[Edited]

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Loraine sat on her rather luxurious thin mattress, covered in fancy blankets as she fixed her golden locks with her hair brush. She heard rustling coming from the outside of the tent and wasn't alarmed when her boyfriend entered. "Myron, you're back.~ Where were you?"

"I was taking a walk." The white haired boy replied rather bluntly as he took off his boots and coat, placing them on the ground. He then sat down on the sleeping bag that was laid out next to his girlfriend and caught her staring. "Alone?" She asked, raising her brow a bit. The white haired young man shook his head. "No, with my Pokémon."

It went silent again and both could feel the tension rising, both having different reasons and troubles they hid from each other. Loraine noticed the lack of responses or even motivation of her boyfriend so she turned around, pouting and lay down, her back now facing the purple eyed male. He decided to try and converse despite his mixed feelings: "Something's been bothering you since we left Rota, hasn't it? Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's my brother, Luntian. You weren't there when the queen announced the mission, but she mentioned that my parents will arrive in Grona soon as well." The blonde spoke without hesitating. Myron was the person she trusted most, even more than she did her family by now. "You probably heard the rumours about the new prince that has just been crowned recently. They're true, and the prince is none other than my older brother."

"Really?! That's sort of unexpected... But doesn't that mean that your parents are now king and queen of Grona?" The white haired male asked, scooting somewhat closer to his girlfriend's mattress. The female nodded. "That's right. It's probably the reason why they're even coming all the way here."

"Then, doesn't that make you princess of Grona? That means you won't need to participate in this competition anymore!" The purple eyed boy tried raising Loraine's moral, unaware that he was just making things worse. The girl sighed as a smile of sadness made its way on her face. "I wish it were that easy. My parents aren't planning to let me live with them and my brother. Not that I would want to be with Luntian or anything in the first place."

"Besides, I'm not in this competition for myself..." She added a bit more silently before she started to play with the golden strands of her hair. Myron attempted to reassure his girlfriend, saying that she might be able to talk things out with her brother once they meet him. Loraine ended up nodding even though she had no intentions of speaking to Luntian. Nothing had been said after that, and hours had probably passed without any of the two getting sleep.

"Loraine, are you still awake?" The white haired boy whispered, staring at the back of his girlfriend. The blonde nodded, silently humming a 'yeah' and waiting for the male to continue. "I hate bringing up this topic, but... don't you think we've grown distant lately?"

The eyes she had been keeping closed in order to attempt to rest were now wide open. The female even held her breath for a few seconds. That way of starting a serious conversation... She knew where this was going and mentally panicked. "Maybe it's for the best if we-..."

"Please don't say anything else!" Loraine interrupted her boyfriend, turning around to face him with a very quick movement. She sat up and stared at Myron desperately, her eyes slowly getting teary. "P-Please don't leave me too! You're all I have left!" The blonde wasn't able to control herself and broke out in tears. So many flowed down her cheeks as she attempted to wipe them away.

Myron's heart ached when he saw her crying like that and he immediately regretted his words, which wasn't necessarily a good thing. The white haired boy crawled over to his sobbing girlfriend and wrapped his arms around her smaller figure, squeezing her to himself. She kept begging him not to leave her, tightening her grip on his back even more.

"Please don't cry. I just had a weird dream and started babbling dumb stuff." The purple eyed male lied, trying to calm Loraine down as he gently pat her head, soon running his fingers through her silky blonde hair. "Forget what I just said, alright?"

* * *

Aaron had just come to get you for your shift at guarding. You wished Camilla a good night before exiting the tent. The caramel haired female peeked outside and watched the two of you leave. Your Lucario also got closer to your best friend and watched as you and Aaron stopped in order to talk with Doni and the other Lucario. The blond knight unexpectedly left without even conversing, heading straight for his tent while the other Pokémon seemed to be arguing.

