Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or its characters.
Author's Notes: It feels a bit strange to say this but... just two more to go.
Xenoblade OST - Thoughts to a Friend ======= ( watch?v=u4z6v55p_tw )
"Beautiful like a lovingly painted canvas."
These words flashed upon his mind, like a powerful trigger, reigniting his senses and himself as a whole. It felt like ages since Brendan had taken a single breath, ages since his heart pumped blood through his veins; it was like he was waking up after an entire life of rest. Slowly, a bit dizzy, he stirred from his spot trying with great effort to open his eyes.
A burning-like sting flared upon the motion, the duo colored gems finally opening themselves up to stare at a the blank-like existence showed itself in front of them. After glancing at the infinity of white surrounding him, Brendan gasped ever so quietly, the small ring of his voice echoing all around him, making his senses jump on to his own voice repeating itself over and over again.
"Where am I?" His question was met not with an answer but with a choir of the same words, repeating itself once more, echoing from side to side seemingly unending, then disappearing as if had never existed.
"Beautiful like a lovingly painted canvas."
This time Brendan could truly experience the flowing of this sentence. It was powerful, shaking the entire white void around him, giving it small tints of color and faint silhouettes of shapes. Like the first time, his entire being got pulled forward toward an unknown destination, aimlessly traveling like a loose-leaf against the wind.
"Beautiful like a lovingly painted canvas."
Letting go for a moment of the overwhelming pull dragging his body, Brendan's eyes widened at the realization that struck him. This voice, the owner of this sweet and gentle voice, he knows who it is.
"May?" He said in a rushed whisper.
As the words left his mouth, they acted as a catalyst to an entire chain of events. His traveling body came to a full halt, harshly and sudden. Any echo that was embracing Brendan's senses got replaced by a deafening silence and from within his chest, a piercing light came to life, touching the white gloom in its way and shattering the neutrality of color.
With a woosh as strong as a windblast, Brendan felt the world around him change, simply explode in a colorful spring of green as trees appeared everywhere and a world mirroring his own came to life in mere moments.
Gravity finally made itself real once more, forcing Brendan's feet down on the ground, a vivid grassy ground surrounded by life and color. Making contact with the earth was strange in a funny way, it felt weird and light to be standing up once again, his legs throbbing a bit as he tried to walk and explore this new place.
It was then that his eyes traveled down just to get a surprising sight. His legs were a lot thinner and smaller than before, not only that but the small shorts donning his skin is showing a whole lot more of his paleness that what he remembers. Noting these strange changes, little by little, he noticed that it was not his pale skin that is showing too much, it is May's.
Jerking his back in a startled jolt, Brendan almost went down to the ground as it finally dawned on him that somehow, someway, he is inside May's body; a teen-May to be more precise.
"Seriously… where am I?" Brendan glanced to his slim feminine hands, his eyes studying the smaller shape of his 'own' arms, leaving him in utter confusion.
From nowhere, a cold jolt ran through his mind, robbing him of the fleeting control he had over this body. Still inside of the girl he knew ever since childhood, Brendan was forced to be just a spectator as May got up straight on her feet and pulled out a small notepad from her large side bag pack.
"Hm… where are they now?" May's own gentle voice came out from her mouth as she wandered around the small forest with her keen eyes watching every little corner.
Brendan watched through her eyes as May went in her little search; poking some tall grasses, observing some wild Pokémon while writing all down in her little notepad. While it feels utterly strange to live this on her shoes, it also brings a warm sensation on him. Watching May wander around, smiling happily at each little discovery… Brendan never had the chance to see this side of her.
'They look so cute.' May smiled watching two Wurmple chasing after one another. This inner thought flooded into Brendan's head, showing that not only her spoken words but also her inner musings were making their way to him.
From the corner of her eye, one small furry-brown figure got May's attention. A Zigzagoon, curiously staring at her while holding an oran-berry in his little claws. Maintaining full eye contact with her, the Zigzagoon slowly inched closer and closer to his treat, making very little movements as he nibbled at the fruit and chewed on it while watching the girl in front of him.
"Look at you, aren't you the cutest thing ever." She giggled at the wary little creature, clearly famished for his fruit but too scared of giving it his full attention and lose his sight of her. From her years of study in this area, May has learned how wary these wild little creatures are and how fascinating it is to watch them; this part may be something that she got from her father. Making sure that she kept a safe distance from him, May crouched quietly and began to write every little bit of detail she could get from this Zigzagoon, the striped brown Pokémon just continued to watch her as he nibbled slowly at his berry.
It has been so long, such a long time since Brendan had even given a little attention toward May. Ever since their harsh break-up, he could never get her away from his mind, but he could never look properly at her. Watching May now, so quietly at bliss in her research, it was like opening his eyes for the first time to the true May he had forgotten deep inside his memories.
Scribbling small sounds came from the notepad, the pale girl carefully pacing her pencil changing her focus from the paper to the Pokémon and them back to the paper. As before, Brendan was just a first-person witness, seeing 'his' hands move with impeccable perfection as a vivid drawing of that Zigzagoon was coming to life in that blank white space. Seeing how skilled May is at this is almost mesmerizing to him, how so effortlessly she is bringing even the smallest details of that Pokémon to the portrait she is making.
Entranced by the strange behavior of the person in front of him, the Zigzagoon laid his little fruit to his side for a moment and to May's surprise, trailed closer to her.
May stopped her moving fingers, leaving her drawing missing small touches on the face part. She laid the notepad to the side and moved her right hand forward, leaving her palm wide open to the touch. Still wary and ever vigilant, Zigzagoon took his time to approach properly, but when he finally reached her, he brought his little pawn to her hand and curiously ran the tip of his little claw on the soft of her skin.
