Monarch's Journey
Chapter 8: Refractory Setting
AN: Sorry for the delay on this chapter. I've got work to deal with IRL, so I haven't had time to write too ofte these past few weeks. So while I am updating again, they might start slowing down now. And yes. Before anyone asks, I did write the past 5 chapters, and two mini ones, all within September.
Anyways, enjoy!
Edit: Realized that I forgot an entire section! My bad~
"Okay… Despite seeing nothing but a whole lot of Spearow, I'm seeing nothing." Ash sighed as he tossed Brock's binoculars back into his large bag, watching as the item vanished deep within. "And I don't mean to become a broken record or anything… But I think we're a bit lost… mostly thanks to that dumb canyon river…"
"Great, we've been lost for a good week now, and thanks to Melanie, and to an extent Bulbasaur… We're even further from Vermilion, right?" Tizeriz asked as she leaned against the tree she was sitting high up in. "... Eh it could be worse… We could be stuck with some awful weather…"
Everyone else in the clearing looked up at the sky, before giving Tizeriz a glowering look. "Nice going Tiz… There's a lot of power in saying some dumb stuff like that." Misty huffed before Tizeriz shrugged, and slid down to her branch, grinning.
"Not my fault you lot listen to those superstitions… I don't even bother with that." She chuckled before sitting up straight as Misty screamed, and climbed onto Ash.
"Ah! I felt something crawling on me! GET IT OFF OF ME!" The redheaded girl shouted, only for the boy she jumped on, to grunt, before slowly accepting defeat. Collapsing to his knees, Ash fell forward as Misty landed flat on his back, shivering as she stared at her shoes.
Spotting a piece of grass clinging to her shoe, Misty plucked it off before throwing it into the air, screaming out in frustration. "I'M GOING CRAZY! WHERE ARE WE?!" She demanded, tugging at her tied hair before Ash grumbled, and huffed in acceptance.
"According to the map… We're above Cerulean again." Brock peered closer at the map before shaking his head as he turned it around clockwise, before turning it the other way. "Uhhh… Hmm… I don't know how though… We were closer to Vermilion last week than we are now…"
"So you're tellin' me that this damn map of yours, is more useless than the watershed TV scheduling in Galar?" Tizeriz asked before huffing. Getting an eye roll from Ash, the boy waited until Misty got off of him, before standing up grumbling.
"Either way Brock, we really shouldn't use that map anymore… the water probably ruined it too badly to even be legible anymore."
"No, it's still fine to use, I swear but… I can't tell where we're at." Brock insisted before flinching as Alissa grabbed the map and glared at it. Growling, she ripped the map apart before setting her hands aflame, letting it burn away.
"There. The issue is solved. Fuck that map, and let's just take the path right before us, and hope to God that we can buy a new one!" Alissa declared before pointing down the pathway lightly.
Jumping down, Tizeriz frowned as she stared at Alissa before narrowing her eyes. "Sis. You sensin' something?" She suddenly asked, before walking over to her Gardevoir sister.
"... Something… it's lonely and determined for some reason."
"... It's down the path, isn't it?" Tizeriz asked as everyone else gathered their bags, before giving the others a quiet, concerned look. Shrugging to each other, the group followed after Alissa.
"Yes." The Gardevoir answered curtly before she flexed a hand, only to feel Tizeriz's hand place itself on her shoulder. Forcing herself to take a deep breath, the Pokemon sighed, before looking forward quietly. "Someone feels forced to do something, only to prove a point… but I don't get why."
"Like how Panzer kept doing that to me in Sinnoh?" Tizeriz asked again, before getting a solemn nod back. "Right. Gotcha. That means we better keep an eye out, right?"
"I don't think we have to." Misty cut in, causing the sisters to turn to her, then follow where she was pointing to. Seated on a small boulder in the centre of the path, the group frowned as they spotted a small orange lizard laying on top of it.
Staring back at them, the Charmander narrowed its eyes, before turning away, tail flame visible as the Pokemon just huffed lightly. Shifting its weight, the group watched as the Charmander winced slightly, a grumbling noise echoing across the path before the Charmander panted lightly.
"Oh dear… is the poor guy hungry?" Misty asked before Brock frowned at the lack of strength left on the Pokemon's tail flame.
"I dunno, but that Charmander looks in rough shape." Brock pointed out before Ash inched closer, giving the Charmander another look over. Wincing at the growl of its stomach, Ash turned to Tizeriz.
"Are you okay?" A gentle tone came from Alissa as she walked to the boulder, and laid her arms across the flat top, resting her head against them. "You seem to be starving. Wouldn't you like to eat something to get your strength back up?"
"Char… Man… Der." The Charmander mumbled before Pikachu climbed up the Gardevoir, and sat beside her on the rock. "Char."
