One day after meeting her new trainer, Puku found herself in that little pool once again. They were outside, and it was sunny and chilly. That floating fairy from before was present, along with a moth whose warmth radiated off her and a bipedal green bird with harsh, wide-open eyes. Despite that, it was the bug who was scrutinizing her the most.
Prema was here too, of course. She bowed. "{Apology.} {Statement that the shrine is deciding how to handle this.} {Statement of the possibility of a larger pool being built.} {Making clear that it is not a guarantee.} {Proclaiming she will ensure she gets exercise regardless.}"
Puku inflated then deflated, expressing her acknowledgment.
"{Stating she has already met Shu.} {Introduction to Yahata and Taiyoko.}" She gestured to the fairy, the owl, and the moth in turn. "{Understanding they do not speak the same language.} {Asking if they want to introduce themselves regardless.}"
The trio all gave their wordless hellos. Shu and Yahata both made a wing wave, the former more cheerful compared to the silence of the latter. Both welcoming. Taiyoko twitched her antennae. She clacked something. At least she didn't seem threatening.
"Hello," Puku greeted in turn with a puckering of her lips, trying not to shrink back. There was an intensity within Yahata she couldn't describe. And there was an underlying hostility within Taiyoko. Would this be any better than with Nori?
She closed her eyes. This was her new home, her new life. Her future was as murky as a dirty pond at night. But all she could do was keep swimming forward.
"Nori Carino."
As Nori returned to his school, he was welcomed by Emi. Chad and Aki were with her. Nori looked at them warily until she nodded.
"Good job on Friday. You got me good." Chad and Aki gave nonverbal congratulations.
He nodded. "Thanks."
"This isn't over, though." She smirked at him. But it was competitive, free of hostility.
"I guess not," he conceded. Did she consider him a rival? That was not something he ad expected or intended. At least those were good terms, and she might make a good training partner. Which reminded him. "Won't get to have your rematch with Qwilfish, though."
"Past that." She shrugged and made to leave. "Anyway, later."
"We'll have to have a match sometime, too," Chad said before he went. Aki just bowed before following.
"Bye." One less thing to worry about. He kept going to the clubroom.
After all that he had gone through, Nori felt he should have walked into his club on Monday afternoon with a sense of peace. He had successfully rehabilitated Qwilfish and put the incident behind him. There should have been nothing to do but relax. Instead, there would be one less person waiting for him there, and they as a team were going to have to figure out how to move forward.
Four of the others were already there by the time he entered. All of them were sitting at the same table, lost in silence.
Nori paused. That wasn't going to accomplish anything. "So I guess we're down one member, huh?" he said to the others as he grabbed a chair. "But we'll just have to manage. Nothing to do but do it!"
Adelle looked up at him. The blonde teenager curled her fingers, her shoulders raised. Yasmin tugged at her collar. It was good to see them back. Adelle took a deep breath before speaking quickly. "Sorry for being gone last week."
"It's not your fault," he assured them. "Being here might've helped, but it might've not. I honestly don't think it would've helped much. We'll just have to go on without Mitsu."
His encouragement didn't do a thing to lighten the mood. "It's just one thing after another," Yasmin muttered bitterly as she looked away.
Nori tilted his head. That implied there was more going on. "Something else happened?"
The four turned to each other, then back to him. Reiko was the one to speak. "Takao's in trouble."
"What?" Nori shoved himself up with his palms and leaned over the table. "What's going on?!"
"Her parents…" Terrance tried to explain. He sputtered. "I-I mean, her brother…"
"Her brother ran off on a journey with his girlfriend last Friday," Reiko elaborated.
"He did what?!" He slammed a fist down.
Reiko raised her arms mockingly. "Her parents took it well, of course. They're showing their thanks by taking away all her freedom."
Touya ran off without thinking? Did Yumi know? Was this during the battle?! Nori slapped his palms against his ears. "Okay, okay." He huffed and sat down, trying to regain what little bearings remained. "Slow down. Back up. What? That's what's been bugging her lately?"
Reiko did so. She told him how Yumi confided her conundrum, the facts about the situation, how they had used the battle at Mynwest as a chance to slip away, and her suspicion that something happened to trigger this (a theory Nori agreed with).
"I wonder if there's some way he can be forced back home?" Yasmin said.
Terrance pleaded vacantly. "Nori, is there something?"
All eyes were on him. He wanted to give them hope. He wanted to say something to put their minds at ease. The subject of kids traveling without their parents' permission. He studied it much like any other part of the law. "Legally speaking, a parent or guardian cannot stop a child from going on a journey, unless proper arrangements haven't been made with their place of education or there are extenuating circumstances related to physical or mental health. In other words, situations where the child cannot make a clear judgment and/or take care of themselves along the way." He paused before he added, "And no, teenage angst is not a valid reason to stop someone."
