Tapping her arm on her pokeball, Tanya immediately pops out again as they pass through the narrow door to their room.

  Inside is… surprisingly nice, plush carpeted floor and a large bed with decorations in a nice fusion of traditional and modern. Across the room, the far wall is entirely made of windows with a glass double door in the center leading out to a steaming hot spring.

  It’s all this luxury that makes the oddly cheap touches stand out, someone using a crayon for the final details on a fine painting.

  It looks like the room was built to one standard, and as things broke they were repaired to another.

  Taking it all in, Tanya glances up at the ceiling to confirm that she has room and is relieved to see that she’s fine on that front still. The pokecenter, like most commercial buildings, had quite high ceilings, but she’d been concerned about more residential spaces.

  Thankfully it appears her worries were unfounded.

  Both her and Amelia drop their bags onto the floor in sync, followed by Amelia walking over to the bed and flinging herself onto it, spinning in the air to be looking at the ceiling by the time she lands, then lets out a long moan.

  “Ooooh yea. Real bedddddd.” She groans, wiggling on the mattress and stretching out. “Fiinnnalllyyyy.”

  Tanya huffs in amusement at her partner’s antics, eyes flaring purple as both her and her partners bags open and various items float out.

  They need to clean the water purifier, among other things, and the sooner it gets done the sooner Tanya can relax herself.

  When she was at the nursery she’d quickly learned that she seriously doesn't need a mattress –or really any kind of padding– to be comfortable aside from warmth. So the nice bed doesn't sway her, but she’s been dealing with some very cold ponds, lakes, and rivers, so the thought of relaxing in a hot spring piques her interest.

  But as she’s looking through their bags and Amelia grabs Taillow’s stand from the air, the sight of the wrapped wax paper package is suddenly surprising.

  “...Ah.” She sighs, prompting Amelia to look up from setting up the perch.

  “What?”

  “We forgot to deliver the blanket.” The ‘mon answers, picking up the package for emphasis “We’ll have to go back before the end of today to meet the terms of our agreement.”

  At the sight of the package, Amelia covers her face with a pillow and groans,

  “Ughhhh… that can wait right?” She asks from beneath the pillow, arm fumbling with her bandoleer to grab Taillow’s pokeball. “I need to take a shower and actually redo my braids before going in tomorrow, and call mom, and call the gym to schedule an appointment, and I wanna use the hot spring!”

  Tanya blinks bemusedly at her partner's excuses.

  Amelia must seriously dislike the local head nurse to want to renege on a deal like this, no matter how tempting the hot spring is.

  “Unfortunately we did agree to deliver the package, and a deal is a deal, so we’re obligated to do so.” The ‘mon corrects, opening the door behind her again with telekinesis and gesturing toward it.

  Amelia doesn't move, looking between her partner and the door before sighing.

  “Chanseyy… Neither of us are going anywhere right, and we just said we’d deliver it while we were at Lavaridge right? I think? So we’re not going back on our word unless we leave Lavaridge, right? Please?”

  Tanya blinks, then squints into the middle distance as she tries to remember the exact wording of the request.

  The spirit of the deal was to deliver it as soon as possible, but… if she remembers correctly… maybe?

  She glances at the gently steaming water of the hot spring through the glass, then up at the darkening sky.

  …It couldn't hurt.

  “First thing when we start the next shift then.” She sighs, placing the package on the floor next to the door as Amelia hops up with a grin and starts unlacing her boots, releasing Taillow as she does.

  “Thanks Chansey!” She chirps. “I’m gonna hop in the shower then, I’ll be in there for a minute.”

  The trainer catches one of her few remaining clean pairs of clothes in one hand as it’s telekinetically tossed at her.

  As she kicks off her boots and marches off to the bathroom, loudly marveling at how nice it is, Tanya tunes her out to continue unpacking, pulling textbooks, research papers, ground pads, and other camping supplies that need to be sorted and cleaned.

  But she’s distracted from her work by Taillow making an inquisitive trill, staring intently through the window at the hot springs when she looks up.

  “How is that… Is someone making a really big version of that… human thing?” He fluffs his feathers in thought. “Uhh… the food. The last people we battled had it.”

  Tanya slowly looks between Taillow and the hot spring.

  “...Soup?” She asks slowly, almost surprised when Taillow nods.