"Only something small I'm guessing?" Tizeriz asked her sister, and Pikachu nodded in unison. "Gotcha… let me see what I got… Sitrus… Oran… Some that wouldn't be beneficial… Some Tamatos if the Charmander is interested… and I think one singular Gold Nanab."
"Char."
"Pika?"
"He said Nanab, and a Tamato. He's just hungry, and he knows the Gold Nanab will stave off hunger until his trainer gets back." Alissa huffed before Tizeriz winced at the thought.
"Yeah he can take it… I'm growing them back home anyways…" The woman sighed before she tugged out a berry so golden, Ash immediately covered his eyes, while Brock nearly stumbled from the gleam alone.
"How on earth do you keep getting random berries like that?!" Brock almost wailed before flinching as the golden berry was thrown to Alissa, alongside a single Tamato berry. Watching the golden berry vanish into the Charmander's maw in several bites, Brock felt faint before he stumbled slightly, slouching near Ash.
"I don't get it… What's the deal with those berries anyway Brock?" Ash asked before flinching as Brock scrambled to him, and held Ash by his bag straps.
"Those berries are rarer than even the Enigma berry, or several others that most people take great care to even grow! If this was a game, she'd have thrown out an S Rank Item to a Pokemon she doesn't even know!" He shouted before Tizeriz rolled her eyes, and yanked Ash to her, and away from Brock.
Letting the raven haired teenager slowly stop shaking, the woman sighed, and pointed to the Charmander. "Listen, I can't cook for shit, you know that. And by the time we'd need a use for the berry, it'd be long gone past its time."
"You don't know that! I could've made us something, but oh well… Not like me to get this worked up over anything…" Brock sighed before Tizeriz let a small smirk curl on her lip.
"Besides other girls that aren't Misty, or me?" She asked back, only to back away, hands held upward as Brock got uncomfortably close, fist raised slightly. "Whoa whoa whoa…"
"I thought you said that it was charming!" He shouted before Ash let out a chuckle at his embarrassment, which only grew when Misty giggled, and Tizeriz shrugged.
"Nah. It's funny though. But beyond that… Alissa, is he gonna refuse to move?"
"Yep. He wants to prove himself, so we're gonna leave him alone, alright?" Alissa asked, to the collective nod of everyone else around her. Smiling to the Charmander, Alissa leaned in as Pikachu jumped away, smiling himself. "Better find something to keep your tail from hurting too badly. There's some dried leaves around here to keep your flame going strong. If you feel tired, just move towards the centre, okay? I don't wanna see you hurting yourself."
"Char…"
Walking away, Alissa gave the clouds above a small frown before she shook her head. "Too late to turn back now… He's being stubborn…"
"Alissa! Hurry up back there, there's a storm coming, and I don't feel like getting wet without my consent!" Misty shouted before a small laugh started to erupt further ahead, as everyone gave the older woman with them a concerned gaze.
Running ahead, Alissa turned back briefly to give the fading glow of Charmander's boulder a final gaze, before frowning. Running down to the glow of a Pokemon Centre on the path further ahead, Alissa slid to a jog near Misty. Hearing thunder crackle in the distance, and feeling the thrum of electricity hit the air, Alissa lifted a hand up and felt a spark jump from the tips of her digits.
"We best hurry."
"Storm? Yeah, we know."
"Pikaaaa…"
"C'mon guys! The centre is right there!"
"I know, I have eyes! Let's just hurry befor-"
The group stopped momentarily before Tizeriz pulled them further ahead, as another thunder boomed across the sky. Slowly making their way to the centre, the first rain began falling, right as the group entered the building. Spotting the quaint decor along the tables, and small gathering of trainers, the group sighed, and ran over to a booth devoid of anyone else. Sitting down absently, Tizeriz grumbled as Misty landed on her lap.
"Really?" The shorter woman asked as she wiggled under Misty, causing the taller teen to shift her weight slightly, before both found a favourable position. Misty sat on Tizeriz's thigh, while the woman looked out the darkening window.
"Oh don't get annoyed now, There's only enough room for four, and there's five of us." Misty huffed as the group settled down, Alissa walking over to Nurse Joy, asking her something too far to hear, while Ash and Brock took up space, on either end of Tizeriz and Misty, with the shorter woman leaning against the window huffing.
"Great dove… Now if we need to run somewhere, I'm gonna be havin' a hard time thanks to you turnin' my leg to a puddin'." The woman huffed before feeling Misty shove her face into the window. Not fighting the way the girl was shoving her out of annoyance, albeit barely trying at all to hurt the older woman.
"Alright alright! I'll stop if you ju-" Tizeriz started before jumping as a louder thunder boomed across the window, causing Tizeriz to immediately scramble, and hug Misty tightly.
"Can't…Breathe…" The red head wheezed out before slowly turning blue as she felt Tizeriz's arms wrap around her waist, crushing her kidneys into her stomach. Only to take a deep breath as the older woman let go suddenly, letting Misty double over as she started sputtering. Shaking slightly Tizeriz slouched before starting as Misty gasped loudly.
