Chapter 25: Heartful Souls

Rapidash and Indeedee were waiting in the guild lobby when the five pokémon arrived. Indeedee in particular had her lips pursed, shaking her head. Reuniclus passed Litleo off to her.

“This girl, she is either the bravest, unluckiest, or most stubborn patient I’ve ever had,” Indeedee scolded, whisking Litleo away to the infirmary.

‘She could be all three,‘ Ezera answered to himself. He sat on the carpet, offering much needed respite for his legs. Although, this arrangement did mean he had to crane his neck higher up to see the already towering Vicemaster.

“I admit I am overjoyed to see you all, Litleo especially,” Rapidash said, gazing into the west hallway. She lightly sighed. “How fortunate we didn’t lose her. I understand Sling and Orbeetle are to blame?”

“That is correct. We only have Litleo’s word to trust, but the fact they fled from the scene and called it their ‘work’ should serve enough to solidify their guilt,” Reuniclus responded, crossing her arms.

“To think they were residing in our own halls.”

CLOMP! Rapidash’s hoof stomped the ground, making Ezera jump a little. A blue glow lit up her mane for a moment.

“I should have made better judgment. The academy rarely sends their students out here, much less to the guild. They are frauds, but I was swayed by the pin they showed me on their first arrival.”

“Do not blame yourself, we could not have known what they were plotting,” Reuniclus said.

Rapidash opted for a slow inhale as her reply.

“And I do not believe both are frauds, either,” Reuniclus continued, absentmindedly messing with the broken aethoscanner. “I was too engrossed in my studies in my time at the academy, but I could swear I saw Orbeetle in the library occasionally.”

“If this dynamax garbage is his idea of a research paper, he brings shame to all us students,” Helin spat.

The group went quiet, not sure what to say anymore. Ezera was mostly waiting for them to leave so he could chat with Dewott, or Litleo. Preferably both.

Rapidash, having sufficiently calmed herself, spoke again. “Alright, dears. Sirfetch’d is making his return as we speak. We will have a full discourse when he gets here. In the meantime, Reuniclus, Helin, please accompany me to the Guildmaster’s office.”

Once the three pokémon left, Dewott pointed at Ezera’s arms. “Your burns are healed.“

“Huh, they are. I didn’t even notice,” Ezera said, feeling over it. Could it have been healed in the flash? He walked around to view Dewott’s back. “Your fur’s not burned anymore either. Just has a lot of soot. And I mean a lot.”

“That simplifies going to see Indeedee then.“

“Yeah…” An awkward air filled the space between them. Ezera’s hands fidgeted with each other. The uncomfortable quietness reminded him of when he first tried talking to Dewott. “Listen, about the uh, human thing earlier, are you okay with that?”

Dewott turned, giving him a meek smile. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?“

“Well, you’re acting formal with me again and I can kinda tell you’re lying.”

“I’m that easy to spot?” he signed, wincing.

“Take it from another bad liar. I know there’s something you didn’t say earlier. What is it?”

“I… don’t want to get in the way.“

“Hey, where’s this coming from?” Ezera said, hands on his hips. Dewott had been saving and helping him for the better part of the week. How the heck was he getting in the way?

Dewott held two digits out on each paw, waving them up and down. He then bowed his head. “You’re human. Important. I’m worried I’ll mess something up for you.“

“But you haven’t. You’re doing the exact opposite of that,” Ezera consoled, raising half of his brow in concern.

“I goofed on the Aqua Jet earlier.“

“That was nothing! It’s my fault for putting you on the spot. You did just learn the move.” Ezera could see that it offered little comfort to Dewott. ‘All this worrying only because I’m a human.‘ He couldn’t see what the big deal was, apart from having to supposedly save the world. He didn’t want to think about that fact too much at the moment. “I’m not anyone special when you think about it. I’m still me, just not born… a pokémon. Until you knew, I acted just the same as the rest of you.”

“That is true,” Dewott slowly signed.

“I don’t need any special treatment. I like hanging around with you,” Ezera went on, matching his gaze, “and hopefully you still feel the same way.”

