((Candy: Pichu (Zippity, girl), Zorua (Jokes, girl), Snorlax (Cuddles, boy), Chikorita (Flower, girl.) Pearl: Octillery (Octavius, boy), Murkrow (Nevermore, boy.). Will: Pelipper (Seamour, boy.), Kirlia (Gail, girl.). Daycare kids: Cleo and Brandon. Daycare Pokemon: Totodile (boy), Yamask (boy), and Minccino (girl). Left Pokemon: Combusken (Contest) and Lucario (Unknown). Left Kids: Jake (Eevee), Tia and Mia (Jigglypuff) Guests: Phil (? Probs a Machoke lol), Shade: Rapidash (girl), Kadabra (boy). Tai: Miltank (girl), Dodrio (boy).))
Pokemon Daycare!
Will power!
By: Cutegirlmayra (It's been so long! Lol, I had to go back and check my notes, see who has what and is what and is going to get or become- my mind just needed another little chart so that's above. Everyone knows who everybody has lol XD)
"Come on, Yamask! Terrify her! Leave her shriveling in fear! Unleash your horrific-!" Brandon took his blanket and tied it like a cape around him, then flapped a good portion of it over his arm. With it, he ducked his head down and covered his face like a vampire or ghoul, trying to imitate their mysterious flair, "Astonish!"
Yamask shook in fright, before shaking out of it and nodding with a determined look in his eyes, wanting to please.
He then spun forward to Totodile, squinting his eyes shut as if unsure if this is what he was meant to do, and slapped his two hands against the sides of Totodile's face.
In angry tears, Totodile's rage caused it to flail wildly out of control. Upset by this attack landing, he was about to Scratch, but Cleo jumped onto the battlefield.
"Noo!" She fell to her knees and swooped him up, gripping him sweetly in her arms. Beginning to sob quietly, she rocked him as he blinked, having flinched from the attack. However, he was more confused by being stopped than the girl's strange tears.
He squirmed and tried to wiggle himself free and out of her grasp, giving up after her tight hold swung him back and forth gently in her rocking. At that point, he just wagged his arms and legs everywhere, moving his head side to side, realizing in another annoyed frustration that he couldn't escape.
Pearl sighed, tapping her cane, "Alright, children… Alright… let's try this again." Pearl then walked up to Cleo, a knowing and understanding smile on her face.
"Cleo, darling…"
Cleo turned her head away to snuggle against Totodile, who finally calmed down enough to hang in her arms, fully surrendering to this predicament.
"Pokemon love to battle. It's how they grow strong bonds with other Pokemon, and become stronger with their friends. It's a natural instinct for them. Totodile likes to scuffle a bit with Yamask, and I promise he's not going to continue if he feels he can't. So…" She watched as the young girl stopped crying, wiping her tears and looking to Totodile, who looked up at her and Pearl with a blank expression as if not sure how to read either of them.
"Is it alright if you bonded with Totodile? In the one way, he knows how to? There are many ways to befriend a Pokemon, but steering them in their natural tendencies makes them happy and healthy! They learn to truly trust you that way. And in return, you grow and begin to trust as well. It's truly wonderful and exciting. What do you say?" she kindly extended a hand to the girl.
Cleo sniffled but nodded, taking Miss Pearl's hand. But before letting Totodile go, she gave him one last look, and almost felt like crying again. "Please… if it hwurts too much… we can stwap it."
Totodile tilted his head, "Toto?" he let his mouth hang a moment, before realizing she may be worried about him.
"Tot! Totodile!" He jumped out of her grasp and did a little dance with his feet, before showing some athletic ability and jumping to spin in the air. He showed off some with performing a backflip, before landing with his hands extended out, as if saying 'tah-dah' he said-"Tot-tah!" wanting her to know he was perfectly fine.
"There, now. Do you see? Totodile's beginning to understand you. Just like how you're learning to understand him." Pearl smiled down to Cleo, whose expression lit up in a great smile.
"He under-um… understood me!" she tried to speak more properly, already coming out of her baby talk little by little.
Miss Pearl nodded, "And that… is why I reopened this Daycare." She seemed touched immensely by the moment, and wiped a tear from her eye as Octavius, sitting on her head, peered down at her worriedly.
"I'm… I'm quite all right. Excuse me." She bowed a moment, "Please, continue with your battle practice, I'll watch by the seats…" she used her cane to walk over and down to the small benches set up for spectators, and then sighed as Octavius maneuvered his way down from her head and to her side, looking up with caring eyes.
"Octi, oct…"
"Now, now, my precious friend." She patted his head, as he happily wiggled out his tentacles. "I'm simply pleased that our Daycare we've worked so hard to achieve is making so much progress. I remember Jake like it was only yesterday… And the twins… Combusken and Lucario…" she looked up into the sky, "All so bright and young with immense talent…" she then smiled down and closed her eyes, "I… I only hope we'll hear from those dear souls soon."
She wasn't going to question Brandon's talent. Whatever his path was, he would now at least be brave enough to tackle it by embracing… whatever he's discovered to combat his fears with.
And Cleo… Her talent was simply her enormous heart, as it clearly was far bigger than her small stature.
Octavius put a tentacle to her leg, trying to comfort her in her deep thoughts on life. She smiled and nodded, before picking him up and putting him back on her head. "There you are, where you can see the world through my eyes, ho-ho-ho!" she giggled her old, but cute granny laugh as Octavius wiggled out two of his tentacles in joy, the rest of them latched on to keep balance; though, he was surprised at first that she had placed him back up there.
"Doesn't he ever get heavy?"
Pearl turned around, smiling with a sense of humor at Candy wearing a garden uniform, and Miniccino and Zippity by her sides, wearing the same outfits.
"My, my… what are you wearing?" she looked down to the Pokemon, "And how'd you get some for all our little helpers?" Zippity tugged at her apparel, apparently thinking it 'not cool enough' for her image; although, Minccino seemed happy enough.
"Flower was doing some planting, you know, my Chikorita?"
