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amessageonthewind · 1 year ago

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September Selfship Prompts Challenge

4. Trying on outfits

Pairing: Adaman/Rachel during Legends: Arceus (spoiler alert for really far along in the timeline)

There was truly nothing like rain and fog. The warm rains of the bogs that were the Crimson Mirelands were Adaman’s heartland. He couldn’t imagine himself making a home anywhere else but here. There was nowhere and nothing he loved more than this scarlet gem of Hisui. The warmth, the humidity, the sprawling landscapes of warm colours of the rich mud and the red leaves.

And his clan’s settlement was right by the heart of the mirelands – Lake Valour.

It was here that he often stood, just basking in the calm tranquil of the lake, taking in the sounds everywhere around him. Usually, he felt like his skin crawled if he felt like he was wasting time, if time was passing him by when he could spend it better.

But he learned very quickly that there was value in living in the present. In taking a moment to savour just being alive. After all, he learned from someone very special the value of just spending time doing something fun for the sake of enjoyment. She somehow spoke his language without ever having been touched by his clan’s culture before.

He’d asked her before why she took her time getting from place to place, taking detours and long ways and even taking moments to just goof off. And her response? “Time spent doing something that brings you joy is never wasted, no matter how seemingly frivolous or silly it may be. If your time is spent being happy, your time is well spent.”

Since she’d spoken that phrase, it changed the way he thought about the time he spent. After all, if almighty Sinnoh had given everyone a certain amount of time to live, why would he want his followers and those he created to live without joy? It was one of the many ways she had subtly changed his life.

“Great almighty!” As though he had summoned her, her voice echoed towards him from far away. Adaman would recognize that comically over-the-top outrage anywhere. Humorous and without genuine anger, with a small edge of amusement and laughter behind it. “Fucking damn it! Shit! Why are the mirelands always so soggy?!”

Oh dear…shaking his head, he walked away from the shore of the lake, walking past the Diamond Settlement to follow the sound down the hill. The more he listened, the more certain he knew where it was coming from. Bolderoll Slope.

Stopping by the cliff, the Diamond Clan leader peered out over the edge, waiting in amusement for the small spitfire that was Jubilife Village’s own precious gem. The pride and joy of the Galaxy Expedition Team.

And sure enough, there she was, running up from the Scarlet Bog, was the Survey Corp’s very own Rachel. The faller from the sky, traveler from the rift, stranger plucked from the future.

Absolutely soaked in mud and cursing up a storm. Behind her was her faithful and loyal Samurott, Stormfast, running up behind her and pushing her away from danger. Her closest companion – the dark-furred Zorua from the future – Cedric was clinging to the Water Pokémon’s billowing beard as they fled from what was presumably a powerful wild Pokémon. “That’s the fifth time that fucking bog has tried to eat me! Do you have any idea how difficult it is to wash this mud out of this uniform? Doing laundry by hand is already stressful enough as is! It’s such a tedious, time consuming, miserable experience!”

Bellowing lowly, Stormfast reared up and in a moment, Rachel was suddenly drenched in a deluge of water. The already moist and drenched landscape easily soaked up the excess water, and though the mud had sloughed off of her, she was now a saggy dark silhouette. Adaman couldn’t help but chuckle at the glare Rachel gave her Pokémon, slowly turning around to face the Samurott. “Thanks, I appreciate the effort.” She said mostly sarcastically, though the affection in her voice was unmistakeable. The Diamond Clan leader sincerely doubted that this was the first time this had happened. “But these stains are still gonna need a proper wash…ugh!”

Grumbling, Rachel flicked excess water off of her hand into Stormfast’s face, reaching to grab Cedric to hold him. “Oh, look at you, you poor bastard…” She teased, prompting Cedric to snap at her indignantly. “Hey! You’re lucky Stormfast was fast enough to get you out of there, or you would’ve been Hippowdon food!”

Trudging up the slope, Rachel continued to grumble to her companions. “I swear, there are only two things worth coming down here, for.” She complained. “One of them is completing the Pokédex for the professor.”

On her shoulder, Cedric yipped. Even from this distance, the look of mischief on the Zorua’s face was unmistakeable. Adaman had seen it enough times to recognize it at a glance. Initially, he was unsure, only having experience and knowledge of the Zorua of the Alabaster Icelands. They were a far cry from Cedric. The white-furred monsters were angry and spiteful little things, always looking for ways to lure people away to hurt them. Or worse.

But all Cedric seemed interested in was causing mischief and, of course, making sure Rachel was safe. If all Zorua of the future were like him, Adaman definitely preferred them over Hisui’s.

“And…I like checking in on the Diamond Clan, whenever I get a chance.” Rachel muttered, deliberately avoiding her companion’s gaze. That made Adaman’s ears burn. “I just like making sure they’re doing well! It helps my peace of mind! Don’t read into it, you little shit!”

