104 Learning The Hard Way

{…Y-You do?} Max said, staring dumbfoundedly at Scarlet.

"I know it sounds a little crazy, but Luna was right about that lake. Everything's starting to come back to me, I just had a dream that helped fill a big gap in my memory."

{What do you remember, exactly?}

"Well, we were in the woods arguing with each other, and… we definitely arrived at that lake. *sigh* I, unfortunately, can't make out who did this to us, but we were knocked out. By some… obnoxious blue fairy. Definitely a Pokémon. That's all I can piece together."

{Then I guess that settles it, we know where to go. If the answers are at that lake, that's where we're gonna get them.}

"Alright. He attacked us at night last time, so we should go there right away."

{I guess so, but I don't really want to wake the girls up for this. Maybe you, Luna, and I will be enough to-}

{Oh, do you guys really think you're gonna hog all the fun?}

Behind them, Scarlet and Max noticed Bonny stepping outside the module, followed by the others.

{Girls? Weren't you sleeping?} Max asked, a bit surprised.

{Blame Scarlet, she still doesn't understand that your body is heavier than hers.} Bonny explained, looking at Scarlet with a smile and a raised eyebrow.

"Damnit…" Scarlet cursed, facepalming. "So much for trying to be sneaky."

{I don't think even Max can sneak out without shaking the mattress so much.} Aurora pointed out.

{I told you my ass was heavy.} Max said with a smile, looking at Scarlet.

"Hey, I was kind of in a hurry…"

{For what, exactly?} Bonny asked.

{Scarlet thinks she may know what happened to us.}

{Really?!} Sally exclaimed.

{That's good news.} May said.

"Whatever happened to us, did so at the lake we found earlier."

{Let's go, then.} Bonny urged.

{Be careful. Whoever's responsible could be dangerous to deal with.} Max warned.

{I don't care. No way I'm gonna let whoever did this to you get away without a proper ass-kicking.} The lopunny expressed fervently.

{For once, I agree with her.} Aurora said, Bonny high-fiving her.

{*sigh* Just try not to kill anyone if possible, okay?} Max requested, a bit discouraged.

{Alright. We'll try.} Bonny agreed with a tint of an unhealthy grin.

With the group now ready, they made their way back towards the body of water they found earlier. After being joined by Luna a moment later, they arrived at the mysterious lake. However, unlike the first time Max and Scarlet discovered it, it still looked like an average lake. Since Scarlet can't see well in the dark with Max's eyes, Dusk made a torch with her wand by lighting a flame at the tip.

{You guys sure this is the place? I don't see anything special about this lake.} May stated.

"We're sure, May. Luna said that our tracks stopped cleanly here, so there's gotta be something about it that we're missing."

{What do we do, then?} Max asked.

"I'm… not sure. If I remember from my dream, the lake glowed a bit."

{Maybe the thing that attacked you is resting underneath.} Aurora theorized.

Upon mentioning that, Scarlet remembered even more of that night.

"You're right!" Scarlet exclaimed with a gasp. "A small Pokémon came out of it and knocked us out."

{Then I say we attack it and make it come out.} Bonny suggested.

{Is that… really a good idea?} Sally asked, a bit scared.

{At this point, it's worth the risk. Aurora?}

With a nod, Aurora charged a powerful Aura Sphere and tossed it in the middle of the huge pond. The attack pierced the surface and exploded at the bottom, creating a large water splash above it.

{I hope there weren't any pokemon in there.} May wished.

{...It's okay.} Dusk affirmed, after doing a quick psychic sweep around the impact point. {There doesn't seem to have been any other pokémon in there.}

{Phew!} Max said in relief. {I was scared for a second.}

"I think we might need more than that, Aurora. That didn't seem to have worked," Scarlet said, gazing at the waves.

{We'll just have to hit harder, then.} Bonny guessed.

"Alright. Everyone with ranged attacks, fire at will," Scarlet commanded.

With Aurora tossing more Aura Spheres, Dusk, Luna, and May joined in with the use of Psybeams, Flamethrowers, and Fairy Winds respectively. They kept attacking for a couple of seconds before stopping. As the water was calming down slowly, they waited for an eventual reaction. Then, as the surface was mostly back to normal, the water began to glow.

"Here it comes…" Scarlet warned.

A few moments later, the pokémon from the day before materialized before them.

{For thousands of years, I lay dormant.} The Mythical engaged in a loud voice. {Who dares disturb my…}

Without speaking, Scarlet moved closer to the pond, intensely glaring at the manaphy.

"Hey! You little blue bastard! Remember us?" she blurted out.

The floating pokémon then floated near them, getting closer to Scarlet.

{Oh, it's you two.} he replied despondently before letting out a yawn and stretching. {So… What's up?}

{Seriously?!} Max frustratingly exclaimed. {You knock us out, switch our bodies, and the first thing you say to us when we find you is "What's up"?!}

{Yeah. That's kind of how I roll.}

"Quit your bullshit, you heard my master. Change us back, now!

{Oh, so that's what this is about… You guys want to be back in your old bodies, is that it?}

"Precisely," Scarlet confirmed with crossed arms.

{See, here's the thing, I was considering changing you back, but you kind of just attacked me in my sleep and ruined my dramatic entrance just now.} the manaphy said nonchalantly, getting closer to the group. {So I'll give you a choice; You either apologize to me right now and leave, or you can keep threatening me and I'll have no choice but to defend myself. How's that sound?} it threatened with a calmness.

"You might want to reconsider that. We have six strong pokemon here who are ready to break some bones," Scarlet retorted haughtily.

{Wow, cocky much? Just because you embarrassed that Azzalec chick a few days ago doesn't mean that you'll do the same to me.} the mythical mocked.

"I advise you not to underestimate us."

{Well then… Don't say I didn't warn you.}

The tiny water spirit began charging an attack, staring down at the team with a hint of reluctance. It took a moment of friction, but for some reason, the powerful creature relented, dissolving its aura for one last chance at mercy.

{On second thought, let's make this a little more interesting.} the manaphy said, the group looking at him curiously. {Let's place a bet on it: If any one of you can defeat me in a one-on-one match, then I will grant your wish. But, if you can't, then you're gonna have to find another mythical to bother, cus I won't be switching you back.}

"Listen, you are in no—"

{We accept.} Max interrupted, getting next to Scarlet. {We have a deal.}

{Wow, that was fast,} the fairy whispered before floating down to their level with his arms stretched out. {I'm ready when you are.}

{Keep talking big, little guy. I'm not in a particularly good mood tonight.} Bonny said, moving forward.

"...Tsk. This is so stupid. Come on, master," Scarlet said, pulling Max away from them.

{...Actually, screw it. Why don't you make the first move?} Bonny taunted in a fighting stance.

{Whatever you say, lopunny,} he replied, feinting innocence.

The manaphy broke the ice by using Dazzling Gleam. He moved so fast that Bonny dodged in extremis before rushing towards the blue Pokémon. The lopunny then used Mega Kick, which the fairy pokémon easily dodged. Bonny turned and went for multiple Ear Punches, all being evaded effortlessly, and right when she felt one was about to hit, the manaphy teleported behind Bonny with a grin on his face.

{You're too slow~,} the mythical pokémon taunted.

{Ghrr! I'll show you!}

Now facing her opponent again, Bonny went for Pound, which was a faster move to use without exerting too much energy. Again, the manaphy dodged the attack easily, forcing Bonny to use multiple at once, all of which were being dodged. From afar, the group saw Bonny launching move after move while the manaphy dodged every single one of them. Then, as a way to catch him by surprise, Bonny leaped at the manaphy and used Mega Kick once more, which obviously missed. However, she chained as fast as she could with a High Jump Kick from below the mythical, hoping to get him. Unfortunately, the move missed its mark, making Bonny crash to the ground a few meters away, the manaphy faking a yawn.

{Oh no! This doesn't look good.} Max commented, worried about Bonny and their current situation.

"Ghra! Can someone go help her?" Scarlet urged, furious that she couldn't do it herself.

{On it,} Aurora said while walking near the manaphy.

As Bonny was getting back up from the failed High Jump Kick, both Aurora and the fairy pokémon glared at each other.

{Watch out, Aurora.} Max said, {So far, he's only dodged our attacks, but we still don't know what he's capable of doing offensively.}

{Right, I'll keep that in mind,} she replied, getting into a fighting stance of her own.

Focusing her aura, Aurora used Bone Rush, but instead of creating a bone stick, she moved her paws all around herself and created bones all over her and attached them to her body, encasing herself in a strange suit of armor, covering approximately seventy percent of her body.

{That should do it.} Aurora stated, getting ready to attack.

She then rushed at the manaphy and went in with Force Palm, catching him by surprise with her sudden burst of speed, but dodging her attack nonetheless. Believing it was time to get more offensive, the manaphy attacked with Water Pulse, but Aurora was fast enough to dodge the move. He unleashed a few more attacks, but the lucario was able to dodge everyone. The manaphy then stopped his assault for a bit, causing Aurora to go back on the defensive.

{Alright, time to kick this up a notch.} he mumbled to himself.

Then, as Aurora was about to focus her aura, the manaphy charged at Aurora with unreal speed. Sensing that she wouldn't dodge in time, the lucario went for a defensive block. Then, as the manaphy was about to make contact with Aurora, Bonny entered the fray again and finally managed to get a hit on the manaphy with an Ear Punch to his side. Despite not expecting it and being pushed away for a few meters, the manaphy didn't seem to be phased by the hit, literally shaking it off.

