A/N: Sorry for delays, depression and distraction both struck pretty hard. And needing to buy a new computer. Also, shoutouts to leaks being true with the SV release. Which I need to figure out what I'm using on; not necessarily limited to six either.
How had things ended up this way?
"It was an accident, Nori. Just an accident."
It was just an accident. One that he could've avoided if he wasn't so stupid! His aquaphobia made Pawniard act on his own. He did what felt natural, violence. But no one was in the mood to listen to him. Even Pachi didn't seem to want to talk with him and wanted to be recalled. Ultimately, he was left alone with his thoughts.
"You can do this. You made it through worse…"
Nori didn't know what to do or what to think. Everything had been going smoothly until those five seconds of fear, then everything went wrong. Even though he had Anthony sign the waiver, there were going to be consequences. Some people were not going to ever forgive him, maybe rightfully so. The Officials weren't going to be happy. It hadn't even been a week and their new operative caused trouble. He was not looking forward to the inevitable talk about it.
"So just…" He halted. "You'll just have to…" He wasn't sure. He didn't know what to do next. But he knew what he wanted to do.
He was far, far away from his school. The young official had silently skated to the northeast side of town. He started up the stone stairs, each step heavier than the one before. He was initially uncertain why he was going to see Prema, settling on his motivations as he was heading up to the shrine. She would be able to help. She had always been there for him. She might know what to do, and if not, just seeing her would help immensely.
By the time he reached the top, Nori needed to pause to catch his breath and rest his legs. It felt wrong. He'd never felt so lethargic before in his life. Maybe it was in his mind. No matter how it happened, the fact was, his Pokemon may have killed another. Whatever might happen to him – and Pawniard – as a result were things he didn't want to think about.
Eventually, Nori found it in himself to pass under the red arch. Nariya and some others were sitting on the grass. He flashed a weak wave – barely lifting his hand, actually. He approached the entrance.
That Kaede woman from Wednesday stood guard in front of the shrine, along with a middle-aged man he knew was named Jirou. The two seemingly glowered at him. Had word already reached them? Nori would not have been surprised, given the internet. Still, he was going to ask. It was the only way to get anything.
"Is Prema here?" he inquired, straight and to the point.
The male on the left, with simple short black hair and brown eyes, leered and snapped at him. "You shall refer to her respectfully as Lady Kannagi."
He returned the expression. He hated this guy already, but he didn't have it in him (and was aware enough that it'd be unwise) to argue at that moment. "Is…" Nori paused, considering how to most formally word his request. "Is Lady Kannagi present? I wish to speak with her."
"Lady Kannagi is busy," the man replied.
"With what?" Nori said, before bowing lightly and adding in a more reserved tone, "Um, might I ask?"
"It does not concern you."
His hostile and dismissive attitude set Nori off. "I'm her friend. I have a right to know!"
He realized how stupid those words were right after they came out of his mouth. Mercifully, it was Kaede who answered, "No, you don't," and in a plain if somewhat mocking tone.
"Sorry, I just…" Nori paused and took a deep breath to compose himself. "I know that I actually don't have a right, but, but I really, really need to talk to her about something. Is there no way this can be arranged?"
Kaede shrugged. "Sorry, you heard the guy. She's busy with shrine stuff."
Nori frowned, feeling his lungs had all the air let out of them. A clear enough answer, although not one he was hoping to hear. "When's she going to be finished?"
"Not any time soon," said the man.
"That doesn't tell me anything! Look, something happened–"
"That is–"
"And I need her advi–guidance!" he corrected himself. "If not her, is there no one I can speak to?"
"I'm not posted to chat with visitors, least of all non-worshipers."
"Sorry, man," said Kaede, before he could tell that jerk next to her exactly what he thought about him. "It's important training and an all-day sort of thing. I'll let you know that much."
"We're not here for your consultation," the male guard cut in. "So if it is not clear, we're asking you to leave. If not, you will be removed." Even Kaede glowered at her coworker, although she did not speak up.
"Do you really have to be so rude?" he asked. Before he could answer, Nori said, "And fine, I'll go."
Nori turned on his heel and left. A fair portion of the people about the grounds were giving him harsh or indifferent looks. When his eyes fell upon Nariya, she averted her gaze.
"I…can't…" she squeaked as he started to approach.
"Whatever, I don't care."
He fought off tears, twisting it into anger as he left. Nori knew. He knew full well! Not everyone at the shrine liked him, let alone approved of his friendship with Prema. It was going to be a problem eventually. That was inevitable. So then, why? Why did it have to be now?!
He wanted to run down the steps. He wished he had a bird to fly away on. As it was, he could only walk quickly. Enough to get away as soon as possible, but not fast enough that he might end up tripping.
Prema was busy. He could understand that! Being the heir to the shrine was probably a busy life! But they didn't have to be so cold about turning him away! They wouldn't even hear him out or just let him stay there and relax! If their goal was to eventually get him to be a follower, well, they just ruined any chance they had of that!
A mix of buzzing and beeping cut through the air, interrupting his anguish. His official's radio, and the pattern meant it was for him. He took off his backpack and reached into the side flap, retrieving his earpiece. He fumbled to get it into his right ear before pressing a button on the side.
