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Akari knew that the swamp lands of Crimson Mirelands weren't the best place to be on a cold day of the most rainy winter that Sinnoh had the wretchedness to presence. She had got up early, as always, and had dedicated all her morning to train her pokémon team. It's not like they really needed it, but there was always room to become even stronger. Later, in the afternoon, she planned to continue her investigation for the Pokédex, but then Morel asked her to fulfill a commission. Apparently, he had run out of shimeji mushrooms, which grow just in swamp zones during these days of rain.
She hadn't thought the task she'd been given would be very complicated, it was just picking a basket of mushrooms. Besides, the sky was mostly clear with a bright sun that warmed her skin on this cold winter day. Well, she was very wrong. Night had begun to fall when the entire sky was covered by a thick blanket of black clouds, not even the moon was visible at that point. Akari hadn't noticed, too focused on picking the blasted mushrooms, as always. She preferred to concentrate completely on the tasks she had to do, just so her mind wouldn't wander to past events she was supposed to have gotten over by now. But she hadn't, and thinking about certain people still made her heart ache.
She had pushed that thought off her mind with a frown when the first drops started to fall. They were little, barely a hint of moisture. She still had some mushrooms left to pick, so she didn't attach much importance to it. She wasn't very far from the base camp of the Survey Corps of Team Galaxy, so she always could run towards there as soon as she finished. Again, she was very wrong.
She didn't know how she did it, but she ended up moving further away than she intended. Just when the little drops from barely a few moments ago become in a pouring rain accompanied by lightning and thunder. The water that fell and the wind impeded her from seeing with clarity, which disoriented her even more. At the end, she ended up giving up and decided that the best would be to look for a cave in which to spend the night. It wasn't the first time she did it, so it was no longer more than a slight discomfort. The problem would be her soaked clothes, but she would worry about it later.
The blue–haired girl took Floatzel's Poké Ball and released it, knowing that this would help her find shelter much faster, thanks to Floatzel's Swift Swim ability, which made it incredibly fast in the rain. Sure enough, her pokémon quickly found a small cave and led her to it. Akari thanked it and let it play in the rain while she entered the cavern, cursing Morel under her breath. She was completely soaked from head to toe, her hair and clothes clinging to her in the most uncomfortable way possible. The cold seeped into her bones, and she couldn't stop shivering, feeling breathless from running all the way there. She was grateful for all the hours she had spent in Crimson Mirelands, as she had managed to avoid slipping and falling in the earth with its countless deep puddles.
In her eagerness to ignore everything that was happening around her, she didn't notice that the cave was already occupied. An Arcanine barked and growled in a threatening way, which immediately made her get into an attack position and put her hand in her satchel, in which was Floatzel's Poké Ball. She cursed in her mind, because she remembered that Floatzel was outside playing in the rain. If she wanted her pokémon's help she would have to scream, but that would make her lose a few valuable seconds of advantage.
Before the stranger or her could do anything, a ray crossed the sky and fell close to them, illuminating the cavern for a brief seconds. It was at that moment that Akari got paralyzed, with her eyes wide open in surprise, recognizing the tall silhouette perched in front of her. Shit, she would recognize it in any moment and place, and the Arcanine next to it too.
Volo. Another ray illuminated the cavern, and the expression of genuine surprise that the blond had made now had become in an attempt to mask all his emotions with an empty smile that she knew so well. Akari hated when Volo made that expression. No matter how much he had tried to hide it, the blue–haired knew since the beginning that Volo was acting strange. Why would he be interested in her when absolutely everyone distrusted her and even feared her? It was suspicious, and she hadn't bought his excuse that it was because he wanted to learn about the future when she asked.
Even so, Akari hadn't given it any importance and just treated him like any other friend. As time passed and they started to spend more time together, Volo's friendly merchant cover had been cracking. She had managed to make him genuinely laugh and smile, as well as glances of contempt and deep wrath when he thought that nobody was watching him. She knew that Volo was just letting himself be blinded by hatred, she knew that he was not a bad man. But it was difficult to help someone that didn't want to be helped. And everything ended in that painful battle in Mount Coronet.
