#teen boy waddled over like a penguin - unable to move his arms - stuck and overheating in like 9 layers

[billycorn]

Empathy - Part 2

A continuation of this fic about a PMD Riolu (now Lucario) Hero who couldn't turn off their aura-sensing. Fic under the cut!

Soaring through the skies and basking in the sun's beating rays, Charizard released a contented sigh, grinning smugly as the fluffy weight on her back shifted. She rolled her eyes and waited for it.

"Sarah, I'm not sure this is a good idea."

There it is! He's nothing if not consistent.

Glancing over her shoulder, she smirked at the Lucario sitting astride her back. "You worry too much."

Blue crossed his arms, wincing as he acidentally stabbed his arms on the steel spike jutting from his chest. He glanced at his chest and rubbed his arms, a betrayed expression on his face. Sarah couldn't help but laugh, the beautiful sound racing away on the wind, but it wasn't lost to his ears.

"It's not funny!"

"Agree to disagree," she answered, her eyes lighting on their destination, a small village tucked in the valley, cradled in the mountains' strong embrace.

"Blue, it'll be fine."

He sighed and leaned back. "You really think so?"

"Hey," she snapped, glancing back at him. "You've got this."

He didn't respond, his was head in the clouds, figuratively speaking, but Sarah could fix that. Grinning, she suddenly beat her powerful wings, rising higher until Blue's upper half disappeared amidst the white of the clouds. When she dropped lower again, he re-emerged, eyes wide and coat dripping wet.

"Thank you," he drawled.

Sarah laughed, but her amusement quickly turned to horror as she watched him move to shake out his pelt.

"Wait, no, don't!"

Blue shook violently, throwing the water from his coat, and throwing himself from Sarah's back. He screamed for a brief moment, the sound torn away by the wind. In an instant, Sarah was banking and closing her wings, dropping like a stone until she was falling alongside Blue. The Lucario's arms and legs were crossed and he glared.

"Next time, we're walking!"

Scoffing, Sarah poked him in the chest, sending him into a spinning freefall. "If you had a single braincell this wouldn't have happened!"

Blue looked affronted. "You're one to talk! Your blast seed curry idea, how did that work out for you?"

At that, Sarah crossed her arms and raised her brows, glancing at the rapidly approaching earth.

Reminded of his plummeting situation, Blue sighed in resignation. "Please, save me."

Sarah picked at her claws. "Nah, not feeling it."

"Oh, great! One of the few humans in this world, dead, because you didn't feel like saving him!"

Tilting her head, Sarah gave the most condescending look she could muster and through gritted teeth, Blue said, "I'm sorry, beautiful. This was entirely my fault."

"And?"

"And your curry was delicious, even though it exploded and the house stank for a week."

"Oh, well I'll make it again sometime."

"What? No-"

Sarah pulled him close and spread her wings, quickly levelling out and transforming his rebuttal into a muffled yelp. She banked almost lazily, drifting downwards in a wide circle until she landed on a busy street near the town centre.

Blue dropped to the ground, caressing the soft grass and promising to never leave it again. At Sarah's nagging, he got up and they hurried down the street, quickly arriving at a large building, doors of varying sizes set into it's face.

Blue paused at the door, nodding, jumping on the spot and whispering to himself. After a moment, he smiled. "Alright, you ready?"

"Pff! I'm not coming."

Blue's face fell. "Wait, wha-"

"Good luck, I'll pick you up at 4!" Sarah yelled, shoving him through the doors before flying away.

Inside, the building was so colourful it nearly hurt Blue's eyes. Forest scenery filled with different Pokemon covered the walls, while an ocean painting covered the floor. There were several chairs and cubbies of various sizes lining the walls. Against the far wall sat a large desk, with two corridors either side. A Lopunny sat behind the desk, looking up as Blue stumbled in.

Smiling kindly, Lopunny waved him over. "Hello, can I help you?"

"Uh, yes," Blue said, smoothing his fur down as he glanced about, slack-jawed. "I'm Blue, I'm here to help with-"

Lopunny clapped her hands together. "Oh, of course, April said you were starting today! Just go down the left hall and it's the third door on your left."

"Oh, um, thank you."

As Blue's tail disappeared round the corner, Lopunny sighed and shook her head. "They're gonna destroy him."

Wandering the corridor, Blue passed the rooms, glancing inside, but they were empty apart from a staff member here and there. Reaching the third door on the left, he knocked and stepped inside.

It was a classroom, filled with (mostly) tiny chairs and desks, cubbies lining the wall and scribbled drawings taped upon the walls. A row of windows was set in the far wall and the morning sun streamed in, lighting upon a hulking figure, humming to itself and flicking through papers at a table tucked in the corner.

Blue cleared his throat and the figure's head snapped up, gaze narrowing at the blurry figure standing in the doorway. Sighing, the figure's twin tails flicked and it reached for a pair of glasses, a smile lighting upon it's face as Blue's figure became clear.

