Chapter Five

Questions and Answers

By Havoc

"All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them."
-Galileo Galilei

------

Sheer exhaustion kept Aurelia and Eric in bed far longer than they would have been otherwise; fighting off the invasion of Team Aqua had drained their reserves of energy. As such, they slept through the morning and did not wake until quite late in the afternoon. They might not have even woken up then if the S.S. Tidal's horn had not blown, sending a long note throughout the length of the ship.

Aurelia blinked her green eyes open, and yawned, stretching her back. Her hands touched the wall behind her, and for some reason that struck her as incorrect. While she was trying to figure out exactly what was wrong about the wall being behind her, Eric awoke beside her. A moment later, Aurelia realized there was a weight on her waist that had not been there when she'd gone to sleep. She had just enough time to register Eric's blue eyes looking back at her when the situation made itself abundantly clear. Sometime in the night they had both rolled over, and were now face-to-face, with one of Eric's arms draped over her. Aurelia felt warmth rise to her cheeks, and could see that Eric's face was beginning to turn a bit pink.

"Uh...," Eric said. "Good morning..."

"Afternoon, I think," Aurelia replied, her eyes flicking over to the wall clock.

"Right..."

For a few minutes they didn't move, even though they knew that they should. Eric's hand was absentmindedly stroking the fur on her back, which was nothing all that unusual; he often rubbed her shoulder, or her back, or the top of her head, when they were sitting together. The fact that at this moment it was feeling far better than it usually did was a little point of difference.

Eric finally realized what he was doing, and drew his arm away from her. "So, yeah...uh, yeah. Guess we should get up." He quickly slid out of bed, looking flustered. "Sleeping the day away and all."

Aurelia wasn't sure how she should be acting, so she decided laughter was the appropriate response. The sound broke some of the awkward tension in the room, and before long they were both laughing. Now that they were no longer in the bed together, the way they had been acting seemed silly.

"What was that whistle about, anyway?" Aurelia asked. She sat up in bed and looked out the window, her ears and tail perking up as soon as she got a good view outside. "Oh! We're coming into port. We should get ready to leave!"

By the time Eric had dressed and they had gathered all of their things into their bags, the Tidal was finishing its docking procedures. With a last look around the cabin to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything, they exited, leaving the key behind in the room and the cabin door unlocked.

The corridors of the ship were full of trainers and pokémon, all of them carrying bags or sacks of some kind and trying to make their way to the exits and the shore. Fewer trainers were leaving the ship than had come on. Many of the people who were on the ship were going to be looping around to continue back past Dewford Island and Slateport, on to Pacifidlog, Sootopolis, Mossdeep, and Lilycove. Some might even be heading all the way to Ever Grande City, to participate in the Champions Tournament.

Finally, after a lot of shoving and pushing, Aurelia and Eric made it to where they could finally get off the ship. Once they arrived, however, they found that they could go no further. Something was causing a hold-up, and nobody was being allowed off of the ship. There was a lot of yelling and questions from the queued trainers, and the crew was doing their best to try to calm them down.

"Please, don't shove! We're just-" "There are just a few things-" "We need to get off! Let us through!" "People please just be patient-"

A sharp, clear voice cut through all of the noise. "Ah, please. Part a way, if you will. I require a path, you see."

People gradually began to give way, pushing to the sides so that the source of the voice could make his way up one of the unloading ramps and onto the ship. The crowd parted in front of Aurelia and Eric, revealing the speaker to be a man, flanked by two members of Petalburg City's police department. The man was tall with a rather inconspicuous appearance beyond the brown trenchcoat and suit that he wore. He looked to be in his forties, with black hair and brown eyes. Despite not being able to remember ever seeing him before in her life, Aurelia got the odd sense that she knew him, somehow.

Regardless of whether or not Aurelia, or Eric, knew who the man was, he seemed to know who they were because as soon as he laid eyes on them he gave a tight smile and a small nod. The man and the police officers walked through the gathered trainers and approached the two friends.

"Ah, it is you," he said by way of greeting. "Please, if you will come with me, I require questions to ask of you." He beckoned Aurelia and Eric and began to walk off, heading back into the ship.

