Quick note - This Ruby isn't the Ruby from the manga. More like an OC with the ORAS player's backstory.
Chapter 1: Potential Untapped
Ruby's first day in Hoenn started in the back of a moving truck. Was this legal? Certainly not, but that wouldn't stop Ruby's dad, Norman, from trying to cut corners and lowers costs. The truck lacked any branding and couldn't easily be connected to any one company, which meant it was cheap to rent. The driver? An old "friend" of Norman's who owed him a favour.
That is how this vaguely illegal and mildly dangerous situation came about. Ruby wasn't surprised by his dad's antics. Just disappointed.
The one issue? The truck only had two seats. Ruby offered to ride in the back before his mother could, because she would offer to spare him the discomfort, but she had some back issues that wouldn't agree with being bounced around in the back of a truck.
Ruby couldn't say he enjoyed the sensation much either. The boxes that held all of his family's worldly possessions were properly secured. This is the only silver lining, as the truck took a sharp turn and Ruby found himself crashing into a bookcase. Eventually he decided to just lay on the floor and pray that nothing fell on him.
Ruby was grateful when the truck eventually pulled to a stop. Sure, he was battered and bruised, but at least he was alive, right?
"I really need to get higher standards…" mumbled Ruby to himself as he hopped out the back of the truck. He started stretching to ease the stiffness in his joints.
His mother walked up to him, clearly excited as she looked at their new home. "Isn't it great, Ruby?" She gestured frantically at the two-storey house. "Look how big it is! You even get your own room, isn't that great?"
"It was a key selling point." Ruby mused in an extreme deadpan to offset his mother's excitement. It was too early for that kind of energy.
His mother rolled her eyes, but there was a smile on her face. "Don't be so negative! If you give this place a chance, I'm sure you'll end up loving it even more than our old place back in Ecruteak."
'That's a low bar, mother.' Thought Ruby.
Ecruteak was a small city known for its history. The burned tower and the stories of the legendary dogs generated a lot of tourism. There was a local desire to preserve Ecruteak's history; there were many steps that had to be taken if you wanted modern amenities in Ecruteak.
Houses either cost a fortune or they were dirt cheap because they were dilapidated. Indoor heating was a luxury. The only affordable choice were apartments; Ruby's family had lived in a one-bedroom apartment for most of his life.
It had been incredibly awkward, especially for his early teen years.
His dad's recent gym leader appointment was like a blessing from Ho-oh. Enough money for a decent house, and the move forced Norman away from his issues.
'No more projects in Goldenrod.' Thought Ruby, taking a dark glee in his dad's suffering.
"Hey, no, bad Ruby!" His mother scowled at Ruby playfully, which also had the benefit of pulling him from his thoughts. "No schadenfreude before lunch. Let's go, we've got some unpacking to do."
With that, she made her way into the house. Ruby, feeling called out, followed her dejectedly.
"How does she always know?" He muttered.
Ruby had never had the pleasure of moving houses before. He didn't recommend it. Boxes had to be rushed around, essentials unpacked, beds setup, furniture placed. They had two of his dad's vigoroth to help with heavy lifting, which was great, but they weren't the best at following instructions from anyone but Norman. Four of his mother's incense burners gained new cracks from the clumsy normal type's poor handling.
"Ruby! Come to the living room, quick!" His mother called, interrupting him just as he was about to move a box to his room.
Ruby stepped into the living room, though at the moment it looked more like a long-term storage unit with all the boxes, and his attention was instantly drawn to the television that his mother had setup early on in their unpacking process. Ruby hummed in mild confusion. What was so important about a news broadcast that she'd be watching it right now?
"Oh..." she sounded subdued. "You missed it, your dad was on the news. They were talking about the gym's renovations and his training style."
"He skipped helping us unpack to be at the gym during the setup?" Ruby asked, annoyed.
His mother shrugged, unconcerned. "Well, what do you expect? There's a lot to do over there, and the workers need his input."
Ruby raised a brow. "You settle design decisions before starting the project; unless something unexpected comes up, his presence on site is unneeded. He isn't even accepting challengers this week!"
