Rui was very nervous as Aizen paid the compensation for her contract with the Oasis Hotel, but she was relieved of her duties without any hassle.
Later, he took her out shopping and helped her buy some new clothes, which they brought back to his suite, where she freshened up and changed.
When she came to the lounge, she was practically fidgeting with both nervousness and excitement.
"Ready?" Aizen asked, turning to look her way, and smiled when he found her dressed in loose clothes with a cloak, perfectly suited for the desert's hot days and cold nights.
"Yes."
"Let's go then." He recalled Riolu inside the Pokéball, and the Mega Gengar silently merged with his shadow.
When they exited the hotel, catching a lot of attention, Rui became even more nervous.
The nights at Phenac City were even more vibrant than the days, and familiar faces all around eyed her very curiously.
She, however, managed to brush away all other thoughts as she wanted nothing more than to see her Flygon and her grandfather's Krookodile again.
Rui led Aizen to the Desert Chief's Mansion, and they had to wait for ten minutes before they were allowed entry.
Ten minutes was not a lot, especially at this time of the day. The last time she had come here, she had to wait nearly four hours before she was given the opportunity to talk to the Desert Chief.
The guards guided them to the entrance of the mansion, where a maid was waiting, and led them inside.
It was quite a luxurious place, a reflection of the wealth of its owner, but Aizen was merely curious as he looked around, not fazed by its opulence in the least.
A while later, the two of them were led to the back of the mansion, where there was a large field of white sand with a beautiful lake in the middle of it. Around the lake stood tall palm trees, and it was finally something that impressed the Orayen Prince.
The place was truly beautiful, especially with the clear sky above and the shimmering stars scattered across it.
His eyes, however, soon found the Pokémon.
Krookodile, Krokorok, Sandile, Hippowdon, Hippopotas, Camerupt, Drilbur, Excadrill, Sandslash, Sandshrew... they were everywhere. Yet the Krookodile line had the greatest numbers.
There was even a Flygon and a Garchomp, and the two were levitating and standing by the side of a tall and broad man, dressed in ornate desert garbs, staring at a group of men with an open chest that contained some Pokémon Eggs. Attendants stood by, waiting for his orders.
This man was one of the Four Chiefs of Phenac City and the Oasis, the Desert Chief Rhazak.
Aizen could sense that the man was deeply upset, troubled even, and doing his best to rein in his anger toward the people he was staring at.
Soon, however, Rhazak turned to look their way, and he managed his composure as he walked over.
"My, my, dear Rui. You came to pay back your debts so soon?" He asked the girl, though his eyes lingered on Aizen, as if trying to see through him.
"Yes, Master Rhazak," Rui nervously said. "I..."
"You sold yourself to this young man. I heard." He cut her off and sighed, shaking his head. "Rules and laws, what are we without them?" He asked and waited for an answer.
"Savages," she whispered, and then heard Rhazak laugh.
"We are savages even with rules and laws, girl. They do not stop people from being who they are. Some hide it, others do not care, but we are all savages."
Aizen smiled at those words, and the Desert Chief grinned, his pearl white teeth a stark contrast against his dark beard.
"Do you disagree, boy?"
"I agree, as long as you mean that every person is a savage in their own way."
Rhazak stared at him, then heartily laughed and nodded his head.
"Good. Someone who finally understands it." He said, then signalled to an attendant, who quickly rushed over and bowed to him. "How do you plan on paying?"
"Cash?" Aizen asked, and Rhazak looked at him in surprise.
"You have it on you right now?"
"Yes."
"Good. It will do."
Getting the approval, Aizen opened the waist bag under his cloak and took out a cylinder, which quickly enlarged in his hand.
He then opened the lid, and bill after bill began pouring out, each one worth 10,000 PokéDollars, the highest and most exclusive bill in the world.
Soon, the 520 bills formed a large bundle in his hand, and he closed the lid again, storing it back inside his waist bag.
He offered the money to the attendant, who nervously stepped forward and accepted it.
His hands trembled as he inspected random bills with a device in his hand, making sure they were not fake, and then quickly counted all of them.
To his immense relief, there were no fakes, which meant that he would not be seeing the worst of his Master again tonight.
"5.2 million PokéDollars," the man informed the Desert Chief, who nodded his head.
"Go, put them in the safe and bring the two Pokéballs that belong to Rui," Rhazak ordered, and the man quickly rushed inside the mansion.
Aizen smiled at Rui when she subconsciously clutched his cloak, holding back her tears, but then curiously approached Rhazak's Garchomp and Flygon.
He observed them for a while, staring at the Flygon for a while, impressed by it, and then walked past and studied the group of Sandile who were sleeping nearby.
"I only keep the finest of them," the Desert Chief proudly said, before making a bold claim. "There is no Pokémon Breeder in the world who can claim to have better Sandile than I."