They hesitated for a few moments, not sure of what was going on, but they both reasoned in their heads that if he was with the police than going with him was safe. They both followed after the suited man, while the two Petalburg police officers fell in behind them. The stranger walked for a few minutes before turning into a room that had a door marked "Staff Only." Aurelia and Eric went in after him but the officers stopped outside, standing on either side of the door, which the man closed behind them. Inside the room was a long conference table with chairs along each side. Aurelia and Eric were bid to sit down, which they did. The stranger sat across from them and folded his hands on top of the table.

"So, seeing you again is good," he said, speaking to Aurelia. He had an odd accent which neither Aurelia nor Eric could place. It was obvious that he was not from Hoenn or Sinnoh...perhaps Johto?

Aurelia looked at Eric, then back at the man. "I'm...sorry...," she said slowly. "I don't think I've ever met you. You must have me mistaken for another Zangoose..."

The man smiled and shook his head. "No, it is no mistake. Your eyes, I would know them anywhere. Your mother's looks, you have, but your father's eyes also."

"You know Lia's parents?" Eric blurted out. "Who are you? How did you find us?"

"Ah, so many questions!" the man said, leaning forward in his chair. "Please, allow me to be doing the asking, if you will." He paused. "Ah, but these questions, I suppose I can be answering them."

"Please," Aurelia said. "First of all, who are you? And how do you know Mom and Dad? And me?"

The man fished around in one of his coat pockets. "This first question, it is simple to answer. I am an agent for the International Police. It is what I do." He pulled out a small wallet and presented an identification card and badge. "As for my name, that I cannot be telling. It is enough to be giving my code name. You may be referring to me as 'Looker.'" He smiled. "It is also what I do." Looker chuckled at his own small joke.

Aurelia and Eric looked at each other. Looker seemed like a nice guy, if first impressions were anything, but he also seemed kind of odd. The accent and strange syntax didn't help with that.

"Ah, but the second question, it is being a bit harder to answer," Looker continued, putting his ID away and rubbing his chin. "Let us just be saying that I met your parents when you were a very, very small Zangoose. In Sinnoh, yes." He gave another tight-lipped smile. "You have grown quite large since I am last seeing you. I am pleased that you are coming to no...But all is well, yes, all is well."

"Um...," Aurelia said, not sure what to say to him. "That's...good?"

Looker clapped his hands. "I am wishing I could tell the whole story, but your parents. I am thinking they should be the ones to tell. You will ask them, yes?" Without waiting for an answer, he leaned back in his chair again. "Now, I am having some questions for you. It is about what happened last night. The Captain is telling me that you both are being responsible for capturing our friends from Team Aqua."

"That's right," Eric said. "Were they really from Team Aqua? I thought they had gone away years ago, after...that incident."

"Yes, yes, they were being the genuine article, I am afraid." Looker stood up and began pacing back and forth across the room, his trenchcoat swishing around his legs every time he turned around. "Three years ago, the heads of Team Aqua and Team Magma are disappearing, but now it seems that the organizations themselves are reorganizing." He stopped and looked at the pair. "Several crimes have been committed recently, and I am researching and linking them with them. It is a thin trail, but becoming clearer it is to me. Ah, my next question! It comes to me. When you are dealing with the Team Aqua on this ship, you are hearing something of why they want the ship, yes?"

Aurelia looked at Eric, her ears flattening a little. "Not really," she said, turning her eyes back to Looker and waving her tail a little, nervously. "We were more concerned with helping the crew and getting them all. But I think they were trying to take the ship somewhere besides Petalburg."

Looker nodded. "It is as I am thinking, then. They were not just trying to cause havoc. The Team Aqua was trying to steal the ship itself."

"Steal the ship?" the young Zangoose asked. "Why?"

