01 - 11
"I still can't believe it..." Vixie cries as she leans back on her seat. She wipes the flowing tears with her paws as she sniffs. "H-he already..." She chokes on a sob.
"I still can't believe you suddenly found the courage to tell him," Shino comments as Cindy tries but fails to calm their crying friend down. "Well, wanting to tell him anyway..."
"You're not helping, Shino," Cindy hisses at him.
The yellow Shinx sighs as the waitress arrives with their drinks. "Thanks," he nods at the Indeedee who sets their glasses and bottles on their table.
"It looks like you and your friends will be staying here for a while," the Indeedee says with a small smile. "First round of drinks are on the house, Shino." She winks before leaving their table.
The Shinx smiles dreamily as he watches her leave.
"Earth to pervert, we got a situation here," grumbles the fire-type, shaking her head. She then pats the sobbing ice-type's back as the electric-type uncorks the bottle and pours the drink into their glasses. "There there..."
"If only I told him from the start," Vixie cries as she wipes her teary eyes and sniffs. "If only I told him before we left..."
Cindy doesn't really know what else to say other than the usual cliché lines. She throws a look at the electric-type. "Help me out here," she hisses at him.
The Shinx arches a non-existent eyebrow. "I am," he says as he slides two glasses towards his two female companions. "I'm paying for the drinks, remember?"
The Cyndaquil groans.
"I'll be fine," the Vulpix quietly says as she sniffs. She grabs her glass and tearfully stares at her reflection from the drink. "...eventually." She sniffs once more. She wipes her runny nose and shakes her head. "I'll be okay eventually, but right now?" She sniffs and sighs. "It hurts so m-m-much...!"
She wails yet again.
Shino quickly takes her glass out of her shaky paws as Cindy comforts her with a hug.
Shino sighs, his ears drooping. He takes a swig from the glass and groans from the strong taste. "She's right... We'll be here a while," he mumbles to himself as he pats his crying friend's back.
"You've been reading for a while," says a feminine voice.
Blinking, the Eevee lifts his gaze from the book to the Mew who has just taken a seat opposite of him.
The Mew smiles as she places a few books near her. "Hi. Aren't you gonna go out to eat lunch?"
The Eevee blinks at her. "...You're a Mew."
She chuckles. "And you're an Eevee!" she cheerfully says as she levitates and opens a book. "But seriously though, aren't you hungry?" She tilts her head. "I noticed you here since this morning."
"I ah, had a big breakfast."
"Ah," the Mew nods in understanding. "That explains it then."
"You're a Mew."
She tilts her head in confusion. "Is that, like, a problem?"
He shakes his head. "No, but, I mean... Aren't you rare?"
A confused blink. "...huh?"
He awkwardly scratches his neck. "I mean..." He sighs. "Nevermind."
She chuckles. "You're weird."
"I've heard worse," he mumbles to himself as he returns to his reading, but finds himself unable to focus as he keeps glancing at the Mew, who is now busy with her own reading.
"Something on your mind?" she suddenly asks without looking at him.
He sighs. "I might as well ask, but, do you... I mean, can you, like, talk to other legendaries?"
"Ooooooh," she ooooooh's as she looks at him. "You're one of those, aren't you?"
He blinks in confusion. "Uh, who are...those?"
She shrugs. "Pokémon who categorize others. The commons, uncommons, the 'rares', the legendaries, stuff like that." She returns to her reading. "I'm just a regular Mew, that's all. I'm just like any other Pokémon. I mean..." She closes her book and looks back at him with a hint of anger. "...sure, I can turn into any Pokémon, but so do Dittos and I'm sure there are other Pokémon who can do that, too!" She closes her eyes and rubs her head. "Can't a Mew like me live in society in peace?"
"I'm, uh, sorry?" he suddenly cuts in before she goes any further. "I didn't mean it that way."
She glares at him. "Then what did you mean?"
"I...don't really know a lot," he admits, his ears drooping. "I'm not from here, that's why I'm trying to learn how things work here."
She blinks, her anger slowly fading. "Really?"
"Yeah..." he frowns as his gaze falls back on the words on his opened book. "I'm...trying to get to somewhere..." He sighs. "I'm trying to get back home."