"…The little diva?" Pearl smiled, remembering vaguely…
"Yeah, well, she got dirty and completely threw a tantrum, refusing to work and touch another seed… So Minccino, who was by the window, suddenly came out and dusted her off, immediately doing her work for her. But then she didn't like getting dirty either and kept pausing to clean herself off too…" Candy scratched her finger by the side of her cheek, before blushing and sticking out her tongue, "So I asked Will if he knew what I could do. Who knew his mother sews! I'm really fortunate that Will's such a good friend." She rocked on her heels, as Zippity spat out at the story of why she was in such a get-up; Green bodysuit with denim overalls and large buttons didn't work with her 'image'.
She frowned continuously as she pulled one strap out, and let it whiplash back down. She hunched forward and sighed, as Minccino came over to sniff at where the sound came from, not sure what it was, and getting slightly frightened by it.
"Well, if Minccino wants to help you…" Pearl looked down to the baby Pokemon who looked up at the mention of her name and sniffed the air in Pearl's direction. "She's still learning how to be around humans and other Pokemon. Be sure to be attentive and not let her curiosity get the better of her." She nodded to Minccino and then gave an old look to Candy, one she was highly familiar with by this point…
"I know, I know… be responsible." She rolled her eyes, before taking her shovel and nodding. "I got it! Don't you worry! I've saved the eggs before, haven't I? I ran this morning with the other one and Minccino seems like a hard worker anyway! Leave everything to me!" she saluted, and was about to head off back to work before Pearl stopped her.
"Wait…"
Candy turned around, the other Pokemon halting in their strides to follow her action, mimicking her turn with puzzlement.
"…Good job, Candy."
Candy blinked in amazement before tears started swelling up in her eyes.
"T-…Thank you, Miss Pearl!"
She rubbed her eyes and held her head up.
"You really should properly thank that boy though. Will has been very good to our humble daycare. Be sure to do things for him too, alright?"
"Y-yes, Miss Pearl!"
Candy was still emotionally touched, having her arm up to shield her tearful eyes from the view of others. The tears rolled down her cheeks at being praised for a change, and she struggled to get a hold of herself.
Nevermore, who was protecting the daycare by perching upon on its rooftop and watching at a distance, looked to see Candy's reaction and rolled his eyes.
Suddenly, he saw something interesting, a mailman's car heading straight their way.
He squawked and flew down gracefully to where Pearl was sitting, watching Totodile begin to grow in strength as he contended with Yamask, who was also beginning to show confidence at Brandon's commands.
"Excellent." Her eyes softened at the scene, tilting her head tenderly, like a loving parent. "They're all beginning to blossom, right before this old woman's eyes." She grinned as if young again, happy her techniques were paying off.
Then Nevermore batted his wings and lowered a claw to her shoulder before she turned to blink at him.
He moved it off and continued to talk to her from the air, "Mur! Murkrow, krow, krow!"
"Hmm? A visitor? Good or.. not so good?"
"Mur!"
"I'm glad it's a good sign. In that case, please continue to watch over the daycare." She bowed to her Pokemon and rubbed his head. "Now, then. Take care of yourself, my old friend."
"Murkrow-krow!" Nevermore closed his eyes in great joy and landed next to her, pecking at his feathers, before lifting a wing up to tap her shoulder again.
"Hmm?" she looked down as Nevermore gestured to the side of his neck with his pointed feather.
"Ho-ho-ho! Everyone seems to be wanting my attention today." She gladly scratched the side of his neck, as he gave off a bird-like coo at her touch. "Krrrooow…. Krrrrrrrow…"
Will stepped out of the van, puffing out his mailman's neck-collar and then fanning out the middle of his turquoise one-piece mailman's jumper. "Phew. Okay! This is the day!" He fixed his hair, "You've been training for this moment!" he looked at his car's side mirror, tightening up his look and pulling up the top of his suit so that everything lengthened.
He tried to look tough, but then he saw his socks were showing and loosened everything back down.
"This is hopeless…. She probably thinks I'm a loser…" he sighed, before Gail's psychic abilities floated him back into the van, making him struggle in the air out of fear for a moment.
"W-woah! Hey! What gives? Huh?" He blinked as his body was rotated, still hovering above the seats. Gail glared a straight look of motherly care into his face, not happy with his last belittling comment to himself.
She patted the sides of his cheeks and squished them around, before letting him drop on the seat.
"Offph! Okay, I know… you're right. I shouldn't put myself down like that. I.. I haven't even asked her yet…" he sighed, his butt sticking up from having fallen onto the driver's seat. He then repositioned himself up to his steering wheel, "I mean… I guess I … I just worry she may turn me down." He looked down at his lap… trying to think of how he'd awkwardly escape that embarrassing situation if ever it did occur…
Then planning where he'd run off to, so he could hide and cry without an eye on him…
Seamour, his ol'happy and goofy good luck charm, popped his head out from the back. His wings came out full spread, making it cramped in the mail van as he turned his head left and right, encouraging him on in his own way too. "PEL-PEL-PEL…. PELIPPER!" he suddenly flapped his feathers out on that last cry, and made Gail and Will sneeze.
Will teared up and covered his nose, "You guys…" he sniffed, "You're the best!" he leaped to reach behind him and embrace his beloved Pokemon…
But Gail saw the snot dangling from his nose and threw out her arms to stop him in mid-air before he could hold them…
Getting a tissue from the front seat, she psychically wiped his nose with it, and then lovingly patted his head and straightened out his suit again before shoving him out of the car.
He struggled to get up and off the ground for a moment, scrambling on all fours before gripping his mail-cap and racing to the orchard where Candy was working at.
Gail and Pelipper leaned their heads out of the van and waved him on. "Kir, kir~"
"Thank you again! Don't keep the van running for too long!" he waved before looking ahead and taking a deep breath, striding forward towards the entrance to the Daycare.
'I can do this! I know I can do this!' his smile looked determined and his eyes blazed with youthful hope. Candy was always kind to him- He leaped over the fence, charging with his nostrils flaring- She'd always seen him as a good friend, but maybe, she could see him as more than just a mailman!- He strode over to the back of the building's left side, only seeing the jungle-gym to be empty and the Pokemon still battling, using potions and revives to learn and gain more battle experience.
He stepped lightly now, peering at the children and looking for any sign of pink and white, what Candy usually wore.
Not seeing her, he flinched at Octavius's slightly dipped eyebrows, relaxed and half-squinted eyes, staring with total judgment at him upon Pearl's head.
