Chp 17: Hearthome

	"So any more details on this mysterious plan of yours?" Seth asked.

	"Nope. You'll see when we get there. Trust me, it'll be fun." She said, not even breaking pace. 

	"I don't like the sound of that." He muttered. "Any guesses?" He asked Sky. 

	"Not a one. Probably something sexual." 

	"Wrong!" Soul called cheerfully. 

	"Maybe a battle?" Seth pondered. 

	"Warmer." Soul teased, a bit of a prance in her step.

	"It's weird seeing you act so giddy." Seth commented. "Especially on a day like this." It was hot and humid. The air felt sticky, irritating just to be in. That also might be due to their location, as they had been going through the marsh, and were just about out of it. 

 	As they walked, a large mansion rose on the horizon. As they got closer, a loud commotion could be heard. Seth got curious and looked through the wide open main gate. It seemed like a festival or something, centered around eevee and eeveelutions. In fact, there were tons of eevee pups running around. A sign out front proclaimed that there were eevee up for adoption. 

	"Aww, look at how cute they are." Sky said in a cutesy voice. 

	"No pups." Seth said. "Yet." He corrected.

	"I know, not while we're travelling and battling." Sky said. 

	"Oh well, let's keep moving." Soul said, beginning to walk away. 

	"I didn't say we couldn't check it out." Seth said. He started in, forcing Soul to backtrack. Sky immediately broke off, going over to the pups to play. Seth went over to the main area, picking up a flyer there. It had details on the unique abilities of each eevee form. He scanned the area, spotting plenty of things. A pokemon groomer, a booth for adoptions, and even one selling evolution stones. 

	"Why not have pups yet? Most pokemon are raised by trainers. You know, in the battling lifestyle."

	Seth kneeled down and rubbed her cheek. "We'll talk later." He whispered. 
	
	Sky was in the grassy field, being swarmed by little eevee. Eevee were usually small, but these were only pups. Pokemon, like humans, were born small. Unlike animals, pokemon never hatched in litters, though eggs were often laid more than one at a time. The biggest difference was the growth rate. Pokemon trumped even animals in that regard. In less than a week, pokemon were ready to battle, and in less than a couple months they were full size, generally speaking. Some species, like wailmer, took a bit longer, and others, like rattata, grew quick. As for passing down genetics, generally, the mother's species and the father's abilities were passed down, though sometimes the father's species or the mother's abilities would carry over. One thing about pokemon that was very unique, was that they never crossed DNA. There were no hybrid species. The pup of an absol and lucario would either be a riolu or absol, with no in between. It might have a move or two different, but genetically, it would be impossible to determine the parents. 

	Sky was lying on her back, with the pups climbing all over the espeon. She occasionally teased a few with her tails, while another one chewed on her ear. Seth saw this, and bit his lip. He looked away, exploring the fair until she finished. 

	"What time is it?" Soul asked.

	"Let's see..." He pulled out his dex. "2." 

	"We should get moving then."

	He wanted to ask about her plan, but it was too crowded to be having a conversation. He looked over just in time to see Sky coming over, panting a bit. 

	"They have a lot of energy." She said. 

	"It looked like it. Anyways, Soul is complaining about being late for whatever." Seth said. 

	"Exactly." Soul said. "Let's move it." 

+++

	They were only a bit out of Hearthome, and Soul quickly took the lead, guiding them through the city, occasionally stopping to look at signs. They passed by the mart, the pokemon center, a church, and the gym. The town itself was as large as Veilstone, but it was far less industrial. It was more homely, like it would be a pleasant place to live. Eventually, they came to a large domed building, and Soul seemed to have found what she was looking for. 

	"The contest hall?" 

	"So here's the deal. You just stand there and look pretty while I work my magic." She said.

	Seth sighed. "Okay, fine with me." They went inside, walking up to the counter. "I'd like to sign up for the next contest." 

	"May I see your trainer card?" He handed it to the receptionist. "First time... You're in luck. Tryouts are today. We start in one hour. You are welcome to use any of our facilities here. My apologies. normally we would offer you a tour, but we are rather busy today." 

