Author's Note: What's up? School's almost over for me, so after next week (finals), I'll be able to relax more often. That doesn't mean automatic updates, but I'll have more opportunity to work on them if I can. Anyways, this chapter's kinda shippy, and I thought of a new ship name (MetallicShipping, should be obvious who it is). Also, there's a not-so secret character, so there. But, I still hope you enjoy this chapter! I had fun writing it!
It took me a little under a half hour to freshen up, so it was nearly 5:30. Once I'd bathed and dried my body, I put on some chic black pants and a navy blue halter top shirt. Brushing my hair thoroughly, I styled it in my usual high ponytail and peek-a-bangs and placed my signature cap over my head before pulling my memorial locket over my head. Instead of my black and olive sneakers, the shoes I slipped onto my feet were violet flat cone-heel sandals.
"Not too shabby," I told myself, adjusting my ponytail in the mirror. "Alright! I'm all set!"
I put my Poké Ball belt inside of the black pants loops, but decided to leave Storm's Blade behind in the room. Instead, I brought with me a maroon and black handbag containing my necessities for the amusement park. Locking my room up after exiting, I went downstairs to the Pokémon Center lobby and out the door. At that moment, I received a message from Emmet instructing for me to come to a certain address in Anville Town. I was still unsure about where to go, so I texted him the words "How do I get 2 AT?". Only half a minute after the message was sent, I received an answer from him.
"The dark brown train line?" I wondered. "Huh, I was wondering where that led to."
I entered the Battle Subway and down the stairs I went to the Gear Station. Walking in the direction the Depot Agent instructed me, I got aboard the brown line train to Anville Town after my Trainer ID got scanned. As the train drove itself out of Nimbasa City and to a more rural setting, I was starting to feel rather relaxed until I noticed a mysterious figure on the train.
"Huh?" I wondered, catching a glance of dark hair until they pulled the newspaper they were reading over their face. "Weird, I thought it was someone else." Despite the stranger looking away, I was still suspicious about the shape of a hair section I noticed. "I'd better keep an eye on this person…"
The train stopped in front of a platform, and I got off alongside the few other passengers, the anonymous guest included. When I was out beneath the summer sun that was preparing to start setting, I couldn't find the mysterious person anywhere, so I figured I'd drop my suspicion for the time being.
I looked at my Xtransceiver messages and tracked down the address Emmet sent me earlier. Anville Town was rather rural and small, so there weren't as many buildings as its neighbor city of Nimbasa. I spotted a building with the address I was looking for, and it turned out to be a nice-looking apartment of the sort. I searched the address box on the wall and skimmed down until I found the apartment number next to the right names.
"They live so high up, sheesh," I remarked, going inside and entering the elevator.
A few minutes and floors passed, and I finally arrived on the fourth of the six floors. I looked at each apartment number going down the hall and came across a door labelled "Apt. 11" above the mail slot. I rang the doorbell only a couple of times before it was answered. However, the person who answered the door was unfortunately Subway Boss Ingo, whose lack of trademark head revealed his somewhat messy silver bangs. He was still in his work uniform save for his black Subway Boss long-coat and similarly colored shoes that were once over his pair of black socks. In addition to his usual scowl, Ingo was covered in train oil stains and scratches from the earlier incident.
"What's wrong, Deutschbag?" I asked him snidely, "Didn't have time to actually bathe?"
"I'm actually rather surprised you did," Ingo retorted, rolling his ghostly silver eyes.
"Whatever. Is your brother ready for tonight?"
"...Hmph. Emmet, deine Gast ist hier!" Ingo called into the apartment.
As if on command, the younger and sweeter Subway Boss came to the doorway. Instead of the outfit I saw him in last, Emmet was wearing light gray pants, a black-and-white striped shirt underneath a white jacket, a pale blue decorative scarf wrapped lightly around his neck, and a pair of different white shoes. His silver bangs were slightly less messy due to the double-x hair clip pinning some hair back, and I could see more of his neck-length locks. Lastly, he was carrying a white string bag decorated with a thick black arrow pointing downwards.
"You look sehr schön, Miss Hynden," Emmet complimented, looking at my outfit from head to toe with a smile.
"Umm, what was the word… danke!" I replied, "You look very nice too. Are you ready to go?" I asked him.
"Yup! Let's go! Can't wait for this!"
"Remember, Em," Ingo said with a raised finger, "be back by halb neun and no later."
"'Halb neun'?" I wondered.
"Bruder says I have to be home by 8:30." Emmet translated with a smile. "That's three hours we've got to have as much fun together as possible!"
"Oh. Well, I'm sure that's plenty of time!"
Emmet hugged Ingo tightly and said bye before heading past me down the hall. I was about to start following him until I let out a gasp upon feeling Ingo grab my shoulder harshly. I turned around and saw he had a more-than-menacing look on his face and a deep frown to match, but I could also detect some hints of worry in those ghostly eyes of his.
"Hört zu," he said sternly, not breaking fierce eye contact for a second as his brows furrowed. "You probably weren't aware of this before, but Emmet and I have been through this procedure before, and it has yet to end well. So, if my dear brother comes home crying and alone again, you won't like what I do. Are we clear, bengel?"
"C-Crystal," I answered, nodding my head. "Can I go now?"
"Yes. You and Emmet be careful tonight. Be sure he's back on time."
Nodding one last time, I walked down the hall in Emmet's direction as Ingo shut the door after he went in. I wasn't aware of anything else except going down the elevator with Emmet. Eventually, we were both out of the apartment building altogether and boarding the Anville Town train. As we got on, the Depot Agent saluted Emmet, and he returned the favor with a smile before he took a seat next to me.