"Blue! You're late, I was worried you weren't coming."

Blue rubbed sheepishly at his arm. "Yeah, sorry about that, April. I had some... trouble, with my commute."

April merely shrugged and waved him closer. Blue obliged, his gaze passing over her. April was an Electivire, huge, with bulging muscles, but her tone was soft and elderly, and her glasses framed her face cutely. Her strong hands sifted gently through a stack of papers.

"I'm so glad you offered to help, I've really got my hands full these days!"

Blue murmured a response, his mind flicking back to when Sarah eagerly volunteered him to help at the local Kindergarten. The look on her face had been a mix of cunning and sheer delight.

"So," said April, "today will be rather straightforward. Class will start, I'll introduce you and then you can just hover, see if the kids need help with anything. I'll likely ask you to handle a problem or two, but I won't be throwing you in the deep end."

"Good, I can't swim."

April laughed, shaking her head and leaning back in her chair. "Neither could I when I started, and I still can't!"

April gave Blue a quick tour of the school, introduced some of the other staff, and before long, the children began to arrive. Like a flood they poured through the doors, shouting goodbyes to fleeing parents, they raced to greet their friends.

Quickly the flood relented as the children drifted to their classes, bundling around desks and talking eagerly. Before long, a full class of kids of all different species were gathered, and April was standing by a chalkboard, clapping her hands. Almost instantly, the kids fell quiet.

"Good morning, everyone! Today, we have a special guest joining us." April waved Blue over, placing him front and centre. "This is Mr. Blue, he'll be helping us today."

Immediately, a hand shot into the air, a Machop sitting in the front row was grinning manically.

Blue pointed cautiously at the kid. "Uh, yes, you."

"Mr. Blue, are you strong?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm pretty strong."

"Bet you're not stronger than my Dad!"

Blue's brows furrowed, his frown deepening as he noted the expectant faces, waiting eagerly for his response. "Well, you're Dad must be pretty strong then because-"

"He is!" Yelled the Machop, leaning so far forwards he was nearly toppling the desk. "He left when I was little. Mum says he's on a training journey. He'll be back someday!"

"He went to get the milk?"

Machop's head tilted, his smile faltering ever so slightly. "What's that mean?"

His ears pinning back, Blue looked desparately at April and she thankfully swooped in, quelling the discussion and beginning the class. She taught for sometime, a basic reading lesson, before handing each student two sheets of paper, large text printed on them in footprint runes.

Blue wandered slowly past the desks, offering the occasional correction or encouragement. It was almost nostalgic, whisking him off into memories of a cranky Charmander, frustrated that he couldn't figure this out. Shaking his head clear, Blue tried and failed hide his trepidation, and it only got worse when there came a tugging at his leg.

Looking down, Blue found an Espurr gazing up at him, thousand yard stare boring straight through his skull.

Clearing his throat, Blue dropped to a knee and looked over the Espurr's paper. "Do you need help?"

Espurr tapped the paper slowly. "The end is nigh."

"N-no, it says, the uh-"

Espurr tapped the paper again. "Time is a cruel mistress, driving us closer to the inevitable, that great unknown we all fear. It awaits us all, Pokemon... and human."

His lips pursed tight, Blue nodded slowly. "You're doing great."

Hurrying away, he moved to stand beside a Voltorb who was rocking back and forth, a deep frown on it's face.

Taking a deep breath, Blue smiled and took a knee once more. "Hey, buddy, you alright?"

Voltorb's eyes didn't leave the paper. "It doesn't make sense!"

"Well, how about we take another look?"

"No, it doesn't make sense! It's too hard."

Blue glanced at the paper, his head tilting. "It's the same as everyone elses."

"Then mine's broken!" The Voltorb began trembling, a quiet buzz building from within it.

In an instant, April was there, shooting Blue a soft smile before shooing him away. She knelt beside the Voltorb, her tail hanging just above it's head and catching the stray sparks that it had begun unconsciously firing.

"It's okay, Ethan. Here, why don't you show me where it's broken?"

The class drifted by and before long, April was releasing the kids into the school grounds to play and devour some lunch. She complimented Blue on his efforts so far before asking him to patrol the playground, handling any problems that arose, and arise they did.

The playground was mostly a large open field, with some toys, play equipment and a sandbox off to one side. Closer to the classrooms, kids zipped between tall pine trees, chasing after one another, laughing all the while.

Early into the break, a Snover waddled over, layered in cardigans and scarves, its face mostly obscured beneath the fabrics. "Help, please. I'm stuck and it's really hot."

"Okay, uh, raise your arms."

The Snover stretched it's arms out, but couldn't raise them past its shoulders. Blue nodded to himself and carefully pulled the scarves off, and then the cardigans, counting fourteen items of clothing in total. Once free, the Snover cheered happily.