"Oh shit.. Sorry dove… Didn't mean t…" Tizeriz looked down before averting her gaze out the window again, "Forgot you were there."
"Hey gang, the Nurse here made some soup for the lot that ended up here. It's Tamato with some Coconut Milk, and rice." Alissa walked over before sliding a few bowls onto the table. With everyone shivering from the cold seeping into the window, the gang quickly took several seconds to grab spoons, before diving into the soup. Cautiously of course.
Which was when Tizeriz dug into her bag absently, and tugged out her off-white headphones, and pulled them over her ears. Fiddling with the wire, she plugged it into a small device she dug out of the same duffle bag, and sighed.
"What's that for?" Ash asked, as he hadn't seen the small device or headphones before. "Is it a music player?"
"Yep. It's so Tizeriz can calm down during some stressful situations, like thunderstorms." Alissa answered as she sidled against Ash on his side of the booth. Rolling her neck lightly, the Gardevoir sighed before giving the group a weary gaze. "You all think that Charmander's safe?"
"I hope so… I'm just worried that its trainer hasn't been able to come back for it yet." Brock worried over, before a small ring of laughter from the pit in the centre. Briefly glancing over, the group sighed, minus Tizeriz whose head only bounced along to a simple song she was listening to, when Alissa sighed.
"I wish he wasn't so stubborn… Like, I told him about the storm, so hopefully he's coming down here…" Alissa mulled over before lifting her spoon, and sighed again. Taking a small spoonful of the soup, she paused and narrowed her eyes as she held a hand up to the worried gazes she was getting.
"I doubt that Charmander would sit around in the rain like that… Most Pokemon that have flames exposed like that usually hide somewhere. And you did-" Ash began before feeling a hand plaster itself over his mouth.
"Shush… That group over there is saying something." Alissa hissed before straining her ears, as all conversation at the table ceased momentarily.
"Yeah, that's just the tip of what I got. See, I got a whole lot of them from jus' travelin' around the local regions. Got me a good set of strong Pokemon." The blue haired person at the centre of the group stated, just barely heard over at the table. "Even got myself a good Litten egg from a passin' breeder in Fuschia. I just had to trade one of my strong Exeggcute for it. And now, several months later, it hatched into this strong fella!" He boasted before the tiny fire cat jumped from below the table, into his lap, preening under the shouts of praise it was showered in.
"Hey what about the Charmander you had earlier today Damian?" Another voice chimed in before the table went silent as the blue haired man, Damian, sighed and turned his head to the side.
"That lil' lizard? I unfortunately had to get rid of it." Damian huffed before he crossed his arms, and leaned back glaring at the ceiling slightly. "I would've gone back for it considering the weather, but he's refusin' tah cooperate. And I highly doubt the poor sap is gonna survive the rainstorm, so there's no point. He's been too stubborn to even move from that stupid rock. And considerin' that I can't keep wastin' time goin' back for it… I'm just gonna go back out there tomorrow before leavin' it behind for good."
"Harsh dude."
"Harsh?" Alissa asked before she slid out of the chair, and walked over to the group in annoyance. "You call, just abandoning a Charmander that's been starving for several days, Harsh?!" Alissa demanded while the group at the booth, sans an oblivious Tizeriz, narrowed their eyes at the blue haired man.
"Yeah? What about it? He's survived worse for trainin' so he shouldn't die out there." Damian answered back before glaring at the person arguing with him, only to blink as his visage dropped slightly. Rising back up, his face turned a shade of blue not unlike his hair, before he slinked back slightly. "Y-you're the WCS quarterfinalist's Gardevoir, ain'tcha?" He asked, before a hand yanked him to his feet, ignoring the way Litten hissed from being forced off his trainer's lap, and rushed to Alissa's legs.
"You're admitting to abandoning a Pokemon, just because he's a bit stubborn… You're raising a Litten for god's sake!" Alissa shouted before glaring down at the man, whose leg simply gave out from under him. "I never met a trainer more backwards than you!"
"Y-yeah and? I didn't mean to leave it for so long, but that Charmander has to be one of the most stubborn Pokemon I've ever had to work with, and I worked with a lot before finally goin' around my actual journey! I had to work with some Skarmory that refused to ever back down, cuz they thought that they were some of the strongest out there! We lost one, one day back in Johto several years ago, and my father's still lookin' for it!"
Alissa's eye twitched before she dropped the man silently… "I'm sorry, I must've heard you wrong… A Skarmory?! We met one, and we had to take it with us five years back, because it wanted to prove itself as strong! When we won the Silver Conference then… Guess what that batty metal bird did? It left us, claiming that it wanted to get stronger!" Alissa shouted, to the man's dumbfounded look.
"W-wait, you and the Galarian found him? T-then I can finally have dad come home!" The man shouted before standing up, and pried Litten off of Alissa's bloodied, and scratched up leg. "Litten back down! She's a strong one!"
