Whoa! I'm still alive! Finally! And yes, it has been far too long, and I am sorry for taking nearly another month to finish this chapter… I am getting swamped with homework and assignments left and right, and I need to put forth my best bet if I want to get some good grades.
Either way, enjoy what I have written, and I will be answering some reviews like in the past in the next chapter! I think it's high time I get some Q&A stuff going, to get you guys more involved! If you want, leave a review about the chapter (or the fic so far in general), with a question accompanying it, and I will answer both in the next chapter!
Just in foresight someone might ask what I think of Sword and Shield: looks ok, but I think we need to see more before we draw any conclusions.
With that out of the way, enjoy the next chapter and the intermission that comes after it! (Technically it's in the middle, you'll know when, but you know what I mean)
Chapter 10
Family
The blood that binds us together
"He's been asleep for a few hours now… Are you absolutely sure he'll be ok now?"
"Yeah, I checked. I haven't the faintest where the hypotension came from, but the blood loss prevented enough blood to reach his body properly and he fainted. How he lost that blood is beyond me, but he's stabilized now. He just needs time to rest, so don't let him get out of bed… no, don't look at me like that, I know how hard that's going to be but you're going to have to get it through his thick skull that he needs to rest and recover all the blood he lost. Sodium intense diet for a few days, but don't overdo it. As for the blood loss… check everything he does and whenever he goes to the bathroom. If there's any blood, then call me right away, because that could be some kind of internal bleeding."
"I thought you checked him for that?" Jake's deep voice echoed in his ears, the Riolu slowly coming around, his head, body and the world around him seemingly spinning, body heavy, tingling as it stirred to life, blood flowing through his limbs faster than before.
"I did, and didn't find anything, but that's honestly the only way I can think he could've lost that much blood, unless it all just up and vanished. It could have something to do with your powers, but… you've been using them for a few years now, and this is the first time this has ever happened."
"Yeah… well, we'll keep an eye on him and keep you updated, ok? Thanks for everything Chimecho." There was a short silence and the sound of pokémon shifting around.
"Awww, that's alright Elly, anything for you guys. Don't hesitate to call me if something goes wrong ok?" With that, the sound of a door opening and closing echoed in his ears, slowly regaining his consciousness, but still very much out of it, only capable of lazily opening his eyes, the world around him blurry. He let out a whine, as if trying to utter words and speak, but he was unable to. He was just too tired, though Elly was there for him, as he'd soon realize when he felt a weight upon his right paw.
"Hey. It's alright, you're alright…" He felt something wet on his right cheek, a kiss, perhaps. "You gave us all one hell of a scare, but you're fine now. I'll tell you all about it later, ok hun? I need you to sleep, relax and recover." She kept repeating the same things, nuzzling and rubbing his head tenderly, trying to get him to relax and fall asleep once again, which she eventually succeeded in. Sleep carried him off once again, and she nuzzled his neck once again, resting her head upon his chest, waiting there in absolute silence, feeling his heartbeat in her head, before pulling back, smiling and quietly slipping out of their room, then back downstairs.
The scene in the living room was a much more upbeat one, though they were all still recovering from their wounds: Lucy's side and body were wrapped up in bandages, and even though she said it was fine, every so often she hissed from the pain of the cut on her side, Serge was once again complaining about his old wound on his chest, and his bones hurt from the crashes and falls they'd had taken and Nox's left foreleg was wrapped up in bandages. The only ones that had gotten away mostly unscathed were Zed, Elly and Jake, and of course Ayame, who'd stuck around for a bit and helped Zed with some errands.
"As long as it doesn't involve the kitchen or treating the Pidgeot." As Elly came down, she was talking with Lucy, though their conversation immediately ended when Elly appeared, and everyone turned to look at her. The Eevee gave them a tired smile, and they all breathed a sigh of relief, or in Ayame's case, a nod of reassurement. "Let's hope that from now on, things calm down and you have just a moment of rest.
"I don't see anyone here going to a mission anytime soon… so in a way, we just got some days off." Zed pointed this out, fully knowing that they'd been asking for something like this for a very long time, Serge throwing his head back.
"Yeah well, don't tell Eric or he'll be all on our case again. Don't want him to have a heart attack!"
"I think the increase in blood pressure would help him, if anything." Elly joked, then sat down, rubbing her sore side, groaning. "Thanks for all the help, Ayame."
She shook her head. "There's no need to thank me, it was an honor to fight alongside most of you. Even though I first thought you were an uncoordinated mess of a team, you managed to steel yourselves and act as one when threatened. Still, to think such creatures can exist… it is unsettling to say the least."
"The worst part is, that's the second one we've fought this month. The last one almost got Jake killed, though of course, we killed him too." Nox chimed in, smiling.
"Technically, my heart seemingly stopped during the operation and a desperate resuscitation was necessitated, courtesy of Lucy."
"Yeah… don't ever ask me to do that ever again." The whole episode in Banshee's Hook had been a more than traumatic experience for her, that much was obvious, her mate nuzzling her in an attempt to ease her worries, an affection she returned with a nuzzle of her own.
"So these monsters are a normal occurrence?"
"More common than we'd like them to be, and not as rare as the media would lead you to believe. They were a lot more frequent like… two or three years ago, when the time freeze was still fresh, but they eventually died out." Serge chimed in, explaining everything as if it wasn't obvious… which it kind of was for everyone in that room.
"Yes, through the decaying of their matter. My clan was fortunate to not run into any of those monsters."
"They weren't nearly as bad as these ones though… They are way stronger than anything Clades ever threw our way, and if they'd been around for long they'd definitely have been noticed earlier." Elly would suddenly drop that bombshell, and let the idea sink in so that everyone else would eventually guess what she was implying.
"...well, that's fucking unsettling… you think that they're-"
"No." She cut Nox off drily. "Eric cleaved him in half and tossed his pieces off Temporal Tower. I sincerely doubt, and I hope neither of them survived that… No, I think something, or rather someone else out there that's making these things. And given that they're way more powerful than what Clades used, that would imply that whoever's making them is stronger than he was."
"I don't think that's possible… Neither of them were at the height of their power when we met them, so there must be a piece of the puzzle we are missing."
"Regardless…" Ayame cut in after Jake made his remark. "The idea of one of those creatures appearing anywhere without any prior warning is unsettling enough." She rose up. "I wish you luck in your future endeavours, but I will be returning to my village."
"Wait, already?" Nox's voice came through as surprised and somewhat sad.
"Yes, my main objective in getting to this region was your friend." She glanced at Serge, the Pidgeot winking an eye and giving her a coy smile, which just made her more annoyed. "But since we made a deal, and Ferrus has promised to grant me pay for my contribution for yesterday's mission, I shall take that as payment."
"So… you'll be leaving us alone?" Again, Nox wanted to know all the details.
"With any luck? Perhaps… unless of course I hear of anything else that Kaze does, in which case I shall return, and this time I shan't be as merciful."
"Again, don't know what the fuck your deal is or why you're after me, but hey the sooner you get out of my life, the better." At this point Serge noticed the Houndour's hunched forward form, still looking at Ayame. "Though… who knows, we could cross paths again. Kinda refreshing to find someone that can fight properly when I'm going all out."
Ayame silently looked at him, then at Nox, then back at him. "I would say the same, if you weren't the scum of the earth, and your protegé wasn't such a tool to be unable to realize your womanizing ways will never get him the girlfriend he so desperately wants." Lucy hissed. She was basically saying what she always did… but in a way meaner way and tone. "I won't consider you a rival either, you would've been defeated hadn't it been for your companion's intervention."
"Ooof… touché. Regardl-"
"Nothing is regardless in this conversation." Whatever her "deal" was with him, she was clearly done dealing with Serge for now, standing up. "We made a deal, and I shall uphold my end of the bargain. Pray that I don't catch wind of your old ways. Next time I won't give you a chance to defend yourself."
