Chapter 6 - Unravel

I couldn't sleep that night. I was shaking until the sun rose, even though I wasn't cold. I was only able to bring myself out of bed when I heard tons of voices outside. I looked out a window to see the same gathering of my neighbors, no doubt waiting to see me again. It looks like some of them spilled the beans to some of their friends too, since I noticed that their numbers were slightly bigger. The majority of them were waving around a newspaper this time. The front page had a black and white picture of my dopey-looking face. It perfectly captured how dumbstruck I was to see that Eevee barge into my home and flaunt my secret identity like it was some toy.

That girl could teach me a few things on how to invade on someone's privacy.

I don't think any of them saw me peeking, but some of them might have heard the "clicks" I made by locking every possible entry point into my house. They can wait all they want, I'd sooner have a battle of wits with Joy than go out there. Presenting myself to them for their amusement isn't exactly on my to-do list for today. I don't care if the weekend is over and classes start in a couple hours, I'd rather miss a few days of school than show myself to the world right now. Soon the entire population will hear about me, and while they may want to thank me for saving some of their lives, I don't want to hear it. I don't want to be recognized. There are bound to be those who want laugh at me or try to size me up the second I open up my front door, and I'm going to let going to let them embarrass me! There's no way I'd be willing to face them, especially not all at once.

An hour passed and the crowd was starting to grow restless. Their impatience was admittedly starting to frighten me. What if they decide to force their way in? There's not much I can do if they all barge in together to apprehend me. The thought of them wanting to parade me through the streets made me tremble under my covers as I waited for them to breach their way in.

Thankfully, my pessimism never came to fruition, and the congregation dispersed around noon. Still, for the duration of when I was under siege, I felt like my life was in genuine jeopardy. Even if they're gone for now, that doesn't mean it's safe to go outside.

Another round of knocking came around when I was certain that the coast was clear, but the voice that followed made me unsure if I should be feeling glad or afraid.

"Yo Milo, it's me, Flynn." The voice said tiredly. "What the hell's going on? How come all our neighbors were outside your house?"

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"It means I don't know, dumbass. I just woke up dude." I heard him yawn loudly through the door. "You getting lynched or something?"

I scoffed. "Just go look at the news, you'll see."

"Why do you sound so pissed off?" He questioned. "Wanna let me in?"

"I'll pass. Let's just say I had a rude awakening."

He chuckled. "Ahh, so you are getting lynched. Don't worry, I'm still on your side, whatever it was that you did."

"It's not like that." I exhaled heavily. "I kinda want to be alone right now. So could you please go away? Don't you have a lecture this morning?"

"Nah, they all got cancelled."

My brow furrowed, not that he could see my expression anyway. "What? Why? Aren't finals coming up?"

"I dunno, but I'm not complaining. You've got me curious though, so tell you what: I'll leave you for now, but I'll come back once I figure out why everyone's so riled up."

"I'd prefer it if you didn't come back." I muttered.

"Too late, see ya!"

A few hours passed by with me staring at nothing before Flynn returned, this time with a more vigorous blow on my door.

"Oooooh man! You're that weird ninja guy? Everyone on campus won't stop talking about you!" He spouted eagerly.

This time I refused to answer.

"Like, holy shit dude! I almost can't believe it! You couldn't even talk to girls! And now I hear that you're the one who saved a pal of mine from his crazy ex?"

"..."

"Milo, you there? Open up so I can see the man behind the scarf."

"I said I want to be alone. Just leave me be."

"Why? You beating off?"

"Flynn, I'm serious. Go away."

"Fine, but you're gonna have to tell me all about it eventually."

"That's none of your business."

He snorted before walking off. "Yeah, if you say so." He said sarcastically.


The next couple days began with at least one Pokémon in front of my house attempting to receive an audience with me. Thankfully there were no more mass rallies on my front lawn, which meant all but my most stubborn neighbors have gotten the message that I wasn't going to answer their pleas to come out and meet them. Sure, it was rude on so many levels to ignore them, but so is knocking on my door first thing in the morning. After a while, I learned to tune out any sort of coaxing from outside, including Flynn's. I was bored out of my mind waiting for all the excitement to die down to a more comfortable level, but it was still the lesser of two evils, as being a house hermit was a million times better than being outside in the town's current climate. Can't they see that I don't want any attention?

