' Do you guys want to meet my secret friend tonight? ' Decidueye asked, lazily laying against Herbert, glancing at Sylveon and Spectreon who stared at him in surprise while the moon shined brightly up in the sky above the brightly lit city of Laverre.
' Is that a no...? ' Decidueye asked in response to the silence.
' No, no! ' Spectreon quickly denied. ' We want to. We want to meet your secret friend tonight. '
' There's just one thing... why? ' Sylveon asked, narrowing her eyes.
' Because my friend wants to meet you. ' Decidueye said. ' Also, you guys suck at following people. '
' First off, we do not suck at tailing people! ' Sylveon rebutteled. ' It's you, you are too perceptive. '
' Yeah. ' Spectreon agreed. ' Also, was it necessary for you to retaliate against us so... '
' Disrespectfully. ' Sylveon finished.
' Yeah, that. ' Spectreon said.
' What are you talking about? It wasn't that bad. ' Decidueye said.
' You stuffed me in a garbage can and made me roll down a hill! ' Sylveon said.
' Still don't see... ' Decidueye said before he was interrupted.
' With! The! Trash! Still! Inside! ' Sylveon scowled.
' Oh yeah. ' Decidueye said, suddenly remembering that fact.
' ... Blasting you with a Moonblast is not enough. You need to be cast in flames. ' Sylveon said.
' ... I simply got your coat dirty. I don't think that warrants my death. ' Decidueye said.
' My fur was icky, I smelled terrible, and... ' Sylveon shuddered. ' A few things went into my mouth! '
' You should've kept your mouth shut. ' Decidueye suggested.
' You shouldn't have shoved me into the trash bin! ' Sylveon countered.
' You shouldn't have been trying to butt into my business. ' Decidueye countered.
' ... ' Sylveon clicked her tongue in annoyance, Decidueye had an extremely valid point. ' Still doesn't justify the trash can... '
' Would you have actually stopped if I had asked? ' Decidueye asked.
' ... ' Sylveon sighed, ' No. No, I wouldn't have. '
' Exactly. Now, do you guys want to meet my friend or not? ' Decidueye asked.
' Yes, we do. ' Spectreon said, answering for both herself and Sylveon.
' Cool. We'll go see her in a few minutes, so do whatever until then. ' Decidueye said, shooing them away.
' Hey... if we had asked you if we could meet your friend, would you have agreed? ' Sylveon asked.
' Well, probably. ' Decidueye shrugged. ' I'd ask her first and if she was cool with it, then yes, I'd take you with me next time I meet her. '
' ... I'm just going to ask from now on. ' Sylveon deadpanned while Spectreon chuckled.
...
' You can run from your past all you want, it won't matter. Sooner or later, your past will catch you. '
A quote from his mentor appeared in his head as Atsumu stared at the embroidery he had created on a leftover piece of fabric. The small, chibi face of a Talonflame made Atsumu miserable.
" What's wrong? "
Atsumu slowly lifted his head and turned to his left. Valerie stood next to him and upon looking at Atsumu's face, she grabbed a chair and sat beside him.
" ... Didn't work huh? " Valerie asked.
" No... it didn't. " Atsumu sighed.
" Sorry. " Valerie suddenly said. " I... thought this could help. Take your mind off... whatever was bothering you. "
" I know... thanks. " Atsumu said sincerely. " Thank you for suggesting it... cause this was fun. But... I've run away for a long time now. It's only natural I'd get caught eventually. "
" Do... Are you... " Valerie sighed and took a deep breath. " I can listen... if you want to just speak right now. "
" I... would like that. " Atsumu admitted.
" ... Okay. " Valerie smiled softly.
" ... " The silence in the room was palpable, as it was to the point where the ticking of the clock could be heard.
After a few minutes of silence, Valerie decided to speak.
" We... can try again later, you know... " Valerie said in a soft voice, reaching her right hand out to hold Atsumu's left.
Atsumu glanced at Valerie and then at their joined hands. Taking a deep breath, and squeezing her hand, Atsumu spoke,
" No. No... it's alright. I just... don't know how to start. "
" Oh... then, can I try giving you a... kickstart? " Valerie asked.
" Sure. " Atsumu said.
