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Chapter 150 - Understandings

Once she'd settled down enough, Chris coaxed Alicia into raising her head once more, smiling with his hand on her chin and another "atta girl" response as she sniffled and let out a shaky "uuu" sound in response. "Hey now, a proud Serperior doesn't get all shaken up like this, right?" he grinned, the snake nodding as he looked at the others. "You uh, you girls are okay, right?" he asked, both nodding in response. "I fine, better than fine. Feel good after way got to kick butt." Serenity affirmed, punching her fist into her palm. "I-I dunno about that but... I do feel good knowing we helped Alicia and those other Pokemon that were stuck with that human!" Rose agreed, though not so much about hurting their opponents with a somewhat nervous smile. Approaching the rabbit, Chris reached down and picked her up in his arms, making her tense up wide eyed with a curious "eh?" from his act, only to get another smile from him. "You know what...?" he asked, Rose tilting her head as he chuckled. "You really are an amazing girl." he praised, causing her to blush with a jolt. "I know it's hard for you to fight, especially having to go all out against someone the way you did. But you still battled for Alicia's sake, and in the end to help those other Pokemon too... You really are my hero!" he affirmed, causing Rose to stutter before shyly fidgeting with a wide smile. "G-Gosh..." she muttered before he gave her a loving kiss on the cheek, making her smile all the wider while screaming within and turning red enough to seemingly burst. "G-Gosh!" she repeat, holding her cheeks with a giggle. "That goes for you two as well!" he assured, putting his free arm around Serenity and pulling her against him and giving her a kiss on the cheek making Serenity jolt and blush slightly herself.

"You girls really know how to make a guy feel like the luckiest one in the world. Not every fella can say he's got women by his side who know how to totally kick ass!" he grinned, making Serenity hold her head up with a proud smirk while Alicia showed a small smile through her remaining tears in her eyes. "I tell you I move world if want! Beating few guys is easy!" Serenity affirmed with a casual wave. "...Not mind if want to praise more though." she added with a sly look before Chris playfully rubbed his nose against hers, making Serenity jolt and blink in surprise, blushing once more when he pulled away. "You're all the best." he nodded before doing the same to Rose, rubbing their noses together causing her ears to perk up before setting the rabbit down. "Alright... Everybody feeling good? Bodies are okay? Feelin' happy?" he asked, getting a nod with a grin from Serenity as she raised her arm and gave it a pat, Rose showing a smile of her own and nodding as well while Alicia did the same. "Alright... That's how it should be." Chris affirmed. "You girls hold on a little longer and we'll have plenty of food to fill up those stomachs of yours too! After that fight, you deserve a feast!" he added, walking up to Alicia and giving her side a pat. "No more water works, okay? It's a time for you to be laughing and gloating!" he insisted before returning to his place on the porch, looking back with a "love ya!" comment and a wave toward the girls as he shut the door and stood at the railing outside the window once more, leaning against it while looking around and toward the lights swaying in the sky above. Showing another smirk, Serenity took a fighting stance before punching at the air and making an upper-hook motion, kissing her fist with a proud "yeah!" and crossing her arms.

Optional track to LWR - Listen While Reading - Kindred Spirits https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQsLeUgF2e0&t= Recommended - Right Click On Video - Select Loop

Letting out a sigh, Rose happily climbed atop the sofa and sat with a plop, leaning back against the cushions before giggling excitedly. "He called us heroes!" she point out. "We not help we amazing." Serenity shrugged with a smirk. Taking the remote to the TV off the table, Serenity sat in a recliner with a satisfied sigh of her own before turning on the screen before them and clicking through the channels. Looking at the two, Alicia turned toward the TV for a moment before looking at the tree again as it continued to glow, a thoughtful depth to her eyes as she faced down, losing herself in her mind once more. Looking out the window, she watched Chris remaining by himself with a thoughtful look of his own showing in the glow of the light pouring out from the living room. Seeing him raise his hand with an uncomfortable look on his face, Alicia watched it begin to tremble before he placed it on the railing and covered it with his other hand, gripping it as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before looking out toward the street again. Turning back toward the others, Alicia quietly made her way to the door, opening it with her vine before heading outside herself, the noise causing Chris to jolt and straighten as she approached, closing the door behind her. "H-Hey there." he smiled. "You have your collar on, right?" he asked nervously, the snake tugging her scarf down to show the device around her neck with a nod. "Okay... Good..." he sighed before leaning back over the railing. "Wadaya out here for? You girls should be having a blast in there and gloating about the fight, you did good!" he affirmed with a grin. "Really showed that guy what for... You really did make me proud." he praised, raising his fist before pausing and lowering it back down, holding it once more.