She giggled at the tickling feeling, slowly bringing her other hand to the back of the small Pokémon, making sure to not startle him as she first touched him. As her fingers grazed his fuzzy but a bit dirtied fur, the Zigzagoon purred, now both of his forward pawns laying on her hand.
"You're quite friendly when you're not suspicious, huh?" May looked down at the small brown Pokémon, her voice making him look upwards to her. "My name is May and I like to study wild Pokémon in their own habitat. Do you mind sharing some more time with me?" She asked and waited, soon her response came as a suspicious low growl and some more tickling with the pointy part of some small claws.
With the same methodic movements as when he was nibbling his berry, the Pokémon slowly and carefully began to climb over to her leg; ever so curious to get to know this stranger better but also wary of her presence. May just stood there quietly and patiently waiting for her acquaintance to make his choice.
But just as Zigzagoon was properly helping himself up to the girl's leg, a bombastic rustling of leaves startled him. Giving out a loud cry, the brown Pokémon jumped away from May and ran as fast as he could to his berry; after getting his fruit back he darted hastily inside the sea of tall grasses.
May felt strongly disheartened at the sudden end of that exchange. She was bonding so nicely with a wild Pokémon in a way she has never done before, but it faded as quickly as that noise came. She darted a glare to the rustling bushes at the side, but her annoyance promptly changed to an innate curiosity.
'I wonder what made so much noise all of a sudden.' She thought to herself, making Brendan chuckle at her lack of caution.
Taking her notepad back on her hand, she got up to her feet, turned on her heels and skipped over to the moving bushes.
"Hello…" She whispered beneath her breathing so quietly that it was hard for even her to hear it. "Any scary or interesting Pokémon in there?" She pushed both arms inside the green curtain and spread them open to poke in with her head. Getting a look at the scene on the other side, her eyes sparkled like two gems sitting on the beach.
Brendan felt himself sucking in his breath, even if could not properly control May's body, it was like this moment changed that bit. He saw something that he would never expect, a group of Pokémon happily playing together and a teenage boy sitting in the middle, smiling away with his friends. He saw himself, surrounded by his Pokémon friends.
"Hahaha, that was the best." His younger self laughed hard and loud, waving one arm above his head, holding his belly with the other one. "Your face… hahah, the look on your face was the best." He pointed to the small Treecko standing in front of him and laughed even louder.
The Treecko, however, was not in a laughing mood as his trainer was, oh no he wasn't. Pouting heavily as a thin line of mud ran down his green cheek, the little Pokémon stomped a foot on the ground and darted inside one of the bushes, quickly running out with one of his hand hiding behind his back. Running at the full speed of his little legs, he jumped toward his trainer and hurled a large mudball at the boy's face.
A wet splashing sound erupted from the impact, quieting down young Brendan's hearted laughter. "Ekkisu, what the hell?!" Brendan screeched as half of his face got covered with mud, he frowned and jumped on his feet. "I said no return! You can't do that when I say no return."
Ekkisu folded both arms against his chest, growling something to his trainer and then looking to the side. Whatever Ekkisu said heavily grinded on the boy's nerves, as Brendan went from laughing, to upset, to fuming with a red face.
"That's it! You're up for it." Said the teenager as he jumped forward and tackled his Pokémon on the ground. Pokémon and trainer rolled against the grass, slapping each other in their heated friendly spat.
A worried Taillow hovered over them, chirping loudly to get their attention, while a shy Ralts and a Murkrow stood on the sidelines quietly laughing while the other two went at it against each other.
Watching his younger-self getting down on the ground and trading slaps with his Pokémon made Brendan laugh, at least internally. He still remembers all the small fights he would constantly get with Ekkisu, some even ending in a physical contest like this one. Right then, Brendan noticed the inner giggles of May's thoughts reach to him.
'Brendan is so weird sometimes. I never saw someone get into a real fight against their Pokémon, but I never saw someone be so close to their Pokémon as he is either.' Her face got a lot warmer as she stared at the silly boy rolling on the grass. To anyone else that would watch this, the scene would be at least ridiculous, to some even troublesome that a trainer would go that far with their Pokémon friends. But to May, a different picture painted itself on the glow of her eyes.
She saw a rainbow-colored place, filled with love and joy. In her eyes, Brendan and his team were like a close family; cozy, warm and safe, despite the little spar going at the moment. To her, this felt like the perfect relationship someone could possibly share with their Pokémon, a beauty that she has never found before, something so special that felt…
"Beautiful like a lovingly painted canvas."
"I always thought it was weird for Brendan to literally spar with his Pokémon… Now I know how that started." Wally snorted, shaking his head to push the incoming laughs away. "He just wanted to slap his Sceptile on the face."
May giggled at Wally side. The pale-skinned girl is covering her face with a faint little blush on her cheeks. "That… was strange to see." She said calmly, her eyes focused on the now turning white monitor. "It was like watching a normal TV show, but…"
Steven nodded at her words, the blue-haired scion having a pensive look on his face. "But the TV show is about Brendan's memories." He said sternly.
"Incorrect." Ethan jumped in, an amused smiled parting his lips away. "Those are YOUR memories about him." He turned his chair around and looked over to May, his golden gaze making her even more conscious and shy about what they just watched. "That was very cute, you have one adorable way of seeing the world."
May now blushed heavily, burying her face against her hands. "I-I… that was just a young girl's colored views on the boy she likes." She gasped a little, her gaze traveling to the firm emerald gaze coming from the tanned girl. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that…" One firm hand pressed at her arm, as Wally made his presence known in his warm support.
Zinnia held her gaze on the other girl for a little longer, then looked back to the blank monitor. "I agree with you." She said calmly. "That was beautiful, even if watching through some flat screen… that was truly beautiful. Thank you, for sharing such precious memory."
