Chapter 25: Special Interlude – Found and Lost Part 1
I’m still trying to process what happened a while ago. When I was still learning how to write, I was often told to log down my troubling thoughts. These helped me in the past when I had to come to terms with Dad’s disappearance. This time, though, I’m not so sure. We’ll see. But maybe I should start from the beginning of that week, now I have the time to write this down.
-trunks-
On Monday morning, my Simisear partner, Cavi, stuck his finger in my ear to wake me up. Even though I was half-asleep, I could still see him sneering at me while he munched on a Leppa berry.
“Really?” I said. “There are better ways to get me out of bed.”
“Still got yer attention,” he said. “Better than sleepin’ through a human alarm. Now c’mon, we should get started soon.”
I nodded and pushed the blankets aside. To this day, I still find beds a weird comfort to have, considering I used to sleep on grassy floors all the time, but we had earned it, along with the rest of the house.
I’m not sure if I’ve described the dojo before. I have a good picture of it in my head, but this time, I think it would be fun to paint a picture with words. Any chance for me to practise my writing skills, after all.
We slept in the living quarters of a dojo. Alongside the battle rooms fit for training other Pokemon, there was an annex that had its own bedroom, kitchen and living room. The bedroom I stood in had those soft bamboo mats that felt spongy underneath my paws, as well as paper walls that let screens of morning light into the room. It smelled like cooked rice as well. For humans, apparently, the house was traditional and primitive compared to most buildings in Sinnoh. When we first struck a deal with our human helper Eric, the place was disused, so most wouldn’t have even set foot in it. Good thing there were no Gastly lurking about, otherwise, I doubt we would’ve found anywhere else to go.
Wanting to get to work as soon as possible, I nudged my family members awake. Mom, who called herself Ruti, and my second youngest brother, who Mom named Stumpy a while ago, went to the kitchen without much trouble. My youngest brother, Twig, though, was listening to that player of his, blaring music through the duvets. Once he peeked his head from under the covers, I yanked the headphones out.
“Nhh,” he said, pulling back the blanket over him. “Was listenin’ to that.”
“Come on,” I said, “You can listen to it later. For now, we’ve all got our part to play in setting everything up.”
He feigned snoring, though through his aura, I could tell he was still awake. Just for that, I gave him a playful tug by the ears, which he groaned at. He still wouldn’t budge.
“I could give that player back to your friends in the city,” I said with a wide grin. “I’m sure they’d find another Mon willing to take it.”
“Alright, fine, I’m gettin’ up!” Twig got out of bed, at last, and stuck out his tongue at me as he left the room. I put the device to one side, being careful not to break it or anything. It was a wonder I didn’t with my own meaty paws, so how he used it daily was beyond me.
Anyway, I had to eat breakfast. I went into the kitchen, which had its own set of luxuries as Eric had installed a water supply for us to use. I poured myself a glass and sat on the side, observing Mom as she helped Stumpy make breakfast. Another human appliance we used was the rice cooker, which was enough to accommodate breakfast, lunch and dinner. Stumpy often burned it if left to his own devices, but it gave him a purpose, anyway, so I didn’t mind. Despite her near-sightedness, Mom was good at picking out the mistakes Stumpy made, like leaving the water to boil for too long or not asking Cavi to lend his flames enough. That was another perk of having a fire-type, alongside the fact that it provided a heat source in the primitive house. Not that we were exactly used to having central heating.
I might be getting sidetracked, but hopefully, it should be enough to go on. Once they finished preparing the eggy rice and berries, we sat on the low-cut table altogether. I dug into my dish straight away. Stumpy kneaded his paws together.
"Um," he asked, looking shiftily from left to right, "Is it nice?"
His aura yearned for encouragement.
"Of course," I said, smiling, "You did a good job."
"But ma did most of the work, didn't she?" Twig said. I elbowed him in the side for that one, and he took the hint. His aura didn't seem malicious, so I forgave him for that slight.
