Chapter 3:
911, Call Me Some Time
5 Days Before Discharge
"To be honest, Jack? I never loved you anyways. Enjoy your life."
"Wait, Ryna. Please. I'm sorry. Can we just… talk this out?" The TV was on, as usual. A drama TV show was playing in the background, however, Ryna and her team never paid attention to the show itself. Quite frankly, it was only on to fill out the silence.
"Hey look, Ryna. He said he's sorry." Saber nudged Ryna with a smirk on his face.
Ryna, having heard this joke too many times was very much unamused. In fact, Saber's been doing this since the show aired. "Saber… It's been six months! Stop."
Saber just smirks as he turned his attention towards the paper Ryna was writing on.
By then, Saber thought about Ryna's interaction with the person in the hospital room. He didn't know what that 'person' actually is. At that point, he can only assume.
He remembered when Ryna first entered that room. He was tasked to read their mind, though he didn't get to see them since he was asked to stay outside of the room.
However, he couldn't help but notice Ryna's fear of them. She maintained her composure, nonetheless. Ryna is good at masking her fear and from what he can tell, she managed to fool them if what he read is what it actually is.
However, he isn't sure if what he read is true or not.
When she finally exited, it was until she got home that she let all her worries flow out when she released both him and Mana and hugged her both. He still very much remembers her words from that day.
"Arceus above, I'm so lost…"
Yet, as days goes by, her fear slowly disappeared as she learnt more about him. She had told him that the person's name is 'Ben' and he is apparently a human and is from another world. For him, however, that statement is contradicting. How can you be from another world and still be human?
Then, her words from a few days ago came up into his mind. He hesitated to ask yet he did anyway.
"Hey, you said that he's getting discharged in less than a week, yeah? What are you going to do with him after that?" Saber asked.
"Bring him home."
Saber raised his brow. "Bring him home? How? I thought you said it was impossible to bring him home?"
In the cosy living room, Ryna and her team gathered. On the paper was a stack of documents which Ryna had to settle in order to cover Ben's medical expenses.
Since she works at a concealed organization and she was tasked to lead a project that under any circumstances and should not be leaked to the public, she had to do all of these in order to have some of the yearly budgets from the project wired to her.
It was a tedious process but it was necessary.
"No, no. I meant, have him come with us," Ryna clarified, leaving her two pokemon baffled.
Man, having laying on Saber's lap jumped on the coffee table, startling Ryna and dropping her pen. "Flare? Flare! Reon!" While she didn't understand Mana verbally, Ryna knew that Mana would like to disagree with that decision. In fact, she already knew that they would have something to say about it.
"You can't be serious…"
Ryna sets down her pen on top of the paper and she leaned back on the couch. Her face remains expressionless as she faced Saber. "I am serious."
Saber leaned towards her, clasping his hands together. "Do you know the risk involved in what you're trying to do?"
"Flare!"
"Even Mana agrees with me. It's just a bad idea."
Having listened to their opinions, Ryna decided to defend hers. He had thought of it for the past few days and this time, she was sure of it. "Okay, listen up. We really have no other good choice because one, we really have nowhere suitable to put him in. Two, he's not really a threat to us anyway and three, even if he does try to kill me, you guys got my back, right? It's a three-on-one – he can't win that."
Even if Ryna had a point, Saber couldn't fathom her decision.
Why?
He thought she said that she didn't want to risk anything and now she wants to take him home?
"You know what? Sure, but I did warn you."
"Wouldn't he have done it before if he really wanted to kill us?"
"Flareon…"
"Just trust me with this one, guys."
4 Days Before Discharge
"So, how are you walking?" Agent Ryna asked me. Her eyes were focused towards the papers that were on the over-bed table, which ironically wasn't over the bed.
I sighed and replied, "I'm doing alright… I can kind of walk." I moved my leg and felt pretty numb and frail. As disappointing as it sounds, I'd have to live with that for another week or so.
Agent Ryna nodded sympathetically. "Mhm… Did the doctor mention you being discharged?"
"Yeah… in like a week. Shouldn't you know this already?" She started pouring a glass of water from the jug.