"Yeah, what?!" he unwittingly snapped into the receiver.
"Nori Carino, be reporting in immediately," came the unmistakable voice of Studd. "Same place."
"Sure…all right." Terse and quick. He hung up and put the radio back in his bag.
Nori had to sit down on the steps. He thought he might have more time to get ready, but he had already gotten the call he was dreading. There was nothing to do but…prepare for the worst.
It took Nori around forty minutes to make it to the elementary school, simply by virtue of not having the energy. He had been repeatedly going over what to say in his mind, and mentally preparing for everything that could be said to him. Only one thing was for certain, however. He was going to fight. For himself, and the Pawniard. This was an accident, nothing more.
As he raised his arm to knock on the gymnasium door, he felt his body lock up. He took a deep breath and said to himself, "Just push through, Nori," and knocked. No going back now.
The young official waited. Yet after a minute, there was no response. Had he arrived too early? Too late? Had he not been heard? He knocked again with no hesitation. He waited. There was some noise from the other side of the door, yet there came no answer. After another minute, he decided to go around to the front of the school.
The doors were still open. The young official walked in as if it were perfectly natural for him to be going there. While it was his first time being inside Crescent Hills Elementary, he found his way to the gymnasium easily enough. He paused when he heard an annoying rhythmic sound coming from within.
Basketball.
That explained everything. With a grumble, he stepped inside.
He was under the assumption there was after-school practice happening. That thought was proven wrong when he saw only one person in the room, Agent Studd. The scruffy man was ignorant of his presence as he haphazardly hurled the orange and cream-colored sphere with one hand, missing not only the net but the backboard entirely.
"Bah!" went Studd as the basketball rebounded and came back his way, scrambling and stopping it with a foot. "I will be showing you! Time to lay it up!"
The man wailed as he charged for the net. With a mighty leap into the air that barely took him off the floor, he threw up the ball with both hands. It hit the rim from below and went straight down as Studd was unable to stop himself from going straight into the wall.
Nori had been holding his breath, but could not help but burst into laughter as the agent teetered and crumpled backward onto the floor.
"That is not funny!" shouted Studd, slipping as he tried to get to his feet.
"Yes…sorry." He was going to say yes it was funny, but thought better of it.
"You are in much trouble, youngling!" Studd said, trying and failing to sound stern. He coughed and held his gut with one arm, but wagged a finger with another. "I need not tell you what it is that you did, because–"
"It's fine, it's fine!" Nori interrupted as he placed his bag on the floor. He retrieved the legal agreement and showed it to Studd. "I had him sign this!"
The man scanned it. "I see!" he said, and for the briefest of moments from his tone, Nori thought himself in the clear. "Nevertheless, it is not your meal ticket to do whatever wanted with whoever signs!"
"It was an accident, okay?!"
"Irregardless, it is not reflecting well! Especially that you cannot handle on your first outing." Nori averted his gaze. "Look at me! This is a strict warning to you!"
About what he thought, now the only question was, what was going to come of it? Nori waited and waited. Eventually, it seemed like he wasn't going to say anything else. "Is anything…?" he tentatively started to ask. "Is it really just a warning?"
"A warning!" Studd confirmed.
"You could've made that more clear!" he snapped. All that stress over nothing! He couldn't believe himself, but more than that, he couldn't believe this guy! Just a warning. Ridiculous, as someone he knew would say. He wasn't going to complain, but still!
"I apologize for the lack of clearness, sir!" said Studd. "Well, if there is death, you do not wish to know what will be happening, signed or not! But one more and the same thing will happen!"
"I get it, I get it!" Nori repeated. He had a possible second chance, but there wouldn't be a third. He just wanted to get out and go home.
"Now I am still expecting your report, so be calling in."
"But I can do it now, and you know what happened."
"I said call in on Sunday!" Studd hastily said before picking up the basketball. "Now if you will be excusing me, I have revenge to get."
He wasted no time in leaving, not bothering to look back as there was a loud crash followed by the kooky agent screaming. He couldn't tell if it was in pain or frustration, and didn't really care either way.
Nori was perfectly aware that the most difficult person to explain himself to was going to be his mom. He had spent eight months training to be a Pokemon Rehabilitator. He got into the position in the first place partially because his mom was worried about his future, and things were already going awry. He had one thing working in his favor: they did not own a phone. So she'd likely be hearing about it from him before anyone else.
His mom was on her bed at the back of the trailer, reading one of her library books. They always had limited means of entertainment at home, and while she was social, Ayume Carino was never as outdoorsy as her son. Nori hoped their financial situation would improve before long, but it all rested on his ability to do his job.
"Ma?" he spoke up to get her attention.
His mom initially did not as much as look up from the book. Nori got a glance at the cover. It had a husky man with long, flowing hair embracing a plain woman in a forested grove while a Zangoose watched on. The Wild Mink, a romance. No doubt with some saucy content from what he knew about her. Nevertheless, she acknowledged his presence. "How was school today, Nori?"