"...What's wrong?" Alicia asked while taking her place by his side. "Eh, nothing really." Chris shrugged. "Kinda chilly tonight... Hope the delivery comes soon. Dunno about you but I'm starved." he added. Looking at him for a moment, Alicia glanced at his hands before looking at the shoulder she'd bit, quickly looking forward when Chris began looking toward her. "...Something wrong with you?" he asked, looking up at her only for the snake to shake her head before looking down, Chris doing the same as he rubbed the back of his hand in a somewhat self conscious manner. "...Bet Serenity's living up the victory." he chuckled. "Indeed... More-so than myself really." Alicia nodded. "Rose seems like she's feeling pretty good too... She really liked what I said back there." he smiled warmly, Alicia glancing at his expression and picking up an underlying hint of concern much like her own. "Yes... She seems happy enough." the snake agreed before looking toward the street. "...And what about you? How are you feeling?" she asked. "Wadaya mean? I feel great. Don't worry." Chris assured, giving her another smile, only for it to somehow grind at Alicia in a way she couldn't quite process. His expression looked sincere enough, but inside the snake felt something different than usual as the two looked toward the street again. "...I thought you'd be the happiest of all. I didn't... Do something wrong, did I?" he asked, glancing toward the snake. "Why would you ask such a thing?" she replied, glancing toward him. "I mean... I guess I was pretty ugly toward that guy... The way I was about to, you know..." Chris explained, clutching his hand again. "You kinda got hurt too... I'm sorry." he apologized, looking at his hands again making Alicia's eyes widen.

"Kinda hypocritical of me to talk others down for hurting folks I guess..." he laughed nervously as guilt started showing in his eyes. "...Sorry again." he repeat before clearing his throat. "Boy, that food!" he added, looking down the street. Continuing to look at him, after a moment Alicia looked down again, pushing her fangs out from the roof of her mouth just enough to allow her to drag her tongue along them. "Yes... Sorry..." she muttered as Chris let out an "eh?" and look at her, causing the snake to immediately retract her fangs and tightly shut her mouth nervously before he could see. "J-Just apologizing for, you know, uh..." she tried to point out, looking away. Scratching his cheek, Chris shared the same feelings as Alicia, both having a hard time after what had happened revolving Derek as they focused on their surroundings instead. "...Don't worry about what you did, that's fine." Chris assured. "I understand, really... It's what I did that was wrong." he affirmed, the snake looking at him once more. "You had reason to lose control, it wasn't my place to do what I did... You got hurt in the process..." he added. "Th-That's not it!" Alicia shook her head. "Even if I had reason to attack him, I should have had enough sense in me not to hurt you!" she argued firmly. "That wasn't your fault! I was the one who jumped in between you, I wanted to..." Chris tried to assure, only to pause and glance away again. "...It helped you, and I deserved it anyways..." he added. "I talk big about not hurting folks, next thing I know I'm throwing punches and uh..." he paused again, glancing away. "...Burning people." he confessed, referring to what he'd done to her vine. "...Sorry." he repeat, keeping a grip on his hand.

"It just has me reflecting on what I've done in the past... Like that truck. I mean, back then I wasn't as aware as I was tonight, when we were in that other city and I helped Rose, now that I think about it there was a driver in that truck... If he didn't escape, I could've..." he went on. "...I-I'm just kinda scared I guess. Of stuff I've done, stuff I could do... Now that I'm thinking about it, I mean, actually reflecting... Kinda makes me scared of myself." he laughed nervously, Alicia noticing his hands trembling again. "Kinda... Makes me worried about folks that are close to me again..." he added. "I mean, I've already hurt you, because I wasn't paying attention..." he affirmed before clearing his throat again. "Agh, look at me. Downing what's supposed to be a great moment." Chris apologized. "Just uh, don't worry about it. I'll bring our food in soon enough." he smiled before looking back down the street, his expression slowly turning back into one of silent thought while scratching the back of his hand again, Alicia watching him before facing away and feeling along her fangs with her tongue once more. "...You think I feel any different?" she asked, causing him to look at her curiously. "Scared of what you are? Scared of who you are? Of what you can do?" Alicia point out. "This... It's what I am now, who I am... After what occurred tonight, victory or no it reminded me of why I was afraid of this form." she affirmed. "Don't get me wrong... I'm grateful for what I can do now, of who I've become. But inside, now more than ever... I worry." she went on. "You feel proud of yourself, yet you're afraid of yourself... It's complicated... You're happy, yet worried." she explained. "And it's as you said, humans... Are frail, brittle things..." she reminded.

"Wild as I may have been, unaware as I was, I could still hear the sound of your bones, when my fangs..." she tried to point out, only to look down in a guilty manner. "You talk about how concerned you are of what you can do, concerned of being near others again... How do you think I feel?" she asked. "I-I'm not certain of how I feel about being near you after that. When you lose yourself, things happen, and it's no different than myself." Alicia confessed, turning and looking at the yard. "It feels extraordinary, being capable of so much... And yet it's still terrifying when you realize..." she paused, glancing at Chris and his shoulder before looking away. "...It can hurt even someone you don't want to hurt, accidentally or not." she finished before going silent again. "Perhaps you did burn me, but it was out of your feelings for me that it happened. You were willing to attack him out of your feelings for my sake." she assured. "In my case, I just wanted revenge... You jumped in to help and out of my own fury I sank my fangs into you out of my own blindness... What's worse, unlike you I didn't stop... You had to push me to do so... Endure until I finally realized what I was doing." she continued, looking down again. "...You stand there apologizing, speaking of how dangerous you are, trying to be by your lonesome... I should be the one doing that." she affirmed, looking at Chris again. "I caused you far more pain, and yet you buy ointment to heal me, go out of your way to order a feast for me, encourage me to hold my head up and be happy, be proud... Despite what victory that fight may have been, right now I just..." she paused, murmuring "can't" while facing away again. "What good is a victory out of the expense of someone so close? To succeed only to torment someone who was responsible for that success?" she asked.