Will blinked his eyes apologetically, taking each step back with clumsy large placements, and then closing his eyes with a quick nod as if excusing himself before Pearl noticed him too.
'Not here!' he darted off again, full sprint as he felt his back aching from jumping the white wooden fence from before like that.
But then, his eyes lit up, seeing his heart's true desire.
"Candy!"
His mouth gaped open as he panted from his muscles straining. He almost didn't mean to shout out her name like that, so enthralled and bold, but he was just too excited now.
With his breath and heart moving fast already, he had to slow down to lean his hands on his knees but managed to still smile happily up at Candy's perplexed expression. Tinkling sweat ran down his face from running around in hopes of finding her, but his odd behavior seemed to slightly trouble Candy…
"Will?" She slightly lowered her raised shovel down, seeming confused as she looked to the side and behind her at him. "Aren't you working?" She looked down and up at his mail-attire, unsure of why he was in such a rush to find her…
Then a thought popped into her mind and she swung her shovel like a sword, "Is it Team Rocket again!?" she lifted a leg up and held the shovel over her head, though the move didn't match her strength, and the shovel dipped down to bonk her head.
"Ow!"
"N-no… it's not an emergency or anything like that."
He smiled nervously, sweating more out of his renewed fear instead of his energetic confidence now that he was actually before her.
He straightened himself out and looked down, nerves clenching his body into a straight line. He turned his head away, a small pout on his face as he expected himself to say something clever, but ended up blushing and just shouting out something random. "Lovely weather we're having! Can we talk in private?!"
He shut his eyes closed, slamming a hand into his head. 'Darn it, Will! You've ruined it! Now you sound like a desperate creeper!'
"Oh, sure. Let me get my supplies." She bent down to put her shovel down and carry a basket full of berries. "Okay! I can plant while we talk on the way." Completely oblivious to his nerves, Candy just figured that was a normal quirk mingled with his personality.
He found his body releasing from the tension, in shock she would give him the time to speak, and quickly jumped with sparks on his heels to follow after her as she moved further down into the orchard.
"T-Thank you for letting me speak to you!" He still sounded so awkward… 'Man, I'm really digging myself into the friend-zone now…' he mentally worried, but Candy obliviously would throw berries happily into the different little ditches her and the Pokemon made to grow the orchard out; after the last trees all dropped their berries, they had to be uprooted, and Candy wanted to make sure new berries grew for next season.
"No problem! It's the least I could do since you helped me out today."
Her smile put him at ease. It was easier confessing to a girl who had no idea what you were going to talk about, but still trusted you with a smile…
"I… I wanted to ask you something…"
"A favor?" Candy quickly turned around to give him her full attention, then swung the half-empty basket over her shoulder, "Haha! Just like Miss Pearl said!" she put her free hand to her hip before patting his back encouragingly, leaning on her heels and dipping her torso down. "Well, spit it out already, Will! What can I help you with? I don't mind at all!"
"..Emm.." Will whimpered as he stared at the grassy ground, with the sides cut deep in the earth, and swiggled his lips in his nervous shakes. "I… I wanted to ask you… emmm…" He shook violently in small quakes now, before gripping his hands into a tight fist and leaning his head up straight ahead of him.
"If you would like to go on a date with me!"
Candy's smile faded, and her eyes were held suspended in disbelief.
Will shut his eyes and pulled his bundled fists up to his sides, leaning his head down now.
"I know… that was really sudden… but I … I like you. I like you a lot. These last few years… I've been really happy around you. You're always happy, doing your best, trying to problem solve and gain a better understanding of the world around you… it's admirable. You're a person that most admire to be like, Candy! You're sweet. You're very,.. emm… very sweet!"
Candy tastes so sweet!
The basket dropped, its contents spilling onto the fertile ground as her eyes shook violently.
Her mouth hung open at the voices of young children swarming her mind and gripped her ears, ducking her head down.
Candy's always passing out her kisses to any boy. She's as sweet as candy, I hear. I heard she passes out her kisses like Candy! Candy tastes like Candy too! Can I have some candy from the candy shop? Free candy! Give me some sugar, Candy! As easy as taking candy from a baby! Do you sell your kisses for candy, Candy?
She dropped, her knees forcing her to squat down as she rocked and gripped her legs.
She made strange, struggling noises, "No… stop… please don't… Will… I'm sorry, I-…"
Will looked at the scene in complete shock, before dropping down himself and reaching out for her. "Candy, are you alright!?"
"It… It happens… when I'm triggered." She slowly let herself down onto her butt and dipped her head between the gap of her encircled arms over her legs.
"…Triggered?" Will withdrew his hand back, worry written all over his countenance. "Candy…"
"…She's afraid of love you know."
Mia's words sank deep into Will's heart then, and his hands twitched away from reaching out to her.
He looked at the ground, trying to process things anew.
"…That time… in the Aquarium…" he turned his eyes into a more serious look, before pulling his hands away. "You said you thought you should tell me something…"
She nodded and hugged her legs tighter.
"…Candy…" he looked up, his eyes full of definite concern. He sat on one knee and lifted the other up, a gentle knight, before leaning his head towards her. "Please tell me. Please tell me why you're afraid of men."
"…It's not… particularly men." She looked away, but her head came up again, her eyes blinking as the memory flashes faded a bit from being so profoundly real. "…When I was a little girl… a boy jumped at me and kissed me on the lips against my will. I felt really scared and violated. He then spread a rumor through the school…"
"Candy kissed me! She's just like her name suggests! I asked for candy and she threw herself at me!" The story spread like wildfire. Many boys began bullying her, trying to kiss her or pin her against places where teachers wouldn't find them; trapping her and trying to force a kiss to run and tell the world she really did or didn't taste like candy. They scared her, although nothing truly traumatizing ever befell her, it was still enough to trigger PTSD at times. She was terrified of affection after that. She would be haunted by her childhood years as she advanced in normal schools, girls talking smack about her behind her back, saying to other girls not to befriend her cause she was a flirt. Rumors never die… so her parents sent her off to a Pokemon school far from home. That's where she met Tai and Shade. They noticed something off the second she was in school. She socially was inept, and couldn't do well in her school work. At first, the rumors flew off with talks of her being stupid, and that's why she was put in a Pokemon school instead of a regular school. Others stated she was just a 'dumb blonde', which she overheard one day and it shook her to her very core. Not only was her good name dishonored in her previous school, but instead of a flirtatious girl who gave her kisses away like candy and tasted of it too, she was now being called an idiot who couldn't do anything right. She cried one day behind the fence of the school, clinging to her backpack as Zippity tried to calm her with soft strokes on her legs. Then… two angels walked by her and offered her their hands.