She looked at Ruby silently for a moment that lasted just a little too long. When Ruby was starting to feel uncomfortable and guilty for snapping, his mother let out an amused huff. "Sounds like someone needs a break from unpacking."
Any guilt was instantly washed away and replaced with shock at her audacity. He went to defend himself, but he stumbled. He couldn't find the words.
"Don't worry about it, you're stressed, I get that." Her smile told Ruby that she knew exactly what she was doing. "Why don't you go and introduce yourself to the neighbours? Or reintroduce, I suppose."
Ruby narrowed his eyes. "Reintroduce?"
"You remember when you used to play with little May during summer? Her family lives just across the road from us!"
"May? I don't know any..." Ruby's eyes widened in sudden realisation. Memories of a girl with brown hair and hours of watching pokémon contest finals flooded his mind. "Wait, Saffy?!"
"I forgot that you used to call her that..." His mother mused, whelming herself in nostalgia.
Ruby took the moment to process. He hadn't seen Sapphire for years. Her dad, Mr. Birch, used to come over to Johto every summer to see Norman for a pokémon project, and Mr. Birch would bring her with him. They were fast friends, and her visits were the reason that summer was Ruby's favourite time of the year.
But five years ago, the Birches stopped coming over. Mr. Birch was studying for his doctorate and didn't have the time to visit his old friend who lived in another region.
Ruby had been devastated in the way only a thirteen-year-old could be.
He was excited to see her again, but a lot could change in five years. Would they click back into place, or would the magic be lost? He wouldn't know until he met her again.
"I guess I'll go and say hi, then," said Ruby, before wincing at the living room full of boxes awkwardly. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay and keep unpacking, though?"
His mother shook her head with a bright smile. "I'm sure! Go and make a friend, sweetie!"
Ruby's face lit up like his namesake, and he made a quick escape from the house shortly after that.
After taking a moment to collect himself, he set his sights on the house on the other side of the road. He quickly crossed the road, stepped up to the front door and before he could psych himself out, he knocked on it.
Ruby was surprised at how quickly someone came to answer the door. He didn't even have a chance to panic about potentially knocking on the wrong one. The woman who opened the door looked at him blankly for a second, before recognition flashed in her eyes.
"You're Ruby, right?" She smiled at him. "I'm Amelia, May's mother. My partner mentioned that your family was moving here. Wow, I've heard a lot about you over the years!"
Even while a blush worked its way back onto his face, Ruby's paranoid mind kicked into gear. 'It probably doesn't mean anything...' He thought, 'it hasn't even been a day, he wouldn't.'
"All good, I hope?" Ruby put a smile on his face. "I was wondering if, ah, May? Was... around?" He winced as he tripped over Sapphire's real name.
"You can call her Sapphire, most of her friends do." Amelia laughed. "Sorry, though. She's out with her dad doing some sort of research in the woods just out of town."
Ruby's shoulders slumped. "Oh, okay. I guess I'll catch up with her later. Back to unpacking, I guess."
"You don't sound so happy about unpacking." She gave him a sly smile. "If you need an excuse to keep away, I have something you could help me with."
Ruby's paranoia screeched, but he fought to keep his face passive. He wasn't upset, there was no need to pull any faces. He had just been led around, manipulated from point to point, for reasons unknown.
'As long as it's just about socialising...' Thought Ruby, tiredly.
He was resigned to accepting the task, he was self-aware of his doormat tendencies.
"Oh? What can I do for you?"
"My younger child, Jade, should be at the park. It's the one near the woods, on the edge of town." She gestured towards some trees in the distance. "In that direction. It's time for their lunch, but I'm nearly at a deadline on this project, and every moment counts!"
Ruby stared at her blankly for a moment. "Jade? And Sapphire? Really?"
"My partner really likes gems." Amelia shrugged.
"Right." Ruby took a deep breath. He was going to have words with his dad about this later, because if his name was a part of some sort of inside joke... Ruby shook his head to clear away the violent thoughts.