Shaking his head, Adaman chuckled to himself. So, that’s why she visits so frequently. Rising from his feet, he turned to walk back to the settlement. After all, it’d be rude to let her know that he’d been eavesdropping, and he wanted to be there to welcome her personally.

Besides, he had a feeling she’d appreciate a break from the dampness of the mirelands.

Trudging her way up the slope, Stormfast gently pushing her from behind, Rachel breathed heavily. Her Survey Corps uniform felt as heavy as lead, hanging off of her thickly. Every step she took squelched uncomfortably and she wanted nothing more than to just go home, get changed, and accept her defeat at the hands of her washboard and bucket in her lodge.

But, true to her word, she wanted to check in on the Diamond Clan after a hard day of Pokédex research. So, up the slope she trudged until she spotted the familiar torches (how they stayed lit in this rain was beyond her) that signaled the entrance to the settlement.

As though he were expecting her, Adaman stood in the middle of the settlement. She couldn’t deny that he was quite the sight for sore eyes and, if she could be completely honest, the Diamond Clan leader had quickly become her favourite person in Hisui. She wouldn’t admit that to anyone, but it was the truth.

And she could not put into words how annoyed she was that he seemed completely untouched and unbothered by the rain. His hair didn’t even sag with the weight of rain, his incredibly vibrant blue hair with undertones of grey like pottery.

It was completely unfair. “Well well, right on time!” Adaman greeted playfully, crossing his arms with his signature crooked smirk.

Rachel rolled her eyes as she approached, Stormfast pushing her towards him from behind. “Have I really become that predictable?”

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with having a routine.” Adaman countered as he approached, looking down at her. It warmed him that his presence seemed to make her less miserable about her soggy situation, the smile on her face as genuine as ever in his presence. “I actually like that you’ve inadvertently become part of my routine, in a way.”

The way her smile involuntarily stretched across her face when complimented was something he couldn’t get enough of. He knew the reason why compliments made her react the way she did, in various ways depending on the type, which was why he had now made it a point to talk her up, whether she was around or not. Rachel’s happiness was one of his favourite things to see.

Putting a hand on her shoulder, he recoiled at how it immediately soaked the bandages around it. “Wow! You are soaking wet!” He remarked, pretending like he couldn’t already tell when she walked into the settlement. Other members were laughing amongst themselves as they walked by, going about their business. They gave Rachel a polite greeting as they walked by, which she returned without fail. “What happened, did you fall off of Basculegion?”

“Honestly, I’d rather that than trying to claw my way out of a bog for the nth time this month.” Rachel retorted, shaking out her sandal in a feeble attempt to shake the water off. Adaman couldn’t deny that it sounded uncomfortable – he could hear the squelching practically from the top of the cliff. “But no, unfortunately in my quest to document the local Hippowdon, I had to fight my way out of being swallowed by the bog. Again.”

Giggling a bit, Adaman pressed his forehead into his hand, laughing behind his palm. “You’ve been working yourself down the bone, haven’t you? You’ve practically doubled your weight in water and mud. At this rate, you might end up as a clay statue.”

She really did look like a sad wet Glameow with the way her glasses framed her eyes as she looked up at him. “I’m more just worried about my uniform. It’s such a pain to hand wash and I get anxious enough about doing my laundry as is, and there’s no way I’m asking the Captain for a new uniform just because I got mud in mine.”

Poor thing. He would really be doing her a disservice if he just sent her home all damp and wet. Shaking his head, he gestured for her to follow. “Alright, come on. I’ve got some clothes you can borrow. You can get changed while you wait for the rain to stop.”

Raising her eyebrows, she did as he told. She caught the looks the other Diamond Clan members were giving her and Adaman and Cedric’s little look of mischief behind the wet mop that was the large tuft between his ears did not help any. But, the remark she wanted to give him was for his ears and his ears only. His reputation among his clan mattered a lot to Rachel, after all.

Before entering his tent, Rachel quickly recalled Stormfast to her Pokéball, stepping into the tent, self-conscious about the water and mud she was tracking on the floor. Standing in the doorway out of the rain as the Diamond Clan leader rummaged through a small wardrobe for a spare uniform or kimono for Rachel to wear, she chuckled a bit at him. “Inviting me into your tent to have me strip for you? How scandalous.” She teased. Though she couldn’t see it, the smile that curled across his face was mischievous and playful. “I did mention that it’s a courtesy to take someone out to dinner before you bring them home with you, but…if you’d rather save time by skipping all that –”

In an instant, a change of clothes smacked Rachel right in the face, leaving her winded and surprised for a moment. The ungraceful noise she squawked was incredibly amusing and Adaman was pleased to have caught her off-guard. “There, now you won’t look so sad and damp.”

“Fair enough.” Rachel replied, holding the clothes she was thrown in such a way that she wouldn’t get them wet, too. “So, do I just…?”

