"...Mr. Langley? Are... you here?"
For such a sizable home located in one of Nimbasa's nicest neighborhoods, the Langley household had proven to be eerily quiet ever since Rei's arrival. She was sure she would've welcomed such an environment at first, but after the first few days, it was starting to eat at her.
Once Rei reached the bottom of the stairs, she called out for Mr. Langley again - and like her first attempt, was met with silence. He had told her to ask him if she needed help, had he not?
How much time did they expect her to need to get acclimated to Unova? Surely more than four days.
Rei continued onward, checking every room she could. No sign of life in the living room, aside from the television airing Unova League recaps to no one in particular. The same went for the kitchen. Perhaps calling for him one more time would help. "Mr. Langley, it's Ayanami... I was wondering if you could tell me how to-"
Suddenly remembering something, she cut herself off. There was one room she'd yet to check... and after making her way through the kitchen and across the foyer, she found herself staring down its door. Asuka had made no mention of this room when showing her around the house - and judging by how her demeanor had seemed to change when getting close to it, there was a good reason. Was Mr. Langley working on something important inside? He did know her foster father through the defense industry...
I hope doing this won't make him too unhappy. Rei reached down, her ghost-pale hand gripping the doorknob, and gently twisted... only to immediately be met with resistance.
Of course it was locked. "I... suppose I will wait until he returns, then."
With a small shrug, she turned back - and the only force more powerful than the shock she felt upon seeing Asuka standing there and sneering at her was the open-handed slap the redhead promptly delivered to her cheek.
"Arschloch! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Four days in and she'd already tried sticking her nose where it didn't belong. For Rei's sake, Asuka was unbelievably thankful she'd stopped her before she could actually get in there.
Asuka crossed her arms, glaring down at Rei and waiting for an explanation as she registered the slap... gave her enough time for her temper's initial flare to subside, at least. Come to think of it, she wasn't exactly giving the best impression of Unovan hospitality, huh? "Look, I know you're not trying anything funny, but I didn't tell you about that room because I don't want you goin' in there, got it? What do you need?"
Rei brought a hand to her cheek, her sensitive skin still stinging from the impact. By now, she at least understood Asuka wasn't thrilled about her presence, but that disdain hadn't shown itself in physical form until just then. So much as discussing that room seemed to be off-limits, at least at this point in time... Rei figured it was best to leave the topic be.
She remained silent for a moment to allow Asuka's fury to burn out, then meekly responded, "Apologies for... trying to go where I am not welcome, but I... wish to speak with your father. Would you happen to have any idea where he is?"
Oh. Oh. She was looking for him. Asuka mentally breathed a sigh of relief as Rei cleared things up... though it was more than a little surprising to her that Rei's only response to being slapped was apologizing. She may have been an annoying little bug, but at least she seemed nice. Almost to a fault.
Too bad she had to disappoint her. "Dad? He fucked off to Saxony for the next couple weeks on business... and since he apparently can't remember my tournament schedule, now I've gotta get one of my friends to watch the house for a couple days."
Rei seemed bewildered by this, visibly tilting her head; Asuka didn't blame her one bit. "But... I have only been here for a few days... he would really leave us to ourselves that quickly?"
"More or less, yeah." Wait, no, Scheiße, NOTmore or less, there is NOBODY ELSEhere. "Yeah, yeah, just me and you. Don't worry about it too much."
She seemed to treat her father's absence so casually.
Asuka turned to leave, seemingly making her way towards the backyard - and Rei, still with a myriad of questions she needed answered, followed close behind. How well did Asuka manage living on her own? Would she even bother to help her with anything, if needed?
"Does your father... leave you to yourself like this often?" was the question that ultimately left her mouth.
The redhead shrugged her freckled shoulders, sliding the patio door open and stepping outside. "He's got other things to take care of," she sighed. "He's never really brought me along to whatever he goes to, so it's not like this is any kinda recent development. Guess by now I'm just used to it."
Asuka was hoping they'd be able to leave the discussion at that - after all, she had more important things to worry about, as well. Primarily the fact that the Monotype Shootout was fast approaching, and having to get Rei settled in only robbed her of precious prep time. "Hey, Blaziken, you ready? I'm back."
Her Blaziken, leaned against the thick trunk of an oak tree at the far corner of the yard, perked his head up and began approaching her. He was Asuka's very first Pokemon - and ever since the day she'd gotten him as a birthday gift from Mom as a Torchic, the cornerstone of her team.
Once the Fire-type reached her, he briefly turned his attention towards Rei; the other girl gave a simple nod in his direction, and he responded in kind. If anything, he'd adjusted to her presence far better than she had.
"Alright, c'mon, focus," Asuka interjected, impatiently clapping her hands. "I'll introduce you to her when we don't have a tournament to worry about... I know we've gone over all of your standard offense, but there's gonna be situations where that won't do you any good. We've gotta prepare for those, too."