  “Yea. That.” He agrees as he hops off the bed and flutters closer to the window. “I saw where we were from the air, it's pretty big. If they’re making food it would have to be for all the people living here.”

  Tanya huffs in amusement at the train of logic and shakes her head.

  “No. It’s not soup. It’s a natural phenomenon known as a hot spring. The volcano heats water which collects in large pools, people then like to swim in these pools for a variety of recreational and homeopathic reasons.”

  Looking back at her, Taillow slowly nods, a movement that becomes more firm as it goes on.

  “Oh… right. I think I heard about this somewhere actually… huh.” He says consideringly, looking back at the water. “So that’s what Swellow was talking about…” He mutters.

  Leaving him to it, Tanya completes as much of her unpacking as she can without access to the bathroom, then walks over to the beige telephone next to the bed. Eyes flaring purple, the entire assembly floats up to be arms length away before she detaches the handset and places it next to her head and punches in a number.

  It rings for a few seconds before a slightly confused human voice comes from the other end of the line.

  “Hello?” She asks.

  “Good afternoon.” Tanya responds, out of reflexive politeness if nothing else.

  “Oh uhh. Hold on, I’ll get her. Chansey!” She shouts, understanding her role in this interaction. “Phone!”

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  There’s a few more seconds of muffled clattering, followed by some rustling, before a familiar voice comes through the speakers.

  “Hello?”

  Tanya smiles.

  “Good afternoon Caretaker. Is this a good time?”

  Caretaker audibly gasps.

  “Chansey! Of course it’s a good time!” She rushes to answer. “How have you been!? Did you make it to Lavaridge alright? Make any new friends?”

  Allowing a small pause so she can consider and put together an answer to the first barrage of questions, Tanya looks around the room.

  “I’ve been doing well, I’m calling from a hotel in Lavaridge, and the trip was… largely uneventful.”

  From the other end of the line, there’s the sound of wood being dragged across tile.

  “Tell me everything.”

  Blinking, Tanya takes a slightly longer stretch of time to figure out how to condense everything that happened since they last spoke into something worthy of listening to, then slowly gets started.

  As expected, Caretaker proves to be an engaged audience, a useful quality when trying to determine what someone wants to hear, her questions grabbing Tanya’s dry recounting of events and pulling suspense and thrills out of almost nothing.

  It’s when Tanya’s winding down her story that she sees the stack of research papers on the nearby desk and she chooses to mention it..

  “...Ah yes. I’ve also been working with Amelia on some amateur detective work to test our understanding of type energy. We’re trying to work our way through the research from the lab Team Magma robbed to determine what they stole. Working through the math and terminology has been an interesting application of aura studies.”

  Caretaker giggles at the statement.

  “Oh Chansey. That’s so… you.” She laughs again. “I’ll tell you, that’s not what I’d be doing for fun. But I’m happy you are! Figure anything out?”

  “We think so.” Tanya nods. “The biggest project that everyone in the lab was excited about seems to be some kind of type energy amplifier. Big enough to be used as a kind of sonar for more detailed scanning of Mt. Chimney.”

  There’s a few seconds of silence from the other end of the line.

  “...Now I know it’s been a few years, and I was just Claire’s study buddy when she took those classes, but that doesn't seem… possible.” She says slowly. “Are you sure you’re reading that right dear?”

  “Reasonably.” Tanya nods again. “I did the math myself, and with the most sensitive type energy sensors available, assuming ninety percent efficiency with the emitter, there would need to be a catalyst with a Type Energy Value around one hundred fifty mits. Which is… barely feasible.”

  “Huh. I wonder why–” Caretaker muses, then cuts herself off with a laugh. “Oh look at that, I’m back here again! Did you know your sisters are doing their own little project into Team Magma as well?”

  “Oh?”

  “Mhmm.” Caretaker hums. “They’re trying to figure out their finances using nothing but publically available records, but it turns out criminals are pretty good at hiding their money.”

  “Indeed.” Tanya agrees with a smile, ignoring the twinge of sadness as Amelia stands up from the bed where she’d been braiding her hair and gives a look the ‘mon recognizes as meaning she wants her turn with the phone to call her mother. “I've got to go. I don't have access to a computer so I’m unable to contact my sisters. Could y–”

  “I’ll tell them you said hi dear, don't worry.” Caretaker interrupts. “Love you!”

