this chapter brought to you by cheap chinese take out and ke$ha, and also me crying into my laptop because fight scenes are hard. but I had a lot of fun with this, because we finally get to introduce another important character :D
also, I'm gonna be trying to update more than once a month, but January was my birthday month so I was busy. sorry everyone ;w; but I made this this is longer chapter to make up for the wait!
Hakuryuu shakes him awake, eyes wide and worried. "We have to move," he hisses, and Judal blinks up at him. He hasn't seen Hakuryuu this scared since the night they left Al Tharman.
"Okay. Yeah. Let's- yeah. Sorry, just-" he yawns widely and pushes himself up. "Just trying to wake up a little."
"We don't really have time for that."
"I figured, just. Shit, I was dreaming about something like this, actually," Judal tells him, dreams coming back to him in bits and pieces. Some masked members, running towards them, shocked but pleased by their discovery, when really they were just looking for-
"Absol," Judal says. "They're looking for Absol, the one from the experiments. We're just in their path. We have to go."
Hakuryuu hands him his bag. "That's what I was trying to tell you. I heard-"
"This way," Judal says firmly, and takes off. Hakuryuu is right on his heels, crashing through the thick trees in the pitch black of night, and Judal reaches back to grab his hand. He can't lose Hakuryuu.
Judal runs forward and then doubles them back around, circling their old camp to cut a different path, as he feels a tug in that direction. Something is there, something he actually wants to see, and he runs towards it.
"Judal-" Hakuryuu begins, out of breath and worried and Judal just wants to keep him safe, get them out of trouble. "Judal, I don't think we should go this way."
"Trust me."
"I do. But this is the way-"
They make a turn and end up in another wide open space, with a tiny sliver of moon casting low light on the area. Judal's eyes adjust to it quickly and then he sees her across the clearing, the Absol that Al Tharman is looking for. She's crouched down, licking at - a wound, maybe? - and Judal lets go of Hakuryuu's hand to slowly walk towards her.
"Judal," Hakuryuu says again. "This isn't a good idea."
"I can't just leave her here," he hisses back. "Al Tharman wants her."
"I'm sure they do, but this is where I heard the noises coming from."
"Maybe it was just her."
"Judal. You know better than that."
He ignores Hakuryuu and keeps moving, trying to get closer without spooking her. Judal wants the chance to help her, get her free from Al Tharman's grasp like he now has, and-
"Stop!" someone yells, shoving branches aside as they enter the clearing, and Judal's head whips around to see who it is. There's sinking terror again, helplessness freezing him in place as he takes in the masks and uniforms of Al Tharman's field members.
"Belior Zauto, go!" Hakuryuu calls out, and that snaps Judal out of it. Time to fight.
He grabs Sparkle's pokeball and tosses it, calling out his name. He's not fighting Absol but if nothing else, Sparkle'll be able to take out anything else they throw at him. Sparkle stands proud and tall, ready for battle, and the rush of the fight pushes him on.
"Absol, take them out," the Al Tharman member orders. "Lady Gyokuen will be pleased to hear we caught the runaways."
"I ain't going back with you creeps," Judal says. "Sparkle-"
"Oh, is that what your stupid little Eevee turned into? Fitting for someone like you."
"What, because I actually take care of my pokemon?" Judal scoffs.
"More like it's useless and flashy," they snap back, and yell at Absol for running away again.
"What are you doing with Absol?" Judal asks them, trying to keep the worry out of his voice because no, he's not letting them know his feelings anymore, not this time, but-
They kick her, shoving her into battle, and she yelps in pain. The moonlight catches on her horn, and Judal can see the notch in it. This is the Absol he thought it was. He cringes.
"Now that we've found you again, she's even more valuable," they say. "Absol, slash that Sylveon and get it out of the way!"
Sparkle dodges to the side, using his speed as an advantage, while Absol limps forward. She's favoring one side; she definitely has an injury of some sort. Her trainer yells at her when the move misses, telling her to listen better and stop fucking around.
"Sparkle, try to give Absol a helping hand," Judal instructs, and Sparkle nods before rushing forward. Absol trills loudly, trying to avoid Sparkle, and there's a sickening crunch when the two collide. Sparkle isn't the most skilled at helping, but it's still frustrating to watch.
"You don't even know how to fight!" they yell, and Judal can't tell if it's directed at him or Absol.