"Are you excited for our date, Miss Hynden?" Emmet asked as the train took off.
"I am excited!" I answered, "It's about time I finally get to enjoy myself at the park. No Gym battle, no stress, and more importantly, no Team Plasma trying to drive me crazy."
"You've met Team Plasma before? When?"
"Two years ago. They claimed they wanted to 'liberate the Pokémon', when their leader just tricked them into getting rid of everyone's so he could conquer the world. But, one brave little sixteen-year old brought 'em all to their knees."
"Was that girl you?!"
"That's right. I used to be known as the 'Heroine of Ideals' before I disappeared for two years to train some more."
"Wow, that's amazing! I can't believe I'm sitting next to and going on a date with such a noble woman! Was taking down Team Plasma as hard as it was earlier today?"
"Actually, it was at least five times more difficult than today's fight. If my right eye amounts to anything." I lifted up my peek-a-bangs to show Emmet the scarred line running from the top of my right eyelid to the bottom. "See, I got this when-"
Before the rest of my words could escape my lips, I swore to myself that I heard a low growl from nearby. I turned around and saw the same mysterious person from before, but the newspaper was still obstructing their face. I blinked in suspicion and worry before Emmet caught my attention.
"Is that someone you know, Hynden?" he asked me.
"I don't think so," I answered in an unsure tone. "I can't see who they are from here. I'm sure they aren't important; let's just get off the train."
The moment the train stopped at the Gear Station again, each of the few passengers got off before Emmet and I did. As we walked towards the exit of the Battle Subway, we heard a somewhat raspy breath behind us, almost like a ghost. But when the two of us turned around, the thing disappeared instantly.
"Did you see anything, Emmet?" I asked him.
"I thought I did," he answered, suspicious. "I'm sure it's nothing right now. Let's go!"
We walked up the tall flight of stairs and out we were on the streets of Nimbasa City. As it was in Anville Town, the sun shone brightly, but fused with its oncoming set to make a hue of yellow-tinted cyan. When Emmet and I reached Nimbasa Park, we stopped in front of the Rondez-View Ferris Wheel in its titanic glory, spinning idly with the riders in the Poké Ball-shaped cabins.
"Would you like to go on the Ferris Wheel first?" Emmet asked, "It is a rather relaxing ride for couples." He blinked when he realized the last word as a pink hue flushed beneath his sideburns. "Err, what I mean is a couple of people!" he sputtered, "I'm not saying we're a couple or anything!"
"It's alright, I know what you meant," I assured him. "Besides, I think we should save the Wheel for last. It seems like an end-of-the-night ride more than a first one."
"True, very true! Should we go to the rides towards the center of the park then?"
"Sounds like a plan to me, Emmet! I've never been through the entire park either."
Just as Emmet and I were starting to walk together, we jumped in surprise when a person in an Emolga mascot costume suddenly rushed towards us and shoved Emmet to the ground. I helped Emmet off the ground, but the rude mascot rushed off out of sight before I could snap at them.
"Asshole…" I growled under my breath, "You okay, Emmet?"
"I should be. What was that Emolga's problem?"
"Who knows? I doubt we'll see them again. Let's just have fun tonight instead of worrying about some freaky furry mascot."
We walked more towards the center of the park, which was blocked off by a reception gate. Although there was a line for ticket punching, we got to the front in almost no time. I handed my ticket to Emmet along with my individual payment of 2000 Poké Dollars, and we were allowed access when he paid as well.
"What do you wanna go on first?" I asked.
"Dunno. There's so many possibilities-" Emmet began until he gasped, pulled me close, and pointed at a ride, eyes and face lighting up with awe. "That one! Let's go there!"
"Hmm, wha? The Poké Ball Cups?" I wondered, reading the sign near the ride consisting of cups resembling several different Poké Ball types.
"Yeah! Bruder never wants to go on with me, but now I've got someone to join me!"
"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt, now would it?"
After the ride stopped and the previous riders got off, the next line were allowed to get on. Because we were among the group of people, we were able to get into the ride area. The Dive Ball and Luxury Ball cups were taken, so Emmet and I had to get in the Heal Ball cup. When our cup was securely shut, all the cups' platforms started to spin. We took turns spinning the wheel so it went in both directions, exclaiming with delight and enjoyment all around. In the midst of our merriment, I saw something spring up from the bushes whenever Emmet passed them. The image wasn't clear at first, but within the shrubs was the eerie Emolga mascot popping up whenever the oblivious and cheerful Subway Boss passed it. Add insult to injury, the Emolga mascot continued to swipe something sharp at Emmet, but thankfully missed.
"Look out!" I warned, shoving Emmet's head down as we passed the Emolga mascot again, picking it back up when we were out of distance. "Phew…"
"What's wrong?" Emmet wondered with a raised brow.
"Nothing, I uhh… you almost hit a branch! Yeah, we wouldn't want that, now would we?"
"Oh, no, we wouldn't! Thanks for the warning!"
Soon, the ride started to slow down. I got really nervous as our Heal Ball-shaped cup car decided to lower its speed near the bush where the Emolga mascot was waiting. Just as they were preparing to raise their sharp object at Emmet again, the ride completely stopped, and everyone started to leave once their car was unchained. In almost the blink of an eye, the Emolga mascot dropped the sharp object and headed for the hills as I got out of the Heal Ball car with Emmet.
"Ah, sehr Spaß!" Emmet chirped as we left the ride area altogether. "We should do that again sometime, Miss Hynden!"