"Why else would they be wanting a ship?" Looker asked in reply. He turned his head between Eric and Aurelia. "It is being the oldest motive in history: money. After being inactive for so long, Team Aqua is being penniless. Needing money they are, and what better way than to steal a ship such as S.S. Tidal? Besides the ship itself, money can be made from taking the pokémon that are belonging to the trainers on board and selling them on the black market. Unscrupulous collectors, zoos, breeders, and certain...other industries...All are being interested in purchasing pokémon, even at the risk of dealing in the stolen goods." He stroked his chin, and began speaking in a voice that suggested he was talking to himself. "Ah, but where are they receiving the funds for staging such an operation in the first place?...That is being the question I am wondering...But I am having ideas about that..."

Aurelia coughed. "Sir? Mr. Looker? Do you have any more questions?" Looker started and looked up at her, an expression clearly written on his face that said he had not realized he'd been talking to himself. "It's just that we've been on this ship for several days, and we'd like to get off now, if you don't need us anymore."

"Ah, I am giving my apologies!" Looker exclaimed. "I have been keeping of you much too long. Yes, yes, I am finishing with my asking of the questions. You may be going." He reached into a pocket. "But first, there is some things I must be giving." The agent withdrew two cards from his coat. "The first thing, it is my card. It is having my phone number on it. If you are learning or hearing anything more about the Team Aqua or the Team Magma, you will call me, yes?"

"Of course," Eric said, taking the card from him. "Glad to help, if we learn anything that might be useful."

"Wonderful, wonderful." Looker held out the second card. "And this. This is not being from me. It is from the Captain of the ship. He is not being able to see you while the ship is in port, but he was wanting me to give this to you as thanks for helping him." He handed the card to Eric. "It is being what is known as a Universal Ticket. Using it, you can be using any of the public transportation systems in Hoenn, Sinnoh, Johto, or Kanto. It is not working in Orre, Fiore, Almia, or Oblivia, but I am thinking it will nevertheless be useful to you."

Aurelia and Eric were awed by the gift. "Wow," Aurelia said. "This is really generous of the Captain, even if we do deserve it." She smiled at Looker. "Tell him thank you for us, will you?"

"Yes, yes," Looker said. "I shall certainly be doing that." He stood and moved to the door, holding it open for them. "And now, I am thinking you should be going. The rest of the passengers who are departing should be off the ship, and you will want to leave before new passengers are coming on. I am wishing best of luck to you in the future."

------

Petalburg Port was a bustle of activity once Eric and Aurelia finally got off of the S.S. Tidal, although the port was not as active as the one in Slateport. Except for the single large berth that was used for ships such as the Tidal, the docks seemed designed to handle small pleasure boats and a number of fishing rigs. The word "marina," rather than port, might have been better to describe it. Located outside of the city proper, one could just see the buildings that made up Petalburg City past the port facilities. The city was nestled in a wooded area, and a lot of the buildings were partially obscured by tall trees.

Hefting his bag, Eric looked around, taking in the sights. "So, what first? We could go find something to eat, or we could go to the Pokémon Center and get a room for the night. What do you want to do, Lia?"

"Let's find someplace with a phone, first," the Zangoose said. "I want to call home. I bet Mom and Dad are wondering if we're okay. I hope Mom's okay...She wasn't feeling very good the week before we left. The pregnancy was getting to her."

"Fine with me," Eric agreed. They headed off through the people in the port, gathering a few odd looks. Not many people seemed to have ever seen a pokémon walking along with a human, carrying a large, pink backpack.

After consulting a few locals, they discovered that the best place to find a public telephone was where they were going to be eventually heading anyway: the Pokémon Center. That made things a lot more convenient, so they started heading towards the town without further delay. A handy map of the area, meant for tourists and travelers such as themselves, was installed at the gate giving access to the port area. A quick look over the map gave Aurelia the direction that they needed to be going in, and she led Eric through the streets.

All the while she was taking in the sights and sounds of Petalburg City, seeing how different it was from her hometown of Slateport. Slateport City was a whole lot of hustle and bustle, but Petalburg City seemed much more relaxed. Sure, it was one of the major cities in Hoenn, and it did have one of the gyms of the Hoenn Pokémon League, but it felt more down-home. It was one of those odd contradictions of a metropolis that still retains the feel of a rural community.

The Petalburg Pokémon Center stayed true to this image. The building had a red brick exterior, and a hanging sign out front proclaiming what would be found inside the doors. It was a sizeable structure, having three stories and extending far back from the front, where cheap rooms for traveling trainers could be rented.