"So their only hope is the school thing," Terrance remarked. That was the only thing they had.
"Yeah, about that," Reiko said with a shake of her head. At once, the other three deflated. "Takao told me they had everything planned. Probably means that too."
Nori, for his part, felt his own tension lift. "That's one good thing at least." He saw what happened when one jumped into a journey unprepared. What happened to Claris. "That said, even if they were able to bring him back, it wouldn't change her parents' minds." And that was the reality they faced. "We'll have a lot to talk about once she comes in."
Again, Reiko shook her head. She even grumbled. "Wouldn't count on her coming by. Told me she isn't in the right state of mind today."
A silence drew over them. Adelle pressed her head into her hands and lamented. "Poor Yumi…"
"Ugh!" Nori hated seeing his club like this! This was all stupid Mitsu's fault! Nori might've been able to notice if it weren't for him! Well, screw being defeatist! He slammed a palm on the table, making everyone snap to. "We have to do something! Not just for our club, but her!"
"There's nothing we can do, Carino!" Reiko fired off. She was gritting her teeth and glaring, but had her shoulders and head dropped. "Besides be there for her," she said with a firm sigh.
"Like hell there's nothing! You don't know if you don't try!" He wasn't about to roll over and give up just because someone said it wasn't possible! Besides, sympathy only went so far! "I'm gonna catch up with her after school and talk to her parents!"
"Carino!" Reiko screamed at him.
"What?!" he snapped back.
After a pause, Reiko told him, "Just don't do anything to make it worse for her. Okay?"
He flashed a thumbs up. "I'll try not to."
"Good." Reiko smiled. "She'll appreciate it." The other girls nodded in unison with smiles of their own, as Terrance sighed in relief. Nori shut his eyes. He was sure that any of them could help, but they were likely putting it all on him.
Nori formed his plan over lunch and spent most of his afternoon class focusing on what he was going to say and how he was going to say it. He kept going in circles, so he decided to just stop second-guessing things and say it like he normally would. Maybe with more respect than normal, on second thought.
As soon as the bell rang, Nori started moving. The Takao family was nothing if not predictable. Yumi and Touya always waited for one of their elders to pick them up. It wouldn't take long before someone pulled up. A red kei car was already waiting by the time he got out. It didn't take much longer for Yumi to emerge. She was hanging her head low and walking slowly, as if headed to her execution. She didn't even notice him leaning against he wall.
"Hurry it up, Yumi," came the voice of a middle-aged woman. That was enough. Nori shoved off and powerwalked forward.
"Hey, Mrs. Takao," he called, interposing between Yumi and the vehicle. "I want to talk to you about how you're treating Yumi."
The passenger side window rolled down. Yumi's mom was wearing a dark blue suit. She had dark hair and the same dirt brown eyes as her kids, but they were far more intense. Especially when she was glaring. "Carino-sama," she addressed him by name, and respectfully at that. "This is none of your business."
"It is my business," he was ready with a response. "Yumi is my friend."
"Nori, it really isn't," Yumi interrupted. She quavered as she moved to get in the vehicle. "You don't have to worry yourself with me. I'll be fine."
He stuck an arm out and blocked her. "Don't lie. This is bothering you badly. And I think I get what's going on here."
She turned away. Faintly, just under her breath, she whispered, "Please, don't…" Her lips kept moving, but he couldn't hear the rest.
Nori faced Mrs. Takao, putting a hand on his hip. "If I may?" Without waiting, he went on. "I knew something was bothering Yumi lately. She hinted at it once or twice, and I pieced the rest together myself. I don't think you should be blaming her for what happened."
"She knew what Touya was planning and chose not to bring it up," Mrs. Takao replied with cold fact.
"And?" She narrowed her eyes at the simple one-word question. He took a deep breath. Do-or-die time. "What was she supposed to do, betray his trust? She was caught in a dilemma. I could tell something was bothering her for the past while, and now it all makes sense. Her twin brother was planning on defying you and going on a journey, and he trusted her enough to tell her that." He pointed to each of them as he spoke. "He wanted her to know so she didn't worry. And so that somebody knew, so you wouldn't worry either. Whatever she did, she was going to make someone unhappy. Touya or the rest of the family. Either she betrays his trust or doesn't." He put both hands on his hips and stood tall. "But maybe instead of blaming her for not snitching, you should take a look at things and think about why Touya might've wanted to run away. I'm not saying he's in the right. But don't take it out on Yumi. She's done nothing wrong here!"
