Character: Aaron Valor
Species: Zoroark (Shiny)
Age: 16
Nickname: Lord Valor
Year of character creation: 2013
Story: A stylish yet lonely young prince of Valor, next in line for the throne. He's well-versed in internet culture. The Valorian royal blessing removes any social anxiety, which sometimes makes it harder for him to recognize some conversational tones, and easier for him to express himself. According to current polls he's the most favorited character. Go Aaron…
Abigail kicked her feet off the edge of her bed. She stared at her ceiling with her phone pressed against her ear.
"So," Helen's voice buzzed in her ear, "did they ever calm down with the gifts?"
"Uhhhh…"
Abigail sat up.
She had spaced everything out into three piles; Aaron's by her bed, Gawain's by her door, and Zen's against the wall behind the lounge area. All in all, she probably had more jewelry than a jewelry store, more flowers than a greenhouse, and a bigger miscellaneous section than a dollar store on a Wednesday.
She flopped back down. "A little less."
"Well, how've you been doing with them?"
"Well, ever since they evolved, they're really… aggressive."
"That's what happens. They feel bigger. Makes them a lot more sure of themselves. That's normal."
"Yah, but… I dunno. I'm trying not to be shallow."
"Abigail, I know you. You're not shallow. Just relax."
"Thanks…You have to sleep now, right?"
"Yup."
"Have a good night."
"You too. Buh bye."
"Bye."
Abigail let her arm fall. She'd go to sleep, too, if she were tired. Instead, an idea bounced around in her brain.
It just came to her out of the abyss, or maybe because her outfits were all samey. She needed to branch out in a lot of aspects: combat styles, slang, different coffees (she never did switch off a caramel macchiato), but most of all, clothes.
She had five of the same cape, and a few skirts and the like. That was it. She needed more, and preferably, stuff she wouldn't be made fun of for.
She trusted Aaron when it came to that. Everyone on the internet called him the cool, stylish one. She texted him to bring a bunch of his clothes to her room, and he came, without any context.
She made herself decent and sat on the front edge of her bed for a while. When Zoroark Aaron knocked on her door, he carried a black duffel bag over his shoulder. His yellow eyes shone as he snapped his claws and pointed down at her.
"Whatever it is, I'm in," he said. "So, what is it?"
"I wanna look cool."
"But you already look cool."
"No, like, cool," she said. "I mean, like… 'Swag'. Or 'cash-money'."
"Ah." His head bobbed up and down. "Okay."
"So, show me your stuff."
"What's my stuff got anything to do with it?"
Her tail swirled. "Cause you're the cool one."
"Oh. Ah, okay. Sure."
As Aaron passed her, his tingly scent burnt her face as his fur waved. With a shaky paw, she pushed the door to close.
Aaron set down his bag and laid everything out on the floor, in the corner of the room in front of the TV. Abigail's eyes drifted over jackets galore, shirts, and pants she'd never seen him wear (they weren't popular), all with sharp colors and edges. It all screamed "cool". It'd be the type of clothes she'd expect on a movie set.
"I will say though," he said, staring down at it all. "I have a club meeting to get to soon."
"A club?" she asked.
"Yup. Shiny club's tonight."
"Shiny club? What's that?"
"It's shiny club. Everyone with the shiny gene like me in the city comes and talks about our experiences being different. It'll be my first time since the parade. Missed a few meets."
"Oh. I didn't realize anything like that existed." It made her feel dumb for not knowing.
"Don't blame ya. There's not a lot of us. You can come with, if you want."
"I… don't want to intrude," she said, staring at his chin.
"Plenty of people bring guests. It's not a big deal. Plus, they all have mad drip."
"Well, as long as it's okay."
Abigail's focus latched onto a dark blue leather jacket. She walked to it, picked it up, and put it on. It was designed for a Zoroark, so the arms were too long, but otherwise fit her torso. The surface felt smoother than she expected.
