There is a small, withering tune somewhere in the distance...
It was the third time that the glass was raised to her lips, but only to be returned to the table, still retaining the same amount of liquor as it had the first time it was passed to her.
About an hour ago.
...it's faint... and it's becoming fainter...
"Ms. White, would you like to dance?"
The girl looked up, her elegant lips turning to a graceful curve as she gave away a polite 'no thank you'. Awkward head scratch, but the kind lad goes either way, knowing that being the fifth to have asked will not change the girl's initial decision.
She didn't want to dance.
White wanted to leave.
A small tender reminder...
She knew that she shouldn't be here. She knew that she should be elsewhere. Somewhere far away from all these people, from all these celebration. Somewhere hidden and selectively unknown.
Unknown to everyone but them.
And it's there in the distance.
White didn't know for how long was this song playing, but the moment she has noticed it, she's decided she hated it. It was supposed to be a festive event, even if it's just for the exterior, and this song was not helping in achieving that.
She made a motion of standing up, and, as expected, several staffs and employees began jumping off their seats and crowding her.
"What's wrong, Miss White?"
"Is something the matter, Miss White?"
"More champagne, miss?"
"Idiot, she's under-aged."
The poor girl looked at each one of the hovering faces, feeling dazed from their presence. This was the last thing she needed after her well-spent time alone.
"N-No..." she mumbled, raising her hands in front of her, as if trying to protect herself from their barrage of questions. "I just..." She directed her gaze to the stage, where the singer was belting out halfhearted tunes.
"The music, it's..."
"Not to your liking, Miss?"
"W-Well, no!" Lie. "I think it's wonderful!" Lie. "I just don't think it's something to be played at a party like this, don't you think?" Slightly a lie.
Several simultaneous agreements came from the small crowd, and about three of them volunteered to address the matter, even if White had already protested that she can do it by herself.
"The genius mind that has made all this possible need not bother herself with such trivial things," one of them reasoned before heading off, leaving White standing there within that small circle of eager workers, feeling bewildered, and peculiarly lonely.
Everyone. They all seem familiar, and true enough, they all are—they are her employees, after all. But there was something that seemed off in that setting.
Maybe it was she who was feeling foreign?
"Ah, there she is! The gem that began this wonderful project!" A large man accompanied by a beautiful woman began making their way through the crowd towards her. Almost too automatically, another smile was plastered in White's exhausted face as she faced yet again another of the many, many "admirers" of hers—big-shot personalities, celebrities, other kinds of important people.
A "genius ", they called her. A "gem". The one who "started it all".
White gave herself a chance to look around the whole studio, with its different facilities and attractions, now filled with contented smiles of both pokemon and people, and asked herself if it was really her who have done it.
Perhaps. The acknowledgement from everyone is proof enough. Although, despite her being convinced enough to actually politely thank each compliment thrown upon her, she can't seem to acknowledge the fact that it was all her doings. All her efforts. As if it was only herself that which she needs to keep going.
If only they knew...
Let's make both our dreams come true, Prez!
The girl inwardly sighed.
It wasn't long before White was able to finally garner up the courage to graciously push her way to some alone time. Her assistant was almost able to stop her, reminding her that she was still the host of this grand event, and if she hadn't been distracted by her own companion—a dashing young man with the charm that can tame the wildest of beasts, although too young for White's taste—White wouldn't have been able to walk around the Studios in peace.
The scenery before her was truly a sight to behold.
Everyone—and she mean everyone—seem to enjoy themselves, and she felt a stabbing pain of nostalgia somewhere in her chest.
How long has it been since she first conceived this dream?
How many times did she think it was all going to be in vain?
And how many times was she pulled back to salvation by the mere thought of someone?
White gave a rueful sigh.
Two years, she thought to herself. Two years an—
Plop.
White's thoughts were disturbed by a balloon gently hitting her face. She watched it gently float back up, and was only stopped by a string, being held down by a paw.
The girl took a minute to be surprised.
A paw.
White immediately lifted her gaze, and found herself face to face with a teddiursa mascot, its ever-smiling face looking at her with frozen enthusiasm.
The girl laughed to herself for a moment before accepting the balloon. A number of these guys are scattered about the venue giving away free balloons, originally for children, though she guessed people who were looking a bit depressed or lonesome are still part of the recipients.
She thanked the poor idiot in the blazing costume, feeling a small bit of pity, although easily convincing herself that it can't be helped.
Her phone began ringing. She pulled it out and saw the ID.
Shooting Star.
Her assistant have noticed her absence.
White gave a sigh as she turned, and bumped against something hard.
