Explicit language.

Three days later, the insistent beeping from his C-Gear made Johannes wonder if Talia had left him an incredibly angry message after stewing over their exchange—when he had finished reading it, he almost wished it had been.

A D-Class research report on the behavioral changes of Skarmory nearby. This was the D-Class assignment Johannes had received from Eric; the recent upswing in ash from Mt. Chimney was going to have some sort of effect on the surrounding farmland, and Eric's email explained that bramble brush along Route 113 may have been affected, reducing viable nesting locations for Skarmory and causing a shift in their behavior. Unfortunately, Johannes would first have to find out if the bramble brush had even been affected, which meant the better part of his next three afternoons spent on all fours in ash, inspecting the bramble for damage. Which meant he'd also be checking for Skarmory or the lack thereof. If he did find a Skarmory, then he would use the number of fingers removed by its wings to determine if it had become more territorial. He would repeat this until he was out of fingers, he supposed, after which he would note (with tremendous difficulty) whether the brush being dead or not impacted Skarmory and their nesting behavior. Then he would make his peace with Viola, bid her farewell, and bleed out.

He groaned at his plate of eggs.

"Is something wrong Johannes?" asked Viola. He looked up at the concerned expression on her face and shook his head.

"No, nothing," he replied, taking the plate of toast she offered him from her, "I just don't want to do this assignment. I thought the three days of silence meant that maybe Eric had forgotten all about even giving me an assignment." He sighed and took a bite of his toast. "But then that would mean that I'd have to find a new job." He didn't particularly like his current one at the moment, but it was nevertheless a passion of his – and it paid fairly well. "Better for the both of us to not have to do that." He took a bite of the toast and nodded in approval. "At least the last three days were worthwhile. You make better toast than I do."

Viola smiled. "That's hardly an accomplishment Johannes," she teased. "You slide bread into a metal box and push a lever down."

He took another bite and said thickly, "Doesn't matter. Better than mine is." He swallowed and scooped a mouthful of egg off his plate. "Uh, egg could have used a bit longer though." A small drop of partially liquid egg dropped from his fork onto the plate. Viola inclined her head in acknowledgment. "Still good though," he added.

Viola took a bite of toast herself and said after a moment, "My evidently budding cooking skills aside, what do you intend to do about your assignment?" She chewed patiently on her toast as she asked him.

Johannes fiddled with the egg on his plate before shrugging. "I don't know, I have to do it. I get the feeling it's punishment – sticking my hand in bramble is the least of my worries if there's a Skarmory in it. Especially a nesting one with chicks to defend. But I mean, I guess I deserved it," he finished, somewhat lamely.

Viola cocked her head. "I didn't find much issue with the notes you took, if it's any consolation," she explained bracingly, "I thought they were quite detailed in fact." She averted her eyes from his for a moment in embarrassment. "A bit too detailed at times, I think."

He nodded, a thin smile on his face. "Sorry, it's a habit you pick up in this line of work. And apparently, one I have to relearn, since the notes I have to take on this are going to be painstaking." He groaned again. "Damn it Eric."

"What makes you think the notes have to be so extensive?" asked Viola.

"They don't have to be, but I have to show that I'm still capable of taking good, impartial, cogent notes. And that means I have to be painstaking. Almost excessively so." He placed his fork down on his plate and leaned back in his chair. "I guess I better get this over with."

Viola began to eat quickly. "You don't intend to leave me do you?" she chimed in his head as she shoveled food into her mouth.

He sat forward again and chuckled. "Sorry, I figured you'd want to take advantage and not have to crawl around in ash. You sure you want to come?" He smiled in earnest. Watching her eat quickly was quite amusing.

She swallowed the last of her food and drank down her tea in seconds. "Yes, I want to go!" She set her mug down on the table heavily and let out a long, steady sigh. Johannes grinned.

Viola coughed through her scarf. "Ugh, this ash is awful Johannes," she whined. "Perhaps I should have stayed home after all."

Johannes looked back at her and flashed an unseen grin through his own scarf. "Hey, you had a choice Viola," he teased. "Now you're gonna have to tough this out with me-" The last word out of his mouth dragged on as he tripped over an ash-covered root and fell into a small mound of soot.

"Are you alright?" asked Viola as she waved the plumes of ash swirling before her away. "Johannes?"

He emerged from the ash cloud coughing and beating dust from his figure. "Yes," he choked out when Viola at last came into view, "I'm fine. Mostly." He sneezed and then groaned. "Damn it, the inside of my scarf is wet and gross now." He looked about and sighed. "No sense peeling it off, it'll just get even more gross. Come on, let's find some bramble." He peered about. This was going to be difficult.

His partner walked over and brushed patches of ash he had missed off his jacket. "Cheer up a bit Johannes," she chimed soothingly. She pulled her scarf down to float up and kiss his cheek. It wasn't the wisest move, as she now had a rather large quantity of ash on lips that she struggled vainly to sputter away. When she composed herself, she added, "I am rather confident this won't take you very long. And I will try to assist as best I can."

