#REALLY UPSET ABOUT THAT BY THE WAY he was the first pokemon i caught besides my starter so i was getting attached

[zosonils]

pokemon likers should i pick bulbasaur or charmander for my pokemon y nuzlocke

bulbasaur pros: tanks hits well and hits back hard, mega venusaur does both even better and is possibly the single best thick fat haver, gets good status moves for catching new pokemon or cheesing particularly scary battles, evolves a few levels earlier than other starters which is huge given that i'm enforcing level caps

bulbasaur cons: plenty of other good grass and/or poison types in kalos, typing comes with a lot of weaknesses that might make it hard to get all the way to venusaurhood without dying, pretty much only gets earthquake as coverage which severely limits its options

charmander pros: hits like a fucking truck, mega zard y hits like a fucking NUKE, gets a ton of good coverage moves via tm so it'd be able to fill in for teammates who died in a pinch, easily one of the best fire types in kalos, can learn fly for convenience

charmander cons: frail as all hell and is just barely too slow to completely make up for it with glass cannon speed, drought from mega zard y could be detrimental to teammates who are weak to fire or rely on water type moves, will suffer from it a lot more if i'm unlucky and get a bad nature

[darkfrost-star]

As the OP who originally made this post, I feel like I have the right to make a response to this.

Ok, first of all, you point out how it's possible that the reason that Green and Leaf have overlapping quirks and personality similarities to how they were both raised in Pallet Town; but if that were the case, why don't Red and Blue share some of the same quirks and traits as well? Why is it that Red is quiet and stoic rather than cheerful and enthusiastic? Why is Blue cocky and a bit full of himself, rather than being more quirky and clingy to his pokemon the same way Green/Leaf is?

Also, as revealed in Evolutions, Green wasn't just doing that Mewtwo catching mission for herself; she was also doing it for Professor Oak as well. That's why she got so upset when Chase/Elaine caught Mewtwo before her, because she thought they were some random trainer catching such an elusive and valuable mon all for themselves, rather than catching if for the sake of helping an elder professor and mentor figure complete his studies.

Green also showed sorrow and remorse for letting Professor Oak down when she got back to the lab, showing that her ego was a bit bruised as well. Her annoyance and jealousy also quickly faded away as soon as she found out that Elaine is actually a dex holder just like her.

Besides, Green also shows some acts of selflessness too; like when she gives not one, but two mega stones for Mewtwo to Chase/Elaine, even though they took away her opportunity to catch said mon in the first place. Not to mention she saves Trace from being attacked by zubats even though she was competing against him to get Mewtwo, and she tried to shield her Blastoise from the final blow from Mewtwo when fighting Elaine, a la Ash Ketchum style!

I think the reason why she didn't ask Valerie to become her pokemon specifically is because Valerie really didn't have anything that she wanted or needed. Valerie is just some fairy type gym leader from Kalos who’s relatively unrelated to Leaf’s goals in Masters. It would be pointless to ask her to become her pokemon because of that.

“but Leaf was had been previously established to have caught a Clefairy in Mt. Moon” I honestly still don't get this argument simply for one reason: wouldn't have Green also caught hers at Mt Moon too? She had to have gotten it from somewhere, after all.

From what I have seen, the dialogue scenes between the trainers and their Pokemon partners during said event were written in a way so that the dialogue would tie in with the Trainers’ character or experiences in the mainline games in some way.

Like with Grimsley for example, he's a goth so his dialogue with his clefairy partner is about how he likes the strong connection the species has to the moon. Or, for a much closer comparison, Ethan mentions his own Togepi that he gets in the mainline games during the event as well.

I think this is the same case with Green/Leaf. Leaf mentions catching clefairy/clefable during that event because her LGPE counterpart Green has one, and that's the location where she caught it.

Not only that, but Leaf specifically saying that she "used to look all over Mt Moon hoping to find one (a clefairy)" also matches with Green's characterization of being passionate about hunting down and capturing pokemon, especially rare ones.

“And we can’t count her future Mix pair with Blastoise either, since it’s going to Dynamax instead of Mega Evolve, which Green’s Blastoise will almost certainly do.” That's because Dena decided that the kantrio’s starters from the remake timeline will mega evolve instead of their classic timeline ones as shown in LGPE. Since they still want the classic ones to have some kind of special treatment, they give them the ability to dynamax instead; an ability that's similar to mega evolution. That doesn't make it any less of a reference to what the kantrio's starters are in the Classic/LGPE timelines because Red’s Venusaur and Blue’s Charizard also mega evolved instead of being dynamaxed in the LGPE games as well.

So someone on Reddit posted a list of personality similarities between Green as she appears in Let’s Go and Leaf as she appears in Masters, posted here for reference:

EDIT: Should probably credit OP. reddit.com/u/Loose_Balance_9822

And I get they were focusing on similarities, but the fact is, Leaf and Green have one key personality difference that separates them as characters: Leaf’s selflessness versus Green’s selfishness. It’s likely that the girls were raised together in Pallet Town, so they’d have some inherent shared quirks, but Leaf tends to lean towards protectiveness, as opposed to Green’s possessiveness. Leaf’s ego was bruised because she lost to Snorlax, so that’s where her jealousy at Red catching it comes from. Meanwhile, Green picked a fight with Chase/Elaine the instant she heard they caught Mewtwo. Also, Leaf encouraged Valerie’s desire to become a Pokemon with no ulterior motive behind it, but if she were played true to Green’s Let’s Go portrayal, she’d probably ask Valerie to become HER Pokemon on top of everything else going on in that particular chapter. And people like to point to Lodge Leaf having a Clefable, but Leaf was had been previously established to have caught a Clefairy in Mt. Moon, giving her an actual Pokemon to use for the Lodge, since protags don’t generally have set team members. And we can’t count her future Mix pair with Blastoise either, since it’s going to Dynamax instead of Mega Evolve, which Green’s Blastoise will almost certainly do.

[imjeralee]

Comfort in Despair: Chapter 25 - The Exorcist

Leon x F!Reader

Disclaimer: Do not own Pokemon

Summary:

Galar is rich in folklore and tales of the supernatural.

As a Pokemon Researcher who specialises in ghost types, this is a great opportunity for you to investigate and learn more about the paranormal.

Along the way, you meet Leon (in the most awkward way possible) who becomes embroiled in your adventures.

^ Basically this story is about ghosts :/

NOTE: ok so Genshin Impact has consumed my soul and I updated this on Tumblr a bit late sorry!!! There’s several warnings here to be shared with you all:

WARNING 1 - this chapter contains a real exorcism prayer and you should not read this prayer out loud unless you are a catholic priest.

WARNING 2 - I've never used an ouija board and I don’t plan to. You’re welcome to share with me your ouija board stories if you have tried one before but I myself don't know if they're just board games or really a gateway to let things in. Anyway people say exercise with caution so please do so should you ever decide to use one for whatever reason.

WARNING 3 - there is mention of blood, I toned down the exorcism here

Rating: General/Teen

@marydragneell​ here is the latest update

The Exorcist

…

…

[Legend of the Void:

(Ezra's version, which introduces concepts such as the merging of two universes to explain the origins of man + pokemon subservience to humans)

Before the concept of time existed, before anything existed, there was Something, and you may as well say this 'something' was a god, a divine being or interdimensional entity, and this entity created a Universe under the right circumstances and conditions, and he would proceed to create humans.

And for a while, the Creator of Man was happy until he saw the evil ways of humanity and he saw this evil run rampant in his world. Regretful and upset, he decided to destroy the very thing he created with a flood.

However, the Creator of Man didn't choose to restore this world. After he destroyed it, he left and found another Universe - a Universe that was similar to his own, except it was inhabited by strange creatures which we know as pokemon. Now they already had a creator, and their creator was called Arceus, who emerged from a void after our Creator did. And our Creator saw that this Universe was just as peaceful and beautiful as his previous one.

He decided to give his creations a second chance so he made humans all over again and placed them in this world. But mankind are a destructive species, the human heart is filled with evil intention and it always will be, and the humans began creating devices to enslave the pokemon race in order to utilise them as tools.

My notes: According to the Church of Circhester, this 'version' is completely unorthodox. It is 'baseless fabrication and blasphemy' and Ezra was condemned as a misanthrope.

Sometimes I wonder where Ezra gets his theories from because this is highly controversial. It's fascinating that to this day and age, scientists are actually still trying to figure who caught the first pokemon, what was the first pokemon caught, and why (ie, how did early humans gain this knowledge, who told them and/or did anyone tell them, what prompted them to capture a pokemon?), and how did they manage to do so in the first place.

Could the discovery of catching pokemon be similar to coincidences that happened throughout history, such as how cavemen discovered fire, how Newton discovered gravity?

(edit: there is a myth that Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to humans. For his transgression, he was to undergo eternal torment as punishment - ie, bound to a rock and have his liver eaten out everyday, only for it to re-grow hence an ongoing cycle. He was freed by the hero, Heracles).

Interestingly enough, flood myth also exists in many cultures albeit with different variations (pls refer to: The Epic of Gilgamesh).

Also, I'm pretty sure Team Plasma advocated that pokemon were oppressed and should be liberated from their trainers but then again they were also being led by a psychopath with his own selfish motives.]

…

…

A few years ago.

The weather is thunder and lightning, coupled with intense spitting rain.

And he was sure he locked the cemetery gates before he left but now they were hanging loosely from the chain.

Ezra grumbles to himself, eyes narrowing.

It can only mean one thing: an intruder.

The rickety gates squeal on their old hinges as he pushes them open and steps inside. His heavy footsteps plod through the old, withered path of Greyson’s cemetery as he heads for the mausoleum. That’s usually where they are.

Absol trots beside him, her jaws clamped over the tarnished iron handle of an old lantern; she keeps it dangling in front of her, lighting up the path though it’s not much use to him. He lives in a world of darkness, and he's used to it.

It should have been a normal night, which would have been nice because he wanted some peace and quiet for a change considering how busy he had been for the past few weeks. He wanted to be alone with his thoughts and he wanted to enjoy a pack of beer and cigarettes.

Not tonight, it seems.

He will tell those pesky young lads to go play elsewhere.

But wait, it’s something else.

Absol has been somewhat agitated the moment they approach the cemetery, but now she cannot stop growling.

“What is it?” he asks, but it doesn’t take too long to figure out what it is. “Goddamnit.”

This is just what he needed.

He delves a hand into his pocket and whips out a thin strip of paper covered in sprawling red symbols. Bringing it to his lips, he murmurs a quick enchantment under his breath before it bursts into flames and a smoky smell permeates the air. A bright, glowing light illuminates the symbols and he promptly tosses it high into the air.

Despite the wind, it flutters limply in the breeze for a second and then the impossible happens; the glowing symbols daintily lift themselves off the surface and float in the sky. They thoroughly increase in size, the symbols imprinting the air before they vanish into wisps of smoke.

The talisman proceeds to burn up and all that is left is a crinkly ball of fire which bursts into long and thin lines of flames that zips effortlessly through the air and stretches all the way past the graveyard’s borders.

“That should do it,” Ezra murmurs before he rubs at his aching hip. “C'mon, let’s go.”

He wanders further into the graveyard with his pokemon, pondering to himself what he might find though he is aware the answer to that is essentially nothing remotely good and along the way, a few ghost pokemon emerge from the tombstones and watch them worriedly.

They’re aware of the disturbance tonight but can do little to stop it, unfortunately as it requires human intervention, and is literally out of this world.

A few Haunters point him to the right direction but he doesn’t need their help because he can sense where this unwanted and hauntingly powerful presence is. He may have lived in darkness for a long time but he can see it as clear as day: a twisting, coiling mass filled with nothing but malice.

It is also not alone for Ezra can also sense another human being; a warm and kind but very tired and exasperated soul, about to be devoured.

He hopes they’re not too late and Absol leaves his side and he can hear her padded paws bounding away from him against the pebbly path; she leaps off the ground and snaps her jaws at this person.

There is a brief howl and something weighty slams over the ground.

Absol has subdued the culprit.

Ezra arrives and his hip is still acting up but nevertheless, he limps over and he sees this little warm and pure soul squirming helplessly on the ground as it is slowly being enveloped by the dark presence.

Whoever it is, they cannot even speak, reduced to a gurgling, rasping mess.

He uses his foot to nudge at this poor, unfortunate individual that is writhing helplessly on the floor of his cemetery though he knocks over this thick, wooden plate of some sorts at the same time and there is the sound of a glass rolling.

An Ouija board.

“Help!” a girl screams. “Oh god! Help- aaaghh!”

Morbid wailing follows as she’s forced to contort under the demon’s influence and a few bones snap and she begins crying but the sound lodges in her mouth and she emits a guttural rasp, her throat rattling violently.

The old ex-priest grabs a talisman from his pocket and smacks it over her forehead which ceases her violent fits for temporary.

“Hey, kid. Sit tight, I’m gonna get it out, you hear me?”

“O-okay!” she squeaks, and though he’s surprised she can even respond, she returns to the incoherent snarling and growling. As he tries to grab her, she makes several routine attempts to bite him.

Avoiding her as much as possible, Ezra bends down and lifts her into his arms with the help of his pokemon who helps nudge her into his arms.

“Steady now,” he says as he carries her into the mausoleum, which isn’t too far ahead.

He hears her croaking and choking, fighting the entity within as he settles her into the huge stone chair inside. Absol closes the door behind them and then trots over with a thick coil of rope which she collects from one corner.

He thanks her and begins strapping the girl carefully and securely into the chair with rope, keeping her wrists and ankles bound as she kicks and flails, hurling curses and obscenities at him, screaming and roaring and shrieking in a feral manner.

His pokemon stands watch as the girl starts slamming the back of her head against the stone, growling raucously.

But Ezra remains calm and lights various rows of candles that line the walls, pulls his silver cross out and clutches it tightly in his old hands and kneels in front of the altar, his weak knees hitting the dirt. Since his vision failed him, he hasn’t moved the statue or the water trough anywhere else.

He chants a prayer under his breath and dips his fingers into the water. God bless him. God save her soul. He does the sign of the cross and then heads over to the duo and blesses his pokemon as well, which she appreciates by purring affectionately.

Grabbing an old brush, he dips it into a bucket of old red paint in the corner and begins painting a sigil on the ground as quickly as he can around the chair.

Once he’s finished, he dumps the brush to the side. He moved to stand in front of the girl who has ceased her wild shrieking in favour of hissing spitefully at him.

“Be silent,” Ezra commands in a loud, booming voice, before he tosses some of the water over her.

And so it begins.

“In nómine Pátris, et Fílii, et Spirítus Sancti. Amen,” Ezra chants with his silver cross in hand which he proceeds to thrust in front of her face, “Exsúrgat Deus et dissipéntur inimíci ejus: et fúgiant qui odérunt eum a fácie ejus. Sicut déficit fumus defíciant; sicut fluit cera a fácie ígnis.”

Outside, the muffled clap of overhead thunder can be heard, the wind howling.

He continues, “Sic péreant peccatóres a fácie Dei-“

“If you think that will stop me, you’re wrong," says a deep voice.

Dabbing his entire hand into the trough of holy water, Ezra steps forward and smears it all over her forehead before he presses the rest of his palm firmly into her face. The demon shrieks and withdraws.

That’s what you get for interrupting me, Ezra thinks to himself but ultimately cannot say aloud: he must continue the exorcism prayer regardless of how long it could take.

“Júdica Dómine nocéntes me; expúgna impugnántes me. Confundántur et revereántur quaeréntes ánimam meam,” he murmurs, “Avertántur retrórsum et confundántur, cogitántes míhi mála. Fíant táamquam púlvis ante fáciem vénti: et Ángelus Dómini coárctans eos.”

The door suddenly flies open and the brutal, icy wind swirls inside, wiping out all the flames of the candles in a split second. Absol glances around in high alert but Ezra remains still. Raindrops batter his back as the door slams in its frame repeatedly.

The walls tremble from several wicked blows as though an unseen assailant is rampaging outside, circling the mausoleum whilst repeatedly slamming a hammer against the stone, yet Ezra remains calm.

“Fiat via illórum ténebrae, et lúbricum: et Ángelus Dómini pérsequens eos. Quóniam grátis abscondérunt míhi intéritum láquei sui: supervácue exprobravérunt ánimam meam.”

Realising the priest is undeterred, the monster unleashes an unearthly howl and a glass shatters somewhere. It’s bellows and roars reverberate throughout the walls and resonates thoroughly in Ezra’s ears.

Since he lost his sight, his hearing amplified; the shrill sounds of nails scraping against the stone and the chaotic tugging of the rope rises to inescapable volumes as the demon furiously struggles against its bonds.

Ezra continues his prayer, “Véniat illi láqueus quem ignórat; et cáptio quam abscóndit, aprehéndat eum: et in láqueum cádat in ipsum-”

He briefly picks up the coppery stench of blood and very soon, a wet substance splatters over his lips and cheeks and eyelids. It laughs, and another splodge hits the side of his ear.

Raising a hand, Ezra wordlessly smothers the blood away with the back of his hand. “Ánima áutem mea exsultábit in Dómino: et delectábitur super salutári suo. Glória Pátri, et Fílio, et Spirítui Sancto.”

Then he presses his cross over the demon’s head, forcing it to shriek uncontrollably. It kicks and screams, quaking fiercely against the restraints. He applies more pressure, the cross is warm under his grip and steadily growing hotter.

To his utmost surprise, the little warm light he had seen earlier is beginning to return and it is fighting back, growing larger and larger as the seconds pass.

“Come on, kid, I know you’re still in there. You can do it!” he yells.

She keeps growling and snarling, foaming at the mouth. Gnashing her teeth repeatedly, she emits a deranged howl, struggling viciously to reach him.

“Come on! Fight it!”

The walls of the mausoleum quake violently, the ground underneath his very feet trembles. Absol starts growling, leaping around in alarm.

Ezra listens to the excruciating sound of cords straining and eventually coming undone; her fist shoots out and her fingers, sharp as claws, stabs into his gut, and twists.

He grunts with pain, but does not let go.

Easing his other hand into his pockets, he pulls out another talisman; it glows faintly from the enchantment which he promptly slaps over her forehead and with a powerful bark of “Relinquo!", a dark shadow shoots out from her body and into the air with a bloodcurdling shriek.

Freed at last, the girl keels over, her head dipped low, blood gushing from her mouth.

And Ezra stumbles backwards, lifting a bleeding hand off his stomach. He sighs heavily before he feels his head growing light, his body weightless, and he promptly collapses over the floor.

…

When he wakes up, he can feel warmth all around.

He is lying on something soft.

A bed.

He has not slept in a bed for a long time.

It smells like lavender and jasmine.

He despises it.

"You're awake!" exclaims a voice.

It's the girl from the cemetery.

Purring sounds can be heard near his bed and he reaches over; a fluffy head affectionately plops itself under his palm and rubs itself against his callused skin. Ezra grunts under his breath, groaning as he shuffles around under the blanket and attempts to reach for her, though his limbs are weary.

“Cassie,” he utters, and Absol climbs onto the bed, sprawling over him. He gently pats her head and strokes her snowy white fur.

The room is silent until he hears the legs of a chair screeching against the floor and the girl does her best to quietly leave the room. She returns in roughly half an hour however, after he’s had a check-up.

By then, he’s exhausted and wants to rest.

He hears the door squeaking open and she pokes her head in, then steps inside the room and closes the door behind her.

“What are you doing here?" he asks tiredly.

"I needed to see that you'd be okay," she says, "I thought you were dead. I'm…I’m really sorry."

"It'll take more than that to kill me."

"Thank you for saving my life."

"As long as I'm around, nothing's gonna happen to you, kid."

"Thank you, sir. Um...Can I ask you a question?"

"About what?"

"About the...demon.”

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything. I want to know if it was the one who took my sister and my father. And if it was, I want to know why it did it and I want to get them back."

“Listen, kid. Don't dabble in stuff you don't understand, especially this."

"I know and I'm so, so sorry. But…can you teach me?"

His unfazed expression doesn't change.

"Please teach me.”

He hears the chair legs squeaking again coupled with a lot of fumbling; she’s flat on the ground before him on her hands and knees. How troublesome, he thinks to himself with a sigh.

"You want to learn how to exorcise demons?" he grunts.

"Yes."

“You?”

“Yeah.”

Utterly astounded, he takes a while to reply and rubs the back of his neck. "Do you hear the kind of stuff that is coming out of your mouth right now?" he growls and she looks up, confused. "You're saying something along the lines of 'I want to destroy a creation of the universe'. Do you know how impossible and crazy that sounds? Do you?"

"A creation of the universe? Are you talking about Arceus? Why would Arceus create something like that…do you mean it’s an undiscovered pokemon of undiscovered type???”

“Hell no. Goddamnit, kid, I mean it came before Arceus.”

“What do you mean, ‘before Arceus’? Arceus came from an egg and before the egg, it was a void of nothingness-“

He sighs heavily. “There was something before Arceus, before the void. You always explain one event as being created by some earlier event, right? So before Arceus, there was some kind of infinite period where time did not exist but during this period, there was something there…do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

“…Not really.”

“Exactly. You’re obviously still in shock and speaking nonsense. Go home, kid. Go back to your family.”

Yawning loudly, he pulls the blanket closer over his body and turns round in his warm and cosy bed, his back to her. He’s careful not to lie on his stomach though.

"But I'm serious," she says.

"So am I," he replies.

...

After he’s fully healed and discharged, he returns to the cemetery; the Corviknight taxi drops him off a few metres away and he taps his way across the Wild Area with Absol and his cane.

When he arrives, he realises the girl is also here.

At first, he ignored her and let her be. He did his daily caretaker duties, watering the plants, pulling weeds and sweeping the tombs.

He didn't know what she was doing here - she probably observed his daily regime - and one day she brought some cleaning supplies with her and began assisting him with the upkeep of the cemetery, especially with some of the heavy lifting.

Today, he’s forcibly awoken when he hears her sweeping the area around the mausoleum and shoving dust everywhere and he grumbles sourly under his breath. He had already told her a few times to go home but she keeps coming back. She keeps coming back to clean, to lurk around the graveyard, to help him.

“Stop that,” he snaps at her, “you’re disturbing them, and I already swept it yesterday.”

She stops dusting at some tombstones. “Sorry, I thought-”

Ezra grumbles, scrubbing at his mangy face with a dirty palm. Reaching for a beer by his calf, he grasps blindly for the can and lifts it to his mouth, downing a sip. “Get over here, kid.”

He hears her stepping towards him and he glances up, looking at this annoyingly bright light before him.

“You really wanna learn that badly, huh?”

“Yes, sir.”

“No need to be so formal, my name is Ezra.” With a heavy sigh, he dusts himself down and stands up, using his cane to support himself. “And I am…or was, the pastor of the Church of Circhester. I was also a member of the International Association of Exorcists. Do you understand who and what you’re dealing with?”

“Yes, sir – I mean, Ezra.”

“Now, tell me who you are and why I should teach you.”

He hears this little gasp of awe before she tells him her predicament. She tells him her name, who she is, where she came from, how old she is.

She rambles at some point and he has to occasionally steer her towards the focal details and periodically, she’ll become flustered, especially when speaking about the night when she saw her father and sister devoured by a Dusknoir. Once she’s finished recounting her tale, he nods.

“It was a demon, right?” she says, though she sounds unsure.

“Probably. Didn't your family have any pokemon?"

"...Sableye and Haunter went missing, and Cutiefly and Sinistea were in PC boxes," she says, "Please teach me. I want to learn."

He studies her quietly, then holds his index finger up in the air. “Fine, but I must warn you: my teachings are difficult and I’ve had several idiots coming up to me just like how you did and they’ve all failed-”

“I'm not an idiot and I won’t fail you.”