For being Brendan's ex-girlfriend and knowing a bit of the heated personality of the other girl, May expected at least one or two crooked words coming her way after that little session. Zinnia had shown a fit of jealousy before and was an ugly sight to see, which only colored May's surprise even more when Zinnia gave her a sincere and grateful smile.
A small sting came to her eyes as she smiled back to the other girl, one or two tears managing to slid down at this moment. She felt a strange comfort at that smile like she was being cleared of something heavy that she shouldn't have carried. Looking to her side and seeing Wally smile brightly himself, only pushed May to let her urges win and begin to cry softly. Not a single tear filled with sadness or grief, but stead warmed with relief.
"Look, it's starting again." Ethan commented as the screen began to flicker with different colors. He turned his chair back to face the monitor, leaning back and waiting eagerly. The golden-eyed Guardian is enjoying this way more than he should, but is not like the 'should' or 'should not' ever stopped him anyway.
"A dazzling beacon of light, a light that brings us all hope."
Brendan felt his consciousness spring back to life once more, slowly reawakening after a sudden fade out to oblivious white. The transition this time working twice as fast and smoother than the first one, as the lifeless void of white surrounding him began to disappear after the first ring of another voice calling out to him.
With the flicker of images, his world instantly changed to an early morning dressed with the scent of the sea. Stuck in his spectator mode since the start, his gaze could only focus on what these pair of eyes are set upon; the sight of a quiet ocean-side road with autumn leaves making a small wall between him and the open space of the area in front of him.
'Wait a minute…' Brendan frowned internally, his mind registering the landscape in front of him, this suspicious bush in front of him and the unmistakable smell of salt waters crashing against stones. 'This can't be it, right?'
He dreaded an idea, forcing his eyes down in a herculean struggle just to get the glance of a sophisticated yet simple black vest with metallic ends at the sleeves.
'STEVEN!' Brendan yelled in an inner rage. He almost instantly recognized the feeling of having an adult body again and the eerie sensation that this place brings to him, making very easy to pinpoint which of his friends he is right now.
A controlled chuckled escaped the blue-haired scion, his heart beating with a certain expectation as his knees cried with an uncomfortable sting from being crouched for so long. "There he is!" Steven himself said in a low triumphant cry. "This may just work."
'Don't you dare, Steven!" In a desperate struggle, Brendan tried to pull back the body he is in now, but Steven didn't even move an inch, nor did his sinister grin. 'I swear if you pull this crap again… STOP THIS ALREADY!'
Brendan's fears only worsened as Steven's eyes locked in the visage of Brendan's younger self, so obliviously walking into a trap, so happily treading to a terrible event.
"Haha… He doesn't suspect a thing." Steven whispered to himself, quietly rustling his way inches forward, his grin turning into a full-blown creepy smile.
'RUN AWAY, ME! RUN!' Brendan cried out loudly in his thoughts, practically a ghost of himself jumped out in the air, pointing to the other side of this stretching road. It was of no use, no one could hear him, especially his happy looking, whistling, innocent younger-self. This was the moment; Brendan knew as soon as Steven began to move and so he screamed inwards again. 'Noooo!'
"GOOD DAY TO YOU, BRENDAN!" Steven jumped out of the orange bushes, his voice storming out as his arms swing high into the air.
The poor teenage boy jumped as high as a house, his hair spiking up with the electric jolts running through his body and his eyes practically popping out of their sockets. "AAAHHH!" Brendan screamed in terror, his butt flying to the ground as he fell quite a few paces away from where he stood. This little surprise got him so out of guard that his heart is threatening to jump out from his chest, making a violent urge to puke bother his insides as he glares at the smiling man.
Rejoicing the success of his plans, Steven chuckled at the boy. "You look a bit pale, is something wrong?" He teased his smaller friend, knowing full well what made Brendan get that sick look on his face.
"S-S-Steven!" Young Brendan shouted out as he spat to the side. "W-What… W-When… The hell were you doing inside those bushes?!"
"Oh, that?" Steven said in a pompous manner. "I was just passing by and saw you in a glance. Then I thought to myself; there goes Brendan, what a lovely coincidence bumping into him here." Adult Brendan never bought that excuse even on the day it happened, but now he knows for sure that Steven was hiding inside those bushes, and for a long time if the aching feeling in his knees is to be trusted.
"M-My heart… almost stopped beating, jeez." Brendan plopped down with his back on the ground. "Couldn't you just have called me from a distance, instead of jump-scaring the air out of my lungs?"
Steven must have some degree of acting teachings because the baffled look on his face, paired with the small apologetic smile could fool anyone that is not able to see what's going inside his head. "Pardon my silliness, didn't even cross my mind to call out to you."
'Liar…' Brendan rolled his eyes internally; he can feel how ecstatic his long-time friend is feeling right about now.
"Sure… I don't mind." Younger Brendan picked himself up from the ground, walking to the sandy path next to the water to grab his white hat that went flying in his jump. "How are you doing? Something you want to talk with me about?"
"Actually, I've been meaning to talk with you about multiple things." Steven replied in a sterner manner, dropping his playful grin for a moment. "After much thought and one grueling, seemingly unending, discussion with my fellow members of the League, I've decided to step down as the Champion."
"No way!" Brendan shouted in his surprise. "You're the best trainer I ever battled against, there's no one better to be the Champion."
A good-spirited laugh escaped the blue-haired champion, he was never someone to brag about his skills as a trainer or neither care for reassurances coming from others. But hearing that young trainer speak about him with a sparkle in his eyes felt a lot warmer than what he expected. "The League had the same opinion as you do, but after so many years holding that title… I think it is time for me to step down and pursue my other passions." Steven saw the deflated look on the boy's eyes, how upset he was feeling about the news. Once more, leaving the veteran trainer with a cozy feeling in his chest. "No need to worry about my replacement, I do have a candidate that is way better than me. Or at least, he will be in time."
