THAT SYLVEON
It returns.
LuanOTP owns nothing.
…
...
Anais scampered down the moonlit street until she was a good enough distance from Uncle Cooper's house. Her heart was racing, and her vision was becoming blurry with water. Stopping to sit on the sidewalk, she looked about to see if anyone was around, before bursting into tears.
Alone, and distraught, Anais bawled her eyes out. She wailed to the moon above, whom had nothing to say but a few bright winks and sparkles. Covering her eyes with her feelers, the fairy grit her teeth, and forced herself to stop. To feel okay.
"Mrmrmgmh…! Why?!" she angrily asked the wheelie bin a few feet away from her. "I just… UGH! I can't be the only one in this place that feels this way! I feel like shit! No one… cares…!"
Soft, evening ambience was her only response. As expected, from an empty suburban street that was her therapy for the night. She sat there for a few more moments, until the more fierce emotions subsided.
Giratina? You here…?
…
Anyone…?
Anais sighed, but had enough will to cease her tears and stand up on her four paws. She felt weak, and her eyes sore. However, she continued on her way home. Sniffling, she truly thought that all she needed was a good cry.
Eyes glued to the pavement, the fairy turned into her house, and knocked on the door a few times. An Umbreon opened the door, and he seemed surprised to see his daughter come back so late.
"A-Anais? Where were you?" he stammered, being caught off guard by the fact that he had no idea she wasn't even in the house.
Anais trudged past her father, paying him no heed as she felt the tears return to her face. Scurrying upstairs, she scampered to her room and shut the door with a dramatic bang.
Now that she was alone, she looked about her darkened chambers that saw her grow from a child, to what felt like a fiend outcast from a community. An outsider.
The pitch blackness turned into scarlet. Eyeing the silhouette of a neat stack of school books, Anais grit her teeth, and put all the might she had in her feelers into grabbing one and launching it across the room. It slammed into the face of the wall furthest from her, before flopping to the carpet unceremoniously.
Through the dried tears, she could see the now crumpled pages of her biology textbook reflect the disappointed gaze of the moon. The ire quickly subsided, and the Sylveon's shoulders slumped in the bitterness of false accomplishment.
She took one step to pick up the book, but felt her qualms drag her to the ground. Sobbing once again, she broke down, and grabbed viciously at the floor below her. Seething and heaving, she tried to form words from her mouth, but nothing came out except the incomprehensible sounds of remorse.
You're no good, Anais. There is just no love left in the world for you.
Her vice on the soft carpet softened and hardened in tandem with her emotions. Her heart rate got faster, and didn't seem to show any signs of deceleration. Closing her eyes, she began to heave once more, coughing and sputtering. Tears flew off her face from the force of her frets and fears coming into fruition.
A creak signified someone entering the room. Anais looked up begrudgingly, seeing the light illuminate her surroundings as the door opened more and more.
"Anais?" came one of two figures standing in the doorway. They reached out and switched on the light. Her mother, a Glaceon with a touch as cold as ice, and her father, an Umbreon with piercing yet perturbed strawberry eyes.
Anais sniffled, and looked away embarrassedly to not show her weaknesses to her parents.
"Oh, there you are, baby…!" exclaimed the ice type, rushing over to her daughter and wrapping her in a freezing embrace from behind. "Anais, what's wrong!? Tell me!"
The Sylveon shook her head violently, before bursting out into more tears. She covered her face using the floor and her ribbons, before barely getting out, "You woulm dettit."
"What'd you say, baby? Oh, you need to speak up."
"You wouldn't get it!" she exclaimed with the vigor built up by her emotional tribulations. "It's just… boy troubles… I don't wanna be l-lectured right now. C-Could you leave me alone?"
Cassidy recoiled, then whipped around, sending Julley a gaze that made him jump. She then carefully caressed her daughter's back using her paws. "I mean, of course we could, Ann, but… We care for you, and hearing you cry alone? In your room? In the darkness of all things? Anais, what in Hoenn is going on?"
"I don't wanna talk about it! I don't wanna talk about it! I don't wanna talk about it! I do-"
"A-Alright…! Cass, let's just give her some time alone, okay?" advised Julley, wincing and covering his sensitive ears.
The ice type didn't budge. "Julley, we can't let Anais just suffer in silence." The mother then turned her attention to her daughter. "Come on, Anais - you used to be so vocal with your issues. You're growing as an adult - boy troubles are just little troubles anymore."