He spoke straight from the heart, even if it meant being blunt. Quite a few people were watching. Nori pushed them out of his mind. He couldn't worry about them now. There were more important things! Maybe the Takao family was traditionalist, sure, but even they couldn't deny facts.
Yumi had been slowly turning around. Unexpectedly, she faced her mom and spoke up, albeit while standing behind him. "Mom, I tried to talk Touya out of it! I really did! He wouldn't listen! I couldn't…" Her words devolved into sobs.
"I can think of a few reasons why he might've run away," he picked up where she left off. "But let's not get into that since I don't have enough context. What are you trying to accomplish by restricting Yumi so bad? Making yourselves feel better? Well, it's making her feel worse than she already is. So please. Just don't."
Nori winced at himself. Okay, he got a little emotional there and crossed the line a little. Still, the fact that she was actually listening and not just yelling back at him was a good sign. It had to mean something good. Right?
Mrs. Takao remained for about ten seconds. The whole time, she simply continued to stare at him with an empty, unamused look. He met it with steely firmness, not even looking back at Yumi. "Carino-sama," she eventually began, in a tone of voice colder than the autumn air. "My husband and I both respect you. I am astonished at your lack of it. If it were anyone less, or if your words did not hold merit, I would not tolerate this behavior." She shut her eyes. "But since it is, we will consider it."
Nori almost stumbled back a step. She listened?! Well, that wasn't exactly a yes, but it wasn't a no either! His eyes went as wide as Yumi's. He thought he was going to have to play the resentment card! Maybe being the Demon Tamer actually counted for something in places.
"We must be heading back now, Yumi," instructed Mrs. Takao. "We will talk about this more at home."
Yumi sighed heavily. "Okay, Mom." She glanced at him with the faintest smile on her lips before getting in.
His mind was still a little blank, so it took him a second to react. How much further could he go? He wanted to find out.
"Wait." He put a hand on the car door before Yumi could close it. He leaned in. "Can I ask you for one thing, Mrs. Takao? I, uh," He put his fingers together before rubbing the nape of his neck. "I know it's awkward, given I just kinda insulted you and already asked a lot, but…"
"What is it?" she asked, tapping a finger on the steering wheel.
You don't know if you don't ask. "Can Yumi stay at school for a while today?" The question made his friend sit up straight. She whipped her head at her mom. "Our editor up and left us because he didn't like what I was doing, so we could use a bit of extra help today."
"Your editor did what?" The woman scowled and raised her shoulders. She slowly looked back. "Is this true, Yumi?"
Yumi was like a Deerling in the headlights. "It is, mom," she blurted out after two seconds that felt like ten. "Mitsu-san blew up on Nori in front of everyone. He quit on the weekend." No honorific for him, Nori wondered?
"Unbelievable. Your team will be better off without him." Mrs. Takao threw up her arms and shook her head. She leaned back in her seat, her nose wrinkled. It really took her ten seconds to turn around and respond, but everything was moving so fast it didn't seem that way. "You may stay and help, Yumi. I will take any responsibility for allowing this. Call if you need a ride home, but be back before dinner."
Nori blinked. A grin slowly spread across his face. His shoulders and arms dropped as something rose in his chest. That was triumph. He'd done it! He'd gotten Yumi out of this!
Yumi's mouth hung open. At first, she only stuttered. Her gaze went all over the place. From her mom to him, to her mom again, back at the school, held on him for several seconds, up briefly, then finally back to her mom. She bowed gently. "Okay, Mom. Thank you," she quickly said as she nearly stumbled out of the vehicle.
He thought he saw Yumi's mom's mouth crook upwards for a second. He didn't get a good look, because she drove away right after.s
"And thank you too, Nori."
Yumi was all of a sudden less than half an arm's length away, staring into his eyes as he faced her. Her lips were pouted into a big smile. She could've leaned forward just a little and kissed him. Nori raised his arms, ready for a hug at least. Was this it? His heart started racing. He'd been teasing her a bit, but he wasn't ready for her to actually confess! What to do?!
Her head started to move. It was to look over his shoulder. Her eyes went round as Voltorbs and a puff of air escaped her. She took a quick, big step away from him and rubbed her face.
Nori checked again. A good two dozen people were watching his argument with her mom, and now their near-intimate moment. Nori gave a playful wave to everyone who was watching before gesturing for Yumi to follow him, something she was all too eager to do.
"You're welcome," he said, pretending it never nearly happened. What would've happened if there weren't so many people watching? Oh well. "I'm surprised she agreed to that."