"Well, yes. I'm just making sure that you know." Agent Ryna explained. She hesitated momentarily before continuing, "Besides, you're coming home with me."
Surprised and slightly bewildered, I stammered, "Huh? Oh… Um- What do you mean…?"
Agent Ryna stopped writing and clipped her pen into her chest pocket. "You are going to live with me."
I was caught off guard by the unexpected offer, where gratitude mixed with confusion in my response. "Oh… Thanks. I appreciate it…?"
"Yeah… truth is, we don't really have anywhere else to put you so you know…" Agent Ryna added, her tone tinged with uncertainty.
"Right…" As I thought about it, it didn't make much sense. Surely there is a catch to this? I just met you and now you're inviting me to live with you?
"...Is there a catch?"
"What makes you think that- Actually, you're right. The catch is that you behave and not cause any trouble? Sounds like a good deal, eh?"
Fair deal.
I nodded, still very much shocked.
"Though, one more thing; and I kind of need your permission for this, are you willing to change your name?"
One thing after another, Agent Ryna simply never stop giving me fuckin' headaches. "I'm just so tired…"
"What? What do you mean by 'change'?"
"Well, you see, according to the law, if someone volunteers to take care of someone, or in other words 'adopt', which makes that person their legal guardian, the person under the custody of said legal guardian has to share the last name as the legal guardian."
"Wha-"
"In other words, if you even have a last name you used before, you have to change it to what I have."
"Man…"
A mixture of disbelief and frustration welled up within me due to the fact that some fuckin' geezer decided that this was a good idea! "Who thought that- No, I just don't get it-"
"If you think about it, it makes perfect sense."
I thought about it.
It made sense.
Damn, she had a point.
I sighed. "Look- At this point, I'm too tired to care. I just want to leave."
"Then I shall take that as a yes." Her voice carried a note of genuine compassion. She picked up her bags before moving the table back to where it was before. "Hey, look. I have a lot of work to do so I have to go now. Don't die, please."
Agent Ryna left the room and just then, I find myself holding a water bottle out of all things. "...When did I have this?"
"Damn, she really did hand me a water bottle without me knowing."
Addendum 7:
From CL Ryna Harwell:
"I have decided to take in Ben and have him live with me. Let's hope this goes well. He didn't seem to respond well to having his name changed but in the end, he said that he's 'too tired to care' so I'm giving this a green light."
…
3 Days Before Discharge
"How the hell did you get my size?" I exclaimed, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.
Agent Ryna looked me up and down and smirked. "Hey, look. Anyone can guess your shirt size perfectly just by glancing at you."
"Wow…"
I was reminded of the fact that whenever my mom buys me clothes, she never had to have me try them on because she would always know. "Fair enough…"
As they continued their conversation, I couldn't help but mention another problem I was facing. "I don't even have shoes; mine was just gone."
Agent Ryna glanced down and pointed at something besides the bed. "What's this, then?"
I glanced over the railing and there it was. A pair of white shoes, the soles mostly covered in dust and dirt. "Huh? Oh…"
As I inspect it even more, I noticed that there was some kind of…
"Hang on a minute. Is that my blood-"
"Ben… So you're telling me, you've been here for a little over a week now and you've never noticed your shoes beside your bed."
"I- I don't even know either…" I said in defeat and slightly embarrassed.
"Right, right. Let's just get that out of the way. You still have your shoes, that's all that matters. Here's a pair of socks too," she said before tossing me a fresh pair of socks.
…
"Well, I guess this is Ben's now." Ryna stood just under the door frame as she dusted off her hands.
"Flare- Reon Re-on?" Mana, the Flareon sitting just in front of her asked. Ryna doesn't understand her so she has to rely on Saber to translate everything for her.
"She said that she's sleeping in the living room but Ben has an entire room to himself?"
"Hey, you wanted to sleep in the living room. Don't blame me for that."
"Flareon."
"I guess that's it?"
"I believe so."