I can't believe that this was what all my hard work has led to. Just a month ago I was enjoying the glory days up in the trees and feeling like I could take on the world. Now all I've been doing is wallowing away in a corner instead of doing anything remotely productive. The only thing I could do at home was think, specifically about how the brave and bold nature that I thought I gained recently was from the feeling of being anonymous, not from being a hero. It was because nobody could associate me with my alter ego that I could do such daring things, but now that my cover has been blown and I have nothing else to hide behind, it's like I haven't changed at all.

I'm so pathetic...

Today saw a slight improvement in which I wasn't woken up by someone drumming on my door, throughout the day however, I'd still see someone outside half the time I look out my window. Perhaps they're becoming more discouraged, or maybe they've switched tactics to instead wait for me to come out on my own before they make their approach. The former reasoning would be preferred, because I unfortunately won't be able to keep up my isolation forever. I'd like to play the waiting game, but I have learned that being indoors for more than a few days is the method to my madness. I've been inside for so long it's starting to seem like the walls are closing in on me. It hasn't been a week yet and my food supplies are running low, and rationing them would only prolong the suffering of my self-induced solitary confinement. My garden has started to shrivel up too, so in order to restock my kitchen, I would need to go into town. Leafeon's just aren't cut out for spending extended periods under a roof. It's practically a requirement for my species to go outside. I've become so deprived of sunlight that I think I'm starting to turn pale.

It's probably going to take years for me to disappear from the public eye, and I definitely won't survive being indoors for that long, so I might as well admit defeat sooner rather than later. Hopefully it won't be so bad. There really isn't anything dangerous about someone simply wanted to thank me for something I did in the past, but I should still keep an eye out for any potential signs of trouble. It's mostly the Pokémon that are going to try to talk to me that worries me. I can handle the occasional one-on-one exchange, which isn't saying much for an introvert, but any more than that and I'm liable to keel over from an anxiety attack.

I'm so, so pathetic...

I laid on my couch as I planned out my grocery list for when I would emerge. I'll probably get recognized faster than a Blitzle on overdrive, so I'm not even going to try to stay stealthy. My main priority is get back home as quick as possible. It should be simple, since all I need is to procure enough provisions to prepare for my next hibernation period, though I hopefully won't have to if my popularity doesn't turn out to be as bad as I'm expecting. It pained me just to think about spending another minute in my house with all the curtains closed, but this is all for the survival of my sanity. I just have to keep telling myself that this will only last until I'm no longer in the spotlight.

The next day was when, for once, fortune decided to smile upon me. My neighbors had not showed up at my front yard to pester me even once so far. It by no means suggests that they've given up completely, but it did help me in deciding to finally come out of my shell. It was only until late afternoon when I was absolutely sure that no one was around. Stepping out onto the grass for the first time in a week was like walking on a cloud, and the feeling the warm sun on my face nearly put me into a state of ecstasy. But this is no time to be side-tracked! I scanned my surroundings feverishly to make doubly sure no one was within sight, then went on my way to town with a modest pouch of Poké.


I arrived towards the town center unnoticed. It was a good start, until the little reporter girl spotted me before I could even step onto the pavement of the plaza. Of course she would be the first Pokémon I'd come across.

"There you are, mister!" She bounded over to me. "Can I ask you some questions?"

I froze momentarily at the sight of her. "Ermm… not really. I have things to do."

"Oh c'mon, please? Don't you think that you owe me for making you famous?" She pouted. "I've been waiting forever for you to come around. Where were you anyway?"

"I've been uhh... around."

She eyed me suspiciously. "Hmm, you haven't been trying to hide from me, were you?"

"... No?"

"Suuuure you haven't." She nodded in an unconvinced manner, then she pulled a notepad and pen out of her furry collar. "Whatever. You're lucky I'm in a good mood today. So, how 'bout those questions?"

"Sorry, but I really have to get going now." I huffed impatiently when I noticed a crowd starting to circle around us. I looked for an opening and started trotting away.

"Hey, wait a sec!" The Eevee caught up. "This'll be quick! Tell me, do you like it here in Cradle Town? Are there any relatives that we can contact? And what inspired you to go around saving others?" She shoved her notebook up to my face as she prepared to record my responses.

