03 - 07
A chilly and salty breeze brushes the Eevee's fur as he closes the back door of the restaurant behind him. He walks on the yard, the blades of grass tickling his paws with each step he takes.
The lawn needs to be mowed, he thinks to himself, as he stands a few paces from the lone tree of the property. He takes a deep breath, relishing the coolness of the air in his lungs. He closes his eyes and exhales.
It's time to concentrate.
Concentrate on what, exactly?
He still has no answer to that question, and he really needs to figure that out sooner rather than later. Still, he persists as he tries to feel his everything. Energy is everywhere, he reasons, so if he has no clue what to concentrate on, best to concentrate on everything, even though he has no idea what he's doing, but it seems to work somewhat as he senses a faint light poking through his closed eyelids.
He opens his eyes and frowns at the tiny orb of light floating in front of him. A disappointed sigh escapes his mouth as he sits down and carefully puts his paws together under the orb, as if catching the first snowflake of winter, watching the orb until it starts to dim and fade a minute later.
He puts his paws back on the ground as he sighs. "At least it lasted longer this time," he mumbles to himself as he moves his gaze up at the sleepy morning sky, the stars still twinkling, waiting to be chased away by the rays of the yet-to-rise sun.
Still seated on the grassy ground, he looks back at the tree, closes his eyes and starts to meditate once more. This time he tries to concentrate on his chest area, feeling the coolness of his lungs as he breathes in, and the burning sensation after breathing out and not inhaling for a long period of time. He continues on...
...but stops after feeling lightheaded.
He resumes breathing normally after he's greeted with nothing for his efforts. At least he knows that what he did was pointless and stupid.
Best to move on.
Closing his eyes once again, he tries to clear his mind, ridding of any thoughts as he feels his ears twitch to the soft sounds of rustling leaves and grass, and the cold touch of the breeze drifting by.
He is once again rewarded with nothing for his efforts, and a frown graces his furry features.
"Everything it is, then," he whispers to the wind as he closes his eyes yet again, concentrating on his everything all at once, but mostly on the soothing coolness in his lungs in each breath he takes. A faint light pokes through his closed vision once again, and he manages a small smile as he 'catches' the orb on his two paws, noting the soothing warmth it emanates.
Separating his paws, the orb on one, he chuckles on an idea but goes with it anyway, as he has nothing better to do while he waits for the orb to fade. He lightly throws it up the air, towards his other paw, and repeats the process, as if he is a juggler with only one ball.
"Aaand there it goes," he says quietly as the orb of light dims and fades on his paw. He ignores the quiet growl from his stomach as he closes his eyes and concentrates once again. "I'm getting kinda used to this," he remarks as he holds the newly-formed orb on his paws.
Another random thought pops in his head.
Holding it on one paw, he stands on three legs, and takes aim at the tree's bark. He tries his best to run towards it, and then strikes the tree with the orb on his paw, expecting some sort of explosion.
Or something.
But nothing happens, except for the orb to dim and fade to nothingness.
He shrugs and walks back to his original spot as the first signs of morning pokes out from the horizon, the stars start hiding one by one. "Eh, it was worth a shot."
He tries again, blinking at the floating orb in front of him. He closes his eyes, noting the faint light poking through his eyelids, and continues to concentrate.
The loud growl of his stomach breaks his concentration.
A sigh escapes his mouth as he reopens his eyes. Ignoring the lights turning on in the kitchen, he frowns as he grabs the orb with both paws and throws it down on the ground, expecting it to bounce back.
It stays motionless on the grassy ground.
His frown goes further down as he grabs it with his paws and brings it up to eye-level. "Progress is progress," he says quietly as the door swings open.
"Oh," the Miltank blinks at him. "I wondered what that light was," she says as the orb dims and fades. "Good morning, dear."
"Morning."
"I'll be getting breakfast ready. Don't tire yourself too much, okay?"
He turns to her and nods, and watches her go back inside, the door closing behind her. He continues his practice session as the horizon starts to brighten. The aroma of delicious food hits his nostrils, making his stomach start a revolt against his continued negligence of one of his basic needs. With a roll of his eyes, he stands up on four paws and heads inside the kitchen in time to see a yawning Nickit walking in the kitchen from the main room, her eyes barely open.
"Morning, sleepy head," he greets her.
She sleepily mumbles something incoherent, and bumps on the Miltank's leg, making the larger Pokemon chuckle. After chuckling at her little display of embarrassment, he and the Nickit start setting up a table in the main room. The large Pangoro lets out a yawn as he steps down the stairs as the two smaller Pokemon finishes up setting the table.