Backing off, and letting his trainer collect him, Litten hissed at the Gardevoir, only to wilt at the glowing eyes gazing at his body. "What? You didn't even register on my pain tolerance." She belittled the Litten before giving the man a pointed gaze. "As for you… Go get him. Now."
"I-I can't… He's not gonna leave of his own accord anyways… I tried… believe me." Damian answered back honestly before Alissa huffed, and squeezed her eyes shut. Turning back to Ash, Misty, Brock and a still oblivious Tizeriz, she narrowed her eyes.
"Oh don't even say a thing. Let's go get him." Brock answered Alissa's unasked question, before the rest of the group ran out of the centre, rain coats thrown over their body, minus Alissa, hastily.
Rushing out into the rain, the group ran up the hillside that led down to the centre. With Damian standing by the door, the man sighed as he walked back to the firepit, and sat down roughly. "They're gonna be bashin' their heads against a brick wall… That Charmander doesn't listen."
"Cmon!" Misty shouted as the group of three humans, and two Pokemon came upon a familiar sight of a Charmander, huddled under a makeshift umbrella. Growling, Alissa threw a hand up, and winced as a small dome of leaves came together under her power. Layering over each other, the rain pelting down on the curled Charmander faded, yet the light of his tail remained faint. "Hurry, someone grab him, and let's run back!"
"We need to go now, that flame isn't looking too good." Brock commented, while Ash nodded, and pulled his raincoat off to wrap Charmander in it, keeping the end off the tail. Feeling Alissa's leafy wall hover just above his head, Ash nodded before running ahead.
"Please hurry, I don't normally hold a network this tightly together!" Alissa shouted before she threw one hand out to grab several more leaves, layering on themselves too, the smaller disk of foliage trailed behind Ash as the teen grabbed the Charmander, and ran towards the Pokemon Centre down the hill.
Charmander went limp in the raven haired trainer's arm, before Alissa ran beside him, grunting as her leafy walls shook in her grip. Feeling a few fall away behind them, the group ran back faster, with Misty shoving Brock ahead with the group trying to keep any rain from hitting Charmander.
Spotting several lights in the distance, the group moved faster before Damian flagged them down, standing outside in the rain. "Hurry!" The man shouted before the gang nearly ran into each other, trying to head inside.
Stumbling to the counter, the Nurse Joy stationed there looked up and frowned as she looked at the wet group of humans entering the centre, and rushing around the firepit, and towards the nurse. "We need to get this Charmander into intensive care. It almost lost the flame on its tail." Brock nearly shouted as he, and Ash moved to set the shivering, and wet Charmander on to the counter.
Quickly collecting the Pokemon, the Joy stood with a nod, and turned to call for a Chansey to help, before she smiled as the couple of Chansey and Blissey on duty, ran over with a gurney and a small Sterno can, opened and filled with a flammable ethanol gel.
"Get him to a clean bed, and if you can, put that under his tail, but dig out some of it. We're trying to make the flame burn stronger, not force the flames to a Charmeleon's level." She instructed, getting a nod from the Blissey, before the shivering lizard was carted away.
"I'm honestly surprised you lot got him to move." Damian's voice chimed in before frowning as he bit the tip of his thumb. "Actually, I'm more surprised he survived that long without food. He wouldn't accept any I gave him, and I tried to keep him going, even though he refused to quit."
"How long has your Charmander been out there for young man?" Nurse Joy nearly demanded before Damian turned away and sighed.
"I had him for about a year, year and a half most… He's been like this ever since we failed the Vermilion Gym battle six months ago… The Gym Leader there demanded that I'd only use Charmander, but I didn't wanna force him… But Litten hadn't hatched yet, so… Here we are. A stubborn Pokemon like that needs a bit of a better trainer than I am." Damian admitted before frowning as he turned away, and focused on the oblivious woman still bouncing her head absently to her music.
"I was hoping for someone like your friend there, but… I doubt even she could… Especially after what you told me." He finished before Alissa frowned at her sister, and walked over.
"Hang on Alissa… I got it." Misty gently pulled the Gardevoir back before walking ahead to the table. Staring down at the short woman, Misty narrowed her eyes, before spotting a mostly untouched bowl of soup on the table. Picking it up, Misty upturned it over Tizeriz's head.
Sputtering and flinging her headset off, the woman blinked, shook her head clear of red, and groaned as she stared down at her ruined jacket, and leotard. "Oh great! And I was just getting into the song too! Bloody fuckin'...Oh. Did I miss something?"
"Miss something?! You didn't even budge when that prat over there mentioned how he abandoned a Pokemon in the rain!" Misty shouted before Tizeriz turned her head towards the direction of where the blue haired trainer stood.
Who was now, quite interested in the floor, shaking like a leaf.
"What." Even with the roaring fire in the centre of the atrium. Standing up slowly, Tizeriz lightly pushed Misty aside, before walking over to Damian.