“-Yeah, let’s see about that, kid.” Holding up two fingers now, “Second, if I’m to teach you, I want you to swear to me you will take no retribution against Dusknoir. I don’t mind if you want to research one or whatever, but do not take your grudge with the pokemon. It’s nothing to do with it.”

“I understand.”

He moves on to hold up three fingers. “Third, that being said, you cannot use what you learned to harm humans or pokemon in any way. You must use it for good. I can tell you have a gift and under my guidance and training, I believe you will reach your full potential.”

“Okay.”

“Four, I will teach you with the utmost effort and I also expect to receive full commitment from yourself. I will not make do with time-wasters or mediocrity. Do you understand?”

“Yeah.”

“And lastly, promise me you will not in either way, attempt to summon entities for any reason. Do not use Ouija boards, do not dabble in sacrifice, do not try to open any portals. Hell, do not attempt any of those things.”

“I’m sorry, I won’t do it again.”

“Now, some of my teachings are limited. I can teach you how to protect yourself and protect others. Are you happy with this, knowing that there are limitations as to what I can teach you?”

“Yes, I am.”

Ezra studies her again before he nods to himself.

He’s said quite a lot but he knows she understands. “Good,” he murmurs.

“So…when do we start?”

“We start now.”

He disappears inside the mausoleum and re-emerges with a dirty rucksack; he pulls out a tattered old journal along with an old, portable cassette player which he hands to her.

“Your first task is to read this and listen to the tapes. Learn the symbols, learn the prayers. Come back whenever you’re ready and show me what you got.”

“Got it.”

She comes back in five days, which was a lot earlier than he had expected considering his previous ‘disciples’ either came back in a week or two, and some barely returned in person, opting to hand his book and tape back by leaving it at the gates.

He hears her approaching and sits up whilst Absol sleeps in a corner, and she says, “I finished it.”

“What did you think?”

“It was interesting.“

“...You didn’t think it was disturbing?”

“No.”

There is a brief silence.

“Hm…not sure if that’s a good or bad thing,” he murmurs under his breath.

The tapes were full of recorded exorcisms, consisting of unearthly screaming, howling and shrieking courtesy of the victims.

He says, “Recite Saint Michael’s prayer to me.”

She does so, with almost near-perfect pronunciation.

Ezra listens intently and nods when she’s finished. “Not bad. Now let’s hear Signum Crucis.”

“In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancta-“

“Sancti,” he corrects her.

“Sancti,” she repeats.

“Not bad. Again.”

She recites the short prayer once more, this time with no errors.

“Gloria Patri,” he grunts out next, grabbing his beer and flipping the lid off.

And they continue going through some prayers until it’s almost sunset and she’s a little exhausted and he’s finished his pack of beer.

“You did well, kid. Come back tomorrow.”

“Really???”

“Yeah.”

“Thank you!!”

“Don’t thank me yet. I’ll be testing you on the symbols and their meanings. Then there’s a final test.”

“Okay!” she exclaims excitedly, and after exchanging some short words, she bids him farewell and he hears her leaving, her footsteps echoing loudly in the quiet graveyard.

The next day, she returns and passes the symbols assessment with flying colours as he had expected considering how quickly she’d picked up the Latin prayers.

And the next day after that, he teaches her how to use talismans.

As the weeks roll by, he continuously subjects her to tests on latin prayers and symbology. Then he teaches her some blood magic.

Soon, weeks turns to months, and she’s picked up a lot of his teachings in a short period of time, which impresses him greatly.

She begins to accompany him on exorcisms which undoubtedly at the beginning, does disturb her a little but the more she sat in and watched (and sometimes assisted with), the more she began to see such things as a normality and he also allows her to work on her own cases albeit under some guidance.

Before he knows it, he has transformed this little girl into an exorcist.

“Well done, kid. You’ve exceeded all my expectations. I’m proud of you," he says with a nod of his head.

She cheers, but then remembering her tutelage, she bows deeply with gratitude, eyes closed. “Thank you, Ezra. I wouldn’t be where I am now if it weren’t for you,” she replies, “what’s the final test?”

“Final test?”

“Yeah, you mentioned it a while ago.”

“….Hm, so I did,” he says, before he gets off the steps, dusting at his palms and weak knees. “Let me show you something. Come on, Absol.”

He motions her to follow him and he heads to two marked graves near a statue of a weeping angel which is covered in a sparse layer of moss.

She joins his side and she scans the names etched on the stone. One name in particular stands out. “Cassie??” she murmurs, before she casts a glance to the pokemon that stands by his side.

Absol looks up, and regards her with its steely blue eyes.

“My wife and daughter,” Ezra murmurs, his white gaze staring emptily into space. “This is a dark path. There will always be death. This is my final warning to you: if you choose to walk this path, be prepared to lose everything. Is this something you can do?”

There is a brief silence until she says, “Yes.”

Ezra hesitates; she observes him for any noticeable reaction but he is immobile, standing stiffly with his hands clasped together in front of him.

“...Very well," he utters. "Come with me.”

“Where to?”

“You’ll see when we get there.”

He hasn’t left the cemetery other for reasons than to go to the soup kitchen or to buy his beer and cigarettes, so he asks her to call for a Corviknight taxi since he doesn’t have a Rotom phone.

When the taxi arrives, he asks the driver to take them to the Dusty Bowl and they’re dropped off at the outskirts.

“Why are we here?” she asks, but he ignores her and begins to head for the desolate path.

She trails after him and despite being blind, she’s stunned to see that he seems to be aware a great deal of where he’s going. A sandstorm begins to rage but Ezra is unaffected and continues to wander down the plains, using his cane to avoid any obstacles such as rocks, trees or tall grass. Whilst she tries to cover her eyes, blinking through sand and grit, she helps him along the way of course, but he doesn’t seem to require her assistance at all.

Occasionally, wild pokemon will peek at them from behind the dry and crusty grass but they don’t dare to approach.

She glances around with much wariness as he leads her further and further away from the winding path, the barren wastelands, the dead trees and soon, he has led her into oblivion.

The sandstorm worsens and as she looks left, right and up, she cannot see a single damn thing in front of her; if she did not keep her gaze pinned on the ghostly silhouette of her mentor tottering in front of her a short feet away, she was certain she would have lost her way.

“Ezra, be careful!” she yells above the loud winds and the whirling sands.

“I’ll be fine,” he says, though his voice is hard to hear.

Her nerves begins to eat at her and they’ve been walking for seems like an eternity and she isn’t even sure if they’re still in the Dusty Bowl or the gym challenger’s path anymore, perhaps they’ve moved onto the Giant’s Mirror or the Stony Wilderness, but the sandstorm is endless and she calls after him once more.

“Ezra, where are you taking me?”

“Keep moving, we’re almost there,” he grunts at her in response.

Her question is finally answered when he stops in his path and grows still, holding out his arm.

“Wait.”

She watches him, listening, but nothing happens.

“Okay, come over here.”

There is a bad feeling in her gut as she sidles up to him and to her utmost surprise, the sandstorm begins to subside, revealing a large cenote before them.

Her eyes widen.

He’s standing at the very edge, his foot shoving some rocks and dust into the large pit before them; if he had taken one step further, he would’ve fallen inside. She looks around in shock. The sandstorm had disappeared in a blink of an eye, instead it had been replaced with a lingering misty fog that surrounded them. She knew the Wild Area was erratic but this weather was abnormal to the extreme.

Her shocked gaze strays to the blind man. His glazed eyes are focused in front of him, oblivious to the deep.

“I want you to go in there,” he says.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes,” he mutters. “You can take the stairs.”

He nudges his head to the right where a spiralling ‘staircase’ consisting of huge, mismatched slabs of rocks sticking out from the walls of the pit appear to offer a way down inside.

“Do you wish to turn back?” he asks, sensing her hesitation.

“No.”

“I’ll be right behind you.”

She nods and steps towards the first rock, which is dusty and covered with yellowing grass, and she uses one foot to test out the footing, giving it a few stern prods with her toes. The rock seems stubborn enough and once she deems it safe, she makes her way down.

It’s steep and she carefully tackles each step one by one, having to hold onto some dry vines that dangle and stick out of the edges of the wall until she arrives at the bottom of the pit.

Looking up and around, the sky is painted a strange and ethereal purplish, blue glow… perhaps from the aurora borealis, though she’s never seen it warp into this sort of shade before. Usually it is a streak of colours in the night sky…neither a star can be seen in sight either.

She also realises the pit isn’t as deep as she thought. She’s fairly certain gym challengers would never find this place nor would anyone in the right mind would even want to go in here.

She steps closer towards the middle of the pit, her feet crunching under gravel and stones, and stares at the walls of the pit.

There is an entrance, resembling a zigzagged slit in the wall. It’s big enough for a lone individual to slip inside but that’s just about it. She cannot see what’s inside; it is far too dark.

“Is this a pokemon den?” she asks, gesturing to the entrance.

“No.”

Her mentor’s voice sounded very close; she promptly turns to see Ezra hobbling behind her. “That was quick.”

“Give me a second,” he mutters as he brushes past her and steps towards the large and gaping hole in the wall, stopping just a foot or so away. “Stay there and don’t move, don’t make a sound.”

She goes silent, and she did not dare to peel her eyes away from the cave entrance where a figure is emerging from within.

A withered-looking Lucario with a greying muzzle and dirty golden fur steps outside and into the pit, wielding a wooden staff that is as tall as itself. It's what trainers coin as a 'shiny' pokemon, and these pokemon are extremely rare, especially in the wild. Puzzled, she watches as the pokemon greets her mentor.

Ezra's mouth moves but she cannot hear what he’s saying.

Then he stops and Lucario nods, and the man and pokemon turn to glance at her direction.

She strains to hear what they could possibly be conversing yet there is nothing, not even a pokemon cry, not the slightest rustle of the wind. Nothing.

It is silent.

The silence is suffocating to say the least and eventually, Lucario nods his head after the prolonged period of stillness. The pokemon turns and returns into the cave, disappearing into the darkness.

Placing his cane on the ground in front of him, he balances his palms over the handle. “Lucario has granted you entry.”

“…What?” she asks, a little anxiously.

Inhaling silently, Ezra replies, “There are greater things in our universe, greater than you and me. Even greater than pokemon.”

“What’s going on? What is a Lucario doing all the way out here? Where’s his trainer?”

“He doesn’t have one. This is his home,” Ezra mutters. “Now listen carefully. This is Gossamer Cave. A relic can be found here. A long time ago, I used it to destroy a demon that terrorised my wife and child. However, it is a highly dangerous weapon and you have to be ready to wield it, to understand its power and origins. If this is something you want, then you must go inside and fetch it.”

There are questions buzzing aplenty in her mind. “What does it look like?”

“You’ll know when you see it. My question for you is, do you wish to wield such a weapon? You might not like what you find out.” He mutters, before stepping aside, allowing her entry regardless of her response, regardless if she goes in or not.

She bites down on her lip anxiously but he does not offer any further words, no further advice or warning. She ponders to herself briefly, thinking about her parents, her sister and how they are all depending on her. Although she is nervous, she must cast aside these sinking feelings and surpass. She must be brave when no-one else is, when no-one else can. She must do it for them.

"I'm going in," she declares, and she passes him and enters the cave without further ado.

It’s dark.

She's greeted with the hypnotic splash of water dripping from the ceiling onto the floor and the marauding howl of the wind from outside that echoes and slips through the cave.

Lucario sits on a large rock to the left with the wooden staff balanced over its paws. It’s eyes are closed, deep in meditation. As she passes by, it does not acknowledge her presence.

Expecting Zubats or some other types of cave-dwelling pokemon, she’s stunned to see it is devoid of any other critter except from the aura pokemon.

A linear path lies ahead but she hits a dead-end.

Confused, she pats the wall in front of her, looking up and around. She checks for any cracks, any hidden passages. She checks every nook and cranny and leaves no stone upturned. She raps her knuckles over the walls, hoping for a hollow thud, a secret trap door perhaps?

There is nothing.

Disappointed and perplexed, she returns to the entrance.

“There’s nothing there," she says.

“I see. Then it’s not time yet. You still need more training, kid. You have a long way to go.” Ezra replies, unsurprised.

“I really don’t understand.”

“When you hear it, you will.”

“Hear what?”

“Tell me when you do, okay?”

Frustrated, she says, “Stop being so cryptic! What’s in the cave? What’s this relic?”

“You’ll find out when you’re ready. For now, forget what you saw and focus on your training. Focus on getting better, then you can come back.”

“Fine.”

Slipping his hands into the pockets of his withered coat, he begins to leave. She follows him with a sigh, mostly out of exasperation. Before she leaves however, she tosses a quick glance over her shoulder towards the abyss.

She was expecting to see something, maybe a shadow or a little flicker of light, maybe Lucario would come out again.

However, there is nothing.

...

Present.

You’ve grown quiet.

Leon watches as your brows scrunch with confusion, your expression souring. “What’s wrong?”

“Gossamer Cave,” you utter, before you grab his arm and exclaim loudly, “Gossamer Cave! That's it, Leon!"

Releasing him, you stand up, rush up the stairs and towards the bookshelves; he follows, watching you stop at a random shelf before you speedily skim through the books on the shelf, inspecting the titles quickly.

“Aha,” you murmur under your breath, pulling out a thick and burly red book from its place; it is an atlas of the Wild Area.

You beckon him over as you open the book, unfolding it to its full proportion over the floor. It’s not the most updated map but it’ll do for now.

Leon squats down beside you as you flip through the pages.

“Ezra took me to a place called Gossamer Cave ages ago. I can’t believe I forgot all about it. We took a Corviknight taxi, got off at the Dusty Bowl and we walked for a long time and there was a sandstorm, and then all of a sudden he stopped at a large pit. I’m supposed to tell Ezra when I start hearing things. He was so cryptic I didn’t understand what he meant back then but now I do. I can understand Gengar; I can hear what he says. That’s what Ezra meant. Leon, I’m ready.”

“Ready?” he murmurs, as you finally pinpoint the location on the map and begin scouring the page.

You nod. “I’m ready to face it -- whatever it was that took my family away. I can fight it now. I just need to find Gossamer Cave.”

Leon’s expression is a conflicted one. “When the officials mapped out the Wild Area for the gym challenge, they never found any place called Gossamer Cave.”

“It must be there, I saw it with my own eyes. It was a cenote, but there was this entrance that led to a cave and I went in. It was guarded by a Lucario, and a shiny one too,” you reply, “I need to find it. There’s something there, and it will help me.”

…

Meanwhile, in Greyson’s cemetery, Absol has been biting and tugging at his coat all night, in a vain effort to force him to get up and leave. She has sensed something. However, Ezra merely chills on the steps, drinking his beer and she gives up, having grown rather weary, and has settled to curl up next to him. It’s then his ears pick up the sounds of footsteps a distance away.

The footsteps stop; a lone individual stands a foot away from him.

“Hello, you must be the exorcist of Greyson’s cemetery,” says a distorted, muffled voice. "Remember me?"

The voice is unrecognisable. Ezra inhales deeply, scrunching the beer can under his fist. “…Something I can help you with?”

“Yes,” the voice leers. “You can die right here and now!”

A massive unseen force promptly smashes the steps of the mausoleum in half, sending stone and debris flying into the air; it stands, retracting its claws with a grin as the dust clears away, before peeking left and right.

Ezra has disappeared.

“Where are you,” it hisses with a chuckle as it lifts up rocks and debris, flinging them to the side and digging its claws into the earth, cackling with mirth, “Where are you, exorcist?? Come out, come out, wherever you are. I won't hurt you - much.”

A growl emits from behind and captures its attention; as it turns, it is swiftly knocked off its feet as a white and black blur slams into its body and sends it flying into a cluster of tombstones. Absol lands on her paws with a growl as Ezra appears from behind the fountain, unharmed.

“Good job, Absol,” he murmurs, his eyes narrowing at the entity that struggles to get up. “Percutiet.”

Sending a talisman at its direction, the little paper automatically attaches itself to the entity’s head and administers a painful shock. The entity roars with pain briefly before erupting into a fit of hoarse, mocking laughter.

“I know it’s you, Spiritomb,” Ezra says. "Use Slash.”

Absol’s attack connects with a loud thump and all goes still. Shortly, a harrowing shriek of pain shatters the silence. Ezra recalls the talisman; it disappears into thin air in little wisps and the man sprawled over the tombstones grunts and groans as he sits up, rubbing his injured chest in agony.

“Huh? What…? Where am I? What happened…? Um, what am I doing here…?” he mutters, disoriented.

...

[starcountesseevee]

A Rocket Coincidence (Part 22)

Author’s note: This chapter does contain a NSFW part, I will mark it with two lines of “~~~”, if you do not wish to read that part you can skip down to the bottom line!

Part 21 / Part 23

     Kali laid with her head on Cliff’s chest, her fingers trailing lazily back and forth over his muscular torso. She had had a great week. Christmas had been great, New Years had been great, and everything in between had been as well. It was the last morning Cliff was in town and they were both procrastinating getting up; Kali wasn’t ready for it to end and she found herself wondering if Cliff wasn’t as well. As she lay there her thoughts drifted to what exactly this was anyway, the two of them. It had been almost six months, if you counted from when they first met, and maybe Kali was being insecure and maybe it was too soon to have these thoughts but they hadn’t really defined what their relationship was or what it was not. Obviously more than friends but how much more? 

     “What are you thinking about?” Cliff’s voice pulled her from her thoughts as he rubbed a hand over her shoulder. Kali chewed on her bottom lip wondering whether or not she should say anything. 

     “Well…” She began, pausing to push herself off his chest and scoot back a few inches. She propped her head up on her arm before continuing. “What...is this?” 

     “What do you mean?” Cliff adjusted himself as well so they were more level and eyed her curiously. 

     “Us. Are we….is this a thing?”

     Cliff laughed. “Are you asking if we’re dating? I would hope so considering…” He motioned to the two of them in bed together. 

     “Well I mean, yeah I guess so.” She chuckled nervously. 

     “Why are you asking?” 

     “I guess I just wanted to, I don’t know. You’re gone a lot and-”

     “What are you trying to say?” Cliff’s face suddenly looked worried and he reached out to gently cup her face, his thumb rubbing a line across her cheek. “Do you not want-”

     “No, no, no! Nothing like that! At least, not on my end.”

     “Doll, I don’t-” Cliff began but Kali continued, she wanted to get it out while she still had the courage to. 

     “I mean, for all I know I’m just one girl in one city-”

     “Sweetheart.” Kali stopped, that wasn’t usually something he called her. She glanced up and met his gaze, frowning at the look of amusement on his face. “You make it sound like you think I have some...plaything in every city.” Kali bit her lip again, she didn’t want to admit it but the thought had crossed her mind on several occasions. He obviously caught the look that flashed across her face and his eyes widened, his expression turning more serious. “You really do think that, don’t you?”

     “I…” Kali began but didn’t know how to continue.

     “Hey, it’s nothing like that, okay? Besides, haven’t I mentioned that you drive me crazy enough?” 

     “I guess you have.” Cliff was glad when she smiled. He pulled her closer to him and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. 

     “It’s just you, dollface.” 

     “But why?” As soon as she said it her face flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and regret. That sounded so vain. What the hell was with her today? 

     “Why what?”

     “Nothing, nevermind.” Kali tried to shrug it off but Cliff was having none of it and pressed her for an answer until she finally gave in. “Why me?”

     “Why you?” Cliff couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him. “Honestly? That first day we met in the ruins? You know what the first thing I noticed about you was? It wasn’t your looks,” he slid a hand down her waist and behind her to grab a handful of her butt. “Or this ass.” They both laughed. “Okay, maybe it was a little of that. But it was your fire. You weren’t phased at all, meeting me out there. You didn’t back down and you sassed me right back. Most people would have...been wary at the very least. And I get it, I look intimidating. But you weren’t. And...geeze how do I put this without sounding vain? You didn’t try and flirt your way out of it either.”

     “Is that a big problem for you?” There was more than a hint of sarcasm in Kali’s voice.  

     “I mean…” Whatever Cliff was going to say was cut off by a soft pillow to the face. Kali laughed and tried to scramble back before he could retaliate but was too slow. She squealed as he yanked her back and used his larger form to pin her down, squirming under him for a moment before giving in when his lips met hers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     What started as a simple kiss quickly escalated as Kali hooked a leg around his waist to pull him closer to her. She knew this would be the last time they would be physically together for a while and she wanted to make time last. Cliff must have had a similar thought. Kali gasped into his mouth as his hand slipped between her legs to rub along her folds before hastily dipping inside of her to work at her core. As wonderful as his fingers felt Kali wanted more, the growing need to be as physically close to him as she could spreading rapidly from her chest downwards. She surprised Cliff by moving away from him as she reached into the nightstand, yanking at the stubborn wrapper with her teeth until it tore open. After helping him into it Kali wasted no time before pulling him to her again, falling backwards onto the bed as he came down on her. She slipped her arms around his back as he pushed into her and his mouth found her throat. It was intense, needy, and over almost as quick as it had started.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     Cliff pressed his forehead into hers as they both caught their breath. “Damn, I’m gonna miss you.” He kissed her softly once more before pulling away. Kali watched his naked butt as he walked towards the bathroom with a sigh. She would miss him too. 

     “So what are you gonna get up to now that the holidays are over?” Cliff asked as he zipped up his travel bag. Kali, now dressed and waiting on Cliff to finish packing up, looked up from her seat on the couch and shrugged. 

      “January is usually our busiest month at the studio, with new year’s resolutions and all. I expect I’ll be pretty busy with that. Mara already advertised special class rates and added a few extra time slots as well.” 

     “That does sound like a lot. Hope you’ll still have time for yourself, didn’t you mention you had been training more?”

     “Oh, yeah I was. I guess I could try and start back up on my own, it’s just not quite as efficient when your pokemon already know each other so well.”

     “Wait, on your own? Were you going to Erika’s gym or something?”

     “No.” Kali looked at him questioningly. She knew she had told him she was going to the park. “I was meeting Cole at Hyacinth Park they have battle-”

     “Cole?” At the mention of another man’s name Cliff stopped what he was doing and immediately turned to face Kali, unable to hide the annoyance in his voice. “Who the hell is Cole?” 

     “Woah, what’s the issue? I told you I was training on Tuesdays-”

     “You did, but you never mentioned it was with another guy. Why is this the first time I’m hearing of this ‘Cole’?” Cliff crossed his arms trying to push down the spark of jealous anger rising in his chest. 

     “I could have sworn I did. We met at Halloween, well really at the Silver Conference but-”

     “That long?! You definitely didn’t, I think I would remember you mentioning hanging out with another guy.”

     “What the hell is that supposed to mean?!” Kali’s voice rose as she stood, glaring at him.

     “Exactly what it sounds like!”

     “It sounds like you’re saying I can’t hang out with another guy!”

     “That’s not what I said, you’re putting-”

     “Am I? You seem awfully upset that I'm hanging out with a guy!"

     “Says the girl that practically accused me of sleeping around not even an hour ago and not to mention freaked out about Sierra?” 

     "That….was different." 

     "Oh was it?" Cliff raised a brow and took a few steps towards her, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked down at her. Kali met his gaze with a glare. 

     "Yes, you even admitted that she was hanging all over you on purpose!" 

     "And how do I know he's not hanging all over you, hmm?" 

     Kali opened her mouth to say something, her mind casting around for a come back but came up blank. “That’s...fair.” She finally admitted. 

     “Oh is it?” 

     “Stop.” Kali sighed. “He’s not ‘hanging all over me’.” She used air quotes for the last words while resisting the urge to roll her eyes at Cliff. “We’re just...friends? I guess?” 