Cassidy moved her paw about so she could raise Anais' face from her chin. The sight horrified the ice-type, nearly bringing tears to her eyes. The Sylveon's pearly sky blue irises were tinged with a crimson hue from her sclera. Her cream furry cheeks were darkened; stained with the pain of the night. Instinctively, Cassidy brought Anais in for a hug. She heard her daughter sniffle from the cold touch, but only wrapped her in closer, hoping that eventually, she'd feel her warmth.
Whispering, she ran a paw across the fairy's cheek, "Anais. I want you to tell me what it is that's making you feel this way. Tell me everything, from the beginning, to the end."
At her mother's request, Anais collected the courage to lift her head up on her own. Her blurry vision allowed her to see the teal smudge that held her closely. Behind her stood her father, gazing upon her frame with worrisome eyes. Now, the teenager had found her motivation.
"O-Okay." croaked Anais, taking herself out of her mother's grasp. "But, could I have some water first?"
Cassidy nodded, then looked at Julley. Julley frowned and cocked his head, implying he didn't understand. Cassidy made the gesture of holding a cup to her mouth and drinking. Julley got an understanding of what he thought his wife meant, but right now? In front of Anais? It was too much to think about. A blush became of his cheeks instead.
"Could you get us some water, dear?" said the Glaceon, smiling toothily.
"O-Oh. W-W-Water?"
"Yeah, is that okay?"
Not like he'd decline anyways. The dark type nodded, before scampering out of the awkward aura.
Upon shutting the door, Cassidy pulled her legs together to sit a little more comfortably on the floor. Across from her, her daughter. It had been awhile since the Glaceon had sat like this.
"So, Anais. Start from the beginning. Where did it all begin?"
The Sylveon sniffled away the anxiety that clogged her throat. Opening her mouth to speak, she-
*DUM DUM DUM DUM DUM*
Cassidy shot up, and turned to the door. "Um, Julley-Dear!? Are you okay!?"
"...Y-Yeah…! I'm good."
The Glaceon bit her lip in worry. Remembering the situation at hand, she gently caressed Anais' cheek. "Okay, so, where were we?"
…
...
Anais' eyes slowly opened, however, her surroundings were still as dark as . For some reason, her body felt awfully stiff. As a matter of fact, her limbs didn't seem to be functioning as usual. And who turned out the lights? And why did her head hurt so bad?
Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her back, as if someone had thrown her onto the ground. Light emerged from above her in a lateral pattern from right to left, accompanied by the sound of a zip being undone. Now Anais had realised what was wrong, she was in a bag - limbs bound by rope, like flayed livestock. Rain began to fall through the orifice. The Sylveon squinted to shield her eyes a little better. All she wanted was to be with Raidon.
A Flygon's face peered through the opening. Anais wanted to scream in shock at the familiar face, the last thing she had seen before unconsciousness took over her. However, nothing could come out. Her voice was muffled with some sort of covering over her mouth. Nothing felt worse than this.
A claw came into the bag, and grabbed her fiercely by the scruff of her neck. Anais fidgeted violently, but that only seemed to make the Flygon more agitated.
"T'es un sacré emmerdeur, hein?" gruffly hissed the ground and dragon type Pokemon. "Imagine. This is where obsession brought me. You look scared. You must be. You're far from home. So am I."
Anais shook about in his grasp a little more. Unamused, the Flygon threw the defenceless Sylveon as if she weighed nothing.
Hitting the cold, wet and splinter-ridden floor below, Anais squealed in pain. It was only now, had she been able to get a good look at her surroundings. A rickety town's silhouette stood at the end of the wooden pier she found herself on. To her back, an endless expanse of ocean. The Flygon was right. She was so very far from home.
"Alors. I've sacrificed everything for this moment. My home. My job. My life." he said to no one except a struggling Sylveon. "If I don't die tonight, my boss will have my head in the morning for going against orders."
The Flygon grabbed the duffel bag that once held hostage a horrified and heaving teenager, equipping himself with more rope. The Sylveon flinched as he began approaching her.
She felt his freezing, uncomfortable grasp on her body again. Against her will, she was dragged to a pole further along the pier. She could feel small wooden splints plant themselves along her backside. The Flygon tied her tightly around the wooden pole. The curvature of the wooden structure made her body feel even more stiff than it was before.
The Flygon finished the knot, before standing back up and sighing. He strolled over to one of the abandoned market stalls, absentmindedly. "Donc, J'ai plus rien à perdre."
Rain had been pelting her soiled peach coat for what felt like hours. No doubt, she was going to suffer a sickness from this. She tried hopelessly struggling again. She hadn't any idea what she had expected, but it didn't work.
