Snivy visibly relaxed after Erika left, sinking into the healing spring until only his head remained visible. Gwen hopped out of the spring with some difficulty and dried herself off by rolling on the floor mat, and then bounded towards the hotel room's bed. Snivy raised an eye at her actions, but ignored her, content to just soak in silence.

"Do you want some food?" Gwen called out to him from across the room. "I know Erika bought some for us."

Snivy just looked at her with a bemused expression, before finally deciding to speak. "Yes please. I would appreciate some food."

"You're gonna have to come help me then," Gwen said pointedly, twirling around. "I don't have hands. Erika has protein bars and vitamins, but they're all in sealed containers. I can't open them myself."

He hesitated a little, but in the end Snivy clambered out of the spring to join her. He's got to be hungry too, Gwen thought cheerfully. It's been nearly two days. 

Apparently, drying yourself on the floor mat wasn't a dignified thing to do, because Snivy ignored the floor mat that Gwen used and rifled through the bathroom's various cabinets for a towel. Eventually, he got fed up with searching and used his feelers to grab the towel hung on the shower rack meant for Erika, scrubbing himself down until he was dry.

Gwen waited patiently for him to finish and walk over, and he helped her crack open the casing for the vitamins which Erika bought. They each took a compressed protein bar and their designated set of vitamins - which were thoughtfully labelled by name. and returned to the spring to continue healing.

Without any regard for Snivy, Gwen immediately began crunching on her own bar, savoring the rich chocolatey taste she had come to know and love in the months that Erika had trained her. Chocolate bars were one of Erika's favorite snacks, and she stole them often from the markets to share with Gwen.

Although Gwen was hesitant initially, the richness and creaminess of the chocolate won her over, and she now gobbled them down at every possible opportunity. This is way better than sunlight, Gwen thought with happiness. Even morning dew drops can't compare. This chocolate tastes even better than what Erika usually gets. It's definitely higher quality.

It was quite difficult to eat without hands, but Gwen managed by using her leaves as a sort of substitute. They weren't quite as flexible or versatile as true digits, but when she flexed them, they were still able to provide enough grip to hold her chocolate protein bar.

"You like chocolate too?" Snivy asked suddenly. He had a wistful smile on his face. "I used to love getting chocolate strawberries at the chocolatier with my family. The Laroche Breeders kept cooks on hand so we could eat whatever we wanted."

"It's my favorite food," Gwen told him. "I mean, if I eat too much I might get sick, but it's too good to pass up."

"I agree." He said immediately. "Although, I think lemon curd meringue pie is even better. Nothing really compares to the sweet sourness of a good lemon pastry, especially when you make the curd properly. It's delicate and light and fluffy, and it just melts in your mouth."

"What a meringue pie?" Gwen asked.

Her question stumped Snivy. Gwen nearly burst out laughing at the look on his face due to how confounded he looked. Snivy's normally regal and upturned nose was scrunched, and the yellow lids of his eyes were quirked. It made him look almost comical.

Snivy opened his mouth to try to explain, before realizing that Gwen didn't have any frame of reference to compare it to. "I'll explain it to you later," he said eventually. "If I get the chance, I'll try to find an actual meringue pie for you to try."

Apparently, his inability to explain what a meringue pie was frustrated Snivy, and he shoved his tail back into the water, sinking the rest of his body in. The protein bar had been summarily devoured, and one of his feelers chucked the wrapper into a trash bin outside the spring.

Gwen watched him curiously, observing the splash his fan-like tail made as it disappeared into the water. He matched her gaze calmly, and instead of continuing to stare, Gwen opted instead to recline and dip her head-leaves into the spring.

With both her leaves and her stubby feet firmly underwater, Gwen resembled a floating blueberry, rather than the oddish which she actually was. She was about to doze off, immersed in the gentle warmth of the spring, when she heard a puff of escaped air from Snivy's direction and opened her eyes.

"What's the matter?" Gwen asked curiously. Although it was quick, what she heard did sound like a snort. "Is there something funny?"

For his part, Snivy clammed up quite quickly, falling back into silence. Gwen just stared at him until he looked away. "You." he said finally. "I find you amusing."

Gwen quirked her head. "Me?"

"Your posture," Snivy said after some thought. "It's ridiculous. I thought you stoic and stern, and seeing you mimic a blueberry tickled me. I apologize for my rudeness."

"Oh, don't worry about that!" Gwen smiled, spinning around the spring. "You're a friend! I don't mind at all."

"Are we now?" Snivy asked curiously. "The only previous interactions we had were during the initial bonding, and most of it was fighting. This is the first time we've ever talked. How on earth are we friends?"

It didn't take even a second for Gwen to respond. "You're one of Master Erika's pokemon, and her starter to boot! How could we not be friends?"

Snivy's face visibly soured at her comment. "Please don't bring Erika up right now," he said, grimacing. "I'd rather not think about her."

"Why not?" Gwen was fully upright now, and she was peering at Snivy with a curious expression. "Erika is the best! Even if I'm not her starter, I'm still grateful to be her second."

"I'm just a caged beast," he sneered. "What good is it being Erika's starter? I have traded away a smaller cage for a larger one, this time with a chain attached to my neck. My nobility is forfeit to the whims of a deceitful girl."

Gwen manipulated the leaves on her head to scoop up a mound of water, and flicked it over Snivy. He flinched in surprise at the droplets, before giving her a deadpan stare.