Adaman chuckled as he shouldered past her. “I need to check on something anyway. You can change in private.” He then gestured to a basket in the middle of the room. “Just leave your let clothes in that basket once you’re done.”

Smiling as he walked by, she nodded. Once the tent was just her and Cedric, Rachel immediately shed her uniform, leaving on the basic clothes underneath. “Ugh! Already feels better!” She exclaimed, immediately dumping her Survey Corps uniform into the basket as she was instructed. Turning around as was the routine, Cedric let Rachel get changed into the clothes Adaman provided. This whole thing was incredibly amusing to the Zorua. It was very clear that Rachel had a thing for the Diamond Clan leader, and they had chemistry. Their interest in each other was obvious to everyone.

But unfortunately the reality was that Rachel didn’t belong in this world. Neither of them did. She had a life to back to, a world she belonged in that wasn’t here. A family that needed her.

If anything were to happen between Rachel and Adaman, it was doomed to be temporary. She knew that. They both did, Cedric was sure.

But that didn’t change that the attraction was definitely there. There was a connection between them.

Once she was dressed, Rachel instantly felt better, having dropped off the rest of it into the basket along with her Survey Corps uniform. “This is nice, actually.” She murmured, looking at herself in the mirror inside the tent as she admired herself. The robes were a bit big on her, but she filled them out okay. It would do until the rain cleared and she got back to Jubilife Village.

Though, as her eyes drifted around the tent, she noticed Adaman’s haori laid out on his bed. Oh yeah. He did take that off before leaving. She was too distracted to realize it in the moment, but she saw it here on the bed.

She couldn’t help but be curious. I’ll just be quick. Being gentle with it, she put it on, slipping it onto her shoulders and letting it hang from her. Looking at herself in the mirror, Rachel couldn’t help but try to imagine herself as Adaman, being in charge of the Diamond Clan and giving orders. “Time wasted is lost.” She said, trying to mimic his tone of voice.

Cedric snickered from his place on the bed, figuring Rachel was done changing and starting to laugh when he saw her wearing Adaman’s sapphire blue garb. “I think you’re short by at least a whole foot.” He teased.

Fixing her Pokémon with a sharp glare, she walked forward, leaning over him. “I don’t have time to waste on pointless remarks like that.” She continued her satirical (though affectionate) impression of the Diamond Clan leader as she strutted around the tent wearing his haori. “We have more pressing matters at hand and no time to lose!”

Rachel didn’t even realize that Adaman had come back and could hear her impression of him. At first, he was worried that Rachel were making fun of him behind his back (a thought that stuck sharply in his chest in a way he never would have expected), so he entered quietly, not wanting to tip her off to him knowing.

What he saw instead was Rachel wearing his haori, pretending to be him. She didn’t even notice him walk in, but Adaman couldn’t help but take in the sight. All thoughts of being even remotely offended flew away when he saw just how small she was.

He couldn’t help himself. “Wow, you are practically swimming in that!”

Whipping around at him, Rachel found herself frozen, completely wide-eyed. How could she have been so careless? The last thing she wanted was to disrespect him. What if this was some sort of ceremonial or cultural garb she wasn’t supposed to wear? What if she’d committed a great act of disrespect by wearing it?

What was she thinking?! “I-I’m sorry, I was just curious! I-I didn’t mean any harm I promise.”

“Hey, hey. I’m not mad.” Adaman said, raising his hands in an attempt to soothe her worries. What he walked in on was remarkably more innocent than what he initially assumed when he accidentally overheard her from outside. How could he be mad? “I’m just surprised. I mean, look at you. If you were any shorter, those tassels would be touching the ground.”

It was very big on Rachel. The sleeves that reached Adaman’s elbows nearly engulfed her wrists and he was right about the tassels that hung off the bottom of the garment. If she were any shorter, they would drag on the ground.

Leaning against one of the bedframes, Rachel scoffed, trying to save face. “Well, in my time period, oversized clothes are actually quite fashionable!”

Raising an eyebrow, Adaman’s dark eyes trailed up and down her form before he smirked, walking towards her. “Not sure if that’s the word I’d use for it.”

Feeling a bit apprehensive, Rachel instinctively walked backwards, very quickly hitting the bedframe with Adaman closing in. Her heart was starting to beat insistently against her chest, making the room feel smaller than it was. “Oh yeah?” She said, trying to diffuse the situation. “What word would you use, then?”

Leaning over her, with one hand against the frame right by her head, he smirked down at her. It was not fair for him to be so tall compared to her and as Rachel’s eyes wandered, she got a good look at the lean musculature of his arm for once. Not only was he much taller than her, but there was no doubt that he was strong.

Physically, she’d be completely outmatched against him.

“Cute.” Came Adaman’s reply, his voice taking a lower cadence with a texture as smooth as honey as he leaned in close. “Very cute.”

