Hello everyone! Welcome to Chapter 6! This chapter starts at the beginning of the Pokémon Village Mini-Arc! This was a great chapter to write. It's a self-care chapter, really. You'll see Kamari adjusting and handling his emotions as well as taking care of himself. It did after my own self-care journey and I wanna say make sure y'all are taking care of yourselves! It's a Pisces moon tonight so emotions are high.

I'ma Pisces btw lol

Now for musical inspirations! There really isn't one to pin down lol. I have a self-love playlist that I made so listened to that throughout the writing and that's what really helped me. If I had to pin a particular song that set the tone, I'd say One by Ledisi and Space and Time by Mya. Both are so beautifully made and the vocals are so great! I love them and they are definitely great self-care songs.

If you wanna check out the playlist for yourself, it's on Apple Music. My profile is piscesjelani.

Anywho, hope you enjoy the chapter! Feel free to review or pm me!

Fairy Tail's Moonlight

Chapter 6: Moonlit Soothing

The sun woke Kamari up. Its radiant rays beaming down onto his skin, leaving searing kisses upon him. "Wake up," it whispered in his ears. He groaned. Waking up this early hadn't been on the schedule. The sun, however, was persistent. Coaxing him with a thousand kisses before he finally accepted the advice.

He rose with a yawn. Eyes half-lidded and fluttering as he scratched his itching scalp. His big hair shifted with his touch like crackling wood ready to catch fire! He sighed. Haircare should have been the first topic he researched in that library.

Perhaps the monks were right about one thing. Kamari sucked at prioritization.

Perhaps better prioritization skills would have prevented him from—

Enough, he sighed. He spent plenty of time crying himself to sleep last night. It didn't make sense to revisit odd wounds…at least for now. Kamari stumbled to his feet and stretched. Sleeping underneath a pine tree hadn't been what he expected, but it prevented the perfect cover. The perfect location never came often, or so he was told.

Much like the perfect person. Yet he went and fawned over another and pressed his lips—

I said enough!

Kamari crumpled down to his knees, shuddering. His hands curled into fists at his thighs as fresh tears rained down his skin. His eyes squeezed shut, but it did nothing to dampen the flow. His voice cracked and trembled with rattling sobs. And he finally let go. The anguish and pain held back by a mighty dam finally brought through. With it came a downpour of tears dripping into his lap. An eruption of croaking sobs that frazzled the words at his lips.

He almost didn't notice the strange warmth enveloping his body. Almost. Not until something nuzzled his cheek. Kamari wiped at his eyes and glanced over his shoulder. There he found a creature—a pokémon, perhaps? Tall with pure white skin, a snout tipped with a round pink nose, a tiara made of pearls with a starfish on the side, and wavey blue hair floating behind it and pulled into two ponytails.

His mouth flapped and his lips smacked together, desperately pulling words together only to frizzle away. Not from the sobs, however. No, a strange sensation prickled in the back of his head. A sensation—he felt this before. During every vision that overtook him. From every memory that resurfaced and filled his body and heart with the comfort of a thousand cuddles.

When the words were woven together, they left his lips in a croak that echoed through his bones.

"Primari?"

The creature opened its eyes and smiled. Its—Her eyes like shards of the ocean floor.

(Kamari,) She spoke softly, but Kamari heard the power of a thousand choirs in her voice. (It's a pleasure to see you again.)

A million thoughts raced through his mind. But he pushed through and threw himself at his pokémon. Fresh tears cascaded down his skin unabashed. Primari only held him close, whispering a melody in his ears. The sounds of the ocean, he realized. Rolling waves against the shore as fishes breached and dove back. Her voice filled his heart with familiarity until he swam in her notes.

(It'll be okay, I promise.)

For whatever reason, he believed her. So, he cried away the rest of the pain wedged in his heart.

#

Kamari inspected his tent with a grin. It looked stable. And its starry skies design meshed well under the shade of the pine tree. Good thing old Kamari never tossed the instructions. He had a feeling he used it often, given how weathered the paper was. Plus, it felt familiar in his hands.

After their conversation, Primari left to find some freshwater. For her vocal cords, or so she claimed. He hadn't understood what she meant, but he let her go. A river wasn't far from them—just a few paces due west. He trusted her to find her way. In the meantime, Kamari saw it best to set up camp. After all, he wasn't in any emotional condition to continue his mission just yet.

