Estimated Reading Time: 23 Minute

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Leafstorm

Ness woke up and changed to his usual preppy school boy look. He fed Lucky breakfast. He wasn't feeling hungry himself, so he went to his desk and turned his laptop on.

Lucky: "Es… Ech!"

Ness turned around.

Ness: "Lucky?"

Lucky hunched himself over and threw up on the floor. Ness leaned against his chair and sighed in frustration. He went to the bathroom and grabbed a paper towel and a trash bag. When he finished cleaning up the spot, he went back to his laptop and pondered.

This isn't the first time his Espeon threw up. Oh! Now that he works at the Pokemon daycare he could set up a vet appointment. He typed in the url and created a profile.

He was able to schedule an appointment for Lucky tomorrow! He thought it was going to take months. Guess he got… Lucky! He laughed at his own joke inside of his head.

Ness: "Lucky, are you excited for your vet appointment tomorrow?"

Lucky: "Espii?"

He sat on the floor and pulled Lucky into a hug.

Ness: "I love you so much!"

Lucky: "Espii…" (Let go…)

Lucky pushed him off.

Ness: "Sorry, I'm just so excited for you~"

Lucky: "Espeon?" (Excited for what?)

Ness: "Alright, want to go on a walk?"

Lucky: "Espii!"

Lucky started to do happy spins. Ness chuckled and hooked up the leash. The two left the place and went on a walk.

Lucky wanted to go to the PokePark. He started pulling on the leash.

Ness: "Lucky, no. No park today. I have to go to work soon."

Lucky: "Espii!"

Lucky started pulling harder.

Ness: "Lucky, sit!"

Lucky ignored his command and continued to pull. Ness tugged on the leash pretty hard and Lucky let out a yelp. He gasped. He didn't mean to pull so hard. He knelt down to check if his Espeon was ok.

Ness: "Oh my god, Lucky, I'm so sorry."

Lucky: "Espii…"

He dug through his rucksack and handed Lucky a treat.

Ness: "Will you please forgive me?"

Lucky sniffed the treat and took it from his hand. The Espeon happily ate it. They both stood up and continued on their walk.

Ness: "Alright, it's been half an hour. Let's head to work."

As the two were heading their way over to the daycare, he saw Kazuya and Ritcher doing push ups. He started walking faster, so they wouldn't notice him.

Lucky had other plans. The Espeon started pulling himself toward the two buff men.

Ness: "No! Lucky, stop!"

Lucky ignored and continued to pull. Ness had no choice. He sent Lucky back inside the ball. But that never solves the problem, does it? Lucky got out without command.

Ness: "Lucky, please. Just stay in the ball."

Lucky: "Espii!" (No!)

Ness: "If you stay, I'll give you another treat."

Lucky: "Espii!" (Treat!)

Ness: "Yes, treat. You want one?"

Lucky stuck out his tongue and nodded. With that, Ness gave his Pokemon another treat. He then returned Lucky back inside the ball and thankfully he didn't come out.

He let out a sigh of relief. He looked over to the buff men and saw that Kazuya was still doing push ups. However, Ritcher gave him a mean look. Yikes… What's that guy's problem?

Ness ignored him and made it to work. He checked where he was today and like always he was in the baby department. He missed hanging out with the fighting types. They were cool and respected him unlike these babies.

He went over to the babies and they immediately crowded him. They demanded play and so he did. At one point it got intense. They started using their powers against him. He's a smasher, a strong one too, so he was able to dodge easily. But it was still frustrating regardless.

The clock made a sound indicating that it's feeding time. He fed them food and of course they fought each other for it. He had to calm them down and break up fights. They were exhausting. Thank god after the food, they got sleepy from food coma.

He put them in their nap area and made sure they all had blankets. Now's his time to rest. He sat on the rocking chair like usual. He was about to go on his phone, but a Meowth woke up and hopped on his lap.

Ness: "Aww, hey, you."

Meowth: "Mow."

The cat Pokemon started giving his lap a massage. He smiled and started petting it.

Leaf saw from outside and decided to go over and check things out.

Leaf: "Hi~"

Ness: "Oh, hey!"

Leaf: "Looks like everyone except Milo is sleeping."

Ness: "Milo?"

Leaf: "Mhm, that's the Meowth's name."

Ness: "Oh, hi Milo."

Milo: "Mow."

Leaf walked over to him and started petting Milo.

Leaf: "How's your day so far?"

Ness: "Still struggling with Lucky."

Leaf: "Eevees are no joke."

Ness: "No kidding."

Leaf: "Once you train them though, they are the best Pokemon to have."

Ness: "Yeah?"

Leaf: "Very loyal creatures."

Ness: "He's loyal. He just doesn't respect me."

