Chapter 13: Afterglow

"Well if you're really fine, then there's no problem with me being nearby–"

"Nope, not gonna risk it." Bryce cut her off, sniffling a bit.

Violet just glared at him, though it was easy to tell her heart wasn't really in it.

"Look, it's probably just allergies. Almost every time I went in there to fix up your room, I took allergy medication. I didn't yesterday, and that was when I went back to throw away all that extra junk I put up in the attic. So just–" Bryce stopped, grabbing a tissue and blowing his nose. Yuck. "–so just give me a day to rest, and if I feel better, then everything's fine."

"But Shadow gets to stay with you?"

The black feline's ears twitched upon hearing her name, looking up from her cozy position on the bed at the Pokemon.

"Because we don't know if I can get you sick, V." Bryce reasoned, a bit softer than he would have if anyone else was trying to argue such a futile idea.

Violet crossed her paws. "So you finally finished spending all that time by yourself, all to make a place where I have to spend more time by myself?" She paused, seemingly realizing how valuable alone time was to someone like her roommate. "I…"

"C'mon, don't cry on me now…" Bryce could see it starting to happen. "I know you didn't mean it. And it's not like you're confined to your room or anything. The house is yours to explore. You really think I can stop a Lucario?" He smirked, using the other side of the tissue to blow his nose once again before tossing it into the trash next to his desk chair, resting as far away from the door frame as he could. "But you did tell me the other day how much it means to Lucario about doing what's right, even if it's not what's easy. If I did get you sick by something that could be avoided, I'd feel like the biggest idiot in the world."

"...okay."

Bryce looked over at her. Violet was leaning on the doorframe, looking down at the ground, but she nodded. Whether she was confirming it to one or both of them, he wasn't sure.

"I mean, you'll be going back to school eventually, right? I guess I can't just hog you to myself forever."

"I wouldn't mind at all if you did. I learn better without a bunch of classmates slowing me down."

Beyond that, he was learning plenty from Violet, not that he'd dare admit that to anyone. Looking over at his clock, Bryce turned back to her a moment later.

"It's getting a bit late…tell you what: I'm going to go to bed early, and if I feel fine tomorrow morning, then we won't worry about it. Until then, you can explore to your heart's content, provided you don't blow up the house with me in it." He paused, letting the dark humor float through the air for a moment. "Besides, I know for a fact my folks aren't here tonight. It'll just be the three of us."

Violet's look finally softened, but only after she could get him to look her in the eyes for a second. "Make sure you actually get some rest then…okay?"

Maybe he was getting sick; Bryce could feel his temperature rising a bit. "I promise. I'm going right to bed." He gave Shadow a soft tap, causing her to slowly rise and stretch before hopping off of the blankets and sauntering out the door. "And if you do need anything, just knock. I'll help as best I can from here."

She gave a small smile, arm crossing over her chest to hold the other at the elbow. "Yeah." As much as she didn't want to leave–and he could tell–it had been convincing enough. "See you in the morning, I hope."

"It'll be morning before you know it, V. See you tomorrow." He forced a small smile, but at the same time, it felt like something was softly stinging him, as if he'd eaten a candy that was too sour for him to handle.

Violet gave him one last look, as if she wanted to say something. Whatever it was, if anything, she changed her mind, standing up straight. With one last small smile, she stepped back, grabbing the handle and closing the door behind her. True to his word, Bryce moved from his desk chair to the bed, taking the box of tissues with him. One of the few upsides of being sick; it was the only time that he was able to get to sleep easily. The minute he was under the covers with his head on the pillow, Bryce could already feel the haze that came with drifting to sleep.

Letting his thoughts idly drift around, a realization hit him. It wasn't much of one, but was that their first fight? A disagreement, at least–more than one that was about whatever Violet had been researching for the day–so maybe it was. Still, they both knew it was better to be smart about things like this. More than that, though, Bryce could tell that Violet also didn't want to leave him sick. Whether that was because she had a caring nature or she preferred not to be left alone, he wasn't sure. Probably a case of both, particularly understandable since she was still on a foreign planet. Come to think of it, Violet did live in some sort of Riolu and Lucario colony, from the sounds of it. Aside from personal meditation, were Lucario the kind to stay in close proximity to each other often? Or maybe she was just an outlier in that regard? If that were the case, he'd feel awful, especially after all the talk of 'being herself' while she was here.

Bryce wasn't entirely sure when the daydreaming turned into dreaming proper. At some point he must have fallen asleep. Still, thoughts of Violet swirled around in his head, about what it'd be like to live in her universe. He wasn't outgoing enough to be a trainer, not in the formal sense. Working to obtain gym badges and then compete in Pokemon Leagues with thousands watching? No thanks. Besides, he could hardly imagine commanding Violet–or any Pokemon, for that matter–as someone who could barely feel deserving of an adventure like that. So what would he do, then? Exploring the world with Violet…did sound like something they'd do. Maybe he'd be an artist? Nah, he wasn't creative enough for that kind of thing. A researcher…that sounded more in line with him. Getting to learn everything about Violet's world after she learned about his, getting to see everything there was, even Violet herself experiencing things she'd never seen before, that infectious smile of hers bringing happiness to his often too grounded worldview…

…Bryce opened his eyes. Whoever was responsible for dreams getting cut short like that was a kind of sinister he could never even hope to match. Light poured in from underneath his doorframe, illuminating the room. Giving a muffled grunt, Bryce turned and looked at his clock. A bit past nine. The last time he'd slept that well before meeting Violet was…too far back to remember. As soon as he sat up, he gave a sigh of relief; it was just allergies after all. No headache, no runny nose, nothing. Even the throbbing headache had all but disappeared.