	"That's fine. I'll figure it out." Seth said, heading for the back. Now in the dressing area, he looked around. He tried to recall all he saw on TV. Contests were the big show all over the world, and the backstage stuff was a part of it. "Okay, grooming, dress up and rehearsals. Soul?" He looked down at her. She looked excited. "Why the sudden interest? I mean, we had a chance a while ago, but you never wanted to then."

	"Well, I didn't know what contests were then. But last night I saw a show about tryouts, and the pokemon looked so cool! Then I saw a commercial for tryouts here, and..." 

	"Okay then. The groomer is in there. I could do it, but they're a professional." He explained. Soul had only groomed herself after getting wet from the gym battle, and she didn't look her best. They walked that way, into a pokemon salon. Soul hopped up onto the table, laying down as a man came over.

	"Any requests?" He asked. 

	"Uhh, sleek?" Seth said. 

	"I think I got it." He opened a draw, taking out a pair of scissors and a comb. 

+++

	Seth was thankful that he wasn't charged. Contests were a big business, but like training, there was little or no charge to the participants. All the revenue came from viewers and marketing. Though he probably wasn't going to get paid for this, as it was only tryouts. 

	The job the hair dresser did for Soul would have cost a lot. She had been given the works. Her fur was straight as a razor, smooth and shiny all the way down. Her mane had been trimmed down greatly, now looking like a heart puffed out on her chest. It bobbed with her every move and breath. Her head fur, the stuff that resembled hair, had been curved and now covered one eye partially. 

	"Wow, you look great." Seth said. "Now to get dressed up." They went back outside and across the hall. Inside, they were shown to a room, a private one, separated by a wall. Inside, there was a massive closet, containing mounds of clothes and accessories. "I guess I need to get dressed up too..." Seth reached down and took a plastic wrapped suit off the shelf. He tore into it, sliding off his clothes and putting it on. He looked back for a tie, but looked in the mirror first. He decided to go without one. "Damn, I forgot how uncomfortable these things are." He tugged on the neck of it. 

	"So you said you would talk about pups." Soul said. 

	"Oh... Well, first of all, I don't want to raise a kid like usual. If a human and pokemon have a child, it'll be a hybrid, but what happens if a hybrid and a pokemon have a child? If my abilities are passed down... But that doesn't have anything to do with it. I don't want our kids to be raised to fight."

	"I agree with that. But... I know there's more to it than that. You don't have to..." Sky said.

	"I should..." He muttered. "I really hope nobody can hear us." He thought aloud. He took a few deep breaths. "I still... Heart, Blade, and Crescent." He covered his eyes with his hands. "I don't think I'll ever forget that." 

	"Hey, no crying." Soul said. She pushed his chin up with her horn. "You'll mess up your suit." He could tell that wasn't what she was concerned about. 

	He sniffled and swallowed. "Right. Let's get you decorated." 

	"It's not your fault." Sky said, placing a paw on his shoe.

	"It's not about fault. The fact that it happened is enough." He and Soul went over to the closet. 

+++

	"Okay? How does that look?" Seth asked. "Fashion isn't really my strong suit..." 

	Soul admired herself in the mirror. She had a small black blow tied around the base of her horn. A silky white cape was on her back, almost matching her fur, and all of her body had been sprinkled with sparkle powder, putting a twinkle in her coat. "I would have gone with a maid outfit, but that would have been too sexy." She turned in place. "Though this is good too." 

	"You'll knock 'em dead." Sky said. 

	"Now for the plan-"

	"I got it. You just stand by and look pretty." Soul said.

	"Sometimes I wish you weren't so skilled so I could be an actual trainer." Seth said. 

	"And be normal? I don't think so." She said.

	He took another look in the mirror, and delved back into the closet. He emerged a short time later with a top hat, a cane, and a fake mustache, not large enough to be comical. "There, a gentleman and his lady, out on the town. That'll be our act."

