~~Hello, readers, I'm back with a new chapter.
I don't own anything from Pokémon or My Hero Academia.
Only my original characters belong to me.~~
It was now early evening in Twinleaf Town.
Sioku had just received her mother's permission to spend the night at Ariel's house.
~Time Skip to After Dinner~
Sioku took a seat on a long couch, then set her bag on the floor.
Ariel sat beside her friend.
Bella squealed with excitement as soon as she saw Flareon standing beside Sioku.
Flareon wagged her tail wildly while running circles around Bella.
Bella giggled as she let Flareon brush up against her.
Sioku pulled out her phone, then recorded a video of their interaction.
"Those two are so cute," she commented.
"Bella and your Flareon have been best friends since last year," Ariel pointed out.
Sioku and Ariel watched Bella with amusement as she climbed onto Flareon's back.
"Please be careful, Bella," said Ariel.
"I will, Sissy," replied Bella.
Flareon stood in place to prevent Bella from falling.
Bella sat still while petting Flareon under her ears.
"Hey, Sio, how many Pokémon do you have?" asked Bella.
Sioku smiled at Bella and answered, "I've got three other Pokémon with me."
Bella slid off of Flareon, then approached Sioku.
"Sio! Can I see your other Pokémon? Please?" asked the small child joyfully.
"Settle down, Bella," urged Ariel.
Bella glanced up at her older sister in response.
Sioku laughed before answering, "Yes, my other Pokémon could use the fresh air."
She retrieved three Pokéballs from her bag.
Bella's face lit up as soon as she saw them.
"I can't wait to see your other Pokémon, Sio!" she cheered.
Ariel gave her sister a warning look.
"Bella! You need to calm down," she said sternly.
"Okay, Sissy," responded Bella timidly.
"Piplup, Starly, Shinx, come on out!" hollered Sioku.
All three Pokémon emerged from their Pokéballs, then started to explore the area.
Bella giggled as she let the Pokémon surround her.
She and Flareon playfully chased the other three Pokémon around the living room.
"Be gentle with those Pokémon, Bella," called Ariel after the little girl.
"I will, Sissy," responded Bella.
Sioku grinned as she watched Bella play with her Pokémon.
"Sioku, are you going to be a gym challenger or a Pokémon coordinator?" Ariel inquired.
"I'm going to do both," answered Sioku confidently.
"That's very ambitious of you, Sioku. I'm just going to participate in the gym battles," Ariel commented.
Sioku's cheeks pinked up as she smiled at her best friend.
A brief period of silence passed between the two older girls.
"What are you blushing for, Sioku?" asked Ariel before she laughed.
Sioku leaned back against a pillow
"I'm not used to people giving me complements," she answered quietly.
Ariel's facial expression changed from happy to concerned as she sighed sadly.
"Hey, Sioku, do you still get flustered because of everything that Julie had put you through back at the Trainer School?" she asked gently.
Sioku gave a nod, then turned her head away.
"What's wrong, Sioku?" asked Ariel.
Ariel was only met with silence.
Sioku's breathing suddenly grew shallow.
"Are you okay, Sioku?" Ariel asked again.
Sioku closed her eyes tightly as many unpleasant flashbacks of the black haired woman flooded into her mind like rushing water.
Her heart began to pound in her chest.
Chills rapidly crawled up her spine.
Sioku could hear Julie's harsh voice ringing loudly in her ears.
All of the sounds around her slowly faded into silence.
Ariel grabbed Sioku by the shoulders, then shook her gently.
"Please come back to me, Sioku," she said sadly.
Sioku remained still as a statue with her mind trapped in a dark void.
Much to Ariel's surprise, Shinx jumped onto Sioku's lap.
Sioku jolted as she felt her Pokémon's movement.
Her mind began to leave the dark void, and she slowly returned to the peaceful environment of Ariel's house.
Sioku opened her eyes to find herself and Ariel still sitting on the couch.
A smile of relief formed on Ariel's face as she watched her best friend's condition improve.
Shinx affectionately nuzzled Sioku's neck, causing the girl to pet it.