Saber looked around the room, satisfied with the work they had accomplished over the past hour. He leaned against a wooden table and smiled. Using his psychic powers, he turned the handle on the window and tried to open it. "This is nice, you know. There's a window here and-"
EEEEEEEK-
Saber flinched at the sound and stopped his telepathic influence on the window and reached the handle itself physically by hand. He pushed it out and just then, he discovered that it just doesn't want to move. "The window–" He smirks and shook his head. "The hinge is creaking."
While Mana still covers her ears from the ear-splitting sound of the creaking window, Ryna sighed. "I'm going to get some lubricant… I'll be right back."
…
2 Days Before Discharge
"Hey, it says here on this document that you have 'three distinct scars' on your abdominal area, and it's 'most likely surgical incision'. What's that about if you don't mind me asking?" Agent Ryna was tapping her pen on her notepad.
"That? Oh, uh, yeah, that. I had appendicitis about 4 months ago so I have to get it removed or it might kill me."
Ah, yes. I still very much remember that morning when I felt constipated. I spent 30 minutes in that damn bathroom trying to get it out but I couldn't so I eventually went to a local clinic. "The doctor pressed my lower abdomen and I felt pain and he was like 'Yeah, you gotta go to the hospital; you may have appendicitis' and the rest is history, I guess."
"Three small incisions?"
I shrugged. "Yeah, it's just faster to recover from, I guess. I think…"
"Do you know how it's done?"
"Nope… No idea…"
"How long do you have to stay in the hospital?"
"What does this have to do with anything?" I asked myself.
"Uh… one night? It's not that long."
Agent Ryna glanced at her watch and stood up while holding papers. "I see… Alright. All the paperwork is finished. I just need some input from you before I submit it and have you, hopefully, become an actual citizen."
"I'm going to be an actual citizen?" I asked.
"Uh, yes. I can't take care of someone if that person doesn't exist. I just need your fingerprint and signature… if you have one of those." She then showed me the papers which were held together by a single staple.
"Oh…" I never thought I'd be a citizen of a country from another world this fast though I guess they are a little bit less strict with it.
She flipped to another page and slid them towards me as she searched her bag. "Oh- One more thing, since you're finally getting discharged in a few days, I've gotten you a gift but I guess we could deal with that after we're done with this first."
She slid me the paper.
I can't read anything.
How the fuck do I write?
Where do I sign?
…Am I going to regret this?
…
Test 2779-1A (E Class)
Purpose: To expose the subject to a pokemon and, observe the subject's reaction and response to a pokemon.
Time allocated: 1 week (will be extended if necessary)
Pokemon information:
Species: Riolu
Age: 1 year 6 months
Height: 0.7m
Weight: 17.2kg
Subject information:
Name: Ben Harwell
Age: 14 (Estimation)
Height: 160 - 170cm (Estimation)
Weight: 55kg (Estimation)
Notes:
Ben Harwell is a human being that originated from (OOI-2779). As a result, the subject has yet to have prior exposure to pokemon. The subject's interest in pokemon and prior knowledge about pokemon is currently unknown.
The subject has indirectly given their consent to participate in the experiment and has not been informed of the purpose and procedures of the experiment. This experiment is to remain a secret to the subject and is to be blended into his daily life.
Procedures:
The pokemon is to be given to the subject directly.
The subject's reaction is to be noted.
In order to maintain the well-being of the pokemon, the pokemon is to be taken away from the subject in order to feed it. This step is to be done twice daily.
The subject's thoughts are to be recorded using the help of psychic pokemon to gather information on their experience with the pokemon.
Medical personnel are to be told that the pokemon is a gift from the conductor of the experiment to rule out any suspicions.
Locations:
Day 1 - 3: Sandgem General Hospital
Day 4 - 7: 12 Kiara Road, Apartment 408, Sandgem Town
Observations and notes are to be taken throughout the entire process and recorded in the database.
NOTES:
If at any point during the experiment, the subject appears to be distressed or the well-being of the pokemon is at risk, the experiment is to be ceased immediately and the subject is to be questioned.
If at any point, the subject attempts to cause significant/fatal injury to the experiment conductor, the subject is to be terminated immediately.
They both made eye contact. The crimson eye of the creature in front of him stared at him with wonder and curiosity with a subtle hint of fear. Ben was still frozen in shock – he didn't know what to think.
