FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 112 - Foreboding Premonition

After Chris and the girls came into contact with the legendary Lunala, a shock which left Chris in an unconscious state, they sat within the carriage, circled around the Guardian for some time as he remained silent and still, having gazed into the eyes of the beast so closely he'd been left feeling as though he'd caught a glimpse of the universe in a split moment. Looking down at him curiously, the girls randomly poked his face to insure he was still alive, getting a groan out of him and the slightest stir in response. "He not pass out like this in long time." Serenity point out. "True, last time it happened he'd overexerted himself back on the ship." Alicia nodded. "That big Pokemon was cool and all but it wasn't anything to pass out over." Rose chimed in, blinking in surprise as she poked Chris again. "I suppose, in the case of a human, seeing one of their kind is more influential than when it comes to us. We merely see them as an older sibling, or perhaps a parental figure of some sort, while humans seem to herald them as the greatest beings in existence." Alicia explained before jolting and snatching Chris up. "Hey!! How come you don't get this way when you look at us?!" she snapped, giving him an irritated shake only for his head to limply arch back as he groaned. "...Somehow that bothers me. So much for us being the greatest." she scowled, releasing him with a sigh. "Wow, even shaking him didn't work." Rose muttered in surprise. "He really out cold. Maybe that Lu-la-la do something to him?" Serenity asked, lifting one of his eyelid and waving her hand. "Lu-NALA is its name, NALA!" Alicia clarified. "Whatever!!" Serenity snapped, twitching an eye in irritation over being corrected again.

Looking at the two, Rose tilt her head before looking back down at Chris, giving him another poke causing him to stir again. "F-Fall..." he muttered, making the rabbit jolt and quickly motion toward the others, grabbing their attention and pointing Chris out as he stirred. "Fall... Falling... Fall...!!" he struggled, clutching his chest making the three gather closely. "Wonder what's going on?" Rose asked. "Well, you've the ability to see, why not take a look?" Alicia asked, glancing toward Serenity making the Pokemon jolt and glance away. "Not allowed to. It one order he give. Not look in mind without say so." the Pokemon scowled in response. "A stickler for that sort of thing, aren't you?" the snake scowled back. "He not give many orders, so one's he give I follow." she affirmed. "S-Stop..." Chris groaned, and next thing the girls knew, Ninetales aura started welling up around him, making their eyes widen while inching back. "Good heavens, must be a terrible one!" Alicia panicked. "I-I stop!!" Serenity nodded. Reaching out, she found herself forced back when an intense burning sensation engulfed her hands as she touched the aura, forcing her back. "H-Hot-ot-ot!!" she panicked, rapidly swinging her hands and blowing on them. "Y-You okay?" Rose asked, the group looking over Serenity's hands finding no burns. "Stop... Falling... Stop...!!" Chris panicked, his aura growing more and more as he grit his teeth, something in his mind causing him frustration as his hands and body tensed up. "Wh-What are we supposed to do?!" Rose panicked as Chris's aura continued to swell, the three backing away for fear of being burned. "N-Not know!! Never not be able to touch before!!' Serenity replied.

As his aura grew too large, the girls were forced to swing open the carriage door, and as they tried to jump out they found themselves frozen in the air, gravity having suddenly vanished around them making the group flail in a state of panic. "Wh-What IS this?!" Alicia shout, trying to writhe and thrash about, accidentally smacking Rose and Serenity making the two shout. "S-Sorry!!' the snake panicked. Looking back, Chris's body was floating within the carriage, the girls watching as he jerked and continued groaning things like "falling" and "stop" repeatedly. "H-How do we stop it?! This is scary!!" Rose panicked as she float upside down. Looking at the rabbit and Alicia, Serenity grit her teeth before reaching out toward Chris, apologizing as she was about to force herself into his mind only to freeze when a flash of light engulfed them and the carriage. "Wh-What now?!" Alicia panicked as Rapidash turned and watched wide eyed, a bewildered look on his face as the carriage lift off the ground and a shield of sorts began rapidly wrapping around it and the girls. "M-More... Stop... Fall...!!" Chris groaned inside the carriage, now clutching himself as though he were trying to cling to something. Wrapping the shield around the girls and the carriage more and more, the three watched in a bewildered and awe stricken state as they slowly float higher, until suddenly the shield vanished and gravity returned sending them falling atop one another into the snow while the carriage landed with a thud behind them. "Wh-What was THAT about?" Alicia asked, raising up and shaking her head before noticing the girls on top of her, making a pulse of anger show on her face before thrashing the two off. "H-Hey! We were gonna get up!" Rose snapped, rubbing her back as she raised from where Alicia had flung her. "It bad enough we fall, not need thrown!" Serenity added, rubbing the back of her head.