"Try being a bit more adventurous next time," Cavi said, wiping rice grains off his face. "Some pancakes would be nice."
"I think Eric spoils you enough," I said, "He pays for most of your meals anyway, doesn't he?"
"Well, yeah, when he's around."
"I could make you some, if you wanted," Mom said, smiling. "I know you Simisear have a sweet tooth."
"No we don't," he said, digging into a sweet Pecha berry, "That's species profiling, I tell ya."
"But you're not exactly an exception," I chimed in.
"Whatever." He shrugged, and spat the Pecha pits out. He drummed his paws on the mats, aura burning with fighting spirit. "I'm waitin' on you to finish, slowpoke."
I ate as fast as I could without giving myself indigestion, and we went on to carry out our own tasks. Me and Cavi sparred in the dojo part while the rest looked after the annex. It was important to train ourselves everyday in order to keep fit and healthy. We had to set an example for the dojo students, so we couldn't skimp out on the service. Cavi, I might add, was a natural born fighter, with way more experience in training with humans than I had. In any case, our first bases covered dodging each other's fireballs and aura spheres, and then the next bases covered mid-range combat, then close combat, and move theory. By the end of our sparring session, I had to rest for a bit in the garden, but that was a sign I had an excellent partner to work with. It often helped my meditation afterwards, as it gave me the chance to reflect on my own strengths and weaknesses. Stumpy followed suit in this philosophy, as it helped him focus on his own flaws without self-loathing, but it wasn't a virtue Twig seemed to follow. Perhaps that was because he was so easily distracted, but whatever. Maybe I was getting old.
By the time it turned midday, we were ready for the dojo session. The trainers came in and dropped their Pokemon off in the fighting area. While I was there to mediate between the Pokemon and the humans, Stumpy was there to keep records on which trainers came in and how much money they gave us; all of which would contribute to the dojo's rent. After that was sorted, we'd start by letting the Pokemon show off their moves, then let them train with each other, then guide them as they fought. I won't detail what each part was about, since I go through enough of that daily, but I thought I'd lay the groundwork.
Each session ended by training them to use the human tongue, as well as a reading from Mom with one of her many storybooks. The Mon seemed to enjoy it, although it wasn’t technically a part of the dojo service, and if we were able to spread our knowledge to them, that would’ve made us happy for a long time.
Of course, after that, there was dinner, mediation, and the usual family bonding sessions, which I won’t get too much into. But point is, we sat in the living room, perfectly content as we all played a board game together. That was when it happened. There was this presence that entered Sunyshore, which felt like an aura, except not. Auras were usually clear, and even if the person or Pokemon in question was the type to lock thoughts away, you could still see into them like an open book. This was the first time I felt an aura that was completely opaque, one you couldn't see into. Even Dad, way back when, didn't have that sort of aura. Save for Cavi, the rest of my family noticed it too as we were huddled around the blanketed table. We didn't talk about it, but we all exchanged glances.
"What's goin' on?" Cavi said, sucking a sugar cube. "Is there somethin' on my face again?"
"No," we said collectively. That satisfied him.
The rest settled down for the night. While they were able to go to sleep easily, I tossed and turned in my bed. Eventually, I got up, crept through the bamboo floors and meditated in my usual spot outside. That aura still picked and prodded at my head. It had no owner, or at least, didn't seem to, so there was no telling what species it was. For all I knew, it could've been an alien, like the ones Mom used to tell about in her stories back on the island. Then I thought about my sister again, and my heart felt all lumpy.
I hadn't heard from her for several years, how many exactly, I couldn't tell. I remembered those green eyes, that tuft of fur on her forehead, and her boundless curiosity. I often thought about what she was doing with that learning centre. I'm sure they taught her the skills to do just about anything.