He went for one of the double doors. She went for another, walking at his side, but not close enough to brush hands. "Mom and Dad can be strict, but they're not unreasonable," she explained. "It's their way of caring about us. I wish Touya would've seen that."
He nodded. "I'm sure he will eventually." He didn't know Touya as well as he did Yumi. But well, if he figured out the Demon wasn't too bad like his sister did, he had to be smart like that, right?
They walked in silence for a while. There were fewer students around in the halls, and most didn't pay any attention to them. As they neared their clubroom, Yumi started to slow. Quietly, she said, "I was surprised you asked me to help. I've only done this when my ride's going to be late, and that's only ever happened twice."
"No better time to learn!" he told her with a clap and a little hop. He pumped his arms. "And really, it's no different from work during school. Besides, I thought you could use the time away and that it was worth asking." Wait, where was he even going with this? He ruffled his hair. "Uh, you know?"
She chuckled softly. "Yeah, I get it."
It was just them around. The boy reached for the handle and turned. It opened without a problem. He held the door open for her. She slowed as she passed by, eyes on him the whole while. Nori tensed for that moment, that brief moment, but nothing more happened than another longing look. He followed her in.
Yumi had paused a couple of steps inside. "A-are the others coming?" she asked, scanning the room.
"I thought the older girls would've been by now." Nori put his hands on his hips. Damn it. They knew. "Give them a bit," he said. Hoped. Those jerks.
They sat. Yumi went to one of the tables. Nori, after a bit of hesitation, went to a computer and turned it on. He tried to focus on it. This wasn't the first time he was alone with a girl, but it was the first time he was alone with a girl who liked him. What was going to happen? Would they even be able to get anything done? Worst case, it would just be him working alone. He was going to yell at the others for this.
Time passed. Yumi just fidgeted and stared. Nori brought the draft for Wednesday up, but that's as far as he got. He had to shake his head at himself. This was dumb. Why was he so nervous?
"What's wrong?" he decided to try breaking the silence. With a simple, valid question.
Yumi avoided eye contact. In fact, she was looking at the door and was partway off her seat. "It's just," she started, hesitating for several long seconds. When she spoke again, it was preceded by a sigh. "The others aren't coming, are they?"
"No. But it's fine," he assured her, sharper than he intended. His throat was a little dry. "It's not that hard work. And it's not like we're–I-I mean, we'll just be working." Ugh, stupid! "Um, you know?"
Yumi sank further into her seat. "Yeah. I guess so," she said quietly, tugging at her beige hair.
He leaned towards her. "Why do you sound disappointed?" he asked her. What was that sinking feeling in his chest? Was he disappointed? Did he read her wrong?
She groaned in response. She folded her hands in her lap and struggled – visibly struggled to look up at him. While her head was turned in his direction, her eyes were elsewhere.
"Are you not…" he started to speak before he caught himself. Nori looked up at the ceiling. He had to take a deep breath to steady himself. He was shaking. It was like his throat was being squeezed. There was no point in pretending he didn't know. He had to get it out. He inhaled deeply again before saying, "No, it's because you're alone with me."
Yumi drooped onto the table, burying her head under her arms. Her "yes," was practically imperceptible, nothing more than a humiliated rasp.
A tingle rushed through his body. His skin got itchy all of a sudden. He was fairly sure that she liked him, but actually hearing it was another thing. This wasn't how Nori was expecting her confession to go. It probably wasn't the way she hoped for either. But there it was.
"Why me?" he found himself asking, heart beating furiously. Now that this could turn real, he had a thought that made his neck hairs bristle. What if Yumi liked him for the wrong reasons? There was always a chance of that.
Yumi slowly looked up at him. She put a hand over her chest and giggled softly. She brushed aside some strands of her light brown hair with her other hand. "You really…" she started before trailing off and giggling some more. "Nori," she gushed in a high pitch. "You're cute, you're brave, you're–" She turned her face, which was turning a deep red. "You're a lot of things. I thought that since we…"
Since they met? Her feet were forward and her eyes were on him, until she got nervous and looked down at the floor. She wasn't making stuff up.
"But…" Yumi whispered. "But I know, sorry. It's silly." She rose from her seat, so slowly that the chair made no noise. "You're you, and I'm me. There's others you like." Slouched. Her arms found their way to her backpack, where they struggled to pick it up. She hung her head. "I'll just…sorry. I don't want to…I mean, I'll just…"
She began the slow walk out. She was even more lifeless than when she was walking her her mom's car. If Nori wasn't paying close attention, he would've thought she was trying to make him feel guilty or being melodramatic. But no, it was legit. Nori shut his eyes and pressed a hand to his temple. Yumi was right. She wasn't his first choice. But…that was unlikely, and just a thought.
