The warm, ambient glow of the hotel room lamps cast a cozy light over the group. Dinner had been a somewhat quiet affair—mostly because Floette was sulking over her bowl of standard-grade Pokéblocks—but now, Julian was reaping the rewards of his "disciplinary" measures.
He was currently reclined against a pile of pillows, holding Growlithe in his arms like a giant, warm teddy bear. His fingers were buried deep in the thick ruff of fur around the puppy's neck, scratching the "sweet spot" just under the chin. Julian's face wore an expression of pure, unadulterated bliss.
"Woof~ woof-woof! (Seriously, Julian... do you have any idea how terrifying you were earlier? You had that 'Final Boss' vibe going on!)" Growlithe grumbled, though he didn't make even the slightest move to escape. He was far too comfortable, his tail thumping rhythmically against Julian's knee.
"Floette-flo~ (He's not kidding. I actually thought my life was flashing before my eyes,)" Floette chimed in from the coffee table, where she was slowly nibbling on a dry berry. She rubbed her round belly with a sigh. "You scared the sparkles right out of me."
"Hmph~ who told you all to go whispering behind my back?" Julian teased, his eyes narrowing playfully. "If I don't remind you who the boss is once in a while, you'll all start thinking you can run the show. Besides..."
Julian's hands moved from the chin to Growlithe's cheeks, gently tugging them outward until the Pokémon looked like a very confused, orange pufferfish.
(✪ω✪)
"Oh my~ Brother Growlithe, your face is so fleshy and soft! With all this fluff, it's like kneading bread dough. I could do this all night~"
"Woof! Woof-woof! (Julian, let go! If you keep pulling my face like this, I'm going to lose my dignity! I might even bite!)"
Growlithe's front paws scrambled against Julian's thigh in a half-hearted protest. An imaginary tic-tac-toe symbol of frustration practically manifested over his head as his face was squished and pulled like play-doh.
"Ah?! My bad, my bad!" Julian immediately withdrew his hands, though he looked genuinely regretful about stopping. He scratched the back of his head apologetically. "I forgot you have a reputation to uphold."
"Woof~ (It's alright. Just keep it to the chin-scratches,)" Growlithe barked softly, his tail wagging again in a sign of instant forgiveness.
"Fly-ah! Fly-ah! (Julian! I don't mind! Pet me! Pull my cheeks!)" Sylveon trotted over, her ribbons instantly winding around Julian's wrist in an attempt to hijack the attention.
Julian glanced at her for a second, then went right back to rubbing Growlithe's belly. "No. You're still in your designated punishment period. Take your penalty like a professional, Sylveon. We'll see if you're still giggling at me after three days of no-snuggle zone."
"Fly-ah?! (Then why does Growlithe get to be 'rua-ed' by you? That's not fair!)" Sylveon protested, her ribbons twitching with indignation.
"Because what Growlithe is doing right now is his punishment," Julian explained with a straight face, though his hand was currently lost in the soft, warm fur of Growlithe's back. "He has to endure being my personal pillow and stress-relief toy for a week. It's a heavy burden, isn't it, buddy?"
[Hmm... it really is the best sensation in the world,] Julian thought, his eyes half-closing. [I could do this for a lifetime and never get bored. Soft, warm, and smells like toasted pecans. Perfection.]
"Fly-ah! Fly-ah-fly! (You... you're a hypocrite! Why are our punishments so different? QAQ!)" Sylveon cried out pitifully, her ribbons drooping to the floor.
Among the four of them, Sylveon was definitely taking it the hardest. Floette was a simple creature—as long as she got fed something, she was okay, even if the lack of Julian's gourmet cooking was a blow to her pride. Togetic was a saint; missing one pudding was a minor inconvenience. But for Sylveon, being denied Julian's bed was like being denied oxygen.
"Hmph~ who told you to laugh the loudest?" Julian snorted, his hands continuing their rhythmic work on Growlithe's fur. "And let's be honest, Sylveon—which day haven't you slept with me? Even when we were camping in the woods and I told you to stay on your own mat, you always ended up inside my sleeping bag by 2:00 AM. It's only three days. Be brave."