" Why Talonflame? " Valerie asked, looking at Atsumu's craftsmanship.
" Talonflame... is my twin brother's favorite Pokemon. " Atsumu said. " I don't think it changed when he... crossed over. "
' ... Crossed over... ' Valerie pondered before a thought came to her mind. She then asked in a low, gentle whisper, " Did he pass away? "
" Yeah... " Atsumu admitted, looking down at the floor, immense sadness in his eyes. " It all began there. "
" He was diagnosed with a terminal illness. " Atsumu said, " He was bedridden for most of his life, the last time he went outside with me... was when we were playing tag with other kids. "
" He was bedridden from then on... no; that came later when his illness grew stronger. In essence, he was trapped in the house and was never allowed to leave. Whenever I wasn't outside or had to go to school, I stayed with him. I did whatever I could to make him happy and I'd like to think I made his days just a bit better than absolutely awful. "
" One thing we both loved was movies, so we'd watch a lot. I had a preference for horror movies, while Osamu liked action movies. Those were good times... but it wasn't going to last. "
" Mo... Mother was distressed. I never got why she had made those... sad, terrified faces, till now. Dad was doing everything he could to find places that could cure my brother... we went to many but in the end... it didn't matter. They all said the same thing. They didn't have a cure. "
instinctively, Valerie squeezed Atsumu's hand tighter.
" My brother... passed away on November 11th, close to 16 years ago at 8:51 pm at the age of 10. After that... was when things began and eventually... broke. " Atsumu said.
" Mother was distraught. She took it the hardest, I think. Especially when she kept referring to me with my brother's name... before she left. "
" ... Divorce? " Valerie asked.
" Yeah... " Atsumu confirmed.
" How... did your dad take it? " Valerie asked.
" Terribly. " Atsumu said. " He... began to drink heavily after that day. Bottles of alcohol were littered on the ground, the house reeked with a disgusting order, and I watched... as my dad slowly became unrecognizable. "
" I tried doing things to get his attention, stuff that made him smile at me before... but he just stared at the wall or mindlessly watched TV. " Atsumu said, feeling depressed. " In the end, I ended up leaving him too. "
Atsumu clenched his right fist tightly, his fingernails slowly but painfully digging into his skin. However, the gentle squeeze from Valerie's right hand in his left and her softly accessing the back of his hand eased him. Taking a moment to recollect himself, Atsumu continued.
" Things slowly fell into a rhythm, and every day, I slowly became annoyed. The house, my dad, and even the neighbors. Life went on... till I found a cool sword. " Atsumu chuckled.
" So Aegislash is your starter. " Valerie said.
" He is. " Atsumu smiled. " I met him when he was a Honedge. He had gotten himself stuck in a tree from trying to pierce the bark. "
" Did you manage to pull him out? " Valerie asked.
" Eventually. " Atsumu chuckled.
" How long? " Valerie smiled.
" 4 months, 21 days. " Atsumu said. " When I wasn't trying to pull him out of the bark, I was just talking to him. I didn't know if he was interested, well until I noticed how he communicated with his singular eye. "
" And he never tried to drain you of your life force? " Valerie asked.
" No, he did. It just didn't work. " Atsumu chuckled. " The feeling was funny. He would try to... pull away my life force and I would stubbornly pull back to keep it. He stopped at some point and we ended up becoming friends. "
" That is the most interesting story I've heard about Honedge. " Valerie said.
" That so... well, no matter. " Atsumu said. " For a while, it was only me and Honedge hanging out, till Jellicent, who was a Frillish at the time, came along, and then Chandelure, who was a Litwik. "
" The four of us hung out together all the time and soon, they stayed with me at home. Dad didn't comment when he saw them for the first time, he just did the usual. When they stayed with me, I started showing them the horror movies I liked, mainly the ones with ghosts, and we started to chat in our unique way. "
" We did... a lot of things together. It was the best, but I was... getting tired of coming home. The smell of alcohol reeked everywhere, even after I tried removing it daily. I tried to talk to my father to stop drinking... but I was ignored. "
" I tried asking Osamu... well, his picture and the pendant he left behind on what to do... so I tried stuff out, got frustrated from lack of success, and had Honedge break every bottle of alcohol my father had. " Atsumu said.