{Heh, little guy's tough as nails.} Bonny commented, facing the mythical pokemon besides Aurora. {Any idea how to get that slippery pokémon?} She asked the lucario.

{...We coordinate our attacks. One goes in for a distraction while the other follows up with a surprise attack.}

{Sounds good to me. I'll distract him since you're faster than me.}

{Understood.}

With a nod, Bonny rushed at the manaphy as fast as she could and went for a Flail attack. Not the strongest of her moves, but by far the most unpredictable, as the manaphy couldn't anticipate Bonny's fists and just kept his distance by floating backward out of her reach. She kept this up for a short moment before faking an Ear Punch, to which she stopped midway as the manaphy moved away again. Aurora then saw her moment and appeared behind her, going for an aura-powered Force Palm.

[Seriously? This was their plan?] He thought to himself.

Then, with a tiny smile, as if he was expecting this trick, the manaphy rapidly flew upward to dodge Aurora's attack. Before they could even look up, both Aurora and Bonny got hit on the chest by two separate rays of energy, coming from the manaphy antennas and hands. Whatever move he used, it made them incredibly dizzy before falling to the ground on their chests, defeated with the manaphy giggling.

{Manaphy two, human zero,} he taunted.

{What!? T-There's just no way…!} Max exclaimed, barely believing the outcome.

The Manaphy gave the Gardevoir a dangerous smirk. The kind that made his blood run cold; ironic, considering the water guardian's tiny frame. {Don't think I didn't notice you resorting to cheating already~}

"For fuck's… Come you two, get up!" Scarlet shouted. "We didn't go through hell in that past year and a half just to get beaten by some mythical prick!"

{You're not a very nice pokémon, you know that?} the manaphy said nonchalantly. {You should try to relax a bit sometimes.}

"Shut the fuck up and fight me, you annoying little shit!" Scarlet spat angrily while flipping the bird to the mythical.

{Oh. Seems like Scarlet mastered the finger control just in time.} Luna commented, a bit amused.

{Luna, not now.} Max told the zoroark before walking over to Scarlet and placing a hand on her shoulder. {Calm down, love. We might never get our bodies back if we lash out like that.}

"Ghhnnnnn!" Scarlet vocalized with extreme anger and tightly clenched fists. "That little shit is playing with us and making us look like amateurs. If I were still in my body, I would go over there and shove my footless leg inside his fucking ass!"

{I understand your anger, but leave this to our friends. There's not much we can do besides have faith in them.}

At the same moment, both Aurora and Bonny began to stir and slowly got up, catching everyone's attention.

{That's it, girls! You got this!} May exclaimed, happy to see that her friends weren't down and out yet.

{Wait… Something's not right.} Luna pointed out.

Then, as the gang was looking at Aurora and Bonny more attentively, both were back on their feet and looked at each other. Then, after a short moment of processing…

{AHHH!} They both screamed in unison while pointing at each other. {Why do you look like me?!}

{Ah shit. Here we go again.} Max commented, facepalming.

{We switched bodies too!} Aurora and Bonny yelled while looking at the group, making the manaphy laugh.

{Oh no!} Dusk exclaimed in horror.

{*sigh* We should have seen that one coming.} Luna mentioned.

{Wait, wait. Maybe there's still hope. Can you girls still fight?} Max asked Bonny and Aurora.

{...Maybe. Let me try.} Aurora said, who was now in Bonny's body.

Closing her eyes, Aurora went for a wider stance and instinctively tried to use Aura Sphere. However, as soon as Aurora took a step, she lost her balance and fell down again.

{Me- I mean, Aurora!}

Wanting to help her friend, Bonny wanted to rush towards her, but tripped over her own feet as well and fell face-first on top of Aurora.

{Ow! How the heck do you move around with these things?!} Bonny complained.

{Me?! Your feet are so tiny, they're almost non-existent!} Aurora retorted angrily, with the manaphy still laughing in the background.

"...It's all over now," Scarlet said, dropping to her knees in desperation. "We lost and we'll be stuck like this forever."

{No, not yet.} Max assured her, kneeling next to her. {I'm not giving up hope just yet. We just need to approach the situation differently…} Max said, going into thought.

"How? No matter what we do, he's gonna toy with us and switch everyone's bodies."

{We… He said 1-on-1 battles only, so we need someone who's fast, strong, and strikes with near-perfect precision. And send her alone. From what I'm seeing, two need to be pretty close to each other to be affected by the body switch.}

{Who do you suggest?} Dusk asked.

{I…} Max started before looking at his zoroark. {I think Luna would be best suited for this. She checks out everything I just mentioned, not to mention she's a great strategist, too.}

The group then looked at Luna.

"That… could work." Scarlet said, standing up after analyzing the suggestion. "She might just be our last hope in this."

{What do you say, Luna?}

{Hmm…} the dark-type pondered, grabbing her chin. {You know how I'd prefer to avoid conflict in general, but when push comes to shove… Very well, I'll do it.}

"Great. Thanks, Luna. If you can keep him busy long enough, it'll give the others a chance to get on their feet again—"

Suddenly, the manaphy appeared from behind Max and tapped his shoulder, causing him to turn around.

{Nice try, but that won't work.} he told him while slowly floating away. {You all only get one chance to beat me. Those who already lost can't try again, and those left standing have to be the ones to finish.}

{What the- seriously?! Why?!} Max complained, outraged.

{Because then it wouldn't be a challenge, duh!} The manaphy nagged while doing some slow barrel rolls. {What, did you think I was just gonna let you beat me?}

{Why you little…} Max growled.

"Luna still has a good shot. It's just a matter of making sure she doesn't lose, and if she does, everyone else is just as strong as her," Scarlet mentioned, also infuriated.

{*sigh* I guess so. I'm sorry to make you do this, Luna…}

{It's fine, little pup. We all don't always get what we want.} The zoroark said while walking near the mischievous Pokémon, not really motivated.

{So, a dark-type, eh?} the mythical noticed, getting near Luna while Dusk and Sally went to bring Aurora and Bonny back to the group. {And a tall one, too. Let's see if you can make this fun for me.}

{Okay…} Luna mumbled, getting on all fours, in a 'ready-to-pounce' position. {This shouldn't take too long if I stay in control.}

{What are you rambling about over there?} the manaphy inquired, a bit annoyed.

Luna then stared at the manaphy for a short moment before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

{...Let the hunt begin.} She said with a growl as she opened her eyes.

As soon as she was done mumbling, Luna pounced directly at the manaphy at lightning speed, creating a tiny shockwave of dust from which she disappeared and used Shadow Claw.

{Whoa!} the manaphy exclaimed, dodging at the last second. {You're faster than you look. You almost got me.}

As soon as Luna touched the ground, she turned and used Shadow Claw once again at the same speed. Now knowing what to expect, the manaphy was able to dodge her more easily. However, he needed to focus all of his attention on her this time, as even letting his focus waver for a nanosecond could result in his defeat. Luna slashed away with multiple Shadow Claws so fast that the others almost lost track of her movements. At the same speed, the manaphy dodged all of her strikes, with very few almost brushing his skin.

{Let's take care of that annoying speed.}

The manaphy then retreated into the air and used Blizzard in hopes of slowing Luna down with it. Even though the move was pretty fast and had a large area of effect, Luna was quick enough to move away from the freeze zone. After doing so, Luna used Smokescreen and vanished into the black smoke.

{Seriously? Tricky fox…} the manaphy said before flying upward to escape the smoke.

Once he was high enough, he floated over the huge and thick cloud of smoke covering the ground.

{You're gonna have to do better than that, zoroark!}

Keeping an eye on the cloud, the manaphy almost failed to notice entities of the move Beast Shadow jumping at him from nowhere. After dodging one, a couple more appeared from everywhere and he focused on dodging all of them. This is where Luna used that opportunity to strike the manaphy with Night Slash from above, landing a critical hit on it. The manaphy fell towards the ground but retaliated before touching it. With her enemy near the ground, the smokescreen dissipated and revealed Luna not far from the fairy, ready to pounce again.

{Huh, what do you know, you did do better. Fast, clever, patient… You don't see that in a zoroark very often, or any dark-type in general.}

{Looking down on pokémon because of their typing? You don't see that in a mythical very often.} Luna retorted in an arrogant tone.

A bit annoyed by Luna's response, the manaphy then attacked Luna before she could move and used Scald, with the zoroark being fast enough to evade it. However, the manaphy kept using Scald to where he was able to control its size and trajectory. Luna, unfortunately, didn't expect that as she got hit by the sudden growth of the stream, damaging her as well as inflicting her with a burn effect.

{Damnit…} Luna growled softly, before retreating backward and began rubbing her claws in a provocative manner.

{What're you planning now? Surely you can do more than just graze me with your claws.} the manaphy commented before rushing towards her.

A second after moving, the water-type pokemon used Ice Beam, causing Luna to dodge once more. After landing back on her feet, she continued rubbing her claws together.

{What's wrong? Giving up already?} He taunted as he saw her continue… whatever it was she was doing.

Now getting annoyed, the water spirit used Ice Beam in a larger radius, with Luna escaping the move by jumping off of a nearby tree. The water Pokémon kept attacking Luna with different attacks, with the zoroark dodging all of them while escaping. A little while later into their little "cat and mouse" game, Luna tried to escape from her opponent's sight by using Smokescreen again.

{This trick again? Maybe you're not as good as I thought.}

Immediately, the manaphy used his limited psychic abilities to create a small telekinetic shockwave to dissipate the smoke. The manaphy was ready to attack as soon as he saw the zoroark, but to his surprise, she was nowhere to be found. He then immediately turned around and saw Luna standing behind him, the two going into another staring match.

