soaps), he was often stared upon or stopped for having Feraligatr and Alice out, to which he would explain their pokeballs broke or something. Soon, Eros was settled upon the ship and sleeping in his room as the speaker announced, "Only eight days and fourteen hours 'till Kalos, folks!"
The cruise wasn't necessary as impressive nor as elegant as the pictures suggested, a cruise that would otherwise be excellent. Eros not only found that most of the facilities were brimming with guests from dawn till dusk, the lines almost always an hour long, but the areas weren't always clean either, as it was at least daily that a small pile of droppings were found on deck; And, to add to the discomfort, Eros was often asked to leave or move, since he always brought Feraligatr with him everywhere and he either ended up scaring a little child, putting a dent in the wall or simply being massive and clumsy.
Of course, the trip wasn't completely miserable, despite how callous or spiteful Feraligatr was to him most of the time; And, even so, Feraligatr lost some of his contempt over time. The first few days of the cruise were almost identical, the plots of the team nothing like that of the other guests. After Eros enjoyed his morning routines, such as cleansing himself, a habit he hadn't had the opportunity to do for quite a while, he would retrieve Alice from her sleep atop the stomach of Feraligatr, bringing her on to the bed in his room. He would be able to revert her back to normal one per evening and once per night, a reversion that lasted only a few seconds at a time and that would take most of Eros' energy for the day. The moments that Alice spent as a human were quite fascinating for her, as she had the opportunity to experience being herself again.
By the fourth night, the transformation back had lasted almost a full minute, during which Alice unexpectedly reached for his hand...! Unfortunately for Eros, this also happened to aggravate Feraligatr as to have him attempt to choke Eros, him only stopping short of killing him at the last moment due to the screams of Alice begging him to cease his wrath. It was a very awkward night for everybody, as Feraligatr hadn't even the slightest sign of remorse for what he had done. Eros definitely didn't want Sicily to find out about this...
Before the incident, the days were spent with everybody entertaining themselves with either the television or by staring out at the open ocean, easily visible from the sparsely inhabited docks. Alice and Feraligatr were able to sneak about on their own alone, rarely needing Eros to escort them about; In turn, Eros spent his time watching over Xerxes and Dusk as they played about the boat, enjoying the evenings quite thoroughly; Of course, Xerxes couldn't help but to practice her powers on the unsuspecting tourist and having them undergo some hallucinations that nobody else would ever find out about, albeit never giving a drastic spell.
The morning of the fifth day was one of the most terrifying nights in his life. As he was attempting to transform Alice again, having to ignore the harsh states of Feraligatr as he did so, a small rumbling came from somewhere ahead of the ship and everybody felt some sort of soft rocking. Trying to ignore this, Eros resumed his attempt to revert Alice when a large rumbling overtook the boat for a moment, a display that caused the intercom to warn the passengers to stay away from the decks above. Hearing this, Alice stated that it would be unjust for the group to remain in the room and forced Feraligatr to take her to the deck, an act that persuaded Eros to do the same.
As they climbed a few sets of stairs and made it to the deck, the air became bitter as some supernatural chilling force seemed to dominate from the deck. Fearing for the worse and far behind Feraligatr, Eros stepped forwards, looking to find the one of a kind legend aboard the ship, freezing some of the people and Pokemon solid as he made his wrath known. Articuno was easily handling the Charizard of another trainer in front of him, having nearly frozen it in place and not too far from causing it to faint.
Articuno looked towards Eros and, as a result of spotting his target, flew into the air and started shouting, "Ah, so I have found you! You are quite the sly bastard, aren't you!?"
Eros, only a few meters away from the terrible bird, unintentionally ended up stepping backwards, almost hitting the guard railing behind him. "Why are you here?"
Articuno smirked. "You leave me to die in Blackreach and you want me to consider anything besides death?! You will pay for your transgressions, human! Your kind were never to be trusted in the first place!"
"What? What do you mean?" The two were shouting at each other over the howling winds of frost spawned from Articuno.
"You left me to die in Blackreach! I have given you so much, including your life! Twice! I have even shown you how to fly! I will kill you for betraying me!"
Eros, observing that Articuno was preparing to launch some great attack, hip-fired his Pokeball and released Xerxes, a Pokemon who was more than unsuspecting of the sudden barrage of snow and frost that went her way; To her luck, she was naturally resistant to this kind of weather and damage, receiving a lessened effect from the snow, although her feet were now frozen to the ground.
Eros, unknowing of how to escape this legend, attempted to flee away from it, planning to make his way under the deck and lose him there; Unfortunately, Articuno was much faster than Eros could even comprehend, blocking him off and gathering a long metal pole in his claws as he did so. With nowhere to run, Eros attempted to stall and come up with a plan as soon as possible. "So, uh, I'm sorry? Do I get any last words?"
Articuno simply ignored this, spun in the air and launched the pole at him, narrowly missing him and landing it right into the wall beside him. Suspiciously, Articuno landed on the deck and started walking towards the pole, a look of triumph occupying his eyes as Eros moved to the side. The bird of legend looked upon the wall where the pole connected and stated, "Well, it seems you were much less than I expected. You and your kind will never prosper." With that, Articuno spread his wings and flew away.
Confused, Eros looked back at Xerxes, finding her claws were dissipating some dark aura around them and giving Eros the thumbs up as she smiled. Eros sighed in relief until he noticed that her flesh was melting around the area of her blisters and scars, making her wrist appear shriveled and decayed. "Uh, is your wrist melting?"
Xerxes stopped smiling and looked at her wrist, fainting at the sight of such grotesque damage to her own body. She collapsed with her legs in place, falling backwards and causing Eros to come over to her and break her legs free from the ice. As he did so, one of the staff appeared from around the corner and, with a dumbfounded look on his face, asked, "Did you see who stopped it?"
Eros, giving credit where credit was due, held up Xerxes, the fainted body of who was raised into the air by the crowds of people that swarmed out, letting her awaken to the sights and sounds of crowds cheering for her for saving their lives. The evening that day was spent with everybody partying and celebrating their accomplishments, a night that left only Eros worrying about the journey ahead...