Aresdra was not usually like this. Cool, composed, and a little hard to reach was her default. So when had she become the one pressing her face into someone's neck and refusing to let go?
Nova reached up and pressed the back of his hand gently to her forehead. No fever.
"You are fine," he said. "Why are you acting like Sprigatito today?"
Aresdra gave his earlobe the lightest of bites and spoke quietly against his neck. "I am just... worried I will not see you as much for a while."
"I am going on a journey, not disappearing. And I have Corviknight. I can come back whenever I want."
She shook her head. "It is not about your schedule. Something came up on my end. The school recommended me for an internship."
Nova thought about that for a moment. She was only a first-year in high school. Internships usually came in the final year, right before graduation, when the school pushed students to finalize their career direction. Why was this happening now?
"The principal put my name forward personally," Aresdra said. "You remember how the last World Championship was held in the Nirvana League? The opening performance by their group made a big impression on everyone watching. The Norlandia Alliance's Arts Division wants to form their own performance group to provide opening acts at major competitions and Alliance events."
Nova followed her meaning immediately. He had seen the entertainment world build itself around exactly that kind of dedicated performance group in his previous life, and he understood the appeal. A polished, high-profile group performing at major Pokemon events was the sort of thing that could launch careers overnight. The Alliance had clearly taken note of what worked elsewhere and decided to try it themselves.
For Aresdra, this was a direct line toward everything she was already working for. She was in the Performance Department. Beyond participating in Contests, her long-term goal was to become a recognized Elite Coordinator with a name people actually knew. Getting into a group like this would put her in front of exactly the right audiences.
"So you were selected?"
"Not yet. I was only recommended. But if I audition, I will get in."
Nova did not doubt that for a second. Singing, dancing, stage presence: Aresdra was at the top in all of it. Once Torchic had grown into its full strength, she would almost certainly be among the leading Coordinators in the Alliance. And beyond the skill, her appearance alone was the kind that made people stop and look twice. Nova had occasionally wondered, only half joking, whether some Pokemon with an Attract-like effect had been involved in the process somehow.
He supported her completely, without any hesitation. But Aresdra was the one who looked conflicted.
"If I get in, the training and performance schedule is going to be intense. You will be traveling. We are not going to see each other much. Is that not basically a long-distance relationship?"
"What is wrong with that?"
"What if some other girl gets to you first?"
Nova stared at her. "You are saying that to me? You are the one people are going to be lining up for. I am the one who should be worried."
"Hmph. You are definitely the one who gets snatched. I know it."
"If you keep doing that with your nose, I am going to bite you back."
"Try it."
The night passed. Neither of them moved very far from the sofa.
By the time morning came, the shape of the next few weeks had sorted itself out.
Aresdra would be leaving for Purple Gold City later that week for the audition. Nova had his own things to wrap up before he could set out on his journey.
With both of them preparing to leave, the house was going to be empty. That fact pushed a decision Nova had been sitting with to the front of his mind: what to do about Purrloin.
A house that size, left without a Pokemon to watch it, would not stay tidy for long. The backyard Nova had spent real effort clearing would start getting claimed by wild Pokemon within two weeks at most. His team was already stretched across too many priorities, and pulling one of them away from their training to stand guard at home was not a trade he wanted to make. His Pokemon were all at stages where consistent training and attention made a meaningful difference. Disrupting that for a house-watching job would cost them more than it was worth.
Purrloin, on the other hand, was not suited for the kind of combat the rest of the team was being shaped toward. Keeping it here made sense.
It was a gifted lock-picker, which meant anyone hoping to break in quietly was going to be disappointed. And while its raw power was not high, it was more than capable of handling the kind of Pokemon that wandered into residential areas. Rattata, Raticate, Spearow: Purrloin could manage all of those without working up much of a sweat.
Beyond that, its Prankster ability gave it an instinct for finding weak points. If it came up against a more capable intruder, it had enough creativity and mischief to run circles around them, turning the whole property into its own personal trap. Nova had full confidence that Purrloin could make any uninvited guest deeply regret the decision.
If something came along that Purrloin genuinely could not handle, that would mean it was not an ordinary situation, and Nova would come back and let Nidoking make the point clearly.
With that settled, Nova reached out to Mort to ask whether there was a proper way to arrange for Purrloin to stay.
Mort was quiet for a moment after hearing the request.
This kid and lock-picking. Why was he so attached to that particular Pokemon?
Nova could have explained that Purrloin was not a nuisance but an extremely affectionate and perceptive cat that had earned its place. He decided against it. Most people's opinions of Purrloin were probably closer to Mort's than to his, and making that argument was not going to go anywhere useful.
"I really like it," Nova said instead. "If there is a way to keep it, please tell me. You would be doing me a real favor."
He made sure to say "please" and to address Mort with the proper respect. It worked immediately. Something in the old man's expression shifted into something much more cooperative.
"If you want to adopt Purrloin properly, it can be done. The process is just a bit involved."
He laid it out.
First: a bail bond. Purrloin was classified as a Class A criminal, which put the figure at around one hundred and fifty thousand. Since Nova had already paid a hundred thousand as a deposit when he borrowed it, the remaining balance would be fifty thousand.
Second: a personal visit to the Pokemon Prison to complete a substantial amount of paperwork. There would also be a preliminary review of Nova's qualifications as a Trainer and an assessment of his living situation.
Third: a signed guarantee, in Nova's own name, that Purrloin would not reoffend. If it did, Nova would be held responsible alongside it.
In addition, Alliance officials would conduct check-ins every six months to assess how things were going. A tracking system would be installed on Purrloin, and it would not be permitted to leave designated areas without advance notice being filed.
Nova rubbed his temples. He had expected it to cost money. He had not expected it to cost this much time and paperwork on top of that.
"Is there a simpler way?"
Mort laughed. The sound was warm and a little too knowing.
"There is, my dear disciple. And it is guaranteed to work."