Raising up, the three looked inside the carriage as Chris lay still once more, almost as if nothing had happened leaving the three puzzled while looking at one another. "You... Think it's okay to go back inside?" Rose asked warily. "Think so. Not sense anything wrong now." Serenity nodded before being the first to approach, poking her head in warily and looking around. "Nothing burn, that weird. Sheets not hot, pillows okay too." she nodded, feeling things over while slowly crawling back inside, motioning for the others to follow. "His power burned you though, didn't it?" Rose point out. "I feel burn, but not GET burn, weird." Serenity replied, showing off her hands once more. "One should never play with fire." Alicia scowled, slithering in around them and laying in a circle once more. "Heeeey!! What's with trying to roast us?!" the snake asked, giving Chris an agitated poke on the cheek with the tip of her tail, causing him to groan and stir making all three girls jolt back and freeze nervously, relaxing after a moment once he remained still. "N-Not do that right now!" Serenity lectured. "Y-Yeah! I don't wanna fly into space..." Rose added nervously. Trotting up, Rapidash looked in curiously, poking his head in and looking around before facing the girls and tilting its head. "H-He just had a bad dream and it made that stuff happen." Rose explained. Raising an eyebrow, the horse let out a grunt of disbelief in a "Human...? Powers?" kind of manner. "He's a unique case. Surely you sensed that when you chose him to ride you?" Alicia asked, the horse looking at Chris before showing a shrug of sorts. "You not know why you choose him?" Serenity asked curiously, the horse shaking its head and letting out a noise in an "I do what I feel like" kind of way.

With everything settled down, Rapidash returned to his makeshift stable while the girls closed the carriage door and gathered around Chris, looking him over curiously. "Robe not burn either..." Serenity point out, feeling his clothes. "Well, it's not like we know much about Ninetales power anyways." Rose point out, feeling him over as well. "The way he was talking, perhaps he didn't want anyone touching him, thus Serenity was the one who felt as though he burned while nothing else did?" Alicia point out. "Hey!! You try to say he not want me to touch?!" Serenity snapped. "I can't say I blame him if so." Alicia replied with a smug smirk, making Serenity twitch an eye before yanking Chris up. "Hey!! Up up!! Why you not want touch?!" she asked in irritation, giving him a shake causing his robe to come loose and open slightly as he mutter her name in response in a concerned tone, making the Pokemon pause and show a slight blush. "Still dreaming?" Alicia muttered. "He's in a pretty deep state. I think Lunala DID do something." Rose point out, only for them to pause as well when Chris repeat Serenity's name. Blinking in surprise, she suddenly showed a smirk and faced Alicia, pulling Chris against her. "See? He want me!" she affirmed, sticking her tongue out at the snake. "I-It doesn't sound like he wants you, it sounds like he's worried about you." Rose clarified. "Want, worry. Not matter! He still dream about me!" Serenity replied with a "hrmph!" in response, putting her nose up. Looking at one another, Rose and Alicia let out a sigh and shook their heads. "Best you lay him back down. The more we bother him the more we likely risk something like what we just witnessed happening again." Alicia point out. "I guess so... Not think it happen again though. Think he okay now." Serenity affirmed while resting his head on a pillow.