“I do,” Dewott signed, inspecting his scalchop distractedly. “I’m going to freshen up. It might help clear my head.“

“I’ll be down here with Litleo.”

Dewott entered the stairs, vanishing from sight. Ezera tapped his own leg in thought. ‘Wish I could give him some of my confidence.‘ Sadly that supply came from oneself, and even Ezera was unsure how much he himself had.

Settling on easing Dewott’s concerns had to suffice. It wasn’t the ideal outcome, but Ezera was sure Dewott would come around by the end of the day. For now, there was another matter on his mind: he needed to have a good, long chat with Litleo.

---

Litleo lowered her complaints to a minimum as Indeedee ran thorough checks on her body. “I keep telling you I’m fine.”

It’d only taken her a few minutes to wake up after being laid on the bed; the rapid opening and closing of drawers wasn’t exactly conducive for resting.

“Not until I say you are. Those other dynamaxed ‘mon probably thought they were, but you see how that changed. You’ll excuse me if I want to avoid that,” Indeedee sassed. Her tone contained authority and no hint of its usual sweetness.

‘I wish I saw more of that from her,‘ Litleo thought, keeping her smirk hidden. “I’m pretty good at staying alive.”

“Good thing too. You would’ve broken the poor cutie’s heart.” Indeedee put a hand over Litleo’s chest, feeling her breathe.

Litleo’s tail drooped hearing that. Right, Ezera. That was a whole other thing she needed to sort out. The exact things she said while dynamaxed were hazy, admittedly, but the bits and pieces she could recall were enough to conclude one thing: She wouldn’t be here without him.

I’m your friend.

That was what Ezera said earlier, and that was what Litleo found so hard to accept. How could he say that, with the same confidence he had since the first day they met, after all the crap she put him through?

‘He still came after we fought. It doesn’t excuse his comment, but I owe it to him to say thank you, and sorry.‘ Sling’s words to her before the fight resurfaced. ‘And… tell him I’m human.‘

Even saying it in her mind sounded weird. Forgetting a fact that big wasn’t possible naturally. There was more to the incident leading up to Rockruff.

“Oh, cutie. I was wondering when you’d show up,” Indeedee said, moving to her workspace in the corner. “You don’t need to worry. My check up says Litleo is healthy, miraculously. I’ll go brief Rapidash and leave you two to it.”

She brushed past Ezera, footsteps fading out of earshot. Litleo jerked her head upward. Ezera took the cue to climb onto the same bed, and his eyes played a game of meeting and retreating. What did they address first?

Litleo took the leap. “Thanks… for saving me. I suppose we’re even on needing to be rescued.”

“Uh, I actually think you owe me, because I’ve only ever needed saving once, and that was with Team Punker.” He frowned as he tried to think back, but shook his head. “Nevermind. I’m happy you’re still here.”

“Me too,” she said, expression softening.

“And I said it earlier, but I’m sorry for taking my anger out on you.”

“I needed it.”

“Ha, I have to say though, you’ve got a weird way of showing how you care about your friends.”

“Shush,” Litleo ordered, pretending to be offended. “I need to apologize more than you, so…” She exhaled lightly. “I’m sorry. For everything I’ve done to you in the last few days.”

The edges of Ezera’s mouth curled into the beginnings of a grin. “That’s the first real sorry you’ve ever said.”

Litleo rolled her eyes. “I can rescind it.”

“No take backs, it’s already ingrained in my head.”

She carried on, ignoring the impending smugness. “I didn’t stop Vibrava because I wanted to prove my point. More than that, I wanted a little payback.”

Ezera’s grin faded and he opened his mouth to reply, but Litleo kept going.

“It was shitty. I don’t know if I’ll ever get your trust back for that. I’m mad at myself for thinking of my stupid excuse to justify it.”

“Which is?” Ezera asked. He scooted over, placing full attention on her.

“You reminded me of Rockruff!” Normally her mane would flare up getting this riled, but her recent near death experience made it so she didn’t have any inner fire in the foreseeable future. Litleo laid down, suddenly feeling the room spin. “Urk… You were just being you and I blamed you for it. If that’s not a sign you should find somemon else to work with, then…”

‘Stay,‘ she thought to fill in the blank. The sad truth was— Litleo wanted to be alone, but at the same time hated being lonely. This left her always at an impasse, where she was just out of reach of a solid friendship, but near enough to embrace isolation.