Johannes looked at her as she touched back down and cupped the side of her face for a moment with his hand fondly. It left a light, hand-shaped print of ash when he pulled it away. He flashed her another unseen grin. "Yeah. Alright. Come on, I think I see a bush over there," he replied.

The two approached the still bramble bush and after a beat Johannes exhaled and said, "Alright, here's hoping I get through this day with all my fingers intact." He knelt down and carefully parted the prickly, winding, seemingly healthy stems. He saw nothing within the bush. He pulled them further apart and noticed something peculiar. Egg shells. Then a dull gleam. With a great screech, a Skarmory erupted from the brush and came to stop a few feet above Johannes and Viola. "Oh for Arceus's sake," he groaned. The Skarmory inclined its head and launched itself at him. He pushed Viola bodily out of the way and fell face first into the ashen grass. The soft whoosh of the Pokemon streaking past him made his spine tingle. He got to his feet, coughing and sneezing and gazed blearily at the hovering steel bird some twenty feet above him. "Of all the bramble out in this field we pick the one that has a Skarmory with newborn chicks." He tugged his scarf from his face and sneezed again. "Ugh, this is only making it worse." He looked over at Viola, sniffling. "Do we fight it or – fuck!" He threw himself out of the way of another dive bomb. "Viola?"

She responded by placing herself between the Skarmory and Johannes. "She is defending her nest Johannes, but I would reason she is rather inconsolable at the moment. I'll attempt to placate her." She locked glowing eyes with the Skarmory and stood still. The Pokemon gave another great screech and dove at Viola. With a sweeping gesture, the hypnosis took hold of the Pokemon, which closed its eyes and began to tumble through the air – still aimed at Viola. Johannes noticed, though just barely, what was happening and threw himself up at her waist to pull her down into the grass.

The Skarmory crashed into the ground somewhere behind them with a soft thud amid the sound of an unusual, high-pitched cry. Johannes waved the plumes of ash out of his face and sat up, looking about for the source of the sound before he realized it was Viola. He pulled her up into a sitting position and saw her clutching her shoulder. A small trickle of blood pooled out of from under her palm and began to run down her chest. A grimace of pain on her face, she looked up at Johannes. "I can't say I expected something quite like that to occur," she said sheepishly. "I suppose I should have thought that through a bit more..."

Johannes rummaged about in his messenger bag and removed a small spray bottle from it a moment later. "These things don't expire, right?" he asked aloud. He turned the bottle about in his hands several times before uncapping the nozzle. "Never really thought I'd have to use this. Move your hand Viola, please?"

She obliged, and a crimson stream ran freely down her chest and side now. "It's a rather painful gash," she explained, her tone pitching upwards and downwards erratically, "But not especially deep. I could mend this myself, I think, if you give me a moment."

Johannes glanced down at the bottle in his hand. "Up to you."

She considered his expression for a moment then inclined her head. "Use the potion," she said. She poorly suppressed a soft cry as he sprayed and cleaned the wound with the small strip of included gauze.

Johannes rummaged about his bag again and pulled a wrapped package containing bandages. "Uh, I'm not exactly experienced with this so if this doesn't do the job then just," he paused. "I'll get it done, nevermind. It can't be that hard." It wasn't – at least, not after four tries. Despite the stinging, insistent pain of the wound, Viola giggled at his mounting frustration and eventual shout of triumph when at last the bandages were properly wrapped. "There. Let me take some notes, check a few more bramble bushes to see if they're alive as well, and we can get going. Does the cut sting less now?"

Viola smiled at him and wiped much of the ash on his nose, lips and cheeks away. "Yes," she said honestly, "What is that expression... my hero?" She kissed him. "Yes, I think that was the expression."

Johannes gave her an embarrassed grin."Right well, let me just finish my research..."

It came to pass that the bramble that surrounded Fallarbor was hardier than he or Eric gave it credit for, or so thought Johannes. He wasn't a botanist, and had only his guesses and a vague understanding of botany remembered from his time in university to aid him. Nevertheless, he had some notes to deliver, and he ached to get them presented to Eric as soon as he could – he was so thoroughly coated in ash he felt several showers were in order, and the sooner he had the notes in his superior's hands, the better. He rolled over the Pokeball in his hand a few times. He wasn't sure what it was that possessed him to catch the Skarmory, it just seemed like the thing to do. He looked to his left and saw Viola gently stroking the back of one of the chicks. Their wings had yet to harden from the bramble, and so they were surprisingly fluffy.

"Viola, what am I going to do with a Skarmory anyway?" he said as they walked towards the research center. "I don't exactly battle. And neither do you, but I think Skarmory are more or less built for Trainer battles." He eyed the red and white ball again. It was somewhat surprising that it had worked – he had expected he would have needed something a bit higher-end. Then again, the Pokemon had been put to sleep, potentially even knocked out it. Dumb luck, he decided, was on his side.

