Chapter One: I HATE My Job!
I sigh to myself as I walk out of my room, headed out the door for work To be honest, I really don't want to go, as Hoopa's first day is today. Even more, today's my day to be on dish tank, which means an entire eight-hour shift spent doing dishes – and even more, no tips!
I sigh softly once more as I head down the elevator and towards the parking lot. On the bright side, Volcanion's driving me to work so that I don't have to walk in the pouring rain, which has been happening on and off throughout the day. Most humans would say that it is raining pretty hard right now, but it's nothing compared to the torrential downpours that I have to deal with every time I have to calm Kyogre down. Putting up my umbrella, I head out into the rain, looking for Volcanion's car.
As expected, the car isn't far at all, as Volcanion never liked walking very far to get to campus. Honestly, I think he's grown to be a bit lazy over the past year he's been a human. Then again, I probably have myself, so I'm not really downing him for it. I lightly knock on the door of the car, seeing that it's on. I can't see who all is in the car, as Volcanion's windows are tinted and the wipers are swishing pretty fast in the front.
"Door's open!" a familiar voice calls as I close my umbrella.
Just as I'm turning to open the back door, the front passenger window goes down to reveal Hoopa munching on a doughnut.
"Hoopa!" Volcanion shouts angrily from the driver's seat. "Roll up that window – you're letting rainwater into my car!"
One thing Volcanion hates is his car soiled in any way. To be honest, I'm surprised Hoopa is being allowed to eat in the car. Volcanion is always up at arms about crumbs and garbage being left in his car. Heck, I still remember the one time that I didn't finish my burger before I had to come into work. Volcanion made me pick up every seseme seed from my burger bun off of the seat of his car, which made me late for work. I was furious at him for that one, as the boss chewed me out for being late to my shift.
"Aw, Vol-Vol!" Hoopa whimpers. "I was just saying 'hi' to Ray! I haven't seen him in nearly a year!"
The window goes up as I get into the car. Immediately, I begin to smell Volcanion's car air freshener, which is called Pine Tree Fresh. More like Pine Tree Runny Nose… I can't stand that scent at all! It makes my nose run every time! Volcanion, however, loves it and says it makes his car smell like his home in Nebel Plateu. Welp. I'm glad I don't live there then.
"Hey, Ray!" Hoopa giggles, turning around to face me. "Long time no see!"
"Buckle up so we can leave please – we're running late!" Volcanion seems to be in a rush, even though we're leaving at our usual time. I'm not sure why he's in such a rush, but I know his temper, and it's best to just not ask. Luckily, Hoopa complies and clicks on his belt as he waits on me to answer.
"Where were you the past year anyway?" I ask Hoopa as Volcanion begins to pull us out of the school's parking lot.
"I told you – I was taking care of Shadow." Hoopa replies, his mouth full of his doughnut. "He's fine now, so no more worries! Oh! I brought you a doughnut. It's a little melty, sorry!"
"Don't slop it on my car!" Volcanion reminds me as Hoopa hands me a slightly melty chocolate crème filled doughnut. He then turns the radio on, and I hear Wally's Battle Theme begin to blare. Volcanion immediately turns it down to an acceptable volume though.
"Thanks, Hoopa.." I say. Though, in all honesty, I hate chocolate crème doughnuts…
"Fudge….FUDGE, FUDGE FUDGE!" Volcanion yells as we pull into the diner's parking lot, the neon lights reading 'KELLY'S DINER' lighting up the restaurant in the pouring rain.
"Fudge? Would you like some, I got some!" Hoopa asks, waving his chocolate fudge dipping sauce around.
"Get that out of here!" Volcanion throws the cup of fudge out the window as he turns the car off. "We're late! She's already here!"
I look around the parking lot. The only other car aside from our boss' car is a silver bug with a gear shaped charm on the antennae and a heart plush on the dashboard.
"Um, Volcanion, only one customer is in here…" I tell him as I unclick my seat belt. Volcanion flings his seatbelt off, slamming it against the wall as he starts to get out.