     “You guess?” 

     “I mean, we only train together really. And his niece Delilah likes playing with my Eeveelutions. It’s not like we hang out all the time.”    

     “Just training.”

     “Basically, yeah. Sometimes coffee after unless Delilah is too tired.”

     “Mhm.” 

     “What.” Kali crossed her arms, mimicking Cliff. 

     “Is he straight?”

     “What kind of question is that, how would I know!”

     “Just humor me for a moment. Is he dating someone?”

     “I don’t know, I don’t think so?” Kali looked at Cliff expectantly, waiting on his reasoning for such questions. 

    “Uh huh. Well, whether you think so or not, there is definitely something more going on than ‘just friends’.” He held up a hand as she began to protest. “At least on his end.”

     “And why are you so sure about that?”

     “Cause I’m a guy! I know how it works.” Cliff laughed. “Doll,” His voice softened. “You’re gorgeous, of course he is looking for something more. Anyone would. And that’s why I worry when I’m not around.” This time Kali did roll her eyes. 

     “You don’t have to worry about that.”

     “Doesn’t mean I won’t. C’mere.” Cliff pulled her into a hug. “Okay, so maybe I shouldn’t have freaked out about Cole.” Kali didn’t miss the emphasis he put on the name and grinned into his chest as he took a deep breath. “But if you say you’re just friends,” He gently pulled her back by the shoulders so he could look at her. “I trust you.” 

     “And I’ll trust that you don’t have a girl waiting for you in every city.” Kali smiled wryly. 

     “Just one girl in one city.” Cliff tweaked her chin with his thumb before leaning in to kiss her.

Part 21 / Part 23

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks @rubystartrail for the inspiration help!

[animefan-overran]

Pokecafe (Rocketshipping)

****PART TWO**** (RATING: CUTE/FLUFF)

“C’mon everyone, move faster!” Bonnie demanded leading the way to the kitchen. She was so excited to get a tour of Cafe Le Ha, she could hardly contain herself. 

“Yeah, we’re coming,” Clemont huffed, annoyed at his sister’s impatience, trying to keep up with her. Ash and Serena were trailing behind as well, they’ve never seen Bonnie walk so fast in their life. 

“Finally,” Bonnie breathed, making it to the kitchen door. Placing her hand on it, she started to push it open.

“Bonnie, you have no idea if they’re even ready for us to come back yet!” Clemont lightly scolded as he caught up with her.

“But they’re expecting us, so we should be fine,” Bonnie reasoned.

Opening the door to the kitchen, Bonnie’s eyes and mouth immediately widened. She couldn’t believe that she got to have a tour of this place. She instantly took notice of a giant island that was used for chopping and preparing food smack dab in the center of the room. To her left, Bonnie saw a beautiful clear double door fridge that boasted the most delicious looking ingredients. Next to the fridge were three giant ovens, each baking it’s own unique treat. 

“Wow, this place is so cool,” Bonnie gasped as the rest of her friends caught up with her. 

Jessie was over by the island cutting some Pecha berries trying her best to act normal. Removing herself from her present task, she quickly looked up and saw the kids. “Why hello, I hope you all enjoyed your meal. Now you get to see where it all comes together,” Jessie held her hands out to gesture the kitchen. 

“Well we’re excited to be here,” Serena said.

“Yes, well why don’t we start off with meeting the head chef?” Jessie asked as she walked over to a figure huddled over by the stove, stirring what seemed to be a tomato bisque.

The chef turned around only to reveal that it was in fact a Wobbuffet standing on a ladder. 

“Wobbuffet!” Wobbuffett waved.

The quartet gasped in disbelief. How could a pokemon be such a good cook? 

“Wow, I’m interested to know how you guys even understand him when he gives out orders,” Clemont said in the most curious manor. 

Jessie smiled Perfect she thought everything is going according to plan 

“Well, I’m gonna actually let you guys in on a little secret,” she started “You see my uncle is an inventor. He’s always coming out with a new gadget every couple of weeks, and sometimes he asks me to test them out.” 

All of a sudden, James made his way out of a back room connected to the kitchen, wheeling out a giant box like contraption.

“You see, Wobbuffet has certain regular commands that we don’t need a translator, but when there’s something special that he wants us to do, he enters the box, and voila! It translates what he says for us!” Jessie exclaimed. “Wobbuffet, would you be so kind as to show our guests?”

Without wasting any time, Wobbuffet stepped into the box, and started to speak.

“Welcome to Cafe Le Ha’s kitchen. We are so honored to have you here!” a semi electronic sounding voice sounded from some speakers that were attached to the contraption. Little did the kids know that this was no invention at all, but instead a dazzled up box with a secret compartment for Meowth to hide in, so he could translate everything Wobuffet was saying.

“Wow, science is so amazing!” Ash cheered. “I wish we had something like that to talk to our pokemon with!”

“I was just about to say that too,” Clemont agreed. “This truly is a scientific breakthrough! I would love to meet your uncle someday, as I myself am a fellow inventor.” Clemont boasted as he pushed his glasses firmer on his nose. 

“Yes of course,” Jessie nodded “I can go get his contact information now actually!” and with that she walked out of the kitchen. She could not believe that this plan was working out so perfectly. Those twerps will believe anything  she thought as she marveled at her genius for coming up with and thinking out everything. Just one more part needs to work out, and Pikachu will be ours!

When Jessie left the kitchen, it was time for James to enact the final part of their plan. 

“Well, we’ve been testing this contraption out for a couple of days,” he exclaimed “Why don’t you try it out on your pokemon?” he offered pointing to Ash’s Pikachu “What about starting with that Pikachu of yours? He looks like he has a lot to tell you.” 

Ash looked at his Pikachu “What do you say bud, do you want to try it out?”

Pikachu’s face spraked up. “Pika pi” the yellow mouse squealed as he jumped off of Ash’s shoulder and into the translator. As soon as the door closed, a locking sound was instantly heard, which sent the kids into confusion. 

“Um, why did the door just lock?” Serena asked, starting to get a little scared for Pikachu.

“Oh, that’s because I pressed this button,” James said bluntly as he showed the kids a remote that he had been holding in his pocket.

“Wait, something’s going on here!” Ash started to shout a little “I want Pikachu out of that box now!” 

With those words, Jessie came running back into the kitchen just in time for the getaway “I’m afraid we can’t do that twerp! Because we want your Pikachu” she couldn’t contain her excitement any longer “So you can prepare for trouble!” Jessie said.

James smiled, and pressed a second button on the remote that was responsible for controlling the tiles in the floor. Instantly, it separated in two only to reveal the famous Team Rocket hot air balloon, which scooped up Team Rocket and the translator, and started to float away. 

“Hm, and make it double,” James chimed in. By now Jessie and James had ridden themselves of their disguises, and Ash and his friends were no longer oblivious to the situation at hand. 

“Team Rocket!” Serena shouted 

“We should have known it was you guys! Give Pikachu back!” Ash broke out into a full sprint to catch up with them. 

“No can do, twerp! We don’t willingly give things back,” Jessie shook her head.

“Yeah,” Meowth added coming out of the translator, “Besides, when we give this Pikachu to the boss,” James stepped in to finish the sentence “We’re gonna finally get that big fat bonus that we rightfully deserve,”

“We’re gonna be rich!” The trio sang in unison.

Ash finally caught up with the balloon, and was quick to call out Froakie and Fletchinder. 

“Ok guys listen up. Fletchinder, I need you to take Froakie and sneak up to that balloon. Froakie, when you get up there, use your best cut attack to pop it. When you guys come down, grab the translator from the balloon. Pikachu is in there” Ash commanded.

Within seconds his pokemon were up in the sky, putting the plan into action. Ash untensed at their perfect execution, putting a giant gash in Team Rocket’s air balloon, and retrieving Pikachu, with little hassle.

However, where one group of people were relieved, another grew more frustrated.

“Ugh, why don’t we ever take into account that twerp’s other pokemon!” Jessie sighed.

James shook his head “It’s ok, we’ll get em next time, but until then,” 

“We’re blasting off again!” Team Rocket shouted as they went flying away.

************

“Butt-er-free!” Jessie woke up to the pokemon munching on a sitrus berry. She looked around to find herself in the middle of a meadow filled with millions of wild flowers.

She rubbed her eyes, unsure of what just happened, then it all came flooding back. Her brilliant plan, the poke cafe, the twerps ruining the day again. She was certain that this time, everything would work out. She curled her knees into her chest and sat in a quasi-fetal position; she was never one to cry, but presently holding tears was a challenging feat. A rustle of the grass behind her prompted Jessie to turn around, where she saw her blue haired partner.

“Hey, there you are!” James smiled running to her “Meowth and I were looking for you…” James sat down next to Jessie, taking notice of her slumped frame “Do you want to tell me what’s wrong glum chum?” he bantered, nudging Jessie with this shoulder. 

“James, you know I can’t take you seriously when you say that,” Jessie giggled a little.

“Why do you think I said it?” James winked “But seriously what’s up?” 

Jessie picked a flower from her side and started to tear off the petals one by one “Well, it’s just that I really thought that this was going to be the time that we caught Pikachu. I guess I just wanted us to have a victory... especially because you and Meowth were so dejected when we first started this plan. I don��t like seeing you like that…” Jessie blushed a little.

“Wow, I didn’t know you felt that way,” James confessed  “To be honest, I really don’t like seeing you upset either. Actually, my favorite Jessie is the one that gave us that little pep talk.” James stopped to watch Jessie closely, her cheeks donning a brilliant shade of scarlett. “In fact,” James continued “I would even go as far to say that your confidence and persistence is downright hot,” James scratched his head, and looked at the sun that was barely sitting on the horizon.

Jessie’s eyes widened, her body twisting to face James. “You really think that?” she smiled.

“Yeah,as of late, it’s all I can think about” James replied “What guy wouldn’t find your confidence hot?” 

Jessie chuckled a little, and leaned on James’s shoulder “Well, if you find it so hot, maybe I’ll have to give you guys pep talks more often.” she winked.

“I guess you will,” James said, as they both pulled closer into each other, and watched the vibrant sunset fade into night.

[zukuthehero]

Chapter three- Izuku gets a care package

First Chapter || Previous Chapter || Next Chapter || AO3

“I’m home mom!” I slipped into the house, closing the door gently behind me.

I juggled the bags from my shopping trip and toed my shoes off before moving heading towards my room to drop it all off.

“Oh, Izuku honey,” my mom called from the kitchen, “You dad sent a package for you!”

I perked up, “Dad sent a package?”

“Yes, it’s here in the kitchen dear.”

I grinned and hurried to my room to drop my stuff off. I know my dad doesn’t really like me. He started leaving a lot for business trips after my diagnosis. And now hasn’t been home in six years. But I did like it when he pretended to care for mom. It’s been awhile since he sent anything too.

I dropped my bags on my bed to put up later, then rushed back to the kitchen. I grinned as I noticed the open package on the table, a package for mom I assume. I peaked in and noticed a few wine bottles and something fabric, maybe some new clothes?

“Here’s your package dear.”

I turned to see mom holding out a package to me, my name written neatly on the top in Dad’s handwriting.

“Thanks Mom.” I scooped it up, it was rather heavy, and moved to my room to open it.

I placed the box on my bed and dug around for some scissors to open it. Finding them, I carefully cut the tape and pulled open the top.

At the very top was a box that said Bath and Body Works in English lettering. I quickly reached in and pulled it out, these are always so cool. I opened the box to see little all might themed bath bombs! They were yellow, blue, and red like his outfit and had stars decorating them. They even had the bangs sticking up in yellow! I adore them and I’m definitely using them immediately.

There were also two small candles! These were Endeavor themed. How cool! The candle wick is where his hair would be. That’s so fun.

I put the mini box aside to pull out the next thing. Ooh, new video games. He always sends at least one new game each time. !!!!! THAT’S THE NEW POKEMON GAME! I love Pokemon, I was gonna save up to get Pokemon Freedom, but this is awesome. It’s for the new console that dad sent last time too.

Pokemon Freedom has a cool plot from what I’ve been reading.  Criminals have been imprisoning Pokemon to try and lure the legendary Pokemon Teluno, the legendary of freedom, to them. The player must fight them while beating the gyms. The cool twist is that you go through the areas the Pokemon are imprisoned in along the way and catch new Pokemon that can’t be caught outside them. There’s also still the normal wild Pokemon but I’m super excited for this game.

Ooh, also the new Zelda game, A Link in Time. I don’t know nearly as much about this one’s plot but I do know that the villain that kidnaps Princess Zelda is on that can travel through time, so I can’t wait to find out how the game lets you deal with it. Plus, I love doing the side quests. Even if the timeline is a bit confusing, maybe they got rid of that annoying fairy that says “Hey! Listen.” Ten million times.

I quickly put the games into my game draw, which has basically every Pokemon game ever, and a lot of other role play games.

Turning back to the box I found a pile of comics! My dad has been sending them to me forever, even before he stopped coming home he’d still get them for me. Said my uncle liked them I think. Spiderman is my favorite for sure, Batman being a close second. They’re classics. I’ve read the first 500 comics so far, dad sends a few new ones every time. I don’t know how he finds them all though. Some of them are worth a lot of money from what I’ve seen online.

I cheerfully put them on the shelf with the other more recent ones. I have the older ones in a box in the closet, I ran out of room on the shelf.

Next in the box were new notebooks, ooh waterproof ones. And the covers are all cool! One is black with red lightning designs, another has an interesting rocky texture, a third has dragons decorating it, and the last one has a green cover with my name embedded on it in gold! They’re so pretty.

I carefully put them on my notebook shelf. I would definitely be using those soon. They’re so nice.

Beside those were two pencil cases. One green, one red. I opened the green on to find it filled with pencils and, oh, a note on them says they’re waterproof. Checking the red one reveals waterproof pens. That’s brilliant! I noticed some clear film tucked against the side of the box and pulled it out. It had a backing with writing that I read quickly. Fireproof covers! That’s amazing, that’ll be good to keep on my notebook. I wish I had those before, but at least I don’t have to worry about Kacchan destroying anymore notebooks.

At the bottom of the box were four books, and some sodas and snacks tucked to the side. Picking up the books I saw that one was on anatomy, advanced anatomy it looks like. That’ll be useful. There was also one on basic first aid and one on advanced first aid. The final book was one titled “The Achievements and Failures of Heroes through the Ages”. It looked interesting at least. Maybe dad wants me to learn from previous heroes mistakes? Ooh! Maybe previous OFA users are in here! I can use it for my research too.

I grinned as I started to open the book on heroes before pausing. I reluctantly stacked the books on my desk. I needed to read through all of them, but that would have to wait just a little while, I have training to do.

I noticed something poking out of the hero book and picked up the book again. Opening the book to that page I found it marking a page about a hero’s failure to help a woman who warned him about a villain that then caused a big disaster that ended in a lot of death. I frowned, that’s sad, before realizing the page marker was an envelope.

Dear Izuku,

Inko told me you got into UA, I’m very proud of you. I know it has always been your dream school.

I’m very sorry that I haven’t sent anything in a while, work has been very busy but that is no excuse. I am glad that I finally had the chance to check my messages to see that you got in. Inko also told me your quirk has manifested. I hope you are practicing hard with it. Quirks are difficult enough to handle when you have a lifetime to learn them, you have only had a few weeks.

I’m very proud of you regardless, remember, a quirk is not everything. You’re extremely smart so be sure to train your brain just as much as your body. I am sure you could become an amazing hero with or without a quirk.

I hope you enjoy the games I sent, they were once again recommended by a coworker. And I hope the books are useful to you in your training to be a hero. Remember to take care of yourself and get plenty of rest. Overworking yourself won’t help anyone, least of all you.

I hope you enjoy your school Izuku, stay safe and do well. I love and miss you a lot.

Lots of Love,

Your father, Hisashi

I couldn’t help but sniff as I read it, tears burning in my eyes. He sounded like he really cares. But was that only because I have a quirk now? He said he didn’t care but then why did he leave?

I shook my head, putting the letter in my desks drawer, I saved all of his letters. As I did I noticed something on the back. I blinked looking, a stick figure drawing with three figures, one with blue hair, one with white (Like dad’s), and one with green. A little note to the side said to enjoy the games.

I smiled, was that the coworker he mentioned?

I gently placed the note in the drawer.

Okay, so now I need to put up what I bought.

First things first, notebooks on the unused notebook shelf. With the new ones dad just got me too. I just got some more of the basic ones, but I always love when dad sends nice ones.

Next my new book on codes, I need to read that first so leaving that out, and I need to put the first aid kit in a good place. Plus, the mini one for my backpack. I don’t want to frustrate Recovery Girl too much with needing to heal me.

I stuck the first aid kit under the bed for now, easy access but not in the way.

Okay! I really really want to play the new Pokemon game… I shook my head. “No Izuku, you need to work first. You can play Pokemon before bed.” I nodded. “Time to get to work.”

The coding book was filled with helpful pictures and practice pages for known codes. But I can’t use a known code, I need to make my own to be fully protected. I can’t risk one-for-all getting known to the public, and it will help me do analysis! Maybe I can try writing a letter in code to dad?

I shook my head again. No best not to annoy him. I don’t want to make him upset when he seems so pleased right now.

After reading through most of the book I decided to start working on my code.

I want to use hiragana I think, it’ll be easier then making a new symbol for each word, so my key can be smaller. But I can also make symbols for the more common words, that’ll shorten the time frame for it. And maybe make some symbols similar? Different combinations can mean different words entirely too.

I pulled out one of my new notebooks and to get to work. I need this code to be perfect!

Oh… but I also need to work on One-for-all. And I don’t have much time. Maybe I can practice calling it to my hands, just channel the power to both hands… oh spreading it out might make it a bit easier to use. So I’ll channel it to my hands for now while I write the code.

I focused hard, closing my eyes and breathing slowly, I pulled at the power I’ve felt so few times. A vast well of energy that seemed never ending flooded my senses after a minute of work. I gasped, and lost track of it again.

Okay, try again. The flood, too much, I lost it again.

Again, and again, and again.

The flood again, don’t drown, just sit there, hold it, don’t lose it. Okay, now, carefully scoop a little bit into my hands, and just let it sit there.

I blinked my eyes open after a minute, staring at my hands, which had red lines winding over them and green light practically pouring off them. Okay, I can do this.

I broke the first pencil I picked up. And the second, and the third. I managed to only crack the fourth until I wrote the first line, then it broke as well.

Control, I can do this.

I took forever, I have a pile of broken pencils by my desk, but I finally managed to hold the pencil and write carefully without breaking it.

I went to work carefully designing the code while holding one for all in my very glowy hands. I had to stop to call one for all back up a few times but it was working well.

So now working on the code, maybe I can mix in some shorthand for a few of the words. I’ll have to remember when I add drawings I’ll have to be careful about labels.

My pencil broke again. With a sigh I grabbed another.

Labeling the drawings could be something that would give away my code if I’m not careful though. Maybe I should add multiple symbols for one word, so it won’t be obvious, that would be good. Quirk, strength, ooh things like dashes will need new symbols too. I’ll have to make multiple for those too.

I scribbled out the words I needed code for, plus the punctuation. I had to pause to replace my pencil again, then started designing the symbols for them.

I blinked when my stomach growled, oh, how long was I working?

I put my pencil down and realized that my hands were aching, nothing broken but it did hurt. I slowly let one for all fade out, the glow fading slowly before fading to sparks, then nothing at all as the red lines slid away.

I blinked, the sparks were new. I’ll have to try with that again later. Maybe try to get one for all called to the level just below the sparks? Or maybe the sparks are a good spot to aim for? They’re a bit showy, but at least it seems like a much lower level of one for all, and I might be able to use it without hurting there.

I hummed, staring at my hands. I should practice the level I’m calling out now, I can now call it without trouble, but less energy would be better.

I headed out for food, checking the clock in the living room I realized it was ten pm! I’d spent a lot more time working than I’d meant to.

I quickly made a sandwich and grabbed two rice balls from the fridge. Taking it back to my room I considered how to best train to lower the levels of one for all.

I can now feel the energy when I call it if I focus, I should try to speed up that process, which means doing it over and over. Knowing what the energy feels like is theoretically the first step, after that I should be able to draw the energy up and learn how to moderate it.

Right now, I’m focusing the flood straight into my hands, it’s too much for me. I can’t understand how All Might can do it, it’s so much power!

I need to lower the amount. Maybe scoop up a handful of the power and place it in my hands? It took a lot of focus to put the power in both hands simultaneously. How do All Might switch around the power so… so… …. …

“OH!”

“Of course, that’s just silly, he can’t switch the power around that fast he must have all the power focused all throughout his body, and could he really have the power going at all times? Even with control he’d probably break everything around him every time he moved at full power. Not to mention hitting someone at full power would kill them. That means that he must lower the power he has active on average, and full power is for big stuff. Even then he still wouldn’t be able to move where he’s holding the power around fast enough for all the things he does, which means he must focus the power throughout his body!”

I beamed, reaching for one of my new notebooks (the cool lightning one dad got me), I have ideas to write down.

“It all makes so much more sense now! I was being so dumb before but of course he has to put it through his whole body, that’s the only way to boost everything at once. I’ve just been putting it in one spot, of course it breaks my bones if it’s meant to power everywhere!”

I quickly grabbed my code key to make sure I wrote it write, glancing at it as I scribbled down my ideas on the third page.

“And he called it a stockpile quirk, didn’t he? That means that it should be stronger for me than it was for him, and with how strong he is he no doubt strengthened it a lot. But can he access the strengthened level? Or do I make the new level myself? I don’t have a quirk, so I have nothing to contribute there. While All Might has a quirk that allows him to bulk his body up again despite his injury, maybe some sort of quirk that allows him to return to a previous form? If it’s a stockpile quirk what all is it stockpiling anyways?”

I frowned at the thought, it can’t just be stockpiling strength, what all does it take from previous users? If it can be passed down, can other things be passed down? Could it stockpile knowledge? Experience? Energy or power is the obvious start of what it’s passing down, but that can’t be all. Power alone wouldn’t give me the boost I have. The quirk is only so strong because it gains power with each generation.

“Could it stockpile quirks?”

That… that would be incredible. If one quirk lets you have access to the abilities of other quirks, the possibilities are endless! I really need to research previous users now. What all could they have passed down?

And is the well of energy I felt the only thing there? If I dig deep enough could I find memories from previous holders? Maybe their knowledge? Experience?

And if this quirk can stockpile so much are there other quirks that could do similar? What does this quirk take when it passes on?

Could it stockpile souls?

It makes sense if it passes down from person to person, I don’t know the limits of what it passes on. Maybe I should learn meditation? I can probably find videos on that. I really have a lot to learn about one for all.

I finished scribbling out all my theories for now. Some of them seem a bit out there, stockpiling souls? But still, I don’t know the limits and I’m wondering if All Might does either.

I stretched frowning. There’s so much to learn, and so little time. I have two and a half weeks until the tournament if I remember correctly. Assuming we still have it. I need to be able to use one for all without hurting myself by then. Or I’ll be a liability.

I will master this quirk, it’s mine now. All Might gave it to me. I won’t let him down

###  Tomura’s POV  ###

I hate All Might so much.

Thinks he’s so great. Ass Might can go rot.

I rolled over in bed. Sensei ordered me to rest and recover for now. The healing quirks he used did a lot to help me but I’m still miserable.

The bullet holes hurt, what kind of hero shoots people?

And All Might just allows it, HA, people act like he’s the paragon of light and goodness. Completely ignoring how he beats people into the ground and ignores the pain of those lower than him.

My poor Otouto has no idea.