"You caught her Johannes, that's not exactly my decision," replied Viola, her tone laced with glee at the sight of the chicks she was carrying, "It would not be a poor idea to hold onto her I would think. Her offspring, on the other hand..."

"Right, right, I'm thinking about that," he said quickly, "I still don't know what to do with them. Eric could take them in. Skarmory are pretty useful Pokemon for battling and could be good for keeping researchers protected out in the field if they run into trouble." He snapped his fingers in revelation. "I know what to do."

Eric fought down his urge to laugh poorly. Johannes and Viola looked ridiculous. "Had a rather intense romp out there, did you Johannes?" he said as the researcher and his partner entered his office. He did a double-take. "Wait, are those Skarmory chicks?"

Johannes placed a notebook, the Pokeball he caught the mother with and motioned for Viola to set the chicks down on his superior's desk. "Yeah. The bramble bushes are fine as far as I can see. I also caught a Skarmory."

Eric wiggled a finger in front of one of the chicks and smiled as it nipped at the appendage. "This some sort of peace offering Johannes?" he said after a moment. "Most people just send fruit baskets."

Johannes rolled his eyes. "No, though if that's what you want to take them as, by all means," he explained, "They belong to the Skarmory I caught. Didn't seem like a good idea to just leave them out there. I figured I'd leave mother with you too." He set the ball down on his desk. "Just get her into the PC network or something, I'll pick her out of it if I never need a Skarmory. Don't know what for but – hey! You listening?"

"Aren't you just the cutest flying razor-in-the-making?" cooed Eric at an insistently chirping chick. He focused back on Johannes. "Sorry. Anyway, I'll take them as a peace offering well enough." He looked up at Johannes and grinned. "Just keep it in your pants out in the field, will you? And what happened to her?" He gestured at Viola's bandages.

"A miscalculation on my part," rang a cold voice in his head. Eric's spine tingled. How did Johannes deal with this? "I hypnotized the mother and, ah, failed to remember something rather important about objects in motion." Her shoulders slumped somewhat and she looked at the ground in embarrassment. "Johannes acted as quickly as he could from where he laid on the ground but it is difficult for anyone to account for lapses in the reasoning of others." She ran a finger along the bandages morosely. Something ruffled her hair, sending a rain of ashes out onto the rug below her.

"Don't beat yourself up about it Viola, jeez," said Johannes cheerily, "People make mistakes." She smiled at him. "That's better." He looked back over at Eric. "Anyway, look, those are my notes. They're good right?" His boss tore his eyes away from the chicks and flipped through the notebook. They flit rapidly back and forth as he turned page after page before he closed the notebook and sighed. "W-well?"

Eric opened the drawer to his desk and removed a folder. He opened it and dropped the notebook into it before closing it again and tossing it back into his desk. "Yeah, it's more than fine Johannes, it's exactly what I expect of you," he said, a faint smile on his face. "Knew I should've kept that drawer I had dedicated to you. Almost cleaned it out. Almost. Would have if these notes were shit."

Johannes sighed in relief as Viola clasped her hands together happily. "This is wonderful news Johannes," she exclaimed, the notes in his head high and ringing, "Better still, it seems Eric is a great deal less angry at you now."

He nodded at her and faced Eric again. "That's good to hear man," he said, relived. "I was worried I'd be doing D-Class work forever."

Eric shook a finger at him. "Don't be mistaken Johannes," he said seriously, "You're not off the hook." He eyed the chicks chirping insistently at him and sighed. "Alright, you're kind of off the hook. The D-Class one anyway. Only issue is we've got a bit of a drought of C-Class work to do as well, but if I give you another B-Class project then Talia will have my head. Damn near almost did when I didn't take her sid-" He stopped himself mid-sentence and stared, mortified at his colleague. "Fuck, I didn't say that. You didn't hear that. Got it? The both of you." He pointed between the couple manically. "I didn't say shit, alright?"

Eyes wide in understanding, and a small dose of confusion, Johannes nodded and said slowly, "On one condition Eric." He paused. "Was a trio of fluffy Skarmory chicks and good notes all you really needed to forgive me? You're not weirded out at all by this?" He pointed to himself and then Viola. To his surprise, Viola pouted.

Eric sat back in his chair and sighed. "Come on man," he said in mild exasperation, "I wasn't that mad at you." He looked up at Johannes and scratched his face. "Okay, I was actually pretty fucking livid, but that's besides the point. We got into arguments about stupid shit in college all the time. But I mean, I'm your boss – it's my job to make sure you actually get your shit done or I have to fire you. So I had to put my foot down and make sure you understood why your notes were so ass and why you were such a shitty portrait of a researcher." He pointed between Johannes and Viola. "I don't care about this. Do whatever you want, be happy, fuck, it's not my business." He chewed his tongue for a moment. "I won't act like it's not the strangest fucking thing I've seen in my life, but it's not like it's unheard of. You've heard about all the shit going on in Sinnoh – they've been in talks with Kanto to keep travel privileges for their citizens on their passports.