For a moment, Rachel’s breath was caught in her throat while Adaman’s smirk stretched into something incredibly smug. Satisfied with the way her eyes widened up at him and the light dusting on her cheeks, he leaned back, walking away as though nothing happened. “Anyways, you’re welcome to stay as long as you need until the rain blows over. In the meantime, I’ll make sure to send you back to Jubilife Village with a fresh set of clean clothes so you don’t have to worry about them later.”

Taken off-guard by such a brazen display, what Adaman just said finally registered in her flustered mind. “Wait, what?” She asked, seeing him pick up the basket of wet soggy clothes. “You don’t have to do my laundry for me, I just needed to wait out the rain. That’s all.”

“Please.” As though nothing happened, Adaman addressed her warmly, his eyes kind as he spoke to her with her heavy wet clothes in his arms. “After everything you’ve done for us thus far, it’s the least I could do.”

Completely taken aback, Rachel fought hard to not have eyes that were as damp as her clothes. She hadn’t realized how run ragged she had been, relying practically exclusively on herself for so long that a simple act such as laundry being done for her felt like a life’s debt being repaid.

Her appreciation could not be overstated. “Well…thank you. I really appreciate that, Adaman.”

Smiling, he reached with one hand and gave her a side hug, with a squeeze for good measure. “Just focus on getting dry. If you want to take a nap, feel free. The beds are quite comfortable.”

Nodding, Rachel watched Adaman leave, now alone in the tent with Cedric, wearing the Diamond Clan leader’s robe still while her Zorua stared at her knowingly.

There was no mistaking it. Rachel was in big fucking trouble.

#SafeshipSeptember #୨⎯ A Message On The Wind ⎯୧ #୨⎯ Then It Has Done You No Good At All ⎯୧ #୨⎯ Pokémon Trainer Rachel ⎯୧ #୨⎯ Leader of the Diamond Clan ⎯୧ #୨⎯ Tricky as a Fox ⎯୧

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amessageonthewind · 1 year ago

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September Selfship Prompts Challenge

5. Eating together

Pairing: Adaman/Rachel during Legends: Arceus (spoiler alert for really far along in the timeline)

Survey work was hard work. Hard work that sure worked up quite the appetite. But, living in a time period when there wasn’t exactly an easily accessible plethora of restaurants to choose from, that meant you had to be responsible for feeding yourself. Even her meals at the Wallflower in Jubilife Village were not a guarantee. She needed to be inducted into the Galaxy Team’s Survey Corps to earn meals there, as she was an outsider.

Which, she found their animosity towards her rather ironic and rich once she found out that they were the outsiders to this land, whom the natives were allowing them to use out of kindness. Despite their diametrically opposed views and how at odds they were with each other, Rachel felt like she had more kindred spirits with them than with the Galaxy Team.

To put it simply, the Diamond and Pearl Clans of Hisui felt more like home than the home she had.

But, she was still an outsider to them. A friend, yes, but still an outsider. She was not one of them, so she had to stay in Jubilife Village. At least nowadays as she has proven herself, people were much friendlier to her and have shown genuine appreciation towards her efforts. Still effectively strangers at worst, and acquaintances at best, but better than being distrusted and seen as a potential threat or enemy.

Still, she couldn’t help but feel more at home among her Pokémon and the native people of Hisui. She felt like a child again, understanding Pokémon better than people and feeling like an outcast and an other.

And the only people who understood were the Diamond and Pearl Clans.

Setting up a quick camp for herself to cook something to eat for herself and her Pokémon, it wasn’t long before Stormfast, her Samurott, offered up a skewered Magikarp from the stream. Smiling, she took the offering and reached out to pet the large Water Pokémon. “Thanks, Stormfast.”

The large Pokémon nodded. “You’re not a hunter. This is my duty to you.” She replied stately.

“Did you feed yourself?” Rachel asked her. “I won’t have you going hungry for my sake.”

Stormfast nodded, choosing a nearby comfortable patch of grass to lay down in. “I’m full. You don’t have to worry.”

“Good.” Sighing, Rachel set the skillet she pulled out of her backpack onto the spit above the small campfire she made and summoned her other Pokémon to join her. Her Arcanine stood tall, Emberheart observing the campfire and sniffing at it before gently blowing a flame into it to light it. “Thank you, sweetheart.”

Nodding, the Arcanine went to lay by Stormfast to relax while Rachel cooked the fish.

Helix, her Goomy, and Wallflower, her Petilil, sat patiently next to her. Nodding, she reached into her pouch to grab their favourite berries. “Now, don’t think I’ve forgotten about you two.” She said as she laid out an assortment for both of them according to their tastes.

A small serving of a few Aspear Berries and a couple Oran Berries, and a Sitrus Berry for Helix, which he was proceeding to (very slowly) gobble up, and the same for Wallflower except for Pecha Berries instead of Aspear Berries. “Thank you, Rachel.”

“Of course, honey. Eat up.” She said to the timid little Petilil, reaching to gently pat the three leaves on her head as she tepidly picked up the nearest Pecha Berry and peckishly nibbled at it.

