A Love -Hate Relationship
41
The Loosened Locks...
A/N: This Fan Fiction is based on the Galar region and games (Sword/Shield) featuring CanonXOC It based on the GAMES and NOT the anime version.
Anani couldn't sleep as easily as her friends seemed to make it look. She layed awake for hours, despite having arrived in early morning, it must have been going into noon time now. Lunch time to say the least, but she wasn't really hungry either.
"I have a meeting with the Chairman...so I must excuse myself."
That's what Bede said...but...
She sighed.
Fidgetting in bed wasn't really doing her any good, so she decided to silently sneak away while she let her friends catch up on their sleep.
She removed her glasses once she slipped outside and sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she leaned back against the Poke'mon center wall when a group of hushed voices caught her attention.
"You're late, Challenger Bede."
That voice...
Anani blinked.
Is that Oleana?
She shifted her body and pushed her ear a bit closer to the source of the voices that seemed to be just around the corner of where she stood.
"I assure you. I arrived earlier this morning!" he protested, "I was just overly exhausted so I...took a small rest and-"
"You should have been here yesterday! One does not keep the chairman waiting!"
"B-But he didn't want to meet until today anyway-so I-"
Man...she sure is a she-beast on punctuality...
Anani blinked.
"Did you even manage to bring back any Wishing Stars from your little side trip?" Oleana asked.
"W-Well no, but -"
"So in other words, it was none more than a waste of time and you could have been here much sooner after all-"
"I-"
"Come now, Oleana...he is here now and on time I might add...no need to be so rough on him~"
" !" Bede beamed, having been saved, "I've been collecting both Wishing Stars and Gym Badges as fast as I can." he stated.
"Hmm...Good work Bede." said Oleana. It seems her tone changes completely whenever it came to the presence of the Chairman, "At least you remember that it was the Chairman who endorsed you."
"If I gather enough Wishing Stars...that will help with the problem that has been bothering you...right, sir?" Bede asked. There was a pleading in his voice. A desprate cry for attention.
PLEASE!
What...?
Please look at me!
Ahh!
Flash images began to play in Anani's mind and she gripped at her head.
No, No, No! Not now!
She thought to herself.
Go Away! Go Away! GO AWAY!
But the pain was throbbing in her head. So searing it made her knees tremble in weakness and she struggled to keep up right.
"It's not just about me, young Bede..." said Chairman Rose, "It's for the future of Galar."
She could feel his sharp eyes gazing at her hiding spot from behind his shades. She dare not make any sudden moves or sounds...no matter how hot the pain, "We'll need more than just Wishing Stars..." he said, "We need a powerful Poke'mon trainer too- Someone like the Champion."
"With all due respect, sir." said Bede, "I was able to show Hop, one of the Champion-endorsed Trainers just how outclassed he was."
I see...
Anani thought to herself as she continued to listen.
So that's it?
She blinked.
Hop really did lose to Bede...is that why He's been so...down?
Something told her that it had to be far more than just a simple loss.
After all the win-loss ratio between herself and Hop was ongoing with her still having not lost to him yet and he didn't at all seem down over it...
No...there's gotta be something more to it than that...
She blinked.
But what?
Not once did the Chairman's eyes waver. It seemed no one else could notice from behind the tinted lenses, but she could feel his eyes on her. He knew she was there, but kept it to himself.
"I'm sure I'll be able to defeat the Champion-No, I WILL Defeat the Champion!"
Bede...
Anani blinked and let go of a soft sigh.
"That's the spirit!" Rose laughed, "It takes healthy competition to really keep this Gym Challenge energized! Right, Anani?"
"Say what!?" Bede gasped as he quickly shifted and took noticed of her presence as well.
Not having any choice, Anani sighed, and stepped into the light. She had shaking breaths, and gripped at her chest. Trying to be in control of the literal pain that was so obviously written on her face from her throbbing pulsating head ache.
"Ahh..." she spoke out, but her words seemed a bit warbled. Even Bede noticed something seemed off, "S-Sorry sir...I was meaning to pass through, but You were having a discussion here...and I didn't want to interrupt so, I thought I would simply...wait it out..." she said between heavy breaths, but maintained her composure so as not to cause alarm. Though it was already too late to try and fool Bede.
"Nonsense, no worries." Rose chuckled, "Why not come an join us for a spell." he said inviting her into the conversation, "So you say you were wanting to pass through, I take it you wanted to speak with Raihan?"
"Uh...yes that's right." said Anani, "I heard somewhere about a Vault that was here in Hammerlocke..." she explained, "So I thought Perhaps Gym leader Raihan would know of it..."
"Ah, yes, very good." Rose chuckled.
As Bede was about to step forward with a question in his eyes, his attempted "Are you okay?" was abruptly interrupted by Oleana.
"Challenger Bede...there is something I wish to discuss with you." she stated rather sharply, "Come with me, please."
"So soon?" Rose chuckled, "Ahh well...can't be helped." he stated as he watched Bede who couldn't muster up any other words get lead away before approaching Anani himself.
"I'm actually glad you were listening, Anani." he said.
"Sir?" she blinked.
She really didn't mean to listen in too much, but it seemed he actually wanted her too.
"As you know, Wishing Stars are those mysterious stones that are attached to your Dynamax band." he explained, "But there's much more to them than just turning your Poke'mon into battle Titans, you know!" he chuckled, "They hold far more energy than just that~"
Energy...?
Her dizzy spell began to take effect once again.