"Sure, okay, I'll find your kid."
Amelia practically beamed at him. "Thank you so much! You're looking for a ten-year-old child, brunette shoulder length hair, and I think they put pink and yellow clips in their hair this morning."
"Got it." Said Ruby, a smile on his face and chaos swirling in his mind. "I'll find them."
He spent the walk to the park processing and over analysing the events that led him here.
'Okay, so mother tricked me into a false sense of security by mentioning Sapphire. Her mother tells me that Sapphire and her father are busy outside of town and asks me to find her younger kid, who's currently in a park by the town's edge.' Ruby's hands started to fidget, but he was too agitated to stop them. 'I think that's everything. It could still be a series of coincidences, but this seems like something Norman would setup. I'll know for sure when Jade leads me to their father and sister.'
It wouldn't be the first time that Norman had setup an elaborate scheme like this for Ruby. He knew what to expect, so there was no reason to be annoyed. Unfortunately, his emotions didn't get the memo, and it was an anxious Ruby that arrived at the park.
He stood by the entrance for a moment, trying to calm down. He glanced around for a moment, just taking the park in while trying to spot Jade. It was a nice park; there were swings, slides, pokémon themed spring rockers, a sandbox, and a merry-go-round. Ruby would have loved this place if he were younger.
The park seemed pretty quiet at the moment, which Ruby was thankful for as it made his task much easier. He spotted a parent and child duo on the swing set, and the merry-go-round was spinning at high speed with a pink and yellow blur clinging tightly to the bar. There was some screeching coming from the spinning ride, but it didn't sound like shrieks of fear, so Ruby didn't worry about it.
"Probably them." Ruby murmured to himself. Having decided he was just going to go through the motions of the scheme, Ruby entered the park and found a bench. He figured he would rest while he could. He would keep an eye out for Jade, but he was pretty sure that the child was going to come up to him shortly.
Eventually the merry-go-round slowed down, and a very dizzy child stepped off of it. They were stumbling around like a drunk spinda, and Ruby was pretty sure he was looking at Jade.
They looked very similar to a young Sapphire.
When the child stopped swaying, they turned to look at the bench that Ruby was sitting on and seemed to do a double take. Jade broke out into a beaming grin, but it quickly dropped away. The child lightly slapped their cheeks, their face shifted into a child's version of serious, before changing again into an exaggerated worry, complete with a wobbly lip.
Ruby lightly rolled his eyes as he watched a child coach themself. 'The sooner I get through this, the sooner I can go home.'
He got up from the bench and quickly made his way over to the faux distressed child. "You're Jade, right?"
The child jumped and their wide eyes snapped to him. Jade seemed to be somewhat panicked at his presence, which honestly looked more believable to Ruby than the child's attempts at worry.
"Are you okay? You look upset."
"Mister, you've got to help!" Jade flung themself at Ruby, gripping his shirt. Ruby had to suppress a chuckle; he'd give Jade points for their dramatic flair. "I heard screaming coming from the woods, and that's where my daddy and sister were doing their boring science thing, and what if they're hurt? Please, you've got to help!" Jade stared up at him with teary eyes.
Ruby was somewhat amused. Throughout Jade's dramatic pleas, a playful smile had grown on their face even as they started tearing up. He was happy that someone was enjoying this scheme, at least.
"Don't worry, I'm sure they're fine. Why don't you lead me to them?" Ruby gave the child a smile.
"Okay!" Jade chirped, releasing their hold on Ruby's shirt so they could grab onto his arm. "It's this way, hurry!"
Jade pulled at Ruby's arm with an intense urgency; before Ruby knew it the two of them had left the park and were stepping into the woods. Ruby looked around the forest bemused. His mind must have drifted during the walk.
Ruby stumbled to a halt when Jade stopped walking.
"Wait, what?" Jade mumbled. The child tilted their head to the side confused.
'Oh, this is gonna be good.' Thought Ruby, turning to look at the spectacle.