"L-listen, I know that sounds ba-" Damian started, only to get cut off as a fist slammed into the side of his face. Knocking him over, Tizeriz stared down at the man before picking him up, and slammed him into the counter. "H-hey! I didn't me-"
He flinched when Tizeriz pulled back her arm, only to get stopped by Ash grabbing it, while Brock yanked her away with him. Grunting, Ash turned back to Misty and gave her an annoyed, flat look.
"Misty! You didn't even mention how that Charmander was stubborn, or that Damian tried to get him to go." Ash nearly shouted back at Misty, when he felt Tizeriz go slack, and tremble lightly.
"So it's almost like Marauder acted with us?" Tizeriz almost whispered out, before sliding to her knees.
"Nearly. Remember that the rotten bastard didn't even say goodbye to us after we won the Silver Conference. Just left a note, and… poof." Alissa sighed before gently kneeling down to Tizeriz's slumped over face, and grinned weakly. "At least Charmander was trying to prove himself strong… in a weird, almost masochist way…"
"Doesn't matter…" The older woman sighed as she looked up at Damian's slightly bruising face. "Sorry… Didn't get all of the details…" She grumbled before hanging her head again.
"Don't be… If you seen what I was like years ago when I struggled to get dad's Skarmory back under control… I'd punch me own face too." The blue haired man rubbed his jaw before chuckling lightly as he slowly righted himself. "Helluva right hook tho mate."
"...Oh Arceus… You're an Aussie…" Tizeriz muttered before giving the man a look of concern.
"Ah, and you're a Brit. Seems fair." The man returned before grinning as he stood up, and waved a hand. "Still, all in good time. I'm not happy that Charmander nearly died, but after everything I tried to get him to move… I feel like I can't train two fire types, especially with what your Gardevoir said."
"Still though, you shouldn't have to resort to drastic measures Damian…" Ash started before Damian held a hand up and cut off the teen from speaking further."
"It's fine, I was comin' to terms with figurin' out what tah do with him. Consider you lot good in my eyes. If you got him off of that rock, then you need to keep watch over him." Damian started before sighing as he turned to the concerned Nurse. "I don't wanna see him gone, but I'm stuck with zero options. And as your Gardevoir said miss… I can't raise two stubborn fire types anyways… Not without wantin' to pull me own hair out."
"We'll take good care of Charmander. I can promise you that, as from a Brit, to an Aussie… We'll do just fine." Tizeriz promised before the man laughed and turned to her, watching as she sighed. "I just know that I can't handle something like that right now… I got a lot on my bloody mind already."
Closing her eyes, the woman slowly exhaled before a few lone bowls near the counter floated into the air, while one of the monitors rose. Taking a deep breath, Tizeriz felt Alissa's hand against her back, and sighed as she relaxed visibly, with everything around them, settled down. To the slight astonishment of the Nurse Joy still there, looking at her monitor, then to the older trainer.
Taking a moment to recuperate, Ash looked around and opened his mouth, before his only other female friend beat him to the punch.
"Yeah… Losing so close to victory like that can do a lot, Tiz. It's fine." Misty comforted as she walked over, and gave the woman a concerned gaze, before the woman perked up and frowned slightly.
"Eh? No that's not… I meant that this past week alone has been tough. Between Brock's river jump, my own attack from Bulbasaur, the whole Cerulean issue…" She explained, listing off a couple events that happened before she threw her arms up, and slouched slightly, looking down at the floor. "I just… I can't help but feel like this is literally the lightest I'll feel in a while, without any time to unwind or even think."
Misty had the courtesy to at least wince at Tizeriz words, before Alissa tugged on the older woman's hand, and nodded to the door back out into the rain. 'Let's go and try to clear those thoughts out. Too much and you'll end up hurting them…' Alissa mentally told Tizeriz, who nodded and sighed.
"Sorry it's just… let me go clear my head."
'I haven't felt this wound up in a couple weeks Alissa… My head is hurting, and my groove was thrown off…' Tizeriz mentally grumbled back, with Misty backing away slowly from them as the Galarians retreated to the front door of the Centre, and walked outside.
"I didn't mean to…" Misty winced at the door shutting lightly, before getting cut off by Damian.
"Either way, I'll stay until Charmander is fine, if you four are willin' to as well. I need to explain this situation in a way that'll seem beneficial to the poor guy, and then… I really gotta train the rest of me Pokemon. Can't go and tell porky pies, right?"
"Uh… Right?" Ash answered weakly, before feeling a Poke Ball being pushed into his hands. Staring down at it, Ash gave Damian a concerned look before the man waved his look off. "But we shouldn't ju-"
"No wukkas there mate. Just promise me that you lot'll keep Charmander safe. When we meet again at the League, I'm expectin' a whole lotta fun there from your group." Damian started before giving the Nurse a more neutral expression as he looked down a bit, and to the side. "Course… Now thanks to your friend there, I gotta go give pops a call."