"Stop thinking that way, dummy," Gwen told him seriously. "Are you actually telling me that soaking in a luxurious spring like this is worse than being trapped in a cage with literal manacles and a mouth binding?"

Gwen knew what she said was true, and Snivy did too apparently. Still, he refused to admit it and turned away with a scoff. "I wouldn't expect you to understand my troubles. At least I had my personhood in that cage. Now, I live in bondage to another."

"Everyone lives in bondage to something," Gwen said with a surprisingly profound tone. "No matter how great or lesser you are, it doesn't change the fact that we live caged lives. Most people just don't notice it because their cages are very large."

"Are you kidding me?" Snivy snorted. "I was a free pokemon before Erika forced my hand into bonding with her."

"Are you sure about that?" Gwen asked rhetorically. "Cages are just limitations, restrictions on what we can and cannot do. Here's an example. Even before you were caught by the Claws, if you came across an injured pokemon, would you help them out?"

Snivy didn't even need to think about it. "Of course I would! I would never abandon anyone in need. My chivalry demands it so."

"Then you are caged," Gwen informed him triumphantly. "It may not seem like a cage, but your actions are bound by your morals and chivalry. You won't - no, cannot abandon anyone in need. It may not be a physical cage, but it still binds you all the same."

"What even is the point of all this?" Snivy said exasperatedly. "I choose to be honorable. I choose to be chivalrous. It isn't a cage."

"That's where you'd be wrong," Gwen told him. "Let's use Erika as an example. Do you think she's caged at all?"

Snivy's face couldn't turn any greener, even if he wasn't already a grass type. Gwen nearly laughed at his scrunched expression. "She's a child prodigy well on her way to success. Bonding with me has probably boosted her already monstrous affinity even further. I'd say she's already left her cage behind, if she was ever in one."

Gwen shook her head again. "Erika hasn't left the cage either. She's just swapped it out for a larger one." She spread her head leaves, gesturing towards the beautiful decorations engraved onto the walls of the hotel room, and at the bath bombs which were still discharging elemental life energy into the spring. "Look around, Snivy. What do you see?"

"Success," he answered confidently. "Erika has schemed her way to power, and has made inroads with a powerful family."

"That may be true," Gwen allowed. "But you're still fundamentally wrong. Erika hasn't achieved success, nor has she truly broken out of the cage which binds her. Do you know what this cage I've been talking about for so long is? For Erika, her cage is ambition."

The spring was getting a little bit too hot, so Gwen emerged briefly to sun herself on the UV ceiling lights, before climbing back in for a second dip and continuing the conversation. "Tell me, do you honestly think Erika is the type of person to be satisfied with what she has currently achieved? I love Erika, but I'm still able to see her faults. Do you honestly believe that she'll be content just to stop at becoming a gym leader?"

"No," Snivy responded instantly. "She's greedy and ruthless. Erika will keep reaching for more. She won't ever be satisfied."

"Exactly my point," Gwen replied. "Just like you, Erika's actions are bound. She lives in bondage to her ambition, and will slave away to grasp at constantly greater and greater heights. Erika will never know success, because her definition of success will continually expand and change. You're the same. You'll never give up on your chivalry, because you consider it your duty."

"What's the point of you telling me all of this?" Snivy asked her again in exasperation. "You live in a cage too!"

"Well, of course, that's true," Gwen admitted. "Just as you now do, I live in bondage to Erika. However, the difference is that before she blessed me and took me in, I lived in bondage to death - for I was a crop pokemon destined to end up as soup in some kitchen. From the moment of my birth, I lived in the smallest and tightest possible cage you could ever imagine. My sole existence - my very purpose, was to be harvested and consumed. Everyone I knew despaired. For a time, so did I. What even was the point of my existence?"

Snivy couldn't answer that. Gwen looked meaningfully at him. "I'll tell you what it is," Gwen said confidently. "It's living. I appreciate my life. Being able to eat every day, see the sun, accompany Erika. This is the purpose of my existence."

"That's a sad existence," Snivy told her contemptuously. "You have no ideals greater than yourself, and you don't strive for the betterment of others."

"At least it is an existence," Gwen retorted. "Better than what I had before. Privileged pokemon like you couldn't possibly understand. Have you ever seen your parents butchered before you? Your siblings - their guts torn out, leaves shredded and eyes gouged, entrails spilled on a floor made slick with internals. Can you claim to have seen the same things I have?"

Snivy shook his head, no, eyes wide with horror.

"Then don't tell me what constitutes a sad existence," Gwen shot back at him, equally as contemptuous as he had been before. "Being chosen by Erika is the greatest blessing of my life. The food I eat every day at her behest, the wounds I suffer battling at her behest, the terrible pain I endure, all of these things are reminders that I still live, and will breathe another day. To me, this is already the greatest reward."

By now, the fizzing of the spring finally stopped because the bath bombs had been fully dissolved. Gwen scooted a little closer to Snivy. "The reason I'm telling you all of this is so you can snap out of it!" she exclaimed. "Count your blessings! Stop thinking about cage this, cage that. We're all caged beasts at the end of the day. Even the freest man and pokemon in existence is still caged, for the world they live in itself is a cage! Just stop worrying, and slow down. Appreciate what you have, and be grateful."

"That is remarkably insightful," Snivy admitted eventually. "Aren't you supposed to be a common oddish though? Where on earth did you learn about all this philosophy? Did you have the fortune to study under a sage? A great thinker of the ages? Who elucidated you?"

