~~Hello, readers, I'm back with a new chapter.
I don't own anything from Pokemon or Hazbin Hotel.
Only my original characters belong to me.~~
It was now late evening in Pentagram City.
Sioku had just been carried into the Hazbin Hotel by a spider demon named Angel Dust.
Another demon named Alastor helped Angel get Sioku settled into his room.
The unconscious young woman lay motionless on Angel's bed with Flareon curled up against her.
Angel sat quietly beside Sioku and observed the girl as she slept.
Complete silence filled his dark room.
An hour passed without any signs of improvement from Sioku.
Angel slowly laid himself down, then gently pulled Sioku into his arms.
"I'm not leaving you, Sioku. Please come back to me," he whispered in her ear.
Sioku heard Angel's words and snuggled into him in her sleep.
Angel felt the girl's movement and gasped quietly.
"Sioku, can you hear me?" he asked.
Sioku jolted, then opened her eyes.
The girl felt Angel's room spin around her as she panted heavily.
Sioku's heart began to pound in her chest.
She stared up at Angel with a weary expression.
"Sioku looks like she's having a panic attack," Angel thought fearfully.
The spider demon lovingly tightened his hold on her.
"It's okay, Sioku, I'm right here. Don't worry," he said smoothly.
Sioku buried her face into Angel's shoulder and closed her eyes tightly.
She shivered against him like a lost puppy.
Angel rubbed Sioku's back in a comforting way while whispering reassurances to her.
The girl slowly started to relax in Angel's warm embrace.
She snuggled into Angel's fur for comfort.
The steady rise and fall of the demon's chest helped her stay calm.
"Hey, Sioku, can you speak to me?" asked Angel softly.
Sioku stared up at him with a blank expression.
"Please tell me what's going on, Sioku," urged Angel gently.
Sioku smiled as she let the demon's gentle voice ease her mind.
Her heartbeat slowly returned to a normal rhythm.
Angel lightly pressed the back of his hand against Sioku's forehead, causing the girl to relax her body completely.
She felt safe and secure in his presence, and her worries began to melt away one by one.
Angel stared down at Sioku with an adoring expression.
"You look comfortable, Sioku," he commented with a grin.
Sioku grinned back at him and sighed dreamily.
Angel couldn't help but giggle as he ruffled Sioku's curly hair playfully.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked curiously.
Before Sioku could answer, they heard a knock on the door.
"Come in," responded Angel.
The door opened to reveal Alastor, a female demon with blond hair, and a snake demon standing in a group.
Alastor slowly led his friends into Angel's room.
The three visitors gathered around Angel's bed.
Angel protectively covered Sioku with his hands, then glared at Alastor.
Sioku's cheeks flushed as she gave the spider demon an awkward look.
She was surprised by Angel's protective jesture but didn't resist.
Her heart started to race with joy.
"What's the matter, Angel? Why do you look so mad?" asked Alastor in response to the spider demon's icy glare on him.
"Alastor, why did you bring these two here? You're going to put Sioku in danger. She hasn't recovered from her panic attack yet," answered Angel sternly.
Sioku smiled spellbound at the stern tone in Angel's voice.
"Is that what happened to Sioku before you brought her to the hotel?" Alastor inquired.
Angel nodded and kept his glare fixed on the radio demon.
"Pardon me, Angel, but I can explain. Alastor was coming up here to check on our new visitor when Sir Pentious and I asked to go with him. We didn't mean to intrude," said the female demon calmly.
Angel sighed, then shifted his attention to the girl with blond hair.
"I apologize for getting upset, Charlie, but I just calmed Sioku down a few minutes ago. Sioku had a panic attack after she woke up. I didn't want any of you to accidentally trigger her anxiety," he replied.
"I didn't mean to cause any trouble for you two when I brought Charlie and Pentious in here. They just wanted to meet Sioku," said Alastor with a remorseful expression.
"Can she talk to us?" asked Charlie.
"Sioku hasn't spoken a word since she woke up. We have to be patient with her," answered Angel.
A brief period of silence passed by in the room.
Sioku looked at Alastor and the others curiously.
"Angel, are those three people your friends?" she whispered.
"Yes, Sioku," Angel whispered back.
Sioku carefully wiggled herself out of Angel's grip and sat up.
Angel moved away from Sioku to give her some space.
"Hello, dear, my name is Alastor. I am pleased to meet you," said the radio demon to Sioku.