"Yeah yeah, whatever… Next time I cross paths with you I'll make sure you don't walk away unscathed either, you deformed blueberry." Both of them glared at each other, the sparks flying off between the two, the tension in the air palpable. Thankfully, Ayame proved to be more reserved than she came through as, and looked at the more agreeable side of the team.
"Well, no matter what it is… Take care, and hopefully some time you'll change your mind about Serge." Elly said, giving her a sincere smile.
"I sincerely doubt the latter… but I appreciate it, and wish you well to you, and my wishes for Eric to make a healthy recovery." She glanced toLucy, Zed and Jake. "You three as well."
"It was nice to meet you, miss Ayame."
"Come back sometime, it was fun shit talking those two with you."
"Good luck in your future endeavors." With all the formalities done, and everyone having said goodbye to the Frogadier, she stood up, bowed formally and left the house, shutting the door behind her and into the dark of night. Only when she left and a few minutes passed, Serge let out a sigh of relief.
"Fuck, I thought she was going to rip my guts out then."
"Then why the hell did you call her a deformed blueberry?" Elly rubbed her muzzle bridge and sighed. "Honestly, the only reason I would've been annoyed with her at that point would be that I'd be cleaning up the mess she left behind, I would've hit you hard if that'd been directed to me."
"Sorry, but she really just pisses me off."
"You piss everyone off, and so did she to be perfectly honest. What's she fucking care about how we live our lives?" Lucy's attitude toward the water type changed drastically once she was gone. "Thought she was on the side of girls, then she just called me fucking lazy… And she was trying to change the way we do stuff… like seriously, why did she think that she was better than us?"
"Everything she said to compliment us was accompanied by a reprimand or critique. Though her intentions may have been pure… I must admit, she was somewhat aggravating."
"I dunno man… I don't think she was that bad, she didn't say anything that was a straight up lie."
"Except the part where she called me the scum of the earth?"
"Ok yeah maybe that part was a bit excessive." Nox's and Serge's quick exchange was mirrored by Zed and Lucy.
"Yeah she did not seem that bad… She wasn't lying either, me and Elly get stuck with most of the work around the house."
"Because she's got psychic powers, and it's trivial for her to clean stuff, and you are the only good cook in the house! I mean, do you want me to cook? Because I sure as h-"
"Alright alright, geez, I get it!" Zed lashed out against her, looking away and crossing his arms. "You don't have to shout at me, I'm just saying she wasn't exactly lying, and I didn't say that YOU have to cook… but I find it unfair that out of seven people in this house, there's only two of us that are doing all the housework!"
"Yeah well… umm…"
"You lot have no excuse whatsoever." Elly said, this time sounding firm. "I don't care if it was Ayame that brought it up. She's right, and from today onward, we're going to be taking turns to who gets to clean the house every week. As for cooking…"
"I enjoy cooking, but I can't do it every single day and night."
"I can help with that." Serge rose a wing. "I've provided for myself most of my life… granted I make only sandwiches, but I make some great sandwiches."
"I can confirm this." Nox chimed in. "I can also roast stuff, but that's about it."
"Precision is my forté, and you have told me time and time again that I make excellent pastries, and some of you like to cook with me as well, if anything so you can eat the pastries I deem "not ideal"." He glanced at all of them.
"Hey, in my defense, cookie dough is delicious." Was Nox's quick response.
"It is also extremely unhealthy and dangerous due to the potential of salmonella."
"A worthy price to pay if you ask me." Jake simply rolled his eyes while the Houndour smiled triumphally, deeming the fight lost. Most everyone in the house agreed with the fire type's statement anyways, even Elly had succumbed from time to time and taken a pawful of cookie dough Jake didn't want to use before he threw it away.
"Putting your paws in the cookie dough…" Zed shuddered. Seemed like he was the only one against the idea.
"Whelp." Serge slapped his wings together and stood up, groaning softly from his sudden movements. "Given how we're all in great shape and this conversation's just devolving into how unhealthy we all are and how much our bodies hate us, how about we give them what we want, and go to bed and hibernate until the next globe scaled crisis bef-" He was interrupted by someone knocking on the door. "Aaaah god damn it."
"Who could it be at this hour…" Zed muttered as he walked up to the door and opened it, revealing the Lucario on the other side.
"Good evening. I hope I am not intruding or otherwise interrupting anything."
"Oh, hey Ferrus! Come on in! We were just about to head to bed, but we can stay up just a bit longer." Elly greeted him as both he and Zed walked to the living room.
"It won't take long, I merely wanted to come around, check how things were here, and give a small update on what's happened so far." He took his seat in the only remaining armchair whilst Zed squeezed himself into the spot between Elly and Lucy on the couch. "Well, how is he?"
"Better, woke up earlier, but I put him to sleep straight away, since Chimecho said he should be sleeping and resting for the next few days. She said that his blood pressure was extremely low, but there were no external wounds, and didn't find any internal wounds either."
"Do you have any idea what could've caused it?" Elly shook her head. "Well, I suppose we'll find out eventually. Now as for that update… We have taken nearly all of the refugees to a village near the Giant's Forest. Remember the fortress that rose out of the ground?" Everyone but Nox nodded, remembering that large stone fortress and the battle that had taken place in front of it. "The fortress was demolished and torn down due to the bad state of the edification. A memorial was built in the back, and the front was mostly uneducated until just recently. Some wealthy business entrepreneurs from Johto came and built a village and a bathhouse over the natural hot spring that used to be there. I believe it's called Ran Village."
"I think we've passed by it a couple of times, but we never did go there… Looked like a quaint place from afar, but expensive as all hell." Serge shrugged as he said this. He'd never felt the obligation or interest to go there. "Anything else?"
"Tharmius and his men left shortly after the survivors were secured. He told me to give his regards to your team, and wish Eric a speedy recovery."
"God, doesn't even have to be here but he still sounds like a rightful cunt." The Pidgeot's comment got a few chuckles from a few pokémon in the team, but nothing else.
"Well, whatever the case, at least he's gone, and he'll be out of our furs for the time being."
"Not precisely." The Lucario interrupted Elly, making her glance his way in concern. "Before he left, he spoke with the mayor, Wigglytuff and Magnezone during a private reunion, and proposed taking his Judges over to this area of the continent to improve security." This news was met with alarm and disgust from all, but he rose a paw. "The motion still hasn't passed, and it's likely that it won't: The mayor was all for it, but Wigglytuff and Magnezone outright refused. The matter will be voted upon next month, after New Year's, so you still have time to sway opinions here and make sure they don't get any of their men near you."
"The last thing we need is to have them so close to home, where they might strike us at any moment."
"Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer." Elly was looking out the window as she said this, drawing an inquisitive look from the Sneasel. "That's what they want, they want to keep us close just in case something like that Rebscura pops up, and can go with the 'enemy of my enemy is my ally' card that they pulled this time. Plus, they'll most likely be able to control our every move better and set up spies more efficiently." She sighed. "Thanks for telling us all of this Ferrus."
"It's the least I can do after the great service you've provided today. Once again, I was reminded why you are the ones who brought Blake down four years ago, and with any luck, the rest of the world will have been reminded too."
"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing though?" Lucy was answered with silence. "Guess we'll just have to wait and see…"
"One thing's for sure though: tomorrow, I'm going to buy the papers first thing in the morning and read what they say. Let's see if what Ferrus said holds any water and we actually get some good rep for once." Serge stood up, stretching. "Anyways, imma go hit the hay now, been a long day, my entire body is sore, and I've got a hunch we won't be sleeping a whole lot tomorrow." What he meant with the last part no one knew, but they all agreed on being exhausted with the Pidgeot.