Was a distant hypothetical a reason to say no? He had moments to decide what to do. What he wanted to do. Things were never going to be the same between them after today, no matter what he did. When he thought back on things, Yumi had been there for him whenever he needed her, ever since moving back to Veilstone. Her sweet smile. Her cute attire. How she stuck up for him. Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad thing. And…maybe a no would make things even worse.
And when he thought about how he felt in those moments just before…before he knew for sure…how he reacted to everything. No, he couldn't lie to himself about this. His mind wandered. With one thought, one hypothetical about her, everything felt right. It was just within reach. That settled it.
He stood up and called to her, right as she opened the door. "I wouldn't mind."
His soft words stopped her dead in her tracks. "Wha…?"
He cleared his throat and took a step toward her. "I said it'd be okay," he declared. "Me and you. I know you well enough, and…you're cute, nice, and have been there for me." He gave a long, slow blink. "If you want, that is."
His friend's arms and mouth dropped. She turned around as the door shut. Her pupils dilated. Her face went completely blank. Nori held his breath. How did that come out? As he looked into her brown eyes, she turned her head away. The boy clenched his throat. His legs trembled, but he forced them steady. In that brief moment, he feared that this was the wrong thing to say after all.
Then, with a snivel, she lunged at him, grabbing him and pulling him into a tight hug. He barely had time to process. Nori's heart seized for a brief second. His head started to spin. She firmly pressed her entire body against his. Her arms and hands were shaking, and her breathing was erratic.
"Th-thank you!" Yumi sobbed. "I…I never dreamed you'd…I didn't think it'd be me…I thought…Nori, I…I…"
"It's okay, Yumi," he soothed. He finally wrapped his arms around her waist. "Let it out."
Her words came out garbled. "…for so long…" she whimpered, barely coherent. "…so much!"
He sighed contentedly, laughing softly under his breath. Working on the article could wait for a little while longer. He wasn't going to lie, her warmth felt too good to simply let go. He held Yumi closer, gently stroking her back as she sobbed into his shoulder. Nori never imagined this would become real either. He was super popular, but he found someone who might be right after all! There were definitely going to be some obstacles they'd face. Like jealous girls, her fearing about his work, and her parents. It was all stuff they would have to overcome in time. For now, he was going to be happy with the present.
So another fic is in the books. This was one of my first ideas for fics actually, but the idea of addressing the issue of the legal agreement when it was commented on is what really gave it some backbone and allowed me to further flesh out some characters. Here's some after-story notes and trivia.
- I may stick with the shorter chapter format in fics moving forward. Mainly makes them easier to edit when shoving bits into online text checkers.
- This isn't the first time I've worked themes into a story, but it is the first time I've juggled multiple. They were: family and their expectations on you, friends and their loyalty to you, communication with and between Pokemon, and the relationship between Pokemon and humanity.
- The cold spreading through the club was an artifact so Nori and Yumi could have their romantic scene at the end uninterrupted. I changed that and found a different solution, but I still used it to keep the older girls away until the very end.
- Aki was an impulsive addition. They were mostly to give a face to someone more supportive in the club and give Chad and Emi someone to exposit to.
- I did have ideas for Sanae - rogueish and silver-tongued - but there was simply no place I could put her.
- C12 was supposed to be Yumi actually witnessing Prema's visit to the beach. I heavily changed this to focus on her home life and added rain to minimalize witnesses to the abuse. This resulted in some chapters around it being moved around.
- I was stuck on C35 for the longest time, until I decided to make it from Qwilfish's perspective. I padded it out with her history. Ironically? Though it was one of the last things finished, Nori addressing the crowd was one of the first things I finished.
- As I mentioned once, one of the biggest fundamental changes was Nori originally being oblivious to Yumi. Then I realized someone trained in reading others should notice, so I gave him a reason not to act on it. The last scene would've been him realizing instead of coaxing it out of her. I think it ended up cuter this way and solved some of the issues.
So now to announce the next fics: besides the Halloween fluff I alluded to, I've written remakes of the first two fics to fix some continuity and bring them up to quality standards. Look forward to Prema Kannagi: A Move to Emendate - which is mostly a tweak with minor expansion - and Nori Carino: Demon Origins (name pending), which will add a ton of new content including scenes from the Demon herself.
After those? Well, here's the premise, I don't have a name yet: Nori is called upon to act as extra security for an eccentric collector in a foggy valley, who fears his shiny Eevee might be the target of an infamous criminal. It'll be a shorter one, closer to Memory of a Ghoul/Blade of the Blackout Killer in length or even A Move to Emendate. And after that? I hinted at it already!