Episode 17: Kari’s Quest

“What’s going on? Where the heck are we?” Pola cried, floating upside-down. “I can barely move! Gemme outta this shit!”

“Wait, calm down!” Shannon gasped. “Look!”

“Is that… Kayla?” Kari asked.

The trio were floating in a space that looked just like the night sky bubble they jumped into. It was like being underwater, only without the wet feeling and the struggled breathing. Below them was a makeshift theatre stage, lacking a curtain or proper wooden boards. A collection of short, square tables had been placed together to create a stage, where silhouettes had gathered side by side in rows. They stood in perfect formation, and directly in the middle was Kayla, still fast asleep.

Kari quietened as the act began. There was singing… choir-like singing, only the singers were young and inexperienced. They were coordinated, but the pitch was higher and not in a melancholic way. “It’s a class of… I’m not wrong, am I? Those are…”

“They almost look like humans…” Shannon muttered. “But they’re kids.”

“That’s enough. Stop,” the figure at the front hissed, this one an adult. “Brunswick. Is there a reason you aren’t singing?”

There was no reply.

“Kayla Brunswick! You are being spoken to!” the voice boomed like thunder. “Falling asleep in my class, during my choir lesson?”

“Figures the fat, lazy bastard could fall asleep here.”

“Who needs her to sing, anyway? Her voice is butters like her face.”

“Silence, all of you. You are a class. You are a choir! You sing in unison. If your fellow classmate should bring you down, then you will all go down together,” the gruff voice stated, only creating more chatter.

“Why should we? She’s not gonna listen!”

“She’s gonna bring the whole class down?”
“What is this man? Tch, come we rush her?”

“Yeah!” the class cheered.

“Wait, don’t…” Kari whispered as the silhouettes gathered around Kayla. There was a round of rumbling as they kicked and stomped on the Buneary, who vanished behind their dark figures. “No, stop! Why isn’t the teacher stopping them?”

“You must all learn to love and support one another. That is the way a choir functions,” the gruff voice spoke, completely ignoring the ruthlessness on the stage. “Unity. Teamwork. Mutual understanding. This is what leads to true synergy. Live together. Eat together. Make mistakes together. Learn together. That is what you must all do, as fellow students.”

“Stop hurting her! Kayla, Kayla wake up!” Kari cried to no avail. It was as if the silhouettes couldn’t hear her, nor Kayla behind all the shouting and kicking. The kids were laughing amongst all their profanity and cursing, and showed no signs of stopping. Seeing that, Kari growled and stretched herself down to them. “You guys, cut it out now!”

“Kari, don’t! They’re humans!” Pola cried. She dove and wrapped herself around Kari’s tail, keeping the Furret in place as they stretched downward.

The instant Kari intercepted the silhouettes, the atmosphere changed. The silhouettes froze completely and the background changed from the dark of space to some sort of dusky lighting. Kari almost choked on her own breath as an intense burning sensation struck her form all over. She cringed to try and resist it, but it wouldn’t go away. Grunts escaped her as her strength sapped fast, but she held on tight, getting watery eyes. If this is how bad she felt, Kayla probably felt worse. So she took a deep breath, braced, and stretched down even further, far enough to reach Kayla.

“I’ve… got you…” she huffed as she cradled the Buneary. The moment her grip was stable, she stretched back to her original position in the air where it was still dark. That seemed to relieve her of the burning, letting her sigh in relief.

“You okay?” Pola asked, surprised to see her hurt.

“Y-yeah… but don’t mind me…” she shivered.

“What happened? They stopped moving,” Shannon wondered. Complete silence had fallen on the scenario below. The shadows didn’t even waver with light, as if they were frozen in time. He meant to look further, but Kayla stirring took his attention.

“Kayla!” Kari cried desperately.

“Huh, wha?” the Buneary sprung awake. “No wait, I—”

Kayla shut her eyes as quickly as she opened them, though she strained for some reason. The scenery cracked like glass, but rather than shattering to pieces, began to violently fluctuate out of place. Everything warped and twisted into new details and colours, and then gradually shifted back into focus, where it resembled the entrance to Husk Tunnel. As soon as the others recognised it, the dark space around them vanished, leaving them suspended in the air.

“Aiieee!” Kari screamed.