The creature looked back at Ryna, its ear folded back. "Rio?"
"You'll be with him now. Don't worry, little guy. I'll still be here." Ryna went ahead and patted its head.
"Oh my god…" Ben finally spoke up. "Riolu…" he continued.
"You knew that already?"
"I love him." Without hesitation, Ben grabbed the creature and hugged it tightly. It tried to escape but after a while, it sunk into Ben as well.
"This is crazy. How are you so damn cute? You're supposed to be fake as hell." Ben was pinching the Riolu's cheeks as it looked at him with an absolutely flat face. "Lu…"
"Wait- Hang on a minute. What do you mean 'fake'?"
"Um… Uh.. it's-"
I sighed and gave up.
1 / 2 Days Before Discharge
I was in a white void. I was the only one there. For some odd reason, I tried to look down yet my body was not there however, they began to fizzle into existence not long after.
As I looked back up at what was in front of me, there was a table with an ancient computer on top of it. It doesn't look familiar by any means but I had the urge to approach it and use it. It was the type of computer you'd see in the library – a thick bezel CRT monitor and just an office computer. There wasn't any chair there so I had no choice but to stand up as I pressed the power button.
Immediately after, the whole setup morphed into something more familiar, something of my own. The side panel of once an ancient computer turned into glass, revealing the component inside. The monitor expanded into that of an ultrawide. Just as the computer finished booting up, I typed in the password like usual and I was brought into the desktop.
Everything was hazy except for one icon that stood out. It was as if the thing was begging for me to press it and only it. Needless to say, I did, and it immediately started without loading and sounded like a jingle. The sound came out of nowhere as there were no speakers in sight. I didn't question that, however.
Just then, a conversation gradually became louder until it was just right – not too quiet, not too loud. These voices…
"White people when there are anchovies at the functions."
"Oh no~!"
"MhmhmhmhmaHAHAHA-"
"MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
"...WHY…"
"Uh- When there are minors at the function."
"Oh… Oh my~ HAHAHAHAH!"
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
The conversation ends abruptly there. It gave me a slight chuckle. It sounds-
Wait- huh?
It feels all too familiar.
"Does anyone have a bucket of lava?"
"Yes."
"Then give it to me. Drop it down the hole."
"No, fuck you."
"Can I get a bucket of my schtuff back?"
"Hold on let me j- hhh…shut uhuhuhuuuuup…"
"WHO TOOK MY DOOR?!"
"hhHAHAHAHAHAH…!"
"OH, and Ben took ALL my wood to make fuckin' 50 CRAFTING TABLES!"
"AH- HAHAHAH!"
"I can't even make another door!"
"50 CRAFTING TABLES…"
"BRO, he broke the thing in the middle and put crafting tables!"
"This is what happens to a man when he doesn't get his stuff back…"
One after another, conversations faded in and out where it only seemed that they were doing something and I was only spectating. From what I heard, it sounds fun. Deep down, I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get to participate.
I really want to.
"Why don't I just ask?" I thought to myself.
I reached over to my mic and pressed the 'mute' button and as the lights on the microphone itself turned green, I licked my lips as I hesitated to say something.
"Hello?" I said.
The conversation continued.
"Yo, can you guys hear me?"
The conversation goes on.
"Alright, guys. I'mma go now."
"Yeah, same, actually."
Of course, they wouldn't head out normally; they'd do it with a bang. "OKAY, THANK YOU. GOOD BYEEEE-" What I meant by that was playing an ear-splitting sound of a chainsaw before everyone simultaneously disconnected.
"What the fuck? Guys?" I was left there all by myself, wondering why they wouldn't respond to me or even acknowledge me. It was as if I wasn't even there in the first place. I stared at the computer screen for a minute until everything faded to black suddenly as I felt someone shake my whole body. I opened my eyes and I saw nothing except another pair of crimson eyes staring right back at me in the dark.
"Riolu? Rio?" it whispered.
I weakly pushed myself up and looked around me like it was the next part of my dream, my pillow pretty damp and cold. This time, it felt very real. Was I dreaming?
"Hngh… Wha- What?" I asked, my voice croaking as I did.