Waving away, Damian began walking towards the only other hallway accessible to the public, before rounding a corner. Pulling out a phone, the man quietly dialled a number, before vanishing fully.
"...So I'm going back outside to apologise to Tiz for everything tonight… You two go and probably get ready for a room?" Misty asked before the two boys nodded, and Brock quietly led a still confused Ash, down the same hallway that Damian went through.
Watching them leave, Misty took a moment to grab the leftover bowls on their abandoned table, and frowned at the headphones laying halfway inside of a slightly cleaner bowl. Picking them up, Misty stared down at the cord dangling over the table, and into the duffle bag Tizeriz left behind.
Staring at the pocket the cord vanished into, she moved to reach for it, only to stop short. Staring at the headphones again, she grabbed a napkin from the table, and jumped at the sound of grinding metal. Looking around in a panic, she heard a soft transition fade over the grinding, and looked down at the headset with confusion. Quickly wiping off any Tamato Soup from the one side, she pulled the headset over her ears, and gasped.
Listening to the beat echoing into her ears, the girl stared out the window and braced herself against the table, eyes darting every which way. Leaning against the table slightly, Misty frowned as the song quietly played in her ear, only to jump at the new noise entering her head.
'Mind giving those back to me dove?' Tizeriz's voice almost whispered into her head, causing the girl to yank the headphones off. Turning suddenly, she gripped them like her life depended on them, she started blubbering an apology, only silent upon staring at the glowing eyes of the woman standing several feet away, the crackling of the fireplace absent. "Seriously. I can't sleep without them some nights, and tonight… well…"
Waving a hand to the windows, the woman gave the younger girl a small grin, tilting her head gently towards the side. With a flash of thunder, Misty watched as the flames danced behind Tizeriz. Looking at her eyes, she shuddered involuntarily at the pink glows coming off of her shadowed complexion. Looking further down, Misty gulped at the white shine showing jagged fangs. Only to jump as Tizeriz leaned closer.
Letting her grin become lopsided, the older woman glanced down to Misty's arms, before her white smile faded into nothing within the darkened room. "Are you even listening?" She almost demanded in a hazy tone, followed by her hand slamming against the table over Misty's shoulder.
Jumping from the sudden movement and closeness of pink eyes, Misty trembled slightly before Tizeriz's eyes widened, and the shorter woman backed off immediately, eyes closed before she turned away. Despite hearing the music blaring from the headphones sounding almost solemn and cheery to a degree, Misty swore the entire sound warped then.
Almost like TV static with horns blaring from beneath the earth. All out of tune, and calling for help. Only, the next second she tried to listen in closer, the headphones were plucked from between her slacked hands, along with a duffle bag slowly being dragged over. "Listen dove… I get that you wanna listen to my music. But remember, just ask. Or I'll be forced to do something to you. Okay?" The shorter woman asked as she lifted Misty's head up, causing the girl's body to stiffen with fear.
Staring up at the woman, she felt the fear vanish as Tizeriz's pink eyes gave her a soft expression. "O-okay… But… you really shouldn't listen to something that… depressing…" Misty stammered out before flinching as Tizeriz wrapped her arms around the taller, yet younger girl. Pressing her face into Misty's chest, the older woman looked up at Misty before letting go, and backing off.
"Can't help it dove… I'm just in a weird funk right now." Tizeriz sighed before patting Misty on the back as she perked up. "C'mon dove, let's go and get ready for bed… I feel tired, and Alissa's tryna call me over before Brock makes any suggestions."
"Okay…?" Misty asked, her tone becoming more confused than scared. Following the slouching woman, Misty looked over her head, and then down the hallway across from them. "You sure you're not… losing it?"
"I'm fine Misty… Just… A bit tired, and…" Tizeriz paused as she stumbled forward slightly, and grabbed Misty's arm, balancing herself lightly with a grunt. "... Mentally exhausted too."
"I bet, here. Let me keep you upright, okay?"
Without answering, Tizeriz nodded before the two rounded the corner in the hallway. Coming across Brock, Alissa and Ash standing between two rooms, the group waved to each other, before Alissa made a simple cutthroat motion towards Tizeriz.
Who stood back up, and covered her mouth as she exhaled slowly. Turning back, she smiled weakly, and leaned against the wall as Alissa gave Brock a concerned look, then gave Misty one. "Alright… I'm gonna be frank… We're splittin' thah rumes betweeh genders."
"Tiz you might wanna go to bed sooner than now." Brock suggested, but didn't fight the woman as she weakly reached out, and attempted to grab the key two feet away from her in his grasp.
Grabbing it, she tossed it to Misty, and slumped further before groaning as she rubbed her face. "Let's just get to bed before I decide that those couch cushions were comfortable…"
"Agreed."
"I see nothing wrong here."
"Let's just hurry up, I wanna get an early st-"
"Shut it Brock, she's tired. No amount of French food will save you."