+++

	"First up, we have Tommy and Poochy!" The announcer called. A kid wearing a baseball cap and loose clothes, with a poochyena came out, waving to the crowd. Both he and his pokemon had on sunglasses. 

	"Second, we have Rebecca and Flora!" A women with a roselia came out, stopping to curtsy in center stage. Rebecca had a flower in her hair, and Flora had a tiara of multicolored leaves. 

	"Third, we have Daniel and Bolt!" A man wearing a lab coat and thick glasses came out. At first, Seth didn't see his pokemon, but as he turned, Seth spotted the magnemite. It was floating in front of its trainer, where his necktie would be. 

	"And fourth, we have Seth and Soul!" Seth perked up and began to walk, Soul right next to him. He kept his head and shoulders higher than usual, while putting some weight on his cane, occasionally twirling it. Soul was right behind him, strutting along. They walked to the center, where Seth stopped to lean on his cane and tip his hat. Soul sat briefly, raising her head and swishing her hair. They then turned and took their place. 

	"And here as our judge, all the way from Hoenn, STAR! That's right, the Star is here looking for talent. So give her your best!" 

	"Star?" Seth muttered. He looked over to the judge booth and saw her. "Wonder if she remembers us." 

	The first contestant stepped forward, along with his hound. "Let's get 'em Poochy." He said. The pokemon barked. The pokemon took center stage, still wearing its sunglasses. It hopped into the air, doing a back flip and howling to the sky. As it did, its sunglasses flew off. Tommy tried to catch them, barely managing after fumbling a bit. 

	Next up was Rebecca. She picked up her roselia, and began to twirl around in a dance with it, her dress waving through the air. As they spun, Flora began to release pink flower petals that spun along with them, a sweet scent accompanying it. Their performance went off without a hitch.

	Daniel and his magnemite, Bolt, stepped forward. He looked down and fixed his glasses. Bolt detached and began to spin around him. He took off his jacket in a flash, tossing it into the air, accompanied by puff of sparkle powder. Bolt sparked and vaporized the coat with electricity. The electricity hit the sparkle powder, which was apparently conductive, as it sparked with electricity as it fell to the ground. 

	Now it was Seth's turn. He strolled forward, tapping his cane casually. "Milady?" He offered his hand to Soul. She shook her head and walked past him. Using both paws and her horn, she delivered three precision dark cuts to the air, creating a shiny black star in midair. She then jumped through it, causing it to burst, scattering darkness all over. She raised her head, howling into the air, while still coated in streaks of darkness. As they quickly faded, she turned back, offering her paw to Seth. He smiled, coming over and taking her paw. They then separated and returned to their place. 

	Star, one of the biggest celebrities, stood from the judge stand, clapping her hands. She had on a fluff fringed shirt and skirt. She had long, unnaturally red hair, which fit her true identity as a latias perfectly. "You all did wonderful. But, I have to pick a winner. Tommy, your outfit was perfect for your style, but your actual performance could use some work. Howl alone isn't too much of a showstopper. Rachel, your dress and performance were both good, especially with the use of smell. But, they didn't really match up. With the flowers, I expected something more natural than a dance. Daniel, while you did a good job, you have to play to the strength of the judge to win their vote. Seth, I love the outfit, and you're a perfect match for each other, and your act. The act itself was pretty good, and I especially like how your pokemon was the lead. So... I'm going with Seth." 

	A pair of confetti balls burst open above them, raining their contents down on the contestants. "Damn right we won." Soul bragged.

	"And Seth, I'd like to talk with you backstage." 

+++

	"So what have you been up to?" Star asked once they were in private.

	"You remember me?" Seth asked.

	"Pretty hard to forget somebody like you." She said, her body glimmering as she turned into a pokemon. She wasn't a hybrid like Seth, merely using her immense psychic power to disguise herself. Her image straightened, revealing her in her true form, a latias. 

	"Well, uh... we came to Sinnoh and are hitting the gyms. Soul wanted to do this though, so we took a break." 