The vividness of my surroundings told me otherwise. I took my time to collect my thoughts about the dream I had, now only remembering just a fraction of it. The more I thought about it, the more I realised my isolation, and in the end, it ended up hurting me.
I felt terrible. Not just in my mind, but my body too. I felt like I could collapse at any time so I laid back on the bed. The whole pillow felt damp and I felt really hot. My eyes feel like it's burning every time I close them and I can't seem to move without feeling like my body will fall apart just like that.
At that point, I realised why the lad woke me up. I was sleep-talking and it woke it up since it was probably concerned about me.
"I'm sorry… I'm really sorry… I just…" I let out a shaky sigh as I cupped my mouth. "God, I feel terrible…"
I felt a warm hug. "Lu…"
I couldn't sleep for the rest of the night.
As I stared into the mirror, another face stared back. It was mine. It was a familiar face of mine except this time, there was a transparent dressing covering a part of it. I'd notice it before but I didn't really pay that much attention to it. It has been a few days since it's been there so I figured it probably had healed enough by now.
Therefore, I decided to take it off.
I opened the flap up a little to take a little peek at the wound itself. To my surprise, it was still slightly red with a tad bit of scabs covering the wound. Maybe it hasn't fully recovered yet? Afraid to open up the wound again, I closed it back off with the dressing once again.
I sighed. "That would really leave a mark on my face…"
1 Day Before Discharge
The Riolu and I were chilling on the bed. Both of us had nothing to do and I was bored out of my mind. I tried to start a conversation with it. "Hey, Riolu?"
"Ri?" The bed I was on only came with one pillow and there really isn't much space for us both to share so the little lad ended up using my arm as a pillow which I didn't mind until it got numb for some time. Adding fuel to the fire was the fact that this guy is dense as hell.
No, literally, the guy's dense. When I first met it, I pinched its cheeks and expected it to squish.
It didn't.
It didn't squish.
It felt odd.
It felt SO WRONG.
And I was like, "Fuck you made out of? Titanium?"
You're not supposed to be this dense yet here you are! You're supposed to be squishy!
"Did Ryna treat you well before you met me?" I asked.
"Lu." It sat up and looked at me and we both made eye contact.
"That's nice." I stared at the ceiling with my hands under my head and said, "You know, I really want to take you somewhere. Just- take a walk outside with you but I really can't. It's just- a shame, really."
"Lu." It nodded.
We both stayed silent for a while as I continued my gaze towards the ceiling above. "I really like you, you know. It's been kinda lonely lately."
The Riolu seemed to perk up at my words. "Riolu? Ri?"
I want to bite you so much.
"...Yeah- AH-" The air in my lungs was knocked out as the little guy hugged me tightly.
"Before we enter this room, I want to make this clear; I know that you guys don't agree with me but please just go with the flow. I got this. Don't do anything stupid." As Agent Ryna reached for the door handle, she had something on her mind that she had to let out. "And Saber?"
"Yes?"
"Don't intimidate the guy, please."
Saber stared at the door in front of them as he thought about the 'person' he was about to meet. Intimidation was key to assert dominance and he had to protect Ryna nonetheless.
0 Day Before Discharge
There I was sitting on the bed with the Riolu also sitting between my legs. There was a nurse in the room with us too. She was probably tasked to do the final check-up before I leave yet unlike other times, however, there was no Chansey with her.
Turns out Agent Ryna had two Pokemons too and they were staring at me rather intimidatingly. The one on the left was a Gallade whereas the one that Agent Ryna was carrying seemed to be a Flareon. Both of them were very much recognizable, to be honest.
"Ben, this is Saber and Mana. Both of them have been with me since day one. I hope you'll get along with them."
The Gallade had an outfit on which looked rather professional. He had a suit and tie but he wasn't wearing any pants, which was weird because if you're going to wear a suit, you might as well go all the way and wear a pair of pants too.
We maintained eye contact yet he responded a little more 'harsher' by giving me a cold stare. "If you do anything stupid, I will break you."
I shivered and thought to myself, "Damn."