Leaf: "Hey, at least you got the loyal part."

Ness: "True."

Leaf: "Oh by the way, that contest show is this month. Did you want me to sign you up?"

Ness: "Yes!

Leaf: "You better prepare some cool tricks if you want to have a chance."

Ness: "You better stop giving me these tips."

Leaf: "Why?"

Ness: "Because I'll win the competition at this point."

Leaf: "Oh, getting cocky are ya?"

Ness: "Let's just say, when I excel on something, I usually come out on top."

Leaf playfully punched his arm.

Leaf: "Ha! Good luck. I'm a champion."

Ness: "Champions can easily lose their place."

Leaf: *Scoffs* "Are you kidding? You're a total beginner. You have no chance against me."

Ness: "I mean, who knows."

Leaf: "Psh! I'd like to see you try."

Ness: "Lucky and I are quick learners."

Leaf: "That's true, but I've been doing this for years."

Ness: "We'll see~"

Her competitive spirit took over. She pointed at him and smirked.

Leaf: "You know what! I'm going all out for this contest. You'll have no chance."

Ness: "Hm! Well prepare to be disappointed when you lose to a beginner."

Leaf: "As if! I'm definitely signing your name on the list, so there's no way you can't back down."

Ness: "Oh don't worry. I'll be there winning that trophy."

Leaf: "It's a ribbon."

Ness: "Oh."

Leaf: "Tsk tsk. You don't even know what you're getting yourself into."

Ness: "I'll do my research."

Leaf: "Research can only get you so far."

Ness: "You sound scared."

Leaf: "Am not!"

Milo got off of him and started licking its paws. Ness chuckled and stood up. He put his hands in his pockets and smirked at her.

Ness: "Looks like we'll have to wait and see who wins."

Whoa, he… Where did this confidence come from? He acted like a nervous wreck yesterday. Wait, is he… No, there's no way she's talking to Nate right now. The stupid clone left.

She took a few steps back. He tilted his head and gave her a blank confused stare.

Ness: "Uh, you ok? S-sorry if I went too far."

Oh. There's the real Ness. Haha… For a second she was worried there. She shook her head and gave him a reassuring smile.

Leaf: "You're ok. I love how competitive we get."

Ness: "Yeah, I can be pretty competitive."

Leaf: "Pretty competitive? You're very competitive. You go out of your way to study other smasher's fighting styles so you would win tournaments."

Ness: "Haha… Yeah."

Leaf: "You're known for that."

Ness: "I guess."

Leaf: "It's a little creepy."

Ness: "Hey! Studying people gives you leverage."

Leaf: "Creep."

Ness: "Y-you don't understand."

Leaf: "Hahaha! Oh Ness. You're hopeless."

Ness: "What?"

Leaf: "Anyway, I'm gonna go back to my department. I just wanted to drop by and say hi."

She began walking back to the door.

Ness: "Wait!"

She stopped in her tracks and turned to face him.

Leaf: "Yes?"

Ness: "I just wanted to say it was nice talking with you."

Leaf: "I-I had a good time too."

Ness: "Thanks for visiting me. I would visit you but you know, I can't leave the baby Pokemon because they're unpredictable and all."

Leaf: "I know."

Ness: "Otherwise I would!"

Leaf: "Yes, I know. Anyway, I'll see you later when we close."

Ness: "Ok, bye for now."

She waved her hand and he watched her leave. Whoa, is this actually happening? They're talking! She's not giving him rude stares anymore and her tone is sweeter. He couldn't help but feel happy. For once, work wasn't terrible.

He continued to watch the baby Pokemon until it hit ten. Leaf was able to get all her stuff done. She went back inside and this time helped Ness finish his close.

They both left the building together this time. It's crazy! He never thought he would get this far. He almost gave up. He's glad he gave her the space she needed. Lucas was right, all he had to do was wait for her to approach him.

Leaf: "So, now that work is over, what's your plan?"

Ness: "Hmm, I think I'm going to listen to music and call it a day. You know, just vibe."

Leaf: "Did you… Um, want to listen to music with me?"

Ness: "Oh! Uh…"

Leaf: "It's ok if you don't."

He secretly wanted to be alone, but he didn't want her to dislike him. Besides, he should be more outgoing anyway.

Ness: "Yeah, ok."

Leaf: "Cool!"

The two went back to his place. She took off her shoes and sat on his bed. That's when it hit him. There's a cute girl in his room. A cute girl on his bed as a matter of fact! He didn't know how to handle it. His pervy brain was slowly creeping in.

He slapped his cheeks gently and she gave him a weird look.

Leaf: "Uh, why'd you do that?"

Ness: "My… Cheeks felt numb."