Speaking of Otouto, I wonder if he’s opened the care package yet? Sensei had Kurogiri deliver it so he’s definitely received it. I hope he likes the games I picked. Sensei says that Otouto’s mom said he loved all the previous versions I’ve sent.

“Ugh”

I don’t like Otouto with those filthy heroes. They think they’re soooo great. Otouto could be a good hero, unlike the rest. But they’ll try to corrupt him. Won’t let him be the true angel that he is.

He shouldn’t be involved in all that. The hero world is filled with darkness, Otouto is too bright to be there. They’ll snuff out his light.

I can’t allow that.

The heroes will put Otouto in danger, but I’ll kill them all before that. I won’t let them harm him.

I frowned, “Of course there’s also his quirk.”

Some sort of strength or enhancement quirk. But it broke him to use it.

I shook my head. It’s okay, it’s too dangerous for him, but Sensei will take it from him and give him a better one. One that won’t hurt him, then Otouto can use a nice strong quirk to help people if he wants, or we’ll tuck him away. He really shouldn’t be out in the world. It’d be better for us to keep him safe.

I frowned, we can keep him safe.

The main problem would be his love of heroes, and, ugh, All Might.

I don’t understand how he could still like All Might! All Might was so rude to Otouto at the USJ. Acting like he knew everything when Otouto is so smart and was trying to help him. He spoke to Otouto like he’s some kind of helpless child.

Yes, he’s a child, and he does need to be protected, but All Might knows nothing about him. And Otouto is very smart, he could out think his opponents any day! All Might himself wouldn’t stand a chance against Otouto with a plan.

I hate that All Might is being seen as some sort of idol to Otouto, he has no idea. After what Ass Might did to Sensei, I wouldn’t ever trust him around Otouto. I’ll have to kill him soon so Otouto can be safe.

I should probably do something about those kids that were with Otouto too.

None of them are good enough. Especially not that blonde haired menace. Throwing his quirk around willy nilly, just trying to show off. Otouto only used his to protect the other kids and All Might.

The rest of the kids were nearly as bad, focusing on looking cool and gaining popularity. Idiots. They’re not worthy of being around Otouto. They’re prime examples of everything that’s wrong with heroes these days.

But right now, I can’t go get Otouto, or go check on him to make sure he’s alright.

I need to make sure he’s alright, he’s my Otouto, Sensei’s son. I won’t allow him to be hurt.

Maybe I can get Sensei to send more stuff to Otouto? He likes games. Maybe some game guides?

I’ll have to think of the best things to get him.

I looked at the picture of Otouto that Sensei had let me keep, my Otouto, he’s too small, too innocent. This world is cruel to people like him. I won’t let it break him.

I’ve only just gotten to meet Otouto, but if anything happened to him I’d kill everyone in this city then myself

[miracleboiz]

Making a Home Ch.5

Kita Shinsuke had experienced a lot in life. He had been raised with his grandmother, a loving foster parent and for some time he followed in her foot steps before finding his own path. He thought his foster care license had expired before getting a call at three am with two small boys thrust into his arms. Miya Osamu and Atsumu, from broken homes but still fighting. Thirty days before his license expires. Thirty days to make a choice, keep the boys or let them be separated into different homes. Thirty days to fall in love with them.

Words: 4k

Relationships: Gen

Warnings: Mention of past child abuse, non-graphic abuse

Not from Kita, but it is mentioned. I will post any warnings before any panic attacks or vague descriptions of abuse.

Read below or on AO3

“Shinsuke-san, what’s that?” Osamu called as he stared up at the tall rows of toys. Both his and Atsumu’s free hands were pointing at a large glass container of Lego creations, including a series of what looked like strange airplanes.

“Legos, you build with them, but I don’t know what they built.” Shinsuke said honestly, tilting his head when Akagi let out a laugh.

“It’s from Star Wars, those are fighter planes and that's BB-8…. I’m calling movie night tomorrow.” Akagi sighed, shaking his head in exaggerated suffering at the three blank looks he received. He reached up and grabbed the box above the glass container, smiling down at the twins as he tucked it under his arm.

“I’ll get this for you guys, I think you’ll enjoy it… Did you see anything else you like?”

Atsumu immediately turned and pointed up to the top shelf at a giant purple creature, eyes bright with excitement. He turned to look at Shinsuke, teeth burying themselves in his lip when Shinsuke hesitated for a moment at the price of 21,000 yen. His hand started to drop before Shinsuke stepped up beside him and grabbed the creature. After all, when was the last time Shinsuke had actually bought something he didn’t absolutely need, Shinsuke could definitely afford it.

“Kitty!” Atsumu gasped, letting go of Osamu’s hand to wrap his arms as best as he could around the creature. “Oh! It has a name…Eifie… It’s a.. a … poke… pokemon? Oh! I’ve heard of these, Kenma-kun was playing it when we first met him, remember Osamu?”

“Yeah! But his Pokemon was a turtle… this is a cat…”

“There’s different types of Pokemon, Osamu, weren’t you listening to him talk?” Atsumu frowned at his brother who paused to think it over before shaking his head with a grin.

“Nope! I was nappin’!” Osamu said proudly, turning and running down the aisle as he caught sight of something else.

Casting a meaningful glance at Akagi, Shinsuke turned to follow after Osamu. The boy led him through the aisles, peering at different objects before rounding a corner and returning with a small box. He looked down at it for a moment before holding it up to Shinsuke to reveal a small microscope on the front.

“My sensei… at my old school, she had one of these and it was a lot of fun… It’s not that expensive and look! It comes with bugs!” Osamu bounced on his heels, trying to point out the prepared slides. 

It was a very scientific device and if Osamu was actually interested in science it could help nurture his will to learn… Of course it could just be that children were naturally inquisitive and Osamu wouldn’t care about this in the next week or so, however denying Osamu something simply because Shinsuke had decided that Osamu wouldn’t like it long term wasn’t something Shinsuke could do. It wasn’t nearly as expensive as Atsumu’s pokemon and Osamu was really excited about the bugs…

“It does indeed come with bugs, I’ll hold onto this until we’re ready to go… Do you like coloring?” Shinsuke asked, leaning down slightly to point out the coloring book wall and Osamu immediately set off with a delighting shout.

Shinsuke followed after him, looking behind him to see Atsumu tugging Akagi away from a slime machine.

“I gotta keep you out of trouble Oji-san! Shinsuke-san said so!” Atsumu said, scolding Akagi when he whined until Akagi finally followed after him into the toy car section.

By the time they met up again, Shinsuke was both ready to never look at another slime machine again and aware his wallet was going to be considerably lighter. Both of the boys had arms full of track sets for their new car collection (that Shinsuke was certain Akagi was eyeing with envy) and way too many boxes of slime.

Shinsuke passed the large purple creature to Atsumu as they scanned it, unable to stop his own smile when Atsumu held it as close as possible with the largest grin he’d given yet. He turned to his brother, happily chattering at him about his new ‘Kitty’, while his brother was doing his best to open the Pokemon card container without spilling any.

A pile of coloring books was next, though Shinsuke noticed the ones Osamu had picked out were the ‘adult’ coloring books while Atsumu had grabbed a few of the more cartoon ones.

“Osamu are you sure these are the ones you want? They don’t have as many fun shapes or characters.” Shinsuke said, flipping through but Osamu just looked up from his picking and smiled brightly.

“Yes sir! There’s a lot of pretty colors on the front see! I can make it super pretty… Do… I know it says adult… but… it’s just coloring…” Osamu said, hesitation starting to grow on his face before Shinsuke laid the book down on the counter again.

“It’s fine if it’s what you want, Osamu, I promise. I just wanted to make sure you were happy with it.” Shinsuke soothed over his worry, reaching out to pet down the mess that was Osamu’s hair. He really was going to have to remove that hair wax or he was going to wake up to Akagi putting it in his hair.

Osamu smiled, smaller than his brother’s but just as sweet. Shinsuke’s heart panged as he forcibly reminded himself that this wasn’t long term, just until they got adopted. They were only his to watch and guide for a little longer.

“Your sons are very cute… is the little one's face okay?” The clerk asked as she bagged the last of the items, a large package of ‘Bendaroos’. She smiled softly at Osamu who inclined his head in return.

“He’s fine, just a little accident yesterday- Atsumu don’t go outside yet, you can’t see past…” Shinsuke called as he swiped his card and tucked it away, sighing as Atsumu crashed plushie first into a pole. He fell back onto the ground and blinked blankly back at them, trying to figure out what happened.

“Akagi, please keep the pokemon off the ground and help him up. Osamu, stop laughing at his brother, your cards are falling out.” Shinsuke ordered, frowning at the cackling Osamu. Osamu yelped as he realized he had already lost a few cards and scrambled to pick them up only to lose more.

“I… have failed at becoming a Pokemon Master.” Osamu said, staring at the mess for a second before his head shot up to meet Shinsuke’s gaze. For a second Osamu’s chest stopped moving and Shinsuke knew he was about to panic again.

Shinsuke crouched down, carefully scooping up the cards into his hands.

“Pick them up one by one, Osamu, don’t move too fast or you’ll spill more… Just like that…” Shinsuke murmured, smiling softly at him as Osamu kneeled to the floor and slowly reached out with a shaky hand. “Don’t worry about the mess, we can clean it up.”

Shinsuke let him grab the rest, moving closer to catch any cards that slipped out of the container before Osamu was able to close it completely. He reached out and caught his cheek carefully, using his thumb to wipe away the tears that had slipped out.

“No need to cry, Osamu, you’re safe now little one.” Shinsuke said softly, moving back to his feet and turning to the clerk.

“I’m sorry, please forgive us for taking up your time.” Shinsuke said, bowing slightly before grabbing the bags and pulling them onto his arms. He turned to Osamu, offering him a hand and humming when it was immediately taken.

Outside the shop Akagi had caught Atsumu and was holding him on his hip, the pokemon nearly knocking both of them over. They were laughing loudly, almost enough to attract the attention of nearby people but any who looked over didn’t seem to mind the child. Akagi spun, dramatically pretending to nearly fall until Atsumu called for him to stand up straight.

“That was very dangerous! What if Kitty got hurt?” Atsumu scolded Akagi, shoving the purple pokemon into Akagi’s face while Akagi whined. “Tell her you're sorry Oji-san.”

“Yes yes, I am very sorry, very sorry Kitty-chan.” Akagi said, bowing and pretending to almost drop Atsumu again. Atsumu squealed with delight, giggling as they straightened back up and Akagi apologized before bowing again.

Shinsuke looked down at Osamu who was staring at the ground, fingers wrapped around Shinsuke’s hand. He tugged him a few steps away from the door before crouching in front of him, heart aching at the pitiful look on Osamu’s face.

“Osamu?” He asked softly, waiting until he looked up. “You know you’re not in trouble right? It’s okay to be upset, but sometimes you have to take a breath and calm down like we did to pick up your cards…”

Shinsuke watched him for a moment, the eyes that darted around and nervous fingers tapping out a quiet rhythm. He looked over at Atsumu’s bright laughter and then back down at the ground and Shinsuke could only guess he was jealous of Atsumu’s happiness while he was feeling so down. Shinsuke would have to squash that now/

“Osamu… What’s your favorite thing to do?”

Osamu didn’t respond for a moment, obviously thinking it over as his fingers scratched over the metal case of the pokemon cards. He licked his lips, glancing over at his brother again for a moment before turning back to Shinsuke and dropping his head to mumble something.

“I’m sorry, could you speak a little louder?”

“... Cooking… but… the others said it’s a woman’s job…” Osamu admitted softly and Shinsuke fought off an annoyed scowl.

“Well, why don’t you help me choose some stuff for hotpot? Then we can make the broth at home and prepare some dough for dumplings?” Shinsuke offered, the ache in his chest easing at Osamu’s widening eyes.

“Yes sir! Yes, please Shinsuke-san, please!” Osamu said, gasping and trying to bow his back before Shinsuke caught him with a laugh.

“There’s no need for that, little one. Trust me, as long as you’re happy so am I.” Shinsuke said softly, reaching up to fluff through Osamu’s hair. Both of their laughs bubbled out and Shinsuke could feel Akagi’s gaze on him before Atsumu was running at them.

Atsumu tripped, Kitty taking all three of them down in one hit, though it did nothing to stop Osamu’s laughter. Atsumu let out a yell, before he was laughing too and grinning at his brother. He wiggled off of his pokemon, so Shinsuke could grab it as he sat up, and reached out to tug his brother to his feet.

“Why’re you laughin’?” Atsumu asked, only to dissolve into his own giggling mess as he caught sight of the leaf stuck to Osamu’s gelled up hair.

“Why’re you laughin’?” Osamu shot back, no malicious intent on his face as he stuck out his tongue. Shinsuke reached out and tugged the leaf off of Osamu’s hair, showing it to him only for it to send both boys into another set of giggles.

He really had no idea his life would turn out like this. 

Sitting on the sidewalk outside of a store, a giant purple Pokemon on his lap. Watching two young boys laugh without a care or a worry, feeling his own heart bubble and threaten to burst with warmth and affection. He shifted Kitty more on his lap, carefully cleaning her off as he watched the two laugh.

He barely shifted when Akagi’s footsteps sounded next to him, simply holding the now dirt free Kitty up for him to take. Then he turned back to the boys, hesitant to interrupt their giggling as they poked at Osamu’s dirty hair, but Atsumu noticed him watching and shook his brother. They both turned to watch him, still breathing hard from laughter.

They just needed a safe home.

Shinsuke didn’t want to let them go.

“Are you two ready to go get clothes then? Or would you like to give Kitty another dirt bath?” Shinsuke said pointedly and the twins squeaked before Atsumu was moving to pat Kitty in Akagi’s arms.

“I’m sorry Kitty, sorry Shinsuke-san, I didn’t mean to knock you over… Are you okay?”

“I’m okay, but can you two help me up?” Shinsuke asked, offering his hands to them and instantly he had two hands on each of his as the boys tried their hardest to pull him up. He moved with them, letting them pull him forward a few steps until they were certain he was okay to stand on his own.

“Well now that I’m dirty…” Shinsuke said, wiping off the dirt that had stuck to his clothes before doing the same to the twins. “There we go. We’re all going to need a bath tonight… Lets get you some clothes and food and we can head home.”

As a dress designer and a boutique, Shinsuke thought himself well aware of the fashion trends and he did his best to encourage both of his boys into choosing something moderately fashionable. He expected it would be difficult, especially after grabbing a quick bag of groceries and the boys were raring to get home and play with their toys.

He did not expect to be walking out of the store with four bags of striped t-shirts and polkadot pants that Atsumu insisted made the best match. He also didn’t expect Osamu to see the brightest pinks and yellow and stare at them like a starving man staring at a banquet dinner. He had managed to wrangle in a few randomized shirts, jeans, and shorts. However he was still mortally wounded after watching Atsumu come out of the changing room in a neon green plaid button up, blue polka-dot shorts, striped socks, and sandals on.

Atsumu was wearing the outfit as they left, proudly showing it off to Akagi who oohed and ahhed in all the right places. Osamu had decided to leave his clothes in the bags and was instead doing his best to remove a butterfly hair clip from it’s package.

Shinsuke held out his hand, silent after the horror he’d been subject to, and took the case. He carefully pulled the hair clip free before slipping it onto the highest spike on Osamu’s head. Osamu’s blinding grin made the shopping trip almost worth it. The hand that entangled with his definitely did, however.

Shinsuke looked down at Osamu swinging their hands together, amused as the little one skipped over a crack. He hopped again, giggling when Shinsuke extended his leg to step further and get a little bit ahead. He jumped further, trying to drag Shinsuke forward but Shinsuke just extended his leg even further.

“Noooo, we’re gonna lose.” Osamu said as Akagi and Atsumu started walking faster to stay in front of them. Osamu moved to dash forward, only to be pulled back as Shinsuke moved to stand still instead.

Osamu let out a gasp as his plan was ruined, frowning at Shinsuke before trying and again and failing. There was a burst of laughter as Shinsuke hopped twice at Osamu’s insistent cry for him to move. Shinsuke ignored Akagi’s laughter, bending down slightly.

He opened his arms to him and after a second of pouting, Osamu hugged him around his neck. Shinsuke scooped him up into his arms and straightened, repressing the urge to kiss Osamu’s forehead and see if he could make him laugh again. It wouldn’t do to get too attached. It was only the first day, he needed to be more in control.

Yet, he couldn’t help himself as he started walking faster and quickly over took Akagi, Kitty, and Atsumu walking down the street. Osamu gasped as he realized what was happening and turned to stick out his tongue behind him.

“That’s not fair! Kitty’s fat!” Atsumu yelled after them, and Akagi repeated him.

Feeling unnaturally playful, Shinsuke turned and stuck out his own tongue at Akagi. Immediately the other man gasped and pulled the bags as far up his arm as he could before bending and maneuvering Atsumu under one of his arms. Shinsuke stared for a moment, worry filling him before Atsumu let out a laugh and held onto his arm and pointed at them.

“After them Oji-san!” Atsumu called and Akagi let out a war cry, starting to jog after him.

“Shinsuke-san! He’s going to catch up to us and win.” Osamu whined, hugging Shinsuke tighter around the neck.

“No he’s not.” Shinsuke said, turning back around and shifting the groceries on his arms before taking off himself. Osamu squealed with delight, fingers buried in Shinsuke’s shirt as his foster father kept a few meters ahead of Akagi despite Akagi’s calls that they would win.

“What on earth- Shinsuke-san?” Someone called and Shinsuke waved his hand over at Castle Bakery. Issei Matsukawa watched them curiously, amused by the change in Shinsuke’s more stoic and controlled personality. He looked down as something tugged on his pant leg.

“No, Shinji, I will not run around with you in my arm like a sack of potatoes… Well, not until it’s closing time.” Issei said, looking at his son staring at the other two. Shinji raised his hand hesitantly at first before waving it at their passing neighbors.

The twins waved back, already curious about the person across the street. 

“Muffins?” Atsumu yelled at Castle Bakery, intending to ask Akagi if that was the muffin shop but forgetting to lower his voice.

“We have lotsa muffins!” Shinji yelled back, shocking his father before his son let out a soft laugh and turned to look up at him. “Can we make muffins tonight?”

“Sure sweetie… Ah, they’re gone… I wonder what on earth they were doing…” Issei said, before shrugging. It wasn’t like Tooru didn’t have the same habit of picking their kids up and running off with them so it didn’t matter in the long run, as long as they were having fun.

Shinsuke turned the corner to the small entrance to his home before turning and sticking his tongue out at Akagi with Osamu. Atsumu and Akagi groaned as they realized they’d lost, Atsumu huffed as he was lowered down to the ground before pausing and looking up at Akagi.

“That was a lot of fun, Oji-san! Let’s do it again later, please!” Atsumu said, squeaking when a hand descended on his head to ruffle it.

“Sure thing kiddo, anything for my favorite nephews.” Akagi grinned before straightening. His gaze caught on something behind Shinsuke and his lips immediately twisted into a mischievous smirk.

“Oji-san? Did someone forget to tell me something?” A voice called from behind Shinsuke. Deep and warm, familiar even after nearly a year of separation and Shinsuke’s heart seemed to speed up before slowing down again. He once knew that voice in and out, and part of him craved to know it again despite his attempts to squash it.

Shinsuke turned, carefully keeping a hand on Osamu, and couldn’t quite wipe off the still lingering smile on his face. Gentle brown eyes met his, plump lips already curved in a common small smile on the newcomers face.

“Good evening, Aran.” Shinsuke said softly, slowly blinking at the calm and warm aura Aran seemed to always exude. His heart skipped a beat when Aran’s lips twitched and he looked unbearably fond.

“Good evening, Shinsuke.”

[thaisibir]

La Vie en Rose (Bede and young!Opal time travel fic)

La Vie en Rose (Life in Pink) Rating: T (for character deaths and language) Chapter 2/10 - Meeting Celebi (length: ~3k words) Summary: Bede doesn’t get why that loony old bat Opal wants him to be the next Fairy-type Gym Leader. To help him understand, Opal has Celebi take Bede back to the time of her youth.

(For other chapters, look up the tag “pokemon la vie en rose” or go to my profile)

As Bede carried the photos downstairs, a single burning question pervaded his thoughts: how did Opal’s nose get so long? Did she tell too many lies? Did she look at her feet too much and gravity pulled her nose down? But he thought it better to keep his mouth shut about that.

Once at the kitchen, Opal brewed tea while Obstagoon made salad sandwiches for lunch. Exactly what kind of salad sandwiches changed with each day. Today was egg salad. Opal’s hands were too frail and shaky to handle a knife, so she left that task to Obstagoon.

She had her back to Bede while she prepared the tea, but as she turned to give him his teacup, she said, “I’m sorry for getting upset with you. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“I wasn’t scared,” he quickly insisted. “It’s my fault, anyway. I shouldn’t have poked around where I shouldn’t be.” He ventured a question. “Why did you want to forget those photos?”

She settled into her chair with a shuddering sigh. “When you get to be as old as I am, Bede, you’ll learn that revisiting distant and dusty memories of people you’ve outlived can really hurt. If I was going to pick someone to inherit my Gym Leader mantle, I had to look to the future, not the past. I didn’t want to lose my focus, and I didn’t want to feel the pain. So I locked those memories away, and enough years passed so I couldn’t get up that attic and remember where I last left them.”

Bede didn’t know what to say to that. What could he possibly say to offer comfort or a solution? He set the photos over the dining table, muttering thanks to Obstagoon as the Pokemon offered him a slice of sandwich on a plate. He took that as a forgiving gesture from Obstagoon for upsetting Opal earlier. Typical of women her age, Opal avoided foods that would be hard on her teeth and gums, so it had been a while since Bede chewed on something like crackers and candy. Not that he complained. Obstagoon knew how to make good sandwiches.

“But now you don’t want to put away those photos anymore because of me,” Bede said.

Opal smiled at him. “You’re the chosen one. I’ve completed the hardest part of my task. Now that I can see the future, a future with you in it, I can afford to look back at the past without it hurting so much.” The old woman gazed down at the photos and took a long, thoughtful sip of her tea. “My, it’s been a long time since I’ve looked back at my better days.” She ran a hand through her snow-white hair. “This used to be so dark.” Then she tapped the tip of her long nose. “And this...” She glanced up at Bede with a twinkle in her eyes. “You’re probably wondering how this turned into a broomstick on my face.”

He merely hid his smirk behind the teacup in reply.

Opal tapped at her nose again. “Runs in the family, unfortunately. Got it from my dear old mum. Hers came in even earlier than mine. Ah, speaking of Mum, there she is. My last photo with her.” She pointed with a long painted nail at the two women standing in front of the Ballonlea Gym. Next to a young Opal—who Bede guessed to be in her late teens—was a woman with wild, dark hair down to the middle of her back, with wide eyes that seemed perplexed and distant before the camera. While Opal smiled for the picture and was well-dressed in a stylish blouse and skirt, her mother had a tight-lipped frown and wore a shawl frayed at the edges. “She was quite the character, my mum. Even more kooky than me, if you could believe it.”

“Hard to believe,” Bede admitted.

Opal chuckled at that, then she pointed at another photo. “Mightyena, Obstagoon, take a look. Those Pokemon next to my Roger, they are your great-great-great...great grandfathers.” She had to think and count on her fingers to say that.

Obstagoon peered over Opal’s shoulder, while Mightyena, closer to the ground, had to prop both front paws on the table to look over the table edge. All three smiled for the photo, with Mightyena sitting on one side and Obstagoon standing at the other. Roger had one hand over Mightyena’s head and the other on Obstagoon’s shoulder. The present-day pair of Dark type Pokemon stared down at the photo, pleased and intrigued to see their ancestors for the first time.