“What is going on?” Shannon cried as the group plummeted toward the ground. He and Pola grabbed whatever was closest to them, which was one another and Kari. With all of them hugging, Kari focused and stretched into the shape of a parachute, with her paws and feet clenched together to keep a hold of everyone. Just like that, their speed reduced into a steady descent. Pola and Shannon stopped screaming, but gasps and unsure noises came from both until they landed, where Kari’s floppy form smothered them.

“… You gonna get off any time soon?” Pola complained after a moment.

“Sorry!” Kari giggled, returning to her original shape with a pop.

“Way to leave it to the last minute, huh?” Pola added.

“Sorry! I kinda forgot I could do that,” she giggled.

“I er… okay, I can’t. What in the world just happened?” Shannon asked, eyes widened. “Like, in the past… that felt like a few minutes. Yeah. I think. We’re alive, right?”

Pola slapped his backside to make him yelp. “Yep, I think we’re pretty alive, heh.”

“Really?”

“What? You wanted someone to check, right?” she said with a cheeky grin. He sighed and shook his head.

“I suppose you wouldn’t be crude if I were dreaming,” he muttered.

“Dreaming. Right,” Kayla spoke up, revealing she was awake.

“You!” Pola snapped and thrust a paw at her. “You’ve gotta lotta explainin’ to do, bitch!”

“That was a switch…” Shannon mumbled.

“Pola, please!” Kari squealed and came between them. “I don’t wanna argue, but… what did happen back there? I don’t get anything, but that was weird even for me.”

“Hmm… Jirachi would do a better job explaining than I could,” Kayla turned away. The little legendary came out of her ponytail and floated for a bit before standing on the ground.

“You say that, but I believe you have enough of an understanding to explain yourself,” Jirachi glanced at her. Kayla didn’t answer, and it almost looked like she was avoiding eye contact. There were tears in her eyes and her face was wet with them, while she looked to be breathing weirdly, as if trying to settle herself. “Very well then. I will explain this time.”

“Just… from the top. Please,” Shannon sighed.

“What you just experienced was one of Kayla’s dreams. Kayla banked on using her power to enter the Dream World to escape the Shedinja Wall from crushing you all,” Jirachi began. “However, not being in full control of her dreams, she failed to account that you would all be there. So the Dream World attempted to remove you all.”

“I… I thought so…” Kari turned away, looking at the floor.

“One ability that Dreamers have that I neglected to mention originally is an inconvenient form of teleportation. If they can perfectly visualize an area in their memory, and then exit their dream, a second Dream Pool will appear in the area they visualize,” Jirachi continued. “This place, outside of the mystery dungeon, is one such location. Kayla’s Dream Pools presently appear in random locations, so she has achieved a miracle in teleporting you all to safety during a time of emergency. I recommend to avoid putting yourselves in such a perilous scenario in the future, or at least until she has better control over her powers.”

“So I was right!” Pola beamed up. She put her paws on her hips, and Kayla responded with a growl before she even began. “That’s the kinda shit you’re dreaming about, huh? Bad memories?”

“They’re not my memories,” Kayla huffed.

“What else could that have been? And why would you cry over it? You’re crying right now!” Pola argued.

“I don’t know what they are. But if you just saw what I saw, then you can see there’s nothing to go off of. I’d prefer focusing on what we can do,” Kayla turned to them, and grinned. “You’ve still got our treasure bag, right? We just pulled a big haul!”

“Oh yeah, we did! I dunno what I dug up, but I dug up lotsa stuff!” Kari bounced happily. She poured the contents of their bag on the ground, and everyone gathered around. “Let’s see here… Giant staplers, rechargeable smoke bomb? Ooh, I think this is a Hypno’s pendulum! And a mini Heracross toy, it’s cute with that bell on it! That’s a scary mask, and a funny lil’ tickly stick!”

“How is any of this junk treasure?” Pola commented with a furrowed brow.

“Silly Pola, all this stuff works on Pokémon!” Kari giggled. Waving the tickle stick at her. It was as sturdy as a household tool, but instead of a shovel or brush on the end of it, it was a Minccino’s tail.

“S-stop that. Don’t- Kari I swear to gods, do not start this again!” Pola danced away from the stick.

“Aww, somebody’s got a ticklish tummy!”