"Then I'll take my leave, if you don't mind. I will most likely stay in town for the remainder of the week. The countryside and the people in this town are just as tranquil as I remember."
"You should probably come live here, it'd do you wonders, with all the stress you're under." The Lucario shook his head at Zed's recommendation. "Then at the very least, come by every so often, you're always welcome here. I'll be more than happy to cook you something, and when Eric feels better, we'll probably throw a party to celebrate."
"I'm afraid I'll have t-"
"Oh nonsense." Elly cut in, standing up. "You work just as hard as we do, you deserve some downtime. I'm sure Eric will be up and at it in three or four days, so make sure you're still around then, and you can join us." Her words were more of an order than a suggestion, and the Lucario was clearly caught off-guard by her offer.
"I… will consider it then." A smile crept up on his muzzle, the prospect of some relaxation sounding just wonderful to him. "But I digress, I won't keep you up any longer." He bowed, and wished them all good night, before leaving the house, and leaving the team members to go up to their rooms. They weren't expecting any more visitors that night, so everyone went upstairs to their rooms, with Elly being the last as she drank some water and blew out all the candles. When she got upstairs, she'd find Eric still sleeping in the dimly lit room, the moonlight slipping through the blinds and guiding her way to his side, under the bedsheets, where she'd lightly hug him and plant kisses on his forehead, smiling as she nuzzled and went to sleep besides him. She was deep in sleep by the time that faint, deep green glow emanated from the chest where they kept their bedsheets and other pillows… and also a peculiar book.
The next day, the sound of incessant knocking downstairs stirred Serge out of his sleep, his feathers ruffled and messy, he stretched and yawned, having decided to go to bed immediately, not even considering to go get a lady friend to "accompany" him in the night. He slipped out of his straw bed, carefully descended the steps and unfolded the ladder on top of the trapdoor, slipping down to the hallway. He was going to get shouted at for leaving it open, but he was most likely going to go back to sleep the moment he figured out who was at the door. The longer and longer it went for, the harder and louder it got, the Pidgeot rushing down the steps to the main room and yawning. "Coming, coming…"
He grabbed the doorknob, twisted it, opened it… and was thrown back by the sheer amount of shouts, questions and squeals that came from outside, a literal large mob congregated in front of their house, waving the newspaper, praising them and losing their minds when he appeared. He would then promptly shut the door and rest his back against it, eyes wide open as plates. "Ummm… guys?!" He called everyone downstairs, making sure his shouts eclipsed those of the rabid fans outside. "We've got a situation!"
It didn't take long for everyone to come downstairs, except for Eric, who was still resting, and try to settle down the matter as they stepped outside. Nox wasn't used to this sort of attention, and couldn't help but pose a bit and show off, smiling and looking upright and at the others as he rose his head, while everyone else simply waved and returned the praise and thanks, and answering questions that some reporters made. "No, we didn't know of the Rebscura existence until it was brought to our knowledge that Evergreen had gone silent. We moved out as quickly as possible and took care of the threat."
"Eyewitnesses report that the creature was the size of a mountain! Is that correct?!"
"Hell yeah, it was massive, and we just eviscerated that thing, I even ripped out part of it! Like this!" Nox was definitely too excited for his own good, and replicated the move he'd done to get on top of the beast… The fire from his mouth began to seep and flow down his legs quickly, coiling around them as he jumped, then as he landed the fire blasted him upward, quite high, almost clearing their house… before he fell back down on the grass, groaning in pain. "Ow…"
"Yeah, it wasn't that big, but it was pretty big. We managed to subdue it and deliver the final blow. Its remains have now long since disappeared."
"And what about Eric? There are rumors that he was terribly wounded! Is that why he is not here?"
"Ummm… Yes, he is fine, currently recovering." The moment Elly said that they were swarmed with requests to see him and meet him, get the exclusive on his state and what he had done during the fight. All of this ended up with the Eevee shouting and telling them to back off. "Nobody will be seeing him until he's recovered completely!" Her shouts didn't do anything to dissuade them, making her even angrier, though a comforting hand from Jake on her shoulder made it far easier to calm down. Serge stepped forward.
"I'll handle these guys and give them a bit of what they want… You guys go back inside and make breakfast." The Pidgeot turned to the ravenous reporters and began to speak and answer most questions, though some he outright ignored and even mocked for making an assumption or inquiry. Zed was more than glad to return inside, bright like a cherry, and quickly slipped into the kitchen to begin making some breakfast and take his mind off of what had just happened. Lucy went back in with him too, yawning as she stumbled into a cushion, tripped on it and just remained there, on the floor.
"Uuuugh… fucking hell, this is annoying. I just wanna sleeeeeeeeep…"
"Eh, I think it was cool!" Nox's confidence had recovered incredibly quickly after his recent mess-up, mostly because he seemed to know how to replicate that move, something that Eric would insist on later, no doubt. As things seemed to calm down outside however, a female's voice would be heard above everyone else, screeching almost, until eventually they heard Serge answering back, following into a back and forth as the female's voice grew louder and more familiar, a voice Elly, Zed and especially Lucy recognized.
"Oh you've got to be-"
"Woman, I am going to have to ask you to calm down a-"
"Where is she?! Where is my ingrate of a daughter?! How dare she not come when her poor father is on his dying bed?! Monster! She's a true monster!" She was making quite a scene, and the reporters were definitely taking note of this. Lucy, beyond angry, stepped out of the house to confront her parent, who was, like last time, screaming and losing her mind over how much of an awful daughter she was.
"Stop bitching out in public and get in the house if you want to talk!"
"Oh, there you are, finally come out of your hiding hole?!"
"No, just had more interesting and important things to do, like saving innocents and doing my job."
"Your job?! Your job is to come visit your family, specially when one of them is at death's door!" The reporters had gone silent, but nevertheless writing down everything they were saying. "How dare you ignore us at a time like this?!"
"Oh shut up, you're telling me that I need to ignore my job and obligations so I can go visit you leeches?! Piss off!"
"There's time for everything, and you've had my letter for the last two weeks! Plenty of time to come visit your poor father!" Lucy bit her lower lip. "How can you be so heartless, to abandon your parents in their old age and go away without even come pay a visit every so often! Abandoned us, that's what you did!"
"Shut up! If you want to discuss this, then come into the house! The only reason you're doing this is to make me look bad in front of everyone so you can drag me back to that shitville and start pushing your shit down my throat! I know you already and how much of a manipulative bitch you are Amalra, so go and shove it up your…"
"Amalra?! You don't even call me mother anymore, you ungrateful child?! I was the one who brought you to this world, and reared you! I fed you and took care of you, and this is how you repay all this?!"
"You're making me look like the bad guy here, how about you mention how you tried to pair me up with some ingrate asshole back home when I reached puberty, eh? You can't say that because it makes you look like the hypocritical bitch you are!" She let out another cry, bending forward and sobbing, the others unsure if she was faking her tears or not. At this point, the others were blushing with a mixture of shame and anger at the situation. Serge stepped in between the other pokémon and mother and daughter as the latter her bickering and shouting while the other cried, Elly and Zed grabbed Lucy and pulled her away, telling her to stop… Everything was a mess, and by the time everything cleared up, Amarla was just… walking away, sobbing and limping pathetically as she had some more pokémon following her and asking her more questions, answering them kindly, a sudden mood change that no one could ignore… but already, Elly could imagine how they were going to embellish and ruin that story.
"Lucy… what the hell is wrong with you?!" The moment they were alone, in the house, and closed the door and windows, the Eevee turned to the Shinx.
"With me?! What the hell did I do? Call her out for the manipulative bitch she is?!"
"Doing that in public, yes! Do you know what the papers are going to look like tomorrow? They are going to write about this, and your already decrepit relationship with their mother is going to be on the forefront."
