Unexpected Welcoming

It's already been three days since Max and his pokemon companions moved into the Spencer Mansion, their current situation looking quite dull. Despite the occasional disagreement with the Houndoom guards, Max didn't do much besides spending most of his time by himself thinking about the recent events and reevaluating them. Scarlet still kept her distance from him, using whatever time she had to read and understand every book she could find at the mansion's seemingly endless library.

Yesterday was supposed to be the day Max and his pokemon's bodyguard should have arrived, but Helene was told by her husband they got stuck in traffic and wouldn't make it in time. However, they were aiming to arrive today with no further issues. On that Monday afternoon, Max was relaxing in the garden's patio on a long chair, enjoying the sunny day while watching the gardeners trim the bushes from afar. He was starting to doze off before he heard footsteps...

He heard. {Still there?}

Opening his eyes, Max saw Aurora standing near him. Closing his eyelids again, he replied. "Well, yes. Why?"

{You've been laying on that chair all day long.} The lucario pointed out, paws on her hips.

"So?" He replied again, in a matter-of-fact tone.

{I don't know.} She paced back and forth a little. {I thought you would be using that spare time to do something productive.}

"Give me a break, please," Max replied, resting his head back on the chair. "I'm currently trying to brainstorm an idea of what to do."

{Sure seems exhausting if it's taking this long.} Aurora commented, making Max look at her funnily, she raised her paws a little {Kidding, I'm kidding.}

The young man sighed to himself and returned his gaze towards the gardeners, not really paying much attention to their job. "In all seriousness, I really am questioning myself about what to do next. I meant it when I said I don't want to be a pokemon trainer anymore, but what now? I can't just stay here and do nothing for the rest of my life. Pretty sure neither of you want that as well."

{You got that right. So what ideas did you get so far?} Aurora asked, pulling a patio chair to sit next to him.

"Not many. Every idea I seem to have kept returning to pokémon related occupations. It is what I love, so I thought about maybe working in a pokemon center. I mean, I can understand pokémon speech, so that could be useful, right? But then I looked up online and found that it requires me to graduate from the Pokémon Nursery Academy, which will take me a few years of study.

{That's not a bad plan, what's preventing you from doing so?} She asked, leaning a bit closer to him.

"Not wanting to get back to sitting behind a desk every day and do boring school work for four more years?" He threw in the air, sounding like he didn't care much at all. "Not to mention that I can't just attend a university as I am now. Remember I dropped out of High School? I have to finish that before applying for higher education, and don't even get me started on tuition costs."

{Figures.} Aurora replied, rolling her eyes. {What else?}

He shrugged. "That's pretty much it for now."

{I see. Big thinking here.}

"Well, I don't see you suggesting anything," Max replied, slightly annoyed.

{For your next goal in life? It concerns you more than me I believe.}

"I thought you wanted to be a part of it."

{I do, but I can't really decide for you what you want to do next.}

"...True," Max grumbled.

{A bit grumpy today, aren't you?}

"*Sigh* Sorry. I didn't sleep well last night. I also had an argument with Scarlet, just to add salt to the wound." His voice got morose, as he sank a bit in the long chair.

{Ah, yes. She spends most of her days in the library now. Glad to know that she hasn't abandoned you. What was the argument about?}

"I don't even remember, just goes to show how dumb it probably was."

{That sucks then.}

"I went to apologize before going for breakfast this morning, so we're cool."

{So, everything is fine now?}

"Yes, but I hate when it happens. She doesn't deserve that."

{No one does.} She saw the gardeners finish with the bushes and go somewhere else. The lucario tried to change the subject. {Anyway, how was the visit with Dusk today?}

"You mean visiting May?" Max inquired, making Aurora nod. "Pretty great, actually. Her physical health is getting better. The nurse even said she could leave in a few days." He smiled a little, despite himself.

{That's fantastic!}

"Yeah, but I'm afraid she still won't be the same bundle of joy. The nurse said she might need her medication for a while though."

{At least she will be back with us. After all that, we can try to work something out for her.}

"A pokemon 'psychologist' is supposed to arrive in the middle of the week at the pokemon center, at the nurse's request. She said she could help her, as well as Bonny. In fact, from what she told me, she could probably help everyone here."

Getting curious about the prospect of mental healthcare, Aurora asked. {Any idea of who it could be?}

"An old and retired gothitelle that used to work in a pokemon center in the huge city of Grand-Drake, the capital of Rados."

She inquired. {Retired?}

"Well, she's not exactly 'retired'. The nurse explained that she mostly goes where she's needed while taking it easy when her help isn't necessary."

{Do you know how old she is?}

"Nah, I forgot to ask."

{Well, if a gothitelle is considered old, she must be at least two hundred years old.}

"Two hundred years?!" Max repeated, surprised.

{Psychic-type pokemon have a moderately long life expectancy. Sure they don't come as close as pure rock and steel-types when it comes to age, but they usually live two or three times as long compared to the other types.}

"Which means I'll probably die before Scarlet," Max said, his face changing.

{I can't really tell.} She poked her chin. {I heard some rumors that when psychic pokemon are very close and have a deep bond with a human, they can synchronize their aging so they more or less die together.}

"That's… pretty dark. Would that mean being with a human makes them die faster?"

{I don't know. Like I said, they're just rumors.}

"The internet may be able to tell us more. I'll do some research on that one day." He finished his speech and returned to his resting position, closing his eyes once again to relax.

They went silent for a moment before Aurora spoke up. {...Max… I wanted to ask you if-}

While Aurora was speaking, Helene popped out from the mansion to join both of them.

"I'm sorry if I'm interrupting anything, I just wanted to tell you that my husband has arrived."

"Oh, really?" Max said, sitting up. He ran his hands over his shirt to unwrinkle it the best he could and re-adjusted his shorts.

"Yes, and he wants to meet you. He is..." She paused as she looked behind her. "Ah, there he is!"

"Okay then."

As Max sat up on the edge of the long chair, Helene moved out of the way to let a rather intimidating man through. Roughly the same size as Max, he was well dressed with a quite severe face, as if he disapproved of everything he looked at. His age seemed to be approximately the same as Helene's. Standing around two meters away from Max, he glared at him.

"Hem… Hello. Nice to meet you." Max greeted, standing up to present his hand.

Briefly looking at him, the man looked at Max for a short moment, as if he was trying to scan him.

"...Max, is it?" He finally said with a very rough voice, grabbing his hand firmly before shaking it.