As the three began laying down around him, Rose paused when she looked at the open part of his robe, showing off part of his chest making her blush slightly. Reaching out, she touched his chest with a single finger before giving his robe a slight pull to expose more, causing a smile to slowly spread across her face. "Hey! What doing?!" Serenity snapped making the rabbit shout and jump back. "I-I-I-I'm sorry!!" she panicked. "My, you ARE eager, aren't you? That and shameless." Alicia scowled. "I-I couldn't help it! I mean... We went over that." the rabbit replied shyly, facing down and fidgeting. "We went over what?" Serenity asked, having missed their conversation earlier. "Well, turns out our little rabbit friend has been feeling sick and in heat at the same time. She started flirting with him earlier out of blue which... I must say was abruptly out of character." the snake explained. "D-Don't make me sound weird!! Besides you said you were feeling the same way!!" Rose snapped in embarrassment. "I-I might be feeling a tad warm but I'm not feeling him up and stripping him in front of others!" Alicia affirmed with a reddened face. Looking at the two, Serenity tilt her head before looking down at Chris, hovering her gaze along his body before facing away and scratching her cheek. "I uh... I not feel much different. It same for me too. Been sick for while now, but more time pass, more feel in mood too. Not know why." she confessed. "Ah, so it's as we thought after all." Alicia nodded, the three looking curiously at one another. "Perhaps it's a combination of whatever we've eaten the past week and the new location playing into things?" Alicia point out. "Well, the lights here are pretty romantic." Rose nodded, looking out the window at the aurora wafting about above them. "Yeah, lights put me in mood big time." Serenity giggled before looking at Chris and biting her lip.

Facing one another again, the girls blushed before quickly shaking their heads. "H-He's having nightmares and won't wake up!! There are more important things to focus on!!" Alicia snapped. "R-Right!! He won't wake up!!" Rose agreed, about to reach out to Chris and shake him only to pause as she leaned over him and looked down at the opening in his robe. "He won't wake up..." she muttered, giving his body a curious look before a blush and suspicious look appeared on her face. "He... Won't wake up." she repeat, feeling an itch stir as she reached toward his chest, only for Alicia to push her back by the forehead using the tip of her tail. "Ooohhh no, control yourself little bunny." she lectured with a scowl despite her own blush. "Don't forget I've no interest in seeing you animals commit such acts in front of me. I'll not have you taking advantage of him while I'm right in front of you." she added. "You animal too you know, that make no sense." Serenity point out. "I-I'm above that thank you!!" Alicia snapped. "J-Just don't do that in front of me!" she added, facing away. Looking at the snake, Serenity scowled before looking down at Chris, his now relaxed expression along with his open robe making the Pokemon blush once more. "Why he have to be so cute?" she asked, scowling while leaning over him and poking his cheek. "Helloooo..." she called out. "Up, up! Wake!" she added, continuing to poke his cheek while Rose and Alicia watched. "He's out cold, nothing we can do but wait." Alicia reminded. "We've poked him, shook him, shouted..." Rose began, counting out their attempts on her fingers. "And if we try too much, something like that weird thing happens." she added. "Heavy sleepers is one thing, he's dangerous!" she sighed.

Optional track to LWR - Listen While Reading - Nightmare Over https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL8sQDLKcvo

Looking at the two, Serenity faced down, looking at Chris's face before leaning down. "H-Hey!! I said none of that!!" Alicia snapped, only to be ignored as Serenity lowered her face closer to his. Twitching an eye, Alicia grit her teeth and was about to snatch Serenity away, only to hear the Pokemon say "Love you" tenderly in Chris's ear before raising back up. "You really think that will...!" Rose asked, tilting her head only for their eyes to widen as tears welled up in Chris's eyes before streaming down the sides of his face. "Oh brilliant, now look what you've done." Alicia scowled. "I-It not supposed to do that!" Serenity panicked, the two heading into another argument while Rose tried to settle them down. However, while the three were distracted, looming over him as they bickered, Chris's eyes slowly opened. Looking at the roof at first, his gaze slowly focused on each of the girls, watching them in a half conscious state before slowly raising up. Once the girls noticed, they froze and went silent, their eyes widened as he sat up between them. "Rose..." he muttered, looking at the rabbit making her jolt. "Safe..." he added before facing Alicia, the snake inching back as he called her name before he faced Serenity, the sight of the girls causing his tears to stream all the more from his groggy looking eyes. "Wh-What wrong? Why you cry so much?" Serenity asked nervously, the others looking at one another bewildered before he reached out and pulled Serenity close, clinging to the Pokemon as he started to hick making her flush while still as stone in his embrace. "Wh-What? What see?" she asked.

