Disclaimer: NO ONE HERE OWNS POKÉMON. You have seen nothing...
"Dreams. Dreams are weird things. They are always defined by reality, no matter how wild. It might not be physical reality, or current reality – really, it might not even be your reality – but it is reality all the same.
"Dreams can show you another world, someone else's world, someone else's life and future. Dreams cross with future; dreams are the future. Dreams change the future.
"No, dreams are the power to change the future.
"You change the future."
Nathaniel Overick opened his eyes, removing his hands from the blue rock he used as a crystal ball. Pure crystal was incredibly hard to come by unless you had money, and the stone was decent looking. Old and worn, maybe, but Nat felt that it worked excellently.
"That's what the paths are showing me. The future will appear in your subconscious, so-ack!"
His customer was blonde-haired, blue-eyed, and apparently nasty-tempered. The dainty clay teacup dangled on her slim fingers as the remaining contents emptied out on to Nat's waiter uniform. "My mother was right; you are the worst fortune teller ever to grace this city! I want a refund. I came asking for a compatibility test, and you give me some rambles about dreams? Tell me, can I build a family on dreams? Can I feed children, make money, live, on these – these dreams of yours? Bull, I say!"
Nat grimaced, his apron dripping with steaming tea, as the enraged lady stormed out. The young man accompanying her turned to face him for a moment. Then, nodding apologetically to Nat, he ran out after his friend.
"Wow, you sure have a way with words," laughed a hearty woman's voice from behind the counter. Nat made another face, but didn't retort. His sister was the owner of Café Salvation, where he worked and lived, and Nat didn't feel all too comfortable about being kicked out. The teasing continued when he didn't reply. "I often get compliments on my cooking, so it must be your reputation that keeps customers away from this shop."
"Aelis," warned Nat. "Shut up."
"Nat is a fraud fortune teller," sang Aelis. "Nat can't even make up something that sounds like a real fortune!"
Nat winced. "Aelis, you know what my name is," he moaned. "Why can't you use it?"
"Of course, Nat," Aelis replied smoothly, grinning. Nat sighed. His sister loved to tease him, and besides the fact that his fortune telling skills were less than supreme, he had no idea why. At least, he didn't know why she only had two modes: Tease and torture. It was as if there was no 'sisterly love' option built into her.
"I'm Nathaniel," he reminded her, knowing it was futile. She'd just ignore him anyway. "Come on, I'm your sweet, adorable little brother! Shouldn't you know my name by now?"
"Sweet and adorable, yes," Aelis replied, her tone suddenly turning sharp. "Bad for business? Definitely. Go get changed, and put these on."
Before Nat had the chance to ask what his sister was talking about, she picked up something from the table behind her and dropped it in front of him. His hands automatically shot out to catch the object, which turned out to be a headband, on which was glued - Skitty ears. "Go on, get changed," she ordered, spinning him around by the shoulders and pushing at his back. "No if's, and's, or but's about it. You know where the spare uniforms are."
"Why me?" Nat protested, struggling against his sister's iron grip.
"Because you're the problem. You're the reason why no one ever comes here. Wear that and, I dunno, dance a little jig in front of the shop. Try to attract some girls," replied Aelis airily. "Be glad I'm not making you wear the cute tail that came with it."
"But these are for girls!" he wailed pathetically
"I fail to see the problem here."
The day dragged on slowly, much to Nat's dismay. The accessories that had been forced upon his head only succeeded in scaring little children away from the café, but Aelis was adamant in not listening to her brother's objections. Just like, Nat concluded, any other time he decided to open his mouth.
Night was his only reprieve. When the nightlife emerged and the moon crept out of her veil of fog, when Aelis retired for the day and the Café Salvation, when Nat was allowed to retreat back to the consoling silence of his room, he felt truly at peace.
Because it was only the dark that never looked down on him, and it was only the blank unknown that made him feel alone.
It was never a solitary alone, but an alone that was almost like he was two entities together, and those two existences were all that mattered in the world.
"Dreams, huh?" he murmured to his imaginary partner. His voice was dull, hypnotized. "I wonder what awaits me...in this world...of futures..."
The stoic walls of his room contained his essence, and they stood silent guard whenever he slumbered in the warm castle of his bed. It was among these comforters that Nat now rested. He gazed wordlessly at the familiar ceiling that was the last thing he saw each evening and the first each morning, and the song of his home lulled him to sleep.
And Nathaniel Overick returned to the empty slate of dreams.
"…Attention, citizens of Kanto. It has come to my attention that certain people have Pokémon in their possession they are not supposed to have. As this is illegal, allow me to remind you of the banned Pokemon. They are as follows: Dragon type Pokémon, Metagross, Lucario, Ditto, and Weedle. Repeat. Attention, citi—"
The door slammed. Several of the people inside the Center jumped and half turned towards the door before regaining their composure and turning back to each other to talk. As the radio fizzled to a halt, the volume in the building rose to a normal level once again, the air filling with mindless chatter.
