●○●Pokémon: Kyanite Version ●○●
Pokémon is owned by Nintendo and Satoshi Tajiri. I own the plot and characters.
The most important note you will read for this story: Please, I cannot stress enough, PLEASE respect the fact that I have spent an entire year working on this story. There are blood, sweat, and tears in the characters and their development along with the plotline.
PLEASE THINK BEFORE YOU REVIEW.
I know that things will be confusing, especially with characters you cannot see, so if there is confusion, please PM me. I will do my best to clear up any confusion and answer questions. Other than that, please enjoy! :)
Name Pronunciation: This section will always be included should a new character appear in a chapter and will be done in order of appearance.
Chapter 3 ●○● Verses Houndour
Kyani had to admit she was impressed. Not once, ever in her years of getting the first Pokémon for new trainers, did the trainer stop a battle when they realized the Pokémon was injured.
It was a first, but it was a good sign.
Even as the trio – along with the injured Houndour that Fayal refused to leave – ran from the pack that hunted them now, she was smiling, watching the raven.
He was honestly unbelievable, yelling against her advice and trying to figure out a peaceful way to end things. He didn't want to take away the freedom of the Houndour when it couldn't rightfully fight for it, which she understood completely. She had the same mentality when she first received Zero from her father all those years ago.
But before either one of them could think about what to do, they found the pack gaining on them, and in a rush, Fayal picked up the slightly struggling Houndour and ran. He didn't know what else to do, and he didn't think Kyani would really help him unless he was in danger.
After all, he was the one getting a Pokémon here. Not her. He had to do this on his own.
"You know," The brunette began breathlessly as they dodged the trees and roots they could see in the dark. "he's probably injured because of the pack."
Still holding the injured black pup, Fayal tried his best to keep his feet moving, breathing just as hard as her. "What…what do you mean? Why would they attack one of their own?"
She glanced over, making sure he was alright. The pack was nothing compared to her and Zero, so if she had to defend them, she would. But he looked alright for now. "Pack mentality; survival of the fittest. He probably lost a fight and so the pack expelled him."
Fayal didn't know about the inner workings or personalities of Pokémon, as Kyani did. But he knew it wasn't fair to just attack something if it lost a fight. "Well they're not getting to him. It's not happening." He stated, still out of breath, rather adamantly.
There was no way in hell he was going to leave this Houndour to die. He may be weak, hell, he may have a disease. But he wasn't going to just turn his back on him. Everyone and everything deserved a chance.
Kyani had a hard time holding back a smirk, hearing the conviction in his voice. But before she could suggest catching him to save him and then release him, something happened.
It seemed like the pack had caught up to them finally, a few Houndour biting at Zero's ankles, nearly getting Kyani's if she hadn't jumped up onto the Arcanine who was growing more aggravated by the second.
They were even smart enough to target Zero's left side, successfully separating the newbie and Kyani and Zero.
"It's alright!" The Ushiwaka called out, seeing the concern on Kyani's face. "I'll meet you at the house!" Taking a turn to get away from the Houndour and hopefully get them off his heels, he ran off into the darkness, still holding the injured Houndour in his arms.
But it wasn't enough.
Just as the raven had found the house – he could see its white sidings from in between the trees – something bit down on his ankle, and hard.
Hard enough to drag him down onto his side just as he made it past the trees, the force of the fall making him let go of the injured Houndour, it sliding feet away from the raven. Even some Pokéballs had been dislodged from the raven's person, they bouncing and rolling in all directions. "Damnit!" He cried, knowing his side would be sore in the morning. "Hey, you!" He yelled, turning blue eyes to the injured Houndour that lay only a few feet from him. "Run!"
The hellhound didn't understand. He'd lost his fight – it was time to leave the pack. Why did this human intervene? Why did he take him away and refuse to let him go?
The raven hastily got up, defending his injured Houndour from the one that was currently biting at his ankle. "I said run!" He repeated, glancing back to see his hellhound still lying there, watching him.
Why was he fighting so hard? Why was he fighting so hard for him?
Then, as if hit by a brick, the black pup blinked, a smile appearing across his muzzle, realizing the reason. Struggling to get up, he slipped a few times before finally getting his legs to support him and dragged himself over to one of those capture thingies the raven had lost. Without a second's hesitation, he pressed his nose against the silver button, seeing nothing but a red beam and then finally, being allowed to rest.
Even with the Houndour still biting at him, Fayal stopped, seeing his Houndour choose to go into the Pokéball. Did he just…
He caught his first Pokémon. Well, okay, he caught himself, really…but Fayal owned the Pokéball.
"Back! Get back!" Kyani cried as she ran up, shooing the Houndour that was biting her current trainee away. "Go on, back to your pack!" She yelled, Zero standing right there with her, both sets of eyes almost glaring.
Fayal was too busy staring at the Pokéball to realize that the biting and nipping had gone away, blue eyes focused beyond belief. "I did it…" He mumbled, the thought and feeling finally setting in. He'd finally gotten his own Pokémon.
Convinced the Houndour wasn't coming back, the Willow sighed heavily, brushing her bangs from her left eye. Turning her sight to the raven, she smiled, seeing him inch toward the Pokéball that held his Houndour. "Yes," She answered, walking over to help him up. "you did. Good job."
Fayal didn't refuse the outstretched hand of the brunette, but rather got up on his own, favoring the ankle the hellhound had bitten and dragged him down with. "It's alright," He assured, seeing her concern as she watched him warily. "I'm fine. Well," He smiled, picking up the Pokéball. "I'm happy, actually."
She chuckled, patting him on the back, smiling. "I would be too. Being able to convince a Pokémon to become yours isn't easy, you know." She told him, picking up some of the other Pokéballs he'd lost.
"Really?" He asked, picking up some of the others himself, but making sure he knew which one was his Houndour. He kept that one in his right hand, safe and secure.
She nodded, returning the empty ones to him. They were his now. "It's much harder to convince a Pokémon than to catch one. But come on, let's get you and that Houndour cleaned up." She motioned for the back of the house, keeping her pace slow as the Ushiwaka tested out his ankle.
