Grass Continent ~ Treasure Town Beach

[ExplosiveTurkey]

"It's solitude with a nice view — perfect for clearing your head. Bonus points for not changing much between worlds," Aria said, humming in satisfaction at the silky sand underneath her feet. "So… yeah, I came here often."

And not a moment too soon, in terms of the present. Her legs were starting to feel sore.

"Shame we weren't on closer terms back when we were living in Treasure Town. Might've brought you here earlier."

 

[MadderJacker]

"What, you didn't like me back then?" Mergo put on a frown. He sat down at the water's edge, put his hands on the ground behind him, and bent over backwards to pout at her. "But you'd held me so close on that first night together."

 

[ExplosiveTurkey]

"T'was nothing but a fling back then, my dear Prince," she cooed, sauntering towards him. "But now..."

Aria abruptly dropped the sultriness from her tone.

"Now, I'm pretty sure you know exactly what I meant. We butted heads often back then, didn't we? Every conversation seemed to lead to an argument of some sort."

 

[MadderJacker]

"It's not my fault that I just knew better than everyone," he scoffed. "Honestly. If anyone's to blame, it's you guys. You could've left me at any time."

Mergo exhaled, shaking his head as he looked out the cave's mouth. The waves shushed his nonsense as they washed over him, delightfully cool without being cold. It was hard not to relax.

Not too far from here was the beach he'd frequented a number of times. Jolt had nearly killed him there. He'd evolved there. Mergo had thrown that party with everyone down at the beach to raise morale, and he'd danced his heart out. He'd played the game there that had introduced him to everyone in the first place, long before this Blacklight nonsense had replaced a much more mundane nonsense.

But things like that had happened everywhere. They were in his nature. And yet, even though Mergo had carefully made his bargain and embraced the cost it would take, nobody here had collected that toll.

"... A long time ago, I'd asked you a question," Mergo began. "The circumstances that happened gave me the opportunity to take it back, so I had. I didn't want to hear your answer at that moment. Now, though... I'd like to hear it."

Mergo glanced back over his shoulder and patted the spot in the water next to him, inviting her if she so wished.

"Why did you care?"

 

[ExplosiveTurkey]

Salt and fur were an annoying combination, but living by the seaside had ruined her ability to care ages ago.

"Y'know, I've asked myself the same thing a couple times," Aria said, carefully lowering herself down by his side. As her outstretched legs sank into the cool water, she let a relaxed sigh escape her. "Wasn't always about you, but... mm. The bargain bin villain shtick earlier wasn't entirely make-believe. Things were stressful, I was tired, and at some point I guess I just… gave up. Convinced myself I was running after everyone for the sake of the mission, and that I didn't have to give a damn about any of them personally. Easiest way to keep myself motivated."

A wry chuckle. "Always knew I was flexible, but I never thought that'd extend to mental gymnastics."

Aria shot Mergo a glance, before returning her gaze to the water. "You're a politician, I'm a... something. Not a lot of overlap. But we both know what it's like to be ruled by our responsibilities, and we both know just how lonely that kind of life can be." A hint of reluctance had crept into her voice, almost as if she felt nervous about the words in her throat. "At first, I just wanted to keep the people around me happy. But the more I learnt about you, the closer it struck to home."

 

[MadderJacker]

"'Keeping people happy,'" Mergo paraphrased. It sounded familiar, but Mergo couldn't remember if he'd surmised the gist of that himself or if she'd said parts of it outright. She definitely interacted with him differently than the others in some small but meaningful way.

"I... I hadn't considered myself ruled by my responsibilities," he said at last. "I knew exactly what I was getting myself in for and embraced it. Somebody had to, and if I did it, I could give my entirety to the task. Forget about myself and exist for everyone else. And I was content to do that. Whatever it takes.

"And then, you came along. All of you." He said those few words with a heaping amount of disgust that was probably playful. "Normally, people would be put off by my demeanor. Cold, to-the-point, business-only. I help with problems, lay the grounds for them to be content, and we go about our routines independently. And if that doesn't work, I use a few pleasantries. Smile a bit. Be friendly. Give them *something,* but not enough to drag them further into the storm. And... none of it worked."

Mergo exhaled, and the air from his lungs continued to stir about as it hit the water. A small vortex formed and elevated above the surface as the salt water turned into a tiny hurricane, steadily advancing to unleash its microscopic wrath on Aria's knee.

"No matter how hard I fought against it, no matter what I said, you all just... advanced anyways." He threw up a hand in exasperation, and his voice slowly started to get quieter. "I had to keep you away, or else you'd see the real me. More job than person. So I threw lie after lie, doing my damnedest, and yet... You braved the waves. A few of you did. And it terrified me."

The eye of a storm was not the paradise stories made it out to be. The winds and waters were still rough, but they were nowhere close to the trials to reach them. The reprieve was all in the sailors' minds.

"... I call this world a fairy tale a lot. Even to its inhabitants. And for as convenient as the threats of these worlds are for telling a story about being positive and encouraging friendship, I..." He shut his eyes and bit his lip. "... I... admit that... thatthepoweroffriendshipmightactuallyhaveworked."

A beat.

"... Excuse me. I sneezed."

 

[ExplosiveTurkey]

Another rare display of weakness, and another thing she could use to tease him mercilessly. The fool.