"Pretty girls with amazing trainer talents shouldn't be sulking all alone." One spoke out. "To befriend a Pokemon is truly a worthy skill indeed." Shade continued, his face showing through the shadows of her memory, the light glazing over his cheek and showing half his kind face.
"Come on! You're a pretty decent battler too!" Tai's face shown then, reflecting an energetic and kindhearted boy as well. "People should know better than to judge a rising Pokemon champion!"
Their encouragement, plus their gentle understanding of her situation, lead her to trust humans again. She had already developed a great bond with Pokemon, able to narrowly escape a failing grade by her astounding understanding of Pokemon and their potentials.
With her friendship so strong with Pokemon, she turned to Shade and Tai to learn as fast as she could how to relate with her own kind. To trust people again.
"I would have never been able to function as a normal person without their friendship by my side… a gentle protection when I failed, and sweet encouragement to never surrender to others' accusations. Heh." She giggled a moment, lost in her happier thoughts now. "I remember when Shade played a bodyguard role once. And Tai decided to play a cop, just to help push off a mean comment someone said to me once." She then turned to look up at Will, who was sitting beside her, highly focused on her before looking to the ground.
"Will… It was this city that I grew up in… the city… where I didn't want to come back too." she looked away, "But now… having this job at the daycare… the Pokemon and the kids… Miss Pearl… all their teaching… all these amazing experiences I've had… they've helped me realize I have many talents. And that many more will surely follow after them!" she started to turn back into her old self, raising her fist up in determination. "I'm still terrified of love… just because of that terrible past of being bullied in my childhood… but that won't stop me from experiencing the rest of what the world has to offer!"
She then turned to him, "Aren't you proud of my new look on life? It took forever, but I'm here now and more able than ever!" she grinned happily, but his expression never changed.
"..H-huh… Will?"
"…Who was it?" His muscles were tense, his jaw tight and his breathing sparing.
"…What?" she looked confused but backed a bit away from him.
He narrowed his eyes at the ground. "I remember now… I remember rumors of a girl like that… I didn't know her name, but they all said she was easy game… that she tasted like candy."
Candy flinched, before looking away, tightening her lips shut.
"…Who was it? That started all that bullying?" Will looked angry, the first time she had ever seen him so furious in all the time they've spent together.
His fists turned white under the force he gave them as if to punch through a wall. His eyes darted up suddenly before she could study the rest of his features, "Tell me a name!"
"Woah, woah… Will… I've… I've never seen you this passionate about anything before…" She moved her hands out but was honestly surprised to see him so worked up over this. "I've heard the guy turned himself into a thug. Hangs around alleys now. I'm not really surprised, but I've avoided scary places anyway, so that doesn't worry me too much anymore…"
He stood up.
"Will!?"
"A thug, huh?" he started walking to the gate, his eyes burning through the shadows painting a stripe over his eyes.
"Will..!" Candy reached out for him, jumping to her knees, though the shock of recalling everything still made her too weak to stand. "What are you doing!? Stop! Don't be-"
"Stupid?" he sharply turned around, almost glaring through his rage, but not explicitly to her.
"…I was gonna say Crazy." She pulled back her out-stretched hand, looking a little hurt by him thinking she would say that… especially after being bullied for that very thing so many years ago. "Will… I don't want you fighting anyone for my sake…"
"But he disgraced your name! You said so yourself! Your honor and everything!" He crushed his foot to the ground, stomping hard enough for Candy to gasp and worry about if he hurt himself or not.
"Will, please!" she pleaded, "You can't take on a thug!"
His eyes widened at her words.
"…I… can't?"
She suddenly realized her blunder.
His eyes looked softer, but a deeper pain was forming within them. She had almost forgotten how his self-confidence was flaky and immediately tried to explain herself.
"Wait, no… that's not what I meant! I just don't want you getting hurt!"
She tried to get on her feet, feeling their weariness already, attempting to hold her weight on her quivering limps.
"I've fought beside you before, Candy… Team Rocket? Ring a bell?"
He was offended, shoot!
This was all her fault!
"I know! I'm sorry! I just-!"
She fell forward.
"Ah!"
"Candy!"
He snapped out of his rage and offense to quickly help her up, watching her struggle.
"…It really does affect you… doesn't it?" He looked much more kinder to her, realizing how she'd been scarred so many years ago… and how it still affected her to this day.
Candy shook her head, begging once again as she gripped the middle of his jumper, near his chest. "L…Listen to me, Will… Fighting is never going to solve my phobia…"
"…But it can get you even." He moved her hand off, setting her down gently before walking briskly to his van.
"No!" Candy started to crawl before Zippity was distracted from her work and looked to Will speed-walking passed her. She turned to then see Candy struggling and dropped everything, scared as anything while she used her speed to catch up to her on the ground.
"PiiPii!"
"Zippity…" Candy looked so worried, trying to calm herself down and get up, to shake off her body's reaction to her fear. She rose up on her arms and shook her head, "I can't move my legs. I need you to shock them!"
Zippity knew what this meant and worriedly widened her eyes. In anger, she sparked her cheeks at Will, fist up and shaking.
"No!" Candy pulled her attention back, "He didn't do anything wrong! I have to stop Will! He's going to confront my worst fears! Because of the worst possible reason… spite!"
Zippity then stopped sparking and looked into each one of her Trainer's eyes…
She moved to her legs, nodding with- maybe not understanding- but complete trust in whatever Candy was saying about Will. She patted and rubbed her cheeks, warming them up like surgeons and calling out 'clear!'- "Pii!"
She then threw a thundershock at her legs, forcing them to move as Candy leaped up onto them, and bolted after Will's van.
"Will!"
He had already kicked the engine on and rode off by the time she rounded the fence.
"Good heavens, child! What is going on?" Pearl walked out, having a panicking Murkrow squawking next to her.