"Yes."

"Aristide Spencer."

"Helene spoke well of you." Max shyly said.

"I don't doubt it. Helene is very sweet." He quickly replied. "Which is why I'm here, actually."

"Umm..."

"Helene told me about your situation. I was supposed to stay for one more week, but I've decided to come back sooner. Personally, I don't care much about you, but Helene does, and so as her husband, I must support her decision."

Max tried to apologize. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience I'm causing." He bowed, not really sure how to act.

"Let's get straight to business," Aristide said, pulling his hand away. "Since it was brought to my attention that someone that Helene genuinely cares about was in trouble and most certainly in danger, I took some precautionary measures. As I said, it's more for my wife than it is for you, and if someone dangerous is after someone she hosts, then she is putting herself in danger as well."

"I'm sorry, darling. I couldn't just leave them behind." Helene justified.

"No need to apologize, I know how you are and married you nonetheless," Aristide reassured, in an oddly disinterested manner. "Anyway, I went through my list of contacts and managed to find someone for you."

"What kind of person can we expect?"

Not answering, Aristide only raised an eyebrow.

"The negotiations were harsh, but I managed to convince her. Since she still owed me, it was all a matter of cashing it in."

"Her?"

"She wants all of you to gather down there in one hour." The man explained, pointing towards the stairs of the patio. "She will do her job as I instructed her to do. However…" He added, ominously getting a lot more serious all of a sudden. "Do as she says, don't talk back to her and everything should go moderately well."

At that, Max and Aurora looked at each other, confused and a bit uneasy.

"Who is she?" Max asked.

"You will find out soon. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm a busy man and have online meetings to attend to. Have a good day, young man." Helene's husband politely said before getting back inside.

"Any idea of what is going on?" Max asked Helene.

"Not at all. I never heard of the contacts he's referring to, much less whoever he brought here. I haven't seen her yet myself."

"Don't talk back to her," Max mumbled. "If I were to guess, it's someone with a very short temper."

{If it's someone who can protect this entire mansion from that psychopath Qsalyla, then this is no ordinary individual.} Aurora pointed out.

"Good point. They could be an ex-hitman or serial killer for all we know."

{They could even be a pokemon if they're considered a 'she'.}

"That was pretty sexist." Max jested.

{Not really. It's just a fact that female humans are usually physically weaker than males. The same goes for certain pokemon species actually.}

"Well, whatever they are, we have been told to gather everyone here, so we should probably get to that. I don't want to piss off our bodyguard on the first day."

{We can already forget about May and probably Scarlet.} Aurora mentioned.

"I agree with May, but we should at least try to convince Scarlet. We won't be taken seriously if half of the group doesn't show up."

{On my side, I'll try to convince Luna as well.}

"Alright. Let's split up and come back here in an hour."

With Aurora nodding, both went in different directions.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Helene suggested while heading inside with Max.

"Yeah. If you see Bonny, tell her to meet us here in an hour."

"Understood."

One hour later

Now that the time has come to meet their bodyguard, Max and the group were outside, minus May, Scarlet, and Luna.

{No luck with Scarlet, huh?} Aurora said to Max.

"Nope. She said that she doesn't need to waste time consulting a bodyguard herself and just left it at that."

{Same here. Well, Luna didn't say those words exactly, but she might as well have meant the same.}

{So, why are we here again?} Bonny asked.

"Our 'bodyguard' wanted to meet us here with everyone. I just hope she won't mind having two of us absent."

Suddenly, an intense shiver ran across Max's spine.

{You okay?} Aurora asked, noticing him shivering.

"I don't know. I'm no absol, but something tells me that disaster is upon us, and is heading this way."

Then, the group heard the patio's door opening. As everyone turned their heads towards it, they saw a gardevoir stepping out of the mansion. From the distance, she looked tall with slightly longer hair than Scarlet with a green color that was starting to lean more towards yellow. What was strange about her was that she wasn't floating, but walking on her footless legs. As she was getting closer, they felt an intense glare coming from her direction, as if she was already judging them intensely. As she was walking down the stairs, the group noticed that she was quite a muscular gardevoir. Her arms and shoulders weren't oversized, but were quite big and well defined, the same goes for her legs. Now down the stairs, they all could get a good view of her. After looking past the extremely severe expression that expressed hate and anger. They noticed that the better-left portion of her face was burned, going all the way to her left eye, which was whitish gray, probably causing her to go blind in that eye. She had many scars all over her body and even had half of her feather-like ears cut off, opposed to the burn mark. And to top it all off, her crest was very dull and her gown was torn in three different places. The aura she was emanating was of someone who you didn't want to mess with, ever. Now close to the group, she stopped and glared at each one of them, noticing that she was roughly the same height as Max.

[...What are you waiting for, a greeting card? Get your asses in line.] She commanded very aggressively.

Not sure of what she meant, the group looked at each other.

[NOW!] She loudly said, making her telepathic words resonate all over the mansion.

Quickly, the group formed a line in front of her. Not even looking satisfied, she walked towards the first one in line, which was Aurora. With her hands behind her back, she stopped in front of her, glaring at her with menacing eyes. Aurora wasn't fazed, but her eyes were making her a bit uncomfortable.

[...Pathetic mutt.] She commented after staring at her for almost half a minute.

She then approached Dusk. She did the same, but Dusk was so destabilized that she could barely keep eye contact.

[Fucking fox-wuss.] She said while moving into the next one, Bonny. [Worthless little hare.] She spat after doing the same for the others.

Then, she went over the last one, Max. This time, her glare seemed to have gotten more intense, as if she was about to eat his face at any second. After staring at him even longer, she shook her head desperately.

[You gotta be shitting me.] She said, turning away. [Aristide told me that his family needed protection, but he said nothing about babysitting a bunch of poképhile bait who are better off as breeders than battlers and their perverted trainer whose only accomplishment in life is losing his virginity to them. Aristide… this 'threat' better be a fucking legendary, otherwise, you're gonna be hearing it from me.] She said before heading towards the patio. [No way I'm wasting my time with these maggots.]

Max knew that he was told not to backtalk, but his fury was boiling after she insulted his girls like that.

"Who left you to die when you were young?" Max asked, a bit arrogantly.

All of a sudden, the gardevoir stopped and turned to look at Max with enraged eyes over her shoulder. She then slowly walked back to him without even blinking.

[I don't think I heard you. What did you say?] She asked, strangely with a softer voice.

