Chapter Text
Professor Magnolia, Raven, and I (and Yampanator) were discussing the similarities between mega evolution, dynamax, and ancient Terca Lumiens bodhi blastia technology when Urbain came down the newly-opened stairs.
Naveen looked up from the magazine he was staring at the cover of. "Oh. You're Urbain again."
Urbain narrowed his eyes. "I can't tell if you're just never impressed at anything, or if you're genuinely disappointed."
"I guess you're right: it doesn't matter." Naveen shook his bangs out of his face. "But seeing you as a girl let me finally acknowledge how cute I find you."
Urbain shut one eye. "What?"
"I've been thinking hard about why, and I keep going back to my grandma insisting that I find a 'nice girl'." Naveen waved his magazine. "But she also tells me I should study law, and that's not ever happening. I wanted to tell you how I felt about you as soon as I realised it, but with everything that's been going on, I didn't get the chance."
"I can never remember the name of that streamer - Calzoni? - that you're crazy about. You keep trying to redo my wardrobe. You refuse to eat my cooking." Urbain scratched the back of his head. "And now you're saying you like me?"
"I've been afraid to try your cooking because I might enjoy it. Because my grandma wants me to find a nice girl, and if you flat-out reject me on grounds like that, I don't want to have gotten any closer to you than I am now." Naveen stood up. "I want to make you special things, and the only thing I can make is clothes. Everything you do, you prioritise helping other people. I wish I could be like that." He looked down.
"I - you - that's- er..." Urbain shook his head. "This is a lot Are you seriously asking me out?"
"I'm completely serious." Naveen walked over to Urbain.
I glanced away. I didn't think they were going to kiss, but I always hated watching, especially in movies where they dragged it out gratuitously. Professor Magnolia was staring at the scene with a look of such utter fascination that I started giggling uncontrollably.
Everyone glared at me.
Naveen shook his head. "Really, Mononoke? You're ruining everything."
"Sorry! I'm sorry. I'm not laughing at you." I shook my head. "It's just... Professor, your expression..."
"What?" Professor Magnolia crossed her arms.
"I'll take myself out; I'm clearly not qualified to be in here right now." I ducked into the dining room. Hopefully, I would still be able to hear the conversation without disturbing anyone with inappropriate giggles.
"What's with the magazine, anyways?" Urbain asked.
Naveen sighed. "It's time for my monthly trip to trade the law magazines my grandma sends me for the fashion magazines she gets my sister. Sis will be leaving for law school soon, so we won't be able to do these trades much longer. We've been needing to talk to Grandma about switching the subscriptions, but I'm honestly scared of how she'll react."
"If you need help with that, I'd be happy to go with you." Urbain paused. "And you know what? Go ahead and introduce me as your girlfriend."
Lida, whom I could see from my hiding spot, jumped to her feet. "Does that mean you're gonna go back to being Taunie?"
"I wasn't planning to."
The front door flew open and Corbeau stormed into the lobby. "Oh good, you're up. I know you're probably all off kilter after tangling with legendary pokémon yesterday, but we've still got a court date today. You are going to show up, right?"
"Yeah, of corse! Shoot, what time is it?" Urbain paused. A rotom phone, probably his, whirred and beeped. "Oh no. Um, Naveen, can we go visit your grandma this afternoon? I have to deal with this."
"Not a problem. I'll text my sister and let her know." A rustling of pages, almost certainly Naveen's magazine. "May I accompany you on this venture?"
"Of course."
Lida looked at Corbeau. "Speaking of the court, how's the case looking?"
"I'm confident in our arguments." Corbeau smirked. "Several Rust members are willing to testify that they were not aware of the fine print in the contracts they were pushing, either; and while you've been off saving the very concepts of life and death, I've done the dirty work of tracking down other scam victims and bringing them into the suit."
"That's amazing! Great job. Now, let's get to court and make Griselle return all the money she's stolen from everyone." Urbain walked over to Corbeau, arm-in-arm with Naveen.
"Let's rescue the Rust Syndicate from corroded leadership and reclaim the gleaming steel of its well-meaning members." Corbeau led the way out of the hotel.
Professor Magnolia stood up. "Now that you mention it, I ought to check in with Sycamore Laboratory's director... Mabel, was it?"
I peeked around the corner. "She introduced herself to me as Maybe." Perhaps I should call her to inform her that my visa was expiring and I would be leaving soon.
"Oh. Well, whatever her name is. Come on, Raven. Let's get going." Professor Magnolia, Raven, and Yampanator left the hotel.
"I've got class, too." Lida went to the door. "Will you be okay alone in the hotel, Mononoke?"
"We should lock up. I've got to go to the pokécenter and check whether my pokémon need vaccinations before we leave for Fiore." I came into the lobby and looked around. "Does anyone have the front door key?"