Gwen nearly spat out the water she was drinking. "Are you joking? I'm just a random crop oddish human farmers cultivate for soup stock. Wherever would I get the chance to meet one of the eastern sages or a great philosopher?

She shook her head with a wistful smile. "I've had a lot of time to think," Gwen said calmly. "When you're born as a crop pokemon, life is dull and short. Everyone knew they would be butchered one day. I didn't have much to do either. All I did was watch my friends and family slowly get harvested, and wait for my own coming death. Naturally, I had a lot of time to think."

"...I'll take what you said into consideration," Snivy said finally. "You make sense, but I'm still unwilling to budge on this. I won't fight for Erika, but I will admit that I appreciate what she has done. That was your goal right?"

"Yup," Gwen replied. "Whether you fight for Erika or not, you should at least acknowledge what she has done for you. Intent matters less than action. At the end of the day, she risked her life to rescue you, and you repaid her by nearly killing her. I won't stand for it, not to someone who saved me from being chopped up into soup stock."

"Noted."

"I'm very jealous of your position though, you know," Gwen said sadly. "I know I don't have enough potential to carry master Erika forwards."

"That's not true at all!" Snivy burst out. "I sensed your fight through the bond we share via Erika. How can you say that you have no potential?"

"It's true though," Gwen said with a downcast expression. "Erika chose you over me. I don't blame her for it. I'm just a random cabbage who was supposed to be made into soup. Lady Erika blessed me already by rescuing me from that fate. I don't dare to dream for more. Just being near Erika is good enough. I appreciate the simple things in life."

"Are you kidding me?" Snivy snorted. "You can activate growth twice in battle and still keep fighting. I can't do that."

"That's impossible," Gwen said disbelievingly. "Your constitution should be more than enough to handle a double, or even a triple boost. Maybe your pain tolerance isn't good, but I can't see how you wouldn't be able to do what I did."

"It's not my pain tolerance at all," Snivy replied in frustration. "It's - oh, never mind. You wouldn't get it."

"Get what?" Gwen asked curiously.

Snivy ignored her. "Let's just move on, okay? I don't like talking about it."

He extended his feelers to Erika's bag from the spring and ripped out another few protein bars, tossing one to Gwen. Snivy was about to munch on his bar when he realized that Gwen couldn't open the packaging, and he grudgingly helped her tear it open.

Snivy shifted the topic of conversation, unwilling to keep talking about himself. Although Gwen wanted to continue pressing the issue, Snivy refused to answer her question and returned to their previous topic.

"Appreciating what you have is all well and good, but you should still keep striving forward," Snivy argued. "I agree that ambition can cage and trap you, but that doesn't mean that you should become entirely passive. It's okay to have dreams!"

"That's a nice sentiment and all, but the issue is my dream is just to stay by Erika's side," Gwen said, looking pained. "And as Erika grows stronger, so does the likelihood that I'll be replaced. You know it as well as I do right? Only the starter bond is truly irreplaceable."

Gwen shoved one of her leaves into Snivy's chest playfully, poking him and knocking him in the water a little. "That's okay though. I don't blame you for taking the starter bond. I'm just livestock pokemon, and you're a prince. Although it'd be nice, I would question Erika's intelligence if she really chose me as her starter when she had way better options."

Gwen was about to continue talking when she felt an immense pressure bearing down on her from Snivy. He glared at her murderously, tail raised in an aggressive posture. "How do you know that I'm a prince?"

"You aren't?" Gwen asked in confusion. "Erika talked about it all the time. I've been with her for nearly half a year, and she ranted and raved about how she was getting a future monarch as her starter constantly."

"How does Erika know then?" Snivy said, ignoring Gwen. "No one should know about this! Least of all a street rat like Erika! How did she identify me?"

"Glare," Gwen offered. "Your ability to paralyze at a gaze. Some of the older history books which Erika dug up on Unovan history about King Arthur and his Serperior described it as able to 'lay low not only minds, but also the bodies of enemies.' Other historical sources corroborated your ancestor's ability to inflict paralysis on enemies with a look, but most argued against, since it's common knowledge that the snivy line doesn't learn glare."

Snivy looked at her with a confused expression. "I only used Glare during the breakout. How did Erika figure out that I was a monarch descendant beforehand?"

Gwen leaned back against the walls of the spring. "The text messages on the phone Erika stole detailed all your attempts to escape, and included warnings about past incidents. There are reports of your handlers dropping your cage after their muscles froze up, and you bashing your way out with iron tail. They figured out that you were using Glare too, but didn't put two and two together. The ekans line in Kanto also learn Glare, so they didn't think too much of it, given that you're also a type of snake."

"Even Fulton didn't notice initially," Gwen continued. "There were other high-value pokemon in your shipment like absol, so your handlers had to split their attention multiple ways. Most of the cargo handlers were grunts, and they didn't pass that information up the chain because they didn't think it important. No one with actual knowledge about the significance of Glare learned about it before Erika swooped in to steal you. That dratini hogged all their attention."

"That still doesn't explain how Erika knows glare is unique to royal descendants!" Snivy shouted in frustration. "Practically no one knows about this. Most people don't even know that my lineage can learn glare. She might have suspected I was a prince, but there's no way she should have been able to confirm it."

"She didn't know for sure," Gwen informed him. "Besides, even if you weren't a prince, your species is still one of the most suitable starters for a pure grass specialist like herself. Had you been a regular snivy, Erika still would have benefited immensely. How's the bond by the way? How much did your potential get boosted?."