Yeah, it hurt, but it was totally worth it, the Ushiwaka's smile broad despite his tiredness and the pain from his side and ankle. He'd finally started the long and grueling journey he knew he'd have to get stronger. Then maybe he could go help his dad.
Following the brunette at a slower pace than he would've liked, a thought struck the raven as he made his way up the stairs of the porch. He'd never been into a girls' house.
Well, Kyani lived with her dad – now that he thought about it, he wondered where her mother had gone or what had happened to her because she didn't mention her – but it was just the thought that he was getting invited into the home of a girl.
A girl he hardly knew…but still. It was one of those things that made him try so hard not to blush, even though he could feel he was.
Sliding the large glass door, Kyani moved off to the side, letting the Ushiwaka enter first, then Zero and then finally herself, shutting the door as soon as she was inside. She flipped on the lights a moment later. "I'm going to go ahead and heal up that Houndour and check on his stats. Feel free to grab a snack or something, if you're hungry." She told him, holding her hand out for the Pokéball.
He was happy to hand over his Houndour, stomach growling at the mention of food. He laughed, hearing her chuckle, and rubbed his neck sheepishly. "I guess I am hungry." He chuckled.
Kyani figured as much, smiling. "Kitchen's right in there," She pointed to the doorway on her left, his right. "light switch is on the right."
The raven turned toward it, but not before thanking the brunette. She'd done so much for him. "Thank you, so much."
She shook her head, still giving him a soft smile. "No need for thanks. This is my job." She departed through the doorway behind him with Zero right at her side, he able to see the lights being switched on as she walked.
Turning his attention on the kitchen, Fayal was not surprised to find it rather normal. The house seemed normal on the outside, why wouldn't it on the inside?
It was a small kitchen, white like most, all of its appliances on his left hand side and on the wall across from him, the small round table on his right hand side.
What did strike him as odd was the lack of photos. Not just of Kyani…but of the entire family. The walls were plain white, barren of any trace of photos. He had to figure that maybe something had happened to her mother a few years back and they couldn't stand the sight of pictures, so they removed them.
But if that wasn't the case, wouldn't they want to have pictures with their only daughter? He hadn't outright asked, but it was pretty obvious Kyani was an only child.
Going over to the counter, he grabbed a muffin he hoped was still good and went back to the table, sitting down and opening the delicious mini-cake. There were a lot of things that confused him when it came to Kyani, but he figured that there were just some things that would always confuse him.
For example, the panic disorder. Was it just something she'd gotten from her dad and was apparent through her childhood? She said it started in 9th grade, but did she have it before that?
And if she was afraid of people her own age – probably because of how much ridicule she faced from them rather than their age – why did she seem so relaxed around him? Was it because of Zero? Or was it because of his amazing charm?
He had to chuckle at himself for the last question, knowing it was so farfetched. Sure, the brunette was cute in her own odd little way, but definitely wasn't his type. Granted, he never had a girlfriend to know what his type was – but he didn't want a girl who was shy like she was. That he knew.
Yawning before taking another bite, the Ushiwaka figured that he could find out what his type was another day. He was tired, eyelids becoming heavy with each blink. "What time is it?" He asked himself, wondering how late it was.
Looking at the clocks on the microwave and the oven, the raven nearly choked. It wasn't late. No, it was early. Really early. 3:27 am, to be exact. He sighed, rubbing a hand over his eyes and through his hair. "I'm never getting up tomorrow."
"Oh, I wouldn't say that." Kyani began as she made her way into the kitchen, yawning as well. She stayed up late usually, but not this late. "By the way," She began, taking a seat at the table as well. "do you want a nickname for your Houndour?"
Zero followed in just a moment later, sitting next to his master and lying down on the cool tile floor, his head resting on Kyani's feet.
Having just bitten into the mini-cake, Fayal quickly chewed and swallowed, not wanting to talk with his mouth full. "Nickname?" He questioned, furrowing his eyebrows and looking over at the brunette.
She gave a tired smile, feeling just as tired as him. It'd been such a long day. "Yep," She nodded, leaning back in her chair. "just like Nox and Vexare. They're nicknames. All trainers have the ability to name their Pokémon."
It was Fayal's turn to lean back into his chair, setting down his muffin and crossing his arms, eyes drifting away in thought. A nickname. What kind of nickname did he want? Obviously something intimidating, like the hellhound he'd caught.
Blue eyes blinked.
Hellhound. Helly? No, too stupid. But then, just as his brain had caught the link between Houndour and hellhound, it caught yet another link.
There was a very famous hellhound known in older literature, whose name was still known today.
Letting a smile creep back onto his face, blue eyes looked to turquoise, she waiting patiently for his answer. "Cerberus." It may have been a little cliché, but damn it, it was an awesome name and that's what he was going to name him.
Holding the Pokéball in her hand, she glanced down at it, giving a small smile. "Cerberus, huh? I'll make a note of that…" She mumbled before handing the capture device over to its owner.
Fayal ruffled his eyebrows at her words, taking the Pokéball from her hand. "Make a note of it? For what?" He tilted his head, putting it in his pocket and taking yet another bite of his muffin.
Turquoise eyes looked up to blue, she still smiling. "Oh, nothing you need to worry about." She assured. "Now, I want you to go home, eat something and get plenty of rest. You'll need it."
The raven may have not known the Willow long enough to read her face or her voice, but he could clearly see she was trying to hold back a smile, making the raven's heart skip a beat. He tried so hard to wait for her words, smile growing with every second passed.
"Because I want you to come back on Sunday for training." She finished, closing her eyes and smiling a small smile.
He still smiled broadly, knowing what she meant by "training" but had to ask anyway. He had to hear the words right from her mouth. "Training as in…?"
Kyani sighed, her eyes still closed, smile wavering just a little bit. "Training as in I'm going to do my best to teach you everything I know." She stressed her words, making sure he understood. Before he could scream thank yous and get too excited, she continued, opening her eyes to look at the raven. "But remember, I've never taught anyone before, especially about everything I know. It's a lot of information and things you need to remember."