"That one person, Ray, is Magearna!" Volcanion yells. "Now get out and get to your dishes or whatever! Oh God, I hope she isn't seated at someone else's section!"
Volcanion rushes into the diner as Hoopa and I get out of the car, closing the doors tightly. When we walk in, the diner is of course, empty, except for Magearna, who has just arrived as she's still putting her purse down at her booth. Volcanion rushes to wait on her, as Hoopa heads to his post at the 'Please Wait to Be Seated' line. I head off into the kitchen to do my dish tank duties.
I honestly hate dish tank days. They're incredibly boring, as I get to do nothing but stand in this small room that I could probably touch the walls of with my arms outstretched over a pile of stinky dishes. And no, I am not over-exaggerating when I say stinky. They reek. It's as if whoever was on duty before me left them soaking there for hours just for me to wash. To be honest, today the dishes smell like rotten Pecha berries…
Sighing, I grab the bottle of apple scented Dawn dish soap and soap up the old grungy sponge that we must use to wash dishes with. I swear, we must use the same sponge every day, or whoever gets dish tank before me is pretty hard on it. The sponge is always grungy. I almost want to wear gloves just to touch the darn thing. At least it doesn't stink as badly as these dishes.
On the bright side, I can listen in to what Hoopa and Volcanion are doing…
"What would you like to drink, Magearna?" Volcanion's putting on his most friendly voice, which is pretty hard since his voice just naturally has that 'I'm angry' tone to it. I can tell that he's trying pretty hard to impress her. Well, I would probably do the same if it were Giratina sitting in that chair. However, luckily for me, Giratina works the same hours I do at a different diner, so I won't have to ever worry about that
"Just some sweet tea – no lemon." Magearna replies in her soft voice.
I hear Volcanion's footsteps moving towards the kitchen.
"Hoops, get some iced tea on the double!" he shouts into the kitchen, where Hoopa must've moved to.
"Iced tea….um…"
"HURRY!"
"I can't find it, Volcanion! Where-"
"MOVE! Ugh! Some nut didn't refill the pot! Brew a fresh pot!"
I hear the slap of what I guess to be tea packets on the counter, and Hoopa moving to brew a fresh pot of tea.
At that moment, I decide it's a good time to turn on some music. I know Volcanion's pretty anxious about waiting on Magearna, but I really don't want to hear him and Hoopa argue. Soon enough, their voices are drowned out by my battle music, which I hum to as I continue doing these grungy dishes.
I'm about halfway through the dishes when:
CRASH! BANG! BOOM!
"Oh dear!"
"Hoops, you idiot! You made me spill Magearna's soup!"
"I didn't mean to!"
"Look at this! Glass everywhere! For the love of Arceus!"
I peek out of the wash room to find Volcanion and Hoopa hollering outside the kitchen, a shattered bowl of chicken noodle soup in between them. They're so far up in each other's faces shouting indistinguishable words at this point that I am reminded of the trailer I saw for Volcanion and Magearna's movie in which Volcanion and Ash were in each other's faces, yelling. It doesn't help that Hoopa's work hat looks almost like Ash's current hat…
"Hey! What's goi—"
"GET YOUR BUTT BACK TO YOUR DISHES!" Volcanion interrupts me making me grit my teeth in annoyance. Volcanion's yelling is starting to tick me off, and pretty fast. I'm beginning to understand why he argued with Ash and Pikachu. It's becoming pretty hard to not yell back at him, even if he is my best friend.
Not wanting to get into the fight and potentially lose my job, I head back into the dish room and continue with the dishes, still hearing what is going on outside.
"Vol, it's fine – I decided I'm not hungry anyway." Magearna's voice sounds at that moment. "Mew just called and she wants me home, so I need to go."
"But Magearna, I can scoop you out some more soup – it really won't take that long at all!" Volcanion pouts. "I can even put it in a to-go cup!"
"No, it's truly fine." Magearna says as I hear the sounds of her picking up her purse. "I need to go right now. Thank you for waiting on me."
"Magearna!"