“You take after them in every way, if I do say so myself,” Opal remarked. She pulled out another photo and addressed Bede this time. “There’s me on my first day as Gym Leader.”

Bede knew from the League Card that Opal must have eighteen by that time. Framed by the photo, inside the Gym stadium, an eighteen year-old Opal posed with straight-backed pride. From her hands on her hips to the smirk on her face, she radiated confidence. Alongside her were Weezing, Togekiss, Mawile, and Alcremie: the same team of Pokemon she used right up to her retirement. Same kinds of Pokemon, to be exact, but not the very same that had been with her seventy years ago. Those original Pokemon were long gone. Bede wondered how Gym battles were fought back then. Not for the first time since staying with Opal, he was reminded of how long she had been around, roughly five times longer than he’d been alive, and the fact never ceased to amaze him.

Opal picked up the photo that was on the verge of tipping over the tabletop. “Oh, here’s my old man, Sir Lionel Roy. And that’s me with my brothers.”

The family posed before a mansion this time, clearly not in Ballonlea. Opal was a little girl—Bede guessed before ten years old—and she cradled a Togepi egg in her arms. Standing rigidly beside her in suits were two boys, one nearly identical to Opal in height and hairstyle while the other was shorter and younger. The severe-looking man standing over them, their father, had a bristling mustache obscuring the top lip and a tophat tucked in one arm. The male Pyroar sitting beside him looked just as stern. The only one smiling in that solemn, formal family portrait was a Yamper at the feet of the older boy.

“That boy is my twin, Randall. The other one is Kestrel.”

“Your family looks loaded,” Bede remarked.

“Hardly anyone knows that these days,” she replied modestly. “I may have been born in Wynwall, but I spent most of my life here in Ballonlea.”

“Wynwall?”

“Don’t you know your Galar history, my boy? Where do you think that Chairman Rose got the name for the city he built? The land he settled on for his city was called Wynwall for ages.”

At her hint of exasperation, Bede scowled and stuck out his bottom lip. “I skipped lessons at the orphanage. I had crummy teachers who hit the back of your hand with a ruler and put you in timeout with a dunce hat on your head.”

“In that case, my dear, I don’t blame you for skipping them.” Opal patted his hand with sympathy, then resumed her grip on the teacup to drink the last of her tea. “Anyways, that’s my family. The Roy family.”

Bede scanned through the many photos Opal hadn’t mentioned and discussed. Pictures of her with Jasper: exhausted yet beaming as she held her newborn son for the first time, reading a book to him on his bed, caught in mid-laughter when he put a theatrical mask over his face the wrong way. Pictures of her with Roger: posing backstage in period costumes, swept up in the passionate wind of singing a duet on stage, dressed in their best and in each other’s embrace on their wedding day. Even through the sepia tone of old photos, a distant past, Bede could really feel the vibrant color of Opal’s spirit jumping out at him. He took in the portrayals of important people who once populated Opal’s life, then looked up to find a pitiful and lonely sight as she sat alone across from him. “What happened to them?”

She turned wistful eyes to the window. “All sorts of things. I could talk your ear off all day long and my rambling will put you to sleep better than a Pokemon could use Hypnosis, or I could invite someone who will do a much better job of showing you than I ever could.” Opal lowered her teacup to level a serious gaze at him. “Bede, my boy, there’s someone special I want you to meet. But first, we have to wait for the morning of spring equinox, and I have to prepare a special treat for that special someone.”

Bede scrunched up his brow in confusion. “That’s oddly specific.”

“Indeed. Did I already mention that our visitor’s quite special?”

“So who’s coming?”

But she wouldn’t tell him. Spring equinox was a week away, so Bede spent that week passing the time with reading Ruby’s book, training in Glimwood Tangle, keeping Opal’s house clean, and occasionally bugging her with the same question. Each time she would not answer, much to his dismay.

“You should be focusing on your studies,” she would tell him with a wagging finger. “If you don’t study, you’ll fail my quizzes.”

That lady just loved asking questions. She could come up with new ones every day without effort, and Bede had to be ready for any tricky ones she would give. She wanted him to know Fairy type Pokemon inside and out, just like she had.

Late at night before spring equinox, well past his bedtime, Bede watched Opal make a cheri berry pie that made his mouth water. But it looked too small of a serving even for him. Was Opal talking about a tiny child? At the crack of dawn, he followed her out of the cottage and deeper into Ballonlea, away from the human populace and where the mushrooms clustered closer overhead.

Bede glanced back at the house. “You’re not taking Mightyena or Obstagoon with you?”

“Our visitor is very shy and doesn’t take well to Dark type Pokemon. Best if it’s just the two of us coming up.”

Impatience gnawed at him like the jaws of a Mawile. “You’ve got to tell me, Ms. Opal. Just who are we about to see?”

She winked at him. “Someone who can’t resist the aroma of my cheri berry pie.”

That didn’t tell him anything. Bede found the old woman’s habit of withholding information maddening. A frustrated sigh slipped through his lips as he followed Opal through the tangle of moss, mushrooms, and the drooping branches of ancient trees.

“It was easier to crawl through here when I was a little girl,” Opal remarked. She opened up her umbrella to protect herself from the snagging, finger-like twigs above them. She had Bede hold the pie while she led the way through the dense undergrowth. Finally they stopped inside a ring of tiny yellow mushrooms. The tree before them was so large and old that moss hung down from the branches like a thick green curtain.

Opal folded up her umbrella and took the pie from Bede. “I have your favorite pie warm and ready for you,“ she called. “Come on out.”

All was silent and still for several moments. Bede could hear the blood pound through his ears. Then the curtain of moss rustled. A light-green shape darted from behind them. Bede’s eyes could barely track the winged, flitting blur before it stopped just in front of the pie Opal held out.

His jaw dropped. “Is that Celebi? That time-traveling Pokemon from the Johto region?”

Opal lowered the pie to the forest floor and grinned at him. “You know your Legendary Pokemon. Looks like you didn’t skip all your lessons at the orphanage.”

Bede’s cheeks warmed. “The only ones worth sitting through are the ones about Pokemon.” He shook his head in wonder. “Celebi...it really is real.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. He dared not raise it. If he did, he might just send the Pokemon flying back into hiding, he thought.

“Long time no see, Celebi,” Opal said fondly. “You still remember me, don’t you?” She pulled off the pink and black glove on her right hand. Bede noticed a large, jagged scar on her palm, and when she turned her hand over, the same scar appeared on the back of it. It was as if someone had stuck a knife straight through her hand. Celebi gently laid its small, light green hands over Opal’s right palm, then smiled at her with a soft affirmative “Bi.”

“I’m sorry that it’s been a while since I last paid you a visit,” she said. “I’m not getting any younger.”

Celebi touched its forehead against Opal’s and twirled in the air, perhaps to say that it didn’t mind and that it understood.

They watched Celebi eat the pie, then Opal glanced at Bede. “I need to teach you how to cook sometime. The quickest way to a Pokemon’s heart is through the stomach.” She looked back at the little green Pokemon. “You know, I’m lobbying for the scientific community to retype Celebi as a Fairy type.”

Bede raised his eyebrows at her. “How’s that going for you?”

She shrugged and turned up her palms. “Not making much traction, unfortunately. I’ve been trying for the past forty years. Those scientists can be a stubborn bunch, I tell you.” The corners of a smirk made small indents in her cheeks. “I did, however, manage to play a part in convincing other regions to retype many of their Normal types. Professor Magnolia and I collaborated on a thesis to present to the research community. Did you know that Galar was the first region to officially recognize Fairy types? It took a while for the rest of the world to catch on.”

Bede shook his head. “You sure are crazy about Fairy types, Ms. Opal.”

She merely grinned at his comment. “Not crazy. Passionate. You find that passion, something to live for, and that makes life worth living.”

Celebi finished the pie and wiped red stains from its mouth. Opal took the chance to address it again. “Celebi, this is Bede, who I’ve taken under my wing. He needs to understand why I chose him to be next Gym Leader of this town. It’s not an answer I can give shortly and easily. Celebi, darling, I have a big favor to ask you. Please help him understand by taking him back to the time of my youth.”

Celebi considered this for a moment, then smiled and nodded.

Bede took a step back. “W-wait. I’m going back in time? With Celebi? How long am I going to be traveling back?” Suddenly he wished he had spent that past week preparing for the journey ahead. If only that woman had let him know in advance! “Won’t I need to eat, drink, sleep, and...” His ears grew hot. “You know, use the loo?”

Opal waved a hand in dismissal. “Oh, don’t worry about all that. Celebi’s time-travel ability puts a peculiar effect on the human body, so that you leave and come back to find that barely a second had passed in the present day. You won’t be thinking about your usual bodily needs and functions. When Celebi takes you to another time, you’re not really there, in a sense. You’re there to observe only. You’ll have no physical presence and no power to alter the events you’ll see. Things would get quite hairy if that weren’t the case. Disrupts the continuum of time, creates paradoxes, and all that.”

Bede didn’t fully understand, but he nodded. “All right, then. And what about you, Ms. Opal? Are you coming with me?”

She shook her head. “There can’t be more than one self in the same era, which means that there can’t be young me and current me in the same time and place. I have to stay here in the present. So will your Pokemon. You won’t need them where you’ll be going. I’ll take care of them while you’re gone.”

Throughout his life, Bede had been alone and fending for himself. It had always been him against the world. Normally Bede wouldn’t trust his Pokemon with anyone, but he knew from his time with her that he could trust a seasoned and caring Trainer like Opal. He unhooked his belt of Poke balls and handed them over to her.

She hugged the belt to her chest, as if she understood the significance of his willingness and appreciated it. “You’ll be on your own, my boy, while you go see me seventy years ago. But don’t fret—Celebi is an excellent guide. You won’t get lost.”

Celebi danced a figure eight in the air and looked at Bede expectedly.

“It is ready to take you through time,” Opal said. “When it does this, take its hands and don’t let go.”

Bede stepped up to do as she told him. His fingers enveloped and closed over Celebi’s small hands. The time-traveling Pokemon from Johto tilted back its chin, closed its large eyes, and warm light emanated from its form. The light outshone the glowing mushrooms and sent ripples up the trees. Bede squeezed his fingers tighter around Celebi and shut his eyes, but that only made the insides of his eyelids go red.

Before the light engulfed everything, he caught Opal’s faint parting remarks. “Bede, my boy, you’ll find that you and I aren’t so different. You’ll understand what pink means. See you on the other side.”

Notes: Musical inspiration for this chapter was “Departing London” from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.

When and how did Opal get the scar? Only time-traveling will tell!

I thought it’d be cute to have a naming pattern in Opal’s family, so everyone has a name ending in -al or -el, like Lionel, Randall and Kestrel.

[broomballkraken]

Title: Excuses, Excuses

Fandom: Pokemon Sword/Shield

Pairing: Milo/Nessa

Word count: 1996

Warnings: None

Summary: Excuse #1: Milo’s Overwhelming Enthusiasm. Nessa is more than ready to start her career as the Gym Leader of Hulbury. She is not the only one at the beginning of her career, however, and she realizes that the new Gym Leader of Turffield is certainly more than meets the eye.

The roar of the crowd was still ringing in Nessa’s ears as she stepped outside, pausing as she glanced over her shoulder at the massive structure of the Motostoke Stadium. It was still sinking in that she had just been officially introduced to the entire Galar region as the new Gym Leader of Hulbury. She was proud of herself for this achievement, and she hoped that she could prove to be an adequate challenge for anyone who partook in the Gym Challenge. A smile crossed her face as she turned to start heading back to the Budew Drop Inn, but she was interrupted when she smacked right into someone, causing her to yelp and stumble backwards.

“Woah! Watch out!”

A pair of large hands fell onto her shoulders, preventing Nessa from falling over and instead helping her to regain her balance. She glanced at one of the hands that grasped her shoulders, and her gaze slowly moved up a muscular arm and eventually her blue eyes met a pair of green set on a freckled face. The man’s lips were turned down to form a concerned frown, and he tilted his head as he looked her over with a concerned look in his eyes. The movement knocked his hat slightly askew and exposed more of his peach-colored hair.

“Ah, sorry!” Nessa said, a dusting of pink appearing on her cheeks as she averted her gaze, embarrassed. She recognized this man as one of her fellow Gym Leaders, and, like herself, he was also new to the job. She hadn’t had a chance to chat with him inside, as after the ceremony had ended, he had been busy speaking to the new, and very young Gym Leader of Stow-on-Side. She unfortunately could not recall his name.

“I should be the one apologizing!” the man said, the frown on his face replaced with a bright smile that gave Nessa pause, “Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine.” she said quickly, shaking her head. “What about you?”

“I’m good!” he said, laughing as he let go of her shoulders and stepped back. “I’m Milo, by the way! You’re...Nessa, right? The Gym Leader of Hulbury?”

“Yeah, that’s me. It’s nice to meet you, Milo.”

“Nice to meet you too!” Milo grinned and held out his hand towards her, and Nessa grinned back as she took his hand and shook it firmly. She was surprised at how much his hand dwarfed her own. “We really didn’t get a chance to talk inside, so I’m glad I ran into you! Uh, well, not the literal part of that. I still feel bad about it…” He let go of her hand and rubbed at the back of his neck sheepishly, and Nessa giggled and shook her head.

“Really, it’s okay.”

“Hmm...I know!” Milo said, “Are you hungry at all? Let me treat you to some food as a real apology!” Nessa opened her mouth to protest; he really didn’t need to go to all that trouble for her. However, when she saw the excited glint in his eyes, she couldn’t help but smile and nod.

“All right. I’m actually pretty hungry, now that I think about it.”

“Great! Let’s go! Kabu was telling me about this great hole-in-the-wall diner...”

Nessa smiled as Milo led her deeper into Motostoke, chatting away about the things that they saw and what he had heard from the city’s Gym Leader. From his appearance alone, Nessa had initially thought that Milo looked rather intimidating, due to his broad, muscular stature, but he was anything but. With his cheerful smile and easygoing, friendly attitude, the phrase ‘never judge a book by its cover’ seemed very appropriate in this case.

“Ah! Here it is!” Milo said. Nessa smiled when he held the door open for her, and she stepped inside.

“Welcome! Take a seat wherever you like!” someone called out when Nessa and Milo were both inside. They chose a table by the front window, and they looked over the menu as the waitress went to get their drinks.

“So, Nessa,” Milo asked, and Nessa glanced up at him over her menu, “Have you always lived in Hulbury?”

“Yep. My dad’s a fisherman, and my mom’s been selling his catch at the marketplace for as long as I can remember. Part of the reason that I love water Pokemon so much is because of my father. I used to go fishing with him all the time when I was younger. I still do so when I can, but I’m busier now, especially with my new position as Gym Leader.” Nessa said, beaming with pride. She had always admired her parents and how hard they worked, but she realized that she had been rambling a bit, and a light blush rose on her cheeks.

“That’s great! It sounds like you’re really close with your parents!” Milo said, beaming as he set his menu down and folded his hands together in front of him, “What did you do before you decided to become a Gym Leader?”

“I actually did a lot of modeling. I still take on jobs when I have the time.”

“Oh, I can totally see that. You’re really beautiful, after all!” Nessa blinked at him, her face flushing fully, and she watched a Milo cringed and waved his hands in front of him.

“Oh, s-sorry! Was that a weird thing to say?” he asked, averting his gaze as he tugged nervously on the scarf around his neck. Nessa recovered from her initial shock and smiled warmly, shaking her head.

“It’s okay. I’m flattered, really.” Nessa said, and she chuckled when Milo breathed a heavy sigh of relief. She may have been offended if it was any other man saying something so bold to her out of the blue, but Milo just seemed...so sincere and genuine. It was hard to be upset with him, Nessa was quickly realizing.

The waitress returned with their drinks, and they took the time to order their food. Nessa ordered the seafood platter, while Milo chose the steak and mixed vegetables. Nessa took a sip of her tea, sighing contently as the liquid sent warmth flooding through her chest, and she turned her attention back to Milo.

“What about you, Milo? What do you do besides running the Gym?”

“Well,” Milo started, a toothy grin crossing his face, “I help my parents with their Wooloo farm! It’s a lot of hard work, but I love every minute of it. I’ve been helping mom and dad for as long as I can remember. I’m thinking of incorporating Wooloo herding into my Gym Mission…” Nessa listened to him, her eyes never leaving his. Milo was so...energetic, just bursting with overwhelming enthusiasm with every word that came out of his mouth. Nessa had really never met anyone like him before. She listened with great interest as he gushed more about Wooloo farming, and before long their food was brought out to them.

“Wow! This looks good!” Milo said, digging into his steak right away. “How’s yours, Nessa?”

“It’s good.” she said after taking a bite, “Not as good as the seafood back home, but still not bad at all.”

“Oh yeah! I bet seafood is best when it’s freshly caught!” Milo said, glancing out the window with a wistful look on his face. “I’ve never been to the ocean before. I bet it’s really cool!”

“Well, you could always come and visit me if you want.” The words left Nessa’s mouth before she could really think about what she was saying, and she felt her face heat up. She cleared her throat to cover up how flustered she was starting to feel, and she shrugged nonchalantly. “I mean, we are the first two Gym Leaders. It’d make sense for us to get to know each other better and be familiar with our Gyms. It would be useful to be able to give helpful info to challengers too-”

“Wow, really?!?” Nessa’s awkward rambling was cut off when Milo clapped his hands together excitedly as he spoke, “That’d be awesome! I’d love to come visit you sometime! And I’d love it if you visited the farm too! Oh, and my parents would be ecstatic to meet you! They always enjoy good company and you’re really cool and…”

Nessa watched with wide eyes as Milo continued his excited chattering. Meeting his...parents? He thought she was...cool? She didn’t really know how to deal with such raw and unbridled enthusiasm. Nonetheless, she found herself smiling as she continued to listen to him as she ate, and a weird warmth had blossomed in her chest. How odd.

When they had finished their meal and Milo generously paid for it, they both stepped outside. Milo sighed contently and patted his stomach with both hands.

“Wow, that was so good!” he said, smiling as he looked at Nessa. She smiled back and nodded.

“Yeah, it really was. Kabu suggested a great place to eat.”

“You know, there’s this great place in Turffield that makes the best pastries. I’ll have to take you there when you visit.”

“I’d like that. I’ll take you to an authentic seafood place in return.”

“Yes! I’m so ready for that!”

They walked back to the inn together, and all too quickly Nessa found herself outside of the door to her room. She frowned slightly at the thought of parting from Milo so soon, and she was curious as to why she felt so sad about it.

“Oh, Nessa!” Milo said as he took out his phone, “Let’s exchange numbers! That way we can make plans to meet and stuff!” She nodded and entered her number in his phone, and he did the same with hers.

“Well, it’s getting kinda late, and I’m pretty tired.” Nessa said, a large yawn escaping her.

“Right. It was really nice to meet you, Nessa!” Milo said, beaming as he suddenly wrapped his arms around Nessa and pulled her into a hug. She blinked in surprise at first, but she soon found herself hugging him back with a smile on her face.

“Same here, Milo.” she said when he pulled away. “I have a feeling that we’ll get along really well.”

“Yeah? Well, me too! I think we’re gonna be great friends!” Milo said, grinning ear-to-ear as he placed his hands on his hips. “Have a good night, Nessa! Maybe we can meet for breakfast tomorrow before we leave town?”

“I’d like that. Goodnight, Milo.” Nessa said. He shot her one last smile before he turned and headed down the hall to his room. She watched him go until he disappeared around the corner, and she finally entered her own room. A wave of exhaustion suddenly washed over her, and she quickly readied herself for bed and nestled herself into a cocoon of pillows and blankets. She had let her Drednaw out of his pokeball, and he was already snoring loudly from his place on the floor.

Nessa heard her phone buzz on the nightstand, and she picked it up to read the message, which was from Milo.

‘Hey Nessa! I just wanted to say again that today was really fun! Looking forward to tomorrow, goodnight!’

Nessa smiled as she read. Milo really was an interesting man. She had never met someone so excited to be her friend. It was a good feeling, and Nessa really liked him too. The warm feeling in her chest from earlier was back again, and she brushed it off as being unused to Milo’s uncommon, overwhelming enthusiasm. Yeah, that was it.

‘I had a good time too, Milo. You have a good night!’

Milo responded right away with a smiley face, and she returned it. With that, her phone fell silent. She put it away and finally drifted off to sleep, with a large smile on her face. A certain green-eyed, peach-haired farm boy visited her dreams that night, and Nessa was very okay with that.

[totallycorrectpmdquotes]

Hi! Not to rush you, but do you have a date in mind to update Backfire? I really wanna see how Dusknoir gets out of this one >:3

*abrupt realization that I’ve been sitting on this ask for almost two months, and haven’t transferred chapters 4 & 5 over from AO3* uh. Whoops.

Let me just… fix that…

(Previous Chapters)

Uxie’s powers aren’t just limited to his lake, and affect all memories which could be traced back to the Time Gears. It’s easy to imagine the mental catastrophe this could cause in the mind of someone who’s spent nearly their entire life looking into them. In his defense, Uxie was really mad at Grovyle.

-

4.

Dusknoir didn’t look anythinglike the Guildmaster did when he was asleep. For starters, he’d actually closedhis eye, while Wigglytuff had always just stared blankly ahead. He’d also beensurrounded by an ominous blacklight aura and moved stiffly compared to theGuildmaster’s ragdoll-limbs. It was easy to tell when he woke up – the auradropped and Dusknoir jerked back, obviously upset by what he’d nearly done toChatot.

At least, Breeze hoped so. Shereally, really hoped the Great Dusknoir hadn’t meant to hurt Chatot like that.

The Guildmaster still trembledand held Chatot tight, only a few seconds away from bawling as Chatot repeatedhow fine he was.

Breeze grabbed one of her oranberries from her treasure bag and passed it off to Chimecho. Chimecho didn’tneed any other instructions, she joined the Guildmaster in fussing over Chatotand began the long, painful process of convincing him to eat it.

Dusknoir spoke, finally, andstared past the group. “He’s awake.”

Breeze felt her partner shove herout of the way just in time to avoid the curtain that fell on her Guildmates.Grovyle tucked and rolled, landing only a pawstep away from Breeze.

“Wait -” she started to say, butGrovyle was faster. He leapt for the wall, and with one solid kick took out thewindow frame and launched himself out of the guild.

The guild struggled out from thecurtain as both Breeze and Dusknoir dove for the window, his hands and her pawsside by side as they both leaned halfway out. Grovyle threw the frame away andcaught a ledge, swinging himself back up onto solid ground. He looked back upat them, his expression barely outlined in the dim torchlight – wide eyes and atense posture.

“We’ll handle this!” Dugtriocalled, and the ground under Breeze’s paws churned. She leaned further, eyesstill on Grovyle as he shook off his claws – and Dugtrio popped out of the wallright in front of him. Grovyle yelped and slapped him.

It wasn’t a move – it was just aslap. Dugtrio was unphased.

“Do not engage!” Chatot squawked,and ruffled Breeze’s fur as he flew overhead. He swooped down, wobbling onstill half-frozen wings. This time, Grovyle did use a move – quickattack, it looked like, from how he cleared the distance between himand Chatot in a single bound. With two flaps, Chatot tried to fly back – withthe ice still in his wings, weighing him down, he had no chance of succeeding.

Chatot hit a rocky slope andslid. Dugtrio abandoned his post and burrowed through the cliff face to shootout only a pawstep above the ocean’s waves. He broke Chatot’s fall, but nearlylost his grip. Grovyle landed back on the ledge and sent a shower of pebblesdown at them.

