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When I awoke, it was to an embarrassed apology from Wendy, who was already well into the room as my eyes opened. Tempest was still draped half over me, and my pants were hanging over the edge of the bed.

She turned away, but the door was too far away for her to back out without notice. She offered a rushed apology, and Tempest chuckled, as I got up. I debated just getting dressed, but I needed the shower, and crossed the room to take it, leaving the door open and inviting her to take a seat, to not worry about it.

She was still embarrassed, but Tempest had caught my rhythm and didn’t let her scurry off, going so far as to take her wrist and lead her back in, shutting the door behind her. While she did, I enjoyed a hot shower, and took my time really scrubbing all the dirt out of my hair. In truth, I felt like a new man after the previous day.

I didn’t share her embarrassment, as I came back into the main room wrapped in a towel. Tempest, realizing Wendy couldn’t understand what was being said, took the opportunity to tease and have a little fun.

“I think she likes your ass. She’s sure staring at it.” She quipped, before hopping up from her seat to hold my bag while I found a clean set of clothes.

“Thanks. Do me a favor and pack up what I was wearing last night? I mean, if you can find it. Probably around the bed.” I replied, offering her a playful smirk as I got dressed.

“I’ve seen chople berries less red.” She replied with a smirk, nodding as she went to gather up my garments. “It's awful, but this is hilarious.”

Suitably dressed, I finally turned around, and feigning ignorance about the whole thing, sat on the edge of the bed while Tempest packed my bag up. “Sorry I slept so late. Woke up in the middle of the night, and got a good meal though.” I replied, gesturing at the empty tray. “I’ll be ready to hit the road when you are.”

“Y-yeah.” Wendy replied quietly, as Tempest walked by, yesterday’s underwear in her hands. “We should be… able to make good time, with you well rested.” She added, trying to pretend she wasn’t flustered by it.

“Sounds good, but don’t push Staccato too hard. He’s working really hard, and I’d hate to see him run himself ragged.” I said, with a grin. “You know. Like I do.” Tempest shoved my clothes into the bag and pulled her pokeball out of the side pocket, giving me a peck on the cheek before I put her away.

“So…” Wendy said, trailing off as we found ourselves alone in the room. She shook her head and got up to head for the door. “Sorry for walking in on you like that…”

“Could be worse.” I replied with a laugh. “I could’ve walked in on you!”

Despite herself, she laughed. “God, you’re such a jerk! Don’t you start!” She admonished, but her embarrassment faded as I picked up my bag. “Seriously, between you and Stacky, what is a girl supposed to do?”

I chuckled, reaching out to pat her on the back, steering us towards the door. “I’m sure Staccato has a few ideas. You could ask him, sometime.”

She looked at me, a long, quiet moment passing in the hallway. “And end up right back here? No thanks.” She replied, with a playful grin. “If anything, he’d have to deal with my ideas.”

She shoved my shoulder, and, taking a few steps ahead of me, looked back at me. “You both would.” She quipped, before laughing at my expression, and walking into the waiting room.

All I could do was shake my head, and get on with the day. I had to admit, it was more fun that she gave as good as she got. Still, that was a whole beedrill nest I wasn't about to stir up. I meant what I told Tempest. She was off limits. I had no intention of stepping on his toes.

Staccato gave me a long, appraising look, but finally nodded with a sigh. “Fine. Fine. You held up your end and got some rest. Better hold on tight, today. We’re going to race the pidgeots.”

I laughed at that, thanking the nurse, who handed me a cup of coffee and an apple. “What, hurried to be rid of me?” I asked, as we sat outside, enjoying the morning sun. “Can’t say as I blame you. I’m trouble.”

Penance hopped up between Wendy and I, although there was not a great deal of room to do so. “Well if it weren’t you, she’d have found some other trouble.” She said, her tail wagging as Wendy scratched behind her ears. “Oh. Left. Left.” She added, leaning into the affection.

“Left, Wendy. Oh, that’s the spot.” I said, with a chuckle, before tucking into the little bite of breakfast. “So, we’re going to head down the pass, and towards the shore. Probably won’t make it all the way to the beach, but I’d still say even halfway would be a good day.