Young Brendan eyed his older friend with a quirked brow; and if the look on his face says something is that he is hardly convinced by this replacement thing. "Yeah…" He puffed out in a fake disinterested way, not really convincing Steven with his act. "Who will be the new Champion?"
A devious little smirk spread over Steven's features. He tapped his lower lip with one finger, taking his gaze to the quiet crashing waves at the side. "Glad you asked that, Brendan. This ties in perfectly with the second thing I needed to talk with you about." A lingering silence remained for a moment, giving a sneak peek to the boy behind him, Steven smiled at the ultra-focused attention he is getting out of his little dramatic pause. 'I wonder what he is thinking right now.' He mused to himself at this moment.
'Nothing close to what you're about to tell me.' Brendan replied in his inner thoughts. He remembers having a mental marathon inside his mind all those years ago, from who would possibly stand in Steven's place if his friend would go out to the world as he talked about so many times before.
"Brendan, I want you to be my replacement on the League." Steven said turning to face his friend again, his expression has never been as serious as it is now. "I want you to be the next Champion of Hoenn's Pokémon League." Heavy waves crashed against the small cliff, making a dazzling curtain of colors behind Steven as his words left his mouth, this scene paired together with the weight of that sentence, left young Brendan in a complete daze, with agape mouth and wide-open eyes.
"N-No…" Brendan quietly stuttered his words out, the content behind his hallow sentence making Steven raise an eyebrow in concern. "Steven, there is no way I'm good enough to be the Champion."
Seeing the younger trainer stumble in his words with his face burning red while desperately finding any reasoning behind this, made Steven relax and lose the growing concern that was building inside of him. If this is only about the lack of confidence in his skills, surprisingly enough for one so talented in this age, then Steven would have nothing to be afraid of; he would just need to give his young friend a little push.
"You were good enough to beat me." Steven said with a quick wink.
"Totally different. Winning a battle is one thing, being the one standing on top of Hoenn's League… That's too much." Brendan tried to deflect the reply in a rushed manner, the boy shaking his head vividly in his response.
'Any other would be jumping with joy for being chosen, but look at him… legs trembling with the idea standing so high.' Steven smiled to himself, a warmer look taking place in his features. 'That's why I think you're perfect for this.'
"No one will force you to do anything you don't want, Brendan." Steven approached his smaller friend, settling one of his hands on the boy's shoulders. "But I believe you're more than capable for this role. You helped me avert one big crisis, saved Hoenn more than once… And more importantly, you were able to impress Drake." Steven laughed at the little joke at the end, earning him a funny look from the boy. "What? Impressing Drake is not an easy feat."
"It can't be harder than stopping a meteor from crashing onto the planet." Brendan replied back in a playful tone, finally joining Steven in the more relaxed manner of speaking.
"You clearly don't know Drake well enough." Steven said with the most serious of faces, which clearly didn't last long enough as soon he was snorting and then bursted into a fit of laughter.
Loosing up a bit after the shock of those news, Brendan also began to laugh, the boy began to reconsider everything in a new light. He admired Steven to a certain degree, that only grew when he discovered that the strange man who was guiding him everywhere was the Grand Champion of Hoenn. If Steven believed in him, he would not refuse that offer.
Older Brendan's thoughts began to merge for a moment with Steven's own current flowing in his mind. Not only the words coming in but also the sensation and feeling that are swirling inside his chest.
'You will be the best Champion Hoenn has ever had, Brendan.' Steven thought to himself, looking at the smiling boy in front of him. 'Even so young you served as inspiration for many, myself included. A brilliant trainer and a courageous soul.'
Little fragments of memories from their little adventure together flashed through Steven's eyes, consequently doing the same to the adult Brendan 'inside' of him. The small silly talks, their battle against Team Magma, the maddening rush that was that episode with Rayquaza. Throughout everything, this boy was like a steadfast pillar for him, for everyone. A powerful source of safety that helped clear Hoenn from its darkened clouds.
'You are like a bright star, young Brendan.' Steven mused with a huge smile on his lips. "A dazzling beacon of light, a light that brings us all hope."
"What was that?" Young Brendan asked his friend, once more eying the older man with a curious expression.
Steven must have been deep inside his own musings to let that slip past his lips, but still, it was truthfully how he feels about the boy. "Would you like to take a stroll with me? There is much more I want you to see before we get you on the League's halls."
Brendan nodded with a bright smile on his lips. "Sure, I never say no to a new adventure."
"My trust in him was not misplaced." Steven commented with a highly proud tone in his voice, his gaze still fixated on the now fading images on the screen. Then he closed his eyes in an amusing contemplation and chuckled. "Brendan is the best Champion Hoenn has ever had."
A muffled snort surprised the blue-haired scion after he let his feelings slip past his mouth. It was Wally that had failed to contain the noise inside of him, who right then decided to speak up as well. "Maybe he is a little too good on his role." Said the green-haired Gym Leader, his moving arms giving a little more weight to his words. "I remember the number of complaints the entire League got when Brendan assumed the title of Champion and nobody got even close to beating him." Wally snorted again, this time a short laugh escaping him as well. "To this day there are people complaining that an unbeatable Champion is unfair to every trainer in the region."
"Excellence should not be punished nor should incompetence be rewarded." Steven announced with a heavy frown, his words sounding harsh and annoyed. "What annoys me the most about this whole deal, is the implication that it was all good and easy when I was the Champion." He puffed air out of his nostrils, folding both arms in front of his chest. "There were only a few trainers who bested me in battle, I have you know."
"One or a thousand, it doesn't matter. What matters is that you lost eventually, thus people believe to be a possible feat." Once again, to everyone's surprise, Zinnia raised her voice and interacted with them.
A bit took back by having her addressing him, Steven just eyed the tanned girl for a moment and then groaned heavily. "Shut up…" He said, gazing to the side in a bit of a child-like fit.