"Who gave you the ri-"

In a flash and with a rather loud impact noise, the gardevoir uppercut Max on the chin so strongly that he even lifted off the ground, falling on his back a meter away, instantly grabbing his jaw while moaning in agony.

{Max!} Aurora said loudly, rushing next to him to kneel with the others.

[Get away from him.] The gardevoir ordered.

Not listening, Aurora inspected him and saw his jaw being loose while blood was oozing from his mouth.

{She dislocated his jaw. She fucking dislocated his jaw!} Aurora growled.

Bonny then glared at the gardevoir.

{Bad move, lady. You shouldn't have done that.} She threatened, facing the gardevoir.

Not even feeling any remorse, the psychic pokemon only glared at Bonny with a raised eyebrow and crossed arms. Instantly, Bonny attacked the gardevoir with a Jump Kick. Not even moving, the gardevoir only stood there, with Bonny hitting a psychic shield upon contact.

{Of course.} Bonny mumbled before assaulting her with multiple Ear Punches.

As her hits had no effect, she increased her power, but quickly got tired. After a few, she retreated while panting slightly.

[Are you done?]

{You wish. I'm just getting started.}

[You should have said 'yes'.]

After Bonny made only one step, the gardevoir propelled her psychic shield at the lopunny with such velocity that it made another loud impact noise and even fissured Bonny's front part of her skull, making her bleed quite a bit shortly after landing a few meters away.

{L-Leave her alone!} Dusk commanded before rushing near the gardevoir while using Flamethrower.

After a couple of seconds of being engulfed in fire, the gardevoir dispersed it with her power, as if nothing ever happened. The gardevoir moved close to Dusk in a fast motion and was about to attack, but Dusk got scared and shielded her face while getting lower. She didn't get hit, but instead got grabbed by the neck and was raised in the air. Dusk immediately tried to free herself, but due to the gardevoir's very strong grasp, she was quickly starting to lose air. Now being the last one standing, Aurora left Max and went to help Dusk, however, she couldn't get far as the gardevoir tossed the braixen at her. She caught her and gently dropped her as she was coughing from the light asphyxiation.

{I see that you know how to fight.} Aurora said, passing beside Dusk to face the gardevoir. {But you're a pokemon that specializes in special attacks.} She added, creating a thick Bone Rush.

Again, the gardevoir only stood there, glaring at Aurora in a challenging way. With an unseen speed so far, Aurora dashed towards the gardevoir, making sure she couldn't lock onto her for more than even half a second. She tried to hit her on one of her blind spots, but the gardevoir blocked the hit with her bare arms. In a very quick succession without staying in one place, Aurora assaulted her with multiple Bone Rushes, aiming at every single blind spot she could exploit. However, she blocked each one of them, all whilst easily keeping up with Aurora's speed. As a last-ditch effort, she feigned attacking one angle before changing for another while making her bone thicker, all in under one second.

*Clang*

As with any other hits, the gardevoir easily blocked it, but this time, instead of making it bounce off of her arms, she grabbed the bone with one hand, menacingly glaring at Aurora.

[You thought I only specialized in ranged attacks? And here I thought lucarios were good at reading their opponents, much less battling.]

Breaking Aurora's attack with her bare hand, the gardevoir uppercut Aurora under her chin way stronger than Max, sending her flying a few meters in the air. A couple of inches before touching the ground, the gardevoir spun and hit Aurora in the stomach with a spinning back-kick, propelling her further than everyone else. Since she had no feet, the point of impact was a lot smaller, thus, a lot more painful for Aurora. The lucario however, stood up despite the pain, but it was obvious that she barely withstood the attack.

Then, before anyone else could do anything, a Shadow Ball landed between the gardevoir and the group. With the gardevoir quickly dismissing the dark cloud with her power, she saw Scarlet standing in front of Max, who was still holding his jaw in excruciating pain.

[Ah, look who it is. The crimson freak has arrived.] The dangerous gardevoir commented, crossing her arms.

Not even reacting, Scarlet turned and kneeled to use Healing Pulse on Max. Strangely enough, the gardevoir waited for her to finish and simply stared at them. Soon, a rather audible 'clock' was heard, meaning that Scarlet had fixed Max's jaw, making him moan in pain even louder. Now with Max mostly healed but still a bit in pain, Scarlet stood up and took a few steps towards the aggressor.

{I'll give you five seconds to tell me what the hell your problem is before I rip your head off and shove it up in your asshole.} Scarlet threatened, her blood boiling like never.

[Ooh. Those are some scary words.] The gardevoir mocked. [Well doll-face, why don't you come here and do just that?] She provoked her with an arrogant smile.

{Your funeral.} Scarlet replied, clenching her fists. {Look away, everyone, it's about to get ugly.}

Scarlet then raised one hand and locked her opponent in place with her powers. Oddly, her psychic hold on her adversary seemed to have been canceled almost instantly. Narrowing her eyes in confusion, Scarlet tried to get a hold of her once again, but only obtained the same result.

[What's wrong? Are you really that weak?] The taller gardevoir taunted.

Growling, Scarlet burst her fists into flames and floated towards her at high speed. She went for her strongest and quickest punch, but at lightning speed, Scarlet's opponent deviated her fist away with a back punch and grabbed her head with the same hand before smashing it against the ground. It all happened so fast that the others barely saw what happened, and thanks to her psychic powers, the gardevoir made Scarlet's head land on the ground very loudly while creating a tiny crater under her head with a barely felt shockwave. And just like that, Scarlet was defeated and immobilized, coughing a bit of blood with more leaking from her head bleeding. Everyone else was shocked and looked at them in astonishment.

[You know why you're weak? It's 'cuz you lack rage and hatred.] The gardevoir commented, firmly pressing her hands against Scarlet's head.

As Scarlet was growling in pain and barely able to move, a thick black fog was rising around her, quickly engulfing both her and Scarlet in a screen of black smoke.

The scarred gardevoir stood in place, not even fazed with the loss of sight. [And then there's the coward.]

Shortly after, Scarlet began to koff, as the smoke was slightly choking her. The gardevoir lifted Scarlet by the head and threw her away from the smoke, landing next to Max.

"Scarlet?! Are you okay?" Max asked in panic while placing her on her back.

Barely conscious, Scarlet only squeaked in pain, unable to do much.

{What… is happening?} Aurora wondered out loud, standing next to Max, holding her stomach.

"I don't know," Max replied, unable to see the smoke's provenance.

Inside, the tall gardevoir was completely blinded, unable to see anything.