Camilla could have imagined it, but she thought she heard your Lucario sigh before the mostly blue creature left the tent. The chestnut brown eyed girl didn't feel like sleeping yet nor to be in this tend on her own, so she exited it as well, sneaking towards Doni's shared tent with Aaron. Once there she looked around just to be sure no one would see her and get the wrong idea. She took a deep breath and stepped inside.

"Knock knock, I'm coming in.~" She hummed playfully and was greeted by the sight of Doni sitting on his sleeping bag, still wearing his red knight attire. The blond was a bit surprised at his sudden visitor but not displeased. Quite the contrary, actually. „Don't you know what it means when a girl visits a guy in the middle of the night?"

"Well, that isn't the case here, so I'm not worried." The caramel haired female replied, looking around, not knowing where to sit down since she didn't want to intrude on Aaron's privat things. Doni noticed and gestured the girl to sit on his sleeping bag before he got up only to slip out of his clothes. The male was soon left shirtless and sat back down on Aaron's sleeping bag next to Camilla whose face had gotten slightly pink. "You should be worried though."

"Anyway, did something happen?" Doni asked, assuming that might have been the reason behind the caramel haired female coming to his tent. The girl shook her head as a sigh escaped her lips before letting herself fall on the spot the blond knight usually slept on. "Not really. Y/N left and so did Aaron. I figured you felt lonely, so I came to check on you."

"You're not so good at lying." The blue eyed male chuckled, now starting to think that Camilla really had pure intentions this time. Not that she's ever really had inappropriate ones to begin with. "Then what would you like to do? Your wish is my command.~"

"Hm.~ Let's just talk a little. You know, to get to know each other even better." The chestnut brown eyed female suggested, turning her head in Doni's direction. The male found that a rather good idea to start things, so he made himself comfortable and lied down on his stomach. "Alright, let's turn it into a game: You ask a question, I reply and ask you another question next."

Camilla couldn't hold back a small laugh at their rather childish way of spending time, but in her opinion this was something she needed to do if she wanted to know more about the man she loved and the past that has made him distrust people. Maybe a better way to put things wasn't to say that he distrusts people, but the possibility of romantic feelings arising. Love in general. "You're half Italian, correct? Which of your parents is Italian?"

"My dad is, but my Mom has learned to speak it too after living together with him for so long." The blond knight replied, surprised to hear that this was Camilla's first question. Every time any other girl had asked him things about himself, it would usually be stuff like 'How many girls have you dated' or 'What's your type'. Those sorts of questions, so it felt heartwarming to see that the caramel haired female was also interested in his background and family. "What about your parents, are they from Rota?"

"Not quite. My mom was born in Rota, but her parents are actually from Olivine kingdom which is in the Johto Region. My dad on the other hand is danish and came all the way here from a small village in the Sinnoh Region called Sunyshore." The chestnut brown eyed girl revealed proudly. Doni never knew about this. He actually knew little about Camilla's parents in the first place. "I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that I can't speak danish though..."

The blond knight ensured the girl that there was nothing to be embarrassed about. Learning languages, especially in Rota, these days wasn't always supported by the law, so one was very lucky if one knew an additional language. Camilla felt a bit better and used her turn to ask another question regarding the young man's family. "What are your parents like?"

"My mom is a bit of a clutz. Not in a bad way of course! She's really cool and fun to be around with, and she gives great advice." Doni said a bit nervously, not wanting to make Camilla think that his mother wasn't a good person. He immediately felt more at ease when he heard the girl giggle. "My dad on the other hand is quite the housewife. He takes care of the chores, cleaning, the laundry. He's also a great cook!"

The two of them kept this little game going, telling each other things they hadn't heard before and things that were quite unexpected. Eventually the time came when neither of them could think of more questions so they stayed silent for a short while until Camilla broke it. "Hey Salvatore, teach me some Italian."

"Alright. What kind of things do you want to know?" Doni asked, looking the caramel haired girl in the eyes. The smirk that crept up her face was a little suspicious, but it didn't intimidate the knight. Camilla crawled somewhat nearer to him and brought her hand up to his face, using her index- and middle fingers to play with the strands of his blond hair. "You know, stuff like 'You have pretty eyes' or 'I love it when you smile'. 'You're handsome' is also fine by me."