" He... did not take it well, did he? " Valerie whispered.
" Not one bit. " Atsumu said, subconsciously bringing his right hand to his left cheek. "Honestly, I don't even remember what he said to me. All I remember is him yelling while grabbing the collar of my shirt and letting me go after he was finished, while I felt the pain coming from my cheek. "
" I don't know what influenced the decision or why I thought that... what I was thinking at that moment was the right decision, but thankfully Frillish stopped me from going that far. " Atsumu said.
" What... were you thinking of doing? " Valerie asked.
" Murder. " Atsumu said, solemnly.
" ... For real? " Valerie asked, flabbergasted.
" Yes. " Atsumu confirmed.
" ... It was most likely... the horror movies. " Valerie commented.
" ... Seems that way. " Atsumu said. " The dad I loved and the father I saw were two different people... and I just wanted to get rid of the thing that had seemingly taken over my dad's body and made him so different. "
" What did you do instead of... you know... " Valerie nudged.
" I burned down the house. " Atsumu replied.
" ... " Valerie stared at him, dumbfounded. " What? "
" I burned down the house. " Atsumu repeated.
" ... How? " Valerie asked.
" I had Litwik light the house on fire after Jellicent gathered all the alcohol that hadn't dried up yet and covered most of the house in it. " Atsumu said. " Though when it happened, I made sure my father saw it happen... saw me... before I left. "
" I'm... unable to remember what kind of face he made... but I don't think it matters. "
" So, after this... you participated in the island challenge...? " Valerie asked.
" I did. But not before I was educated by an old man fond of dark types. " Atsumu sighed, a smile on his face.
" His name is Nanu and he's one of the Kahuna's. Kahunas are the... well, in simplistic terms, the protectors of each island in Alola and are chosen by the legendary Pokemon residing on each island. " Atsumu said.
" Nanu tracked me down and... utterly destroyed me in a battle. " Atsumu chuckled. " I couldn't refuse him when he picked me up and took me to the lone police center he owns. "
" He's the one who kick-started my journey. " Atsumu smiled.
" I mean that literally too. One day, he just picked me up and booted me out of his police center, telling me to participate in the island challenge. I yelled at him, he answered back and then I left. "
" Did you... promise to beat him in battle? " Valerie asked.
" I did. " Atsumu sighed. " Honestly, my fight against him was the toughest. "
" Well, the type advantage was not on your side, " Valerie giggled. " But that'd be a discredit to his skills. "
" ... Have you met my mentor before? " Atsumu asked.
" I haven't. " Valerie said. " But I know what that feeling is like. "
" You have an annoying loveable mentor too? " Atsumu asked.
" Not even close. " Valerie waved off. " I had an annoying loveable rival. "
" I see... Thanks, Val, " Atsumu said sincerely. " Thank you for listening to me. "
" ... No problem. " Valerie smiled. Atsumu smiled back before he felt something off with his stomach as his stomach growled.
" Hey Val... What time is it? " Atsumu asked.
" Is your stomach asking for food? " Valerie teased.
" No, it is now demanding food. " Atsumu chuckled out.
" That makes sense. " Valerie said, then looked at her phone. " After all T'sumu, you haven't had anything for dinner which you should have had... 2 hours ago. "
" ...Ehh? " Atsumu gasped, taking out his phone and seeing the time. " 11:40? How long have I been here? "
" You hadn't moved since I left at 8:50 to have dinner. " Valerie said.
" ... Is there anything left? " Atsumu asked hopefully, feeling his stomach craving for sustenance.
" Your food is in the fridge. You just need to reheat it. " Valerie said, standing up with a yawn. " I'm going to bed. "
" Okay. " Atsumu said as he stood up.
Both walked out of the room and stared face to face for a moment, and before Atsumu could say anything, Valerie held his shoulder, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed him on the cheek.
" Don't stay up late. Get some sleep. Got that, T'sumu? " Valerie asked.
" ...Yeah, I got it. Thanks, Val. " Atsumu smiled.
" Good night T'sumu. " Valerie smiled.
" Good night Val. " Atsumu said.
...
' Hey, I'm leaving now. Are you coming or what? ' Decidueye called out, making a Phantom Force portal.