Looking down himself, Chris showed a small smile and sighed. "...We're both hopeless, huh?" he asked, Alicia returning her attention toward him. "Glad we are who we are, glad we're with the people next to us, and yet we're terrified of ourselves too, worried about those same people." he point out, looking at his hands again. Showing her own smile, Alicia slithered up behind him, nudging his back making Chris turn around. Looking up, he let out a curious "mm?" before she glanced away shyly and slowly brought her hands out from behind her, holding them out. "Y-Your hands..." she instructed, showing a slight blush. Blinking at her hands in surprise, he asked the snake if it was really okay, getting a quiet nod before reaching out and holding them, the snake jolting and turning all the redder. "A-Are you okay?" he asked warily. "Been a while since I actually touched em'..." he added, looking at her leafy palms as his thumbs rubbed along them. Looking down, the snake watched him as his touch delicately surrounded her hands, their soft texture rubbing against the firmness his skin had in comparison. Twitching and jolting slightly, her response made Chris pause and quickly pull back, apologizing and asking if he'd touched them wrong as Alicia pulled her hands back behind her and shook her head. "It's not that what you did was bad, rather it's..." she paused, thinking her words over. "Your hands are rougher than my own, but... They're gentle." she nodded before showing another smile. "...I like your hands." she assured, causing him to blink at her in surprise before glancing away and scratching his cheek out of both, shyness and discomfort. "Y-Yeah..." he nodded, his thanks striking an uncertain tone.

Looking down at him, for the first time Alicia felt a different connection between him and herself, the both of them being two people uncertain of their bodies and what they were capable of, what they'd become as time passed and they essentially evolved together. However brief the vision was, for a split moment Alicia was even able to see herself in Chris, making her feel a new sort of comfort with him yet at the same time a new form of sorrow, knowing all too well the way he was beginning to feel about himself after having lived the same way for so long. Calling out to him, once more Alicia made him place his hands in hers, this time the snake being the one who felt his hands over as his remained still. "...I'm not afraid of them." she assured with another smile, this time trying to show the same warmth he showed to her so many times. "I know you feel bad... And while perhaps I'm not the best with... Emotional... Matters and such, you shouldn't fret." she affirmed. "It's hard to know what you're capable of... And once you start learning what you can do, it's hard to know if it's a good or bad thing. I know that myself." she went on. "But... You're not a bad person at heart... Perhaps your emotions push you into using your powers in ways you'd never intended, but even when you attempted to use them against Derek..." she paused, the mention making Chris avert his gaze nervously, only for her to grip his hands with her own, getting his focus back. "You used them out of love... You wanted to attack him for the wrongs he did, for what happened to me. You wanted to hurt him because you knew all the pain he caused me... You're not a malicious brute." she insisted, keeping her grip on his hands. "Your anger... It came from love... Mine came from hatred... Remember that." she nodded.

"You're a good man, a just man... For you to attack someone the way you did with Derek, even the way you did with that human who hurt Rose so badly, there has to be outstanding reasons. You don't blindly abuse someone merely on a bad day or anything of the sort. So even though you did what you did when you rescued her, even though you did what you did to Derek tonight, don't you feel bad, don't you worry about anyone, not yourself, nor' any of us, not one little bit, understand?" she affirmed. "Since we've met you've spent your every moment looking out for misfits like us. Whenever we've gotten out of control, you've always stood up to stop us, to protect us. You've done it for Serenity time and again, and now you've done so for me... It only makes sense that we do the same for you, and that's exactly how it will be in the future." she nodded. "I suppose... At the end of the day, we're all hopeless in our own ways..." she went on, looking in at Serenity as she pushed Rose away, the two struggling over the remote. "It takes all of us to have a chance." Alicia confessed, thinking back on how it was her own rival who put sense back into her as she returned her focus to Chris as he looked at his hands in hers. "...If we must be blunt with one another, yes, you burned me in the thick of the moment." the snake point out, making him tense up while she gripped his hands all the tighter. "And yet I've never felt safer, happier... And more content to be able to feel these hands of yours than I do now." she smiled as he looked up at her. "These hands of yours... An incident like that is far from enough, far, FAR from enough to make me wary of them... I've never been more relieved to have them to hold like this." she praised, making him blush slightly.

"These hands that cradled me, these hands that have supported me, nurtured and healed me... These hands that gave me a new life, one worth fighting for... That raised themselves in a blaze of fire for my sake alone before the world and all that would judge you for it... If it takes a burn now and then to insure hands like these are part of my life forever, I'll accept that... I'll never forget the honesty, the tenderness and love these palms carry." she affirmed. Hearing all this from the normally reclusive snake, Chris was the one now being pushed into a somewhat flustered, almost tsundere-like position as he faced away. "G-Geez... They're hands, ya' know?" he replied, Alicia blinking at him with an "eh?" and scowling. "I'm trying to reassure you! It's difficult for me!" she point out as he looked down before showing a small smile and looking back up at her, Alicia's expression turning from agitated to curious as she tilt her head. "So...? Are we feeling better...?" she asked. "...Yeah..." he nodded, the snake responding with "goo...!!" only to be cut off when he gave her a hug, putting a flush on her face. "I'm still sorry for burning you but... Thanks for the pep talk." Chris added. The way he was holding her, in its own way it reminded Alicia of how she felt as the one needing held, the snake slowly placing her hands around his shoulders in her own hugging manner while giving his head a pat. "Um... There... There...?" she coaxed, the words making Chris pause before looking up at her with a smirk. "Wh-What?" she asked with a scowl. "You... Did that for me, so..." she reminded with an embarrassed look on her face. Suddenly hearing tapping on the window, the two jolt and looked to see Serenity looking agitated while Rose giggled with a teasing "oooh" sound like they were busted.