"Qu'est-ce que tu faire?" called the Flygon from behind one of the market stalls that conveniently sat right in front of the fairy. "Those ropes are on you for a specific reason, Anais. Now, shush."
Anais paused, her heart dropping once she had heard her name being spoken by the Pokemon who, in a mere day, had made her life a living hell. It didn't stop her struggling again, just to prove her defiance. The Flygon, menacingly glaring down the bound fairy type, stepped out from the market counter. He had strolled over to her, watching her struggle with sick glee.
"Maybe, you're just bursting to talk. Aren't you? Here, let me help."
Shockingly gently, Gauvin inched his rugged hand toward the Sylveon's mouth, tugging at the soaked piece of tape until it had come loose. Then, he had completely removed it.
Anais, the Eeveelution held captive for reasons she didn't comprehend, finally had a taste of oxygen through her mouth after what felt like days. The privilege had been gone for so long, yet now, she had all the right to talk. Better make it count.
She turned to the dragon and ground type dual type with a look that could make a Pichu beg for it's mother.
"You, sick motherfucker. Where am I? Why am I here? What the fuck is even going on?! Who the fuck are you even? I don't even know you? Don't even get me started with you, you're ugly as fuck to begin with."
More petty insults ensued from then on. The Flygon frowned, drowned the interrogation out, and placed a fresh strap of tape across the tied yet resilient quadrupedal's yap. That'd oughtta keep her for another few hours.
"Ugh. Teenagers and your hormones… Quoi?!"
Immediately, he shot up, making Anais flinch in surprise. She halted any movements for now. The Flygon turned his attention to the bridge that led inland, toward the coastline. His eyes shifted left, darted right, yet couldn't pinpoint a reason behind the subtle disturbance.
Suspicious, the winged Pokemon retreated back toward the counter, and from Anais' vision, seemed to rummage around for something. He had revealed a gun, sending a flight response to the Sylveon the second she had seen it.
The Flygon cocked the weapon, the metal jacket of a bullet flying out and into the swarming ocean. Pointing it safely toward the air, he come out from the unstable stall, kneeling in front of the fairy who eyed the gun worriedly.
"If you stay here, and keep quiet, I won't shoot you, got it?" warned the desert dragon sternly, whose raincoat clung to him as if it was glued on.
Anais nodded, sniffling to keep her nose from running.
"Good. I'll be back."
…
...
Cassidy sat back as she watched in horror, her firstborn crumble before her. Anais began sobbing helplessly once again, with her face in the carpet from an emotional attack. Thankfully, her father, who had a few bandages wrapped around his head, was by her side to cuddle her closely. Suddenly, everything had made sense to the Glaceon.
"No, no, I get it." softly said the ice type, bringing her paws forward, and coddling Anais' tear-stained cheeks in them. "Oh, Julley! Our poor baby has been through so much! It's all too much for her!"
Trying her best not to join in with her daughter's emotional episode, Cassidy heaved a long, shaky sigh. "She's been traumatised, dear! Everything that's happened explains why she's been staying out late, the boy troubles, a-and how she was crying, when she came through the front door!"
Julley screwed his face, not to say that he didn't understand - he was still processing everything. His expression dropped slightly, as he recalled the events from the inside of the vest that protected him from the torrents of rain. At the time, heavy downpour was the least of his worries.
No, no. Cass is right. This must… This must be constantly distressing her - she's only sixteen!
Distressing is one way to put it. Life changing, perhaps? Traumatising is a good one.
You can stop now.
Just saying. I've studied mortals for a while. They have reeeally bad emotional responses to what I consider really petty ordeals.
Gee, I mean. Thanks. Bear in mind, the risk of death doesn't sound petty.
True. This pier thing was pretty shocking for everyone. Especially Cassidy.
Yeah…
And not to mention your daughter getting kidnapped.
Of course,
Oh, and how she watched that guy drown.
That too… Wait, what?
…Um, Julley? Your daughter is literally having a breakdown in your arms, and you're busy daydreaming. Could you like, be a father and get to that or something?
This isn't over.
"Ahrgh, my poor baby. My baby!" worriedly cried the troubled mother. She only wished she could hold her daughter closer. She looked up to the dark type with eyes sparkling from developing tears. "Julley. I think we should look into investing help for Anais. This is becoming overwhelming."
"H-How? I don't understand what we can do for her?"
Cassidy calmed down, taking deep breaths to regulate her emotions. After one final breath of air, she stared intensely into her husband's eyes.
"We need to talk alone."
…
...
Sauntering through the lunchtime cafeteria, Barry sought out a suitable place to sit where he could eat his food unbothered. In his possession, the latest volume of 'Blowy Nights' by SnizzyGlaceon.