Fayal's smile was still apparent, as well as his excitement, but his demeanor turned serious. "Yes, I understand." He said calmly.
"And you also must understand that there may be times when I have panic attacks. You have to be prepared." Her eyes were just as serious as ever, but they were almost begging him to understand her words. "Being around someone all the time isn't going to be easy on me…especially when it's someone my age, no offence to you."
He put a hand up, lowering his head. "None taken." He looked back to her. "I don't know all about you, or your disorder, but I'll do my best to respect your boundaries and keep myself under control."
Kyani felt a little more assured at his words, knowing from the drama earlier that he was pretty honest. "Stop by anytime on Sunday and we'll go from there….just make sure you get a lot of rest."
He nodded, seeing her relax slightly. "Don't worry, I'll be dead as a rock for the next full day."
The brunette couldn't help but chuckle, raising a hand to her mouth as she yawned, gently shaking her head. "Well, if you don't mind, I'm going to head to bed." She smiled, getting up from her chair, Zero remaining on the floor.
He hastily got up from his chair and cleaned up his mess, throwing away the case and the napkin he used after Kyani pointed out where the garbage can was.
Running a hand through the loose hair around her neck, the Willow looked into another room, sighing. "Hey, Nox," She called out, smiling when the black fox slinked out from the darkness, he come up to sit next to her. "Please walk Fayal home, okay?"
"Kyani," The raven began, chuckling slightly. "it's fine, I can walk myself home." He assured her, smiling. After all, he was a big boy.
She returned her smile, petting her little boy. "Yes, you can," She agreed, nodding. "but on the way over here, you weren't paying attention to where you were going. That and it's pitch black outside. Nox will help you see."
Blue eyes blinked. She knew? How did she know he wasn't paying attention? Letting out a long sigh, he finally closed his eyes and relented. "Alright…"
Before either of the two could say good night, or depart, Kyani looked to her new student with very tired eyes. "This won't be easy, you know." She received a nod from the raven. "But don't quit."
"I won't." He promised, both himself and her. It wouldn't be fair to her to quit after putting her though all of this, and he'd never forgive himself if he quit. "And thank you." He added, a thought slipping into his mind. Usually, when he thanked a girl, he gave her a hug…but would Kyani be alright with that?
It was one of those things he'd have to learn about her, since he didn't know if panic disorder had something against touching, but figured that this time, he'd at least ask.
"Can I give you a hug?" He smiled at her, that very smile falling when her eyes widened slightly and then turned away from his. It was a good thing he asked, then.
She refrained from looking at him, demeanor turning back into the shy Kyani he was more familiar with. "U-uh…I appreciate it," She knew it was just his way of wanting to thank her. "but I-I'd rather you n-not, if that's okay."
It was so odd to Fayal, seeing her revert right in front of his blue eyes, and yet, he smiled. He'd just have to get used to it. "It's fine." He said softly, watching her as she glanced up to him. "Whatever you're comfortable with, teach."
His words made her smile, she sighing as they both began to walk to the back door. "Oh, and for the time being, don't let Cerberus out of his Pokéball unless I or Zero is around, okay?"
Fayal was about to open the door, Nox at his feet, when he stopped and turned back toward her. "Why's that?"
"You're too inexperienced right now, and Cerberus might not obey you. He'll be fine around me because I'm more experienced than you are." She answered. "We can't have anything happening to you before training starts, you know?"
Chuckling, the raven nodded, showing a small smile. "Alright. Don't let Cerberus out." He repeated, hoping he'd remember when he got up sometime later today.
"Yep." She nodded, feeling even more tired as the morning wore on. "Now go on. Good night." She graced him with a smile.
"Night." He returned her smile, wrenching open the door and stepping outside, waiting to shut it until Nox was outside as well. "Let's go home, Nox." He said to the Umbreon, smiling as it departed down the porch steps and turned back, looking to him, waiting for him.
So this is what her life was like; having Pokémon around her constantly, keeping her company. He had to admit as he walked down the steps and followed Nox, seeing him light the way with those yellow rings on his body, it seemed like a pretty damn good life. One, that maybe he'd have soon.
Letting out a sigh, the tired raven couldn't help but feel some bit of excitement in his heart, a soft smile appearing on his lips as Nox turned around to wait for him once again.
Sunday. Sunday was when his journey began.
Fayal decided it would be best to walk over to Kyani's in the early afternoon, giving both of them more than enough time to eat and at least get dressed, let alone prepare for their first day together.
He had to admit, as he walked, he was getting butterflies in his stomach. Not just because of the fact that this was his first day of training, but he felt anxious as to how Kyani would be.
She should be in normal mode because she's at home, with her Pokémon, and it's only him. It's not like the entire class was there…and it wasn't like he was going to pick on her. Granted, she probably had her fears still, but he'd just take it easy and do his best to stay relaxed around her.
Assuring himself that the Willow would be somewhat normal – even if he didn't know for sure – Fayal's mind continued to wonder about what would happen today, although this time it was about what they were going to be doing.
He knew it was probably a long shot, but he really hoped they'd be battling. It seemed like such an awesome aspect of having Pokémon; being able to control the creatures to do what you will and try to outwit your opponent. It was kind of like checkers, or chess, now that he thought about it.
But those games were boring. They didn't have pawns that spewed lava or shook the earth.
Arriving at the front door of the Willow home, Cerberus in his Pokéball that resided in Fayal's pocket as Kyani had instructed, the raven knocked on the door hesitantly.
He waited for a few minutes, but received no answer.
Deciding that maybe the brunette was busy with something, he set his hand on the doorknob, checking to see if she'd left it unlocked for him. He smiled slightly when the knob turned. But the smile was short lived – after all, he didn't want to just traipse into her home. "Umm…Kyani? Zero? Are you guys home?" He called after opening the door, looking inside the home.
