Chapter 1 - Milo
Today is yet another beautiful day of summer. All I can look forward to is to bathe in the warmth of the sun, stroll through the woods, and take in nature's bounty. It's the season of relaxation, and I intend to take full advantage of it. I can spend the whole day, and the next, taking siestas whenever I want with not even a care in the world.
I live in a humble settlement that is too big to be considered a village yet too small to be considered a town or a city. It nonetheless has been dubbed Cradle Town by its founders. Situated in a temperate forest, pretty much any Pokémon can call this place home. The town's main attraction is the plaza, located smack dab in the middle of everything. The plaza has all the things a respectable town should have: a Kecleon shop, a Kangaskhan storage house, a Pelipper post office, and other recreational buildings, like schools, restaurants and libraries. It's also because just about every other town has these kind of things, that there's nothing really outstanding about this place. Aside from the inn and possibly a few shopkeepers, no one really lives at the plaza. Inhabitants instead opt to live a certain distance from it, usually within a reasonable walking distance. Homes dot around the landscape in no particular order. A residential map of the town would probably look like someone kept on randomly jabbing a piece of paper with a pencil, with each dot representing someone's dwelling. Housing can range from hollowed-out trees, dens that resemble hobbit homes, houses made to look like oversized stumps, etc. The motif in the town's architecture clearly aims to preserve the natural beauty of the forest - a style that I'm sure most of its inhabitants appreciate, myself included.
My humble stump house and I reside in a neighborhood built inside a large and circular clearing in the forest. Together with seven other identical buildings, our homes are positioned in a semicircle formation, making it very reminiscent of a cul de sac. If one were to stand in the middle of the imaginary half-circle, facing the houses, mine would be the leftmost one. And even if my house was still difficult to locate, it'd be hard to not notice the fenced off garden behind my home.
My beloved garden.
It is my pride and joy, and in some ways, my lifeline. It puts both food and coin on the table. The sweet smell of budding berry flowers never fails to relieve all the stresses of my daily life away. I'm willing to bet that it could even pacify a rampaging Primeape. It's like heaven in my backyard. This little pocket of paradise could use some better protection, however. I don't have fancy, whitewashed picket fences serving as guardians for my berry bushes, but rather an enclosure of my own making. It's frankly just a shabby construction of sticks and branches propped up from the ground and tied together with thin lengths of rope. It's barely high enough to reach my chin if I stood on all fours and it probably won't be able to withstand the force of someone walking into it hard enough, but it gets the job done.
There are days where I could literally spend entire days, weeks even, laying around in my garden. I would know of course, as I fashioned a hammock at the edge of it, just for those occasions. Seeing as how the sun was clear in the sky and showering me with its warm glow, my plans for this afternoon shouldn't be different from others.
I begin my mornings by washing my face in a water trough right outside my backdoor, then, if my reserves start to run low, I go off to a nearby stream to refill it. Some of my neighbors happen to share similar routines as well, and I would exchange small greetings with them whilst dipping a bucket into the river.
Instead of pushing the entire container underwater and having to pull it back out, water and all, I like to save my muscles the trouble and lay the side of the wooden pail on the surface and let the water flows right into it, though today the current was stronger than usual, making it a considerable effort to just hold onto it and keep it from being washed away. I was so engrossed in keeping my paws on the bucket handle that I let a sly individual sneak up on me.
"Boo!"
My reaction was to be expected, even more so when such a noise is shot directly into my eardrums. I didn't feel any shame in the fact that I shrieked like a child from the initial shock, or that I lost my balance and almost fell into the river. Normally I would be embarrassed, but I was too overcome with distraught at the fact that I had lost my grip on my trusty bucket. I could do nothing but watch it float down the brook.
"M-My bucket!" I cried, extending an arm in a hopeless attempt to grab it.
Before I could even turn my head to frown at my perpetrator, a magnificent blur of green, tan, and hints of brown flew past me. Dumbfounded once again, I looked to where it was heading. The mysterious figure turned out to be another member of my species - a Leafeon, albeit of the more feminine persuasion. She was on the other side of the river, even though I could have sworn she was just on my side of it a mere moments ago. In just a few seconds, the Leafeon leaped across the tributary and caught the handle of my bucket with her maw midway through her jump. It was executed with such grace that I found myself staring at the spot of where she performed the feat, even though she had already padded towards me and sat down in front of me.
"Heyo, you still there?" She said, still giggling from her previous mischief. She removed the pail from her mouth and held it with her forepaws, gesturing me to take it. "Sorry about that."
I was so relieved to have my bucket back, safe and sound, that for a moment I had forgotten about her starting this whole fiasco in the first place. I blinked before reaching for it. "Oh uhh... it's alright."
"Not so fast, Milo." The Leafeon pulled my lost possession back and held it above her head as soon as my paws drew near. "Where's my gratitude for saving your beloved?"
I sighed before answering. "... Thanks, Mabel."