"How is this my fault?! She would've literally gone to the post office and started talking about how much of a "terrible daughter" I am, as if she deserved the fucking mother of the year award! She's a selfish bitch, and I'm pretty sure she's just jealous that I got away from all that crap."
"If… I can…" Zed suddenly cut in between the two friends, his voice shaky. "Last time we went to your home they were a lot more… hospitable."
"Oh, what, you think they're going to start grilling me out in the open, in front of their friends, who are recognizing and praising me for actually doing shit despite being a girl in their stupid tribe? That was all just a god damn act, just so they could get through all that stuff and have to swallow their pride for the umpteenth time. In other words, they were faking the whooole thing… boy, if you'd heard what my dad had to say about you…"
"Alright alright, let's not delve into what could've been but in the end didn't happen, and focus on the matter of hand: she keeps talking about your father being at death's door, what is she talking about?"
"Who gives a shit." She dryly stated, walking away. "No seriously, who gives a shit! She's either lying her ass about it and pushing my dad to have a fucking clinical depression, or he's actually about to die, in which case, good for him, because at the very least he can go be macho man wherever the fuck he's heading."
"How can you… talk about your family like that?" Elly was flabbergasted, seeing her friend talking like that about her parents, as if they were nothing but dirt, while the Shinx laughed at her question.
"Why? Because I can barely consider them to be my family after the shit they've made me go through… I don't have a single good memory with them, let alone my mother, and as a result of them constantly shoving their shit down my throat and putting me in the middle of their arguments and disputes, I refuse to care at all about their current state and well being. Simply put: they're not my family, even if we have the same blood."
"But… I still don't think it's right for you to… ignore your dad like that."
"It's what he's earned himself with his constant need to just push his stuff onto me and my mother. Mostly my mother, which is the reason why she's just so bitter and jealous that I got away from their stupid traditions… oh fuck it, why am I even talking about this shit? I'm just gonna go upstairs and keep sleeping. She calls again tell her I'm gone!"
"Lucy, you're not walking away from this today, if your mother comes back and starts slandering everyone again it's going to be even harder to get the team to take off again."
"So? Not my prob-"
"It's our problem! Sad to say, your mother's become OUR problem now because she won't leave you alone, and if she's as terrible as you say she is, she's only going to become worse and worse, and I don't want to know to what lengths she'll go to get you to go visit your father!"
"And what do you want me to do then? I sure as hell have no plans to beat her up, if that's what you're going to suggest, and not even all the money in the world could shut her up effectively." It was then that Serge and Jake stepped back into the house, both of them utterly exhausted by the amount of talking and explaining they'd had to do.
"Holy shit, Lucy… fuck your mother." Serge's voice was muffled by his face falling on top of the cushion as he simply bellyflopped onto his favorite armchair, groaning, soon Nox was poking his side, trying to comment on how cool he'd looked while using that fire blast.
"Did she come back?"
"No." Jake responded to Elly's question in the Pidgeot's stead. "But all of those "reporters" wanted to know all of the details regarding Lucy's relationship with that Luxray, and whether or not what she'd said is true. We tried to convince them that we didn't know her but…"
"Pretty sure some are just going to follow Amalra back to wherever she's staying and get HER side of the story." Serge finished. "Geez, I know kiddo, you looked really cool doing that stuff yes…" He answered in a rather dismissive voice, which upset Nox. "Man, my head's about to explode…"
"If that's the case, then we need to stop her before she completely destroys what little good rep we just got."
"And how do you plan on doing that, if I may ask?" Lucy's inquiry was backed up with a shit-eating grin, as if she was above all this… though as she noticed the stern look on Elly's face that smile slowly disappeared, and went from neutral to a scowl. "No."
"Yes."
"No. Fuck no."
"Yes. Lucy you need t-"
"I'm NOT going to go!" She screamed back. "How many times do I have to say it: I don't owe them anything, they are not my family, and I don't give a Rattata's ass if he's about to kick the bucket, I'm not going to go see him, no matter how much she bitches and moans, and that's final!"
"And you're going to go because otherwise she won't leave us alone and will keep on bothering you until he dies, and at that point she'll be blaming you or us for not going to visit your father before he died!" Their back and forth went on for a few more minutes, but neither side was willing to budge, and Lucy eventually grew tired and ran up the stairs and to her room. "And there she goes, acting like she's a goddamn cub…" She let out a loud groan of annoyance and went to the kitchen, grabbing herself some chocolate to help her calm down.
Zed let out a long sigh, and looked at the stairs. On the one hand, he could understand her opinion, and how she just didn't want to deal with a family member… but on the other, things just couldn't be left the way they were. He silently went up the stairs and headed for their room, knocking on the door. "Lucy?" No response. "Lulu?" He used her nickname, and still got no response. "...I'm coming in." She didn't show any opposition to this as the Zorua slipped into the room. The window was open, and she was laying on the bed, facing away from the door.
She didn't stir as Zed closed the door and laid down besides her, wrapping his paws around her upper body and nuzzling her neck tenderly, attempting to get her to cheer up, or at the very least, calm down. They stayed like this for what felt like minutes, the Zorua feeling as if he was about to fall asleep, before Lucy spoke up. "I hate how this whole situation is making me look like the bad one…"
"You don't look like that to me… it's just that I feel the issue is a lot more complicated than you're letting on."
"I mean… it kinda is, but at the same time it isn't… I really, really can't stand my family. I've already dealt and bothered with them for far too long and I don't want to have anything to do with them. I just… don't want to, I left with you guys for a reason, and I've been around here because I enjoy being with you far more than being with them."
"Yes, but sometimes we have to deal with people we dislike… like yesterday, we had to put up with Tharmius and that lot to get through that mission… and yet from what we've heard, they were actually quite helpful."
"Zed, it's not the same. He's just… a fuckin' villain, meanwhile these guys are my family, related by blood and all that… I know it's not normal, but I'd like it if people got into my spot and understood that just because someone can be related to you by blood… well, they can still be a monster. Hell, I thought Elly, of all pokémon, would understand that…"
"Well, maybe she does, and that's why she's gotten like that." Zed pointed out and nuzzled her, hugging her tighter as she spoke about her woes. "And, I understand that to a certain point too, or at least I can imagine what it must feel like. Point is, out of anyone here, she knows just how important family is, and not the one that we are related to by blood, but unlike you, she doesn't have anything or anyone left."
"But can't she like, see how much of a god damn hassle these guys are? Can't she recognize that they are just as toxic?"
"Well… I don't know, maybe she does, but there's something else bothering her… you'd have to ask her yourself for that. Personally though, I would like it if you went to see your father." He said, the Shinx tensing up again, but he kept up his hug. "Not because I want you to humor her… but because you need to at least try. Through all of the wrongs and everything he's done, he's still your father, and being about to die, you need to tell him how you feel before he passes away."
"He already knows how I feel, and I still feel like this is all just a desperate attempt on my mother's part to drag me back up there and… do whatever she wants with me."
"How did you end your relationship with your father anyways? What happened?" He asked, legitimately concerned. "Can't you at least tell me that, as your mate?" However, she didn't answer back, shaking her head. Whatever it had been that had broken that family apart, it seemed to linger, to this very day. "Then… I promise you, that if you do go there to visit him, I'll go with you."
"You'll… what?" He gripped her paws as she turned around to face him.
"You heard me. I'll tag along, and make sure that whatever happens, it doesn't get you down too much or tie you to them again. I'm… interested in knowing them, how they really are. After all, I want to spend more time with you and… You're special to me, you know that already Lucy. So I want to go with you and help you with this experience and… with any luck, fix things."