Breeze could feel her guildmatescrowded behind her as they tried to squeeze past or lift each other up so theycould see too. Wigglytuff sobbed, and Breeze could feel the guild shake underher – Grovyle flattened himself against the cliff face to avoid falling off it.A burning growl rose up in her throat, and she turned to Dusknoir as embers litup her teeth. “Do something! ”

Dusknoir jolted and stared at herfor a second before he disappeared. Wigglytuff pushed through the crowd to takehis spot. Breeze spun back around as Grovyle yelped and pressed his backagainst the cliff – Dusknoir had manifested just out of arm’s reach off thecliff’s edge.

“You’re coming with me,” he said.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Grovylereplied, his weak rasp nearly lost to the wind and waves. He clung to the wallbehind him and stared at Dusknoir.

No, wait. PastDusknoir?

Breeze squinted and leanedfarther. There was a shadow floating over the ocean, silhouetted by moonlight.It held out a hand, and a ball of blacklight curled in its palm.

Breeze had a thought, then, abouthow that blacklight the shadow held looked an awful lot like the one that hadsurrounded Dusknoir earlier. Then she saw where it was aiming.

She didn’t think again.“Look out! ” Breeze shouted as she flung herself out thewindow. Her guildmates echoed her by screaming her name, but did nothing thatstopped her from smashing into Dusknoir. He was knocked aside as she bouncedback – her back hit the cliff face, the sharp stones pierced her fur, and shetumbled forward.

A clawed hand grabbed her backpaw and swung her up before she could skid further. Grovyle set her down andopened his mouth to say something.

Then she tackled him, andthe shadow ball exploded the ledge they’d been standing on amoment before. Grovyle hit the cliffs, Breeze hit Grovyle, and they flipped.She got a clear view of her guildmates holding Dusk back from throwing himselfafter her, and everyone on the cliff-face reaching for her.

Dusknoir’s outstretched handsclosed around the strap of her Treasure Bag instead of her leg, and Breeze hitthe ocean head-first.

.-.

By the time Dusknoir managed tobreak away from the frantic guild members and reach his underlings’ campsite,they were already packed and ready to leave. Dusknoir would be thankful if hewas an idiot and not well aware they would not be ready yet without outsideorders.

“You,” he pointed to the closestone, “What are you doing?”

The other five froze as thatsableye turned to face Dusknoir. He had a glassy, unfocused look in hisgemstone eyes. He was half-asleep. “What you asked us to do,Lord Dusknoir.”

Dusknoir’s heart hammered, and hecovered the rising panic with rage. “Humour me. What is it?”

The other sableye backpedaled andabandoned their associate. The traitor in front of Dusknoirfrowned, then laughed nervously. “To… search down the girl and Grovyle…? Andeliminate them?”

Another sableye piped up. “Noneof us saw you give him these orders, Lord Dusknoir!”

“As I suspected,” Dusknoirreplied, and wrapped a hand around Sableye’s torso. He lifted him and squeezed.“Do you feel this?”

Sableye wheezed, and Dusknoirfelt his ribs start to bend under his grasp. He dropped the pokemon and let himland in a heap.

“This is real. Remember it. Don’tbe a fool.” He looked up at the others. A few stared at their companion, butnone of them were stupid enough to rush over to check on him. “You will searchfor them, but you will not engage. You will follow the coast until you uncovera marker of them coming ashore, which you will then report to me. Tail them. Donot let them see you. Am I understood?” He towered over the one in front of him,and watched that poor, stupid sableye cough. “Do not let thisworld turn you soft. Our mission isn’t done yet.”

A rumble of reluctant agreementran through his underlings. Dusknoir cracked his knuckles, and the reluctancedisappeared.

He took his leave, a chesto berryborrowed from Team Relic’s treasure bag clutched in his hand in case Darkraidecided to pay him another visit. Dusknoir cut through the trees to return tothe crossroads and gave the path to the beach a long look. The sky over theocean had started to turn a pale blue. He could hear the waves lapping againstthe sand, just loud enough to reach his ears. The scent of sea salt mixed withdew-covered leaves blew past on the gentle breeze, pleasantly cool.

There was, yet again, a shadow ofa human man right beside him.

Dusknoir pointedly ignored him,and the distant commotion of the guild, as he watched the sun rise.

.-.

For what was unfortunately notthe first time in her memory, Breeze woke up covered in sand with a full bodyache.

She started gagging before sheeven tried to force her eyes open, and by the time she had managed to sit upshe had a disgustingly large pile of sand that had been in her mouth infront of her.

“Ew,” her throat burned. “Ew, ew-” she fluffed up her fur and immediately winced - her muscles screamed at theextra tension. She flopped back down onto the packed earth floor, which wasfreezing, and decided she’d just be covered in sand the rest of her life. Thelittle cave she’d ended up in seemed to be more dirt than sand, so maybe shecould get some variety. Her Persim Band, by some miracle, wasn’t sand-coated –but it was stuck in one stiff position thanks to a thick layer of seasalt. Great.

The faint sunlight at the end ofthe cave turned dark, and Breeze forced herself through the pain to sit upagain.

“Oh, you’re alive.” Grovyle said.He took a bite of one of the apples he held in his arms. “Sorry I couldn’t giveyou a better bed, I barely managed to drag you in here before I passed out. Youmust be hungry. Luckily for you, I found a sitrus.” He started to cross thedistance between them. Breeze put all her energy into backing up as fast as shecould. Grovyle stopped.

“Where are we?” She fluffed upher fur and growled. The deep ache nearly made her lose her balance.

“Don’t hurt yourself,” Grovylesaid. He set the sitrus and an apple down and backed up. He took another biteof his own apple and chewed before he spoke. Breeze didn’t move. “We’re in somesort of burrow by a river that meets the ocean. We got swept quite a distancealong the coast, and the waves did a number on you.” Breeze still didn’t move.Grovyle rolled his eyes. “If I leave will you eat the berry?”

“Why did you save me?” Breezeasked.

“Why did you save me? ”Grovyle replied.

The two stared at each other fora long moment. Breeze swallowed the urge to point out that she’d been trying tosave Dusknoir, not him. Grovyle just frowned at her.

After that long, awkward momentpassed, Breeze lowered her gaze. She took a deep breath in and started to inchcloser to Grovyle. He doesn’t remember the Time Gears. He doesn’tremember being a bad Pokémon. I wanted to give him a second chance. I’m givinghim a second chance.

Within only one bite, the warmthof the sitrus berry had started to soothe her aching everything. She ate therest in only two more bites. “Thanks,” she said as soon as she finished, “thathelped.”

“Don’t mention it,” Grovyle said.He rolled the apple closer to her, and Breeze finished it in a few bites –Grovyle still nursed his own. “…So, Nixie, you got a name?”

Breeze looked up from her applecore. “I’m a vulpix.”

“Oh,” Grovyle narrowed his eyesat her, “are you? Is a nixie your evolution?”

“No? That’s a ninetales.” She hadn’tforgotten basic pokemon names when she’d lost her memories. “What’s a nixie?”

Grovyle frowned at Breeze for severallong moments before he shook his head and rubbed one of his temples with twoclaws. “Never mind. I’m… what’s your name?”

Breeze hesitated. “Uh,” she pawedthe ground and scraped back a line of dirt. Dusk would know if it wasappropriate to answer that question. But Dusk wasn’t here, and Breeze wasalone. Type advantage or not, she was alone. “Good question. My best friendcalls me Breeze. What about you?”

Grovyle’s frown deepened. “Thatdoesn’t matter,” he said. “If you can walk, we-”

“No, no,” Breeze cut in, andtried to fix Grovyle with a serious look. “You don’t get to ask me your nameand not offer yours.”

He shook his head. “It’s notimportant, I shouldn’t have asked. As I was saying -”

“Do you not remember?”

There was a beat of heavy silencebetween them. Breeze did her best not to wilt under Grovyle’s huge-eyed stare.

“I do,” Grovyle said,unconvincingly. “But if I’m here then I don’t deserve it.” He pointed over hisshoulder, “That shadow might find us again if we stay. We should keep moving.”

Breeze narrowed her eyes. Grovylepointedly did not look at her. “Why?” She settled on at last, “What will happenif it catches us?”

“I don’t know,” Grovyle said.“It’ll probably try and kill me again. You too, given that you helped me. Thesafest option is to keep moving.”

“Why? So it can track you?”Breeze sat down and crossed her front paws over top of each other. “So you haveto keep running? So you have to jump out more windows and off more cliffs?”

“You pushed me,”Grovyle grumbled.

“Yeah, yeah. You know that’s notmy point.” She waved a paw, “I also told you not to jump out the window. Do youhave any idea why I didn’t want you to throw yourself into the ocean?” Grovylegave her a particularly grumpy glare. This time, Breeze ignored it. “We were atthe Wigglytuff Guild. Everyone at the guild helps Pokemon who are in danger. Weprotect ones who are running from something. Everyone there is strong,especially the Guildmaster.”

“Was that the one choking thebird or the one doing the choking?” Grovyle said, deadpan.

“Neither, actually. Dusknoir wassleepwalking and didn’t mean to hurt Chatot.” He didn’t look any moreconvinced. Breeze shuffled, suddenly sheepish. “I’m sure if we go back, and youjust talk to them, you’ll see what I mean. It’s safer than running. Okay?That’s why we brought you back there in the first place.”

Instead of looking at Breeze,Grovyle focused on the apple. For several tense breaths, the only sound wasa snap as he twisted off the stem.

“You knew I was having memoryissues,” Grovyle said. “Is it wrong to assume you know why?”

Breeze nearly choked on her ownanxious gulp. “Kinda? I – I didn’t bring you back. Dusknoir did. He – youshould ask him what happened to you.”

Grovyle kept eye contact as hetook a slow bite of his apple. “But you know. Why won’t you tell me?”

How are you this calm? It tooka whole mystery dungeon for me to stop panicking when I lost my memory. Isnot what Breeze said, as tempted as she was. Instead, she shrugged. “I don’tknow enough to help you. I just -” didn’t want to abandon you, wantedto give you a second chance, felt my gut churn at the thought of lettingDusknoir take you back to the future and I don’t know why, “- want toknow what you remember? We all do. Dusknoir told us you’d have memoryproblems.”

For several moments longer,Grovyle stared at her, chewing slowly. “Did he find anyone else with me? Anyother treeckos? Or grovyles? Sceptiles, even?”

There was a sinking, sad feelingin Breeze’s gut. “No,” she said, and caught the tiniest flinch from Grovyle.“You were alone, as far as I know. Dusknoir would know more.” He saidyou had a friend in the future.

In the silence that followed,Grovyle finally finished his apple – including the core, seeds and all. “Well,”he said, “as I was trying to say before, we should go. Staying here won’t do usany good, especially with that shadow on our tail. If you can walk, we shouldleave.”

“Back to the guild?” Breezeasked, hopefully.

“If that’s where this Dusknoiris, then sure.” Grovyle shrugged and offered a hand to help Breeze up. Shepretended not to see it. “But I’m not sticking around.”

“Alright,” Breeze said. And stoodup on her unsteady legs as Grovyle pulled his hand back. She offered him asmile. He just looked confused. “Then let’s go.”

Grovyle nodded and made his wayto the entrance. He waited for Breeze to stumble over to him before continuingout of their riverbank cave at a much slower pace. They stayed side by side asthey stumbled up the dry riverbed.

Although the two barely looked ateach other (aside from courtesy checks to be sure the other was still besidethem), they both kept their eyes to the sky as the sun rose higher and higherpast the dawn.

[pkmnsdarkqueen]

Specifics on how the Masked Man Affected Karen

TW: child abuse, TW: violence, TW: sex, TW: alcohol, TW: death mention, TW: grooming-ish? (I don’t know how else to phrase that last one so here’s mini version you decide for yourself: to sum up at one point Karen wanted to learn how to seduce people but didn’t do anything until she was of age. details are limited)

Also it’s long, I’m sorry.

For background: I head cannon it that Will and Karen joined at the same time, and knew each other before joining. Will ran from home because people were scared of his psychic abilities. Karen ran from home because it was overall a bad place with a mom that ignored her unless she wanted something. Karen wanted to be a pokeathlete so she made a base under the bleachers and competed. Will and her ran into each other, and when she saw he was homeless to invited him to stay with her. Things went great until Karen was successful enough that her mom saw her on TV and rushed to get her. Not wanting to be trapped at home again Karen went on the run again with Will in tow. Although now it was harder because they didn’t have hardly any income leading to pick pocketing, and light crime. How they met the Masked Man was because Will tried to pick pocket form him using his powers, failed, and instead of being mad or scared the guy was super kind and even offered to take both he and Karen in. Will was rather sold on this but it took a week to convince Karen cause she didn’t really trust this guy. 

Ok everyone caught up? Cool.

So Karen’s crux as far as a weakness is that if she cares about someone she will do next to anything for them. Usually to get into that inner circle it takes time with her, and some deep level of similarity with the person. She also never had really a family except her pokemon, and again was mostly ignored by her mom unless needed. So training started and how she got manipulated was that the Masked man would spend dedicated time with her not always for training, just time with her, which meant alot and contrasted her mother. He set the tone of them being a family, something he knew she wanted. This helped with the similarity function, and during the one on one time would always make it sound like they had alot in common. Plus with how Rocket operated this felt so much bigger and grander than when she was wanting to be a pokeathlete just to have Will tag along. No in her mind they were all together in this. 

She wanted to be a part of this bigger grander thing, she wanted to make the Masked Man proud because in her mind he genuinely cared about her more than what she could accomplish, everyone here including him felt like her in one way another thanks to his manipulation, and she actually had a family. Everything seemed right to her. 

During the more formal training he managed to convince her killing, stealing, lying, destruction, etc. was all valid as long as she did it for the group. If someone wasn’t part of the group they weren’t part of the family, and they were a possible threat to it, so if she was told to do something bad to someone then it was ok because they were a threat. 

He also wore Will out during training with him thus making it hard for Karen and Will to have good quality time with each other to really talk about things. 

Again Karen is thematically the light in the darkness from what I summarized here. How this plays in is that Karen like in the beginning always had a lingering doubt about everything, like a candle in a dark room. The Masked Man tried desperately to snuff it out constantly telling her to care less. Her light though was Will. He was the first human she considered a friend, and even family. She watched the Masked Man change him, as time went on she felt a separation between him. Of course this was intentional. The Masked Man while outwardly structured it as a family the connections of loyalty were supposed to only be drawn to him. He wanted connections between each individual person to be weaker than connections to him. Karen though couldn’t make herself put The Masked Man higher in loyalty than Will no matter how he tried to force her. He did alot to try and make this happen such as gradually sending them on missions with others or on solo missions and this started to work slowly. 

The double M scar carved onto the back of her neck started when she was 14, had been with him 3 years, and already had committed enough to wrack up a high body count. What she did to earn the scar was something that would seem minor. During training she was beating Will and at point stopped thinking that she’d done enough damage. The Masked Man told her to keep going, she did a bit, and stopped again, he said to keep going, she did a bit and then stopped again. Then he got furious asking why she kept stopping, and she explained that she didn’t want to hurt Will more than was necessary. Then when The Masked Man told her she shouldn’t be worried about that she argued back. Next thing Karen knew she was forced on the ground, and he was carving the letters into the back of her neck. It started with him telling her it was a reminder on who knew best, then that eventually became who she ought to listen to, then who she obeyed, and then finally who owned her.  He would recarve it anytime it started to fade, or she put someone else above listening to him.

It was about 15 when Karen wanted to help prove her loyalty, and convince herself this was good. Her attempt to snuff out the light. It started when while training she had a cyst on one of her ovaries burst. Of course she needed an opperation, and it resulted in her loosing an ovary. After that she questioned why she needed them anyway. Periods interrupted missions at times, and she wasn’t planning on ever having children. She had seen her mom bring home guys and simply use them, she heard about other girls being able to do it, and without ovaries she could seduce with no consequences. So she wanted to gain skills in that kind of manipulation. The one good thing The Masked Man did is that he didn’t want her to do anything too far for her age, and also questioned the medical safety of this. He convinced her to keep the other ovary. She could learn but not do until 18, and Karen obeyed this. So she made friends with a stripper, who would later become her bartender Kimiko, and learned how to seduce people. Thus warping the concept of love for her by her own choice. Karen at the end of the day though felt rather proud seeing it as her giving even more, and proving her loyalty even greater. However she still kept seeing that metaphorical flickering candle light as she watched Will change telling her something was wrong. 

He grew to be so much more invested in the whimsey of essentially doing as he wanted since they were outside the law. While Karen justified it by, this is for the family, he was sold in on the fact he could do what he wanted when he wanted as long as it was within the reigns of helping or obeying Rocket. He could even use his psychic powers more freely and they were hailed as something to be proud of. He didn’t see he was being used just like Karen didn’t. Also to block out the emotions of guilt Karen carved her emotions out slowly but surely even with Will to some extent putting a strain on their relationship. 

When Blue and Silver entered the scene Karen was so bent on proving to herself this was good she often lashed out at the pair of kids. She was a bit nicer to Silver since she could relate to the awful home life, and absent dad. To Blue she was the most vicious since Blue had everything before coming to the Masked Man. It was around then Karen and Will also surpassed Carl and Sham in favoritism to the Masked Man, and Karen was hell bent on not having Silver and Blue take the spots she and Will had so viciously fought for. Doing so also kept her from asking ‘why do I want this so badly?’ When Blue and Silver managed to get out later she was both disgusted they leave, happy to no longer compete, stressed because she couldn’t let out her anger anymore, but ultimately it aided in her questioning.

Ho-oh and Lugia entered the picture soon after, and Karen felt such an honor to have the pokemon. Pokemon were also her family. She knew they were supposed to just be tools to most of Rocket, but Pryce treated his well so she did as also. The only thing was that the more time she spent with Ho-oh the more she found a reflection of herself. The bird may look majestic, and powerful but at the end of the day it was trapped. It never emoted, just did as it was told. It didn’t seem happy or sad about anything simply existed because it had no other option. In fact it only really emoted when Lugia did something and viece versa. Besides those times the pokemon never really felt as though it was alive, just existing. 

Back at her mother’s house she had left because that’s always how she felt. She only existed really when her mother needed something or in school when she caused touble. She wasnt a part of anything either so she couldn’t exist in any other place. She had people that were friendly but not many friends since she was given weird looks when she talked about home life like the other kids. She just didn’t exist really for any reason at all. And looking at Ho-oh now she wondered if she was repeating the process. Did she only exist when she was needed?

She tried to talk to Will about it but by then there was such a gap betwen them it was hard. She couldn’t talk to any of the other kids because they despised her. So she would talk alone to Ho-oh, and even if it wasn’t able to understand she didn’t care because in her own way she sort of existed to someone then.

As these questions piled up and this small candle of doubt grew bigger the reality shattering moment happened. They lost the legendaries. Now she knew that was bad and she knew the Masked Man woukd be upset. He’d hurt them before but this was different. Will took the blame, he shouldn’t of because it was Karen that pushed for them to keep fighting when they shouldn’t of. It confirmed for Karen that even though there was a gap their connection was still there, he still cared. And then Pryce hit Will so hard he went down in record time. Karen saw one of her idols almost kill her only family member and then told her,“Handle this.” Like he was a stray piece of paper to be picked up, as insignificant as a squashed fly. And that’s when Karen knew everything she feared was real. They didn’t matter. They only mattered, they only existed when they were needed, and they were nothing more. They weren’t a family. The only family she had was Will and at the time of it happening she thought he died.

Thankfully he didn’t die, but she never wanted to get that close again. And she ran away with Will who was still fading in and out. She didn’t know where they were going, and she didn’t care all she needed was him, and their pokemon. To her nothing else mattered.

A day later they ran into Koga and Bruno. The best way to describe Karen was a cornered injured animal viciously protecting her companion so nothing about her was friendly or welcoming. She would of denied their help, but she was desperate to help Will and accepted it. Eventually this lead to a very positive outcome too! When Will was better he bonded alot with Bruno since both of them had their heads messed with/adapted to fit Rocket’s wants. They could understand the trauma and invasiveness of it on a very deep level. Plus they proved to be the two goof balls when together. Koga and Karen bonded being the ones who were a bit more serious about the matter, Karen also reminded Koga of his daughter, and well Karen’s father figure record was absent then abusive so an actually healthy one (compared to the others yes he’s healthy)was a nice change of pace. Although it took MUCH longer for her to open up to Koga this time around still traumatized from The Masked Man. While with Pryce it only took three months roughly to trust him. It took about a year and a half to really trust Bruno or Koga. Then it wasn’t until 3 years and they were in the league that Karen accidentally called Koga ‘dad’, and then realized Bruno was like an uncle to her. 

For the record. Karen has learned by now her bio dad wasn’t absent by choice but forced to be, and is a great person. Though she sees him as her father Koga is in her mind still her dad. 

As for the aftermath of Pryce well she despises the fact that he’s allowed to still be a gym leader. However they can’t do anything about it because if they did it’d put all of the Johto league behind bars as well. She’s contemplated murder multiple times, but anything that happened to him would automatically make her and Will suspects especially since Carl and Sham have seemed to disappear. It irks her to see him anyplace and she tries to simply not acknowledge him. One time he called her daughter at a league event, and Karen shattered the glass in her hand by squeezing it. Thankfully she was with Bruno and Lance so they were the only ones to see it, and helped her bandage it up.  She  simply refuses to address him. She also can’t bring herself to go to Mahogany town. The memories are run too deep and she will start to have a panic attack. Yes, she’s tried multiple times to go back even with Lance since he loves the lake of rage, but she just can’t do it. 

She is doing her best to make amends with Blue and Silver. What really bothers her is Carl and Sham though. She has no idea where they are even with all of her contacts, and she is afraid they might come back to destroy all that she’d built.

To sum up love now for Karen btw. She concluded when she was younger love was only something a couple had as long as everyone in the couple got something out of it. When you couldn’t give anymore you weren’t wanted. Which was why she never wanted to pursue love for anything serious, after all why bother when it was always doomed to fail or trap you. Karen has adapted that but still takes her time in relationships avoiding anything sexual especially because in her mind:”I want to know that even when you don’t need me my I exist to you, and my existence means as much to you as yours will to me.”

[yes-asil]

Alright, now you HAVE to tell how the two met each pokemon

Pff, alright, sure! I’m putting it under a read more, because it’s way too long as a dash post!

Matt’s Pokémon:

First was Absol, Matt was around 8 years old when he wandered out on a rainy night to get some air and space. He pretty much watched some grown ups hiss at the shivering Absol puppy to get lost and he rushed in to pick it up and get away before they could hurt it. He tried to make Absol go home afterwards, but the small thing followed him anywhere he went, hiding in the bushes whenever Matt went back inside, only to come jumping out and try to engage with him as soon as it saw his face. Only after trials and tribulations and Matt being around 15 he realised: “Oh yeah. You are only officially my Pokémon when I caught you in a Pokéball, right?”, which he promptly did. So far Absol had always walked beside him, loyal and well behaved, so even if it was caught way later, it is still the very first.

Noctowl came second, which back then was still a Hoothoot when he caught it. Absol and Matt pretty much were on their way to the next bigger city, but being a 10 year old, alone without a map and not with a real clue where he actually wanted to go, they kind of got lost. The two weren’t too upset, but the Hoothoot watching them pass by its tree for the fourth time got a bit curious. Especially because the night was getting colder and both, trainer and pet were shivering to the bone. So Hoothoot decided to land on Matt’s head and direct him to a safe spot, where they could rest. And it never left again, that hair nest is pretty great!