Akari left her attack position, but she didn't relax, with her shoulders tensed and her heart palpitating quickly. Arceus, she had missed him. Very much. But that didn't lessen the nervousness she felt, without knowing if it was because that man still made her feel Beautyflies in her stomach or because she feared that he really despised her. Her surprised grimace turned into a serious one, looking at the blond thoughtfully. She may have had mixed feelings about him, but that wouldn't distract her. If she had to battle against him again, then she would do it.
“Oh dear. It seems our beloved chosen one of Arceus has been caught in the rain” he finally commented, his tone was scathing when he used that title that Akari hated so much. She never wanted to be ‘the chosen of Arceus’ or anything like that.
Volo wore the Ginkgo Guild merchant's clothes, even though he'd disappeared months ago, probably because the now threadbare and somewhat dirty uniform was warmer than that strange white robe with Arceus motifs. Ginter and other merchants had asked about him, but she didn't dare tell the truth. He might have betrayed her, but she still cared for him enough to not reveal his secret. Besides, explaining everything that had happened would have been a headache. So she simply decided to tell a half-truth: they'd had a fight, and she hadn't seen him since. They asked why, but she never explained anything. It was better that way.
“Volo. I didn't think I'd see you again” she murmured, looking away. Fuck, even in the darkness she was unable to look him in the face.
Akari let out her shiny Rapidash, the one she had obtained after completing an encomienda on her first days in Team Galaxy. The pokémon neighed anxious before Volo's and his Arcanine's presence, but the blue–haired calmed it, starting to take out of her satchel pieces of wood. For some reason, her pokémon loved to bring her the things that they found in the ground, and she had learned the hard way that having something dry to light a fire was always useful.
Volo frowned, his jaw clenching. By Arceus, he hated this situation. He'd had months to think, and though he'd sworn that no matter how long it took, he would bend Arceus to his will, the truth was, all he'd done was wander aimlessly through Sinnoh. He no longer had any goal, nor did he have Giratina's blessing. The only thing that had plagued his mind all this time were those stupid, big eyes that now stared at him expectantly. He hated them. He hated Arceus, he hated this region, and he hated the feelings Akari stirred within him.
He closed his eyes and forced himself to relax, putting again on that fake merchant smile he always used. It had become in his defense mechanism, just to feel that he had a little bit of control.
“I hadn't foreseen this situation either, but here we are.”
Akari looked at him. He couldn't see well in the darkness, but she probably was disappointed. She didn't answer, making a bonfire with stones that were around and the wood she had taken out of her satchel. Her movements were clumsy and trembling due to the cold, and Volo couldn't help but feel a little bit of pity. He pushed the thought away, saying to himself that he shouldn't feel sorrow for the woman that had destroyed everything he had worked for years.
“You know what? I'd arrived at this cavern first, so it belongs to me. And I have no intention of sharing it” he said, his tone hardening in the last phrase, trying to sound threatening.
Akari looked at him with a raised eyebrow. She sighed, containing many of the insults she wanted to shout at him until making him see reason. She squeezed the piece of wood with strength, in an attempt to relax.
“Well, it would be very rude of you to throw a poor, frozen girl outside, especially with the storm going on. Don't you think that you've done enough damage already?” she questioned with abruptness. Volo could feel the rage in Akari's eyes, slightly illuminated by the blue horsehair of Rapidash. He didn't answer, looking away. He knew what she meant and he knew that he had hurt her very much. “Besides, if you want to warm up the cave, two fire type pokémon will be better than one.”
Volo didn't say anything more. The situation was tense, and the deathly silence between them was awkward, but it was better than constantly hearing his taunts and jeers. Akari ordered Rapidash to use Flame Wheel at its lowest possible power to light the fire. The pokémon nodded with a snort and obeyed, so now the cold cave was a little warmer and fully illuminated. The blue–haired sat as close to the fire as possible, cross-legged, hugging herself, shivering. Rapidash lay behind her, alert to any strange sounds and Volo's behavior.