"Umm, maybe another time," I insisted. "Let's take our mind off the Poké Ball Cups and go on… that!"
When I spotted the Mareep-Go-Round ride, Emmet looked in that direction and became instantly enthralled by it. He followed me to the innocent ride, which had almost no line as the riders exited the now-static carousel. We got on the large platform and walked around to find a suitable seat. Most of them stayed true to the ride's name and consisted of themes from the Mareep evolutionary line, but others had Pokémon such as Zebstrika and Rapidash.
"I'll take the Flaaffy," I decided, taking a seat on the horizontally positioned Pokémon. I then stared at the Ampharos version of it and giggled. "I'd bet Merida wouldn't like this ride too much."
Emmet decided to get on a Zebstrika that was positioned to bounce. When we were both fastened, the ride conductor saw that everyone was just about ready. But, just as he started the ride, the Emolga mascot from before grabbed onto a standing pole. I couldn't take Emmet and leave since the ride was already in motion, so I decided to keep a close eye on the highly suspicious Emolga mascot.
"Isn't that the Emolga from earlier?" Emmet wondered as his Zebstrika began moving upwards and downwards in a slow motion.
"It is," I growled, glaring at the mascot. "The one who keeps picking on us."
As the carousel kept going around in its static orbit, the Emolga mascot inched somewhat closer to Emmet. I couldn't see what was going on, but I heard a SNIP and Emmet's safety belt came loose, making him wobble before he held onto the bar. In the next seconds, the crazy Emolga mascot shoved Emmet forward and ran off elsewhere when he started to fall backwards.
"I got you!" I cried, grabbing Emmet's forearm just as he was about to fall off the Zebstrika.
My own safety belt remained intact, so falling off wasn't possible. I gripped the safety bar tightly and yanked Emmet forward in order to position him back onto his plastic Zebstrika. But, I wound up pulling with a force greater than what I anticipated, and forward Emmet went. Unlike the last time we collided, his face landed closer to mine as the front of our bodies made contact like the tips of our noses. The two of us blinked a few times before Emmet pushed himself back onto the Zebstrika and faced forward, his face just as rosy as mine.
"You're alright?" I asked him.
"Y-Yes, thanks, Hynden," Emmet coughed, his smile still stretching at the corners of his mouth.
The Mareep-Go-Round came to a stop, and the few passengers unfastened their safety belts and got off. When Emmet and I walked away from the ride, I looked around to see if that Emolga mascot was anywhere in sight. Although they weren't, I was still extremely wary of the mysterious figure trying to potentially harm Emmet.
"I think that Emolga's out to get me," Emmet breathed wearily. "I don't get it! What did I ever do to them? I don't even know them!"
"Beats me," I said. "They'd better step off if they know what's good for them!"
Despite the exciting and bright rides of Nimbasa Park all around us, Emmet and I decided to take a little break from them over at a small table near others like it. This way, we were sure to avoid the Emolga mascot easier. Both of us were a little winded from the speed of the Poké Ball Cups and the mishap on the Mareep-Go-Round, so a rest was just what the doctor ordered.
"I'm thirsty, you want anything from the Vending Machine?" I asked.
"Hynden, I could just get it myself," Emmet insisted. "You don't need to go through the trouble."
"Emmet, it's literally like five feet from here to the machine," I stated, taking out a Poké Dollar bill marked with a 1000 at both top corners. "Now, what do you want for a drink?"
"If it's alright, I'll just have eine Limonade, bitte," Emmet answered with a smile. "The colas here are way too cold!"
"Okay… I'll be right back."
I went over to the Vending Machine and inserted the bill through the slot. I myself wanted a Fresh Water to rehydrate myself, so I skimmed the machine and raised my finger above the button. Before I could even think to get my drink, the Emolga mascot popped out of nowhere and pressed the button for a Soda Pop.
"Hey!" I exclaimed when the wrong drink rolled down into the drink slot. "I didn't want a Soda Pop!"
There went 300 Poké Dollars down the drain. I tried to angrily tell the Emolga mascot to buzz off, but they weren't moving an inch and stood next to the Vending Machine. Sighing, I went in to press the button for my Fresh Water that would hopefully precede Emmet's Lemonade. Unfortunately, the annoying Emolga pressed the button for another Soda Pop, draining my bill of another 300 Poké Dollars.
Again I moved my hand to order at least one correct drink, and the Emolga beat me to the punch by pressing the Soda Pop button a third time. Because I didn't put that much money in the machine, it only took one more foiled attempt to drain my bill down to 100 Poké Dollars. In the drink slot sat not a Fresh Water or a Lemonade, but three unwanted Soda Pops. I picked all three up and gripped one angrily as I shot an irritated glare at the Emolga mascot, who proceeded to hightail it out of there without any regret.
"Stupid Emolga!" I screamed after it with a snarl, "You wasted my money!"
I pressed the red button on the machine, resulting in four gold coins amounting up to the remaining 100 Poké Dollars to pour out. Not only that, but a fourth Soda Pop unluckily rolled down from the machine. I looked at the cold can with disdain, but made room for it in my arms and walked back over to Emmet.
"What's with all the colas?" he asked with a raised eyebrow as I handed him two. "Were they out of Limonade?"
"Emmet, trust me," I sighed, opening a Soda Pop, "I would have gotten your Lemonade, but some jackass came over and kept pressing the wrong buttons. Now, we're both stuck with the wrong drinks."
"Who was it?"
"The same jackass who's been out to get you and ruin our evening."