"Fuck you!" he yells in response, because it's rude either way. He needs a better strategy, but he's never been good at anything passive. Judal's method is to hit fast and hard before his opponents have a chance to respond, and Sparkle learned from him. Hakuryuu would know what to do, but he has his own fight to deal with; he can't always fix Judal's messes. This one is on him.
Sparkle dodges another half hearted attack from Absol, and he looks to Judal in confusion. "Yeah buddy, I know this isn't your usual," he answers, and watches Absol for inspiration. She's not trying to hurt Sparkle, but her trainer doesn't seem to realize it. With every slash and tackle she gets further away from them, putting herself closer to Judal until-
Absol trills loudly again, running to Judal's side. She's almost hissing at her former trainer, fangs bared, and Judal wants to laugh. Of course she wouldn't stay loyal either. Judal manages to pull a potion out of his bag quickly and he feeds it to her while their opponent is still spluttering stupidly.
"That's right, you tell that fucker," he says. "You can call me stupid all you want but at least my pokemon don't leave in the middle of a battle."
The Al Tharman members merely glares, throwing out another pokeball. A Houndoom rushes forward, ready to fight. "It doesn't matter. I'll take both of you back in the end."
"Kinky," Judal says, and glances down at Absol. "I don't think I need to tell you how to fight."
She lunges at Houndoom, slashing and calling on psychic energy to cut deeper. When she fights, she doesn't pull her punches, and Judal is so glad she wasn't trying to hurt Sparkle earlier.
Judal looks over to see that Hakuryuu is still holding his own against the other Al Tharman member, Belior's blade slicing at their Murkrow whenever it can despite the bird trying to outrun it, and Judal can't help but be proud. Hakuryuu is always stunning to watch in battle, chillingly serious when he needs to be with every move planned out.
It's riveting, and Judal trusts Sparkle and Absol to handle a single Houndoom without him babysitting them. Sparkle doesn't necessarily need commands in battle most of the time, and Absol isn't technically his pokemon to control. He thinks. Whatever, he'd rather watch Hakuryuu be a badass. There's a satisfying squawk from the Murkrow when Beliol finally lands a clean hit, and Judal cheers.
He glances back to check on his own fight, and Judal's eyes widen when he sees the way Absol is standing. He calls Sparkle back to his ball without a second thought. "Hakuryuu!" he yells, dashing over to him.
"Jud- what are you doing?" he asks as Judal grabs Belior's pokeball and pulls them back in.
"Cover your ears," he hisses, and he's relieved that Hakuryuu listens without question. Judal can hear the beginnings of the deadly melody as Absol trills and roars, weaving destruction with her call, and he shoves his fingers further into his ears to block it out.
Judal watches with a sick sense of awe as the Al Tharman members collapse around them, crumpling like wet paper as Absol's song causes them to expire. It's impressive and terrifying and he's so proud of her. But he still waits until she's stopped singing for a bit, until she's carefully padded over to him and Hakuryuu, before he uncovers his ears.
"You're not gonna try to melt my brains with that, are you?" he asks, half joking, and she trills happily at him. "That could mean yes, but I guess I'll have to trust you."
Absol nuzzles against his hand, and he pats her on the head. Her fur is matted in places, and he's pretty sure she's malnourished from however long she's been on the run. She didn't have Hakuryuu taking care of her like he's had.
"What was that?" Hakuryuu asks cautiously.
"Perish Song," Judal answers. "It does what it sounds like. It's- it was mentioned in the report. You know, it's what they tore my fucking neck apart for."
"Oh," he says. "I see. I can- I can see why they would want that."
"It's a nasty little attack, isn't it? It's not always so sudden, and it usually only affects pokemon, but Absol is special," Judal explains. "It's why they used her."
Hakuryuu takes his hand. "I see."
Judal shrugs, but squeezes back. "It's whatever at this point. Hey, do we have any more pokeballs anywhere?"
"I don't think so. Why?"
"Guess she's gonna have to walk, huh Labsol?" She hisses at him. "Okay, apparently not Labsol. I'll come up with something better later then."
Hakuryuu looks worried, looking over the two of them. "You know this isn't the end of this," he finally says, gesturing at the bodies in the clearing. "Especially with Absol. We're going to be even more of a target."
"Yeah, I know. But I'm not gonna stop fighting, so they'll have to deal with me. And Absol. And you, I guess," he says, trailing off at the end. He hopes this isn't Hakuryuu's roundabout way of telling him he's ditching him.