"A lot," Snivy admitted grudgingly. "Starter bonds are the best in terms of enhancing innate potential, and even among prodigies Erika's affinity for grass is monstrous."

Snivy clenched his stubby hands, releasing a wave of tremendous pressure which ruffled Gwen's head leaves before he composed himself.. Grass aura overflowed from him, drowning the room in a tide of green. "This is the strongest I've ever felt in my life."

"I don't doubt it," Gwen said enviously, giving him some side eye. "I tried extremely hard to impress Erika in the hopes of becoming her starter, but she was dead set on bonding with you. I can understand her reasons why now, even if it doesn't make me happy."

"I'd be more than glad to let you have the role of starter," Snivy scoffed. "But the starter bond cannot be reformed, once broken. It's unique."

"You know, maybe I do have another dream," Gwen said suddenly, interrupting him.. "I want to become Titled."

Snivy was taken aback at her abrupt declaration. "Titled? That's…crazy."

"That's what makes it such a great dream," Gwen replied in sing-song. "Wouldn't it just be amazing? Just imagine it - someone like me, a livestock pokemon, becoming Titled. It would be such an outrage."

"Is that why you're training so hard?" Snivy asked her suspiciously. "I thought it was weird before. Why would you push yourself to such lengths? Even if you wanted to stay by Erika's side, there isn't a need to go that far. You genuinely want to become Titled, don't you?"

Gwen crunched on her third protein bar. "Yup. I know it's a crazy dream, but I want to live an exciting life! I want to fight in awesome battles, defeat dastardly villains, and look cool while doing it! Don't you think it would be fun? How many pokemon get the chance to adventure like that? Especially with someone like Erika? My odds of becoming Titled are significantly better while bonded to her, compared to literally any other trainer."

"You realize that Erika is the dastardly villain in this story right?" Snivy told her.

"So what?" Gwen replied. "People can change. So can Erika. Besides, even if she doesn't change, I would still fight for her all the same. She saved me from becoming soup. I don't think anyone can top that grace."

She paused briefly to continue eating her protein bar, dunking her head into the spring to gulp mineral water to wash her food down. "Cmon, wouldn't it be fun? The Rising Stars Gauntlet is coming up too! Just imagine it - we could be the greatest tag team ever in the history of grass pokemon, if only we worked together."

The worst part was - it did sound fun to Snivy. It was just like the old fairy tales and chivalric stories his aunt would tell him when he was younger. Challenging the world, having exciting battles and adventures with a noble partner and liege, slaying evil as a sword of righteousness… he wanted to do that too!

"I can't," Snivy said, gritting his teeth. "Erika goes against everything I represent. It would be a betrayal of who I am to fight for her."

"Is it really?" Gwen asked. "I'm aware of your misgivings. You know that she didn't mistreat me at all right? Erika has never done anything to me that I didn't ask for."

"That's part of the issue, but not the main one," Snivy said in frustration once more. "My problem is that she's working with Fulton! He's a trafficker, a kidnapper, and a criminal. I despise people like him, and it doesn't look like they're going to be separating any time soon."

"Things can change," Gwen declared confidently. "Erika could be - is a great trainer, and you'd realize that, if only you gave her a chance. You didn't know her before she awakened her affinity and developed an ego. Erika was actually quite a nice girl. I think she still is deep down, but you definitely wouldn't agree."

The idea of Erika being nice seemed so preposterous to Snivy that he had to put down his protein bar to cover his mouth, because he laughed so hard that he coughed out his food. "Nice? You're right, I can't agree with that. Even if she was nice before, she clearly isn't now."

"Power changes a person," Snivy said darkly. "I've seen it happen to my family, and it evidently happened to Erika. Whatever she was before, Erika isn't ever going to become that girl again."

"I think differently," Gwen told him. "But regardless, you still care for Erika, no? Even if it's just a little, you still showed a smidgeon of care for her."

"You must be delusional," Snivy said in disbelief. "What on earth would give you that impression?"

Gwen mimed falling over, pretending to be paralyzed. "That raticate - you paralyzed it with your glare, didn't you? I'm not an idiot, you know. Even if it's old, I shouldn't have been able to outspeed that raticate which was lunging for Erika. It was using quick attack for goodness sake! I wasn't sure at first, but now I am. You subtly paralyzed it, just enough for me to intercept it in time."

"That was to save my own life," Snivy denied vehemently. "It was in the heat of the moment."

"That means you comprised," Gwen declared. "You put your life before your chivalry. If you can compromise once, why not again?"

"Because that would go against everything I stand for!" Snivy shouted angrily, unwilling to hear her out any longer. "I am ashamed of what I did! A true knight would have died standing!"

"A true knight wouldn't let a young girl get mauled to death either," Gwen countered. "What's it gonna be? Does a true knight care more for his ideals, or the lives of children?"

"That's just semantics!"

"I don't think it was semantics for Erika," Gwen observed mildly. "Also, don't you think it's miraculous that you were willing to compromise? If even you, the most hard headed pokemon I know can compromise and change, don't you think Erika can too? She's only eleven. If you're there by her side to influence her, won't she grow up with a more positive role model? As it stands right now, the only adult figure in her life is Fulton, which I don't think you like very much. Why don't you influence her to change for the better?"

"I-," Snivy slammed his mouth shut. "You know, let's stop talking about this. I don't want to talk anymore."