The day had been quiet and uneventful so far. Trivial subjects in the morning had the Blaziken aching for some sort of entertainment - this was an extremely important passtime for him.
Eventually he stopped at a table that had a Decidueye quietly reading a book of their own. Placing his boring lunch on the far end of the table, he brought out a book that had an Umbreon and a Glaceon on the front cover.
He noticed the Decidueye make awkward eye contact with him as he sat down, but he ignored it and made little fuss in getting himself comfortable. Looking about, Barry made sure he had his essentials nearby: Good lighting to account for his vision? Check. Banana milkshake available? Yes. Now, a juicy Belue or a Leppa berry to palette cleanse.
Barry pouted, realising the error in his algorithm. Bashfully, Barry embarked on an ambitious journey for a berry.
Returning a few moments later, he sat back down at his table, a pair of berries in talon. Licking his beak, he chewed on a piece of toast as he focused his eyes on his comic book.
Something was wrong. Now, the comic book was turned on it's frontside. That is to say, the blurb was visible, instead of the Umbreon-Glaceon pair.
Worry slowly settled in. He turned his head to the right. The Decidueye hadn't seemed to have moved from their spot. If anything, they appeared to be even more invested in their story.
Scratching his head, he tried his hardest to put aside any superstitious thoughts he had about the cafeteria. Barry opened the front cover, and glued his eyes to the opening panel.
"Hey, Barry." a voice came from behind his book. He peered over it to find Anais, whose slumped shoulders and dull eyes told stories of shattered demeanour. "What's up?"
For his cousin, Barry knew there were levels. He set his book aside, and replied, "Nothin' much. What about you?" The Blaziken noticed his cousin hadn't brought any food to the table. "Aren't you gonna have lunch?"
"Oh, nah. I'm just not feeling it today." she responded casually, as if eating wasn't a necessity. "What'cha reading?"
"Huh? Anais, that doesn't sound good; you gotta eat, you know."
The fairy huffed, slumping into a pair of crossed arms resting on the table. "Like, how do I put it, Barry? The way I feel - or felt, recently. I don't feel like I could put a bite in my mouth without throwing up, 'n' you don't wanna see that, do you?"
Barry shook his head.
"Yeah, good." she deadpanned, raising and lowering an eyebrow. "So anyways, yeah. What are you reading?" Anais peered over, using her paw to peek at the pages.
"Hey! You'll ruin the pages!" he exclaimed, pulling the novel away.
Anais groaned, folding her arms together. She should've known better than to rifle with the Blaziken's stories. They were sacred.
The fire and fighting type closed his comic book, and showed his cousin the front cover. "Blowy nights - you've heard of it, right?"
Anais stared at the Blaziken in deep thought. "Umm… I think so? Actually, now that you mention it, yeah. Don't they have it in the library here?"
Nodding ecstatically, he clasped his talons together. "Yeah, that's where I got it from! The library is sooo good for reading!"
"Huh! No shit, Barry!"
The avian deflated. "Hey. That's not nice, Anais."
"Whatever, you'll be alright." she waved, smiling innocently. "Oh, also, did you spar with Raidon today? I haven't spoken to him since yesterday, and I feel a little bad."
"Oh, yeah we did. He put up a good fight, but he really needs to work on his defence. He leaves easy targets wide open!" exclaimed the Blaziken, as if battling was such an easy concept. For a Bursyamo, it must be.
Anais laid her ears flat on her head, sad for two reasons, and one of them was because he lost the battle. "Oh. I hope he's not avoiding me because I've been acting weird."
Barry cocked his head. "Huh? Why would he be avoiding you?" he asked, though the question seemed to make the fairy uncomfortable. Clearing his throat, Barry added, "Um, you don't need to explain if you don't want to."
"Yeah… I'd rather not, it was really embarrassing and I already spoke to Mom about it… Thanks."
The Blaziken nodded his head, and lifted his talon disarmingly.
Anais smiled gratefully, before asking, "So anyways, everything good with Lola?"
Avoiding eye contact, Barry awkwardly shuffled about in his seat. After twiddling his talons a little, he responded, "Oh, yeah. We're all good. We came to an agreement."
Anais took notice of the way her cousin went about with his tone. "Um… Agreement?"
"Yeah, an agreement."
"...What does that mean?"
Barry shook his head very rapidly. "Can't say, it's private."
"Come on, don't be fucking lame." groaned Anais, playfully swatting at the Blaziken's beak.
"Ah..! Ro på! Respect is a two way street, you know."