For some reason, Aaron's eyes hardened. His head tilt sent her heart aflutter. It stood in stark contrast to anything else he did on the regular.
"W-what's up?" she asked quietly.
He didn't say anything. He walked up to her and locked his claws together behind her lower back. He lifted her up into a kiss.
Okay. She really needed to stop making out with Aaron on a whim.
That's what she told herself over and over, but it didn't help. Nothing could. He was hot. Before he evolved, she could ignore his shenanigans, but now, barely at all.
Against her better judgment (assuming she had any left), she continued to wear his jacket when they went out. Even worse than that, she tucked herself away in the indigo fur on his head like a Zorua kit so she could take a nap. A mess of paperwork ate all her brainpower. She wanted to relax, and she did.
Zoroark Aaron walked out of her room, with a similar blue leather jacket on. He took the elevator down to the ground floor.
On the way out, through the black-and-blue Nightlight plaza, he signed three signatures, took five selfies, and chatted up the front secretaries. He rolled around on his feet without a care in the world. He seemed to lift up the whole room by the time the doors rolled out of his way to the cold night air.
Abigail poked her eye out. She didn't see a carriage waiting out front.
"Where's the carriage?" she asked quietly. She paid mind to a Fomantis toddling nearby.
"It's only a few blocks," said Aaron.
"But what about being seen?"
"Well, I currently look like an Alolan Persian with a backpack, so… We're good. Besides, you shouldn't have to feel nervous just walking outside."
"Sometimes I just don't feel like dealing with it…"
"Well, I'll let you hitch more rides if you marry me."
"We're not even boyfriend-girlfriend yet."
"If we were, you wouldn't have to be all conflicted about kissing me."
"Don't be such a smart alec…" she muttered.
Aaron continued his walk. It'd been ages since Abigail was out on the streets like this. When she looked out, the sight seemed different.
Carriages passed them by, going to and fro. Everywhere she looked, Valor's nightlife waved back. People filled every restaurant in sight. The insides of shops were fit to bursting with bustling bodies. As cold air hit her face, she retreated back into his fur. Aaron walked down a busy sidewalk without a care in the world.
"Yo," said Aaron, "got something for you."
Aaron reached a claw back. Abigail snatched what he held out of his hands: a double chocolate cookie, wrapped in plastic.
"Getting fed while riding in your fur makes me feel like a bum," she muttered.
"Still under the weather about her?" he asked.
"I'm… okay."
"We'll be there in a few minutes."
"Why are you spoiling me so much today?"
"Don't want you getting lonely with Zen and Gawain being out on short trips. You're probably used to getting more attention."
"I'm used to getting way less attention."
Aaron hunched over and chuckled.
"What?" she asked.
"Ah, nothin," he said. "Almost there."
In time, Aaron walked to a restaurant. Abigail stayed hidden in his fur while he pulled open the glass door.
Everything popped out at her: red cushions, pictures and plaques on the wall, and burger signs. The prices hung around the single digits. A countertop, as greasy as the food probably was, overlaid tubs of ice cream. As Aaron walked past it, she caught a glimpse of the names, and made a list.
"Yo." Abigail felt Aaron's head bob up. "Sup?"
"Oh," a low voice grumbled. "Hey Aaron. You came."
"Yah. Been out for a few weeks. Though, I warned you guys I would be."
"Never could've imagined why. Please, heave a seat. We missed you, for whatever reason."
"Cool. Brought a guest."
Abigail plopped down on a big cushion. Aaron's indigo fur lifted up from over her body.
They had sat down around a circular, metal table, with plastic bottles of ketchup and mustard in the center. Around the table, an Absol, Chewtle, Watchog, Garchomp, and Weavile stared back at her and the cookie hanging from her teeth.
All of them had the shiny gene, except for maybe the Garchomp. She couldn't really tell…
Zoroark Aaron laid out his fur under and behind Furret Abigail. He draped an arm over her shoulder.