"Yes...with far more energy I could..."
The voice in her mind echoed and faded away leaving her to question"
Who Are you!?
Whoever it was that spoke them...along with the toxic words before...they were the same person. And trying to remember them only made her head feel like it were splitting in two.
"Curious, are you?" said Rose, not seeming to catch the pain she was in, "Then you should head to the stadium, in fact, let's go in together, right away!" he exclaimed, motioning her to follow. With shaking knees she tried to ignore what was going on in her head and followed him inside.
Not far ahead, Chairman Rose stood waiting, along with Oleana who wasn't too far away, with Bede. She seemed to be discussing something serious with him, and though he was listening to her words, his focus was on the very obviously out of character, Anani. A twinge of concern bubbling in his silence as he watched her with mixed emotion in his eyes. She caught his gaze but quickly moved to avoid it, afraid he'd somehow see all her dark secrets inside.
"Did you know that Hammerlocke's stadium also doubles as an Energy plant?" asked Rose, "You see, energy is absorbed from Hammerlocke Stadium's Tower." he explained, "That energy is then changed into electricity in the underground power plant and delivered to our people through out the region!" He seemed to take on a different manner as he spoke of this. There was almost a corrupted obsession to him...one that felt all too familiar to her, and jimmied at the locks of all the more doors of locked away memories. Her head was spinning to the point that she put a hand to her head just to feel like she could stand in place while she listened.
"Our lives and society depend and require various types of energy sources, such as natural gas, electricity and water." he explained, "My associate groups aim to improve everyone's lives by harnessing the power stored in Wishing Stars!"
In Wishing Stars!?
Anani gasped as another memory played of her young life. There was a man in a lab coat in front of her, with arms raised up. Energy flowed all around him, and it knocked her back against a wall. She reached a trembling hand out toward this man's back, and mouthed the word she referred to him as, but her voice was gone...and she couldn't remember what it was...
But what she did remember...was that fear as the lights flashed into a blinding white light that then turned black. There was a thud that came with a blunt force that had moved up toward her body. Or rather, she fell to it.
"Anani!" Bede's voice called her name but she couldn't see him in the blackness, only hear the gasps that came from Chairman Rose and Oleana.
"Oh no...!"
That's...Marnie's voice...
"Anani!"
And Hop...
It seemed Marnie and Hop grew concerned when they woke up to find Anani no where to be seen and so went off to look for her...only to find her in this state.
"Goodness I hope I didn't unload too much on her..." said Rose.
"I highly doubt that's the case, ." said Bede.
"Bede's right..." said Marnie, "She's just exhausted is all."
"Yeah...apparently she didn't rest when we did and decided to leave..." said Hop, "At least that's what Nurse Joy said she saw..." he sighed as he lifted the girl's body carefully into his arms, "We'll just take her from here...sorry for all the trouble sir."
"I see..."Rose sighed, "See to it that she gets some rest then..." he blinked as Oleana leaned over and whispered something into his ear, "So I see." he stated, "It's time for me to get to work...and I better get a move on before Oleana decides to give me another earful." he left with a wave, eyeing Bede as he passed the boy, who leaned over with concern on Anani's sudden collapse. Once he was gone, Hop sighed and had Marnie help him load the girl onto his back.
"She's a dead weight if I carry her." he said, "It will be easier this way...she might be more comfortable..."
"Right..." she said.
"And you-" said Hop, as he leered at Bede, "You saw her like this and didn't do anything!?"
"Excuse me!?" Bede huffed, "I was busy!"
"Yeah...too busy to notice your friend needs help apparently." Hop muttered.
"Who said anything about us being friends!?" said Bede, defensively.
"Yeah...I forgot, friends care." said Hop, "If you're no friend of hers, then why are you bothering to stick around us then!?" he argued, "If you have no intention of being considered a friend to her then I suggest you stay away from her from now on!" stated Hop, "Or she might really end up getting hurt in the end... and I'm not planning to stand by and just let that happen!"
"Are you suggesting I don't care!?" said Bede, "I've saved her far more times than I have ever seen you do!"
"Yeah!? Well she never needed saving so much until she met you!" Hop huffed back, sending a twinge through Bede.
"Hop..." said Marnie, "Don't you think that's up to Anani to decide?" she blinked, "If they're friends...then they can figure that out between them..."
"We're ALL friends in this lot, Marnie!" said Hop, "At least...I thought we were." he sighed, "If one of us has a problem...then we ALL have a problem...that's the way friendship works." he leered over at Bede, "I suggest you make up your mind on where you stand with Anani, Bede." said Hop, "Because I'm not gonna stand for you hurting her anymore-"
A sharp stab went into Bede's chest and he gritted his teeth in silence. Unsure of how to respond. The Unconscious body on Hop's back began to shift and a voice cracked out of her lips, startling everyone into a gasp.
"D...Da.."
"What?" Bede blinked.
"Anani?" called Hop, "Anani can you hear me?"
"N-No..." she muttered, "N-No...please stop..."
"She appears to be having a bad dream..." said Marnie, "That or she's telling you two to cram it." Both boys blinked and shot a sideways glance at Marnie, who in all honesty shrugged it off and thought it was clever.
"Please stop...daddy..."
"What!?" Hop gasped softly.
"...Daddy...?" Bede blinked and his eyes widened softly as he noticed a stray tear trail down her cheek. He swiped it off softly with his finger and silence fell between the group as they watched her sleep.
To be Continued