With a satisfied grin, she plopped the bucket onto the ground. I took it and dipped it under the water again, taking extra care to ensure that my grip on it was firm. "I didn't mean for you to lose it, but sometimes I forget how jumpy you are." She started chuckling again, putting a paw over her mouth as a show of modesty, even though it was way too late for that now. "The look on your face was so adorable!"
I tried not to react to her comment, but I could already feel myself getting flustered. "Yeah so, did you want something?"
Suddenly her smile went away and she pouted, like she was about to ask about something urgent. "I need someone to talk to right now." She confessed with puppy eyes, "Please, Milo?"
Seeing as she just pulled a prank me seconds ago, I was none too eager to hear her out. But just in case, I pressed her for a bit. "Need to vent?" I began filling up a second bucket that I had brought.
"Mm hm." She nodded solemnly.
"Is it what I think it is?"
"Mm hm."
"Did you mess another one up?"
"Mm hm."
I pulled the second container out, stood up on my hind legs, and exhaled heavily as I prepared for the long haul back home. I studied the Leafeon's pouty face as I bent down to pick up two heavy pails filled with water. She stared back with glistening brown eyes, which looked like they were about to fill up with tears soon. Given any other scenario, I would have never guessed that she was the brave and gallant hero who came to rescue my bucket damsel from the raging current.
For a moment, I briefly imagined how much her face would twist with sadness if I refused. If not for her devious ploy earlier, I wouldn't have lost a few minutes in my lifespan thanks to the scare she gave me. I also realized how severe her situation was, so I erased any more dark thoughts and caved. The fact that she offered to carry one of the buckets back home may or may not have helped in my decision making.
Every so often, Mabel comes over to have some idle chatter whenever she claims she has nothing better to do; "a little tête-à-tête" is what she likes to call it. Sadly, this was not one of those occasions. I tried not to look peeved about it when she told me that she was going through another break up with her new boyfriend that she apparently met a while ago. I've lost count of how many times she manages to sour her relationships with guys. Mabel seems desirable enough, so I must be missing something, but I still don't get how she does it.
Actually I might have an idea.
Either way, I was stuck listening to Mabel whine for almost an hour while I throw in a few words of sentiment every now and then. The scene was as nerve-wracking as it sounded, probably even more, and I was feeling terribly anxious from having to be put in such a situation, but I tried not to let it show. Thankfully, it sounded like her tantrum was about to end.
"After all the things we did together, how can he say that to me?"
"..."
"He said he was happy, and what does he do?! He tells me that 'we should start seeing other Pokémon'! Like, who does that?"
"..."
"You know what? I was going to dump him anyway! He just ended up saying it first!"
She puffed out her chest when she said that last sentence. Her sudden display of strength would've been more impressive if she hadn't started bawling her eyes out seconds later. I let her stay silent and shed some tears for a few minutes, though really I was just determining when I should make my approach without setting her off again. Fortunately, I saw my chance when she paused her weeping to toss another tissue into the trash bin. I seized the opportunity before she started pelting me with more of her sulky complaints.
I backed off from the wall I was leaning on and sat next to her on my bed, rubbing her back for extra effect. Consoling someone else was totally outside my expertise, but there was only one other Pokémon in the room besides the tearful Leafeon, and that was me. "C'mon Mabel, you've been though this so many times already." I placed a paw on her head and ruffled it soothingly. "This isn't like you, getting all sad because of some boy. I know you're stronger than this."
Slowly, she picked her head up to look at me. "But Milo, I-"
I stopped her as soon as I noticed tears forming up again. "Just listen to me for a second."
"But-"
I put my face so close to hers that our foreheads were almost touching, forcing her to make eye-contact, then I grabbed hold of her shoulders and rattled her slightly to get her to stay silent. "Mabel, please just listen. You've said yourself that it's best not to think about these things." I shook her again. "It's obvious that you wouldn't have been happy with that guy, so why keep beating yourself up over it? You can always just try again."
When I let go, she dropped her head and wiped the tears from her face. "Yeah…" She murmured. "Y-You're right. I just needed to cry for a bit."
I nodded silently in response. An uncomfortable silence ensued, broken up only by the occasional sniffle from her. I thought that since she hasn't moved yet, she must've been in need of something else. Though I wasn't quite sure what it was.
"..."
"..."
"Do you need a hug?"
Without saying anything, she promptly raised her arms. I accepted the invitation, though as great as it felt to comfort someone in their time of need, I couldn't help but despair at how long I would have to stay in this position.
I'm no motivational speaker, but I like to think that I'm capable of getting my points across when I need to. Mabel's long episode of crying until her eyes ran dry was not a unique situation that I was just tangled up in. It's a recurring event that, unfortunately, has no signs of stopping. At first, it truly was a difficult spot to be put in whenever she was in that ugly state. Nobody wants to be in such a scenario, but I am warmed at the notion that she is comfortable enough to burden me with such things, so it only makes sense to repay her trust by doing my part. My methods definitely aren't the best, since you can't expect much from someone like me, but I have gotten better at forming up the right words, thanks to all the practice I've gotten from numerous times Mabel comes to rant. Granted, all I do is just remind her of her dating philosophies, along with a couple other bolstering comments, but it's still an improvement compared to when I could only come up with the occasional odd sentence, like "it's gonna be alright", "screw that guy", or other phrases that sounded a lot better in my head. She probably knows that I'm not very great at it too, but I think she mainly comes to just dump her emotions and say her piece.