{Are you done running away?} the manaphy asked arrogantly.

{You can say that.} the zoroark shot back, sounding oddly confident.

As the manaphy was staring at her in mild frustration, Luna got into a pouncing position again.

{Again with that pouncing stance? You don't know when to quit, do you?}

{No… Especially when my trainer's fate is between my paws.}

{...Alright, I can respect that.} the spirit replied. {But in all honesty, this fight is getting pretty boring.}

{Then let me put an end to it.}

Using all of her remaining strength, Luna's power exploded and charged forward at unbelievable speed, moving a couple of meters in front of her so fast that it looked like she teleported. Now finding herself in front of her opponent, she had one paw raised with Shadow Claw. At the same speed, the manaphy had dodged the hit and was a bit further above. Convinced that he had evaded, the manaphy was about to counter-attack, until a sudden pain ran across his entire body and a dark single claw mark appeared on his entire torso, drawing quite a bit of blood in the process. It then fell to the ground, still conscious, but unable to fight due to the paralyzing pain.

{*Pant* I win.} Luna concluded as she walked back to the others.

{Oh my god, Luna! That was amazing!} Max exclaimed before jumping in her arms.

{Thank you…} Luna said, briefly patting his back before looking over her shoulder. {But I'm afraid it's not over yet.}

{...Y-You're right. Sorry.} Max apologized as he broke the hug.

After that, the manaphy briefly glowed in blue light and rose from the ground, its wounds being completely healed.

{Okay… Got a bit careless there, me…} the manaphy complained as he took a deep breath. {Not bad, you actually managed to hit me. It's not every day that a 'mon like you inflicts actual damage to a 'mon like me, but this isn't done. I have yet to yield!}

Floating in front of them with a cocky smirk and a hint of anger, the manaphy looked at the remaining fighters.

{Ready for round 2?}

"Wha- Hold on! You said that we only need to fight once," Scarlet snarled.

{Oh, sorry, I wasn't being specific.} The manaphy apologized, feinting sincerity. {Yes, you can only fight me once, but as long as I'm still conscious, I can fight you as many times as I want.}

"WHAT?! That's not fair!"

{Hehe… My game, my rules.} The manaphy replied in a contemptuous tone.

"You. Fucking… Ghra! I can't remember the last time I hated someone so much."

{So in short, we have to fight you until you think you've had enough?} Max inquired.

{Considering I'm the one keeping you hostage technically… Pretty much, yes.}

{Are you kidding me?! That means we could be stuck here all night.} Aurora stated. {I don't know about you, but I… Why are you looking at me like that?} she questioned while catching Bonny staring at her.

{Hmm? Oh, well… Now that I can look at myself from someone else's eyes, I'm starting to really notice how sexy I am. Mm, mmm! I am looking good~!}

{Bonny, please. Stay focused.} Max suggested to her while pinching the bridge of his nose.

{Heh, sorry. Couldn't help myself.} she replied sheepishly.

{But… Who could possibly fight him now? Half of us already fought and he doesn't seem tired at all.} Dusk wondered out loud.

{Well… a manaphy is water-type, so any fire-types are a no-go.} Max said, grabbing his chin while thinking. {We could give May a shot, but she's not as fast as everyone. There's also me and Scarlet, but neither of us is in any condition to fight. I mean, I have Scarlet's strong body, but I can't use any of her powers. And as for her…}

"Alright. I'll do it," Scarlet decided, stepping forwards.

{Wait…} Max said, stopping her. {You can't use any of your powers either in my body.} he pointed out.

"I know, but I'm the only one who can actually fight right now. I'm sorry to say this, master, but looking at our current states right now, you're… my body is the most useless, which makes me the most logical choice. Without any powers, your body is stronger than mine."

Max then looked at her, almost in shame.

"I'm not saying this to make you feel weak, master. I want us to be back to normal, so I'm just stating facts."

Seeing that it didn't make him feel better, she grabbed one of his hands.

"I'm sorry if you feel excluded again, master. Maybe if you were able to use just a fraction of my powers, maybe…"

{It's okay, Scarlet,} Max reassured her while gently tapping her hand. {I understand. Guess you can't win them all, that's why we're a team.}

Scarlet then smiled warmly.

"I love you so much."

{I love you too. However, it doesn't change the fact that you have a weak human body.}

"It's not that weak, I know it," Scarlet stated. "I'll manage the best I can so long as you trust me. I can't promise that you won't get any bruises and such, but I'll win. I'll make sure of that."

{Alright. Our future depends on it.}

"No pressure at all, huh?" Scarlet replied with a playful smile.

{You're a bit more surly when under pressure,} Max pointed out, smiling as well.

"Well… You're not wrong."

{I know. Now go show him that we're not to be messed with.}

"With pleasure," Scarlet said, instantly dawning an aggressive expression before facing the manaphy.

{You're done being lovey-dovey with each other, then?} the floating pokemon asked.

"Yeah. Sorry for keeping you waiting for your imminent defeat," she told him while getting closer.

{Big talk from a pokémon in a human body.}

"It's obvious that you don't know who you're messing with. Your naivety is almost cute," Scarlet taunted.

{My naiv…? By all means, show me what you can do.}

Glaring at her adversary, Scarlet got into a boxing stance.

(Alright… I know master's body by heart and I should be able to temporarily rewire it and unlock its full potential just enough to not damage it permanently.)

{If you're just gonna stand there, I'll come to you instead.}

The manaphy then started the battle with a Water Gun attack, Scarlet being able to dodge it despite not having the speed she's used to. However, as most would stop after missing, the manaphy just kept shooting like a homing missile and aimed it towards Scarlet. To be able to keep dodging, Scarlet had to release the control of her muscle tensions a little, but she needed to go on the offensive sooner or later. She then quickly tried to rush toward her opponent, and after managing to do so, she went for a quick punch but got easily dodged.

{I win,} the manaphy boasted before touching her chest.

Scarlet immediately lost consciousness and fell on her back, with her eyes still wide open.

{Scarlet! No!} Max yelled.

On the ground, Scarlet could barely make out what Max was saying until everything faded to black followed by silence. After a short moment, she opened her eyes and quickly sat up, but after taking a quick look around, she noticed that she was surrounded by nothing but darkness. She was, however, able to see her own body and limbs, which could only mean she was back in her red gardevoir body.

{Oh my god. Did we… win?} She said, looking at her familiar three-fingered hand.

{[Would you prefer a lie or the truth?]} Said an echoey voice, which seemed to come from every direction.

{Huh? W-Who's there?}

Then, in front of Scarlet, a formless shadowy figure with glowing red eyes appeared, strangely very visible despite the ambient darkness.

{[What you should be asking is what place this is.]}

{I… How the fuck should I know?! I don't even know where I am, and who the fuck are you? Are you that manaphy prick, trying to mess with me?} Scarlet asked aggressively.

She wanted to stand, but oddly, couldn't as her legs decided to not respond to her anymore.

{What the…?!}

{[This is the fabled "Crimson Gardevoir"? Your friends and supposed mate are out there, fighting for their lives against a powerful foe… While you're in here, waiting at death's door for me to claim your soul. Pathetic.]}

{You… death's door…}

{[All caught up now, are you? As of now, you are what humans refer to as "clinically dead".]}

{What? N-No, I… It's impossible. I was fighting that manaphy and…}

{[-Your body gave out while your soul still clings to life, all because of your own weakness.]}

{My… Okay, maybe you didn't notice, but I'm not in my body right now, so what was I supposed to-}

{[I wasn't referring to your physical weakness, gardevoir.]}

{The fuck are you talking about?}

{[You know all too well that you were no match for that manaphy in your current form, yet once again, you make a fool out of yourself and let your emotions get the better of you. Not to mention you lost in the most embarrassing way possible.]}

{S-Shut up! I tried, okay. Master's life was on the line, I-I couldn't just stay put and do nothing!}

{[I see that, all the more reason why you should.]}

{What are you-}

[{Can't you see that your life has been a mess ever since you met him? Always being dragged into the shitstorm he stirs? He is a curse, bringing forth misfortune and despair to those who stay by his side.}]

{That's not true! My life has been shit long before I met him. If anything, being with him has made my life better.}

{[Is it really that much better than before? Yes, you were tortured and raped, but that was when you were a defenseless, little pokémon. You were doing just fine on your own, and you were becoming a force to be reckoned with ever since your escape. But now that you've devoted yourself to that human, you're beginning to go soft again, back to that weak-minded ralts you once were.]}

{N-No…}

For a moment, Scarlet tried to remember how her life was between her escape from the lab and her encounter with Max. It was true that things weren't as bad as what she went through in that hell-hole, but she wouldn't say she was 'living her best life'. As she tried to remember the good times in her life, no matter how she tried, it all came back to her and Max being in each other's company. Then, before she knew it, her gardevoir instincts took over as his entire existence invaded her mind.

{[That human you blindly refer to as "your mate", you best just abandon him while you still can. You don't need him, he will only drag you down and—]}

{NO!} Scarlet shouted assertively, making the shadowy figure narrow its eyes at her.

{I… can't give up. No matter how desperate and hopeless things are, I have to fight. For him,} she told him, or rather herself. {Even if what you're saying is true, I don't care about that. I don't care if it puts my life in jeopardy, I will fight and struggle until my last breath. His life is what matters most to me, and my life is better with him by my side. You want me to be a force to be reckoned with? Then as long as I have Max and my friends by my side, I can guarantee you that nothing will stop me!}

The shadowy figure then glared at Scarlet's determined eyes for a moment.