The blond, meanwhile, had sat down on the other side, facing Akari, so only the campfire separated them. He had taken off his backpack and placed it beside him, while Arcanine dozed behind him with its head resting on its front paws. The next hour dragged on agonizingly as Akari cooked some of the mushrooms she had gathered, deciding she would come back for more once the rain stopped. Volo had taken out some berries and some stale bread, which he was toasting. Neither of them spoke, but they occasionally exchanged fleeting glances when the other wasn't looking.
Akari started to get tired of the situation, feeling her eye twitching. She couldn't stand the silence nor the tension. With a very loud sigh that startled everyone in the cave, she started to cook in an aggressive way a few extra mushrooms. Volo looked at her concerned, wondering if she finally had gone mad. Once she finished, she stretched out her arm to hand them to the blond with a sudden movement and a frown.
“Take it.”
Volo's pretty grey eyes looked at the wooden bowl, then at Akari and like that successively a couple times. The blue–haired started to get tired of keeping the arm stretched for so long, so she slightly shook the bowl while she asked:
“Are you going to take it or not?”
The blond hesitated for a few moments, but at the end he softly raised his hands and took it, without daring to look her in the eyes. Akari pulled back her arm, her glance softening while she slightly sighed with relief. After a few seconds, Volo spoke.
“I thought you were furious with me” he commented in a whisper, staring at the mushrooms. It was easier that way.
Akari looked away too, observing the rough surface of one of the walls of the cave. She took a few seconds to think in her answer, because she didn't expect that Volo was really to confront her. She thought that they simply would pretend that nothing occurred until the rain stopped, but it seemed that it wouldn't be like that. And, honestly, she was happy that Volo worried about her feelings at least this time.
“...Yeah, I was. Actually, it was a mix of emotions; anger, sadness, disappointment... I guess that I foolishly thought that in some moment you would leave your plans and I wouldn't have to face you, but it wasn't like that. It's not like I care anymore, there's no point in staying angry about that. And I guess that to a certain extent I can try to understand why you did it.”
It was a lie. A blatant lie. She might not have been angry anymore, but she couldn't help feeling sad when she remembered the days she had spent with him. Even having him in front of her now made her heart ache. But she wasn't going to give Volo the satisfaction of knowing, because even though she cared for him and longed to shout that she always loved him and still did, she knew that man had a huge ego. She didn't consider him a truly evil person, but she wasn't stupid, she wouldn't let him break her heart again. That's why she had never taken their friendship any further before the betrayal, because she knew Volo was never entirely honest. For a long time, she even doubted whether it had all been genuine. Even now, she sometimes had her doubts.
The blond remained silent, eating his mushrooms in silence. He seemed a little bit less tense, so Akari deduced that he was having that doubt since long ago. It was pretty to think that he had cared about her, even if only a little.
They both finished almost at the same time. Akari picked up her things and Volo his, getting up to put his sleeping bag in the deepest part of the cavern, although there was not much space between the bonfire and him. Arcanine had opened its eyes, watching its owner moving, but it didn't make a gesture of getting up.
“And you? Are you... angry with me?” the blue–haired asked, hesitating. She bit her lip, staring at her trembling hands. She didn't have the courage to look at him.
She didn't want to have this conversation. Neither of them wanted to, actually, but they knew that an opportunity like this would not arise again for probably a very long time. Was it really worth sacrificing the peace they could have if they ignored each other just to talk things through? They would figure out.
The blond snorted, but nothing more got out of his mouth. Akari frowned, finally deigning to turn her head and look at him. Volo wouldn't meet her gaze, pretending to accommodate his things, although he had been rummaging through his backpack for a while without any particular goal in his mind. The blue–haired could feel her eyes crystalized, but she refused to cry. And she refused to not obtain an answer, because she had indeed responded and had been honest.
“...Was it all really a lie? Were you really pretending the whole time?” she asked in a whisper, making emphasis on the word ‘whole’.