Once Aurelia and Eric went inside, however, the quaint image quickly faded into an image of modern medical technology. Bright lights hung from the ceiling, illuminating a spotless and gleaming white tile floor. In the lobby, chairs and table were set around for people to use, and a waiting area had couches with a large flat-screen television hung on the wall. Set against the back wall of the room was a long counter with several stations of nurses, where the quick-heal machines were placed. Those machines were where trainers could have their poké balls placed in order to heal normal battle damage and fatigue of the pokémon inside. More advanced machines and hospital rooms were further in the back, hidden from public view, where more seriously injured pokémon could be tended to.

Also inside the lobby were several booths, designed for the use of one or two people each, which contained video phones of the type becoming increasingly common in households across Hoenn. Aurelia's father had purchased one several months ago, having saved up for a while for the purpose. The phones could be used publicly, for no cost, as long as the calls were staying within the region. For calls made outside of Hoenn, there was a small fee. Aurelia made for one of these booths, followed by Eric. Inside was a small bench, which they sat down on together. Eric tossed a coin to see whether they would call Aurelia's family or his mother first, and Aurelia won. She dialed the number for her house in Hoenn and waited while a connection was made.

The phone rang four times before a picture materialized on the screen. Her father appeared, with the living room at home visible in the background. Aurelia immediately felt a wave of homesickness that she had not been expecting when she saw him. Edwin looked unkempt, as though he had not shaved in a day or more, and he had slight bags under his eyes.

"Hello?" he asked, rubbing a hand over his face.

"Hi, Daddy!" Aurelia greeted him cheerfully, smiling broadly and wagging her tail. "It's me! Eric and I just arrived in Petalburg City!"

"Lia!" Edwin said, his tiredness diminishing somewhat as he recognized his daughter on the video screen. He turned around and called off-screen. "Val, it's Aurelia." Almost instantly, Edwin was pushed to the side a little as Valene crowded into the picture. She was holding a small bundle in her arms, and looked just as tired as Edwin did.

"Lia!" Valene said, looking more relieved than her daughter had ever seen her. "Val is so happy to see you. Worried Lia not calling home."

Aurelia laughed. "Mom, you know I wouldn't do that." She pulled Eric into the picture. "Eric is here, too."

"Hello, Eric," Valene and Edwin both said. "How are things going?" Edwin followed up with.

"Not bad," Eric said. "Lia is doing well, and the trip's been...fairly nice, so far."

Aurelia finally took note of the bundle that her mother was holding. She was cradling it rather firmly against her chest, almost as if..."Mom, what's that you've got there?"

"Oh, Val has surprise for Lia," Valene said, grinning from ear to ear. She took one claw and plucked at a corner of the bundle, lifting it and pulling it aside. Inside the wrapped blanket was a sight to make Aurelia's heart nearly melt. Sleeping soundly, cradled in his mother's arms and unaware of the conversation going on in his presence, was a tiny Zangoose kitten. The little one's fur was striped with gold and brown, which would change to red once he was a bit older. "This Lia's little brother, Adrian."

Aurelia touched a claw to the screen, placing it over the kitten's ears. "Adrian...," she said, her eyes filling with tears. More than anything at that moment, she wished she was home to hold her little brother in her own arms. The newborn was tiny, a little ball of white fur and a pair of comically enormous ears, but Aurelia knew that by the time she saw home again he would already be on his way to adolescence. That broke her heart, having to miss a lot of her brother's childhood.

After a few minutes, the Zangoose found her voice again. "...When was he born?"

"Two days after you left," Edwin said. "We wanted to let you know, but we weren't sure how to reach you."

"We were kind of occupied, anyway," Aurelia said, forcing a smile. She stroked the screen over the image of Adrian. "I wish I could come home and visit, but I bet the ship has already left. And it would be really hard to turn around and come home any other way. Besides, after what happened I don't think I want to be on a ship for a long time."