"E-Excuse us?!" Alicia snapped, quickly pulling back while pushing Chris away and returning her hands behind her. "Private moment thank you!!" she affirmed, Serenity beginning to call her out on being sneaky with Chris as he watched the girls bicker from opposite sides of the glass. Looking down, he raised his hand, looking at it silently for a moment before showing a smile and squeezing it into a fist. "...Girls?" he called out, making them pause and look at him curiously. "No matter what happens... Even if I mistakes..." he paused, looking at his fist once more before holding it up. "I promise... I'll always do my best to do right, by all of you." he affirmed. "I'm not perfect... I do my best to be the best for all of you, but sometimes... I might slip up..." he confessed. "There... Might be times we get hurt, by others..." he paused, looking at Alicia before returning his focus to his hand. "By each other..." he added, nodding with a grunt before raising his fist again. "But no matter what, I swear I'll do whatever I can to keep you girls happy, and... To make up for the times we do hurt each other." he assured, the girls looking at one another before nodding back. "No family is perfect, in the heat of things, sometimes stuff gets out of control." he went on, looking back at Alicia before placing his hand on her side. "Even so... I want us to be able to forgive each other. To forget it and move on." he insisted. "In this big world, we're all each other has. I'm not sure any of us would be able to handle having to start all over again, to endure building another life..." he point out, looking down for a moment before hovering his gaze along the girls. "So... Can you promise me to always forgive one another?" he asked, looking up at Alicia. "To forgive me?" he added.

"Not sure what all that about, but it no big deal." Serenity shrugged. "That's easy enough." Rose smiled. "You still act as though you've done wrong... I wish you wouldn't but... I do agree as well." Alicia nodded. "It just makes me feel a little better." Chris smiled nervously. "I guess... We should be able to forgive ourselves too though... Huh...?" he added, looking back at his hand while taking a breath and sighing. "Just gotta keep growing and learning things together, I guess." he nodded. "...I love you, Alicia." he finished, looking up at the snake with the warmth in his smile having returned, making her stutter and flush due to the sincerity in his tone. Despite having heard it time and again, there was a way in which he said it this time in particular that made her heart briefly flutter, the snake quickly facing away with a mixture of surprise and shyness in her eyes, silently thinking "what was that...?" as she tried to comprehend her own reaction. "Y-You sure you're okay?" Chris asked. "F-Fine!!" Alicia panicked, looking back at him with a nod before glancing away. "F-Fine..." she repeat, this time in a more shy type of tone that had Chris tilting his head instead. "Someone's coming." Rose suddenly point out, the group jolting while noticing a van approaching along the street. "Must be the caterers." Chris muttered, noticing a logo with food on the side of the vehicle along with a chef as it slowly turned in the driveway. "Yep..." he added, about to head off the porch only for Serenity to stop him with an agitated "Hey!!" from inside the window. Jolting, he paused and looked back, the Pokemon pointing out he didn't say he loved her in the moment causing him to sweat slightly. "L-Love you!" he assured with a nervous laugh, making the Pokemon cross her arms and pout.

"...Not say it way he say to stupid snake..." she grumbled, Rose looking at the sulky Pokemon before looking at Alicia and noticing the snakes eyes as she watched Chris approach the caterer in the yard, speaking with the man before helping bring in bags full of containers. No matter how she looked at him before, somehow there was a new love-stricken depth within them as Alicia silently swooned in her own subtle manner. As tall and proud as she ever was, at the same time the snake had a weightless appearance as well, still stuck to the ground yet in some manner seemingly floating as Chris and the caterer passed, bringing with them the heavy scent of food that waft about and began filling the living room which quickly lured Serenity toward the table. Poking her head out from the front door, Rose asked "you okay?" as Alicia's focus went elsewhere when she wasn't watching Chris pass by. Getting no response, the rabbit smiled with a nervous sweat on her face. "He really gotcha this time..." she point out before the smell of food began trapping her, noticing the scent of carrots among the other aromas lulling her attention toward the table alongside Serenity as it filled more and more with bags of food. Once everything was inside, Chris paid off the caterer and saw him along his way, giving a wave before shutting the door as Alicia made her way inside. Taking the containers out of the bags, he revealed lasagna and macaroni, steamed carrots, gravy covered potatoes, garlic bread and salad, along with a double order of cheesecake and pumpkin pie on the side for afterwards. Smelling the sweets in particular, Serenity and Rose were ready to reach for them, only for Chris to interrupt and put them in the fridge until after the main food was finished, much to the moaning of the two.

