I*A*C
I stood before Aster as he sat at his desk, arms crossed as I glared at him. The papers I'd found within Team Solar's base laid bare on his table for all to see. Victor stood by the door, his arm still in his cast. Lucy had been taken to bed by her mother. To let the men talk. I would have to get a word with her, later; to get a better read on the woman who was hosting me. It was still dark outside, obviously, since Aster had all but asked for my presence once we'd landed in the helicopter. I hadn't even been given time to change out of my bodysuit. "Were you aware of how long they've been active, and what they were looking for?" I asked, glaring at the man. To his credit, he didn't flinch or turn away from me, instead meeting my eyes when I spoke to him. Curse my seven-year-old body.
"I couldn't be sure if-"
"That's not what I asked, Mister Balsam," I stressed. "Did you know that Team Solar was after Cosmog, and that they have been active for the last five thousand years!?" At this, Aster shrunk slightly before regaining his posture.
"I was not aware they'd been active for that long, no," he answered diplomatically. "Additionally, how do you know about the Prince of the Stars?"
"That's not important to-"
"That's incredibly important," Aster stressed, cutting me off. "The knowledge of the Prince of the Stars is known to very few select individuals, and even then, never has it been referred to with the name... Cosmog," he sounded out the word slowly. "So, I'll ask again, young man, how do you know about it?"
"Because I'm a dimensionally traveling adult from a world without Pokémon where Pokémon was used as children's entertainment for nearly forty years because of a man's love for bug catching," I replied, staring at the man before me. If the explanation threw him off, he did a damn good job of hiding it. After a few moments, Aster let out a sigh.
"If you're going to lie, at least make it something more believable," Aster told me, and while a part of me was relieved he didn't believe me... Another part was a bit saddened. "A world without Pokémon. How absurd." Wouldn't that make it more believable, though? Maybe just for certain people. "However you came across this information, and however much you know, I assume you already know that it must be kept secret?" I nodded at the question. "Good. At least you have your head on straight regarding that." Huh, Aster was a lot snippier now than he was when I'd left. Did something happen, or was the information I knew just that secret? I could imagine why... anyone with open ties to royal families would be both the most hated and revered people in the world. Some might want them dead, and others might want them to rule again. That alone could upset a lot of governments and large corporations.
"So, for what reason does the Balsam Family have Cosmog?" I asked, having a glare leveled at me for asking. "What? I may as well know the full picture, right? That way no unnecessary complications arise out of it."
"That is a discussion for another time," Aster shook his head, standing up from his chair. "I still don't know just what to make of you, son. However, you saved my daughter, so for now, you have my thanks, and I'll leave it at that." I frowned at his words. There was no way he expected me to let him just drop the matter like that, did he? I watched his expression as he walked around his desk to stand beside me. It was that of a tired man, and now that I thought of it...
The two of us yawned simultaneously, and I understood. Sort of. This wasn't a talk he wanted to have when both of us were tired, I supposed. That was fine. I'd get the answer out of him soon enough. I had years to do so, after all, and I'm sure Lucy would be more than happy to help me snoop around, if I asked her. I immediately nixed the thought. I wasn't about to use Aster's own daughter against him like that. No, I could figure it all out on my own in my own time.
"I suppose it is late," I agree with him, slowly closing my eyes and admitting my defeat. This time. "Maybe another time, then. But don't think this is me trusting you, Aster. You lied to me, and I'm going to remember that." I unclipped the poké balls I had with me, handing them to the man. "Thanks for the Pokémon. Make sure Weavile gets his cold building as soon as possible, and both he and Aggron need to get healed whenever possible. The two of them took quite a lot of damage, it seems." Weavile's ball shook indignantly in my hand, but I ignored it. Aster took the poké balls from me.
"I'll see to it," he told me, ushering me off. "Vic, if you would escort Taiyo to his room, please?" Vic nodded, leading me out of the room. We walked in silence as we went, passing several maids who were dusting various items that were on display in the hall, and a few even using roller vacuums on the floors. The electrical vacuum hadn't been invented yet, so this was the best they had.
"You've done a good thing, Young Master," Vic told me as we walked together. "I know that Master Balsam has his secrets, and I am privy to some of them. However, I ask that you come to forgive him. There are many things about this family that you don't know the truth of, and some of them are best left to die with him."
"Have I gotten involved with some super corrupt underground crime family, Vic?" I asked. The man's eyes widened as he sputtered and coughed for a moment.
"No, no, nothing of the sort," the man laughed, but there was a tinge of nervousness in the way his smile twitched. I nodded, pretending I hadn't seen that. "I do believe you and the Young Mistress have school tomorrow. We can have your school clothes brought to you, if you so please. I noticed that you were quite eager to leave the Alahi residence, yesterday." Shit, was it really that late? I guess so; as we passed a clock on the wall, I could see it was around five in the morning.
"Any chance Lucy and I could skip school, today?" I asked Vic. "I think she might need it, and since it starts in about four hours, there's no way either of us are going to be ready. Emotionally prepared or otherwise." Vic thought the matter over for a moment, before finally nodding as we arrived at my door.
"I suppose that can be arranged," he told me, agreeing with me. "Though, for the sake of your own safety, you'll be required to stay within the confines of the mansion. The school has enough staff with Pokémon Trainers among them to properly protect the two of you should something happen, but I can't imagine Team Solar would take such a defeat lying down."
