The steam from the hot water had long since fogged up the bathroom mirror, but as Julian wiped a clear circle through the condensation, his reflection still told the same tragic, hilarious story. He leaned in close, poking at the skin of his forehead.
"Pfft... I look like I got into a fight with a stamp pad and lost," Julian muttered, tilting his head to examine the two distinct, flame-shaped paw prints branded onto his face. "I have to admit, Growlithe's precision is terrifying. If this was a tattoo, it'd actually be pretty sick... but as a temporary facial deformity? Not so much."
He reached for the digital camera sitting on the marble counter, clicking through the gallery. The photo Floette had snapped was crystal clear. It captured Julian in a state of absolute morning-after wreckage: hair looking like a Pidgeotto nest, eyes half-closed, and those bright red paw prints standing out against his pale skin like neon signs.
"Okay, I'll give it to her. Floette's got an eye for composition," he chuckled, his thumb hovering over the 'Delete' button before he hesitated. "Actually, forget it. I'm keeping this. But there is no way I'm letting a stranger at a photo lab see this. I'll wait until I get back to a private printer. This is blackmail material for my future self."
He turned back to the sink, splashing cold water on his face and scrubbing with a washcloth until his skin was raw. Five minutes later, the marks hadn't budged. They were deep, stubborn, and a testament to exactly how heavily Growlithe had been leaning on him during the night.
"Great. Just great," Julian sighed, dropping the cloth. "It looks like I'm a shut-in for the day. And those guys out there are still laughing... do they really think I can't hear them through the door? The 'Aura of Mockery' is practically leaking through the keyhole."
The bathroom door creaked open with a weary Clang, and the sudden silence that fell over the room was louder than the laughter that preceded it. Julian stepped out, his hair finally tamed into its usual style and his face scrubbed clean of drool and stray fur. However, the twin red paw prints on his forehead and left cheek remained defiantly in place, looking like a pair of festive tribal markings.
The five little ones—Sylveon, Growlithe, Floette, Togetic, and Carbink—were all lined up on the bed. Their shoulders were shaking, and muffled snorts were escaping from at least three of them.
"Hmph. Go ahead, get it out of your systems," Julian grumbled, tossing the camera onto the desk. "But since you all think my misery is so entertaining, I've decided on a little 'group correction.' It's already past noon, so breakfast and lunch are officially merged. And since I'm too 'distinguished' to be seen by the hotel staff, I'm not ordering room service or cooking. You're all on a strictly Pokéblock diet today."
The laughter died instantly, replaced by a collective gasp of horror.
"Woof~? (Wait, what? No bacon? No scrambled eggs?)"
Growlithe was the first to react. He scrambled off the bed and skidded across the floor to Julian's feet. His big, bushy tail began to wag with frantic, desperate energy, and he started rubbing his head against Julian's thigh, letting out a series of high-pitched, pathetic whines that would have melted a heart of stone.
But Julian was feeling petty. He looked down at the orange fluff-ball, then pointed significantly at the red mark on his own cheek.
"Don't 'woof' at me, you traitor. You're the primary architect of this ghostly brand on my face. Missing one gourmet meal is a light sentence. Consider yourselves lucky I don't make you wear matching hats."
Growlithe's ears hit the floor. His tail, which had been a blur of motion a second ago, went completely limp, dragging behind him like a wet mop as he slunk back to his food bowl with his head hanging low.
"Honestly, look at you," Julian sighed, his resolve already crumbling at the sight of the 'wilted' puppy. "Fine! You won't starve. I'll make sure dinner is a five-star event—I'll even break out those smoked bone sticks you like. But there's a catch. You guys are training on your own this afternoon. I am not stepping foot outside until these marks fade."
He squatted down, giving Growlithe's ears a final, firm rub. The puppy looked up, his eyes widening with hope. "Woof! (Wait, dinner is back on? And the bone sticks?!)"
"Yes, but you have to earn it," Julian warned, poking the tip of Growlithe's nose. "You're heading to the battleground behind the hotel. I'll be watching from the window, so don't even think about slacking off. And Growlithe? I just washed my face. If you lick me again, the bone sticks go back in the pantry."
Growlithe ignored the threat entirely, delivering a giant, wet lick right across the paw print on Julian's forehead before barking happily and jumping toward the door.
"You rascal! I literally just did that!" Julian wiped his forehead, shaking his head with a helpless grin. He stood up and began the ritual of filling five separate bowls with specialized Pokéblocks.
"Flo-flo! (Hey, Boss! If we're stuck with dry food, can you at least top mine off? I feel like my stomach is touching my spine after that long nap~)" Floette buzzed over, tapping the rim of her bowl.
"You're a bottomless pit," Julian muttered, but he added an extra scoop of the honey-coated minerals she loved. "And you, Carbink—how's the new batch? I'm still tweaking the calcium-to-zinc ratio for your diamonds."