He seemed confused why Candy was suddenly able to stand again, but she didn't have time to explain. He had clearly seen her fall and worriedly flew off to get Miss Pearl.
"I have to stop Will!" She simply cried out and dashed onto the road.
"Well, you're never going to catch him like that." Pearl sighed, "Many of my old Pokemon have moved on from this world… I would have happily lent you my faster rides, but for now, this will have to do." She turned towards the Daycare and walked inside.
A moment later, Miss Pearl came back with an old bicycle in her hands. "For all terrains. And boy, do they mean it." She grinned as if young again, stepping out one foot at a time since her old bones couldn't carry the bike as well as they used too, but immediately Candy took it off her hands.
"Thank you! This is perfect! Thank you!"
"It's yours. After all, I've been finding little odd and in things to give you for when you're ready to start off on your own adventure. But for now, I think it's best to reveal this, seeing as the circumstances are what they are." She flapped out a hand, before lowering it suddenly, "Whatever they are…" she admitted, not fully having anything explained to her yet.
"I'm off! Thank you again!" she waved behind her, placing Zippity down in the basket up front as Minncino tried to race off after them, but stopped in the middle of the road…
"They'll be back," Pearl assured her, as she turned back to Miss Pearl, not sure of anything.
"…Or not." Brandon made a creepy expression, smiling from ear to ear, as Miss Pearl looked up at the sky; hopeless.
"It's things like that that make your nanny question our facility." Pearl shook her head and tried to lead the children and baby Pokemon inside.
Will's van skid across the cold, grim and misty lanes of the cities paved roads. Leaping over little bumps and scaling around corners. He knew one alley… famous for gang violence over the years.
Gail was worried, sticking her hand out to feel the aura coming from him. His blood was like fire in his veins, and his eyes were fixated on the task at hand. He planned every word, every movement, even to not back down or run away…
Gail was worried about his heart rate, the pressure between his angular brows, having never seen him this upset before.
"Kirl!" she cried out, worried.
"Pel!" Seamour looked just as worried, his wings barely lifting up.
"I have to gain Candy's honor back!" he finally spoke, hunched over as he pushed the van's accelerating pedal down even more. "I have to… I have to… Erk!" He spun the wheel so fast that the van almost toppled over, but instead, only skid a few paces before shaking back into proper gravity on the ground again.
Will kicked the door and pulled out his poke balls, "Please, understand me. I can't let this go. It's… it's too important to me!" he returned them, in their confused and frightened state, back to their poke balls.
He looked down, long and hard at their spherical structures… the light glistening off of them before turning his head away, shaking his shoulders as if he would cry.
'I can't back down now! I can't be scared… I have to do this. I have to prove to Candy who I truly am!'
He walked into the alleyway, looking around before seeing familiar green trash dumps.
He plugged his nose when a strange scent locked itself upon the walls of his nostrils, making the hairs there sting as if on fire.
"What is that awful smell!?" His eyes twitched, before three shady looking members came out from behind the different dents in the walls. They didn't look very pleasant… but surprised and creepy smiles were on their faces… as if happy to see him.
"Look boys, some company."
A man stretched out his arms, a woman came up from behind with her hands in her pockets, and another man stepped up out of the shadows with sunglasses as well.
"Boss, who's the punk?"
"More like a kid to me." The girl popped a bubble from her chewing gum. "So? What's this about? Got any money or just a simple death wish?"
"I'd go for the last one." The other man's gruff voice chuckled out.
Will felt his nerves taking over, his knees start to shake as he paused a moment at the predicament he was placed in. Letting the true gravity of the moment sink into his thoughts…
With every bit of courage, he tried to speak out, pulling a fist up, and screaming to the ground in his fear. "I-I'm looking for the guy who made fun of Candy!"
The three looked dumbfounded, before laughing their heads off.
"Candy!? I haven't heard of that chick since my school days!" the man they called boss crackled a laugh before the girl turned to him.
"Wasn't she your sweetheart?"
"Nah. Just some ****."
"..!?" Will's eyes flared with rage. "WHAT DID YOU CALL HER!?" he felt his body rage, hunching down in quivers of untapped power from his anger; crouching almost as he literally could feel the power build up inside of himself, the tension rising.
"Take it back!"
"What? She was nothing more than a pretty face, kid." He stuck out a hand, "I was right all those years to expose her. After all, who names their kid 'Candy' without first making sure she tastes like it, first eh?"
"You…"
The three looked over Will's shoulder, as Will's twitching suddenly ceased… hearing the familiar voice.
He turned, worry struck his heart as he saw Candy's eyes trembling, her body as stone-cold as a brick wall. She was leaning back, a deer caught in the headlights at seeing the guy in the back.
He turned his head away.
"You…"
The two turned, as the Boss rose an eyebrow, "Eh? What's that odd flamboyant girl talking about, Toni?"
"…" he kept silent, looking away. "… I kissed her first."
Candy's trauma hit her like a tidal wave, leaving her crippled.
"….She must've come back for more." The guy in the sunglasses turned to her with a frown. "Too bad she's too ugly now. No sugar for you, doll-face."
Candy slowly felt herself falling to the ground, her memories racing back, remembering that man to be the one who started it all… all those horrible bullies and mocking teases, the forced kisses, and harassments…
She fell to her knees, gripping her head, her eyes the size of mini-bullet holes.
'This can't be happening…' she thought a moment, "This can't… be happening…"
Her voice was barely over the sound of a haunting ghost, before Will's foot slammed onto the alleyways pavement.
"Huh? What's his problem?" The girl turned to Will, who took out his poke ball. "I'll make you see.. how wrong you were… to frighten a little girl!" Will swung his arm and threw the poke ball towards the thugs.
"Special Delivery! Gail!"
Kirlia emerged from her poke ball, doing a ballerina's spin and then rhythmically shifting her feet from one tippy-toe to the other; back and forth.
"A Pokemon battle? Heh, if you insist!" The boss threw up his own poke ball, "Let's go, Lycanroc!" A midnight form appeared, one Will had never seen before, not being familiar with Alola.
"W… What kind of Pokemon is..?" Will was momentarily distracted until the girl brought out another poke ball.
"We've got your back, boss! Here's Scruffy!" A Scrafty stuck out a mean eye towards Kirlia, and then pulled up his pants and wobbled onto the battlefield.