[Are smoke and illusions the only trick you zoroarks have?] She taunted with a smirk of her own.

Not even affected by the smoke, the gardevoir clenched one fist and made it glow. Out of nowhere and aimed at the best blind spot she could see, Luna materialized inside the cloud, going for a Night Slash attack. To her astonishment, the gardevoir was already facing her, launching her fist.

*PAF*

Being strongly punched to the side of her head, Luna was sent flying out of the cloud of smoke, with the hit resonating probably miles away. She rolled a moment before hitting a nearby metal fence, knocked out.

[Let me make myself clear…] The gardevoir started, with her telepathic voice getting rough and ominous. [You are not in control here.]

With a burst of telekinetic energy, the gardevoir dispersed the cloud of smoke.

[You are not even trainer and pokemon anymore. Grabastic pieces of feebas shit like you are meant to just shut up and follow the orders of your superiors.] She growled, starting to walk towards them with a determined pace. [Your arrogance is not only insulting but is also sickening. Worthless and pathetic, all of you!] She added before stopping near them. [And if you're not happy about it…]

In an instant, tremendous power that the group had never experienced and witnessed before exploded from the gardevoir. With her eyes glowing red, the environment around her began to distort and warp, with the ground fissuring and earth particles elevating from it while gusts of wind were blowing strongly onto them. The amount of raw power was even making Max and the other's vision go blurry, So blurry that the air around her seemed to change into a giant, demonic version of herself as if she was coming out straight from the deepest depths of hell. The mere pressure of her aura was so strong that it was like gravity had become five times heavier on them. She didn't want to make them believe that she could kill them, she would kill them. The only thing that seemed to hold her back was an invisible chain attached to her.

[...You can come and try to fight me again. However…] Her voice echoed even deeper, striking fear in everyone's heart. [If you decide to make a move, be prepared to die, because I won't hold back and I will make you regret the day you were born.]

Nobody said a single word or tried to argue. All were paralyzed and shaking from fear, no one dared to even move a muscle, as that one mistake could be their last. After they lowered their heads into submission, the gardevoir calmed down, making her presence marginally bearable.

[You better learn to know your place, cocksuckers. Pff. You aren't even good enough to be used for target practice.] She said before turning to head inside.

As she went inside, both Helene and Aristide stepped out at the same time, and Max saw them exchanging a few words before coming to his aid. Looking somewhat disappointed, Aristide walked down the patio with Helene, who was looking a bit horrified.

The patriarch got closer to Max, only to give him a look of disapproval, not even daring to unpocket his hands to touch him. "I told you not to provoke her." He angrily scolded.

Unable to keep eye contact, Max looked down.

"*Sigh* Let's head back inside. I suppose I have some explaining to do." He said before heading back inside.

"Are you alright?" Helene asked, concerned and kneeling next to him.

Staying silent, Max stood up before helping Scarlet as well, as she barely recovered enough to be able to stand on both of her legs with Max's support. As he began walking towards the mansion, Aurora and Bonny followed them, both holding their stomachs and faces respectively. Before going far, they noticed Dusk, still sitting on the ground, hiding her face and lightly sobbing.

{Come on, Dusk. We gotta head back inside.} Aurora said, taking one of her arms to help her stand.

However, she resisted being helped and even retreated her arm.

{What's wrong, Dusk?} Aurora asked softly.

{Aurora…} Bonny called her.

Looking at her, the lucario saw Bonny pointing down. Looking down, Aurora immediately understood why she didn't want to stand up. She got so scared that she lost control of her bladder and stained the ground beneath her.

{Oh no…} Aurora mumbled.

Quickly, Dusk's cries got a bit louder, embarrassed and ashamed to no end.

"Is she alright?" Max asked, hearing her whimpering.

{It's…} Aurora started before stopping. {Don't worry about it, just go. We'll be right behind you.} She lied.

"...Alright. Will one of you be able to help Luna?"

{You… get her.} Scarlet said, moving away from him. {I'm… okay.}

With her legs trembling, Scarlet was barely able to put one foot in front of the other with all of her senses messed up. She tried to do a few steps before losing balance. Luckily, Max retrieved her.

"I'll take it from here." Helene proposed, replacing Max by taking Scarlet. "You go take care of your zoroark now."

With Max nodding, he headed towards Luna while holding his jaw, still in pain from earlier.

{Come on, Dusk. Let's go clean you up.} Aurora suggested softly.

{We won't tell anyone.} Bonny reassured her.

Even though she was unable to control her cries and tears, she finally accepted and let both of them help her stand before following Helene inside. Luckily for her, her little 'accident' wasn't very visible. Back with Max, he kneeled down next to his unconscious zoroark.

"Luna? Can you hear me?" He asked, gently shaking her.

Very slowly, Luna opened her eyes, which went back into place after being rolled to the back of her skull. With an intense migraine, she tried to stand up, which she managed to do, thanks to Max's help.

"Are you okay?"

{I'll… I've survived worse.} Luna replied, holding a side of her head while making a very aggressive face, meaning she was in great pain.

"We're heading back in. Can you walk?"

{I… think.} She answered, feeling dizzy.

"You can hold on to me if you need it."

{Thank you.}

After putting a paw on him and barely applying weight on it, both went inside along with everyone else. Half an hour later, everyone was in the living room minus Dusk, who still felt way too humiliated to show up. As soon as Aurora and Bonny helped her clean up, she enclosed herself in their room and hid under her blanket. The rest of the gang were sitting on the couches holding bags of ice to whatever body part was in the most pain.

"Here you go," Helene said while handing Max his bag of ice.

"Thanks." He replied, placing on its jaw with a small growl.

Shortly after, Aristide finally showed up.

"I'm sorry for what happened." He engaged.

"Wanna tell me what the hell that was?" Max demanded a bit aggressively.

"That, right there, was Mad-Ji."

"Mad-Ji?" Max repeated.

"Yes. Mad-Ji was part of a military special forces division. I can't exactly tell you what she was doing, but I can assure you that everything horrible you can think of, she lived through it every single day. She has experienced death, torture, treason, and mind-shattering decisions, just to name a few. She's not someone you invite to a wedding or go out to drink with, she's a cold-hearted killer and an unforgiving commander. If you value your well-being, then don't get on her bad side. That being said, you all should consider yourselves fortunate to be still alive, you probably wouldn't be if it wasn't for me."

"So basically, you hired an insane military psychopath to watch over us?"