  Tanya opens her mouth.

  …

  Then closes it.

  “I’ll call you again soon.” She says instead, then gently places the handset on the receiver and sets it down.

  She turns to Amelia.

  “I’m going to get into the hot spring.”

  —--

  It’s another half an hour by the time Amelia opens the glass double doors to the hot spring area just beyond, more than enough time for Tanya to determine that the water feature is a fake.

  Sure it looks realistic enough, carefully manicured greenery and real granite stones with the wooden steps in appearing to be carefully designed around an already existent little pool of water, but a careful look under the water shows clear signs of artificial construction, and more investigation shows where the water is being pumped to be filtered and heated.

  Tanya exhales, allowing her shockingly neutrally buoyant body to dip deeper into the pool until it’s upt to her eyes.

  Fake or no, at least it’s not chlorinated.

  Their room wasn't the only one that opens to this small water feature, it’s adjacent to five others in a wooden fenced area, another clear indication that this thing is fake.

  If it were real it wouldn't be isolated to a mere five rooms.

  Taillow watches from his perch next to the window as Amelia slowly steps into the water, yelping with the heat as she takes the plunge

  “Jeez, that's hot!” She hisses. “Oh that’s really hot!”

  Tanya gives a look from across the water that earns a glare for the implication, and Amelia seems to quickly adjust to the heat of the water, sinking deeper for a few moments until appearing to realize something, pulling herself up slightly, and waving at Taillow.

  “Hey! C’mon in!”

  “Nope!” The ‘mon shakes his head. “Make yourselves soup! I’m sticking to normal water!”

  Amelia tries to cajole further, but Taillow doesn't budge, eventually turning his back to them on his perch and pretending his trainer doesn't exist.

  That does the trick, and eventually she falls silent, leaving them to relax in the quiet peace of their surroundings.

  This goes on for several minutes, long enough for Tanya to close her eyes again and slowly submerge herself in the water.

  From the neutral buoyancy to the way that the pressure compresses and supports her bulk almost more comfortably than the air, the water is shockingly comfortable to be in. She’d even ducked her eyes underwater at one point, and learned that her eyes adjust almost perfectly to the water, suffering only minor discomfort and almost no visual distortion.

  It’s a mystery why they never had a pool day in the nursery.

  But just as Tanya becomes nothing more than a face stuck out above the steaming water, she feels a hand tapping on her side.

  Opening her eyes and lifting her head to hear, the ‘mon looks at her partner.

  “...Yes?”

  Amelia opens her mouth and hesitates, looking awkward.

  “Hey…” She starts slowly. “I’m not saying you should, because well– I dont– there's nothing wrong with– but…” She stammers out in a quick bust before falling off to silence then starting again at a slower pace. “You don't feel… awkward. With how you are. Do you?”

  The question has her thoughts slow.

  Because, beyond what Amelia means, the more broad question is one she’s not thought to ask.

  The ‘mon looks down at her body, almost completely alien to a human one, a form she’s spent almost her entire existence residing in.

  In shape, size, proportion, even senses, she’s almost nothing like a human being.

  At the thought one of her whiskers twitch, shaking off a few drops of water. A reminder that she has whiskers, sensitive enough she’s used them to predict the weather.

  Some part of her feels like being in such an inhuman form should have caused more problems. With simple logic, it seems like the minor adjustment curve she’d had after she hatched –another example of exactly how different she is now– should have been so much steeper to the point that functioning even now should be a challenge.

  But it’s not, she inhabits her body as if she’s lived in it her entire life.

  The reincarnate feels her lips twitch at the internal pun as she continues to consider the quite literally existential question.

  Should she feel awkward? Especially now that those inhuman traits are causing measurable problems in her life.

  This body is an active hindrance to her goals. Being a human, even being a smaller chansey, would just be one less thing to be concerned about. By any metric not being who she is right now should not only be preferable, but optimal for her continued life.

  But even as she thinks that, she’s aware of her surroundings, of where she is and who she’s surrounded by.

  And in the end there’s only one answer.

  “No.” The ‘mon shakes her head. “No, I’m just fine. I am who I am, and we’re working to mitigate the challenges that causes.” She nods to her partner before slowly starting to sink back down into the water. “Thank you for your concern.”