The taxi’s door slid shut, and Hakuba allowed herself to relax.

  Truth be told, she had never expected a train ride to be stressful. Most of the time, it was far better than air travel. With a train, you didn’t need to get to the station two hours early, go through all that security theater, and then “hurry up and wait” at the platform.

  Best of all, when you arrived at the destination printed on your ticket, you were usually a lot closer to wherever you truly wanted to go. The amount of land airports use is staggering when you really think about it.

  The Zoroark leaned against her seat and sighed. A Delphox extended its paw for her, but she didn’t take it.

  “What’s wrong, Hakuba?” a soft voice asked her. It didn’t take a genius to know who that tone belonged to; the taxi driver didn’t speak at all.

  “Nothing,” the Zoroark sighed. “I’m just a little…overwhelmed, that’s all.”

  “That doesn’t sound like it’s nothing,” the Delphox responded quietly. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?”

  “I’m fine.”

  The taxi kicked into gear and slowly pulled its way out of the station. For as small a town as Verity was, the train station sure got crowded.

  Of course it is. This isn’t how I imagined this trip going, but I should have known there’d be other Pokémon here!

  “When I’m with you,” Hakuba announced, “I don’t need an illusion to be happy.”

  Thresher snorted. “Yes, that’s exactly right. I try to be the best partner I can be.”

  “You are,” the Zoroark quickly replied. “I’m grateful every day to have you.”

  They drove along the lake’s edge, a great expanse of glacial water that had been carved from the nearby mountains countless millennia ago. Hakuba glanced out at the lake’s visitors, many of whom were engaged in any number of water sports. (No, not that sort of water sports.) Still other Pokémon laid on the beach or on one of the lakeside park’s benches. The springtime sun shone gently onto said lake as well, providing warmth.

  I don’t need an illusion to be happy. In fact, at a moment like this, I need an illusion to be sad.

  Sure enough, the principle known as “Murphy’s Law” came into play here. Anything that could go wrong, would go wrong.

  Hakuba’s eyes slammed shut, taking her away from the view of the lake and into a scene synonymous with stress. A desk and chair within a small cubicle, as well as a veritable mountain of paperwork. Liability waivers, filming permits, equipment loans…everything one needed to sign to operate her business. Really, any such business took lots of paperwork, because that’s inherent to the industry.

  No. I can’t think about that. I’m not going to work today. All these responsibilities can just stay away for all I care!

  Thresher caressed Hakuba’s shoulder with his right paw. That’s what snapped the Zoroark back to reality.

  “Dreaming about work, aren’t you?”

  Hakuba sighed. “You know me well, don’t you?”

  “Well, I should hope so,” Thresher remarked. “Especially given what we’re about to do.”

  “True.”

  “But really, Hakuba - you can’t let your mind wander through what will happen once this vacation’s over. We have several days here - several meaning seven.”

  “Several means seven, not four” the Zoroark muttered. “You love that joke, don’t you?”

  “Hey, you need some levity every once in a while” Thresher replied, casting a long look at a mountain on the other side of the lake. Said mountain was capped with snow even in May. (Of course, the mountains surrounding their hometown had even more snow. Too bad you couldn’t see them very well from the city center).

  “What joke’s next?” Hakuba wondered aloud.

  The Zoroark estimated that they’d climbed a hundred vertical feet before the Delphox finally replied.

  “Why did the baker rob a bank?”

  “I don’t know. Why?” Hakuba asked.

  “He needed the dough.”

  Hakuba snorted mockingly. “Could you really not come up with anything better than that?”

  “Again, Hakuba, I’m nervous just like you are. This is a big step for both of us.”

  “But that’s such a…it’s what the kids call a dad joke.”

  Then again, that’s what Hakuba had learned to tolerate during her decade with Thresher. When you hitched your wagon to someone like that, especially if the ultimate goal was to get hitched, you simply had to get used to their quips. And the Zoroark’s way of joking wasn’t annoying - it was just being Thresher.

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “Whatever,” Thresher muttered. “Anyway, we’re here.”

  The taxi pulled up at the edge of the parking lot. The hotel was at least ten stories tall, no doubt containing hundreds of rooms judging by its girth. And of course, no grand hotel would be complete without a stone gargoyle of a Braviary over its doorway.

  After Hakuba and Thresher got out of the taxi, the Delphox took both of their rolling suitcases from the driver. “Thank you,” he said.

  “You don’t need me to take one?” Hakuba inquired. “I can grab mine if you’d like.”

  “No, no, it’s completely fine,” Thresher insisted. “I’ve got both of us.”

  He’s so good to me. That’s what a good partner does.

  The entrance hall of the hotel contained a brilliant scarlet carpet with golden trim on the edges, not to mention a grand chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The front desk was manned by a Lucario wearing green earrings.

