Chapter 15: Jeopardy

March twenty-first.

This was a special day for Whitehall no matter how you sliced it. It was the spring equinox, after all, and the snow had at least begun to melt. It melted gracefully, too, not like the dirty slush puddles you saw in cities.

All over the village, children were outside making friendship bracelets, playing games such as tag and hopscotch, and just generally frolicking around. The village was awakening after a long, frigid winter, just like it always did this time of year.

For one Lucario, however, today was a momentous occasion, even more so than usual. 

Kaz paced around in front of his bed for a while, glancing at the calendar numerous times to make sure his mind wasn’t tricking him. He was pretty sure today was his wedding day, but if he was wrong, it would be a let-down.

Hestia Pachirisu had spent the night elsewhere. This was due to a long-standing tradition in Whitehall stipulating that the two parties to a marriage contract (regardless of gender) were to spend their wedding days apart until the ceremony actually commenced. Ostensibly, this was to ensure that the newly-minted marriage was built on a bedrock of confidence between the two new spouses.

The wedding isn’t until 4 PM. I shouldn’t leave the house, because I might see her, which would break the tradition.

Elsewhere, Hestia was probably making sure her dress fit well. This was a new experience for her – normally Pokémon didn’t wear clothes, their fur covering anything that needed to be covered. But then, getting married was a new experience for both of them.

Kaz gulped. Yesterday he’d stood in front of a mirror as the village tailor took all of his measurements. More than once, he’d twitched out of anticipation, only to be told that he must stay still. The process had taken a few hours, by the end of which Kaz’s stomach had been growling from hunger.

Today he didn’t think he could eat at all. This was somewhat ironic; ever since he’d returned from Mount Thunderhead, Kaz had barely been able to keep food out of his field of vision. It was one thing the Earth had given him that he couldn’t take for granted any longer.

The Lucario sat on his bed, careful not to crush his tail, and let out a deep sigh. He tried not to watch the clock, but it was impossibly tempting. Time would crawl until he walked that aisle, and then he’d know what Hestia truly thought.

When I proposed, she said yes! Therefore, it would be pretty odd for her to ditch me at the altar like that, wouldn’t it?

Maybe she will. You never know – sometimes the people you trust the most stab you in the back when you least expect it.

Even if that (admittedly remote) possibility didn’t come true, Kaz knew he had to project confidence as he strode up to that stage. He had to smile for the camera even if his stomach was packed to the brim with thousands of Butterfree. Any sign of nerves would be interpreted by the community as though he harbored doubts about this vow he was about to commit himself to.

Kaz took a deep breath and stood up once more. If he had nothing better to do, he might as well try on the suit that had been tailored for him.

The tuxedo had been sewn with Kaz’s chest spike in mind; just below where the bow tie would have been, there was a hole for this accessory to poke through. The rest of the suit looked just like one that a human would wear to a formal occasion.

Like court. Supposedly that lawsuit isn’t going well for us – that’s what the updates Mayor Barrett keeps sending us would imply.

The messages Mayor Barrett gave Whitehall were clearly calibrated so as not to worry the villagers too much, but if that was the goal, it wasn’t working. Not well enough. The verdict wasn’t far off, apparently, but Kaz would have loved to know the forest’s fate in a hurry. It had been over a month, after all!

Lawsuits take a long time. This one’s pretty fast in the grand scheme of things.

He shook his head. He couldn’t worry about the outcome of a court case at the moment – he had far bigger Magikarp to fry.

Although the suit had literally been tailor-made for Kaz, the Lucario still struggled to put it on without his spikes ripping any of it apart. As such, it took a few minutes, and yet there was still a small tear in the tuxedo’s right sleeve.

Whatever. This’ll make me look rugged.

Kaz forced a chuckle at that, wishing fervently that he could have gotten the ceremony over with right now. After all, the wedding ceremony itself didn’t matter nearly as much as what it meant. Who cared about all the pomp and circumstance? There was no need to hire Billy Talonflame for it!