Leaf: "Oh my god! Are you ok?"

Ness: "Yes it's normal."

Leaf: "It is?"

Ness: "Yes. Anyway, so uh, yeah let's listen to music."

He sat as far away from her as he possibly could in his bed. He grabbed his remote and turned on his tv. He went on Youtube and showed her music that he likes to listen to.

Leaf: "Wow, I like it!"

Ness: "Really?"

Leaf: "Yeah didn't know you like jazz and blues."

Ness: "Yeah, it's relaxing."

Leaf: "Ever heard of Lo-fi?"

Ness: "No."

Leaf: "What! Now I have to show you."

She went up close to him and snatched the remote from his hand. She played music that she liked on the tv. He stiffened his body. She's so close. This is… Weird. Every once in a while he would glance at her body and then turn his attention back to the screen.

What is he doing? Who is he kidding? He's a guy. He wanted to be above all that but at the end of the day, he's a simple degenerate. Sonic made that clear when Mario decided to go through his laptop and expose his search history.

Thank god he doesn't watch as much porn as he used to. That was a problem he wasn't aware of. He's actually hanging out with friends. He's even going outside more thanks to Lucky. He's being a person. It only took getting kidnapped and bullied for eight months. Wow… If that isn't the most unhinged thought he's ever thought. What the fuck is his life?

Leaf: "Did you like it?"

Ness: "Huh? S-sorry. I got distracted. Can you play it again?"

Leaf: "Ness…"

Ness: "Haha… Sorry."

She rolled her eyes and pressed play again. This time he actually listened and it was pretty good. It was like a mixture between jazz and hip hop.

Ness: "Oh wow, that's right up my alley."

Leaf: "That's what I thought too! Isn't it such a nice vibe?"

Ness: "It is!"

Leaf: "I also listen to a lot of pop if you want to hear."

Ness: "Show me!"

She put on more music. They listened and chatted some more. This time he wasn't checking her out. He was able to enjoy their conversation as friends.

Leaf: "So I'm curious. What else do you like to do?"

Ness: *Smirks* "Are we playing the getting to know each other game?"

Leaf: "Yes."

Ness: "I like to read, but everyone knows that."

Leaf: "You are a nerd."

Ness: "Yeah, as you can see on my desk, I've been reading mental awareness books."

Leaf: *Snickers* "AwareNESS."

Ness: "I know. My name is so punnable."

Leaf: "I love it."

Ness: "Yeah?"

Leaf: "A punnable name is a good name."

Ness: "Yours is too."

Leaf: "I've heard LEAF me alone so many times. Please spare that joke."

Ness: "Damn, yeah that's all I could think of."

Leaf: *Chuckles*

Ness: "Question."

Leaf: "Yes?"

Ness: "Have I been getting better? I would like to hear it from someone else's perspective."

Leaf thought back to when he tried apologizing to her and she snapped at him. After that day, he totally backed off. It was a mature move. She thought he would keep trying to bother her about the abortion, but he hasn't mentioned it. In fact, during their last argument, she was the one that did.

Leaf: "Yeah, I'd say so."

Ness: "Oh thank god. That's good to know."

Leaf: "I'm sorry about our last argument."

Ness: "No, no, no, don't be sorry. I totally get it."

Ding!

Leaf: "I think that's your phone."

Ness: "Oh! No, it's ok. I'm talking to you so…"

Leaf: "Hmm, ok then. Well I still do want to apologize. I shouldn't have attacked you like that."

Ness: "Water under the bridge."

Leaf: "Thanks, Ness. This has been nice. You know, I haven't had a friend to hang out with since the catastrophic event."

Ness: "What about Red?"

Leaf: "Can I be honest with you?"

Ness: "Of course."

Leaf: "Promise you won't tell Red?"

Ness: "I promise."

Leaf: "I haven't been enjoying my time with him."

Ness: "What! But he's your best friend."

Leaf: "It's a bit more complicated than that. Kind of similar to what you told me yesterday about Lucas."

Ness: "Oh, I see."

Leaf: "Yeah, so we both got that in common."

Ness: "What's been going on with him if you don't mind me asking."

Leaf: "You know that his Charizard died, right?"

Ness: "Yes, unfortunately."

Leaf: "Ever since then, he's been so angry. His voice became raspy. Have you noticed that?"

Ness: "Last time I heard him talk was when he punched me. I wasn't really paying attention to his voice. I figured that's what he sounded like when he was mad."

Leaf: "So sorry about that by the way."

Ness: "You don't have to apologize. He does."

Leaf: "I'll talk to him about it, but right now, I kind of want to distance myself from him because he's been too much."

Ness: "Too angry?"