I know what this man is potentially capable of and I know DAMN WELL that he could keep his promise and I'm not trying to test him, like, come on, I'm not THAT stupid.
"Are you actually going to take me with you?"
"Do you not want to?"
"Okay, just a heads up, you might feel slight pain…" The nurse gripped her hand around mine and began pulling out the needle from out of it.
"No– I'm just–" I grimaced from the needle. "So like, are you sure?"
"Hey, don't question it, alright. Just think of it as– Basically, you're being adopted."
"...You didn't have to say it like that." I frowned. The nurse smiled at Agent Ryna's words and mine.
The nurse stowed everything back into a cart and before she left she said, "Alright, it's done. You are free to go now. See you agai- Actually, no. We hope we don't see you again. It's not like we don't like you, but we just don't want you to get sick again." The nurse that took care of me for the past week bowed and waved goodbye as she pushed the cart out of the room.
"I say we go a little bit later."
"Sure…"
I glanced down at the Flareon and saw him (or her?) giving me a weird look. "Why do they hate me so much?"
"Alright, I need you to stay here for a bit while I get my car."
My introverted instinct triggered and suddenly, I said, "Wait, why?"
She looked at me and she looked outside…
And she looked at me again. She said to me, "...It's negative 2 degrees outside."
Even before she pointed that out, I realised I made a mistake and now I feel like killing myself. The outside where all the buildings and cars were was covered in white; there is no way to tell where the horizon ends and where the sky starts. "...Good point."
"Saber, stay with him, okay?" Beside me, Saber nodded.
He wouldn't let me go anywhere.
Agent Ryna turned on the blinkers as she parked the car at the side of the road. She pulled the handbrakes as the deep hum of the engine stopped and the warm cosy air from the heater followed it soon after.
The entire drive I had to keep the Riolu's hand (or paws?) from touching anything. Thankfully, he understood it and behaved… for a bit.
It didn't take long for it to start trying to touch things again.
"...Uh, does this place not have a car park?" I asked, looking down at my clothes and realizing that I have to walk all the way in the freezing cold with this.
"Look around, Ben. Supply and demand. No one owns cars here, anyway; we'll be fine- I'll be fine. You can wear my jacket if you want."
"No, no, I'll be alright…"
"Are you sure…?"
"Yeah…"
Speaking of cars, Agent Ryna drove a pretty expensive-looking car. Therefore, with the Riolu sitting on my lap, I knew it was my responsibility for me to NOT let the Riolu touch anything in the car, even the storage compartment in front of us. If anything breaks, I'd be fucked, not it.
With that also came the surprise when she pulled up to an apartment. Now, I'm not judging by any means but when it comes to home and cars, those two will be tied together in a way that if something is 'this' then you will expect something to be 'that'.
And when your expectation isn't met, you get surprised. You get the idea.
Also, she drives a manual it seems. I don't know if she had a choice but she seemed slick with the gear lever. The interior still uses dials as opposed to all-electronic buttons.
Oddly enough, her car looks familiar, like I've seen this car before but I can't remember what it is.
… Ah! It looks like one of those Mazda SUVs. That's why it feels familiar. Those cars used to be everywhere where I live.
One by one, everyone left the car and the opened door let in cold air into the car which left me shivering. I looked at the Riolu who was sitting with me like a lap child and I said to it, "I'm really sorry. It's cold outside and I can't carry you. You're going to have to just run towards the entrance, alright?"
Just then, I heard a knock on the window beside me. It was Agent Ryna and I saw her mouthed something along the lines of, 'Are you ready?'. I held the door handle and took a deep breath before swiftly getting out of the car. The Riolu jumped out of the car with ease and dashed straight for the entrance. I didn't have a chance to catch up so I gave up and resorted to just walking quickly with my hands in my pockets where I was also fiddling with the Riolu's pokeball.
I had no idea how it worked, however.
As I walked in, I turned around and saw Agent Ryna walking behind me and hiding her smile.
"Why does this place have to be so fuckin' cold…" I asked myself, cupping my hands in front of my mouth for some heat. I was shivering and my hair was starting to become wet because of the melting snow on it which piled up pretty quickly for some reason.
"Thank god there's heating," I thought to myself.