"Hello, Shinx," she whispered.
"Sioku, are you okay? What just happened to you?" asked Ariel frantically.
"I just had a panic attack," answered Sioku quietly.
"Do you know what caused it?" Ariel inquired.
"We started talking about… Mis Julie," Sioku muttered sadly.
Before their conversation could continue, Bella zoomed through the living room with Piplup and Starly following her.
Sioku gasped fearfully as she felt the little girl bump into her.
"There you are, Shinx," said Bella cheerfully.
Shinx let out a warning growl in response.
"Bella! You need to be careful," scolded Ariel.
Bella ignored her sister and proceeded to grab Shinx.
Shinx glared at Bella as it continued to growl.
Sioku used the new situation as a quick distraction from her flashbacks.
"You should let go of Shinx, Bella," she suggested.
"I still want to play with it, Sio," Bella insisted.
Electric sparks rapidly built up in the irritated Shinx' body.
"Bella, that Pokémon is going to zap you. Let it go," ordered Ariel sternly.
"No, Sissy, I still want to play with it! Leave me alone!" yelled Bella.
Ariel rose from her seat, then stood behind Bella.
"If I have to tell you to let go again, Bella, there will be consequences. Do you understand me?" said the teen sternly.
Bella shook her head, then glared at Ariel.
"I'm not playing with you, Bella," said Ariel firmly.
Sioku couldn't help but laugh to herself at the stern tone in her best friend's voice.
Bella kept a tight grip on Shinx' body as she pulled the Pokemon closer to her.
Feeling annoyed, Shinx released its built up electricity from the end of its tail.
Bella screamed in pain as she got zapped by Shinx' spark attack.
Sioku's face saddened as she watched Bella fall to the ground.
"It's not your fault, Sioku," Ariel assured.
Bella pulled herself up into a sitting position.
Sioku held up Shinx' Pokéball.
"Return, Shinx," she commanded calmly.
The exhausted Shinx let itself get pulled inside the Pokéball.
Ariel picked Bella up, then carried her to another area of the living room.
She then set the little girl down on a leather chair.
Tears streamed down Bella's face as she sobbed loudly.
"Bella, you were told twice not to mess with Sioku's Shinx. That Pokémon didn't want to play with you because it was tired. Shinx got really mad because you repeatedly bothered it," Ariel scolded.
Bella turned her head away and continued to cry.
Ariel gave her younger sister a stern look.
"Bella, you're sitting in time out because you didn't listen to Sioku or me when we told you to stop bothering her Shinx. You may get up in five minutes," she said firmly.
Ariel stood patiently beside Bella, allowing the little girl to release all of her emotions.
Sioku took the opportunity to collect all of her Pokémon while Bella wasn't looking.
She held up two Pokéballs and commanded, "Piplup, Starly, return."
Starly and Piplup immediately hurried back to Sioku before letting themselves get pulled inside their Pokéballs.
Flareon sat on the floor by Sioku's feet.
Bella started to relax as she stared at Flareon.
Sioku petted Flareon softly and slipped into a train of thought.
Flareon rose to her feet and calmly trotted over to Bella.
Sioku watched her Pokémon with curiosity.
Bella smiled and said, "Hi, Flareon."
Flareon nuzzled Bella's leg in return.
The little girl petted Flareon under her ear.
The phone in Sioku's pocket began to ring, and she quickly retrieved it.
"Please excuse me, Ariel," she said.
"Of course," replied Ariel politely.
Sioku held the phone up to her ear and said, "Hello, Mother, is everything okay?"
"Yes, Sioku, everything is fine over here. I am about to send Lynn over there. She wants to hang out with Bella. Please let Ariel know that She will arrive soon," explained Kara on the other end.
"Okay, Mother, I'll tell her right away. Bella will be very excited to see Lynn," Sioku added.
"Please take good care of your sister and have fun. I'll see both of you tomorrow morning," said Kara.
"You don't need to worry, Mother, I always look out for her. Have a good night," replied Sioku before ending the call.
Sioku then turned to Ariel and said, "Mom just told me that my little sister wants to come over and hang out with Bella."
