Author's Notes:

Part seven of ten. I see a light at the end of the tunnel! What's with these train tracks, though?
There may or may not be spoilers located within any of these textwalls for Ausbrony's story A Brave New World.
Remember, use your Geiger counters, as spoilers are highly radioactive. By the time you find one, you'll likely have taken enough Spoiler-rays to cut your enjoyment down by fifty percent if you aren't wearing your spoiler-proof suit.

“So where do we go from here?” Seth pondered aloud.

“Depends on where you want to go. I can probably find it in no time,” Vincent replied, idly twirling his signature spoon. “Or if you’d rather just go back. S’up to you and flame-breath here.”

“Well, we still need something for Jim here to win over his catty girlfriend~” Seth chuckled. “What sorta things does she like James?”

“Well,” the Roserade mused, “she did have a preference to Poison-types, snakes in particular for some reason, but beyond that...she liked to maintain her appearance as much as possible. Calling her old or ugly was a quick way to get on her bad side.” James shuddered as he recalled many of the times Jessie had flown into a rage and taken it out on him or Meowth. “It probably has something to do with her history as a Coordinator,” he said afterwards.

“Okay, so maybe some jewelry that would compliment her new form,” Seth said, spinning the idea. “The problem is, will such a store still be open?”

“I can look,” Vincent said, raising one glowing arm. “Just say the word.”

“Go ahead, but try not to draw too much attention to yourself,” Seth replied.

Allow me to show you, son, Luke said, placing one hand lightly on Vincent’s shoulder. A near-invisible blue wave rippled out of Vincent’s form, and the Kadabra made a soft sound at what he was being shown.

“Ah, so that’s...that would have really, really helped to know a while ago,” Vincent said. “Then again, I wouldn’t have met nearly as many people if I had, so…”

“Silver lining?” Seth said.

“We can call it that, sure,” Vincent replied. “It...might take me a few tries to properly integrate this, dad. Plus I’ll have to do this until it’s a habit as well…”

I am willing to show you as many times as you need, the Gallade said with a soft smile.

“So, if I may ask?” Seth said quietly. “How did this whole father/son thing start? Because I am dead sure that you are not Doctor Nurem.”

“He was the first one to care about me,” Vincent replied softly. “The first one to actually act like a father towards me. It wasn’t until he came back from a trip up to Canterlot that I was certain what he was to me...because what Mewtwo had done to him filled me with such a rage…”

Calm yourself, Luke said sternly, turning his grip from light to normal, which got Vincent’s attention. The Kadabra took a few deep breaths and came down from his emotional state.

“Since then, we’ve called each other father and son, and let’s face it, he’s a darn sight better than my actual one, so I’ve no complaints,” Vincent said with a slight smile as the wave finished its sweep and impacted his form again.

“I see,” Seth smiled. “So Vince, what’s the verdict?”

“Apparently ponies aren’t completely unused to the idea of needing a late-night gift to woo your special someone,” Vincent said with a smirk. “Two shops open, one nearby that’s also Pokemon-friendly. Just a few blocks down.”

Ignis groaned as he got to his feet. “...Wait! You went up against Mewtwo!?”

“I was reprimanded quite a few times for doing so, but yes,” Vincent replied as he began to lead them to the jewelry shop he’d found. “I went up to the gates, demanded to see a certain ambassador, and we ended up tussling. Someone had to make him pay for breaking Luke as badly as he did, and Arceus sure as hell wasn’t doing it.”

Ignis nodded, “So you held your own against a Pokemon like that? Vincent, you do realize what that means right? What you have just told me?”

“He wasn’t really fighting back,” Vincent said. “He thought that he could stand against my unleashed power, and that his memories could outdo mine. Had he been actually fighting, well, I’m sure you would have heard about it.”

As would most of Equestria, Luke commented. I believe the last time Mewtwo ‘actually fought’...well, we know about that from Earth.

“You have proven yourself to be quite strong Vincent Nurem,” Ignis said, his tone was suddenly quite serious. “And I have decided, that you will be the first human opponent that I will fight!”

“...He’s joking, right?” Vincent looked to Seth with a raised eyebrow. “I know all of a few moves, most of them ones I cobbled together. Luke’s been training me in proper combat while he’s here, but we’re nowhere near ready for an actual situation yet.”

“And once you are ready, you and I shall battle!” Ignis thumped him on the back, causing the Kadabra to stumble a little. “It will be glorious.”