"Are you trying to seduce me? I'm supposed to be the flirty one here." The blue eyed male retorted, his face turning a bit red as he flipped their positions a bit, pinning Camilla beneath him. The caramel haired girl chuckled innocently, saying that it wasn't her intention. 'I love it when you smile...' That was something Doni could say as well when he watched the girl he had trapped between his arms.

This was the right setting, wasn't it? The mood seemed to be good and the time was right for Doni to kiss her. Even though he thought that, something inside him wanted to hold him back. The blond hesitated, but leaned his face down closer to the girl's, but before anything could happen, Camilla intervened:

She placed her index finger on Doni's rather soft lips, stopping whatever he was about to do. The male was a bit confused, but he was soon put at ease by the caramel haired girl's tender smile and moved by her kindness. "You don't need to rush yourself, Doni. We agreed that the next time would be completely mutual, right?"

"I love you. That's not going to change. So take your time, alright?" Camilla added, removing her hand from the young man's face in order to wrap both arms around his neck. Doni was certain he had never met such an understanding girl before, and he was pretty sure he won't meet anyone like her in the future either. At that moment, he swore to himself that he was going to treasure her. The blond flashed her a genuine smile before placing a small kiss on her forehead. "Thank you."

* * *

Aaron and you halted on the way since you ran into a rather exhausted looking Doni and a still high-spirited Lucario. The blond simply groaned and headed straight for his tent. The mostly blue Pokémon on the other hand was being awfully persistent: "Master, are you sure you'll be fine? I can come along as well if that's what you wish-..."

"It's alright, Lucario. Y/N is with me and you need to rest." Aaron said kindly, patting his Pokémon's head who gave up in the end, not wanting to talk back to his master. Lucario sighed and watched the dark blue haired knight and you leave as a thought crossed his mind-...

"Don't even think about it." A sudden voice coming from behind the male Pokémon startled him, resulting in him turning around in a quick movement, sighing again as he saw who it was: It was your Lucario, standing there as she held her arms crossed in front of her chest. "Oh it's just you."

"Yes, just me. Come for a second, I think we need to talk." The female creature rolled her eyes, reaching for the other's paw which she soon grabbed. Your Lucario then led Aaron's to a more secluded place where they could have their conversation without interruptions. Not that any human was capable of understanding her.

"Have you still not done what we agreed on?" The female asked, eyeing the other suspiciously. She was referring to back when you all were in the Rota kingdom, when she and Aaron's Lucario engaged in a Pokémon battle for the first time. He had revealed his tragic past to her that day, and she had asked him to at least try to bond with you.

"I... have not and neither do I intend to." The male Pokémon retorted, shaking the other's paw off of his own as he avoided her gaze. Your Lucario wasn't too pleased at his words, but there was something he should be aware of by now, and something they should clear up before it's too late. "Are you afraid? Afraid of being tossed to the side again by your current owner?"

"Ridiculous! Master Aaron would never abandon me!" The mostly blue creature shook his head furiously, glaring at your Pokémon for what she dared to say. She sighed and told the male to calm down, ensuring him that this wasn't what she was aiming for with her remark. "Of course, Sir Aaron would never do that, I know as well. That wasn't what I was trying to say."

"What I meant was... well, it appears to be quite obvious that you are afraid of being left behind once Sir Aaron finds himself a human partner. Someone he will love differently than he does you." The female Lucario pointed out, causing the other to tense up at her words. Even though he would never admit it himself, what she said was actually true. "It's time you faced the truth: We both know that there's been something going on between our owners. You should stop trying to split them up."

"I am not-..! How can you say that so calmly?! That brat- Y/N could cast you to the side in the slimmest possibility that she and my master would become intimate! She will have him and no longer need you!" Aaron's Lucario snapped, not intentionally yelling at your Pokémon. She was a little surprised at his outburst, but deep inside she knew those thoughts were clouding his mind. "Who said I wasn't scared of that?"