"There'll be enough time for them to lick their wounds," I argued lightly. "An organization like that won't rush in headfirst without a plan. Honestly, yesterday felt like a rushed job from some grunts and a leader who wanted to prove himself. There are even some members who have no idea what they're actually doing, just working for the group for a paycheck."
"Hm, that is concerning," Vic mumbled, rubbing his chin as he thought. "I can imagine that they're operating under a shell company name for that, only filling in relevant details once they've already recruited or hired someone. Though that leaves the question of how they are funding their operation..." I didn't mention the one single gold chunk remaining in my backpack. It probably wouldn't have been helpful, anyway. If they had some kind of gold extraction mine or something similar, I'm sure the little nuggets of gold they had wouldn't have been in a trophy room. Heh, I wondered if these were some super old relics of the Alolan monarchy, and I'd just fed three of them to a steelix.
"Something to think about, later," I told the man, who agreed wordlessly. "Gnight, Vic. You sleep well, alright? Hope your arm heals up soon." The man nodded and bid me goodnight, and I closed the door behind me. I listened to him walk away, and then locked the door. I moved over to the window of the room, pulling the curtains shut before sitting on the guest room's bed, setting my backpack down beside me. Alright, time to see what we got...
I emptied the bag on my bed, staring at the collection of items. The dagger, the grapple, and the flashlight I set aside, and I instead stared at the various items Furret had looted from the trophy room. There was the Z-Power Ring on my wrist, obviously, as well as that Z-Crystal I'd picked up. I didn't recognize it, but it'd been over ten years since I'd last played the Sun and Moon games. Given that it held a different shape, though, I was inclined to believe it was more important than normal Z-Crystals. It was clearly a dark purple color, and embedded within its center was a particular shape similar to Pokémon Moon's box symbol.
I stared at the item, my heart beating faster as I began to realize what exactly I was holding in my hands. His was a Z-Crystal related to Lunala. That had to be it. I hadn't thought about it in so long, but I could at least put those pieces together. The thought of having such a Pokémon was... well, the thought itself was quite intoxicating. With that kind of power... I snapped myself from those thoughts and placed the Z-Crystal back into the bag. No, nothing good would come of megalomania. Besides, what were the actual chances of me getting my hands on a Lunala of all things? I probably wouldn't even get my hands on Cosmog without making an enemy of the Balsam family, and I wasn't willing to do that. I'd already lost Emmi and Kanu. I couldn't lose Lucy, too.
The next item was the small gold chunk worth about ten-thousand credits. A part of me was tempted to sell the little precious metal nugget, but another part of me rationalized that it could come in handy if I needed to deal with another Pokémon like Steelix. I'd hold on to it for now, even though I really could have used the money. Well, I'm sure there were other ways to get capture devices for my poké balls. Aster owed me, after all. Maybe I could use that.
After the gold nugget were a pair of very familiar gems, the first and smaller of which I knew immediately. A Key Stone. Which meant the second had to be a Mega Stone; though I couldn't recognize what kind it was. That was fine; I'd find out another time. Still, I couldn't use this right now, so I put the two stones into a special pouch in my bag.
The last item was a red sash tied into a tight knot. At first, I was confused, but realized it was a Focus Sash after a few moments. Wait, now that I thought about it, how did held items work in this world? I frowned, placing it back into the bag. That was everything. I couldn't use most of it, but that was fine. I'm sure I could find uses for everything later on. I made sure everything was put away before unlocking the door, turning off the light, and lying down in bed. Sleep took me easily, as the exhaustion from the day claimed me without a fight. I dreamed of dull eyes, and terror turning to acceptance.
The next day was slow, which I was appreciative of. Lucy and I were both woken up for breakfast, and we met each other in the hallway to the dining room. The mansion was alive and buzzing with activity as maids and butlers went about their business. I wondered what had happened to them the day before...?
Lucy was quiet the whole way, but held my hand like she was afraid of losing me. I humored her, following her lead as we walked together. It was nice. I hoped against hope that today would be far more peaceful than it had been yesterday, and I had to remind myself that Team Solar probably wouldn't dare attack us for a while. I had destroyed their base in Po Town, as well as several city blocks worth of warehouses. Even if they weren't sure if I was The Black Samurai or just a kid, they knew now that they weren't welcome in Alola. I just wish I knew where their actual base was, since those documents stated that Po Town was just a satellite base.
Still, the team would be busy licking their wounds, which meant I had time to plan for their next move. I just wish I knew what that move that was. Urgh, it wasn't worth thinking about right now. I'd let Aster and Vic handle that.
Speaking of which, Aster and his wife were sitting at the dinner table, already eating when Lucy and I arrived. The man was reading the paper as he ate what looked to be eggs, bacon, and a glass of orange juice, while Calli happily ate something like oatmeal along with a side of sausage patties. "Good morning," I greeted them, Lucy following my greeting with her own.