“He’s never going to give up on this Vincent,” Seth replied, totally used to Ignis’s actions.

“I...have way too much on my plate right now to consider even giving you an estimate, Ignis,” Vincent muttered as he showed the party the jewelry shop he’d found. “There are quite a few things I have yet to do, much less even consider, before I can be judged ‘ready’ for a proper fight.”

Quite so, Luke said, a mischievous smirk on his lips. But since you know where he lives, I’m certain you could seek him out before he battles all the ‘normal’ Pokemon that catch his interest.

“Future battles aside,” Seth replied. “Let’s focus on helping James first hmm?”

“Oh no, please, by all means, continue the banter,” the Roserade said with a wave of his bouquet, trying to mask his own nervousness.

“Banter is done, shopping for a Pyroar is now go!” Seth cheered, pushing the protesting Roserade inside. The two of them were greeted by an Earth Pony mare, her mane done up in a bun as she worked behind the register. Almost two dozen glass cases filled with beautiful jewelry lined the walls of the store.

“Yes?” the shopkeeper asked with an arched eyebrow. “Can I help you?”

“Hello Ma’am,” Seth bowed his head politely. “We’re after a gift today, one to woo a rather fickle female. I don’t suppose you have something that would look good on a large cat? One almost the size of myself?”

“Hmm,” the mare said, eyeing the Luxray’s form a bit more intensely before nodding. “A few pieces do come to mind, but I feel the need to ask if she is exactly like you, or which one of you this present is going to be from.”

“Well, she’s around my height, maybe a little shorter.” Seth said as he described her. “She has tan-coloured fur and a long, red and orange mane. Also, it will be a gift from our rosy friend here.” Then he pulled out his Pokedex. He scrolled through it before stopping and showing the mare the image of a female Pyroar.

“Ah!” the mare said as she looked at it. “Hmm, yes, one piece does spring immediately to mind, for both her and him giving it. Allow me to fetch it.” With that, the mare vanished into the back room, where the sounds of her scrounging around became evident.

“...Okay, and now I’m very much more nervous,” James said, wiping off his forehead.

“As you should be,” Seth replied. “But if you want a happy ending for this, you must have courage!”

“Easy to talk about, far more difficult to find,” James said. “I mean, I don’t even know what I’m going to say to her!”

“That... might be more Ignis’s department,” Seth admitted. “He did help Vincent and Lucy, and who knows, if I know my little Rika like I do, then she’s probably trying to set Jessie up with you as we speak.”

Further banter was cut off as the shopkeeper returned with a box, which she flipped open to reveal what could only be called the necklace.

It was made of green copper, with a polished and cut Fire Stone set in the center of it. Two smaller rose quartz cut into heart shapes were set on either side of the Fire Stone.

“I think this would be perfect,” Seth said.

“I find myself agreeing with you on principle,” James said before looking back up to the mare. “But how about the pricetag?”

“It’s normally 2400 Bits,” the mare replied and then gave James a wink. “But I’ll settle for 2000, how’s that?”

“I…” James looked to Seth with a pleading expression.

“For the love of Celestia... fine, but you owe me Rose-boy!” Seth took out his remaining Bits, just enough to purchase the item. “You had better get this girl of yours.”

“I will try to get someone to take over the garden for me,” James said. “And then I will look for a paying job in the city,” he promised. “I will not let this debt go unpaid.”

The mare counted the bits quickly and nodded twice before closing the box back up and hoofing it over to Seth, seeing as how they were his bits. “Very good, sirs. Anything else?”

“That will be all,” Seth replied. “Thank you very much Ma’am.” He turned to James and handed him the necklace. “Showtime Jim!”

“Ah, thank you for your vote of confidence,” the Roserade said, gently taking the necklace and hiding it in one of his bouquets. “Let’s just hope Ignis hasn’t burned anything down by the time we get there.”

“I resent that!” Ignis said from outside. His hearing could be quite sharp at times. Seth chuckled and nodded his head.

“I just wonder what the girls are up to...?”

“Aw, c’mon Jess!” Rika pouted as the group sat in a circle. “You must like someone!”

The Pyroar pulled a sour face as she sipped the drink she’d been provided - it was just juice, but it was delicious juice all the same. “There was never time for romance in between all the things I did for my job,” Jessie stated, carefully avoiding specific details.

“Pft, seriously?” Rika scrunched up her face. “You’re telling me that the cute little human you worked alongside with for all those years... never once caught your attention?”

