A/N: Hiya everyone sorry about the late update but I'm finally back off my holiday and have a brand new chapter for you all, hope you all enjoy.

Posted: 12/02/19 | Word Count: 1,679

Chapter two: The long hard talk

Everything is more or less back in order when Hanako returns from upstairs dressed in clean slightly floral smelling clothes, having changed out of her grimy, sweat-stained work clothes. She pauses when she reaches the bottom of the stairs, standing in the darkened doorway which connects the front of the shop with the kitchen and the stairs, watching silently as her grandmother mills around the kitchen stirring the pot which sits bubbling on the stove while Noctowl sits on his perch, grooming his feathers, his harness now having been removed and placed on the coat hook beside her.

She notes with a hint of trepidation spiking in the bottom of her gut, the solemn tenseness that chokes the air of the kitchen as she stands in the shadow of the darkened hallway, unwilling to step across the threshold and into whatever unpleasantness which awaits.

She notes with a hint of trepidation in her gut, the solemn tenseness that fills the air of the kitchen as she stands in the shadow of the

"Well." Says her grandmother, in a tone fitting of the surrounding atmosphere as she continues to stand facing away from her as she adds a few last touches to tonight's meal. "Are you going to sit yourself down at the table? Or are you going to stand hovering around in the doorway like a haunter all night?"

Hanako bristles for a moment in poorly concealed alarm, wondering how her grandmother knew she was there as she gathers together the courage to step over the threshold, her grandmothers noctowl watching her keenly as she silently walks through over to table and sitting herself down in one of the chairs, the wood creaking underneath her ominously.

She turns her head towards the table as she quietly sits in the kitchen, counting the cracks and scratches in the wood as she traces them with a finger, contemplating the day's events and the unshakeable sense of thoughtful seriousness which lingers in the air, smothering her.

It's not long before her grandmother finishes preparing dinner their dinner, shuffling towards the table and setting two bowls of food down on the table in front of her, the white porcelain clinking against the wood as the stew resting inside the bowl splashes against its sides. Her grandmother turns away from the table to give a patiently waiting Noctowl his food, receiving a soft hoot in appreciation from the pokemon before he starts to eat from his bowl.

An old wooden chair scrapes against an even older floor as her grandmother pulls the chair from the opposite side of the table, sitting herself down at the table she gives the customary speech of being grateful for the foods she's about to eat, before picking up her cutlery.

Hanako does the same, her movements stiff and speech muffled as she mirrors her grandmother's movements and picks up her own cutlery, finding herself unable to eat the apathetic tenseness between them refuses to disappear.

She isn't sure how long they stay like that, sitting in silence as Hanako stares down at her bowl of food, stirring the contents of her bowl gently with her cutlery but never making a move to eat any of it as something lousy squirms around in the pit of her gut.

"I think it's about time we have a talk. Don't you think, Hanako." Said her grandmother from across the table as she places her cutlery back down on the table.

She doesn't respond as she continues to stare unseeingly into the bowl of stew, carrots and various other vegetables swirling around lazily bowl as her head remains bowed towards the table. The thing inside residing in the deepest part of her gut slithering up to the back of her throat, choking her.

"Hanako." Repeats her grandmother. "Look at me."

She lifts her head up slowly away from the bowl her eyes locking with her grandmothers as the elder stares back at her stoically, resting her wrinkled old hands neatly on the table in wooden table in front of her.

"I think it's time." Announces her grandmother, breaking herself off shortly as a short coughing fit overtakes her. "I believe it's time we discuss you becoming a trainer."

"What is there for us to discuss?" Questions Hanako as her eyes remains locked with her grandmothers. "I have no intentions of becoming one."

Elderly pale brown eyes bore into her own as her grandmother clasps her hands together on the table. "Now, Hanako." Starts her grandmother, face betraying no glimpses of emotion as she faces her. "It's tradition."

The thing sitting in the back of her throat does a sickening somersault down her oesophagus into her stomach, weighing it down heavily as she barks out a muffled response. "It's psychotic is what it is." Her stomach churns revoltingly as the thing inside her tries to break free. "Seriously, I'm not ten or even twelve years old anymore grandmother. I'm nineteen. I'm practically an adult now, which is way too old to be battling gym leaders for shiny little paperweights." She breaks eye contact when her grandmother huffs at her from across the table. She knew this day was coming, it's not like they could put it off forever.

