No matter how hard Auron Vale racked his brains on the couch, it never would have occurred to him that a little Eevee could hold such a grudge.
Or maybe it did occur to him—but he figured there was no way the little thing had the skill to doodle all over his face.
I mean, who would ever guess his beloved dad would be an accomplice?
…
The next morning.
Auron and Jace Rowan walked the usual route to school. Auron shot a helpless look at Jace, who had been opening his mouth and closing it again the whole way, then sighed.
"If you've got a question, ask it. Watching you hold it in is killing me."
Jace brightened. "Why does your face look, uh… all smudgy and dark? It seems like—"
"Drop the 'seems like.' I didn't sleep well."
Auron cut him off, impatience creeping into his voice. When he got home last night, even his mom had a laugh at his expense. At least that let him rule her out—this hadn't been her doing.
He'd spent the whole night trying to figure out who it was and came up empty. Whoever it was had used some kind of ink that didn't wash out easily. He'd scrubbed so hard his skin was nearly raw, and there were still faint marks. He tried again that morning—same result, just a little lighter.
Jace came to a stop, faced Auron, and pointed at his own cheek very seriously.
"Look at me. Do I look dumb?"
Auron gave him a pitying look and, privately, thought, You do look kinda dumb.
Not that he could say that out loud.
"Nah. Not dumb. Not dumb at all."
The instant Jace heard that, his confidence shot back. He jabbed a finger behind Auron's ear and barked, full of righteous momentum, "Not dumb? Then why'd you try to fool me with the 'didn't sleep well' line? Since when does not sleeping put a tiny turtle behind your ear?"
Auron jolted. He reached up to feel behind his ear—but felt nothing.
"There's really a tiny turtle?"
"Mm-hm. Really."
Jace nodded solemnly.
"Ah…"
Auron slumped at once, all the life draining out of him. "Who even draws behind the ear? That's too much…"
Jace eyed him curiously and patted his back. "Huh? What's wrong? Did someone prank you?"
"Pfft—HAHAHAHA!"
Something seemed to click for Jace, and he burst out laughing. "No wonder your face looks like a paint palette. You tried to wash it, didn't you? Hah! Didn't even get it all. Missed behind the ears, too."
Auron slowly straightened, expression going from blank to calm. He reached into his pocket, took out a Poké Ball, weighed it in his palm, and said coolly:
"Let's battle."
Jace glanced at the Poké Ball and snorted. "Tch. Who are you trying to scare with an empty Poké Ball?"
Auron didn't bat an eye. He slipped the Poké Ball back into his pocket and walked on, tossing one sentence over his shoulder:
"Your Pokéblock supply is cut off."
Jace froze, then scrambled after him. "Bro, I was wrong. I shouldn't have—"
"No, you're my bro. You're not wrong. You should."
The morning sun spilled over the chase and retreat of two figures, gilding them with the glow of youth.
…
A week went by in a blink. On the last day before the break, the teachers weren't pressing the class as hard as before.
They all spoke earnestly instead, reminding everyone that when the college entrance exams came, there was no need to be nervous; just perform like usual and your names would make the honor roll.
After the homeroom teacher's final "Goodbye," the sadness of parting thinned the joy of the coming vacation. The teacher, used to scenes like this, took a sip of tea and said,
"No need to get so sentimental. After the exams, you'll be back to fill out your applications and take graduation photos and such. Plenty of time to get sentimental then. Alright, vacation starts now."
Watching Class One stare in a daze, he hummed a cheerful tune and walked out. He'd shepherded so many graduating classes by now that he didn't care to whip up melancholy anymore. In fact, pulling a harmless prank or two on them after graduation brought him a lot more joy.
Soon enough, everyone in class came back to themselves, half-crying and half-laughing as they packed up to head home.
While gathering his things, Jace asked Auron,
"Wanna grab dinner tonight? Let's do a get-together—call Tim Wynn and… Youyu You and the rest?"
"Sure. You're handling it anyway. I've got no objections."
"OK, I'll ping them."
Jace finished packing but didn't rush off. He whipped out his phone and messaged the group chat titled "Time to Eat."
Jace Rowan: "Hotpot tonight, yeah? My treat."
Tim Wynn: "ok"
Serena Elm: "ok"
Youyu You: "ok"
Yin Hanling: "ok"
Jace Rowan: "Why isn't Auron saying anything? @Auron Vale"
Auron Vale: "I'm right next to you…"
Everyone: "…"
Auron pocketed his phone and turned to Jace with a frosty look. "Kid? You spaced out or what?"
Jace gave a sheepish grin. "I just wanted to keep the formation, you know?"
Auron didn't dignify that with a reply. Just then, Serena Elm finished packing. She shouldered her bag and came over.
Serena sat in the first row; Auron and Jace were in the fourth.
"Hotpot? I'm in. Charizard Chain Hotpot—so good."
Jace tipped his head back, deadpan. "I know. That's literally where we're going tonight."
Serena rolled her eyes, playful and bright.
"You didn't tell me. How was I supposed to know? You think I'm like Auron, where one look and I read minds?"
Serena couldn't help feeling a bit helpless. Thankfully Jace was a guy—otherwise, her chances really would be slim.
"Let's go."
At Auron's word, the three of them headed for the school's back gate. On a day as big as vacation, the main entrance would be jammed. That was when Tim Wynn's perks came in handy.
Sure enough, when they reached the back gate, Tim and the car were already waiting.
"You three are a bit slow."
Tim laughed as he opened the rear door.
"This guy's too slow."
"???"
Auron yanked Jace forward to take the blame. Jace offered no resistance—after all, he'd already signed a stack of unfair treaties.
Tim's family driver pulled out and made the rounds to everyone's houses to pick up their Pokémon first. Only after every partner was on board did they head to the hotpot place.
When the four arrived at Charizard Hotpot, they booked a large private room and waited for Youyu You and Yin Hanling to join them.
They released their Pokémon. The two Charmander hit it off instantly, tumbling around and playing at the side.
Golbat, however, watched the opposing Charmander with anxious eyes, worried his own little partner might get pushed around. Luckily, the two merely romped and scuffled for fun. After a while, Golbat relaxed and settled into watching them.
Munchlax stood quietly at Auron's side, eyes half-closed as it observed.
In the artificial pool at the back of the room, Milotic and Cloyster luxuriated in the water.
The blue-and-white Darumaka was full of energy, but in the unfamiliar setting she was still a bit shy. She clung to Serena's leg and peeked around at everything.
Arcanine and Torkoal found a corner, flopped down, and—just like when they were little—rested against each other.
Tim released his Dragonair, Swablu, and Skrelp.
Dragonair guided Skrelp to the pool, but the moment Skrelp spotted Milotic, it turned incredibly bashful and hid in the water, refusing to poke its head out no matter what.
Swablu circled above the table, then unfurled its lovely voice. The graceful song drifted through the big room.
(End of this chapter)