The nerve of her to ask such personal questions! She made me an involuntary celebrity, and now she wants to capitalize on it?

Are all journalists this ruthless?

Choosing to respond to her will only paint a bigger target on my back, so I kept on shaking my head and maintained a brisk walking pace. I finally managed to lose her after blending in with a wave of passerby. I wiped some sweat that had accumulated off my forehead when I was sure she was gone, and I stopped by the fountain for a breather. I was fidgeting in my seat as I scanned my surroundings to see if anyone else started to take an interest in me, but all I was able to conclude was that everyone was more focused on going about their day to even bother. The town center is also the busiest place around afterall. I sighed as I got up to begin working on my errands.

I made the unfortunate discovery that whenever I was in more intimate, confined, and generally less public places, like the grocery store, for example, was when Pokémon were more likely to approach me. They were all extremely eager to express their gratitude for my exploits, shake my paw, ask for my name, and do every other pleasantry that made me uncomfortable, though all kinds of social interactions with strangers make me uneasy, so it wasn't good for me either way. Quite a number of Pokémon had the notion that I recognized them too when I rescued them once upon a time, which made it even more awkward when I had to tell them I didn't. I can't be the only one who doesn't remember faces after just one meeting, especially when I was trying so hard to hide mine from them. It used to be a chore for me to remain inconspicuous and minimize the need to communicate with others whenever I went into town, but now it's impossible to do when everybody's trying to speak to me at the slightest opportunity. There isn't a thing I should be concerned about. I was getting praised and sometimes even rewarded for my deeds. A bunch of elderly Pokémon offered to bake me cookies for apparently rescuing their grandkids, and it was tempting to not decline them. I also got a personal discount at the Sunkern Café from the manager when I tried to order some dinner to-go, whom I vaguely recall saving when the Sunflora almost tripped into a poisonous thorn bush while they were out for a walk.

So far, I've yet to come across any consequence that comes close to being considered negative, and there probably won't ever be any. It only further compounds the guilt I have for being afraid of something that's not only totally harmless, but objectively beneficial. I'm sole reason of my problem. I just can't stand being under so much pressure. I truly am glad that everyone is reacting positively towards me, but it made me feel awful for pushing them away when they're just trying to be nice. I wanted nothing more than to be seen as a normal citizen again.

My supply run ended up being shorter than what I had planned, since the amount of Pokémon that have come up to me was overwhelming. I was exhausted from just going into a few stores and getting swamped by my fellow shoppers, so I had to make my retreat sooner. I already expected my crippling social anxiety to be my downfall, so I wasn't too disappointed by my failure. The main takeaway was that no one appeared to want to pick a fight with me, so I guess I was overreacting on that part. Still, I was proud to have taken my first steps out of my comfort zone and back into society. I had the urge to keep this up, so I willed myself to go back to school the next morning.

With the help of Flynn letting me copy all the notes I missed, I was able to reincorporate myself back into my classes, which was unfortunately the only thing I had to look forward to. My interactions turned out to be far worse than the ones I had in town. I stuttered a lot as I tried to act humble towards all the compliments I was getting, likely because they were my peers, rather than feeling flattered when I get comments from anybody else. Everyone who used to simply pass me by in the hallways like any normal student were now stopping to try to get on my good side, acting like I was some long-lost friend that they happened to remember having. The popular boys, girls, and even the sport jockeys, who tend to act like elitists towards anybody who's not apart of their chosen athletics, were giving me slaps on the back and inviting me to hang with them afterschool. I had finally gotten to know what it was like to be the "cool kid", so to speak, but it's something I never really wanted in the first place, so I can't say that I'm liking it. By the second day of my return back to campus, I was already wishing that I could fade back into the background.

I shouldn't be surprised, but it was also a little disheartening to see how Mabel has been actively avoiding me ever since she found out that I was the object of her recent fantasies. She turns beet-red whenever I try to talk to her in between lectures, before making some excuse that she has to go to some club that she apparently joined. I don't blame her. I'd probably cope with the misunderstanding much worse if I were her, though I wish she could've found out about it in a better way. It would have been way more appropriate if I was the one to break it to her. Too bad a certain Eevee beat me to it. I was really hoping I could get a chance to apologize to her, but there's an unmistakable air of tension between us now, and I don't think I will be able to anytime soon.