"That's okay with me," replied Ariel.
A few minutes later, the girls heard a soft knock at the door.
"Sissy, who's at the door?" asked Bella.
Ariel rose from her seat and answered, "Lynn is here, Bella. I'm going to let her in."
Bella smiled at her sister, then shifted her attention back to Flareon.
Ariel raced over to the front door before opening it.
"Hello, Lynn, I'm so glad to see you. Please come in," she greeted.
"Hi, Ariel, I'm happy to see you too. Thank you," replied Lynn as she entered the house.
Ariel calmly led Lynn into the living room where Bella, Flareon, and Sioku had been waiting patiently.
Lynn sat on the couch beside her older sister.
"Hey, Lynn, how is Trooper doing?" asked Sioku.
"Trooper is just fine," answered Lynn as she petted Flareon.
"Bella and I haven't seen your dog in a while," Ariel pointed out.
"Hi, Lynn," greeted Bella.
"Hey, Bella," Lynn replied.
Lynn curiously turned to Bella who still looked a bit sad.
"Hey, Ariel, what's wrong with your sister?" she asked.
"She got in trouble for bothering one of Sioku's new Pokémon," answered Ariel.
"You caught more Pokémon, Sioku? How many do you have?" Lynn continued cheerfully.
"Yes, I caught a Starly and a Shinx. I have four Pokémon now," answered Sioku.
"That's great, Sioku! Will you let them out?" exclaimed Lynn with excitement.
Sioku laughed before answering, "Yes, I'm sure my new Pokémon would love to meet you."
She held up all three of her Pokéballs and commanded, "Piplup, Starly, Shinx, come on out!"
All three Pokémon emerged from their Pokéballs before happily zooming around the living room.
Flareon immediately began to chase the smaller Pokémon.
Bella grinned as she watched the Pokémon play.
Lynn pointed at Shinx and said, "Your Shinx looks really cute, Sioku. I can't wait to have one of my own."
Ariel approached her sister with a calm expression.
"Bella, you may get up now. You and Lynn can play for a little while before bedtime. First, I want you to apologize to Sioku," she explained firmly.
"Okay, Sissy," replied Bella as she stood up.
Bella cautiously made her way to the couch where Sioku sat.
"Hi, Bella, what's up?" greeted Sioku cheerfully.
"Sioku, I'm sorry for bothering your Shinx. I didn't mean to hurt him," responded Bella softly.
"Don't worry, Bella, I am not mad at you. I appreciate your apology. You just need to be gentle and patient with my Pokémon," Sioku explained.
Bella sat next to Sioku, then hugged her.
Sioku gently returned the hug and smiled.
"Go play with Lynn until it's time for bed," said Sioku while releasing Bella.
"Bye, Sio," Bella replied before happily taking off.
Bella met Lynn near a window and asked, "Do you want to go play?"
"Sure," answered Lynn with a smile.
Bella giggled as she ran up the stairs with Lynn following behind her.
The two small children soon disappeared into Bella's bedroom.
Sioku and Ariel were now by themselves in the living room.
They watched Sioku's Pokémon chase each other playfully.
"Sioku, would you mind if I watched your Pokémon contests?" asked Ariel.
"Not at all, you'd be the first person I would invite. Your support means a lot to me. I'll be there to watch your gym battles as well," answered Sioku happily.
All four of Sioku's Pokémon soon returned to her in a group near the couch.
"You guys look really tired. It's time for you all to rest now. Piplup, Starly, Shinx, return," said Sioku.
All three Pokémon immediately let themselves get pulled inside their Pokéballs.
Flareon laid down by Sioku's feet and sighed.
Sioku giggled at that as she ruffled Flareon's fur.
A long period of complete silence passed by.
Sioku carefully lowered herself to the floor next to Flareon.
She let her mind drift off while petting the sleeping Flareon softly.
Their moment of silence was soon interrupted when they heard Bella's bedroom door burst open.
Both children ran down the staircase, causing Flareon to wake up.
Flareon shook her head, then rose to a sitting position.