Sioku blushed as she listened to Alastor's voice.
"My name is Sioku," she replied shyly.
"Welcome to the Hazbin Hotel, Sioku, I'm glad you're here. I am Charlie Morningstar," said the demon girl.
"Thanks, Charlie," replied Sioku briefly.
"Hey, Sioku, why did you have a panic attack?" asked Charlie.
"Entering a new place can sometimes give me anxiety," answered Sioku with a sigh.
Flareon heard her trainer's conversation with the demons and woke up.
She shook her head, then let out a yawn.
All three visiting demons immediately turned their attention to Flareon who stared at them.
"Excuse me, Sioku, does that furry creature belong to you?" asked the snake demon.
Sioku's face instantly lit up with joy when she heard the snake demon's accented voice.
She smiled brightly and answered, "Yes, my furry friend's name is Flareon. She is a fire type fox Pokemon."
"Flareon's fur looks very pretty," commented the snake demon.
"Who are you?" asked Sioku as she stared directly at him.
"My name is Sir Pentious," answered the snake demon confidently.
Flareon sat up on the bed, staring intently at all four demons.
"Your owner is in good hands," assured Angel as he petted Flareon's head gently.
Flareon licked Angel's cheek in return.
Sioku blushed again, causing the girl to cover her face.
"Are you all right, Sioku?" asked Sir Pentious.
Sioku nodded, then smiled spellbound at Sir Pentious.
"I think Sioku likes the sound of your voice, Pentious," Charlie pointed out.
At Charlie's realization, Sioku slumped back against Angel and closed her eyes.
A dreamy smile remained in her expression.
Angel pulled Sioku into an affectionate hug, then stroked her hair.
"I'm glad to see you looking happy, Sioku," he said softly.
Sioku only smiled back in return.
Sir Pentious froze in place, staring at Charlie wide eyed.
"Do you really think so?" asked the snake demon nervously.
"Of course she does," answered Charlie with an amused grin.
A fuzzy feeling suddenly coursed through the snake demon's body.
Sir Pentious grabbed Charlie's shoulders and leaned close to her.
"What should I do?" he whispered in a flustered panic.
"You should go talk to her, Pentious. Sioku really likes you," answered Charlie with an encouraging smile.
Sir Pentious let go of Charlie's shoulders, then slowly backed away from her.
He looked at Sioku, then at his friends.
The snake demon bowed his head anxiously as he tensed up.
"What's wrong, Sir Pentious?" asked Alastor.
"I'm just nervous about approaching Sioku... Mr. Radio Demon, Sir. I don't want to hurt her," answered Pentious timidly.
Angel carefully sat up while still holding Sioku tight.
Sioku snuggled into Angel's shoulder.
"Don't worry, you're not going to hurt Sioku. Come over here, Sir Pentious," said Angel.
As Pentious cautiously slithered over to the bed, his entire body trembled like a leaf.
The snake demon could barely contain his racing heart and heavy breathing.
Charlie stifled a laugh as she hid her face.
She seemed amused by Sir Pentious's admiration for Sioku.
"What are you laughing at, Charlie?" asked Alastor.
"I've never seen Sir Pentious act that way in front of anyone before. He's adorable," Charlie whispered back.
"Pentious must have a soft spot in his heart for Sioku," Alastor added.
Angel gave the anxious snake demon a stern look.
"Pentious, you need to calm down. There's no reason for you to get so worked up over this," he said firmly.
Sioku grinned as she listened to the stern tone in Angel's voice.
"I'm serious, Sioku," Angel whispered in her ear.
Sioku only laughed harder at that.
Sir Pentious blushed with remorse when he saw Charlie and Alastor watching him from a distance.
He closed his eyes, using the silence in Angel's bedroom to relax himself.
"Are you okay now, Sir Pentious?" asked Angel calmly.
Pentious looked up at Angel as he nodded.
He leaned against the bedside and took a deep breath.
Flareon moved close to Sir Pentious, then nuzzled him affectionately.
The snake demon let out a content sigh in response to Flareon's affection toward him.
"Thank you, friendly fox," he said quietly.
Hearing Sir Pentious' voice up close made Sioku smile brightly.
"My Flareon is trying to help you stay calm, Sir Pentious. She's an emotional support Pokemon," replied Sioku.
"How long have you had this creature, Sioku?" asked Charlie.