Once they were eating their fill, Rachel grabbed some ingredients from her bag to begin the cooking process. As she was rummaging around, she felt a tug at her leg. Lo and behold, there was Cedric, the little Zorua from her time period that was looking at her with pleading blue eyes.

She sighed loudly at him. “Yes, you can have the eyes.”

“Much obliged!” He replied cheekily.

Grumbling, she pulled out her knife and grabbed the limp crimson fish Pokémon and grimaced. For some reason, Cedric really liked to eat the eyes and despite how disgusting she found it, she did it for him. He was her best friend, and she wanted nothing but the best for him.

Even if it made her gag to remove Magikarp’s eyes for the Zorua. Holding her knife, she admired it for a moment as it glinted sharply in the sunlight. It wouldn’t be a stretch to call it one of her most prized possessions she’d received here in Hisui.

It was a blade made from Black Augurite, the same stone that made Scyther evolve into Kleavor. Despite having already given her the Insect Plate, Lord Kleavor of the Pearl Clan apparently wanted his warden, Lian, to give the blade to her as an extra apology for injuring her during their fight while he was frenzied.

The blade came to her jagged, but Rachel was so enamoured by receiving such a gift from a Pokémon that she devoted so much of her time to sharpening it. She went nowhere without a good whetstone so she could maintain it. She looked for ways to use it, even taking up whittling and woodcarving as an idle hobby to practice using the knife.

It was also quite useful for cooking. And for disgustingly precise eyeball removals for disturbed Dark-types. “Alright, here you go you freak.” She grumbled, tossing the eyes to Cedric along with some Oran and Cherri Berries.

“Hey! Don’t knock it until you try it! It’s a great source of Omega 3!” Cedric replied with a smug grin.

“The whole fish is full of Omega 3, you furry little harbinger of mischief!” Rachel snapped comically, unable to not laugh when the little Pokémon started to snicker. She couldn’t find it in herself to fault him for being a little weirdo. She loved him, quirks and all, no matter what.

He was her best friend. No matter what. She’d fly to the moon and back for him and she knew he’d do the same.

Once she set aside the Magikarp’s head for Emberheart along with the same berries for the Arcanine, Rachel went back to rummaging around in her bag for ingredients to start cooking the fish. She more or less knew what she liked and how to season her meal, so it was a matter of routine at this point.

Hopo Berry juice in the pan, slicing up some Springy Mushrooms on the wooden cutting board she brought with her after cleaning her knife with a spare cloth, and then cutting the Sitrus, Persim, and Oran Berries individually and throwing them into the pan with the sliced mushrooms and Plump Beans.

Finally, she crushed a small Candy Truffle for a hint of sweetness, before she let everything simmer for a little bit, cleaning her knife and proceeding to de-scale and de-bone the Magikarp before cutting it open in half and throwing it onto the pan. The fragrant scent of everything coming together was a wondrous medley that she relished.

And the best part? She was on her own time. No deadlines, no expected time to be back, no pressure. Just she, herself, and her Pokémon all just enjoying themselves while her food cooked. Though, she was beginning to get pretty hungry. Hopefully the fish would be done, soon.

“Woah, hey! Check it out! Look who’s on his way.” Cedric teased, gesturing towards the distance of the Obsidian Fieldlands. They were camping out by the river at the edge of Horseshoe Plains to the east of the Fieldlands Camp. In the distance was the familiar shape of Wyrdeer, with a familiar sapphire silhouette on his back. “Looks like your favourite pretty boy is here to see you.”

Blushing a little bit at her Pokémon’s teasing, she nudged him. “Shush!”

But Cedric was right that the man was pretty. He was very pretty and she wasn’t shy about telling him as such when they first met. Not one of her proudest moments, but he took it in stride. She thought she was pretty smooth.

The silhouette drew closer and soon enough, she was met with the Diamond Clan leader himself, Adaman, sapphire haori and long cerulean hair with grey undertones and all. “Well well, if it isn’t Adaman, leader of the Diamond Clan come to grace me with his humble presence.”

Rolling his eyes, he dismounted from Wyrdeer and laughed at little at Rachel. “There’s being formal, and then there’s laying it on thick.”

“Relax, I’m just teasing.” She replied cheekily, eyeing the Magikarp on the skillet to make sure it was cooking properly. Once he dismissed Wyrdeer and sent the majestic Pokémon on his way, he gave Rachel a polite nod before prancing away. Soon enough, Adaman’s Pokémon quickly ran across the field to stand by Adaman’s side. His trusted Leafeon, Umbreon, and Vaporeon all greeted Rachel’s Pokémon with a friendly hello. “It’s good to see you, Adaman. What brings you to the fieldlands on this fine day?”

Smiling, Adaman approached her little campsite, nodding towards her Pokémon as a courtesy. “Wyrdeer told me you were in the fieldlands, so I figured I’d stop by and pay you a visit.”