"Ah, just the boy I wanted to see," Aster folded his newspaper as Lucy and I sat across from her parents, and he handed it to Vic, who dutifully stood behind the head of the house. Vic walked over and set the paper in front of me. "You made quite a stir over in Po Town." I looked down at the headline in front of me. Massive Explosion Rocks Po Town Seaside District. Lailani Corp Exposed As Multiple Underground Tunnels Revealed To Public. "It seems that our friends in Team Solar have lost face with one of their companies."
I skimmed through the article, but there was no mention of Team Solar within it. "They're not named," I pointed out. "Did they pay off the media, or do they not know, still?" Aster shrugged, smiling good-naturedly.
"Who can say," he suggested. It wasn't a satisfying answer, but I had the idea that he didn't know, either. "Still, you've set them back by a fair degree, son. You've rescued my precious little girl, and returned her safely home. How can I ever repay you?"
"You mentioned being my sponsor," I reminded him, getting the man to nod in response. "I take it you mean aside from all of that?" Aster nodded again, pleasantly eating his breakfast. I looked between him and his wife. "Capture devices. I'm making poké balls from apricorns, and I need about twenty of them. Can you provide those for me?"
"All too easy, son," Aster replied, "what else?" What else? Did I really need anything else? I thought for a moment. Was this some kind of test? I looked between Aster and his wife, trying to pick up any clues, but the two of them were infuriatingly calm about all of this. What the hell was expected of me, here?
"Make sure you work on Weavile's cold room as soon as possible," I told him. Aster seemed taken by surprise by that, but regained his bearings within a second or two.
"Naturally," he replied. "I already have someone drawing up plans for it. You didn't expect me to go back on my word about that, did you?" Honestly, a part of me had. After discovering he'd lied to me about Team Solar, I wasn't sure what was truthful or not coming from him. My silence must have spoken volumes, because his easygoing smile slipped for the briefest of moments.
"Of course not," I lied, glancing at Lucy, who seemed just so happy to see her best friend and daddy talking. Speaking of which, I had to talk to her about... what we were, now. I honestly had no clue, and yesterday had probably changed what we were. I just didn't know how. "I know you're a man of your word," I finished. He and I both knew that I was lying, but for the sake of Lucy, I'd continue to do so. "So, aside from that... I guess... would you be willing to let me stay here? I'm not exactly welcome in the Alahi household right now." Aster nodded, seeming pleased with the answer. I realized that he probably already knew that I'd ask something along those lines, and that was what he was expecting. I wondered what else he knew about me...
"Oh, it'll be so wonderful to have you as a part of our family!" the brunette woman spoke happily, looking at me with her piercing eyes. I did my best not to fidget. "I'm sure my daughter will be so happy to have you around!"
"It'll be a pleasure," I replied diplomatically. My eyes refused to meet hers. "I'd also like to set up a workshop in the garden," I told Aster. "So I can make my poké balls out where it's nice instead of staying inside all day. Maybe near the mountain, where Aggron is?" Aster nodded slowly, seeming surprised that I'd want to be that far out, but agreeing, nonetheless. In the meantime, a butler asked what Lucy and I wanted for breakfast. I asked for an omelet with some sausage and toast on the side, and Lucy asked for the same once she'd heard what I'd asked for.
"Next off," Aster spoke up once we'd asked for our food, "about your sponsorship. Do you know everything it entails?" I shook my head and waited for him to continue. "Mm, well, in essence, I will cover your expenses when it comes to food, housing, and the like when it comes to traveling as a trainer. Of course, you'll need to finish trainer school first, but that seems to be a given due to your track record." I was able to follow him so far and gave him a nod to continue. "In return, you will be representing me, and the companies and holdings I own. Your equipment will have to be purchased from stores under the brands I own, and you'll need to sign an Anti-Disparagement Agreement among other things. I can't stop you from making your own things or purchasing items we can't provide from competitors, but just keep that in mind. I'll give you a list of brands and items when you get older."
"Do I have to do the same thing if I become a trainer, daddy?" Lucy asked. Aster smiled, shaking his head.
"Of course not, sweetie! You can do whatever you want, alright? The only reason all of this is necessary for Taiyo is because he'll be signing a contract, that's all." I had a feeling there was more to that statement than he was telling me, but I couldn't prove it. It was just a hunch. Aster continued, focusing back on me, "Anyway, that's the long and short of it. We'll get into more details once you're older and become an officially licensed trainer. Do you have any questions?"
"None right now," I told him, shaking my head. I looked back over at Lucy, who just seemed happy to have me around. She still hadn't let go of my hand since we'd sat down. "Lucy's told me that she's never played any video games, by the way," I mentioned, looking back to her parents. "Well, I'm kind of a fan of them, myself. Since we're staying here, today, could we get a console and a few games?"
"I don't know if that's entirely conductive to a-" Calli began, but a look from Aster and myself stopped her short. "Well, perhaps something educa-" She stopped again, noticing the sad look spread across Lucy's face. She finally let out a sigh, closing her eyes and slouching in her chair. "Fine. Perhaps a handful of video games will be acceptable." Her eyes narrowed at her daughter. "But no more than an hour every day, and only once your homework is finished." She looked over to Vic, who bowed and moved to speak to one of the maids standing attentively to the side.
"Thank you," I told her, hoping to ease her concerns a bit. Calli refused to look at me, and I wasn't sure how I should feel about that. "I know you want your daughter to be well prepared for the world, but kids need time to relax and just be kids, too." Calli looked like she wanted to argue with me, but she kept herself quiet. I wonder what she wanted to say...