"Tch. I don't even know what that means. Whatever." said the Sylveon, conceding early. "Hey, by the way - Did you hear about Bella?"
"Um, aside from the fact you aren't on good terms?"
Anais shook her head disappointedly. "Yeah, no… I guess. She's just a bitch, that's all. There's no other way to put it."
"Uh, what? You can't say that about your friends." warned Barry, who was disturbed how his cousin seemed to have little to no reaction.
"Well, we aren't friends." said the Sylveon simply, making Barry's eyes widen.
"What? Really?"
"Mhm."
"Ouch."
"Yup."
"..."
"Hey. Gimme the rest of that toast."
Barry pushed his tray of food toward the Sylveon, who then began to feast maniacally. The fire and fighting type was slightly disturbed and confused, especially since his cousin could simply just order food of her own. He pushed the thoughts away, and got back down to his book.
"You know, I overheard Dad saying he's gonna get a nanny." mused Barry, flicking over a page.
"Nanny? I mean, you're a bit of a handful, but I didn't think you'd need a nanny."
The Blaziken sweatdropped. "Um, I meant for my younger sisters."
"Oh yeah!" chimed the fairy, lighting up. "You know, they were born so recently, I forget they exist. A year ago, or something, they just weren't a thing. Isn't that a little insane?"
Barry nodded, looking up from the colourful pages. "That's a good point. Mom is always freaking out because she has to take care of them all the time."
"Guess she didn't prepare for trouble."
"And make that double."
"Ugh… Speaking of trouble…"
Though Barry hadn't really understood what Anais murmured under her breath, he took it as a bad omen. Frantically, he scanned the room for any potential hazards. Lo and behold, he spotted his classmate Manu proudly walking with two trays full of food from the service area. The issue wasn't the mythical electric type, nor his surprisingly balanced diet. Rather, it was the quadrupedal that accompanied him.
Four paws upheld a mighty grey furred frame, jacketed by a thick mane that ran from the top of their head, down their back and to their tailbone. The Blaziken slowly turned to witness her cousin's reaction, who was surprisingly blasé. He looked over his shoulder again, seeing Manu and his company approaching them. He turned to Anais one last time, as if to say sorry in advance.
"'Ey, Barry. What's up, my main boid?" boomed a familiar foreign accent. "Anais, my main… Sylveon? Doesn't 'ave the same ring."
Manu came up to the table. A Mightyena in tow. Barry squirmed as he had three pairs of eyes on him at once.
Anais rolled her eyes. "Hello, Munoz."
"Valverde Munoz."
The Sylveon leered at the mythical Pokemon menacingly, effectively shutting him up.
"Hi, Manu." said Barry, before he looked at the shorter Pokemon beside him, who had their glistening crimson eyes and provocative smile set on him the entire time. "H-Hi, Bella."
"Hi, Barry!" she replied warmly, as if there weren't a fourth participant at the table. "How've you been?"
Barry felt the ire from his cousin infest the atmosphere like a swarm of Scyther. Dauntlessly, he replied, "Y-Yeah, I've been good thanks."
Silence. The Blaziken could read the room enough to know not to reciprocate the same question to the dark type. Though it pained him, and was against his code, he kept his mouth quiet.
"So, uh. Can you two budge up, or wut? Me and my lady wanna eat." opened Manu, breaking the awkward still waters. "Y'know, a little date thing between us."
"Firstly, a date during lunch? Get real. Secondly, no. You can't." ordered Anais, finally speaking up after decades of withholding her rage. "I'm having a private conversation over here. So, our privacy, please?"
Manu chuckled condescendingly. "You're joking, right? Dis is a public table after all."
Barry looked at her cousin with depredation. Wait, that's the wrong word. I mean trepidation. He knew that the Zeraora had a point - The cafeteria tables were available for everyone. On the other hand, the fairy's mean glare and cold demeanour stood in front of a contradictory agenda; he knew this wasn't going to end well. He had seen that same look on her face whenever she had something cutting to say.
"There are so many other tables if you wanna have your little date. Don't you think you could pick a better option?" suggested Anais, though the tone in her voice conveyed it as a threat.
"All the tables are available to everyone, Anais." chimed Bella, her voice making the fairy type gag. "Oh, sorry. Is it because our very presence would make you feel a little jealous?"
The Sylveon brandished an obvious side eye. "Ain't got much to be jealous over if you're dating this clown."