Even further than that though, I thought about what she would’ve done with her life once she got out, or graduated, even. Maybe she even had a gallery of her own, proudly displaying her drawings. It was wishful thinking, sure, but there were a pawful of Pokemon that managed to break into that world, so why couldn't she? Or maybe she decided to travel the world with a trainer. Years ago, I would’ve cringed at the idea, but as long as she made her own decision to do it, I would’ve been happy. Maybe she was doing something completely different. Whatever it was, I hoped she found her place in the world.
I didn't move from my spot. After a while, I must’ve stopped meditating and drifted off to sleep in the open.
---
I woke up with the sunlight streaming on my face, and the flying-types making my body into a nest. Two Starly were perched on my lap, and a Swablu somehow found itself falling asleep on my head. It was oddly pleasant to have a flying ball of fluff atop of me, but still, I had to get to work. I gently shooed them away, then woke up my family to get the annex cleaned up. It was Twig's turn to wash the bed linens, and clearly wasn’t happy about it.
"What's the point?" he said, holding a pile of sheets. "They're still white!"
"That doesn't mean they shouldn't be washed properly," I said. "What if they turn yellow with sweat?"
He groaned and went to the stream to clean them. Cavi watched, amused as he chomped into his berry of the day.
“I swear, this new generation of Mon sure are a handful. Do you think he’d like some cheese with that whine?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, but in hindsight, that joke flew over my head. “But I’m not much older than him, so you’re kind of insulting me in a way.”
“I’m kiddin’.” He patted his chest. “Out of the young Mon I’ve met, you’ve really come a long way. Just don’t get too old, like me.”
I hummed a reply. Truth be told, he certainly didn’t have the mind of a veteran fighter, but still, I didn’t really know how to take that compliment from him. I don’t think I do in general.
We were in the kitchen cleaning up after breakfast, and me and Cavi were about to go off to spar more, but that faraway aura still nagged at me. He must've seen the look on my face since he put his paw on my shoulder.
"Something wrong? You got the face of a Grumpig there."
"I’m not sure I like being compared to swine," I said blankly, "But no. We should practise for the day. If that feeling doesn't go away, I'll let you know.'
He shrugged, then we went off to hone our usual techniques. Focusing my own aura in battle and keeping myself on my toes distracted me for a bit. Battle was just one of many forms of therapy, after all. But while it made me forget that tension for a bit, once our session was finished and we had time to recover, that sensation lingered over me again. It was like something died in the dojo and its stink had spread across the building; you couldn't have escaped from it no matter how much you tried. But while that whiff was there, it was worth doing a deep clean instead of letting it fester, so to speak. When we headed back to the kitchen, Cavi turned and crossed his arms.
"Is this gonna get in the way of teachin’ those Pokemon?"
"Possibly. I'm sorry, but I can’t go on like this. Can you cover for me today?"
He sighed, but ultimately smiled and flicked his paw away. "Whatever. It's the same batch of students, so I can always ask Stumpy to sort the boring stuff out."
So that was that. I thanked him before heading off to find the source of that aura. I might as well have killed two fliers with one stone, so Mom gave me a grocery list as well as how much each item would cost.
After saying goodbye, I went to the treasury room and took out all the money I'd need from Eric's safe. At least he reimbursed us that way. On a side note, however, I should say that my family were the only Pokemon he trusted with that sort of power, as even Cavi didn’t have that sort of autonomy we did. Most Pokemon still don’t, anyway. But I digress. With that, I stepped outside the dojo and set off on my journey.
I should also explain the dojo is up on the higher parts of Sunyshore. There are a lot of cliffs and hills, since it is a coastal town, but even with that, we were higher up where the grass grew and was partly connected to the forest. While the walk from the dojo down to the inner city was long, one thing that helped was the tram system. Since Sunyshore was a huge network for ports, they needed a good transit system as well, and the trams were always easy to hop on and off. On a good day when it wasn't too busy, I would be allowed on there for free (being a Pokemon has its perks) and gaze out the window, watching the various views speed past me. Not only did I see the various tall buildings whizz past past and the differently shaped Pokemon that roamed outside with their trainers, I also saw the sea in the distance, which shone in the sun. It filled me with a sense of calm, even in the urban chaos. The view even made up for the rocky nature of the trams, as it often felt like a rug was being pulled out from underneath my paws. It took a few minutes before I hopped off to my destination: Sunyshore Market.