“I do not! Kari don’t you fucking dare—”

“Aaand they’re off again,” Kayla smiled, watching them dart around the area. “But in all seriousness, all this stuff looks really well put together. We’ll see if we can get some use out of it…”

“What’s on your mind?” Shannon noticed her trail off. She stared at him for a moment. “What?”

“Why don’t you use this stuff?” she proposed. “You don’t have any damaging moves at the moment, right? It’ll give you something to do in battle besides waiting for us to get hurt.”

“Wouldn’t it be more useful if I tried to use or learn moves? Especially considering… you know, my mission?” he replied.

“But until you get an attacking move, I think your best bet is supporting,” Kayla said, and kicked up the mask. She tried to catch it on her face, but failed. “I’m too tired for this… we should start heading back. But first…”

“First?” Shannon cocked his head. She continued to kick the dirt and sand for a bit until she got to Kari’s bag again. There was one more thing still in there: the Life Orb. She carefully rolled it onto her foot so she could kick it up, where she caught it in her fluff. It was far heavier than everything else, yet she managed to slip it in just fine. Shannon was surprised until she hushed him, where he grumbled and scratched his face.

…

It was night by the time to team got back to RSE. Late enough for night classes to have started, while the nocturnal students were beginning to wake up. That didn’t stop Pokémon from lounging around the cafeteria for their late dinners, keeping the chatter in the air. The teachers didn’t seem to be around, so no one paid their team any attention.

“Right… what’s the plan? I’ll go turn in the mission. You girls going to go do prom stuff?” Kayla wondered.

“Oh? Yeah uh, I’ll go sort that out, eheh,” Pola replied, giving Shannon a cheeky grin. He didn’t seem to notice, however.

“I think I’ll turn in for the night… that was a bigger job than I thought it’d be,” the Pachirisu admitted.

“I dunno how you guys can go so long without fooooooood. We didn’t have dinner, my tummy’s gonna turn inside out!” Kari whined.

“Sounds like a fair plan. If you girls do crash, I won’t make too much noise when I come in later,” Kayla nodded to her team.

“Heh, you wouldn’t be waking me,” Pola scratched her face. “What’re you up to anyway? Turning in the mission ain’t gonna take that long.”

“Maybe I’ll grab a bite, maybe I’ll take a walk. I haven’t thought that far ahead,” Kayla shut her eyes and walked off. Pola watched her with a look of disgust, but let her go.

“Yeesh, she’s edgier than I thought,” she sighed.

“Kayla and edgy? Hee hee, really?” Kari put a paw to her mouth.

“May’s gotta hurry up and get us into the Dream World, man. If she’s keepin’ dreams like earlier to herself, we are not gonna stay as a functional team for much longer,” Pola commented.

Once she was sure she was out of sight, Kayla made sure to walk fast. She needed to get this over and done with before any of Team Daybreak saw. She was first into the cafeteria, where she quickly spotted Paris lining up to order. There was a small crowd around him of others waiting, so she had good cover.

“This way,” she kicked him lightly as she passed. He jumped in surprise, but followed her into the hallway. “I got it. Your precious Life Orb.”

“You really managed to get it? The genuine article?” the Raboot’s eyes were wide. “That dungeon was renowned for its danger. How did you ever get it?”

“We’re just that cool. Or did you want me to fail?” Kayla shut her eyes. “Now you make sure you uphold your end of the bargain.”

“First, where is it? You don’t expect me to take your word for it, do you?” he folded his arms. Kayla turned sideways to him. “… Hmm?”

“In my fluff. My hands don’t work, so you have to take it out,” she said, leaning her hip closer.

“Wha-what? You must be kidding. I couldn’t… touch you…” he stumbled back.

“What’s the problem?” she asked.

“It’s… in your fluff. Like, inside your fluff? THERE?” he hissed to refrain from shouting. “You want me to put my paws there?”

“Kari’s on her way to get dinner for the evening, stop wasting time!” she barked. “It’s right here. Just take it out of my fluff and stop being a wuss!”

“Ack! If this is some elaborate scheme—”

“I already told you I’m not interested. And if you try to pull anything funny, I’ll break your neck,” she warned, making sure she was glaring at him for that one. He audibly gulped, so it was clear he understood. She turned to the side to give him easy access again, and he still hesitated with grunts and grumbles. “What’s with you? Never touched a Pokémon before?”