Sioku put her arm around Flareon and silently watched the scene.
Wearing angered expressions, Bella and Lynn quickly approached Ariel.
Ariel immediately put a hand up to stop the girls before they could bump into her.
Bella and Lynn slowed down immediately, then stood near Ariel.
The children glared at each other.
"What is going on?" asked Ariel firmly.
"Bella yelled at me for accidentally dropping one of her toys on the floor," answered Lynn.
"No, Lynn did it on purpose. I saw her do it," Bella whined.
"I picked Bella's toy up and tried to give it to her. She snatched it out of my hand and gave me a mean look," argued Lynn with a tearful expression.
Sioku thought about saying something, but she stopped herself immediately.
She decided to let Ariel handle the situation since Bella had a tendency to get upset easily.
Ariel put her hand up once again to silence the girls.
"That's enough, you two. I don't want to hear anymore arguing," she said sternly.
Bella and Lynn stared up at Ariel with wide eyes.
"Please apologize to each other," Ariel instructed as her expression softened.
Bella approached Lynn calmly, then hugged her.
"I'm sorry for yelling at you," she said.
"I'm sorry for dropping your toy on the ground," replied Lynn as she returned the hug.
Sioku and Ariel smiled proudly at the younger girls.
Bella and Lynn smiled at each other as they slowly broke the hug.
Ariel checked her phone's lock screen, then said, "It's almost bedtime, so you girls need to get ready to lay down. Sioku and I will be up their shortly."
"Okay, Sissy," replied Bella.
Bella took Lynn by the hand and led her back up the stairs.
They brushed their teeth in the bathroom, then returned to Bella's bedroom.
Sioku stood up and commanded, "Let's go, Flareon."
Flareon rose to her feet, then shook off.
Ariel stood up from the couch.
She led Sioku and Flareon up the stairs.
Sioku giggled to herself as she heard Flareon bolt up the staircase.
She turned to Ariel and said, "Flareon always does that at home every time we go up to my room."
Ariel only smiled back.
As Sioku made her way into the restroom with Flareon, Ariel entered Bella's room.
Bella and Lynn sat patiently on the bed.
"Hey, girls, it's time for you to lay down. You may watch one movie tonight before bed," she said.
"Thank you, Sissy," replied Bella.
Bella and Lynn situated themselves under the covers.
Ariel grabbed a Tv remote off the desk, then selected and played a princess movie.
"Good night," she added.
"Good night," replied the children in unison.
Ariel exited Bella's room, then closed the door behind her.
She then met Sioku and Flareon in the bathroom.
Sioku had just finished her night routine.
She led Flareon out of the bathroom and said, "Hi, Ariel, it's your turn to use the restroom."
"Thank you, Sioku, I just turned a movie on for the girls. I'll meet you in my room as soon as I'm finished," replied the blond haired girl.
Sioku calmly led Flareon into Ariel's bedroom by her fur collar.
They then settled down on a leather sofa.
A few minutes later, Ariel entered her bedroom.
"Hi, Sioku," she greeted.
"Hey, Ariel," Sioku replied briefly.
Ariel petted Flareon, then let Turtwig out of its Pokéball.
Turtwig happily followed Ariel to her bed where the two situated themselves.
The complete silence allowed both trainers and their Pokémon to fall asleep.
Unfortunately, Sioku's dream was nowhere near peaceful.
~Dream~
Sioku found herself back at the trainer school in Aspertia City.
She hadn't become a Pokémon trainer yet.
The school day had just ended.
Many students ran crazily up and down the walkways.
Sioku was walking back home and minding her own business when her mother's best friend Julie came running after Her.
Julie is a woman in her mid forties with wavy, black hair and grey eyes.
Her outfit consisted of black tennis shoes, white ancle socks, black yoga pants, a grey, long-sleeved T-shirt, and a fluffy, grey sweater.
A pink, leather purse hung from her left shoulder.
She carried a blue, plastic water jug in her right hand.
Sioku had been lost in her own thoughts, so she didn't notice Julie.