"I've had Flareon for four years now. We met in the Kanto Region when she was still an Eevee. Eevee allowed me to catch her in a Pokeball, and she joined my team. I evolved my Eevee into a Flareon as soon as I found a fire stone. Flareon has become both a powerful and therapeutic Pokemon since then. We've already traveled around three regions together in the Pokemon world. Flareon stayed by my side as we competed in both gym challenges and Pokemon contests. She is my best friend," Sioku explained.
"It sounds like you two have gone on many fun adventures," said Alastor.
"We sure have," replied Sioku with a smile.
Angel gently released his hold on Sioku, allowing the girl to have her space again.
Sioku scooted to the edge of Angel's bed while gazing into Sir Pentious' eyes.
"What's going on?" asked the snake demon.
"Sioku wants to get to know you, Pentious," answered Charlie.
"She really likes you, Sir Pentious," Alastor chimed in.
Sir Pentious wrapped his tail around Sioku and gently pulled her closer to him.
Sioku happily embraced the snake demon and held him close.
Sir Pentious laid his head on Sioku's shoulder as she stroked him soothingly.
He closed his eyes and fell asleep after a few minutes.
In that moment, the effects of Sioku's previous recurring nightmare were non existent.
She relaxed in the comfortable environment provided by her new friends.
"Sioku and Pentious are so cute together," whispered Charlie to Angel.
"Yes, she looks comfortable with him too. I'm glad Alastor brought you and Sir Pentious in here," replied Angel quietly.
Sir Pentious and Sioku stayed in that position in silence for a long time as Charlie, Angel, and Alastor watched them.
An hour later, Charlie checked the time on her phone.
"Hey, Angel, it's getting late. I'm going to bed soon," said Alastor.
"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow morning. Have a good night, Alastor," replied the spider demon.
The radio demon quietly exited Angel's bedroom.
Charlie cautiously approached Sioku who held a sleeping Sir Pentious in her arms.
"Hi, Charlie, what's up?" greeted Sioku.
"Hey, Sioku, would you mind if I carried Sir Pentious to his room?" Charlie replied.
Sioku stood up, then carefully transferred Sir Pentious into Charlie's arms.
"Sleep well, Sir Pentious," whispered Sioku before she lightly kissed his head.
Sioku watched Charlie as she carried him out of Angel's room.
"Good night, Charlie," she said.
"You too, Sioku," replied Charlie before she closed the door behind her.
Angel and Sioku were alone in his room once again.
"Sioku, would you like to sleep in the guest room next to mine?" asked Angel.
"Sure, Flareon and I would love that. Thank you," answered Sioku gratefully.
She then turned to her Pokemon and commanded, "Let's go, Flareon."
Flareon immediately hopped off the bed and stood next to her trainer.
The spider demon led Sioku and Flareon into the room beside his own.
Sioku gave Angel one last hug.
"Have a good night, Angel. I'll see you tomorrow morning," she said.
"Same to you, Sioku," replied Angel before he gently closed the door.
Sioku changed into her pajamas, then situated herself on the bed.
Flareon laid down beside her.
Sioku almost immediately drifted off into the darkness.
Once again, Sioku's dream was nowhere near peaceful.
~Dream~
A teenage Sioku found herself back at the Trainer School in Jubilife City on her graduation day.
Sioku's former academic assistant, Julie, had just led her into the building.
Julie is a woman in her late forties with green eyes and wavy black hair.
Her outfit consisted of blue tennis shoes, blue jeans, a red T-shirt, and a thin red sweater.
A yellow leather bag hung down from her right shoulder.
Rows of chairs and a stage had been set up in there for the graduation ceremony.
Sioku watched shyly as the rows of chairs quickly began to fill up with people.
Julie grabbed Sioku by the collar of her blouse and dragged her into a corner.
People stared at Julie and Sioku as they went about their business.
Sioku's entire face flushed with utter embarrassment.
An air of awkward silence passed between the teacher and student.
Even though Sioku tried to remain calm, she and Julie had been attracting unwanted attention from everyone.
Julie finally broke the silence by starting a conversation with Sioku.
"Tell me, Sioku, are you satisfied with your overall behavior during your time here at this school?" she asked.
Judging by the tone in Julie's voice, Sioku understood that Julie was trying to get under her skin.
Sioku shook her head to suppress the anger rising within herself.
"Yes, why in the world would you ask that?" she responded with clear annoyance.