"I can't leave you to your own devices," Hakuryuu says. "And I'm not giving up. On any of this."
Judal grins. "Good! You can't get rid of me that easily anyway."
x・x・x
Absol nudges his face the next day, and Judal nearly hits his head into her horn when he tries to roll away. Why is something bothering him? Oh, right. Absol.
He sits up, carefully avoiding running into her more, and stretches. He aches from the near constant running the night before, the struggle over the uneven terrain in the pitch black of night, finally slowing down once the sun rose to make camp. Something smells good though, and Judal tries to find its source.
"Are you making breakfast?" he asks Hakuryuu.
He nods. "I thought we deserved some warm food after all the stress. I had a few tins of sausages in the bottom of my bag."
"I love you," Judal tells him, shuffling over to the spread of food. It's simple but smells delicious, and it's so much better than the granola and protein snacks Hakuryuu's been feeding them lately.
"That was easy."
"I'm an easy man," Judal says around a sausage.
Hakuryuu laughs at that. "No you're not. You're picky and a pain in the ass."
"Please don't hesitate to point my flaws out first thing in the morning every day. It really helps me get going."
Absol trills and nudges his bag, trying to get it open. "Oh what, are you gonna be a fatass like Sparkle and try to steal all the treats? You're really lucky you're underfed right now and I need to fatten you up."
Hakuryuu tries to hand him some healthier pokefood, and Judal shakes his head. "It's better for her," Hakuryuu tries to reason, but Judal is having none of it.
"Yeah, but she's never been spoiled before!" Judal argues, pulling a pokepuff out of his bag. It's one of Sparkle's favorites, but he's just going to have to learn to share.
"Aren't you trying to make Sparkle less spoiled?"
"Um, this isn't Sparkle, Hakuryuu. Absol is pure and gentle and deserves love."
"Absol has the horrifying ability to murder people with her voice," Hakuryuu says.
Judal hugs her. "Don't talk about her like that. She's a good baby," he coos, rubbing her head and offering the pokepuff to her. She trills and snatches it out of his hand, chowing down immediately and making happy noises as she does.
Hakuryuu shrugs. "I don't think she's less deserving of love. I'm just saying she's not the most pure and gentle when it comes to pokemon we have."
"Hakuryuu, Beliol is a sword. That's pretty dangerous."
"They're a ghost pokemon possessing a sword," Hakuryuu corrects, looking very put out. "And why do you only call them by the first half of their name?"
Judal laughs. "Because it's a stupidly long name and I'm lazy," he answers, before pulling out another pokepuff, and Absol eats it straight out of his hand. Good to know that all his pokemon seem to want to be spoiled with pastries. He pets her some and finds more matted fur. Judal frowns, before digging through his bag for fur brush. He's pretty sure the one he uses on Sparkle and Sniffles will work for her too.
She whines when he tugs on knots but sits still, letting Judal work every matted mess out of her fur, slowly returning the sleek shine to it. He has to stop after sections, bribing her with more pokepuffs to stay in place, but after a few hours she finally looks healthy again. Still on the skinny side, but that will get better in time. He pats her head again, proud of himself and happy for her.
Hakuryuu leans over and kisses Judal's cheek. "She looks good."
"Doesn't she though? I wish I could properly clean her fur but I think she'll groom herself. Or maybe Sparkle will, if he's not too lazy."
"I think Sparkle might be jealous that she's hogging your attention and pokepuffs."
Judal wraps his fingers around Sparkle's pokeball. "I mean, I'm allowed to love my other pokemon too…"
Hakuryuu shakes his head. "I'm not saying you're doing anything wrong. I'm just reminding you that Sparkle is spoiled and sometimes unreasonable. He takes after his master in some ways."
"I could be more spoiled if you loved me more."
"I had food waiting for you when you woke up!"
Judal pulls him into a kiss, lingering until he's breathless and has to break away for air, and grins. "I really appreciated it."
Hakuryuu's cheeks are flushed and he ducks his head to avoid meeting Judal's gaze. "I'm glad. I'm not doing this every day, though."
He shrugs and tosses Sparkle's pokeball out. Maybe he can bond with Absol instead of just being jealous and extra needy. Sparkle crawls all over Judal first, sniffing him and looking far too put out. "Spoiled brat," Judal chides. "Go make friends with Absol instead of getting offended."