...With her paws in her lap, Aria leaned over, resting her head against his shoulder.

"Bless you."

 

[MadderJacker]

... Luckily, he wouldn't live to regret that.

Idly, Mergo reached an arm around her waist and held her close. He drew in a deep breath and stared off into the horizon. A long moment passed, and then another. It was... strange. Peaceful. His mind didn't wander or go on any tangents for once.

"... Hey, Aria?"

 

[ExplosiveTurkey]

She'd expected him to pull away, but instead...

Aria closed her eyes, relaxing into his side. It felt nice.

"...Mhm?"

 

[MadderJacker]

It had been far, far too long. Mergo drew in a long, deep breath as he adjusted himself, laying his palm flat against her side.

"No witnesses."

A flash of gold, and in the blink of an eye, the two were whisked away from the shore. The roars of the waves were somehow louder, and the cliffs of Treasure Town far smaller, as the two plunged into the ocean.

 

[ExplosiveTurkey]

"Wh... what the fu—?!" Aria began, but cut herself off abruptly. All things considered, she should've seen it coming. She should've seen it coming the moment they sat down at a beach.

As they fell, she gripped Mergo's hand tight in what might've been a scandalous gesture, if it hadn't an obvious attempt to keep him from teleporting away.

"...Rude. I was enjoying the moment."

 

[MadderJacker]

They broke the water's surface as the waves buried them. Salt water stung his eyes as he blinked them a few times. Sunlight scintillated and filtered through the water, and beneath them, there was darkness. The sandy bottom was obscured in a blanket of shadows. Wild Pokemon he couldn't quite make out swam about, startled by their arrival.

Holding Aria tight, his psychic touch pulled them both back to the surface, and Mergo took a short breath as the two bobbed in the waves. He only smiled his thin, scheming smile.

"I know," Mergo answered. "But I enjoy this one too."

 

[ExplosiveTurkey]

Aria spat out a bit of water, before shaking some more off her face. Then, she took a deep breath and met Mergo's gaze.

"...Yeah, I think I do too."

With her free paw, she dunked his head back underwater, keeping it there for a few satisfying seconds.

<><><><><>​

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Sprawled out on a beach towel, eyes closed, tail flicking contentedly, time seemed to pass her by. She'd spent so much time in DV's wintry chill, she'd forgotten the pleasure of being casually warm. Gods it felt good to relax. Especially after having ten kinds of shit kicked out of her in front of a crowd of millions. Sky and stars.

"S'nice," she said to Starr, a little stupidly. "S'warm."

Like you!! went a happy little voice in her head that she stifled immediately. Starr had enough ammo to tease her with on a good day.

 

[Chibi Pika]

Starr cracked one eye open and glanced at Brisa out of its corner. She'd been half-dozing in the warm sunlight. God, it felt good to finally have summer again.

"Not gonna lie, it's nice to be done with that whole exhibition match and finally get to relax," she said, idly swishing her tail.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Fuck yeah it is," drawled Brisa, happily. "Ain't had nearly enough of this all year, an' I spent most of what downtime I got pushin' myself, anyhow."

She huffed, and twitched her whiskers in thought. "It really was an exhibition, huh. Makes y'see yer interactions with those Miracle folks in a different light, knowin' it were all preparatory fer the battle. What d'you make of 'em, anyhow? I've only spoken with a few of 'em in any serious capacity."

 

[Chibi Pika]

Starr shrugged. "Got to have a chat with Ben before the match. He seemed pretty nice, down to earth, a bit overwhelmed by all this stuff. Gotta say, never would've guessed the guy was a striker from the way he talked about his time on the team." She paused, smirking. "Now Aria on the hand, was obviously just as much a competitive little shit as you," she said, elbowing Brisa's shoulder. "Not hard to see why you'd have the hots for her after your match."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa's ears flushed, but she elbowed Starr back and grinned. "'Course I'm into her. She's as badass as we are. Why aren't you into her, huh?"

Try as she might, she couldn't wipe the dumb grin off her face. Gods, she never felt as relaxed as when she was around Starr, no matter how her partner ribbed her.

"I like Ben too," she added, after a moment. "Great big well-meanin' guy. A real dog's dog. A good sort." She paused. "I'm gonna get those two to teach me how t'fuckin' use Extremespeed. I'll bet my Blacklight form can handle the strain."

 

[Chibi Pika]

Starr shrugged. "Maybe I am, who's to say," she replied with a crooked smile. "Why--you want competition?" Nah, not her type. Was fun to see the look on Brisa's face, though.

"Extremespeed, huh. Yeah, it's a good fit." Brisa had always been into doing quick strikes, always trying to push herself to go faster. And Aria had used it for some crazy shit in that fight.

Starr paused, mulling over her words. "So you're really into that Blacklight form, huh."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa laughed unreservedly at Starr's teasing. There was something magical about the way her casual ribbing made Brisa feel...

Safe. Understood. Trusted.

Happy.

"Yeah, I guess so," she drawled, absentmindedly. "Can't say it ain't been an asset in combat. Don't quite know how I feel about the implicit aspirancy thing. Never even met a Zeraora, 'less you count Luz. Nobody's tried to tell me I don't deserve it yet, though."