“This is awkward, young Buneary,” he grunted, finally crouching. His paw made a claw shape, and oh so delicately ruffled into her fluff skirt. She felt the Life Orb move before he pulled it out, relieved as its weight left her, though she kept up her aggressive staring at him as he backed off. “It really is the Life Orb…”

He admired the orb in disbelief, and then squeezed it. It lit up slightly, and then the thump of a heartbeat came from it as it pulled a trail of red light from his body. Seeing as it worked, he brushed it off and slipped it into his pocket.

“Satisfied?” Kayla cocked her head.

“I’m truly curious how you succeeded. That mission has evaded so many others. There were tales of Pokémon having perished in that dungeon. How did you do it?” Paris quizzed.

“Honestly? I can see why Pokémon died there. But I’m not ‘Pokémon’. I’m just Kayla,” she grinned. “I upheld my end of the bargain. Now it’s your turn.”

“The bargain…” he muttered.

“It’s best not to think of it as a bargain. Like you said earlier, you walk away with two here,” she commented. He didn’t reply. “Don’t tell me you’re getting nervous now?”

“The purpose of your actions truly do confound me. You risked your life for treasure you don’t even get to keep, all so I could date a Pokémon you do not know very well,” he stated. “It is late to press you on this, but is there truly no other motive?”

When he puts it that way, it’s like I’m running a charity. But really and truly, my team did gain, even if it was just rank points and that stuff Kari dug up, Kayla thought. If she could fold her arms now, she would, but settled for a shake of her head instead. “What’re you, ungrateful? Just take your earnings and go!”

“Not until you tell me why you’ve gone this far. You aren’t getting anything out of this,” he folded his arms.

“What I’m getting out of this is a happy team that’s not gonna try and bug me about romance prom stuff. Is that reason enough?” she replied.

“I’ve never met someone that adamant about avoiding romance before, let alone a Buneary of all Pokémon… who are you?” he sighed.

“Well, you’ve met one now. What you’re seeing is what you’re getting,” she snickered. “I’m Kayla. Kayla Brunswick!”

Paris’ eyes widened, and he gawked. “I see… thank you.”

He stood straight and still to bow, to her surprise. It was definitely awkward having the bigger Pokémon bow like this, especially seeing as they were both students. Thankfully it didn’t last long as he walked off quickly after that, leaving her alone in the hallway.

Well, whatever happens from here, it’s no longer my problem, she thought with a stretch and a yawn. Maybe I’ll grab a bite and hit the hay after all. Can’t believe I’m saying this, but a shower’s probably good after all that mud trekking, too.

…

“Strawberries, sponge cake, whipped cream, oh it makes the dream,” Kari sung to herself as her order came to life. The bakers here put together her monstrosity of a dinner right before her eyes. Heaped layers of cake with cream between each layer, topped and sided with swirls of whipped cream, and each adorned with a strawberry. The whole thing was bigger than the plate it was served on, and even leaned side to side from how tall it was. “Hee hee hee, I oughta intro this to Kayla. She’d love it!”

“Miss Kari—”

“YEEK!” she threw her arms up, throwing the cake in the air. Gasps and cries kept her in focus as the layers flew up high, followed by cringing as everyone expected a giant mess on the floor. Kari held her plate tight and stretched to dart left right and centre to catch every layer as quickly as she could, and ended balancing on one foot. Not one speck of cream hit the floor.

“Uh… w-wow. Nice catch,” Paris remarked.

“Aww thanks! Since joining— YEEK!” she screamed again once she realised it was him. He held the plate with her to prevent the cake from flying off.

“Let’s… try not to practice the circus antics this time, shall we?” he smiled cheekily.

Just that smile was enough to have all the heat in her body fill her cheeks. Paris looked cool just existing, yet a smile instantly put him in the cute category.  He was about as tall as she was, although that was without her stretching powers coming into play, and with his ears down. What that meant was every little gesture she showed, he would see. No doubt large ears like his would probably catch any mumbles, too.

Pull yourself together, Kari! All that means is you just have to talk all intelligent, match his case. You’ve got this, she told herself, tensing up. “Rafluglpaluglebruh!”

Gibberish. Just perfect.

“Is everything okay? I hope I have not caught you at a bad time,” Paris asked. “Your face is red. Do you have a fever?”