It was a zigzagoon. That wasn't the strange part; zigzagoon were more widespread in Hoenn than rattata were in Johto. A zigzagoon chasing a grown man around in a circle, though? Some would call that odd.
The man was clearly Mr. Birch; he hadn't changed much in the last five years beside the unkempt stubble. Standing next to a tree on the other side of the spectacle, quite clearly not being chased by a zigzagoon, was Sapphire. She was alternating between watching the spectacle and awkwardly glancing to the sky.
"Help!" Ruby's attention instantly snapped to Mr. Birch. "Quick, grab a pokéball from that bag over there!"
Ruby looked around until he found the bag on the ground next to Sapphire. It was so close to her that she could easily reach into it herself, if this were a real situation.
"Well, now I just feel silly." Jade mumbled, crossing their arms petulantly.
Ruby would have laughed if it weren't so sad.
'Well, let's get this over with.' Thought Ruby, before stepping in between Mr. Birch and the zigzagoon. The zigzagoon stopped running instantly. It tilted its head up, meeting Ruby's eye as it did. It sat on its haunches, its tail wagging behind it.
Ruby knew this was a setup, but even if he wasn't, he probably would have figured it out after getting a closer look at this zigzagoon's oddities.
The zigzagoon's fur was split into different coloured sections. Starting with its head, which was a much darker brown than was usual for the Hoenn variant of zigzagoon, and then the next section was such a pale tan that it was almost white, and then it repeated those two colours across the rest of its body. Its eye mask looked a little blobby, almost like a poorly defined star.
And its eye colour was almost a perfect match for Ruby's own.
"Aren't you an interesting fella. Are you one of dad's side projects?" Ruby chuckled. He crouched down so that he could pet the pokémon's head. "Probably a Galar Hoenn mix; trying to create a 'Hoenn' obstagoon variant?" He mumbled his stream of consciousness. "Oh, it doesn't matter, cause you're just so cute!"
The zigzagoon seemed to be enjoying the attention, if the tail wagging was any sign.
Ruby's gushing was interrupted by a giggling child. Ruby looked up and found Jade standing by him. "Can I pet them?"
Ruby stood up and shrugged his shoulders. "Probably, they seem friendly. If you'll excuse me, I need to go over somethings with your dad and sister."
He turned to look at Mr. Birch, who was looking back at him with a bemused expression. He looked at Ruby like he was a misbehaving puzzle piece. Too bad for him, Ruby had lost all of his allotted patience for the day.
Ruby stood in front of Mr. Birch. He looked at the man for a moment, watching him squirm under the boy's stare. Eventually, Ruby smiled, and Mr. Birch gulped.
"What did Norman tell you?"
"I, uh, don't know what you're talking about?" Mr. Birch scratched at his neck nervously. "Um, aren't you going to grab a pokémon and... help me?"
Ruby rolled his eyes.
"Come on dad, I think that ship has sailed," said Sapphire, walking over with the pokéball bag in her hands. Ruby studied her for a moment; her fingers were tapping against the bag with a noticeable lack of rhythm.
'Huh, this must be stressing her out.' Thought Ruby. He didn't want to add to that, but he knew that she was more likely to be honest with him.
"Do you know what he said, Saffy?" He asked softly.
"I do." Said Sapphire while avoiding his eyes. "It's not very... flattering."
"Don't worry, you can tell me. I'm not upset or anything..." He stopped for a moment and reconsidered. "Okay, that's a lie, but it's about my dad, not you."
Sapphire finally looked him in the eye. He gave her a small smile and she returned it.
"Now wait a minute, this isn't about Norman." Mr. Birch cut in frantically in an attempt to redirect the conversation. "It's just an aggressive zigzagoon that was chasing us around!"
Ruby stared at the man incredulously, before gesturing to the 'aggressive' zigzagoon in question.
Mr. Birch turned his head just in time to watch Jade throw a stick. The zigzagoon quickly went after it and grabbed it with its teeth. The zigzagoon then ran back to the giggling child. The pokémon dropped the stick at the child's feet and was rewarded with a pat to the head for its efforts.
Mr. Birch could only laugh nervously when he turned back to Ruby.
