NSO Chapter 20

I don't own Pokemon.

Zenith was in a dark room, completely devoid of light with the exception of the faint blue light that emanated from his rings and bands. Even though he naturally had night vision, it seemed to be useless, not even being able to see two metres ahead of him. In the dim light, he could make out the silhouette of an hourglass, laying on the floor. Picking it up, Zenith squinted, trying to see in the little light he had. The amount of sand at the bottom had increased, but only by a small amount. This time, there was a letter 'A' carved neatly next to the 'D'. Zenith gulped nervously, trying to think of other things this hourglass could be predicting, besides the one word he dreaded.

Zenith was ejected from his dream, waking up in another cold sweat. Looking at his bedside table, the digital clock read 4:44 a.m. as he got out of bed.

Why in the world do you wake up so early?

Just my internal clock. I think it's broken but in a good way.

That makes no sense.

Gayle was laying on a futon next to his bed, sound asleep. He stepped over the Vibrava carefully, going to check on his mother. Both Kelli and Clint were still sleeping, with Clint on a similar futon as his daughter. The Decidueye worked in a company that manufactured mobile phones, his keen eye, along with his skill and dexterity in handling small objects making him a natural at his job and the best workers there. It was still too early for any of them to be up, so Zenith tried his best to be quiet as he descended the stairs, avoiding any creaky boards.

Entering the dark kitchen, Zenith poured himself a glass of cold milk from the fridge. Sipping the cold beverage in his paws, the kitchen lights flickered on and in walked Gayle. Her green wings were crumpled against her sides due to her sleeping position, and she blinked her eyes blearily at the Umbreon, only half awake.

"Arceus, Zenith. Don't you ever turn on the lights? It's kinda creepy seeing you like that in the dark."

Zenith pointed to his blood-red eyes. "Night vision. I don't need to turn on the lights."

Then again... if I do have night vision, shouldn't I have been able to see inside that dark room in my dreams?

Dream logic, Zenith. Never argue with dream logic.

"Speaking of which, you DO realise that your eyes emit red light, right? You have no idea how creepy you look in the dark."

The Umbreon shrugged. "Not like I can turn them off. Anyway, want a glass of milk?"

"Yes, actually. I prefer warm milk though. The Vibrava's eyes were darting around the kitchen, trying to familiarise herself with the place. But when her gaze returned to the table Zenith was sitting at, there was a mug on the table, its handle facing her.

"Okay... where did that come from?"

"Where did what come from?"

"The mug, Zenith. This mug." Gayle pointed at said mug with her two-fingered hand.

"Oh, that mug." Zenith took another sip of milk. "My mom bought it for you guys a few hours before you and your dad arrived yesterday. You know, with her Future Sight, her being an Espeon and all."

The ghost of a smile crossed Zenith's face as Gayle facepalmed, trying to keep up his indifferent expression.

"I mean... it wasn't... never mind. I know this is your doing, and thank you for it, even though I have no idea how you did it." Grabbing the mug off the table, she downed its contents in one gulp, much to Zenith's amazement, before heading back upstairs. "I'm going to freshen up for school. Just call me when you're done."

"Will do." And with that, Zenith turned the lights back off using Psychic, plunging the room back into total darkness to continue drinking his milk.

-Time Skip-

"Ready?"

"Ready."

"Then let's go. I have to stop by a friend's house first though."

"Fine by me."

Gayle stopped hovering in the air to drop onto Zenith, with her hands and feet clasped firmly on the sides of his back, her yellow body resting on his backpack.

"Don't mind if I do."

Fastening his utility belt tightly around his waist, Zenith shut the door behind them, crossing the street while ignoring Gayle's probing questions about the house he was heading towards and its occupants.

The door opened a few seconds after the doorbell was rung, and out sped Cliff, rolling around on the grass of the front lawn. Cleo appeared a few moments later, carrying a blue coloured backpack. She wore a drowsy expression, rubbing her eyes to try and clear away the last remains of sleep from them.

"Hey there, Zenith. Do we really have to leave this early? It's only five-thirty..." Cleo's words trailed off into silence as she looked up for the first time and noticed the female Vibrava on Zenith's back. She looked back at the Umbreon, an eyebrow raised in an accusing glare.

Speaking of Zenith, he decided to step in before the things escalated any further. "Cleo, this is Gayle. She's... uh..." Just like with Janice about Cleo, Zenith had no idea how to describe his relations with the Vibrava. "Gayle, a little help here?"

"Oh, sure. Apparently, my dad likes Zenith's mom, so he moved into Zenith's house, and I came along. Also, Zenith, you haven't properly introduced the both of us."

Gayle's calm tone and explanation seemed to jog Zenith's mind back into a functional state.

"Sorry about that. I was... panicking. Cleo, this is Gayle. I guess you could say that she'll be my sister, considering the progress of our parents. She's joining our school today, so she's just... hitching a ride. Gayle, this is Cleo, my classmate and girlfriend."

Both female Pokemon had different reactions to Zenith's last word. Cleo started to blush, and Gayle quickly got off the Umbreon's back.

"Uh... sorry if I was sending out an unintended message. No hard feelings?" Gayle extended a claw to the Water-type.

"It's fine." Cleo returned the clawshake offered.

And with the paw/clawshake, the three Pokemon set off in the direction of their school.

But not before dropping Cliff at his primary school beforehand.