Hey all! I hope everyone is having a great weekend. I have been feeling better myself. Let's enjoy the weekend with a nice new chapter.
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Chapter 114, I choose you!
The Little Blue Letter
With their breakfast done the two headed to the front lobby of the hotel to meet with the others. Sure enough everyone was sitting around on the lobby couch waiting for them. Akaashi was at the front counter checking himself and Bokuto out. Bokuto was talking with Hinata and Kuroo while Yachi whispered something to Kageyama and Kenma.
"Sorry to keep you all waiting," Yamaguchi apologised as he and Tsukki joined them.
"No problem, we just checked out ourselves," Yachi insisted as he and Kageyama stood up.
"Are you feeling better today?" Kageyama asked as he examined Yamaguchi's bruised cheek.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Yamaguchi insisted brightly despite having a bit of panic this morning. Sylveon gave a happy trill from beside Yamaguchi as if to agree.
"We are all checked out now," Akaashi said as he came up from behind Yamaguchi and Tsukishima.
"Are you and Bokuto joining us all the way to Lumiose City?" Yamaguchi asked, surprised that the two hadn't left yet.
"Only to the forest," Akaashi nodded. His eyes lingered on Yamaguchi for a moment before snapping back to the group.
"I don't see why we can't go all the way to Lumiose City with them," Bokuto wined.
"You have other responsibilities, Bokuto," Akaashi sighed.
Bokuto deflated while the others laughed at his expense. Having an Elite Four member with them helped Yamaguchi feel even better. He just couldn't shake the anxious feeling of wanting to get as far away from here as possible. He hoped this would fade once they arrived somewhere else.
Once on the road, goggles and protective gear on, Kuroo and Bokuto both took the lead. The two seemed to be having some sort of 'I'm the one leading us' match going on between them. Hinata and Kenma walked behind them, Hinata looking like he wanted to be a part of the competition only for Kenma to persuade him otherwise. Yamaguchi walked beside Yachi, chatting with her about their plans for their next showcase. Sylveon had somehow convinced Yamaguchi to carry her as the day got warmer. In the back walked Akaashi, Tsukishima and Kageyama. All three of them were dead quiet. All three watched Yamaguchi's every move.
Their group was quite big. It was a first for Yamaguchi to be traveling with so many people. Through the hot dangerous desert it helped him feel more secure than ever. Even if Admin Mika was tracking him she wouldn't dare attack with this many people around. The morning and afternoon was more pleasant than Yamaguchi expected and with each step his worries began to fade. It was almost like he was leaving the whole incident at the Oasis.
It was late noon when they finally decided to stop for a short rest. Kuroo insisted that they walk until they hit the forest edge. Staying the night in the desert was too unpredictable. Yamaguchi worked with Akaashi and Yachi to throw together some sandwiches before they set off down the trail once more. Yamaguchi knew he was probably just being paranoid but since last night he couldn't shake the feeling that Akaashi wanted to talk with him. The quiet trainer seemed to be trying to get him alone.
"Yamaguchi," Akaashi said as he came up beside Yamaguchi.
Yamaguchi gave a small jump. He had been placing vegetables between slices of bread. He fumbled with a slice of tomato before it slipped from his hands and to the sandy floor. "A-Akaashi," Yamaguchi eeped.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Akaashi said, handing another slice of tomato to Yamaguchi.
"No problem," Yamaguchi insisted. He felt a bit nervous. Akaashi was a nice guy but he had never really had a private conversation with him before. He looked to see where Yachi had gone only to find her off with the others handing out food.
"Is something the matter, Yamaguchi?" Akaashi asked, noticing how Yamaguchi was clearly nervous.
"No!" Yamaguchi eeped, almost dropping the tomato slice again. "I'm fine," he did his best to smile genuinely. Akaashi was definitely a kind person and he knew this so he didn't know why he felt so nervous.
"Are you still shaken up from yesterday?" Akaashi asked.
This time Yamaguchi did drop another tomato slice. His shoulders went stiff.
"You don't need to worry, you know," Akaashi insisted. "Even the boss of the team would be a fool to attack a group with so many strong trainers."
"I know," Yamaguchi nodded, his voice quiet with a hint of shame.
"So, did you really have an altercation with the evil team yesterday?" Akaashi asked.
Yamaguchi gave a quiet nod.
"Bokuto and the rest of the elite four have been tasked with tracking them down," Akaashi said. "So any information you could give us would help. Tell me everything that happened."