“You kidding? I know that look.” Wendy said, glancing at Staccato. “If we’re not standing in front of a pokemon sanctuary by this evening, he’s gonna be pretty unhappy.”

Staccato tapped a foot on the ground, and shook out his mane. “I’m not kidding. You’d better hold on tight. Both of you.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “He says buckle up.” I chimed in, as I set down the coffee mug. Empty, save the scrap of an apple core that remained. Truth was, I was a little nervous. But if we could cover that much ground… how fast could a rapidash go with two riders?

Oh. This was going to be good.

As we got on the road, the first thing I felt was a bump, like Staccato had jumped. Then the tug of gravity seeming to shift, pulling me back, before levelling off. The wind whipped past me, a roar in my ears, and the ground seemed to fly by beneath us.

It was as if he’d separated himself from the earth, and was hovering above it as it spun past us. Occasionally tapping against the ground to make it go faster. He wasn’t kidding. A fall at that speed could have killed someone.

Wendy was having the time of her life. I had an arm wrapped around her waist, and hoped to the sun Staccato knew what he was doing. I almost regretted the coffee.

But after the first twenty minutes passed and nothing went wrong, I started to enjoy myself. Seeing the treeline whip past us, the mountain practically fall away as we wound our way down the road. It was exhilarating. It was an absolute rush.

I wondered how much of the run he could actually see at that speed, or if he was just following the painted lines in the road and hoping nothing got in the way. I’d have to ask him. When it was done. I didn’t really want to know at the moment. On second thought, I realized I didn’t want to know at all.

I thought we had already hit top speed, going down the mountain, but when we hit the open ground headed to the coast, I learned how wrong I was. The world all but flew by over the next two hours. I laughed, I finally laughed, when I realized that the line on the horizon I saw was the ocean.

He finally let up, and slowed down in the afternoon. We were outside that resort town, where Claire and I … back then... It brought a tear to my eye, as he took his time going through. Wendy looked up to say something, but saw my eyes, locked to the hotel as we trotted past it, and perhaps thought better of it.

I spoke up first, as it fell behind us. “Sorry, just reminiscing. A lot of good memories here. Claire and I spent a little time here, seems like forever ago.” I shook it off, with a laugh, patting Staccato on the side as he caught his breath. He’d worked himself to a lather, and my hand came away damp and sticky.

“You know, we could take a break here, if you want. You absolutely killed it today, Staccato. If you could do this once more, tomorrow, we’d be there.” I said, as he slowed and finally came to a stop.

“You know… actually, could we?” He asked. “If it were just Wendy, or just you, no big deal, but the two of you together? I’m beat.” He seemed shy to admit it, but he was visibly relieved as I hopped off of his back.

“I bet you sleep well tonight… but first, let me buy us lunch. Gotta be somewhere around here with decent chow for you.” I said, as Wendy joined me, walking beside Staccato. “And I’ll help get you cleaned up, too. Least I could do.”

Wendy shook her head at that. “No, I owe him this one. What I want you to do…” She said, giving me a nudge towards the beach. “Is find us a spot to camp tonight. Call me when you know where we’re staying. Come on, Stacky, let’s go get you brushed out. You look bushed!”

It took a while to find a spot, a pretty little stretch of sand, tucked away behind high rocks, secluded. I pinged her tablet, but didn’t bother waiting when a response wasn’t forthcoming. She’d have the location data. Tempest and I struggled to set up the tent, but finally managed to make it work. Cocoa used her rolling attacks to leave a divot in the sand suitable for a fire pit, and Mira gathered enough dry wood to try and get a fire going. It took quite some time to get it started and at first it smelled awful, but it turned into a happy little blaze as we sat around over tins of fish and vegetables.

There wasn’t much conversation, the four of us tucked into a meal that was simple to the point of being lazy. I felt bad for it, but honestly just didn’t feel up to trying to do anything bigger. The sound of the waves lapping against the shore seemed to pull us all away to our own thoughts.