{[...Hmph. Very well then. If that's what you truly believe, then get back out there and prove it.]}

Immediately after, the figure disappeared and Scarlet lost consciousness yet again. Then, after what seemed to be a second later, her mind reemerged inside Max's body, staring at the sky. She sat up with a gasp as she waited for her mind to be completely back to reality.

{Scarlet!} Max exclaimed in relief. {Oh thank god, are you okay?!}

"I… I think so, yeah," Scarlet answered, putting a hand on her face to lightly rub it.

{Well, well, well… You managed to recover on your own.} The manaphy said, floating a few meters in front of her. {For being able to wake up on your own from my signature Take Heart technique, you must have one hell of a knack for survival.}

Quickly, Scarlet's eyes narrowed in anger and hatred at the sight of the pokémon. Moving her hand away from Max, she slowly stood up and immediately got into a fighting stance.

"Come on, I didn't hear a bell," She said with fiery eyes.

{Well then…} the manaphy commented. {Your eyes… They may not show any overwhelming power or lack thereof, but I can see an unbelievable amount of malice behind them. You don't just fight to win, you fight just to inflict pain on others. To dominate… to kill.}

"Does it scare you?"

{…A little bit, yeah. But regardless of your motives, the fact that you're still standing, even if all hope seems lost, is something I can't not respect. Not to mention that you're doing this for someone else's sake as well.}

"We're all driven by something."

{How right you are… Okay then, time for you to forfeit. Let's go, chop-chop.} the manaphy announced, getting back to the others.

"...What?!" Scarlet exclaimed, flabbergasted. "Why?"

{Look, your devotion to your human is admirable, I'll give you that much. Here's the thing, though; I'm a mythical pokémon, you're in a fragile human body… No offense.} he said as he turned to look at Max, who only growled at him. {I could shatter that body into a million pieces with a twirl of my ribbon, thus putting an end to your very existence, but I can't because all it would do is make me feel sad. Plus, that would make me look bad on myself as I'm supposed to be the guy who's friends with everyone. So let me make myself absolutely clear when I say that I only wanted this to be a Pokémon battle; I apologize for not making that obvious.} the blue floating pokemon continued, turning around to watch the lake while crossing his arms. {I refuse to fight under these conditions. Let someone else take over or the deal is off.}

"...You can't be serious…"

With the manaphy looking at her funnily, Max walked near her.

{Just accept it, Scarlet. He has a point, even Luna couldn't do much to him, and you saw how fast she was.} he said, grabbing one of her hands before pulling her away.

"...That thing just spat in my face!" she protested.

{Well, not literally, but-} the manaphy replied before being cut off by Max.

{You. Zip it!} he demanded with the water fairy complying passive-aggressively. {Whether it's true or not, just deal with it, please. Remember what we're fighting for here.}

"*sigh* Everything about this is stupid," Scarlet retorted, unable to give up but forced herself to.

{If Luna's turn is over…} Max said, with everyone all grouped up now.

{Who's going next?} Bonny asked, rubbing her eyes, slowly getting used to Aurora's body.

{I don't know.}

"We can't rely on brute force alone." Scarlet explained, with the group thinking about who to choose. "So we should send someone who relies on brains over brawn."

{What about Dusk?} Sally asked while looking at the delphox.

{Me?} Dusk said, not expecting that.

{Good thinking, Sally.} Aurora approved. {Dusk is probably the second smartest one here, next to Scarlet.}

{But…}

{She's also a psychic-type…} Max pointed out.

"Can't argue with that assessment," Scarlet said.

{...I… Are you sure?} Dusk asked, a bit stressed out by the pressure.

{You're just about as strong as everyone else here, so it makes sense to put you in.} Max pointed out.

{...}

{I'm sorry for making you fight. If you don't want to, I'll understand.}

"But it will handicap us quite a little," Scarlet mentioned, making Max nudge at her with an elbow. "What? She knows what'll happen if she doesn't."

{Without considering how she feels about all this?}

"I did, but—"

{It's okay, I'll… *sigh* I'll try,} Dusk accepted.

{Thank you, Dusk. I'm really proud of you,} Max praised.

Smiling, the delphox then faced the mythical while pointing her inflamed stick at him.

{We don't have to fight, manaphy. If you just return master and Scarlet back to their bodies, then we can all leave each other in peace.} She engaged him.

{Hmm, tempting… But that wouldn't be any fun, now would it?} the manaphy asked rhetorically.

{Tsk. Figures…} Dusk said, a bit upset. {Then you leave me no choice.}

The delphox then engaged with a Psybeam, trying to anticipate his movements as he dodged. Unfortunately, she wasn't doing so well, as if the manaphy was reading her every move. Stopping in her tracks, she tried to lock her eyes on him and used Psychic on him, which she did manage to land, but despite her strength, the attack didn't do much to him. The fairy countered with Water Pulse, confident that it will do good damage to a fire-type pokemon. The delphox quickly retaliated Protect, successfully shielding herself from the move before using Fire Rend and creating a barrage of homing fireballs. As soon as a plethora of Fire Rend fireballs were made, they immediately started zooming towards her opponent. With skillful acrobatic aerial movement, the manaphy dodged all of Dusk's fireballs and used Supersonic right as there were none left. Dusk tried to use Protect again, but it didn't work due to the move's nature. However, the attack didn't damage or hurt her whatsoever, but after a few seconds, Dusk suddenly became confused.

{Huh? What… happened?} she wondered out loud.

The delphox kept looking around, strangely getting more and more confused.

{W-Where… am I?}

"...Fuck." Scarlet cursed, facepalming.

{Well, shit. Supersonic, a move that-.} Max started.

"Confuses the target for a certain time. Looks like it." Scarlet finished, looking at the delphox, who was staring at her own stick in confusion.

{…It's unbearable. I don't know how long I've been in this world.} She slowly mumbled to herself before staring at a random tree in the distance. {What year is it?}

{Well human… Do you give up, or are you thirsty for more?} the manaphy asked.

{As if we'll give up.} Max retorted while walking over to Dusk and grabbing one of her arms. {Come, Dusk. Let's join the others.}

{Hey guys, did you know that in terms of human companionship, Flareon is the most huggable pokémon?} Dusk continued mumbling, as she was dragged to sit alongside the others.

{This isn't good.} Max commented. {There's not many of us left to fight; Just me, May, and Sally are left.}

"We can forget about you already," Scarlet remarked. "You're in no state to fight."

{What if I'm the only one left?}

"We'll figure it out if it ever comes to that, and try to believe in your team a little."

{*sigh* You're right, sorry. That's just the stress talking. Who's next, then?} he asked, looking at May and Sally.

{Well… it's not that I don't want to, but…} the cinderace answered shyly.

{I'll go, then.} May proposed herself.

{Alright. Your size and speed might just do it.}

May's walk towards the battlefield inspired confidence, however, there was a wrinkle on her forehead that made her doubt that confidence a bit. As she menacingly approached the manaphy, she readied her giant jaw for combat, making it snarl and snap its teeth like a gluttonous dog.

The manaphy giggled at May's intimidation tactic, twirling in place. {Oooh, scary~. Do I gotta start things off with you too, short stack?}

May's eyebrow twitched at that jab towards her height. {"Short stack"? Are you freaking kidding me? I'm literally a foot taller than you, plus you're a mythical that can float. I can't. I figured you of all 'mons could at least sympathize with me a little?}

{...Congratulations, you've succeeded in making me feel like a massive jerk. Anyway…} the manaphy said dismissively, closing the distance by floating casually.

The steel-type readied herself, her eyes narrowing on the target, and her maw's teeth began to glow as she discreetly readied Crunch. But then, about two-thirds of the way into charging, the water spirit suddenly swooped in next to her at near-lightning speed. May's eyes widened in surprise, and despite her reaction speed, she could do nothing as the ocean guardian swatted her like a fly. Despite the simple motion, May's body was launched into a tree after rebounding heavily off the floor, leaving a small crater where she impacted. The tree behind her snapped in two, and the mawile fell shortly after.

{Aw, seriously?! And here I thought I was fighting a steel-type!} the manaphy complained when he noticed May's eyes were closed. {But I guess that's what happens when you're not a pure steel-type.}

He knew she wasn't done yet, as he could sense her consciousness, but he decided to taunt her nonetheless. Quite disappointed, the manaphy shrugged and once again closed the distance, ready to move on from this pointless battle.

However, right as he was about to deal the finishing blow, May suddenly shot her eyes open and swung her giant mouth up and over, somersaulting in the process. The manaphy came so close to getting hit that his ribbon-like appendage slipped between the jaws of her maw as she chomped down.

The manaphy reared back, taking a second to process what was happening, and noticed the fury in May's eyes. Before he could comment, May turned to Max and screamed, {MASTER! MEGA EVOLVE ME, NOW!}

Max jumped, feeling his whole body leap into the air as he got off his knees. Without even thinking, he shouted for her to Mega Evolve, putting his hand forward to indicate her.

And then… Nothing. Now looking like a complete moron, Max in Scarlet's body stayed stiff as a statue, realizing he didn't have the right equipment. He turned to Scarlet and gave her a look that she quickly understood, and so they fumbled about trying to get the process started. But alas, in the time it took them to mess about with the proceedings, dropping the Mega Ring twice, that is, the fight had already come to an end. May looked at them and threw her arms up in frustration.