Volo resigned and looked at her, finding with a pitiful expression that supplicated him to say the truth she wanted to hear. He couldn't help but remain completely still, his chest hurting when their eyes met.
Volo... felt like shit. He hadn't been able to bear to reveal to her the truth with an evil smile that tried to hide all the pain, but that his eyes had betrayed. The encounters in Jubilife Village, the mornings recollecting objects, the afternoons watching pokémon and the nights of endless conversations in front of a warm campfire like the one of today now seemed too far. He missed it. He missed Akari. He thought seriously to leave all behind, really dedicate to commerce and have a happy life with her.
But the anguish and the rancor still were there. He wouldn't let the stupid clans continue blaspheming, adoring a god technically fake and fighting like little kids because of something they were wrong about, claiming lives in their wake. He couldn't stand the loneliness, the fact of knowing that he was the last celestica of all Hisui, now Sinnoh. He wouldn't forgive them. He wouldn't forgive Arceus all those nights of prayers and cries without answer.
It's not like Giratina would have let him give up anyways. All the accumulated hatred and the lord of distortion were enough to make him continue with his plan, even if that meant sacrificing his love and appreciation for Akari.
Volo decided that he would lie, as always. It was the best for her. It was better that she was furious and despised him than she continued yearning for someone who was no longer. After all he had done, he deserved that Akari stayed away from him. She deserved someone better.
“...Yes” he gulped. In other circumstances he would put an evil and cynical expression to make everything more credible, as he did in Mount Coronet, but today he didn't feel strong enough.
“Liar” she spat out with rage and her brow furrowed even more, clenching her fists.
“Excuse me?” Volo looked at her with indignation, turning all his body to face her.
Akari rose up like lightning and stomped her way to him, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt with two hands until her knuckles turned white, which forced the blond to stoop. The blue–haired brought him closer to her face, making her eyes meet Volo's, staring at him so intently that he felt that she could see through his soul.
“Look me in the eyes and repeat it if you dare,” she said in a threatening whisper. There wasn't hesitation or doubt in her actions.
Volo gulped again, feeling completely intimidated, without daring to say anything. Akari had always been a stupidly strong and reckless woman who didn't care to put her life in danger in order to protect those she loved. She was the courage personified, which often made others fear her. Volo never felt really scared of Akari, but he thought that for the first time he could feel that respect everyone was talking about.
The blond slightly opened his mouth, but nothing got out. Seriously, having her so close and looking at him so inquisitively made him sweat. Akari, besides being brave, was also very stubborn, so he knew that she wouldn't depart until she obtained an answer. Finally, he looked away and spoke:
“...Yes, everything was fake,” Volo frowned. Akari searched his gaze, but he avoided it actively. “I've always hated you. It's not fair that any woman without no connection to Arceus should have its blessing, and I, the last celestica and who has been imploring day and night, never get even a miserable reply.”
Akari felt her eye twitching, trembling with anger. She let him go, closing her fists with strength and straightening up, her jaw so tense that it hurt. Volo let out a silent sigh when finally her hands left his cotton shirt, but he knew that not everything was over. He knew that Akari hated, just like him, everything related to the god; but maybe that way she would walk away once and for all.
“Blessing?! Which blessing?! You know well that I HATE being the chosen of Arceus! Because of it and you I've had to go through attacks, humiliations and betrayals by people I came to consider my damn family! You really consider that a fucking blessing?!” she exclaimed, her voice echoing in the little cavern.
Volo didn't dare to contradict her, because she was right and had every right to be furious. The only thing that could be heard was Akari's pants, who forced herself to calm down before speaking again, this time her tone returning to be the habitual, but she was talking very seriously.
“I never asked for this burden. I only helped the noble pokémon because maybe that way I could return to my original time, and because I couldn't bear to see a pokémon suffering like that, you know it” again, Volo didn't reply. He would let her vent, it was the only thing he could do for her. “So stop thinking you're the only one who suffers and accept that the rest of us have our damn problems too.”
