(A/N: Small interlude)

  [POV: JOPHIEL]

  Jophiel huffs through her nose as she finishes sending a Heal Pulse to Starly number fourteen that came to her. After the first Pokemon came up to her for help, the rest practically lined up after them.

  And now she's stuck here, instead of being there for her Beloved. Granted, he's not that far away, and with their link they're never truly away from each other.

  He's talking to that Cyllene human, which she has not so savory memories of, luckily for her the conversation seems tame. Else she would have stepped up and… no, she dismisses that thought.

  Here comes Ponyta number… four? She believes. A quick pulse of green energy and the dark bruises start to heal.

  “Thank you… miss” The young Ponyta says.

  “Of course” Jophiel gives them a warm smile. The Ponyta visibly blushes and scampers off.

  Yes, thank you, please leave. That would be wonderful.

  But another Bidoof covered in bruises walks up.

  Ugh.

  There's a part of her that's finding this humorous, as this is eerily simir to how Joshua felt while at his ‘retail job’.

  “That's not better”

  “Of course it's better! It's better than a flimsy cot!”

  Her ears perk up at an argument taking pce in the line. A Pikachu and Pichu, with some others chiming in.

  “You don't NEED a wool bed, a pokeball works just fine!” Pikachu snaps.

  “You are just upset because you sleep on straw” Pichu retorts.

  “I mean… I sleep on a pile of bnkets…” Someone else says.

  Jophiel rolls her eyes, immediately becoming disinterested in the conversation.

  “That's because your trainer is poor”

  “What's wrong with that?!”

  “Listen, a straw bed is easy, quick, and perfectly fine for a Pokemon. Anything more is just being stingy”

  “I quite like the bnkets…”

  “Nobody is arguing about the bnkets!”

  By the time their argument is getting louder, it's their turn in line, the Pikachu notices this and snaps their head towards Jophiel, who just gives him a neutral gaze.

  His eyes briefly flicker to the small chip in her left ear. A small scar that carried over from her fight with the dragon.

  “How about you? What do you think Pokemon should sleep on?”

  Jophiel just hums, not really thinking much about it, but she just continues with her Heal Pulse.

  “It depends, I suppose. I have slept on hard stone just fine”

  “Yeah right” The Pikachu rolls his eyes. “Where do you sleep? Wool or straw?”

  “Look at her fur, she probably sleeps in her pokeball” The Pichu mentions.

  She takes good care of her fur, thank you very much.

  “Wool” The alicorn answers.

  The Pikachu guffaws.

  “Really?! Geez, does your trainer spoil you or something?”

  Jophiel smiles for real this time.

  “Yes. He does”

  “I bet you sleep by the firepce too” He jokes, but Jophiel just responds casually.

  “I sleep on a bed, actually. In the arms of the one I love”

  It goes silent after that. The ones around her just stare. Some blushing, with others wearing looks of clear envy.

  Pikachu just stares wide eyed, frozen.

  She hears a shuffle in the grass behind her, looking back, she sees the Ponyta from before. He looks heartbroken, tears creeping at the edge of his eyes as he drops the flowers he was holding in mouth into the grass.

  Jophiel says nothing as he runs off.

  There's another shuffle of grass.

  “Sis”

  This time, it is Uriel who speaks to her.

  “We're leaving”

  “Is Ace with you?”

  “...she's not hard to find”

  “True. Very well, let us go”

  She gets up and turns to leave with the zebra Pokemon.

  “Goodbye everybody” She says as she departs.

  “But what about us?!” One of the Pokemon in line cries out.

  “Figure it out”

  Uriel looks at her with a conflicted gaze.