“With the way he bungled up everything we tried to do? He’s lucky I didn’t claw his face off without these beauties,” Jessie said, briefly displaying her claws before retracting them.

Jeanne drank her water with a smile before helping herself to some of the ice-cream Rika had ordered. Lala drank hers as well before commenting on the situation. “If there was a larger case of denial, I have yet to hear about it.”

Jessie sputtered a bit before Mage chipped her two cents in as well. “Don’t bother lying to us, especially not when I have this,” she pointed to her necklace. “I can tell how you actually feel, you know.”

“And wasn’t my escape that Meowth’s fault?” Rika asked innocently. “If I recall, he was too busy flirting with me to double check the locks on my cage.”

“He always did have an eye for a pretty...face…” Jessie’s face paled as she realized she’d basically confirmed it for Rika who she was and glanced over at the Sylveon with a small laugh. “Eheheh...hi? Please don’t tell them?”

“Don’t worry, if I held any malice... well, you honestly think you’d still be sitting there?” Rika smiled sweetly, kinda like a cat that was about a half-second away from eviscerating you. “You wouldn’t even be in this world if you were all that bad.” She leaned in close, her face the epitome of seriousness, in all its cute glory. “Now fess up, we all know you like him~”

“I will confirm nothing,” Jessie said, studiously looking away. “And for all I know, this could be part one of an elaborate revenge plot of yours. It’s certainly humiliating enough.”

“Okay, I’m lost. Rika, how do you two know each other?” Christine asked before eating a scoop of chocolate ice-cream.

“We met back in the human world,” Rika admitted the half truth. “We’re old pals, right Jess?”

“Of course,” Jessie said with a fake smile. “Though we never did write and only met the once…”

Mage chuckled as she touched her necklace. “Anxiety, clear as day. What aren’t either of you two telling us?”

“A past that will remain in the past,” Rika said to Mage. “Something I’m sure a most of you will understand.”

Selena coughed a little before Mage responded. “I’ve got more than a little experience with those sorts of things,” the Mismagius said with a nod. “So if you want it dropped, then I’ll drop it...still think we oughta know, though.”

“I as well,” Jeanne said before helping herself to her strawberry ice-cream. “But unlike her, I’ll let you reveal it at your own pace, Jessie.”

Lala’s eyes flashed as she slowly put the pieces together along with all the other clues, and nodded as well, keeping silent on the matter. Christine merely shrugged, fine with it for the time being, but she’d probably ask again later.

“Thank you,” Jessie said. “So, what were we talking about?” She hoped none of them remembered, this evening was awkward enough already.

“About you wanting to do a little ‘gardening’~” Rika giggled. “Y’know, take his flower?”

“I-!” Jessie’s face turned beet red at the implications Rika leveled against her. “So that’s how you win your battles,” she grumbled. “Lure them in with a cute face and then hit them with more experience than they expect you have.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about~” Rika sang.

“Seriously, she just does those things,” Christine said. “It falls to us that have been educated in all things dirty to interpret them...and she doesn’t understand why we keep having to take a minute to respond to her.”

“Though if earlier today is any indication,” Jeanne said with a wicked smile, “Then she’s just as much of a virgin as you are, Jessie dear.”

“So what if I am a pure maiden still?” Rika protested, folding her forelegs. “Christine hasn’t gotten any either!”

“...And how would you know that?” the dragon asked, honestly curious. It might be true, but she’d just like to hear the Sylveon’s reasoning.

“Woman’s instinct,” Rika replied as-a-matter-of-factly and then smirked. “And because you just admitted it.”

“Technically,” Lala pointed out before scooping up some vanilla, “She merely asked how you would know if she was a virgin or not. She said nothing one way or the other as to her status or whether you were right.”

“Mm...I got nothing,” Mage said as she floated her bowl of blueberry closer to herself.

“You’re not denying it,” Selena spoke up. “And as far as I can tell, Jeanne and I are the only ones here with any actual experience.”

“I’d love for someone to explain Vincent if I didn’t have any,” Jeanne joked lightly.

“Adopted?” Rika shrugged. “Aaannyway, we’re getting off topic here. We need to hook up Jessie and James, for... reasons.”

“And what, pray tell, are these reasons?” Jessie asked, desperate to delay this madness for as long as possible.

“Because it’ll be fun,” Rika answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “And you two would be soooo cute together.”

“I dread the day any male shows any interest in me with you around,” Christine said while helping herself to another spoon of chocolate. “Knowing you, you’d all but force the poor guy to date me for weeks on end.”