(Fun-fact: It didn’t evolve out of training or battling other Pokémon, it simply did because Matt has a hard time sleeping, so much so that he was getting sick and was constantly out of breath. Noctowl can use Hypnosis to put him to sleep and also fly him around when walking becomes too much.)

Archeops was next and it was a curious finding, mostly because Matt found the Plume Fossile on pure accident. He tumbled over it while sleeping in an abondened mansion, as a rest stop. It was probably used as a door stopper back in the days, but he had already gained a lot of knowledge while traveling different regions and went “Oh damn, that’s a Pokémon!” He pretty much ran to the closest laboratory there was and got an Archen back, to which he was already aware that it was his now. It also evolved out of need really, it was a dangerous situation and Noctowl was knocked out cold in it’s ball, so it had to turn into Archeops so they could glide to safety.

(Another fun-fact: Both, Noctowl and Archeops gift Matthew their feathers as pens whenever his old ones break, and they sometimes fight over who can carry him for a flight. After they meet Lukas, they regularly trade places)

Then came Combee, another forest, Matt and his team pretty tired and down with their energy. The little bug took pity on them, shared its honey, led them to the next Pokécentre and decided that it would be best to stay. It felt really appreciated.

Ekans is a funny and short story. It actually was trying to get a rattata as its lunch and was hanging onto a branch, suspended over a cliff. Matt grabbed it before it could fall and in the same second he went: “Man, you are adorable.” Pretty much love at first sight, he’s a gigantic snake lover.

And last we got Klefki, which Matt got as a present basically. When he started off working at the library with 18, he kept asking for Klefki so he could open up at the weekend. It didn’t help that Klefki itself loved to hover around him and jingle it’s keys in rythm to his Pop music, so the school board went: “Look, whatever we do, you come each day and ask every single day for the thing. Just keep it, it likes you, so please just take it and do whatever, we can’t hear it anymore.”

Lukas’ Pokémon:

Pumpkaboo was Lukas very first encounter with a wild Pokémon in general. He was 9 when he was trying to scope out the haunted mansion at the border of Pappelcreek, and was incredibly spooked. He tried to get in, and he did made it over the fence, before an orange light and a high shriek made him jump and scramble home. His curiosity was bigger than his fear however and he came back again and again, finally realising that the light hid under a bush as soon as it scared the everliving heck out of him. He had scooped all his bravery together and had parted the leaves, only to widen his eyes at the tiny pumpkin laying there. Immediately he cooed at it, whispering how cute it was and that he was so sorry that he had scared it with coming to its home every night. Pumpkaboo had been just as scared as Lukas had been, but warmed up to him just as fast. A few months later Lukas turned 10, got a Pokéball and asked it if it wanted to be his partner. The answer was an obvious yes.

Second was Chimecho, which Lukas had thought of as a ghost haunting the church. He had heard bells late at night for years and with Pumpkaboos help and his boost in courage he finally found the source. Chimecho was pretty surprised to be found in the middle of the night, but soon they bonded over music and sang together a few songs. Since then it’s following him everywhere.

Noibat came next, it was another one of Lukas tries to find a ghost and trying to figure out if the school attic was infested. But nah, it was just a swarm of Noibat that live there, Lukas being sorry for spooking them more than they had him. One of the Noibat was especially intrigued, had poked him in the sides and made him jump in fright. It was a cheeky monkey honestly, pulling at Lukas hair and making fun of him, relentless until Lukas figured out it wasn’t a ghost bullying him. Noibat had so much fun, that it stayed with him, still playing tiny jokes on him whenever it’s bored.

Fletchling didn’t have a fun start however, it had been caught by a Purrloin and got hurt. Lukas had been walking by and seen it being attacked, to which he shooed the cat Pokémon away. Then he had taken the poor thing in and brought it home to his mother, who is just as much a Pokémon nurse, as she is a human one. Together they brought it back to perfect health and it stayed out of gratitude.

(Fletchling and Noibat constantly bicker because while Noibat wants to play pranks on his trainer, Fletchling is in dept to him and wants to respect him in the best possible way. So it’s constantly them glaring at each other and waiting for the other to make a move.)

On another haunted house quest, Lukas tumbled over Mimikyu. He had mistaken it for an old plush and both, the Pokémon and the little trainer screamed in terror. Then Lukas had tried to coax it back from under the couch, apologizing furiously and trying to explain that he’d never seen anything like it before. When it finally calmed down he decided to ask his uncle what it even is. Finding out later and it’s story about being unloved, he promptly told it that he would love Mimi to the end of the world and back.

And last was Emolga, who pretty much fell into his lap. His dad works as a technician in a factory and is around computers and generally technology a lot. Emolga made it in to feed off the elictricity in there, so he had caught it and brought it home to train it. However it took a liking to Lukas, and his father decided it would be a nice match.

And there you go! All the meetings!

[aleenya]

domestic // hinanami prompt 02

@hinanami-week

Prompt 02 was domestic! Adult Chiaki/Hajime have so much potential for such a cute dynamic! I really hope I captured that here.

When Hajime returned home from class that evening, he wasn't expecting a very petulant Chiaki to greet him, sitting right outside the door to their apartment. 

"Where is it?" she demanded. She'd been hugging her knees tight and, when she turned to look up at him, her expression was so stone-cold and serious that Hajime felt his blood run cold.

He scratched at the back of his neck and quickly glanced away. "I'm not sure what you're talking about," he lied. Suddenly, the extra weight of her power cords and consoles in his backpack felt like heavy stones dragging him down.

Chiaki pounced to her feet, which startled a jolt out of Hajime and caused him to take one stumbling step back. "Hajime Hinata," she began, allowing the air to crackle under the quiet static of her voice. In all their many years together, Chiaki had never once raised her voice; it simply wasn't in her nature to yell, or shout, or be visibly mad about something. That remained true in the six months since they'd moved out of home and gotten an apartment together, tucked away at the top of a shitty complex that at the very least was close to the train station.

No, Chiaki never yelled, but she did get mad - and she had her own subtle ways of showing it. With Hajime, it was by using his full name. He knew her well enough by now to know that when she called him Hajime Hinata in that soft, severe tone of hers, he was in for some trouble.

"I know what you did," she said with a puff of her cheeks. "Give them back. Now."

Even though he hated upsetting her, Hajime wasn't about to back down on this front. He shifted his backpack around on his shoulder, which was enough to catch Chiaki's sharp eyes. She sprung like a lioness on the hunt, but Hajime wasn't caught off-guard; he raised his arm high, just out of reach of Chiaki's desperately reaching fingers, and silently thanked the growth spurt he'd gone through during his last year in the reserve course.

"Sorry, but not this time. You still have that essay to write, remember?"

"And I will," Chiaki grumbled, backing down and putting more force than ever before into her angry expression - which, if Hajime were being honest, just made her look like a child who hadn't got her own way. It was more cute and endearing as opposed to threatening. Not that he'd tell her that, especially now, when it was very clear she wasn't in the mood for their usual teasing.

"You said that yesterday, and the day before that," Hajime sighed. "I'm just trying to help. You want to make games of your own, yeah? Well, to do that, you need to study. I know it sucks, but it'll be worth it in the long run."

The University they attended was world-renowned and had connections at Hope's Peak, thus getting in for Chiaki had merely taken a glance at her profile and the Ultimate talent she had been given. For Hajime, it was a bit more of a fight. As a reserve course student, he'd achieved above average marks in most areas of study, though he was nothing outstanding by any means. It had helped that Chisa had given him a warm recommendation, which Hajime suspected was the sole reason why he was lucky enough to even be here in the first place.

But while Hajime was busy working hard, attending all his classes and striving to match his fellow peers in terms of excellence, Chiaki was admittedly struggling with her chosen career path. At the mention of study, she had deflated and gone to tugging at the strands of her hair. "It's different," she mumbled, "playing games is easy, but making them is a whole other level. I like the programming and testing units, but all the other stuff that comes with it ..." Back to her petulant, stubborn expression. Chiaki squeezed her hands into fists and exclaimed, with breathy passion, "pointless!"

Hajime sighed. It wasn't hard to sympathize with that struggle. "I know." He almost relinquished his hold on the bag, containing all Chiaki needed to dive back into her procrastination slump until the inevitable regrets tomorrow morning. "But it's due tonight, yeah? You can't waste anymore time. You made me promise to make sure you didn't fail this unit, so I'm gonna do all I can to keep you from failing."

"That was last week Chiaki," Chiaki said, though by the way the conviction was slipping from her voice, it was easy to tell that this was a battle she was losing. "Today Chiaki needs one more hour in Pokemon, and then she'll be ready."

"What are you, an addict?" he huffed, unable to keep the fondness out of his expression as he brushed past his girlfriend and pushed open the door. Though he'd shifted the bag back down to hang around his shoulders, Chiaki made no attempt to yank it off and run. That was an improvement, at least.

Still, she looked so dejected standing there with her eyes downcast and cat hoody drooping sadly in chorus. "Have you eaten? Because I was thinking pizza tonight. We can get your favorite?" The suggestion didn't summon the delight he was hoping for. Chiaki simply sighed, dragged her feet over to her desk, and slumped into the bean bag that was her chair.

When they'd first moved in together, Hajime had learned that dating and living together were two decidedly different things. Whilst Hajime was somewhat of an orderly individual, Chiaki had all the makings of a compulsive mess-maker. In turn, Chiaki had learned that Hajime had a tendency towards mopey moods and was easily frustrated at the best of times. Thankfully, they'd been together long enough to know each other incredibly well, and living together hadn't changed much in the grand scheme of things. If anything, knowing each other to the full extent, flaws and all, was what made their relationship so much stronger.

(And they'd reached a compromise on the mess issue, much to Hajime's sanity. Chiaki could have her gaming area as much of a bomb-zone as she wished, so long as she remembered that for the rest of their apartment, rubbish belonged in the bin - and not behind their bed or under their couch.)

Stepping over one of the empty cola cans that marked the boundaries of Chiaki's personal zone, Hajime leaned down beside her. "Come on, it won't be too bad. Why don't we do it together? I don't know much about the topic, but I can try my best to help."

She didn't reply for a while, but that was to be expected. It took Chiaki a long time to process things, especially when she was upset. Then, in her more usual tone of voice, "...if we do, will you give my games and chargers back?"

"Of course," said Hajime promptly.

"And play Mario Kart with me?"

"I mean sure, if that's what you want."

Chiaki paused. Then, "and will you buy me that new Final Fantasy game?"

"Okay, now you're pushing your luck."

"What if I downgrade it to Stardew Valley?" Eyes wide, pleading. Ugh. Chiaki was much slicker than she liked to let on. "Please? We can co-op together and I've wanted it for ages!"

"...Fine. But you owe me a few rounds in Fortnite just for that, okay?"

Chiaki's eyes were glittering like stars. "Deal!"

Why do I feel like I was just the one negotiated with, and not the other way around?

At the very least, that seemed to do it. They pulled out Chiaki's laptop, with Hajime sending her a sharp look when she automatically moused over the Steam icon, and set to work on the essay.

Midway through, Chiaki scooted closer and leaned her head against his shoulder. "...I'm still mad at you, by the way."

Hajime rolled his eyes and let out a tired breath, unable to hide his smile. "I know."

"Don't think this changes anything. I'm gonna kick your butt in Mario Kart so bad."

Now that part was true. Hajime grinned. "I know."

[haikyuu-and-more-haikyuu]

May the tides forever be in your favor.

Hello, this is an AU by @basically-i-write-shit. It is about Yamaguchi and his mother moving in with Ren, that is the father of certain cat named Kuroo Tetsurō and his older brother Kuroo Eiichi. Check out his blog and his writing. It’s a great! (this fic is about a year or two into their new living arraignment) 

Ren and Tadashi have a distant relationship despite how well his new girlfriend gets along with his own, two boys. He really wants to bond with Tadashi, but doesn’t know how. this night, it’s the first time he is aloe with Tadashi.

Words: 2915

Sorry if there are any spelling mistakes. This is my second language and I am still struggling to catch all the misspelling. 

He was alone.

For the first time since Aoi and Tadashi moved in, he was alone with the little boy. His partner was out of town, visiting an old aunt and wouldn't return until tomorrow afternoon. He remembered how Tadashi had begged to come with her, but couldn't. Since bringing a fourth grader to her sick, old aunt would be too much of a hassle for the old woman. It was sad. 

His own two boys were out too, Tetsurō stayed at Kenma for the night and Eiichi stayed at a group sleep over with his classmates. In hindsight, He thought it was best that his two rowdy boys were out while he was alone with Tadashi. They had a tendency to be too much for the little nine year old and Tadashi would often run to protection. And that protection was his mother's hug and a handful of kind and encouraging words.

Ren wasn’t upset with Tadashi. Not after what his girlfriend told him about how his birth father treated the little boy. Being harassed and abused by strong boys had made Tadashi wary of boys in general, especially adults and older children. Ren didn’t judge Tadashi for being drawn back when there were other males in the room.

It was understandable that it would take time for him to warm up his new family.

Now, at the dinner table, Ren could really feel the tension.

Tadashi sat quietly by the table. If Aoi was here, he would chatter happily with his mother as she asked him about his day, alternating between japanese and spanish as they talked and communicated between them. They really had a warm bond.

Tadashi was a well behaved kid, timid and shy, but polite nonetheless. He had thanked for his food when Ren had sat his bowl of shoyu ramen down and began to eat quietly.

He had yet to mutter a word to his step dad.

Ren breathed deeply, to calm himself, and briefly wondered how he got so bent over a nine year old not wanting to talk to him. This was Aoi’s only child, and if their relationship didn't develop for the better, maybe Ren and Aoi wouldn’t work out like he thought they would.

Ren cleared his throat. “So, Tadashi-kun, what did you do in school today?.” Ren started and caught Tadashi's attention. The boy looked hesitant and glanced over at the seat beside him. The seat Aoi used to sit at. “Learn anything new?”

Tadashi looked down at his plate, chopstick trembling slightly in his hand. “We learned a little about multiplication today.”

“Ah, was it hard?” Ren asked, and though he really should stop being so nervous around the boy. Dammit, he had two of his own. He could do this.

“A little.”

And that was that. That was the only conversation he managed to muster up when his new step son was alone with him. No wonder Tadashi barely spoke to him.

Ren almost slammed his head into the table. He would have, but Ren chances of Tadashi opening himself up more to him would have decreased by a ten fold.

Later, when Yamaguchi had escaped to his room, Ren sat on the couch and read the news paper. Even with Tadashi in the house, it was quiet. His boys were never this quiet. They were usually jumping on the walls, calling each other as they played on their PSP’s and such. It was constant noice from the two of them, unless they were asleep.

He made his way, quietly, up the stairs and knocked on Tadashi bedroom door and waited for a soft “Come in” before he entered.

Tadashi was lying on his stomach on the floor. Pencils and papers were scattered around him and the freckled boy seemed occupied with his drawings. Tadashi turned back to his work, albeit he looked a little more tense than he should have looked. There were a few that looked like pokemons, and yes, he remembered most of them. Both his boys had their pokemon phase when they were younger. He had endured much of Ash and his friends adventures through the years. There were some drawings of skyscrapers, that Ren suspected was because Tadashi recently had moved to Tokyo, and had seen a lot more of those big buildings.

He still remembered Tadashi astonished face as he saw a skyscraper for the first time when they went out of the suburbs and into the city.

The drawing he worked on now was clearly a stick figure of him and what he suspected was his mother. They were holding hands and had big smiles on their faces. Tadashi had drawn their freckles with three spots on each cheek for the both of them. In the background was a pale yellow house. It was their hose. Ren didn't know why he got so happy by seeing Tadashi choosing their house, instead of the apartment building he had back in Miyagi. He had also filled the paper with drawings of flowers, one that were taller than Aoi. It was clearly a work by a devoted nine year old.

“That looks nice.” Ren hummed as he crouched down to Tadashi’s level.

“Thanks, it’s for Oka-san.” Tadashi chipped soundly as he switched his blue pencil for  a green one.

Ren decided to lay beside of him, on his stomach. He watched him work for a few seconds.

“Do you make her drawings often?”

Tadashi looked at him. Big brown eyes were gazing over his hazel ones. “I always make drawings for Oka-san when she is traveling without me.” He turned quickly back to his paper. He was working on the sun in the corner. It had sunglasses. Ren felt himself smile. His boys also used to draw the sun with sunglasses, it didn't make sense, but it i was a nice touch. “It makes her happy when I draw to her.”

Ren nodded. He already knew Tadashi was an empathic child. When Eiichi had fallen ill with a light cold, Tadashi, despite being shy in front of all of them, had given the older boy one of his dangos. There were no surprise in why Tadashi choose to make a gifts for his mom when she was out of town for the night. 

“Hey, Tadashi-kun, can I draw with you?”

Tadashi looked at him. He didn't know if he was surprised or not, he had yet to learn how to read the brown eyed boy’s expressions. When Tadashi got up to give him a white piece of paper and kindly set his pencils between the two of them, Ren knew he got a ‘yes’ from the other.

Ren had never been an artist, which was the reason he also made stick figures and had the sun in the far corner. And sides, his skill couldn't even match the work of Tadashi's.

Ren made the whole family. He drew himself and Aoi holding hands and made Tetsurō, Eiichi and Tadashi hold hands. He hoped the little gesture made his step son happy.

“It that us?” Tadashi asked and glanced over to the side.

“Yes, yes it is.” Rin said, feeling his cheek getting rosy. “Do you like it?”

Tadashi smiled. “Yes, I do.” He sat up and looked over his own drawing. “Oka-san will be happy we drew for her.” He said and Ren nodded back.

They cleaned up the pencil and papers, and Rin helped Tadashi put his new drawings in a folder he had by his small desk.

“Hey, Tadashi, you like pokemon, right?”

The mention of pokemon had his full attention. He had stars in his eyes. Tadashi obviously caught himself off guard, because he quickly looked away and started playing with the hem of his shirt, ears getting pink.

“You see, Tetsu-chan and Eii-chan really likes pokemon too. We have some of the old movies, too.”

“You do?�� Tadashi asked, eagerly. He let go of his shirt and Ren could feel the excitement radiating from him. He laughed fondly at the boy.

“Yes, we do.” Ren opened the door out to the halway. “If you want to, we can watch one. We can eat some snacks and sit on the couch.”

“Yes, let’s do that.” He shrieked in joy. It was the first time Ren had heard Tadashi raise his voice. Even when Tadashi was crying, he had done that so quietly. Ren was surprised when Tadashi grabbed his pants and started to tug him out of his room and into the living room.

“Say, you set the couch ready and I get the snacks. The movies are beside the dvd player. Choose the one you want to see.” Tadashi lets go of him and carried on with the important task of finding a movie while Ren made his way to the kitchen.

He first thought of making a bowl with some candy they had around, but remembered that Aoi had told him that Tadashi prefered other snacks instead of sweets.

He doesn't have much of a sweet tooth, but he does love chips, preferably made with paprika flavour.

He smiled as he fished out a bag of flavoured chips. He also took out some chocolate milk for the both of them.

Tadashi had picked out the first pokemon movie and had already seated himself on the sofa. He had pulled his blanket over him and was eagerly waiting with the remote in his hand.

He put the bowls on the table and pulled it closer to the couch so it would be easier to reach for Tadashi and sat down beside the boy. He did give them some space, no point in making Tadashi uncomfortable.

Tadashi was glued to the movie. He laughed at the funny parts and snorted at the ridiculous ones. Ren could see how he held his breath before an action scene. To be such a timid child, Tadashi was fairly expressive.

Nearing the end, Tadashi clung to his arms and presses his face into his sweater.

“I don’t like the scene when Ash turns into stone.” Tadashi says, voice wavering. He still looked at the tv screen. Ren was reminded that Aoi said something about Tadashi getting sympetich with the characters.

This was his chance. The way he handled this situation would determinate how their relationship would grow.

Ren slowly raised the hand Tadashi was clutching. The boy tensed without his safety net, but didn't look at him. Ren then slowly reached for Tadashi's shoulders and tucked him close to himself.

With Tadashi half hugged to his side, Ren felt giddy as the boy didn't try to get away from him. He blamed half of it on the pokemon movie that Tadashi was engulfed in. But he stayed and he reached again for Ren arm and his small hands clutched Ren’s sweater.

It felt kind of like when Testurō and Eiichi were here watching with him, but entirely different at the same time. Ren had been so worried about asking Aoi to move in with him and his children. He had been worried they wouldn’t like the big city and move back. Ren was sure he would travel to the worlds end for Aoi. He loved her, and getting along with her son was important for the both of them. Having Tadashi sitting by his side, made Ren sure that their relationship would work out just fine. He would die for his of children, and he would die for Tadashi.

Tadashi had a smile on his face again when Ash was saved by all the pokemons and came back into life. It was late for him, twenty minutes past his normal bed time. Aoi maybe scold him if she ever found out.

“Hey, want to watch another one?” Ren asked. Tadashi looked up at him and beamed.

45 minted after they started the second movie, Tadashi had long since dozed off against Ren’s side. The chips bowls had somehow made it into the couch and Ren was sure he needed to vacuum it in the morning. There were crumbs everywhere.

He set them aside, slowly, and tried not to jostle the nine year old too much. Slowly and carefully, he picked him up and carried him to his bedroom. He was careful when he tucked him in bed, not wanting to wake him up. When he messed up this action with his two older boys, they would always wake up and it would always time to fall back asleep.

Tadashi didn't wake, but he did roll over to hug his pillow on the side. His head wasn’t even on the pillow. Ren watched as Tadashi made some incoherent sounds in his sleep before he truly seemed to settle. This kid was truly a treat.

Ren tucked him in and went to turn off the lights, not before he pecked the boy on the head and ruffled his hair- like he did with his own two children. Tadashi would never know that he kissed him goodnight, and Ren was content with keeping this moment only to himself.

He glanced at the small boy once before he shut the door quietly.

Out in the hallway, Ren almost squealed in joy. He didn't. He didn't want to wake the sleeping boy, but he felt unbelievably happy when cleaned up after their little movie night.

The next day, Tadashi was still a little wary. Tetsurō and Eiichi had come home from their friends, and between filling in their dad on what they did on their sleepover and and bothering their shy little brother, the home was quiet.

“Tadaima.” Came the chipper voice of Aoi. Ren watched as Tadashi ran through the kitchen to get to his mother with his two elder brothers in heel.

“Okaeri.” Ren said and helped his girlfriend with the bags she carried.

“Is that gifts for us.” Tetsurō asked, and tried to peek into the bag.

“Tetsu-chan, don’t be noosy.” Ren chided them. He supposed their rowdy personality came from him, but it was still a little embarrassing. Especially since Tadashi was the opposite.

“Sorry, Otou-san, I just wanted to see my gift.” That was Eiichi and Ren reddeen with emmabressent,

“Boys, I am sorry, I don't have any gifts,” Aoi started. Tadashi was holding her hand and the five of them walked into the kitchen. “It’s just a cake and a few cookies I got from my family. I thought we could have them after dinner.”

Both boys shouted out a ‘yes’ and suddenly the bags weren't that interesting.

“Oka-san, wait here.” Tadashi started and held out his hands in a stop sign. He was oddly serious for his age. “I have something for you.”

Socked feet running was heard as Tadashi made his way towards his room. He came back moments later, carrying the two drawings they made together.

“Oka-san, I made a drawings for you.” Tadashi gave it to her, and then started tugging as his shirt as he waited for Aoi to inspect his art.

“Dashi, it is beautiful.” Aoi crouched down and gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek as she nuzzled him closer. “I love, it. You even drew us in Tokyo.”

“Ren-san drew too.”

He felt startled. Aoi raised and amused eyebrow at him. Ren chuckled helplessly as he showed the drawing he made of all of them.