The next few weeks were getting marginally better. The hype around me diminished with each passing day, and I was slowly getting used to my celebrity status, which isn't saying much, but at least I was comfortable enough return to reclining on my hammock and breathe in the sedative aromas my garden gave off. It was the little things like these that helped me relax and recover from avoiding Pokémon all day. At this rate, I may be able to have some semblance of peace and quietness in a matter of months. It was a comforting thought, but that was assuming ideal conditions. Even if my estimations are correct, my popularity will never truly fade away. Everybody knows what I did, and things will never be the same because of it.

There are certainly worse things than being idolized by the community. For starters, no one was called me a geek yet, since nobody knows I was inspired by comic book illustrations, of all things. Still, I was confined to my house a lot more often than I would've liked, as I couldn't go on hikes or sunbathe on the moss rocks around the forest anymore without the dreadful feeling that I was being watched. My mailbox has recently become my sole source of entertainment at home, due to it constantly being flooded with fan mail. I put them off for a while at first, but curiosity slowly got the best of me, and I surmised that it wouldn't hurt anybody if I read a few a them. A smile appeared on my face when I tore open an envelope to find a crayon drawing of me wearing my scarf. A little kid must've drawn it. There's something pure about children looking up to you that does wonders in lifting one's spirits.

A similar fuzzy feeling resonated inside of me as I went through the next couple envelopes, but then it was quickly snuffed out by a crudely written letter that I had just picked out. It was written with a pencil on lined paper, along with terrible penmanship. There was only a single sentence on the page, which basically taunted me into having a "one-on-one" with whoever wrote this. He or she decided to stay anonymous by not signing their name. They called me a fraud and dared me to meet at some place in town so I can prove my mettle, but they never designated an actual location.

Just when I thought no one hated me for what I did...

Reading it sent a chill down my spine, but I shook my head to rid myself of any concern. I've already gone through the nightmare of having a horde appear right outside my door, so I wasn't going to let some silly words darken my day! There's no point in having to prove myself, now that I've put my days of heroism behind me, so I crumpled up the note and went on to read more pleasant postcards. I don't think it was arrogant of me to brush off such a threat, but who in this town would go through with it? They didn't even include where and when we were going to meet, so there was no way the sender was being serious. The best thing I could come up with was that it was Flynn trying to pull my leg. Whatever the case may be, I doubt anyone would act so malicious.

I yawned as I snuggled into a more comfortable position on my suspended canvas, preparing for a long overdue nap. Putting up with everything has happened so far has taken so much out of me, but at least I'm through the thick of it. I've finally reached the recession stage, in which I simply have to wait for everything to calm down to normal. I needed happy thoughts like these to get me day, or at least loosen myself up enough to fall asleep. Coincidentally, my decision to get some shuteye also happened to be the exact moment for someone to sneak up on me, again. Maybe I should start napping in my bedroom instead of my backyard.

Well if it isn't the hero of the century.

I cracked an eye open to see an Espeon twirling her two-pronged tail right above my nose. It was so close that even though it never actually touched, it still tingled my senses enough to make me sneeze. She smiled at the results of her tampering with my immune system. For a moment I thought I had jinxed what I was thinking earlier and the author of that sinister memo had actually decided to come for me.

"Joy? What are you doing here?"

Oh, nothing much.

I tilted my head to glance behind her. "How come Mabel isn't with you?"

That's why I'm here. She hopped over my fence and wafted in the aromas coming from the crops I resurrected days ago, And talk to me through your mind, dummy.

"But there's nobody around to-" I bit my tongue when I saw her glare at me. I mean… yeah, right. Sorry.

She shook her head. I wanted to talk about Mabel.

... Go on.

First of all, do you know what you've done to her? She's a mess!

I held my paws up defensively. Hey, don't look at me! I wasn't the one who told her!

I know that already, but why did it have to be you?

What'd I do?

The Espeon rolled her eyes. Everything else pretty much! Of all the Pokémon that everyone's been making a fuss about, why did it have to be you?

I can't be the one at fault here! You guys weren't supposed to find out! In fact, this is all an invasion of privacy!

That's not the point! Don't you realize how weird this is?