"Aaah, that creepy Emolga again?!"
"Bingo."
I took a few more huffy sips from my Soda Pop can, still upset over the Emolga mascot wasting my money like that. When I took my lips from the can, my eyes shifted over to Emmet, who was fiddling with the cold and condensing can in his hand, and flinched when he saw my expression.
"Look, I really would have gotten the Lemonade," I sighed.
"No, it's alright!" Emmet assured me with a smile, "I'll just have to drink the cola instead! I just have to wait for it to warm up a little bit is all! It wasn't a total waste of money, and it was the Emolga's fault anyways!" The slight despondency on my face didn't fade too much, making Emmet's lip quiver with worry and stress. "Aww, please don't be sad, Hynden! I swear it's okay!"
I knew Emmet was trying to cheer me up, so to avoid stressing him any more, I perked up my expression and finished the last of my Soda Pop before getting up and disposing of the empty can. As for my other can, I stashed it away in my handbag for safe-keeping.
After the short break, we decided to give going on rides another try. Since I chose the last ride, I gave Emmet the chance to select the one we were about to go on. Much to my dismay, he pointed to a roller coaster with no hesitation, and the sight of the obnoxiously fast-looking ride made me groan with disdain. I didn't want to just leave Emmet to go on the coaster by himself, so to be fair, I chose to deal with it.
"Let's go," I sighed, walking towards the ride.
We passed a sign that read "Plusle & Minun's Helping Hand Coaster", decorated with pictures of the aforementioned Pokémon holding hands and smiling. Strolling through the empty paths, we reached a rather lengthy line of people awaiting the coaster. Although the line shrank in a course of 15 minutes, it felt like almost an hour to us. By the time a total of 20 minutes passed, Emmet and I were finally close to the five smaller lines for seats on the ride.
"Yay! We're almost on the ride!" Emmet rejoiced. "Are you excited, Hynden?"
"Y-Yeah… totally excited," I said with a dead laugh, looking to my side at the surprising agility and height of the innocently-named attraction.
I couldn't see anything at the five lines due to the height of the anonymous man in front of me. As Emmet and I moved up the steps when the line moved again, the man was finally out of the way when he went to another seat line with his child.
When I got in my line with Emmet at the same time the previous riders finished leaving, we both let out a yelp of surprise when we saw the Emolga mascot again. They were apparently looking straight at us on the other side, waving with one hand as another was hidden behind their back.
"Well, there isn't much they can do on a roller coaster," I sighed, getting into the seat on the right after Emmet took the one on the left.
"Sir, ma'am," a woman in a full-body Pikachu costume said as she approached us, "I'd be more than happy to take your bags while you're on the ride."
"Thanks!" Emmet and I said to her, handing her our respective bags as she placed them in the bin containing other handbags.
The ride attendant fastened the pull-over bars to everyone's bodies. Once we were all strapped in, the PA announcer began speaking. They went over the basic rules for the ride, told everyone to make sure they were strapped in, and to have fun. Just as the ride attendant walked over to the control box, I flinched a bit as Emmet placed the tips of his gloveless fingers on my hand.
"Em, what's wrong?" I asked, surprising myself at the sudden use of a nickname.
"Well, it's called the 'Helping Hand Coaster', isn't it?" Emmet wondered, a light flush coming to his smiling cheeks. "S-So, maybe we should… use our own 'Helping Hand'?"
"Hmm, yeah. I guess you do have a point!" I chuckled, agreeing to the gesture as my hand locked with his.
As I lightly gripped Emmet's rather sweaty palms, I saw the blush in his face become a heavier hue of rose as his smile became more flustered. I could have sworn I heard an angry, yet oddly familiar growl from the sidelines, but it was probably my imagination again as the ride started taking off.
The ride moved along the tracks, making my heart race with anxiety due to the expected speed increase that awaited us all. I realized I was still holding Emmet's hand, the thought causing my own face to turn florid while a smile crept upon my face for some reason. But as the ride started climbing along the ascending slope, I gripped the younger Subway Boss' hand a little tighter from the impending doom of the future fall.
"You're gonna be alright, right, Hynden?" Emmet questioned.
"Y-Yeah! I'm not scared of roller coasters," I assured him as we reached the peak. "I just hate the intense- SPEEEEEED!" I screamed as we descended with gusto.
The coaster went in all sorts of directions at an obnoxious speed, my long ponytail flying everywhere. While I screamed with pure terror, Emmet let out screams of adrenaline-tainted excitement. I kept my scarred right eye shut due to my peek-a-bangs flying everywhere, As the roller coaster traveled upwards for another drop, I held onto Emmet's sweaty palms once again while prepared to embrace my fate again. But when the drop came, I suddenly felt Emmet's hand slip away from my fingers and heard his loud scream. I looked over and gasped at the sight of Emmet falling from the roller coaster car, everyone and myself included gasping and screaming in terror at the sight while the roller coaster came to a screeching halt.
"EMMET!" I screamed, fruitlessly reaching my hand out to his falling figure.
What happened next surprised me even more. As I prepared to see Emmet fall to his doom, his form was suddenly engulfed in a bright blue aura as he immediately stopped falling. His own scream of terror stopped when he found himself floating in mid-air within the blue aura, looking around at the ground below him. Emmet was mysteriously moved over to the static coaster car as his seat bar lifted with the same colored aura, planting him back in his seat and fastening him properly.
"Emmet, are you okay?!" I gasped, heart still pounding with worry.
"I think so!" he panted back, still flummoxed from what just happened as the aura faded from him while the ride continued its course. "What a miracle!"