“You’re right. I probably should find someone else,” Ezera said, staring at her calmly. He wasn’t fidgeting nor twitching. From her view, she could only see the rise and fall of his chest.

That was that, then. Nothing more needed to be said. This was her reward for her actions. Litleo would be lying if she said she wasn’t disappointed at his reply, though. She thought he’d say something more… Ezera-like.

“But the thing is… I don’t know if I want to,” he finished, lying flat on his stomach to match her.

Hope fluttered in her chest. “Really?”

“Really. I let what Vibrava said get to me. I’m not strong,” Ezera admitted, poking at the bedsheet. “I can’t fight well. I don’t like to make choices. But for some reason, at least you give me the kick I need to be not quite as bad at them.”

“You have strength in other places. Pokémon skills, for one,” Litleo refuted.

Ezera tapped his tusk rhythmically. “Not sure how that’s helpful in our field.”

“It has its uses. Look at me and Dewott,” Litleo said. ‘Should I ask where he is? No, not yet… It’s been a while since Ezera and I have had time to talk one on one.“

“So? You and him weren’t that hard to befriend.”

A half laugh, half scoff escaped Litleo. Arguably she was the toughest ‘mon in the guild to have a simple conversation with. “I wasn’t difficult? You have no idea how difficult I can be when I want to.”

“Trust me, it won’t be any different. I can break down any of your walls any day.” The two of them shared a brief moment of laughter. As it settled, Ezera sat up and ogled her satchel sitting on the other bed. “If we’re gonna keep working together, I need to know if you’re ready to finally trust me. Just like how you do with Rockruff. If you can’t…” He glanced back with a sad smile. “Then I don’t think me and you will ever work out.”

A part of Litleo craved to jump at that question screaming, ‘Yes, one hundred percent!’ The rest of her hesitated, despite full well knowing that she was out of chances to say no. “I… that’s asking a lot. I need time to answer that.”

“Sure. You don’t need to answer now.” He was quiet for about four seconds until he opened his mouth again. “Am I actually similar to Rockruff?”

Litleo shifted her head in the least painful way she could, lest the dizziness came back. “You’re not quite the same, obviously. You’re dorkier, for starters. You’re also terrible at jokes, and can’t run to save your life.” Each point made Ezera’s brow furrow deeper, which added to Litleo’s smirk. “But you both want to help, and you look at the bright side. You’re hard to get rid of.”

“I think that last one is a compliment.”

“Maybe it is,” Litleo said.

Their conversation was interrupted by Indeedee and Rapidash re-entering the infirmary.

“Dears? We’re convening in Sirfetch’d’s office now,” Rapidash said.

Litleo and Ezera shared a glance. They’d continue this afterward. A short walking distance and a few minutes of waiting for Dewott and Sirfetch’d later, the seven pokémon centered around the Guildmaster’s main desk. Sirfetch’d and Rapidash sat directly behind it, while Litleo, Ezera, and Dewott had to stand in a line in front of it. Reuniclus and Helin bordered the desk’s sides, the latter sitting atop it.

No one said anything for a minute. Were they waiting on somebody else? Or was this the leaders’ way of getting them nervous?

Creak! The door to the office opened, and Vibrava cautiously entered the room. He skirted around Litleo, placing himself on Dewott’s side. ‘Don’t tell me he’s here because…‘

The Guildmaster started the conversation by knocking his leek against the wood. “Lampent, you should consider yourself lucky to be here.”

A shiver went through Litleo’s fur. That had a number of implications, hopefully not bad ones.

“That is to say, we should be kicking you out of the guild.” The tip of Sirfetch’d’s leek pointed directly at Litleo’s nose. “You never, ever, harm one of your guildmates.”

‘Should…?‘ Litleo wondered.