"It's alright, you can come in." The brunette's calm voice answered back.
Smile returning, the raven stepped inside, making sure to take off his shoes and shut the door behind him. When that was done, he turned, going through the small mud room, already able to see the living room.
It was incredibly large for a living room, probably the size of the house. The windows were on his left, along with a nice sized fireplace, and a coffee table in the middle of the room. To the right of that very coffee table were Kyani and Zero, a couch and then some stairs behind her. The door way to the kitchen and the room that connected to the porch was also on the right hand side, he able to see them clearly.
Unfortunately, he really couldn't see the color of the floor, since there were books and papers littered everywhere.
Seeing his face as she looked up from her work, Kyani took off her glasses, smiling a nervous smile. "Yeah, sorry. It's a mess." She said, looking back to the room.
He couldn't help but chuckle, trying to make his way over to her. "I see that."
She cleared a spot for him to sit down at the coffee table rather hastily, piling up the stack of papers on her right side. "Go ahead and let Cerberus out, too." She told him, patting the spot she'd cleared for him.
The raven did both, sitting and fishing in his pocket for the tiny device, maximizing it and holding it out. "I don't say anything…do I?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. If he did, that would be so lame.
It was Kyani's turn to chuckle, she shaking her head. "No, you do not." She laughed a bit when he breathed a sigh of relief.
Not a second later did the Houndour come out of his Pokéball, immediately shaking out his fur and prancing over to Kyani, wanting to sit in her lap. Realizing that Zero's massive head was already taking up the space, he sat beside her, back against her thigh.
Fayal watched his Pokémon in amusement and a bit of confusion. Cerberus was his Pokémon, wasn't he? It had to be because of her experience. Or maybe the hellhound was a suck up. "So…" He began, looking over to his new teacher. "what are we doing today?" He saw her smile, and before she could speak, asked, "Battling? Are we battling?"
Kyani had to suppress the urge to laugh, her left hand reaching down to Zero's tan ears, rubbing them as he slept on her lap. "No," She answered, smiling and looking over to him. "we're learning today. You need to crawl before you can walk."
The Ushiwaka did feel a bit disappointed – after all, battling was awesome – but, knowing that she was at least sticking to her word and teaching him wasn't disappointing. He watched as she grabbed a few pieces of paper from her mess, unsure of how she was differentiating because she didn't even bother looking at them.
Handing him the papers, she gave him a pencil as well, left hand returning to pet Cerberus this time. "Today is all about types. The sheet on top of that packet will help you learn them as you do the packet." She explained, seeing him flip through the sheets.
Okay, so it was just packet work. Now he felt a bit disappointed. It was just like doing homework and everyone hated homework.
"So far, from what we have gathered from our Pokémon friends," She continued, looking between her papers and the raven. "we've found that there are 17 different types of Pokémon."
Blue eyes watched her, raising a hand to stop her before she went further. "What is exactly is a "type"?" He asked, making sure he understood everything. He wasn't going to fail at this because he didn't understand one simple term.
Kyani sighed, remembering that Fayal knew nothing about Pokémon. She had to put everything in simplest terms for him. "A "type" is a specific placement or group that helps trainers and professors classify Pokémon." She answered, looking over to him. "Make sense?"
He nodded.
"These types are;" Using both hands, even at the growl of Cerberus who wanted her to keep petting him, she counted them off on her fingers. "Fire, Water, Grass, Electric, Flying, Bug, Rock, Ground, Steel, Dragon, Psychic, Dark, Normal, Fighting, Ice, Ghost and Poison."
Blue eyes had to blink and stare at his brunette counterpart. She just recited them by memory. "They sound like elements." He mumbled, still amazed that she knew all of them without looking at any papers.
She nodded, hearing his mumble. "They're based on the elements, as Pokémon's abilities are. Along with that, each type has a gene in the DNA that makes them a fire type." She knew this would confuse him, already seeing his eyebrows furrow and continued before he could ask her what that meant. "For example, Zero here, is a pure fire type," She said, petting his head. "And Cerberus is a dual Fire/Dark type. Because of the fact that they're both fire types, they have a shared gene in their DNA."
Fayal closed his mouth, his question being answered. That certainly made sense, even if everyone's DNA was different. They had some similarities, and that was proven in the type they were. "And that works for each type?" He asked further.
The brunette nodded, smiling. He was starting to catch on quicker than she thought. "Yes, it does."
Counting off of his fingers this time, blue eyes looked up in thought. "So each Pokémon has a specific type," One finger. "and they have a shared gene depending on what type they are." Two fingers. "Pokémon can have more than one type, then? Since Cerberus is a…"
"Dark and Fire type." Kyani substituted, nodding. "Exactly. But they can only have up to two types. No Pokémon has more than two types." She explained. "As you get more experience as a trainer and see more Pokémon, you'll be able to tell what type they are right off the bat."
Having been looking at his sheet, the one with all the types listed, Fayal looked to the brunette incredulously. "Really?" He asked, assuming that sometimes you could tell. Like with Vexare…if he had known about types, he probably would have known she was an electric type.
Kyani nodded, her hand returning to pet both Cerberus and Zero, turquoise eyes looking to his packet. "Yes, but that's one of those things you'll learn as you see more Pokémon, so don't worry about that." She told him, shaking her head. "Now, I just want you to start with the basics…" She flipped back a page in his packet. "This one here…Just work with these three."
He looked to the paper, finding that the only three types were Fire, Water and Grass. "Just three?" He questioned, glancing over to her. That seemed so simple. Too simple, really.
Looking back to her own work, Kyani nodded, smiling. "Yes, just those three."
Letting out a long sigh, Fayal shrugged his shoulders. The Willow knew what she was doing, he didn't; it was as simple as that, and as long as she was teaching him, he'd do pretty much anything she told him.
Blue eyes looked over this paper, noting that it had a colored diagram of the three elements on it. Each element had its respective color and a picture of that element. Fire was a red fire with a red arrow pointing to Grass, which was green grass and also had an arrow pointing to Water, which was a blue tear drop and had an arrow pointing to Fire.