Johannes shook his head. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he said. "But I would sure as hell like to. Kanto won't let its citizens go to Sinnoh?"

His friend sighed. "Oh man, have you been under a rock?" he asked in amazement. He doubled back at the look on Johannes's face. "Right, you were basically off the grid forever, right, right." He sat up straight in his seat and stroked one of the chicks absently. "What you said is backwards. Kanto won't let Sinnoh citizens in."

Johannes furrowed his brow. "Why, exactly?" he asked.

Eric pointed between the couple again. "You guys," he said simply, "Pokephilia's on the rise in Sinnoh. Those old ass legends have gotten into the minds of a surprising number of people in the region who have started asking why and when they stopped..." His mouth curled into a bemused smile and he chuckled. "Sorry, it's just, saying it out loud is just so bizarre. Even here in 'liberal' Hoenn. They're wondering why they ever stopped marrying Pokemon."

Johannes looked at Viola. She seemed to be radiating heat, her face was so red. "That's different," he said, more to her than to Eric.

Eric did not notice as he stroked the Skarmory chick along its back. "Yeah, pretty wild, eh? Anyway, the region is trying to push legislation forward to legalize it and honestly, it's basically a sure thing. Give it a month or two at the most and Sinnoh citizens will probably never be able to go to Kanto ever again. And Johto if Kanto throws a big enough fit. Kalos and Unova have been kind of hands off so far. Unova's certain to toss its lot in with Kanto if it comes to it. Kalos would rather mediate."

"Didn't know you were one for politics. Is this on the news regularly or something?" asked Johannes. He ruffled Viola's hair again and threw her a knowing grin. She jumped at his touch and gave him a nervous smile before looking back to the floor.

"Enough, yeah. Talia loves keeping up with this shit. Keeps saying that Hoenn's too chummy with Sinnoh and it's starting to influence the population," he said, somewhat disinterested. "She could go on for hours about her opinion on it and I really don't give a fuck man, I'll be honest. She's my sister so I don't have a choice, I've gotta listen, but man. It's dull. So some people are out there fucking Pokemon, whatever, as long as they're not doing it in public like decent human beings." He paused and looked pointedly at Johannes. "Then we're golden. People don't fuck in public either. Decent ones anyway. Mostly." He sighed. "Well, whatever, the world turns, no human alive gets to say otherwise."

"The whole thing is just one big fucking mess I want to stay out of man," he continued. "But Talia just keeps dragging me back into it. I swear, she wouldn't be so fucking insistent on her views if she just had some damned closure-" He stopped. "Oh for FUCK'S sake Eric, you fucking did it again."

Johannes's attention snapped immediately to Eric. "So Viola was right, she's still hung up on me," he said quietly.

"No man, she's not hung up on you. She probably hates your fucking guts; she's hung up on you leaving. Won't admit it to you, and only kinda admitted it to me, but yeah. Just wants to know if you left her because of her or because of, you know, crossing over." He gestured to Viola.

"I didn't know Viola then," said Johannes irritably, "I already said this to her. I lost interest. Maybe it was just a little switch in my brain saying, 'Oh hey, you're not really into humans anymore, sorry, time to leave this all behind,' and I just had to go along with it, or maybe my heart wasn't in it." He reflected on that for a moment. "Yeah, that's a part of it but, I don't know, I didn't put much thought into it at the time or after. Even now. Honestly, I didn't put a lot of thought into anything really concerning my love life until Viola. Partially thanks to you." He chuckled nervously. "Actually saved me there, truth be told."

Eric waved off the thanks. "Wasn't really about setting you straight with her, it was about getting my star researcher back." He pulled a stack folders out from another drawer and dumped them on his desk. "And back out there again. I'm going back on my word Jo, and only because I was stupid enough to blab about something that shouldn't have been said." He flipped through the folders. "As long as you don't take this as an invitation to act like an idiot," he began, "I'll assign you this."

He slid the folder across his desk and motioned for Johannes to pick it up. "What is-" His question caught in his throat as he read over the project details. "Celestic Town?" He looked up at Eric. "You're sending me to Sinnoh? Me?" Eric nodded. "I thought you didn't have an opinion on my relationship choices."

Eric laughed. "I don't man, do whatever makes you happy. It's the only A-Class project we have that isn't in Kanto or here. If I can get you out of Hoenn, I can get you out of any kind of meetings here at the institute. Peace and quiet for me once Talia has nothing to be pissed off about anymore." He rubbed his hands together greedily. "It's collaborative work alongside the town's own Historical Research Center. Nothing fancy, sorry to say, mostly grunt work."

Johannes eyed the folder apprehensively. "Uh, what kind of grunt work?" he asked. The project description he had managed to skim through was decidedly vague.