"S-Sorry," she mumbled as she looked up, and saw a tall, shady-looking man, looking down on her with a deathly glare.
"Watch your step girly..." he warned, before walking away, to regroup with three other shady-looking men. White felt a small flip in her stomach as she watched them talk.
Something suddenly didn't feel right.
"Where're the others?"
"In their stations, sir!"
The guy she just bumped into nodded approvingly. Then he faced another.
"No sign of her yet?"
"Negative, boss. We tried that table where the other big-shot stars are staying, and there seems to be no sign of a young brunette anywhere..."
"Dang nabbit', boys, can't you idiots do anything right?! Scour the whole place, check even the closets if you have to! We won't leave until we get our hands on that little 'president', White!"
White looked aghast. She began taking mince steps backwards.
"By the way, boss, who was the girl you were talking to? She was cute!"
"Oh, that? She's nobody. Just some airhead who wasn't looking where she was going... huh?"
Simultaneously, the four men looked to where White was. The latter froze.
"Wait a sec, boss... This girl looks familiar..."
Silently and frantically, White prayed that she could've at least tried to bring one of her pokemon with her. She looked around, and it seems like not much people were in the vicinity. Then, realization dawned on her.
It was time for the demos. Everyone was surely in the grand plaza.
Which means White was alone with these thugs.
"Say..."
One of the men pointed at her, astonished.
"Boss, that's her!"
Oh no...
Swiftly, White shifted gears and began running for her life. She tried tipping tables and throwing whatever she can to where she's been in order to slow them down, and it worked for a good few minutes, until she ran out tables to tip or things to throw.
And no matter how much running she has done in her training days, nothing has ever readied her for an insane amount of running. In high heels.
Dammit', can this day get any worse?
One of her heels broke, and she tripped.
I had to ask.
Helplessly, she looked behind her and watched the crooks close in on her.
"We gotcha' now girlie..."
White looked around for something that could help, and found nothing. She then returned her helpless stare at the thugs, and just as she was about to scream, a flash of brown, red, and white came rushing towards the men.
Before White could say anything, screams of terror came from the direction where the people have gathered. An explosion came after, and the screams of terror grew.
"M-My guests!" she cried, trying to stand up, but was restrained by her dress. She looked back at the direction of the four men, and found a big, furry, and brown creature standing before them.
A-A pokemon...? she thought to herself, trying to think if she actually has a bear-like pokemon in her agency that was more than five feet tall.
The creature turned a little, revealing its face, and White recognized it immediately to one of the mascots that were wandering around. It seemed to be conversing with a galvantula that was just finishing wrapping the four men in white threads.
It gave a nod towards the mascot, with which the mascot returned, and then it was off, to where the screams of terror were coming from. The mascot watched it for a moment before looking at the thugs. It began walking towards them when on the men was able to free himself and cocked a gun at it.
The mascot immediately raised both its paw, terrified.
"You're one to act tough, sending your pokemon away like that, little teddy," the thug commented, slowly freeing himself and his comrades out of the web trap. "But you're in for a great surprise..."
The mascot walked a few steps backward, carefully, until it was a good distance in front of White. White watched its minced movements as it placed itself awkwardly in front of her, and then in one swift movement, it turned around, slapped his butt tauntingly at the enemies, grabbed White, and began making his way to one of the storage buildings.
-...-
It was dark, but White can see everything clearly.
How they were able to lose those men in the winding hallways (the studio's warehouses and storage buildings were all like that, for some reason), and how the bear seemed to be able to navigate itself along the said hallways.
Soon, they reached a room filled with different, unused props and it was there that the bear decided to put her down, and began guarding the door.
White looked at the giant mascot uncertainly.
"Y-You..."
There was more rumbling coming from the other side of the door.
"Oh no," she breathed, backing away. She felt her hands touch something furry, and saw another mascot staring down at her. Horrified, she averted her gaze, and saw the other one—the one who saved/kidnapped her—now staring at her. It moved forward a few steps and reached forward.
White stopped the urge to scream, and ducked. Then she allowed herself a peak and found that the mascot had walked past her, and was holding the paw of the other mascot, whom she had now realized to be just a costume—no person inside.
The one who saved her seemed to be laughing.
"Y-You," she tried again, but before she could finish her sentence, the mascot turned around, wrapped its furry arms around her waist and hoisted her up. White once more tried to scream, but before she could give away their location to the crooks, she felt her bottom land on a flat surface. White looked down on the small opening where she now sat.
A secret compartment...?
She looked around the small space.
No... It's some sort of attic...
