To his credit, the kid doesn’t piss himself. Not that I can be sure with the black slacks.

Instead he steadies himself and clenches a fist, “Hannya,” His Growlithe looks back, tail tucked down, “Face your fear, Leer.”

Nice, I’ll push just a bit more, “Shak, Mean Look.”

As the little tiger dog tries to summon it’s courage, my Golbat leans forward snarling. The Growlithe’s knees give slightly before straightening back.

The lad points forward, “Go for it, Flame Charge!”

That's enough, “Don’t bother big guy.”

Shak returns to his ball with a flash of red light leaving the flame coated puppy pouncing at thin air.

“Chill kid,” I slide the ball back into a holster inside my jacket while looking at the young teen trying to find words, “This isn’t the place for a battle. You’re not wrong to stand up for your friend, but you’re literally barking up the wrong tree. You lose sometimes, I lost today, but you stand tall like just now and come back another day.”

I don’t know if he understands, or if I even conveyed it very well.

“Whatever, let's go Hannya.” he storms off back into the park, his teammates in pursuit.

Lacy once more takes my arm, “I see you’ve been working towards that rideable pokemon we talked about. You’re Golbat is bigger than most Crobat I’ve seen.”

The crowd seems to go back to minding their own business though I do catch some people glancing our way.

“Let's sit back down, I’ll show you my pokemon tomorrow.”

I move to fix her chair but she leads me to sit down and then gracefully as you like sits in my lap.

“Kurt, look at me,” She pulls my chin.

It’s hard to ignore the few blatant stares now from this very public display but I look into her golden eyes and she continues.

“Are you entirely convinced that there's no forgotten wife or kids waiting for their lost husband or father? That you’ve got a clean slate to start a life how you see fit? Even with you washing up outside of town not remembering how the world works, I find This the hardest to believe.”

I could tell her everything right now, I probably should. Thinking back on the weeks before I left Rustboro, the peaceful evenings chatting about the town and all the people in it that she’s helped… Including me. Her sharp mind and sharper humor, at the same time her patience.

Holding her hand in mine, “There’s nowhere to go back to, I’m not from Hoenn, I do remember some things. Enough to know that there's nothing stopping me from being all yours if you want me.”

She holds up Leafeon’s green Luxury Ball, “This is a non refundable down payment on everything you owe me.” Counting on her fingers, “The weeks crashing on my couch, the food you raided from my kitchen... the dates I paid for.”

Well I suppose the concept of going dutch would be lost here,

“Focus,” Lacy flicks my nose while her lips curl into a grin, “I want you, you asked so, yes, you’re mine.” She leans past my head and whispers in my ear, “And I suppose that makes me yours.”

Her teeth nip my ear and I’m suddenly very aware how thin the silky fabric of her dress feels in my hands.

Again, this public venue is the torture device of the evening.

“Kurt,” Jane calls over, “there’s a bunch of people that want to talk to us together before you run off with the doc for the night.”

We retrieve our pokemon from the tree line and join the others in socialising. Which isn’t all that bad until a wild Drunk Winston appears. Alloy uses Roar, Drunk Winston flees.

Cindy once more apologies to one of her cousins and friends on behalf of her brother.

At one point Dawn sashays her way over and we finally hammer down some details of this Alola trip. The following monday, ten days from now, we’ll pick up our water types and hop on the Zekrom aircraft. That week will be filled with scheduled lab visits, battles, something called the Wela Fire Relay, all of which will be recorded.

In the meantime, we’ll drive the fast route to Rustboro and Meteor Falls. We’ll get our fossil’s exchanged at the lab and go dragon hunting. We will not be attempting the gym until our return from Alola.

When Naomi starts losing focus I decide she’s had enough excitement for one day. Jane, I leave in the apparently flirty hands of Naomi’s older friend Alloy. Seeing Jane act considerably more girly in the last hour than ever before, I think Alloy’s got a shot.

Once back to my room, Lacy squeezes my arm, “I know you said you’ve got nothing to go back to, but seeing you take care of those girls hints otherwise.”

“I guess waiting for the full story would be asking a lot,” The steady look confirms that, “I remember aspects of a life in a completely different world. I’m still missing personal details, but there’s enough to know I came from a country called America. Things like national politics, military training... Wars, and no Pokemon, period.”

“How,” She starts but can’t find any more words.

“Arceus,” I look to the view of the stars outside the room’s patio, “I was told by the woman claiming to be my employee that I made a deal with Arceus. To send an aspect of myself here, to live a new life.”

A small chuckle escapes her, “I’d call you crazy but I already examined your head…”

She let's go of me and stands before the window, “I never got into the whole praise Acreus for every little thing cult. Academically, we do know they exist. Arceus, Dialga, Palkia, there are documented appearances. There's even a lab in Alola rumored to study alternate dimensions.”

No shit, “That, sounds like my ticket home. If I was remotely interested anymore.”