For you? What about me? Do you think I wanted all this attention?

Well… no. But you definitely don't understand how bad it has been for Mabel.

I mean… I guess. How is she doing?

Her eyes narrowed. Are you dense? She's fallen head over heels for you!

I sat up from my hammock. What? You mean she's not mad at me? How come she never wants to talk to me then?

Do I have to spell everything out for you?

But why would she ever be into me? We're just friends, and I don't she ever wanted to be anything more than that.

That's all in the past! Now she won't stop talking about the time you saved her life!

She couldn't have known it was me at that time. Besides, there's no way those guys back then were actually going to kill her.

Doesn't matter. She pointed an accusing tail at me. What matters now is that you need to do something about it.

But… I'm not the guy I was months ago. It's like she's in love with someone else!

That's not my problem. I don't care how you do it, just make sure Mabel's back to normal.

I sighed. Looks like I'm alone in this endeavor. The lavender eeveelution jumped outside my enclosure and began walking away. Noticing her leave, I rolled off my hammock and started to head back inside my house to think up a plan, but then she turned around and quickly retraced her steps. I assumed she had forgotten to say something, though whatever it was must be making her uncomfortable, due to her obvious attempt to avoid eye-contact.

Oh and… one more thing.

What is it?

I… I've been wanting to thank whoever this mysterious Pokémon was. For… you know, saving Mabel and all that.

My ears perked up. Could it be? The famously stoic Joy is actually capable of emotions, or better yet, gratitude?

But of course it had to be you, so… She made cautious steps towards me.

My face lit up with surprise. Are my eyes deceiving me? Was she blushing?

Without thinking, I moved my face closer to hers to try to confirm my findings. "Joy… are you…?"

"H-Hey!" She almost barreled backwards, and her face colored as much as Mabel's whenever I get near her. Stop it! Don't make this harder than it should be!

I couldn't contain my excitement, and I put on a huge grin. I don't care how long she has been tormenting me whenever Mabel was around. Seeing her finally lose control of her calm and collected temper made it all worth it. It might've been the best thing to happen to me since I first moved here. Just having this one small victory over her made me ecstatic.

"Oh my god." I closed the distance between again so I could fully enjoy the spectacle. "You're not actually going to-"

Her face flushed even more, and before I could realize that I was pushing my luck too far, she slapped me. It caught me so off guard that I staggered backwards and fell hard on my rump.

"What the hell are you smiling about!?" She screeched, cutting me off before I could say anything. "Thank you, okay?! Is that what you've been wanting to hear?!" She yelled before stomping out of the clearing. "Now go sort things out with Mabel before I smack you again!"

I stared at where she disappeared from sight and rubbed the spot on my cheek where her paw made contact. She had slugged me so hard that I was suddenly more baffled at the fact that a petite girl like her could throw such a mean punch, more so than her finally losing her cool. I guess I did get a little too full of myself by provoking her.

Whoops.


The next day, Joy went back on her word when she said she wouldn't help me with Mabel. She coached me on what to expect and how I should respond, but her suggestions sounded more like sarcasm rather than advice. She couldn't seriously believe that I would agree to such obnoxious things. Did she really think I was going to agree with throwing myself onto Mabel and comply to all her desires, no matter what they may be? I really do want to cheer her up, but there are better ways to do it! Joy even gave me a piece of paper that listed her questionable methods to ensure I wouldn't forget them. It was a nice gesture, but I ended up throwing it away the moment she left. Even if I were to take her words to heart, I wouldn't be able to because of her surprisingly awful handwriting. I could barely read some of the words she wrote.

Basically, I was still on my lonesome. Joy told me that she would be away from their dorm today since she had to attend a meeting for her trip on studying abroad, and made me promise that I clear things up with Mabel while she was gone. She can talk all she wants about how it's better to get it over with rather than wasting time worrying about it - though those are some pretty good words to live by - I know she just wants to kill two birds with one stone. I wasn't too keen on sorting out this situation so soon, but at the same time I wasn't looking to get a concussion the next time I disappointed Joy either.