Akari waited, but she received nothing from Volo. Not a response, not a complaint, absolutely nothing. She didn't understand why he had started this whole argument then, but now she felt more relieved to have gotten everything she has been thinking out of her system since she arrived in Hisui. She decided that if the blond wasn't going to give her a response, she would come back to the fire to warm herself, because she was still cold.
With all the commotion, their pokémon had stood up, both of them tensed and in attack position. Arcanine approached Volo, without taking its eyes off Akari, and bumped its head against his shoulder in an attempt to make him react, because he had remained standing there, lost in his thoughts. Rapidash, for its part, softly neighed and gave its trainer a curious look, so Akari stroked its snout to calm it down.
The blue–haired sat down again letting herself fall, crossing her arms and legs while she watched the crackling fire with a frown. Great, now she was upset. She doubted that she would sleep, seeing that her current situation wasn't the best. She had argued with Volo, her clothes were still wet and she had nothing to sleep on, so she would have to lie down on the cold, hard ground. Well, at least she had the fire and Rapidash to not die frozen.
The next hour passed agonizingly slowly, just like the previous one. The silence swallowed them again, feeling trapped in their own minds. Akari would glance at Volo from time to time, who had sat down in his sleeping bag and stared at his flaccid hands in his lap, without really seeing them. Sometimes he frowned, and the blue–haired couldn't help but wonder what was going through his head. She, for her part, had remained in the same position, dissociating while she stared at the fire in front of her.
“It doesn't look like the rain will cease anytime soon” the blond commented, his voice wasn't more than a whisper, but Akari could hear it with clarity. It was a little bit hoarse for all the time they had passed without speaking.
“...Yeah, it's true” she replied, turning her head to watch the entrance of the cave.
Luckily, the cave they were on was situated in a little hill, otherwise they would already be flooded. The downpour continued, with large drops that fell like streams. Arceus, everything would be horribly swamped tomorrow morning. Even riding Wyrdeer, returning to Jubilife Village will take her hours.
“We'll have to stay here for the night then” Volo spoke again, now a little more confident.
Akari simply nodded. Exhaustion had finally caught up with her, turning her head to look at the campfire again, her eyelids feeling heavy. Her days were always hectic, she couldn't stand being idle, even if it meant she often became completely worn out and slept soundly for long periods. The people of Jubilife Village and Team Galaxy no longer held it against her.
Volo could notice how Akari was nodding off. He sighed, frowning. He couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand seeing her in that state, with her clothes soaked and dead of sleep. He always told her to take a break, but she never listened to him. It was clear that she hadn't changed one bit, and honestly, that seemed fine to him. He liked that of her. He liked everything about her, actually.
Finally, he got up, now preparing his sleeping bag to go to sleep. Volo looked up to glance over his shoulder, but Akari hadn't flinched before his movements. She guessed that it was time to put pride aside, then. He had tried to get her away, but was that what they both really wanted? The answer was more than obvious, although he didn't want to openly admit it.
Until now, he had prioritized himself and his plans above all else, which had obviously cost him all his interpersonal relationships and the self-image he had carefully cultivated throughout his life. The one that hurt him the most, of course, had been his friendship with Akari. He had tried to keep his distance –she was his enemy, after all– but he hadn't been able to. She was so kind, sincere, loyal, strong, brave… He was drawn to her like a Beautyfly is drawn to firelight. She was always willing to help him with his work as a merchant and had offered to listen to all the legends Volo knew, something no one had ever done before. Akari was the perfect woman. But he wasn't the perfect man. Far from it.
Maybe, and just maybe, now that he hadn't any cruel aim and that he really had started to regret everything he had done... he could try to fix it with her. Regain some of that little trust they had once had. Actually, he regretted more the consequences than his actions per se, but at least it was something.
He sighed again, this time with irritation. Who was he kidding? He didn't want to leave her. These months he had passed isolated had been a hell, his only companion being Cogita from time to time, who bothered him. He completely turned his body towards her.