Putting together plates for them, Serenity plopped in a recliner with a grin and attempted to fork down an oversized piece of lasagna, only to panic when it burned on her tongue. "Oy oy!! You know food is hot at first!! Blow first!!" Chris lectured as Serenity whined with her tongue out, Rose nibbling away at the slices of steamed carrot and nodding in agreement, causing Serenity to scowl at the rabbit. Having also put in a double order on gallons of tea, Chris poured Serenity a glass, allowing her to cool her mouth as he sat with a sigh and prepared Alicia's plate. Once it was ready, he began offering to feed the snake, only for her to insist he eat first. "Come now... You always feed us first. You eat as well for a change." she lectured. "Come on! Don't deny a guy his bonding time! I like feeding you!" Chris scowled, holding a forkful of macaroni out. "It's well and good to bond but you COULD help yourself as well... Be a little selfish for a change." Alicia scowled back, the two looking at one another for a moment as Chris kept her food held out, making the snake sigh with a "very well" and take a bite. "There we go!" Chris grinned, getting a smile back once she swallowed her food. "What is one to do with you?" she asked. "How about..." Chris paused, getting her another bite ready and holding it out. "Love me and never leave...? I'd be happy with that." he replied, making her blink at him before showing another smile. "You know I won't..." she assured before taking the bite. Noticing the two, the atmosphere between Chris and Alicia caused Serenity and Rose to pause in the middle of eating, their cheeks full as they quietly watched. "...Whaf gwowing on?" Serenity asked. "Wi dwunno..." Rose replied as they looked at one another and back at the two.

Scowling from the scene before her, Serenity grumbled quietly while resuming her meal, swallowing before taking an agitated bite of her lasagna, remaining silent as she let Alicia have her moment despite her feelings of envy. "He say love her all sweet... Now look all happy and glowy..." she murmured. "...I do good too." she added. "What are you muttering about?" Alicia scowled, causing Serenity to jolt. "I not say anything!!" she snapped back, taking another bite with a "stupid snake" remark under her breath. "Hey now, we're eating, not fighting." Chris lectured, grabbing Alicia's attention as she apologized and let him feed her again. Once the girls had finished what they wanted, Chris set himself a plate and began eating as well, Serenity and Rose using the sauce left over from the lasagna on their garlic bread. "This stuff not bad." Serenity point out. "Mm, it's good." Rose agreed, nibbling away before letting out a small burp, making the rabbit jolt and quickly cover her mouth. "Looks like we've got TWO loose canons!" Chris teased with a grin, causing both Rose and Serenity to snap back with an insulted "Hey!!" as their faces reddened. "Well, guess Serenity is the louder one..." he grinned slyly. "You watch it! You know how strong I am." she affirmed, pointing her bread. "Oohh, please don't hit me with food!" Chris responded in a dramatic manner, causing her to blink before scowling and taking a chomp out of her bread. "You mean..." she grumbled. "You know I like to tease." Chris smiled, giving the Pokemon a wink before continuing to eat his own food. "Sure you're full?" he asked, looking at Alicia and getting a nod. "I'm quite alright. Fill your own stomach now." she insisted as the group started flipping through the channels on TV.

Optional track to LWR - Listen While Reading - Frustration https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ew48RkM4t4&t=68s Recommended - Right Click On Video - Select Loop

After a moment, they finally came across a news station reporting on what happened at the Louvre between Chris and Derek while the girls were away, showing them walking out of the pyramid and into the plaza before standing together. With the reporter making the scene full screen, the audio from the recording came on making Chris jolt as he heard himself. "So yeah... I took her in right after you left her behind." he point out. "Look man, it sucks you got stuck with her. I'm sorry about that, alright?" Derek apologized. "Did you ever hear me say it was a bad thing?" Chris asked with a scowl. "Hey, you got her to turn into a Serperior, good for you. It doesn't change the fact she's still weak in the head." Derek affirmed. Listening to the scene, the girls remained quiet and focused as Chris held his fork near his mouth, remaining still. "Pokemon can have all the strength and all the size in the world, but if you can't make them fight without some kinda mental block, they're as useless as a Magikarp." Derek point out. "She looks good, but she's still as useless as ever. You saw her run off man, she doesn't even have the guts to face me. You think she's any use in a match?" he went on as Chris tightened his grip around his fork. "She fights just fine... She has issues with you, not fighting." Chris affirmed on TV, making Derek let out a "psh" and brushing off the statement. "Look man, why are you trying to push her as some great Pokemon like this?" he asked. "She's bigger, but she's still a coward. Maybe she can beat small fry, but I bet when she's up against a real challenge she backs down in a heartbeat, or she would if she ever ran into a real fight... You probably don't even make her battle, do you?" Derek asked.