Yamaguchi was shocked with how straightforward and demanding Akaashi was being. He expected something like this from Bokuto but not from him. Yesterday Tsukki had put a stop to any talk about his disappearance but Akaashi seemed to have made sure Tsukki wasn't in earshot now.
"If they threaten you not to tell anyone then just know Bokuto and the rest of the elite four will defend you," Akaashi insisted. "The more we know the closer we can be to finding them."
Yamaguchi looked over his shoulder once more in hopes to catch eyes with Tsukki. Unfortunately for him Tsukki was being double-teamed by Bokuto and Kuroo. "Akaashi, a lot happened yesterday," he reluctantly replied.
"So it wasn't just a battle with an Admin, was it?" Akaashi asked, though it came off as more of a statement.
Yamaguchi felt himself shrink back a bit. He considered what Akaashi had just told him. Maybe they are working with Lillie and the international police. As this passed his mind he relaxed.
"Akaashi, have you ever met someone named Lillie or Looker?" Yamaguchi asked, peeking over to find Akaashi looking quite puzzled.
"Is that the name of another admin?" he asked.
Yamaguchi shook his head as he felt another wave of discomfort. He had no clue what was going on. Was the international undercover police that undercover Lillie had told him not to tell a single person about yesterday.
"What happened yesterday, Yamaguchi?" Akaashi pushed once more. "You know you can trust me and Bokuto, right?"
"Akaashi I- a lot- I," Yamaguchi found himself stumbling over his words. Perhaps he looked just as anxious as he felt for the next thing Yamaguchi knew he found Tsukki standing between himself and Akaashi.
"Is everything okay, you two?" Tsukishima asked, sending Akaashi a cold glare.
Tsukishima's threatening glare had very little effect on Akaashi. "Everything is just fine, Tsukishima," Akaashi cooly replied. "We were just catching up."
Tsukishima knew this was a lie. He picked up a plate of sandwiches and handed them to Yamaguchi. "You need to eat too," he said as he pushed him to where the others were sitting. "I'll help Akaashi clean up here."
"O-Okay," Yamaguchi sammered as he took the plate. He was thankful for Tsukki. It's not that he didn't trust Akaashi and Bokuto. If Lillie hadn't asked him to keep quiet he'd have told them already. He honestly wanted to but if they didn't even know who she was then maybe they weren't so involved with the investigation.
"We will talk more later, Yamaguchi," Akaashi called after. He didn't even flinch when Tsukishima sent him a death glare. "What?" he asked as he addressed Tsukishima.
Akaashi wasn't really the type to get on Tsukishima's nerves but he didn't appreciate the way he was pressuring his boyfriend. It pissed him off even more that he knew there was very little he could do to persuade Akaashi otherwise other than making sure to keep the two apart. He wouldn't be shocked if the whole reason Akaashi allowed Bokuto to join them today was so that he could chip away at Yamaguchi.
Yamaguchi joined the others, sitting between Yachi and Kageyama. He nibbled away at his sandwich as he did his best to engage in conversation. Bokuto talked wildly about an encounter he had once with a Celebi many years ago but what exactly happened Yamaguchi didn't catch. His mind was filled with the conversation he'd just had with Akaashi.
If Akaashi and Bokuto were also on the trail of Team Serpent then why did it seem like Akaashi hadn't a clue about the International Police getting involved? Perhaps Akaashi was also putting on a front. Yamaguchi's mind swirled with confusion as he tried to make sense of what was going on. He found himself glancing at Bokuto and Akaashi often, trying to figure them out. He wasn't shocked every time he looked at Akaashi to find him studying him just as intensely.
The two would stare silently at each other. They both seemed to have their secrets but neither would spill the beans. While Yamaguchi felt nothing but guilty Akaashi looked to be motivated. Yamaguchi once again felt like a prey animal being stalked. Why did things like this always happen to him?
"Yamaguchi… Yamaguchi!" Yachi's voice snapped Yamaguchi out of the intense staring match he and Akaashi had just been in.
"Wh-What!?" Yamaguchi nearly fell backward off the rock he'd been sitting on.
"A-Are you okay?" Yachi asked, her brow furrowed in worry. "We are about to head out but if you need to rest more…"
"I-I'm fine!" Yamaguchi insisted as he stood up. His knees shook a bit but he did his best to stand tall.
"If you say so," Yachi sighed, not sounding very convinced.
"I was just thinking, that's all," Yamaguchi said upon seeing how worried Yachi was. "I guess I got lost in it, that's all."