Rachel couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “You wanted to pay me a visit? For no reason?” She asked coyly with a smirk. “You of all people must have better things to do than just drop in on little old me for no reason.”

Reaching up to run a hand through his hair, the man tilted his head up at her. “I seem to recall a certain someone saying that it doesn’t matter what you’re doing if you’re enjoying the time you’re spending, no matter how seemingly meaningless or frivolous it may be.” Adaman parroted what she told him exactly. “Time enjoyed is never wasted.”

It was flattering to hear that, in his own way, he enjoyed her company and valued the time spent with her. “Well, if you’re just here to join me for an outing, then would you care to share a meal with me? There should be enough in the pan for an even portion for both of us.”

He raised his eyebrows in interest at the prospect of eating her cooking. “I didn’t know you could cook.” He remarked before taking a seat across from her. “If you’ll have us, I’d love to share a meal with you.”

“Great! It should be done pretty quickly, here.” Rachel said, quickly checking on the cooking Magikarp and flipping it over so that it would cook and sear on the other side of it. “Almost done.”

He was surprised to find that she was eating meat. With her connection to Pokémon being as strong as it was, he would’ve figured she was a strict vegetarian. He was surprised, but not bothered. More curious, than anything. “I’m surprised you’re eating a Pokémon.” Adaman commented. “How you feel about that, considering you can understand them like we can?”

Rachel shrugged. It was a fair question, but she herself wasn’t really bothered by it either. “Pokémon understand each other just as well, and they have no qualms about eating and hunting each other.” She pointed out casually. “They don’t really concern themselves with it, so why should I? Fish gotta swim, birds gotta eat. Life goes on, the planet continues to spin – it’s the circle of life.”

That was a fair point, he supposed. He never really thought much about that when he thought about Pokémon, but she was right. They did hunt and eat each other and they understood each other like people did. It was just not something that Pokémon really thought much about. “Did you hunt it?”

“No, I don’t have the heart to actually do the hunting. I just can’t do it, being able to hear them. Call me selfish or a coward, but I just can’t bring myself to.” Rachel admitted easily, gesturing to her Samurott. “Stormfast did the fishing for me after having herself a meal. She never wants to let me go hungry.”

Adaman smiled, looking over at the large Water Pokémon enjoying herself a proper nap after such hard work. “You’re very fortunate to have such a strong bond with your Pokémon that they’re willing to help you that way.”

“It’s a two way street.” Rachel replied, reaching over to gently stroke the Samurott along her black-and-red shell helmet. She lowly grumbled affectionately in her sleep at the contact. “They protect me, I keep them safe and nurse their wounds. And we provide each other companionship. It’s always been that way, for me. Even before I arrived here in Hisui.”

Leaning over to check the skillet, Rachel flipped the beans, mushrooms, berries, and the Magikarp meat over before deciding it was cooked through. “Alright, it’s ready. Let me just set the skillet aside and portion it for us.”

Before Rachel could even reach for it, Emberheart, with careful and dainty movements, gripped the handle in her mouth and placed the pan onto a patch in the ground absent of grass.

Smiling affectionately at the Arcanine, Rachel reached over to pet her and hugged her massive head. “Thank you, sweetheart.” She said and kissed the Pokémon’s forehead. “You know how much I appreciate your help.”

Giving her wielder a small doggish kiss on her cheek, she walked back to slumber next to Stormfast, her massive chest falling and rising rhythmically. Wiping her cheek, Rachel grabbed a couple of Caster Ferns to serve as dishes and a set of chopsticks and handed Adaman his portion, first. “I hope that’s enough for you.”

Smiling at her, he carefully took the food and set it down in his lap, petting his Leafeon as he napped. He was completely relaxed in Rachel’s presence, trusting her to be kind to his lifelong partner. Vaporeon was curious about the cooked fish while Umbreon simply stood watch.

Shaking his head, Adaman grabbed the chopsticks offered to him and gave a small piece to Vaporeon, which he tepidly tasted and then quickly wolfed down. Umbreon’s ears twitched curiously, but nevertheless she remained vigilant.

Curious about the food, the Diamond Clan leader grabbed some of the fish meat – which separated very easily – and then tried to get some of the mushroom and berry pieces. There was a nice assortment of flavours and fragrances on the fern in his lap and he was eager to try it.

Watching him intently, Rachel analyzed his expression as he took a bite of her meal. For a moment, she was concerned that he wouldn’t like it before his eyes widened and he eagerly took another bite. “Wow! You must really enjoy cooking if a meal in the wilderness from you tastes this good.” He complimented, Vaporeon agreeing from beside him. “The flavours complement each other perfectly, it’s tangy, and the mushrooms add something savory along with a nice chewy texture.”

Rachel couldn’t help but laugh. She was happy he was enjoying his meal, but she knew that if she were cooking in her own time, she wouldn’t enjoy the process nearly as much. “Would you believe me if I told you I don’t, actually?”