"Ah, while you're at it, Vic," Aster spoke up as he stood, thanking the maids for the breakfast before continuing, "could you get young Taiyo here a phone? One of the newer models, if you would. I'm aware that you don't own one, correct?" He directed the question to me.
"Oh, uh, no, I don't. Oh, could you grab my stuff from the Alahi's residence while you're getting a console for Lucy, Vic? Just the tumblestones and apricorns are strictly needed." Vic nodded.
"We'll provide a phone for you," Aster continued once I'd finished my request. "After all, it would be immensely useful for you to be able to contact any of us at a moment's notice. Especially with Team Solar still out there, and apparently far more dangerous than any of us could imagine."
"Five thousand years," Calli mumbled, still processing that information. "It's hard to believe how long they've been around." I had to agree with that. I wondered if Team Solar had kept their name over the centuries, or if it'd changed. Hell, maybe some notable historical organizations had operated under their banner...
"There are some things that will always survive the test of time. Changed and malformed, sometimes, but alive," I told them as Lucy and I received our food. I gave the maid my thanks, and Lucy did the same, after me. I continued, "I'm sure that if we were to look closely, we'd see their influence on the world. Perhaps Team Solar isn't even their real name, and are just a large shell organization." Aster's eyes narrowed with concern.
"You think that someone like them are a front?" he asked, adjusting his tie. "Hm. Something we discuss another time. I need to get to the office." He leaned over to kiss his wife before Lucy peeled her hand away from mine, going to hug her dad as he left for work. "The two of you take care today. Be a good girl, alright, Lucy?"
"I will, daddy," the girl replied, hugging him tightly. "Be safe?"
"Of course, sweetheart," Aster smiled as he responded, giving me a final nod before leaving the dining room. Lucy and I finished our breakfast quickly, and Calli had gone out to do... whatever it was she did. I asked Lucy if she knew, but the girl had no idea.
The two of us decided to spend time in the garden while we waited for the men Vic had sent out to return. It was full of lively Pokémon, as expected, and I could already see Aggron resting by the mountainside, staring at the actual garden itself. His gaze met mine, and though it was hard to perceive from this distance, I saw him nod. Looking around, I also saw Furret over by some of the flowers, playing with a few of the combee. Weavile was, as expected, resting up in his tree, looking miserable.
"Let's go say hi to Weavile and Aggron," I told Lucy, gently tugging her hand to get her to follow me. "They're the ones who helped me rescue you, after all."
"Do we... have to?" she asked, looking nervous. "They're always mean when I try to say hi to them."
"Don't worry, I'll protect you," I told her, and she finally moved to follow me. I led her to the big tree, first. Now that I was getting a better look at it, I recognized it as a banyan tree. It had relatively low branches compared to other trees, but this one was still massive; its lowest branch about ten feet off the ground. Lucy let go of my hand as we got closer, her coming to a stop around fifteen feet away while I stood under where Weavile was laying. He looked down at me with a single red eye. "Hey there, Weavile. I talked with Aster, and he says he already has someone working on designs for your cold room." The Pokémon smirked, pointing a sharp claw to the corner of the garden where several men wearing construction equipment measured the flat, slightly elevated ground over by the left wall and the mountain's cliff.
"Hey, that's great!" I grinned looking up at the weavile. "Soon enough you'll be nice and comfortable, right? I bet that'll be really nice." Weavile barked, smirking down at me from his perch. I looked back to Lucy, who still looked nervous. "Hey, this is Lucy," I introduced her, gently waving her forward. She took small steps as Weavile watched her, hardly paying her any mind. "She wanted to say thanks for rescuing her. Right, Lucy?"
"U-Oh, yes!" Lucy nodded, looking up at the weasel Pokémon. Weavile looked amused at her fear. "Thank you very much for helping me, Weavile!" The weavile seemed to chuckle under his breath, turning away. Lucy let out a breath, relief flooding over her.
"Guess that's as good of a 'you're welcome' as you're gonna get," I told her. I waved to the Pokémon in the tree. "Have a good one, Weavile. I'll be living here for the foreseeable future, so let's do some actual training, sometime." I saw the Pokémon give me the side-eye, but he said nothing to show me if the thought interested him or not. I led Lucy back to where Aggron was, giving the construction guys a wave as we passed by them. I noticed they had machop and timburr with them, helping flatten out the ground when needed.
As we reached Aggron, Lucy seemed a little more open to getting close, but still wilted under his gaze when he opened his eyes to look at us. His attention shifted between us and the construction workers. "Ah, not too happy with them around huh?" I asked, and the large Pokémon huffed. "Sorry about that. You probably already know that they're getting things ready for Weavile's new cooler room. Are you gonna be alright with that?" Aggron huffed again, but shrugged his shoulders as he leaned back against the cliff wall.
"How do you feel?" I asked him. Again, Aggron shrugged and let out a metallic groan. "That bad, huh? Well, hopefully we won't have to take you out fighting again any time soon. Oh, I was actually thinking of having a workshop out here, somewhere." His eyes narrowed at that. "I'm going to be living here for a while, and I'm hoping to make some hand-made poké balls. You've probably noticed I don't have any Pokémon of my own, right?"