Mira stayed close, as she always did. Her ribbons wrapped around my hands after they found themselves empty. A quiet longing, a feeling of reminiscence. I knew she missed Claire as much as the rest of us did. Maybe more. The two of them had grown close in all the time they spent training together. She lost more than a friend, she lost the only one of us who really challenged her the way Claire did.

Cocoa’s quiet felt a little less solemn, as she settled herself in behind me, her arms wrapped around me. It seemed more like she was waiting, than that she was lost in her own thoughts. Respecting our solitude, rather than feeling it for herself. I supposed that made sense. I wondered how she felt about things, but that wasn’t a conversation I was really up for. So I enjoyed the quiet, and the gentle warmth of her presence.

It was Tempest that surprised me, cleaning up the little mess from dinner before laying her head in my lap, her hand reaching for mine, bringing it to the top of her head. Grinning, she only saw fit to let go when I got the point and ran my fingers through her fur, petting and caressing her. Watching the tension slowly drain from her was a fascinating thing, and after a while, she dozed off.

It seemed like we’d been there for an hour, it was time to feed the fire, and maybe just call it a day. Cocoa picked up Mira, who mumbled something groggily about not stepping on the pidgeys as she looped her ribbons lazily around the miltank’s shoulders as they made their way to the tent.

Tempest waited a while longer, her hand in mine as we stared out over the sea. She didn’t say anything, neither did I. For all that things were a mess, I think we were both happy that we weren’t completely alone to weather it.

Eventually, she turned my cheek, her heavy hand against my skin, and kissed me. Soft, and tender. “If you need us, we’re here. Don’t forget that.” She said, before pressing her pokeball into my hands. I hadn’t even realized she’d managed to snag it from my belt.

I didn’t object, for all that I missed them. After a while I went back to the tent, and let them rest in their pokeballs. We all had to deal with things our own way, and maybe it was easier there. If I needed them, they were there. I knew that, and it helped.

And so it seemed, just like that, I was alone again. A handful of pokeballs sitting in my bag as I waited for Wendy. I lost track of time, building a castle in the sand. Trying to do something other than just sit and brood over things.

Ultimately, it was Penance that found me, all but throwing herself down beside me with a sigh as she stared out to the ocean. She didn’t say anything, but it was beyond strange that she wasn’t with Wendy.

“Hey, are they…” I started, but she snapped at me, interrupting me before I could say a word. She was livid.

“Been lovey-dovey all evening. I had to go, before she blew him in the woods.” She replied, with a tense growl. “Could have at least had the sense to not make me hang around while she made eyes at him.”

I didn’t say a word, just reached down and ran my hand over her back. I could feel her tension, knots in her shoulders. She didn’t seem to react at all as I rubbed at them, so I settled in and gave her what comfort I could.

“It’s stupid.” She said. “I’m being stupid.” She told herself, her paws digging angrily at the sand. “Staccato’s always had a place for her in his heart. I was just the annoying kid he had to watch grow up.”

“You love him?” I asked, running my hand over her head.

“Maybe. I … I don’t know. I always thought… I mean we think a lot alike. Same jokes, same frustrations. I ... “ She sighed. “I’m being stupid. I want him to be happy, and that’s going to make him happy.”

I shook my head at that, and met her eyes as she looked up at me. “And what would make you happy?”

“Honestly… the past few days have been… some of the best I’ve ever had.” She admitted, sitting up to look at me. “You’re fun, and Wendy’s been happy. Staccato seems like even he’s coming around, the grumpy old bastard. But this… I just…”

She sighed, and flopped back down in the sand. “I used to think… the cruelest thing wasn’t that she left him behind… but rather… that she made me leave with her. She used to be different, you know? When we were both little, she used to run in the flowers with me. Pick me up, hold me, tell me all her silly little stories. She doesn’t even talk to me anymore. She hasn’t held me in a long time. I just … I feel like I only matter to her because of what I can do for her. Same as Staccato. Same as everyone, I think. She used to be so much different.”

A moment passed in quiet as she stared at nothing in particular. I didn’t know what to say, so I just waited. When she found her words, she all but fell against me.