Slowly putting her arms around him, once Serenity's horn pressed against him enough, she suddenly felt an intense rush of fear and dread run through her, the sensations pumping through her in spurts from where her horn made contact with him causing her eyes to widen. "Don't leave... Don't leave...!!" Chris hicked, clinging to her tighter. "Don't go away... Don't leave." he begged. "I-I not leaving! N-Never leave!" Serenity panicked. "I-Is he still asleep?" Rose asked. "P-Perhaps slightly?" Alicia replied, the two tilting their heads bewildered. Looking down at Chris as he clung to her, Serenity could feel an intense sensation of loss also running through him, both emotionally and physically as he trembled against her. After a moment, she started rubbing his head, quietly coaxing "there there" with a strangely maternal look on her face, smiling as Chris slowly pulled away and wiped his eyes. "A-Agh..." he groaned, looking at his wet hand. "The hell was that?" he muttered, looking at the girls once more, suddenly showing a bewildered look on his face while tilting his head. "You uh, you okay now?" Rose asked with a nervous smile. "I'm... Fine?" Chris replied, looking at the three again before scratching his head. "I was having a hell of a dream, then next thing I knew I heard voices and woke up... I was kinda half out of it for a sec, sorry about that." he apologized, scratching his cheek with an uncomfortable look on his face. "Well, now that you've finally come to, what happened in your dream? It must have been traumatizing considering what you did." Alicia point out, making Chris tilt his head once more. "What I did? What did I do?" he asked. Looking at one another, the girls explained the details, Chris crossing his arms and nodding as they went over his gravity defying ability.

"Mmm... Sorry about that. I get why it happened though." he nodded after they'd finished explaining. "So you remember your dream?" Rose asked. "Yeah, it was the freakiest one I've ever had." he nodded, looking at the girls. "Since that time in Smith's memories, I've been reliving the disaster of the Arceanic, and when I'm not having nightmares about that, I dream about us losing our lives on the Guardian... It's kind of messing me up a bit since I haven't slept well lately, but this time the dream was something I've never seen before." he point out. "Do tell, what was it?" Alicia asked. Looking at the snake, he faced down with another uncomfortable look. "Well... It started with us standing together in a barren land, kinda looked like the moon. All of a sudden, stars fell all over the place. They kept falling and falling, making everything explode... We kept running, dodging. Then at the end, there was this really, REALLY big star. It fell toward us and I tried to stop it, and then everything suddenly went blank after I grabbed it." he explained. "You grab star?" Serenity asked, blinking in surprise. "Mm... No matter what I did it kept falling." he nodded before facing her. "The second dream was about you." he point out, Serenity tilting her head curiously. "We were standing together, just the two of us. Stars were shooting in the sky and we were making wishes. When you made a wish, you started floating in the air. Next thing I knew you were flying toward the sky and this freaky darkness opened up and sucked you inside. For some reason I was stuck on the ground, just lying there watching..." he explained, letting out a shudder. "Freaky, freaky stuff." he groaned, rubbing his head with a groggy look.

"Sounds like seeing Lunala really did more to you than we thought." Rose point out. "Well, the eyes on that Pokemon were intense. It was like looking into the universe, so maybe passing out right after seeing something like that is what brought on the dreams." Chris nodded. "Still... For some reason those dreams really got to me." he added, looking at Serenity again, the Pokemon tilting her head before smiling. "You not have to worry. You know I never leave you!" she assured, reaching out and patting his head. "Quite right. One thing I can say is she's certainly dedicated to you. And in regards to, uh, being on the moon, was it? I don't see that ever happening. You humans may be into space travel but not our kind, so no need to fret over such a thing. And shooting stars bombarding the land? Nonsense! Many of those so-called stars are simply small meteors. They turn to ash long before reaching the ground." Alicia assured with a smirk, Chris giving her a surprised look. "You even know about that...?" he asked, the snake blinking at him before nodding. "Yes, why? It's correct, is it not?" she asked. "Y-Yeah! That's what I heard too. You just surprise me is all still... Not bad." he nodded, making the snake smirk smugly. "Yes well, one should always do their best to gain knowledge in this world." she replied proudly. "...Wasn't there something about that on TV a few days ago?" Rose point out, making the snake jolt before scowling at the rabbit with a grunt. "S-Sorry" she apologized with a nervous laugh. Looking at the two, Chris smiled and shook his head. "It doesn't matter how you learned it. What's important is that you put in the effort to memorize what was being taught. That still makes you really smart in my opinion. I respect that." Chris praised, making the snake blush slightly before smirking once more.