The broun haired girl suddenly came to a halt, then turned around to look at Julie.
"What's up, Mis Julie?" asked Sioku casually.
"Hey, Sioku, you won't be going home today. I'm bringing you to my house instead," answered the black haired woman.
Sioku was immediately surprised by the sudden change in her plans.
"Really? Why is that?" Sioku continued calmly.
"Your mother just informed me that she had left to go on a business trip for the weekend. She'll be back on Sunday," Julie explained.
Deep down, Sioku was very nervous about staying at Julie's house for the weekend.
She also wasn't happy about being in the same place as her spoiled daughter, Mira.
"All right," Sioku agreed reluctantly.
Julie led Sioku to her car which had been parked in the back of a parking lot.
Sioku climbed into the passenger side while Julie situated herself in the driver's seat.
Julie started the car's engine, then drove away.
Neither of them said a word to each other during the ride.
Twenty minutes later, Julie parked the car in front of her house.
Sioku hopped out of the car as soon as it came to a complete stop.
Once outside her car, Julie led Sioku through the gate.
Sioku admired all of the plants as she and Julie passed by them.
"Your garden is really pretty, Mis Julie," she complemented.
"Thank you, Sioku," responded Julie with a smile.
They then climbed up a flight of cemented stairs that led to her front porch.
Julie opened the door, then allowed Sioku to enter her house first.
Sioku cautiously stepped inside the house in fear of what to expect.
Her heart started to race with anxiety as she proceeded into the living room.
Sioku plopped down on the nearest couch and sighed heavily.
A news report was playing on the flat screen Tv.
"Sioku, the guest room is available for you to sleep in for the next two nights. Please go and put your backpack in there," said Julie.
"Yes, ma'am," replied Sioku as she stood up.
She started to walk down the hallway as quickly as possible.
Before Sioku could enter her temporary room, Mira sauntered over to the broun haired girl with an innocent grin on her face.
Mira is a 13-year-old girl with black, wavy hair and red eyes.
Her outfit consisted of black tennis shoes, black socks, black sweat pants, a grey, long-sleeved T-shirt, and a grey hoody.
Seeing Mira smile like that made Sioku cringe internally.
She shoved those bad thoughts to the back of her mind and smiled back.
"Hi, Mira, what brings you here?" Sioku greeted politely.
"Hey, Sioku, I just want to hang out with you this weekend. We could have a couple of girls' nights," the black haired girl answered gleefully.
In that moment, Sioku's jaw dropped in total disbelief.
Sioku just could not believe the friendly words that she had been hearing out of that usually bratty girl.
"What in the world is going on here? Why did Mira stop calling me Sad Sioku all of a sudden?" she thought with a confused expression.
Sioku brushed those thoughts aside and finally decided to play along with Mira's little mind game.
"Okay, Mira, I'll hang out with you while I'm here. I need to drop off my backpack first," she said hesitantly.
"Come in my room when you're done," Mira replied before she skipped away.
Sioku stepped into the guest room with a heavy sigh.
"What did I just get myself into?" she thought fearfully.
After placing her backpack on the desk, Sioku immediately hurried across the hall and into Mira's bedroom.
She and Mira spent the next few hours watching short videos and playing games.
~Time Skip to After Dinner~
The young girls had just settled down on a couch in Mira's bedroom.
Mira used a remote to turn on her Tv.
"Hey, Sioku, do you want to watch a movie?" she asked.
"Sure," answered Sioku briefly.
Sioku watched the screen with a mix of curiosity and anticipation in her expression.
Little did she know, her mood was about to take a turn for the worse.
That movie turned out to be a horror film.
In the movie, a person's Tv was being invaded by a malevolent spirit.
The demon had a monotonous, creepy, male computer voice.
The demon would speak slowly as it adjusted the settings at random moments.
Chills crawled up Sioku's spine every time she heard it.
Sioku attempted to suppress her fears by putting up a brave face and blocking out the voice.
However, that robotic voice was slowly beginning to sink into her mind.
Their movie had reached its climax when Sioku started to have a panic attack from all of her built up anxiety.