The Lucario allowed himself another glance at the clock. Right away, he wished he hadn’t; there were still almost six hours to go.

Well, he thought grimly, I might as well sleep until it’s time to go.

It wasn’t a bad idea, was it? He’d stayed awake most of the night anyway, tossing and turning as he thought about the following afternoon. He needed rest almost as much as a starving ‘mon needed food.

So Kaz climbed into bed and closed his eyes.

(Insert a horizontal line here)

Kaz stood in a small cathedral, the local diocese of the Church of Arceus. He could tell it was a church because it contained an organ, a piano, pews, windows consisting of colorful stained glass that evoked scenes from the Hall of Origin…the list went on and on.

The organ was playing a soft, low tune, and the pews were full of the villagers from Whitehall. In the benches further back there sat Mayor Barrett, Guildmaster Agarth, and restaurateur Slade. Further up there were other friends of Hestia’s, and the front row held Spencer, Calvin, and Enfield – Team Earthlink, who were responsible for this wedding even being able to occur in the first place.

In the aisles, there were six young Litleo serving as flower girls, dropping petals on the floor every few feet. Kaz couldn’t help but smile as he pieced together what was about to happen.

I’m at a wedding.

He held paws with someone far shorter than himself, to the point where he almost had to kneel so that it wasn’t incredibly awkward. On some level, he knew it was her. Hestia.

Once the flower girls had left the aisle, the priest, a burly Pyroar who resembled the blacksmith Lord Lucas, smiled. “May our newly-minted couple walk up the aisle?”

Despite Hestia’s far shorter stature, she was strong enough to pull Kaz along. To avoid dislocating his shoulder, he was forced to walk toward the priest, whom it became increasingly clear was in fact Lord Lucas.

That’s odd. Last I checked, Lord Lucas wasn’t ordained. Doesn’t that mean he’s not allowed to perform marriage ceremonies?

Whatever. It’s not just a wedding; it’s my wedding. I’m not going to make a big stink out of having the wrong minister of all things.

Kaz and Hestia made their way to the front of the church, where Lord Lucas stood. The blacksmith/minister smiled again and said, “Welcome to the Church of Arceus, Whitehall Diocese. We are here to perform one of this world’s most ancient and important sacraments – that of marriage.

“Today is the day that two Pokémon will become one union – a couple. Kaz Lucario and Hestia Pachirisu will exchange their vows and become husband and wife. We have only a handful of formalities to get through before you two can begin your life together.”

Kaz’s stomach was in knots. He noticed that his grip on Hestia’s paw felt tighter than usual. But whatever – he was about to marry this woman, so why was that a bad thing?

“Hestia Pachirisu: Do you take this Lucario to be your lawfully-wedded husband?”

“I do.”

Well, at least she’s not saying no at the altar. I shouldn’t have worried about that to begin with.

“And to be a faithful partner, in sickness and in health?”

“I do,” Hestia asserted with a smile. 

“Wonderful,” Lord Lucas responded. Then the blacksmith turned to Kaz.

Oh, great. He’s going to ask me the same question now. I already know the answer to it…I decided to marry Hestia, so why am I so nervous?

“Kaz Lucario: Do you take this Pachirisu to be your lawfully-wedded wife?”

“I do,” Kaz replied, practically on autopilot. He couldn’t let himself harbor any inclination to decline.

“And to be a faithful partner, in sickness and in health?” Lord Lucas asked again.

“I do,” Kaz answered again.

“Very well.” Lord Lucas whispered something to the best ‘mon, which gave Kaz a moment to look back at his parents.

To his surprise, his parents’ two Lucario arms were locked together. Now, given that they were happily married themselves and both very pleased to see their son expand the family, this perhaps shouldn’t have been a surprise. 

However, it was almost as though their arms were merged together. Like they’d just become a single arm. How could that be possible?

I’m seeing things. I must be.

“Kaz, please produce the ring.”

That’s what the Lucario thought the minister was saying, but it sounded like they were both underwater. Lord Lucas’ voice was incredibly muffled, and Kaz could hardly make it out.