"How did you do that?! You just stopped yourself from falling!"
"That's the thing, I didn't! Something just caught me and pulled me through the air! I wonder if… hmm…"
The thought went unprocessed as the ride picked up speed again and went up one last deathly slope. As we prepared to descend, I clung to Emmet's arm not only to brace myself for the dreaded drop, but also to make sure he stayed in place. Before I shut my eyes as the roller coaster inched closer to its final drop, I noticed Emmet flinched and turned bright red in the face at my touch.
One intense roller coaster drop and a few more minutes of disgusting speeds later, the ride finally came to a stop. Rather than whimpering like some little kid after a doctor's visit, I was instead trembling and shaking from the high speed of the ride while still protectively holding onto Emmet's arm. I realized I was still doing it when everyone was leaving their seats, and quickly released my hold with somewhat rosy and sheepish cheeks.
"That was… fun," I chuckled hesitantly, not entirely genuine about the last word.
"Yep, sure was!" Emmet chirped, helping me out of my seat. "Other than the whole 'free-fall', I liked it! Wanna go again? This time in a different seat?"
"N-No thanks, Emmet. I think I've had enough of this ride. Let's go somewhere else."
I swore I heard another growl of aggravation from my left. But when I looked over, all I saw was the nutty Emolga mascot standing idly with the unfitting smile on its costume head. Then, I looked down at Emmet's coaster seat and saw something that made my eyes go wide. The seat-belt looked as though someone cut it most of the way, and left a small portion to snap apart during the ride. I turned again to the Emolga mascot and caught a glimpse of the pair of scissors they dropped and kicked off the platform to the ground below. That otherwise unnoticed action made me more than sure they tried to attack my date again. I shot them a nasty glare, but I wasn't certain if the Emolga noticed due to its perpetual costume smile.
At the bag box, they actually handed me my bag with ease. But when Emmet went to take his bag back from them, the Emolga mascot snatched it each time he attempted to reclaim the item. Emmet finally managed to grab the bag, but the Emolga wouldn't yield and fought for control of the string satchel.
"Let go!" Emmet pleaded with aggravation, trying to yank the bag from the grasp of the Emolga adversary.
Fed up with the Electric-type bully, I went over and stomped on their foot. The Emolga mascot nearly let out a yelp of pain, but sounds of restraint could be heard from within the costume as they released the bag back to Emmet. As the new riders flowed into the coaster car, Emmet and I took the exit and back onto the park grounds we were.
"Seriously! What is that creep's problem?!" I complained, throwing my arms into the air. "Did you steal his girlfriend or something, Emmet?!"
"I don't think so. I've been on tons of dates before, but none of them've mentioned dating a park employee," Emmet answered. "Let's hope I get back to Ingo in one piece. We've still got an hour and a half left, so we just gotta focus on making the best of it."
"And I'll make sure that punk doesn't try to do you in again. You can count on me, Emmet!"
Emmet smiled at my determination, but I noticed a slight lip purse came to his mouth right after. I asked him what was wrong, only for him to pick his grin back up and insist that all was well. We looked and strolled around the park area at the different attractions. Emmet was about to point to a possible next ride, but the hesitation in his voice and eyes were obvious.
"Maybe we should take another break?" I suggested, holding onto his hand and looking up at him. "Better safe than really sorry."
"O-Okay, Hynden," he agreed, the blush returning to his smile-bent cheeks again. "Anything for you."
I smiled back at him, and seconds later, I found a convenient photo booth with a fake Rotom on top of it. Emmet and I went inside, and I put in a few coins adding up to the needed 200 Poké Dollars. We stared at the red dot in the center and put on our silliest faces. Alongside the next six flashes, we shifted between different grins and expressions until the booth session ended. The set of six photos came rolling out of the slot before I grabbed it and looked at the product as I left the booth with Emmet.
"We look so stupid," I laughed, still staring at the silly faces.
"Yeah, but it's the good kind of stupid," Emmet agreed with a laugh. "Do you wanna keep the pictures?"
"Why don't we split them? That way, I get three, and you get three."
I folded the paper strip back and forth after the third picture and tore it neatly. I handed Emmet a set of three photos, which he looked at with a smile and put away in his pocket while I put mine away. Still winded from the previous mishaps, we found a convenient bench near some shrubs and tall trees and sat down. Our nerves calmed a little after the hectic series of rides we'd just gone on. Looking around, the Emolga mascot was nowhere in sight; only a crowd of moving people traveling about the park.
"This is nice," I breathed, enjoying the scenery of Nimbasa Park and the setting summer sun in the dimming horizon.
"Yeah, but coming here with you has been a lot nicer," Emmet remarked. "I've never been on a date I've actually enjoyed before."
"What do you mean? You told me you've gone on tons of dates before!"
"Certainly. But… all six of them were complete busts. When I didn't get stood up, I got used or abandoned."
"What?! Emmet, that's awful! What kind of inconsiderate girl would just up and do that to someone like you?"
"Well, I wouldn't say 'girl' every time- A-Anyways! Until now, I've never had a successful date in my life. I was starting to wonder if I'd ever get to experience one."
"How come you never gave up? You've been dumped six times."
"If I just up and gave up, then I'd risk never finding someone who honestly liked me. Yeah, I was incredibly hurt with every heartbreak, but I didn't wanna lose my hope in case it comes true one day! Well lo and behold, it did."
My brows creased upward in sympathy at Emmet's tale. I thought it was utterly disgusting that six people would up and ditch him for no reason, especially since he was such a kind man. I also found it very admirable that Emmet kept his chin above the water despite all those times, never giving up hope once. I was yanked from my thoughts when I heard the rustling of bushes, but cleared my suspicion after sifting through them and finding nothing.
