The starlight over Solaceon Town was particularly sharp that night, casting long, silver rectangles across the hotel carpet. Julian leaned his back against the foot of the bed, the cool night air from the cracked window prickling his skin. In his arms, Growlithe was a furnace of orange fur and steady heartbeats.
"Meeting all of you... traveling through these routes together..." Julian whispered, his voice barely more than a breath. "Seeing the faces I thought I only knew from a distance, making them real. Honestly, that's already more than I ever expected. Why would I need to dig any deeper into the 'why' or the 'how'?"
Growlithe looked up, his brow furrowed in that uniquely canine way that suggested he was trying to solve a complex math problem.
"Woof, woof woof? (So, let me get this straight, Jing. Floette mentioned you've got some holes in your memory. If those holes ever fill back up... if you remember who you used to be before you were the 'Jing' from Sandgem... are you still going to be the guy holding me right now? Or is that person going to take over?)"
Julian let out a short, melodic laugh that didn't quite reach the corners of his eyes. He reached down, burying his fingers in the thick ruff of Growlithe's neck, scratching that one specific spot behind the ears that made the puppy's back leg twitch.
"You little worrier," Julian said affectionately. "I am me. There's no 'other guy' waiting in the wings to hijack my brain. Whether I remember every detail of where I came from or if it stays a blurry mess forever, it doesn't change the fact that we've walked these miles together. We're partners, Growlithe. That's a permanent contract."
[I'm not lying, either,] Julian thought, his gaze turning inward. [The moment I woke up in this world, the 'me' from before became a shadow. Whatever I was back there, it's gone. I am Julian. I am the Trainer from Sandgem who gets way too excited about fluffy tails. That's my reality now.]
He met Growlithe's intense, dark eyes with a level of sincerity that seemed to hum with the low frequency of his Aura. Growlithe leaned his head against Julian's chest, letting out a huff that sounded like a sigh of relief.
"Woof woof woof... (It's a deal, then. No matter what crazy memories pop back into that head of yours, you're stuck with us. We're a package deal.)"
"Count on it," Julian grinned. "I'm not giving up my seat on this crazy train for anything."
To celebrate the "contract," Julian immediately reverted to form, dragging his face across Growlithe's shoulder.
"Woof? (Wait, does everyone else know about the memory thing?) swallow your pride, Jing. (Are we keeping this a secret from the rest of the team?)" Growlithe's chest mane tickled Julian's nose, making him sneeze.
"Well~ I actually had a heart-to-heart with Floette and Sylveon about it a while back when they started asking the 'difficult' questions," Julian admitted, his hand wandering to Growlithe's tail to give it a playful squeeze. "If they haven't leaked it to Togetic yet, then she and Carbink are probably the only ones still in the dark. But honestly, with the way Togetic reads emotions, she probably already suspects I'm a few berries short of a full basket."
"Woof... (You jerk... why was I the last to know?)" Growlithe struggled for a second, his paws pushing against Julian's chest. He looked genuinely offended, like he'd been left out of a very important group chat.
"Hey, hey! It wasn't a conspiracy!" Julian laughed, catching one of the frantically scrambling paws and gently squeezing the soft pad in his palm. "I didn't hide it. You know where I keep my photo logs. All the clues are written right there on the back of the pictures. If you'd looked and then asked, I would've spilled the beans instantly. Just like I'm doing now."
Growlithe shot a sideways glance at Julian, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Woof~ (Is that right? So there's nothing else? No more 'secret logs' or hidden hobbies tucked away in that backpack of yours?)"
"Cross my heart! There's nothing left to hide. When have I ever kept a secret from my best partners?" Julian's voice was as smooth as silk, but his hands were suspiciously busy rubbing Growlithe's paws.
"Woof woof... (Hmph. Your track record for 'full disclosure' hasn't exactly been stellar this week, Mr. Secret-Petter.)" (￢_￢)
"Oh, come on! That was a unique circumstance! I've explained that to death," Julian said, feeling a familiar twinge of awkwardness. "Besides that one 'minor' detail, I've been an open book!"
"Woof~ (Oh, really?)" Growlithe's tail began to tap a slow, rhythmic beat against Julian's leg. "(Because based on what Togetic was gossiping about and those notes you wrote back in Veilstone... if I'm not mistaken, we weren't even the first ones you confessed your 'fluff obsession' to. It was that Lucario at the Gym, wasn't it?)"
Julian's breath hitched. He felt his face heat up until it felt like it was going to glow in the dark. His fingers began to nervously poke at each other, his "Cool Trainer" facade crumbling like dry sand.
"Uh... well... look... that was an accident!" Julian stammered, his voice climbing an octave. "We were doing Aura synchronization! How was I supposed to know he'd reach into my subconscious and find my 'Happy Place'? It's not my fault his mental barriers were as thin as paper! And... and if he hadn't forced me to confront it, I might never have worked up the courage to tell you guys!"
Growlithe didn't turn around. He just kept his head tilted away, his ears swiveling to catch Julian's frantic excuses. "Woof~ (So... did you rub him too?)"
"Th—that... well, yes," Julian's voice became a tiny, guilty squeak. "But in my defense, he was the one who suggested it! He said it would help ground my Aura! It was purely for training purposes!"
"Woof! (Was his fur better than mine?!)"
"It was... it was very high-density... very sleek..."
Julian was now in full "confession" mode, answering every bark with a desperate honesty as if he were on trial.
"Woof woof! (So?! Who's more comfortable?! Me or the blue jackal?!)"
"I can't compare them! It's like comparing Oran berries to Sitrus berries!" Julian blurted out, his brain completely short-circuiting. "Every Pokémon has their own unique texture profile! Your fur is... well, it's a bit stiffer, but it radiates this amazing Fire-type warmth that feels like a sunbath, whereas his was more of an athletic, short-pile feel that—"
He stopped. The silence in the room was deafening.
Julian realized, too late, that he had just analyzed his partner's fur like he was reviewing a luxury carpet.
Before he could offer a single "Wait, let me rephrase," Growlithe spun around with a growl and clamped his jaws onto Julian's hand in a lightning-fast 'Bite.'
"Woof woof! (Lesson! One! Hmph! That's for keeping secrets! And for running off to rub strangers before your own team!)"
"Ow! Ow! Okay! Message received!" Julian didn't even try to pull his hand away, despite the damp pressure. "I promise! From now on, you get the first look at everything! No more 'Outside Pokémon' until the home team is satisfied! Just ask and I'll tell you, I swear!"
"Woof~! (Hmph! You better! If I catch you sniffing a Riolu behind my back, there will be consequences!)" Growlithe increased the pressure slightly, letting out a soft, playful rumble from his throat.
"I hear you! I hear you! Let go, buddy! Your teeth are sharp, and honestly, every fur type is different! I can't help being a connoisseur!"
"Fly-ah! (Hmph. Serves you right. I should have bitten you too for making us the 'Second-Tier' confidants.)"
Julian's head snapped toward the sound.
Sylveon was sitting gracefully by the edge of the bed, her ribbons curled neatly around her paws. Next to her, Floette was perched on a lamp, her blue flower glowing softly. Carbink was nestled in the shadows of a corner chair, her sapphire eyes wide, and Togetic—who had supposedly been asleep for ten minutes—was hovering near the ceiling with a grin that could light up the ruins of Celestic Town.
Julian froze, his hand still firmly held in Growlithe's mouth.
"When... when did you all wake up?"