As with any place, it seemed, there was an abundance of trainers there, but with Sunyshore in particular, it made a lot through the Seal and Ribbon shops. I can't say I saw much point in it, but it was none of my business in the end. Let the humans decorate their Pokeballs if they really want to. I worked through each item in the list, filling up my basket with a variety of goods, until I spotted that presence again. It was right in the middle of the food court, not too far away. I knew I was going on a detour, but I needed answers, just to clear my mind for the rest of the day. I walked along the hot sunny pavement, following my nose where the sweet and savoury smells were until I got to the source. In that court was a whole maze of food stalls, cooking meats over open fires. Both humans and Pokemon helped each other in the shift, as they either helped them dish up the plates or even had a paw in the cooking process. It would've been a usual scene in the Market, except for that presence. That strangely familiar presence.
I'm still having trouble wrapping my thoughts around our first meeting in a long time, but I'll try my best.
The presence belonged to a Lucario. Not just any Lucario like myself; one with a satchel around their waist, and a bandaged arm. They were surrounded by a few trainers and angry looking Pokemon that snarled at them. I couldn't hear what they said without my aura, so I walked further in. Getting closer, I saw the Lucario carried another paper bag, which presumably had many different foodstuffs in there.
"Give that back!" one of the vendors said, "Do you know how much trouble you're in?"
"Yeah," the Lucario responded, in human tongue, of all things, and in a feminine voice as well.
"What about me, huh? Can't you spare a skewer for a poor hungry Lucario?"
"That's not the problem!" another vendor said with his Magmortar fuming by his side. "You've been taking stuff from many different stalls! You do realise how bad that is for business, right?"
"Tho?" She chomped on one of the Torchic skewers, and spoke while chewing loudly.
"Whath am I thuppothed to do?" She swallowed.
"It's not like I can get a job like you guys, so why should you care?"
"It's just not right." One Vaporeon stepped forward, speaking in their own tongue. "There are other ways of finding food here, even if you're a stray."
"You callin' me a stray?" she said, snorting.
"Piss off."
In response, the Vaporeon spewed a jet of water in her direction, which she dodged. In turn, she charged up an aura sphere in her paws. At that point, I felt the aura of those all around her. They were sympathetic, but they still had to make back the earnings they lost. It was like if we gave our own dojo services for free; we wouldn't have been able to keep a roof over our heads. While it was none of my business, it reflected badly on my kind, so I had to step in.
"Miss," I said, "Return what you stole, or you'll have to face me."
"You wanna go, huh?" she said as she turned around. "Fine! I'll kick your
a--"
As soon as we faced each other up close, I recognised those green eyes, which widened, and in turn, I knew she recognised me. She was my sister.
I didn't know how to process it at first. What was she doing there in Sunyshore, and why did she have that bandaged arm? I wanted to say something, but my jaw hung open, unable to find the right words. She ended up doing the talking for me.
"Bro?" she said. I nodded. At that moment, time stood still. If I had to capture any memory and put it in a capsule to look at over and over again, it would've been the first time I laid eyes on my sister in 8 or so years. It was only a brief moment, since one of the vendors coughed nervously.
"What's going on?" they said. That snapped me back to reality. Remembering that my sister was still in trouble, I quickly drew out the savings purse and grabbed a pawful of bills.
"Excuse me," I said, bowing to the vendors.
"Sorry for the trouble, but I want to put this behind us. How much does she owe you?"
"A few hundred from mine," one said.
"A grand!" another said.
"Um," one Aipom said, counting from his tail-hand, "What are two buns worth?"