Tension suddenly began to grow between Julie and Sioku.
"Don't play innocent with me, Sioku," retorted Julie.
Sioku gave Julie a disgusted look.
"Whatever," she said with a huff.
"Do not try to dismiss me, Sioku! You can't escape this conversation!" shouted Julie.
Instead of cowering in fear, Sioku decided to stand up for herself and ignored Julie's hollering.
"Mis Julie, what exactly are you talking about?" she asked dumbfounded.
"You know what you did wrong, Sioku," answered Julie coldly.
Julie's mind game was making Sioku's head spin.
Sioku couldn't figure out why Julie was so upset with her.
"Quit playing your stupid games with me, Mis Julie! I want to know why you're upset with me! What did I do?" the teen shouted with clear irritation in her voice.
Julie smirked at Sioku's distress.
"Sioku Marie, are you telling me that you wouldn't apologize for throwing your teacher under the bus?" she continued.
At those words, Sioku's jaw dropped immediately.
The teen stood frozen in place with a look of confusion spreading across her face.
Julie's hurtful accusation ignited a spark of fury inside Sioku that she almost couldn't contain.
Sioku felt as if she could snap at any moment.
Her blood began to boil with pure rage.
The stubborn side of Sioku was now beginning to take over, and she couldn't control it.
"I have never done that to anybody! You're making things up again!" Sioku yelled back, her voice now laced with anger.
Sioku's defensive shouts caught the attention of many students who continued to stare at her.
"No I'm not," Julie responded plainly.
Julie's calm and collected demeanor stayed the same, catching Sioku by surprise.
Sioku had been expecting Julie to verbally attack her until she broke down in tears.
"Why would you say that?" asked Sioku defensively.
"You started an unnecessary argument with your teacher last week," answered Julie, her icy glare fixed on Sioku.
"That is not true, Mis Julie," Sioku argued.
"It isn't?" taunted Julie with a smirk.
Sioku rolled her eyes at Julie in response.
"No!" she hollered.
Sioku sensed something suspicious about Julie's calm and collected attitude toward her.
She just couldn't hold back her anger any longer.
Sioku's heart started to race as she turned around to get in Julie's face.
"Mis Julie, you should know that I would never, ever hurt anyone! Everything you say about me is a lie! You have no proof to back this up!" she screamed.
"You don't know that," Julie retorted.
Sioku let out a growl of frustration and turned her head away from Julie.
Without a warning, Julie grabbed the front of Sioku's shirt and pinned her against the wall using both hands.
A look of pure terror appeared on Sioku's face as she gasped.
She didn't have time to process her scary situation.
Shivers covered her entire body.
The frightened girl's heart pounded rapidly in her chest.
Sioku tried to maintain her composure by forcing down her fears.
Every person in the room except a girl with blond hair named Ariel continued to stare at Sioku and Julie while whispering amongst themselves.
Sioku's best friend, Ariel, wore a horrified expression as she watched the scene before her.
"What the heck is going on? Why is Julie acting so violent toward Sioku?" she thought.
A feeling of embarrassment washed over Sioku as she trembled under Julie's grasp.
Julie finally released her grip on Sioku, letting her fall to the ground.
Ariel immediately ran toward her best friend as soon as she heard a thud.
"Sioku! Are you okay?" she asked frantically.
"Yes, Ariel, you don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine," answered Sioku as she carefully rose to her feet.
Sioku took a deep breath in relief knowing that she was safe for a moment.
Ariel stood behind Sioku in a protective manner and continued to watch the scene.
She inconspicuously pulled out her phone, then started to record Julie's activity.
Unfortunately for Sioku, her freedom didn't last long at all.
Julie grabbed Sioku by her shoulders, then turned her around roughly.
Sioku returned Julie's icy glare as she faced her.
"Don't you glare at me, Sioku Marie!" Julie demanded as she slapped her hand on the girl's right shoulder.
Sioku's rage quickly faded away, leaving fear in its place.
A pit of anxiety formed in her stomach.
She jumped and let out a nervous yelp.
The shaking in her body intensified.
Julie then forcefully pulled Sioku closer to her, causing the girl to shut her eyes tightly.
However, doing that didn't block out the situation.
"Oh… quit whimpering like that, Sioku. Your little nervous act isn't going to fool me," Julie said while tightening her grip on Sioku.