“Vibrava is one to stir up drama, but yes, that does not give you permission to threaten or harm him,” Rapidash sternly noted. Her cyan eyes stayed fixated on Litleo. “We understand, however, that you acted on behalf of Ezera, and so we’ve decided on a punishment not as severe as expulsion.”

Ezera’s shocked face could be seen in the corner of Litleo’s view. What did they have in mind with expulsion ruled out? Cleaning duty wasn’t anything bad by itself. Having no pay was an option, but then they couldn’t expect her to be able to do commissions.

Oh. Litleo knew what came next.

“Firstly, we ask that you apologize to Vibrava,” Rapidash said.

Litleo repressed a groan by twitching her tail instead. To her, she owed nothing to the bully who thought he was badass, especially so when he hurt Ezera.

“If you’d like to hand over your badge, that is fine too,” Rapidash said as Litleo’s silence dragged on.

‘Get it over with…‘ Litleo angled her head to Vibrava. “I…” The words almost physically refused to form, but she swallowed and powered through. “Am sorry for intimidating you yesterday.”

“Pathetic excuse of an apology, but whatevah,” Vibrava acknowledged.

Litleo pretended to step toward him, eliciting a scream from the Dragon-Ground-type.

“Aaah!” Vibrava exclaimed, scuttling away.

“Enough!” Rapidash commanded. A blue light took hold of the two and put them where they originally were. “I had both of you come in here to make amends. As such, Vibrava, apologize to Ezera and Dewott for your actions yesterday.”

“What?! I ain’t got nothing to say-“

Rapidash rose to four legs, looming over the desk. “You will if you wish to keep your place with us.”

Vibrava shrunk as his wings closed in on themselves. He mumbled, “Sorry for trashing you.”

“We don’t expect you to all be on good terms after this, but our hope is that you will take care not to do it again in the future. Vibrava, you are dismissed.”

Keeping his head low, Vibrava flew and closed the door behind him.

“Secondly, I wish to confirm that those things you told Vibrava were untrue, Litleo. Are they?” Rapidash resumed, not missing a beat.

Litleo had no hesitation in answering. “Of course they aren’t true! I swear.”

Neither broke eye contact during the exchange. Rapidash dipped her head slightly. “Good. Finally, instead of expulsion, we will be demoting you. I think you’ll agree that is more than appropriate.”

Litleo shrugged. The rank didn’t matter much to her to begin with, although explaining how she went backwards to Rockruff would be an interesting subject. “Fine by me.”

“Your badge, please.”

Litleo retrieved the silver item from her satchel, which Rapidash swapped for a bronze version.

“Keep in mind, with that comes reduced pay and moving your quarters back to the Fledgling level.”

“Again, that’s fine.”

“Demote me too,” Dewott quickly jumped in.

Surprise plastered itself on the six other pokémon in the room. Ranging from audible “Eh’s” and forward leanings, all eyes zeroed in on him.

Rapidash’s mouth sat ajar for a second. “Pardon? You haven’t done anything to warrant-“

“What can I do then?“

The Vicemaster’s mouth continued to hang open. “I am not sure I understand. Demotions are reserved for extreme rule breaks like assault-“

SMACK! Dewott’s paw slapped the back of Ezera’s head. “Did that count?“

“OW! At least warn me if you’re gonna do that,” Ezera whined, puffing out his lower lip.

Litleo and Reuniclus giggled at the absurdity unfolding before them. Sirfetch’d was full on belly laughing, holding his stomach as he bent over.

“You… could just say you want to be on Ezera’s team, dear,” Rapidash figured out.

Dewott pulled his scarf to cover the bottom half of his face. “I can’t officially be on his team with my rank. I don’t mind working my way up again. Please?“

“Ohoho, what a moving display! It reminds me of my good ol’ days,” Sirfetch’d reminisced, a distant look entering his milky white eyes. “I don’t see why we can’t grant Drapion his request.”

Rapidash gave a tiny smile. “It has to be one of the most unconventional things we’ve been asked, but if that is what you truly want, we will demote you, dear.”

Dewott’s overall body relaxed. “Thank you.“

Sparkles filled Ezera’s eyes, backed up by his tail wagging a speed Litleo didn’t know was possible. She wondered how Ezera would feel if she joined too— being on Rockruff’s team wasn’t an option anymore due to her lower rank anyways.