"As far as the dreams go, I guess you girls are right... Us being on the moon? And there's no way Serenity could just vanish in a hole in the sky!" he laughed, only to find himself clinging to a fragment of his unease as he paused before facing down. "Y-Yeah." he nodded. Looking at him, Serenity tilt her head before showing a slight blush and glancing away. "Me not being with really make you that sad?" she asked. "Of course!!!" Chris snapped, causing the Pokemon to jump in surprise and flush with his face now inches from hers, seeing a sudden serious look in his expression making her eyes widen before he jolt and pulled himself back with a flush of his own. "D-Don't say stuff like that... Of course it'd make me sad, you know that." he scowled. "Th-That makes me nervous... Don't ask something like that." he added, glancing at Rose and Alicia. "I'd feel the same if any of you disappeared on me. So... Don't..." he point out, suddenly showing more tears in his eyes before quickly wiping them, making the girls faces turn the same flushed color as Serenity's before they let out a collective "awwww" making Chris jolt before groaning embarrassed. "Not worry, never leave. Never ever!" Serenity assured before pulling him in for a hug and rubbing his head once more. "Yeah! You're too special to leave!" Rose affirmed, jumping in for a hug as well. "Have you any idea the situations you would put yourself in without me around to watch after a hopeless fool like you? Always wearing your heart on your sleeve. The world really would take advantage of you without the likes of me keeping an eye on you! And lets not forget, you'd be long gone without me watching after you." Alicia point out with a grin, patting him on the head with the tip of her tail.

Looking at the three, Chris sniffled before smiling and giving each a hug. "That's right, I need you..." he nodded, looking up at Alicia with a grin making the snake glance away embarrassed. "I'm sorry for getting so touchy and all. Those dreams are just getting to me... I know I've said it more times than any of you can count, and it might sound a little old now, but you're really all I've got. Just thinking about losing any of you terrifies me, and after that cruise, I just can't seem to bounce back as well as I thought I would." he apologized. "All the money I've got... Money doesn't have feelings. It doesn't have a heart. I could lose every penny to my name and be just fine, I know I'd find a way to live happily without it. But you girls..." he paused, thinking back on the nightmares he'd been reliving since the accident on the ship and the most recent omens, causing his eyes to well up with tears again. "I need you... I need you." he hicked. "Don't leave... Please don't ever leave. Don't regret being with me..." he begged before sobbing with his face lowered, the girls looking at one another with touched expressions as Chris crumbled from the stress in his mind. "Not say that no more. We tell you we not leave. We never leave. We mean it." Serenity affirmed while rubbing his back. "That's right! No matter what happens or how tough things get we'll stay with you forever! We love you too much!" Rose affirmed with a smile before sitting in his lap, leaning back and looking up with a giggle. "No danger too great, to problem too complex. We'll weather the worst, no matter what." Alicia nodded, coiling up around the group before resting her chin on Chris's head.