"Mishimishi~ (It's like eating crunchy starlight! So much better than the nursery stuff~)" Carbink chirped, her rocky body glowing with contentment.
"Syl-syl! (I'm feeling a bit neglected here, Julian. Where's my flavor upgrade?)" Sylveon tapped her bowl with a ribbon, looking pointedly at the others.
Julian rolled his eyes. "Neglected? Sylveon, I've gone through over two hundred iterations of your formula since you were an Eevee. We literally found the 'Perfect Version' last month, and then I made fifty more just to be sure, and you still told me the old one was better!"
"Syl-syl~ (That was last month. I'm a developing girl! My palate has evolved!)"
"Alright, alright! I'll spend the afternoon in the mini-lab improving everyone's flavors," Julian threw his hands up in mock surrender. "Togetic? You too? Don't even look at me like that."
"Jia-gei! (I didn't say anything! But since you're offering...)"
"I get it! I'm a full-time chef and part-time chemist," Julian laughed. He reached into his bag and pulled out a sheet of paper covered in dense, neat handwriting. "Listen up. This is the plan. I want you guys to take Carbink through the defensive rotations we practiced in the ruins. Focus on her Iron Defense timing. Floette, you're on 'Safety Monitor' duty. Togetic, if anything weird happens—other Trainers, wild Pokémon, or a sudden change in weather—you fly back up here and get me immediately. Got it?"
He handed the paper to Sylveon, who expertly wrapped a ribbon around it.
"Growlithe, Sylveon—you two are the veterans today. Keep the little ones in line. No picking fights, no showing off. Just solid, repetitive drills. I'll be right here at the window with my binoculars and a fresh batch of snacks."
"Woof! (Consider it done, Boss!)"
"Fly ah! (We'll have her acting like a fortress by teatime!)"
Julian walked them to the door, still feeling like a nervous parent on the first day of school. "And remember! If a stranger approaches, don't—"
"Jia-gei-gu~ (Jing... we're going to a fenced-in yard thirty feet below your window. You can literally hear us bark from here. You need to breathe,)" Togetic interrupted, hovering at eye-level with a sympathetic smile.
Julian paused, his hand on the doorknob. "Right. Sorry. I guess I'm just used to being right there with you."
"Flo-flo! (It takes me ten seconds to fly back up here. If Growlithe trips over his own paws, you'll be the first to know,)" Floette teased.
"Woof! (Hey! I am a majestic beast of the field!)"
"Alright, get out of here, you circus acts," Julian chuckled, shooing them into the hallway. "I'll have a feast waiting for you when you're done. Don't make me come down there with this face!"
The door closed with a click, leaving Julian alone in the quiet hotel room. He stood there for a moment, listening to the patter of paws and the flutter of wings fading down the hall.
Outside, the hallway was quiet as the five Pokémon made their way toward the elevator. Sylveon led the pack, the training plan held firmly in her ribbon like a sacred scroll.
"Syl-syl... (Man, Julian has gotten really chatty lately, hasn't he?)" she mumbled, her ribbons twitching.
"Jia-gei~ (It's his first time letting us go solo since the 'incident,')" Togetic noted, drifting alongside her. "(He's just transferring all that pent-up worry into nagging. It's actually kind of sweet.)"
"Flo-flo~ (Sweet? He threatened my nectar! That's psychological warfare!)"
"Woof! (He's just looking out for us,)" Growlithe barked, his tail giving a single, sturdy wag. "(Think about how he was a week ago—quiet, stiff, keeping everything inside. I'd rather have a naggy Julian with paw prints on his face than the guy who was afraid to touch his own team.)"
The group stopped at the back entrance of the hotel, looking out at the sun-drenched battleground. It was a simple dirt lot with a few practice targets, but to them, it was the first stage of their new journey.
Sylveon looked back at the others, her eyes sparkling with a newfound intensity. "Syl-syl! (Growlithe's right. He's doing his part up there—let's make sure we do ours down here. No slacking! We're going to show him exactly how much we've grown.)"
"Mishimishi! (Training! Training!)" Carbink bounced excitedly, her rocky body clacking against the pavement.
"Jia-gei! (That's the spirit! Carbink, you're with me—let's see if we can get those diamonds to shine!)"
As the team fanned out across the field, Julian watched from the third-story window, a pair of binoculars in one hand and a bowl of mixing ingredients in the other. He saw Sylveon gesturing with her ribbons, Growlithe taking up a coaching stance, and the younger two beginning their drills.
A small, proud smile spread across his marked face. The "Traveling Circus" was finally finding its rhythm, and for the first time, Julian realized that being a partner didn't always mean leading from the front—sometimes, it meant trusting them to carry the light on their own.