‘I’m guessing he’d be excited. But it still comes down to… am I ready?‘

“Let us move on to other matters. Have you alerted Sheriff Manectric on our new outlaws, Guildmaster?” Rapidash asked.

“I have exeggcute-d that order already,” Sirfetch’d replied, much to her chagrin. “I would like to hear Ralts’ working theory about them.”

Reuniclus floated up to Litleo, squeezing her face in an impromptu inspection. “Again we circle to the ‘why’ they did it, and how. There’s no connection between who they choose to dynamax.”

“It might have to do with the ‘Empress’ they referred to,” Litleo added, pulling away. “Sounds like they’re acting under her orders.”

“Eternatus was the only pokémon known to force dynamaxes, could they be this Empress?” Rapidash suggested.

Helin yawned, flopping to her right side. “Somehow I doubt others would want to work for a pokémon that destroys life.”

“I would rather focus on preventing any more deaths than go after the mysterious ‘mon in charge. A Wishing Star would be helpful in devising a countermeasure, but finding one is like finding a flabebe amidst a blooming field,” Reuniclus said, righting her assistant.

Helin made it a point to clear her throat extra loudly, pointing to Litleo’s bag.

“Ah, right, I almost forgot again.” Reuniclus extended a hand to Litleo. “Would you mind showing me your scarves, Litleo?”

Litleo looked around the room. She didn’t want to, but with how upset the leaders already were with her, she figured obliging was the best course of action. She nodded as Reuniclus pulled the bag toward her with Psychic, levitating the scarves onto the center of the desk.

“Unless I’m mistaken, I believe the scarves to have aether manipulating properties.”

“As in the specialties like mega evolution, Z-moves, and dynamaxing?” Rapidash clarified.

“It could be in their capabilities.”

Picking up the fabric in one hand, Reuniclus delicately rubbed it between her fingers. Litleo’s paws shuffled about. Those were gifts, end of story. To have them dissected and put under scrutiny for research purposes would be an insult to Rockruff. Especially so when she didn’t even wear them once.

Reuniclus, catching onto this, handed them back to Litleo. “All we have seen so far is them take in aether. Ezera, when you were in the Rugged Crags dungeon, were the scarves in Litleo’s bag?”

“Ye- yeah, they were,” he said, realizing what that meant. “The portal didn’t go into the bag, it went into the scarves.”

“Which also explains why I did not pick up anything in that initial scan.”

“What happens to the aether it holds?” Sirfetch’d queried, scratching his chin.

“I can only presume the aether naturally drains out or is used somehow. In today’s case, it likely gave aether back to Litleo, and therefore prevented her form from combusting,” Reuniclus explained.

“What a unique item. Where did you acquire this, Litleo?” Rapidash asked.

“You’d have to ask Rockruff. He got them,” Litleo said, glancing at the floor. Why didn’t she ask that day? She could remember what he said to her, but not the other way around. It seemed to have happened so long ago already.

“I see… There is more I’d like to cover, but that can wait. You’re tired, so get your rest. We will see you later.”

Relieved to be done, Litleo, Ezera, and Dewott simultaneously turned their backs and walked out. Once the door shut, Rapidash turned to Reuniclus.

“You are sure Litleo is human?” Rapidash said. The researcher nodded, dead serious. “Then we will need you to keep close tabs on them both. They are more important to these threats than they realize.”

“Do you really think it’s possible two humans were called? Neither of them follow the established pattern,” Helin commented, firing sparks between her paws.

“If you’re referring to the amnesia pattern, Ezera does not, but we have to question Litleo first.”

Sirfetch’d retrieved a sheet of blank paper from the desk drawer. “Hrm, you haven’t sent messages to the Expedition Society and Rovers Bureau yet, have you?”

Rapidash used Psychic to pick up the quill, anticipating she’d have to transcribe for him. “I have not, why do you ask?”

“We should write to them. We’ll need any advice we can get.”

---

A collective sigh left the trio as they walked through the hallway.

Ezera lightly hit Dewott’s arm. “What was that back there?”