"You do realize that Erika was forced to join Fulton right?" Gwen kept pressing Snivy. "She intended to escape with you and me, and then legally join the circuit. Everything that happened after your rescue was her making the best of a bad situation. If she didn't join Fulton, he would have killed her. How's that for your chivlary? Is it worth it to force someone to their death because they don't conform to your rigid beliefs?"

Snivy opened his mouth to argue, but realized he didn't have any defense. He scowled and grit his teeth. "Erika was far too enthusiastic to join Fulton. Once she realized that she couldn't escape, she jumped to discussing benefits and plans immediately."

"That's just who Erika is," Gwen informed him. "She couldn't see a way out, and she wanted to make the best of a bad situation. Why don't you actively try to change her for the better? I'm being serious, you know. If you leave things as they are, Erika is heading straight down a path I'm pretty sure you don't want to see. And consider this: you're stuck with her for life. Don't you want her to become a trainer you're happy with?"

C'mon, Gwen thought. This should be enough to convince him right?

Snivy hesitated.

"Fine," he bit out. "I'll think about it."

Snivy almost physically deflated when the words left his mouth, as if took him all his energy to say that. "Just give me some time okay? I need to think about it."

"That's fine with me," Gwen told him, reclining back into the spring once more. "I just want you to keep an open mind about Erika. This world is vast, and even if it might seem like a cage, that doesn't mean you have to treat it so. If you treat it like a cage, then it will be a cage."

Snivy just turned away from Gwen and closed his eyes, returning the hotel room to silence. Gwen followed suit and covered her eyes with her leaves, but not before grabbing another already opened protein bar and shoving it into her mouth with a crunch.

Another day, and another meal, Gwen thought gratefully. I need to get Erika to buy more high quality chocolate. She owes me, big time. Snivy should be a little more receptive to her, even if it doesn't happen straight away. The seeds of change have already been planted. Erika just needs to clean up her act, and wait for them to sprout.

—————————————————————————————————————————

As it turned out, one of the room doors on the private thirtieth floor didn't lead into a hotel room, but rather out onto a sprawling open air patio. Erika almost expected to be blasted with wind due to how high up she was, but it was surprisingly calm outside, and she could only feel a mild breeze. A cream colored table was set out with wooden chairs and small candles, with a set of silverware and plates for each of Milly's friends.

Wow! Is that a sashimono style table? 

Erika took the time to appreciate the craftsmanship of the table as she approached. Unlike other tables, the one she saw before her was fully lit up green in her second sight. The interesting thing about this implication was that the table didn't incorporate any forms of artificial adhesives, or metal joiners such as screws.

Milly saw Erika and waved her over. "Hey Erika! Glad you could make it! I'd like you to meet one of my other friends which you haven't met yet, Hamza!"

"Glad to meet you Hamza," Erika told him, shaking his hand.

She took a seat opposite to Hamza and made herself comfortable. Before she could even speak, Milly interrupted Erika and started pointing at the table. "You're interested in the joinery of this table right Erika? I saw you looking at it through second sight earlier. I'm glad! Not many people appreciate carpentry."

"I am interested," Erika said with surprise. "Although, I didn't know it was possible to tell if a person was using second sight or not. Can you teach me the technique later?"

"Sure thing," Milly replied casually. "Before we get side tracked though, I'll tell you about the craftsmanship of the table since the others haven't arrived yet.

Hamza groaned. "Milly, just give it up already. I've heard about this table already like ten times. Can't we talk about something more interesting?"

"That's gonna have to wait," Erika told him pointedly. "I want to hear about the table first."

"It's good that you're not a philistine," Milly said, shuddering at the thought. "Hamza here is already more than enough for me. We need more people who appreciate art and culture."

Milly began tracing a line down the edges of the table, drawing Erika's attention. "Anyways! Take a look at the corners. Can you see how the wood here isn't seamless? There are breaks in the wood which form thin lines, and if you focus your second sight, you should observe some gaps in the green."

Erika did as instructed and began admiring the table. "I can see the lines, but they're not very clear."

"That's natural," Milly informed her. "My family takes carpentry very seriously. We try to make our products as seamless as possible. Now, this is the important part. I want you to focus on sensing the two pieces of wood around the joint. Try to imagine them as separate instead of being a whole piece, and use your aura to feel it. Which one is older?"

"The left piece," Erika responded after a moment.

"Good senses," Milly told her. "Now, picture that piece gradually becoming a darker shade of green. Once you've done this, do it for every other discrete piece of wood in the table. Then, you can open your eyes."

Thanks to Erika's natural sensitivity and affinity, it didn't take very long to finish. She opened her eyes to a drastically different looking table, one colored by splotches of criss crossing light and dark greens, which were interconnected each and every way. Some parts of the light greens were circular and poked into the darker sections, while some darker greens were curved and locked together with light green grooves. It was both mesmerizing and beautiful.

"Can you see it now?" Milly asked her excitedly. "Look at the internals of the table. Admire how complex the joinery is."

"I see it!" Erika said, returning Milly's enthusiasm. "Wow! This is great!"

"This is one of the traditional crafts of Celadon, known as sashimono," Milly lectured. "Instead of using foreign adhesives or screws to join the discrete pieces of wood, we carve intricate joints and matching grooves into the wooden pieces so we can slot them together like jigsaws. Each and every piece has their purpose, and they all fit together nearly seamlessly. However, this table goes much further beyond the norm for sashimono. Look deeper at the internal structure of the flat of the table."