“It doesn’t?” she whirls around, tears in her eyes, “You can’t just skip to some smooth line saying you’d rather have me Kurt!”

Stomping over, “This is a lot to believe, and you’d be the biggest ass in Hoenn to have been bullshiting all this time. Cause your stupid story tracks with everything you’ve said or let slip since we met… Except you did recognise some things.”

Ah, we really are spilling everything now, “Games… where I come from there are games with pokemon. From a country called Japan, I probably played them as a kid. Also tv shows, cartoons for kids, I know they ran for decades.”

The look of pure disbelief, “Who could make up something like that?” She stumbles over to the couch and all but collapses.

“It gets worse,” No sense leaving anything out, “I recall the plot of some of the earlier things. I’d say we’re almost two decades past them however.”

She doesn’t say anything, just keeps looking at me.

“Ash, the champ from Kanto, all the shows we’re about him. The plucky protagonist that adventures to meet all the legendary pokemon. His friends Misty and Brock. The show and the games covered each region, Kanto, Johto, I remember some of Hoenn, the rest I don’t recall at all, maybe a bit of Unova and Galar.”

I can see her just staring off at this point, hopefully not having a mental breakdown.

Sitting down and putting an arm around her, “The point, and your original question, there’s no family back in Unova or elsewhere waiting for me. If I believe what I was told, I’m here for a new life… preferably involving you… I did ask,” God how do I word this?

A soft pinch at my side, “Ask what?”

“If I had kids. I had just felt too protective of the runts, like it was a personal mission or something. I was told ‘Every time.’ What kind of ambiguous horse shit is that?”

“Arceus Kurt,” she grabs the sides of my head, “right there, what’s a horse? And that implies you’ve been… They do talk about this in doctorate courses here, timeline theory and such.”

No more tears slip from her golden eyes, “You ask me to marry you, albeit half assed, and then tell me you’ve been kicked across space time by Arceus. Fine, it’s hardly worse than accepting you have selective amnesia.”

I take her hands in mine, “Well it’s certainly weird to me, I thought I had to be on a movie set that first day.”

A soft smirk of her lips, “The hero lands in a mysterious new world and meets his destined love?”

“Hah!,” Me a hero huh, “Then it’s definitely a rom com cause I don’t think heroes get started by head butting trees for Pokémon.”

“Oh you be surprised how traditional that is,” she giggles, “though it’s usually the pokemon doing the headbutting.”

I pull her onto my lap, her silk dress spilling across the couch, “Let's get back to you calling me a hero?”

“Did I?” She spins to straddle my waist before dramatically facing away and speaking with a deeper voice, “The villain crashes into the sea before meeting the gorgeous Heroine. Can she make him a better man, or will he continue to terrorize young teens and kick poor wurmples?”

My hands explore her smooth legs, “well she makes a very compelling argument. I feel good about the outline, perhaps this story has a happy ending.”

Her hips slowly press down as she leans forward and begins to undo my tie, “we can grind out a rough draft.”

I move to kiss her but she puts a finger on my lips, “Don’t ruin this dress, I love it and I’m keeping it. Now ditch the belt.”

“Yes dear.”

……

After getting some toast and caffeine in my system this morning I kiss my way up the lithe figure hiding from the sun beneath our sheets. It’s time to pack up, although, looking at my suit from last night… I’m not gonna explain myself to dry cleaners, that’s for sure… or the hotel staff.

Lacy’s bare hips sway on her way to the shower. Her copper hair catching light as it spills down her back.

“On second thought, packing can wait till after a good shower.”

Unfortunately reality knocks on our door with Jane’s voice, “You hung over Old Man? I thought we were leaving an hour ago.”

Lacy gives me the universal scoot along sign so she can actually get ready.

I open the room door, “You’re grounded.”

Jane’s brows hit the ceiling, “Excuse me?!”

Pretending to shoo her away, “You don’t hear me knocking on your door after a night with company.”

As the red flush fills her face I can’t help but laugh.

“Relax Jane,” but she is locked in embarrassment, “Wait, did you actually have company last night?”

Error, Jane’s response not found.

“Jane,” I pull her in to sit on the couch, “So have you had The Talk with your aunt?”

Finally she jumps, “Oh no we ain't talking that ...no, just no. I heard enough from the girls in juvie.”

“You see, when a person loves another person,”

“Shut up Kurt!”

“I suppose the second person is optional in some cases,”

“I’m not listening!” She covers her ears and runs towards the kitchen.

“For that matter love is a bit too strict, sometimes folks just get horney.”

“LA LA LA LA”

Lacy pokes her head out while holding a curling iron in her hair, “What in the name of Arceus is going on?”

I point, “She’s never had The Talk.”

My fiance adopts a cheshire grin, “Well Jane, at your age us women may develop certain needs.” she holds up the curling iron.

Quick as a flash Jane is out of the room with a slam of the door.

“I think she took it pretty well.”

Lacy laughs from the bathroom, “Let's go home Kurt.”