Rei watched as Asuka plucked an Ultra Ball from one of her flame-red cargo pants' several pockets and lobbed it towards the ground. The ensuing flash would reveal a Chandelure, but not just any - its vivid orange flames were a far cry from the ghostly purple she'd been accustomed to seeing. An impressive addition to her team, for sure.
Asuka looked over towards her; judging by the satisfied grin that promptly crossed her face, she'd gotten her desired reaction. She chimed, "Looks like you've got another fan, Chandelure," before turning back to Blaziken and falling right back into her coach routine. "As for you, I wanna know what you're going to do when both Fire and Fighting attacks are useless. Go one-on-one with Chandelure and pull out all the stops you can to take 'em down, verstehen? "
To Rei, it was reassuring to know that she seemed to share a strong bond with her team... in fact, the way Asuka talked to Blaziken almost resembled how she herself talked to Zee. Perhaps having stronger bonds with their aces than with their father figures was another trait they shared.
Not that she was about to make that observation to Asuka's face when she sat down beside her. Once she did, Rei watched as the redhead reached into a cooler by her feet. "You want anything to drink? I've got, uh... mostly sports drinks."
"Sports... drinks?"
"Yeah, y'know, like Gatr-Ade. I've got like six different flavors in here."
Rei grimaced a bit. "Simple water would be fine, if... you have any."
"Uh, lemme dig through the ice a bit... okay, there." Asuka would ultimately come up with a bottle of water in one hand and a cherry-flavored Gatr-Ade in the other, handing the water over to Rei before turning her attention back to the spar between her Pokemon.
Chandelure rose up high, firing off a pair of Shadow Balls towards their opponent; from there, they'd be out of reach of Blaziken's best method of dealing with opposing Fire-types, Stone Edge. Just as Asuka had hoped, though, the Blaze Pokemon had an answer for even that - with a thunderous soccer-style kick, he managed to volley one of the orbs right back before immediately rolling out of the other one's path. The impact from Chandelure's own attack - amplified by Ghost's weakness to itself - sent them tumbling out of the air and crashing down onto the grass.
Conveniently, they'd happened to land right by Asuka, who whipped a Max Potion out of another pants pocket and patched Chandelure right back up. "Hey, thanks for takin' one for the team... and Blaziken, fantastisch! You've got no idea what a lot of the Elite Four'd do to get a Pokemon with aim like you!"
Rei was quite impressed; it was rare that she saw such a physically-oriented fighter with the capability to strike back over long distances, but Asuka's Blaziken seemed to be an exceptional exception. Without a doubt, her and her squad had the talent to easily dominate the rest of the field in the Monotype Shootout.
She couldn't help but wonder if talent alone would be enough, though.
She waited until Asuka sent Chandelure back out onto the impromptu battlefield for another round before speaking up. "Soryu... doesn't it bother you?"
"Doesn't what bother me?" Asuka replied, visibly puzzled. "Be a little less cryptic sometimes, it'll go a long way."
Rei remained silent for a few seconds, hoping what she was about to say wouldn't earn her another slap to the face. "Regarding your father. You told me you were used to him taking these... lengthy absences. You seem to treat it like it's nothing, but... I feel like that is... not entirely true. I don't know... I apologize if I am overstepping my boundaries again. If you do not wish to discuss it, then..."
She made it that obvious, huh?
Asuka heaved a sigh. "No, no, you've... you've pretty much got it exactly. It's just goddamn frustrating, y'know? Like, I'm his only kid, and I've got all this stuff going my way, and he... gives more of a shit about goin' on trips with his business buddies than his daughter's battling career. I'd get it if he at least tried to keep up with me while he was gone, but... the extent of it's pretty much just so he can use my accomplishments to brag. Then again, I mean... I guess I am used to it. Doesn't mean I enjoy it."
It was a bit surprising to hear all of that coming out of Asuka's mouth this early into her stay; Rei had expected her to be as tight-lipped as possible regarding family matters. Still, she appreciated it all the same. And if Asuka was going to open up to her, even if just a little, then...
"It is... not the exact same situation, but I have never known my biological father... or mother, for that matter. So... to a point, I understand how you must feel." After a small pause, she added, "Thank you for sharing that with me."
"Eh, no big deal," returned Asuka after gulping down some of her drink. "Figure if I'm gonna be stuck with you for half a year, there's no reason I should be hiding everything... and, hey, the Shootout's got a stacked bracket this year. Winning something like that's gotta impress him."
"I hope it will... he may seem cold, but surely he must be quite proud of your accomplishments. It does seem to be just you and him, after all... well... up until a few days ago."
Why is she going back there again? "That much is obvious, but I wish he'd say it to my face a little more... ah well, guess I've got you. Bit less quiet at home now."