"We Pokémon are all frightened by the idea of our owners abandoning us even though we try to hide it. It happened to me once already, so why wouldn't it again?" Your Lucario then took a hold of the male's paws, squeezing them lightly with her own. "That's why we need to trust them. My Y/N and your Sir Aaron are not your former master. They aren't the monster Marcus was to you. Unlike him, they love us."

"So even if they end up being in a romantic relationship with each other, that will not change the way they cherish us." The female creature said and soon after that went silent. Aaron's Lucario didn't reply; he didn't know what to say. Could what your Pokémon said actually be true? Could he really trust her and another human apart from his master? He was very unsure and insecure, but he didn't have much of a choice.

The male Lucario once again broke free of the other's gentle grip and attempted to walk away the same moment only to be stopped again: Your Lucario reached for his wrist and wasn't planning to let go of it unless she heard the answer she was going to be satisfied with. "So please, won't you support the relationship of our Y/N and Sir Aaron with me?"

"Fine, I suppose I could try to. I can't promise you anything though. S-So can you let go of me now?" The male Pokémon lost his confidence near the end of what he said as he turned his head around only slightly to lock eyes with the female properly. She couldn't be happier with his reply and couldn't hold herself back from affectionately licking the cheek of Aaron's Lucario, causing him to tense up once again. "Sir Aaron is really lucky to have someone like you caring for him so deeply."

* * *

"I'm sorry, but it's time to return inside your Old ball again." Liliana stood outside in the wild, apologetically looking up at her Noivern who had landed on the ground after a nice session of flying. The silver haired female had taken her favourite Pokémon out on a walk with her just before she would return to her tent in order to get some rest. She patted the creature on the head before retreating it back into the sphere-like object.

She proceeded to enter her shared tent with Fotula before she silently placed the Old ball down on her bag and where the rest of her belongings were. Assuming that the ravenette who was peacefully lying on her stomach was already asleep, Liliana was almost startled when she heard the mentioned girl's voice: "Liliana? You're back?"

"S-Sorry! D-Did I wake you?" The blue eyed female stuttered nervously, slowly taking off her clothes in order to change into her nightgown. Fotula had turned around by then and was staring at Liliana who's hair had gotten stuck in the zipper of the top she wore. The younger female yelped occasionally, trying to get her silver strands out of there on her own until the ravenette sat up and crawled closer to her. "Let me do this. And no, you didn't wake me up. I wasn't sleeping to begin with."

After struggling with the zipper as well, Fotula managed to get the other girl's hair away from her back and unzipped the top. Liliana shivered at the touch of the purple eyed female's cold fingers against her bare skin but thanked her for her assistance nonetheless. She took off the rest of her clothes and slipped into her rather comfortable night robe before seating herself next to Fotula. "I-Is there a reason why you can't sleep?"

"I suppose you could say that. You know how I'm paired up with Kai? He's not so bothersome and kind of approachable somehow and everything, but it's so uncomfortable to ride on the same Mudsdale as him. Physically uncomfortable." The ravenette explained expressionlessly, sighing deeply as well. "I don't know how he manages it, but I've had a back ache every night after riding on that Pokémon with him. My shoulders feel tense too, and I can't fall asleep like this."

"I-I see... I don't know if it will help, but I-I could give you a massage if you w-want." Liliana suggested, looking at Fotula shyly as her face rose red all the way up to the tips of her ears. For a moment there the ravenette's eyes lit up and she wasn't even too hesitant about the matter. "That would be amazing. You don't need to force yourself if you're tired though."

"N-No, it's alright." The silver haired female ensured the other and watched as she lay back on her stomach again. Liliana wasn't sure where to sit since she couldn't get into a proper position. Fotula noticed her shifting around and told her it was fine if she sat on her. The younger protested, claiming she were too heavy, but the ravenette couldn't care less. She knew that wasn't true and insisted which resulted in Liliana seating herself on Fotula's lower back, attempting to make herself as light as possible.