The lobby itself was relatively spacious – as big as a McDonald's dining area – but the space wasn't efficiently used as it was bare. The only thing decorating the place was just potted plants in each corner of the room as well as generic modern art on the walls.
On the other side of the room was a pair of elevators. Beside me, Agent Ryna pulled out two pokeballs before muttering something and recalling both of her Pokemon. She let the Riolu stay for some reason, however. She ushered me to come with her as she pressed the button for the elevator.
The elevator let its arrival known with a 'ding' and the three of us stepped inside. As the elevator began its ascent, a shiver went down my spine as I couldn't help but wonder if she is playing a game with me.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine. Just– thinking… It's cold," I said, giving her a nervous chuckle
Agent Ryna questioned no further yet her face knew something was up. The elevator ride was filled with a tense silence, broken only by the occasional soft humming of the elevator's machinery. The elevator seemed to slow down and the doors slid open to reveal a warmly lit corridor with doors on each side of the walls. Agent Ryna motioned for me to follow her, and we began walking briskly, her footsteps echoing in the silence.
We reached the end of the hallway and she turned towards the door to her right. I didn't know what she did but the door unlocked with a 'click' and soon after, we entered the apartment.
"Here it is. Welcome to my home," Ryna said.
I didn't know what I was thinking but I half-expected it to be a torture chamber and you don't even know how relieved I was when that wasn't the case.
In fact, it was a modestly furnished apartment. Just in front of the door was the living room where there looked to be a glass sliding door towards a balcony whereas to the left of it was a hallway leading up to more rooms.
I slowly walked towards the centre of the room to have a better look at the hallway. There was an opening on the left side which was probably where the kitchen is and there were just more doors on the right side.
"Well, what do you think?" she asked as she took off her jacket and hung it on a coat hook.
"It's nice…" I said.
"Rio…" I looked down to see the little guy just agape at this place. I smiled; it was like witnessing a curious child discovering things.
"Alright, you two. Let me show you where you'll be staying." Ryna motioned us to follow her again. We followed Agent Ryna down the hallway, passing by closed doors until we reached a door near the end.
She opened it to reveal a small yet cosy bedroom. There was a small desk by the window with a chair accompanying it, a bedside table beside, well, the bed, obviously and a wardrobe for storage. It wasn't a lot but it was everything I needed. I really don't need a king-sized bed anyway. Plus, the room itself was pretty small so small furniture really helps to clear up space to actually move around.
Just enough space for activities.
The bed itself was nice. Although it didn't have the sheets for it, it did has a nice comforter with it and I guess the priority's right here.
"This is where you'll be staying. Mana didn't want this room so it's been abandoned until you came. Now that you're here, I'm giving it to you. It's been cleaned recently though," Agent Ryna said, gesturing towards the room. "Make yourself at home. If you need anything, just let me know."
"I… thanks." I started to feel guilty since I had just told her to 'fuck off'. I think that was what I said? And now she's the one giving me a place to stay.
"Should I just tell her?" I asked myself.
I felt a hand touch my shoulder. I was startled a little and turned towards Agent Ryna.
"Hey, are you alright there? You've been really silent this entire time."
"No– I– it's just…" I took a deep breath. "Alright, I just gotta tell her I'm sorry. There's nothing wrong with that. I just have to say that I'm sorry. I can do this. I can do this."
"I'm sorry for like–"
"Fuck."
"Just being an asshole to you before…" I said, gazing towards the floor.
"Hey, don't beat yourself up for it. What's in the past is in the past, yeah? You'll be fine." she said, patting me on my shoulders twice and giving me a reassuring smile. However, it still didn't extinguish my guilt due to how harsh I was before. "If you need anything, just tell me. There's a towel in the closet if you want to take a shower. I'm going to release these two now."
The Riolu and I were left alone after that. I walked over to the bed and slowly sat down and just then, I realized how tired my legs were. The bed itself was super comfortable but it was noisy and springy. I was about to lie down and take a nap but lately, there was just something on my mind that I can't get rid of. Something that has been on my mind ever since I met this Riolu.
"Hey, Riolu?" I asked.
"Lu?"