He quirked a thick eyebrow at her as deep in colour as his sapphire hair, Adaman’s dark eyes sparkling with curiosity. How could someone who didn’t enjoy cooking make a meal this tasty just on a whim? “Why not?” He asked.

Rachel shrugged as she leaned back, slowly working on her meal so as to not fill up too quickly and give herself a stomach ache. “Well, it’s less so here in this time period – at least, it feels like it to me – but in my time period, cooking is a lot more of a chore for me than an enjoyable activity.”

If her opinion on laundry was anything to go by, this woman seemed allergic to chores. But, he noted, not out of laziness. As far as he was concerned, there was no one who was more of a hard worker than Rachel. She put her all into everything she did for the Diamond and Pearl Clans, as well as the Survey Corps back in Jubilife Village. She was relentless when it came to her research she did for the Pokédex, going to great lengths and taking great risks to accomplish her goals.

The fact that her nemesis was chores was not a sign of laziness. It seemed to be more of an anxiety-inducing stressor rather than just something she couldn’t be bothered to do. “Chores seem to give you a lot of trouble in general.” Adaman commented, wanting to better understand where her underlying anxieties came from. “Why is that?”

Looking at Adaman, his tone gave away nothing but genuine sincerity. If anyone else asked her that, she’d worry that they were judging her. But Adaman was someone who had full faith in her, even from the start. Even when Irida had her doubts about Rachel, Adaman had always believed in her potential.

It was no longer potential, it was skill and strength that she had since demonstrated tens of times over at this point. “The short answer is that they’re time-consuming and incredibly tedious.” Rachel replied, putting a hand on Cedric’s back for moral support. Wallflower and Helix were still slowly working away at their berries while she talked. “The long answer is that chores feel like they’re eating away at the time I have in the day that I could be spending on doing things that are more pressing or more important. It just feels like a massive waste of time, but it’s something I need to do, so it’s just something that’s always looming over me in the back of my head, and the stress just makes me put it off even longer.

“Plus, a lot of our inconveniences have been solved by engineering and machinery that’s powered by electricity, now.” Rachel mentioned, gesturing to her Survey Corps uniform. “In my time period, we had washing machines that you could throw your clothes and some soap into and it would wash your clothes for you. So, that long and tedious chore was made convenient.” The woman looked down at her fern full of food sheepishly. “And…because of that, I didn’t actually know how to hand wash my clothes. So, that just wasn’t a skill I had before coming here, and I was really self-conscious about it. Adjusting to not having that convenience that made my everyday life so much easier was…incredibly difficult.”

A machine that washed your clothes for you? No wonder she looked so miserable when he first asked her if she knew how to hand wash clothes. Suddenly her aversion made sense. He was glad he showed her how to, he’d hate to think of her constantly struggling with this and not knowing how to deal with it. But he could imagine that even knowing how to do it by hand didn’t make the ordeal any easier if she was used to the convenience of such machinery.

Such a strange world she lived in before. Full of ways people have made life convenient, and thus allowed people to have more time during the day to dedicate to their pursuits, but at the loss of seemingly vital skills that make their absence very apparent without those conveniences.

That’s the trade-off for convenience, he supposed. “I can understand how that can be mentally taxing on you.” He sympathized, continuing to enjoy his meal while he sat and talked with her. “Usually, I do my chores at the start of the day when I wake up at the crack of dawn. That way, they’re done and out of the way and I have the rest of the day to spend my time appropriately.”

Rachel scoffed at him. Ever the early bird, though she could not understand why or how anyone would voluntarily wake up so early when they could just sleep in and enjoy the warmth of a morning snooze. “Unfortunately, I’ve been cursed with a delayed circadian rhythm.” She pointed out, taking another bite of food, making sure she would still have some berries and other ingredients by the time she was done with the Magikarp meat. “I wake up later in the day and sleep later in the day. My brain just does not function properly early in the morning and it works best when the sun goes down at night.”

Ah. A night owl. Somehow that made a lot of sense for Rachel. He’d heard many a tale of her nighttime excursions from Wyrdeer. “And by the time the sun goes down, you’re already tired from a day’s work.”

“Exactly.” Rachel replied, groaning. “It’s a fucking nightmare, I’ll tell you that.”

“I can imagine.” Adaman gently sympathized. She may do things differently than him, but she held time in just as high a regard as he did. She valued it just as much as he did, even though she spent it differently. Something that deeply intrigued him. “I can see how that would make washing your clothes difficult to do on a regular basis. But how does it affect cooking, then? It’s not really something that’s affected by the time of day or how much time in a day you have.”

“No, not exactly. But it’s still a tedious time-consuming task that has its own unique pitfalls for me.” Rachel pointed out, gesturing to the skillet. “The thing is, I’m driven by instinct. I don’t eat unless I’m hungry and I don’t sleep unless I feel tired. If my body isn’t actively telling me something, it’s just not in my mind at all.