Instead, Kaz glanced at Spencer and Calvin, the pair of Litleo who’d saved his life two months ago. They were holding hands, except…not exactly. And not just because they didn’t have hands.

Rather, Calvin and Spencer’s paws had been replaced by an odd blob of sorts. They must have been glued together somehow, or maybe they were just holding more tightly than normal. As members of a rescue team, they probably received regular reminders of just how fragile life could be.

“Kaz, please produce the ring.”

This time Lord Lucas’ words were clear as the church’s bells. Kaz glanced down to find that he had dropped the ring.

An odd oversight to have made, I suppose, but here it is anyway.

Kaz bent over to pick up the ring, then turned around and slid it onto one of Hestia’s digits. This was another ceremony of marriage that he didn’t think much of – if your relationship was based on a ring of all things, it all seemed so trivial.

Right away, a change came over the Pachirisu’s face; her baby blue facial fur turned hot pink, her yellow cheeks becoming a vivid shade of vermilion. 

She’s probably just self-conscious. And I don’t blame her – we’re the centers of attention in Whitehall today. How else would one react to having so many pairs of eyes feasting upon oneself?

“Kaz Lucario, you may now kiss the bride.”

Kaz smiled. “I hope you don’t mind,” he whispered.

Hestia did not respond. In fact, she didn’t move at all; just stood there like a statue.

Well, I shouldn’t kiss anyone without their consent. Even if I’m married to them. But I’d assume that’s what they want me to do here.

Kaz was just about to go in for the kiss when Hestia’s black eyes turned red, and at the same time, their pupils vanished.

What the hell? I’m marrying a demon?

Kaz’s stomach plummeted, and he turned in the direction of Lord Lucas. This had to be some kind of mistake, didn’t it? 

My life is a lie! Or at least, my relationship! I loved Hestia for so long – was she just a Zoroark demon or something disguising herself as a Pachirisu I’d fall in love with?

Kaz took a deep breath, trying not to catastrophize any more than he needed to. He was about to glance up at the minister and request an annulment when…

“Cold feet, isn’t it?” a high-pitched, yet rather loud voice echoed throughout the church. “You didn’t have to commit, you know!”

“But I was ready to!” Kaz exclaimed. “She deceived me this whole time! She’s a demon – this marriage was under false pretenses!”

“Then tell me,” the same high-pitched voice replied, “who do you think I am?”

It was then that Lord Lucas stepped out in front of Kaz and grinned. To his horror, the Lucario saw that the minister’s eyes were also glowing bright red, and his fur was a sickly gray rather than its usual snowy white.

Kaz screamed. He screamed for what felt like hours, unable to believe that his wedding had descended into this.

Just then, the lights in the church went out, plunging the sanctuary into darkness. In their place, a ghostly glow illuminated the pews and congregation. The congregation, of course, consisted of numerous friends of Kaz, who would surely keep him safe from the demon minister and bride. He wasn’t afraid of the dark, was he?

And then Kaz saw the eyes of the congregation, and he knew that they wouldn’t save him. 

Kaz’s parents were both Lucario, so they usually had red eyes to begin with. However, their entire eyes were red now, not ju st the pupils. Additionally, Team Earthlink bared their fangs at the groom, their (red) eyes wider than dinner plates.

Why would they have saved me there, only to kill me now?

If Kaz had been thinking clearly, that’s a question he would have been wise to ask. As it was, all the groom could do was scream bloody murder at the ceiling, silently praying against all odds that Arceus would swoop in and save the day. 

The crowd of red-eyed Pokémon began climbing over their pews. They moved gradually, but it was undeniable: Slowly but surely, they were going to corner Kaz.

Unless he made a run for it.

Kaz sprang into action and sprinted toward the church’s main exit. He dodged the zombified villagers as he leaped over pews, two at a time in a single bound. 

The doors were closed, but that was normal, wasn’t it? Surely they wouldn’t actually be locked from the outside! Not when he needed to escape!