"My kid's a natural?" Said Mr. Birch weakly.
Ruby shook his head in disbelief and turned to look at Sapphire. "You were saying?"
"Your dad came over seventeen days ago, stayed for most of the day," said Sapphire with a faraway look in her eyes. "He said you were melodramatic, and that you weren't willing to choose a starter or set off on your journey without the right 'origin story' to set you off."
Ruby pinched the bridge of his nose. "Wow, he's getting really desperate."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Sapphire questioned.
"He told you guys that I wouldn't choose a starter, which implies that I don't have a pokémon at all." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "I'm just not really interested in battling, but I actually have two."
Jade practically materialized in front of Ruby when he mentioned having his own pokémon. He half expected to see an abra hanging around it was so quick.
"You have two pokémon?" Yelled Jade loudly, actually hopping around in excitement. "Are they cool or cute? You seem like the kind of guy who could go either way! Can I see them?"
"Jade!" Hissed Sapphire, looking absolutely mortified at her little sib's antics. "You can't just invade people's space like that.
Jade ducked their head and pouted. "I'm sorry, Ruby."
Ruby shook his head with a small snicker. He didn't know why, but watching Sapphire and Jade's sibling interactions really broke the tension that Ruby felt settling on his mind. It was nice.
"Don't worry, Sapphire, Jade's not bothering me." Ruby smiled at the child. "You wanna see my pokémon?"
Jade nodded their head so fast that Ruby had the unoriginal thought that it might fall off.
'Didn't I read something about a cryptid with an unattached exploding head?' Thought Ruby. He quickly let the thought go and opened the 'Pokémon Box' app on his phone.
"Wait, you actually have pokémon?" Asked Mr. Birch. The man looked... shocked?
Ruby squinted at him. "Yes? Didn't Dad bring that up when you two were setting this up?"
"No, he didn't." Said Mr. Birch with a shake of his head.
"So, it is a setup." Ruby gave his best attempt at an 'innocent' grin, but he felt like it probably came off as overtly mocking. Either way, Mr. Birch's eye twitching was quite the reward.
Ruby's phone chimed with a notification; Pokémon Box was done connecting. Ruby looked at his phone and his smile quickly faded.
He had put his two pokémon into storage back in Johto because the airline had strict rules about how pokémon had to behave while travelling on their planes, and Ruby knew that he would have had issues if he had brought them.
But now Pokémon Box was saying that there was only one pokémon in storage.
'Was I hacked?!' Thought Ruby, panic rapidly building. 'But then, why wouldn't they take both of them?'
Before he could lose himself completely, Ruby quickly navigated to the system logs. For a moment he couldn't comprehend what he had found. He blinked his eyes, expecting to see something that made sense, but alas, the text was left unchanged.
He stared at his phone as a searing rage engulfed him. He didn't notice his teeth clenching, his forehead furrowing as he scowled, or that he was gripping his phone so tightly his fingers were going pale.
"Bastard..." Whispered Ruby.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Ruby's head snapped to Jade, who flinched back.
Sapphire slowly moved into Ruby's field of vision. "You're doing the scary face thing again, Ruby." She said soothingly.
It took him a moment to process that, and when he did, he forced his face to relax. He didn't try to calm down, oh no, he was going to keep his anger burning until it properly exploded, but he didn't want to take it out on the wrong people.
"Sorry about that, Jade." Ruby offered them a thin smile. "I'm fine, just planning to commit patricide by way of defenestration. Sadly, that means I can't show you my pokémon at the moment, as one of them is currently unavailable." The boy turned to look at Mr. Birch, who looked quite worried at the current state of events. "Remind me, there's a train that runs from Littleroot to Petalburg regularly, correct?"
Mr. Birch nodded his head awkwardly.
"Wonderful." Ruby clapped his hands with a too big grin on his face. "Well, if it's all the same to you, I have an appointment I must keep." He looked at Sapphire and Jade. "Saffy, we've got to catch up later! And it was nice to meet you, Jade. So long."