"So, I've really been your first successful date?" I asked.
"Yep! And I'd say you're making this the best one, Miss Hynden!" Emmet chirped. "If only Bruder would let his guard down, maybe we could do this more often."
"Pffft, I doubt that'd ever happen. That jerk hates my guts, and vice-versa. Why's he gotta act so bitter and hateful towards everyone for no reason? And would it kill him to crack a smile for once?"
"Wait! Ingo's not so bad if you really know him. And trust me, his smiles are either heartwarming, or sehr schrecklich. And since the former rarely ever happens when it's not just me and him, you're better off seeing his scowl." Emmet's smile fell into a somber semi-frown as he sighed forlornly. "Besides, Bruder has his reasons for being so protective of me, the six failed dates aside. He's been so protective ever since we were younger."
"Why's that? Did something happen in the past?"
"I… I reeeeally don't like talking about all of it. It still haunts me to this very day, and the sight of blood just brings that one night back! I can't… I just can't go through it again! You can't make me! Please don't make me!"
When Emmet almost screamed the second repeat, he started clutching his head and his breathing became choppy and shallow. Being someone familiar with panicking from a bad memory, I immediately tried stroking his back lightly and talking in a hushed tone while shushing him softly.
"It's okay, Emmet," I whispered, lips leaned in close to his ear as I let his head rest near my shoulder. "You don't have to talk about it, everything's gonna be fine. Just breathe, and relax."
Emmet gradually started to calm down in unison with steadying his breathing while I soothed him. He released his grip on his head and allowed his hands to rest on his lap. He took one last inhale and released, looking down at me with weary eyes.
"Thank you, Hynden," he said.
"Hey, no problem," I responded. "I've got some pretty icky memories of my own, so I know what you're going through." I opened my gold-and-silver locket so I could look at the blood-speckled Pidgeot baby feather underneath, trying to fight back oncoming tears of regret. "Among others I lost two years ago, I lost my best friend in the whole world when I was six. Her name was Lulu."
"What happened to Lulu? If you don't mind me asking that is."
"Don't worry, I'm fine with it. But I gotta warn ya, it's no whimsical tale."
Taking a deep breath, I placed Lulu's feather back in its rightful case and began explaining to Emmet how everything went down. I told him about how I first met Lulu when I was but a little over a year old, all our times together, and the fateful encounter with the wild Magneton that took my friend away from me for good. After concluding the story, I saw Emmet's face was completely heartbroken, wiping the tears dripping profusely from his eyes as he choked back sobs.
"Emmet," I breathed.
"Tut mir leid," Emmet sniffled, wiping his tears away for the last time. "I'm sorry you had to go through all of that, especially at such a young age! Your Pidgeot… she actually died for you!"
"I know. And to this very day, I can't help but beat myself up for being so reckless. Maybe if I wasn't, Lulu would be okay."
"But she loved you! It wasn't your fault, Hynden! She willingly protected you from that Magneton because she loved you and wanted you to live on!" Emmet reached into his shirt and pulled out a violet fang tied to a necklace string around his neck. "If there's one thing losing Joy has taught me, it's that you shouldn't let a broken heart keep you down forever. The pain will never go away, but that's still no reason to stay sad for the rest of your life."
"Who's Joy? Have you lost a Pokémon before too?"
"Yes. Joy was my first Galvantula, and one of my first two Pokémon. I first caught her as a Joltik when I was younger, and she meant the world to me! I cherished every moment I had with her no matter what, even if Bruder did get really vexed by our antics." His once wistfully vigorous eyes fell back to a somewhat sadder tone, although the smile didn't leave his lips. "But sadly, most Galvantula die after they give birth, so my poor Joy had to leave me behind with an egg sac full of 30 Joltik eggs. When I was by her side through most of it, I promised her I'd take good care of her kids."
"You have 30 Joltiks around? Was it hard to take care of all of them?"
"Well, now I only have nine living with me. Apparently, I was driving myself into the ground trying to raise 30 little Joltiks. Even with Ingo's help, it was still quite a handful! So in the end, he made me give 21 of them to a good home after I wouldn't release them. He said it was a way of letting my grief go, but… also still commemorating Joy? I think that's what he said."
"Wow… you really missed her, didn't you?"
"Of course! There was no way I'd let her down after making such a big promise to her! She meant the world to me, the universe even! You don't just break an oath to someone you make on their deathbed!"
That very sentence only amplified Emmet's staunch devotion to his Pokémon. Not only that, but I had a promise of my own to stay true to Lulu's final words and to protect and love my Pokémon as if they were her. I clasped Emmet's hands gently, causing him to look at me with light pink-tinted cheeks beneath his unique silver sideburns.
"I'd say that's very brave of you, Emmet," I told him. "I really admire people like you. Someone who goes out of their way to stay loyal to their friends no matter what."
"W-Wow, danke!" Emmet squeaked, taking one hand and scratching the back of his head while smiling. "I-I really admire you too, Hynden! You're brave, extremely beautiful and noble, kind-hearted, and… and you never give up no matter what! I just, it's- ACK! AHACK!"
"Oh, you're getting so choked up over this," I laughed as my flattered blush returned until I looked back at the coughing and gagging Emmet with a gasp. "Ah! You're actually choking!"