Aggron was quiet for a moment as he seemed to take it all in before he nodded. "Well," I continued, "I want to make poké balls so I can go out and catch some. They're crazy expensive, and..." And now I was basically being sponsored by the Balsam family. I trailed off, staring at the right-side wall. I was sure the man would be happy to practically just give me poké balls at this point. I looked to Lucy and Aggron, and they both stared at me. Lucy with more visible concern, of course. "I know I could probably ask for some. Hell, Aster would probably shower me in them, if he could. But... I don't know, I guess since I'm this far in, I just wanna see it through. Besides, everyone uses the newest poké balls and they all look the same." I smiled, thinking of the little apricorn balls. "I guess I want something to stand out, too."
"Tai...?" Lucy mumbled, not sure what to say. Aggron grumbled, before laughing. It sounded like a deep, grinding sound. Lucy took a step back as he stood up, taking a fighting position and roaring into the sky before laughing again.
"A showman," I muttered, getting the idea behind his actions. "Yeah, I guess I am. A flair for the dramatic and incredible is always a part of being a Pokémon Trainer, right? If I have poké balls that are- that stand out, then people will remember me and my team. Heh, I knew you'd understand! You said it even better than I could!" Aggron laughed again, a smirk on his face.
"Anyway, I wanted to ask you about my workshop," I told the aggron before he could sit back down. "Is there any place out of the way over here that you wouldn't mind me setting up? I'm thinking it'll probably be pretty small, like a shack, but give me enough space to make it bigger if I have to." Aggron seemed to think for a moment, looking over his rocky territory. Finally, he began moving towards an area along the right side of the garden's wall, where the stony ground bled into the flower garden itself.
Aggron slammed his tail right near the border of the patchy grass, giving me a snort and a grunt. "Right here, huh?" I asked, getting a nod from the Iron Armor Pokémon. I gave it a little look over, smiling. "Sounds good. It'll probably be little more than a tent to start with, but maybe I'll set down some foundations when I get the chance." The Pokémon grunted, nodding with approval before turning his attention to Lucy, who squeaked under his gaze.
"Oh, right, Lucy, don't you have something to say to Aggron?"
"T-Thank you for helping rescue me!" she shouted, her voice high. Aggron chuckled, reaching over and ruffling her hair, much to her terror. She stared at me as Aggron went back to his spot by the cliffs. I gently took Lucy's hand, leading her back into the glower garden.
"See? They aren't so bad," I spoke softly, sitting her down on one of the stone benches by the lake. I watched as a yanma drank some of the water before moving on. Lucy still looked shaken from being touched by the massive Pokémon, and I held her in a hug until she stopped shivering. "You feel a bit better, Lucy?" The girl nodded, though she obviously wasn't. I reached over and rubbed her back even though I wasn't hugging her anymore. We stayed like that for a little while, watching the Pokémon around us as they went about their days. A zigzagoon gently rubbed against her leg as he passed us by, letting us both pet his fur before he ran off into the shrubbery.
"Did you really come save me because you wanted to?" she asked, staring at the stone pack of the garden. A weedle crawled onto the stone bench, took one look at us, then fell back into the foliage. Lucy smiled as she watched it do that.
"Of course I did," I told her. "Didn't I say so, last night?" She nodded, her fingers fiddling with each other. She was silent for a bit longer before speaking once more.
"Mother said that people who do things like that are naive, and only the intelligent and powerful know to do things both that make them look good, and serve their own purposes," she replied. God fucking dammit, Calli. Lucy's eyes met mine for a moment, before she looked back down at the path. "She says that's why you actually did it."
"Do you believe her?" I asked, wanting to get her thoughts before I said anything more. Lucy shook her head before she shrugged.
"I don't know," was her answer. Well, at least she wasn't instantly jumping back on board with that dumb ideology. I could work with that. "I don't... I kept thinking about it last night in bed. Why would you rescue me?" I kept silent, letting her sort her thoughts out loud. "I thought... When you faced everyone when I arrived at school... I thought that you saw me as valuable. Of course I am. I'm Lusamine Balsam, I'm amazing!" She smiled for a moment before looking back down over the lake. "Right?" She looked over at me, confusion evident on her face.
"I mean, your mom isn't wrong that people can decide to do the right thing, and also think about the benefits behind it," I admitted to Lucy. Frustratingly, she looked even more confused before. Ugh, how do I explain nuance to a kid? "But that doesn't have to be the case every time. I mean, I've done it before. Like when we went to get malasadas for the first time. I wanted to become better friends with everyone, but I also just... wanted to get malasadas."
"Or like the time you asked Kanu and Mohn to come with you to get tumblestones?" Lucy asked. I winced, nodding.
"Yeah," I mumbled, "like that." She stared at me, looking over my face. I let out a sigh. "The thing is, you can go about life in a lot of different ways. It's just, some people do things certain ways more than they do others. Maybe your parents like to see every advantage they can before committing to something. They like knowing they'll get something out of it in the end. I just... that's just a really lonely way to live, you know?" Judging from her expression, she didn't, but she was trying to understand. "I think people should just do what they want, and do their best to help others in the process," I told her.