"Usually, I'd take that as an insult. But today, I think I'd rather stand 'ere 'n' look cool. I gawt a boidfriend, afta all." proudly stated Manu, who stood there confidently balancing a tray in each paw. This earned the attention of a nearby Decidueye, who kept his eye on his frame longer than one normally would. To be fair now, he did look pretty cool holding the trays like that. At least, for someone holding trays. A lot of Pokemon passing by would probably consider him to be cool-looking if they saw them. The cardiovascular strength it took to hold those trays at such a relatively obtuse angle at his arms. Surely, he had to work out. It made sense, as he was known amongst the school to be a fairly proven battler, so it meant physical fitness was a given. Anyone could see that, though - one glance at his body would have one discover that actually, the Johto international student had fairly toned muscles. At least, you could spot them easily from beneath his fur. His fur looks pretty soft, too. Wait, what's going on?
Anais' eye twitched. She tried to take her eyes off the Zeraora, but he exhibited a very dominant and convincing pose. Finally, she shook her head, and snapped.
"Okay - that's enough. This is getting ridiculous. Could you leave us alone?"
Now, Bella decided to make eye contact with the fairy. For some reason, seeing the Mightyena's irises for the first time in a while made her stomach churn.
"Are you sure you aren't jealous, Anais?" spoke the dark type, saying the fairy's name with utter disdain. "I don't see your boyfriend anywhere - why aren't you eating lunch with him?"
Opening her mouth to retort, the Sylveon sucked in air to propel a witty remark. Nothing came out but a wheeze from the shock that Bella was indeed correct; Raidon was not at her side.
Stood before her, her enemy in all her glory. The stark difference stood out to Anais like someone was pointing a flashlight in her eyes. A pang of the same feeling she felt yesterday gripped her internal organs, and twisted them out of their places. It was painful, and it was a deep, emerald colour.
Bella smirked, seeing Anais stay silent. She pointed her nose to the ceiling as she continued. "Yeah, you should sort that out. Like, do you not even talk to each other everyday? You look like you don't even know where he is!"
The Sylveon remained silent. Mouth agape and eyes wide open, however, the ability to voice her ideals, beliefs and opinions mysteriously eluded her. She could almost feel - ALMOST - tears threaten her eyelids with their escape.
"Okay, okay, stop!" exclaimed Barry, closing his book shut and forcibly slamming it on the table. "If you just came here to insult her, you can just leave."
Manu took a few steps back behind Bella, the Mightyena who stood her ground nonetheless. "'Ey, 'ey no one's insulting her, ain't noone tryna start nuthin', here."
Anais ignored the electric type's pleas for appeasement. The Mightyena had stepped a paw too far. Glaring at her with utmost sincerity, "You know, you're actually so worthless, Bella." gruffly spoke Anais, raising a single digit. "Like, you're pissing me off beyond belief over one fucking guy. One guy, and our friendship was ruined. Are you actually that fucking shallow? Can you not get over it? What the fuck went wrong with you? I could genuinely kill you with the way you've made me feel over this."
Her uncleared throat and deep register caught everyone off guard, especially Bella, who gasped inwardly. Her expression didn't last long, returning to her usual smirk, as if to say her work here was done. The dark type began to sashay away from the table, but slowed down as she passed by Anais.
"Wouldn't be the first time, would it?" she whispered softly, before increasing her speed. Manu followed suit, scampering away without saying another word.
Fucking bitch. What the fuck does that even mean?
Hmm… I dunno man, maybe something to do with your history?
My history…? Wait, Giratina? Where have you been this entire time? I feel like I was going crazy without your voice in my head.
Huh. Ironic.
Well?!
Oh, I myself had a bit of an adventure. I don't think you wanna know.
I mean, it'd be nice to have an explanation.
I'll tell you later, I guess. Right now, we need to unpack what the Distortion World just happened in the cafeteria of all places.
…Yeah… That fucking sucked.
Before the Sylveon even had a moment to think about her ex-friend's passing message, her cousin's unrest became a little distracting.
Barry softly sighed, putting his book away. "Sorry about that Anais. You seem like you just can't-"
"No, no. It's fine." said Anais. "Glad you've got my back, though."
"...I see why you say she's just a bitch."
Anais grinned honestly for the first time in eons. She had never really heard the Blaziken swear before.
"Yeah, a real one." she agreed, standing up from the table, having accomplished not exactly a lot aside from stealing her cousin's food. "Anyways, I'm gonna get going. I feel like shit."
Barry frowned, concerned for the fairy's emotional wellbeing. "Hey, um. Do you want me to come with you?"
"I think that's okay. I don't really wanna be around anyone else right now." said Anais, gathering the little belongings she had with her, before robotically stepping away from the table. "Thanks, Barry. See you around."