The doors to the diner chime as Magearna leaves.
And everything hits the fan….
BOOM!
Volcanion kicks open the kitchen door, it slamming harshly against the wall as he does.
"WHAT THE HECK, HOOPA!?" Volcanion shouts across the kitchen. "YOU JUST MADE MAGEARNA LEAVE!"
"I didn't know where anything was!" Hoopa pouts, sounding like he wants to cry. "And you wouldn't even tell me where it was! You just yelled! So her leaving was your fault!"
"I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO SHOW YOU – YOU WERE ISSUED A MANUAL! READ IT!"
"But it was my first day! You showed no slack at all!"
"I WASN'T SHOWN ANY SLACK ON MY FIRST DAY SO YOU CAN JUST—"
Just then, I hear the kitchen door open. I peep out and gasp, seeing our boss, who is female, her red hair done up in a ponytail. She's got grey eyes and square framed glasses. Unlike our white shirt, black and red hats, black pants and black aprons, her shirt is red indicating her higher status.
"Why do I hear yelling in here?" she asks hands on her hips. "That does not sound very productive!"
"Vol didn't even help me, Ms. Kelly!" Hoopa cries, tears streaming down his face. Whether they are real or fake tears I can't tell. "His girlfriend came in and all he did was talk to me like a dog!"
"Well…I certainly heard plenty of yelling." Kelly says, looking at the two, hands on her hips. "We don't yell at Kelly's Diner. We are just as respectful to our co-workers as we are to our customers. And yelling at a co-worker, especially one that has just started, is not going to be tolerated…"
Just then, the bell at the 'Please Wait to Be Seated' counter begins to ring profusely.
"Hey! Is someone gonna wait on me or not?!"
I know that voice all too well. It's Zygarde – and not the friendly one either. Believe it or not, there are actually two Zygardes, one for each of the two cores. The red one prefers to be called Squishy, as that is what his human companion called him. He's really sweet and nice, but also extremely shy, so he never shows himself much. The blue one on the other hand, is a total butt. He was the same Zygarde that I argued with so much last year because he wouldn't leave Reshiram alone. Quick-tempered, looking for a fight, thinks that he's entitled to everything…I can't stand that nut, and he comes into the diner every day. I secretly pray to Arceus that we might just get the friendly guy that is Squishy for just one evening, but to no avail. I'm always stuck with him. Well, in this case Hoopa or Volcanion will be, as I'm on dish tank!
"Ray, I need to talk to these two in my office!" Kelly shouts. "Please wait on this customer!"
She walks out with Hoopa and Volcanion, leaving me with a yelling Zygarde, who is still ringing the bell profusely.
"HELLO?! I'M ABOUT TO WALK OUT!"
"ALRIGHT!" I shout, walking over to the counter and slamming my hand onto it. "I'm here! Would you like to have an order here or to go?!"
Zygarde looks at me with those black eyes I hate seeing. I'm doing everything I can to keep my composition. I can't go flipping out, or I'll end up in Kelly's office.
"Ray, your name tag is crooked." Zygarde says with a smirk, giggling. "Then again, I wouldn't expect anything less from a slob like you!"
My hands start to shake in rage as I grit my teeth even more.
"I'll fix it later." I barely avoid yelling at him. "Now, here, or to go?"
"Oh. There's a bleach stain on your apron too. What a slob you are today!" Zygarde continues, continuing to giggle. He knows he's ticking me off…
I grit my teeth harder, so hard it's starting to hurt. My heart pounds as I continue to try and keep my cool.
"I'll fix it later…" I say once more. "Now. Here or to go?"
"Here, of course! Why would I want cold food?" Zygarde chuckles as I glare.
"Fine. Follow me." I state, leading him to a booth. I slap a menu in front of him. "Let me know what you want."
I start to walk away when Zygarde taps on me.
"Well, Rudy Ruderson, I'm already ready to order!" he snaps. "I'd like the usual – the cheeseburger, extra cheese, no salt on the fries and a Coke!"