I sighed and sorted through my own change. I had 3000 Pokedollars left from shopping. Hopefully, that would've been enough to cover the costs. I handed each of the vendors a 1000PD bill just to be safe.
"Please," I said,
"I hope this should fix things between you and her."
They put the bills back in their pockets and gave a brief nod before going back to their own stalls. Their Pokemon stared at her for a bit before going back with their trainers. At last, the scene was clear, and it was just us two now. Sis rubbed her bandaged shoulder, clearly looking a little guilty. I smiled, though. She didn't need lecturing from me, of all Pokemon.
"Sis," I said. I was about to ask how she was doing, but they came out as half-formed words before I stopped. She laughed nervously.
"Well, crap," she said, "This is really awkward." Another snicker. "What do I say to all of this?"
I couldn't help but join in her amusement. "I can't say I was expecting to meet you like this. I thought it would've been a bit more, I don't know."
She snorted. "Did you expect a tearful reunion or somethin'?"
"No, just..." I trailed off. I looked around, trying to find anywhere we could soak it all in without causing a scene. There was an unoccupied table with two opposite seats.
"Why don't we sit down?"
She nodded, and there we sat, while she took another skewer out of her bag.
"Um," I started. I wasn't usually so slow to speak, I swear. But there was still something I had to get out of the way first. "Do you mind explaining what happened back there?"
"Shure," she said mid-bite. "This is kinda embarrassing. I usually get away with this sort of stuff, since it's easy to slip away if you use your aura."
"So you've stolen before?"
"Lots of times. Like I said, I usually don't get caught, but I must've let my guard down this time." She finished the last of her skewer, then tossed the stick away and frowned. "Sorry you hadda bail me out, bro."
"That's fine. I can't say we've never been at fault before."
"We've?" She raised an eye. "Does that mean the gang's here too?"
"Yes. We've settled near the city." My heart sank a little. On the day we left the island, we knew it would've been tough on her, but we had little choice in the matter. Sympathetically, I placed my paw on hers. "I'm so sorry we left. I really can't stress that enough."
"Stop that, bro." She pulled her paw away. "I knew you couldn’t have stayed there, not that you really wanted to."
"Still!" I stood up, raising my voice. A wave of sadness washed over me in that moment. "We should've done more to help you! And after all this, you're stealing in the streets!"
She pounced on me, and wrapped her arms around my back. That bandaged arm felt alien, to say at the least. Still, after all of that distance, it was comforting to have her back.
"It's fine, bro," she said. “It was outta your control, so don't be such a drama queen."
"I know." I squeezed her tightly. "I'm just glad to know you're safe, even if you're not in one piece."
She pulled away and pointed at her face. "Hey, at least I've got a kickass battle scar to show for it."
I snorted, not even sure if I should laugh at that. "You seem quite easy-going about it."
"Well, I'm alive, anyway." She grabbed the bag. "Say, why don't you take me to where your place is? I'd love to see how they're doin'."
"No," I said. "I was going to tell you to leave Sunyshore and never come back."
She squinted at me for a bit, before patting my shoulder. "Bro, you kinda suck at sarcasm."
"I know." I shrugged. Then, my stomach rumbled. I hadn't had a lunchtime snack yet, curse my fast metabolism. "If you want to make it up to me for what happened earlier, you could spare me one of those steamed buns."
"Fine." She tossed one over to me. From there, we walked through the market centre, going out of the food court and weaving in between all the other stalls. She told me a few bits and pieces about how she ended up in Sunyshore from travelling on the bus for days, and also explained how she had Sunyshore on her Sinnoh bucket list for a while. I mostly listened to her as I sampled that bun. It felt soft and fluffy in my paw, and the taste was even better, with some sort of red bean paste in it. She still had two of those Miltank skewers on standby.
"You seem quite well travelled," I said.
"Tell me about it. You could never pin me down to one place, after all."