---
Team MZ met me at the train station to see me off. They drew out their goodbyes to the point where I found it agonising. My pokémon, standing (or floating) around me, seemed equally tortured. I repeatedly reassured Team MZ that I would be back to visit again when I had the chance, and they were all welcome to come visit me in Fiore. Each of them promised that they would take me up on that.
"Before I go, I have some things for you." I handed Lida Philomena's pokéball.
"What's this?" Lida stared at the ball.
"Philomena has learned so many moves while he's been with me, but there aren't that many opportunities to demonstrate them in Fiore. He has watched your dancing, and he thinks performing on stage with you, Superstar, and the others will be the opportunity he needs to show off the amazing bird he's become." I had also learned that there would be difficulties trying to get a talonflame into Fiore due to concerns about the region's rare grass- and bug-types, as well as potential competition with uncommon native flying-types. I might be able to get special permissions for a single specimen, but he wasn't interested.
"Really?" Lida looked at Philomena.
Philomena soared up into the sky and did a loop-de-loop, creating a ring of fire. He dove down, rose in a corkscrew and dove through the center of the ring, wings spread wide. "Tsree!" He fluttered back to the ground in front of Lida.
"Are you sure I'm good enough to let you shine?"
Philomena pressed his head into Lida's hand and cooed.
I gave Dein Nomos's pokéball to Urbain. "Dein Nomos is impressed with how dedicated you are to protecting Lumiose and Hotel Z. She wants to work with you, and spend more time with her namesake sword. I trust you can give her more opportunities to help people than I would, spending most of my time messing around in dusty archives or crunching data at the computer."
Dein Nomos floated up to Urbain and bowed.
"I'm honoured, Dein Nomos." Urbain scratched the back of his head. "But are you ceriain? Now that I'm in charge of Hotel Z, I'll be spending a lot less time helping out among the community. And if you want to teach like how the sword is a TM, I'd think you'd have more opportunities to work with students by Mononoke's side."
"Shling."
"Perhaps," I translated, "But she doesn't know guardian field well enough to teach it by herself, at least, not yet. And she can see plenty of possibilities in Lumiose. Perhaps after the Hisui exhibition, the Lumiose Museum will do an exhibition on Terca Lumiens. Dein Nomos wants to be there, and possibly help other worthy pokémon master guardian field from Dein Nomos-the-sword."
"Alright, Dein Nomos. I'll do what I can to be a worthy trainer for you." Urbain patted Dein Nomos's hilt.
I put my third pokéball into Naveen's hand. "Bubblegum is an old pokémon at heart, so deeply in touch with her personal and ancestral past, she doesn't feel like she could leave this city. That kind of change is too much for her simple ways. She's intrigued by the noises your sewing machine makes. And she didn't want you to feel left out."
Naveen looked at me. "Really? She's that scared of change?"
I rolled my eyes. "Either that, or those are all lame excuses, and she really just has a crush on DD. Ever since that first battle they had, she's been thinking about her. She wants to be able to spend more time with your elektross."
Bubblegum hid her eyes under her gills. If she was physiologically capable of blushing, she would be redder than a swellow's head.
Lida looked at Naveen. "Since when have you had an elektross?"
"Of course I'd have an elektross, just like the one Canari uses."
Urbain shook his head. "I thought you went out of your way to avoid copying Calamari and being just like her DYN4MO groupies?"
"Shut up." Naveen tossed a pokéball. DD popped out. "What do you think, DD? Do you like Bubblegum that way?"
DD went up to Bubblegum and chomped the tip of her nose. Bubblegum's eyes popped out from behind her gills to look at DD. DD released Bubblegum's nose and put her fin in front of her mouth.
Bubblegum chomped at the air.
DD lowered her fin and chomped the air back.
The two pokémon began air-chomping at each other. I wasn't entirely sure what they were expressing for once, but they were definitely communicating something.
"Both species are known for their teeth, so I guess it makes sense that a relationship between them would involve a lot of toothiness." Naveen chuckled. "Looks like they're getting along okay." He turned to me. "Alright, I'll keep Bubblegum for now and see how things go between her and DD. But if they break up, Bubblegum's probably going to have to move back in with you."
"Fair enough." I reached up to scratch Heartbreak's chin.
A woman in a maid outfit with a long teal braid in essentially the same haircut as AZ's approached us. "Are you Mononoke? I, Lebanne, am here to deliver an invitation from Jacinthe herself to attend her latest event, the Tournne-de-Jacinte Supreme."
I shook my head. "I'm sorry, I really can't. I'm about to head home."
"I'm warning you, it's not wise to ignore Jacinthe."
A roaring came from the train station. My phone flew out of my pocket and into my face, showing me the train schedule. If I missed this one, I wouldn't be able to catch the boat back to Fiore.
"That's my train! I seriously have to go now." I recalled Heartbreak. "Send my regrets to Jacinthe. Bye everyone!"
Team MZ yelled their final goodbyes as I sprinted through the turnstile and jumped aboard the train.