"It's not psychotic." States her grandmother sternly, her stoic mask slipping for a fraction of a second to reveal a glimpse of a frustrated frown underneath before she conceals it. "It's a tradition and as the head of this family it is my duty to uphold and maintain it until the day I inevitably die." Her Noctowl gives a hoot of agreement as he sits watching the scene from his perch. "I had to start my travels when I was young, younger then you I'll have you know. So did your grandfather rest his soul, and your mother."

Hanako scowls at her. "Yeah and just look at how well that turned out for yo-" "Enough," Roars her grandmother, slamming her hands down sharply on the table shaking the cutlery and shaking the bowls, knocking Hanako's off the table altogether, sending lukewarm stew and shards of porcelain across the floor as her grandmother glowers at her from across the table.

The hairs on the back of her neck and arms stand up stock straight as she stares at her grandmother in shocked confusion, her grandmother's fists remaining curled where they slammed against the table as she continues to scowl angrily at her granddaughter.

"Enough." Repeats her grandmother, uncurling her fists as she calmly folds them back in front of her as tares at Hanako dryly from across the table. "Now, if things where different you would have been sent on your travels years ago and we wouldn't be having this conversation. However, since there's nothing either of us can do to change the past the only option left is for us to move forward." Her grandmother takes a deep breath of air into her lungs before releasing it calmly. "Now, you do have a trainer license somewhere in your possession, do you not."

Hanako grits her teeth as she nods stiffly at her grandmother in response. It's true she does happen to have the tacky plastic card her grandmother is talking about, tucked away messily in a shoebox filled with other useless pieces of crap which she keeps tucked away in the back of her closet.

She receives a stern nod from her grandmother in reply as her grandmother's noctowl flies down from off his perch, pulling lightly at the bottom of his masters faded brown cardigan with his beak, only stopping when her grandmother reaches an old bony hand down to stroke the top of his feathery brown head.

"It's settled then." Affirms her grandmother, stroking the top of her noctowl's head as he closes his eyes in a moment of content silence. "From this day forward you hereby retired from your delivery duties, and are to instead focus solely on your usual lessons with me and your training sessions Hibiki sensei and Kotone sensei. Until, I can arrange for you to receive a suitable pokemon that will accompany on your travels, understood.

Hanako huffs as she grumbles out an unintelligible response as she sharply turns her head away from her grandmother, folding her arms against her chest tightly.

"Understood." Repeats her grandmother a little more forcefully as her granddaughter continues to refuse to look at her. "I sai-"

Hanako's chair scrapes against the old wooden floor noisily as she pushes herself away from the table cutting of her from repeating herself a third time. She turns her back on the women who surprisingly doesn't attempt to stop her or speak as she heads out of the kitchen, heading up the stairs with her teeth gritted tightly together and her hands curling into fists beside her

She practically throws herself onto her bed as she steps into the light-less bedroom, grabbing one of her pillows she promptly using it to cover her head as she takes deep rasping breaths into the fabric.

The waves of fear that shoot through her as her stomach drops to the cold, dark floor below come as a shock as pain shoots through her lungs and chest, worsening further with each gasp of sickening air she inhales. Her heart jackhammering itself wildly against her ribcage as a crushing sense of fear entangles itself around her, paralysingly her.

What's happening to me. Am I having a heart attack? She heaves and shakes on the bed her, the knuckles of her hands turning white as they refuse to unclasp the white cotton fabric of her pillow.

I can't breathe. I can't breathe. Why can't I breathe?

She tries to cry out for somebody, anybody to help her as the pain shooting through her lungs intensifies to tear jeeringly painful leaves. But, it's no use as she quickly finds herself unable to form words as her tongue lolls around uncooperatively against the inside of her mouth, big black spots clouding her vision as she attempts and fails to alert someone about her distress.

A/N: Anyway that's the end of chapter two. Hope I didn't completely screw up any of my characters too much, especially Hanako. She was having a bit of a panic attack towards the end there and I hope I managed to write and make it somewhat convincible.

Also, thanks for all the support last chapter everyone it means a lot to me, really it does.

Regards, TheGutsyWolf.

P.S. I'm going to be going back over this chapter and the last to touch up on some of the spelling mistakes I've noticed, see you next chapter.