"I'm sorry... What was that you said?" Zen asked in astonishment.

"Nightshade is the one who destroyed Zocarive," Tamao responded taking a deep breath to calm himself down. "The tablet from here was just stolen a few hours ago, that's why I look like I got roasted above an open flame."

"Oh... Is that bad?"

"Extremely, one of the tablets alone isn't horrible. But if you were to combine all of the tablets together... Well, let's just say Zocarive was a good example of that."

"Oh... That's really bad. But It'd take years to reach every single temple, and most of them are probably still undiscovered."

"I don't like the idea of Nightshade being able to find all the tablets before I do, I let him do it once and I can't let him do it again. If we can find one and keep it safe we can keep the world from being destroyed long enough to defeat Nightshade and whatever army he has by then."

"Well the closest one we know of is a week away by walking, probably only two days by flying since you'll be able to skip over all the mystery dungeons. You know what, how about we talk about this in the morning when we're all well-rested and in our right minds? We can go get breakfast at the diner and discuss things further." Zen recommended as he yawned.

"That sounds like a good idea, good night Zen, Shade."

"Goodnight you three." They both responded as they went to their respective room.

As Tamao and Inari arrived in their room with Ayla they realized something. Where was Ayla gonna sleep?

"I assume you want your own bed Ayla?" taamos asked her as she sat down looking at the two of them.

"P-preferably y-yes."

"What do you think Inari?"

"She can have her own bed."

"Alright, that was easier than I expected. Me and Inari can take the far bed and you can have the closer one."

"Sounds good," Ayla responded before curling up on the soft mattress.

Tamao crawled up on the other one with Inari following suit as they both laid down trying to keep a little bit of space between them, even though it would prove to be ultimately fruitless as soon after Inari fell asleep she subconsciously rolled over and put her head in Tamao's neck fur.

Tamao didn't mind it, he also couldn't deny his neck fur probably made a better pillow than most pillows since he made sure to keep it soft and clean. Otherwise, normal tasks would become more difficult than they needed to be. Tamao quickly fell asleep to dream the night away. If only those dreams were nice and peaceful.

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"So you have finally fallen asleep." A distorted voice sounded from the black abyss that was Tamao's surroundings.

"Can I just have peace for one moment!" Tamao shouted into the distance.

"So you do not wish to learn about the tablets of this world?"

"Okay, you have my attention."

"The tablets in this world are different from Zocarive, firstly there are twice as many. They also all cause a different disturbance to happen if deactivated. Each of which has a weird but simple solution to fix."

"Wait these tablets can deactivate?" Tamao asked panicked.

"Yes, but only by removing them and proceeding to break them in half. So don't break them and you're fine."

"Okay... that's a relief."

"Now then, the tablet that was stolen today caused extreme rain to fall in Taviki because of the sudden appearance of both you and Nightshade in this world. It will slowly heal over time but these effects can be sped up by simply draining excess water from the lake below the cavern that the tablet once rested."

"That... is a lot simpler than I expected."

"Most things that appear complex at first glance, have a simple solution when looked at further."

"Well, I'm not strong enough to protect any of the tablets yet, what should I do?"

"I do not have an answer for you Tamao. But, I do have some advice for you. A wise mon' knows his shortcomings, an innovative mon knows how to work around his shortcomings, and a fool lets his shortcomings control his decisions."

"Uhh... thanks... I guess."

"Now I believe it is time we part ways. Farewell Tamao, I shall see you again one night."

"Goodbye voice in my head."

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As Tamao opened his eyes he saw Inari still fast asleep using him as a pillow. But how the universe loves to play jokes in embarrassing situations as Inari slowly began to wake up.

As she looked up she locked eyes with Tamao before noticing the position she was laying in. To think her face could get even redder than it naturally was. In an attempt to break the awkwardness, Tamao spoke up.

"Good morning Inari, I hope you slept well." Because if you didn't that would definitely ruin my self-esteem.

"Y-yeah... I slept well. Sorry, I used you as a pillow..."

"It's all good, I'm gonna take that as a compliment."

At this point, Inari's face looked like it was going to catch on fire. Deciding to look over towards Ayla's bed he noticed her looking at the two of them with a blank expression.

In reality, she was trying to figure out if they were mates or just really good friends. And if Tamao was telling the truth... he had no clue, he had never been this close to anyone before. Sure he was close with Neko and Olly, but not this close.

And as children do they ask whatever question is on their mind without thinking if it's a good question to ask a very obviously distressed Pokemon.

"So are you two a thing or not?"

By now Inari was hiding her face in the actual pillows on the bed. And making sure she wasn't looking Tamao shrugged his shoulders in response to Ayla's question. An eye roll was the response he received before an exasperated sigh could be heard from Ayla before she got out of her bed and went into the bathroom.

"Ya know, she brought up a good question," Tamao said as Inari finally seemed to calm down.

"And what makes you say that?"