"Oh wow!" Weavile said with a bright smile. "Sammie's going to lose her mind."
"Uh, hi," she said with a small wave. Because of the blue jacket, it just looked like her sleeve rolled forward and back.
"Hey," Watchog said, with the same deep voice she heard before. "Welcome to shiny club. This is all the people with the shiny gene in all of Valor, minus one since she's late."
"Oh… I, uh, thought there'd be more…"
"Nope," Weavile raised her claws and set them down. She drummed on the table. "This is it."
She knew the shiny gene was rare, but this seemed extreme. The chances of a member of any royal family member having it must've been so low, Aaron had to be a miracle. She grew curious.
"So, how'd it start?" Abigail asked.
"Chattoter," Watchog Matt said. "To be honest, I expected more of us, too. How about we talk about our personal stories?" He turned to Garchomp. "Drew, would you like to go first?"
"Right." He cleared his throat. He seemed older than the rest of them, maybe in his thirties. "I'm Drew. Uh, I evolved into a Garchomp when I still lived with my family out in the countryside. I didn't know I had the shiny gene till I turned twenty-one."
Geezus.
"It was a… shock. But, y'know, I'm here to be true to myself."
"Mmm." Watchog Matt nodded. "Like many of you, and other people around Valor, I'm sure, I hid the fact I was shiny with dye for a long time. Adding that layer just for the sake of appearing like everyone else wasn't healthy for me. Being here makes it a lot easier to be myself. How about you Taj?"
The table turned towards the Chewtle. He continued to stare at the center without a word.
"Green gang," he finally blurted.
"Mmm. Right with you, brother. Pepper?"
"My mom's paying me to be here," Absol sighed. "She says I don't have any friends."
"We could be your friends."
"Pass."
"Okay." Watchog Matt turned. "May?"
Weavile's eyes lit up (even more). "Okay, so, like, I'm here cause I saw an ad on Chattoter, which is like, super crazy," she flourished her claws. "Like, those ads kinda out here snipin me. How did they know I was shiny? But whatevs. Anyways, I came, and like, it was pretty legit. We-"
"Thank you," Matt cut her off. "And now, Aaron. How about you?"
Aaron looked down. "When I was born, my dad took it almost like some kind of bad omen. I mean, my mom died having me. Being shiny on top of it, just, felt hollow. Or maybe there's a different word for it." He shook his head. "I hid it with illusions for the longest, and got good at it. I only stopped hiding it at the parade. You guys… inspired me. I think about what it might look like in however many centuries when people like us can look back and see one of us was king."
Silence. Abigail didn't expect an answer anywhere close to serious from Aaron. Aaron looked around, smiled, and rolled his eyes.
"Well," Matt said, "it's an honor to be alive to see it for myself, Lord Valor. So, this week, we're studying shiny history in royalty across the globe. I was waiting for when you'd be here. Now then…"
A gasp.
Abigail turned.
Approaching the table, with her cherry blossom paws over her mouth, a pink Furret danced on her toes. The light caught her sleek fur. It almost seemed to sparkle.
"Hi, Sammie," Watchog Matt said. "Welcome in. Aaron brought the Lodestar as a guest. Try to stay polite and cordial."
"Ohmygosh, hiiiiiiiiiiiii!"
Furret Sammie bounced over. She plopped down next to Abigail with a bad case of the giggles. Abigail smiled and nodded.
"So, Sammie, we were just talking about our stories or lack thereof," Matt said. "So, would you like to say anything?"
"Okay, first, hi," Furret flourished her paw in Abigail's direction. She smiled and nodded again. "My name's Sammie. I'm, like, a major nerd."
She could see that.
"I hid my fur for, how many years now? And then I was at the Royal Parade… By the way, hi again, Aaron."
Aaron flicked his head. "Hey."
"So, I was at the Royal Parade, and then I saw everyone raving over a Furret for just being herself! I stopped dyeing my fur right then and there."