Sparkle approaches her hesitantly, and Absol's fur stands on end with nerves as Sparkle gets close. Judal just watches as the two try to get to know each other, and he laughs a little more than he should when they sniff each others butts. His laugh startles them, and they jump backwards before approaching each other again. Sparkle's been all leg ever since he evolved, so when he jumps it's impressively high.
There's some circling, and then eventually Absol bows her head. Sparkle nuzzles against it, thankfully smart enough not to mess with her horn, and Judal breathes out in relief. That's good. That's kind of better than he was expecting.
"Since they're doing well, do you want to go over some of these maps with me?" Hakuryuu asks. "I don't want to stay here too much longer."
Judal looks away from them and considers, finally deciding to let them do their own thing. Sparkle and Absol are both loud enough that he'll notice anything going wrong, and so he goes to sit with Hakuryuu. "Not like I have a sense of direction, but why not?"
"I want your opinion on where we could head next," Hakuryuu explains. He draws a route north with his finger, tapping a town at the end. "This is far enough out of the way that Al Tharman may have less influence, but it's a long trip, especially by foot. And I'm not positive that they haven't infiltrated the area yet. Next," he says, gesturing to the west, "is still definitely home to Al Tharman, but it's a big enough city that we could blend in for awhile before going elsewhere. Not long, just a few weeks at most."
"Then why bother?" Judal interrupts.
"Because we could get to other places from there. It's a waypoint for all routes west, and I think it would open up a lot of new options for us. It's not the only other choice though. I think this next one will be your favorite."
"Yeah? Hit me with it then, I wanna know what you think I'd pick," he says, grinning.
Hakuryuu pulls out another map and shows a route south on it, ending at the warm beaches of their childhood vacations. Judal opens his mouth to agree, but Hakuryuu starts explaining it before he can say anything. "If we go far enough south, I think we could settle in the island chain down there for awhile. They're not on the map because they're pretty far out of the way, but there are ways to get there once we're in one of the cities along the coast."
"You do know me," Judal agrees. "I liked going there as a kid."
"Al Tharman doesn't have much influence on most of the islands," Hakuryuu says. "But they're the furthest away, and we'd have to do a lot of backtracking to get even close."
"I like it. We should do it anyway," Judal says, stretching out until he's reminded of all the aches he has. It's fucking stupid, being on the run from everything, and he's ready to find a way out.
"It's a long trip. We'd have to double back for weeks, past home- er, where we ran from originally. It's riskier to travel that way, but-"
"But it would be better overall, right?" Judal finishes, and Hakuryuu nods.
"Yes. If we want the most stable, long term safety, it's the best option."
"And we'd be going on vacation! Forever!"
Hakuryuu shakes his head and sighs. "No, that's not at all what it means. We'd still have to find a way to support ourselves, which means at least one of us would have to get a job."
"Good thing I have you to be my sugardaddy," Judal says, slinging an arm around Hakuryuu's shoulders.
"You're such an asshole," he says, leaning into him. "But try to think logically, instead of just imagining the beaches and nice weather."
"But that's the best part," he whines.
"Judal."
"No, no, I know. I'll give it some thought, alright? I know you want to get moving soon, but we'll be safe here for the night," Judal says firmly.
Hakuryuu doesn't argue, just nods, and hands him the maps. "If you want to look over what kind of route options we have, you're welcome to these."
"Mmhm," Judal says. "I dunno if they'll actually help me, but I'll try."
"I always try to have at least some faith in you."
Judal pecks him on the cheek before getting up. "It's why I like you so much. And you know, your cute ass. Oh hey, no Sparkle, don't eat that!" Judal calls out. He's chewing on something, and it looks suspiciously like a rock.
Sparkle drops it and chirps at him, before running over. Absol pads over as well, less bouncy than Sparkle, and sits by his side calmly.
"Yeah, okay, no eating rocks. And no more pokepuffs for either of you today, we're going on another long trip and I'm trying to conserve what we have already," he tells them, patting them both on the head. Sparkle aggressively tries to crawl up his arm, back to his usual spot across Judal's shoulders, and this is when he realizes just how much bigger Sparkle is now. He's not sure he'll actually be able to let him ride around like that now. "No climbing on me right now," he tries to say, and Sparkle whines some.
Absol looks all too pleased with herself, and Judal isn't sure if he should be proud or worried for whatever she's got planned for Sparkle.
"Come on, I just gotta look at these maps," Judal tells Sparkle, and pats his lap. "Sit here for now, alright?"
Sparkle reluctantly settles for his lap, and Absol curls up against his side while he thinks things over.