Thoughts of her leaving the island for that learning centre were at the back of my mind. I wanted to ask her all about it, but I could tell this wasn't the right moment for it, so instead, I asked her about some of the places she visited, which she rattled off, one by one, She mentioned a recent expedition to Snowpoint City, which caught my attention.
"Is it still snowy up there? I couldn't imagine it during the summer."
"Eh," she said, digging into a skewer. "Kind of? It was like, what, one or two months ago I went? They had groups just for hiking and camping up there, and I managed to sneak into one of them, so it was a fun time for all of us. I drank a lot of cocoa there, the trainers and their Pokemon told me all sorts of good stories, it was just nice, y’know." She shook her head rapidly, making a brring sound. "Colder than a Jynx's
tit, though."
I choked on my bun, patting the top of my chest to make it go down. "Where'd you pick up that phrase?"
"It was tossed 'round a lot by the humans, so it kinda grew on me. I could go on all day about the weird stuff I got from them."
"I'd love to hear it all at some point." I grinned like an idiot. "I'm so glad you're getting on well by yourself though, aside from, you know."
"Yeah, well." She shrugged and took another bite. "I do try.”
She continued talking about that while I just listened. I don't recall all the details. There might’ve been something about riding a Mamoswine or going Houndoom sledding or whatever other adventures she went on, but it was nice all the same. Even though I couldn't feel her aura, from how passionate she sounded about it, I could tell she had found her place in the world, somewhat. That was how I imagined her all that time, and there she was, in the flesh, living in the moment. I couldn’t have been a happier Mon that day.
I won't bother with writing about the tram ride, so I'll skip to the part where we got home. The walk up the hill usually took quite a bit of time, but we didn't have to stop to catch our breath. I actually found myself having to catch up with her. Maybe I was getting out of practise with hiking. But once we reached the dojo, her jaw dropped.
"Woah, awesome," she said. "How'd you end up in a place like that?"
I chuckled. "It's a long story. But we should go in. I can't wait to see how they'll react."
As if to answer my call, the sliding doors opened, revealing the whole family. Stumpy stared, broom in paw. His aura revealed excitement, but still quite a bit of nervousness. Twig gazed, nonplussed about the whole thing. His aura didn't reflect that much of an emotional response. Mom, however, ran outside and inspected Sis, close enough that she could get a good look at her face, and once it finally hit, she hugged her as she cried tears of joy.
"My girl," she said in between sobs, "I've missed you so much."
"And you, mama." Sis started sniffling. "Wow, now you got me chokin' up as well."
"Sorry. I can't help it." She pulled herself away and reached to grasp her paw, but stopped when she noticed the bandaged arm.
"What in the world happened to that?"
"It's fine," Sis said without so much batting an eye. "I just have it for show. It looks cool, don't you think?"
"Um..." Mom trailed off, glancing over to me before taking Sis' other paw. "Anyway, please, come in!"
And so, they walked in, paw by paw, as I followed. Sis marvelled at the insides, which were wide and spacious. Cavi was still in the middle of teaching, and the presence of another Lucario there brought the attention of all the students to Sis.
"Woah," one Riolu said, eyes gleaming. "She replacin' you, teach?"
"Well," I said, flustered. "No, I--"
"Yeah, totally," Sis said, flashing a toothy grin. “If he gets too borin’ for ya, give me a shout!”
Some of the students turned towards her with curiosity.
“She seems a lot more fun!” one Chimchar said,
“Yeah!” an Eevee said. “Give us the coolcario!”
“Coolcario!” another said. “Coolcario!”
“Alright,” I said, grabbing Sis’s paw. “Let’s not get carried away.” We passed by them and went into the annex along with the rest, where Sis sat in the living room. Mom was in the middle of preparing tea, while we were alone with Stumpy and Twig. Sis gazed at them, undoubtedly fascinated. She hadn't seen them since they were Riolu, after all.
"My, you lot have grown!" she said. "I never woulda imagined you evolvin' into Lucario!"