"It's a cycle." He spoke in the silence, blinking as he realized it. It was a never ending cycle between the three elements.
Kyani looked up from her work, nodding. "Exactly." She explained as he looked up to her. "Every type has a weakness to another type. That's what the first sheet is for." She told him, motioning to go back and look at the page. "There is no type that is stronger than another."
Fayal ruffled his eyebrows, looking over this chart to find that she wasn't lying, which was good. He definitely didn't want a teacher who would lie to him. "So…" He began, raising a hand and scratching his head. "If every type has a weakness…how do trainers beat each other? Wouldn't they just play to their advantages, which would cause the opponent to play to that advantage and…" Fayal's voice trailed off, his head beginning to hurt.
That did make sense, didn't it? If he had a Fire type out on the field, and his opponent played a Water type, he'd withdraw his Fire type and play a Grass type. But then they'd withdraw and play a Fire type.
He looked to Kyani for an answer.
"That's what levels, strategy, and having a good bond with your Pokémon is for." She answered simply. "But that's another lesson for another day. For right now, I just want you to understand the types and their strengths and weaknesses, okay?" She asked, looking over to him in concern. "I know it's a lot of material."
Nevertheless, he smiled at her. "It's fine, really…I'll learn it." The raven assured, recounting what he had to do for today. Learn the types and their strengths and weaknesses. That seemed simple enough.
"It's not homework, but there's a worksheet with questions and such, to help you learn." She told him, reaching out to grab her glasses and a pencil for her own work. She wasn't just going to sit there all day and watch him. "And you can always ask me for help."
Looking from the brunette to the packet, he nodded, flipping through it to see it was entirely handwritten. Slowly, he let his gaze lift back up to her, seeing that she had already started working on whatever it was that she had.
She'd handwritten the entire packet for him to do. Not just that, but she'd even given hints and tricks to help him remember some things.
A smile took Fayal's lips, he shaking his head. He didn't care what he'd been told before, about Kyani being a bitch, weird, or odd. Yes, she was odd, and yes, she was weird. But if she went and handwrote an entire packet with tips and tricks, he couldn't say she was a bitch. She couldn't be as mean as Malachi made her out to be.
She was so different than what everyone assumed her to be.
Picking up his pencil to begin his own work, the raven couldn't help but glance over to her, wondering what the hell she was doing. "And what are you doing?" He asked curiously, keeping his sight on his packet but stealing a glance or two at the brunette beside him.
"The math homework we got." She answered flatly, her attention focused on it completely. She had even stopped petting Zero and Cerberus.
Okay, now he had to look up to the brunette. "You didn't finish it already?" He'd imagine with how smart she was, she'd have it done within minutes!
Kyani shook her head. "No," She answered him, glancing away from the worksheet. "I'm not good at math."
"I can hel – "
She looked up, giving him a smile. "You've got your work to do." Yet, her voice wasn't one he wanted to argue with or upset.
The raven relented, returning his sight to his own papers and taking a deep breath before getting to work on them. She was right, after all. He couldn't spend his time helping her – although he would if she asked. He had to focus on all this Pokémon stuff.
He had to learn to crawl before he could walk.
And yet, as much as Fayal wanted to learn as much as he could when it came to types, it was really hard with Kyani sitting next to him. Not that he was embarrassed he was in a girl's house, or that there was a girl next to him – it was her actions that were bothering him.
About an hour into their lesson, the brunette began to sigh, rather loudly, in frustration and began to cross things out on her paper.
Fayal knew he shouldn't try to intervene and that he should focus on his own work…but it was so hard with her crossing things out every two minutes! He knew she was upset about whatever problem she was on, but it was seriously distracting.
Kyani knew this, but she really didn't care. The raven was a big boy, he could tune her out, her head already aching from all this nonsense, like she cared about it anyway. Setting her pencil down, she closed her tired eyes and set her head in her hands, rubbing her face.
Blue eyes saw this, and couldn't help but feel sympathetic toward her. Math wasn't his strong suit, either. "Do you want any help?" He asked softly, still looking over to her.
He could see a small smile appear at the corners of her mouth, but it vanished. "No, thank you." She answered, shaking her head and looking over to him, and then her paper. "I just need a…break."
Before Fayal could suggest getting something to eat or even just relaxing, the brunette tapped Zero's ears, making him get up as she stood, quickly going around her baby, around the couch, through the kitchen and out the back door for her "break".
The raven sighed, not sure of what to do. After all, he wasn't sure of how to calm the Willow…and he wasn't sure she wanted him to calm her down at all. They barely knew each other… So he decided, he'd wait a bit, and if she wasn't back, he'd claim to be having trouble and then offer to help her.
Well, within that few minutes, Zero yawned, showing those very large and sharp teeth of his before standing and following his master to the backdoor. Within seconds of Zero leaving, Cerberus also yawned and got up.
"Well." Fayal began flatly, looking around the room. "This is exciting." Putting his own pencil down, he decided it was time to see what the brunette was up to, and got up, stretching a bit before going to the back door.
He had to shake his head and chuckle, seeing both dogs sitting at the door patiently – although he was sure Zero could probably just knock the door right out and follow if he wanted to – waiting for Kyani to come back. Maneuvering around the dogs, he pulled open the sliding door, allowing them to head out first, and then walked out, shutting the door behind him.
Once again, the backyard greeted him with its stunning view, a refreshing breeze blowing the raven's shaggy hair around. He noticed that the dogs enjoyed it too, standing there on the porch with him before departing down the steps and to the barn Fayal had seen a couple days ago.
Following the Arcanine down the pathway to the barn, Fayal ruffled his eyebrows and stopped when the dog stopped. "So she's down that way, huh?" He asked the large orange fluff ball, getting a nod in return.
Shrugging his shoulders as to why Zero wouldn't go any further – nor did Cerberus for that matter – the Ushiwaka continued down the path, and through the barn, noting all the stalls and hay.