"Shit below your station I'd imagine. Some stuff that befits your position, don't get me wrong, I know there's fieldwork attached, but you're mainly going to be a sort of encyclopedia for them while you're in Celestic itself. But you won't be staying in Celestic for the entire project, you'll be getting moved around Sinnoh to study and provide background on Pokemon behavior as they see fit, so you can probably take comfort in that." He gently bounced a chick between his hands and added, "No out of pocket, Jo. Their funds. Room, board, and change."

"Just like the B-Class you sent me on, eh?" mumbled Johannes. "This a good idea Eric? I took one batch of good notes and you're acting like I found out how to talk to Magikarp."

Eric set the chick down and laced his fingers together. "I'll be frank, you haven't earned this. You haven't really earned a B-Class either, you were right to think you should just be doing C-Class. You and I both know this, but, well, you've got me by the balls Jo. Actually, Talia does, but only as long as you're here, so I'm not above blaming you. I know normally I ask you to consider assignments, but please, take this assignment. It's an indefinite gig. Runs as long as it needs to, but they've set the minimum time to two years. Could land you a comfy research position out there even. Not that I'm about to fire you or anything, but hey, an offer out there would be good, wouldn't it?"

Johannes looked at Viola. "What do you think?" he asked.

Viola waved off the question, her face in her free hand. "Whatever you decide mast- um, Johannes," she chimed in his head in a remarkably even tone,"I will be quite happy with." There were flashes of glee and anticipation exploding along the tapestry of his thoughts as she said this. It was rather uncommon, after so long, for her emotions to overflow.

"Jeez, that flustered, huh?" He took her hand in his and turned back to Eric. "Need me out of your hair this much?"

Eric smiled sheepishly. "Yes, please," he said simply. He pointed at Viola, "Besides I think she's already made up her mind. Be nice for the two of you."

Johannes chose to ignore the ribbing and ran his free hand through his hair and sighed. "Sure, fine. I'll take it." He scooped up the folder and slipped it into his messenger bag. "No idea what they want a behavioral researcher for, but yeah, I'll do the job. When do I ship out?"

The door beside him cracked open. "Ship out where?" asked a terribly familiar voice. Talia strode into the room. Her eyes swept past Johannes and Viola in much the same way one regarded furniture.

Eric dropped his face into his hands. "Nothing Talia," he said in a determinedly dismissive tone, "I'll be with you in a second."

"Drop the act Eric, I heard what you said," she snapped.

"Do you just hang outside my office eavesdropping now?" he said, exasperated. "Alright, the Skitty's out of the bag then, is it?" He pulled his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. "Yes, I'm sending Johannes off to Sinnoh so you'll get the stick out of your ass and go back to how you were before he showed up."

Talia's face contorted with rage. She rounded on Johannes. "The fuck did you pull that shit back then for? Do you take into consideration how people feel at all?" she said venomously. "Normal, functioning members of society have the common sense to actually say what's on their mind. And most Pokefuckers have the audacity to admit to their fucked up state of mind. Why couldn't you?"

"Are we really doing this? I apologized already. I don't know what I could do to make any of that up to you, but I'm guessing nothing at all," mumbled Johannes. He shook his head and pulled Viola towards the door. "What happened back then was the equivalent of one door closing and another opening. That's it. I couldn't explain it further if I tried. Happy? I'm getting out of here. Thanks for the assignment Eric, I'm going home. Sorry Talia, but that's all there was to it." A book slammed into the door frame and landed at his feet as he made for the threshold. He turned around and saw Talia, arm outstretched, chest heaving. "Did you just throw a fucking book at me?"

"You're not getting off the hook that easy Johannes. Eric might have given you a free pass but I'm not about to," she breathed, unhooking a ball from her belt. "Fight me. I win, you're working through D-Classes until you've earned a C-Class the old fashioned way."

"Talia, you're not in any position to decide what Johannes can and can't do when it comes to his projects," said Eric angrily.

She turned her head to face him and bellowed, "Stay out of this Eric! You want to give him the easy way out then I'll have him and YOU reported for flagrant disregard of the rules that govern the integrity of this institute."

"Oh for fuck's sake-" began Eric.

"Fine," said Johannes quietly. "Viola, you want to go to Sinnoh?" The Gardevoir looked at him, her face set and nodded. "Alright, then we're winning this and getting out of here. No reports. Drop this shit. Deal?"

Talia grit her teeth. "Deal."

"Fight in the courtyard please," moaned Eric, "My office looks like shit enough as it is without you helping out." He heaved himself out of his seat. "I'll ref. No bias," he said. At the look on his sister's face, he added hastily, "I swear."

Night had fallen during their discussion and subsequent altercation. A set of spotlights kept the courtyard of the institute illuminated, though Johannes noted it was still rather difficult to see.

Talia tossed a Pokeball out – its beam of red light produced the shape of a Mismagius. "Have fun fighting a ghost in the dark," she taunted, a mean smirk on her face.