She stayed silent as he spoke, and even after that she just looked around, sighing and closing her eyes… then began chuckling bitterly, and nuzzling him. "You're such a dumb mummy~"
"W-wha?" He blushed as she nuzzled his chest… in a very tender manner, very unlike her. She seemed to snap out of it too the moment he asked that, and returned to that neutral position.
"Well uh… what I mean is that you're a dumbass if you think that just because you're there it's going to make the whole situation better… But I guess it could improve it just slightly. They're going to be their own nasty, normal selves though so… don't go there thinking they're going to be all happy and bubbly like the last time you guys saw them."
"So then we're going? You're going to try?"
"I'm willing to try to try… That makes no sense, but you get what I mean." Her words made him chuckle and nuzzle her neck tenderly, smiling.
"Sure, sure… Well, let's just enjoy the rest of the morning and we'll go look for her later, ok? At least thirty minutes… I wanna be with you like this for a bit more." He hugged her even tighter, putting his rear legs around her body too, both of them really close, warm, and blushing slightly, sharing a cute, intimate moment.
It would be a full hour later, near lunchtime, when they went back downstairs again. Serge and Nox were snoozing away, recovering all their lost sleep, while Jake and Elly were playing chess and had two glasses of wine and some cheese between them. Seemed like the two had decided to play a little game and get a snack to cool down after what had happened earlier that day, though the Eevee didn't skip a beat, and once her friend came back down the stairs she rose up and approached her, putting the game on halt. "Hey…"
"Hey." They both looked at each other in complete silence for a few minutes. "Look, I know, this whole issue is messy and it makes the team look bad… and I guess me screeching at her in the middle of the street just makes it look uglier. Can't say I regret it, but I can see why you got so pissed off with me."
"No, it's alright. I don't understand why it is that you're this way with your mother, of all pokémon, and maybe it's just me being… well myself when it comes to family matters, so I'm going to try and not judge you anymore until I know the full picture. I know you're not going to share it with me however, because it's clearly something really personal… so the least I can do is support you." She sighed. "It's funny how I'm supposed to be your friend but I have to think about this stuff hard to realize how much pressure I'm pushing onto you."
"Oh come on, don't say that now. The only person at fault here is her, and we're going to go confront her right now… if she wants me to go see my old man, then I'll go see him, so she can leave us alone and I can at least say goodbye to my dad. As much of an asshole as he was, it's the least I can do to try and fix the situation with them. Zed's tagging along too, to try and make the whole situation as bearable as possible."
"Aaaah… Well, I'd love to come, but Eric is still in bed, and I need to check up on him. I hope you understand…" Lucy did understand and patted her friend's shoulder, and eventually ended up hugging it out with her. "We cool then?"
"Yeah, we cool." They both broke away, bumping paws with eachother, chuckling.
"Well… since I'm going to be gone for today, do you mind making lunch Elly? We want to go meet up with her as soon as possible, and we don't know when she'll want to leave, so…"
"Before you leave, maybe you should get something to eat then." The suggestion came from Jake, and the group nodded as they opted to eat some leftovers from the last day, lentils. The Zorua promising them all, including a newly awakened Serge and Nox,,l that the next day he'd cook something special. "I'm debating between grated pasta or stuffed onions."
"Why not both?" Came Nox's brilliant suggestion, supported by everyone… except the Zorua himself, who just glared at him tiredly.
"Because I'd be spending the entire morning in the kitchen, and you lot sure as hell are not going to be helpful." Serge, Nox and Lucy just shrugged, knowing that he was right, but Elly and Jake both offered to help him out. "Well, as long as you can follow my instructions then… I'll do it."
"Still, I don't think Eric will be able of eating anything strong for the next few days… Actually, I should make him something to eat." She didn't even finish eating before she got up, placed her plate beside the stove and began pulling out vegetables and berries, thinking about making him just a regular old soup. Nox was next to finish eating, and got up from the table without even cleaning his plate… which sparked Zed's anger.
"Nox, can you at least do something useful for me today, and actually clean your plate? Or, at the very least, take it to the sink?" The Houndour turned to him, about to complain, but the Zorua had leverage. "Do it or you're not getting grated pasta tomorrow." He knew just how much the Houndour loved grated dishes, unable to resist the smoky, strong taste of the layer of cheese crust that covered the pasta, usually macaroni. He groaned, grabbed the plate and placed it in the sink with a grimace, whilst Elly kept on cooking.
"Zed, Lucy, you can go look for Amarla now, Jake and I will clean up when we are done. When do you think you'll be back?"
"I'd like to say we'll be back this afternoon… but if we are going to go visit my dad, then I wouldn't expect us to be back until tomorrow morning." Elly came close and hugged both of them, wishing them good luck in whatever they were going to be put through, and after grabbing their crystal necklaces and scarves, they left the house.
A few minutes later, they'd found Amarla eating at Spinda's, silently sitting in the corner, looking at the entrance, expecting Lucy to come in. And she didn't disappoint. "Come to finally do what you have to?"
"Doing it because otherwise you won't leave us be… You can grill me all you want, I don't give a shit, but I'm not going to stand by and let you talk smack about my friends."
"Your 'friends'? Oh that's rich…" She glanced at the Zorua. "And why are you here?"
"He's tagging along. He's my mate, and I think he should see just what you guys are like." Amarla scoffed, glaring daggers at Zed. She'd met him back when the tribe was recruited for the battle in front of the fortress, but hadn't seen him since.
"Right, sure he is…" She didn't sound too convinced about something, but Zed decided to not press the issue, least he'd have to deal with this unpleasant woman. "Anyways, let's get going. There's supposed to be a carriage going to Voltaire leaving in five minutes, that will take us nearly there, then the rest we have to take on foot." She got up and walked past them, twice their size, glaring at her daughter and looking away with disdain in her eyes. Lucy returned the gaze with one of hatred, and while Amarla was walking up the steps, Zed placed a reassuring paw on his mate's back, trying to calm her down.
It did little to ease her, but it was enough to get on the carriage and ignore eachother's presence, an air of tension and awkwardness in the cabin, which was shared not only by them but many other pokémon. It seemed like Amarla wasn't in the mood to argue this time, and Lucy fell asleep not long after the ride began, her head leaning against Zed's right arm as he looked out the window, avoiding eye contact with the Luxray woman. "So, you're her 'mate', aren't you?" Amarla suddenly began, surprising Zed.
"I… uh… W-well, not mate, technically her boyfriend. We haven't made it official or anything…"
"Knowing her you definitely have made it official, but you just haven't declared it and decided to interpret it as what it is. Or rather, she doesn't want to." Was her somewhat cryptic response, but she was right about one thing: they had supposedly made it official, but she still refused to call him mate. "Ever asked her why that's the case?"
"I… well, I'd guess it's because she doesn't like being called that? I don't really ask that kind of stuff, because at the end of the day it's just a name. What we are interpreted as or what we call eachother doesn't matter as long as we know the truth."
"And what IS the truth, hmm?" Her interrogation continued. "Don't you think it's strange that she's so adamant about calling you her soulmate? That she's always treating you as someone special, but not the one person she cares about the most in the entire world?"
"Again, I don't care about those kinds of distinctions, and I don't think she does eit-."
"Nonsense. Being mates with someone else is a duty, it's a promise to stay by someone's side no matter what, and if she is actively running away from that, just as she does from everything and everyone else then…"
"I'd wager a guess that you don't have any idea what type of pokémon Lucy is." He would suddenly interrupt her, venom in his voice, the mood changing drastically as she was taken aback. "You've barely seen her in four years, then you come out of nowhere and start speaking as if you know her better than anybody else."
"I am her mother, I reared her, and have seen what she's truly like! If anything, you are the one who's being tricked here, little fox… that little wench there doesn't love anyone but herself."
"Shut up." His face became graver as she kept on speaking. "You do not know her. I can see why she can't stand or bother with you anymore, when all you do is look at her worse qualities."