"If you had just done what I said, none of this would have happened. Also, I'll ask you to be a bit more respectful towards her. She has sacrificed so much on a daily basis just so people like you can still live in a peaceful and free region."

"Tsk." Max clicked with his tongue, looking away.

"Anyway, no matter how 'unstable' she might be, her strength and expertise is undeniable. As long as she's around, you can be sure that no one will even think to approach you or anyone here."

{Yeah, of course, no one will. Who wouldn't want to approach the demon that probably gave birth to Qsalyla?} Bonny commented sarcastically.

{The power gap between her and us is surely tremendous.} Aurora said. {She wiped the floor with all of us at once without even breaking a sweat.}

{She's a monster.} Bonny added.

"How can you be sure she will protect us? As far as I know, she would prefer it if we were dead." Max asked.

"She's a soldier, young man. She takes orders and gets the job done. You don't need to know the details, but it's a service she agreed to do. I'm sorry if she doesn't please you, but I won't send her away, not as long as you're here. Your presence alone exposes Helene to danger."

"Well, we should just leave then."

"No!" Helene intervened. "I refuse to let you all live on the streets. You stay until you have figured out your next move. Maybe if I talk to her, she'll be a bit more flexible."

"I wouldn't count on it," Aristide said. "As I said, she's a soldier. She'll only do what she was first instructed to do and won't take orders from anyone here, not even me. If you really don't want to go through that again, then just do as she says and don't get in the way of her work. If you do, you might even forget that she's here."

"I don't think that'll happen anytime soon," Max commented.

"I hope that you will be more reasonable in the future."

Closing the discussion, Helene's husband left.

"I'm sorry for what happened." Helene apologized.

"It's okay. We've been through worse, so we'll manage."

"Very well. Take care then." She finished before leaving as well.

"*Hmpf* 'Don't stand in her way,' he says," Max repeated, dropping his back. "It's nice to know that we'll be risking our lives just by going to the bathroom."

{That's a bit of an exaggeration. She may seem merciless, but I don't think she's that insane.} Aurora replied, making Max look at her funnily. {I mean, I wouldn't say if she would have a good reason to do that, but I just don't see what she would gain from it.}

"One less person to annoy her?"

{I… guess it could be a valid one, given her character.} She conceded. {But I guess that as long as she's here, we won't risk much against other threats."

{Will she really protect us, though?} Scarlet said with a contemptuous tone.

"What do you mean? You heard him, she's a soldier. She does what she's told to." Max reminded her.

{I don't like her and I don't trust her.}

"Well, she did beat all of us up."

{That doesn't have anything to do with it.} She retorted angrily. {It's just that you can't trust someone like her. Always following someone else's commands, even if it means killing your friends in the process. They don't have any kind of free will with that life, chained to forever do someone else's bidding. She is exactly what I fought so hard to not become. And yet, she dares to call us pathetic?}

"I get you, but I guess that sometimes, they have to think of the greater good. For some, what are a few casualties if it ends up saving the world?"

{Then, in that case, I would let the world burn. No way I'm trading someone I love for the 'greater good'.}

For a moment, the room was silent.

{Tsk. Whatever.} Scarlet growled before leaving as well.

{...I think I'm gonna get some rest.} Bonny announced, standing up with her snout inflated a little.

As she was leaving, Max couldn't help but get worried.

"...She must be taking this pretty hard," Max commented when she was gone.

{At least she saw that we all got our butts handed to us, not just her.} Aurora tried to reassure him.

"Not sure it will help. *Sigh* Well, that gothitelle is supposed to be arriving this week, so maybe she could actually create some order in this mess. May should be able to leave the pokemon center too."

{Good thing she wasn't here to experience that carnage.} Luna said.

"Yeah, good point. Goddamnit." Max growled, grabbing his head in desperation.

{Be patient, Max. Things will get better eventually.} Aurora reassured him.

"Maybe, but my patience is starting to reach its limit. I just wish that things could go back to how they were before Jade died. Everything was going rather well until then. It wasn't perfect, but it was something."

{Well… We can try to make that happen.}

"Thanks, Aurora, but you guys don't always have to be the ones who do all the work. I have to get my hands dirty as well from time to time. The thing is, I just don't know what to do for now."

{...Say, you said that that incoming gothitelle is supposed to be good at helping pokemon and humans alike, so why don't you…}

"Go consult her as well?" Max finished, looking at her.

{Well, it was just a thought.}

"Luna proposed the same thing to me a few days ago. I know you mean well, but I don't really have time to lose with that. That gothitelle will help the girls with their problems while I'll try to solve my own problems myself. Maybe the two of us can get everyone on their feet."

{And what about you? Who's gonna help you get back on your feet?}

"I'll do it on my own. You know me, Aurora. I'll start improving as soon as I see every one of you smiling again."

{I… wish for that to happen.} Aurora said, changing her last statement.

"Trust me, it will. I'll even wait for as long as I need to. Because as I've told you; all of you are-"

{Your top priority, we know.} Aurora finished for him, sounding a bit condescending.

"Why does that seem to bother you all of a sudden?"

{Because you know me, Max. I've never wanted you to neglect yourself for our sake.}

"If I don't, who's gonna take care of you then?"

{We're not babies, Max. We can take care of ourselves.} She said a bit more roughly than she anticipated.

"...So that's what this is now, huh?" Max replied, feeling hurt by her statement.

{W-Wait, that's not what I meant.} Aurora apologized.

"It doesn't matter. Now that I think about it, you do think that, don't you? Am I really that stifling?"

{Max, what I meant was-}

"No no, you're right. Maybe I do care about you girls a bit too much, and it's affecting your ability to think and act independently. I guess I was living a lie, thinking that it was the best thing to do." Max said, standing up.

{You don't understand. I just don't want you to feel all this sadness and hurt just so we don't have to. How do you think that will make us feel, knowing that your pain will be because of us?}

"And yet you wonder why I want to quit being a pokemon trainer? I think it's pretty self-explanatory."

{Freaking hell, Max. You're more stubborn and thick-minded than a wild druddigon. You. Are. An excellent trainer. Just because you make mistakes every now and then doesn't mean that you're the worst trainer in the world. Nobody is perfect, Max. I still don't know why you're always trying to achieve perfection, but since you'll never reach it, you'll only be sad and disappointed for the rest of your life.}

"Because that's what you all deserve. I want to be the only perfect thing in this world. I'm doing this for you."

{Then you are forever doomed to fail.}

For a moment, Max stared at Aurora, as if she had broken something in him.