Johannes turned Viola around and looked her in the eyes. "I have no idea what to do," he said honestly. "I'm not a Trainer, I'm a researcher. I know what you can do, don't get me wrong, I'd be a complete idiot and terrible researcher material if I didn't know what most Pokemon can do, but I don't know specific attacks or techniques outside of really common ones I'd encounter out in the field."

She reached up and cupped his face. "You worry too much Johannes," she chimed. "I have full confidence in you."

He frowned. "Yeah but I don't have any in myself for this kind of stuff. I only agreed to this so Eric wouldn't get in trouble," he explained. "But..." He rummaged into his bag and pulled out a Pokeball. "You, I have complete confidence in." He pulled her hand from his face and placed the ball in it. "What do you think we should do? Mismagius is a Ghost type, so we're already at a huge disadvantage."

Viola turned the ball in her hand over several times, contemplating it. When she finally spoke, the tones in his head were cracking. "I don't have any Ghost-type techniques in my repertoire Johannes. Only what is intrinsic to my line."

"Hey!" Talia shouted furiously from the other side of the courtyard. "Stop talking and get this shit started already!"

Eric hushed her. "He's got some time to strategize. A good chunk of his foreseeable future is on the line after all," he said wearily.

"Two minutes then, asshole!" she shouted at Johannes.

"Damn, alright. We need to hurry. What do we do? Nothing we do will particularly hurt that Mismagius," he said quickly.

Viola turned about and glanced between the two lights that kept the picnic table in the courtyard illuminated and then up at the night sky. A smile spread slowly across her face. "No Johannes, but we do have the gift of time," she said finally. "Let us begin." She stepped towards the Mismagius.

Eric walked dejectedly up to the two Pokemon and looked between Johannes and Talia. "Yadda yadda, rules, same old shit, first out loses and we can all get on with our lives," he said aloud. "Begin. I guess."

Viola ran immediately counterclockwise to the Mismagius, attempting to position it between herself and the lamppost. A Shadow Ball narrowly missed her on the way there. Multicolored leaves blinked into existence around her and flew straight at the Mismagius, who responded by immediately flipping in midair away from them. They sailed harmlessly past the Pokemon and destroyed the light fixture. Somewhere to her right, Viola heard Talia laugh.

"How the hell do you miss with something like that? That's the whole point of using it! Shadow Ball her again, Luna!" Talia shouted.

The second Shadow Ball struck Viola's leg and knocked her to a knee. She winced in pain and looked up at the Mismagius in time to see yet another sphere fly at her. She rolled to the side and her eyes found the battered lantern that hung from the lamppost. She lifted it into the air and looked back at the Mismagius – it was lined up in front of the other lamppost. She suppressed a smile and threw it forcefully at the other dangling lantern. The Mismagius laughed as the lantern sailed harmlessly through her body and brought the other lantern behind her down to the ground with a crash.

'Was she trying to miss? Magical Leaf is notoriously accurate and she should know that something like a lantern isn't going to hurt a Ghost type,' thought Johannes in a panic. 'Can Viola even see her still? All that's left is the light of the stars and the moon.' His thoughts caught on that last couple of words. 'The moon.'

Viola looked about in false panic – if she could convincingly feign blindness, this ploy would end the fight.

"Luna, Phantom Force!" shouted Talia from across the courtyard.

Somewhere in the darkness Viola saw the Mismagius phase from existence. She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. She dropped the Pokeball she had been carrying to the ground and clasped her hands together. Energy began to collect in them. All that stood between her and success was the correct angle of attack.

"Johannes," said a familiar voice in his head, "As I said before, I have complete confidence in you, and now I require your advice. Where do I strike?"

He clamped his eyes shut and racked his brains, sifting panickedly through the muddled memories of his time with Talia. There were hardly any battles to recall, he was so disinterested in it all. Except one. Luna had flown at the Pokemon she was attacking from above. It felt like a stone had slid into his stomach; a terrible amount rode on a sample size of one. He tore his eyes open and shouted, "ABOVE!"

She unclasped her hands and an orb of light winked into existence. She launched it directly up into the air, directly at the Mismagius that winked into existence before the sphere as she sped full tilt at Viola. There was an explosion of light that lit up the courtyard and revealed the slowly falling figure of Luna as she drifted to the earth. Talia looked on, frozen.

Eric let out a low whistle. "Well, uh..." he began, as he approached the Mismagius, "I think Luna's given it all she could." He knelt down beside the unconscious Pokemon and looked at it for a moment. "Yeah, she's out Talia." He stood up. "Match goes to Johannes and Viola." Talia raised Luna's Pokeball numbly and recalled the Mismagius. "Tal? You alright?" asked Eric, seeing the look on her face. She turned her head slowly towards him and stared him in the eyes for a minute. Without a word, she turned and left. He heard her footsteps fade away and then said quietly, "Maybe I should tell Johannes to stay after all so she doesn't kill me." He sighed and made his way to the victors.