{OH, YOU HAVE TO BE KID—!} she shouted before her body was thrown like a ragdoll once more, this time knocking her out of commission for good.

Scarlet and Max exchanged worried and guilty glances and chose not to look at May too much when she was retrieved.

{This doesn't look good at all,} Max commented.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Scarlet angrily blurted. "If only I had my body! I could rip that little shit into pieces."

{Calm down, Scarlet. Provoking him won't help.}

"It will help me calm my nerves, though."

{We'll think of something, I promise. I'm not giving up hope just yet.}

{...Aren't you guys forgetting someone?} Bonny asked, behind.

Turning, they saw the lucario next to Sally, a paw on one of her shoulders.

{She still hasn't fought yet.}

"It doesn't matter who we send, the result will always be the same. That little prick will probably toy with her before getting bored."

{...She's our last hope, Scarlet.} Max told her. {Between me and Sally, we don't really have a choice.}

"Maybe we should think of a better strategy. It's like he has a trick up his sleeves for any given situation."

{Well, he is a mythical pokémon, so things won't be easy around him.} Aurora commented.

{Who's not having faith in their team, now?} Max said.

"I have faith in it, but we have to see the bigger picture here."

As Max and Scarlet were arguing, Sally's ears dropped down, thinking that they were arguing because of her.

{Honestly…} Bonny mumbled. {Listen, Sally, if you really don't want to fight, maybe we can bribe him into giving your place to someone else.}

Briefly, Sally considered the idea but made up her mind.

{No. I'll… *grunt* I'll do it.} the cinderace announced, trying to sound confident. {Everyone's counting on me and you all did your best, so it's my turn to do the same.}

{Are you sure? You don't have a lot of fighting experience and that's a very strong mythical pokémon.}

{We don't have a choice, right? I'm… scared of messing up, but I want to prove that I can do things too.}

{...You're right, and I doubt he would've accepted a switch anyway. Just stay on your toes and don't stop moving. Ever. I heard your species get faster as they fight, so you at least have a chance.}

Sally then took a deep breath.

{Alright. Here g-goes nothing,} the cinderace nervously said before moving forwards.

"...That won't work. We don't have— Wait, Sally! What are you doing?!" Scarlet exclaimed, noticing the cinderace as she was still arguing with Max.

{…Fighting for us.} Max answered for her.

A bit unsure, Sally faced the mythical, getting into a clumsy fighting stance.

{Y-You're going down,} Sally tried to taunt.

{You're their last hope? Pfft. They must be desperate.} the spirit taunted back.

{I'll… do anything for my master and my friends. Even if it means putting myself at risk.}

{I see. Well, let's see how strong your devotion really is.}

Not even giving Sally the time to move, the fairy charged at the cinderace and used Zen Headbutt. Thanks to her speed training from Mad-Ji, Sally managed to dodge it rather easily. However, she didn't expect her opponent to pivot mid-air and got hit by a second Zen Headbutt, the impact strong enough to send her falling on her back.

{Come on, Sally. Keep up the pace!} Max advised her. {Boost your speed even further with Flame Charge.}

Quickly getting back on her feet, Sally complied with Max's order and launched herself at the mythical with Flame Charge. She unfortunately missed and wasn't able to do it anymore as the water fairy only floated a few meters higher.

{G-Get down here!} Sally challenged a bit nervously.

{Why should I? Just hit me with ranged attacks, duh.} the manaphy suggested.

Upon hearing him, Sally felt slightly humiliated, knowing that she didn't have any special ranged attacks.

{I'll… s-show you.}

The cinderace then went for Jump Kick in hopes of hitting him. As usual, the manaphy casually evaded the attack, making Sally crash onto the ground, damaging herself.

{...Hrgh! Crap!} she cursed softly.

Raising her head to stand up, Sally saw the disinterested fairy floating a few inches away from her face, surprising her.

{*yawns* Is this really the best you can do? Because I'm starting to get bored.}

{W-Wait, I can-}

{Sorry, but this is the end,} the mythical non-empathetically announced before using Supersonic at point-blank range, confusing her instantly. {Well… That's all she wrote. You guys are gonna have to stay like this for… either for the rest of your lives or until you find another mythical who can switch bodies.} The manaphy said before slowly floating away from the cinderace.

"...I swear, if we ever find a way to switch back…" Scarlet furiously growled, looking like she was about to lose it.

{We will… Let's just leave.}

Obviously infuriated as well, Max went to pick up Sally, who was sitting on the ground checking herself out.

{H-Huh, who's there?} She asked as Max helped her stand.

{It's me. You did your best, Sally. You don't have to feel ashamed,} Max said while presenting her one hand.

{It's… Is it over already?}

Max then looked at Sally a bit confused.

{You mean… the fight?}

{Yeah. I… I can still fight… I think.}

Max then looked at his team interrogatively, who all did the same.

{...How do you feel?} he asked.

{Well, not that bad. I mean, my ears hurt a bit, but other than that…}

{Do you remember me?}

{Of course. You're Max, my master, and one true love? Why are you asking me that?}

{Sally… is it possible that your mind is clear?}

{Clear? I don't know. I can tell you what we ate this morning, but I don't remember what time exactly…}

{I don't remember you asking what time it was when we ate.}

{Ah. It must be that, then. Haha.}

Max was flabbergasted. It seems as though the Supersonic's confusion had no effect on her. Whether her mind was a steel trap or she just got lucky, he didn't know. Yet despite that, it seemed that another ray of hope emerged in his heart.

{I'm just so proud of you, Sally.} Max praised before pulling her into a strong hug.

{Herg! I… thanks… master…} she replied while being choked to death by Max's love, before being released once he realized what he was doing. {Wow…! That's some strong love, Max} The cinderace commented, catching her breath.

{Sorry, I got carried away. But believe me when I say this; You may have just saved us.}

Upon hearing him, Sally felt an intense warmth feeling running across her entire body. She always felt appreciated by him for taking small progressive steps, but this time, she actually accomplished something grand. She never felt so… powerful and reliable in her entire life. For the first time ever, she had a job to do, one that only she can do. She then dropped her head onto Max's shoulder due to the weight of her emotions.

{S-Sally?} he asked, thinking that she was crying.

{...Master...}

She then raised her head again, showing him that she was not crying, but giving him the most determined expression he's ever seen from her.

{...I'm gonna win. No matter what, I will win. I'm gonna save you and Scarlet, Bonny and Aurora, avenge Dusk, May and Luna…} she declared with overwhelming vitality, her fist shaking with power. {Anyone who looks down at us, mythical, legendary, I don't care! I'll take them down and show them why you don't mess with me or my friends!}

Before leaving him, Max could swear that he saw a glimpse of literal flames in her eyes. What he was certain of, however, is that the temperature suddenly increased around her.

{Hey! Manaphy! Fight's not over yet, pal!} she said fervently at the manaphy.

{That's… You're still standing? You're pretty stubborn, you know that?} the water-type pokémon asked in a casual tone.

{Your face is stubborn!} Sally tried to insult, ready to fight again.

{…You're not as bright as your friends, are you? Not that it'll matter.}

The manaphy then channeled his energy and used Scald on Sally, expecting her to go down. However, with surprising speed, Sally dodged the stream and dashed towards him before using Blaze Kick. The manaphy saw this coming and dodged to the side, making her miss.

{Damnit!} Sally mumbled while falling down.

As soon as she touched the ground, the Manaphy hit her with another Zen Headbutt, sending her skidding a few meters away.

"Rhaa! Since Sally doesn't know a ranged attack like Pyro Ball, she won't be able to do much to him to that coward," Scarlet pointed out.

{She wouldn't need that anyway. She can beat him with just physical moves,} Max affirmed.

{Crap…} Sally cursed while standing up, slightly having lost her breath.

Right as she got back up, the manaphy attacked her again with Bubble Beam, with her unable to dodge all of the bubbles and got hit.

{Gha!} Sally growled in discomfort while dropping down to a knee.

{Come on, Sally! You have to at least build up more speed. Use Flame Charge!} Max commanded.

{You… little…}

Ignoring the pain, Sally rose to her feet once more. The fairy went for Bubble Beam one more time, but Sally was ready and dodged the move before immediately countering with Flame Charge. The manaphy expectantly dodged it, making Sally zoom past him.

{Keep it up! Again!} Max blurted.

Listening to her trainer, Sally used Flame Charge again, missing her opponent yet again. However, thanks to the move's effect, her speed was increasing every time she used it, which the mythical quickly took notice of. Before she could do it one more time, the manaphy used Grass Knot, making the cinderace trip hard on the ground as she was initiating the move again. He then used a much stronger Grass Knot and pinned Sally on the ground, the grass acting as sturdy ropes constricting her body.

{*grunt* No… It's… *grunt* Not fair…} Sally complained in frustration, struggling to escape.

{You lose… I win.} the spirit announced.

He then went for the final blow and used a point-blank Hydro Pump on Sally, the cinderace taking the full blow of the super-effective move.

{Sally!} Max screamed in horror upon seeing her not moving anymore.

The mythical then stared at her for a few moments, just in case she wasn't already down and out. Seeing that she was, he floated away from her towards the group.

{It's too bad, you were all so close, too.} he said to the group.

The gang simply stood there, staring at Sally, who had given everything in that fight. They were disgusted that despite all of their efforts to get stronger, it wasn't enough as they were all humiliated by a single pokémon. Sure, it was at the hands of a mythical, but still…

{You lost, so I'll have to ask you to leave.}

Not accepting it, they stood there in defiance, holding their ground.

{...Don't make me repeat myself.} he said in a menacing tone, staring them down.