"She's got…" Amarla began to speak again, but seeing the Zorua's grim look on his face, she simply sat back and looked out the window. "Fine… I tried to help you, Zed… one day, you will remember what I told you here, and you will regret ever meeting her." Whatever she was trying to do, it wasn't working, and Zed was now more convinced than ever before that Lucy's mother was truly as despicable as his girlfriend kept saying. She avoided looking at her and waited for the carriage to reach their destination, which felt like several hours.
By the time they reached the edge of the savannah, and then walked through the Amp Plains, the sun was setting as they reached the small canyon-like area, and entered the village. It was the exact same way he remembered it: buildings made out of clay, with straw roofs, or houses dug into the walls of the gray rock. The large circular building near the center seemed to be that arena Eric had been thrown into back when they'd first come there. Asides from that, there were no further signs of civilization or technological advancements. Lucy was getting looks everywhere she went, mostly of surprise or bewilderment to see her besides her mother once more.
Zed also noticed that, besides the extremely young cub that ran past them, not a single pokémon dared approach the trio. From Manectrics to Amparoses and other Luxrays, nobody wanted to acknowledge the group, and he was definitely certain it wasn't because he was an outsider: after all, he'd been there last time, and some must've recognized them, because he did, waved a hesitant paw their way, and they answered his gesture. "I don't know how you can say hello to them, these vipers…"
"They're a lot more pleasant than you are." Was Lucy's response, looking at her mate. "Not that much better though." Her mother ignored her insults and kept walking, ascending some steps as normal life resumed behind them. They kept ascending and, just as they were going to reach the highest level, where the biggest houses were, they took a left and headed straight into a moderately sized one, with a section outside with the straw roof, but it seemed to go deeper into the mountain. "Home sweet home…"
Amarla didn't reciprocate that comment and walked in, and so did Lucy and Zed. The inside was exactly the same as Lucy remembered it being, except a lot more decayed. Zed saw several patches of straw, which he assumed were chairs, cushions or beds… they seemed a little dirty, however. Aside from that, there was a firepit on the other corner of the room, some old wooden cupboards where he supposed was the food, and then three doors: the middle one was slightly ajar, and the inside was dark, dimly lit by a single candle, a rasp, heavy cough coming from within.
"Here we are… go in there, and talk with him. I'll go make dinner."
"I can h-"
"No man should be in the kitchen." Was her dry response to Zed, who just looked at her and stayed silent, then looked at Lucy walking into the dark room. He followed her inside, and slowly shut the door behind them. The air was… viced, to say the least, a foul smell in the air, the smell of death. Seemed like the Luxray hadn't been lying about this part… Lucy was already beside the bed and looking down at the figure underneath the sheets. As Zed walked to her side, he'd see an extremely old Luxray: his fur greyed out to the point of becoming almost white, hazel eyes almost snuffed out, no light behind them.
"Haah… Lucy… My sweet Lucy…" Zed could see something trembling under the sheets, assuming it was his paw, trying to reach up to her face to touch her, whilst she just stared at him, face one of pure disbelief, almost as if she was frozen in place. "I was scared I wouldn't be able to see you… again…"
"Dad… I'm sorry I didn't know I thought that mom was…"
"It's alright… I know you have more important things to do than come visit me…" He said, looking at Zed with a gentle, weak smile. It was the smile of someone who knew he was going to die, and wanted to leave this world with no regrets or sadness. A bitter smile that made him shudder. "You are… Zed?"
"Y-yes, mister…"
"Joshua…" He quickly looked away and began coughing violently, wheezing and running out of air, convulsing. "We didn't get to talk much last time… but I am glad to see you're still sticking by Lucy's side… she's a bit of a lively lady, isn't she?"
"You uh… could say that." Zed couldn't help but chuckle, alternating between looking at him and his mate, unsure if he should even be here in the first place… though when he shifted away, he would feel the intense grip of Lucy's paw closing around his own, shaking like a leaf. Something had her extremely upset, and he didn't know what it was.
"So… I-I don't know where to start, dad…"
"I know. There are many things I'd like to tell you… things that I'm sure would do nothing but hurt you or myself more than we have before… but at this point, I don't think it's worth it… none of it was ever worth it."
"Yeah… I agree." She silently looked at the ground.
"I just wish… you could've been a better father for you…"
"There were a lot of things you could've done to make it easier on yourself and me…" She was starting to get more worked up… but slowed down and breathed in deeply, coughing slightly on the air. "How long have you been here?"
"I don't know, I've lost count of the days… I can slowly feel the energy and will draining from my body, turning into dust and dying while I'm alive. Dying of old age… I can't say I'm surprised." It was around then that Zed noticed what was off about this conversation: they were talking about absolutely nothing. It was the same type of conversation one would have with someone they hadn't see in a long time, and that they didn't have a strong relationship with.
Their back and forth went on for a while before they both suddenly fell silent, having effectively run out of things to speak about, and yet they both had it at the tip of their tongues, both holding back, trying to make the other leave or burst already so that their response could be justified… and the one who gave in was Lucy herself. "I haven't forgiven you for what you did to him."
"Of course you haven't, neither has your mother… but I still stand by what I did." His coughing became more pronounced as his voice rose, the house trembling due to the grave tone.
"Even as you are about to pass away, you still won't forgive him for doing the only logical thing?"
"No, specially when he inspired you to do the same."
"Oh, excuse me for wanting to find my own life away from you and mom's issues, which you both seemed to be out to make my life just as miserable as your own."
"I'll have you know that… everything that has happened in this house has happened because of her… her and her alone!" He let out a howl of bitter regret, followed by loud coughing. Zed heard something outside smashing and breaking, followed by the sound of a door loudly smashing shut. "I was alone long before you left… because you were too busy focusing and arguing with your mother, and making my own life miserable…"
"None of this would've ever happened if you hadn't been so narrow minded and followed all of these clan rules!"
"The rules…" He coughed up even more violently than before, spitting out something black, which neither of the young pokémon knew what it was, but it smelled horrible. "The rules are the only thing holding this tribe together as it is… And they were made in the first place to avoid the pain you and your mother inflicted on me."
"How could they have possibly been made to avoid all this?! They were what… What…" She let out a scream of frustration, and became enraged. "Fuck you, and these stupid rules, pinning the blame on anyone but yourself! You're both to fucking blame for all the shit that happened in this house: your own life was miserable because you had it become miserable, because she had it become miserable, neither of you wanted to walk away from this whole thing and eachother, instead you stuck together, and kept filling up this house with the poison that lives within you! Because that's all you've been doing, for as long as I've known you, you've been doing nothing but spitting poison and making all of this insufferable!" The sight of a daughter screaming at her dying father was… a disturbing one, to say the least, and an uncomfortable one at most, so much so Zed was frozen in shock at what was unfolding before him, and Joshua trembled in his bed.
"...those are the same words he said… the day he left…" He let out a bitter chuckle. "I knew it, I knew that he'd gotten to you, and he was the reason you ran away." He looked at her. "Well, did you find him?" He taunted. "Did you chase after him and go find a better life with him? I bet you didn't… because I told you once… And I'll tell you aga-" His coughing was becoming more and more pronounced as the discussion kept going, and Zed's own instincts as a sort of doctor kicked in.
"Please, stop his coughing is…"
"I shan't… until I tell my daughter what my feelings are!" He shouted, drawing his strength from somewhere deep within: whether it was his bitter regret or hatred or something else, Zed didn't know, but he doubted there was any love left within that dried up, old body. "You are nothing… but a coward Lucy. You have done nothing but run away all your life, chasing after something that doesn't exist and isn't there for you… the world isn't there to welcome you with open arms and give you the chances you… so desperately want! It will crush and stomp you mercilessly, until you're forced to accept the bitterness of life… That freedom and decision away from it that your brother so desperately wanted… you'll never have it. Because you are both cowards, and have run away from everything and everyone in your lives… including eachother!"