She felt guilty. He appeared genuinely concerned for her, so she calmed down with a sigh, though she couldn’t keep herself from blushing. “S-sorry. I-I just wasn’t expecting it to be you. I thought I did something.”

“Did something?” he cocked his head.

“Yeah… uh, I’ll get outta the line so you can order!” she squeaked, trying to run off before she even finished. Her cake nearly toppled to stop her again, but he slid over yet again to help her balance the plate.

“Careful. Err, let me give you a paw with that,” he said.

“It’s okay, really! Don’t trouble yourself, I do this all the time, I promise!” she replied. He helped her balance all the way to the table despite. It was far easier to balance than she was used to, so that was appreciated.

“Also… are you planning to eat this?” he questioned.

Maybe if I lie, it’ll make me sound better? No, there’s no point to that, he’ll just call me a big fat liar, she thought. “Ye-yeah… I er, eat stuff like this all the time.”

“A-all of it?” he leaned away in surprise.

“I can’t help it! I get really hungry, okay? I dunno if it’s to do with my tummy stretching when I use my powers or what,” she pouted. He calmed down and mouthed something almost as though he were pondering that. Seeing that, she dove right in and started eating. If her head was in her food, she would have to look at him less.

“Well, I’ll get to the point. RSE’s yearly prom is coming up, I hope you’re aware,” he began.

“Mm hmm,” she replied, stuffing her mouth until her cheeks bulged. Her face was already caked in crumbs and cream.

“Well… Do you have a date? I wanted to ask if you would dance with me,” he bowed his head briefly. She immediately choked and coughed violently, prompting him to lean over. “Ah, are you okay? Heave, heave to breathe!”

With his help, she was coughing and gasping within a moment. She didn’t know what colour her face was now, and her tail was wagging nonstop. “Whahuhwhawhoswhywhablaga?”

“Err… was it something I said?” he replied.

“ME?” she yelled at the top of her voice, slapping her paws over her mouth to silence herself. No one else in the cafeteria even looked at them, but she was still better off not shouting. Even stranger was the Raboot’s reaction – he too was blushing a little, but maintained eye contact, and without any obvious hint of ulterior thoughts. Either he was an extremely good actor, or someone had put him up to this. “You’re… asking me? Out? For the prom?”

“You’re the one I’ve wanted to ask for a while. You have… energy I admire,” he turned away, scratching the back of his head. “Pardon me if I have my facts wrong, but I admire the way you go about your business unhindered. I’ve always admired that.”

Now he’s gotta be lying! She concluded. “Oooh, I get it. But I don’t do anything special! Silly Raboot.”

“You do. You eat what you want, sing aloud, and help your fellow extraordinaires without shame or judgement. It’s like watching a woman who is free, despite the shackles of our birth defects,” he explained. “That energy… I like that energy. I’ve always liked that energy. If it isn’t too much to ask, may you share that energy with me? O-on the dance floor, of course.”

“Aww, you make me sound so special, like I’m doing anything big or heroic! You silly Raboot,” Kari giggled, slapping him on the back. “I already heard you had a date you were gonna ask. Go make that Pokémon’s day! You don’t have to pity me or anything. It’s cool, really!”

“… Yes, you’re right. I did have a Pokémon I planned to ask out. That was why I declined a few others who approached me earlier,” he nodded and sat back down. “That Pokémon I planned to ask was you.”

“… Meep.” Kari froze. “You… y-y-you can’t really mean that?”

“You seem apprehensive… am I intruding? Did you already have someone in mind yourself?” he asked worriedly.

“N-no! Not at all! I-I didn’t have anyone! I just, it’s like, uh, er… you know, y’know! I-I-I wasn’t expecting this and stuff, and like, my face is messy from food and my mission, I haven’t been around, we haven’t really talked, and…” she rambled, going quieter at every word. She forced herself to look at him, even though she was blushing deeply. “And you’re so good and cool and pretty and stuff! With your high ranked team and rich family and all that fancy stuff… I-I’m not good enough for you at all!”

“Interesting… what you say does make sense to some degree,” he tucked his paws in his pockets.

“It does?” she squeaked, standing up straight.