"Like living on a farm out in the countryside," I told her. "Small town people are more likely to help each other when things get tough, because they know that their friends and neighbors will help them when they need it and it's the right thing to do. Kindness begets kindness, right?" Lucy seemed lost. I sighed again, trying to think of a way to simplify it. "Just... it's never wrong to want to help someone. You can always make a mistake doing things as some kind of deal, but doing the right thing... even if someone takes advantage of it, you'll know that you tried to do the right thing." I blinked. "Do you know what integrity is, Lucy?"
"Mother says that's what idiots use to justify being dumb," Lucy replied. I winced. "Uh, I don't know what it means, though." She offered me a sheepish smile, obviously seeing that her comment had upset me.
"Integrity is doing the right thing or keeping a promise, even when the only person who will ever know is yourself," I told her. "It's the thing that makes heroes what they are. What everyone should strive to have." I stared at the lake, a wry smile on my face. "Even if you're not exactly a good person, if you have integrity, people will trust you and be willing to follow you for what you believe in." Lucy nodded, seeming to wrap her mind around my words.
"Is that why you wanted to rescue me? To be my friend?" she asked. "Because of integrity?" I chuckled, patting her back before moving my arm back to my side.
"Partly," I told her. "Again, it just... comes down to being a good person, I guess? I wanted to be your friend because I wanted to. No ulterior motives. I rescued you because you're my friend and I care about you. No other reason." Lucy nodded, once more staring out over the lake.
"I don't think I completely understand," she said, a smile on her face as she watched a buizel riding on Blastoise's shell. "But I want to."
"Then that's all you need," I told her. "No matter what happens; even if the world turns against you, I'll be your friend. I promise that, Lucy."
"Is that... all you want to be?" Lucy asked, looking at me from the corner of her eyes. Oh, boy. Here we go. I figured this was coming. The girl leaned against me, her head resting on my shoulder. "Surely you're not so dense... to misunderstand that I like you. I... think I do, at least. You're kind, and you're warm, and you're a complete ruffian, but you're still nice to me and the people I like."
"I'm... not sure what I want us to be, honestly," I told her, but I didn't push her away. "Trust me, I'm well aware. Kinda hard to misinterpret a kiss on the cheek like you gave me, before." She nodded, and I spied a light flush to her cheeks. "Still... I just think we're a bit young to really make any decisions like that, you know?"
"I guess," Lucy mumbled, sounding a little disheartened.
"I mean, that doesn't mean I don't like you too," I told her. "I do. Honestly, I really like you. You're cute, and you're driven, and you're scary smart when you want to be. I just- We're seven, Lucy. Most kids our age aren't even aware about deeper feelings, much less thinking about them. Let's just give it some time, ok?" Lucy was silent, and for a moment I was afraid I'd upset her. "I mean... why don't we get promise rings?"
"Promise rings?" she asked, her voice soft.
"Yeah. A ring for each of use that we can wear to remind ourselves of each other," I told her. "They can symbolize our close friendship, and remind us that, when we're older, we can sit down and talk about what we want our relationship to be. No dodging the matter, and you can always know I'll be thinking about you when I look at mine. Would that be okay?" Lucy looked up at me, staring at my eyes while she thought about what I'd said. She finally nodded after a minute of thinking.
"I like that idea," Lucy said, sounding far happier than she'd been. "I'll even make you another promise. I promise that I won't be useless, and that I won't have to rely on you all the time to rescue me. I promise that I'll do whatever I can to make things earier for you, alright?"
"Sounds like a deal," I told her, chuckling. "Even though you're not useless at all, okay?" I thought for a moment, then spoke up again, "Well, if you're doing extra, then so will I. I promise that I'll always be your best friend, even if we decide not to get into a relationship when we get older. I promise I'll consider it seriously, though." Lucy nodded, a smile on her face as she looked up at me. I wrapped my arm around her, hugging her close. Maybe things would work out.
The two of us stayed like that for a while. We didn't talk about much, instead taking time to decompress and let the emotions of the last twenty-four hours to flow out of us. I told her some dumb jokes whenever they came to mind, and she told me about her favorite TV shows from Unova and even Johto. I'd heard that Johto was beginning its foray into modern entertainment and culture, including manga and anime. Apparently, Lucy had a thing for romance anime and manga. I shouldn't have been as surprised as I was.
"So then Kenji and Elise are stuck together in the closet!" Lucy squealed excitedly; her former melancholy long forgotten as the mood had been lifted over time. "I can't wait until the next volume! I bet they kiss! Oh, I can't wait!"
"Wait, but didn't you say Elise and Koga are dating?" I asked, trying to keep up with the entire synopsis of a fifty-book manga Lucy had been reading. Lucy nodded eagerly, rolling her eyes all the while.
"Well yeah," she replied easily. "But Kenji and Elise are way cuter together. They're the childhood friends, remember?" I was beginning to see where Lucy was getting her ideas about romance from. "Besides, Koga's really sleazy." I wasn't sure if she actually knew what that word meant, but continued on as if she did.
"I mean, you shouldn't be cheering on someone cheating on another person," I told her. Lucy rolled her eyes again.
"I'm not!" she protested. "If they break up, then Kenji will be there to mend her broken heart!" What a way to look at relationships, sheesh... If we ended up dating, I hoped she wouldn't expect our relationship to be full of drama, too. I was not going to deal with that.