"I don't know, but I mean... It's not hard to imagine we've been mistaken for a couple at least a few times by this point."

"I don't know... I've never really thought about being in a relationship... mostly because I didn't really talk to too many mons' my age until you showed up."

"Well, I'd be lying if I didn't say you were beautiful."

And the red gets redder. "R-really?"

"Yeah, plus you've saved my life on multiple occasions. I wouldn't mind getting to spend the rest of my life with you Inari." Well, no his feelings were out there in the most indirect way he could've said it.

As Tamao awaited some kind of response he quickly glanced out the window of the room to see the sun rising up over the horizon... well trees, but the horizon sounds more majestic.

Inari shocked Tamao by licking his cheek and giving a verbal response. "I'd love to spend the rest of my life with you Tamao... but could we keep our relationship a secret from everyone? At least for now?"

"Yeah, that sounds great." Tamao could feel his brain misfiring in his head. Am I still dreaming? Did she really say yes?

Inari took notice of his thousand-mile stare and giggled as he blinked rapidly back to reality. "I believe we have a breakfast we need to get to?"

"R-right."

Smiling Inari turned around to get off the bed before getting scared half to death by a silent Ayla who was looking at them with a smile on her face.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough. Don't worry, your secrets are safe with me... Mom." That one single word made Inari's heart flutter and made Tamao smile wide.

"So she gets a Mom before I get a dad? I see how it is."

"It's nice to know she understands who's better between us." Inari joked as she lightly punched Tamao in his shoulder.

An eye roll was the response as they left the room and went down to the lobby to meet up with Shade and Zen. As they entered  Nick waved at them afetr taking a second to look up from the book he was reading.

They didn't have to wait long for Zen and Shade to enter the lobby, both of them looking wide awake as if it was the middle of the day.

"Good morning everyone!" Zen exclaimed with a wide smile.

"Morning Dad," Inari responded with an eye roll and a smile.

"I hope ya'll are as hungry as I am," Tamao said before his stomach growled making him slightly embarrassed.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

The walk there was uneventful thankfully and Tamao was more than grateful for the break from excitement.

Though Tamao did get the sense they were being watched which he did not appreciate, every time he looked around he saw normal mons' going about their days, no one looked suspicious and Tamao would feel guilty if his first impression of anyone was to be suspicious of them.

The diner quickly came into view and it was pretty tame looking. Not that it was supposed to be some extravagant building. But it just didn't stand out to Tamao, it was bleak with red paint and a sign with just the word 'Diner' on it.

Talk about blending in . Tamao thought to himself before entering with everyone else.

The interior was cozy, to say the least. Along the walls were booths with gray cushions to add comfort for customers. There was a bar towards the other wall that sat facing the grills housed in the diner. There were a few Pokemon in the diner eating peacefully but no one of note in Tamao's mind.

As they sat in one of the booths Ayla sat between Tamao and Inari while Zen and Shade sat on the other side. They quickly ordered their beverages and looked over the options for breakfast. Tamao decided on a Sitrus Berry waffle.

The conversation was far from lively as Zen and Shade went over different landmarks they had seen and all the different cultures eventually Zen decided to ask a question that Tamao did not expect.

"What's with the earrings? I noticed them when we first talked but didn't really feel like asking about them."

"They're mine, I got them as a gift a long time ago and I always only ever wore one. Then I ended up being saved by Inari on multiple occasions and giving her an earring was the only way I could think of repaying her."

"Really? It wasn't just a way to get closer to her?" Zen asked suspiciously.

"No, I just had no other way of thanking her. She's been a great friend since I met her."

"Dad, Mom has met Tamao. She trusts him. Isn't that enough for you to trust him?"

"I just want what's best for my daughter... speaking of which, while we're on the topic of jewelry I have a gift for you Inari," Zen said as he reached into a bag and pulled out a small box. "This is a necklace I bought while in Tusgreeve. I thought you would like it."

"Really? Thanks, Dad!" Inari quickly opened the box and took out the necklace.

Glancing at it Tamao saw it was a beautiful red ruby that was in the shape of a heart that shined in the light. As Inari put it on she turned to Tamao with a smile. "How do I look Tamao?"

"You look incredible Inari."

She giggled and looked back at her Father who was finishing the last of his meal.

"I'm glad you like it Inari, now I'll just pay the bill and we can go our separate ways for now. I look forward to the next time I see you three."

"Bye Dad. I'll miss you."

Shortly after they all left the diner they began walking towards the houses that were being repaired, when they arrived Tamao saw a Gurdurr looking at some plans for the building.

"Are you two the guild team that's been sent to help us?"

"Yes sir," Tamao responded to his question.

"Great, do either of you have experience doing construction? Specifically roofing?"

"I've done roofing in the past yes."

"Neither of us has ever done any kind of construction," Inari said as Ayla shook her head.

"Well, one is better than none. Now come on I'll give your assignments and we can get these roofs finished quickly."