"No, you're right, I don't." Chris affirmed. "But when she does face a fight, when there's a problem, she does face it head on." he argued as Alicia glanced down at Chris, watching as he slowly lowered his fork and likewise his head. "You said you saw me on the news, haven't you seen the time she saved me? It wasn't even that long ago. It could've killed her." Chris explained on TV as Derek raised an eyebrow. "How do you know she didn't want to die? Maybe she just wanted to help you and get rid of herself at the same time. Serperior that are cowards, or heck, any Pokemon that can't fight know they're as good as dead anyway in the real world. It's all about proving yourself, if you can't, what purpose is there in being around?" Derek scoffed as Chris looked at him in a nerve stricken manner. "I told you she DOES prove herself. She evolved by getting past all the issues you keep going on about!" Chris argued. "Yeah well... Only thing I know is if she's weak enough to run from me, deep down she hasn't changed a bit. You're just kidding yourself." Derek waved while Chris clutched his plate as the news went on. "If you're trying to sell her as something great, then whatever. Being honest, you couldn't pay me enough to take a Pokemon like that one back. Having to deal with that subconscious crap is for therapists, not trainers. If they can't give us what we need, there's no reason to even have them. It's way too much of a time killer." Derek point out, looking at Chris as he showed a furious expression. "Listen you..." he growled, approaching Derek making him casually put his hands up. "Hey man, don't blame me. It's not my fault." Derek replied, making Chris pause. "Y-You can't be serious..." he replied in shock.

"She couldn't handle being with a real trainer. If you care about all that touchy feely stuff, you be my guest. Play a shrink for Pokemon, but I'm in it to win. I wanna get somewhere. Crap like that is just a stall." Derek point out, making Chris take a slight step back. "If you wanna reach the top, you gotta push weak ones out of your way. It's how the world works." Derek shrugged. "She couldn't keep up, so she got left behind. If you were smart you'd do the same. Even if she is a Serperior, she won't get you anywhere in the end." he warned as a sinister look appeared on Chris's face, Serenity and Alicia surprised by his expression while Rose glanced away uncomfortably. "Uh oh..." she muttered as Chris's bangs put a shadow over his eyes, his head remaining lowered as he kept silent on the couch. "If it really matters that much to you..." Derek began again, crossing his arms while thinking. "Maybe you're just acting this way on the outside, but inside I bet you're desperate to get rid of her the same as me... You've just got a guilty conscious, right? You can't leave her like I did?" he asked before thinking again and finally nodding. "Ya know, I guess there is a way she could be kinda useful..." Derek smirked before nodding at Chris with his hand out. "You wanna make a deal? I can take her back and give her a place to stay so you won't feel as bad. They have those daycare places... I could just have her bred at one until something useful pops out! Even a coward can produce something worth your time!" he grinned. "That way you don't have to be responsible and I can get a good Pokemon, eventually. Sound good?" Derek asked. Hearing this, Serenity and Alicia's eyes widened in shock, while both on TV and on the couch, Chris's teeth grit from the insult.

Standing up, he pardoned himself before making his way upstairs, while on the news the fight that Serenity and Alicia had seen began as Chris slammed Derek to the ground and started cursing in a venomous manner, gradually leading to the moment Serenity and Alicia returned to the plaza. "That bad... No wonder he go off." Serenity point out, looking at Alicia as the snake lowered her head, her eyes remaining wide. Despite everything else, she was still shocked in her own way from hearing such a remark, looking toward the stairs while Serenity and Rose did the same. "I'm sorry... Since he didn't bring it up I didn't think I should talk about that part either... I figured he just wanted to forget about it..." Rose apologized. "You were already bothered enough... I didn't think you needed to hear about it either..." she added, looking at Alicia as the snake turned back toward the TV, watching and listening as the scene showing Chris enraged by Derek continued. "...That's why...?" she muttered as Chris slammed Derek's back on the pavement repeatedly. "...Snake okay?" Serenity asked as Alicia faced down, thinking once more about the way Chris reacted for her sake. Flashing back to their moments of intimacy with one another, the scene before her struck Alicia as strongly as a woman could be by how enraged Chris became over Derek's breeding remark, hitting home how he felt about their private moments in particular and how he felt about her body the same as he felt about her as a person. Getting to experience how fiercely protective Chris was of her for a second time, despite knowing how it bothered him Alicia couldn't help but show another softened smile, murmuring "Fool..." as Chris went on about how he felt about her while beating on Derek, the snakes eyes beginning to show the same love stricken appearance as when she was on the porch with him.

"She has that look again..." Rose quietly point out. "It kinda creep me out..." Serenity replied, both at a loss from seeing such a side from Alicia as the snake watched Chris rear his fist back, his feelings for her engulfing it in a powerful flame that could've ended his life as a free man, something he was willing to give up to get back at Derek on her behalf. Turning back toward the stairs as she and Serenity showed up on screen, Alicia began slithering her way off and up toward the second floor. "Hey!! You leaving at best part!!" Serenity point out. "I... Don't need to see it... The best part's over with." Alicia replied as she continued up the stairs. Blinking curiously, Rose let out an "eh?" before she and Serenity faced one another, only for the later to show an agitated scowl. "Ohh no, I know what snake doing!" she exclaimed before jumping over the furniture and giving chase. Reaching the snake, Serenity darted around her and blocked the bedroom door, having been shut by Chris after entering alone. "I not think so!" she affirmed, Alicia looking down only to approach the door nonetheless. "Hey!! I say no!!" Serenity repeat, pushing back. Realizing the snake wasn't budging, Serenity paused when she felt something different about her rival, getting no retaliation save for a firm stance as she looked up at Alicia, still annoyed yet somehow surprised at the same time. "Y-You not go in! Back down stair!" she ordered, only for the snake to remain still while looking down at Serenity, making the Pokemon sweat slightly. "B-Back down! You go now!" she tried to insist, only for Alicia to remain where she was. Continuing to push all the more, Alicia's stance refused to yield to Serenity's attempts, making her finally back away with her arms out in front of the door with a growl.