"Shut up!" Her screech got him to stop speaking alright, and she knocked over the candle on the desk, which fell to the ground and splashed hot wax everywhere, though it was still burning on the ground, making the sudden change in lighting cast large, looming shadows in the ceiling above. "You are the one who abandoned him and me! It's all your fault! You forced him to run away from your bullshit… and you never even bothered to go find him! He did the only reasonable thing, which was to get away from all this… and I'm sure he's happier than either of you have ever been in your lives!"
"I think otherwise… If he's as happy as you are, then he will have failed to achieve what he set out to do…" He glared at Zed, then at her. "You call my relationship with your mother a joke… Your relationship with Zed isn't any better." This was the last straw for her, and did what Zed had thought unthinkable: she hit her bed ridden father with a paw, slamming it on his probably old and shrivelled arm, making him groan out in pain as she looked at him, tears in her eyes.
"I hate you!" Was the last thing she said before she stormed out of the room and the house, crying. Zed was left there, looking at the Luxray groaning and crying, unsure if it was because of the physical or the emotional pain of what Lucy had done… whatever the case, he soon fell silent, and sobbed softly. As he left, she heard him whisper something that made Zed feel infinitely small.
"And now… I die as I've lived." Zed went to look for Lucy, finding her at the foot of the steps. Thankfully, there was nobody nearby, and the Zorua could step down to her and sit besides her, hugging her. She tried to push him away at first, but eventually she gave up and accepted the hug, gripping his dark fur and burying her face into his chest, crying and sobbing as her heart ached, a knot in her stomach, having said and done what she had come there to do… only to find out it was infinitely more painful than she could've ever imagined.
By the time they came back, the door to Joshua's room was closed, the door on the left was half open, and inside Zed could see Amarla looking away and at the wall, completely still, the light of the candle flickering out. Lucy was in the right room, which she said had been her room and her brother's while they were young. Zed made some roasted berries and took them to their room, but she didn't eat any, no matter how hard he tried to convince her to eat something. "You should eat something you can't…"
"I'm not hungry." She said dryly, just sitting on the straw bed. It was much cleaner than the ones outside, at least there was that. He ate the bare minimum so that he wouldn't be starving when he woke up next morning, and laid down besides Lucy, still sitting and looking away from him, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her closer, a gesture to the which she didn't respond, her gaze fixated on the candle next to their bed. She had him extremely worried at this point, unable to tell what was going through her mind, and was making him incredibly anxious, something she'd be able to tell by the way his grip on her hips tightened to the point of becoming mildly uncomfortable, nuzzling her lower back, trying to cheer her up or get her to acknowledge his affections and support.
He wouldn't get that, but she would at least start talking. "This was a bad idea. Coming here. Meeting them… it was all just a bad move."
"Lucy…"
"I knew this was the way things were going to go, I was trying so hard to at least keep it back, to say goodbye to him without starting one more argument, and just move on with my life… but I couldn't. Instead, I just come here, scream and hit an old man in his deathbed." She hid her face with her paws. "I'm pathetic."
"Don't beat yourself up so much… You said what you had to, what you felt was appropriate… had you waited for him to be dead, you would've never been able to tell him how you really felt against him."
"Yeah, now I just need to live with the fact that I told my dad that I hate him in his deathbed… I don't know which is worse to be honest." The Zorua bit his lower lip, sighing and laying back down besides her. "It's not like he didn't know it before, and it's like he doesn't deserve it either, I still hate him for what he's done and pinning me and my brother as the ones to blame… But it's just not right that I spit in his face and did what I did to him when he's so close to passing away." He didn't say anything, unsure of what he could even say to try and comfort her… If there was even a way to do that at this point.
"Well… what is it that happened? You never did tell me you had a brother." He tried to change the conversation topic slightly, and while that definitely made her tense up… she sighed, and looked at him, her emerald eyes slightly red from all the crying.
"Yeah… I do, or at least, I did… His name was Alastor. My older brother, my parent's first born and… kind of my only good role model when it came to me growing up." She laid down besides him, looking at the ceiling as he hugged her. "When I was born, as soon as I came out of the egg he was the first one to notice me, my mother was making lunch, and my dad was just… being himself, and looking intimidating out on the front porch and talking with his friends. I don't remember much from that day of course… but my brother was always complaining that the moment I came out of the egg, my parents started discussing even more than ever before."
"So when you said that ever since you were born they'd always been arguing…"
"I meant it. Still, my brother helped me out and made everything a lot easier to handle, always playing games with me, tag, running and helping me keep up with him… He was the one that taught just how liberating it can be to just… go for a run every so often, relax, look around, find a new spot you haven't seen before and just stay there for a bit, let your worries stay behind you and all that." She was getting slightly emotional just from thinking about him, tearing up slightly, wiping the tears from her cheek, a sentiment that Zed couldn't help but force a smile for.
"I'm guessing you loved him a lot."
"Yeah, and I still do, it's just that…" She sighed. "It happened when I was ten, one day, he told me something, pulled me away. I don't… remember what it was, but whatever it was made my mother and father the angriest I've ever seen them, screaming at eachother and him. I was scared, seeing all of this happen… then my brother got up, and said he was going for a run. I wanted to go along with him, but he said something that I'll never forget: 'I'll be running ahead, you catch up later.'"
"...And he left."
"Yep. Never came back after that, not the next day, or next week… by the time two weeks came around, my parents realized what had happened, and so did the rest of the village. We became outcasts, since it was frowned upon by everyone else that my parents effectively lost one of their children, and while they were underage too… And the bickering and arguing became less outward and frequent and was replaced by… this." She pointed to the opposite wall, to the rooms where her parents were. "I think that was the point where they just gave up on eachother. Any mention of my brother was enough to make me go for a night without dinner, and it made me a lot more averse to dealing with them, since they wouldn't stop talking about how much of a lowlife and coward my brother was… And all of the stuff you heard my dad say about him earlier."
"And what about your mother? What was it that strained your relationship so much with her?" He could understand now why she didn't get along with her father so much… but it felt like there was something missing to make the relationship between her and her daughter so toxic. To this, not even Lucy had the answer it seemed, as she shrugged dismissively.
"I don't know… she'd always been like that ever since I was born. After my brother was gone, she gave even less of a shit about me, and since I did… she started to become the way you've seen her. Just a massive attention whore and making herself look like she's the victim of this situation."
"That's… so unfair."
Lucy sighed and got closer to him, accepting his hugs finally. "What's done is done… Tomorrow, we're leaving and… I'll tell him, before I leave, that even with all that's happened, I don't want him to go away feeling so regretful, and I don't want to leave this place with the last words to my dad being that I hated him." She let out a long yawn, unable to hide the fact that she was exhausted, emotionally and physically drained.
"That sounds good. I know it hurt, and that it wasn't easy, and yes, it might've been a bad idea… But I'm sure this will be good in the long run, and you can move on and have a cleaner conscience." Lucy nodded, and nuzzled her mate, pecking his nuzzle.
"Yep. Anyways, I'm still tired, specially since we didn't get too much sleep last night, what with those god damn reporters… So yeah, let's just get some sleep, and tomorrow we'll go back home." Lucy seemed to be quite eager to leave… and Zed couldn't blame her. There was nothing left to do there for either of them, that much he had clear… so the sooner they left, the sooner they could move on, and the better for them. Still, as Zed blew the candle out and wished his girlfriend good night, he couldn't help but shake off a feeling of dread. All of this had hit close too close to home, had made him relive and remember some bad memories of his own family… He breathed deeply and closed his eyes, taking a page out of Lucy and her brother's philosophy, and trying to leave that in the past, where it belonged.