She looks at him suspiciously. "...Why don't you just get back the same way you got here?"
"If only I knew how."
The two fall into silence for a while.
The Mew shakes her head. "Alright, I'll amuse you for a bit. Which legendaries?"
"Huh?"
"You asked me earlier if I can talk to 'legendaries'. Which ones are you referring to?"
"Palkia," he quickly answers.
Mew blinks at him. "Wow. Barely anyone knows of that Pokémon's existence." She shakes her head. "I'm not even sure if there's a book here in my library that mentions Palkia's name."
He sighs. "Yeah, I figured as much," he says as he looks at the large pile of books near him. He blinks and looks back at her. "Wait... Your library?"
She nods. "Mhmm. I'm the librarian, and I spend my lunch break reading since not many Pokémon visit this place during this time." She shakes her head. "Anyway, so this Palkia... You think this Pokémon can help you get back home, wherever it may be?"
"I sure as hell hope so." He sighs as he looks out the window and frowns.
She blinks at him. "You know what Palkia is, right?"
"I have an idea, yes."
"Palkia is like..." the Mew trails off.
And the Eevee finishes it: "A pink cosmic dinosaur with useless wings and pearls on each shoulder who controls space from what I know."
She nods in awe. "Huh, that's actually quite accurate..." She blinks. "So then, when you said you're not from here, you mean...?"
The Eevee closes his eyes and sighs.
"Huh, wow..." the Mew quietly says, gaining his attention once more. She shakes her head. "Sorry to say, but no, I can't talk to these so-called 'legendaries'."
"Yeah, I figured that, too..." He returns to his reading, but then an idea pops into his head. "Say... You mention you can turn into any Pokémon, right?"
"Mhmm," she says. "But only if I have a clear image in my head of what I want to turn into. Like so..." A white light engulfs her, and her entire form reshapes into that of himself as the white light fades, showing a splitting image of the brown Eevee. "Tah-dah~" she says in his voice.
"That's actually pretty cool," he says as she transforms back into her pink self. "Minus the 'tah-dah' part though."
"Heheh, thanks," she says with a wink. "I don't get the chance to show off these days, you know?" She shrugs. "I think me staying here for years has made everyone used to my presence."
"So if you have a clear image of what Palkia looks like..."
She shakes her head and frowns at him. "Sorry. There are limits to my power. Like, sure, I can turn into Palkia, but I am still not Palkia." She shakes her head once more. "I don't just suddenly gain the ability to manipulate space, you know?"
"Yeah, that would be too easy," the Eevee says quietly. "But it's still cool nonetheless."
The Mew smiles. "Hee hee, thanks."
The two continue their somewhat lively conversation.
The two continue their somewhat pointless conversation.
"Why did I let him go-ho-ho-hooooooooo?!" she wails, chokes on a sob, downs her drink, and continues crying.
"I'm somewhat glad I never experienced a heart break before," Shino whispers to himself as he carefully takes Vixie's empty glass off of her paws.
"Why didn't I tell him sooner?" she sobs. "Why was I so shy? Why? Shino, tell me whyyyyyyyyyyy...?"
"Heck would I know?" he says, glaring at her. "Cindy and I have been telling you to confess for the longest time." He shakes his head. "But I admit, you looked really cute when you were being shy-like that I thought you'd win him with just that."
As if a moment of clarity has passed as she looks at him. "...you think I'm cute?"
He blinks at her. "...er..."
She quickly grabs him by the shoulders, eliciting a startled yelp from him as she presses her forehead against his, glaring directly into his scared eyes. "Do you think I'm cute, Shino?! Answer me!"
"Vixie, you're drunk," he says as he tries but fails to pull himself free from her grip, let alone push her to recover his personal space.
She growls at him. "Answer the question!"
"Alright, alright! Yes, I do think you're cute!" he hastily replies. "But that's a—mmrrrrff!?" His eyes grow wide in shock as the white fox suddenly attacks his mouth with her own.
"Hey guys," Cindy greets the duo as she returns to their table. "Sorry if I took a while. So what did I...?"
Shino is still trying to get out of it, looking at the fire-type in a panic.