	"That's nice. I've been on the usual routine, travelling all over the world, you know. I'm here for the contest master rank competition next week. I'm a judge for it. So I thought I'd pass the time doing a little talent scouting. Gotta say, never thought I'd see you again."

	"Same. In person at least. There is one thing that's been bugging me. You said Mewtwo was way older than you, like 600 something. But I did some snooping and found out she's like 30 at most. And that she was created by humans."

	"What?!" Star exclaimed. "She's not Mew's sister? You sure? Why didn't she ever tell me?"

	"I would assume she's not too happy about it. The people who made her were trying to clone Mew." 

	"Wait, so you know Mew?" Soul asked.

	"Huh? Yeah! Do you? Does Mew exist?" Seth asked excitedly.

	"Of course she does. Well, not the human one. The one from Originism, that Mew I don't know." 

	"Oh, I understand. I'd like to meet her some day." Seth said. 

	"And how's Mewtwo been doing? I haven't seen her for a while." Star asked.

	"As mysterious as ever. I wouldn't call us friends or anything." 

	"Anyways, Soul, you look great!" Star cheered, the feathered dragon floating over and taking hold of Soul's cheeks. 

	"Thanks. Must be really easy to put on a good show when you can manipulate visuals. Contests are a lot more work than I expected." 

	Star's human form appeared behind her and hopped onto her latias form's back. "Yep. Though not many other psychic types could pull it off." The human shimmered and vanished. 

	"Hey, so I heard that a pokemon called Regigigas was killed. Know anything?"

	"That another legendary? Never heard of him. But if someone killed a legendary... We all have some kind of purpose or representation. I, and my brother Latios, represent light refraction, color in other words. Our feathers..." She reached down and plucked one out, tossing it into the air. It turned several colors as it floated down, before vanishing completely. Usually, there's always a legendary of each type. We just kinda showed up after my parents died. I don't remember them at all, but we found evidence of them, and previous generations where we were born. As far as I know, we're the only pair of lati living right now. But if a legendary was killed, they couldn't breed, then their species would cease to exist..."

	"Hey, don't worry about it. It's only a rumor." Seth said, trying to calm her fears.

	"Well, I'm done with contests." Soul proclaimed. "The dressing up and makeovers are fun, but all that effort for a quick little thing? I'm out. Back to gyms."

	"If you ever get the urge to perform again, find me so I can vouch for you. Endorsements go a long way in this sport." 

+++

	"So, to the pokemon center?" Seth asked.

	"Nope. Gym." Soul said. They had reunited with Sky in the lobby, as she had to go to the stands to watch. Now they were outside. "I need some excitement."

	"It's kinda late..." Seth said. "Sky?"

	"Actually, I'd like to." She said. 

	"Oh, well okay then." Seth shrugged. "Let's do it." 

	"And can I be the headliner? As in Soul goes first." She asked.

	"Well, Soul's super effective here, but if that's what you want." 

	"And if I don't beat 'em all first." Soul bragged.

	They entered the gym, which was different from the rest. All of them had their own little flair, but this one had that flair in the reception. The inside was dimly lit, with blue candles and torches providing the small amount of light. Numerous paper cutouts of ghost types hung from the ceiling, casting creepy shadows along the walls. 

	They arrived at that golden hour late in the day, just before closing when no one else was there. They got right in to see Fantina. 

	"Bonjour. Wonderful to meet you. Fantina" She said with an accent and a flourish of the hand. "Pardon my French, just an old habit." She let out a quick chuckle at her own joke. She was dressed in a starry purple dress, with purple hair to go along with it. Her hairstyle was quite weird however, being four balls extending behind her head/

	"Hi, Seth. What are the rules here?" He asked. The room was dimly lit, more torches on the walls. He was sure that a camera was somewhere, but there was no live audience. 

	"Well, I use a fixed number of pokemon. Otherwise, anything goes. Tout va." 

	"That's fine by me. Soul?" The absol nodded and stepped forward.

	"How many pokemon do you have?" She asked.

	"Two." 