He was about to ask himself if there were horses around, but found that when he exited the barn on the other side, he answered his own question. There were definitely horses, and a lot of them.
But they were probably Pokémon. Yeah, most likely.
Because they were on fire.
Taking note of his newfound knowledge, the raven deduced that they were fire types, and figured the flames were probably very hot, as most fire was. "Alright…well, Zero was looking this way, so Kyani has to be around here somewhere." He mumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets.
It was kind of amazing, watching all these Pokémon as they grazed and played around, their fire manes glittering in the sunlight, the breeze blowing, the quiet of the forest save for the singing and chirping of all the Pokémon around. It just reminded Fayal how jealous he was of this place.
What he wouldn't give to live in a place like this, with Pokémon and next to no city sounds. He hated them. He imagined Kyani hated them too, since she lived in this peaceful atmosphere all the time. The hubbub and rush of the school life was probably really stressful and annoying to her.
Coming up to the very last of the few paddocks, the raven stopped at the fence line, blue eyes landing on one of the largest fire-horse Pokémon he'd ever seen, even though he'd seen these things for the first time in his life, and Kyani, leaning on it.
The first thought through his mind was how in the hell was she not getting burned. The horse was on fire. How could she be so close to it without getting burned? "Well, I guess I'll just have to ask." He said, smiling as he jumped over the fence and slowly made his way over to her.
The horse picked up his head as soon as Fayal's feet hit the ground, it staring at him before gently nudging Kyani with its nose.
"Oh, come on, Ardor," Kyani pretty much pleaded with him, feeling so relaxed, leaning against the off-white horse. "Let me relax a minute…" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, smile forming on her lips.
He burred very loudly, nudging her once more, this time, reaching up to the loose strands of her hair, nibbling on them gently.
Kyani couldn't figure out why Ardor was bothering her so much, especially now. He'd never bothered her when she came to lean against him before, choosing to stand and graze like he always did.
It became rather clear when Fayal finally cleared his throat loud enough for the brunette to hear.
When she turned around to see him, he glanced away for just a moment, wondering if he made the wrong decision. Maybe she didn't want him to go find her…after all, he just kind of traipsed through her entire backyard. "…Hey."
"Hey." The brunette replied, giving him a rather soft look before sighing. "Look, I'm sorry for just walking out like that…" She knew it was a childish thing to do, but she really did need a break.
The raven knew this, shaking his head. "It's cool…I kinda figured you were frustrated." He gave a small smile, shrugging his shoulders. "And you know…If you ever need help with math, I'm not half bad at it…"
Kyani gave him a smile, knowing it was just the raven's nature to want to help. And she appreciated it, she really did. She sighed softly once again and looked away. "You know something, Fayal?" Turquoise eyes looked to blue. "I honestly don't care about any of the things they try to teach us in school. I really appreciate the offer, but I don't care that I'm pretty much failing all of my classes."
Fayal ruffled his eyebrows, mouth opening just a little in surprise. It didn't make any sense to him. Kyani seemed like a damn genius when it came to Pokémon…why, how could she be failing most of her classes? "…but…you're so smart when it comes to Pokémon."
She gave him a small smile. "Because Pokémon is all I know." She saw the look of realization on his face. "My mother only ever taught me the basics, Fayal…"
The raven sighed, hands in his pockets as he moved a little closer, blue eyes watching the fire-horse very carefully. "Well, I can help you with that. Seriously. I don't mind."
Kyani had to sigh once again. He really was persistent, wasn't he? "I can't ask anymore of you than I already have." She told him, still leaning against Ardor. "You've already offered to help me with my panic disorder and that's going to a mountain in and of itself."
"Yes," He agreed, nodding. "but you're doing so much for me right now, there is no possible way I could ever thank you. So let me help you." He didn't dare look away from her, keeping his blue eyes on hers.
The brunette had to look away. Those blue eyes were so convincing, if she had kept her sight with his, she would've caved. All in all, it really did seem like a lot to ask of him, especially because she hardly knew him! How was she to know he would just take what he wanted from her and then go back on his word?
That's what everyone else usually did. But him, even so far, had at least offered to help, which was more than most even thought about.
Pouting slightly, Kyani looked back to the raven, figuring, if he was going to at least offer, she could at least take a chance. "Okay…fine."
Fayal couldn't help but smile, able to see the small smile hiding behind her pout. "Now that that's done, can you please explain how the hell you aren't melting or on fire?" He pleadingly asked, pointing to the very red flames of the horse she was leaning on.
The Willow chuckled, letting her smile show as she pushed off the horse and reached out for the raven, grabbing his arm and pulling him closer. "Fayal, this is Ardor." She introduced, able to sense his hesitation. "He is a Rapidash."
The raven was hesitant; the horse was huge! He towered over Kyani, more than Zero did! But he didn't seem too concerned with the raven standing close to the brunette, or the raven just being close to him. He looked more concerned with the grass. "He's a Fire type, right?" He looked to his teacher.
Kyani knew it was pretty obvious, but she smiled, nodding. "Yes, he's a Fire type. He is a Draft Rapidash, meaning that he's used more for work than for riding and such." She explained as Ardor continued to graze. "But here, he's allowed to relax as much as he wants, just like the rest of the herd."
The Ushiwaka had seen the other horse Pokémon, but something was different between them. He ruffled his eyebrows, looking over Ardor, trying to pinpoint the difference.
"It's the horn and taller build." The brunette told him, seeing the confused expression on his face. "Rapidashes are the evolved form of a Ponyta. Ponyta don't have horns, and are less muscular than Rapidash." She explained, pointing over to the two Ponyta Fayal had seen playing. "I take care of all of them during the summer."
"As intimidating as this one is…" Fayal began, still in awe at the fact that Ardor's shoulder was at the same height as Fayal himself, meaning his head went above Fayal's head. "they're beautiful."
The brunette nodded. "Most Rapidash are, because of their manes." She said, looking over to him and smiling at the look on his face. "Go ahead and pet him." She continued, voice soft.