Sadly, the Blaziken waved her away. "Alright, see you."
Now that he was basically alone once more, the events that transpired played back in his head. All it took, realistically, was sitting down and trying to catch a read of his novel. Everything else happened without him really having to do much. Such is the life of a Bursyamo. At the very least, he could at least attempt to continue reading. There was no one around, after all.
He picked up his book again, and opened to the page that he had just left off. However, he couldn't seem to shake the feeling of a spectral presence pestering him. Barry looked over his shoulder and caught a glimpse of eye contact from a sheepish Decidueye, who desperately went back to reading their book.
It was hard not to feel uncomfortable trying to read next to a ghost and grass type Pokemon. Sucking in his social anxiety, he turned to the Decidueye, and cleared his throat.
"Hi, um. Sorry that you had to see all of that earlier."
The Decidueye slowly set their book down, such that Barry could see her bronze sparkling irises beneath the shade of her hood.
"O-Oh. N-N-No, it's fine." stammered the Decidueye, struggling to maintain eye contact with the Blaziken. "It was right of you to stand up for the Sylveon, that looked a little like b-bullying."
Barry smiled, "Yeah, and I really don't like bullying." he said, nodding his head. "Hey, what are you reading?"
The Decidueye blushed. If it wasn't for the bright cafeteria lights, Barry wouldn't have noticed the red tinge from under the hood. "Oh, nothing. J-Just a book."
"Oh, okay. Enjoy your read." he replied, backing off from the grass and ghost type, afraid to make them uncomfortable. "It was nice to have met you."
"T-Thanks. Y-You too, Barry."
Barry turned back to his book, quietly reading next to his-
"Wait, what?" he blurted, looking back at the Decidueye, who was visibly shaking. "How'd you know my name?"
"Well, um… Everyone kinda knows you by name. It's hard not to." she mumbled, becoming even more embarrassed.
The Blaziken scratched his head. He was still getting used to that. "O-Oh, right. What's your name?"
"Dan-O. Like the name 'Dan', but with an 'O' at the end." they said, using their wings to spell out the letter in the air.
"Dan-O. That's such a cool name! Usually, guys are just named Dan."
"Oh, um. I'm a girl."
"Oh… Erm, sorry. It's still a cool name!"
Dan-O smiled for the first time since Barry met her. "T-Thanks. I wanted to ask earlier, but I didn't know how to - a-are you reading Blowy Nights too? I recognised the cover."
"O-Oh yeah! You read it too? What volume are you on?" asked Barry.
"I just started, so I'm only on the first." replied Dan-O, holding up her copy and pointing at a big old yellow '1' on the front cover.
The fire and fighting type clicked his fingers. "Ah, darn. That means you don't know about Vulska, or Logan, right?"
"Who…?"
"Nevermind, but they really add to the story!"
"Ah, I see…!"
The two talked and talked until the school bell tore them away from each other. Lunch had finally come to an end, and so had their conversation. Barry stood up first, followed by the cumbrous Decidueye, who rushed to put their stuff away.
"It was great to meet you, Dan-O. I'll see you some other time!" said Barry, smiling before he made his departure.
"You too, Barry…!" replied Dan-O, but he was a little bit too far out of earshot to hear her say goodbye.
Nonetheless, the Decidueye smiled. Reaching into her wings, she pulled out a small green notebook and a pen.
"Make a new friend… Check!"
…
...
The afternoon was forecasted to be a beautiful orange glaze over the bustling streets of West Latias city. However, it turned out to be an underwhelmingly boring overcast. No matter the weather, Raidon was determined to spar, battle and exercise his troubles away. On this particular day, he felt like he himself had a few emotions he wanted to escape.
He opened the doors to the gymnasium, and was a little surprised to see it so packed even after school hours. He was pretty sure he could spot Lola hanging closer to the bleachers. All the mats were in use for ferocious, yet skillfully safe, battles. This meant that if he wanted to spar with a random student, he'd have to wait until the next available mat.
The Luxray shook his head, knowingly defeated. He knew he wouldn't want to wait that long. His head swerved to the left for the next best available option: The workout area - a subsection of the gymnasium chock full of various strength training equipment. If he couldn't work on his technique, he could at least boost his stats.
"Yeah… I need to work on my defence." he murmured to himself, rubbing his head, which seemed to be a sweet spot for his opponents.
He strolled through the doors, and eyed the three treadmills at the far back of the gym. It was always best to start with cardio.
When Raidon got there, he found a rather large, white quadrupedal Pokemon - probably a shiny Arcanine or something, he didn't get a good look - sprinting furiously at ridiculously fast speeds. It was pretty impressive, but the electric type knew he was faster, so he paid it little attention.