The bear was already making its way up when they heard a door busted open. Panicking, it tried to tighten its furry grip on the wooden ladder but no matter how swift he was trying to move, he can't seem to reach the second rung as fast as he should. Forgetting the hesitation she felt earlier on, White reached down and grabbed the mascot's fat hand, and with a grunt, pulled him up.
Although it still came as a wonder how that thing was able to fit his giant bear head through the rather small opening, White chose not to say anything. She was only thankful that the crooks were stupid enough not to look up.
"T-That was close..." she exhaled. She looked up and saw that the mascot was watching the crooks from the small slit it allowed between the opening and its door. There was an eerie aura coming out of it, and she wasn't sure of whether she should trust her rather untrustworthy instincts at a time like this
"U-Uhm, excuse me..."
RING!
The two of them jolted, and as White fiddled with her purse to find her Poke-Transceiver, the mascot immediately slammed the door shut.
Both listened for a moment. Not one sound ensued.
"I-I think they're gone..." she mumbled, and looked down on the caller ID.
Shooting Star.
She lifted it to her ear.
"H-Hello...?"
"Miss White?" the voice shakily called from the other line. It was a female voice. "Miss White, it's me. Are you alright?"
"Y-Yeah," White replied. "I-I'm fine. I'm currently hiding right now, b-but I'm fine..." She looked at the mascot, who was now trying to remove his gigantic head with his fuzzy arms, but to no avail, wondering if she should tell her assistant that she was saved—or kidnapped—by one of the mascots.
She chose not to.
"How are things on your side, Star?" she asked. "Are my pokemon with you?"
"Yes, ma'm. They're here, and helping out with containing the damages."
"Where are the bandits?"
"The police are here... Thankfully, my friend was able to call his teammates before anything..."
"What?"
There was a sound of a grunt from the other line, and her employee's high-pitched voice crying "She doesn't even know you!"
"Hello?"
"S-Sorry, Ma'm... That was my friend. Anyway, we were able to stop them before matters got out of hand..."
"And the guests?"
"They're safe, Ma'm. They all think everything was part of the show..."
White looked confused.
"Pardon?"
"M-My friend here... He... He has showmanship." A sound of an arm getting punched, and a deep, male voice going "hey, I did it for you", and then her voice again going "Oh look, it's Looker; go far away from here as possible and talk to him".
"Star?" White called out. "Are you there? What do you mean part of the show? Showmanship? What happened?"
"We were able to contain the damage with our pokemon, Ma'm, while making sure no one panics or gets hurt," she said with a tone of distaste, obviously still in an argument with her friend.
"Quick, ask her," the male voice called again, louder this time.
"O-Oh yeah..."
"Ask me what?" White asked.
"Ma'm?" the employee drawled. "Do we... Do we have a bravaria in our team?"
At that moment, White's eyes widened. A bravaria...
"What about the bravaria...?"
"W-Well... There was a bravaria that came out of nowhere, and chased all the bandits into one place... It was strange, Ma'm—it was as if the pokemon was under the command of a trainer... It was..."
"Was a musharna with it?"
"A-A musharna, Ma'm...?" Her voice became distant. "She's asking if there was a musharna..."
"I don't think so..."
Her voice became clear again.
"I don't think so, Ma'm..."
White kept mum.
"Ma'm?"
"Okay, I see," she replied monotonously. "Alright. I'll be there by the reception in a moment, okay? You take charge of things while I'm gone."
"E-Er..."
"Thank you, Star."
"Wait, Ma'm, I—"
She hung up.
White looked up again, and saw that the Teddiursa humanoid was now watching her, obviously after giving up from saving his sorry head.
"You," she began, looking at the ground. The mascot sat upright.
"Whose company do you work for?"
The mascot began flailing, as if trying to convey a message with his fuzzy limbs. But White wouldn't understand anything.
"I said whose company?" Her voice was higher. More stern.
All the more did the mascot flail.
"Because..." White lifted her face, showing the stream of tears springing from her eyes. "I wouldn't mind hiring you if you're on solo flight..."
She spread her arms and threw herself to the mascot, its fur brushing against her white skin, her bare back feeling the synthetic pelt of its paw, motioning awkward circles over it.
"I've been feeling lonely... For the past two years..."
Her face was buried against its downy chest, her tears running from her eyes, down to her cheeks, all the way to the bear's velvet vest. She clutched onto it, like the way she would clutch on to life. Her life. His life.
Their lives. If only circumstances weren't apparent.
The mascot watched her with its glass eyes, its painted pupils seem to burry into her tattered soul, into her pained heart.
If White didn't know better, she'd think that the glassiness was caused by tears as well.
"I wanted company... Needed it..." she choked before giving one deep breath.
"So... Will you work for me?"