"He is such a – argh!" Nikola slammed her fist into the wall of the Pokemon Center, then instantly regretted it as pain shot through her arm.
"Meowth?"
Nikola sighed. Shaking her arm in an attempt to get her fingers to stop tingling, she turned around and sat down, leaning back against the wall. Her Meowth peered up at her, then padded over and sat down next to her, curling its tail primly around its paws. "Yeah, I know," Niki muttered, lifting one hand to scratch at Meowth's ears. "Hitting the wall isn't going to do anything."
"Mrr," Meowth purred. Her fingers hit a particularly sensitive part behind Meowth's left ear, which had a large triangular notch cut out of it, a scar from worse times, and Meowth pushed her head further into Nikola's gloved hand.
"I wish I could hit him," Nikola said fiercely, "It'd serve him right. Who's he to say what Pokémon we can and can't have, anyway?"
"That's treasonous. You could get arrested for that." Nikola looked up as a shadow crossed over her, only to see a boy who was probably a few years older than she was. His black hair fell into his face as he stared down at her, and the way he stood with his hands in his pockets made Nikola think she ought to recognise him, but it wasn't until a Murkrow flapped in and landed on his shoulder that it clicked.
"Lay off, Leo," she said, not bothering to put menace into her words. "You're not exactly the saint patronage for kindness and loyalty either."
The boy smiled faintly, his gray eyes glinting mercilessly. Nikola was reminded of steel, of the drab cement buildings that adorned the city streets. "You would like that, wouldn't you?"
Nikola scowled. "I'll sic Meowth on you. You've still got that scar from a few years ago, don't you? On your leg? Bled a lot, huh?"
Leo laughed softly, a lingering melody that floated away and yet somehow managed to echo in Nikola's head. "You say that, but you were the one hospitalized from wounds. Remember? I'm sure Murkrow would love to play again."
"Screw you," muttered Nikola, turning back to the wall. This time, she imagined Leo's face against the plaster and proceeded to pummel the paint off of the surface. Even Meowth looked away in exasperation.
"The poor wall doesn't deserve that sort of abuse," he replied eventually, amusement tainting his voice as he removed his navy blue gloved hand from Murkrow's back and held it down for Nikola to grab, an offer of peace. After a moment she grasped it with her own white-clad hand and used Leo to haul herself to her feet.
"Sure it does," she returned, letting go of his hand to tuck a stray lock of pale blue hair behind one ear, eyeing Leo out of the corner of her eye. Now that she was standing, he seemed much smaller than he had when she had been sitting, something she very much felt like pointing out right at this moment. Leo wasn't very tall, despite being eighteen, and he hated being reminded of that fact. "…Shortie."
Leo rolled his eyes. "You're so childish." Nikola grinned at him and stuck out her tongue. He ignored her. "Did you take care of your Pokémon?"
Nikola was just about to berate him for his choice of words, but something stopped her. Leo's tone had darkened and his entire posture had straightened from his previously lazy stance. Something was clearly wrong. "Of course."
"Good. We need to get out of here."
"Oh?" Nikola asked, curious at the urgency is Leo's voice. "Why?"
Leo paused just long enough for Nikola to consider slugging him in the shoulder to get htim to talk, before he finally said, "I saw Kain earlier."
"That idiot?" Nikola cracked her knuckles. "I wouldn't mind seeing him again."
"He had a Golem with him." Nikola rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to inform her friend that she had no intention of battling him, but was stopped cold by his next words. "And he was wearing a badge."
A chill ran up her spin and she shivered, pointlessly wishing that she was wearing something warmer than a white tank top. It was quite warm outside, and the sun had finally come out from behind its safety blanket of clouds. This was an inner chill, one that all the clothing and blankets in the world couldn't warm. "You sure?"
"Positive," Leo replied quietly. "It was pinned to his sleeve."
"Then we'd better leave." There was no doubt in Nikola's mind that Kain would turn her in if he managed to find her. She hadn't exactly ingratiated herself to him the last time they'd met, and even if she wasn't a clear opposer of the tyrant who rules Kanto, Kain would still find an excuse to throw her in jail.
"I believe I just said that," Leo said dryly.
Nikola rolled her eyes, punching him lightly on the shoulder to emphasize her lack of amusement, and strolled carelessly away. She didn't look back to see if she was being followed; whether or not Leo got caught was his own problem.
A/N: Hello! Welcome to the collab fic between me and Kyuuketsuki Fang. Don't worry; the plot will start to make sense; I swear. And the chapters will be longer. Anyway, we will be accepting OC's for this fic, so if you'd like to submit some, please go to Fang's profile, find the pretty OC submission thing for this story, and then PM her your characters. Fang, say hi. HI!
That's it for now. See you lovely readers next chapter.