NSO Chapter 26

(Day 2, Part 3)

I don't own Pokemon.

Dinner was oddly silent compared to the chaotic event that had played out before it. All four Pokemon made no move to talk, the only sound being the clink of utensils as they reached for more food to fill the appetites that they had worked up. Janice Torrent knew how to read the atmosphere of a room, and decided to keep her lips sealed as well.

After the battle had ended with Zenith, Zoey and Julley falling asleep, Cleo had dragged their sleeping bodies to the outside of the circular area, laying them side by side, before pushing a button on the arena machine to return the front lawn to its original, grassy state. The other three Pokemon had woken up a few minutes later, by Janice announcing dinner. They couldn't remember the battle they had participated in, the only thing that stayed with them from their fight being their large appetite that begged to be filled. Cleo had no intention of reminding them, since she was knocked out during the fight and had no idea of its outcome.

Hey there, champ.

Zenith's mind was working furiously as he struggled to recall his lost memories, only to draw up a blank. How had he ended up on the front lawn, besides Zoey and Julley, with Cleo sitting next to him with a concerned gaze? He couldn't have... no. He wouldn't have done that. His mind was so concentrated on trying to remember that the sudden voice in his head startled him. He jumped in surprise, and the spoon he was holding dropped out of his paw, clattering on the table.

Picking up his silverware, Zenith looked up at the other Pokemon sitting at the table. The Umbreon's gaze was met with worried ones in his direction from Janice and Cleo. Julley and Zoey hadn't noticed the Umbreon's sudden motions, and were clearly deep in thought, clearly wondering about how they had spent their past ten minutes, just as Zenith had done before. Cliff was playing with his peas, uninterested in what was going on. Waving a paw at the anxious looks from the Fire and Water-types, Zenith returned to his meal, and his mental conversation.

What?

Pretty outstanding performance back there. You really showed it to them... till the end. But let's not talk about that.

What performance? And show myself to who?

You mean, you don't remember the fight?

What fight?

Wow. That arena machine is good. Hold on. I'm pretty sure I recorded it down somewhere...

And with that thought-sentence, Zenith was plunged into a flashback, a slightly sped-up, third-person view of the friendly battle he had taken part in.

At the dinner table, Zenith had been reaching across the table to get more Tauros steak, when he suddenly froze mid-action, the upper half of his body suspended in mid-air. Now this got the attention at everyone at the table.

"Uh, Zenith?"

While Zenith was spacing out on the outside, on the inside, he was standing on a floating platform, watching the past battle that played out below him.

Impressive, isn't it? Dialga's voice was still disembodied, even in Zenith's mind.

Somewhat. Zenith was now watching himself get sleepy from the mouth from the arena machine, along with Zoey and Julley.

I'm going to return you back into your physical state of mind. Remember, keep your balance.

What do you me-agh!

With a sickening lurch, Zenith felt himself regain control of his body once more. In the position he was currently in, he windmilled his arms for a few seconds, trying to not fall onto Janice's home-cooked food. When he managed to regain his balance, he sat back down in his chair, abs hurting from the exertion.

A moment of silence passed, where everyone stared at each other awkwardly, before Cleo spoke up. "Zenith, are... you alright? You were kind of... spacing out there."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just...remembered something."

"For five minutes? Julley literally built a house of cards on your head!"

Looking around, Zenith now noticed many cards scattered on the floor around him. The Lucario had a sheepish look on his face, looking down on the ground to avoid eye contact with the Dark-type. Setting that fact aside, Zenith redirected his attention back at Cleo.

"Uh... it was a long memory. I'll explain later."

"...If you say so."

A few more minutes passed till the end of dinner, in which the Torrent family realised Zenith's stomach was like that of a Guzzlord's, which he proved by finishing off all the leftovers.

-Time skip-

"So, what did you remember?"

Cleo and Zenith were sitting on the floor in the water-type's room, with said Vaporeon staring at the Umbreon with piqued interest.

"Di-I remembered the battle, that's all." Zenith stretched his paws out as his jaws widened in a huge yawn. The fatigue from the fight was starting to catch up to him.

"Oh. I'm guessing we didn't win? I was knocked out halfway through, and when I awoke, all I saw were the three of you unconscious."

"Nah. It was a tie. I held out until the arena machine put us to sleep. By the way, do you know how competitive your sister is?"

"Not until we fought her. I mean, she was always competitive, but that was a whole new level."

"So... should I tell them about the battle? I don't think they've remembered it yet..."

"NO!" Cleo exclaimed immediately, her fur spiking up. But noticing Zenith's surprised reaction to her own, she caught herself quickly, looking away to hide her embarrassment at her sudden outburst.

Zenith could only watch Cleo in confusion. He had never seen her so aggravated about anything before. And as the Vaporeon broke eye contact with Zenith to stare at the pattern of her bedsheets, thousands of questions raced through the Umbreon's mind, but none of them were voiced out, so as to prevent the current situation from worsening.

What should I do? Should I try to comfort her, or let her calm herself down? Dialga, any ideas?

I'm clueless as you are on this. I'm the god of time, not relationships.

From the corner of her eye, Cleo could see that the Umbreon sitting in front of her was clearly at a loss. He extended a paw her shoulder, only for him to draw it back, shaking his head as if regretting the decision.

"Okay... I won't tell them. I don't there's a reason to. After all, we wanted to practice our team-up moves, and that's what we managed to do. They don't need to know anything, right?" Zenith decided on a placating response and sighed in relief as Cleo looked back up to meet his gaze again, spikes of water retracting back into her body. The Vaporeon seemed to be thinking for a moment, before moving to sit on the side of her bed, hind legs dangling off the edge, staring at the bookshelf across her. There was another brief moment of silence before Cleo started to speak.

"Yeah... they don't need to know. Sorry about the outburst earlier, Zenith. To be honest, I have some very bad experiences with competition. I... I can't cope with it very well." As Cleo spoke, Zenith moved to sit next beside her, placing an arm on her back, patting the Vaporeon gently. "My sister was always determined to beat me in everything... and she always succeeded. No matter how hard I tried, or what competition it was, Zoey would always beat me. So if she knows that she beat me again, and in battling, no less..." Cleo's head drooped in sadness, and Zenith's heart ached at the sight. It was rare to see the normally cheerful Vaporeon so down in the dumps.

"It's okay, Cleo. It really must've taken a lot for you to tell me all of this. But don't worry, I won't tell them about the fight. In fact, if you must, I can help you get better, so next time you can beat Zoey in anything she chooses!"

"Y-you'd really do all that for me?"

"I'd do anything for you."

"Cheesy, but I'm thankful nonetheless."

"Now how 'bout a hug?"

"You are full of surprises, Zenith."