Alissa shoved Brock and Ash into their room, before slowly shutting the door. Turning to Misty fumbling with the door, Alissa rolled her eyes, and walked over. "Here. Let me…" She offered, before Misty held the key out to her. Only to blink as Alissa grinned, and held a hand to the knob.
"Now it's locked… but with a flick of my finger… I can unlock it." Alissa spoke with a mysterious air, only for Misty to blink as the sound of the door opening echoed across the hallway.
"Ho- Oh you cheeky Gardevoir…" Misty began before remembering who she was talking to. A freaking Psychic Pokemon.
Once the door was opened, Alissa moved out of the way, and gestured for the two to enter. "Alright you two, I'll be up front to get any info from Nurse Joy, you all take it easy. Alrighty?"
"Gotcha sis… night." Tizeriz grumbled before shuffling into the room silently. Staring at the single bed in the room, she groaned, and looked out the doorway. "Did s- And she's gone… great."
Misty closed the door before walking over with a frown, only to sigh as she stared at the single queen sized bed. "Again? Why is it, no matter which Pokemon Centre we go to… I end up in the queen sized bed?"
"Dunno… But I do know one thin' Misty…" Tizeriz muttered before she threw her duffle bag to the table. Only to dig through it, and pull out a small canteen with a smile. "Tireness can be fought against with a magical drink called… Water."
"Tizeriz it's like… nine pm right now. I'm too tired to deal with you being sleepy." Misty huffed before walking over to the bed, and sighed. Only to tug her outfit off, and quickly change into her sleepwear. Turning back to Tizeriz, Misty gave the woman a small look over, before frowning at the lack of any sleepwear. "... You seriously sleep in your leotard?"
"No." Tizeriz scoffed before stretching as she dug out a different looking leotard. Giving Misty a sleepy gaze, she walked over to the bathroom and sighed. "Just go to bed. I'll be fine by myself." She grumbled, before Misty let out an exasperated sigh, and flopped onto the bed, before rolling over towards the wall.
Shutting her eyes, the girl quickly fell into a rhythmic breathing cycle, only disturbed several minutes later, by soft dark arms, and legs brushing against her back. Hearing the lights click off one after the other, Misty waited until the last one clicked, before she opened her eyes to the darkened, cabin-like room.
Peering over her shoulder, she looked to Tizeriz, and stared at the woman beside her. With her body covered, she didn't get a good look at what Tizeriz was wearing below her collarbone, which only showed a simple light blue leotard, minus the arm coverings. Blinking away the darkness, Misty looked up at Tizeriz's face, and sighed as she saw the woman already fast asleep, arms spread aimlessly.
"...Night Tiz." Misty muttered before rolling over, and sighed. Closing her eyes, she snuggled into the comforter and let sleep take route.
Only to wake up what felt like several minutes later to a loud thunder booming across the sky, lighting up the room with an eerie white glow momentarily. Feeling the bed shift, Misty snapped her eyes shut before feeling two soft arms wrap around her waist, tugging her close. Hearing a whimper, the redhead sighed before letting the woman snuggle closer to her. Shifting slightly before she found breathing becoming difficult as the shorter, yet older woman's arms, wrapped tighter around her waist.
Holding a hand over her mouth, Misty winced as she felt Tizeriz snuggle deeper, and paused momentarily to a slightly off feeling. Looking back at the older woman, Misty felt her ire skyrocket, before evaporating immediately as the woman whimpered at the next, slightly lower noise of thunder.
"...Oh great… I got a girl trying to crush me… Why the heck did those three say that guys liked this?" Misty huffed out before wiggling her fingers between Tizeriz's iron clad fists, and slowly pulled them apart. "Stupid… cute… short… equally broken woman…" Misty huffed before pulling Tizeriz's hands away, only to immediately roll over, so she could pin them against the woman's side.
Upon doing so, she felt her eyes drift downward momentarily again, before she felt her hands slip, and a thunder booming across the sky. Feeling Tizeriz hug her again, Misty let out a hiss at being pinned against the woman, all while feeling something plush, pressing against her body. "Damnit Tiz!" Misty whined before trying to wiggle free, prying one arm off, before pushing Tizeriz away by her chest.
Finally free, Misty grunted before rolling over. "Damn woman…" The girl huffed before snapping her eyes shut. Ignoring the feeling pressing into her back, Misty forced herself to fall asleep.
Upon waking up, Misty grumbled as she sat up in the bed, letting her yellow shirt drop along with the blankets around her. Groaning, she rubbed her eyes before shaking her head and looked around blearily. Once hearing the shower going off in the next room, Misty flopped back and groaned louder. Looking around the pillows, Misty frowned as she looked at the small lamp on the nightstand, which was now covered in two of the white pillows, while the comforter was yanked out at the end. Looking closely, she sat right back up and looked down at the bed.