Erika urged her sight on further, trying to peer past the uppermost layers of the table. What she saw inside made her gasp. There's dozens of discrete pieces in the table! 

"72 pieces, to be precise," Milly said, confirming Erika's thoughts. "This table isn't just made from four legs and a board. That would be much too simple. The craftsmen who carved this table used 72 different types of painstakingly gathered wood, and fit them all together like an interlocking three dimensional jigsaw. Each leg alone has 10 wooden pieces, each piece has up to eight different joints and grooves, and they all slide together perfectly. Is it not amazing?"

"I can't imagine how long it must have taken to make this," Erika exclaimed. "This is incredible! Does it have a name?"

Milly took her hand off the table where it previously rested, uncovering a curly scrawl which was clearly done with a smooth chisel. "The 72 Earthly Trees," Erika read aloud. "Made by grandmaster craftsman Higuchi Belding."

"Although it's one of my family's lesser known works, this table is my favorite," Milly said brightly. "The art of sashimono places great emphasis on working in tandem with nature, rather than against it, which led to the rejection of external joiners like adhesives and screws. My grandfather made this specific table just for me, and I use it to host all of my friends. Just like how this table was built in harmony with nature, I hope to be in harmony with my friends."

"Thank you for walking me through the history of this table," Erika said honestly, giving Milly a sincere nod with cupped hands. "This has been an eye opening experience."

Maybe literally eye opening too, Erika thought with some amusement. I even learned a new trick on how to use my second sight! 

Milly returned the gesture, and then gave Erika a surprisingly informal thumbs up. "I'm glad you appreciate my grandfather's work! I just wish Hamza here would feel differently," she said, giving him a pointed look. "I don't mind though. Everyone has different interests."

Hamza could only spread his hands helplessly. "Sorry Milly. I just can't get into art. I really tried, but it's just too boring."

"Don't worry about it," Milly said, waving him away. "Besides, we've known each other since we were kids anyways, so it's not like this is anything new. Hamza, why don't you introduce yourself in more detail to Erika? Before the others come - especially Samantha."

That last name seemed to trigger a nerve in Hamza, because he got to business immediately without any more fuss. "Hamza Yarrow," he said, shaking Erika's hand once more. "Good to meet you. Uh, I'm here because Milly and I are childhood friends. I'm kind of an oddball in this group because I'm from an old Celadon House, but my speciality isn't grass."

"Not grass?" Erika raised an eyebrow. " What's your strongest affinity then?"

As she said that, Erika flicked on her second sight, but couldn't observe anything abnormal from Hamza. He's either auraless, which isn't possible for one of Milly's friends, or he's really good at suppressing his aura. 

Instead of answering her, Hamza stopped suppressing his aura and let it rise, turning him nearly radiant silver. "Steel type then," Erika said thoughtfully. "That is really weird."

"I know," Hamza smiled. "My parents freaked out at first, but they eventually realized that I was an abnormal case. If they just got me just any random steel type as my starter, they wouldn't be able to guide me during my youth, so they procured a rare dual grass/steel starter for me to train. Look!"

He uncapped a pokeball and released an egg like pokemon - if said egg was made from metal plates, and was covered in vicious green spikes. That looks familiar, Erika thought. I've seen it in the journals I read somewhere before. Argh! Was it Tes something? I think it ends with seed? 

"Tesseed?" Erika ventured. "I recall reading about this. It's like a spiky seed right?"

"Sort of," Hamza explained. "I'm surprised you know that name. Tesseed is the Old Kantonian name for Ferroseed, which is what the Unovans call it. It's a cave dwelling pokemon, and doesn't like bright lights. Usually, he just sticks to iron rich ores and doesn't move."

He returned his ferroseed to its pokeball before shoving it into his pocket. "Anyways, enough about me. Why don't you tell me about yourself Erika?"

"Honestly, there isn't much to know," Erika shrugged. "My parents died and I was homeless for a bit before my uncle took me in. I discovered that I liked battling and met Milly just an hour ago at the hotel reception."

"That fast?" Hamza looked at Milly. "Even for you, that's a new record. There's got to be more to it than that."

"She beat Aisling soundly in a one on one," Milly offered. "I thought it was seriously impressive. Her grass affinity is nuts too, which I'm sure you've noticed by now, and Erika seems like someone I'd want to be friends with."

Hamza opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a loud crash and a burst of smoke.

Erika started coughing from the fumes. "Hey! What's going on?"

"That's definitely Samantha," Milly sighed. "She's… an interesting personality. Just do your best to ignore her, or put up with her.."

Why ignore her? Was the question Erika wanted to ask, but before she could say anything, a girl draped in long black robes with an eyepatch covering her right eye emerged from the smoke. Her left arm was heavily bandaged with black gauze, and strange runes were scrawled on every part of the fabric.

With a dramatic snap, the smoke receded into the floor vents, revealing that she was flanked by two smeargle, each of whom still had paint on their tails. The first smeargle carried a sheathed sword hilted to its waist, and wore a mixture of chainmail and hard plate. It had ridiculously spiky hair, almost like the protagonists in shounen manga which she used to read from bookstores, and the typical smeargle beret was nowhere to be found on its head. The second smeargle wore white robes dotted with golden stars, and a pointed hat with a tinkling bell. They looked almost illusory and had flickering afterimages superimposed on their bodies, and moved totally in sync.