"Eh!? Two Pokemon against one?!" Will was afraid again, before shaking it off and swishing his head around. "I won't back down!" he straightened his back again, pulling out Seamour. "Here's for two, Seamour!"
"Peli-!"
"Sign on the dotted line!"
"Why's he saying that?"
"Mail jokes, Boss?"
"Well, it's about time I put a stamp on this loser's butt and send him back limping! Come on, Toni! Get yours out here too!"
"Go get'em, Sableye." The guy in the sunglasses looked over at Candy mentally breaking down in spot, but only for a few seconds before ignoring it and summoning his own Pokemon. He was strangely unemotional, calm and collected, but there seemed to be a shift of his eyes every few minutes to look back at her helpless state.
"W-what!? Three!?" Will stepped back now, unable to match the unfair challenge. "B-but… this is against the rules…"
"Does it look like this place got rules, sonny?" The Boss smirked before the man in the sunglasses straightened himself out.
"Sableye, target the girl."
Sableye turned to Candy, still locked in her PTSD.
Will sharply pivoted to look back at Candy, "Candy!" he cried out to warn her, but she wasn't able to hear him or even really move.
"Feint attack."
"But that attack never misses!" Will looked forward, unable to feel reality anymore, as he jumped in the way of Candy, his arms spread out. "I won't let you hurt her anymore!"
His voice pierced through Candy's hazy disillusion, feeling about ready to faint before gaining some air. A sharp intake gave her mind enough oxygen to be aware of her surroundings again, and then she looked up at Will, still coming too but amazed at his heroic leap. She still wasn't completely sure what was going on.
"..W..Will?"
She saw the Pokemon waltzing up as if not going to do anything sinister, before pulling out his claws from behind his back and leaping up to attack Will, who had put himself in harms way.
"W…Will!" she reached out for him and was about to grip his waist before he swung his arm out to direct his Pokemon.
"Gail, use Confusion!" Will cried out, as Kirlia locked her power onto Sableye, lifting him in the air.
"Sable?" the Pokemon looked confused, turning to the ground and blinking at it, before being shaken and then blasted to the side of the alleyway's wall.
"Kirl!" Kirlia then twirled over to him, as Will gave another command, turning his arm out to her again.
"Don't let him get away with this! Use Double Team and confusion again!"
She formed many of herself, moving so fast to create the illusion.
She then bowed, intimidatingly, before jumping forward to smash another confusion at Sableye, flinging him over and over into the wall as each clone copy stepped forward at different times to pretend to give the blow.
"..Sableye..! Grr…" The sunglasses guy looked a bit afraid… or was that guilt?
"Scrafty! Take that loser down!" The girl called out, as the Pokemon raced to the other's aid, but Seamour flew right up to it, from the side, barely a flap of its wings like a precision flyer; a trained aircraft pilot. Face to face, Seamour let out a low coo that made the Scrafty flinch back in fright and surprise, sweating.
"Use headbutt!" she cried out, and the Scrafty side-stepped back a little, forming tension in its head with awkward quakes before swinging it around and smashing it to Pelipper's head.
The Scrafty twitched with the impact, before blinking in shock at Pelipper's expression looking unfazed, his body hadn't even moved upon impact…
"Scraf…?" He looked confused.
Will, with fierce and dark eyes, narrowed his sights onto that part of the battlefield.
"…Swallow…"
"PEEELLL-!" Pelipper opened its massive beak wide.
In absolute terror, the Scrafty ran for its life, tripping over its sagging pants and stumbling to get away fast enough as Seamour ran with his mouth open wide and wings flapping after him.
"Ahhh! His Pokemon is trying to eat my Scruffy!" the girl cried out, shaking her head and screaming, "No, no, no!" her bundled fists up by her face as Pelipper was choking on getting the Scrafty's head down its throat.
"Quick guard!" The boss called out, as his Lycanroc threw up his arms and defended his allies. "What is this kid!? I'm taking him down now!" He pulled up a gun, but it was laced with some kind of item… "Take this power-up, Ly! Use Rockslide!" He fired out the gun but it only shot the Rock Gem towards the Lycanroc.
The Lycanroc grasped the Rock Gem in its mouth, reaching over to the side to crunch down on it as it came spiraling through the air. It glowed the second he caught it to give him more strength.
He absorbed it with a roar and then punched his fists down into the ground.
The walls near them started to tumble and crack before the impact made them topple down on Kirlia and Pelipper, who spit out the Scrafty last minute to flap his wings in fright.
"No!" Will snapped out of his rage when he saw his beloved Pokemon get taking down by the rockslide, seeing Seamour desperately try to flap out of the falling rock debris path, but being knocked out in its futile attempt to remain battle-worthy.
Will's hand twitched, still reaching out, as the rocks subsided. He couldn't see his Pokemon under the pile of rocks and wall pieces…
"Heh-heh-heh… shows ya not to mess with things from the past." The boss flicked his nose, as the girl drooled over him and praised him repeatedly, fangirling before the man with the sunglasses tsk'ed at the ground.
"She was just some girl… why make a big deal out of what happened years ago?"
Suddenly, Will was digging through the rocks, struggling to lift them off. "Cause it wasn't something that just faded away!" He cried out.
Candy watched in frozen fear, before seeing his blurry image start registering again in her confused and over-stimulated mind.
"W-…what?" Candy breathed out, her anxiety going down from her last overwhelming peak of the day, lowering her hand that was motionlessly raised in the last position she had put it in when she reached out for Will.
Her eyes twitched to normal, less shrunken and dead-looking, as she watched him dig through the rubble.
"She's a living, breathing person! She feels, she thinks! You stole from her the one thing she could never reclaim! Her dignity! Her name! She grew up thinking she was worthless and somehow cursed for something that she never chose to befall her! You crippled her into being alone and not trusting her own kind! You abused that one thing she had to give the world! Her unsullied smile, that undulled and bright energy, and her pure heart! You took her only chance at being accepted by her peers away from her! Of course I'm gonna fight for that! Of course I'm going to get upset!"
Candy slowly felt feeling return to her legs and attempted to stand up.
"She's had to learn how to trust again! She's terrified of the one thing she's good at now, loving and believing in the goodness of others! You've stolen her chance to know. To know that people aren't as cruel as they make themselves out to be! I won't forgive that! I will defeat you and reclaim her honor! So that she can finally move on and never have to look back on this again!"