Leaf: "Yeah. I understand why he's angry, but it's a lot for me to handle."

Ness: "You're already dealing with enough stress at work."

Leaf: "I want to be there for him. He's hurting really bad. If I were to lose any of my Pokemon, I would be broken."

Ness: "I can't imagine losing Lucky, so I get it."

Leaf: "Our Pokemon means everything to us. The other smashers think they are pets, but they're more like our children."

Ness: "They're a part of the family."

Leaf: "See? You get it."

Ness: "Of course I do. I have Lucky. I'm a Pokemon trainer too. Which is odd. Never thought I'd be one."

Leaf: "You do look like one."

Ness: "I know. It's crazy that I'm an actual Pokemon trainer now."

Leaf: "Which I'm happy about. You have no idea."

Ness: "Me too."

Leaf: "Anyway, Red has shown nothing but anger. He gets intense and he's been over protective towards me because of Nate."

Ness: "Right…"

Leaf: "Sorry to bring him up. I know you probably don't want to hear it."

Ness: "Go ahead and vent. No judgment. I promise."

Leaf: "!"

Leaf wasn't expecting that response. She thought he would start panicking, but he seemed calm. He really has grown a lot.

Ness was secretly panicking on the inside. He didn't want to hear Nate's name and how his clone hurt Leaf in his image. The whole thing made him uncomfortable. He feared that she was going to ask questions about Nate. Like where he is now and oh god, what if she wants to get ahold of him?

If he gave her Nate's social, then that's asking for disaster. Oh no, what if they make him pick a side? He doesn't know how to deal with that.

Leaf: "I'm not going to get into detail, but Nate made me feel special. I was happy being with him and then I found out he cheated on me. My world shattered that day."

Ness: "I'm sorry to hear that."

Leaf: "With Nana of all people."

Ness: "..."

Leaf: "I was crushed. I told Red and I've never seen him so angry."

Ness: "T-that's fair."

Leaf: "He saw me hurt and it crushed his heart. I'm thankful that he cares about me, but it's been too much. He's constantly shit talking you even though it was Nate."

Ness: "I figured."

Leaf: "I don't know what to do."

Ness: "Maybe we can talk to him together?"

Leaf: "I don't think he's ready to see you. He might blow up."

Ness: "I can take it."

Leaf: "No seriously. He's a lot. We're both dealing with enough stress. Right now, I want things to be calm. That's all I want. A calm happy life."

Ness: "Have you been stressing everyday?"

Leaf: "Pretty much."

Ness: "I'm sorry."

Leaf: "Although, yesterday and today aren't so bad."

Ness blushed.

Ness: "Wait, I thought I was the reason why you've been upset."

Leaf: "True."

Ness: "Haha…"

Leaf: "But not anymore. I'm actually quite happy right now because we're hanging out."

Ness: "R-really?"

Leaf: "Duh. Otherwise I wouldn't be here."

Ness: "Haha… Yeah, that was a dumb question."

Leaf: "You're a dummy."

Ness: "Usually I'm called a smartass."

Leaf: "Which do you prefer?"

Ness: "Smartass."

Leaf: "I like dummy more."

Ness: "Rude. Hahaha~"

Leaf: "But yeah, I'm slowly losing my friend and that scares me. Red and I have been so close since day one."

Ness: "I know how you feel."

Leaf: "I just… *Sighs* Want the old Red back."

Ness: "Back when he was chill?"

Leaf: "Yes…"

She looked down on the floor and frowned.

Ness: "Hey, uh, it's ok. I think we should talk to him together. Maybe approach him on a good day."

Leaf: "He never has a good day."

Ness: "We can treat him somewhere. That might get him in a better mood."

Leaf: "If he knows you're coming, he's going to try to fight."

Ness: "You're right. I think the best way right now is to give him space like I did with you."

Leaf: "Yeah."

Ness: "Don't give up. He just needs to calm down and then you can talk to him."

Leaf: "I think I'll do that."

Ness: "That's the spirit."

Leaf: "Thank you for letting me vent."

Ness: "Of course."

Leaf: "Well I should get going. It's late."

Ness: "Ok!"

She got up and started walking to the door. Phew, thank god she didn't continue to mention Nate or asked for his contact. He wouldn't have known what to do there.

As she opened the door she froze. He raised a brow and moved his head a little to see what's going on. His eyes widened when he saw Lucas standing outside of the door. It looked like he was about to knock.

Ness: "L-Lucas!"

Leaf: "Uh, s-sorry."

Leaf hid her face and quickly left. The blonde looked appalled.

Ness: "Hey, Lucas, um, feel free to come in."

He stepped inside the room and closed the door behind him.

Ness: "Um so-

Lucas: "What was Leaf doing in your room?"