Rika turned and gave her the saddest eyes possible, Baby Doll Eyes and Fake Tears.

“B-but... I thought we were meant to be!” Rika cried.

“I’ll just go and tell Seth you’re breaking it off with him, then,” Christine replied, making to get up and go.

“I can share!” Rika sobbed, “You can be my exotic mistress!”

“Tempting,” Christine replied. “But I might just make him mine instead. I mean, he does have something you lack, and you and Fritter can enjoy one another.”

“GAH! You don’t play fair!” Rika pouted, dropping the act. “Not cool Chrissie.”

“And that’s why you don’t get in those sorts of contests with me,” Christine said with a smile. “I mean, seriously, the way I got to Selena wasn’t a clue to you?”

“Whatever,” Rika huggled the dragon and smiled. “You’re still mine until someone else comes along!”

“Like I said, you are sorely lacking in a few pieces of equipment,” the dragon said. “But I think Seth appreciates you as-is, so it’s one or the other. Can’t have us both.”

Rika let Christine go and sighed, playing this game was no fun anymore. “Well, fine... I have Sethy and Fritter anyway!” she pouted as she snuggled up with the Earth Pony mare, who just smiled and rubbed her back.

“Now, ah believe we were all tryin’ to play matchmaker?” Fritter grinned and looked at Jessie.

“Shoot, I’m out of distractions,” she muttered before looking for a viable escape route.

Selena placed herself near the door, while Christine had the window covered, Rika was still blissfully enjoying her marefriend’s cuddle, while said mare just looked at Jessie.

“Now, ya’ll were sayin’?”

“I was saying that your little cuddle-bug there has the wrong idea. James and I aren’t partners in any sense, nor do we need to be,” Jessie retorted. Maybe she could sneak into the kitchen and jump out the window there?...

A tugging sensation on her leg told her that one of Rika’s ribbons had a firm grip. “If you really don’t like him, then just say so and we’ll drop it,” she said with breaking her hug. “But I don’t like it when someone lies to their heart...”

“I…” Jessie sighed. “I can’t say I’m not entirely fond of him. He is enjoyable to work with, despite our constant blunders. But we’ve never had a lot of time for romance before, so I don’t really know his feelings on the matter.”

“Good enough for me, the shipping is back on ladies!” Rika cheered. “New plan for tonight, we get these two together.”

“...why do I get the feeling I’m not getting out of this now?...”

“Because you’ve been around her for longer than five minutes?” Lala suggested to the irritated Pyroar. “At any rate, I am uncertain as to what help I could possibly be.”

“Um... expertise maybe?” Rika answered. “Sorry, I don’t really know much about you yet Miss Lala.”

Christine waved a claw in their general direction as she moved to resupply her bowl. “Look at the way she holds herself, studies everyone and everything, then compare it with flower-head. I drew the connecting line pretty quickly, Rika.”

“Checkmate!” Rika gasped. “I still recall my run in with Roll and Shredder...”

“Indeed, I am a Bishop of their guild,” Lala said with a nod. “My expertise is speed. However, while I am here, I have decided to help keep this place safe. I, too, remain pure, and have no romantic interests, nor any education on the topic beyond the ‘facts of life’ my father gave me. My recommendation would be Sam for this venture, if you wanted a perverted viewpoint...were he not male and banned from our gathering.”

“I wonder what the boys are up to anyway?” RIka questioned. “And if Lulu’s doing alright.”

“Lucy’s fine,” Jeanne replied. “While I don’t know where the boys are going, I do know that Luke has a few pointers he’s shared with Vincent regarding the proper handling of an in-heat Lucario. One is to use Hypnosis to knock her out for a few hours if he intends to be gone.”

“...he’s teaching Vinny how to ‘handle’ Miss Lucy in heat?” Fritter blushed heavily. “Ah... ah don’t know how to respond that honestly.”

“It’s...probably best you don’t ask,” Mage said. “I know the answer, and I can tell you that you don’t want to know it.”

“An’ y’all are okay with that?” Fritter asked. “Is he part o’ yer herd or somethin’?”

“He has a past,” Jeanne answered. “One that left him rather experienced, but it’s also darker than most. That’s all the boys would tell me.”

“You’re not far off the mark,” Mage said with a nod. “And yeah, Luke’s mine.”

“Really?” Rika’s eyes sparkled. “You don’t often see the pairing of a Ghost and a Psychic. Still, you make an adorable couple~”

“Thank you,” Mage said with a slight bow, before turning her attention back to Jessie. “Now about the one we keep trying to make…”

“You are all really set on this, aren’t you?” the Pyroar deadpanned.