The less stoic people present all began to laugh at the exchange, with the loudest being Wally and May, with Zinnia letting out a few giggles. This reaction only making Steven get his face tinted with red and his frown to deeper.
"What?" Steven asked the owner of the penetrating golden gaze locked on him.
In an absurd conception, Ethan was not laughing with the rest of them, instead, the brazen Champion was glaring at Steven with a focused gaze, and almost frightening one. "How long did you wait for Brendan in that bush?" Ethan asked in the most serious and genuine manner, despite the silliness of his question. After getting just a grunt out of Steven, he pressed on it again. "Seriously, how long?"
"Does it really matter?" Steven asked back, to which the raven-haired boy nodded quite feverishly. He groaned again, resting one hand against his face. "O-One… One hour."
Now even Zinnia was laughing harder than she wanted, the entire room getting engulfed with a thunderous chorus of the other three. Silver was quietly observing the scene unfold with a small smile on his lips, while Ethan was still the face of seriousness as he stared at Steven.
"Wow… That's quite the commitment to a prank." Ethan's eyes sparkled with a bright glow of inspiration, his low nodding showing that he was mentally noting that one for himself. "Nice." He gave Steven one cool 'thumbs-up', a thin line of a grin forming on his lips only to make the others laugh even harder.
Wally was the first to notice the flickering happening at the massive monitor, the subtle change of colors caught his eyes, and the visage of a small pink petal lazily falling down forced him to stop laughing.
'I got a bad feeling about this.' He though as more and more petals began to appear, forming the beautiful pink rain that still plagues his mind to this day.
"I hate you… Brendan." Wally's voice echoed from within the monitor, the ring of his tone ringing around the dancing petals, the words carried by it made everyone stop laughing and look right back at him.
"Okay… This isn't as bad as it may look." He raised both hands in the air in a defensive manner, still, everyone had their gazes frozen on him, making the green-haired boy get a sinking feeling in his guts. 'At least… I hope so.'
Xenoblade Chronicles OST - Agniratha, Mechonis Capital ===== ( watch?v=Jln_KBWFvfw )
"I hate you… Brendan." Wally's voice echoed around Brendan, he felt those words on the inside like one violent storm. The sentiment behind this declaration was real and powerful, at least it was how it feels to him as his body glides hastily to another scenery.
'Wally…' Brendan called out to that name inside his mind. His first real friend, his first rival and the person he knew the least now after so many years. After the recent events of this year, Brendan learned his place and guilt about the ruined relationship he has with Wally. It pains him to admit, but even his clone cherished the young green-haired man more than Brendan has ever done.
An explosion of pink flourished in front of Brendan's eyes. The familiar sweet scent of flowers invaded his senses as Ever Grande's famous and astonishing sea of flowers spread all over in a wave of colors, taking hold of the scenery with its grace.
Right then, Brendan saw it again. His reflection, his past self, a younger Brendan standing on the other side of the giant garden; but this once his image was different, more twisted and perverted than Brendan himself remembers.
'Wally… is this how you see me?' He asked in a small shock. It doesn't matter how long it has passed or how different Brendan may have grown up to be. That evil-sarcastic grin on his younger self is not his, those eyes full of malice are not his and it troubles him that his once-close friend sees him like that.
"As I promised, Brendan. I became a lot stronger, I forced myself to be stronger." Wally stepped forward, walking at a slow pace towards his friend. "On the final steps of the Victory Road, I challenge you to a Pokémon Battle."
His entire body is shaking; shaking with anticipation, shaking with fear. He has been chasing around his friend's shadow for so long, doing everything to get his attention, but… Yet, this time Wally feels that will be different, it has to be. 'I trained so much for this moment, today I will be able to…' He brought one hand into the pocket of his pants and pulled his first Poké-Ball out, there he called for one of his Pokémon; his Roselia. With a huge smile on his lips, Wally waited in the middle of the giant garden for his friend to make his move.
Brendan came to the challenge, seeing his friend walking closer made the young green-haired trainer beam with happiness. He would do anything to get acknowledged by the boy who inspired him so much.
"Wally…" Brendan called out to him, which would make the young boy practically squeal happily in reply, if not by the sheer weight of annoyance in the tone of that voice.
"Brendan?" Wally eyed his friend closely and the look on the other boy's face nearly broke him down into tears.
"Let's do this." The brown-haired boy took out one of his Poké-Balls and called out his trusted Sceptile, the green Pokémon showing a lot more enthusiasm for his battle than his trainer is. In fact, Brendan is clearly unhappy with this if the downcast look in his eyes is to be trusted.
Gritting his teeth, Wally swallowed back the low sob that was threatening to escape his lips as he blinked away the tinkling tears at the corner of his eyes. "Yeah… Let's." Wally managed to reply despite his grinding teeth.
'Why…' Wally hammered the words at the inner walls of his mind. 'Why, why, WHY?! Why doesn't he care about me?'
Older Brendan watched from within as his pale-skinned young friend trashed his inner self in a turmoil. That anger, that pain all transferring to him, making him feel as the boy is, making him look at his younger self with utter despise and grief.
The battle in itself was tamed, lukewarm and weak-minded on both sides. Brendan with his first reaction to the challenge completely destroyed any tension this battle could've had. He on his part didn't care nearly enough in indulging his friend om this, with the goal of the elite four being so close that he could see the giant fortress up ahead. And Wally… the poor boy was in such disarray that he just replaced Roselia with another Pokémon as she fell, not a single shred of emotion coming out of him.
'This is… so painful to watch.' Brendan watched the battle that would be their last for a long time, but this time from the eyes of his friend. He couldn't have imagined this, he had never spared much thought to his battle against Wally before his rise against the elite four, how could he? Wally felt like an inconvenience holding him back moments before his most important task yet.