“Sorry, it was the only thing I could think of in the moment,” Dewott sheepishly signed.

“Don’t be sorry, that was hilarious!” Ezera dropped his volume to a whisper. “Did you see how stunned Rapidash was? And I can’t believe you would ask to be demoted!”

Litleo soaked in the duo’s excitement, watching longingly. She couldn’t smile like they did yet— a true, unfettered smile shared in the company of others.

I need to know if you’re finally ready to trust me.

If she wanted to smile, she knew what she needed to do.

“Can you meet me behind the guild in five minutes?” Litleo asked, breaking up the chat.

Ezera’s laugh died down. “Um, alright.”

“And just you, Ezera. Sorry, Dewott, I want this to be between us.”

“I understand,” Dewott acknowledged.

Litleo rushed up the staircase, skipping a couple steps at a time.

“It’s like she didn’t just exert all her energy,” Ezera commented, brow raised. What suddenly put her in overdrive?

“Have you smoothed things out with her?” Dewott signed, making a rolling motion on the back of his paw.

“Partially. She apologized to me, now I’m waiting for her to answer something.”

Dewott raised an eyebrow. “She said a genuine sorry to you? Wow. You have done a number on her.” He pretended to sprinkle something over Ezera’s head. “Next you’ll tell me she’s going to shower you with gifts.“

Ezera grinned smugly. “I’m pretty good if I do say so myself. Also, since you’re joining my team, does this mean you’re not so worried about making mistakes?”

“Not exactly.” Dewott drew a line down from his forehead to his chest, then pulled both paws in. “But I won’t regain my honor by staying complacent. If you say not to worry, I’ll try to do that.“

Ezera high fived him. “Yeah, we’ll learn together.”

“On another upside, I’ll have stories to tell of being on a team with a human.“

“Oh, you’re using me for fame, is that it?”

“You’re making yourself available, might as well.“

Litleo sprinted down the staircase, pausing at the bottom. “Whenever you’re done chatting, I’ll be waiting.”

“I think we are,” Ezera replied, glancing at Dewott for confirmation. “See you at dinner.”

Ezera and Litleo strolled to their destination. ‘Has she come to a decision?‘ he pondered, keeping his gaze focused ahead. Getting to this point couldn’t be easy for her. However, if she was ready to make that leap, he wanted to be the first to catch her.

Navy blue and black strokes were painted across the sky as they came to the edge of the mound of land. All breezes retired for the night, leaving the gentle lap of water pushing against dirt.

Litleo sighed, observing the sight. Based on her body language, Ezera surmised she’d had multiple talks happen here at some point.

“I have something to say before we talk about anything else,” she said, facing him head on. “I think I’m human.”

“I know,” Ezera said after some time.

Litleo blinked. “You- you know?”

“Reuniclus figured it out before we rescued you.”

“…I found out from Sling.”

Now it was Ezera’s turn to blink. “What do you mean, ‘found out?'”

“Exactly what it means. I didn’t know I was human.”

“How could you not know that?”

“That’s what confuses me. I think- I have a gut feeling that somemon messed with my memories.” Litleo set down her satchel, opening the flap. She laid the semi-bright scarves out. “I can only remember my time from joining the guild. Anything personal is out of reach, like my Kin name. It’s all blurry.” Her eyes widened in realization. “If I’m human… I had to have a name like yours, wouldn’t I?”

Ezera nodded. “Yeah, you wouldn’t have a Kin name. It’d just be your real name.”

“Why would I go by Litleo then? If I don’t recover my memory, I’ll never know what it was…” she said, silently cursing her past self.

“By any chance, does ‘Earth’ have any meaning? That’s the name of the planet I’m from. If you’re from another planet, that would be pretty amazing.”

“…No, it doesn’t.” Litleo winced. “I’d like it if you don’t bring up human things. They still give me a headache. If I want to know about something, I’ll ask you, is that fine?”

“Sure thing.” Ezera twiddled the end of his scarf. “Is that all you wanted to tell me?”

“Yeah. Did you want to explain why you were carrying my scarves?” Litleo said, looking at him with more suspicion than curiosity.