"Whatever."

Max turned to leave the living room, but Aurora very quickly got past him and stopped him by blocking his path with a Bone Rush.

{Oh no you don't. You're not running away like you always do.} She assured him.

"What do you want from me? Do you want me to recognize that all my effort to make you happy is pointless?"

{Fuck, Max. Open your goddamn eyes. It's not about perfection or how everything should go the way you want them to. No, it's about what you manage to achieve. It's about trying your best for us. Have you ever thought about how much it means for us to hear you say 'I love you?' It may be small and simple, but the sincerity behind it means the goddamn world to us. Just saying it and showing it in your own unique way already fulfills our lives by ninety-five percent.}

"And what about the other five percent?"

{The element of surprise. Every random thing you do or whatever the unknown throws at us to add a little bit of spice to our lives. With each day being different and never knowing what comes next is just the cherry on top of the cake that is your presence in our life.}

With Max now speechless, avoiding Aurora's eyes, the lucario made her bone disappear.

{I hope this will somehow get through your thick skull.}

Aurora then took a few steps before stopping behind him.

{I know that sometimes, we trip and fall and break our faces on the ground. So tell me, what would you do if you were to see someone fall like that? You would help them stand up, right? Well, that's exactly what we're trying to do for you. We love you, Max, so let us help you out this time. Just please try to remember that.} She added before leaving the living room through another pathway.

Not knowing what to do for a moment, Max looked behind, at Luna.

"Do you agree with what she is saying?"

{...I cannot speak for the others.}

"What about you then? Am I really fit to be a messianic figure in your life?"

Sighing, Luna removed the bag of ice from her face.

{Do you even know what kind of answer you're fishing for yourself?}

"What do you mean?" Max feigned ignorance.

{What will it matter to you if I say yes or no? If I say no, you'll say that I am right to think that. And if I say yes, you will say that I shouldn't be thinking that. Am I wrong?}

Not replying, Max stared at the ground, feeling even more pathetic.

Sighing again, Luna put the bag of ice back to her face.

{I wasn't looking for a savior, but you've made a big impact on my life, Max. I really appreciated it when you listened to my story, even more so when you waited for me to do it. I…}

For a moment, Luna seemed to have trouble with her words, something that Max started to see just recently.

{You're… quite… getting… wait, no. You're… growing into… Well, you know what I mean.} She expressed, oddly, still looking at him even though she was a bit embarrassed.

"I'm growing on you? Was that what you meant?"

{...Yeah. Something like that.} She confirmed, briefly looking at the ground.

Sighing as well, Max rubbed his neck.

"I guess that even after all this time, I still have trouble with the fact that others do actually care about me. Heh, it almost sounds pretentious hearing myself say that. When you spend all your life in isolation without any real love, it's hard to change your beliefs so easily. Hell, just a couple of months ago, I didn't even think that was possible."

{Same here. I don't know if I'll ever love another human as I do to you.}

Upon hearing that, Max got a bit touched by her words, which lost a bit of their meaning with the all too serious face she was making. They retained a rather simple but deep eye contact before Max looked away.

"I… think I'm gonna go to my room as well." He said with a slight blush, exiting the room.

Inside his room, Max laid down on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"*Sigh* I better find a new drive or career fast." He rubbed his face with his hands and groaned. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'd rather take my chances with Qsalyla. No way I'm staying here with that Mad-Ji, she'd probably P.T me and the girls to death." He vented to no one, trying to get rid of those negative emotions once again.

Deciding he needed some resting of his own, he closed the blinds, buried his face in the pillow, and covered his body. Anything to shut himself from the world around him.

Later into the evening, the atmosphere at dinner was rather heavy with Max and his pokemon quietly eating their food.

"...Isn't she joining us?" Max asked, mostly for conversation.

"Who, Mad-Ji?" Aristide guessed. "No. She gets her own food and eats alone. Like I said, as long as you don't provoke her, you won't be seeing much of her."

"What's up with that nickname anyway?"

"It was something she earned rather quickly. I can't say much, but what I can tell you is that even in her early years of military service, she was pretty aggressive. She got the name mainly because she broke her commander's nose on her first day of boot camp."

"What did he do?"

"Underestimate her. No one knows for sure, but word on the street is that she immediately got targeted by her drill instructor as well as a few other trainees, to the point where they were pretty much harassing her. Since she already had an anger issue, all it took was one day of verbal and physical harassment before she finally snapped."

"Thus, earning the name," Max concluded.

"Pretty much, yes."

"How come she didn't get kicked out?"

"Her performance. Once things settled down, she got noticed by her supreme commanders, seeing a huge amount of potential in her. Turns out they were right."

"I see."

"After that, everything about her is classified. Even I don't know much about her."

"What is your relationship with her, exactly?" Max asked, getting everyone's attention.

"...That too, is classified. All I can say is that I probably wouldn't be where I am now without her."

"I guess that makes sense, but why did she accept your request in the first place?"

"Let's just say that favors can go a long way, and money can sometimes remove a few thorns."

Even though it was pretty nebulous, Max got a better idea of what was going on. From what he could guess, Aristide probably used his influence and fortune to maybe help her out from a sensitive or delicate situation. Given her character, she probably killed someone she shouldn't have and Aristide had to save her. Those were just suppositions though, besides it's not like he could just walk right up and ask her. All he would get from that is another broken jaw.

"And we can really count on her support?"

"Yes. Even if she hates you to the extreme, she will do what she was told to do. However, if you manage to get on her bad side, no amount of money will be able to save you from her once her job is done. She's reliable but extremely rancorous."

"How come such a dangerous pokemon is allowed to wander around freely like that?"

"She's backed by the government. She's done so much for them that she can pretty much do as she pleases at any given time. The only exception being if she ever goes rogue, of course."

"So basically, she can just go around and murder anyone as pleased without any sort of consequences?"

"If she has the slightest reason to do so, yes. Naturally, she can't break into a random house and kill everyone there, but she won't be blamed if she gets into a bar fight and things end up badly."

"The perks of having the government watching your back."

"Well, how about we talk about something more enjoyable?" Helene proposed.

"Of course, honey. I apologize if it has gotten a bit gruesome." Aristide apologized, strangely in a rather stoic way. "It has been bugging me, but I still don't know a lot about you, Max. Care to share with us what kind of person you are?"

"How much do you want to know?"

"As much as you're comfortable with."