"I hope you don't expect our relationship to end up like that," I told her, deciding to get that out of the way as soon as I could. "I'm not exactly keen on dealing with drama." Lucy giggled, hugging my arm.
"Of course not!" she assured me, shaking her head. "Our relationship will be pure and simple, because I like you, and you like me! And nobody else will interfere in it." I let out a sigh, chuckling. Well, that was a relief.
"Sounds good to me," I told her, earning a smile in return. At that moment, Vic stepped out from the mansion, taking a brief look around before his eyes landed on us, and he walked over in our direction, followed closely by a pair of butlers.
"Young Mistress, Young Master," the man greeted us. "We've returned with the items you've requested, Young Master Taiyo."
"Thanks a lot, Vic," I told him, Lucy echoing my gratitude. "You guys can put my apricorns and stuff over there, see, by the edge of the grass-line? If you could set up a few tables, a chair, and a tent up, I'd be really appreciative of that, too. In the meantime..." I glanced at the big box that the second butler held, a big Porystation 3 logo plastered across it. There were also a couple game titles balanced on top of it. "Want to play some games, Lucy?"
"Yeah!" she exclaimed, her eyes shining as she looked at the brand new console. I chuckled, same with Vic and the other butler. "Can we? Please!?"
"I'll arrange for a structure to be built for your workshop, Young Master Taiyo," Vic told me, a smile on his face. "We shall also deliver this game console to the in-house theater and have it set up. Sebastian, are you confident in your ability to set everything up?"
"Yes, sir," the younger butler replied. He was probably in his late twenties, with an oriental face and brown hair that told me he was probably from Kanto or Johto. "Please, Young Mistress, Young Master, feel free to follow me inside. We'll have you both comfortable and playing in just a few moments."
"Hey, feel free to invite whoever you like and join us," I told him. "Pretty sure there's four controllers, so Lucy and I will need some competition. I'm pretty sure I see 'Ferrum Smash: War for Galar' in that stack of games. We can do some team matches."
"Heh, I'm an old hand at the Smash games, you know," Sebastian bragged, a grin spreading across his face. "I accept your challenge, Young Master!" I grinned right back at him as we all headed inside. We walked through the halls to a set of stairs that led downward into the foyer, than down a side hall that led to a room on the front end of the house which was blacked out, a massive screen at the front of the room, a snack bar at the back, and two rows of prime theater seats.
"Damn, this really is a theater," I muttered, getting a smile from Lucy who'd heard me. "Alright! I'm getting fired up, ya know!? Let's get this going and I'll kick all of your asses!"
"Heh, you might be some hotshot Pokémon prodigy, but the gaming world is my area of expertise, Young Master," Sebastian told me. "Pokémon battles are way more different than video games."
"I'll be rooting for you, Tai!" Lucy cheered as Sebastian went to get the console hooked up.
"Huh? You're not gonna play?"
"Oh, uh, I want to watch you, first," she admitted. "Only a true suitor of the Balsam family is capable of defeating others in F-Ferrum Smash? Yes, Ferrum Smash! Only once you've defeated Sebastian will I permit you to hold my affections!" I raised a brow at that, a smile slowly forming on my face. This goof...
"Well then, if that's how it is," I let out a breath of air in a huff, pointing to Sebastian as he finished setting everything up. Sheesh, he really knew what he was doing. "Ser Sebastian! I challenge thee to a battle of honour for Lady Lusamine of the Balsam family's heart!" I stepped my left foot onto the back of one of the theater chairs, striking a gallant pose for Lucy. Sabastian, picking up what I was putting down, replied with a faux-evil grin as he mirrored my pose, standing ramrod straight and pointing back at me, his head tilted in an evil and unsettling manner.
"You'll never defeat me, young Kricketot!" he shouted back amidst the giggles of Lucy. The door to the room opened mid-speech as several other servants filtered in, a mixture of confusion and amusement on their faces as they saw what was happening. "I shall have the Lady Lusamine's hand, and nothing shall stop me! Muhahahaha!" Sebastian cackled evilly.
"Vile fiend!" I snarled, shaking my fist threateningly. "How dare you treat her as if she were but a prize to be won!? The fair Lady is a strong and courageous young woman!"
"Wait, isn't that what you did?" Sebastian asked, breaking character.
"Just go with it, it's romcom bullshit," I replied as Lucy burst into laughter. "Answer me, vile cretin!" I shouted, back in character.
"Oh, uh, I shall defeat you, and send you packing home in disgrace!" Sebastian replied, turning the console on and tossing me a controller. "Have at thee!"
"En garde!" I replied as the console booted up and the game started. I leapt over the theater seats, landing on the floor at the front and taking one of the center chairs. Sebastian sat next to me, controller at the ready as we waited for the game to start.
"Go, Ser Taiyo!" Lucy cheered from the back, looking between us, the screen, and the snack bar as the servants began popping some popcorn and grabbing drinks. "My heart yearns for your, uh... Your..." One of the maids leaned down to whisper into her ear. Lucy's face lit up, excitement and embarrassment crossing her expression. Fucking- Don't put weird shit in her head, woman! "My heart yearns for your loving embrace, my gallant knight!" She quickly turned to the maid. "What does that mean!? That sounds really weird!" I felt my own cheeks burn as the servants laughed at our expense. Oh my God, I was surrounded by weirdos.