Unfortunately, the fear she instilled upon me wasn't enough to get me to muster up the courage to confront Mabel. All day, I was contemplating how exactly I was going to convey my message. I thought it would be easy, given all the times I had comforted her before with her usual relationship problems, but this was a completely different matter. This time I was the villain! What cruel thing have I done in the past to be put in such a strange situation? I was paced around my home as I made rehearsals in my head until I believed that I was versed enough on what I wanted to say. I didn't realize until I was done that the day had long been over, and the sky was pitch black when I looked out a window.

Crap.

When I heard someone at my door, I opened it with the expectation of seeing an Espeon winding up another strike towards my skull for disobeying her orders. What I found instead was much worse. Joy had decided to take matters into her own two paws and sent Mabel to me instead. My mind hit a total blank when I saw her in front of me. My preparation was all but wasted when my entire mental script was being held at the tip of my tongue. The only things that did come out were nothing but jumbled phrases.

"Oh… umm… H-Hey Mabel! What a surprise to see you here!" I leaned against the door frame and started scratching my arm skittishly. A pleasant, flowery scent filled my nostrils.

Perfume?

When she picked her head up to look at me, she began to look more squeamish than she already did. I could tell that she wasn't exactly on board with Joy's idea as well.

"Hi Milo." She said meekly. "Can we… can we talk somewhere more private?"

"What do you mean? What's wrong with talking about it here?"

"N-Nothing, just-... just follow me okay? I wanna show you something."

After a few minutes of me almost tripping over tree roots and sticks since it was so dark out, I was led to a part of the forest I had never seen before. It was beyond the river where I'd go fetch water. Up until now, I never had a reason to cross it. We came across a clearing that was almost as big as the one that my neighborhood occupied, but this one was devoid of any sort of civilization. Under the bright illumination of the moon, there instead was only a small stump right in the middle of the wide expanse. The first thing I thought when I saw the place was how great of a sunbathing spot it could be, and I made a mental note of its location.

Mabel motioned for me to take a seat on the elevated wooden platform, before taking a spot about a foot away from me. Then a long silence ensued. Minutes began to feel like hours, and I was getting more and more unnerved by the intense environment we were building up. I changed my perspective from the grass to the sky to cope with the awkwardness. It didn't take long for me to become entranced by the beauty of the shiny dots in the sky, it was so dazzling that it made my mouth go ajar.

"Pretty, right?"

I looked to see Mabel following my gaze. "Uhh… yeah, it is." I responded amateurishly before resuming my stargazing, only to do a double-take right after. Strangely, the low light levels actually helped to encapsulate her features so perfectly. I noticed how slender her figure was, as well how vibrant and lustrous her fur was in comparison to mine. It was also more uniform than usual, and I wondered if she had groomed herself for this occasion as well.

I looked back up before she could catch me staring. I knew very well that being caught could lead to a disaster - on my part, that is.

Soon I was back into becoming lost in the stars above as I tried to conjure up a good icebreaker. My ears twitched when I heard muffled noises, but I dismissed it as simple forest ambiance. I should have given it more consideration though, as it turned out to be the sound of Mabel scooching closer to me. Before I could realize our proximity, she had already planted her lips onto my cheek.

..!

I somehow managed to stop myself from crying out in surprise, but I recoiled so badly that I almost fell off the stump. Joy said that I should be ready for anything, but I would have never predicted something so bold.

I could feel Mabel's heart sink when she saw how I reacted, causing a terrible guilt to run through me. However, it didn't stop her from enacting phase two of her offensive. She closed the distance I had made and gently reached for my right paw. She caressed it for a moment before holding it close to her chest. Her cheeks were so rosy.

"Milo I… I love you."

My mind started to fog when my eyes locked with hers. Simply staring at her amber-brown eyes shimmering in the moonlight was hypnotic. They looked so full of hope, and it made my heart skip a beat. Miraculously, I caught my rising anxiety and clasped my cheeks before I broke down into a nervous wreck, not caring about how odd it might've seemed to her.

I didn't come here to be embarrassed! I came here to bring her back to normal!

Amidst the moment, I suddenly remembered the words I had forgotten the second she appeared at my doorstep.

I pulled my arm away from her tender grip and dropped my head slightly so I couldn't see her face. I couldn't bring myself to look at her anymore. I took a deep breath before speaking as steadily as one could get in a situation like this.

"I'm sorry…"


Hope you all had a great time reading this chapter! I hope I'll see you all back here soon!