	"Loony!" Fantina called to the ceiling. A drifblim floated down out of the darkness, coming to rest on her side of the field. "Whenever you're ready. Après vous."

	"This should be quick." Soul said. She stretched her limbs one by one. She sprinted forward, swinging her horn in a big arc to attack the drifblim. The pokemon hardly moved. It seemed like it tried to float out of the way, but it was far too slow. Soul gave him a powerful night slash, right across his rotund body. Loony went flying back, letting out a whistling sound as he slumped to the ground. 

	Soul smirked and relaxed her clenched muscles. "See? Easy."

	Loony reached a ribbon arm down, pulling a Salac berry out of nowhere, and putting it in his X shaped mouth. Soul's smile faded and she readied another attack. But this time, Loony shot forward, flailing his arms in an acrobatic attack. This time, Soul was the one who was too slow. She was caught off guard by the sudden burst of speed. She got whipped a few times, before she turned her paw over, and delivered a powerful uppercut with her claws. This sent Loony flying into the air. He landed on his head, before falling over. 

	"That shit stings." She muttered. 

	Fantina whistled, and a new pokemon appeared. A gengar floated up out of the floor. He picked up Loony and carried him away, before returning to fight. Both he and Soul went for each other at the same time. She swung her horn to unleash a night slash, while Gengar charged up a focus blast. They both dodged, at the same time, her jumping over and him fading away. Soul looked around, before spotting a faint blur and going for it. She pounced on it, Gengar reforming under her. She reared back and delivered a point blank night slash. Afterwards, she pushed the Gengar off the field. 

	"Très bon." Fantina cheered. "Just one pokemon left." 

	"Only three?" Seth asked. She only smiled back. "Alright, Soul, come on back." 

	"Already?!" She complained. 

	"It's my turn." Sky said. 

	"Alright, just for you." Soul pranced off the field and to Seth's side. 

	"Well that shoots a hole in my plan." Fantina muttered as the espeon took the field. 

	Seth heard this and smiled, looking down to hide it. Even with Soul's skill and type advantage, those first two had been too easy. Fantina was probably figuring out Soul's strength, and then would use her strongest pokemon to beat her. And based on what she just said, it was probably a one time trick. So she would either use it now and improvise with Soul, or try to beat Sky first. Even knowing she had a type disadvantage, Sky seemed pretty sure of herself.

	Fantina's final pokemon, a mismagius, materialized on the field. 

	"Alright Sky. Show 'em what you got!" Seth cheered. 

	"No pressure. I'll mop up if you don't." Soul said. 

	But Sky was in the zone, and didn't hear them. She had one single goal. Get stronger. Nothing like a little adversity to force that. Her opponent started off, charging and launching a shadow ball. Sky's ears splayed out as she formed a protect, causing the ball to explode harmlessly in midair. Mismagius continued the assault, firing another. Sky was unable to defend again, this time using Psychic to deflect the ghostly energy. It swung to the side and hit the ground. Sky's blue gem glowed, and a spiral shaped beam of psychic power shot out at Mismagius. 

	The ghost type disappeared, dodging the attack before reappearing a few feet to the side. She formed and fired another shadow ball. Sky's eyes glowed the moment it fired. The ball stopped for a moment, before firing back and crashing right into Mismagius' face. This caught her by surprise and made her flinch, giving Sky the chance for a follow-up attack. She began to focus another psychic attack, but something distracted her. Her head shot to the side, a trail of dust kicking up along her sight line. 

	"What is it Sky?" Seth asked.

	"There was..." She said, her head shooting the other way. "Who's there?" She asked. She didn't have any more time to try and find out, as Mismagius was back on the offense. Sky dove to the side, dodging the incoming ball, and focusing her powers again. 

	"Miss, miss, miss..." Two voices chanted quietly on either side of her. She ignored them as best she could, but the distraction weakened her attack. 