“Akari” he called, with a softer tone than he intended, but he couldn't help it. He always had a soft spot for her, despite himself. The blue–haired difficulty opened her eyes again and looked at him, raising an eyebrow. “Come sleep with me.”
They both remained in silence. He frowned, feeling how his cheeks flush. He didn't mean to be so direct, he would have liked to embellish it a little, put some excuse, whatever, how he always made to get away with it without much embarrassment. But he had spoken before thinking, and he was paying the consequences. At least it had been fast.
“What?” she asked, incredulous. She had heard him clearly, but she didn't expect him to, of all things, say that.
“I mean, I can see how you're nodding off and how cold you're. It's not necessary to sleep with me, but I could lend you a change of clothes and my sleeping bag...”
She snorted, half a laugh half indignated. She looked at him as if he had grown three heads, straightening up and now wide awake. It seemed that the sleep had vanished.
“Oh? Don't tell me that you're worried about me now” she said with mockery, although her smile was a little bit bitter.
Volo frowned with irritation, tensing her jaw and crossing her arms.
“Well, I was just trying to be a gentleman.”
“Volo, a few hours ago you told me this cave was yours and you intended to kick me out even with the storm” she pointed out, more indifferent than annoyed. Her grimace had become an amused smile, so that meant that he had softened her heart a little.
Noticing the change in the atmosphere, the blond pouted dramatically.
“But I didn't do it. I'm trying to compensate for my previous behavior, so accept it before I regret it.”
Akari rolled her eyes. She weighed her options: sleep in the cold, earthy and hard ground or accept Volo's proffer and sleep with him (because she wouldn't let him sleep in the ground, she wasn't a monster). Well, the answer was obvious.
“Alright, alright. But, I think you owe me an apology, don't you think?” she tilted her head playfully.
“Why?” he asked, totally indignated, playing the fool. He knew perfectly that yes, he owes her a big apology. But he wouldn't accept it, not so soon at least.
“For lying, betraying and threatening me, maybe?” Akari looked at him disappointed.
Volo tensed his jaw. Seeing his hesitation, the blue–haired slightly smiled with malice. Maybe she was pressing too much, but she would take advantage of the relaxed atmosphere to try Volo. If he apologized and accepted what he had done then she would consider forgiving him, if on the contrary he didn't do it, she would drop the subject for good and not resume their relationship. It would hurt her, because she really wanted to strike up a friendship with him again, but she knew that it made no sense to hang on. She wouldn't keep groveling if Volo really didn't want to be her friend anymore.
The blond took his time to think his words properly. He didn't want to hurt Akari more, so he was overthinking. He knew that the best would be to be honest, but he couldn't help it. It had become in a mania the fact of always watch his words and say half-truths or lies directly. At the end he sighed with irritation and decided that a situation like this would not occur, so he would open up for this time.
“I… I lied before” Volo swallowed. He glanced at her quickly, noticing how Akari had now shifted to a more attentive posture and was looking at him seriously. “I do care about you. I always have. I just couldn’t accept it because I envied you. I know you despise the titles of ‘fallen from the sky’ and ‘chosen of Arceus’, but I couldn’t help hating you a little because you had contact with Arceus without doing anything, while I tried everything, only to receive no response. I know it’s not your fault, but the fault of the one I worshipped, but I was being irrational.”
Akari nodded seriously. Volo looked at her with nervousness, wondering if she finally would get tired of his nonsense and would tell that she hated him. To the blond's surprise, Akari smiled with mockery and spoke:
“So you've always appreciated me but because you were an idiot, you let yourself be blinded by hatred; so you apologize for all the trouble you've caused to my poor person” she said sing-song-sounding, slightly laughing when she saw the face of complete irritation he had made.
“Akari” he called, with warning tone. Volo never let himself get carried away, even in the worst situations he remained calm, but the blue–haired, one way or another, always managed to rile him. “Don't test me. Are you coming or not?”
Akari stuck out her tongue playfully and then she rolled her eyes, unable to stop smiling. Oh, how she had missed this.
“I'm coming, I'm coming.”