Candy wobbled the best she could to regain her balance and limply tried to make her way over to the pile of rocks.
She fell again to her knees, as Will stopped crying to jolt his head up and turn to her.
She weakly started lifting up rocks, one by one, away from the pile, searching with him for his Pokemon… Her eyes covered in heavy shadows.
"Candy…" His eyes shook with how brave she was being, forcing herself to move pass her obvious crisis and pursue helping him instead.
"Candy… I'll always admire… how strong and resilient you are… How kind… you'll always be… no matter what the case may be." he ducked his head down, tears unable to restrain themselves from his face, strolling rapidly down his cheeks.
He shot them out when he turned to holler back at the crooks.
"You're monsters! You're barely even human!"
"Sableye-!" The guy with the sunglasses stepped forward, rage apparent on his once solemn face now. "Shadow Ball!" he gritted his teeth, moving ahead of the two others. He was tired of this boy's ramblings, and that girl was making him feel funny, almost like he pitied her and disliked what he had done. Was he really regretting his ways?
Overall, he wasn't about to let a kid tell him what's wrong with him, or what he should do.
Sableye jumped up, powering up his move in his hands before throwing it out to Will.
Will stood defenseless… watching it coming down on him.
"Cuddles!"
Forming from the white of his poke ball, Snorlax emerged like a figment of light and gripped the Shadow Ball in one hand.
It looked furious, spinning around, before landing to the ground and causing the pile of rocks to lift up and tumble down around themselves.
Will guarded himself from it, before looking over and wanting to protect Candy.
But she was already up on one knee, her eyes dried with a certain strength he had never seen in any human soul before.
"..Can…Candy?" he was awestruck, before seeing his Pokemon's faces slightly emerge from the rocks and debris, having swirls in their eyes. The stomped landing caused them to be exposed to the surface at last… "Gail! Seamour!" he quickly began trying to tug them out, as Candy gripped Gail's arm and narrowed her eyes back to the battle.
"Crush it!" she cried out, as Snorlax obeyed and gripped so firmly down on the ball in his hands that the shadows broke away and disappeared, leaving his hand to twitch momentarily from the residual damage.
The man's sunglasses tilted on his face, revealing deep silvery eyes with a pink tint on the outskirts of it, surrounding his irises. "W-wha? Is that even possible!?"
"Cuddles!" she cried out, also straining to tug on Kirlia's arm and break her free from the rocks, her fairly knocked out and fainted. "Rollout!"
Snorlax curled himself up, rolling down the narrow passageway like an Indiana Jones moment.
The three goons scrambled behind a green trashcan while their Pokemon were rolled over.
"Flower, Zippity!" Candy got Kirlia onto her back and threw out her two other poke balls.
Chikorita swirled her big leaf over and out of her face, before standing with a stylish leg up and head tilt on the rock pile.
"Use Razor Leaf!"
"Chik-aaa!" Millions of leafs formed and flew out to scrape at the retreating thugs' butts, getting them out of their hiding places like the dents in the building's walls. Just enough space to escape Snorlax's attack, but not for long…
The man in the sunglasses looked back up at Candy, standing on the top of the rock pile while his 'comrades' were scattered away and going out the other end, but Snorlax uncurled to block them off, before curling up again and racing back at them.
"AHHH!"
He turned back to Candy, "If I had known… how much trouble I caused you…"
She lifted her head up, holding herself high upon the pile. "…."
She looked like she wanted to say something, and Zippity landed by her side on all fours, sparking up his cheeks to support her however possible.
"Please,…"
Toni gritted his teeth, looking ashamed but more so that he was losing, it seemed...
Candy glared long and hard at this sad excuse for a man's face.
He bent himself down to the ground.
"I'll ask mercy here… forgive my nature… You don't know the whole story."
He tightened his fists down on the ground.
"I don't plan to tell you either… but at least know this… I'm… Forgive the child that I was… and know now that… I'm not as pathetic as he was then."
His body shook as if he still believed himself to be pathetic. The dirt grinded against his shaking hand…pushing itself against its rough surface, leaving marks.
Sableye was already spinning with swirls in his eyes before wandering over to his trainer, and falling with his leg twitching, defeated.
Lycanroc was running from Flower, who was throwing deadly sharp leaves at his butt the more he tried to get away.
Zippity had gone solo and taken down Scrafty, who was already paralyzed in fear at being half-way swallowed beforehand.
"….Yes."
Toni had his head ducked in shame, before finally looking behind him, and seeing his friends underneath Snorlax. Snorlax was now falling backwards to sleep, leaving them trapped with just their arms and head out from underneath him.
They blinked their eyes at this strange conversation too.
"…I want you to remember this… that the one person in this world you hurt the most… also cared about you the most."
He turned his head back up and to her, watching in astonishment at her strength, silently loathing how this girl could overcome the odds when he himself… in his past… could not.
"…To even bother and care about you enough to let you go."
He started stepping back, head still down.
"You can hurt me."
His rage filled, and he cried out in great rage and angst.
"You can get your revenge!"
"Zippity!"
She threw her hand up, and Pichu let out a storm of lightnings, enough to surprise him and frighten his friends, who had to help themselves get out and crawl over a snoring Cuddles, fleeing for their lives.
Toni tsk'd, but soon made his leave…
'Not a scratch…' he thought to himself and looked at his battered hand that he had inflicted upon himself, then turned to glare back at Candy.
The alleyway gently let a wind press against her and move her long blonde hair forward.
'How can someone… overcome their nature?'
He pondered, before moving to the corner and pressing himself up against it, hoping they wouldn't see him as he texted that his cover was blown, lying and saying he already had the information he needed from the thugs.
Will was holding Seamour and Gail beneath him, their heads on his lap, as he watched in amazement when Candy walked down the pile towards him.
Her Pokemon followed after her but waited on the other side of the pile, or at the top of it, to see if she was truly going to be alright.
"Candy…" Will was disappointed in himself, before looking down.
"I'm… I'm sorry I couldn't-"
She dropped and sobbed in his arms.