He took a break outside his tent, plopping down onto the soft grass. For now, he dug into his bag for more supplies. The morning had faded yet, so food was necessary. He knew he had cooking supplies somewhere—

Huh? His finger brushed against something. Cold to the touch, yet his presence heated the surface. Almost like—wait, what's that buzzing sound? Kamari shrieked and yanked his hand away. Just as something red shot out of his bag! It floated in the air under a power of its own, flailing its lightning bolt-shaped arms and wiggling its stubby toes. Its face—or, Kamari squinted, screen—flashed in a colorful rainbow before settling on a white screen with a blue circle right under its blue eyes. Right where its open flashed in a grin!

"Zzzrt!Kamari, you're alive!" The…talking device floated over to him. It buzzed through a series of statements Kamari couldn't track. He couldn't take his eyes off the strange device. Nor could he shake the familiarity prickling in his mind. "I was so worried! Zzzrt!"

His lips smacked, much like in the presence of Primari, stringing together foreign words at his lips.

"Rotom Dex?"

The device grinned and buzzed through a stream of statements at rapid-fire speeds. Honestly, Kamari couldn't keep up. Rotom Dex loved to talk! Faint memories of Rotom Dex chatting the night away flooded his mind and he giggled. Seemed some things never changed. There was one statement, however, that caught his ear.

"So, this is Fiore, huh? Not as magical as I thought! Zzzrt!"

"How do ya know that?"

Primari hadn't known that when they spoke. Only that this wasn't in their home—Alola, she had called it. She knew from the air. It had a strange aura, she claimed. Not as fresh or filled with the sprays of seawater. Instead, it had a life of its own that filled her heart with joy. Kamari hadn't understood what she meant by that. However, he wagered it had something to do with magic. Maybe pokémon were magical creatures—like those Celestial Spirits he read about.

Rotom Dex paused and regarded Kamari with a frown. "Zzzrt! Kamari, don'tcha remember? I was with you when you spoke to The Supreme One!"

Kamari shook his head. "No, Rotom Dex, I…err, how should I refer to you?"

"They/them pronouns, zzzrt! Are you okay, Kamari?"

"No, I…don't remember much since I got here. Some kinda amnesia"

Rotom Dex's eyes fell and they made a strange buzzing sound. Somber, like crackling electricity.

Rotom Dex took it up themself to fill in the blank of Kamari's memories. Filled his ears with stories Kamari knew he wouldn't remember. But he listened anyway. Rotom Dex enjoyed it and that was all that mattered to him. In return, Kamari informed them of all the new events. Even…his heartaches. To which Rotom Dex threw a fit! He hadn't expected them to demand to see Aquilo and, "teach 'im a lesson!" However, despite the effort needed to calm them down, Kamari laughed. He heard that family always fought for their loved one's honor. And this was one fight he greatly appreciated.

"You're single, by the way." Rotom Dex added on once they calm down. "You and your boyfriend broke up before you came here."

That made him feel better…kind of. It cleared his conscious at least. Although he preferred more details. Unfortunately, Rotom Dex didn't know why. "You hadn't confided that in me. Zzzrt!" They flailed their arm, berating him for it. Kamari offered his apologies, even though laughter rattled the words.

Still, it didn't heal the wounds from Aquilo's outburst.

Eventually, those wounds would heal and leave behind beautiful scars for his heart to wear with pride. For now, however, he bandaged them up with every encouragement and affirmation Rotom Dex spoke over him. And he smiled with each one. If this was what it meant to have family, then Kamari knew what he needed—wanted.

"Say, have you seen the rest of your pokémon?" Rotom Dex interjected after their last laugh. "I'm sure they wanna see you! Zzzrt!"

Honestly, he hadn't thought about that. Kamari dropped his eyes to the colorful orbs on his belt. Poké Balls, Rotom Dex had termed them. They must have worried about him. All these days without him. Even Primari had cried fresh tears into his hair while he blubbered apologies against her. They deserved the chance to see him too after such a long while.

"Yer right, Rotom Dex," Kamari tapped the orbs at his belt and smiled at the familiar flashes of light and smoke filling the area around him. "They certainly do."

They all deserved the right to have family in their lives.

#

The gleaming sun had begun to set, transforming the once blue skies into spiraling sprays of orange and pink. The radiance rained down onto their camp and Kamari grinned. Dusk always brought beautiful light and colors. The perfect photo opportunity.

Rotom Dex had just finished snapping photos of him from all kinds of angles! They made the perfect photographer. Snapping quick pictures before urging quick changes or new locations. They had have taken 3 dozen photos by the time the sun had finally set. And Kamari enjoyed every second, laughing with every joke as he ran a hand over his fresh cornrows.

After meeting his pokémon, Rotom Dex walked him through haircare with recorded videos of a much younger Kamari. He had been so adorable than with a rounder face and far longer hair. And his voice! Thank Arceus—Arceus? —puberty performed wonders on him. He much preferred his deeper and softer register to that squeaking chipmunk. Although, on that face, it matched well and filled his heart with joy.