Yachi thought for a long moment, giving a small knowing nod. "Happens to me a lot, too. I sometimes can't get worries out of my head and just space out."
"Right," Yamaguchi nodded a little too eagerly.
"Hey, you two, are you ready?" Kuroo asked, breaking the conversation.
"We seem to be all situated," Yachi nodded.
"Great, let's get going then before it gets too late," Kuroo said, giving them both hearty pats on the back.
Yamaguchi spent the rest of their trek chatting about various things. Sylveon walked beside Yamaguchi with one of her ribbons wrapped around his wrist. This simple act alone helped to calm Yamaguchi. He was eventually able to ignore Akaashi altogether.
It was quite late when the group made it to the edge of the desert. They walked a little way into the woods and right away Yamaguchi could feel a difference in atmosphere. The desert had turned quite cold after the sun had set but the temperature rose slightly once entering the forest.
Everyone was exhausted and no one bothered to pitch a tent that night. They threw together a small campfire, shared a small snack and hit the hay. Curled up in his sleeping bag, Yamaguchi found himself wedged between Kageyama and Tsukishima. Sylveon helped herself into Yamaguchi's bag, curling up in his arms like the perfect stuffed animal. Hinata and Bokuto spoke loudly from the other side of the camp but Yamaguchi was far too tired to keep up with the conversation. This all felt like some sort of sleepover party. He felt the urge to point it out but was fast asleep before the thought ever got to his mouth.
That night Yamaguchi had strange dreams in bright blinding colors. He dreamt that he'd told Akaashi of Lillie and the true encounter he had in the tunnel only for everything to go wrong and the whole region was engulfed in flames. As he cried in despair his dream changed. This time he didn't tell Akaashi of Lillie and the truth only for Team Serpent to capture him and overtake the world. These dreams cycled like an out-of-control merry go round filling Yamaguchi with nothing but uncertainty and anxiety.
It was just as the sun was rising that Yamaguchi started to wake up. His heart was pounding in his chest as he groggily sat up. He felt like he hadn't gotten any sort of rest feeling just as exhausted now as he had felt when going to bed. His tired eyes scanned the campsite. It was a bit chilly and a cool mist hung in the air. No one else seemed to be awake. Yamaguchi found it odd that he hadn't had such wild dreams in such a long time. Stress dreams were something he was very familiar with. It was as this thought passed that he recalled Musharna hadn't been called out last night. In their exhaustion they had forgotten to do so.
Yamaguchi flopped back down in his sleeping bag. He curled up around Sylveon once more. The dreams only confused him more as he argued whether to talk with Akaashi once more before he left or not. It was all too confusing for him to even make a simple decision. These thoughts consumed him as he drifted off to sleep once more.
It was much warmer when Yamaguchi woke up for the second time. Their small campsite was bustling with energy and how he hadn't woken up earlier than this was a mystery to him. Yamaguchi stretched as he sat up. He felt much more awake and alert now, the dreams of before just a faded worry. He looked around to find Hinata and Kageyama arguing while Kuroo seemed to be heckling Tsukki once more. Yamaguchi scanned the site but Bokuto and Akaashi didn't seem to be anywhere in sight.
"Oh, Yamaguchi, good morning," Yachi greeted upon seeing him awake.
"Morning, Yachi," Yamaguchi replied with a long stretch of his arms. "Where are Akaashi and Bokuto?" he asked before he could stop himself.
"They left a while ago," Yachi replied before handing Yamaguchi a plate of pancakes and a mug of tea. "Better eat up. I think Kuroo wants to get going soon."
Thanking Yachi, Yamaguchi took the plate of food. He quietly munched away at his breakfast as his friends around him bustled about. He guessed he wouldn't have to worry about whether to tell Akaashi anything anytime soon. He just hoped he'd made the right decision.
As Yamaguchi ate his breakfast and gathered up his things he tried to focus on the future. Soon they would get to Lumiose City and after that Anistar Gym where he'd hopefully find out once and for all if his strange dreams were the cause of a psychic type pokemon or not. If it turned out he really was being contacted by some psychic Pokemon, he was more than certain it most likely involved Team Serpent. He just hoped the news went the other direction. The last thing he needed on top of all this was another thing to worry about.
"How'd you sleep?" Yachi asked in a very light-hearted manner. The two were currently stuffing their sleeping bags back into their backpacks.
"Fine, I guess," Yamaguchi shrugged before giving his sleeping bag a shove.