“I’m not,” Christine said, back with her ice cream. “Your life is your business. I’m not gonna help them...but I’m also not letting you leave until they’re done or have given up.” With that, the landshark situated herself in front of the door to the rest of the apartment building, shooing Selena back into the circle.

“Oh I’d imagine you’re next,” Selena chuckled to the dragon. “If Rika had her way, we’d all have relationships by the end of the week.”

“I do hope she knows better than to interfere in some of our lives,” Jeanne said pointedly, the flowers on her head suddenly a bit more menacing even with her smiling. Likewise, Lala’s claws never seemed so sharp before.

“But love is so special and everyone should experience it,” Rika sighed. She looked at Jeanne and seemed to remember something. “But I guess I got carried away again, and I ruined the evening as well...”

“It’s perfectly alright to want people to experience love,” Jeanne said. “But sometimes, others don’t appreciate meddling. I learned that myself the hard way…” Her tone turned a bit sombre as she recalled what she had almost done, before she forced herself into perking up. “Still, unless Jessie stops us, I agree with your assessment, Rika.”

“I…” Jessie sighed before hanging her head. “I wouldn’t mind a relationship, no. And I do know James very well, yes. But going about this...doesn’t promise to be easy at all…”

“I have a good feeling,” Rika replied, looking a bit down.

It took Christine coming over from the door and putting Rika back in her position as a hat before the Fairy had a smile on her face again. “You can stay up there until you’re in a better mood, hat,” Christine commented, taking Rika’s place in the circle.

“Fine,” Rika pouted, though there was no real conviction behind it. “So do we have a plan beyond just confessing?”

“Well seeing as how two-thirds of us are virgins and one-third of us haven’t have boyfriends, how about we hear from the ones with experience as to how they did these things?” Christine asked before looking at Mage.

“Pass,” she commented. “You really don’t want to hear it, believe me. It’d just drag us back down, I’m sure.”

“Well, all I did was pour my heart out to Sethy... and that got me a mare as well... still wondering how the heck that happened?” Rika said from her perch.

“Ah second that,” Fritter remarked. “Ah’m still surprised that you and Seth actually agreed to this arrangement... Seth seemed pretty reluctant about it.”

“It’s cause humans have this thing about polygamy,” Rika said. “But it’s common amongst Pokemon so I don’t really mind. You’re really sweet and cute Fritter and I like you a lot.”

Fritter just blushed as she played with a ponytail.

“I think I’m going to take a page out of Mage’s book,” Jeanne said before helping herself to some ice-cream as well. “I’d...rather not walk down that particular branch of Memory Lane just now.”

“Isn’t ice-cream supposed to make us happy?” Rika asked, as she helped herself to some, dripping a small amount on Christine’s head.

“Not when you drop it on me,” the dragon groused, before turning her eyes to Selena. “Well, out with it. How’d you snag testosterone-for-brains?”

“Pinned him down and kissed him,” Selena replied as Rika licked the ice-cream from Chrissie’s scales. “Plain, simple and to the point. Ignis is not the master of subtlety.”

“Amen to that,” the dragon nodded slightly, mindful of Rika on her head. “So between us all, we’ve got no more advice for Jessie here than for her to tell James something along the lines of ‘would you like to go out sometime?’”

“Pretty much,” Rika shrugged. “Wow... we kinda suck.”

“At this point our only hope is for Vincent and the others to have picked up on things and given James a pep-talk,” Mage commented.

“What are the odds on that?” Rika asked, “Vincent and Seth aren’t exactly... cluey on that sort of thing.”

“I’m willing to bet that between the four of his accomplices, at least one of them will have clued in to James’ feelings,” Jeanne said before taking a sip of her water.

“So what do we do until then?” Fritter asked. “Makeovers?” Rika’s eyes shone with a dangerous glint as she laid eyes on the Pyroar.

“Heh, heh, heh....”

“Oh no you don’t!” Jessie said, backing up quickly. “I am just fine as I am! I do not need your help to look nice!”

“Oh, but I want to help you Jessie,” Rika purred. “You at least gotta look pretty~”

“I don’t need your help!” The Pyroar’s mane was dancing wildly in response to its owners’ panic. “I’M WARNING YOU-!”

Author's Other Notes:
I regret putting PegasusAir in my story. Ever since, it's been shipping central.