"Why?" Edwin asked, his face suddenly concerned. "What happened? Did something go wrong?" Aurelia and Eric launched into the story of what had happened since leaving Slateport City, starting with arriving on the ship and Aurelia coming down with seasickness. Her parents expressed sympathy, but swelled with pride when they heard the story of Aurelia's adventure in Granite Cave. When they got to the part about Team Aqua, and the conversation with Looker, Edwin's face went white and Valene's ears drooped low to her head.

"So...Lia met him...," Valene said, sounding uncharacteristically melancholy. "Looker..."

"Yes," Aurelia said. Eric was being conspicuously quiet, perhaps sensing how touchy the subject was becoming. "And he said he knew you and Dad. How do you know him? Was he one of the policemen who used to bring me home when I wandered too far? Because I don't think he's from around here..."

"No, we...He's from a while ago," Edwin said, shifting uncomfortably to one side. He looked down at his mate, and she shook her head rapidly, jostling little Adrian a bit.

"No!" Valene exclaimed. "Lia not need to know...Val not want to remember..."

Edwin laid a hand on Valene's shoulder. "She has a right to know. We've kept it from her for far too long. It's a part of her past, and if Looker really did tell her to ask us...I'm sure he had his reasons, and he's the kind of guy who wouldn't have said that unless he thought she needed to know, and that it was okay for her to know." Valene abruptly turned around and walked out of view of the video phone's camera. Off-screen, Aurelia and Eric could hear a door slamming shut. Edwin grimaced, but he turned back to the phone.

"Your mother...has never really gotten over what happened way back when you were born," he said. "Sometimes she still wakes up crying..." He looked down at his feet for a few seconds, and then looked back up. "This is something we should have told you when you first asked why we moved from Sinnoh, but by then you'd developed into such an outgoing girl, despite what our family is like. We didn't want you to lose that."

Aurelia smiled. "Dad, I'm a big girl. I think I can handle it." She elbowed Eric in the side lightly, slapping him with her tail behind her back. "And Eric is here to keep my spirits up. I'm not going to be brought down by a little story that happened years ago."

Her father gave a genuine grin. "Of course not. You're more than prepared to hear this story, now. You've got a good friend to travel with, and you've already done more than we expected you to." Edwin scratched his chin. "It's not a very long story, but I'll try to be as detailed as I can.

"You already know that your mother and I traveled together, like you and Eric do." He blinked. "Well, obviously you and Eric are not exactly the same as Valene and me, but you get the idea. Four and a half years ago, we were in Hearthome City, in Sinnoh, for a Pokémon Contest, and your mother went into heat."

Eric coughed at that, turning a bit red, but Aurelia barely batted an eye. She had heard this story, or at least this part, enough times that it didn't embarrass her as much as it had when she was younger. Her father noted Eric's discomfort with a chuckle, and continued.

"We kept moving until Val was too pregnant to travel comfortably, and then we settled down in Veilstone City," Edwin said. "We'd planned to stay there after you were born, because it was a reasonably good place to live. I rented an apartment, and we were prepared to make a life in Sinnoh. After you were born, everything seemed perfect.

"It was the night after you were born, in fact, that it happened. You had woken up in the middle of night, like babies will do, and I stayed in bed while Val went to calm you down." Edwin took a deep breath, steeling himself for the memories of what had happened next. "I fell asleep again, and when I woke up, I heard some noises coming from the living room of the apartment. When I got up to investigate, I found that some people from a criminal organization called Team Galactic had broken in. They were taking you away from us...I tried to stop them, but they got away with you."

Aurelia and Eric were both dumbfounded. Neither of them had any idea that this kind of thing was in the young Zangoose's past, and they were both completely shocked. Aurelia felt hurt and betrayed that her father had never shared this with her before, while Eric felt overwhelming waves of sorrow for what had happened to his best friend.

"Well...after I made sure that your mother was okay, I called the police," Edwin continued. "They were no help, but a few hours into the investigation, Looker showed up. That was the first time we met him. He took things over and we figured out where you had been taken, which was the Galactic building in Veilstone. All three of us wound up breaking into the building, and to make a long story short, we found you and took you back." He took another deep breath, letting it out slowly. "And that's pretty much it. Looker advised us to get out of Sinnoh, and the next morning we were on the way here. We stayed with my mother and father in Mauville City for a few weeks, and then we came to Slateport, where you know my family is originally from."