"It was kind of fun having everyone sleeping around the campfire like that," Yachi giggled. "Normally we all sleep in our tents."
Yamaguchi had thought the same thing last night only to fall asleep right away. By the way Yachi was giggling something must have occurred last night while he was asleep.
"Kuroo told a scary story last night that got Bokuto and Hinata all on edge," Yachi said through stifled giggles. "It was obviously made up and fake so I don't know how those two didn't realize it."
"It's because they are both idiots," Tsukishima mumbled, having eavesdropped on his boyfriend and Yachi.
"Hey, I heard that!" Hinata shouted from across the fire.
"Oh, I think I missed out on that story," Yamaguchi hummed as Hinata went after his boyfriend.
"You fell asleep pretty fast last night," Yachi agreed. "Tsukishima and Kageyama were both snapping at anyone who got too loud."
"Oh, really?" Yamaguchi mumbled, feeling quite embarrassed. He had been so tired last night he didn't think anything could have woken him up.
"Is everyone ready to head out?" Kuroo asked, causing Yachi and Yamaguchi's conversation to cut short. "We should try to get on the road soon."
"I'm all ready," Yamaguchi replied, slinging his bag onto his back.
The others followed suit in similar fashion. With their bags on their backs they checked over the area one last time to make sure nothing was forgotten. Apparently, Hinata was famous for leaving things behind.
Yamaguchi mentally went over all items he had taken out last night and what he recalled packing this morning. He was pretty sure all his things were safely packed away. He looked over to see Hinata finding a sock in a bush, not noticing Kuroo standing closely beside him.
"Hey," Kuroo whispered into Yamaguchi's ear.
Yamaguchi gave a great 'eep' as he jumped back a little. "Kuroo, don't do that," he gasped upon realizing who it was.
"Sorry," Kuroo smiled wickedly. "It's just fun to see you jump," he said as he passed a note to Yamaguchi. "Akaashi wanted me to give this to you."
Yamaguchi studied Kuroo for a long moment trying to decide if Kuroo was in cahoots with Akaashi. With the way Kuroo smiled he didn't seem to be aware of Akaashi's digging. He slowly took the letter from Kuroo. "Thank you."
Kuroo gave a nod before joining Kenma on the other side of the clearing. Yamaguchi's eye followed him for only a moment before turning his attention to the note Kuroo had passed him. It was a small blue envelope. He turned it in his hands, finding only his name neatly written on the front of it.
With a little hesitation he turned the envelope over and opened it. From it he pulled out a small neatly folded piece of paper. He gently unfolded it, revealing its message. The message was short and to the point.
In neat letters it read 'Please reconsider telling me what actually happened at the Power Plant. I think it may be valuable information for our lead on the evil team. I'll be contacting you again soon. Until then, take care and be safe. -Akaashi'
Yamaguchi read the small message several times. Each time his stomach did an uncomfortable flip. He didn't like withholding information like this from his friends but he couldn't forget what Lillie had told him. Not to tell anyone. Feeling a little uneasy, he folded the letter back up and placed it back in the envelope. He shoved the small envelope into his pocket and tried to forget about it.
"You okay?" Tsukisima asked upon seeing how tense Yamaguchi was.
"I'm fine," Yamaguchi nodded as he unconsciously leaned into Tsukki's side, taking him by the hand. His other hand soon found Sylveon's ribbon intertwined with it.
"If you say so," Tsukishima mumbled, giving his boyfriend's hand a gentle kiss. "I'm here if you need me."
Sylveon trilled happily from the other side of Yamaguchi as if to agree.
Yamaguchi felt a little more at ease standing between the two. Something about it made him feel safe. The future held many uncertainties for him but with Tsukki and his pokemon team by his side he would give it his best.
Author Note:
Did Yamaguchi make the correct decision by not saying anything? Will he be able to find answers in Anistar City? Will things ever be able to calm down for our heroes. Stay tuned to find out that and more.
Hey all! Thank you so much for leaving kodes, comments and reviews. I really love hearing from you all so do leave a comment if you have time. Also, thank you to everyone who has read up to this point. I appreciate it.
As for the rating of this fic I am still maybe going to consider bumping it to an M just in case there are people here who are more sensitive to intimacy ;D if you know what I mean. There won't be any sex in this fic (Sorry I am not going to write that /) but things may get steamy and our boys may get handsy with each other if you get what I am saying.
Anyways, see you all in the next chapter. You take care!