	Mismagius shook off her influence, and prepped a new attack, a ball of flame forming in front of her. The fire shot out, and Sky formed a protect just in time. The attack exploded against the shield, scattering mystical flames around. A couple of them stopped in midair, as if they landed on something. Sky noticed this and leaned her head down. The moment the protect faded, she fired a psybeam, and jumped in the air while spinning. The beam fired out in a circle, stopping just short of going off the field. She hit two things, neither of them her opponent. Two haunter appeared out of nowhere as they got hit, and they quickly retreated off the field. 

	"What the?!" Seth asked. "Are you chea... ting..." He stopped talking as everything went black, before turning into a mess of tie-dye. 

	"HAGH!" Sky cried out. The air around Mismagius shattered like glass, accompanied by her crying out and falling to the ground. A moment later, Sky collapsed too. 

	"Sky!" Seth yelled, running onto the field and kneeling beside her. 

	"I'm..." She panted. She shakily rose, before falling again. This time he caught her before she hit the ground. "I overdid it." She said weakly.

	"What on earth was that move?" Fantina asked as she came over. "I've never seen anything like that. It was almost like a spectacular contest move." 

	"And you!" Seth said. "What were those other pokemon doing on the field?!" 

	"Ahh, my gimmick. You see, I always use six pokemon. I only battle with one more than the opponent and the rest are on the sidelines, doing ghostly mischief. No attacking for them." 

	"Oh... If the league allows it..." He muttered. He noticed her hand outstretched in his peripheral. He turned to find her offering a badge. 

	"You, and your pokemon, did marvelously. I do hope she's alright..." 

	"She's okay. She just overexerted." Soul said, though Fantina couldn't understand her. 

	"Alright." Seth said. He rose to his feet and reached for his pack, but stopped once he got his hand around her ball. Even unconscious, they both hated their balls. If she woke up inside... He kneeled back down and picked her up again, carrying her laid sideways over his arms. 

+++

	"What was that friggen' move?" Seth complained. "I've got every single psychic type move and every move an espeon can learn, and none of them match up." He sat his dex down and looked at Sky. She was still snoozing soundly, a small grin on her face.

	"It was powerful for sure." Soul said. 

	"That's exactly why I wanna know what it was." He picked up his dex and began to browse again. 

	"Did I win?" Sky suddenly asked. 

	Seth reached over and pet her head. "Yeah, you did it. What move was that at the end?" 

	"I have no idea." She took a deep breath. "I got the idea when I was watching contest highlights in the lobby. So I put my everything into a move, and that's how it turned out." 

	"I see..." He began to type with a finger. A few minutes later, he said, "Got it! It matches up perfectly with these things called Z-moves. They're recently discovered and only in the Alola region right now. And they require stuff like mega evolution. A bracelet for the trainer and a crystal for the pokemon. Then it super charges the move. You didn't eat a gem or something, did you?" 

	"Not that I know of... maybe it's possible, but takes a toll on the user. Like your mega evolutions."

	"No... we still need the gem. Soul ate one and its part of my DNA. If it was possible without, it would have been discovered a long time ago." 

	"One way or the other, I would like to take a bath." She started to get up, but her limbs refused to hold her weight. Seth stood up, crossed the bed and picked her up.

	"C'mon you." He took her into the bathroom and set her down in the tub. He went over and started the water, kneeling outside to allow her plenty of room. 

	"Alright... so I think I know how I can do it." She said. "But you have to promise me. Don't tell Soul." 

	"Okay..." 

	"I woke up last night, and there was a shooting star outside. So I wished to get stronger. I think it worked." 

	"Why not tell Soul? She won't judge." 

	"Because I wanted to be strong, but I didn't work for it." She sounded sad. "You both work so hard, and then I just got stronger for free."

	"Well, first of all, I couldn't care less how you did it. As long as we're all safe, I'm fine. Second, you don't have to be strong. I love you no matter what." He rubbed one of her ears. 

	"I'm sick of being the weak link. I didn't do anything against Crasher Wake, and I've always been the weak one. Even if you don't care, I do." 

	"That's alright. Whatever makes you happy. Be right back." He left and came back with a small bottle in hand. "I've been saving this for something special for a while now." He popped it open, and dumped it into the water. The water was only up to her chin, while lying down, so she could comfortably rest. Nothing happened until Seth reached down and stirred the water, causing bubbles to form. Along with them, a pleasant scent rose from the tub. 