Viola bent over and picked her Pokeball up off of the grass, a broad smile still on her face. As she straightened up she thought to turn about and limp triumphantly back to Johannes but instead was startled by a laughing figure that lifted her off the ground and spun her about. "That was brilliant Viola!" She felt his lips press against her forehead several times and her cheeks growing hot. "I knew you could do it!"

She looked up at Johannes and smiled warmly. "Without your input, I would not have," she intoned placidly. "Thank you Johannes." She kissed him.

A bright light on his face pulled Johannes away from her. "Save it for Sinnoh, you two," said the approaching voice of Eric, a large grin on his face and a flashlight in his hands. "Not bad Johannes, didn't know you had ESP too. Didn't say a damn thing all battle until the very end," he remarked.

His colleague raised an eyebrow. "I don't have ESP," he said simply, "Viola decided what to do."

Eric's eyebrows furrowed. "That's rather, uh, un-Trainer like. Then again, Talia didn't exactly pick a fight with a Trainer type."

"No offense," he said after a beat. "But Pokemon wouldn't survive in the wild if they couldn't fight unaided right?"

Johannes set Viola down. "Guess not. Where'd she head off to anyway?" he asked.

"Dunno. Probably home to sulk or cry or both. She'll get over it now that she's had her ass handed to her good and proper," he mused. "It doesn't really matter all that much either way, does it?"

Johannes looked taken aback. "I mean she's your sister, I figured you'd be worried," he began.

"Don't bother Jo. She's my sister so I'll worry about her on my time. You don't give a damn because as far as I can see, you told her the truth and she didn't want to hear it. Or believe it. You put this behind you a long time ago, and I'm glad she finally had someone tell her to shut up and do the same. That she had to listen to anyway, because she sure as fuck didn't listen to me," explained Eric. "Head on home man, you're shipping out tomorrow afternoon."

"Wait, what? You want me to pack for a two year trip in a single night?" complained Johannes. "Is that even reasonable?"

Eric laughed. "Traveled really heavy the last year, did you?"

Viola giggled. "He is not incorrect, Johannes," she chimed. "Your personal effects are rather lacking."

"I'm not sending you to bumfuck nowhere Jo," said Eric, "You'll be able to buy necessities when you get there. Just pack a couple days worth of clothes, tents and camping shit so you don't have to buy more and get the rest of the shit you need when you get there. Hell, go with just whatever you put on tomorrow morning. I'll take care of the shit in your house, toss out old eggs, stuff like that. I just need you out of here in the event Talia goes crazy and tries something."

"You know, sisters aren't supposed to cause you this much grief," started Johannes.

Eric cut in. "And she didn't until you showed up. Just get packed, okay? For me man. Quid pro quo."

Once again, Eric was right.

For all his complaining about not having sufficient time to pack, Johannes did little to help himself manage the time he did have better. He knew why he was still up tossing what few belongings he felt he'd need with him into a backpack and his messenger bag while Viola slumbered behind him. But really, she had invited him to shower alongside her. It would have been rude to decline. The absolute pinnacle of insensitivity even. At least there wasn't any sort of water rationing in effect. He tossed both bags by his bedroom door at last and got into bed.

The morning came almost immediately after he had laid down, or so it felt. He groaned as something shook his shoulder insistently. "Johannes, please wake up," said Viola insistently, "It is noon."

He groaned and opened his eyes slowly. "Already?" he murmured. "How?"

He heard her giggle. "That is how time functions Johannes," she replied. "We must be off soon to meet Eric. "

He sat up and rubbed his eyes. "I haven't forgotten; it was yesterday and really important," he mumbled. "Just let me get dressed."

The coffee he brewed was working, but not quite as much as he had hoped; he still felt drowsy as they walked to the cafe where they were to meet Eric. When they arrived, he sat down at a patio table and ordered another coffee for himself and Viola. He looked around for Eric to no avail, "How early are we anyway?" he asked. It was ten past one. "Don't tell me he's going to be here at four or something," he mumbled into his cup.

Viola rolled her Pokeball back and forth between her hands along the table. "He said around two, did he not?" she wondered.

"Well, means we've got some time to kill. And wake up. Usually the cold does a pretty good job of waking me up, but it just had to be on the warmer side today," he said. He watched her roll the ball back and forth for a minute before asking, "Viola, are you just carrying that around?"

She nodded. "You presented me with it Johannes, why wouldn't I be? I also haven't anywhere to really store it."

He slapped his forehead. "Right, you don't," he said. "Sorry, that was my fault. Wait here, okay?"

"Johannes?" she chimed. She turned and watched his retreating back head down the block and disappear into a store. He emerged some ten minutes later clutching a small bag.

"You know, it's really odd to ask a clerk for a Pokeball belt that fits a Gardevoir," he explained, chuckling. He pulled a brilliantly white, thin belt from the bag. "Especially since we basically had to guess in the end. Anyway, here let me see that." He took the Pokeball from her and clipped it to the belt. "Alright, now stand up so I can put this on you."

She obliged. "Johannes, this is rather unconventional, isn't it? And mildly ill-advised?" The tones were quiet.