He inhaled deeply before answering. Nothing to do but do it, he thought. "Not good. There was…an incident, I guess."
That got her attention. She grabbed her bookmark, closed her book, and put it on the side. "What happened?" she asked, sitting up and facing him.
He got right into it, explaining how Anthony had insisted on a three-on-three battle. The agreement he had him sign. How he came to the conclusion to use Pawniard. What he could remember of the battle before his aquaphobia got triggered and everything went wrong.
"And that's about it," he concluded. The young official held his breath, waiting for the reaction.
It did not take long. His mom leaned back, sighing. However, it was not one of frustration or exhaustion, rather an irreverent one. "I guess it can't be helped."
"You're not mad? Or disappointed?" he chanced asking her. He'd rather know than have doubts!
"Well, I was expecting you to run into trouble with a Pokemon some day." She smiled a little. "I didn't expect it to be so soon, although I suppose I should've given they gave you something tough to start out with."
"That's putting it lightly…" Nori was expecting his first assignment to help ease him into the process, but they were holding nothing back from the get-go. Was it simply too much too soon?
His mom put her hands on her hips. "There's something else you're not telling me, is there?" she asked. "You took a while to get back."
"I was gonna get to that," he clarified. He wasn't going to hide this or anything. "I got called in to see that Studd guy. He let me off with just a warning, thankfully. As long as that guy's Pokemon doesn't die."
Ayume huffed vaguely. "I see," was all she said about it. "Anything else?"
Caught off-guard. Nori paused a second too long. His mom leaned in closer, eyes narrowing. He didn't want to talk about it, because he knew what her answer would be. But with her prodding, he had no choice.
"Before I saw Studd, I wanted to see Prema to get her thoughts on what happened, so I went to the Kannagi Shrine. She was too busy to see me though, and there was this really stupid guard who turned me away rudely and like, demanded I call her Lady Kannagi and threatened to throw me out if I didn't leave right away. So I just had to leave."
His mom blanched at the mention of the future head priestess of the Kannagi Shrine. Her nose crinkled momentarily as she peered forward flatly. Nori may not have cared for religion, but she had even stronger feelings against it. As he went on, her lip started to curl and her eyebrows tilted down.
"Typical," was all she said.
"But Prema's not that kind of person. She's always accepted me." he defended, even as his mom didn't actually attack her. "It'll be fine."
"Nori, I'm a little worried she's going to end up another Claris for you."
He did a double take. That was his mom's reasoning? Claris Willins. His dear friend from first grade to partway through fourth. His only real friend in that frame of time, too. A child actress who wanted to go on a journey with him…until he said some pretty cruel things. What happened to her because of it was all his fault…
"N-no, this would be…closer to what happened with Lux…" he said, slightly shaken. "But things are different from that, too. Prema's not going to stop being friends with me just because one jerk said so." Even if the worst case did somehow come to pass, Prema wasn't his only friend, like Claris and Lux were at their respective points.
"We can only hope," his mom spat, words dripping with venom.
"Actually," he said, eager to change the subject. "What I'm most worried about is how bad my reputation's going to be after this." Not that he cared what others thought too much, but…
Ayume snorted. "This coming from my son who became one of the most hated people in the region months ago," she sarcastically quipped.
He was forced to laugh a little. Guilty as charged. "Yes, but I'd prefer if I wasn't in that same spot ever again." It wasn't pleasant.
"I'm sure you'll be all right, Nori." His mom nodded. "If the worst happens, it won't be as bad as before."
"Thanks, ma…" He knew it wasn't going to reach that level, but hearing it from someone else validated his thoughts. With a smile, he gave her a hug of appreciation. It was just positive reinforcement, but it did a lot for his mood.
"Get some rest," she patted him on the back. "And if anyone bothers you, let me know."
With that out there, Nori almost hoped they would. He wanted to see what his mom would do to shut them up. Plus, he had friends like Arumi and Volkner over in Sunyshore who could help out. Maybe, just maybe, he would come away relatively unscathed from what happened after all.
The time on the dashboard read 11:14pm. Nori was sitting in the front seat of the trailer, quietly listening to the news on the radio while his mom and Pachi slept. He found himself unable to join them no matter how long he closed his eyes, the events of the day still lingering in his thoughts. He reasoned hearing what was going on around the region and world might help take his mind off it long enough to rest.
Most of it was uninteresting or stuff he'd already heard during the evening news. That was, until the anchor said, "We've just received breaking news out of Veilstone City."
Nori snapped to attention. Breaking news at this hour? Whatever it was couldn't be good news. Did somebody get shot? Was there a big gang bust? Could Quade have died on the operating table? He leaned his ear up to the speaker and listened close.
It was not a story he was expecting to hear. Far from taking his mind off things, it gave the young official another thing to worry about. It wasn't about him, but about Prema.
The people at the shrine hadn't lied to him, she had been very busy today. She had gone to the old Magcargo Express warehouse they met at to perform an exorcism. As the report went on, he found himself upset and concerned in equal measure. The good news was, Nori had found some direction. He knew what he needed to do first thing tomorrow morning.