"That's just great," Matt said in a low voice. "I mean, really. The power that representation brings. So, this is a nice segway into some history lessons. Keep in mind, most of this is ancient history. So, uh, not a lot of pictures. Sorry Aaron."
"Damn…" he muttered.
"So, this story originates from old Pataliputra. There's a legend about a princess born with different colors than her usual species. They thought it was a curse and killed her. And that's it."
Abigail blinked. What?
"That's it?" she asked.
"Yes, that's all the shiny recorded royal history. There you go. Also, Aaron," Matt turned. "You said she likes cooked onions on her burgers, right?"
"Yup."
"Cool. Hey, how's Street Fighter going?"
"Bad."
"Figures."
With that terrible segway, shiny club transformed into more of a social club. Aaron played a lot of catch up while Abigail hung back and ate a zesty, well-seasoned burger about the size of her whole face.
A content sigh escaped her lips. All of this helped.
The worst part about her new job as Overlord: paperwork, easily. But the second was that she basically acted as a sludgehammer while their "intelligence" played whack-a-mole. Her patience ran thin. They didn't know what the orbs were, why her mom wanted them, or anything useful at all. If it weren't for Aaron, she'd have gone hunting by herself.
But she wouldn't have found anything, like the last four times, other than empty streets. She turned to the window met with dozens of walls and buildings and crowded, shifting streets. She didn't have a chance on her own this time.
Aaron's claw on her shoulder snapped her back to reality. His yellow eyes met hers.
"Not hungry?" he asked underneath the conversation that swallowed the table.
Abigail glanced down at her plate. She had only taken two bites, somehow.
"Just unfocused," she said.
"Eat some real food first. Focus on that much, at least."
"Yah…"
Aaron frowned.
Without either of them realizing, the table quieted down. Everyone was staring at them…
"Why don't we talk about the elephant in the room?" Weavile May asked.
Everyone glanced over to the sound of metal scraping.
A Cufant eyeballed them from another table. A drop of sweat ran down the side of his face.
"Uh, figure of speech," May said, as their games returned. "So like, you really chose Aaron?" Her voice lowered. "I mean, no offense, Aaron."
"I feel offended."
"I, uh…" Abigail cleared her throat. "What makes you ask?"
"Well," May said, "you're wearing his jacket. You were in his fur like a little kid. You whisper at the table. You give each other looks. Although… where are the other two?"
"They had some stuff to do in Kyota," said Aaron.
"Kyota? Isn't that a few days by ship?"
"Well, they have a special speed ship thingy, so they should only be gone for three days. And today's number two."
"So what have you been doing all day?" Watchog Matt asked.
"Nothing much," Aaron shrugged. "We kind of don't do much other than try to get married and do a few events at this point. So, as strange as it sounds, being a sucker for Abigail is literally my job."
"Well, we know how hard you work."
"Nowadays, it feels like it's twenty-four seven. But I gotta stay competitive. Especially with how much thirst I see on Chattoter."
"Thirst?" Abigail asked. "Like, people are thirsty? Is there a water supply issue?"
"Yah," Aaron said. "It's pretty damn bad in some places. I've seen some posts on Chattoter that are just heartbreaking…"
"Oh…" Abigail raised a clenched paw to her chest. "That sounds awful…"
The looks were priceless.
Absol Pepper grimaced, pained. Weavile May and Furret Sammie exchanged looks. Everyone always assumed Abigail didn't know city slang. Aaron taught her some ways to have fun with it.
Watchog Matt's eyes flattened. "You're both trolling, aren't you?"
Abigail glanced at Aaron for directions. He shrugged with his lower lip curled up.
"Okay, but, like, why are those other two princes going to Kyota?" Pepper asked. "Isn't their focus to get married, too?"
"Yah," Aaron said. "They're not going there to do much in the way of politics. They're going to investigate a Sacred Treasure."