"Eh, I dunno," he said, shrugging. "But I already said, I'm not exactly a Trainer. Just a researcher. Besides, we won't be seeing much in the way of combat, so I wouldn't be too worried about the ball breaking or something." He threaded the belt through its silver loop and tightened it, then frowned. "Well, better slightly loose than overly tight. Sorry Viola, it's not going to sit perfectly straight, there isn't a hole in the belt where there should be to fit your waist. I'll get one made later." She looked down as he pulled away from her and admired the belt, then stepped forward and embraced him.

"That's quite alright. Thank you," she replied. She tilted her head up and kissed his cheek.

Somewhere behind him, Johannes heard a few mutters spring up among a few cafe patrons, but next to him, heard a genial voice. "You're too audacious for your own good Johannes. You and Viola." Eric clapped him on the back as Johannes turned to look at him – he was leaning off to one side on his bicycle. "How's it going bud? Here's your train pass and ferry ticket," he said, pulling them out of his pocket – they were slightly crumpled. "It'll be a bit of a journey, but you'll be in Sinnoh before you know it. But, I've gotta get a move on. Shit to do, angry tirades to deal with you know the deal." He gave him a grin.

Johannes returned it. "More than I'd like to," he replied.

"Do me a favor too, try to keep up our reputation, will you? You'll be in Sinnoh, but that's not an open invitation to act like a dumbass," said Eric more seriously.

Johannes rolled his eyes. "Yeah sure, anything else I should know 'dad'?"

Eric laughed and leaned in towards him. "Hey man, you're the one that got deported for not keeping it in your pants. Never letting you live that one down either, gonna be a send off for every last call you make to me, you hear?"

Johannes groaned and waved him off. "Yeah, yeah, I should have expected as much." Eric threw him a smile and set off.

The couple watched him disappear around a corner. "Let's go Viola."

Johannes felt something tug on his jacket's sleeve. He lifted his head off the glass of the train window and looked blearily down at Viola. "What's up?" he mumbled sleepily. "We almost there?"

Viola slumped onto his shoulder and took his hand in hers. "No, I'm sorry for waking you Johannes, but I have a question. At the cafe, some of those patrons were muttering. They were uncomfortable," she said evenly. "But in Sinnoh, this won't quite be the case anymore will it?"

Johannes cracked his neck and sat up straighter. "I... Hm. I don't know," he said quietly. "I don't think it would be. If they're pushing forward legislation about something like marriage, I think a peck on the lips isn't really at the forefront of the citizens' minds. They're way past being weirded out by that."

She nestled closer to him. "Then we, what we look like – that won't be a problem?" she asked.

He frowned. "No, I don't think so. I mean, it wasn't that big a problem here. Then again, I was a little more aware of what I was doing after what happened in Kanto. Were you?" he replied.

"Yes," she said, nodding. "I feared some sort of discipline would befall you."

"Well, if by discipline you mean insults and disapproving looks, maybe. Hoenn's a bit laxer on these things," he reasoned. "So it's not like it would have been the end of the world." He paused. "Why are you asking me this?"

Viola took a shuddering breath and turned in her seat. She took his hands in her own and leaned forward. "I have the luxury of communicating entirely through telepathy with you. What I say, what I feel about a situation – all of it is free from judgment unless I will it to be heard by more than just you. But you, you must respond aloud, where anyone – regardless of how much or how little they know of you – can pass judgment. Or worse, act upon it. But in Sinnoh, I can worry far less about it."

He gave her a tiny grin. "Come on Viola," he said, "I don't give a damn what people think. I thought yesterday taught you that."

A petal stroked the side of his face softly. "Johannes, I love you." Her cheeks reddened and she buried her face into his chest. "I'm sorry for being dramatic."

The train slowed. "Now arriving in Slateport. Please collect your belongings and ensure you have not left anything behind," said a cool voice that rang through the train.

He pulled her head away from his chest and kissed her. "And I love you," he said as he pulled away. "And no one's going to neck me for it." He gestured out to the train car at the oblivious passengers for added effect. "See?"

Viola dropped her arms to his midsection and hugged him tightly, too embarrassed for words.

"Arrived in Slateport. Please ensure you have not left behind any belongings before you exit the train. We thank you and wish you a pleasant evening."

Free Talk: Yeah, it's over, but at least it went out with a considerably longer bang than most chapters I write. A new idea struck me so I decided to wrap up Second Autumn to work on a new series with a focus on something a bit different: crime, mystery and intrigue. It won't be noir, at least I don't plan on it being so, but maybe some elements of it will crop up, who knows, we're going to Kalos for it after all. For those of you in despair about the departure of Jo and Viola, worry not, they'll be back very, very quickly. For those of you glad to see them gone (though I wonder why you read to the end if you disliked them), you have my apologies about their speedy return, maybe Ignace will be a more attractive character for you.

I thank you all for your support and feedback, past or present. Until next time!