"Just ignore them, Lucy," I called up to her as Sebastian and I pulled up the character select screen. Of course there weren't many characters due to it being a fresh game, and I didn't recognize any of them. There was one dressed like a knight named Ser Alfred, though, so I picked him. "I'll explain it when you're older."
"It's nothing dirty, I swear!" I heard the maid protest as her friends teased her. "What!? Wait, it really means that!? I just got that from Gone with the Wingull!" Ok, less weird and just stupid. That was marginally better. Sebastian picked a character called Malfuccito, who looked like some kind of easygoing guy with ninja or assassin clothes. I was guessing his playstyle would be similar to Greninja or Shiek from Smash Bros on Earth.
"Are you ready, Young Master?" Sebastian asked, back to business, I guess. I smirked, nodding as I got comfortable with the controller. It was pretty similar to Playstation controllers from Earth. "I'll let you figure out the controls before we start. That fair?"
"Yeah, thanks," I told him. the stage loaded up, and I gave some experimental commands with Alfred for a minute before giving him the all clear. Our battle started as the maids, the butlers, and Lucy cheered in the back.
I gotta say, as good as I used to be, I really hadn't played a fighting game in about ten years or so, and it showed. My first stock, Sebastian absolutely devastated me, taking me from zero to death in less than a minute. He laughed as Lucy boo'd him, and I narrowed my eyes for a moment, focusing up. Ok, Ser Alfred wasn't much different from Ike, so I could use that. I'd main'd the guy in Brawl, after all. Heavy, slow, but packs a powerful punch. He even had a counter move.
The second bout was similar to the first, but this time I lasted longer, using platforms to my advantage as I began countering, punishing any mistakes that Sabastian made trying to pin me down. As expected, he had a quick character, but Malfuccito was mid-ranged, and many of his attacks had a poison debuff to them. I could work with that. As the match went on, I finally began pulling it back with my third and final stock, knocking him down to one with me. I had 195% damage on me when he was taken down to his last.
"Perish, vile fiend!" I brought back the ham, shooting him a wink from a brief sideways glance. "Lady Lusamine, this strike is for you!"
"Curse you, Ser Taiyo!" Sebastian shouted back as I 'caught' him in a combo, charging up a Smash Attack to end the match. "Gah! Curses!"
"Yeah, you did it!" Lucy cheered, running around to the front of the theater and giving me a hug. "My hero!" I laughed, giving Sebastian a thumbs up while Lucy wasn't looking, which he returned.
"Hah, I think I'm tuckered out with that," I said, offering Sebastian my hand, which he shook. "Good fight. Thanks for that."
"Hey, it's all good, Young Master," the butler replied. "Want a hot dog or something? I bet you're starved. I know I am." I nodded, carrying Lucy back like a princess to the snack bar with the butler as some of the other servants picked up the controllers and continued where we left off. The next couple of hours were spent in the home theater, playing various games with the servants who rotated their shifts. I eventually got to know most of their names, but I was probably going to forget them sooner or later if I didn't go out of my way to greet them. That was fine, though. I was all too happy to thank and help the servants that made our lives easier.
Evening came all too soon, and it was time for supper. It was a simple affair, since Aster wouldn't be back until later, and Calli was very quiet. I hadn't seen her all day, and when I asked, she brushed the question off. It seemed like I wouldn't be getting anything from her, today. Once supper was finished, I decided to head back into the garden, Lucy following me. The tent was set up where my workshop would be, and I headed in that direction. Aggron was checking out the area the construction workers had flattened out, and gave me a wave as we caught his eye. Lucy hastened her steps at that.
I pulled aside the tent flaps and went inside the white structure, taking a look around. There were three long folding tables inside, each one against one of the three remaining sides of the rather sizeable tent, as well as a pair of metal folding chairs. My bag was set carefully on the center table, set beside it were various tools for carving the apricorns, as well as chiseling the flint. Set on the opposite side was a small bag of capture devices, as well as Dr. Laventon's memoir book. I smiled, sitting down at the table and pulling up a chair. "Want to help?" I asked Lucy. She nodded eagerly, and I began teaching her what we'd need to do. This would take a while, but I had all the time in the world. I could worry about all the lies and doubletalk within the Balsam family at my own leisure, and I would, but right now I just wanted to spend time with Lucy.
I*A*C
And that's a wrap. A short chapter, but I don't think I was ever going to get a particularly long one with this. Thus, the Capture mini-series ends. From here, I'll probably do a couple of calm-ish, 'filler-esque' chapters to build on some character growth and relationships between the cast, then we move on to the first Summer Break Arc, where Taiyo finally goes out in search of an Alolan Vulpix to become his first Pokémon. I have no idea how many chapters that'll be, but I sure hope it'll be fun to write!
Oh, also, as of sometime this week, we got 100 favs! Thank you all for all the support, even those leaving unhappy reviews. I'll also be out for a bit due to vacation and a family reunion, but I'll still try and upload on Mondays if possible.
Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter as much as I did, and please leave a review! Feel free to favorite and follow if you're so inclined, and I hope to see you guys in the next one!