{Wait! What's happening?} May suddenly shouted.

Before anyone could move, they all turned their attention towards Sally who was seemingly unconscious. They all thought she was down for the count, that is until the air around her began to grow hotter and hotter.

{I'm… not done… yet} she weakly declared. {I… I won't go down. I… can't… go down. Everyone… is counting on me. For once in my life…} she continued, her power rising steadily. {I matter to someone… my master… needs me. I won't let him down… I'm done being some pushover who can't do anything right!}

All of sudden, the grass ropes that were restraining her burst into flames, freeing the cinderace. She then slowly got on all fours while the manaphy began approaching her. Slowly but surely, she stood up and faced her seemingly unbeatable adversary with the grass around her feet catching fire, a fiery aura emanating from her body.

{I think it's time we stopped messing around, so let's get down to the real fight. I'm gonna shatter you into a million pieces!}

In a flash, Sally disappeared from her initial spot and used Jump Kick on the manaphy, who barely managed to dodge in time. Upon landing, she rebounded well enough to avoid setting the grass beneath her on fire, as per the scorched marks she left behind. Before she could move, the fairy used Bubble Beam once more, this time at full power with thousands of bubbles. There were too many for Sally to dodge despite her newfound speed, so she shielded herself with her arms to block the bubbles. The attack lasted for a couple of seconds, but the cinderace still stood her ground. After the last few bubbles hit Sally, the manaphy was quick to use the same move, however, he instead fused all the bubbles together, creating one ten times his size bubble before tossing it at Sally.

{That won't stop me!} she exclaimed in a warcry.

Right as the bubble was about to connect, instead of dodging it, Sally charged headfirst at the bubble and used Blaze Kick, causing it to burst and evaporate as it created a small cloud of steam. As soon as the smoke dissipated, Sally was nowhere to be seen. The manaphy didn't have enough time to wonder where she could be when he felt a presence behind him. Before he could even turn around, Sally kicked him right in his chest with her strongest Blaze Kick, sending him flying towards a nearby boulder at tremendous speed and making a small crater upon impact.

{Jhyaa!} the manaphy growled in pain.

Sally let out another warcry as she landed on the ground, intense flames surging throughout her entire body before launching herself at the spirit pokémon with another Flame Charge. The fairy teleported away at the last second, making Sally obliterate the rest of the boulder with a single tackle, making it disappear into a cloud of dust.

{Holy mother of…} Max commented, astonished by what he was seeing, as well as his entire team.

Before the dust cloud could even subside, Sally walked out of it with a menacing expression, exerting tiny flames with each step. If the gang didn't know any better, they'd think that Sally became a different pokémon altogether.

{You better change master and Scarlet back, or else…} she threatened with a growl in her voice while menacingly moving towards him.

Then, before she could far, she became immobilized in place by psychic energy, clearly the manaphy's doing.

{Okay, you need to chill. Like, seriously.} the manaphy commanded in a serious tone.

"What the hell is this about!?" Scarlet yelled, outraged.

{Calm down, gardevoir. No need to make a fuss about it.} the fairy announced.

{Let… go of me! *grunt*} Sally growled, struggling to break free from his psychic grasp as he floated towards her, placing an arm on her head.

{Ach! Arceus, she's burning hot.} he commented, though not particularly affected by the temperature.

After a few seconds of focus, the manaphy pointed his ribbon at her and enveloped her in another glow, her eyes and personality slowly returning to normal.

{I'm… not… done… yet…} she said before losing her strength and dropping on her back, half-conscious and out of breath.

{Sally!}

Max wanted to rush toward her, but his footless legs prevented him from doing so without tripping. Luckily, Scarlet helped him get to her, tailed by the others as they all knelt down to check on her with Max lifting her head.

{Sally!? Are you okay!?} Max asked Sally, not noticing Scarlet while gently shaking her chest.

{What is it?} Aurora asked Scarlet, seeing her not approaching.

"Agh… The air around her is too hot for Max's skin," she answered while rubbing her stinging hands.

{Sally!? Answer me, please!} Max requested, shaking her chest even harder.

Upon hearing Max's pleas, Sally's consciousness began to return as she slowly opened one eye, still panting from fatigue.

{*pant* Did I… win?} she questioned with a tiny smile while her temperature began to decrease.

{Oh, thank god, Sally!} Max said, relieved that her life didn't seem to be in danger.

{That was incredible!} Bonny praised, kneeling next to her too with Aurora's body. {I always knew you had it in you.}

{Hehe, thanks…} she laughed lightly and foolishly. {I'm… very tired though.}

{Here. Let me help you.} Dusk proposed before helping Sally sit up.

{What was that?} May asked.

{I… I don't know,} Sally admitted.

As they were making sure Sally was okay, the manaphy floated towards them with an unreadable expression on his face. Already assuming the worst, the group braced themselves for another attack.

{This fight is done.} he told them. {You guys actually made me work up a sweat. Not bad.}

"Ha! I knew it!" Scarlet exclaimed.

{So you were holding back?} Max asked.

{Pretty much, yeah. If I was serious from the start, none of you would be standing.}

"...Yeah, Let's say I believe you." Scarlet growled.

{You're free to believe whatever you want.}

{...So? What are you gonna do now?} Max asked while Scarlet was mumbling insults. {I haven't fought yet since I'm technically a pokémon, and I'm still willing to-}

{No.} the manaphy interrupted. {It's done.}

{W-What do you mean "done"?} asked Max as the water fairy said nothing.

"Answer him!" Scarlet demanded.

The group looked up at the manaphy as he closed his eyes, thinking about his next course of action. He hummed to himself for a few moments before opening his eyes, looking down at them with a serious look on his face before speaking.

{You all have been coming at me with everything you got, but it just wasn't enough and you'll only wear yourselves out if we were to continue.} he began. {Why I'm not letting you fight, human, is because I no longer have a reason to keep going. I wanted to keep this up until I've had enough at first, but your pride is already shot, and I guess that's good enough for me in the end.} The manaphy then looked at Max and Scarlet specifically. {You were so sure of both your and your team's power that you never thought there'd be anyone tough enough that could bring you down, especially so easily. That was your second biggest mistake, the first being challenging me in the first place.}

Max and the gang looked down at the ground as the manaphy's words cut into them, even Scarlet. As much as she hated him for putting her in this position to begin with, he had a point.

{That being said… I still have to keep my promise.}

Scarlet and Max exchanged glances, the girls looking up in shock.

{Y-You mean…}

{Yes, I'll return everyone back to their respective bodies.}

Again, Max and Scarlet looked at each other, both smiling in victory.

{Move forward and let's get this over with.} he told them before looking towards Bonny and Aurora. {That goes for you two as well.}

Looking at Sally, Max smiled widely before gently but affectionately caressing her cheek.

{I can't thank you enough, Sally. You did amazing today.} he praised gratefully, making the cinderace smile timidly.

He then stood up and moved closer to the pixie pokémon alongside Scarlet, Bonny, and Aurora. Next, the spirit closed his eyes, split his antenna in two, and pointed it towards Max and Scarlet respectively before releasing a beam of energy towards their chests. They felt very dizzy for a short moment, but not enough to make them fall unconscious this time. As they were recovering from the spell's effects, the manaphy then floated over to Bonny and Aurora and repeated the same, after recovering from the sudden dizziness and opening their eyes, the group noticed that they were still in the other person's body.

{Wha- Hey! Why am I still a lopunny?} Aurora asked, now starting to get angry.

"What the fuck?! Are you playing with us again?! It didn't work!" Scarlet bawled angrily.

{Relax, gardevoir. Tomorrow morning, you'll all change back into your original bodies.}

"...I swear to Arceus, if I ever get my hands on you, you'll-" Scarlet expressed before Max put a hand over her mouth.

{Why are you doing this? We played by your rules and lost. Why can't you just change us right now?} Max asked.

{Because I have a feeling that you still have more to learn from this experience. Now that you know for sure that you'll get your bodies back, I suggest you use this extra time to live in each others' shoes for a little longer. You know, with clear minds this time.}

{And you're sure that we will be back to our old bodies by tomorrow?}

{I am a lot of things, human… A liar isn't one of them. Besides, if you had stayed like this, you'd just come back here and toss Shadow Balls and stuff in my lake, so—}

"You bet your ass we would!" Scarlet shouted before moving Max's hand away.

{...So it would just be pointless to double-cross you now.}

{...Alright. One last question; Why did you feel the need to do this to us? I mean, why did you want to get involved in our relationship so badly?}

{Firstly, you were arguing right next to my lake and you ruined my sleep. Being the mythical pokémon who can become friends with literally anyone is harder than it sounds, so I just wanted to be petty. I was gonna ask you to leave nicely, but then your gardevoir threw a Shadow Ball at me, and… you already knew what happened next.}

{...Wait, are you serious?} Max asked, flabbergasted at his reasoning.

{Yes! And secondly, you two are partners in more ways than one, and you're supposed to act like it the way the great Creator intended. You guys may have been through some bad times in your life, but seriously, get. Over. It. Find an expert, talk through each others' problems, and for Arceus' sake, stop fighting over every insignificant thing you think of! You keep blaming stuff on whatever your pasts did to you, and you claim that you're both better than you once were, but you still have a long way to go before you get to where you're supposed to be, both mentally and spiritually. And since you're a human/gardevoir couple, all this negativity and malice will come back to bite you in more ways than one.}

Max and Scarlet glanced at each other once more before coming to the realization that maybe they do need more work on themselves, Scarlet especially. She'd always believed that if she was strong physically, then she wouldn't need anything else. But that all changed when Max and her friends came into her life. Sure, she's done so much for the group already, but how many times has she acted like a bitch towards them over the course of their journey? How many times have they stuck their necks out for her despite all that, whether it be to cheer her up or make her feel part of the family?