Kaz made it to the other side without touching any of the villagers, then turned the doorknob.

The door did not budge.

Frustration and additional panic set in. If Kaz couldn’t open this door by normal means, he would have to resort to desperate measures. The village would forgive him for property damage, wouldn’t it?

His next attempt was a Force Palm, which was met with the same result. The door didn’t open, nor did it give the slightest hint that it might open.

Let’s do it the old-fashioned way, I guess.

With a heaving grunt, as he heard the footsteps closing in, Kaz thrust his body weight against the door in the vain hope that it would give way. Of course, the emphasis is on vain, because that portal to the outside world (and safety) might as well have been made of concrete.

Kaz screamed an obscenity before turning around at the zombified wedding guests. He’d already tried to run, and hiding was pointless when everyone in the church knew where he was. The only option was to fight.

The Lucario took a step backward. He didn’t love the idea of having his back against the wall (literally), but he figured he could take his enemies out one by one this way. 

So Kaz readied an Aura Sphere, which seemed to vanish as soon as it appeared in his paw.

What the hell! 

He tried again to summon an Aura Sphere, but it was again dispelled immediately. No matter how hard he tried to make it happen, it just wouldn’t, and for the first time hopelessness filled his stomach like a giant calzone from the White Lion he’d just eaten in one sitting. Except that hopelessness wasn’t tasty.

There must be some enchantment in this church against using aura. Which…how is that even possible?

It was only then that a sound akin to a rope snapping taut made itself known, and a thick rope latched itself around Kaz’s left ankle.

Fuck!

But the rope would not relent. It squeezed itself tighter and tighter around the ankle, weakening its circulation and making it more difficult to move. Kaz wanted to keep pounding against the door, even if it was the literal definition of insanity, but he could no longer reach it.

That’s when he realized that the rope was tugging him backward, back toward the center of the church!

Is there a sinkhole there or something? Or the mouth of some beast that’s about to eat me for an appetizer?

Kaz fell to his knees as he was dragged further backward. He scratched and clawed for anything he could grasp. The edge of a pew, the ankle of one of the other guests…anything that might maybe stop him from being devoured by some floor-dwelling creature.

After a few seconds, Kaz broke off an edge segment of one of the pews. That was replaceable – his life wasn’t. 

But it didn’t arrest his trajectory, not even close. The beast was still too strong, and for a few terrible moments, all seemed hopeless.

Wait a minute.

Kaz turned around and saw that the rope bound so tightly around his ankle was not in fact a rope, but instead a pink tentacle of some bizarre creature he’d never seen before. (And if it ate him, he’d never see anything again.)

The Lucario swung the wooden segment like a baseball bat, which cut cleanly through the creature’s tentacle. Okay, “cleanly” is a bit much – white monster blood still splattered all over the floor, a janitor’s worst nightmare, but at least Kaz’s leg was free. He ran.

The tentacle having fallen to the ground, Kaz was able to hobble rapidly to the door once more. This time, he used the pew as a battering ram, hoping against hope that he’d be able to bust out of there.

Somehow, it worked. Kaz practically fell through the doorway and found himself back in the bright sunlight of Whitehall Village. 

The camera then zoomed out, and Kaz could be seen walking through Whitehall, paw in paw with Hestia, as they were showered with flowers and applause from the villagers. The pair shared a kiss before walking away toward the marital home where they planned to spend the rest of their lives.

A film projector showed the scenes described above to the captive audience. The audience numbered only two, and their captor wasn’t seeking ransom, but they were still captive nonetheless.

A bucket of popcorn, still uneaten, sat between the two members of the audience – a Pachirisu in a wedding dress, a Lucario in a tuxedo. They glanced at the screen, smiling broadly as though they were frozen in time on the best day of their lives. They were probably imagining that the scene would never end and that they would live happily ever after. 

That, of course, is a privilege only afforded to vampires. Couples get fifty to sixty years together if they’re fortunate, less if not. One day, one of them will be gone, and the other must spend the waning years of their life alone. 