For the rest of the dinner, Max talked about his past and the kind of life he had until now. As he was doing so, his face wasn't showing many traces of joy. However, when he started to get to the part where he encountered Scarlet and the girls, stars could almost be seen in his eyes. He was talking with a lot more passion, even smiling a little bit. Obviously, he skipped all the 'intimate' moments he had with them, believing that his orientation was irrelevant. The discussion lasted for a while, even past dinner time.

"And then we arrived here at Oxgard, and the rest is history," Max concluded.

"I see," Aristide commented.

"Oh my. You've certainly had quite the journey, even before meeting your lovely pokemon."

"Those meanies. They don't know what they were messing with." Dimitri said, a bit angry at Max's persecutor.

"Haha. I agree. With the family I have now, they wouldn't have lasted long." Max lightly laughed.

"I'm starting to get a better idea of what kind of person you are," Aristide said. "I suppose that little incident from earlier was inevitable. However, it's easy to see that you're accusing the whole world for your misfortune. From what I've heard, judgment doesn't seem to be your main attribute."

"Yeah. That's why I'm trying to surround myself with smart and capable people or pokemon to help me out."

"While it is essential in some cases, depending on others too much won't do you any good. You are in a secure environment. Rather than hope for someone to do it for you, you should be using the time you have to work on what you lack on your own."

"That was a bit rude, dear." Helene scolded.

"I'm sorry, but it has to be said. With his current mindset, he has no future."

{Words like that won't help him either.} Aurora defended, not liking the old man's last statement.

"It's okay, Aurora. I don't mind. He's actually not wrong." Max intervened.

"Did she say something?" Helene asked.

"Well, nothing important. Thanks for sharing your opinion, mister Spencer, but I really am trying my best to become a better person. My pokemon are my treasure and I will do anything for them." Max said, petting Aurora.

"At least you seem to have your heart in the right place. Well then, time is flying." Aristide said, standing up. "I suppose I should leave you." He added, leaving the room.

Shortly after, Helene sighed lightly.

"Busy man, huh?" Max said.

"Indeed. I don't remember the last time we spent an entire day together."

"You don't seem to mind it very much."

"I can't boast about quantity, but I can with the quality. The little time I can have with him is enough for me."

"That's nice. Anyway, I think I'm gonna go to bed early tonight." Max announced. "Even with a nice bed like the one you've lent me, I can't sleep very well."

"It's understandable. I'm glad that you can even sleep at all after what you've been through. Some probably wouldn't if they were in your shoes."

"I won't be able to say this enough, but thank you. For everything."

"It is my pleasure. Our home is your home from now on."

"Thank you., but I won't abuse that privilege though."

"Don't you worry in the slightest. Here, you can do whatever you want, including basic things that you didn't have the chance to do."

With a nod, Max and his three pokemon, Aurora, Dusk, and Bonny left the dining area and headed upstairs to their rooms.

{Well… good night then.} Aurora wished, as they were passing in front of Max's room.

"Yeah, you too." He replied, briefly stroking her hair before getting inside his room.

For the fourth day in a row, he didn't have the motivation to do much more than lying on the bed and stare at the ceiling. He stared at it for quite a while, still wondering what he could do, when he saw Scarlet teleporting onto the edge of the bed, her back facing him.

"Good evening." Max greeted, briefly looking at her. "What brings you here?"

{...You didn't visit me tonight, so I was wondering if everything was alright.}

"I'm alright, but let me toss the question back at you. How are you?"

{Beside a migraine that takes forever to fade away, I'm fine as well.}

"I see. I wish I could do something for you."

{I'll survive.}

Not so strangely, Scarlet's voice was reflecting how absent-minded she seemed to be.

"So, what's up?"

{Not much. I've already read just about a quarter of the library here.}

"A quarter? Damn! Just how fast do you read?" Max exclaimed.

{Roughly around three or four books an hour.}

"Shit. And here I am, taking at least a month to read one."

{Being able to read two sentences a second also helps.}

"Okay you're brilliant, we know," Max said, a bit annoyed by her boasting.

{You asked, I answered.}

"Yeah, I know. Besides that, I'm also happy to see you."

{Me too. So…?} Scarlet started, dropping her hands behind her. {Any ideas on a new goal or career?}

"If I did come up with something, I probably forgot it after that punch I received."

{Tsk. You can bet that I won't forget that. That chick better watch her back.}

"I'm sure she's already doing that constantly, but let's try not to hold a grudge against her. The world made her that way, so we can't exactly blame her for how she is."

{Yet it was a lifestyle she willingly chose.}

"Did she, though?"

{You're awfully protective over her all of a sudden.} Scarlet said, looking at Max over her shoulder. {She knocked your jaw out of place, and almost killed us, so what gives?}

"I'm not defending her, I'm just trying my best to forget about her and what happened today. It'll be easier if I tell myself that she's not one hundred percent responsible."

{...Eh, that's painfully honest.} She replied, turning her head forward again.

"Aristide told us that if we just ignore her, she won't be much of a problem. She doesn't randomly wander around the mansion and didn't even show up at the table for dinner. All we have to do is to not piss her off if we get past her."

{Tss, just saying that makes me want to pester her.}

"Trust me, I feel you. I wish I could say the same, but we have to face the facts; we are no match for her. She could just toy with us if she feels like it."

Suddenly, Max felt intense anger rising inside Scarlet, which was understandable coming from her. No way she could accept that there was someone stronger than her because she has to be the strongest. If not, who's gonna protect her master and her friends efficiently?

"Let's just forget about her," Max said, rolling on his stomach next to Scarlet. "Her immense strength won't matter much if we don't make her angry." He told her, gently caressing her nearest thigh.

{*Hmpf* I bet you admire her strength. Compared to her, I'm about as weak as a ralts.}

"No I don't, not with what she does with it. Even if that was the case, you're still way prettier than her. No one can match your beauty. I bet she called you doll-face because she was jealous of you."

{...If you say so.}

Despite acting coldly and indifferently, Max felt that his words warmed her heart. She just couldn't resist her master's praises and compliments. She may not have considered herself as an ugly gardevoir, but others' opinions on her didn't matter. She just wanted to be pretty in his eyes.

{...Do you mind if… I'm the one accompanying you for May's visit tomorrow?}

"Not at all. I was thinking about inviting Bonny this time, but I doubt waiting one day will bother her. Besides, given her current state, the less she knows things…"

{*Sigh* Try as we might, we couldn't prevent her from succumbing to depression.}

"Yeah, she's completely demoralized. Maybe my love for her wasn't enough."