“Come on, you always know what to say. You always have the right words, don’t you? You got them talking again. Helped her understand. Helped him say all the things he was afraid to. You always have the right words. Tell me. Tell me how I’m supposed to feel. How I’m supposed to be okay with this.”

I just shook my head, and scooped her up from the sand, cradling her in my arms. “If you love him, you love him. Knowing, having to watch, your whole life as he only sees someone else? I can’t make that not hurt.” I said, as she curled into me, crying. “I can’t make her change back, either.”

“It’s not fair. She didn’t … she never ... She never even liked him!“ She sighed, and clutched at me. “It’s not true. She did, she always did. She just didn’t understand before. Now she’s taking him off to the woods, oh go run along, Penance, can’t you see we’re busy?”

“Surely, she didn’t say that.” I replied, stroking her head, trying to calm her down.

“She might as well have! I told them I was going to go track you down and it was like they might as well not have heard me at all. ‘Have fun! Bye!’” She growled, trying and failing to really imitate Wendy’s voice. After a moment she sat, swatting the sand once more with a sigh. “Like I didn’t even exist.”

I sat beside her, and pulled her close. “Think about it. How long have the two of you been on the road together? It’s been her and you for a while, right? She almost lost a friendship she treasured, she’s getting a second chance. That doesn’t come around every day.”

“Yeah…” She replied, in a sulky whisper. “I know. You could tell me that all day.” She said, looking up at me. “It still hurts to see her kiss him.” She sighed. “Hurts more to watch him kiss her back.”

“Penance... “ I didn’t have words, all I could do was give her a hug.

“I know. You don’t have all the answers. Thanks for… not trying to pretend you do.” She said, nuzzling against me. “I just… I don’t know.”

“Need a vacation?” I asked, with a chuckle.

“Don’t we all?” She answered, finally sitting down beside me. “You… confused me at first, you know? I couldn’t understand how someone could be such a mess like you and still have anyone trust him.” She admitted, before nuzzling into my leg. “It’s stuff like this. Probably bothered you to get the brush-off, too.”

“Not really.” I replied, shaking my head. “How could it? They didn’t owe me a thing, to begin with. Went out of their way to help me. For no reason but because that’s who they are. If they wanted time or space, or told me this is as far as they went, I’d still be damned grateful for everything they already did for me.”

“But you like her.” She said, looking up at me. “Don’t you?”

“I don’t know. She’s sweet, really. But I doubt she’d be okay with someone…” I paused, for just a moment unable to make eye contact with Penance. “Like me.” I said, waving a hand as if to dismiss the idea. “Besides, she has her own plans. It has nothing to do with me.” I answered, with a smile. “She’s been sweet, but that doesn’t mean I’m obligated to chase.”

“And if she chased you?” Penance asked, her eyes still locked to mine.

“I’d need to ask my girls how they felt. And ask her friends how they felt about it. Not just Staccato… but you, too.” I replied, with a grin. “I mean, it’s only fair, you’re all kind of stuck together.” I sighed, and shook my head. “That’s a lie. I’d have turned her down. I know Staccato has a thing for her, and honestly… I’m not sure I’m even interested. My girls… have me spoiled.”

“Why couldn’t I be stuck with you, instead? Even if I had to share, at least I wouldn’t be forgotten about.” She sighed, laying her head down in the sand. “At least what I felt would matter.”

“Would it make you happier? Or would it just be a different kind of misery?” I asked, running my hand over her back.

“Maybe both, but at least you care enough to ask! She can’t even...” She growled, bit back her words and sighed again. “I’m sorry, I’m being a bitch. It’s not your fault. You’ve been nothing but good to us. To all of us. I just need to accept he doesn’t love me. He never did before. He’s not going to start.”

We both stared at the crackling little campfire for a long time, neither of us had words left. Neither of us had answers. I felt guilty, but there just wasn’t anything I could do. He needed to make himself understood, Wendy’s answer to it was her business. It was their business. Not mine.

And now Penance was going to be stuck with them. Watching, for the rest of her life while the rapidash she fell in love with loved someone else.

Another unintended consequence. Another wound I had a hand in making.

Two steps forward… one tremendous leap back.