The Pachirisu’s paw hovered over the popcorn, whereas the Lucario reclined in his seat, smiling. And he would smile forever, though that didn’t mean he’d enjoy this movie forever. And there’s a simple reason for that.

The bride and groom were skeletons.

(Insert a horizontal line here)

Kaz’s breath caught in his throat as he opened his eyes, glancing up at the ceiling of his bedroom. He was soaked in a cold sweat.

All the terror he’d harbored for the last several hours suddenly came out in a bloodcurdling scream, one that might well have woken the whole village from a deep slumber.

Wait a minute…it’s daytime. As in, it’s still daytime – look at this.

It wasn’t like him to sleep during the day, Kaz realized as he glanced from side to side, his head feeling heavy and his sweat soaking right through his pillow. He’d definitely need to wash the sheets before sleeping here again.

But that was for later. As the Lucario gradually sat up, he reflected that his sleep had hardly rejuvenated him. Far from it; he’d suffered a nightmare unlike any other he’d ever experienced. It had felt real, not hazy like most of his dreams were.

I should probably shower, given how much I’m sweating. I mean, my suit’s practically ruined at this point.

Of course, a shower would not get the musty scent out of his tuxedo, so he’d need to wash that as well.

But then he caught a glimpse of the clock, telling him that it was a quarter to four. In other words, his wedding was going to occur in fifteen minutes.

There was no time to waste. He had to go.

But I can’t go to my own wedding like this! Yes, I know I’m not really one for the ceremony, but I can’t show up so disheveled!

Options ran through his mind. Kaz could stay in his house, but the other villagers would eventually notice he was gone and start looking. He wouldn’t be able to hide forever; indeed, he wouldn’t be able to hide very long at all.

There was also the option of running away and hiding in the woods. However, Kaz dismissed this out of hand. As much as he wanted an adventure (which he’d managed to avoid risking since his captivity in that radioactive manor), he could not in good conscience subject Whitehall to that again, least of all Hestia.

As though he were on autopilot, Kaz exited his home and entered the afternoon air. It was chilly, but not extraordinarily so in the waning days of winter. Trace amounts of snow and frost still clung to the grass, and there were patches of deeper snow elsewhere. But on the whole, the ground was more green than white. A perfect day for new beginnings, as someone more poetic might say.

“Kaz!” 

The Lucario knew whose voice that was. It could only belong to one squirrel-like creature, and Kaz’s belief was confirmed when he saw that it was in fact Hestia.

The Pachirisu was adorned in a long, flowing dress the color of the voluminous snow that blanketed Whitehall during the village’s winter months. There was also a veil over her face, but there was no mistaking its owner. 

“Hestia, what are you doing here?” Kaz bellowed. “We’re not supposed to see each other until the ceremony!”

Hestia frowned. “It’s in ten minutes, Kaz. Are the other villagers really going to care if we abandon this tradition ten minutes early?”

“Maybe they would,” Kaz muttered. “You know how the priests can be sometimes.”

“Well, I don’t care about that,” Hestia replied. “But really, Kaz, if we’re going to make this marriage thing work, you’d be wise to pay greater attention to personal hygiene in the future.”

Kaz narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that you shouldn’t show up to your wedding looking like you’ve just stepped out of a swimming pool!” the Pachirisu exclaimed. “Quite frankly, that’s disgusting, and if I wasn’t in love with you I’d find it even more so!”

Kaz held up his paws like someone under arrest. “I’ll admit it. That wasn’t very courteous of me to work out before the ceremony.”

The Lucario realized then that he’d just told the first lie of his marriage. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t a very consequential one, but it was a lie nonetheless, and telling a falsehood to his bride hardly seemed like a good omen. And if Hestia learned that he’d been untruthful, she’d probably wish they’d signed a prenup.

Indeed, the Pachirisu’s black eyes, which were almost as intense as her red eyes had been in Kaz’s dream, bore holes into the latter’s soul. Almost as though she could suss out the lie without even trying.