Spotting that it was slightly crooked on the frame, Misty rubbed her eyes and kicked her feet out, before going over to Tizeriz's bag. Opening the main pouch, she tugged out a new green crop top, and ripped the tag off, before digging out a simple pair of jeans. Tugging them on and her nightwear off, Misty jumped after tying her shoes on, by a knock on the door.
"Yeah?" She asked, walking over, and slowly pulled the door open, coming face to face with Brock, and Ash. Opening the door fully, she stepped out and frowned at the two before looking down the hallway. "What's up?"
"Damian's asking us to meet up with him before Charmander's released from getting treated." Brock answered before Ash peered behind Misty, then gave her a double-take.
"Oh, finally wearing one of Tizeriz's many outfits she got you?" Ash asked before Misty nodded, and opened her mouth.
"Yeah, and Tiz is in the shower, so let's do this without her." Misty added before the group walked out into the main lobby, where Damian was busy talking to Nurse Joy, before several Chansey came by, wheeling out Charmander, who was still face down on the bed, tail hovering over a semi-empty Sterno can. Upon stopping, the flaming tail was pulled away, before the can was shut by Nurse Joy, who nodded at the tail flame.
"Okay Damian, your Charmander has suffered a light scarring from his tail almost burning out, but he'll recover just fine. Okay?" The Nurse noted to Damian, who nodded back and sighed as he held Charmander up to his eyes, and gently shook the lizard awake.
Upon opening his eyes, Charmander gave Damian a lacklustre look, before looking around and then down at the ground. Being set down on the counter, Charmander gave Damian a soft noise of disappointment.
"I know Charmander, but there's something serious I need to talk to you about." Damian started before taking a deep breath, and exhaled immediately with a head drop. "I can't be the trainer you want me to be. And because of that, I have a new idea in mind for your training."
Charmander gave him a concerned look before blinking at Damian. Giving him another look, the Charmander followed Damian's finger before stopping at the sight of a young man holding his Poke Ball. "Considerin' I can't keep training you like you want to… I had an idea. See, these young folk are going to the League too. And since we got some badges already, I want to suggest that you grow strong with them, and then show me your strength at the League."
Charmander frowned before giving the group a simple gaze before turning right back to Damian. "Char?"
"The boy there is going to become your new trainer, and while it might be sudden… I want you to give them a chance." Damian explained before Charmander huffed, and slowly nodded, before giving Ash a slight downturn of his lip. Narrowing his eyes, he turned towards the sight of a short woman walking out of the hallway, with her hair dripping wet. Giving her a slightly more interested gaze, the Charmander nodded to Damian.
Setting the Charmander down, the tiny fire lizard walked over to the group, before giving Damian a wave as the man smiled brightly, if a bit solemnly. "Sorry if I'm a bit teary eyed, it's just been a while since I had to part with a dear Pokemon in a while… But still. Charmander, train with them, and when we meet at the league, show me and Litten everything you learned, alright?"
"Char Char!" Charmander shouted with a determined grin before he ran over and jumped into a surprised Tizeriz's arms, causing the woman to dip slightly from the unexpected weight. "Charmander!"
"Thanks you guys, I'll keep working on getting stronger, and we'll meet up later." Damian started before grinning as he held a thumbs up, and turned to leave, throwing a final glance behind him. "You all take care! And keep getting stronger in your own ways!"
Waving to the man, the group all grinned brightly before Tizeriz sighed as she walked over to the bulletin board, holding Charmander more gently. "Alrighty… let's see…" She began before Alissa giggled and walked over, scanning the board with everyone else following them over.
With the group pointing towards the posted map, Alissa, and Ash found their attention drawn towards two separate posters. One being a Team Rocket warning poster, while the other was from Bill. All while both missed the missing person poster for a green haired man, named A.J.
However, scanning the notice by Bill, Alissa nudged Tizeriz and pointed mentally added something, to grab the woman's attention. "There's a dynamaxed Dragonite running around Cerulean's Costal Cliffs.' Alissa urged before Tizeriz narrowed her eyes and sighed audibly.
"Guess we're going to see this Bill." Tizeriz announced before looking at the plea much closer. "Hmmm… So that's who helped build the Pokemon Transport System…"
A Pokemon Manic who knew more about Eevee in Kanto, than most others would. At least publicly. "Oh! He's super smart, and loves Eevee!" Ash announced before Misty perked up and grinned.
"He's very smart about most Kantonian Pokemon!"
"And he has a strong network with the world's managers of the Pokemon Transportation System, we should go and see what he needs help with!" Brock added before everyone moved over to a booth, talking loudly about what they were going to be doing. Vermilion could wait, especially since Bill seemed closer than anything else at the moment.
And it was clear that today might just become a relaxing one, as the group laughed about something else, before Tizeriz nudged Charmander towards Ash, letting the boy pet the fire lizard gently. It wasn't going to be productive at all. But it should pick up again very soon.