She then brought her hands to the purple eyed female's shoulders and kneaded that area with a bit of force. Fotula hummed in relaxation as she already started feeling better at the spots near her neck. Liliana was blushing lightly both at the fact that she was touching the ravenette so casually and at her voice. "So, you told Y/N your secret, right?"

"I-I did tell her that I am afraid of m-men, if that's what you're referring to." The silver haired girl replied, letting her hands slowly travel lower to Fotula's back where she applied the petrissage technique, performing more circular strokes. Even though the ravenette's back was clothed, it still felt very soothing. Fotula released a few sounds of pleasure before asking: "I see. Have you made up your mind about trying to overcome it?"

"I-I want to... but the idea of it is still s-scary." Liliana admitted shyly, continuing to massage the other's back and shoulders again. The ravenette wanted for her to finally get rid of that fear, but at the same time she was a little afraid of how Liliana would change after that happens. She needed to shove her insecurities to the side and be supportive: That's what Liliana needs the most right now. "Why don't you try becoming close with Sir Rouen? He's probably the most suitable for your case, being all gentlemanly."

"Do you think it will r-really work?" The silver haired female asked. Fotula could tell by the tone she spoke with that the younger really hoped it would be possible that way. "I do." The purple eyed female responded faintly, sighing soon after. "Thank you for the massage, you can stop now."

"A-Already? Are you sure?" Liliana stuttered, unsure if she had done something to upset the ravenette, but she was soon put at ease by the very person: "It's alright, really. I feel much better thanks to you, so let's go to sleep." After the older had said that, the blue eyed girl got off of her lower back and sat on her sleeping bag, ready to lie down. But before she was able to do that, Fotula sat up as well, quickly in order to stop the younger.

The ravenette seated herself on Liliana's lap, wrapping her arms around the girl's neck. The younger's face immediately reddened as she shut her eyelids for a few moments. Fotula then took a few of her silver strands of hair with which she soon played, twirling them around her index finger. The ravenette neared her face to the blue eyed female's.

"F-Fotula, w-we mustn't!" Liliana stuttered, her eyes now open again as she felt the older's breath travel from her neck to her ear. The silver haired girl's back arched a little at the sensation, and her body felt very hot. Fotula started nibbling Liliana's earlobe before she whispered: "Why? Is it because you don't want to? We aren't in Rota, so there's no rules holding us back."

"I-It's not that I-I don't want to, b-but-..." The silver haired girl's stuttering was once again cut off by the purple eyed female. This time she silenced the younger by connecting their lips together. It was just a quick peck, but that was eventually going to be changed. "Push me away, even hit me if you really don't want this." Fotula whispered calmly before bringing her lips back onto Liliana's.

No tongue had been involved, but the kiss lasted for what Liliana thought was an eternity. Even though it was quite innocent, she felt like she could melt at the spot, and even though she was nervous, it wasn't like she didn't want this sort of affection. In the end, the ravenette was never pushed away.

* * *

Kai had groaned for the probably fifth time ever since dinner. Both he and Rouen were currently entering their shared tent when the older asked him what the matter was. "Nothing important. Doni just sort of annoys me." The dark skinned man admitted, taking off most of his clothes before throwing himself onto his sleeping bag.

"That's nothing new." The one-eyed man chuckled sheepishly, taking his attire off as well, but more gracefully than his partner had. He as well sat down, looking over at the currently shirtless Kai and waited for him to continue the rant of his troubles. "It's just... I don't think he's cut out to be the leader, especially for this mission." The brunet lied down on his back, locking his fingers behind his head.

"He's still too naïve. That's why he always hesitates when making decisions. You're much more suited to be our captain." Kai sighed and glanced over at his partner who couldn't help but smile. Not one of those happy smiles, more like one that you have on your face when you get reminded of the better times. "He's just eighteen, Kai. Most of us were naïve at his age too."