"...I ask very little of you. Despite our issues, won't you let me this once?" Alicia asked, Serenity maintaining her agitated glare. "I'm not requesting this as someone who wants to beat you... I ask this as someone who..." the snake paused, looking down for a moment. "Wants to do right..." she added, returning her focus toward Serenity with a look in her eyes that made the Pokemon all the more nervous. "Sn-Snake stop being like this!! It weird!!" she argued, unaccustomed to her rival playing so passively. Looking at one another for a moment, Alicia finally lowered her head with a shocking "Please...?" that made Serenity all the more unnerved, only to be dealt a double crushing blow when Alicia said "Serenity?" in an earnest manner that made the Pokemon cringe in discomfort. "S-Stop it!! You stop that NOW!!" she lectured, continuing to defend the door albeit with an eye twitching. "W-Weird!! Snake weird!!" she added, shaking her head. Raising up, Alicia looked at her rival before glancing away. "I know we've issues with one another, but... I'd like to think we've still enough decency to allow one another a private moment when necessary." she affirmed. "...With enough reason, I'd allow you to pass..." she assured, the remark making Serenity groan while relaxing her defensive stance, however subtly. "Y-You just want to..." she replied. "...I do, and I'm asking you to allow me to..." Alicia confessed, the admission making Serenity's eyes widen. Wanting to shout out "Ah ha!!" and point at the snake, something in the depths of her conscious prevented the Pokemon from doing so, her own feelings making Serenity feel uncomfortable even with herself in the moment. "Th-This not... Right..." she muttered, growing confused by the situation and her own passiveness.

"It's as I said... If there was reason enough... Our quarrels aside I would allow you a moment alone." Alicia repeat, somehow managing to make Serenity feel guilt despite being bewildered for having the sensation. "...It'd make him feel better too, I'd wager. Let me help him..." Alicia asked. Letting out another groan, after a moment Serenity turned toward the door, closing her eyes before using her abilities to read Chris's emotions and thoughts within. Finally opening them again, the Pokemon slumped before suddenly perking up with a grin and turning back to her rival. "What you do, I do MUCH better! Should leave to me!" she affirmed proudly. Expecting a response, Alicia only looked down at her in a way that made Serenity feel just as bad as if she'd pointed the snake out, the Pokemon inching back with sweat on her face. "...S-Say something!" she insisted, only for Alicia to continue looking at her in a silence that unsettled Serenity all the more. Watching from the stairs, Rose quietly examined the scene as the two rivals faced off, this time to allow one to have her way with permission from the other. "Out of respect, both as a rival and for what you did in that alley, I'm asking you to allow it, this once." Alicia affirmed, making Serenity glance away. After a moment, she finally grit her teeth and threw her hands up, letting out a frustrated shout and talking to herself in a profane manner as she approached the stairs and started climbing down, making Alicia look back with a smirk before sighing and facing the door again. "Y-You really did it..." Rose point out quietly. "Indeed... Still more to do however." Alicia nodded. Leaning toward her side, Rose watched Serenity plop onto a recliner through the bars of the railing, the Pokemon crossing her arms and venting.

Inching closer to the door, Alicia took another breath before using her vine to open it, peeking in to see Chris standing before a desk with a mirror attached against the wall, a small lamp on next to him with his hands gripping the sides of the desk as she noticed the frustrated look remaining in his expression, his eyes still covered by his bangs and the shadow they provided. Quietly calling his name, Alicia's voice made Chris jolt, snapping out of his thoughts as he lowered his head further. "C-Could you give me a minute?" he asked. "Just uh... Help yourself to the pies or... Something..." he added, taking a breath of his own. "I'm... Sorry... You having to hear all that. Didn't bother to notice if anyone was watching or not when that happened..." he apologized. "Those darned reporters, right?" he tried to laugh, pushing it out before going silent again. "...I'm sorry." he repeat. "It's bad enough you went through what you did as it is... I didn't want that talk I had with him added to everything else." he explained, his behavior leaving Alicia incapable of hiding a small smile as it appeared on her face. "It really does bother you... Doesn't it...?" she asked in a touched tone. "Of course it does!!" Chris suddenly snapped before quickly collecting himself and apologizing again, Alicia jolting wide eyed from his tone. "It just... Pisses me off..." he explained, gritting his teeth as his back remained toward her. "Talking about you popping out things until he gets what he wants... Not only does it piss me off saying that about you, but it makes me think of how many other people think of Pokemon like that, just things they can breed until they get what they like... Then what? Just toss all the others aside?" he asked. "They don't justify it when humans do that to other humans, why defend it when it's Pokemon being forced to live that way...?" he went on.