Kaz cleared his throat. “Okay. I actually wasn’t working out. Not in real life, anyway”.

Hestia frowned. “How can you work out, but not in real life?”

The Lucario sighed again. “Look, remember that night we slept together on the roof?”

Kaz was referring to an occasion early in their relationship when the couple had decided to enjoy a night under the stars atop his house. He’d done this over the objections of all four of their parents, who’d claimed that they’d roll off the edge in their sleep.

“Uh, yes?”

“I didn’t sleep much, to tell the truth,” Kaz admitted. 

The Pachirisu snorted. “Were you worried about falling off the roof? Or…?”

The Lucario smiled widely, showing off his fangs. “It was because I adore you, Hestia Pachirisu. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Hestia giggled. “Could’ve fooled me.”

“But, to be more serious,” Kaz continued sheepishly, “my nightmare was about our wedding.”

He hesitated. How much should he tell Hestia? After all, just because a marriage required transparency didn’t mean that he had to be totally honest about everything with his bride. Then again, a lie of omission was still a lie.

“You don’t see it going well?” Hestia enquired. “If that’s the case, then why don’t we end things now before our honeymoon? Before it’s a legal contract?”

Maybe I subconsciously thought that. Maybe I was afraid. Maybe I’m still afraid. Who would’ve thought that marrying the woman I love would be more frightening than climbing a mountain?

Or maybe formalizing it is what’s really worrying me? It’s still a big step, even if I knew wholeheartedly that I want to take it.

For both of their sakes, Kaz chose to believe the latter.

“It’s not that I don’t think it’ll go well,” the Lucario stated. “It was a pretty cartoonish dream.”

Hestia gasped. “Our relationship? Cartoonish? Did you dream that we’d all get drunk at the party and pass out on the green?”

Kaz gulped. He was committed to the truth now. If he expected honesty from Hestia in the future, he had to provide it now.

“No. It was a lot scarier than that. You were a demon, and I told the minister that I felt deceived into marrying you.”

For a moment, it was impossible to gauge how Hestia would react. The Pachirisu’s gaze might as well have been fixed in stone.

Then, to his surprise, Hestia laughed, a hearty sound that could have accelerated glacial melting by a factor of a thousand.

“I can assure you, Kaz Lucario,” Hestia replied sweetly, “that I am not a demon. I’m exactly who you think you’re marrying.”

The couple stood there for a moment, gazing at one another as though each sizing up their respective partners. 

“We’re going to be late to the ceremony,” the Pachirisu stated eventually. “And it’s just not right to be late to your own wedding!”

“You’re right,” Kaz conceded. “Do you want me to take your hand?”

“Nah, we need to run!”

So Kaz and Hestia ran through the village, eliciting numerous odd looks from those villagers who looked on. After all, it’s not every day when you see a couple about to get married sprinting in their wedding clothes.

Unlike in Kaz’s nightmare, the wedding was to be held outdoors; relegating it to occur behind literal closed doors would have defeated the purpose of waiting until the spring equinox. To that end, numerous rows of folding chairs had been set up around the altar.

“Here we are” Kaz panted. “Happy wedding day to me.”

“To us, you mean,” Hestia corrected him. “This isn’t just about you.”

“Right.”

The folding chairs were nearly all occupied – turnout had been as high as expected. Kaz nearly did a double take when he saw a creature with red eyes.

When Kaz grimaced, the Lucario chastised him: “Kaz! Is that any way to greet your mother?”

Kaz smiled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Right. Sorry, Mom.”

“Good afternoon, everyone!” a lion boomed from the altar. This Pyroar man was the village’s justice of the peace, Father Labrador. He held a copy of the Book of Arceus open in his arms, gazing at the crowd with authority.

“Good afternoon, Father Labrador” the crowd replied in near-perfect unison.

“We are gathered here this afternoon to celebrate a sacrament of our community: That of marriage. It’s a fact that marriage has been defined in numerous different ways throughout the course of history, but one thing that has remained constant is this: It has consequences.”