Looking at the three, Chris sniffled again before thanking the girls, telling them he loved them as the three cuddled against him, working together to coax him into relaxing. Outside, Rapidash had returned to the carriage for a look, watching the group through the window and letting out a grunt of approval, nodding with a smirk as he watched the three dotting over Chris within before trotting toward the remaining embers from their campfire and stomping it out, returning to his stable and relaxing while looking at the aurora above. Eventually, Chris managed to settle down into a normal state once more, finally flopping down on the blankets with a long sigh of relief. "Man, they say it's bad for a guy to cry, but I gotta admit it really does get all the bad stuff outta your system!" he smiled. "It helps when you've got great support too..." he added, looking at the girls and thanking them, causing the three to glance away and nod shyly. "You happy, I happy." Serenity replied. "So... Feel better now?" Rose asked. "Oh definitely. Thanks to you girls I don't think I'll have another bad dream for a while." he assured before laying his head down and letting out another sigh, wiping his face against his sleeve. "Man oh man. That's some therapeutic stuff." he added before showing a grin. "Having a family's the BEST!" he exclaimed, the girls looking at one another and smiling as he sat back up. Looking at the three, he motioned with his finger for them to come close, adding a "c'mere!" as he grinned causing the girls to give a curious look in response before leaning his way. Next thing they knew, he quickly planted a kiss on each of their lips, making them jolt in surprise with each remaining slightly puckered as they blinked at him.

"The best family, and the sweetest." he chuckled, giving them a wink before thanking them again and crawling toward a window, checking on the fire noticing it had been put out and seeing Rapidash hanging his head as he started dozing off. "Huh, alright then." he muttered with a nod, looking up at the lights once more before backing away from the window and turning to the girls. "So, guess we should all try to sleep now, huh? Sorry for keeping you up and worrying over me." he apologized, rubbing the back of his head with a nervous laugh. "I really do appreciate it though. You girls really are the best." he affirmed. Looking at one another, they were about to respond when they faced Chris and collectively froze, their eyes widening as a figure suddenly began to rise behind Chris outside the window. Looking inside, the figures eyes glowed a bright and eerie color, its claws silently pressing against the glass causing the girls to turn pale making Chris tilt his head with a puzzled look. "Is there something on my face? Did I say something wrong?" he asked, touching his cheeks curiously. Stuttering in response, the girls were about to point when his Pokedex suddenly started blaring excitedly, causing the girls to jump and scream, in turn making Chris do the same resulting in the figure outside panicking and quickly vanishing from sight. "G-Geez!! What's wrong with you?!" Chris snapped while reaching for his device, looking at its flashing lights. "A-Another foreign Pokemon or something?" he asked before the device flipped open. "Pokemon from Sinnoh region found!" it exclaimed. "S-Sinnoh? That's even further than the Alola Region from here." Chris muttered in surprise.

Looking at the girls, they were huddled together and pointing toward the window. Tilting his head, Chris turned around only to find nothing there, causing him to scowl and face the girls again. "You trying to mess with me?" he asked before looking at the device. "Okay, so what Pokemon is it?" he asked, the device seemingly returning to its scanning mode only to suddenly shut off and close. "H-Hey!! I thought you found a Pokemon?!" Chris snapped, shaking the device. "Hello--o!! What was the Sinnoh Pokemon?!" he shout, only for the device to remain silent. "...If there's a Sinnoh Pokemon around here I wanna see it. Maybe if I go outside the Pokedex will find it again." he muttered, quickly turning and reaching for the door. Panicking, the girls grabbed him together just as he opened it, yanking him back resulting in the door slamming shut as he clung to it, only to wind up trapped between the three. "N-N-Not go out!!" Serenity panicked. "Th-That Pokemon looked freaky!!" Rose added. "Y-You're not leaving us with a perverse beast on the prowl!!" Alicia chimed in. "P-Perverse?" Chris asked, blinking at the snake before struggling. "I-It was a Pokemon!! It was probably just curious!!" he argued, trying to get free so he could find out what it was. Unfortunately, with the three girls wrapped around him, Chris was at a clear disadvantage, and he eventually let out a sigh and submit, nodding with an "alright, alright" before relaxing and letting out a disappointed groan. "I can't believe I'm missing out on a foreign Pokemon cause' you suddenly wanna get all girly on me." he complained. "One who weeps like a girl shouldn't speak ill of females!!" Alicia snapped, causing Chris to jolt before groaning.