The next morning, the house was dead quiet when they both woke up, shook themselves out of bed and out to the rest of the house. Zed proposed cooking something to fully rouse them out of their sleep, whilst Lucy washed herself, and after waiting outside of her parent's rooms for them to come out, she would approach to knock on her mother's… she instead opted to go to her father's room first, wanting to be finished with this conversation so that she could get it out of the way faster, and give him a nice "good morning" along with it. She knocked on the door once.
"Hey, dad. Coming in." She said, walking inside, being greeted by that same foul smell from last night… only a bit worse. "Morning… Hey dad." She walked besides him, he was sleeping… very peacefully. "Dad. Hey, I wanted to say that… I'm sorry for what I said yester day… and… dad?" She shook him. He didn't respond.
"...Dad?"
"So he passed away while you slept?" Elly was sitting besides a weak Eric, sitting at the main dining table and drinking a hot bowl of soup slowly, still a bit pale, but regaining his colour. "And she didn't get to say anything to him… I'm so sorry to hear that."
"Yeah, it was bad timing… or perhaps his body and mind gave in after what she told him the previous day. I don't want to even suggest that, I don't know how she'd take it if she thought she…"
"No, it's just a stroke of bad luck. I'm sure that he knew how she felt about him, given how conflicted she was about the whole thing. She's got a lot on her mind, and I don't see her coming back with a smile on her face after all."
"Yeah… I don't think we'll be getting home anytime this morning. Lucy and her mother are… well, preparing everything for the burial, but from what I see…" He looked around. He was still in their house, a few pokémon from the tribe had come to pay their respects, but most, if not all, had left at that point. "They weren't exactly popular."
"That's so sad…" She sighed on the other side, Eric looking at her inquisitively, telling him to keep eating with her paw, to which he obliged. "I can't imagine what she must be going through right now. As much as I dislike that woman, it can't feel good to have a husband pass away and have nobody to lean on."
"I won't say anything on the matter… I don't think any of us understand the depths of what happened yesterday in that house… Look, we'll be home this afternoon, I don't think staying here any longer will do Lucy any good."
"Let her take all the time she needs. She's the one who lost her father after all." Elly could tell the Zorua was doubtful, even on the other side of the psychic conversation. "Don't push her, Zed. I know how conflicted you must feel right now, but you need to be an effort and be there for her, not push her in order to try and protect her."
"I know I know… I've got to go now. Don't worry, I won't force her to do something she doesn't want to, but I still don't think this is healthy at all. See you guys later. And give Eric a hug from my part." Lucy nodded and wished him the best before she stopped speaking, walking up to Eric and gently climbing onto his lap, the Riolu wrapping his right arm around her waist, as big as it was, and she wrapped her paws around his chest, which made it a bit harder for him to eat, but he didn't mind, as she nuzzled him tenderly.
"What's with the sudden affection?"
"What, do I need an excuse to hug my mate?" She teased, smiling as she nuzzled him again, the Riolu chuckling and eating a bit more. "Lucy's father passed away." He took one last spoonful and looked directly into her eyes, sighing as he hugged her closely.
"I can already guess who it is you're thinking about… c'mere, you." He hugged her a bit harder and pulled her into a legit hug which she kindly returned. "A family can never be perfect, we just need to try our hardest and make it as enjoyable as we can, but what's really important is that we all have to do something and work together. And from what I overheard… at least two of the pokémon in that family gave up long ago."
"Yeah, that much I gathered when meeting Amarla… can't help but think about them though." She nuzzled him closely, hugging him. "Oh, and Zed told me to give you a hug and wish you well, since he wasn't here." She then kissed him, smiling.
"I don't suppose that kiss was Lucy's way to wish me well?"
"No, that was mine, silly~" She kissed him again, helping him eat and recover, appreciating her relationship with Eric a lot more after hearing what had happened.
"...may his soul join those of our ancestors in the great plains above." The sermon ended, and the grave was finished. The graveyard was mostly empty, the occasional electric type pacing around and visiting a grave or two. Zed noted they were rather crude, some of them wooden, like Joshua's, other stone, but not many looked as well made or appreciative as the ones in the graveyard near Treasure Town. Still, it was as overwhelming a place, and was gripping his mate's paw, patting her back as she quietly sobbed, trying to help her through this. They, along with Amarla, who was watching at the mound in silence, were the only ones that had been there to see the burial. The pokémon who had come to oversee the process, the chief's right hand man, left shortly after, leaving the family to deal with the crushing feeling of loneliness that weighted above them.
It wasn't after nearly ten minutes passed of that complete silence, that Lucy spoke up. "I'm leaving, mother." She finally called her that, though Zed wasn't too sure if it was a mark of affection, or if it was something she'd done unintentionally.
"Done what you came for, haven't you… hurting your father one last time before he passed away, and now you want to leave me."
"I've had enough of you." She spat back, fed up with everything and everyone. "I didn't want things to end like this… and you knew they would, you knew what would happen if I came, and you were the one who lead to him…"
"You killed him, Lucy." She merely muttered this, and Lucy fell silent after that, looking at the ground in a mixture of despair and shame. Zed gripped her paw, prompting her to look at him, and shook his head. She knew who it was that loved her, who really cared about her, and who supported her at all times… and it wasn't her mother. No, it was Zed, looking at her honesty and telling her to move on… and she would. She had other things to do now than argue with her mother. With a sigh, and one nuzzle, she turned to her mother, and spoke.
"He was dead by the time I got here. And so are you. You poisoned each other and killed each other long before I came here and said what I said… Goodbye." And with that, she turned around, and left, Zed walking besides her. Contrary to what they thought, Amarla didn't respond, or say anything, just stared at her husband's grave, an unreadable expression on her face. As they were leaving the graveyard however, they came across another Luxray: big, and old, nearing his last days, fur turning to a gray tone. He looked down at Lucy, and she looked up at him, the two of them exchanging a long look, frozen in place.
"You are… Lucy Kishida, right?" He asked politely, to which she nodded slowly. "I'm looking for Amarla, your mother… I heard of the news of your father's passing and wished to come visit and… pay my respects." Lucy looked at him, confused. She had never seen this pokémon in her life…
"You knew my parents?"
"Yes, I am a friend of the family… I assume they never told you about me." She shook her head. At this point though, she didn't really care if he was lying or not, and instead just pointed him to where her mother was. She'd turned to face them, and was looking at the Luxray silently. What was happening between them, Zed couldn't guess, their gazes so complex and loaded with emotion, spiralling and twisting for just a moment.
"Who are you?" Lucy asked, noticing this, confused as to what this mysterious pokémon had to do with her mother and father… he only turned to look at her and shook his head.
"Someone who has inflicted much pain upon your family… If you'll excuse me." He bowed respectfully and left to meet Amarla, the two looking at each other closely, then looking to Joshua's grave, speaking softly. Lucy watched from afar… something about the image made her feel conflicted and strange, and she didn't know what. The Luxray was normal, for the most part, and she hadn't seen him in her entire life… so why did he feel so familiar to her either way? Was it because of his tail? It had a three pointed star, like her own… but she'd never seen him, and as far as she'd been told it the three pointed star was a random quality, and not much else.
"Come on, let's go." She hurried the Zorua. She reminded herself of what she'd told Amarla, and had every intention of following through with it: from that day on, her family was dead to her.
Oh, how wrong she was.
I'm pretty sure that this chapter may have roused some uncomfortable feelings in some. This was, in part, my intention, but I formally apologized if at some point I crossed a line or offended someone. My intention was to, as I said, bring forth this ugly side of a family's relationship, an integral part to Lucy's character, and not to offend or hurt any sensibilities.
But I digress, this chapter end note is going to be a tad shorter than normal, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the intermission that came out with it!
See ya!