  “Good afternoon,” Thresher announced. “We’re here to check in.”

  The Lucario immediately sprang up from her seat. She’d been typing commands into the terminal for who knows what reason, but when Thresher spoke, she was instantly at attention.

  “Welcome to the Sasa Sanctuary!” the Lucario announced, her eyes sparkling with what might have been joy. “I know exactly who you two are!”

  Hakuba’s heart skipped a beat at that, but Thresher didn’t seem surprised at all.

  “Again, I would expect you to, given my position at the head of the Fur Conglomerate. They say that on another planet, some people wear fursuits to make themselves feel special like me.”

  As the other receptionist (an Umbreon wearing a necktie) rolled his eyes, the Lucario smiled. “I think the more relevant reason,” she offered, “is because you made a reservation here. Weddings are always a special occasion, so we tend to remember those guests the most acutely.”

  “Wonderful!” Thresh exclaimed. “Too bad this isn’t Lake Acuity, then.”

  “I hope that was a joke” the receptionist replied with a chuckle.

  “Of course it was. I joke a lot, you know. There’s just one thing I’m deadly serious about.”

  And what might that be?

  “That thing,” Thresher continued, “is that I’m madly in love with this woman, Hakuba Zoroark. And that’s why we’re getting married here.”

  “That, and I recommended this place to you,” the Lucario said. “Forgive me for the shameless plug.”

  “No offense taken. This place is just as amazing as I expected it would be. You’ve got enough dough to make thousands of delicious breakfast pastries.”

  That’s got a double meaning, doesn’t it?

  “Anyway,” the Lucario continued, “my name is Jade, and I want to go through the formalities first. Once you’ve checked in, you can have all the fun and relaxation you want. And believe me, there is a lot of fun and relaxation to be partaken in at the Sasa Sanctuary.”

  “Okay” Hakuba mumbled, but Thresher glanced at her with an expression that clearly said: I can handle this. Let me.

  “So you will be staying for six nights?” Jade asked.

  Thresher nodded. “Yes, and several days. Meaning seven.”

  Jade nodded. “You’ve got the penthouse suite on the twelfth floor. Beautiful views of the lake - as far as I’m concerned, there is only one way to get a better view of the lake than that. Besides hiking, that is.”

  “What would that be?” Hakuba piped up, prompting another odd look from Thresher.

  “Parasailing,” Jade explained. “You take off from the boat right next to each other. Sounds like the perfect romantic activity if I do say so myself. One of the best dates I can imagine.”

  Hakuba shivered.

  “We’ll think about it,” Thresher announced.

  “It’s free,” Jade replied. “Does that sweeten the deal?”

  “Maybe” Hakuba mumbled.

  “Anyway, you two have the penthouse suite. Breakfast is from 7 AM to 10 AM, and dinner is from 5 PM to 9 PM. There are several restaurants in town at which you can have lunch; I’ll give you two recommendations if you’d like them.”

  “I think we’ll find them ourselves” Thresher announced. “And by the way, did you say several restaurants?”

  Hakuba had to resist the urge to groan.

  Jade raised an eyebrow. “Yes. What about it?”

  “Where I’m from, several doesn’t mean four. It means seven. There had better be a different restaurant to eat at each day of our stay. It needs to be perfect for Hakuba.”

  It doesn’t need to be perfect, though. He just has to do the best he can. The thought is what matters, isn’t it?

  “Well, you’ll find plenty of places to eat,” Jade clarified. “You won’t lack for options here.”

  “Thank you,” Thresher told the Lucario. “We will not go hungry.”

  “Not even close. At any rate, here are your keys. If you lose one, there is a fee of 15 Poké to have it replaced. A nominal cost, to be sure, but I’d still rather that didn’t happen. So keep them close to you.”

  “Right.”

  “There is a sauna, a spa, and a fitness center at the Sasa Sanctuary. They’re all free at the point of service; they were included when you booked your room here. That’s true of every guest at our resort.”

  “Right.”

  “If you need anything from us, be it maintenance, room service, a map of town…don’t hesitate to ask.”

  “Right.”

  Wow. Can’t he think of anything more clever to say than “right”?

  “Very well. Your room is ready, so you can head up there whenever you wish. Alternatively, you can enjoy one of our massage treatments or walk around town.”

  As she and Thresher bade Jade goodbye for now, the Zoroark reflected on one of her earlier thoughts.

  I don’t need an illusion to be happy.

  For the most part, that still applied. Even so, whenever Hakuba blinked, she couldn’t help but picture that Lucario’s face.

  Jade had winked as she’d given Thresher their keys. It was like a freeze-frame gag in a movie; if your attention wavered for even a fraction of a second, you might miss it.

  Did the wink mean anything? Probably not. But Hakuba knew one fact very well; so well, in fact, that she made a living off of it.

  Not everything is as it appears.