It never dawned on Brendan, that this very moment was the most important moment to his close friend.
Despite how much Ekkisu and Wally's Gallade were engrossed in their battle, fighting off against one another with everything they had, their trainers could not be more detached from their battle as they are now.
Didn't take a genius to notice how little Brendan actually look to the battle or even to his friend, instead his gaze was always so focused on the end of the road little ways ahead of him. This infuriated Wally beyond belief. 'At least have the courtesy of looking at me!' Wally growled on the inside. After working so hard, so painfully hard to get here, Wally only got a crying heart as his reward, for what he wanted would clearly be beyond his reach.
'Come on… look at him.' Brendan hissed at his younger self. 'He is your friend, look at him!' He tried to scream the words out, but nothing he did pass by to Wally or to him on the other side.
To the disheartened young boy this unbearable situation felt like an eternity, but their battle ended before long; Brendan's team proving once again to be far too much for Wally's own brave Pokémon.
Calling back his last Pokémon to fall, his Altaria. Wally looked down in silence for a moment, his arms trembling at his side with boiling rage. Soon after he sighed and looked at Brendan with a short empty smile. "I couldn't beat you this time, too… But one of these days, Brendan, I'm going to catch up to you… and challenge the Pokémon League!"
Calling back his swift Swellow, Brendan let out one amused chuckle. "I will be waiting for that day, Wally." As if his words were more than enough of a charity for the other boy, Brendan quickly set his sights on the giant Building in front of him and began to step towards his future.
'Look at him!' Brendan shouted in the isolated mind-space he is in. 'Goddammit, get out of your high horse and look at your friend!' Strange as it may seem for him to feel this way, Brendan has never felt such a deep urge to punch someone in the face as he has right now, looking at his younger self.
Wally waited for long enough, he waited in place until his friend has stepped out of the sea of flowers. When he felt that no one was looking at him, his legs gave out and his knees crashed against the ground.
"I hate you… Brendan."
Those words came back once more, now in full colors and display on this vivid memory. A violent rush of emotions crashed upon Brendan's senses, the same powerful feeling he had felt before leaving his white prison. Strong and unhinged emotions like a brewing storm inside a small container… yet not a shred of ill-intent on it.
"I… hate you, Brendan. I hate you!" With trembling shoulders and cracking voice, Wally began to sob quietly in his spot among the flowers. While his cursing words carried a strong sentence with them, his chest was enveloped by nothing but a crushing sadness. "Why won't he take notice of me…" In contrast to his heated words from before, these last ones came out weak, soft and trembling.
'Wally…' Brendan felt the piercing pain on the boy's chest as if his own heart was crying with pain. For this moment, this single moment, he gained a little control over the green-haired trainer's actions. In this glimpse of freedom, he brought one of Wally's thin pale hands to his right cheek and wiped away the running stream of tears. 'Sorry for making you feel like this. I've lost sight of many things growing up, your feelings were one of them… I'm sorry for being a bad friend.'
Having this moment last for just a second, Brendan was forced to relent control back to his friend and watch as the green-haired boy stood up on his feet again. With a low gaze fixated on the ground, Wally turned his back to the giant building of the League and started his path down the mountain.
"Good luck on your final steps, friend." He said in a whisper, his voice directed at Brendan but never reaching him. "At least to me, you are a friend, my first friend… the one I loved so much."
With his insides ripping apart in guilt, older Brendan was forced to watch his friend slowly walk away as he was pulled back from Wally's body as the surroundings around them began to fade back to white. Forced as he may have been, he watched carefully as the green-haired boy stepped away, every color leaving the scenery, every flower dissipating into nothingness, but Wally's figure remained, he continued to walk with his shoulders deflated, walking forward and yet without a destiny. He continued to walk until he vanished inside the sea of white, disappearing from Brendan's sight once more.
"I… love you too, friend." This time, Brendan felt his own face get wet with hot streaming tears.
Cold and serene silence, the room's atmosphere is a complete opposite of their previous reaction to one of those vivid memories. Even if it was a bit rude and insensitive of them, the group could not help but look back at Wally, their gaze drowned in a lingering affection, borderline pity, towards the boy.
But for him, their piercing gaze was almost inexistent. For the green-haired young man, nothing else in this room was getting his attention away from the other boy lying on the floor. Of course, Spiegel is not truly Brendan, but one look at that face and this little detail start to make a whole lot of less sense.
His gaze stayed on Spiegel's form, studying his form up and down; the intensity of Wally's concentration on his friend is so out of the ordinary that even May's hand, pressing at his arm for comfort, fails to register on his mind.
However, this unflinching concentration paid out for him, in a form. It was just one and very quick reaction coming out from Spiegel's still body, but it was more than enough for Wally to understand its meaning. One small glint appeared on the corner of those closed eyes, it lingered there for a second and then slid down the boy's cheek, finding its way down to the floor next to his jawline.
That one tear escaping the unconscious boy's eyes was enough to make Wally bring both hands to his face, forcing himself to hold on and not break into a mess of tears himself.
"Three out of four…" Zinnia's composed voice pulled the group out of the sudden awkwardness that had dawned on them. She looked towards the flat screen with zealous attention, a stern expression appearing on her face. "I guess, I am the only one left."
"Celebi?" Ethan twirled on his chair, bringing his sight down to his little friend sitting on Spiegel's chest.
"Almost… I can feel him so close." She replied with a weaker voice, the procedure clearly having a deep effect on the small Pokémon, but Celebi remained steady on her task.
"There's your answer." Ethan directed his reply to Zinnia, the girl giving him just a spare glance before looking back to the monitor. "One more and we will see what happens."
"I wish I could see you again."
This time… it was her voice.
Brendan felt a downpour flooding down his chest. Everyone else was a strange roller-coaster of emotions, especially Wally. But hearing Zinnia's voice in what seemed like years… it made his heartbeat three times faster than ever before.
