Tangled Up

An Unusual Fic by Quackerdrill!

I. Alone

Kay was fed up with it. Her life was an endless spiral that could only lead to worse consequences than she already had. College was not the party she had expected from television and music, but instead was a cruel merry-go-round of torture. Every exam, every insane professor had become grating on her nerves, and without a safe haven to go "home" to, there was no break.

As she strolled down the stoic halls of Celadon University, anxiously pulling on her white blouse (a peculiar habit gained from her boyfriend), her mind drifted off past the cobblestone of the school and landed in a world of dreams. She longed to fly to a place where there was a way for her to raise her team of Grass Pokemon as well as continue her studies as to earn the impressive title of Pokemon Professor. She found it highly ironic that the classes required prohibited her from taking time to train.

With an atmosphere like this, it was no wonder that her mind fled. The corridors were dark and muddy-looking, filled with carvings of Legendaries adorning the grand passageways and sides of the buildings. Walking these paths was always an activity for Kay that exercised her mind; she supposed that this was put there by the planners for this sole purpose. A subject that often entered her head at these moments was her odd relationship with that Ben.

He had spent his life in what Kay referred to as "a constant incoherent trance". Working at the Game Corner in Celadon as a distributor of prizes was enough to gain needed money, but was a magnet for criminal activity. In one week alone, the corner was held up by three crooks; what Ben assured Kay was a world record. As this suggests, he did not take the danger at his work seriously. Kay simply ignored his plight, to the point of not talking to him for months. Ben however returned the compliment by annoying her with text messages during lectures. What was once an honorable affair became a nightmare. Kay was never sure whether or not they were still a couple, but by the definition of the word in the New Kanto Dictionary, the answer was a solid "no".

She had last approached the dining hall, which was perched on top of a hill far from her dormitory hall. Kay found it annoying to have to make this hike for every meal, but it is was worth it for the crisp Bayleef leaves and Tropius fruit that awaited her. The entrance was similarly designed to that of the rest of the university, with a breathtaking mural of a Charizard using Fire Blast above the glass door. Painstakingly designed and perfectly placed, Kay often gazed at this beauty for a good five minutes before she entered the hall. The result was no different this time. Old habits do die hard.

When she finally released her eyes from the portrait, she entered the hall. Several students were sitting in the booths quietly picking away at their meals. This, even at the current time of ten in the morning, was a common sight. After she had taken her piping hot slice of pizza and grabbed a small carton of Miltank milk, Kay sat a nearby brown table and placed her purse and meal tray on top. A quick grace and several jean adjustments later, she picked up her pizza and held it to her mouth. But she did this with care. She never knew if… it would arrive again.

It was a Tangela, short and sprightly with a mess of dark blue… hair that not only obscured its face, but its entire body save for a pair of red feet. It hopped into the dining hall a week before and drove most of the students out from pure shock. Kay wasn't fazed, however, having been a Grass Pokemon trainer for most of her life. So as the others fled, she remained, beckoning the Pokemon with a kind face and waving hand. It apparently did not find this appealing and hopped out the door without a cause. No explanation, no cause… exactly what Kay wished her life could be about.

After her room surveillance had ended, she bit into her slice and took a sip of cold milk. As the arrival of this strange creature was her main reason of coming to the hall, she found herself quickly bored; glancing at her notebook in her purse cured this ailment. Kay grabbed the book and set it flat in front of her, turning the page to a mess of notes that most likely could only be deciphered by her. On the top it read "Pokemon Natures and Abilities", which was part of her Advanced Pokemon Mastership course. This was one of the many requirements for professorship, and Kay was finding it a little hard to understand.

It didn't seem to help much that her notes were covered with doodles of food items, nor did it help that the last page of these notes had been drenched with water after a recent storm got the best of her book bag. But nonetheless, she read over her writing multiple times to try to stuff it in her head that the Lonely nature made friendship more difficult. When her eyes reached the end of her seventh read through, Kay heard a sudden shriek from across the room.

A female student donned in red hooded sweatshirt was cowering on the top of her table, with a familiar sight below. The Tangela had appeared once again. Quickly placing her empty tray in the wash pile on her way, Kay dashed over towards the Pokemon in hopes to catch a clear view.

"You!" the woman shouted at her, "Do something about this… is it a Pokemon?"

Kay rolled her eyes and ignored her question. Obviously, Tangela is not the most popular Pokemon around here, she thought. After the woman had finally given up all hope and all trust in Kay, she ran out the building along with the rest of the diners. Kay was left, approaching the creature with the same loving expression.

"Tangela… that's it, stay right there…" The Pokemon was becoming a little timid as it remained in place, watching her with its beady white eyes that shone from a stark blackness. Kay took care as to not scare it, but did not act completely powerless as to bring out trust in the creature. She was finally directly in front of it, and was taking advantage of its sudden calmness by taking it in completely.

There was a combination of feelings in its eyes, one of assuredness and readiness, the other of… loneliness. There was a tiny emerald bow on the top of its locks, perched ever so slightly that it almost appeared to be applied with invisible tape.

"Are you…okay?" Kay softly spoke. The Tangela grunted lowly and looked down. "I'll take that as a yes... It must be difficult being a Tangela, huh? You probably don't get the respect you deserve. Sure, people will paint murals of Charizard, and they'll fly on their Pidgeotto, but will anyone take time with a Tangela? No."

The creature's face softened and it carefully raised its head to look at Kay's. As she looked back into its eyes again, it came to her. The Lonely nature… it made sense. Suddenly, Professor Grant's lecture made perfect sense. Her indecipherable notes were readable. Her life became akin to a parachute floating down to earth. She was at peace.

Then, with a slight smirk out of its blackness the Tangela turned around, vine-like locks swirling, and bounced out of the room. Kay stood back up, adjusted her jeans once again, and watched the Pokemon gallop out the glass door. She never saw the creature again.

The next few months proved to be much more tolerable than the prior weeks or even years at Celadon University. Her professor's lectures were as accessible as an easy crossword puzzle and she studied a little less every cold Kanto night. She wrote her notes with a new passion for learning and exams were taken with flying colors. Kay had difficulty recalling whether this was the result of her encounter with Tangela, or the result of another event…

He had done it. Ben had sent Kay an e-mail addressing his departure from his job at the Game Corner and explaining why they could not be together anymore. He had been offered a job at the Corner in Goldenrod, Johto and he couldn't refuse the monetary increase. When she read this on the screen of her laptop one foggy morning, Kay felt a sharp pain in her heart grab hold of her unexpectedly. She couldn't tell if she should go with gut instinct and say that this was a welcome change, or go with her heart and say otherwise.

Now, Kay was alone. She had excellent marks in her courses, and was the apple of Professor Grant's eye… but she still had no family to call or boyfriend to contact. What was a feeling of sorrow from uncontrollable events had evolved into a feeling of desire for more than just academic success. She remembered that Tangela's happy, free face… and longed for it, once again.