Kaz’s grip on Hestia’s wrist tightened, but it no longer felt forced like it had in the dream. He was choosing her, and she was choosing him in return.

“Now, the knowledge that marriage carries such legal consequences in our village, as in other communities all over the world, would dissuade many couples, particularly those so young. Kaz Lucario and Hestia Pachirisu are both twenty-three, yet I’ve observed their relationship and the love and respect they carry for one another.”

Oh wow. Father Labrador, really being all Big Brother with us. How long has he been watching us? 

“In any case, it’s worth noting that we are not vampires.”

There were many laughs from the crowd, and then Father Labrador cleared his throat again. 

“All of you might laugh, but this is a very important realization. You see, we have all come from the Earth at one time or another – in the case of this couple, twenty-three years ago. To the Earth we will all return one day. When that day shall come, none of us know.”

Indeed. We don’t.

“This makes it even more meaningful that Kaz and Hestia have chosen to spend their limited time with one another. If they were vampires, they might not feel the need to hold one another’s paws. Time is valuable, but if you have infinite time on this Earth, it’s cheap. It’s precisely because you don’t have infinite time which makes it so critical that Kaz and Hestia have elected to share their time with one another.

“Now, love is hardly a fairy tale. There will be tests in the future. Tests for both of you, tests that may or may not mirror the challenges facing all villages like ours. In these uncertain times, as humans encroach upon our land and the entire world faces the existential threat of climate change, it matters even more that Kaz and Hestia have chosen each other.”

Kaz smiled at his bride, and that’s when it sank in: They really were going to spend their lives together.

“Before you two can celebrate the fact that you aren’t vampires, it is time for some formalities. Let’s get through the wedding vows.”

Yes, let’s!

“Hestia Pachirisu, do you take this Lucario to be your lawfully-wedded husband?”

Hestia beamed, her eyes glowing brightly. “I do,” she replied without hesitation.

If she’s willing to take that leap, I am too. We can do anything, so long as we do it together.

“Kaz Lucario, do you take this Pachirisu to be your lawfully-wedded wife?”

Kaz grinned. “I do” he responded before he could talk himself out of it. Not that he had any doubts whatsoever, but sometimes you just had to take a leap of faith.

“Wonderful,” Father Labrador replied. “Now, Kaz, please produce the ring.”

Kaz felt around in his tuxedo for the ring. How embarrassing would it be if we go through all these vows only to find that I don’t have the ring? Not that the ring matters so much, of course, as what it represents!

Just as Father Labrador looked ready to prompt him again, Kaz located the ring and knelt to the ground in order to place it on one of Hestia’s digits – this time, for real.

“You may now kiss the bride.”

Kaz smiled. “You don’t mind, do you?”

Hestia laughed. “Would I have agreed to this if I wasn’t okay with being kissed?”

Kaz snorted. “I was just making sure.”

“Thank you. But yes, you may kiss me.”

The two embraced one another, engaging in a long, wet smooch that lasted a good ten seconds and made Kaz blush. Now, it’s not like he hadn’t been kissed before, but this kiss was something else.

When it was over, Kaz came up for air to find that Team Earthlink’s trio (whom he’d selected as the best ‘mon) were cheering at him.

“That takes courage” Spencer mouthed quietly, and Kaz’s aura could detect no sarcasm. “Courage that I don’t have.”

“You’d be surprised what you’re brave enough for,” the groom panted, “when you really want to do it.”

“Still” Spencer stated. “I’ll never be brave enough for anything like that. But I’m thrilled for you.”

Kaz winked. “Brave? No. I’m just doing what I want in life.” And I’m too happy to talk about philosophy right now!

After that, the party began. A giant cake had been baked by the White Lion, who were also catering sandwiches, fries, and other food items to the event. (And unlike the one he’d dreamed about, the cake was not a lie). The jubilant atmosphere was decidedly contagious, and Kaz’s heart felt lighter than the air.

Yes, his life felt like a dream right now, albeit one he couldn’t wake up from. But there were far worse dreams to have.