"Th-That's not fair. I was scared alright?" he scowled. "W-We're scared! You can be but we can't?" Rose argued. "I-I didn't say that!" Chris snapped, making the rabbit scowl before tearing up and sniffling causing Chris to reel himself back and apologize, rubbing her on the head. "I-I didn't mean to respond like that. I'm sorry." he affirmed. "I shouldn't let a Pokemon get me so worked up like that." he added before relaxing again, unable to resist letting out a second sigh of disappointment. "You lucky you not see it! Way you have nightmare, Pokemon like that make worse! It look like it GIVE nightmare..." Serenity shuddered. "S-So you caught a good look?" Chris asked, suddenly growing excited again. "I-I not know! Just see shadow! B-Big eyes, glow creepy." she tried to explain. "Why are you so eager to discuss a peeping tom?!" Alicia snapped. "I-I just wanna know! Don't kill a guy for being curious!" Chris argued, getting himself worked up again despite his apology. "You care more about that scary Pokemon than our feelings..." Rose scowled. "Th-That's not true! I care plenty!" Chris panicked, wanting to know what they'd seen yet at the same time finding himself in a difficult corner. "Th-This isn't fair..." he added, sulking into a defeated position. "Thinking more of weird Pokemon not fair." Serenity scowled with her arms crossed, making Chris sulk all the more while poking his fingers. "S-Sorry girls." he apologized in a guilty tone. Picking up his Pokedex again, he muttered "ah well" before tucking it back in his coat pocket and laying down with a plop, stretching with a yawn before putting his hands behind his head. "Well, you girls got me in here and Rapidash out there. If any real threat comes around, you'll be fine." he assured. "Besides, you don't need me to tell you how strong you are. Any one of you could easily fend for yourselves no matter what may come around." he reminded.

"I suppose you've got a point there." Alicia nodded while slithering around and resting her head. "I still don't like the thought of some strange... Thing... Looking in at us." Rose point out, crawling up next to Chris and laying against his side, holding onto him while warily looking toward the window. "I not like either. It creepy. Remind me of human back in city... Not right to watch others like that." Serenity added, crawling up and laying against his other side. "Don't worry, we'll be fine! If it bothers you that much, I can lower those things on the windows that darken them. That way we can see out, but nothing can see in." he suggested. "Y-Yeah! That works!" Rose shot up. "That good idea. I not want peeped on in sleep." Serenity scowled, sitting up as well. "I agree, the added privacy would be appreciated." Alicia nodded, raising her head as Chris sat up and crawled up to the control panel next to the door. "Okay, okay. Let me see here..." he muttered, looking at the labels and nodding before pressing several buttons. Next thing they knew, they could hear the sound of the tinted screens lowering, watching as they covered the windows providing a darkened view of the outdoors. "There you go. It's a one way view. We can look out, nothing can look in." he assured before looking over the door and letting out an "ah" when he found the lock, causing it to click when pressed. "And now the door can't be opened either. Nobody can see in, nobody can get in... You feel better?" he asked, the girls looking around and nodding. "Good... Now just gotta turn down the thermostat..." he added, causing Alicia to jolt. "I-Is that really necessary?!" she panicked, reaching for her collar. "Oh leave it be. You'll be plenty warm with the rest of us together." he assured.

Showing a wary look, Alicia watched as he lowered the temperature. "There we go... It'll get a little cool in here, but not to where you can't stand it. If you do feel too cold, just curl up around me or something, I don't mind. I'd rather keep some spare juice in the carriage so we don't have to worry about anything. Keep in mind if we get to the mountains soon enough tomorrow we might start making our way through, and you don't want this thing to have a low supply when we're heading up, it'll be even colder outside once we reach higher altitudes." he point out before raising up once more and returning to the controls, opening a tiny latch next to them exposing an energy reading. "Gerald explained it to me. This thing uses solar energy to store up power throughout the day. With Alicia using the heat so much and charging her collar, it only has about half, maybe a little under of what it can hold right now. Plus we've been using the lights too. If we waste it all tonight, we'll be in a tough spot tomorrow. A night of little heat is better than none come morning, and Alicia wouldn't be able to charge her collar so she'd have to rely on me if it ran out, or Rapidash... Not so sure how he'd feel about lending his heat though. He reminds me of Ninetales in a way." Chris point out. "She doesn't say anything, but I can tell it takes it out of her using her power through me constantly, so that's why I'd like to keep Ninetales a last resort. If we can manage without her, we should." he affirmed. "I suppose I can agree with that. I do enjoy the independence that trinket provides, even if it is lacking in a fashionable sense." Alicia nodded. "Once we wake up, I'll check on the charge. I'll turn the heat up some, but we shouldn't keep it as high as we have today, especially once we're in the mountains. A little management can make a world of difference. We can either be reasonably comfortable, or freeze our butts off!" he laughed, the girls looking at one another and agreeing on being reasonable.

