Title: React

Author: Fenikkusu Ai

Rating: T

Fandom: Pokemon

Pairing: Volo/Akari

Words: 909

Genre: Romance

Summary: The area they were standing in was pitch black dark with a few scant scatterings of fireflies, and Volo had a peculiar look in his eyes. Once more, Akari found that she had fallen again that fated night.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon: Legends Arceus.

"You seem a bit delicate, miss."

Akari had just tripped over a tree root, and she was scowling at him.

"Cynda! Cyndaquil!"

The pokemon-her pokemon-was moving frantically after them. Somehow, it had been left alone. Akari wondered if it sensed danger.

Danger for her?

Well, in any case, she couldn't even help herself right now.

Volo weaved a bit in place. "Maybe I should slow down for you or you might break something..."

"I'm not an old woman!" she snapped.

Volo appeared to wince at her loud voice. "I know. Still, you should be more fit seeing as how plump you are," Volo said then

She flushed to the roots oh her black hair. She growled. This walk was going from bad to worse.

"Are you calling me fat?"

Volo shook his head. "No, you misunderstand. You're just very healthy. In fact, you always seemed to have a noble countenance about you. You're also quite intelligent and very learned."

Well, school would do that for you. If you cared about your grades that is.

"Everyone is like this in my world," she said defensively.

Volo stopped in his tracks. "Well then, I suppose the future does get better. Then, is everyone this comfortable?"

Akari shrugged. "Pretty much, yeah. we can relax a lot if you're lazy and you can eat pretty much anything you want."

Volo pressed his fingers to his chin in his thinking pose. "Interesting."

"...but here everything takes work a lot of work you even have to make your own pokeballs!" Akari couldn't restrain herself from complaining.

There were no pokemarts. At least not yet. No gyms either.

Volo was staring at her again.

"Yes, and here and you have to fight." His ddd eyes glinted. "Everyone has to survive. The pokemon too." He turned his back for a moment. "And, not everyone is nice. Perhaps this world is more authentic."

"Well, not everyone is nice in my world either," Akari sputtered.

Oh, if was beginning to misjudge her that would be unfortunate She liked him and wanted their relationship to be harmonious. Their friendship. Clearly, she meant their friendship.

"But I'm nice to you aren't I?" He was facing her again and had moved even closer to her.

It was slightly unnerving that he was this close.

His face had an almost eerie radiance to it. An odd glow indeed.

What was his point?

Her thoughts erratically stumbled around each other. "I suppose."

She was being too passive, and she supposed that she would be corrected. Eventually.

The two finally began moving again and walked in silence a bit. Akari focused on the crickets chirping, and she wondered where Volo's mind was.

She had no idea how many paths that they had been on tonight. Were they lost? The cities hadn't been built yet, and the wilderness was so vast. She hoped that Volo knew where he was going. But, apparently, she didn't as she stepped and then stumbled on a rather large stone in the path. She lost her footing as she tilted and collapsed onto the dirt once more.

"You can't keep falling down." Volo chided her from above.

There was no moon so that was part of the problem of walking on twisting forest paths in the middle of the teeming night. The darkness was treacherous with no electric lights. Brigands or feral pokemon could be lurking in the shadows or both.

At first, she was beyond words when Volo bent down and scooped her up. He began to carry her.

"Excuse me?" she began to tremble and she knew that he could feel her movements.

"It's okay. I don't mind. You're dear to me, Akari." He smiled. "I don't want you to get hurt anymore."

Akakri knew that she really was beginning to flush and he could see it up close and personal. He was still celestially pale even in this hot summer. Volo was in his own element. Subdued. He shone with his own inner light.

She spied what she thought was a smile. The area they were standing in was pitch black dark with a few scant scatterings of fireflies.

And, Volo had a peculiar look in his eyes. Akari was beginning to feel a certain way. He was so close...

And, without any warning at all, Volo bent down and pecked her on the lips.

"That was so...unexpected. Akari's eyes were still open and she was breathing so hard..."

She could feel her cheeks grow red as berries, and the sound of her pulse was so loud, she swore that she was lost in an ocean of blood it was a good thing that she could swim then.

And, she was so lame and couldn't' think of a reply. She hadn't even stopped him.

He finally pulled away "You're still speechless," he crowed. "Did I unnerve you?"

He sounded so innocent, but it was a ruse.

He still wanted a reaction out of her. However, she had already given him one.

As Volo stared right into her face, perhaps it was her good fortune that it was this dark because he couldn't read the expression on her face or her big wet eyes.

But, first she had to debate that if she had even wanted to stop him even if she had known his intentions. Maybe this kiss was long awaited.

Once more, Akari found that she had fallen again that fated night.

She had fallen for him.

A/N: For the title, I was thinking of The Pussycat Dolls song "React."