{I'm sure it was, but… there are things that can't be resolved solely with love. It's similar to how a car works; Love is like gasoline, but it won't get you far unless the engine and other parts are being properly maintained.}

"Did you read a book about automobiles recently?"

{...Yeah, this afternoon in fact. Things like that make me believe that maybe humans aren't that stupid after all.}

"Hehe. Maybe I'll finally earn your respect then." Max jested, getting on his back, next to her.

{Keep dreaming.} Scarlet replied, playing along. {*Hmpf* I'm just kidding.} She said, gently caressing one of his cheeks. {You earned it the day we first met.}

"The very first?"

{...Okay, maybe the second or third.}

"That sounds about right. I don't want you to change history just to make you look like the good guy."

{Eh, I'm sure a few days difference will do much. Let's not forget what I did before and after our encounter.}

"You say that as if we're all white as snow. Just recently, I tried to kill someone."

{Luckily, you didn't.}

"I have you to thank for that, and I don't mean it in a contemptuous way."

{In my case, what is one life compared to hundreds?}

"Ah, I didn't know it turned into a competition."

At that, Scarlet looked at him, unamused.

"Now I'm the one kidding you. I've already said a couple of times now that I don't care how many you killed nor about how you did it. You're my friend, ally, and lover, end of the story."

{*Hmpf* I should consider myself lucky for meeting someone who doesn't have much morale.}

"Ouch. Now that's just hurtful." Max replied with a small grin.

{Haha.} She lightly laughed. {Thanks, master. You always know how to make me laugh, even if just a little. That's why no matter what happens between us or what I say, I can't find a reason to leave you. You're practically my beating heart, getting separated from you basically means death for me.}

"Am I now? So me dying means killing you? Talk about no pressure."

{Sorry, but I prefer being honest with you. Reminding you of how much you mean to me is important for me, it's like… I don't know. It's like I have to do it.}

"At least I know that I can trust you entirely in that matter."

For a moment, Max just stayed there, staring at Scarlet from below.

{What?} She asked while turning her eyes towards him, sensing being observed constantly.

"...You are really beautiful."

{Y-You told me that already.} She replied, blushing a bit.

"Those perfectly round sapphire-like eyes. That cute noseless face with a perfect bone structure and symmetry. That crimson red hair-style covering a small part of that gorgeous face. I know true beauty when I see it, and I can tell that yours is out of this world."

{T-That's enough n-now.} She retorted, going very red from embarrassment.

"What? You don't like me saying that you're beautiful, sexy, very caring, smart, well proportioned…"

Unable to look at him anymore, Scarlet tried her best to hide her face by avoiding his gaze.

"The most devoted gardevoir I could only hope for, the best of your type and species…"

{S-stop it! T-That's enough out of you!} She shouted, now hiding her face with her hands.

"Haha. Finally broke you." Max said proudly, making her jump with a gentle poke in the side.

{I-It's t-too much, yet I feel like it's n-not enough.} She said in her hands.

"But it's all true."

{...If you say so…} She replied, dropping her hands, revealing her very red face.

"You don't believe me?"

{...I think you're exaggerating just a little.}

"Are you calling me a liar?" Max accused, tickling her with multiple pokes to her sides.

{Haha, no I'm not.} She retorted while defending herself.

Stopping, Max dropped his head again with a low sigh.

"...What do you think destiny has in store for two heartless jerks like us?"

{You ask as if I could answer that. Whatever we want I'd say.}

"Yeah, if we are given the power to do so."

{Together, I'm sure we can do it.}

"Eh, probably." Max agreed before they both fist-bumped.

{...Well, I guess I'm gonna let you sleep now.}

Before she could stand up, Max held her by the arm.

"Mind if we sleep together tonight?"

{Didn't Aurora already suggest herself?}

"Yeah, and I really thought about getting her, but…"

{...You don't want to make the others feel bad if you choose her?}

"...I'm sorry if I sound like an asshole, but since you're already here, I would like you to stay. Besides, no one will feel bad if we don't tell them."

{You don't have to justify yourself, master. Even if you do act like an asshole, I wouldn't mind, as long as it's not with me. Do whatever the hell you want. Just don't do what I do, otherwise, it would be rather hypocritical of you, wouldn't it?}

"Couldn't have said it better myself."

{Haha. I really can trust your honesty.} Scarlet laughed lightly. {In that case master, I won't mind sharing the bed with you tonight.}

"Thanks, Scarlet. I would have felt lonely otherwise."

{Anything for you.} Scarlet stated before both of them lay under the sheets, their heads on the pillows.

After that, they only stayed on their side, staring at each other.

{...We'll try to get through this.} Scarlet reassured him, grabbing one of his hands.

"That would be nice."

{We are a team. If we act as such, we will succeed.}

"That would be a major help indeed. If only I could just-"

{Shh.} Scarlet shushed with a hand on his lips. {Just stop. If you start beating yourself up again, I'm leaving.}

"Sorry. Old habits die hard, hehe."

{There's nothing funny about that, Max.} She retorted, looking very serious.

"I…*sigh* I know. I promised I would try my best not to infect you with negativity. You deserve better than that."

{*Sigh* Let's just say you didn't get very lucky, having a pokemon that is hypersensitive to others' emotions, especially to those we love.}

"I could say the same. You are what you are, but unlike you, I can change. I'm working on that. That's why I'll…" Max said, staring at Scarlet, who was listening to him intently. "...That's why I'll maybe try to talk to that pokemon psychologist."

At that, Scarlet smiled and caressed his cheek.

{It takes a lot of courage to admit your flaws and that you need help sometimes, something that even I still have trouble with. I can feel how vulnerable and ashamed you are right now but don't be. Here, it's just you and me. You want to be a better human, master. What is there to be ashamed of?}

"Nothing I guess, especially with you. I know that I can share everything with you, but you know, I still have my pride and all."

{*Sigh* Even though it's annoying, that's just how you are and I have to deal with it. But it's just a rock in the lake of my love for you.}

"Haha. You are so cheesy, you should start a business or open your own shop." Max jested.

{And that's what I get for trying to be nice and romantic with you.} Scarlet replied with a desperate expression.

"Haha. Serves you right." He jested some more. "But seriously, I liked it. It's just sad that I'm just a lake."

{I never informed you about how large it is.}

"Hehe, good point." Max conceded, putting his forehead against hers, both closing their eyes.

{Good night, master.}

"Good night, love."