Looking at the energy monitor, Chris nodded before closing the tiny panel and returning to his spot between Rose and Serenity, only to pause with an "Oh!" as he backed away right when Serenity and Rose held their arms out to pull him into their bed, making the two scowl with a whiny and collective "He--y!" as he started helping Alicia burrow her way under all the sheets and pillows. "Gotta make sure everyone is cozy and snug!" he chuckled, the snake blushing slightly as she made herself comfortable. Once she was settled in, Chris returned to Serenity and Rose, the two grinning excitedly and pulling him under the sheets with them. "E-Easy! I'm not going anywh-whoa there! Watch the... H-Hey!!" he panicked as the two ensnared him with their arms and legs, slyly sticking their hands in his robe while trapping him between them. Flushing brightly, Chris let out an embarrassed groan as the two snuggled closely as though he were a stuffed animal, nuzzling their noses into the sides of his neck and giving him pecks making Chris stutter while Alicia watched with a jealous scowl. "S-Sorry." he apologized with a nervous laugh, looking at the snake making her jolt and glance away. "I-I don't care. You're not doing anything." she muttered. Looking at her, Chris let out a sigh and shook his head. "Hey." he called out, making Alicia glance back at him. "What? I don't wanna watch." she replied in an agitated, yet somehow pouty tone. "You've got something on your face, c'mere." he point out. "My face? What?" she asked, releasing her vine and touching her cheek. "C'mere!" Chris grinned, making the snake scowl before leaning in close. "This better not be a tri---ick!!" she replied, her voice trailing into a surprised shout as he gave her cheek a long lick with the tip of his tongue.

"Ya' got a lil' drool on that side, it's ri--ight there!" he laughed, making the snake flush brightly. "I-I-Idiot!!! That's disgusting!!!" she snapped, snatching up a pillow and quickly wiping off the trail he'd left before hitting his face with the pillow making Chris laugh all the more. "Alright, alright... Now how about we all go to sleep with a smile on our faces, huh?" he asked. "That funny." Serenity giggled. "That was kinda gross, but yeah." Rose nodded. "Oh? You don't like my licks?" Chris asked before giving the rabbit a tiny one on the nose, making her ears shoot up and her eyes widen before showing the same flush as Alicia. "D-D-Don't do that!!" she panicked, quickly wiping it off on his sleeve. "H-Hey!! That's not cool!! That was a lick of love!" Chris laughed before facing Serenity with his tongue out, only for the Pokemon to snatch it between her fingers. "Lick me, you not like." she warned, pressing her knee against his crotch making Chris turn pale with slight sweat on his face. "Sh-Showy, not dwo no more." he assured with a nervous smile, the Pokemon releasing his tongue with a nod. However, despite her reaction, Serenity wasn't sure what being licked would do to her at the moment, as it had already left both Alicia and Rose in an anxious state, the two reddened and fidgety from the act. Letting out a sigh, she cuddled against him once more, showing her own slight blush while giving Chris a small pinch on the side and calling him "stupid" making Chris jolt. "I-I didn't lick you! No pinching!" he panicked. "Better not lick either." she scowled as all three settled in around him, with Chris resting his head against Alicia's body as if it too were a pillow making the snake scowl before sighing with a smirk and allowing it, resting her head as Serenity and Rose rest against Chris.

Allowing themselves to relax, the group watched the northern lights swaying above through the now tinted windows, the motion causing their eyes to gradually grow weary before slowly dozing off one by one, their first night back in the wilderness alone coming to an end...