“Oh my, thank you.” Aoi said as she raised to her feet. She ruffled her son hair before she met his eyes. “Thank you. I love it.” She kissed him lightly on the lips before she made her way towards the fridge and hung both if her gifts up on the fridge. Oh so it was fridge worthy. What an honour.

“Yeah, me an Tadashi-kun made them together.”

Her whole face lit up. She knew he had been stressed over their relationship, especially since it seems that Tetsurō and Eiichi warmed up to her only after a few days of them living together.

“Did you guys really do that!” She smiled back at him, and Ren loved that smile of her.

Ren scratched the back of his neck and nodded. He smiled, remembering their night. “Yes, and we even watched pokemon.” He helped her pull up the items from the bag and place them where they belonged. “He even held my arm in the end when he got scared. Aoi-chan, Tadashi hugged me, willingly.”

Even Aoi looked surprised. “Wow, he really did that.”  

Ren nodded so hard he might start to feel dizzy. He beamed back at Aoi. “Yes! I had to carry him to bed after he fell asleep.”

Aoi’s shoulder seemed to relax. She had reassured him many times since they moved in that Tadashi just needed to get used to his presence and him as a person. He had never known a guy that didn't want to hurt him, except for that Tsukishima-boy Tadashi chatted on and on about. But even Aoi had been worried about Tadashi’s wariness for his step dad. She still didn't want to force anything on him, that would only make the situation worse.

“I told you he would warm up to you.” Aoi said, and they both looked up the staircase as they heard Tetsurō and Eiichi inviting themselves into Tadashi's room.

“Yeah,” Ren sighed as he heard Eiichi’s loud announcement that the three of them would play Mario Kart. Leaving no room to say no. “We are going to make this work.”

He smiled as he heard his two boisterous boys dragging his timid one to their room to play their games.

They were going to make this work.

[crossbows-and-moonshine]

All or Nothing (Chapter 8)

(Chapter 1)

(Chapter 2)

(Chapter 3)

(Chapter 4)

(Chapter 5)

(Chapter 6)

(Chapter 7)

Work the next day was miserable for Murphy and Connor wasn't doing much better. Murphy had spoken to him about her messages and Connor agreed she seemed upset and he was concerned that the girl would retreat into herself. Connor felt like he had gotten to know her pretty well in the time he had been around her. He was always good at reading people, their mannerisms and behaviour. Savannah was a shy little thing and he found it endearing, and he knew as well as his twin did that this whole thing had jarred her a little and knocked back her progress. It was clear she wasn't used to hanging around people other than Amy and she wasn't much for socialising. But she had been getting better at it and Connor had noticed that with each passing day, she seemed more and more at ease, with not only Murphy, but himself as well. He knew this was like a giant step back and he hated himself for it, because if it wasn't for him opening his big mouth to his brother, none of this would have happened.

Murphy had texted her that morning telling her he missed her, but he didn't have too much time to wait for a reply because he had to work, and he wasn't allowed his phone on him in work hours. So when they were finally finished and he went into the locker room, he grabbed his coat and took the phone out of the pocket. His heart sank though when he saw no messages from her at all.

“Nothin’?” Connor asked softly as he put his coat on, looking at his brother with a guilty expression. Murphy just sighed and shook his head, stuffing the phone back in his pocket as he put the coat on. The disappointment was clear on his face and Connor didn't like it.

“She won’t come to us so why don't we go te her?” Connor suggested as they made their way out of work.

“Ye think we should?” Murphy asked curiously, chewing his thumb as he side glanced at his brother.

“Why not? I mean she felt unwanted last night, felt like no one wanted her around, so we show her different, turn up there. We could grab food on the way.” Connor shrugged. Murphy thought about it, it was a good plan. He wanted to see her, fucking desperately if he was honest, he was missing her like crazy.

“Aye, alright. We’ll grab pizza.” Murphy smiled, feeling a little lighter now his brother had put a plan together for them. They got the bus and stopped off at a pizza place, Murphy got her a ham pizza despite the fact he knew pepperoni was superior. He was trying to earn some points after all and he knew she wouldn't appreciate him doing that to her.

He remembered his way from when she showed him and when they got there, Connor was holding the boxes of pizzas as Murphy knocked on the door. They heard nothing on the other side and they frowned to each other. Murphy hoped to God that she was in, he would lose his damn mind if she wasn't and he couldn't see her. He knocked again, a little louder this time and then he heard movement, followed by a loud bang.

“Ow fuck!” They heard her whine on the other side of the door, making Connor snort a little as Murphy smiled. She opened the door and she was in her pokemon pyjamas, it was sleep pants and a tank top. She must have gotten ready to chill out after work and Murphy almost felt bad for disrupting her peace, but just seeing her made his heart explode. She looked wide-eyed and caught out, clearly not expecting them to just show up at her door.

“Did I just hear a curse word leave yer lips love? Don't think I’ve ever heard ye swear before.” Murphy grinned, looking thoroughly amused as Connor chuckled beside him. She went beet red and looked at the floor.

“I tripped over the cat and fell, I hit my hip.” She said softly, sounding so embarrassed. She lifted her shirt ever so slightly and her hip was bright red, it looked like it was going to bruise already and Murphy frowned.

“Oh love, it looks sore.” He frowned as he reached out, touching it gently, she hissed in pain though and he looked at her apologetically as he moved her hand and she pulled her top back down.

“Ye have a cat?” Connor asked curiously, looking past her like he expected to see it. He hadn't remembered her ever mentioning a cat and she stayed at theirs so much he had no idea how the thing hadn't starved.

“Well...technically no. It’s not mine. It just comes through the window sometimes and I feed it.” She shrugged, looking awkward as she nibbled her lower lip.

She just stood there, the boys looking at her almost expectantly but she wasn't looking at them, she looked like she felt so out of place and Murphy didn't like it, she had already turned back into the awkward girl he met that first day, he didn't want her to feel that way around him or his brother.

“So can we come in lass? We brought food.” Connor grinned innocently, breaking the tense silence. She finally looked up then, looking like she only just noticed the boxes in his hands and her cheeks flushed as she nodded.

“Yeah, I’m sorry.” She mumbled as she moved out of the way. Connor followed after her and then Murphy and he shut the door. The twins followed her to the couch where she was currently watching some show on Netflix, the cat on one of the armchairs. Connor set the boxes on the table and sat down on the other armchair and Murphy went to pet the cat as he walked past her to get to the couch, she hissed at him though and his eyes widened as he looked at it mortified.

“Fuckin’ hell, she’s not very friendly is she?” He snorted as he sat down next to Savannah, making Connor bark a laugh. Murphy left some room between them, well aware she was having a moment and not wanting to push her too far. She looked somewhat amused by the cat though and he was grateful.

“She seems to hate anyone but me. When Amy first met her she scratched the crap out of her face.” Savannah snorted a little, crossing her legs under her and grabbing the blanket from over the back of the couch. She pulled it around her almost like a protective shield. Murphy peaked in the boxes before handing one over to her with a warm smile.

“I got ye a ham one, even though pepperoni is way better.” He smirked, making her shake her head and huff a laugh.

“Hams better than pepperoni.” Connor piped up from the chair and Savannah looked at Murphy with a smug grin. Murphy squinted at his brother playfully.

“Oh is that right? Why don't ye tell her what ye got on yers then aye?” He asked with a sly grin, making Connor shrug.

“What? Nothin’ wrong wit’ a bit o’ pineapple on pizza.” He defended, making Savannahs eyes widen as her head whipped to him. She looked so horrified that Murphy couldn't help himself as he burst out laughing, Connor just looking at her like he had no clue what was wrong with her.

“Please tell me that's a joke?” She asked, glancing to Murphy looking actually worried.

Murphy gestured with his head over to his brother and Connor grabbed a slice of his pizza, which did indeed have pineapple on and he took a bit bite. Savannah watched him mortified before she opened her own box, taking a slice of her pizza and having a bite. They ate in silence but the tv was on so it wasn't too bad. She was watching some show, Riverdale or something, the boys hadn't ever watched it. Murphy was getting into it though, Connor thought it was a little weird but it wasn't awful. The girl was well into it though, her eyes glued to the screen as she ate. Once their food was finished, she grabbed the boxes and went over into the kitchen to put the boxes ready to take to the dumpster. She was unaware the Murphy had followed her and she squeaked when she turned around and saw him there, her hand covering her heart that now felt like it might beat out of her chest.

“Sorry love, didn't’ mean te scare ye.” He smiled apologetically. She nodded, trying to calm her heart rate down.

“It's okay.” She said softly, looking at him and giving him a weak smile. He sighed, wiping a hand over his face as he watched her and she wasn't sure what to do or say. She hadn't expected them to just turn up here. Her mind was a shitty place and being alone with her thoughts was never a good thing for her. She had convinced herself she was worthless and a nobody and that none of them would miss her. She was convinced Murphy was done with her and he never wanted to talk to her again. Yet here he was with his brother getting her food, proving all of her intrusive thoughts wrong, and it was confusing for her to deal with.

“Can we talk?” He asked hopefully, rubbing the back of his neck. She leaned against the counter, folding her arms over her chest, once again a way to put distance between them, like a barrier to protect herself with. She just nodded and looked at the floor.

“Last night, I’m sorry, we didn't mean te make ye feel that way. Me and Connor...we just had somethin’ te deal wit’, I didn't realise we made ye feel that way. It won't happen again love, can ye forgive us?” He asked sincerely, making her finally look up at him. She knew she had overreacted, she was anxious but she wasn't stupid. She knew her thoughts were irrational yet it didn't stop her having no choice but to believe them, but his apology eased her worries and she felt bad he was apologizing because she had issues. She looked down again as she tried to gather herself to talk.

“Its...it wasn't you okay? I have issues, you know I do, and sometimes I’m my own worst enemy. I got in my own head and it was too much. I’m sorry.” She admitted quietly, toying with her fingers, she felt awkward opening up about this. She hadn't really told him what it was like living with her anxiety issues, he just knew they were there. The only person she had spoken to about it was Amy. Murphy nodded, listening to her words, feeling glad she was opening up to him and he took a step towards her.

“Ye don't have te be sorry love. Ye could have just come te me, told me about it.” He said softly, reached out and taking her hand. She had no choice but to look up at him then, her big blue eyes blinking up at him. She looked so sad and it broke his heart.

“When I went outside… I wanted to talk to you, but you and Connor looked busy, so I just went home.” She shrugged, glancing down at their joined hands. It was comforting as he stroked her hand and she tried to let it soothe her.

“Well I’m sorry I wasn't there for ye, like I said, it won't happen again. Just...Please don't just take off like that again love, I was really worried.”  He lamented. She furrowed her brow then as she looked at his sad face and she felt a surge of guilt run through her. She hadn't expected anyone to worry about her but his face made it clear he had.

“Oh God Murph, I’m sorry, I...I didn't think.” She frowned, looking like she was beating the shit out of herself internally. Murphy frowned, wrapping his arms around her tightly, he didn't want her to feel bad, he just didn't want her doing it again. He was pleased when he felt her relax against him, her arms wrapping around his middle. He soaked her in, feeling like a man dying of thirst finally being quenched with water. He'd missed her ridiculously considering they hadn't even been apart that long.

When he moved away, he looked down at her with a smile before capturing her lips with his own. It was desperate and needy and it caught her off guard for a moment. She kissed him back, she had missed him too and she had missed this, she had been positive she wouldn't experience this again so she just melted into him, fisting his shirt. He moaned into the kiss, a hand going into her hair as he deepened it and backed her up to the counter. She gasped against his lips, feeling him flush against her, it was sending sparks right through her. When he finally moved away they were both breathless and he gave her a devilish smirk, making her blush and snort a little.

“I’m gonna head off, get outta yer hair.” She yelped and jumped when Connor’s voice seemingly came out of nowhere and she looked at him with wide eyes, wondering when the fuck the boys became silent ninjas that made it their life's work to scare the shit out of her. She hadn't seen him there and when she looked him over, there was something about him. He looked sad almost. She was so used to him being cheeky and obnoxious and the sad look didn't suit him one bit. She had spoken at length with Amy about Connor, about sharing his bed, how Murphy didn't mind and how she thought it was weird. But when she let slip to her best friend about how Connor's little touches at night made her feel, her best friend had a field day. Her wonderful advice was for Savannah to ask Murphy if he would be up for a threesome with his brother, that earned her a thwack around the head off Savannah as she blushed wildly. Amy had told her it was natural for her to feel that way, an attractive man was touching her and it wasn't wrong of her to feel a little turned on by it, even though it was Murphy brother. It hadn't eased her worries any though.

Amy had also mentioned how maybe Connor might be lonely. Savannah hadn't thought of that before, but when she thought about it, he was always with her and Murphy or Rocco and Amy, he was the only one without someone and that thought made her sad. Connor had been a bit obnoxious at the start but when she got to know him, she saw him for who he really was. He was funny and kind, he would always help anyone who needed it. He was a good man and she wasn't quite sure why he hadn't found someone yet, he certainly ticked all of the boxes. And now looking at him, he looked sad and awkward and if she wasn't so busy staring at Connor, she would have noticed how Murphy looked somewhat guilty. He knew his brother had seen them together and he knew it must have stung given the circumstances, and now his brother wanted to leave.

“You don't have to go, if you don't want.”  Savannah said softly, making Connor look at her curiously. She just gave him a kind smile.

“You guys can stay the night if you want, saves you walking back in the dark. The couch pulls out as a bed.” She shrugged casually, trying to sound confident and not like she was panicking by asking them to stay. Murphy beamed a grin and Connor seemed to relax a little bit, it was nice that she didn't want him to leave, she had pushed herself to say something to let him know he could stay.

“Sounds like a plan te me. Yer bed looks comfy as fuck.” Murphy grinned gleefully, making Savannah bite her bottom lip and look at him sheepishly.

“Well...actually…”  She trailed off, blinking up at him warily.

“What?” He asked carefully.

“I really don't want you to kick me out of my own bed so…” She pursed her lips as Connor burst out laughing, Murphy looking at her bewildered.

“So that's how it is aye? I get relegated te the couch but Connor gets te share the bed? This is injustice!” He huffed, making her panic briefly. But he grinned at her making it clear it was all in jest but she still shook her head.

“That wasn't what I meant. The couch pulls out into a double...I thought you two could share.” She snorted, making Murphy burst out laughing this time as Connor squinted at her.

“Don't worry girl, we’ll share a bed, ain't the first time we’ve had te.” Murphy smiled as he stepped closer to her. Connor decided this was the moment to walk over to the couch and busy himself with setting it up. Murphy kissed her lips softly and she smiled up at him.

“There's bedding in the cupboard over there.” She said as her hands toyed with the bottom of his shirt. She felt a little bad about not sharing a bed with him but she really didn't want him to push her out of bed. Her bed was a little higher and she didn't want to get bruised, her hip was already bruised and that hurt enough.

“Goodnight love.” He grinned, looking down at her adoringly, it made her breathing hitch a little and her eyes fluttered closed as he placed a soft kiss to her forehead.

“Goodnight. Goodnight Connor.” She called out as Murphy released her, making the lighter haired twin look at her and smile.

“Night lass.” He grinned, making her smile at him before she disappeared into her bedroom.

Murphy went to the cupboard and got the sheets out before walking over to the pull out bed, Connor had set it up and used the couch cushions as pillows. The pair of them stripped off to their boxers before getting into bed.

“I’m sorry...about before.” Murphy said guilty after a moment of them lay there silently. Connor glanced to him and frowned.

“What for?” He asked confused, making Murphy heave a sigh.

“When ye walked in on us, I know how it must o’ made ye feel. I didn't mean te make ye wanna leave.” Murphy lamented, hating this situation he found himself in. Connor was quiet for a moment and he licked his lower lip.

“Don't have te be sorry Murph, she’s yer lass, yer allowed te do what ye want wit’ her. Don't expect ye te stop because o’ me.” He sighed softly.

“Aye I know...just…” Murphy shook his head, frowning before he slung an arm over his face.

“Don't worry about it Murph, it’ll be fine.” Connor replied quietly, he wasn't quite sure what the next move was. Murphy had spoken about mentioning it to her but he didn't know how that would go. They would just wait and see what happened.

Taglist; @risingphoenix761 @daryldixonandfrogs @arlaina28 @divadinag

[universal-kitty]

“When you’re happy, I’m happy.” for you and N! 💖🧡 [Robotarmjokes]

Send me a number and a paring, and I’ll write a ficlet!@robotarmjokes

   “V! Guess what!? You’re a....veeby! A baby! But with a V!” The trainer burst into laughter at the expression Victini made in reaction to the statement, chirping and trilling their opinions in a very excitable manner. It even made their companion laugh, perfectly hearing the words of the pokemon.

   “A baby?! I’m not a baby!!! I’m a very powerful, legendary pokemon! I’m soooo powerful and lucky! Luck-power! You gotta respect meeeeee!!!” Honestly...what a delight to bare witness to.

   It’d been a few years since N had returned from his explorations of the world. Understanding people better and the bond that formed between trainers and Pokemon. What did that mean to such a delicate system? That journey was to highlight his shortcomings and better figure out how to move forward. What he hadn’t expected from either of them was the persistent ache of missing someone important...

   Kira, the one with the Victini. A cherished friend they obtained somewhere along their journey and bonded with deeply. Back then, they’d been such a small-time trainer. Sometimes, he could still remember the Snivy in their arms, determined to stick by this trainer he- at the time- barely knew. All he knew was that his trainer loved him unconditionally, healed him when he was hurt, and brought new experiences into his life...and he already never wanted to part from them.

   The beginning of his interest in them. The beginning of their never-ending chase for him, from the dismantling of Team Plasma to even trying to find him from region to region around the world. Such determination, passion, emotion... It overwhelmed him back then. It was important to him then, and even now.

   It’s even why they began dating in the first place, Kira being endlessly patient with him, all their pokemon, and even their new understudy, the current Unova champion. (A young woman named Kisa. They’d gotten a good laugh at the similarity in name and got along well. Too high-energy for N to be around for long, personally, but she apparently was dating some up-and-coming star, so... Good for her.)

   N found himself snapping free of his daydreams as green moved beside him. It was Pride, once that little Snivy, now a proud Serperior...and it was watching him. For a long moment, nothing was said, just staring between the two; Pride’s stare intense, while N was simply curious.

   “...May I rest on your lap? My daughter has tired us both out.” N’s smile brightened, nodding eagerly. “Yes, of course! Feel free to.” His smile widened when he saw the younger Snivy- Ivy, funnily enough- slide off her father’s back, quickly crawling into N’s lap. Pride curled his body close, then contented himself with placing his head on N’s left thigh, sighing softly as he got comfortable. Pride’s body rippled a moment in quiet surprise when N’s hand gently landed on his head, but relaxed once pets were given.

   This was...nice. Lovely, even. He looked up just in time to meet Kira’s eyes, V now in their arms and watching the scene under the tree with an affectionate, warm smile. (Heat rolled from the top of his head into the tips of his toes at such a loving look. Hopefully his heart was faring better...) It took them a moment, settling the small legendary in their arms and giving them a treat, before they could walk over and sit next to him.

   “Ivy being a mischief maker again?”

   “So Pride said,” N agreed with a small nod. “She seems very energetic for such a small pokemon.”

   “Only around us, maybe,” Kira said with a soft laugh, leaning a little into N’s side. (His heart soared, head light with joy. Emotions are so...odd, yet delightful.) “She’s so shy everywhere else... It makes it hard to go into the city sometimes. She either wants to hide in my hood or crawl into my jacket. It’s just easier and a bit more comfortable for the both of us when she stays in the pokeball.”

   “...Not too much?” He can’t help but ask for the clarifaction. It still makes him uncomfortable and nervous, the idea of not giving pokemon more freedom. Of limiting them so much. He knows Kira wouldn’t- they’re so kind and love pokemon just as much as he does- but--

   “Of course not,” they assure, nose brushing his cheek. His face burns red within seconds, flustered all over again at such simple things. Suppose that’s what it’s like to love someone? If he kissed them now, it wouldn’t have been the first time they’ve done so, but it still makes him so unbelievably happy...

   A yip draws his attention away from Ivy in his lap and to Zorua, who’s finally given up on digging holes and causing mischief to wild pokemon. Kisa originally received him from a Plasma grunt (one that still followed and believed in N), but- on N’s request- returned him to his original trainer. Now the little pest was much akin to a son to them both...along with the other Zoroark and Zorua Kira caught during their shenanigans after N had left Unova. (A short few months before they left Unova to find him.)

   V is dozing off in Kira’s lap, Ivy’s taken up N’s, and with Pride nearby... Zorua abandons begging his trainer for affection, crawling into Kira’s lap and flopping over V, instead. The two have become friends since they’ve met, practically, so when V peers down and black and red fur, they do nothing but wiggle into a more comfortable spot, and get back to falling asleep.

   “...He’s so cute,” Kira crooned softly, scratching the fur of Zorua’s cheek. The pokemon made a soft noise, but did nothing else. Was he falling asleep already? Ah, N could be envious of that...

   “I don’t think he’s quite as cute as you, though.”

   “.........oh.” N glanced at their face, a smile brightening up his own at the pink on their cheeks and the shy look in their eyes. Every once and awhile, he’d give lines like that a shot- a try at confidence- and every time it worked, he felt bolder. More proud of himself and how far he’s come... How far they’ve come, to be together like this.

   “It’s true,” he murmurs, voice low as his hand moves from resting on Ivy’s back and to Kira’s hand, tangling their fingers together. “You’re so cute, darling. So lovely. My heart races when I look at you. You mean the world to me, you do. When you’re happy, I’m happy. When you’re sad or upset, I would like you to keep telling me, so I can be there for you...just as you have always been there for me.” A kiss to their cheek first, then nuzzling down until they tilted their head up just enough for him to kiss them. “...I love you, Kira.”

   They gave a shaky sigh, flustered tears in their eyes and face burning red. He knew they were a bit of the “crybaby” type; too many strong emotions make them weepy, but he still needed to ask... “You okay?”

   “Y-Yeah...” A sniffle, a nod, and then they continued, “You’re just...so sweet. I worried so much about so many things and now... Now you’re here. We’re together now and... Ah. I love you too, N. So, so much. It makes my heart hurt.”

   “In a good way, I’d hope.”

   “A good way,” they murmured, then laughed softly. “Always a good way... Everything is better when I’m with you, Natural.” Now it was his turn to laugh, eyes brightening at the rare use of his full name. Not all too proud of it- thus why he was still called “N” over it- but it...was nice to hear from Kira, every now and then.

   ....Maybe longer...

   “Hey, Kira? Have you thought...on traveling together?”

   “Hmm?” They looked up at him and it took him all his focus to make his eyes meet theirs, swallowing hard. Oh boy...

   “You mentioned visiting Johto...and how you’re incredibly fond of Ecruteak City. I thought we could visit it together sometime.” They stared at him- expressionless- a moment longer before those dark green eyes widened, straightening up a little.

   “...Really?”

   “Yes.” A pause, then them eagerly nodding their head, eyes bright. “Ah, I’m glad! I’ve been making plans, but it would’ve been a shame if you didn’t want to go...”

   “Plans?!”

   “Shhh!” They both glanced down at their napping pokemon and, seeing that nobody had woken up, N continued. “Yes, but they’re secret plans. You can’t know until we go...and I won’t tell you there either, okay? You’ll only know as we go from place to place.” He smiled, proud of himself and his notebook of plans, hidden back at his apartment. A whole week for them...and something else, too. How scary! How exciting; thrilling, even!! Something new for both their lives...

   “Ugh, fine...but I’m definitely all in. Let’s figure out when we should, yeah?”

   “Most definitely.”