	Sky let out a relaxed sigh and stretched out a little more. "Is this how you feel when you mega evolve?" 

	"Yeah, pretty much. It get's easier the more you do it though." He reached down and began to massage her shoulders. She let out a purr.

	"Bathes are so relaxing~ I don't know why Soul hates water so much." 

	"When I'm an absol, I always get hot. Their coats are so thick and the water probably weighs it down pretty bad. Though I can just brush her out and dry her off afterwards..." 

	"I'd make that trade any day." Her body twitched as he hit a sore spot. "You know, you could join me." 

	"No, I'd take up too much room." He said, rubbing down her body. He stopped at her rear, rubbing at the base of her tail and down the length of it before returning to the start. 

	"If you were smaller..." She said, implying a lot. 

	"Fine, just because you fought hard." He said. He got into the tub, standing at the end of it where there was room. His body rapidly shrank and brown fur sprang from his skin. 

	She let out an "aww" as she saw his tiny eevee form. He climbed forward onto the nearly three times larger evolution. Thanks to his tiny frame and light weight, he was able to climb over her back without causing her discomfort. "I never get tired of how cute you look." She said in a cutesy voice. Her tail came back and intermingled with his bushy one. He leaned forward, using his paws to knead at her shoulders and upper back, occasionally batting or playing with the tip of an ear. As much as he hated this form, he couldn't help but smile at her enjoying this. 

	"The worst thing about this is the size. It's so disorienting to be so tiny. And these stubby legs don't help either." He twiddled his paw for emphasis. 

	"Well maybe it's not for combat. You are just too damn cute, so you can't avoid that form forever."

	"Then I'll save it as a reward for you." 

	"And I assume Soul operates on a different reward system?" 

	"Well duh. I doubt this form would do much in that department." 

	"Don't be so harsh on yourself. She appreciates a cute little guy just as much." 

	He padded around and began to massage her lower back. As he rubbed his paws into her back, her flexible tail came down and poked at his head. He backed up a bit and playfully batted at it, causing her to laugh. He then went back to petting, allowing her tail to mingle with his ears. 

	"Do you ever think about all this? I mean, what are the odds that everything in our lives has worked out in exactly this way?" 

	"I dunno."

	"Of all the pokemon, you met us, and you are one of a very few unique people. It's crazy that everything has worked out the way it has, ups and downs alike."   

	"Life's pretty crazy." He said, sounding philosophical. 

	"HEY!" Soul yelled from outside. "Come check this out!" 

	"Oh well. It was a nice bath." Sky said. She suddenly stood up, forcing Seth to clutch onto her back and ride or fall to the floor. 

	"Woah!" He cried, holding her short fur for dear life. She climbed out of the tub, hopping onto the towel he had placed earlier. She padded around a bit, before departing the bathroom and going back into the main room. She was dripping water off her belly fur, but it was only water. It couldn't hurt the carpet too much. She stopped alongside the bed, allowing Seth to jump off and onto the bed. But his freedom did not last long, as Soul grabbed him and dragged him in front of her, holding him with her paws. He squirmed a bit but quickly relented. 

	"Hey fluffs." She teased, pointing at the TV. "Check it out."

	"This kind of thing is pretty rare. We've certainly got some potential with this one."

	"Yeah, he beat five gyms in a week, or maybe two. He only lost once, and that was against Maylene. That glass jaw could be a problem, but he's got some tough mons with him."

	"And in freakin' Pastoria, the guy beat Crasher Wake without even showing up! His pokemon alone are monstrous." 

	Seth smirked. "Looks like we made the trainer spotlight." They were watching the pokemon training channel, where interesting battles were featured and tips were given. They were currently running a look at up and coming trainers. His trainer stats, featuring Soul, Sky and a vaporeon, were on screen too.
	
	"We're big time now." Soul bragged, playing with Seth's poofy ears.