{Now then, I've said what needed to be said, you're smart enough to figure it out, now I'll ask again. Please, leave my lake and never come back.} the spirit urged them, interrupting her train of thought.

After hearing his voice again, Scarlet immediately wanted to take her anger out on him some more but managed to contain herself this time, not wanting to risk making things worse.

{*sigh* Come on, girls.} Max said before he began to walk away.

At the same time, Dusk helped Sally stand and they all walked back towards the campsite, with Luna supervising Aurora and Bonny from behind to help them up if they fall again.

Once they were gone, the water spirit let out a long sigh, dropping down until he dipped into the lake. {Finally, they're gone. If it wasn't so late, I would've actually had some fun with them.}

{I'm not sure about that. They don't seem like the type to take a joke of any kind, although I can't really blame them.} said another voice, which belonged to a dragonair that dove into the lake after having watched the battle from a safe distance.

{I wonder if they actually learned anything from that experience.} he said.

{It's a human/Pokémon couple who appeared to have both gone through some pretty serious stuff.} the dragonair pointed out. {I wouldn't bet on it if you ask me. If anything, I'll be very surprised if they resolve their issues within the next year or two.}

{I guess so, but time does heal all wounds. I really hope those two will get along better in the future… I mean that.} the manaphy conceded. {I don't really like that gardevoir, but there's something about that human that I can't quite put my finger on.}.

{If you say so…} the dragonair replied before the two dipped below the surface.

~POVC~

Further, into the woods, the group reached the campsite and immediately entered the module. Well, all except Scarlet, who stopped in front of the module looking rather conflicted.

{Something wrong?} Max asked, stopping next to her.

"Not really, I… I think I need some time to cool off before going to bed."

{You want to stay outside?}

"Yes, and I really feel like going for a walk."

{I feel you. We did go through a lot in the past 24 hours.}

"That's putting it lightly. Do you… want to join me? I could use some company right now."

{Well, since you asked nicely.}

"I know you must be tired, but I would really appreciate it."

{I've already said yes.} Max stated with a smile.

"R-Right. Sorry, I think the adrenaline's dying down," Scarlet said before starting to walk away.

{You two are not coming in?} Luna asked as she exited the module, seeing Scarlet and Max leave.

"We will in a bit, Luna," Scarlet announced after briefly stopping.

{...Very well then.} Luna acknowledged, looking at them walking away while resting against the doorframe.

{Tell the girls to not worry.} Max demanded to Luna, who simply nodded.

For a little while, Max and Scarlet walked through the woods until she stopped to sit down under a tree, with Max doing the same.

"... *sigh* Finally over."

{That was… definitely something to remember.}

"You can say that again. For a moment, I thought we were gonna stay like this forever."

{Is it really that bad to be me?} Max jested.

"No, but… not being in control, not being strong enough to protect those I love, and…"

{...And?}

"...And to be honest, the moment I realized I wasn't able to read minds, I got a bit paranoid."

{Seriously? From not being able to look into others' minds without their consent?} Max jested.

"...I know how wrong it might sound, but yes," Scarlet admitted. "Psychic-types stay confident by being able to read anyone so they won't lower their guard. Knowing is literally half the battle for us, and it's what gives us a sense of relief when we know who we're dealing with. Taking that away is like being suddenly unable to solve problems logically."

{I see…}

"Honestly, I don't know how you can trust someone without being able to sense their true intentions."

{Like how you're doing right now?}

"What do you mean?"

{You can't read my mind right now, and yet, you still trust me.}

"That's completely different," Scarlet said with rolling eyes. "I've known you for two years now."

{Well, I don't know how to explain it to you then. I guess we humans just go with our guts on this sort of thing. Interestingly enough, some of us are able to feel the need to trust someone just by observing them.}

"...I guess when you don't have some sort of pokémon ability, you compensate for it with something else."

{Until now, did you have to read everyone's mind in the group to see if they could be trusted?}

"...A little, yes." Scarlet admitted, looking away in slight shame.

{...I see. Well, it can't be helped I guess.}

"That's just how we Psychic-types are. I'm sorry."

{It's okay. We all have our means of survival.}

"...Y'know, staying in your body has made me realize how hard it is to be a human," she began with a shaky voice, tears forming in her eyes. "And instead of helping you overcome those flaws, I just forced you into the ground, thinking you were just weak to change. I'm sorry. *sniff* I truly am the worst mate."

{Hey now, no tears Scarlet.} Max replied, wiping her tears off her face. {Having to learn things the hard way from time to time doesn't necessarily mean that you're bad or the worst, love.} Max assured her before grabbing one of her hands. {You're smart, strong, and resilient, but you don't know everything. No one does… Well, except maybe Arceus, but still. Despite all the good in you, you're not exempt from past mistakes nor from any consequences of your actions from time to time. Yet, no matter if you're the worst mate or the best, you deserve to be loved and cared for like any kind soul in this world.}

"*sniff* Kind soul? No. Not when you've taken so many lives like me, innocent or otherwise."

{…You know what, that manaphy was right. What you did in the past doesn't matter, but what does is what you want to do with your future. You've shown me that you have regrets for what you did and want to improve because you truly care for those you love. To me, it's that scarred soul that deserves to be saved, and as long as you don't forget that we're a team who help each other out, I'll be with you every step of the way.}

Scarlet then stared at Max for a short moment before regaining her composure, sighing heavily and smiling.

"Can't even feel bad about myself for even a minute, can't I?" She said while looking up at the sky.

{Not when you're beating yourself up about it.} Max said with a smirk. {I won't let anyone badmouth you, not even yourself.}

"Hahaha! Are you really going to use my own advice against me, master?" Scarlet replied, looking at Max with a mischievous smile.

{Yes, and I'm proud of it.}

"Hehe." Scarlet laughed lightly while rubbing her eyes.

Then, while remaining silent, Scarlet stared at Max with loving eyes.

{...What?}

"You know…" the human started while taking Max's hand with both of hers. "If what that little prick said is true and that we really will be back to our old bodies tomorrow, I was thinking…" she continued, starting to gently rub Max's hand. "Maybe we could experience what it's like to… do it as the opposite gender."

{What do you…? Wait! Are you suggesting we- No! No, no, no, no, no!} Max denied, immediately knowing what she meant.

"Come on, master. We'll never get another opportunity like this ever."

{So what? We are not doing it.} Max fervently affirmed.

"Why not? It could be a great learning experience for both of us. I've always wondered how it feels to stick a dick inside a pussy. Judging by your experience, it must be divine."

{Well, the tighter the girl is, the- Wait, what am I saying! The answer's still no.}

"Please~?" Scarlet insisted, moving closer to Max. "Come on, what are you so afraid of?"

{I'm not really scared, it's just… I'm not gay. That's it.}

"…Seriously?!" Scarlet grunted with rolling eyes. "It's not really gay if you're doing it with yourself. And even if it was the case, what's wrong with that? I wouldn't give a damn if you were bisexual. Why are humans so scared of that, anyway?"

{It's a human thing, you wouldn't understand.}

"Works for me. But "gayness" aside, not only is it with yourself, but it's with your girlfriend, the one you love. What's the worst that can happen?"

{...}

"And besides, haven't you ever wanted to know what a girl feels when having sex? It's very different, I should know."

{...Well, it did cross my mind a few times, but…}

"And what about the crest? You've seen how my eyes roll behind my skull when you play with it, right? Do you want to find out how much pleasure it can bring you~?" Scarlet asked, extending a hand towards Max's crest without touching it.

{Well… It does sound very pleasant.}

"It is, especially when the person touching it is the one you love. Nothing even comes close. In fact, how about we make a deal?"

{A deal?}

"Yes. If you agree to do it, I'll do a little something to that crest, and trust me, you're gonna wish you were a gallade once I'm done. It'll feel that good."

{I don't know…} Max said, looking away in embarrassment. {It'll feel pretty weird for me, being fucked by a guy, or rather myself in this case. There's not a lot of attraction there.}

"Same here, that's why we'll have to heavily rely on our imaginations and soft touches."

{...}

"I won't make you suck your own dick or things like that. Just some light teasing before getting to the fun part."

Max heavily considered Scarlet's proposition for a good few minutes. He didn't like the idea that much, but he couldn't deny that he was curious about how it would feel to have sex from a female standpoint.

"So, what do you say?"

{*sigh* How do you always end up dragging me into whatever shenanigans you come up with?}

"For the hundredth time; because you inspire me," she replied as Max closed his eyes, thinking heavily about her proposition.

{...Tsk, dammit. I can't believe I'm actually doing this.}

"You will?! Yay!" Scarlet exclaimed joyfully.

{But I want-} Max tried to reply before being cut off by Scarlet, who pushed him down to the ground and laid on top of him.

"I love you, master. I love you so much!"

{You're just saying that because you have the chance to literally fuck me.} Max replied, looking away.

"Not at all. Yes, it's partly because you accepted, but that's not all. I love you because you're willing to do anything for me, and as someone who would do the same, I have nothing but love and respect for that."

{Alright, I get it. Can we just get this over already?}

"But of course," Scarlet agreed before going in for a passionate kiss.

Too disturbed from being kissed by himself, Max barely returned it. Not complaining, Scarlet even shortened her kiss so as to not go overboard.

