Gible sat beside Totodile.
'She says that frequently.'
Totodile nodded thoughtfully.
'Perhaps Samael causes illness.'
'Likely.'
Elara lowered her hands and noticed the packs sitting beside the staircase.
Something in her expression changed.
The researcher disappeared.
"You're really leaving," she said quietly.
There it was. Not Doctor Frost.
Not the scientist fascinated by impossible genetics.
Elara.
"Yeah."
"When?"
"Ash should be here around eight. We're heading north shortly after."
Her gaze dropped toward the floor as she rubbed her thumb along the edge of one glove.
"I thought I'd have more time."
The sentence was quiet enough that I almost missed it.
"More time for what?"
Elara looked up quickly. "Nothing."
I pushed away from the wall. "You're terrible at that."
"At what?"
"Pretending nothing bothers you."
Her shoulders stiffened. "I'm perfectly fine."
"Cynthia."
Elara's blue eyes narrowed immediately. "What about her?"
"I didn't say anything about her."
"You said her name," she shot back, raising her voice slightly.
"And apparently that's enough."
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
I couldn't stop the grin spreading across my face.
There it was.
I'd suspected it yesterday, but watching her reaction now removed whatever doubt remained.
"She gave me her private number," I added.
Elara's expression darkened.
"How wonderful for you."
I laughed. "You're jealous."
"I am not jealous."
She answered so quickly that even Totodile glanced toward her.
"Really?"
"Yes, really."
I started walking toward her.
Elara watched me approach but didn't retreat.
Instead, she lifted her chin slightly and held my gaze as the distance between us disappeared.
"Then you wouldn't care if I called her."
Her eyes narrowed further. "Call whoever you want."
"Maybe I'll ask if she's still in Kanto."
"Do that."
"Invite her over."
"Go ahead."
"Maybe she'll touch my arms again."
"She does seem to have difficulty keeping her hands to herself."
I stopped directly in front of her.
Elara seemed to realize what she'd said a second too late.
My grin widened.
"Not jealous?"
Her cheeks flushed.
"Shut up."
"That's not an answer."
"You're enjoying this far too much," she muttered, glaring up at me.
"Because I've spent two days wondering whether Gible was actually right."
The crimson dragon's head immediately rose.
Elara glanced toward him.
"Right about what?"
I probably should have protected him. But this was too much fun right now.
"He thinks you and Cynthia are fighting over who gets first dibs."
Gible's eyes widened. Totodile looked between us in confusion. Elara's face turned scarlet.
"He said what?"
Gible immediately shuffled behind Totodile.
'Why are you hiding behind me?' Totodile asked.
'Survival.'
I laughed.
But when I looked back at Elara, some of the embarrassment had faded.
She glanced toward the packs beside the stairs again.
"You really are leaving today," she said, her voice softer.
"Yeah."
"With Ash?"
"That's the plan."
She swallowed.
"I came here because I was worried about you."
That wiped the smile from my face.
Elara raised her eyes to mine.
"You nearly died yesterday. Then you disappeared all night without telling anyone where you were going. I woke up this morning, and Professor Oak casually told me you're leaving Pallet."
She gestured sharply toward Totodile.
"And somehow, during those few hours, you found another Pokémon that shouldn't exist."
"I didn't plan that part."
"That's supposed to make me feel better?"
"Probably not."
"No. It doesn't."
I stepped closer. Barely a foot remained between us now.
The faint floral scent clinging to her hair mixed with the cold air still trapped in her coat.
"And then there's Cynthia," she added quietly.
I raised an eyebrow.
"I thought you weren't jealous."
"I'm not."
"Elara."
Her eyes dropped toward my mouth for barely a second before returning to mine.
That answered considerably more than words would have.
I reached up and brushed a loose strand of silver hair away from her cheek.
Elara froze beneath the touch.
"If you don't want Cynthia touching me," I murmured, "you could just say so."
A deeper flush spread across her cheeks.
"You're unbelievably arrogant."
"But am I wrong?"
She opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
I let my hand slide from her cheek to the side of her neck, my thumb brushing lightly beneath her jaw.
Her breathing changed.
"Tell me I'm wrong."
Elara stared at me for several long seconds, frustration and something much warmer fighting across her face.
Then her fingers curled into the front of my shirt.
"You're insufferable," she whispered.
"Still not hearing that I'm wrong."
Her grip tightened.
Then she yanked me down and kissed me.
Her mouth met mine hard enough to push me half a step backward, and whatever restraint she'd been holding onto vanished immediately.
One hand slid around the back of my neck while she pressed herself against me, her plump breasts pushing against my chest.
For half a second, surprise kept me still.
Then instinct took over.
I wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her closer while my other hand slid lower, gripping the soft, full curve of her ass through her pants.
A small whimper escaped against my mouth.
That sound nearly shredded what remained of my restraint.
Elara broke the kiss just enough to inhale, her cheeks flushed and her blue eyes half-lidded as she stared up at me.
"Samael..." she breathed.
"What?"
Her fingers tightened behind my neck.
"You know exactly what."
The words carried almost no anger.
I squeezed her ass again.
Her body pressed harder against mine as another soft sound escaped her throat, and she immediately kissed me again as though annoyed with herself for making it.
This time the kiss slowed.
Her lips moved against mine with hunger while her fingers slipped into my hair, keeping me close. My hand remained firmly against her ass as I pulled her hips toward me, and Elara responded by leaning into the contact instead of retreating.
Apparently we'd both wasted a considerable amount of time.
When she finally pulled back, her breathing had grown heavier.
Her forehead rested against mine as she tried to compose herself.
"Still not jealous?" I murmured.
Elara opened her eyes.
"You are dangerously close to ruining this."
I smiled.
"Worth checking."
She slapped my chest lightly.
Then a sharp electrical crack split the room.
We both turned.
Totodile sat beside the fireplace, staring at us with his head tilted sideways.
'Are they fighting?'
Gible stared at us for another moment before slowly covering his face with both claws.
'No.'
Totodile looked even more confused.
'Then why did she make the injured noise?'
Elara went completely still.
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.
Gible's shoulders began shaking.
Elara slowly pulled herself out of my arms, her face becoming progressively redder.
"If either of them repeats this to Professor Oak," she said through clenched teeth, "I am throwing both of them into the ocean."
Gible immediately stopped laughing.
Totodile looked toward me.
'Your female is violent.'
Elara's eyes snapped toward him.
"What did he say?"
"Nothing."
"Samael."
"Absolutely nothing."
She narrowed her eyes at me before noticing the smile I couldn't hide.
Then, slowly, she smiled too.
It was smaller than usual. Less guarded. And somehow that affected me more than the kiss had.
Her attention eventually shifted toward the packs beside the staircase.
"So," she said, straightening her coat and attempting to recover what remained of her dignity, "what time are we leaving?"
I blinked.
"We?"
Elara raised one eyebrow.
"You seriously thought I came all the way here before sunrise just to kiss you?"
I looked at her.
Then at the two genetically impossible Pokémon sitting beside my fireplace.
Then back at her.
"Honestly?"
Her eyes narrowed.
I grinned.
"It was becoming a pretty convincing explanation."
She shoved my shoulder.
"I'm coming to Route 1."
That changed things.
A lot of things.
And judging by the way Elara's eyes lingered on me before she turned toward Totodile, our journey north had just become considerably more complicated.