“We’ve both been busy in our fields, despite our eyes being on one another for a while. We should talk more frequently,” he proposed. Kari started making noises, though she didn’t reply. “I want to, anyway. I promise you; this is not some elaborate scheme or set up from another. I truly am interested in you, Kari.”

“I’m just me, though…” she whimpered.

“And that is all I ever wanted you to be. How about it? Will you be my dance?” he proposed.

“Yeah. I-I mean, yes,” she whispered.

“Yeah, totally, right?” he threw a fist high.

“Yeah, totally!” she cheered in the same way.

“O-oh. Pardon me, I did not mean to pressure you in any way,” he leaned away, and then scratched the back of his head.

“You weren’t! Not at all,” she assured, shaking her paws.

Silence. Silence besides the chatter of the cafeteria around them. Neither of them could look at one another. For Kari especially, her usual words didn’t seem to come. The longer it went on, the more her chest twisted and inflated, walling that energy of hers he claimed to like so much. Whatever this feeling was, something was inside of her, wanting to burst out. It was impossible to think of Paris being this nervous, but he was, and it was so cute to be around that she wanted to dive across the table and cuddle him. Doing that was a surefire way to get him to call this off, surely.

“I’ll uh- I gotta go meet with the team and uh, get all this sorted ya’know?” she said quickly. Before he had a chance to respond, she stretched her mouth wide and devoured the rest of her cake, leaving her cheeks bulging and face a mess with crumbs and cream, even more than before. It would take forever to chew too, so she dropped to all fours and darted off. The most she saw was him put a paw out, but no words came.

He was alone now, but he didn’t feel it. He sighed a great sigh of relief and rested his head in his paws. “It actually went well. Unbelievable.”

…

“Kayla! Kayla, Kayla, Kayla!” Kari screamed at the top of her voice as she burst into the dorm.

“Kari?” Pola gasped, shooting out of bed. The way the Furret hyperventilated, Kayla hopped out of the bathroom expecting an emergency. Really, she was just struggling to swallow all the food in her mouth, leading to a round of choked gibberish.

“What is wrong with you? C’mon, you chew your food, don’t you?” Kayla rolled her eyes. With a light kick to the back, Kari jolted and gulped.

“No! Nonononono you don’t understand!” she squealed, shaking like crazy. Silence fell.

“Well, we’re listening,” Pola said.

“He. Said. It,” Kari announced. Everyone remained confused.

“Who? Said what? Seriously, I got no context here,” Pola shrugged.

“Me too, I’m afraid,” Shannon added.

“… Actually, what’s up with you guys? Are those PJs? You look so cute in them!” Kari giggled.

“Uh, no, they’re not. We were trying out the treasures you dug up earlier,” Shannon replied, retrieving the Heracross toy. “Turns out this is some kind of siren beetle. You shake it and makes a shrill noise only ferals can hear, and it irritates them.”

“And me,” Kayla added, to which Shannon laughed nervously. “We are not using that thing.”

“Kari’s talking about the nightgown, silly,” Pola snickered. “For a guy, you certainly wear a lotta clothes.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he slumped. “It’s a gown that repels moisture to bolster and retain body heat. Useful for exploring damp caves.”

“It does literally look like a night gown, though. You could use it as PJs,” Kayla commented.

“Isn’t that just what you’re doing now? We’re not anywhere damp. Unless your room is, for some reason?” Pola questioned.

“… Fine, we’ll call them PJs,” he gave in and rolled his eyes. “Anyway, you were saying, Kari?”

“I was saying something?” she cocked her head. Silence fell.

“Y’know? The whole reason you came in here screaming?” Kayla said in concern.

“OH YEAH! That! Um,” she started prodding her paws and wagging her tail. That further turned into a blush with twiddled feet, and she turned away. “Y’know that guy from this morning? The Raboot who I was really shy about? You said he had someone he already planned to ask out.”

A great big smile grew on Pola’s face. “Don’t tell me!”

“He did! He asked me to be his dance for the prom,” Kari couldn’t help but blush even deeper.

“Woo hoo! Go Kari, my girl’s got game!” Pola jumped up. “So this is it ya’know. You just scored like, RSE’s hottest pretty boy, for the most romantic night of the year. Future’s in the bag girl!”

“L-let’s not get too far ahead…” Kari giggled shyly.

