As Team Discovery set up camp within the confines of an abandoned cave, Emmett looked around for a boulder big enough to cover the entrance. The boulder would be used as a door of sorts, and when someone needed to go out for something, Emmett can move it out of the way for them. They made sure that they got some sticks to use for the fire, and set it ablaze, giving them some warmth in the cave.
"Man, we sure outdid ourselves 'ere, didn't we?" Kyle looked around, "But, considering th' Shadow Pokemon around 'ere, it sure is better than nothin'..."
"It sure is!" Emmett smiled, "Besides, I made sure the boulder was tightly secured in the ground."
Peanut yawned, "It's been a long day, hasn't it? At least we got to learn more about the guilds and the conflicts going between them."
He sat back against the stone barrier, leaning next to Kyle, "Well, now that we're all comfortable, I guess we all crash for the night?"
Kyle shrugged, "Sure. Nothin' else to do, anyway." He had nothing but some briefs on, his boxing gloves and purple clothes tucked away into a bag. He was wearing oven mitts, however, which was a gift from Emmett's mother when he was younger. At first, he didn't really appreciate the gift, but over the years it has proven to be a comfy way to warm his hands up.
Despite his tough demeanor, however, Kyle actually knows how to cook. At least, a little. He has made some pretty delicious soup for the team once.
Laying back against the soft grass, he stared at the heavens above, the stars sparkling as brightly as they can. He eventually began to doze off, his mind slowly shutting down as his eyes closed tight.
And then…
…
He was somewhere… familiar.
"Hey da! Da!" The young boy's voice called out to the Conkeldurr.
"Oh, what is it, youngin'?" He smiled, "Did anythin' interesting happen?
The Tyrogue excitedly nodded his head, "Yes! Th' Kecleon at th' shop gave me some gummis fur mah solid work!" He held out his hand to reveal 3 gummis in total.
"Woah-hoh! You sure hit the jackbot there, youngin'! Usually these things are rare to come by! Those Kecleons must've been really proud of your work." He gave a big pat on the head to the young child, "You're gonna pop one into your mouth now, or…?"
"Mmhmm!" Flicking a gummi into his mouth, the chewy texture and it's powerful flavor made him feel a surge of energy pass through him. He could feel himself freeze up for a second as he felt sturdier than before. He noticed that his skin felt somewhat tougher.
"How did it feel?"
"A bit strange, but ah lik' it!" He giggled, "Mah skin feels tougher now…"
"Hm… That must mean that your defensive skills have gone up a bit, youngin'. Be sure it isn't higher than your offensive skill, Kyle, else you'll turn into somethin' else!" He chuckled, though Kyle looked a little confused from that remark.
"Something else?"
"Yep! That's why I've been trainin' up your offensive skills, though unless you're wanting to have them stats equal, then the offensive side is the way to go for ya."
"But... what if ah wanted to be more lik' that?"
"Oh, Kyle… Not every evolutionary path is the best, or at the very least viable. That includes yours. I just want the best for you, that's all." He sighed, "I'm sorry if I'm comin' off as a lil' pushy, but I want you to hold yer own, get me?"
He nodded silently, though something within him knew that didn't feel very right in his heart.
"Good. Now, why don't you go play with your friend, Emmett?"
Kyle looked outside; it was a bit cloudy, but it felt nice. Then, the young Tyrogue gave his pa the rest of the gummies to save for later, except for one which he had planned on giving to his friend. Running off to play with his best friend, he waved goodbye and dashed to the rock that Emmett was sitting on, holding onto his scarf, which was tied up into a cute little ribbon on the back. Unusual for a Machop, he had bright orange eyes, which matched the color of the scarf.
"Emmett! Look at what the Kecleons got fur me! " He held out a single rainbow gummi in the palm of his hand.
"A rainbow gummi…!" His orange eyes lit up with excitement, the sparkly and colorful gummi looked too good to resist. "Can I have it?"
"Sure!" He handed it over to Emmett, who immediately shoved it into his mouth. He felt his muscles tense up a bit, his body freezing up for a second - just like what happened with Kyle and his skin - only for them to feel sturdier than before.
"Woahhh… I felt my entire body stop there for a second!"
"Same thing happened wi' me! seems th' gummi mak's ye stronger!"
Eventually, out of curiosity, they decided to play around with their newfound power by roughhousing with each other. They could be heard giggling and messing around.
Their voices slowly grew faded, eventually beginning to sound like gibberish.
Then it sounded like muted noise…
...
...Then it eventually sounded like nothing.
Kyle felt something pressing against him, his eyes widening as he awoke to a strange feeling in his stomach. His suspicions were correct; something definitely was laying against him.
He noticed Emmett's arm laying against his torso, which made him feel a bit squished considering Emmett's size and weight.
"W-what the…"
He was found snoring on the floor, supposedly in a deep sleep. Kyle shoved Emmett's arm out of the way, placing it gently onto the floor. Unconsciously, Emmett picked him up with both of his strong arms, scaring the Hitmonchan considerably. He squirmed in an attempt to escape, yet Emmett's strength made it hard to worm away from his grasp.
"Emmett...? L-let go o' me, damnit…!"
Emmett held Kyle close to him, as if he were a stuffed doll, and continued to doze off.
"Zzz… zzz…"
"Ghhh-!" He was squished against his chest, his arms hugging him tightly as he continued to squirm. He could hear a few 'pops' and 'cracks' from how tight it was.
"Sheesh, Emmett can be weird in his sleep…"
After around 30 minutes of discomfort and squirming, Emmett finally woke up, the Machamp looking down to see that he was holding onto his friend like a plush.
"K… Kyle…?" Rubbing one of his eyes, he noticed the way he held onto him. "The heck…?"
His face began to turn into a light red from embarrassment; was he seriously holding his friend like this for half an hour?!
"Kyle?! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He panicked a little, hoping he didn't completely squish his friend, "Thank Arceus you're okay, I was worried if I crushed you under my weight..." He sat up straight against the stone placed behind him, placing the Hitmonchan down beside him."
"Tis a'richt. Ye arms git pure weird when ye sleep, Emmett. Those arms actin lik' they have a mynd o' their own..."
"Guess you could say that…" He shrugged, "Can't help it, it's been a weird quirk of mine to move in my sleep like that."
Kyle looked up into the cave ceiling, reminiscing of the days when they would name the stars in the sky. "Remember when we were weans, 'n' looked up into th' sky to connect th' dots?" He sighed, "When nobody dared to ca' me weak or frail to mah face, when mah father was still a bright, cheery guy…"
"Oh, yeah. The stars… My father named me after a star that he nicknamed 'Emmy'."
"Didn't he say that th' name 'Emmett' reminded him o' a name that a hard worker wid have?"
He nodded. He paused for a moment, then remembered something about Kyle's dad.
"Your father… He made you focus on your kicking skill so you'd evolve into a Hitmonlee like your older brother, correct?"
"Yep."
"I wonder why he was so focused on making you like your brother…"
"Because," Kyle turned to Emmett, "According to mere rumors, they keep sayin' that Hitmonchans are th' worst, that we're so fragile 'n' weak, that we're inferior to th' other Fighting-Types out there. "
"Yep. A Fighting-Type Pokemon's life can be pretty competitive," Emmett lifted up a arm, It's built in our blood. We thrive on challenging ourselves, we thrive on our strength, and we thrive on vigor. But, some strive to be the absolute greatest, even if it means putting down others and mocking them in the process."
Kyle stood up, a flame of passion sparked within his eyes. He rose one fist into the air, then pulled it to himself.
"I'll show em'. I'll show em' that ah can kick their bahookies too, 'n' tell em' to eat shit."