With that, Ruby started walking back towards Littleroot. Sapphire, Jade, and their dad watched him go, each of them unsettled by what they had just seen.
"Well," said Jade, "that could have gone better."
Wally was going to get a pokémon today.
It should be exciting; he should be the happiest he had ever been. Instead, he laid in bed, awake for hours, anxious thoughts swimming around his head.
Wally had always wanted to be a pokémon trainer. It was his dream, really. Gym battles, contest spectaculars, even just travelling from town to town. Everything and anything seemed exciting to a kid if pokémon were involved.
He remembers how excited he had been for his tenth birthday. He would choose a starter and then he'd be off on his own adventure! But that's not what happened. When his tenth birthday arrived, his parents sat him down and explained that he wasn't allowed to start his pokémon journey that year.
After he had stopped crying his mom explained it to a young Wally; his parents were worried about him travelling on his own because of his asthma. A lot of things could go wrong, after all. Wally was still upset, but he could understand their concern. They promised him that when he was older, he could become a trainer if he wanted.
Nearly eight years on, and he still wasn't old enough.
When Wally realised that maybe later really meant no he had tried to compromise with his parents; he figured if he couldn't go on a pokémon journey, then he could start training with a pokémon at home. He had no success with that attempt. His parents were of the mind that training pokémon would be too intense for him. The coddling made him squirm, but Wally pushed it down and reminded himself that they only worried because they cared. It was understandable. It wasn't the first time they had kept him from potentially stressful activities.
'The only reason they changed their mind was to keep me calm about the move,' Wally thought, 'and even that was a struggle.'
Wally tried to push the thoughts away, but it was no use. His mind spiralled; the doctor's appointment, his asthma getting worse, possible solutions, the first argument he had with his parents in years, and oh, he's having an attack.
A familiar pressure settled in his chest. It felt like there was an arbok wrapped thrice around him, constricting so tightly until every breath was a struggle.
Wally tried to keep his breathing even despite the pain. Experience had taught him that while asthma attacks sucked, his parent's reactions to them were worse.
He reached over to the bedside table and grabbed his inhaler. He brought it to his mouth, ready to inhale, but he hesitated. Wally really didn't want his parents to know he'd had an attack; it would only cause them to worry about him. Wally sat there, each breath bringing fresh pain, and strained his hearing. There were faint sounds in the distance. He thought they might be coming from the living room.
'Probably the TV.' Wally thought.
Wally put the inhaler in his mouth and breathed as deeply as he could, then he repeated the process. Instantly the tightness in his chest eased, and he could breathe regularly. He let out a sigh of relief.
The sudden banging at his bedroom door startled him so much that he jumped. Wally stared at the door in trepidation. Had they heard him? Wally gulped. "Yeah?"
"You awake? Are you decent?" His father replied teasingly.
"Don't ask things like that..." Wally mumbled, mostly to himself. In a louder voice he said, "I'm awake!"
"Well, get dressed and head downstairs! Your Mom wants to look you over before you head to the gym."
Wally couldn't say that that surprised him. He gave his father a quick agreement, and then he got up and went over to the desk where he had laid out his clothes yesterday. Mint green trousers that matched his hair, a white collared shirt, and a sweater jacket that Wally couldn't decide the colour of. His father said it was baby blue, while his mum was adamant that it was light grey.
The colour didn't matter. Wally was wearing it to prevent his mom from telling him to put something warm on. He felt overdressed, both for the meeting with the gym leader and the weather, but who was Wally to argue with his mom?
Wally put his inhaler in a trouser pocket and made his way downstairs.
His parents were waiting for him at the front door. His mom's eyes frantically searched his appearance for signs of distress. She had always been nervous, mostly in relation to him, but it got noticeably worse since the appointment.
His father was standing behind her, looking down at him. Not in a judgemental way, of course, it was just that his father was quite tall, while Wally was quite not. Even his mom was taller than him. Wally still had time to get taller, but he wasn't holding his breath.