Sioku groaned internally at the stinging pain in her shoulders.
Sioku's body started to shake uncontrollably as her breathing increased rapidly.
Julie's violent actions caused the girl to go into a complete shut down.
Sioku was too afraid to argue with Julie in that moment.
She felt as if all hope had been lost for her.
However, Sioku still didn't intend to cower before Julie like she used to.
Sioku took a moment to calm herself down which helped her regain some confidence.
A fresh spark of courage suddenly lit up inside Sioku when she saw Ariel standing behind her.
Before Sioku could finally respond, Julie relentlessly continued her yelling speech. "Sioku, there's no way I'll let you get out of this predicament so easily! Your teacher and I have gone above and beyond, and you didn't appreciate any of it! You acted like a little baby because she wouldn't let you download that silly VeggieTales music on your laptop! VeggieTales is for children five years old and under!"
Julie's verbally abusive speech lit a new spark of fury inside Sioku that nobody had ever seen before.
Sioku's rage toward Julie burned through her like a wild fire.
Everybody in the assembly room could feel Sioku's anger radiating off of her.
At that point, Sioku didn't care who was watching their argument.
Feeling completely enraged, Sioku faced Julie a second time with heat rising in her cheeks.
Sioku's heart continued to pound as she glared daggers at Julie.
"Do you seriously call bullying and yelling at me every day going above and beyond?" she hollered.
"I've been giving you information," Julie protested.
A look of hatred crossed Sioku's face as she laughed at Julie's response.
"Listen up, Mis Julie, that is not even close to what happened! Your mind is twisted! You have this all wrong!" Sioku shouted, her voice now full of malice.
"Yes it is! Your teacher told me the entire story as soon as you left her classroom!" Julie yelled back.
"Oh… really, Mis Julie?" asked Sioku sarcastically.
Julie simply nodded in response.
Ariel gave Sioku an encouraging look, giving her best friend the strength to keep fighting.
Sioku felt as if Ariel had been silently healing her mental wounds every time Julie struck her.
"I'm not surprised that you believe her. You two probably set up that fight to attract negative attention toward me," I countered.
Julie grabbed Sioku by her shoulders once again and squeezed them tightly.
"Enough is enough, Sioku Marie! Go sit down! You will not win this fight!" the woman hollered furiously.
"We'll see about that," muttered Sioku with a competitive look.
Sioku then pulled herself out of Julie's grasp with all the strength she had.
"First of all, you had no right to put your hands on me! Second of all, you had no right to criticize me for watching kids' shows! They have helped me way more than you have ever done!" she yelled back, not being intimidated by her in the slightest.
Julie wasn't going to let Sioku speak her mind freely though.
She always had to have the last word.
"It sounds to me like you'll never get this through your thick head, Sioku. I hope whenever you listen to that music, you think about how badly you've hurt your teacher and me! You have demolished your friendship with both of us," Julie replied roughly.
"I never had a friendship with you, Mis Julie," Sioku grumbled in annoyance.
"Oh… really? I'm going to tell your mother about this whole argument! She'll deal with you," Julie replied before she turned away from her student.
Standing behind Sioku, Ariel turned off her video camera before shoving the phone into her purse.
Julie's last comment made Sioku finally break down.
Sioku's wall of rage and strength came crumbling down on top of her like a ton of heavy bricks.
An overwhelming feeling of defeat washed over Sioku like a powerful tidal wave.
She felt heavily weighed down by the emotional pressure.
Sioku burst into tears as she bowed her head sadly.
She imagined herself getting blamed and punished harshly by her mother for the entire situation.
"You win, Mis Julie," Sioku whispered softly.
The distressed girl no longer had control of her emotions.
Sioku's body started to tremble violently once again as she cried silently into the fabric of her shirt.
She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down by thinking about her favorite songs from VeggieTales.
Unfortunately, hearing those infectious songs in her head only made Sioku remember Julie's harsh words.
~Flashback~
"I hope whenever you listen to that music, you think about how badly you've hurt your teacher and me! You have demolished your friendship with both of us," said Julie's voice roughly.
~End Flashback~
Tears welled up in Sioku's eyes as the lyrics to a VeggieTales song played over and over in her mind.
With a shattered spirit, Sioku quietly slipped further into her own thoughts.
Sioku decided that she would try her best to forget about VeggieTales completely in order to prevent Julie's mental scar from ruining her life.
~End Dream~