Double Team and Smokescreen? And the ability to control smoke particles too! She seems quite interesting already. Is that what Milly meant? The eyepatch is definitely weird. Did she lose an eye in a fight? Is her arm hurt? Why are there symbols drawn onto her bandages? Erika tried her best to guess at the girl's background.

What happened next made Erika spew the tea she was drinking out of her mouth. "Kekekekekeke!" The girl literally shouted. "Witness my mighty powers and tremble!"

She looked at Erika and gasped. "Can it truly be?"

The girl struck a pose and splayed both her hands dramatically on her face, casting a shadow over it and concealing her mouth. "Another hero of justice has come to join us! Rejoice, brothers and sisters, for the Artisan of Chaos has gained another companion!"

What. The. Fuck. Is that Samantha?

"White Mage!" Samantha shouted maniacally. "Attend to me, my sworn servant! Fetch me my throne of power!"'

The smeargle with the white robes by her side promptly ran away, and Samantha stood in position calmly for it to return. No one said anything. Hamza just looked away as if he had already been expecting it, while Milly tried her best to smile with gritted teeth, but obviously looked like she was struggling to do so. Erika just stared in astonishment.

Finally, the smeargle returned with a tattered office chair, and Samantha sighed dramatically and sat down. "I have longed for this day," she declared. "Destiny told me so! It foretold of the arrival of a new adventurer! Is that you, Erika?"

"What the…?" Erika looked at Milly, asking her for help. "Is she okay?"

"I didn't befriend Samantha for her personality," Milly said as she winced. "She's like you - a tactical and strategic genius. Her current team is composed entirely of smeargle, and they've sketched almost every single basic move you can find locally. I watched her beat down a one-badge trainer in a doubles match and invited her into my group."

"I-," Erika was at a loss for words. She looked around at both Hamza and Milly again and tried her best to ignore Samantha's eccentricities.

"What happened to your arm?" Erika asked her curiously. "Were you injured by a pokemon? Or is it a training injury?"

"The truth is-" Milly started to say.

"The truth is far sadder than you could possibly imagine," Samantha interrupted ominously. "Within this left arm of mine, I have sealed the power of chaos!"

Erika tried to recall if she had ever read anything about the power of chaos during her studies, but couldn't come up with anything. "Is that some kind of variant elemental energy? Something adjacent to dark and ghost energy?"

"No, it's far worse!" Samantha declared. "This power is so terrible, that even I don't know what it is! Kekekeke, I must not remove these bandages, lest my greatest chaos be released upon you! The power sealed within this arm can only be released when destiny commands it. Do you dare to try to take my bandages off?"

Erika switched into second sight immediately, alarmed by Samantha's statement. She strained her eyes to the limits to try to observe the so-called chaos energy sealed in Samantha's, staring until her eyes were nearly bloodshot. "I don't see it. Where is it?"

Milly took a deep breath and then forced a smile onto her face. "That's because there is no chaos energy. Samantha just has tattoos on her left arm, which aren't allowed in my family's establishment. She has to wrap her arms up to enter the Grand Verdant."

"What about the eyepatch then?" Erika asked in disbelief. "Is that cosmetic too?"

"It seals-,"

"No it doesn't!" Milly exploded at Samantha, her patience finally fraying. "I need you to stop before you scare off my new friend, okay?"

"This artisan understands," Samantha said solemnly. "Not everyone is qualified to see the dark, mystic truths behind my origin."

Third person too? She was definitely dropped on the head as a child, Erika concluded. This girl is batshit crazy.

"I see what you meant when you asked me to ignore her," Erika commented to Milly. "I didn't think you would keep such company."

"Life takes you to interesting places," was Milly's response. "I didn't expect to make friends with you either, but here we are anyway. Just don't let Samantha get to you."

"How did she end up like this anyways?" Erika asked Milly curiously. "Isn't her last name Joy? I thought they were all healing specialists."

"You're right. The Joys are usually healing specialists," Samantha interjected.

Erika was surprised by how normal she sounded at that moment. Maybe all that stuff earlier was an act. Is she actually normal?

However, Samantha's next words dashed Erika's hopes. "However, this artisan holds only chaos within her heart! This artisan left her clan to pursue her destiny, rejecting the path of medical mediocrity."

"Of course," Samantha added, "healing is still a very noble profession. However, this artisan just wasn't fated with that path."

Erika felt a headache coming on again just by listening to Samantha speak in third person. First Lloyd, and now this crazy bitch. What is wrong with me? How do I keep running into these people?

Thankfully, she was rescued by the timely arrival of the rest of Milly - and her own friends, Erika supposed, who all promptly sat down and greeted Erika.

Milly clapped her hands and stood up once everyone was properly seated, which was apparently a signal to bring in food, because two smartly dressed servers pushed a trolley with food out onto the patio. Erika watched them with eager eyes, staring hungrily at the slowpoke tail. Everything else can be found outside. But slowpoke tail is basically exclusive to the connected. I've gotta eat as much as I can.

"Thanks again everyone for showing up," Milly addressed her friends. "I know you all want to eat, so I'm not going to bore you with a speech. Let's eat."

Erika nearly savaged her food, before remembering her present company. Fulton's annoying voice echoed through her head even though she hadn't even dug in yet. Fuck. Is there no end to this? Erika thought annoyedly. Actions don't even matter? His damn mental message triggers based on intent. This is ridiculous. 

Erika carefully ladled a spoonful of what she assumed to be shellder chowder into her bowl and was immediately faced with a problem. There's too much silverware. Three spoons and two forks. Which one do I even use?