'No, holding his breath might cause a panic.' Wally chuckled lightly at the thought, and instantly regretted it when he saw his mom nervously wringing her hands. 'Focus Wally! No getting distracted when mom's looking at you like that.'
At least his father was smiling, even if his eyes spoke of deep exhaustion. "Something funny, son?"
"Ah, no. I'm just..." Wally took a moment to calm his thoughts. When talking to his parents it was best to be honest, while also presenting himself as happy and carefree. It was draining. "Sorry about that, I was thinking about the meeting with the gym leader." Wally glanced at his watch. "Actually, I think I need to set off now if I want to meet him on time."
Wally's parents reacted as expected. His father rolled his eyes with a smile, but moved to lean against the wall, opening a path to the front door. His mom, on the other hand, stepped forward to fret at him, machinegun style.
"Do you have your inhaler?"
"Always."
"Phone?"
"Got it."
"Winter coat?"
"It's summer."
"Pokénav?"
It took all the self-discipline that Wally had not to roll his eyes. Everything a pokénav could do, a phone could do and so much more. He smiled and nodded at her. "I have it."
"What about-"
"Come on dear, that's enough." His father cut in, a note of warning in his voice. His mom paused, took a shaky breath, and turned to meet his father's gaze. What happened next was a conversation that was conveyed through small facial expressions and intense stares. It made Wally incredibly nervous; he knew the private conversation was about him, but he was left clueless about their opinions. How was Wally supposed to navigate his parents without all the information?
Eventually his mom turned away and let out a sigh. "Sorry, Wally, I'm just worried. And I don't understand... why you want a pokémon so bad." She offered Wally a grimace pretending to be a smile as she went and stabbed him in the heart. "It's not like you can be a trainer, right?"
Wally felt a chill settle over him. Distantly, he heard his father let out a weary sigh, which Wally ignored. He could only stare at his mom in disbelief – he couldn't believe she had said that.
Wally knew that he didn't inspire much confidence, especially not in his mom, but this was different. He made no secret of his passion for pokémon, or his desire to be a trainer, but his mom spoke as if it were a forgone conclusion that Wally's dreams were out of reach for him.
It made him question. His parents had been saying for years that he could be a trainer later, always later, but was it really just them appeasing him until he would give up on his own? Was it just pokémon, or had they done this for other things that they thought were beyond him?
Wally didn't think he wanted to know.
When Wally came back to himself, he was standing outside the gym. He vaguely recalled saying some placating things to his mom about raising pokémon being its own reward, and avoiding his father's eyes, but everything between leaving the house and getting to the gym was blank.
Wally felt like he was being watched and anxious energy began to build. He tried to appear calm, and not like he was moments away from a panic attack, before he surveyed the area. People were staring at him. Eyes surrounded him like stars in the sky, casting their self-righteous judgement upon him. Pressure was building in his chest and throat, and it was taking all of Wally's frayed nerve to hold off the panic.
His focus broke when he felt tears dripping off his chin. 'Oh, I'm crying. That makes sense.' Wally wiped his face with his sleeve, and it made him wonder how long he'd been crying for.
'Maybe mom's right...' Wally thought numbly.
Wally didn't know why he was overreacting. His parents had been worried and concerned about him for his entire life. Sometimes their concern made Wally uncomfortable, but what could he do? At least his parents loved and cared about him. He was grateful to have them.
He wasn't bitter. Not at all.
Will the two angsty bois cross paths at the gym? Probably, yes.
In future I'll try to keep notes short - no longer than a line - but just wanted to make some stuff clear. Firstly, I've never attempted to write romance before, so this is new territory for me. It might develop too fast or drag on into infinity, I don't know, so fair warning there.
Secondly, it's going to be between two dudes, if the tags didn't clue into that fact, so if that's a problem for you, kindly stop reading now.
Thirdly, chapter updates will be... erratic until I can sort some stuff out.
All that being said, if you liked what you've read so far, tell me about it! I would love some validation from the faceless masses. And if you hated it, tell me that too! Spite is a great motivator.
Until next time.
Originally Posted: 2022.6.2
Edited: 2023.8.2