"Fine – it'll be coming right up." I say after writing that all down for the record. I start to walk away when Zygarde opens his mouth again.
"By the way, how are you and Reshiram doing?" he chuckles.
"Zygarde, I told you already, we broke up." I glare. "I'm not interested in her anymore, so if you want to try and get back with her, be my guest!"
"Well that's not what I saw last year during every first period!" Zygarde chuckles. "You two always walked to Bio together. And even more, you talked the whole time!"
"Us talking during first period doesn't automatically mean that we're dating, Zygarde." I am trying my hardest to be decent. "Now excuse me while I go—
"She couldn't stop talking about you all summer, Ray!" Zygarde continues. "Seems to me that she's still interested in you!"
"Well, that's too bad for her then!" I snap. "I'm not interested In trying romance again. With her or anyone!"
"Then what about Giratina?" Zygarde smirks.
"Zygarde!" I glare. "Just sit here and wait while I cook your stupid burger!"
Since I'm the only employee in here since Kelly took Volcanion and Hoopa, I'm stuck cooking Zygarde's food. I suppose right now, it's better than continuing to be by the tables and hear him go on about Reshiram and Giratina. I haven't liked to talk about either one of those two as of late. It's not that either one of them have done anything to me, because they haven't. Both of them have actually been ery friendly to me as of late. And with Reshiram continuing to be nice to me, I do find part of me wanting to try again with her. But there's another, bigger part of me that wants to be with Giratina. At the same time though, I don't want to lose my friendship with Reshiram. She's started to become a nice friend – and a friend only, I'd hope…
I sigh, pulling out two pieces of bread, a burger patty, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and of course cheese for Zygarde's cheeseburger. To be honest, I would love to just toss these ingredients in his face, but I also don't want to lose my job. As such I will keep it together – for now.
Fifteen minutes later, I'm walking out of the kitchen with Zygarde's food. I slam it in front of him and head back to the kitchen.
"Hey!" Zygarde yells. "Where's my mustard?!"
"We go through this daily, Zygarde! On the right side of the table, where it is every day!" I yell.
My shift goes on as usual. I'm by myself the entire day, as Kelly told Volcanion and Hoopa to both go home early and cool down from today's events. Volcanion told me he'd be back at the end of my shift to come get me, as it is supposed to storm all night long. Hopefully when he pulls up, he's in a better mood…
It isn't long after I clock out at midnight that Volcanion's car pulls up in the parking lot. All too happy to leave this place, I head out to it and get in.
"Darn Magearna won't answer the phone!" Volcanion grumbles, putting his red phone away. "Thanks, Hoopa. Now she's mad at me because you can't do something as simple as brew a pot of coffee!"
"It was his first day." I tell Volcanion as I buckle up. "We didn't know how to work that blasted teapot on our first day either."
"But he just had to be an idiot when Magearna was in there!" Volcanion goes on. "I wanted to serve her a nice dinner and confess to her, and Hoopa ruined it! There's no way I'm going to forgive him any time soon! How about I go in there and be a fool while he's with Diancie?! I don't think he would appreciate it!"
I blink. Hoopa has feelings for Diancie? Volcanion must've picked up on my confused expression, as he looks at me.
"Yeah, those two are dating." Volcanion says. "Don't ask how a kid like him ended up with a princess because I don't know either!"
"Diancie's a princess?" I ask, having no idea about Pokemon that aren't from my region.
"Yep…Princess of the Diamond Kingdom or whatever!" Volcanion still sounds mad. "She may be kid-like too but I see no way she and Hoopa are gonna last!"
"To be honest, I don't see Hoopa working for long with anyone." I chuckle as Volcanion starts the car.
"Personally I hope they don't work for long…he deserves it for making Magearna not want to speak to me!" Volcanion growls as he starts driving.
I sigh to myself, letting Volcanion rant about how Magearna won't speak to him the whole way home. I know how he is when he gets mad. He'll be just fine after a night's sleep. He always is. Once we get home, we both change into our PJs and head off to sleep, as we have a day of classes in the morning…