"It's just like you said: Most of us. I didn't have that kind of luxury." The dark skinned man sat up and ran his hand through his mostly brown hair. Rouen knew more than anyone else that what he said didn't apply to his partner, but before he could even say something else or console him, Kai continued speaking: "Let's drop this conversation, it's a total turn-off."

"Can we try doing it tonight? I'm in the mood and I feel like something might happen." The younger stared at Rouen, eventually locking eyes with the man before he crawled somewhat closer. "Are you sure? We have a shift later." The ravenet said, not avoiding eye contact or complaining about the fact that Kai was getting even closer. He nodded before answering: "Yeah. I'll just have to hold back my voice, right? And it's not like we have to go all the way, just a little."

"If you say so. Come over here." Rouen gave in at the end, holding out his arms as he smilingly waited for the younger to let himself get embraced. Kai did just that, allowing his partner to place his hands around his mostly bare body. The dark skinned man then turned around in the older's arms, his back now pressed against Rouen's chest.

The ravenet then started by placing his lips on Kai's neck, moving them downward to his shoulder while leaving a trail of pecks. He stopped at the spot where Kai's tattoo began: It was a quite large one, one of a dragon, that covered most of the left part of his back and shoulder. The black color extended all the way over his left arm until his wrist. He had gotten himself that tattoo right after he joined Rota's knight division. It was something he considered memorable and proof that he had put his past behind himself.

Rouen proceeded with kissing the tattooed area of Kai's body as well while placing both his hands somewhat below the dark skinned man's chest where his abdomen were. The one-eyed male kept doing the same gesture for a bit. Kai's entire body is rather sensitive to this kind of contact, but no sounds left the man's mouth. All he did was move only slightly in Rouen's grip as he bit on his bottom lip lightly.

"You don't need to be so gentle, I'm not a woman." The dark skinned male said, sounding irritated even though he actually wasn't. He had turned his head around just a little in order to face the ravenet who was pleasuring him with such tenderness. Rouen chuckled silently, moving his hands lower to the pants Kai still had on himself. "Alright, alright, I know you aren't."

The one eyed male then gripped the area between Kai's legs gently and started moving the palm of his hand. The brunet shut his eyes at the sudden touch and held his voice back just like he had promised. "Stick out your tongue." Rouen whispered into the golden eyed male's ear. The younger did as he was told and wasn't surprised when the ravenet brought their mouths together. He licked and sucked on Kai's wet muscle, hoping and waiting for his lower body to react.

The two men kept going like that for quite a bit, and considering how intimate they had gotten, one would assume they were in a more special relationship. In a certain way, they were but it had no title. They weren't normal friends as one would immediately guess, but they didn't consider themselves to be lovers either. It was something between the two.

But there was more than just satisfying their sexual urges by touching each other like that and doing erotic things together. Rouen was trying to help Kai regain an ability his body had lost. It was the ability to get erect.

Kai couldn't remember when, but the man had become impotent due to physical and partially mental trauma. Even though he knew exactly what triggered it to happen, he couldn't find a way to cure it. He had started detesting men because of several events of his not so happy past. Kai had been held by many men and was forced to hold women as well, and every time that happened he felt resentment and disgust which with the years turned to simply no emotion.

Rouen was different though. That man saved him from his misery, accepted him despite his every flaw. Their relationship started off with a gesture of gratitude coming from Kai who felt deeply indebted to him. But after the first time, he realised that he wanted to be embraced by Rouen and only him. That was when he started thinking that he might be able to cure his impotence with the help of Rouen.

They had made a lot of progress, sure, but the day they both were waiting for had yet to come.

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A/N: I like to feature the other characters in some chapters so you'll have to put up with it (This is the longest chapter I've written so far btw x3)

About smut/lemons: I usually don't write those, but seeing how appreciated this story has become I'm considering the possibility of writing smut/lemon chapters in the future. Don't worry because if and when I do, I'll make sure to put a warning beforehand.^^

This chapter did include an a little more mature scene/topic, but it wasn't warning-worthy in my opinion, so forgive me if reading it made you uncomfortable.^^

Kai's tattoo:

Thank you for Reading!