He hopped up onto one treadmill, but was a little bummed to find that it was out of service. Next, he shimmied onto the treadmill that was one unit closer to the white bolt. He could feel the wind from the sheer velocity comb though his mane. Now that he was closer, Raidon was actually fairly surprised - That Arcanine can go. It was most of all shocking considering the Pokemon's size.
Regardless, Raidon stretched his limbs, and propped himself up to see the screen on the treadmill. Instead, he was greeted with a crumpled note with message in green whiteboard marker ink scrawled over it.
OUT OF ORDER. SORRY.
"What the heck…?" he hissed silently out of frustration. "Is it my unlucky day or what?"
Unfortunately, the electric type had to succumb to the prevalent sickness that was waiting. He looked to his side, and tried calling out to racing Pokemon beside him.
"Hey, um. Sorry dude - How long do you have left of the treadmill?"
The Pokemon clasped the emergency stop lever, allowing them to gently and slowly come to a full stop on the machine. Their long, bushy, snow-white fur waved in front of their face, and covered their large, muscly frame as they came to a stop. Raidon was taken aback, flustered, as he looked even closer at the quadrupedal. He could see every muscle flex and relax as they walked gradually slower until coming to a stop. Their fur did not do a good job of veiling their muscular detail. From their calves, to even their pectoral muscles between their front arms. Raidon could see it all.
"Umm… Umm…" he stammered, unable to see their Pokemon's face. He had to know who this mysterious, yet physically appealing, athlete was.
The Pokemon dipped, then flicked their head backwards, sending their long mane away from their face in a similar trajectory. Their face was revealed to have a navy blue skin colour, with contrasting yet exquisite scarlet irises.
"Oh. H-Hey Raidon."
Raidon's jaw dropped with a painful clicking sound.
"F-F-Fraiser? You're… You're… You're looking BOLO!"
…
...
Giratina was shaken awake by the ringing of a bell they kept in his mind. Yep, the powers of being a legendary Pokemon. Deal with it. Mental alarms. This one was unique, but it was his job, so they knew it wouldn't take long. Hopefully, they wouldn't miss anything too dire.
Sitting up from the beanbag they called their bed, the ghostly dragon yawned and clicked their neck a couple times, before teleporting in a spectacular sonic flash.
Within less than an instant, they were at an office in a fairly formal, yet small marble building. Dust lined the rocky clay platforms that floated in a deep, amethyst void expanding into a horizon of pure nothingness. In other words, home!
Giratina sorted through papers that were scattered on their desk. Truth be told, they never had anything written down on the papers. Not because there was nothing to be recorded, it'd actually be pretty useful - Giratina can't hold a pen.
They teleported a pair of reading glasses, and looked carefully at the Pokemon that stood across their office desk.
"So, let's see… Florian Maxence Gauvin." they said with a loud, booming voice. The Legendary Pokemon looked the Flygon up and down. "Ouch. Took a dagger to the face, huh?"
The Flygon looked embarrassed, refusing to respond.
"Naw, don't worry, dude. Millions of 'Mon go out that way. Not very original if you ask me." assured the ghost and dragon type legendary, cocking their head at an angle and beaming. "Anyways, press that screen on your right, and do a little signature."
An electronic tablet descended telekinetically from the ceiling. Begrudgingly, the Flygon used a trembling claw to scribble his signature onto the screen.
"Um, could'ya do that again? You went outside of the box. Don't touch the lines, it'll make you do it again, man."
Tears almost began to emerge from the dragon's slitted eyes. He raised his hand again, and weakly repeated his signature.
"Okay, thanks a lot! Just step into the room on your left, and speak with my associate over there. Hope you enjoy your stay in the Distortion World!"
Gauvin looked to his left, noticing the room that the legendary alluded to. Mind you, it was darker than the event horizon cast in the void.
Sucking in one final breath, he mumbled to himself, "Sacré bleu." before stepping through the doorway of nothingness.
Giratina used their wing to wave off the Flygon, smirking a little as they watched them go.
"Don't let the void hit your ego on your way out." they quipped, before looking down at the blank papers before them. "Okay, next! Do we have a, uhh…"
Giratina squinted.
"..."
"..."
"Uhh…"
"Oh… erm."
"oh…"
"Zoey Disastra?"
…
...
Okay! All done! I wanted to squeeze this out before bed, since I was so tantalisingly close. It's sleepy time for me. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, too. If you have something to say, please leave a review! I'd really, really appreciate them going forward.
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-LuanOTP