Now all he had left was but a promise to fulfill to a Lucario that would hopefully be understanding of what happened yesterday afternoon–

–and, based on a gentle thud and a black paw sticking under the door, a cat who believed closed doors were meant to be opened for them whenever they felt like it. Rolling his eyes, Bryce stood, giving a yawn as he lazily shuffled over to the door, pulling it open as Shadow sprinted inside, jumping right onto his desk chair.

"Good to see you too, bud." Sarcasm, full effect.

He gave Shadow a few pets as the feline looked back with a lazy gaze and gentle purr. Normally she was the only one that really paid any attention to Bryce's general condition and well-being, but with more than one creature genuinely invested in him, it almost felt a bit embarrassing. Looking out into the hallway, everything appeared normal. Sure, Bryce wasn't expecting Violet to destroy the place or anything, but even just thinking something like 'what's the worst that a Lucario could do to a house' was just inviting trouble. Only making a stop to fill up Shadow's food and water, Bryce quickly checked out the window to the backyard.

Empty.

Which meant there was only one other place she'd be. Making the short journey back to what was now officially Violet's room, he knocked softly on the door. No response. He tried the door handle, and as he guessed, it was unlocked. He had said his folks wouldn't be around, after all. Bryce peered inside. Sure enough, there she was, fast asleep and tucked under the covers. A book rested on the nightstand. From a distance, Bryce could tell it was something his mom used to bring with her on trips to read.

Well, with a sleeping Lucario who'd been awaiting his return, he had a few options. He could gently rouse her from her current state and let her know he was back to normal. Then again…it would be interesting to see her reaction to waking up with him next to her in the bed giving a sly grin at her. The only problem with that idea is that he wasn't in the mood for a broken nose. With no other option but to let her sleep–and somehow, not letting her know as soon as possible that he was fine seemed like it'd be the worst option for his safety of all–Bryce gently reached a hand out, pressing it against her shoulder. Thankfully, he didn't have to do anything like shake her softly. Violet's eyes slid open halfway, taking a moment to register the human in front of her.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." Playful, but still soft enough to let her wake up slowly. "Looks like it was just allergies."

"Mm."

For a Pokemon known for their diligent training, Violet sure wasn't a morning Pokemon when she was woken up. Then again, she could still be a bit upset at him.

"Feel like breakfast?" He offered.

"Mm."

Helpful. With a small nod, Bryce turned to let her sleep, not even making it a single step before his wrist was grabbed by a paw and pulled back towards the bed.

"What?"

Another yank, with more force than he expected, nearly sending his upper half onto the bed with the Lucario.

"Payback…" Violet mumbled, only just clearly enough to hear before she continued, "...get in or I'll make you…"

Bryce sighed. On one hand, she was just being playful, but on the other, he didn't want to risk having a broken wrist. Violet lifted the covers, and with a roll of his eyes, Bryce accepted the former choice of the ultimatum. One leg slipped in, then the other as he rested his head on the pillow, suddenly feeling very warm as the other occupant slid up next to him, resting her head on his chest.

"Happy?" He asked in a flat tone, clearly not impressed with Violet's revenge plan.

"Mhm."

He didn't even have to look at her face to see that massive grin on her face, the tips of her ears grazing his chin. So much for being upset–or sleepy, for that matter.

Unable to stop himself, Bryce couldn't help but ask, "so is it normal for Lucario to be this cuddly? I guess if you live somewhere cold, huddling for warmth would make sense."

"Mm, you think I'm cuddly?~"

Nope, nope, nope, nope. Abort.

"You know what I mean. So it's normal Pokemon culture?"

A soft hum. "Nope. I don't live where it's cold. Even if I did, it would be done in emergencies only."

Oh, great. So not only was she a cuddlebug, she was a cuddle addict. Well, he had nobody to blame but himself for this one.

"How was the book?" He asked, trying to figure out some sort of appropriate place to rest his arms.

Violet thought for a moment. "I only got about halfway through…it was okay, I guess." Another pause. "Do all story characters have to go through some sort of suffering?"

"In fiction?" Bryce mulled it over for less than a second. "In some aspects, yeah. It drives the story to have some sort of conflict or device to make the characters grow in some way. In a real sense, we wouldn't be able to appreciate the good times without the bad, right?"

Those pointed, blue ears tickled at his chin as Violet nodded. "I guess. They're not real anyway, right?"

Bryce opened his mouth to reply, then stopped. "Yeah, but…well, Pokemon are supposed to be fictional, and here you are…"

"I'm real to you, at least." She finished for him, giving a soft hum as she nuzzled his chest.