Breakfast is then served a few minutes later, with the usual slices of different berries. The Eevee is starting to miss the taste of meat, but then remembers the horrors he has discovered in that one restaurant, and he shivers violently, catching the younger Pokemon's attention.
"Is something wrong?" Plu asks, tilting her head a bit.
He violently kicks the thoughts aside as he gives her a small smile. "It's nothing." He then pats her head. "Don't worry your silly little head about it."
She bats his paw away and pouts at him, making the two large Pokemon chuckle.
The four continue to eat in relative silence. Conversation starts to pick up when breakfast is almost over.
"The festival is in three days?" the Eevee blinks. "Huh... I didn't even realize it was that close already."
"Yeah." The Pangoro takes a sip of his coffee. "But we're not opening today."
The Eevee blinks. "Uh, why? Not that I'm complaining."
The Miltank smiles at him. "We're going to decorate the restaurant."
"For a whole day?"
The Pangoro chuckles. "That, and do other preparations, of course."
The Eevee tilts his head. "Like what? Don't we already have enough ingredients?"
"Those are not going to last for a day," the Miltank says with a frown. "Even the berries we ordered from overseas are starting to run low."
The Pangoro scratches his head. "There's just too many customers this year apparently." Another sip. "Ahh. So today I'm going berry-picking."
The Eevee arches a non-existent eyebrow. "The crates of berries I brought back yesterday were the last stock that shop had, if what that Scizor said was true anyway." He taps a paw on his chin. "I doubt there are still shops in the city with that many berries in stock."
The Pangoro chuckles, catching the Eevee's attention. "Well, it's a good thing mystery dungeons exist."
The Eevee blinks at him. "You're...wait. So by berry-picking..."
"Yep," he confirms as he stands up, pushing his chair back in the process. "And the sooner I start, the more I can collect."
"Are you going all by yourself, dad?" the Nickit asks with a worried frown.
The Pangoro approaches her with a smile and pats her head. "As the grumpy Eevee said, don't worry your silly little head, Plu. I'll be fine."
She grabs his large hand, moves it away from her head, and throws a worried look at him. "Promise you'll be alright?"
He carefully grabs her with both hands and gives her a hug. "I promise, and I promise not to be late this time, too."
The little Nickit smiles and nuzzles her father's neck. "Be careful, okay?"
"Hah!" The Pangoro returns his daughter on her chair with a large smirk on his face. "Tell that to the wilds!" He extends his fist towards her, and the Nickit bumps her paw on it. With a smile and a nod, he turns around and heads toward the door. "Look after the place while I'm gone, okay?"
The Nickit and the Miltank nod as they watch him close the door behind him.
The Eevee blinks and turns to the Miltank. "I forgot to ask how far this dungeon is."
"He's been there before," she says with a smile.
"Ah." The Eevee nods his head. "So he can just teleport there and then back here."
"Mhmm."
The Nickit pokes his paw, catching his attention. "So what is it like to teleport?" she asks with a very curious smile.
He blinks, and places a paw on his chin. "Hm... Actually, the first time I did it, it was...weird."
She blinks. "Weird how?"
He frowns. "I...can't really describe it. It's just an odd feeling, and kinda disorienting."
She frowns at him. "...I don't get it."
He smiles apologetically. "Sorry..."
After breakfast, Plu collects the dishes and silverware, while the Eevee washes them.
"Looks like I've got some time for practice," he tells to no one in particular as he closes the cabinet.
"Sorry dear," the Miltank says, smiling apologetically at him.
He blinks. "Ah, right. Decorating."
The Miltank shakes her head. "No, I can take care of that, but I need to ask you something."
He nods as the Nickit walks in the kitchen with a dirty cloth on her tail.
"The school year will start next week," the Miltank says. "And we haven't enrolled Plu yet. I was hoping to enroll her before the festival but I am just too busy."
The Eevee nods. "But why not after though?"
"There will be so many Pokemon in the school by then," the Miltank explains. "I'm thinking that now's a good time because many will be busy for the festival."
"That makes sense." He nods. "So you're going to enroll her today?"
The Miltank shakes her head. "I'd love to, dear, but I need to be here when Maz returns with the berries."
"Ah." The Eevee shrugs. "Then I guess I can get Plu enrolled."
The Miltank smiles at him. "Thank you, dear." She turns to her daughter. "Plu, dear. Go get your forms."
Nodding, the Nickit runs out the kitchen and up the stairs, heading towards her room.