"Ame-no-nuhoko?" Chewtle Taj asked.
"Courtain is the only Sacred Treasure from this continent, and it's being used against the Glass Reshiram. Ame-no-nuhoko is the closest thing that can counter Lobera."
"Halberds are strange weapons," said Matt. "Even if someone syncs up with it, odds are low that their species is the anatomic type to really use it."
"We'll take what chances we can get. The Kyotans are pretty snug with us. We'll barter for borrowing it."
"Well, I'm hoping you have some good luck there."
"Us too. The path ahead is looking grim." Aaron turned down.
Matt blinked. "Not like you to be pessimistic."
"Pft," he spat. "It'll be alright."
Abigail tried to read Aaron's face. To her, at least, it seemed illegible.
"So, level with us," Matt said. "You doing alright?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked.
"Been reading online. Saw a lot of, uh, discrimination. It's easier to just talk about it. Everyone at this table has been there. You put yourself out on the forefront. It's only right you have backup."
"None of it gets to me," he denied. "I mean, really, I'm never going to even meet most of these people. What could they really know about me?"
"It can still hurt," said Matt. "And that's natural. So, how do you go about addressing that pain?"
"Not in pain."
Abigail scooched a smidget away from Aaron's growl. Since she was on his fur, he noticed. He bleached out a sigh and dropped his head.
"Okay," he said. "So what?"
"It's easy to say there's no shame in being different," Chewtle Taj said out of nowhere. "It's not easy to control how you feel about it. It will always take support to build a truly sturdy defense for your heart."
Weavile May flicked a tear from her eye as she nodded and smiled.
"Just ignore them," Absol Pepper sighed. "They're probably all dumb and lame."
"Excellent point, Pepper," Matt praised.
"Guys," said Aaron. "Seriously, I'm good. None of its even scratched the surface. Was wondering how you guys are holding up."
"We've been great," Furret Sammie said. She folded her arms on the metal table. "You've really been, just, awe-inspiring, Aaron."
"Welp," said Watchog Matt, "glad to see you handling it like a champ."
Aaron nodded at the table. Abigail couldn't read his face.
Zoroark Aaron's face stayed the same for a while. When it relaxed, Furret Abigail's shoulders dropped. She kept the better part of her tail coiled around his arm. When she had her fill, she took a nap against his shoulder.
They must've talked for hours. Abigail couldn't get totally comfortable with the bright ceiling lights and lack of noise outside. She wanted to listen to crickets or running water, not the stone cold silence of wind between skyscrapers.
The conversation seemed to take a turn. She listened again.
"Thanks for coming, Aaron," Matt said. "But, elephant in the room again…"
Abigail glanced over. She saw Cufant from out the window. He glanced around in random directions as he walked out of sight on the sidewalk.
"How often can we expect you?" he asked.
"Dunno," Aaron said. He leaned forward. "With emergencies, it can get complicated. But I didn't change my number or anything. If you guys need time, I'll make it. I'm sure Abigail will understand if I'm not at her beck and call for a few hours."
Abigail considered not having Aaron to send cat videos to for a few hours. She'd live, but… Huh.
Now that he mentioned it, she'd really prefer to have him all to herself.
Zoroark Aaron stood up first. Furret Abigail clutched his fur and a chocolate milkshake in a paper cup she ordered thirty minutes before closing time. She slurped away as Aaron bid everyone goodbye.
Outside, even at least an hour past midnight, she still saw pokemon out walking. Most were young adults. As the night air woke her up, she popped out over Aaron's head and looked down at his eyes as he stared ahead. He had to be thinking about something far away.
"Hey Aaron," she said, snapping his eyes back to the present.. "Why'd you say you have no friends from before when you were a prince?"
"I'm just part of their group," he said. "None of them actually liked me enough to hang out or anything."
"Am I your friend?"
"Yah?"
"I didn't know you from before you were a prince. How am I different from them?"