“The thing about my time period is that I was always on the go, going from place to place, town to town, never staying in one spot for long. So, mentally I had to factor in meals, usually going out to eat. Again, another convenience that my time period has made easily accessible.” Rachel continued. “Now, I actually know how to cook, but planning meals and then actually doing the prep? Major source of anxiety like you wouldn’t believe. I eat when I feel like it, so I never know what to plan, thus I never know what to get, and thus never know what to make until right then. I hate cooking for myself because I’m always cooking like I’m running against the clock. I always have somewhere I need to be, plans I need to be ready for or done by, and it just makes everything stressful.

“But out here? I don’t have that problem.” Rachel said, leaning back with a smile, gesturing to the open fieldlands around them. “I’m running on my own schedule, my time belongs to nobody but myself. I’m not expected to leave at a certain time, not expected to be back at a certain time. I can be out here for as long as I want provided that I’m working. I’m my own boss, which completely takes the stress away from planning meals. I can eat whatever I want on the fly as on-the-spot as I want it to be, so I can actually enjoy the process of cooking instead of stressing over needing to be finished at a certain time.

“And by the time I get back, I know I have a meal waiting for me at the Wallflower. So, that’s a security I know I have.” As she leaned back, Adaman was beginning to understand Rachel a whole lot better. There was something to this that was becoming a lot clearer to him that gave him an insight into who she was as a person.

Something that was quickly fitting together with all of the puzzle pieces that were Rachel herself. “You have a lot going on in your mind, don’t you?” He remarked, halfway through his meal at this point. “You have a million different things you’re always taking into account, and chores pile onto that and make everything seem a lot bigger than they actually are.”

She nodded, agreeing with his assessment. “You’re not wrong, but the weird thing is…it’s not like this if I’m cooking for other people.”

That caught Adaman’s attention. “Is that right? How so?”

“If I’m making food for someone else, I already know what they want – they tell me. I have explicitly given instructions with a clear goal. Given that, I know how much time I need to make them food.” Rachel explained, gesturing with her hands, chopsticks fastened in her fingers. “Same thing goes for when I make food for a special occasion. I’m not worried about feeding myself, nor is it something being made because it needs to be. It’s for fun! I can actually take as much time as I want to properly enjoy it because I’m not worried about not going hungry.

“But if I’m just trying to feed myself, I’m riddled with the anxiety and stress of deciding what I want to eat, getting the materials to make what I want to eat, making what I want to eat, and then trying to fit that into my already existing schedule.”

Just as he thought, the pieces come together. “You want to have control over your time, and it feels like chores take both your time and control away from you.” Adaman concluded, eating his last bite of food. “If it’s something that has to be done for your own sake within a certain schedule, you start to get stressed and anxious because you feel like you’re wasting your time and you don’t have control over it. But if you’re doing them for someone else, on your own time, or for the sake of enjoyment rather than necessity, you have control over your time, which means you’re not as stressed.”

She blinked at him, dumbfounded once more at how quickly he was able to get right to the root problem. Somehow, Adaman continued to find new ways to get straight to the point, and it left Rachel impressed every time. “Y-yeah…that’s exactly it.”

He smiled, always happy to understand her a bit better. The better he understood her, the better he could help her in the future. “I think I get it.”

Observing the empty Caster Fern on his lap, Rachel started to become conscious of the serving size and glanced over at Stormfast, who was idly observing the two humans on opposite sides of the campfire. The sun had since moved across the sky, the day beginning to dip towards the evening. “Are you sure that was enough food?” Rachel asked, concerned. “I can get Stormfast to catch another Magikarp and make another portion. Maybe even send some food with you so you can have something to eat later!”

Blinking at her for a moment, Adaman’s lips involuntarily curled into a smile that creased his cheeks and he started to laugh. Immediately after he had correctly discovered the roots of her anxieties, she immediately proves him right in the sweetest and kindest way possible.

It didn’t take long for Rachel to realize why he was laughing and couldn’t help herself, very quickly realizing the irony of it. Adaman was even more right than she initially thought. “You don’t have to, I’ll be okay for later.” Adaman declined politely, handing the fern and chopsticks back towards her. “But thank you, I appreciate it.”

Smiling, Rachel took the ferns and gathered up the Magikarp bones in them and walked towards the river. Gently, she let the river swallow the bones and bowed her head, muttering under her breath. Adaman caught a few words of thanks and he smiled. Maybe some of Hisui’s people’s traditions had passed down through the ages to her, somehow. There was a comfort in seeing echoes from his time period in her.

He sighed affectionately. Ever since he tried Beni’s famous potato mochi, he was curious to learn how to cook from the old man. But now, Adaman wondered if he should learn just to cook for Rachel to make her day a bit easier.

Any time spent with her was time well spent, and if he could help her have more time to do the things she wanted without worry, that was a worthwhile trade-off in his eyes.

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