She stood up,shaking the earth. When she did this she remembered that her clothes were still wet, so it would be very uncomfortable to both if they slept together. She frowned.
“Oh, right, I'm still soaked. I don't think it's appropriate for either of us for me to sleep in these conditions.”
Volo held his chin with his fingers index and thumb reflectively, evaluating her from top to bottom while he thought about something. It was at that moment that he remembered that he had his yukata in his backpack, which he had offered to Akari before.
“I have a yukata I can lend you, although its fabric is somewhat thin. Will you be okay?”
“Yeah, don't worry. That's better than sleeping with the uniform wet.”
Volo nodded, taking out said yukata and passing it to Akari. He quickly turned around to give her some privacy, which was complicated taking into account the narrowness of the cave. She laughed slightly, trying to take off the uniform of Team Galaxy as quickly as possible.
“It's okay, you can look now.”
Volo turned around, watching Akari. Because he was so tall, the yukata was far too big for her, trailing on the ground with sleeves much longer than her arms, but she had managed to tie it. Akari stared at her wet clothes, wondering what to do with them. Ideally, she would have hung them in front of the fire, but that wasn't possible, so the only thing she could do was spread them out on the ground as close to the fire as possible.
“That's it. C'mon, let's go to sleep. I'm so sleepy I could die” she said while she yawned, making a movement with her head to Volo to indicate to him to follow her.
“...Wait, you don't mind sleeping with me?” he asked, looking insecure at her. Akari raised an eyebrow.
“Volo, I'm not going to be that petty, especially now that we've talked things over and you've lent me your belongings so that I'm comfortable. Of course I don't mind sleeping with you” she smiled sweetly at him while she pronounced those last words. That made Volo's heart skip a beat.
“...Okay.”
They both went to bed in silence, the blond first and then her. It was a little bit uncomfortable due to the little space there was, but they managed to find the way to be comfortable between the tangle of legs that they were. Akari used Volo's biceps as a pillow, resting her forehead on his chest. He rested his chin on her head and stroked her back in gentle circles with his free arm, clumsily trying to warm her. Finally, they could sigh with relief now that they had positioned themselves.
Their pokémon, who had noticed how the tense atmosphere had become one more pleasant too, decided to do like their trainers and go to sleep. Arcanine stayed near the sleeping bag, lying on its stomach and hiding its hind legs, resting its head on its front paws. Rapidash, on the other hand, remained standing, lowering its head to have a light sleep. Although the animal was comfortable, it still didn't trust completely and feared that there could appear some danger.
Floatzel returned from playing in the rain after a few minutes, encountering the scene. It didn't seem entirely strange to it, although it didn't think that it would see Volo again after facing each other in battle the last time. It was delighted, because the water type pokémon liked especially Volo, Akari couldn't figure out why. Floatzel decided to lean against the wall, near Rapidash, and sleep a little bit, although it would be alert too just in case something occurred.
Everything was peacefully quiet, but Volo couldn't sleep. Akari's words still echoed in his head. Both the ones she had said when she confronted him and the ones she had said when she jokingly asked him to apologize. But he knew they weren't jokes. Akari had this little habit of hiding her desires and thoughts under the guise of ‘jokes’, so he had learned that most of the time they weren't just that. And he knew he really had to apologize, but damn it, he was too proud. He never apologized from the heart, so doing it so sincerely was incredibly difficult for him.
He looked at Akari briefly. She was breathing calmly with her eyes closed and she was no longer trembling. He could take advantage now that she seemed to be asleep or sleepy enough to not take his words so seriously and confuse them with a dream.
“...I'm sorry, for everything” he whispered in a sweet and repentant tone that made Akari shudder. How cute.
She sighed and buried her face in his chest, inhaling his aroma. Yes, she definitely had missed him.
“Let's talk about that tomorrow” she said, with more clarity than he expected. That made him a little bit nervous, but he just nodded and closed his eyes, feeling the sleep take hold of him.
Arceus, he didn't want tomorrow to come. He wanted to stay like that with her forever.