A black eyebrow rose. "But…won't it…burn?" He asked hesitantly, slowly drawing his sight away from the horse to her.
Kyani wore a playful smile, – if Fayal was seeing right – her eyes on his. "What?" She asked, tilting her head slightly. "Don't you trust me?"
If it had been anyone else, at any other time, the raven would've backed out. There were so many things he did not know about Kyani, it wasn't even funny. He didn't know about her mother, about her panic disorder or how to help, about her favorite foods and colors and movies, and things he'd probably get to know.
But the one most proven fact was that Kyani knew what she was doing when it came to Pokémon. Fayal could see that even if he was blind.
And despite how much his brain told him not to step closer and set his hands on the fire mane of the Draft Rapidash in front of him, the raven did just that, closing his eyes tight to expect a burning, hot feeling.
Blue eyes opened slowly when he felt the hard bone of Ardor's back, looking in complete shock and confusion as his hands sat inside the fire mane of the Rapidash. "It's warm." He spoke. "And it's….it's fluttering. It's not like fire at all."
Kyani came up beside the Ushiwaka, leaning on the fire horse, smiling a large smile. "And you were nervous."
He looked over at her, also smiling, but feeling his face turn red. "Well yeah!" He yelled. "It's fire! Fire equals burning!" He couldn't believe how different this was, how it felt against his hands.
"You need to trust me, Fayal. You asked me to teach you, and sometimes the best form of teaching is to experience it firsthand." She told him, turquoise eyes looking up to blue.
As if he were laughing, Ardor burred rather loudly, picking up his head and looking at the brunette.
Kyani looked to the fire horse, laughing and pushing his muzzle away. "Oh, don't you laugh at me!" She yelled, shaking her head at him.
He lifted his head a few times, as if laughing at her some more and stretched his neck to nibble on her hair again, tugging on it gently before running away, bucking and kicking.
"No, no, you get back here!" The brunette cried happily, running after the Rapidash, laughing and smiling the entire way.
The raven, having jumped when Ardor ran suddenly, caught his bearings and watched Kyani run after the horse, the two of them...playing. Never in a million years would he have thought that you could play with Pokémon.
Putting his hands back into his pockets, Fayal continued to watch, smiling. This girl was so strange. She was shy and horribly unsocial at school, and now, she was laughing and playing with a Pokémon who could easily crush her like she were a child playing with her friends.
It was amazing, really, how strange of a person Kyani was; alluring, really.
Every instance with the brunette always left Fayal wondering about this and that, always wanting him to find out more about her.
When Kyani finally decided to return, even though she really didn't want to, they returned to the house, Zero and Cerberus still waiting for the two of them. They went right back to their respective spots, Zero still setting his head in Kyani's lap, Cerberus right next to her.
"Okay, so show me what you're having problems with." Fayal began, looking at the papers she'd discarded.
Kyani first took a deep breath, trying to calm her heart down after all that running around. She needed it though. "It's this one." She told him, handing him the sheet with all the questions on it while pulling some loose hair behind her ear. "I just can't figure it out."
Now, because of how smart he knew Kyani was, the Ushiwaka was honestly expecting to see a calculus-type problem that was out of his league and she was just complaining about not being able to do it because it was difficult. But he was sorely wrong.
Kyani wasn't lying when she said she was horrible with math. She was so far behind them in class, he had to hide the shock on his face to keep her from getting discouraged.
"Okay, this is pretty simple stuff…" He was actually good at this. "You have a quadratic equation, something we call the Difference of Squares." He told her, setting down the sheet and showing her what he was talking about.
"Difference of Squares?" She asked, looking over to him, who sighed.
No, Kyani certainly wasn't lying. "If you take this," He said, pointing to (x-3)2. "and square it, you'll get this." He pointed to the first equation written, x2-9. "Because 9 is a perfect square root, we call this equation Difference of Squares, because you're subtracting."
The brunette sighed softly to herself. This wasn't so bad…yet. "Okay, but then how do you solve it?"
Picking up the pencil she'd given him before, he solved the problem, showing her every step and explaining every question she had. "Because (x-3)2 is the same as (x-3) multiplied by itself, we only have to solve (x-3). To do that, you take away the parenthesis and set it equal to zero, like this."
Turquoise eyes watched intently, seeing the raven write x-3 = 0. "Then you add the 3, right?" She asked, looking over to him.
Okay, so she wasn't completely hopeless. He nodded, giving her a smile. "Yep, so x equals 3." He could see the smile appear and widen on her face, but spoke before she could. "You should try a few just in case, okay?"
She knew she really shouldn't get her hopes up, but nodded, taking the paper from him. "Alright, I will."
It stayed that way for a while, Kyani working on math problems with Fayal checking each one and explaining what she didn't understand, while Fayal worked on the different types, he getting her help and explanations as well.
When she finally felt confident that they'd both done enough work wise, Kyani had Cerberus sit up, making sure he was listening to her. "Now, Cerberus, I want you to be good for your master, do you understand?" She instructed, watching as he nodded. "He's going to report everything back to me, so if you're not good…"
The Houndour nodded yet again, assuring her that he'd be good.
"Wait," Fayal began, in a bit of alarm. "I can let him out of his Pokéball tonight?" He asked, a half smile on his face.
She looked up to him, a small smile on her face. "He'll be rowdy and difficult…but if you keep him in your room, you shouldn't have too much of a problem." She told him, shaking her head and then looking very sternly at the pup. "But if he does cause a problem…don't be afraid to call me and I'll come right over."
Cerberus looked in between the brunette and his master in nervousness, wondering if he really would call her.
"You can count on it." Fayal told her, watching as the hellhound's ears lowered sadly. Well, at least he knew that the pup might possibly obey him.
Letting out a yawn and stretching out her arms, Kyani then looked to the raven, giving him another smile. "You should head home…work on forming a bond and a friendship with Cerberus, here." She said, patting the dog's head. "It is the most important thing you'll ever do with a Pokémon."