“Oh, those old things? Haha… that voice I told you about reappeared and said to take them. Good thing they did, huh?”

Litleo eyed him for a second. “Uh huh.”

Should he mention the wisp’s conversation? ‘She’ll just ask more questions. Better if I figure this out on my own for the time being.‘ “Anywho, what’s the real reason we’re out here?” Ezera stated, rubbing his arms to stave off the slight chill.

“What if this is the real reason? I just wanted to tell you I’m human,” Litleo said in a poor attempt at a joke. Ezera didn’t find it amusing in the slightest, frowning instead. She poked at the scarves lying between them. “When I first received these, I declined Rockruff’s offer to wear them right away. I… I saw his face. I know he was hurt when we didn’t put them on, but he didn’t admit it. Maybe he is right to not want to come back.”

Guilt gnawed at Ezera. He never should have said that.

“I was an idiot then. I don’t want to make that mistake again.” Litleo crossed over to Ezera, planting herself within two feet of him. “I’m so terrified of losing him, and you. I refuse to stand by and watch somemon get hurt again. I realize I can’t stop you, but you have to promise me you’ll be more careful. No more sudden heroic sacrifices, I mean it.”

A few weeks ago, Ezera might not have agreed to that. But since then, Litleo and Dewott had gotten through to him— that kind of selflessness could cause hurt. “…Okay, then I also have a demand. If I can’t do heroics, you can’t either. There’ll be no solo endeavors in this team. I don’t care how dangerous it is, you have to involve me, or Dewott, or both.”

Litleo was taken aback momentarily, but recovered. “Deal.”

“Cool! Is this where you ask to join my team?”

“No.”

Ezera’s heart halted. She wasn’t going to?

Litleo breathed in slowly. “I need to show you proof that I’m serious, and… that I appreciate your friendship. I can’t continue this search without you.”

She produced the semi-withered rainflower. It had once again curled inward, losing the pretty blue she came to appreciate. “I can’t tell you if I’ll ever get to the trust I had with Rockruff. Even if he showed up right now, I… I honestly would trust him as much as you, however much that is.” Litleo kept her gaze downwards. “That being said, I don’t deserve this chance. But… if you’ll have me, I’d like to be on your team.” She pushed the rainflower to Ezera, putting her head to her paws.

An uncomfortable amount of time passed as Litleo waited to hear an answer. She wanted to peek to see what in the world he was doing, but resisted the temptation.

“You kept it…” Ezera wiped his eyes. “Oooh, I told you you liked me!”

Litleo finally looked up. “What- what are you doing? Stop, don’t-!”

Ezera wrapped her up in a hug, squeezing all the air out of her. “Yes, of course I’ll have you on my team!”

Litleo was glad they had this exchange outside and out of view. “I said you reached your hug quota!” she exclaimed.

“Do you really think I’ll listen to that? I know deep down- Oh my God, I got it!” he yelled, releasing her.

“Got what?”

Ezera looked toward the lake. “The team motto! I figured out the last verse!” He cleared his throat, making his voice come out in an attempt to be mighty. ‘To lend a heart, to lend a hand, we’ll do our part so everyone can stand!'”

“That’s… ridiculously corny, but it’s serviceable,” Litleo admitted, jumping out of the way of another hug attempt. “Just don’t expect me to say it. Ever.”

“I think it’ll grow on ya.” Ezera held both arms to the sky. “From here on out, we’re Team Rebound! We have to tell Dewott. We’ll have a mini celebration. Come on!”

As Ezera ran off, Litleo’s chest swelled with an emotion she couldn’t quite name. Elation felt more bubbly, and excitement was jumpy. This was neither. She wanted to be in this moment here, comfortable.

Taking the rainflower in her mouth, Litleo padded toward the edge. She dropped it in the lake, where it bloomed right back to its natural azure beauty. The moonlight caught on its petals, scattering reflective blues onto the lake.

Litleo never considered herself a poet by any means, but she felt a connection to the flower. In just the right conditions, surrounded by those fortunate enough to call friends, it was content to open up.

…For tonight at least, she would allow herself to be content.