Aurelia found her voice. "But...why? Why did they kidnap me in the first place? What was the point of it all?"

Edwin bit his lip. "I...don't know."

"Come on, really?" Eric said, sounding disbelieving. "I don't believe that you'd keep this whole story from Lia for so long unless you had an idea of why they took her."

"I'm serious, I don't know for sure," Edwin said, persistent. "Looker couldn't figure anything out, and neither could we. We...well, Val and I suspected that it might be to learn how Aurelia could have been conceived...Human and pokémon, you know. But we've never been sure." Edwin looked off to the side, towards where Valene had disappeared to. "I'd better go check on your mother, make sure she'd doing okay. Aurelia...Stay safe out there. We believe in you, and we know you can do what you've set out to do. Eric, watch out for her, and don't let her get hurt."

"I love you, Dad," Aurelia said, touching the screen one more time.

Her father reached out and placed his hand where hers would be. "I know, Lia. I love you, too. Keep in touch." He smiled, and then the screen went dark.

Aurelia let her claws linger on the video screen, and then she slid off of the bench. "Eric...Go ahead and call your mom...I need a few minutes to think..." Without waiting for a response from Eric she left the booth and walked back into the lobby of the Pokémon Center, finding a couch in a corner of the room. Away from the rest of the center's customers, she could be alone with her thoughts.

Mom and Dad never told me..., Aurelia said to herself, resting her elbows on her knees and placing her chin in her hands. I never thought I started life out like that...I didn't know that that was why we moved to Hoenn... She stared blankly at the television across the room, not really seeing what was on the screen. The first thing that happened to me, ever, was a kidnapping. And it was a big criminal organization that did it.

A horrible thought occurred to Aurelia just then, and not just because of the shock that she had just received. It also had to do with a crazy coincidence, or else not a coincidence, that she had just recognized.

Team Galactic takes me in Sinnoh...and then I run across Team Aqua in Hoenn...Could it just be a freak accident? The probability of such a thing occurring by chance seemed a little bit too miniscule to be happenstance. Looker said that Team Aqua couldn't have had the money to stage the attack on the Tidal by themselves...So that means they would have had to get it from someone who does have that kind of money. A much larger organization...

...Like Team Galactic...

------

When Eric finished talking to his mother on the phone, which had to be made the regular way since his mother did not own a video phone yet, he left the booth and found Aurelia still sitting in the lobby. She seemed depressed and not in the mood for much, but when he mentioned food she stood up and went along with him. Finding a restaurant that carried a wide selection of fresh berries and juices did cheer her up quite a bit, and the dessert selection that followed at an ice cream shop sealed the deal. By the time they headed back to the Pokémon Center to get a room for the night, Aurelia seemed to be back to her cheerful, cheeky Zangoose self.

Eric went to the counter in the lobby and asked one of the nurses about a room for the night, while Aurelia remained a little behind to watch the bags. He received a key for a room on the first floor of the back portion of the center and went back to Aurelia. They each took their respective bags and entered a door near the counter which led to a hallway that bypassed the medical wing, extending back to the area of the Pokémon Center that held rooms for travelers.

They came to their room and Eric set his bag down by the door. "This looks pretty good," he said, fishing the key out of his pocket. "Not as nice as the cabin on the ship, but definitely not bad."

"Yeah, and two beds, right?" Aurelia said with a snicker. "So, you don't get to sleep with me again. Tough luck, eh?"

"Oh, grow up," Eric said, smirking. He put the key in the lock and opened the door. They were just about to walk inside when the door adjacent to theirs opened.

Glancing over, Aurelia saw a small, hopping ball of fuzz and feathers totter out of the room. A very familiar small, hopping ball of fuzz and feathers.

Aurelia blinked. "Lorena?" She kneeled down to get a better look at the Torchic, which began cheeping happily upon seeing her.

"Eric...? Aurelia...?"