Aizen believed his words, for he had never seen such carefully bred Sandile before. They were larger than average, of perfect build and strength, and most importantly, they were all happy. They were also moody, smart, and mischievous, as all Dark Type Pokémon should be, and clearly well cared for.
"They are perfect," he said, then stood up to walk back to Rui's side, just as the attendant returned with the two Pokéballs.
The girl happily took them, and then quickly called out Flygon and Krookodile, both of whom were immensely relieved to see her.
She hugged her Flygon, sobbing a little, and then embraced Krookodile too, who seemed highly protective of her and was even ready to fight the Garchomp if threatened.
"You have your Pokémon back, your grandfather's debts are cleared, but the house and farm cannot be purchased back by you. I have already sold the place," Rhazak informed Rui, who nodded her head in understanding.
"Thank you, Master Rhazak."
"Rules, girl. Even I must follow them to keep society meaningful and functioning." He smiled faintly. "I wonder though if you are interested in getting back your grandfather's Flygon."
His words made her stare at him in shock, and Rhazak nodded his head.
"We caught the people who stole the Sandile and attacked your grandfather. All the Pokémon were retrieved, and old Seth's Flygon survived. He was not in good shape, but he will heal in time," the Desert Chief informed her.
"Who was responsible?" Aizen curiously asked.
"Some fledglings who call themselves Team Snagem, a newly formed outfit that is working for Cipher," Rhazak said, and the Orayen Prince clearly sensed the rage and hatred in his heart for both organisations.
"Master Rhazak... I want Samum," Rui nervously said, and the man nodded but then looked at Aizen.
"You will have to do something for me if you want that Flygon," he said, and Aizen raised his brow when the man approached him. "I am lacking a Champion for the upcoming Desert Colosseum. I want you to represent me in the competition."
"I am not that good of a Trainer, Desert Chief." He shrugged, and Rhazak laughed.
"You have keen eyes, boy, and for someone your age to have a permanently evolved Mega Gengar says all I need to know about how good you are." Rhazak stared into his eyes. "Agree, and your girl can have her grandfather's Flygon tonight. Refuse, and I will keep it by the rules of this city."
Aizen kept looking into his eyes and then smiled.
"That is for her, but what is in it for me?" He asked, and the Desert Chief smiled at his words.
"Win, and I will let you pick two of my finest Sandile. Males only," he said, catching them by surprise. "And the winner of the Colosseum gets an Egg of a Trapinch if you are interested, sibling to my Flygon, and a random Mega Stone. If you are not interested, I will swap that Egg for something else."
"A male and a female," he negotiated for the Sandile, but the Desert Chief shook his head.
"No."
"One of those Eggs then," he said, pointing at the chest with three Eggs.
"Oh?" Rhazak glanced at the Eggs in the chest, then signalled to his attendants to take the men away.
Rui flinched when the guards practically dragged the three men away, who were begging for their lives, all of which were ignored, and Aizen paid no heed to them at all.
"Which one do you want?" the Desert Chief asked.
"Totodile," he answered, and watched the man slyly smile at his demand.
"Fine, but if you do not win the tournament, you will have to return the Egg to me."
"Deal." He agreed and offered the Desert Chief his hand, who shook it.
When they left the mansion, Rui was in a daze. She glanced at the Egg inside the Egg Case, which Aizen was now wearing on his chest under the cloak.
He seemed happy, and he truly was. She could just sense it, and she could also sense his confidence. He was sure that he would win the tournament.
Later, when the two of them arrived at the Pokémon Center, the first thing Aizen noticed was that the two Nurse Joys working there were wearing black and pink, not white and pink.
Pokédex and Licences were not required at all, and anyone could bring their Pokémon to the Center and they would be treated without a word. However, there was a fee. It was not free.
Rui handed the Desert Chief's letter to the one at the reception, and Nurse Joy quickly brought them the Pokéball of Samum, who was the Flygon of the late old Seth.
She also gave them a waist bag filled with potions and medicine for Flygon, and gave Rui detailed and written instructions.
Thankfully, the Pokémon was out of intensive care now and could be taken away, but she warned her not to put the Pokémon in any battles for the coming month, at least.
Rui promised her she would take good care of Samum.
When they returned to the suite, she quickly called out the Flygon, who clearly looked weary, but who was beyond relieved to see her safe and sound.
It let out a painful cry, expressing its sorrow at its Master's death, and Rui hugged it while shedding her own tears.
"Let him rest now," Aizen gently spoke to her after they fed it a potion, applied ointment to its wounds, and his pair of Audino helped it with the pain.
Rui obediently nodded her head and sat down to have her meal with him.
Flygon listened to her commands without resistance, and silently slept on the soft rug in the lounge, next to Rui's Flygon, who was seemingly its mate.
Riolu curled up on the sofa that night after their dinner, having decided to keep the two dragons company.
As for Rui, even though she was prepared to give herself to him tonight, she could not help but feel relieved when he pulled her into bed with him. They shared a kiss, a deep one that left her wanting more, but he just held her to sleep afterwards.