"...Do you want a name?"
"Lu…?" It climbed up the bed and tilted its head at me.
"Uh- You know, I- can't just call you Riolu every time. There are um- other Riolus just like you. I think you deserve better."
"Olu?"
"Yeah, sure."
I had no fuckin' idea what it said. It's like talking to a brick wall.
"...Lu." It looked at me and nodded. "I guess that's a 'yes'."
"Hm…" I started to think of a good name for the little guy. At first, nothing came up but eventually, more and more names started popping up in my mind as a potential candidate. I simply had to choose which one.
"Something short and simple, but memorable…"
"Jack- wait no. Too human… Wait. Hey, are you a- I can't believe I'm asking this but are you a boy or a girl?" The Riolu pouted. It was so cute. So cute, in fact, that it made me want to bite it, somehow. Then, I realized that he can't really verbally say if he was a boy or a girl.
"Are you a boy…?" It slowly nodded looking cutely upset at me.
I resisted the urge to pump my fist as I celebrated internally, "First try, baby."
"Alright. How about I name you…" I started brainstorming for a little but I settled for a nice short and easy name. "Russo."
He seemed to like the name since its face lit up with a smile. "Lu!"
I half-expected him to simply lunge at me and break my ribcage yet he didn't. I even braced myself for it yet all I got was a gentle hug. Russ continued hugging before looking at me with its puppy eyes. I couldn't help but pet it on the head.
As I gazed towards the ceiling, I thought about the name that I gave Russo.
"Yeah… Yeah, I think Russo would fit you well."
"To be honest, I think it'd just call you Russ, anyway." I chuckled.
His hug was tight but mine was tighter.
…
During this time, the whole apartment had become silent as everyone had decided to mind their own business. Saber and Mana had decided to relax on the balcony despite it being super chilly outside. Ben and the Riolu… well, she just hoped they'd behave and Ryna was just in the kitchen making herself a cup of tea. A warm drink during the winter is just what she needed right now.
Before she could put the tea bag into the warm water, however, her phone rang from across the apartment in the living room. She sighed and put the tea bag just beside the mug. She dashed to get to her phone in time and when she did, she immediately answered the call.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's Agent Audrey Montauk from Jubilife City Police Department. Is this Agent Ryna Harwell? If you are, do you have time to talk?"
Ryna looked around her to make sure no one was listening. Even when she did, she made sure to control her voice. "Yeah. Yeah, I do."
"Okay, listen. SRATS called and they reported an incident a couple of days back that is most likely linked to 2779. The reports have been buried in mountains of other documents but I managed to stumble upon it. They said that they'd – get this – two controllers, one of them is a trainee and the other is a supervisor controlling Jubilife Area Control Centre frequency. They had received a radio transmission from an unknown station on the same date and at the same timeframe as the incident."
"That's good." Ryna looked towards the only closed door along the hallway. "Listen, I would come to Jubilife if I could but I am dealing with… Well, I decided to bring Ben home with me. Ya know? The kid from 2779? I'm keeping him with me because we have no place to put him."
"Uh… okay, that's unexpected but you sure sound sure of your decision. But hey, I am not asking you to come to Jubilife. I'll come there myself. Just keep an eye on for the logs."
"Right. Thank you very much. And make sure they do not remember the incident. Don't put a hole in their memory. Just do a tad bit of sweeping instead so they know what happened but can't recall what happened exactly. We don't want anyone to know about this. After all, it would be suspicious if they found out that there was a void in their memory."
"Make sense. Got it."
She hung up.
…
AN: Back at it again, back at it again. Fellas, we are so back. Sorry for the unannounced hiatus. Well, not really a hiatus. This chapter just took a long time to write. Ideas were not flowing and I had to rewrite this chapter a couple of times. When ideas were coming in, I simply had no time since school was a thing!
(and also procrastination but we don't talk about that)
Also, I broke my PR with nearly 7000 words this chapter.
Now, I can only hope that the ideas just keep flowing so I could continue writing this fic. I don't want to let this fic go, especially since I've poured my heart and soul into it. I guess that is all from me, bye! See you in another chapter.
WC: 6853