He washed his hair out at the lake Primari found. Took his time shampooing and conditioning his hair before moving onto braiding. And that hurt! His hands cramped up a few times too many! But it was worth it. The cornrows were tight and reached down to his shoulder blades.

"Next time let's try threading! It'll look great, Roto-K! Zzzrt!"

Kamari nodded with a smile. Rotom Dex had insisted on giving Kamari a nickname. And after various options, he settled on Roto-K. Very nice, if he were to judge.

With his photoshoot finished, Kamari took to cooking dinner. Rotom Dex had a plethora of recipes stored in their database and he was eager to try them. For now, he settled on something simple. Spicy Sausage Curry sounded perfect. Kamari had just finished setting up his pot when a pile of firewood dropped before him. And a bird—vulture? —dropped before him. She regarded with narrowed eyes before shifting the bones she wore like a skirt.

He smiled at her and petted her pink head. "Thanks, Mandimari."

She cawed and took off, most likely to her perch in that pine tree. She quite enjoyed it up there. Though he figured it made it easier for her to startle the others. He chuckled. She enjoyed that a bit too much.

A few more pieces were dropped into the pile. And a black cat-like pokémon riddled with glowing yellow rings across her body brushed against his leg, purring. She circled him a few times before settling down at his feet. Her eyes—as dark as the night and surrounded by flaming crimson sclera—glowed upon him.

Chuckling, he petted her as well, making sure to scratch behind the ear as she preferred. "Thank you too, Umari."

Umari blushed and took off to rest under the pine tree. Perfect. She should keep little Lamari company over there. The blue koala bear cuddled up with her wooden log and snored away. Normal behavior for her kind, Rotom Dex claimed. Honestly, had she not responded to him; Kamari would have thought otherwise! Seemed like pokémon were stranger than he thought.

Kamari gathered up the firewood and set them underneath the pot stand. Salamari slithered over, having patiently awaited her turn. She was just as he remembered her with smooth purple skin and sultry eyes. She set the firewood ablaze in a gentle stream of colorful flames. The perfect signal for Shiimari to race over with a lunar fan in her hands. She had more ghostly features with her skin and empty black eyes. But the humongous and spotted, purple mushroom on her head and the fuzzy pink pants below made up for her. She fanned the flames from a safe distance as he stirred the curry.

"Awesome, you two!" He had praised.

Kamari followed Rotom Dex's instructions and finished just as the moon rose to caress him with her presence. Most of his pokémon gathered around as he fixed plates for them all. Once he finished, Kamari brought a plate to Lamari and fed her.

"Attagirl!" He cheered as he spoon-fed her another serving. Lamari mumbled her thanks in the softest whisper Kamari ever heard!

They found peace under the moon. Laughing at Rotom Dex's jokes and videos as they huddled close together under the pine tree. Primari had taken the time to practice her singing after the last skit and Kamari felt inclined to join her.

They warmed up their voices, and Kamari was mesmerized by the purity in Primari's tone. Softer than he expected and filled with more rolling waves as she reached notes he only dreamed of. Grinning, he followed suit. Tested his vocals and found octaves easier to hit. His tone matched hers. Soft with it a slight rasp that reminded him of the depths of the ocean. If she was the waves, he was life below. They played off each other well to the excitement of his pokémon. And Rotom Dex who recorded their session.

It was Primari who decided to take it up a few steps. Her vocals soared to new heights as beautiful bubbles blew out of her noses. Her hair broke free of its ponytails, leaving it swish and rolling into the air.

He harmonized with her and the duo watched as the bubbles followed their notes in a strange dance. One the moon appreciated as she beamed silver rays onto the show. The bubbles shimmered like disco balls. And they were the stars in need of spotlight.

When their performance ended, the bubbles had already floated off into the clouds. And when they popped, moonlight sprinkled down upon them. Kamari laughed. His team—no, his family joined in. Together, they cleaned up and went off to sleep. Mandimari chose to perch in the tree as the lookout. Primari retreated to her Poké Ball instead. Shiimari and Salamari stayed outside. Shiimari preferred to find berries at night and Salamari hated sleeping in the tent.

That left Kamari inside with Lamari pulled close to his chest and Umari curled up behind his knees. He had already slipped out of his day clothes after a quick bath in the lake. For the night, he chose an adorable lunar-themed pajama set and tied on his purple durag.

Kamari Agrinya:
Status: Happy, 2(?) Plates
Age: 15
Location: Left Tengu Temple