The mascot, like how a mascot should be, kept mum.
"Although..." She lifted her face full of tears, wrapped her thin fingers all over its two, wide, red-tinted cheeks, and pulled the mascot's head up.
Two giant russet eyes dilated before her.
"I don't think you can work for somebody else since you're still indebted to me..."
Slowly, the surprise in his eyes died down, and he gradually smiled.
"Heya' Prez..."
White fought off the urge to sob, and conjured up a smile.
"Hi, Black..."
After realizing that she won't say anything beyond those two words, he tried speaking again; just to destroy whatever awkward barrier he created between them.
But before words could have even come out of his lips, they were already trapped, and were already brushing against hers.
White was kissing him. Prez was... His employer was... His friend was... White was...
Droplets of sweat came streaming down his temple. Rapidly.
White is kissing me oh my Arceus how do I respond to this goodness if I knew I should have research the actual no Black relax did you even brush your teeth what is she thinking why on earth is she oh damn she's had some serious meal before this but I can't tell her that can I tell her that dang mother of all mothers I am not prepared for this oh gosh Prez oh my gosh of all the times you'd...
White broke off, but not before giving his lips one last lick.
"Welcome back..." she whispered.
Black watched her for a second, but before he could get his own shock get the best of him, he cleared his throat and looked away.
"O-One heck of a welcome-back gift there, Prez..." he stuttered. "Wow, is it just me, or is it getting hot in here or something?"
"S-Sorry," White giggled. "I just... I'm just so happy, y'know? It's been two years..."
"Hot dang, it is getting warmer..."
"...And what of you, though? You've gotten freed for two weeks now, and not even one call? Not even a message? Black, I was worried about you!"
"Uh... P-Prez...? I'm burning in here..."
"You're such an inconsiderate jerk, you know that, Black?"
"Prez... Help me..."
"Black?"
"Prez..."
"Black!"
-...-
"T-Thank you... Prez..."
Black sat wearily on one corner of the attic, his back against a stack of giant boxes, with White fanning him with her portfolio.
"You could have told me you've been in that suit for five hours straight..."
"Well," Black replied weakly. "Let's just way I got a little too excited about seeing you..."
The girl sighed. "Why on earth are you even in that getup?"
"Well, because I knew the paparazzi would be here..." He straightened himself. "And I was afraid that I'd either steal your show by being the 'resurrected' Champion, or I become part of it—both of which will end up with me not being able to be with you..." He reached for her hand, but thought otherwise, and took the fan instead.
"So, you ran around the whole Cinema Fest in a teddiursa costume just so you won't attract attention? My, how great did that plan turn out?"
Black just smirked half-heartedly as he continued fanning himself.
"And you know you could have at least hid somewhere and take it off to breathe... It must be hell in there."
"Hey, don't knock it 'til you've tried it," he joked. "Besides... I can't take it off even if I wanted to. I can't reach the zipper on the back, nor can I pop out the head since the arms are super fuzzy and slippery..." He looked at the tattered costume that now sat beside him.
"I wonder if I'm going to get my money back on this."
White watched as Black fanned himself, cursing under his breath how he shouldn't have worn his black shirt but at the same time consoling himself with the idea that at least he now knows what stuffed-chicken feels like in the oven, so he can think twice before leaving it to burn the next time he cooks.
She couldn't help but smile.
"By the way, Prez," Black smiled, turning his gaze back to her. "You look nice in a dress."
White stared at him, a little confused. "Is this your first time seeing me in one?"
He nodded cheerfully.
"Huh." She looked up. "You have been gone a long time..."
"And you have missed me a lot," he replied. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have written that story about us?"
"What story?"
"'Indebted'...?" He made a face that was supposed to look sophisticated, and then gave a thumbs-up sign. "Pretty... noteworthy! Astonishing, indeed! And the male lead? Absolutely dashing."
"Shut up!" White threw the teddiursa's head towards him, although a smile was already creeping through her face.
"...And, as if you weren't being obvious enough, the lead pokemon just had to be two tepigs!"
"It's just a coincidence, goshdamnit!"
"Beautiful coincidence that the guy's name just had to be Dark, and his rival is a green-haired pokemon-lover named M..."
"Can it!"
There is a small, withering tune somewhere in the distance...
"H-Hey, Prez, that hurts! Stop hitting me with that head! It's just wrong!"
...it's faint... and it's becoming fainter...
"Prez! Ow!"
... But, I have ears...
"Prez! Come on, already! They're looking for you!"
...And I can hear it.
White smiled. So did Black.
"I'll be with you."
-FIN-
Thank you for reading :D Really hope you liked it ^_^