Auron was in the kitchen, cheerfully putting together dinner for his Pokémon.
Across the country, the nation's mythical Pokémon were equally cheerful — working through the Pokémon food Cyrus had delivered on Auron's behalf. Rayquaza, who had already tried it once and immediately become a devoted fan, didn't even wait for Cyrus to finish setting it down before he started eating.
By the time he finally stopped, Rayquaza's belly was visibly rounded.
He glanced at the sizable portion still left beside him and tilted his great head back with a long exhale.
*(Hmph. So this is what humans call "a pleasant problem to have.")*
---
Deep in the Himalayan mountain range, somewhere inside a glacier cave, an enormous pale dragon lay perfectly still. He had been in that position for a very long time. Unless something gave him reason to move, he had no intention of doing so.
Until—
*(Hmph! Human food!)*
*(Tch — human food. Hah. Actually not bad. Crunch.)*
The silver-white dragon lifted his head and gazed toward the ceiling of the ice cave — though his attention wasn't on the ice at all. His focus pierced through the layers of rock and sky as though time and space held no meaning for him, fixing on some distant corner of the world.
*(Black dragon. White dragon. Hmph. Let's hope you two know better than to come bother me — same as last time.)*
*(Crunch. Mm. Not bad at all~)*
He muttered to himself, then settled back down and resumed eating with quiet contentment.
---
Phoenix Ancient Town, Xiangxi.
Ho-Oh held a cookie in one talon, wearing an expression of open amusement as she peered down at her own shadow.
From the shadow, Marshadow slowly materialized.
*(No thank you.)*
*"Gulp~"*
The words had barely left Marshadow before his eyes dropped to the cookie in Ho-Oh's claw — and he swallowed. Audibly. The sound rang out through the dense, silent forest with remarkable clarity.
*(Oh? Not behaving yourself~)*
Marshadow's face tinged faintly pink. He straightened and adopted a more dignified expression.
*(My lady — the Rainbow Trial—)*
*(The time isn't right yet~)*
Ho-Oh spread her wings and swept up into the sky over the deep mountain, casting a warm sideways glance at Marshadow as she went — a gleaming, affectionate look.
*(Silly child. This is far better than anything you bring back from outside~)*
With a single beat of her wings, she vanished. Only the Pokémon food she had deliberately left behind remained.
Marshadow looked at it. There was no point in wrestling with it any further — she had clearly left it for him on purpose. He walked over, settled cross-legged on the ground, and nibbled on the cookie while turning the Rainbow Trial over in his thoughts.
*(I wonder who will trigger the Rainbow Feather this time — and what kind of person the next Rainbow Ambassador will be.)*
A faint smile crossed Marshadow's lips.
He thought of the previous Rainbow Ambassador. A genuinely fascinating person, that one.
---
The Capital — Rayquaza Tower.
*(Why not!)*
*(You're a girl. Girls don't go live at some boy's house.)*
*(But you live with me, and you're a boy.)*
*(I'm your brother! Of course I live with you!)*
*(But his cooking is really good.)*
*(That still doesn't mean you can go live at another boy's house.)*
*(What's the problem? He has girls at his place too — all soft and pink and absolutely adorable.)*
*(Those are his Pokémon! He's their Trainer! And besides — you're the one who's cuter.* (barely a whisper))*
*(Then I'll just be his Pokémon too.)*
*(ABSOLUTELY NOT!* (extremely loudly))*
*(Ugh — you two useless brats!)*
Rayquaza, roused from his nap by the racket from below, rolled over with a grunt of deep irritation.
*(Honestly. You came all this way and then you won't even fight! Then why did you come?! Infuriating!)*
---
One day before the break. After school.
"Hey, Auron — want to have another battle?"
Auron turned with a resigned look at Soren, who was already reaching up to ruffle his hair. He knocked the hand away before it landed.
"Give it a rest — you've been after me for days. You lost both times, you know."
Soren, unbothered by the deflection, grinned. "But you weren't using your own Pokémon those times."
"Deoxys is absolutely my Pokémon."
Soren tilted his head in apparent concession, then immediately smiled again. "I just caught a new Pokémon — how about a newbie match?"
"No."
Auron rejected him flatly and picked up his pace.
"Oh come on, Auron~ That's not how it works — when two Trainers make eye contact, they have to battle."
Auron ignored him and kept walking.
Soren kept stride beside him, not letting up for a second, talking steadily into his ear all the way down the path.
"Please, I'm begging you, lay off—"
Auron, having reached his absolute limit, broke into a jog and left Soren in the dust.
Soren watched him go and smiled quietly to himself.
"Running? You won't get far."
"Oh—"
"You okay? Did you hurt anything?"
Even while his attention was mostly on Auron, Soren kept a passive awareness of his surroundings — and it showed. A girl walking past had stepped on a loose pebble and pitched sideways; Soren was already there, steadying her before she could fall.
"Anywhere hurt?"
The girl blinked up at him, dazed. Then she pulled herself upright and waved her hand quickly. "I'm fine, I'm fine — I wasn't paying attention."
Soren smiled warmly. "Good. Be careful next time."
He walked off with Gardevoir at his side, leaving the girl staring after them with a dreamy expression.
"He's so handsome~"
"*Voir~*"
"What — are you jealous of Auron, Gardevoir? Ha."
"*Voir~*"
Gardevoir's cheeks colored slightly. She gave him a light swat, then looked up at him with an irritated, expectant expression.
Soren's tone shifted — something more serious settling over his face, tinged with the faintest trace of longing.
"I dreamed about him. In the Secret Realm. I had a feeling — that one day, he and I would fight. A battle that the whole world would be watching."
"*Voir~*"
Soren looked at Gardevoir's curious eyes and spread his hands. "I know — strange, right? I never actually saw him while I was in the Secret Realm. But he appeared in my dream, clear as anything."
He paused.
"Maybe it has something to do with… this."
As he spoke, a spoon in Soren's open palm slowly, silently bent.
---
*[Group Chat]*
**Jace:** @Auron — what do we need to bring tomorrow?
**Lucas:** Food. Drinks.
**Tim:** Be ready to camp overnight. I'll bring the tent.
**Serena:** I'll handle first aid supplies then.
**Simon:** I'll bring potions and status-cure spray.
**Auron:** Hmm. I guess I'll just bring my mouth?
*(End of Chapter)*