Fulton's voice did not make a reappearance, which also annoyed Erika. The one time I need his damn help, his voice doesn't come to bug me. 

She deliberated briefly before settling on the round spoon, and noticed an approving glance from Milly who sat across. Erika took that as a sign that she had chosen correctly, and started carefully sipping her soup. It's pretty great. The soup is rich and creamy.

Erika chewed thoughtfully on the shellder meat in her bowl, putting another spoonful of soup into her mouth as she did so to enrich the meat with more flavor. In between mouthfuls, she also took the time to study her new friends, and which types of silverware they used when eating. In the next five minutes, Erika learned that the round spoon was meant for soups, the ovular spoon was meant for food, and the short spoon on the small plate was meant for desserts.

That last bit of knowledge came from Keta, who decided to ignore convention and begin digging into a creme brulee before even finishing his main course. Erika gave him a thumbs up and ignored his confusion. He gave her a weird look and returned to talking with Hamza and Aisling. Samantha just ate silently. Probably fantasizing about her dark powers or something, Erika thought.

"Enjoying your food Erika?"

"It's awesome," Erika admitted to Milly. "The shellder chowder was wonderfully done. How is it so fresh?"

"We own the rights to a small section of the Andorsi Bay," Milly informed her. "My family farms all the seafood we eat personally, and we have dedicated fishermen who rear the shellder. Our products are considered much higher quality than what you'll find outside."

"I can tell." Erika grabbed a napkin to wipe her mouth. "By the way, Is this dinner you host a regular thing?"

"It is definitely a regular thing," Milly confirmed, noting Erika's grin. "You're welcome to attend every dinner from now on. I host it once every month. You're actually quite fortunate to meet me today, since everyone was gathered. I do smaller gatherings too, but we have a scheduled event every month."

"Where did you get the idea from? Is this one of your family's traditions, or is it just something you came up with?" Erika chewed thoughtfully. By now, she had made her way onto the taurus sirloin, and was eagerly dicing it into bite-size pieces. There were two knives to be chosen as well, but this time, the choice was obvious. Erika went with the serrated knife.

"It's modeled based on an eating club actually." Milly passed some olive oil to Erika, and she began drizzling her steak with it. "If you ever decide to attend a university, you'll find that there are exclusive groups called eating clubs where the rich gather to mingle. My father was part of one. He told me a lot of stories about what happened inside them. There's an obligation to attend the dinners, but it's a great way to network and make friends. Plus, you get great food for free."

"That sounds grand," Erika said honestly. "Although, seeing as I'm pursuing the martial path as a trainer, I don't think I'll have time to attend university. I want to break through the entire Indigo Circuit within a few years."

Milly sliced a slowpoke tail in half, and Erika obliged by moving her plate towards Milly. She generously pushed the meat onto Erika's plate and returned to conversation. Erika was so distracted by the glistening slowpoke meat that she nearly missed Milly's next words.

"Universities offer distance learning enrollment actually," Milly said. "It's hard to juggle training and learning at the same time, but they do teach you useful information. Otherwise, you'd have to wait until you complete the circuit and then take a year off to do their compression courses. That's also another good option."

I'll probably go with the latter option, Erika thought. I can't let anything distract me from the five year plan to become gym leader. 

Erika felt the pressure just from thinking about it. Most trainers take over a year to even finish the first three gyms. Some can't even break past the second. If I actually want to become a gym leader in five years, I'm going to need to smash the first five gyms in under a year. The remaining three will have to be done by the second year. That leaves me three years to try to get 3 stars as an ace trainer, and then make my martial challenge against the bug gym. 

"Something on your mind?"

"Nothing at all," Erika said, waiving Milly's concerns away. "I was just occupied by the slowpoke tail."

Erika sliced a tender piece of the meat off the tail and placed it onto her tongue, and immediately understood why the league banned the sale of slowpoke tail. This is incredible. The meat just melts. It's extremely sweet, but savory at the same time. A delicacy.

In Erika's opinion, this was the best tasting food she had ever eaten. Even the Glass Rapidash couldn't compare. Erika found herself feeling suddenly very grateful for the dinner, which was a strange feeling for her, and she reached out to shake Milly's hand.

"Thank you Milly," Erika said sincerely. "I really appreciate this."

"Don't worry about it Erika. You're one of my friends now, and I treat my friends well." Milly grabbed another platter of slowpoke tail, and hefted it towards Erika. "If you really want to thank me, eat another plate. Here, try some osmanthus tea!"

The rest of the night proceeded in a similar fashion, with Milly offering Erika more and more food to try, and eventually Erika had to refuse her offer of food, since she was so completely full. Erika returned to her room feeling incredibly drowsy and with a contented smile on her face. Snivy and Gwen were already fast asleep, having forgotten to leave the healing spring.

Erika didn't want to wake her pokemon up, but leaving them in the spring meant that they might drown, and as miniscule as the possibility was, Erika refused to risk it. Her pokemon represented her potential and her power, and it would be remiss of her to neglect them. She returned them both to her pokeball, ensuring that she didn't have to physically move and wake them up. Erika showered and then got in bed, quickly falling asleep after she pulled the covers over herself.

 

 

AN: I've been super busy with College stuff. I had to get some files done and get a Visa for travel, and I haven't had much writing time these past two weeks. Thankfully, that should all be done now, and I'll be back to regular schedule.

https://discord.gg/J6ygNC8VhQ