Asuka tried to leave it at that, her eyes returning to her sparring Pokemon... but of course, Rei went on to ask the question she'd been dreading. "Soryu, did... something happen with your mother? I couldn't help but notice your... um..."
The look that crossed Asuka's face - brows furrowed, jaw tightened - was enough to make Rei immediately regret asking. "Her and my dad got divorced a few years ago," the redhead curtly answered. "He got custody. Haven't seen her since... think she moved back to Saxony, actually."
"...I see. I am sorry to hear that."
The two girls sat beneath a cloud of uneasy silence for a few moments as Blaziken and Chandelure's fight continued to play out in the background. Rei glanced back towards Asuka a few times, hastily averting her eyes each time she seemed to notice.
Eventually, Asuka couldn't help but wonder what Rei had even wanted to talk about in the first place. She figured that'd be the best way to steer the topic away from the iceberg that was her mother.
"So, hey, you wanted to ask my dad about something, right?" After tossing her now-empty Gatr-Ade bottle over her shoulder, Asuka paused for a moment, waiting to hear the familiar clunk of it landing in the garbage bin before continuing. "Well, go ahead, ask away... depending on what it is, I could probably give you some kinda answer."
Rei's response didn't come immediately; instead, she first dug into her breast pocket (why was she wearing a flannel, anyway?) and pulled out some sort of ticket. "I... wanted to begin experiencing what Nimbasa is famous for, so I decided to attend a musical. It's later tonight... I was wondering how cautious I need to be, given that-"
"You're worried about Plasma?" Rei gave an affirmative nod, and Asuka continued, "Far as I know, most of their recent attacks have been pretty uncoordinated... heard they've gotten way more violent, though. Personally, I don't really think you should be worried... I mean, hell, before you even came here, one of the only things I knew about ya was that you've got all of Sinnoh's badges. And a Key Stone... which's what really tells me you'd probably be just fine in a fight."
Rei once again reached into her flannel's pocket, this time to retrieve her Key Stone - a loose one, unlike most other trainers with them. Asuka did raise a valid point - the lower-ranked members of Plasma, the ones most likely to confront her, wouldn't stand a chance against her Mega.
The only real issue was that she wasn't all that comfortable with using it. No matter... the rest of my team can handle an attack. Most likely.
"I forget, Soryu, but are... you capable of Mega Evolution as well?" she inquired, tucking her Key Stone and ticket back into her pocket.
A smirk crossed Asuka's face as she brushed her fiery hair back, exposing her neck to Rei - and around it, an elaborate leather-and-metal choker with her Key Stone embedded. "Am I capable of Mega Evolution?" she rhetorically echoed with a hint of rejuvenated swagger. "Blaziken and I have been using it for almost three years now... I just had him take the Blazikenite off, since we're just training and all."
"Three years..." That meant Asuka had first unlocked Mega Evolution's potential when she was just fourteen. An impressively early age for such a difficult-to-handle art - especially from a Sinnohan point of view. "I... did not learn to do so until just a few months ago. If you have that much experience with it, then... I'd say you're a heavy favorite in the tournament."
As difficult as it would have been to believe just a couple of days prior... Rei found herself wanting to talk with Asuka more. Her accolades for a trainer of her age were stunning, and while the redhead's... admittedly somewhat volatile demeanor hadn't been the easiest thing in the world to get used to, it only served to make her all the more intriguing.
It was just too bad the incessant beeping of her phone's alarm said otherwise.
With a soft sigh, Rei rose from both the bench and Asuka's side, discarding her empty water bottle. "Soryu, I apologize for having to leave so suddenly, but I need to... start heading to the theatre. And, um, before I leave... thank you for having this conversation with me."
"Hey, don't worry about it. Kinda nice havin' someone to talk to at home." It was difficult to believe that person turned out to be Rei and not her own father, but... well, here they were. "Have fun tonight, got it?"
"I will... thank you." And so, after another brief pause, Rei gave Asuka a small bow before heading off back into the house to get ready - and the redhead's eyes lingered on her until she vanished from sight.
Her opinion of Rei had definitely improved. That was no question. What ate at the back of Asuka's mind, though, as Blaziken and Chandelure returned to her for potions and berries, was what Rei thought of her. Even after everything she'd just admitted, things she'd meant to let her guest figure out for herself... she just knew Rei could tell there was more to it. How distant her and her father really were. How deep her insecurities truly ran.
Everything about Mom.
Like so many times before, though, she slammed that door in her head shut for the moment. After all, she had a tournament to win, didn't she? The rest of the team still needed some polishing.
"Wundervolle arbeit, ihr beide... take a good rest, alright?" Both Fire-types in front of her were soon back inside their balls, with Asuka's Darmanitan being called upon next to work on his agility. A far more hands-on training regimen on her part... something to keep her mind occupied.
But she couldn't stop thinking about Rei. She knew she'd have to tell her everything eventually.
Eventually, but not yet.