"Let's get started, then."

Leaving his mouth, Scarlet moved lower and began kissing Max's neck. Closing his eyes and imagining being kissed by the gardevoir Scarlet, Max managed to feel some pleasure from this. Shortly after, he felt Scarlet gently rubbing his thighs, bringing even more pleasure.

{S-So far, nothing too different from what I'm used to. Your skin is a little less sensitive, though.}

"...Having rougher skin comes with its drawbacks, but I never realized how soft it really was. Like an iron fist wrapped in a velvet glove. Yet, despite that, I think this will be very instructive for me, now that I know why you like doing this stuff to me."

{Me too, I guess…}

While continuing her kisses, Scarlet also fondled Max's thighs while getting dangerously close to his womanhood without actually touching it. Then, after Scarlet felt he was aroused enough, she left his neck and looked him in the eyes.

"Ready to feel the ultimate teasing pleasure?"

{I'm… I don't know. I'm kind of scared, to be honest.}

"You won't regret it, I promise."

Then, slowly but surely, Scarlet moved her head close enough to Max's crest and gave it a slow yet eager lick on the edge.

{AHH~! FUCK!} Max exclaimed loudly, grasping the grass beneath him strongly while his legs clamped together in intense pleasure. {OH, holy shit!}

"Amazing, isn't it? And that was just a taste of what's to come, I barely even touched it~."

{*pant* N-No way.}

"Brace yourself then."

Nearing his crest again, Scarlet then went for multiple licks, making Max's body go all stiff from the overwhelming pleasure.

{Shit! Ahh, fuck! It's… unbearable…} Max expressed, holding his breath from the almost painful pleasure.

For a little while, Scarlet kept assaulting Max's crest from multiple angles before finally leaving it alone, giving him a quick break to catch his breath.

{Goddamnit! This type of pleasure… *pant* shouldn't even exist.} Max commented while panting already.

"Hihi… Told you," Scarlet giggled with a proud smile. "Well, I guess that's enough teasing for now. This is where the real fun starts."

Sitting up, Scarlet stripped herself of Max's pants and underwear before throwing them to the side.

"Oh my… Just hearing you moan non-stop was enough to make me hard," Scarlet said, looking at her rock-hard shaft. "That's just how desirable you are, no matter your appearance."

Scarlet then grabbed her shaft and began stroking it.

"Ahh, yes! Now I know why you like it so much when I stroke it."

Looking at her, Max witnessed Scarlet jerking off his own dick for a short moment.

{O-Okay, that's enough, now.} Max interrupted when he noticed Scarlet's face changing and lightly moaning.

"Sorry, I got a little carried away," Scarlet apologized while briefly playing with it. "Now I understand the need to play with it all the time," she added before pulling it down and releasing it, making it slap her belly as it sprung up.

{Don't break it, please.}

"Don't worry about it… I think I'll break you, instead," the gardevoir said with a mischievous smile.

{Huh? What are you—}

"Here we go~," Scarlet announced before getting on all fours and aligning herself with Max's pussy.

{Wait! Please! Let's take things slow.} Max asked, grabbing her shoulders.

"It won't hurt, I promise you. You pretty much molded it to take your dick on a daily basis."

{Oh god, why am I doing this?} Max mumbled while feeling Scarlet's tip on his slit.

After a few gentle rubs like how Max usually did, Scarlet pushed inside what used to be her vagina.

{Aah!} Max moaned while grasping Scarlet's shoulders tighter.

"Holy shit! I thought I knew what pleasure is, but this is something else."

{I feel… so full.} Max commented.

"Wait until I start moving."

Immediately after she said that, Scarlet moved back before thrusting herself forward, the sensation feeling like she was struck by lightning. The sheer amount of pleasure with a single move in such a small area was enough to send Scarlet into sexual overdrive. She instantly repeated the process and began accelerating her power and pace.

"Holy fuck!" Scarlet said with a clenched jaw. "How can you feel so much pleasure by doing so little?!" She asked over Max's moans. "And how the fuck do you not you want to fuck me every five minutes?! God, this feels so good!" She continued before going even faster.

{Slow down… You're… gonna… break me!} Max pleaded, overwhelmed by the new amount of pleasure he was experiencing.

To Scarlet, it was like all the pleasure she could feel with her vagina was condensed into one point, reaching a new level of intensity. For Max, it was the opposite. It felt like his gland was ten times larger than it really was and every millimeter of it was being stimulated.

"I'm sorry master, but… *grunt* I can't stop. It feels… *grunt* way too good."

Unable to control herself, Scarlet accelerated her pace once again, increasing the pleasure she felt even more. Not used to controlling a male's body, Scarlet couldn't contain her orgasm efficiently and reached it fairly quickly.

"I'm… Coming! I… FUUUUCK!" Scarlet almost yelled as she was cumming, still pounding Max's ass.

After almost twenty seconds, Scarlet's orgasm subsisted, making her drop back on all fours, slightly out of breath.

"Shit, that was intense!"

Panting as well, Max only looked at Scarlet, too light-headed to answer at the moment.

"Sorry if it didn't… *pant* last long. I just couldn't… control myself."

{It's- hah… okay. I wasn't… nearing mine, so… it's cool.}

"Yeah… *pant* Female orgasms are a bit… trickier to achieve."

{That… I felt. But I wish it could have… lasted longer.}

"Yeah, sorry again. Now I understand why males want to reach… their climax so badly. It's like that's all they think about."

{More or less, yeah. Our lust can be… a bit painful when it's raging too much. Me, on the other hand… I feel like I'll never have enough.}

"Max, I present to you the female sexuality." Scarlet jested.

{Pleasure to meet it, literally.} Max replied, making Scarlet laugh lightly.

"I never judged you for doing this, but… after experiencing it, I'll never judge you for wanting to try other vaginas. Right now, I want to go back inside the module, and try all the girls one by one, just to see how they feel."

{Trust me, you're hard to beat.} Max affirmed.

"I don't know… I'm very tempted to try out Dusk or Sally right now."

{Please don't.}

"Hehe… Don't worry, I'm all yours for tonight. I kinda wish that I could make you cum too."

{It's okay. If we wait a moment, we can do it again.}

"Great. I like your efficiency."

{It's all thanks to you, love. Most human males can't even go twice in a row, but thanks to your 'training', I can normally reach twice as many orgasms, maybe triple when I'm feeling extra, extra horny. Even more so if you're enhancing me.}

"Praise the all-mighty psychic-type, am I right?"

{Nah. Praise Scarlet for allowing me to experience a lot of stuff, whether it be sexual or non-sexual.}

"Rha. Don't ruin the fun by going all sappy on me now." Scarlet said, rolling her eyes in slight embarrassment.

{Hehe, just buying myself some time to recover.}

"...You know what? Forget the sex, I'm making you cum right here, right now."

{What are you- GHA!}

While placing a finger on Max's clit, Scarlet leaned forward and began furiously licking Max's crest. As he moaned in bliss, Scarlet began twirling her fingers in a way that Max never did, stimulating him even more. His movements were similar, but not as precise nor as pleasant as Scarlet's, which meant that even after two years, he still didn't have the perfect technique for Scarlet's body. Why didn't she ever tell him? Was she afraid of making him sad or upset if she did? Was this all some sort of test where he would eventually learn it himself? Or did she find no need to tell him because she enjoyed what she had? Whatever the reason may be, Max was lost in the intense pleasure Scarlet was providing him, so much so that he couldn't even think straight anymore. Now being trapped in a state of euphoria, Max's body shook and squirmed as it neared its climax with each passing minute. Then, after nearly five minutes of pleasurable stimuli, he reached it and his body went stiff while moaning from his very first female orgasm. It was similar to his usual one, but it ran across his entire body instead of just his dick, hips, and sometimes legs.

"There you go. How was it?" Scarlet asked as she stopped her treatment.

{*Pant* Amazing, but… You made your body cum way quicker than when I do it.} Max replied, feeling a bit ashamed.

"*Sigh* I knew you would react this way. I'm sorry. As much as I want to talk about this, I'm too tired at the moment. Would you mind if we had this discussion another day? I promise I have a good reason for not telling you about any of that."

{...Alright.} Max acknowledged, turning his head away.

"Hey," Scarlet said, forcing him to look at her. "You satisfy me all the time. Keep that in mind until we talk about it, okay?"

{...Okay. I'll be holding you to it, though.}

"Glad that you understand. Oof," Scarlet said before laying next to Max, dropping an arm over him. "What an experience it was."

{Indeed, that's something I am never going to forget. You don't get the chance to be a girl in your life, let alone be a pokémon.}

"Same here. Again, I'm really sorry for not understanding sooner how it is to be a human. You're weaker than a pokémon, yet, you still want to have a place in this world. You feel powerless in many situations and… I'm sorry. I'll try to be more understanding about your position from now on."

{Thanks, Scarlet. I wish I could say the same, but… switching from being a weak human to a mighty gardevoir… I'm sorry, but I don't care if I couldn't use any of your powers, I got the winning ticket here.}

"Pfhahaha!" Scarlet laughed heartily. "*Sigh* I love you so much, master. Please, keep being yourself."

{I'll try. The same goes for you too, love. Don't change who you are, just work on yourself and improve, like I'll try to do.}

"Then that means we both got a lot of work ahead of us."

{In-fucking-deed.} Max replied before both laughed again.

Not feeling like moving just yet, the couple stayed in their position until drowsiness got the best of them, causing them both to fall asleep in each other's arms with the moonlit sky shining down on them.