"...miss?"
Her leaning towards him, Shino falls on his back with Vixie on top of him, their mouths still locked on each other.
The fire-type shakes her head, ignoring the cheers from the next table. "I went to the bathroom for two minutes..." She finally acknowledges his pleading look and starts to pull the ice-type off of him just when she started grinding on his growing pokey.
Frowning, the waitress approaches their table. "Please control your friend else I'm gonna have to ask you three to leave."
"What do you think I'm doing?" Cindy growls as she and Shino finally gets the ice-type off of him.
"Shino!" she yells, making him flinch. "You look so hot right now that I could melt!"
"Vixie, calm down!" Cindy hisses as she holds her. "And Shino! Stop showing your rod to everyone!"
With a yelp, he quickly lies down on his stomach, his face burning.
The Indeedee places a paw on her face as she shakes her head. "If only you weren't a regular," she says, glaring at the terrified electric-type.
The Mew blinks at him. "...truly?"
He sighs and nods his head. "Yes, unfortunately." He looks out the window. "As lovely as this world is, I really need to get back home."
She shakes her head. "It's... I still find it difficult to believe."
"I can't blame you." He looks at her. "I'm hoping not to tell anyone of this."
"Then why did you tell me?"
He sighs. "In my...first few days here," he says as he recalls his nightmarish deeds in the dungeon and the humiliating cart-pulling in the lower-part of the city. "I realized I can't do this on my own." He looks at her. "I'm hoping that maybe you could help me."
She blinks. "Wow... You're really serious about this."
He nods. "I am."
"Wow..." She says in awe. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I still don't quite believe you fully, but, I also don't see why you would lie about it." She shrugs. "Like, what's the point, you know?"
He sighs. "Like I said, I wouldn't blame you. If the situation is reverse, I wouldn't believe it either."
"Well," she says, tilting her head. "My adventuring days have been over. I don't really know how I can help you."
"Just getting information would be great," he tells her. "You know, from other teams and such."
"Ah," she nods her head. "So you want me to be your ears in here."
"Yeah. Surely, with how many teams that visit this place, there will be something that should be worth noting, or something." He blinks. "I wonder if I worded that correctly."
She chuckles. "Probably not, but I do understand what you're trying to say." She smiles. "Alright, I'll help in any way I can." She tilts her head. "But I still don't get why you're trying not to let others know."
He frowns. "...Let's just say that less is easier for me."
"Seems more difficult from my point of view."
He smiles, and sighs. "...Probably."
"We're taking you home," Cindy growls as she closes the pub's door behind her.
"Yey~" Vixie cheers as she's limply lying on Shino's back. "I'm riding him, Cindy! L-look!"
"Vixie, please..." Shino begs, blushing, as he quickens his pace in going through the early afternoon traffic. "Stop embarrassing us."
She wraps her paws around his neck and nuzzles his head. "I will never be ashamed of our new-found love, Shino!" She starts nipping his ear, which he flicks to stop her from doing so.
"I'm never bringing you guys to drink with me ever again," Shino grumbles under his breath as Cindy walks ahead of him, making a path for him.
They eventually reach the ice-type's apartment building, where she thankfully occupies a room on the ground floor. Cindy fishes out her friend's key from the bag, unlocks the door and pushes it open, which Shino quickly dashes inside.
"Are you really that excited, my love?" Vixie whispers behind his ear.
"Okay," he frowns as he throws her to her bed. "You've embarrassed me long enough. Sleep—oh for Arceus' sake!" He quickly looks away with a heavy blush from the presenting fox.
"Come here, Shino," she calls. "Let's make love with each other." She blinks at the grossed-out fire-type. "Cindy can just watch, or she can join us if she wants."
"No!" her two friends shout in unison.
She frowns at the fire-type. "I remember you inviting me to one of your 'sessions' with Shino, Cindy."
"For crying out loud..." She glares at the dumbfounded Shinx. "Don't look at me like that! It was just a joke!"
Vixie sits up on her bed and glares at the electric-type. "And you called me cute but won't do anything? Is that it?"
"Vixie, it's not like that!"
"Is it because you like Cindy more?"