A wave of dizziness crashed into the frightened girl.
Sioku's heart pounded rapidly in her chest.
Sweat covered Sioku's body as she panted heavily.
She struggled to keep her breathing under control.
"Mira... I can't... stay in here any longer. I... need to go," said Sioku breathlessly.
"Sioku, don't be a sissy. It's just a movie," Mira replied with a glare.
Sioku glared back at Mira and continued roughly, "I should've known that you were up to something terrible."
"What are you talking about?" asked Mira dumbfounded.
"I am not allowed to watch horror movies yet, Mira! I don't like these movies either!" Sioku yelled furiously.
"You're such a baby, Sad Sioku," Mira muttered.
Sioku only shook her head at that, not wanting to entertain Mira any further.
With all of her will power, Sioku forced herself to stand up and bolted out of Mira's bedroom.
Sioku closed the guest room door behind her, then climbed into bed.
The room was dark and silent.
Sioku's panic attack wasn't close to being finished.
That creepy, robotic voice from the movie played over and over in her head.
Thinking about her childhood friend Ariel's younger sister didn't help Sioku in the slightest.
Sioku curled into a ball on her side and trembled violently under the covers.
~End Dream~
Sioku gasped deeply as she shook herself awake.
Her heart felt like it had been racing at a million miles per minute as it pounded rapidly in her chest.
Beads of sweat rolled down Sioku's forehead as she breathed heavily.
Her entire body shook with fear.
Sioku began to calm down a bit as she thought about Bella's interaction with her Shinx.
She almost didn't notice Flareon who had been curled up against her back the whole time.
"I'm glad you're here, Flareon," whispered Sioku as she petted her Pokemon's head gently.
Flareon let out a relaxed sigh.
Just looking at Flareon brought a relieved smile to Sioku's face.
Sioku hugged Flareon tight, then sat up carefully.
Flareon affectionately leaned against Sioku's shoulder.
Sioku wiped sweat from her forehead, then stood up.
"Let's go, Flareon," commanded Sioku quietly.
Flareon hopped off the bed, then shook off.
Sioku giggled as she ruffled Flareon's fur.
"You're so cute, Flareon," she commented.
Flareon wagged her tail gently in return.
Sioku quietly exited Ariel's bedroom with Flareon by her side.
She led her furry companion down the stairs, then out the back door.
The night sky was still pitch black.
Sioku used her phone's flashlight to illuminate her path.
She sat on a wooden bench near a flower bed and watched Flareon explore the area.
A cool breeze brushed against Sioku's face.
Sioku let the soft sound of the crickets pull her mind into a train of deep thought.
Flareon soon returned to Sioku before sitting by her feet.
Sioku petted Flareon behind her ears.
"Let's go inside, Flareon," she said while standing up.
Flareon immediately rose to her feet.
Sioku quietly led Flareon back into the house.
They traveled slowly down the hall and into Ariel's bedroom.
Once inside, Sioku situated herself and Flareon on the sofa.
Ariel heard the noise and woke up.
"Sioku, what are you doing up at this late hour?" she asked with a yawn.
"I woke up from a terrible nightmare not too long ago. It was a recurring dream about the time when Mis Julie's daughter Mira convinced me to watch a scary movie with her. Then I took Flareon outside because we needed some fresh air," Sioku explained.
"I remember you telling me all about your weekend at Julie's house. You had a panic attack after watching the movie, right?" Ariel continued smoothly.
Sioku nodded, then breathed a heavy sigh.
She pulled Flareon into an affectionate hug.
Ariel pointed to the Tv and said, "I know what will cheer you up. We can watch a movie."
"I like that idea," replied Sioku with a smile.
Ariel grabbed a remote off her bedside table and turned on the Tv.
She scrolled through her watch list before selecting a comedy movie.
Sioku and Ariel watched the movie while Flareon slept.
By the end of their movie, Sioku had relaxed and fell asleep once again with Flareon still in her embrace.
Ariel turned off the Tv, then situated herself back under the covers.
Complete silence filled the room once again as the teens and their Pokémon slept peacefully.