Settling on letting his arm rest on her back, he nodded. "You are."

At least once a day, he'd been mulling it over. Was this just all in his head? Was he in some sort of coma? If it was a dream, it was a rather elaborate one. His senses would have to be supernatural to pull something like this off.

…and, deep down? The more and more time he spent with Violet, the less he cared if it was a dream or not.

"...and if you're dreaming?" She asked, so soft he could barely hear…as if her very existence hung in the balance of his answer.

Something about the way Violet asked it made him think only a moment, before answering honestly.

"Then I feel bad for whoever successfully wakes me up."

He could feel the bed shaking. For a moment, Bryce thought he'd end up with a fate worse than a cuddlebug Lucario: a crying cuddlebug Lucario. But as her voice grew, he could hear Violet giggling, which only made him chuckle a bit as well.

Maybe they could stay like this for a little bit longer.

Author's Notes:

Mild fighting and major fluff, together at last. Happy belated new year to you all, and I hope it's been well. The last two months, aside from getting sick (not the epidemic which shall not be named, mind you) have had their share of ups and downs. The downs being that it took from the last week of November up until mid-January to finally start feeling like I fully recovered. I had to keep coming in for work despite the illness–and we're actually overstaffed, if you can believe it.

The upside is that, with our ex-scheduler demoted (which was the best Christmas present I could have asked for), I'm no longer doing 20+ days of work in a row with no break (and yes, I do have the work logs to prove it) and instead getting usually 3 days off a week. So while I missed out on getting to spend time with family on Thanksgiving or Christmas, I did at least get to see friends and family on a semi-regular basis. Overall: a net gain thus far, going into '22.

Needless to say, this chapter is more than a bit meta by design. Not to worry though, we're not doing any fourth wall breaks outright. Maybe leaning on it a bit, but that's all. Besides, it would be a genuine concern of transmitting viruses, diseases and the like that don't really affect the human race that much, but could do so to Pokemon (or vice versa). Just because Bryce is living with a Pokemon doesn't mean he can't get sick, after all!

That's not the only meta, either. The more obvious one was the bit I decided on adding at the end. There are plenty of opinions on if story characters can be real or exist in any capacity besides the writer's head (and the reader's, if they're invested). One of the most wonderful things about fictional literature is that we can accept that we're going into a story, knowing full well that we have to suspend our disbelief. It's what allows us to be immersed, invested and excited about what we're reading. From my side, of course all of my characters are real in a capacity beyond my story. They're living their lives, going through the ups and downs that come with that, finding their capacities and oftentimes superseding what they believe to be their limits–just as we are. In a way, it's not unlike how many believe in an afterlife for those who have passed away; they may not be in our plane of existence, but we care about them and want the best for them. Even if their journey was a sad one, we don't wish those we care about gone. We wish for them to find peace–and peace comes not with non-existence, but with starting up or starting again on another plane of existence, with a brighter future than before. TL:DR: Yes, I do believe that the story of Bryce, Violet, Shadow, and all the others we'll see as things progress is real. And if nothing else, they're real to me.

The idea of getting to travel–not even the Pokemon universe, specifically–and be able to explore and write using the inspiration from locations I go and people I meet is something that's always intrigued me. I think it's one of the reasons I enjoy adventure games and RPGs so well, even when I go back to play them. Make no mistake, I'm not dumb enough to send myself into eternal debt with no plan other than to be a nomad or anything. But it is one of the reasons I'm very glad to live in the age we do, despite the circumstances. Getting to talk to people across the world–contacts I know from Canada, United States, Brazil, France, Germany, Denmark, Russia, Japan, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand–and hearing all these different stories, getting to see glimpses of other worlds? As a writer, one of the best things you can do is practice your reading–specifically, the comprehension of stories. As an auditory learner, hearing stories, no matter how trivial they may seem to the one speaking, can almost always capture my attention.

Two final things to note. The first is that we'll be doing a small bit of time jumping from here on. The story won't be progressing on a day-by-day basis, but I won't just be skipping several months ahead or anything that insane. We'll give Bryce and Violet a bit of time to get more accustomed to each other. There's still plenty of elements to focus on, and I look forward to presenting it to you all.

The second is really only something I can see, but you can take my word for it: as of finishing up this set of author's notes, we'll be on page number 100. That's quite the milestone if I do say so, and there's still far, FAR more to go than 100 pages left. So if you wanna brag to your friends that you read a 100 page story even though you're 'not a reader' or 'don't like reading', now you can! We're also now only about 8,000 words shy of surpassing the original length of "Fantasy's Reality" as well–meaning that it'll probably be only about three or four more chapters before it's a longer story! (This is all before the post-arc edits, mind you, so who knows, it may be past that at this point later on!) That sounds like absolute madness to me, but the numbers don't lie. I can't help but feel a small bit of pride at that.

Comments are always appreciated, and remember that success often comes in reaching an outcome that you can be satisfied with. As long as you're not hurting others or yourself, be open to an outcome that you may not expect–it may just be one you're satisfied with. -Delta