"Buh?" the fire-type buhs.
He blushes. "N-no!"
The ice-type points at him. "You stuttered!"
He looks away with a growl. He quickly shakes his head. "Vixie, you know I like her more because—"
"We're fuck-buddies?" Cindy finishes for him.
"Er, yes?"
Vixie glares at him. "Oh, so that whole 'I'm starting to fall for her' was just bullshit then?"
Cindy blinks and slowly looks at him. "When did...?"
"She's drunk!" he quickly exclaims. "She doesn't know what she's saying!"
"Don't use the drunk card on me!"
"Why can't I if you're clearly drunk?!"
"At least I'm not black-out drunk sleeping outside someone's lawn!"
"What does that have to do with anything?!"
"I don't know! Why don't you stop stalling and fuck me already?!"
A violent burst of flames erupt from the Cyndaquil's back, startling the other two Pokémon in the room. The flames soon die down, but not the sudden rise of room temperature, and especially not her growing temper.
"Shino," Cindy says, "get out."
Ears drooping, he quietly leaves the room without question.
After hearing the closing door, Cindy groans and rubs her head.
"Vixie, you're drunk."
Sighing, the fire-type walks toward the room's kitchenette, grabs a glass, fills it with water, and places it on the nightstand by the bed. Sighing once more, she climbs on the bed and embraces her sobbing friend.
"Shino may be a pervert, but he's a good friend and he knows better than to..." she trails off. "...have drunk sex with you."
"B-but what if I want to?"
"You're drunk," Cindy reminds her. "And I'm pretty sure you'll regret it once you're sober." She sighs. "Look, I know you're hurt, but you'll get through this. I know it."
Vixie cries quietly. "I-if only...!" She chokes on a sob.
"We can't change the past, unfortunately," Cindy whispers as her friend continues to cry her heart out. "Just let it out, Vixie... Let it all out." She stifles a groan as she continues to think of cliché lines. "You'll get through this, I know it."
"You'll be back here tomorrow, right?"
The Eevee nods as he continues to return the books to their proper shelves. "Yeah. Something about activating my badge or some shit."
The Mew chuckles. "Didn't realize you have such a colorful language."
He rolls his eyes. "Anyway, thanks again."
"No problem." She floats with him as they head towards the exit. "So, just for curiosity's sake, what are you going to do in the meantime?"
"Find an apartment," he quickly says. "The police won't let me sleep in the fountain and I doubt that Miltank will let me sleep in her wagon again."
The Mew blinks a confused blink. "Should I even dare ask?"
He chuckles, shakes his head and smiles at her. "Well, I'll be going now. See you tomorrow, I guess?"
She nods her head and waves him goodbye.
She closes the door behind her, and finally let's out a very heavy sigh.
"How is she?"
She looks up at the Shinx. "Asleep, as if the past two hours didn't happen."
Shino smiles a small smile. "Seems unfair, no?"
Cindy shakes her head, checks the door if she locked it, and starts to leave with the Shinx close behind. "During your argument with her."
"Erm..."
She stops and turns around to fully face him. "Was it true?"
He sits down and sighs. "I..." He takes a breath and chuckles. "I was thinking that maybe we're in a better situation for me to—"
"It's true then."
"No no!" he immediately says, and then backpedals. "I mean yes! Wait, no!"
"Calm down." The fire-type sighs, and waits for him to stop being a nervous wreck. "So what is it?"
"I..." He blinks, and sighs once more. "...don't know."
Cindy tilts her head.
"I mean..." He looks down. "I'm...still figuring it out, you know?" He looks at her. "I still don't know. Do I like like you, or...?" He looks away, blushing. "Y'know?"
She frowns. "No, I don't know." She shakes her head. "But I'll take your word for it." She turns around and leaves. "See you tomorrow."
He sighs and hangs his head. "Yeah..." Moments later, he shakes his head and heads back to his place. He eventually reaches his destination with nothing on his mind.
"Excuse me," an Eevee calls as the yellow Shinx enters the apartment building. "Do you perhaps...know..." he trails off as the Shinx completely ignores him and continues on his way. He arches a non-existent eyebrow. "Rude..."