' We're coming! We're coming! ' Spectreon exclaimed rushing over to Decidueye while Sylveon leisurely jogged on over.
' Go through the portal. ' Decidueye said.
Spectreon had a jump in her step as she went through, while Sylveon walked through, although more reserved than Spectreon. Ultimately, both were curious and excited to meet Decidueye's illusive friend. The portal closed behind them after Decidueye walked through it and turned his head 180 degrees to look at the tree behind him.
' You can come out now. ' Decidueye said.
Spectreon and Sylveon looked at Decidueye and followed his line of sight. Their eyes widened when they saw a Floette float down from the tree and floated in front of them. On instinct, both of them jumped back and got into a battle-ready stance. They recognized this Floette, they had seen her before. The Floette from the book, the one who died and was brought back to life!
' ... Am I scary? ' Crestfallen, Floette turned her head and asked Decidueye who shook his head.
' You're not scary. They are on edge because of the ominous energy coming from your flower. ' Decidueye explained.
' Oh... Should I... ? ' Floette tried asking before Decidueye cut her off.
' No. ' Decidueye said. ' There is no need for you to place that flower away. Trust me, everything will be fine. '
' ... Okay. ' Floette said, with a smile.
' Good. ' Decidueye smiled. ' As for you two, have you calmed down? '
Spectreon and Sylveon glanced at each other and nodded.
' Yeah, we're good. ' Sylveon said.
' Then get over here. ' Decidueye said. Sylveon and Spectreon walked up and stood in front of Floette.
' Floette, this is Spectreon and Sylveon. Spectreon... Sylveon, this is my friend, Floette. ' Decidueye introduced.
' H...Hello. ' Floette shyly waved, feeling flustered around Decidueye's friends.
' Hello! ' Spectreon said happily. ' It's nice to finally meet you! Before this, we didn't even know what type of Pokemon you were. '
' Really? ' Floette asked, to which Spectreon nodded. Floette then turned to Decidueye and sincerely said, ' Thank you. '
' No problem. ' Decidueye responded.
' ... Eh? Why did you thank him? ' Spectreon asked curiously. ' Is it because you wanted to surprise us when we finally met? '
' Ah, well... it's something like that. ' Floette admitted.
' ... You knew, didn't you? ' Sylveon asked, turning to Decidueye.
' I did. ' Decidueye said.
' It'd be disappointing if you didn't. ' Spectreon chimed in. ' I'm going to go ahead and guess that you wanted to speak on your terms, rather than us barging in on you. Am I right? '
Floette chuckled then answered, ' Yes, that's what I wanted. I had a feeling that Decidueye recognized me when he first found me, and I was nervous about him bringing it up, but he never did till I asked. '
' Again, thank you. ' Floette smiled, turning to Decidueye.
' Again, no problem. ' Decidueye replied.
' So... what now? ' Floette asked.
' Well, we'd like to ask you a couple of questions if you are up for it. If not, we can talk about anything besides that. ' Spectreon suggested.
' Or sit in silence. ' Decidueye said.
' That's just you. ' Spectreon said.
' No, that sounds pleasing. ' Floette said. ' Since I'll have others with me now. '
' That's... extremely depressing. ' Sylveon said.
' Eternal life... it's a blessing to be alive for this long and a curse. ' Floette whispered. ' Yet, in this long life, this is the first time I'm able to have conversations. Others would have run away by now. '
' That flower is... creepy. ' Sylveon said.
' Yes, I know. ' Floette said. ' I know all too well. '
Silence permeated the air. Floette was lost in thought, Spectreon and Sylveon pondered on what they should do, and Decidueye... simply stared.
' Floette. ' Decidueye gently whispered, gaining her attention. ' Would you... like to talk about it? We won't ask questions, we will... listen. That's all. '
' There's... more to this request, am I right? ' Floette asked.
' Yes... there is. ' Decidueye said.
' And you'll only listen... ' Floette questioned.
' Only when you talk. If you are alright with answering our questions, we'll ask. ' Decidueye said.
' I see... ' Floette muttered, thinking about Decidueye's genuine offer.
Decidueye, Spectreon, and Sylveon waited with bated breath as Floette floated and thought silently, till she finally decided.
' Alright. '
_______________________________________________________________
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