The weaving strings pulling his body inside the endless stream of white could not move any faster and that was driving Brendan insane. It didn't matter what he was going to see, he just wanted to see her again, in any way. He just wants to see his brazen, and a bit crazy, girlfriend.
"Hey there partner." Contrary to the other many times, it was not a flush of colors that called Brendan to a new scene, instead, it was a voice, a male voice that faintly reminded him of someone.
Right then, his surroundings transformed into the interior of a large room, a small bar with a dim-lighted mood to it. In a spontaneous reaction, Brendan felt his head turn to the side and 'his' eyes grace the image of a goofy looking blond man standing at his side with two cans on his hands.
"You know, I called you here to help me with work… not to daydream while watching TV." The blond, Max, sat down on the tall chair at Zinnia's side, placing one of the cans at the small counter. His, at the moment, short straight hair forcing him to run one hand above his ears, adjusting it in place.
Zinnia grabbed the cold can of beer on her hands, giving her new friend a funny look. "I would gladly help you with work if you would stop yourself for more than ten minutes from going over to the other room to smooch your girlfriend."
"Fiancé!" Max corrected her, a strict look on his face, which quickly broke down into a friendlier one as he smiled. "That guy on the screen, someone you know?" He pointed to the ongoing interview showing at the small TV at the wall, then took a small sip of his drink.
Zinnia followed his example and opened her can, taking one long sip of the bitter liquid. "He…" She stopped in the middle of her sentence. 'What is he to her?' The question popped on her head, taking her attention away from Max and his curious gaze, instead, placing it on the serious boy talking with a reporter. "He is my light." She said with a giggle.
"Wow! That's grand coming from you." The blond poked at her side with one elbow, a sly smile on his lips. "Famous boyfriend you got there; I saw him on some TV channels at least three times this week."
She looked at him with an agape mouth, a look of conflict on her eyes. "He is not my boyfriend." Despite how distressed she looked, her words came out as naturally as they could; and of course, confusing the blond out of his chair.
Max glanced at his TV, then to Zinnia all the while taking a chug of his beer. "Then what? You call him your light and you look at him like I look at muffins… By any chance, did he reject you?"
"Not that either, stupid!" Zinnia swung a wide punch to the side, to which Max ducked down rather clumsily. "Brendan is a special boy. Because of him, I found a new path in my life; his way of taking things so forward and without restrains inspired me to explore more of the world and find my place in it." She looked back to the blond crouching behind her and smiled. "You can say, that is because of him that we were able to meet."
"Is that so?" Max looked back at Brendan again. "Well, cheers to him then. Thank you, stranger…" He peeked closer to the screen, getting a proper view of the boy's name and title. "Pokémon League… Champion?! Goddamn, that is one heavy catch. Way to go, Zinnia."
Zinnia's right arm went swinging wildly again, but not even close the same force she had used the previous time. Instead of seriously going for a whack at the blonde's head, she just kept him occupied with his dive/dodge to the side to distract him from the wide grin appearing on her lips.
"Max…" A third voice sounded off from behind the door at the back of the room. "Please, just finish cooking already. You know that I can't make sweet berry stew as good as yours."
"Coming." Max replied back to his fiancé, his voice loud enough to get a satisfied hum coming from the other room. "Well, you can go back to ogling mister lover boy there. I will attend to my lovely wife."
"Fiancé." Zinnia corrected him this time, also giving him a smirk in the process.
Max barely acknowledged her smart comeback at him, giving only a low grunt in reply to the tanned girl. The blond being too happy to indulge his loved one, hastily vanished back to the small kitchen of his house, leaving Zinnia to her own musings.
And mused she did.
After getting a bit more privacy once again, Zinnia could not get her eyes away from the TV. What was the interview about or what were they talking? She has no idea, and will probably continue to stay that way as her only interest is that cute face smiling to the camera.
'Look at that pretty face, you still look the same Brendan.' Her red eyes sparkled with a not to pure interest as she stared at his features. 'Almost the same, can't ignore how much taller you have grown… taller and bigger.' The next reaction was just a bit of involuntary reflex, but as Zinnia undressed him with her eyes, she bit her lower lip in a heated display of wanting. "I wonder how those firm and muscular arms would feel wrapped around me." And the words escaped her lips.
At this moment Brendan discovered that even his 'ghostly-self' hidden within Zinnia, could turn red and blush in a hot streak like the sun. Being the guy in front of Zinnia's heated gaze, receiving that look of absolute desire, was always a unique experience; as she was never a woman to hold back when she wanted something and didn't hold back either on showing that affection. However, feeling this burning desire of her burning on his own chest, practically lusting furiously for his own image… This is a weird experience beyond any description.
Then, right as Brendan was about to die of the embarrassment of this awkward/intimate moment, Zinnia's heart had a sudden change in direction. She didn't lose her affectious intent towards the boy, but her burning lust slowly faded into a warmth yearning. Her thoughts calmly wandered from the TV in front of her to the images inside her mind; vivid images of a past memory.
In the span of a time that would transpire a snap of a finger, Brendan got pulled into another place. A blurry scenery, one composed most of faded colors and an expanding orange sky on the horizon. In this place he found a younger Zinnia staring at the sky with one hand clutching the chest part of her shirt.
"You believed in me." The red-eyed girl said, lone tears rolling down her cheeks. She continued to stare to a place beyond those murky clouds, gazing to a barely visible stream of green and yellow. "Even when no one else did… You believed in me." Her stricken façade changed to a blissful smile. "So brave and kind, despite looking so innocent and cute." She giggled at that last part. "I want to be like you, Brendan. Next time we see each other… I will be a better person because of you." Zinnia kneeled down and patted the head of the small Whismur standing next to her, she gave her little girl a note and a small stone; instructing Aster to stay here and wait for the boy who went to save the world. Giving one last look to the shining light at the sky, Zinnia smiled and bit her lips to hold in some tears. "Thank you."