Emmet's scarf was being pulled back until the fabric constricted tightly around his neck. The source was coming from the bush, so I fumbled my hands through and around the shrub until I felt something made of felt. Suddenly, I saw two glowing blue dots from within the trees, and the leather creature released its grip on Emmet's scarf, rendering him coughing and begging for air. Then, I heard the rustling of trees and more shrubs as the creature was sent flying backwards with a yell.
"Weird…" I pondered. "Emmet! Are you okay?!"
"Y-Yeah, I should be," he coughed, taking a few deep breaths until his respiration was back on track. "Did you see what my scarf got snagged on?"
"No, not really. I touched it, but then it just flew into the forest or something."
"Oh. It was probably just a Pidove or something."
"I doubt it. If it were a Pidove, we'd have seen it flapping around. This, this felt leathery, and it was suddenly forced back."
Emmet and I looked through the shrubs again, and the two blue dots suddenly turned gold. The creature passed through every tree and bush towards us until its true form came to light. We both blinked in bewilderment, but Emmet's surprise was more evident than mine.
"Did someone lose a Chandelure?" I wondered as the Ghost-type floated over in between us.
"I can think of one person," Emmet suggested, taking out part of a chocolate bar. "Shaunelle, want some?"
The Chandelure let out a wispy sound of excitement before making the chocolate piece glow pale blue. In seconds, it was burned up into a ghostly violet flame and ceased to exist. Despite this, Chandelure revelled in the apparent taste before its eyes widened in surprise.
"Ah-ha! It is you, Shaunie!" Emmet declared, pointing at Shaunelle. "Ingo sent you, didn't he?" he asked before Shaunelle let out a whispered hush of shame.
"So, you're Ingo's Chandelure, are you?" I asked.
"You know my dear master?" Shaunelle questioned, her accent being identical to Tidus' save for a more delicate tone.
"Unfortunately… What brings you here, Shaunelle? Were you spying on us?"
"Well, dearest Ingo referred to it as being a 'pseudo-sentry'. He told me to keep an eye on Emmet. Funny, you don't seem to be as troublesome as he described you. You're a rather polite woman."
"That figures… Look, your overprotective and overly-salty Trainer didn't need to send you to baby-sit us. The day, for the most part, has been going really well."
"Actually, if it weren't for me, my poor Trainer would have lost the only human he holds closest to his heart. It'd be unfortunate if I had to burn his soul after a nasty roller coaster fall."
"Wait a minute! That was you who saved Emmet?!"
"Of course. Where do you think that Psychic attack came from? The giant Pikachu?"
"Wow, thank you! Though, I've never met a Chandelure that knows Psychic so easily."
"Hynden, what were you saying to my brother's Pokémon?" Emmet asked.
"Emmet, it turns out Shaunelle here saved you from falling from that roller coaster."
"She did?!" Emmet gasped, amazed and thankful. "Well, that does explain why I started floating in the air. Shaunie, thanks so much! Maybe Ingo sending you to spy on me turned out good after all! But, you still gotta go back home, okay? I'll be fine from here. I promise!"
Shaunelle nodded once and dissipated into thin air. I felt the spot she was once in, and nothing made contact with my hand, so I assumed she left already. Checking the bushes again for the mysterious (yet highly suspected) enemy, Emmet and I started walking through the park again. As if on cue, I saw the Emolga mascot trying to creep up behind us while starting to take something out from behind their back. Looking around at the various children and youngsters, I sprung an idea.
"Hey, kids!" I yelled, catching their attention, "It's your favorite, uhh… fun-loving Emolga!"
"SPARKY!" they all screamed with joy, running over to the Emolga mascot excitedly.
Sparky the Emolga was so caught up and distracted by the children that their attempts to escape proved fruitless. They thankfully made no effort to charge through the kids violently (although attempts to escape the youthful crowd were made), so as I ran off with Emmet, they were left behind. We ran until Sparky was out of sight, stopping in front of the central park's second exit.
"I've got a feeling we won't have to deal with Sparky anymore," I assured Emmet.
"Danke Gott," Emmet breathed with relief. "Say, now that he's gone, why don't we go on one more ride?"
"You got any suggestions? I'm through with roller coasters."
"Well, why don't we try out the Rondez-View Ferris Wheel now? It's almost time for me to go home, so I wanna at least get that ride in."
"Okay! Let's hope this time, no Team Plasma-themed surprises happen when I get off."
Looking at my Xtransceiver, the time turned to 7:30 pm. Emmet and I were admitted into one of the Poké Ball-shaped cabins of the Ferris Wheel, and up we went once we were seated behind a fastened door. Our cabin started going around the Ferris Wheel in a slow motion, allowing the two of us to savor the sight of the setting summer sun in the evening sky. Being someone who'd never been this high up and enjoyed the sights, the view was breathtaking beyond all comparison.
"I should have come up here ages ago!" I beamed, "If it weren't for Team Plasma and N, maybe I could have actually enjoyed things like this!"
"Not to mention, I always come on here with someone special to me," Emmet added, looking at me with a genuine smile.
I smiled back at him with rosy cheeks, but quickly looked down at the ground. Although we were high up, I could see everything was okay, and Sparky the Emolga hadn't followed us. Slouching back in my seat next to Emmet, I knew I could finally relax for the duration. Despite that, I snuck in a few glances to make sure we were officially safe. Eventually, I not only grew tired of checking, but I was growing tired overall. Before I knew it, my pewter eyes struggled to stay open, and my head started falling towards Emmet's shoulder as the closest support. In that moment, the soothing motion of the Ferris Wheel made my vision fall black as serenity and fatigue conquered my body.