That being said, however, I'm confounded at how it's been little over a year and Mabel still can't find a match. Each time she comes to my door with a heavy heart, I find myself yearning more and more for the day when a dashing prince finally comes to sweep her off her feet. It's not like I plan on pushing her away after I've had enough of dealing with her sorrows, but I think I'm starting to be conditioned to feel dread after a few months or so have passed thanks to these rather consistent occurences. Until then, however, I get to reap the benefits of our friendship, since she usually feels entitled to pay me back for our impromptu therapy sessions.
Mabel thanked me several times and promised to make it up to me someday before leaving. After she left, I let out a tired sigh of relief that she was finally gone, then I went behind my house and threw myself onto my hammock. I always seem to underestimate how tiring it is to try to make someone feel better. Even though I'm glad it's finally over, I couldn't help but be a little self-conscious on what else I could've said to make her feel even better. It bothered me enough that I couldn't even fall asleep in my suspended loft. What was supposed to be a short, leisurely walk to the river had suddenly turned into a distraction that made my morning become noon. I would've much preferred to have spent that time relaxing, but I guess fate decided that I've been lounging around for long enough this summer.
I eventually decided that labor would be the best way to clear my mind. With the daily chore of fetching water from the river, among other things, all out of the way, I had nothing else to do but to start tending to my garden. I filled up a wailmer pail and began to douse my plants. I picked any ripe berries and put them in a basket. I tilled any soil that needed tilling. It took me about half an hour to do all that, and it already felt like I was back to being my regular, content, self again. Then I noticed tiny little intruders sprouting out from the ground near the stems of some crops, so I knelt down with a woven basket and prepared to start pulling weeds. Just as I was about to get down and dirty, a hearty voice bellowed in front of me.
"Hey Milo! Glad to see me?"
I looked up to glance at my visitor. A Flareon was resting his head on his arms as he leaned against my fence. I dropped my head back down before I spoke. I was still feeling tapped out from my last social engagement, so I tried to keep this exchange short.
"Oh uhh… yeah, sure." I wiped some sweat off my forehead. "Sorry, kinda busy right now."
He was unfazed by my evasive remark. "Don't be like that." He grinned. "Listen, it's been almost two weeks of you just moping about here, and it's starting to make me feel bad."
I started piling handfuls of weeds into a compost container, still refusing to make eye contact. "Is there a problem with that? I'm perfectly fine here."
"Yeah but you like, never go out."
"Only when I need to."
"That's what I'm saying. Point is, I'm not about to let you rot away here. So what do you say we hit the town this afternoon? Maybe grab a drink? Or maybe..."
I scoffed before giving him a sarcastic look. "This again? Did you forget what happened the last time I went with you?"
"Hey, that wasn't my fault!" He laughed. "And should I really be apologizing to you for that? Don't forget that I was the one who had to drag you home!"
"Maybe. But I would've preferred it if I was conscious the whole time. All I remember was taking a single sip out of something that I'm pretty sure was just water before I suddenly found myself back home. Anything could have happened, and all I have is your word for it."
"Why would I lie to you? You're not still mad about it, are you?"
"No, not anymore at least." I sat with my back against the same side of the fence that the Flareon was leaning on and breathed a sigh. "But you know how nervous I can get. This stuff's really out of my comfort zone."
"You just need to have more confidence in yourself. Look at it this way: someone liked you enough that they went out of their way to... err... steal you away for the night! That's gotta be one of the greatest compliments of all time!" He gave me a toothy grin. "C'mon, it's not like that happens all the time. We're young and fun! This is the age where we have to go out experimenting!"
I smiled, but it quickly went away. "Look, I'm perfectly happy by myself. You don't have to go out of your way to do this for me."
The orange eeveelution shook his head. "Stop being so stubborn. Just trust me when I say this: you're gonna look back on this day and regret it. You have to put yourself out there dude. And really, give me your honest opinion, don't you want someone to keep you warm at night? Or is your mind really set on dying alone? "
I opened my mouth to retort, but the words were inexplicably held at the tip of my tongue, like his question had knocked the wind out of me, and before I could attempt to answer again, the Flareon had already threw his arms up and began padding away.
"See? You're at the very least considering it. Alright, it's decided. We're hitting the town together." He stopped and pointed a paw at me. "And if you insist on being rooted here, I'll drag you there, kicking and screaming."
"But I'm already talking to a girl, there's really no point!" I exclaimed, sounding a lot more desperate than I'd like.
He spun around again to show me his smirk. "What, you mean Mabel? You and I both know there's nothing going on between you two." He, along with my hopes of spending the rest of the day sunbathing, continued his walk towards the edge of the clearing. "No use weaseling your way out of this one bud."
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