[Besides, I never said I was locking the door,] Julian added mentally with a hidden smirk. [I know you. You'll wait until I'm snoring and then sneak under the duvet anyway. I'm just making you work for it this time.]
"Fly-ah! Sylveon-fly! (How can you say I laughed the loudest? I was clearly holding it in! I was the most composed one there!)" Sylveon stomped her foot, trying to rewrite history.
Julian stopped petting Growlithe for a moment. He cast a sidelong glance at Sylveon, then looked at his own right hand, chuckling softly as if he'd just remembered a very funny secret.
"You know, Master Lucario told me something interesting once. He said that 'Aura comes from the heart.' I didn't really get it at first, especially with how busy I've been lately with the egg and the battle with Reggie. But while I was cooking yesterday, it hit me."
Julian leaned forward slightly, his gaze intensifying. "My Aura has advanced. I can sense things in a small range now—about ten meters—quite clearly. But with you guys? My first partners? My sensing range is much, much farther."
Sylveon froze.
"So," Julian continued, narrowing his eyes. "When I was in the room checking on Carbink, and the door was closed... I could still feel a certain pink Pokémon rolling around on the carpet, laughing so hard she was hitting the floor with her ribbons. Don't think I don't know just because you had Floette use a gust of wind to clean the dust off your fur and the marks off the rug!"
"Fly-ah... (Ah! This... that... I can explain!)" Sylveon was speechless. Her "perfect crime" had been witnessed through the walls.
"Jia gei gu! (No wonder!)" Togetic chimed in from his perch on the lamp. "I was wondering why the room still felt like it was full of Julian's presence even after he walked out. I thought he just had a very 'sticky' Aura that he couldn't control yet!"
"Fly-ah! (Seriously, Togetic?! If you sensed him watching us, why didn't you say something sooner?!)" Sylveon turned on the flying type, her ribbons flaring.
"Jia gei-gu~ (I wasn't 100% sure! And I was going to say something, but Brother Growlithe interrupted me by trying to do a backflip!)"
"Woof? (Uh... was that my fault?)" Growlithe tilted his head, looking up at Julian with big, innocent eyes.
"Sylveon~ don't try to change the subject by blaming the puppy," Julian interrupted, his voice returning to that mock-stern tone. "Since I caught you all red-handed, you're going to accept your punishments with dignity, right?"
"Floette-flo! (I accept! I accept! Please don't take away next week's pancakes!)" Floette nodded frantically.
"Jia gei! (I accept too! One day of Pokéblocks is fine!)"
"Woof~ (Same here. And honestly, being petted isn't even a punishment, so I'm winning,)" Growlithe barked, patting Julian's leg with a paw. [I'm just glad Julian's 'Aura' thing didn't make him realize I was the one who suggested the 'Mommy' nickname in the first place, or I'd be eating plain grass for a month!]
"Fly-ah... (Rea-really? Do we have to go through with this? Look at my eyes, Julian! See the tears?)" Sylveon tried one last-ditch effort, making her eyes as big and watery as possible.
"Being cute won't work this time," Julian said, though his heart twinged slightly at the sight. "You're adorable, yes, but a Trainer has to be firm. Punishment stands."
"Fly-ah! (Fine! Hmph!)"
Realizing she couldn't break him with soft or hard tactics, Sylveon stomped her foot, turned her back to Julian, and curled up into a grumpy pink ball on the floor.
[No big deal,] she thought, her ears twitching. [I'll just wait until his breathing gets heavy and his eyes are shut. Then, I'm reclaiming my spot on the pillow. He won't even know.]
Julian didn't mind her silent protest. He knew exactly what she was thinking, but he decided to let her have her little victory later tonight. For now, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a Luxury Ball—the one containing their newest family member.
He held the ball gently in the palm of his hand, the black-and-gold surface reflecting the room's light.