He held her for a long while… not sure what else to do as she cried out that she wanted to hurt them, more than she ever thought was possible to feel in her life. But in that moment, he begged her to forgive him, she wished for him a better life.
"I could of! I really could have squashed them good!" she cried, "But no matter how much Snorlax stomped on them, it would have never taken away my spite and pain! I had to let them go! I had too! I cared! I didn't want too, but I cared! I pitied them! I couldn't hurt them then! I just wanted them to go away! I wanted them to go away and not bother me anymore! Whaa-haa-haa!"
Seeing Will's valiant struggles for her sakes, she conquered her deepest, darkest fears. She confronted her past and finally shooed it away, banishing it from her heart, but subconsciously…
Toni peeked over the corner before his walkie-talkie started buzzing and he looked down to it, "Tsk… shoot." He quickly moved away, still slightly hungover in his awestruck at her words. He quickly ran to take the call…
"What is it?" He spoke into it.
"Did you get what we're after?"
"Yes. More recruits and some leaked information about more Pokemon target spots." He flopped out a hat from his undercoat. "They'll be at base by dawn…" He flapped the top part out, since it was squished in, and put it on.
As he stood up from crouching down to take the call, the red of his hat blazed in the angular sunlight from the corner he was hiding in.
The 'R' gleaming once more... as if it could smirk…
Will dropped her off a little weak and sore at the Daycare. The sunlight over the horizon from the setting sun silhouetted her eyes from his sight, but he knew she was suffering still…
"Candy…" In worry, he reached out for her, but she moved his hand away, shaking her head.
She smiled the best she could up to him, a single tear still escaping enough to make him feel absolutely helpless before her, feeling that he couldn't do anything more for her now...
"Thank you, Will.. I could never have found the strength to let it go after all these years… without facing him again." She wiped the tear, almost embarrassed by it. "I think.. I think now I can finally move on… trust enough to … to love.. maybe…" she looked away, growing nervous.
He was about to tell her to forget he even asked, to just take care of herself and not worry about it anymore.
But then she continued.
She placed her hands in front of herself, closing her eyes and bowing her head, "..I … But I promised Shade… He'd be the first. He's been waiting the longest to know… I have to give him the first chance." She looked back up at Will, "I'm sorry, Will… I promise I'll go on a date with you right after I keep my promise to Shade! I mean it, Will… I'm very grateful for today… I do wish it never happened this way but… I'm glad it happened, anyway."
She hugged him. But it was like the last blow to a K.O.
He felt his mouth tighten. Jealousy and envy rising in his core.
"O-oh." He looked down and behind her.
As they waved goodbye and walked away, Will kicked the pebbles below the soles of his feet and tucked his hands in his jumper suit's pockets.
He tsk'ed. 'I have to be stronger!' he declared to himself.
He drove all the way out to the lake, a childhood place he used to go and sulk at.
He threw pebbles, watching some skip across the watery surface, or just tossed them in with all his might and admired at the splash when it soared its sparkling droplets up in the air.
He was still mad. He couldn't help it.
He felt he failed her.
He gripped his hat and threw it down.
"I helped her, didn't I?! Then why do I feel so unfulfilled? So…"
Crushed.
He shook his hands again, holding the rocks in them before throwing them farther than he thought they could go over and into the lake.
They spiraled like baseballs towards the water, hitting around the same time.
"I vow-!" he roared out, his arms spread back and behind him. "I vow to grow stronger! Be stronger! I'll show you, Candy! I'm more than just a rotten mail delivery boy!"
Then, his ruckus stirred up some magikarp, all having tears in their eyes from the rocks hitting their heads.
He was so mad, he decided to train as they splashed back at him in furry and sorrow.
Kirlia and Pelipper worried about him but did as they were told and trained hard and long.
Then… after so many magikarp were taken care of… Will was about to turn around, before…
The pillar on the other end began to crack… before being slightly crushed and half of it destroyed by a long, blue tail.
"W-what!?"
Will turned around, before a giant Garados arose from the lake's floor.
Its eyes sprayed with its tears as many of Will's rocks had hit its head, apparently one of the magikarp he defeated evolved moments ago.
"W-what do I do?" Will felt his legs give away to nerves again, shaking, before stiffening them out and looking down, gripping his poke ball.
"No… I do know what to do."
He smiled then, before glaring up at the Garados.
"Come on, then!" he cried out, and picked up his hat he let rest on the ground for so long, dusting it off on his knee and then swishing it back on.
"Let's do this!"
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRAAAAAA!"
Will walked away on the sunsetting road, Kirlia floating the van up behind her and doing lifts for her training, as Seamour flew through the clouds at dangerous speeds, trying to train in his own way too.
Will held a great ball in his dirty hand…
'Wait for me… I mean it this time… Candy.'
'I'll show you… I'm more than just a mailman!'
Back at the daycare, Pearl was closing up, seeing Candy walk in and get her stuff before just leaving without a word to her.
Finding it strange, she leaned back and watched her close the door slowly behind her.
"...Strange, where'd that child run off to so late?" She looked at the lowering sun and nodded, "Children shouldn't be up so late." She then felt an ache in her own bones and reached behind her to pat her back. "Hoho, neither should old ladies." She bemused herself before tucking the daycare Pokemon away, watching them sleep in their tiny circular beds, and then heard something strange coming from the small kitchen table.
"Hmm?" She turned to look back and walked carefully over to it.
"Good gracious!" she saw the last egg begin to crack, the Pokemon within trying to push itself out.
Then, a Mudkip, curled on its back, tilted its head with its mouth open, "Kiiiip?" it then kicked off a huge piece of its eggshell. "Kip!" it leaped up to its feet, feeling them wobble in its weakness, "Ki-ip-ip-ip-ip.." it shook itself off and looked rather spacy up at Pearl.
It tilted its head, "Kiip?"
Oh my! New Pokemon have entered the scene! A Lonely Garados and Spacy Mudkip! What will come next in our adventures? Will Toni appear again? What's the story behind this Team Rocket Grunt? And what will it have to do with Candy's tragic past!? Do support Will and Candy in their new Sagas to gain further strength and clarity towards their own Pokemon journeys! What's that? Of course there's more! Stay tuned for another exciting episode of:
Pokemon Daycare!
(If you'd like to submit a Pokemon, PM or comment one to me! :D Thank you for reading this episode!)