As hasty as before, Brendan's sight changed back to the dim-lighted room inside Max's house, his gaze instantly falling upon the smiling face of the young adult Zinnia. "My kind and cute hero…" Her words were full of warmth and love, her eyes going back to the ongoing interview at the screen. Then a little saddened smile crossed her lips. "I wish I could see you again."
As those keywords were spoken once again, Brendan felt the familiar pull taking him out of this memory, leaving him helpless at its mercy and leaving him to watch as everything disappeared.
"No…" He whispered under his breath, his eyes narrowing at the already blurred image of Zinnia seated on her spot. "Release me!" He trashed against the invisible strings controlling his body, tossing himself back and forward in a desperate struggle. He groaned in pain as the world around him fought back to hold him in place; little by little, Brendan removed himself from his fay prison, taking heavy and painful steps forward.
He continued in his heroic march without relenting to the massive pull trying to take him back, he walked forward and forward, until he reached Zinnia frozen and still form. Once there, his arms wrapped around her blurry body, letting him lean closer and press his forehead on the side of her neck.
"I miss you, Zinnia… I miss Aster, I miss everybody." He shivered slightly against her fading form; each little bit of color that left Zinnia's form made his heart ache even more. "I want to go back to you; I want to hold you properly… I don't want to go back to that white place… Zinnia, I'm scared."
Brendan's struggle to remain in place, to retain any color back in his life proved to be for nothing. As much as he held tight to Zinnia's form, she eventually disappeared, leaving his arms swinging in the air and the void of white to consume everything once again.
"Zinnia… I don't want to… be alone in here…" Slowly Brendan felt his consciousness give in once again, as it happens every time he is put inside this prison devoid of color, his mind fell deeply into a state of perpetual rest.
The first sound to scatter the sudden silence away was the clattering sound of a chair slamming its side on the floor. Zinnia could wait no longer, she marched over to Spiegel and crouched at his side; her right hand clasping his cheek as he carefully shook his head in an attempt to wake him up. Yet, she didn't manage to get a single reaction from the boy and his eyes showed no signs of opening.
"That was the last one, right?" She asked in a demanding tone, her eyes instantly traveling to the back of Ethan's chair. "What now? What we do now?" Then her gaze came back to the little creature sitting on Spiegel's chest. "Where's Brendan?"
"Still in there…" Celebi said quietly, her head hanging low in a subtle display of shame.
Zinnia's world went completely red, she felt like a sword had pierced her chest and cleaved her heart in two. In an outburst, she grabbed Celebi with both hands and held the little Pokémon above her head, shaking Celebi silly. "What you mean he is still in there?!" The draconid girl yelled at the top of her lungs. "What was the point of all of this, huh? We did all of that for nothing?"
Poor Celebi squealed in panic as her head rocked back and forward, her big eyes widening even more in fear of the woman's rage. "I can feel the other him…" Celebi pointed to the young man on the floor. "He is frozen at the other side, so close… but I can't reach to him."
"W-what is she saying?!" Steven stood up from his seat as well, Zinnia's sudden outburst unsettling everyone inside the room, everyone except Ethan who just kept staring at the monitor with a blank face.
"Then do it again!" Zinnia growled loudly, pushing Celebi out of her hands and letting the small onion head float in the air. "Just keep doing this memory crap until you can reach him." She looked down at Spiegel and her enraged momentum faltered. "Please… just don't stop." Her tone changes significantly after getting another look at the sleeping boy. "Please, keep trying."
From Steven to May, everyone glanced at Spiegel on the floor. Their hearts sunk low with the sight of his still form. They all wanted to scream as loudly as Zinnia did, they wanted their friend back too. But seeing their hopes waver and fade as the plan began to crumble, no one had the strength to lash out like that.
"Ah… AHHHH!" A loud screech of terror erupted in the room; every eye instantly snapped onto Spiegel's body, but he was still sound asleep. It was only when a heavy sound of someone crashing on the floor sounded high, that everyone brought their gazes to the right spot.
Ethan had fallen with his chair in an ugly impact. He, who was strangely quiet all this time, is now staring at the screen with an agape mouth and one trembling hand pointing at the flat screen.
"Ethan?" Silver rushed toward his partner, his worry only increased tenfold after he got a proper glimpse of the raven-haired boy's face.
There was no gold in the guardian's eyes, that color was all but gone. Instead, Ethan's grey eyes are shaking in its focus to the screen, a look of fear plastered on his face; fear, an emotion that he has never show even while facing a creature capable of destroying the world.
"Oi, Ethan?!" Silver tried to grab hold of his lover's warm, just to get harshly push back by those trembling hands.
Ethan is in complete shock; he could not look anywhere else but the imagery in front of him.
For the lack of difference in color, all the others failed to realize, but the screen has already changed. Brendan's mindscape has already been pulled to somewhere else, somewhere eerie familiar to Johto's champion.
A curtain of white still remained in there, but it was a living color, it has a strange glint to it; one that snow should never have, at least not normally. Ethan watched as the silver-colored snowflakes peacefully rained down on the white mountain. He watched the oppressive silhouette that glared at him even past the screen, two red orbs that stared right inside his soul. The only presence that still manages to stir this lost emotion inside his heart.
"R-R-Red…" Ethan has finally spoken the name.
Reviews:
Mallory S Nocturne chapter 37 . Jan 16 – Thank you for sharing that with me. I always try to understand why people like or dislike a character and reading your reasoning was very reassuring. Any type of feedback is appreciated, but such genuine ones are always special to me.
Mr MogiGaming chapter 37 . Jan 19 – To tell you the truth… I almost forgot about it too. Just don't tell Ethan that.