The way she stressed her words made Fayal nod in silence, knowing that if she stressed it, it was extremely important. "Okay, I will. Come on, Cerberus."
The two teenagers got up, both dogs following their respective owners, Kyani and Zero showing Fayal and Cerberus to the door, bidding good bye and planning their next training session. He had no problems leaving her home, now knowing the route between his home and hers, Cerberus still obeying as he walked alongside the raven happily.
Yet, before he could get too far away, blue eyes looked back toward the Willow Manor, stealing just a glance to his teacher, expecting her to be watching him and waving, as he left her.
Kyani wasn't waving at all – she wasn't even looking toward him. Her face was buried into Zero's fur, the crown of his head nuzzling against her chest, her smile shown when she laid against the Arcanine.
Even from this distance, Fayal could hear the growls that Zero gave, figuring that he was growling because he was happy. And it was pretty obvious that she was happy, too, just standing there like that with him.
Turning back to walk home, the brunette's last words to him were buzzing around his mind.
"Work on forming a bond and a friendship with Cerberus, here….it's the most important thing you'll ever do with a Pokémon."
Their bond was so strong, hers and Zero's. He could see it just by looking at them, he looking down to the pup that still walked in stride with him.
Maybe someday he'd have a bond like that with his Pokémon too.
Fayal recalled Cerberus to his Pokéball before entering his home, not sure of how he'd react to having the run of the house, especially with his little sister around. He really wanted a Pokémon, but he'd never forgive one for hurting his little sister.
He spent the rest of his afternoon with his mom and sister, laying around and spending time with his family before finally retiring to his room for the night.
It took a bit of time to prepare his room for the Houndour, he putting breakable things up high so that they wouldn't break and making sure there was nothing he could get hurt on. After all, there wasn't a point in letting him out if he was just going to get hurt.
So finally, when the raven deemed his room ready, he took a deep breath and released his Houndour, half expecting the pup to go completely crazy and destroy his room.
Instead, the hellhound blinked and shook, full-body, before sitting down and looking around the room. "Hoooouuunnd." He yawned, locking eyes with his master and then stretching. He slowly got up and began to walk around, sniffing the things in Fayal's room.
Blue eyes watched approvingly, amazed, although he didn't show it. He didn't want Cerberus to think that he was shocked the pup was being good. He honestly didn't expect him to be this good. "This is your new home, Cerberus." He said, crouching to the hellhound's level.
Cerberus looked at his master when he spoke, nodding just afterword before continuing his journey around the room. He'd never been in a human's room, and it smelled so weird.
Despite how well things were going, Fayal kept a very keen eye on his Pokémon, not sure if he was just being good because Kyani told him to or because he wanted the raven to lower his guard…
The Houndour certainly had fun smelling all these new smells, first going over to the book bag where there were a lot of scents and then over to the dresser. He finally made his way over to the bed and stuck his nose underneath it, taking a nice whiff. "Hound," He mumbled, finding nothing interesting under there. But… that bed post….
The Ushiwaka watched, feeling a bit more relaxed, as the Houndour sneezed after pulling out his muzzle from underneath his bed. He even chuckled.
But the thought of this all going well went right down the toilet. And fast.
As soon as Cerberus made his way over to Fayal's wooden bedpost, he sniffed it, and opened his jaws, clamping down on the wooden post, leaving deep teeth marks.
"Cerberus, no!" The raven cried, scrambling over and shooing the puppy away, knowing his mother would kill him when she saw those marks.
Running away, the Houndour then went over to his master's desk, a devilish glint in his eye. He propped himself up, looking at all the lovely papers that so very quickly needed shredded and burned. So, without hesitation, he pulled all of them down, gently burning each paper.
Fayal was quick to see all of his homework burning on the floor. "No!" He cried further, lunging over and attempting to grab Cerberus.
Downstairs, Fiori and her mother sat in the living room, both looking up at the sudden thumps and crashes from upstairs.
"Momma, I'm gonna check on Fay-fay." The youngest Ushiwaka said, getting up from her seat and running up the stairs, wondering what in the world her brother was doing.
Honestly. She knew older brothers were annoying, but did he really have to make all that silly noise over a Pokémon? And an ugly one at that.
"Fayal?" She asked, having finally reached her brother's room and knocking on the closed door. "Is everything okay in there?"
Inside the room, both Cerberus and Fayal looked to the door, Cerberus in delight and Fayal in horror. Fiori – nor himself at the time – knew the horror that Cerberus was…and if she opened the door, he was bound to do something that would hurt her. Fayal knew it. "Fiori, don't open the door, you hear me?"
Her brother's voice sounded really serious and concerned, but Fiori didn't really care, nor did she think he was really serious. "Fay-fay, don't treat me like a kid!" She yelled, setting her hand on the knob and opening the door anyway.
Blue eyes could only watch in horror as his tiny little sister opened the door, Cerberus trotting right over to her with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. "Fi – " His voice cut horribly short when Cerberus did the most unexpected thing.
Seeing the little girl standing there, the hellhound promptly went up to her and sat down, his tongue still hanging out of his mouth. He perked his ears up when she looked at him, he whining softly at her. "Houuunn…"
A smile appeared on the younger Ushiwaka's face. "Awww," She cooed, walking closer to the Pokémon. "what a good puppy!" She cried, setting her hands on the Houndour's ears, petting it.
Cerberus wagged his tail, getting up and walking closer to the girl, licking her hands whenever she would let him.
Fayal couldn't believe it. That little suck up! It wasn't that he was being good for Kyani – although he probably was – he was just a suck up when it came to women!
Letting out a heavy sigh, the elder brother got up and walked over to the puppy, thankful that he knew Cerberus wouldn't hurt her. "Yes, he's a good puppy, isn't he?" He nearly growled, seeing the pup shoot him a glare.
Now knowing that the Houndour was only good around women and girls, Fayal knew this wasn't going to be easy. Glancing back to his poor homework and bedpost, the raven knew that he'd have to work extra hard.
After all, he wasn't a girl, and he wasn't going to let this little puppy get the better of him.