"Guess I feel a bit more comfortable since I've observed for a fact that I know you treat me the same as everyone else."
"They didn't really seem to treat you differently at all."
"Well, they look at me like I'm some posterboy."
"Eeeeeh…"
He turned his head back. "You going to sleep for the night?"
"Yah. I'm tired. Aren't you?"
"I have to do a few things."
"I'll stay up with you," she suggested.
"Nah. You need your sleep. I'll be fine. Just some chores. Prepwork for Zen and Gawain getting back."
"Well, I wanna stay up with you."
"It's okay, really. I'm good."
She huffed. "Aaron…"
Abigail traced the tip of her tail across his face. His face shook as his muscles locked.
"How many times are you going to make me say it?" she whispered.
"A-alright."
"Were you just… nervous? Is that even a thing?"
"There's lots of parts about being nervous, not just fear or adrenaline… Like, uh… Excitement."
Abigail looked at him right in the eye, upside down.
"Poor choice of words," he said. "Uh…"
"It's okay."
Abigail wrapped her tail around his chest.
"Say, Abigail," he said. "What do you think of knights?"
She paused. Kinda a random question, but…
"Knights?" she asked. "Didn't that Ambipom mention a legendary knight or something?"
"Yah."
"I don't really have an opinion, I guess?"
"That's really fair. Lots of people look up to them without knowing much. In reality, they were just killers, hired by the royal families. That's where everyone's 'respect' came from."
"You're trying to figure out what all of those orbs will bring, once they come together?"
"Actually, I had something more specific in mind. There are lots of stories about a knight in the area of the Counselor Mountains. It's a mountain range to the east. Once Zen and Gawain come back, I'll be going off to investigate on my own for a few days."
"Can I come with you?"
He folded his lips. "Can't take away one of the strongest gals in Valor with everything going on. You're just about the only one capable of stopping the Rioters. They need you here. I'll be going with a few from Yellow Clan."
"Oh…"
Abigail loitered on the word. She questioned why he of all people had to be the one to go.
"My kingdom won't burn down while I'm gone, right?" he raised his voice.
"What?" she snorted. "Course not."
"Well, good."
"But you'll be here for tonight, right?"
"Yah."
"Then I'll stay up."
He shrugged and smiled. "Suit yourself."
"I found a cat compilation…"
"Or we could do a movie. Please."
"Mmm, alright."
They'd do cat videos.
"What'd you think of shiny club?" he asked as they passed by a Kricketot.
"It was nice that uncommon people found others like themselves," she answered.
"Think you'll join a club of your own?"
"For what?"
"Well… Nevermind."
"For what?" she pushed. "What would I join a club for?"
"Liking both ketchup and mustard."
"I… don't?"
Oh. She forgot he knew that cause Helen signed that stupid form with all her info on it… Though, she couldn't blame her. She found it weird Helen even knew.
"Being bi?" she asked. "Also, who says it like that?"
"Well, I guess when you ignore one part of yourself for too long, you almost seem to… I dunno. It doesn't go well."
"I feel comfortable being me. I'm fine."
"Eeeeeh… I see through that."
"Fine," she breathed. "Let's say I join a club. I'll be the only one there who's from the countryside. If I join a club that miraculously has someone with both, then they'll probably be different some other way."
"You don't need to find a perfect copy of you."
"Yah. But it feels like other people can find others pretty damn close and I can't."
"So whiiiiny. Just be around people who share something with you so you're more comfortable with it is all I'm saying."
"It doesn't really look like shiny club makes you more comfortable," she said.
"Yah, well. Any little bit helps."
"For whatever it helps then, I wouldn't change a single fur on your head."
"I wouldn't change you either. I mean, you could crush on any celebrity that isn't Esmeralda and that'd be nice, but…"
"On second thought, maybe I'd turn the smug dial down a little."
Aaron flashed her a smile with an eyebrow raised. The illusion of sparkles danced over his eyes.
Nevermind.