"Forcing girls to have child after child, ripping them away from one another every time one is born, and once someone gets what they want, they just get rid of the mother and make the kid live a life of hell..." he point out. "Ruining their bodies, ruining their lives, then tossing them all aside like rags that never meant a thing...!!" he added, beginning to tremble slightly. "Damn him...!! I can't tell if I'm pissed more at the thought of what he said and you having to endure that, or knowing others are having to go through it... People, trainers treating life so... So...!!" he paused, covering his eyes with his hand as he started hicking. "Fuck...!!" he groaned. "Humans used to marry Pokemon! How... Why did we let it get this way...?" he asked as his tears started plipping onto the desk. "Pokemon have thoughts, they have feelings, yet look at what people do to all of them...!!" he added. "I try not to get this way, but again and again I see the abuse, I hear how people think of you... And it hurts." Chris confessed. "All of those eggs back at the nursery... Did I save them just so they could hatch into a miserable existence like that...? Doesn't it make me responsible for their pain if they suffer...? Did those eggs all come from mothers who were forced to lay them...?" he added, suddenly looking at his coat he'd gotten for helping the nurses before taking it off and surprisingly tossing it aside. "Damn it!" he exclaimed. "What he said, it has me thinking about a bunch of other crap that just won't stop nagging me now too..." he finished before asking Alicia to leave again, apologizing for his state. Facing down for a moment, the snake approached his coat on the floor and took it in her mouth, setting it on a nearby chair before slithering up behind Chris.

Pressing herself against his back, the sensation made him jolt a second time as she placed her leafy hands on his shoulders. "...It's not good for such a brittle thing to carry such weight on his shoulders." she affirmed softly. "I might be mistaken, but your back has suffered enough, correct? Why add to it?" she asked. "You're trying to apologize for your entire race... It just can't be done..." she affirmed. "Perhaps there are humans like that, perhaps there are Pokemon enduring those hardships, but it's not any fault of your own, you can't shoulder so much blame." she smiled. "You're a hopeless fool, not because of stupidity, but because you can't stop grieving and showing remorse for so many things." Alicia explained. "You're hopeless because you're too good, for your own good. And you're a fool for always thinking the worlds faults are your own." she went on. "Perhaps you were brought into this world for the sake of others, but even with that fox meddling in your life, I highly doubt she intended for you to become the be all, end all of the worlds troubles. If nothing else, I'd like to wager you've already gone far beyond what she'd expected out of you." the snake assured. "...Curse or no curse, you're only one being. You can only do so much. I know it's a tad odd hearing it from me but... We're all proud of you as-is, none of us expect you to make the world everyone's paradise. We're happy enough with what you've done... The fox is the same I'm sure, and if she does think differently, well... Lets see her give me a burn herself." Alicia point out. After a moment of getting no response, she giggled with a "See?" while looking down at him, rubbing his shoulders to coax him into relaxing, however slightly.

"So long as we've been together, you've always done what's best, what's right... Even if the manner you've done so hasn't always been the most acceptable to others, in the end there are none who can deny the miraculous things you've accomplished, for our kind and your own... Never forget what a just and admirable man you are..." she affirmed. "...A woman such as I would never accept anything but the best, right? And since I'm here now, does that not prove you're still the best?" she smiled. "...Don't put the blame for all the woes in the world over your shoulders..." she coaxed, inching back as Chris relaxed and finally turned toward her. "Nobody, not even that fox expects you to fix everything wrong in society. Just... Keep chipping away at the edges that ARE in your grasp. As far as the rest... Well..." she paused before lowering her head and rubbing her cheek against his. "We all have our limits... You'll always have us to love and respect you for what you CAN do, the same as you've done for us." she assured. "...Doesn't what he said bother you though?" Chris asked, glancing away. "Do you think I'd be helpless enough to allow that to happen to me now?" Alicia point out, causing him to jolt and look up at her. "During your speech about my kind... All of it was true." she admit with a nod. "Had he somehow managed to come out the victor... Rest assured I would have been back with you soon enough." she affirmed. "Y-You...?" he replied in surprise. "I would have wrung out the final squeal he could muster the first chance I had." she revealed. "None would have been the wiser. Just another bum dead in some forsaken alley only the lowest tread." Alicia point out. "You... Shouldn't talk that way." he affirmed. "Neither should you take on the worlds issues." she insisted.

"Perhaps there are those who suffer miserable fates, but there are just as many capable of fighting their way out of those fates on their own, and they're all the stronger for it." Alicia went on. "Not all Pokemon accept such a life, as was part of your speech as well... Many can handle themselves, so don't feel or think as though every member of our kind endures the same outcomes." she smirked. "And if I may be blunt once more..." she added, showing a blush as Chris gave her a curious "mm?" in response. "...Nobody breeds me, except you..." she affirmed, the remark catching him off guard and making him redden as well. "Perhaps the odds aren't in our favor but... Crude as the remark might have been..." she went on, glancing away. "I... Suppose if one WAS to "pop out" endless children, if you will... For you it wouldn't be too terrible a task... Not really..." she assured. "That is, so long as they're yours, of course..." she admit, leaving Chris standing in silence from the split from her usual character. "I-I did say I'm not the best with this sort of situation... And perhaps it's inappropriate to suggest such a thing given your current dilemma, but..." she paused, glancing at him before facing away. "I-I'm feeling a tad "in the mood" if you will, as humans say." Alicia confessed. "...I thought maybe a little pep talk and some rather close affection between one another could aid us both? That is... Help us forget a few things... Think of a few others instead?" she asked, glancing back at him shyly. "Despite what has happened, what was said... I can't seem to find myself thinking of much else than a desire for, to say... A certain something, from you... Is that alright?" she asked as Chris noticed the same look in her eyes the others had picked up on already.

Turning silent, the two looked at one another in the bedroom, dimly lit by the small lamp on the desk beside them...