"Thank you!"

Blue threw his arms wide. "Why'd you put so many clothes on?"

Snover seemed to think for a second before shrugging. "I dunno."

It waddled away, immediately replaced by a Ralts and a tiny Absol, more fluffball than actually Pokemon.

The Ralts giggled, pointing at Blue. "You're in love!"

His face warm, Blue took a half-step back. "Wha, uh, how'd you know?"

Absol headbutted Blue's leg and looked at him with pity. "A red beauty will make your life miserable. Get out while you can."

Blue stuttered for a moment, then sighed, his shoulders slumping. "Thanks for the warning, but pretty sure I'm stuck with her."

Absol shrugged and trotted away, Ralts hurrying after her.

Thankfully, no more kids approached, but that just meant Blue had to race over when a fight nearly broke out between the Machop from earlier and a Magby from a different class. The two were mostly playfighting, but he felt woefully unprepared as he separated the pair, disappointing the onlooking students.

Continuing to surveil the playground, Blue eventually spotted a small Pokemon sitting alone under a tree, far from everyone else. Slowly, he walked over, smiling and waving as he neared, and the Pokemon shuffled away at his approach. It was tiny, pink and blue, with no eyes that Blue could see; a Hatenna.

"Are you alright?"

The Hatenna didn't answer.

"You don't want to play with everyone?"

Again, no response.

Gesturing at the grassy patch beside Hatenna, Blue asked, "Can I sit?"

Hatenna glanced up for half a second, and nodded. So, Blue sat, leaning back against the tree, arms propped up on his legs. He watched as the kids played, yelling and laughing and running; it made him feel so very tired.

"They're noisy," Hatenna said, her voice barely a whisper.

Blue's eyes widened and he glanced at the Hatenna. "Yeah, they are." His head tilting, Blue drummed his fingers along his arm and an idea pricked at him. "Do you want to play with them?"

Hatenna didn't answer.

Sighing inwardly, Blue closed his eyes and reached out with his aura. The effect was instant, the emotions of all the children rushed into him, forcing the air from his gut. A bead of sweat running down his cheek, he tuned out the flurry of emotions, focusing on just the Hatenna beside him. Her emotions were barely more than a trickle, but there were so many feelings intertwined; fear, longing, loneliness.

Pulling himself back to present, Blue smiled at Hatenna. "Can I introduce you to two of my friends? They're quiet."

Hatenna's jaw dropped and after a brief pause it nodded. Blue quickly disappeared amongst the throng of kids, returning a moment later with Ralts and the tiny Absol.

Blue knelt, gesturing between the Pokemon. "Ralts, Absol, this is, oh, sorry, what's your name?"

"Sarah," squeaked Hatenna.

His head tilting, Blue laughed slightly and shook his head. "Sarah, this is Ralts and Absol."

The horn on Ralt's head glowed briefly for a moment, and then he smiled. "You're really nice! Wanna be friends?"

"Oh, okay."

Ralts gave a quiet cheer and quickly launched into muted conversation, with Absol offering the occasional comment. Hatenna's face lit up as it began talking to its new friends.

Nearby, a Starly squawked as it crashed headlong into a tree during a game of tag. Blue slipped away from the trio, hurrying to Starly's side. The little bird was crying loudly, but after a quick check, Blue realised it was fine.

Carefully, he reached out once more, tuned out the excess, focused on Starly, and, reaching out, Blue pushed forth quiet bursts of peace, like ripples on a large lake. The Starly's crying stopped and upon realising it was fine, the bird Pokemon simply got up and flew away, right back into the game.

So, the day passed, Blue solving problems as they arose, his aura skills getting quite the workout. By the time all the kids had gone home he was practically asleep on his feet.

April couldn't help but laugh knowingly. "Blue, what makes children such a delight, and such a pain, is that they're unpredictable. They'll always find ways to cause mischief, its what they do, but they also say, and do, the most heartwarming things without warning. You don't have control, and that's where the fun comes in."

Control, huh? He certainly felt like he didn't have any, but he'd managed to give it to a few kids today, and it made their days a little bit better. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea, not that he'd admit it to Sarah.

There was a knock at the door and a Charizard appeared in the entryway. Sarah smiled apologetically at April. "Hi! Sorry I'm late, I'm here to pick up my boyfriend, I believe he's in your class?"

"Har har," drawled Blue, stumbling towards the door. "Please, can we go home?"

Sarah threw her head back at laughed, nodding goodbye to April. "Sure, you big baby. How was your day?"

"An Absol told me to break up with you."

"What?!"

"I'm coming back tomorrow."

Sarah snorted, her tail lashing. "Well, they're just kids so-"

"Absol can sense disasters before they happen."

Her gaze narrowing, Sarah glared at him. "What are you trying to say?"

"Your curry is awful." Blue smiled and kissed her cheek. "But I love you anways."