Aurelia looked back up, and saw Mia, the girl from Granite Cave and the S.S. Tidal, standing in the doorway of the room next door. She was wearing pajamas, and had apparently been ready to go to bed when she decided she needed to leave the room for something. Aurelia felt a wave of nausea when she saw Mia's pajamas; they were ocean-themed.

"Mia?" Eric asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Um...Well...," Mia said, twirling a finger in a curl of her red hair. "I was...just sleeping here tonight...After...After what happened on the ship, we didn't get here until late...so I didn't want to go through the forest until morning..."

"Oh, you're going to Rustboro, too?" Aurelia asked, holding out her arms and letting Lorena hop into them. The Torchic settled in and closed her eyes, looking as though she might fall asleep right there.

"Y-Yes...It's the first gym, after all..." Mia looked more than a little nervous. "I...I don't know if Lorena and I are ready yet...but I want to try..."

Eric tossed his bag into their room and leaned against the doorframe. "Hey, I've got a good idea. Why don't we go together? I hear the forest is full of wild pokémon, so it would be safer to travel in a group."

"Oh, I'm sure we can handle it on our own," Aurelia hastily said. "Besides, Mia doesn't want to hang around with us. More people would just slow everything down, make it tougher for all of us."

Mia shook her head. "No...Not at all...I'd be happy to have someone coming along..." She looked down. "I mean, I only have two pokémon, so I'm not very strong yet..."

"Yeah, lighten up, Lia," Eric said. Aurelia felt a little sting at that remark. "I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun."

"Yeah, but..." Aurelia looked between Eric and Mia, and down at Lorena, then gave up. "Yeah, I guess so..." She kept all of her disappointment off of her face. After having to spend so much time around other people on the ship, she had been looking forward to some alone time with Eric. The climb up to Granite Cave and the exploration before she had fallen into the caverns had been like when they spent time together in the surroundings of Slateport City, and that was what she liked to do more than anything.

"Great, it's settled, then!" Eric said. "We'll meet for breakfast in the morning, and we can head out for Petalburg Forest together."

Aurelia handed Lorena, who had fallen asleep after all, off to Mia and went into the room she would be sharing with Eric, leaving the two humans to talk a little more. The room was simple and functional, with two beds, two chairs, and a bathroom. Aurelia closed the door into the hall to shut out the conversation and tossed her bag next to the bed she would use. She went into the bathroom and busied herself with her before-bedtime primping, brushing her fur and combing out her tail, taking extra time to make herself look presentable. For some reason, when Mia was around, she felt like she needed to take extra special care of her appearance.

Hmph..., she thought, combing through a stubborn tangle on the tip of her tail. Eric fawns over her like she was the only girl on the planet...I look better than her...Eric said I was pretty on the ship. The Zangoose smoothed down the fur on her front, taking care to allow the subtle sparkles in her red zigzags stand out. What does that human girl have that I don't? He should have more courtesy towards a friend. He may be a human and I may be a pokémon, but that doesn't mean he has to...has to...I don't know...

She finished with her primping and looked at herself in the bathroom mirror, evaluating her appearance. Giving a nod, she headed out of the bathroom, ready to draw Eric's mind away from Mia. Unfortunately...Eric wasn't in the room.

Feeling a bit let down, Aurelia went to the door and pressed her ear to the door. Eric and Mia were still in the hall, chatting. Grumbling, Aurelia testily flipped the light off in the room and went to her bed, throwing the covers aside and climbing in. She closed her eyes and waited a good ten minutes before Eric finally came back in. The Zangoose heard him go to the bathroom, and the sounds of running water and brushing teeth. He walked out of the bathroom a few minutes later, and then Aurelia felt a shift in her bed as her placed a hand on it.

"Lia?"

Aurelia felt a slight breeze of breath in her face, and knew that Eric was leaning over her to see if she was asleep. She kept her eyes shut tight, feigning slumber. After a few seconds, her bed shifted back as Eric left her bedside, and there was a creaking of springs as he got into his own bed. Before long, a light snore from his side of the room told Aurelia that he was asleep for real. She rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling.

Tomorrow was going to be a long day...

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"Many things - such as loving, going to sleep, or behaving unaffectedly - are done worst when we try hardest to do them."
-C.S. Lewis