I awoke later on, and the once-orange sky was now blackening with an elegant dusk. The ride began to arrive at its steady halt, and I was starting to regain my senses. When I did, I flinched and yelped when I realized I'd fallen asleep on Emmet's shoulder. Yanking my head back from the still-smiling Subway Boss, I turned away from him as a bead of embarrassed sweat rolled down my temple.
"Sorry about that!" I squeaked, "I mean, it's late, so maybe I'm a little tired-"
"Hynden, it's fine," Emmet insisted. "Sure, I was a little startled, but I didn't want to disturb you. You just looked so peaceful and cute, I couldn't bring myself to wake you up!"
"I wouldn't have minded, Emmet. If you just woke me up, I'd have been more ready to leave the ride. What time is it?"
"Hmm, it's… ah, scheiße! It's almost eight! Hynden, we'd better start heading back now!"
When the Ferris Wheel finally stopped for good, Emmet and I left our ride cabin and headed towards Nimbasa Park's main exit. We hurried all the way to the Battle Subway and boarded the Anville Town line. Sometime later, the train stopped at the platform, and off we went into the small community. Arriving at the apartment complex, we made our way inside, rode the elevator up to the fourth floor. Six doors on the right side of the hallway, Emmet and I stopped at the one labelled "Apt. 11" and knocked on the door a few times until the door started to unlock from the inside. Out from it was of course Subway Boss Ingo, who was wearing dark blue jeans and a thin black turtleneck shirt, his messy silver hair bangs as weary-looking as he was.
"Did it go well?" he asked with a gentle tone.
"For the most part-" I was about to say until Ingo glared at me again.
"I was talking to my brother, bengel," he spat. "I only want to hear it from him. Emmet, how did it go?"
"As Hynden was about to say, it was wonderful for the most part!" Emmet chirped, perky. "Sure, there was this nutty Emolga mascot trying to kill me, but I still had fun-"
"Wait! Someone was trying to kill you?!" Ingo gasped before shooting a nasty glance at me. "You didn't have anything to do with this, did you?"
"No, I didn't," I hissed. "In fact, I spent most of the day saving your brother's skin from said Emolga. If it weren't for me, you'd be an only child."
"Correct! So sending Shaunelle to spy on us wasn't necessary!" Emmet added.
Ingo flinched as Emmet had just struck a nerve while blowing his cover. He took out a Poké Ball presumed to belong to his Chandelure, looked at it, and sighed in defeat as shrunk it and put it away. Ingo called his brother back in as he himself went inside after giving me a suspicious and nasty glare. Before Emmet followed his brother inside, he turned to me with a warm expression.
"I had a fun time tonight," he told me, the blush returning to his face.
"So did I," I responded with a smile of my own.
"Perhaps we could do stuff like that again? Maybe before the end of the month?"
"Ah, I don't know. I'm still trying to get the rest of the Unova League badges and defeat the Elite Four and Iris. So, I'm not sure if I'll have time."
"Oh, well… maybe you could at least stop by the Battle Subway for a visit every now and again? I'd love to keep seeing you."
"I'd like that too. If I have time, I'll definitely keep stopping by and challenging you. But when I take my pedestal back, you can count on me coming back!"
"Wunderbar! I'll… see you next time, Hynden. I'm glad you had fun tonight."
I pulled Emmet into a mutual hug of gratitude, but flinched in surprise when he impulsively left a peck kiss on my cheek. When he realized what he did, Emmet quickly turned his head back away from me in an embarrassed manner, I myself darting my eyes away with unsure feelings.
"Tut mir leid," Emmet coughed, "I shouldn't have done that."
"Hey, I don't mind," I insisted. "It wasn't anything horrible. Uhh, good night!"
"Ja, guten nacht! I'll see you soon, Hynden!"
A florid-faced Emmet gave me a wave, and I returned the gesture as I walked away hearing the sound of a closing door behind me. As I made it into the elevator and traveled down to the lobby, my somewhat tired mind kept flashing back to the fun day I had with Emmet. I made a note to find ways to hang out with him again after boarding the Anville Town line back to the night-and-star-lit Nimbasa City.
"I'm gonna call it a night," I sighed, leaving the Battle Subway in favor of the Pokémon Center.
I returned to my Pokémon Center room, changed into a blue tank top and pair of cozy Corsola-print pajama pants. Removing my hat and locket before putting them on the dresser next to my bed, I pulled out the strip of photos from my pants pocket and held them between my thumb and index finger as I got in bed. The mostly happy memory I experienced with Emmet made me smile. Although I felt a weird giddy chest fluttering, I thought nothing of it and put the photos in my bag. Turning off the lamp, I promptly fell into an immediate deep sleep due to the fatigue I'd been fending off all night.
Pokémon obtained: None.
Badges earned: 4/8
Boxed/Unboxed: None.
Author's Note: German phrase translations:
"deine Gast ist hier" = "your guest is here"
"sehr schön" = "very beautiful"
"danke" = "thank you"
"Hört zu" = "listen"
"bengel" = "brat"
"sehr Spaß" = "so fun"
"eine Limonade, bitte" = "a Lemonade, please"
"sehr schrecklich" = "very terrifying"
"Tut mir leid" = "I'm sorry"
"Danke Gott" = "thank God"
"scheiße" = "shit"
"Wunderbar" = "wonderful"
"Ja, guten nacht" = "yes, good night"
As for the actual Author's Note, this chapter was nice and long. Took a while, but it was worth it. Ingo and Emmet will reappear in the near future, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. When we do, more info will be revealed. So, stay tuned for the Chapter 20, everyone!