“Hey I’m serious! I know you’ve seen it too. Everyone who gets a good prom night, they get together for good. And the guy’s rich as fuck, too. You marry that, you’re set for life. I’m actually jealous!” Pola remarked. “Congrats, Kari!”

Kari seemed surprised by the tone at the end there. One look at Pola conveyed how earnest the Plusle was being, to which she smiled. “Aww… thanks Pola. B-but I’m not doing it for the money or anything. I honestly do like him a lot. A-a-and it’s just getting started. I have to be a proper girl for him and not mess this up.”

“A proper girl?” Kayla cocked her head.

“Yeah, y’know! Smart and proper. No zoomies or weird stretchy silly stuff. I need to be cooler, and prettier! And learn how to dance, too,” Kari explained. She hopped on all fours and beamed at the group. “W-will you guys help me?”

“Ah… If you were who he planned to ask out in the first place, then I think he just likes you for being you. No point in learning all that extra stuff,” Kayla commented.

“Ooooh, but I don’t wanna embarrass him on the dance floor. Pretty please? Kayla, you can help me learn to dance, and Pola, you know all about looking pretty. Shannon talks smart all the time, too,” Kari explained, darting across the room to squeeze everyone together. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but I’ll pay you back double… no, tenfold!”

“Urgh, none of that owing me stuff,” Kayla broke away. “I thought I’d be done with romance stuff… if it’s just dancing, what do I do? I don’t have hands.”

“You’re the best with your feet! It’s prefect for dancing! I think, anyway,” Kari smiled as she tried to motion some dances on her toes. “Pola, you er… you do the prom fit thingy, right? Can I go with you this time?”

“Oh you’ll love it. No pressure there,” Pola waved at her. “And don’t worry, I won’t be silly and put you in sexy lingerie or any of that. A proper dress all the way! We’ll go tomorrow morning, so wake me up.”

“It’s a date!” Kari clapped happily.

“As for me, talking ‘proper’? I’m with Kayla on that one. I don’t think you need to change,” Shannon rubbed his cheek. “Maybe just like… squeal less? Lower the volume a little?”

“Even that I think is fine,” Kayla commented.

“Lower the volume, less shouting. See, this is why I need you!” Kari whined. “We’re already making progress!”

“That’s not what I- urf, why do I walk into these things?” Shannon palmed his face. “Seriously, take it from a guy. If someone’s asking you out, they’re asking because you’re you. Changing to fit some standard stereotype is just going to make them disinterested.”

“So what do I do?” Kari moaned.

“Just be you. The same way you do things with us. Be Kari,” Kayla turned away.

“Hey guys, this is prom we’re talking about. A pretty dress and non-messy eating are like, the bare minimum,” Pola had her paws on her hips. “Plus, Kari’s never been. Heck, have any of you been to this kinda thing before?”

“Well I’m not lying,” Shannon mumbled while the others shared awkward poses.

“Exactly! I’m the one with the most experience here. We may have our own opinions, but this is Kari’s time, Kari’s moment! For the first time, she’s asking to put a little effort in for her. Least you could do is help her out a tad, right?” she reasoned.

When she puts it that way, it almost sounds noble. I don’t have to care about the prom itself, but making sure Kari does well, Kayla realised. Her trademark grin returned. “Hmpf. You’re really into this, and not because you’re getting something out of it. I underestimated you, Pola.”

“Ugh, seriously? You’re such a bitch. Maybe I’ll stop being a nice person then,” she folded her arms.

“You’re right though,” Kayla smiled. “I don’t want this to be an order that messes up everyone’s plans, but if this really is your first prom, and you’ve got a special date, then what kinda friends would we be if we didn’t help?”

“Kayla… Pola…” Kari stared with gleaming eyes.

“Let’s do this. Anything you need help on, let’s try and lend ya a paw,” Kayla said.

“Awww eeeee!” Kari squealed, diving in to scoop everyone into a great big cuddle. “Thanks you guys! You’re the bestest buddies a Furret could ever ask for!”

The last time she hugged everyone like this, it was a bit of a bother that made her nervous. This time however, it was almost expected, and felt earnest. Kari’s honesty had grown infectious and something that the Buneary didn’t mind. And it was true, after all – Kari had done nothing but help since she arrived at RSE, to a point that she was now leading a team that had even completed a mission way above their rank. She was living the cool life she wanted to live, so it was time to return the favour.