Stumpy mumbled, unsure of how to respond.
"What?" Curio pointed at herself. "It's not my face is it? Do I need to put a paper bag over it?"
Stumpy stifled a laugh, while Twig still seemed unaffected by the whole thing. And surely enough, it wasn't long before Stumpy started sniffling, rubbing his eyes.
"S-s-sorry," he said, "I, I'm a Lucario now, I s-shouldn't act like this."
"Oh, knock it off." Curio leaned over to hug him, and he embraced her, crying over her shoulder. "Whoever's tellin' you that is givin' you nonsense. Besides, you've got a good excuse."
"Yeah," he mumbled. "It's just nice to see you, Sis. It was lonely without you, even with everyone else."
"Well, I'm here for a bit, so we've got plenty to catch up with." She patted him on the back and pulled away. "Now, turn that frown upside down."
Of course, that cheered up Stumpy a bit. Twig, still, wouldn't be swayed. Before I could ask him about it, Mom came back with teacups for all of us. Sis sipped with delight, and basically told them what she was doing there.
"Oh, you travel, huh?" Mom said, rubbing her paws enthusiastically. "Wonderful! I always pictured you going out there, seeing the world!”
She rubbed her head sheepishly. “Heh, you know me too well.”
“In any case, make yourself at home!” Mom turned to me, expecting a full bag of groceries, only to see half of what I promised. “Where’s the rest?”
“Ahem.” I cleared my throat, signalling to Sis that she had to confess her stint from earlier. So she did, and while Stumpy seemed worried about it, and Twig didn’t seem to care either way, Mom laughed.
“So you’re making trouble already here?” she said, “Well, it’d be rich of me to tell you off for it. I’ve done it more times than I can count.”
“Really?” That got Sis’ attention. “Shocker. I never pegged you as a sort of role model, ma.”
“I mean, you don’t hang around the city as a stray for a bit without picking up a few tricks, huh?” She saw Sis frown a bit at that, and tapped her paw on the table to reassure her. “Not saying you’re a stray. You seem like a very smart girl.”
Sis crossed her arms, pouting. “I’m not a girl anymore.”
“Fine then. A very smart young, um, womon? That’s not a word, is it?” She turned to me to double check, and I just shrugged. I wasn’t going to shove a dictionary in their faces, after all.
Mom downed the rest of the tea, and her face turned a bit more serious. “That’s fine if you don’t get caught, or are on your own. But if you’re staying with us, you shouldn’t leave a paper trail. We want to keep the dojo’s good image, after all.”
“Yeah, I know.” Sis tugged at her aura sensors. “But I’m a Pokemon. I just can’t settle like you or the humans can.”
“Nonsense,” I said, clenching my fists. For some reason, I got a little annoyed at that, but I kept my cool and thought back to that situation earlier. “I know you’re a great human speaker. Of all the time you’ve spent in the cities, haven’t you thought of teaching that once?”
“Of course I have.” She sipped nervously. “It’s never really appealed to me though. I just hate the sound of working to earn my keep when I can just steal what I want. I don’t even need a home; I just go to parks and settle down in a sleeping bag or a tent or somethin’.”
I growled. At that point, I was starting to get frustrated. I could see her point, but at the same time, it didn’t suit someone like her. A Pokemon of her intelligence didn’t deserve something like that. I was about to say something, then I glanced at Twig, who stared off into the distance.
“Twig,” I said with a glare. “Aren’t you going to say hello? You don’t seem very happy to have her around.”
Out of nowhere, he bashed his fists on the table and stormed off out of the kitchen. We just stared, dumbfounded.
“What’s got his blue knickers in a twist?” Sis said.
“Oh, nothing dear,” Mom said, stroking her head. “He’s just mopey in general.”
I sighed and honed in on his aura from the bedroom. He was in there, sulking as he listened to his music player. He was angry, confused, and saddened all at the same time. Why exactly, I couldn’t tell right away, but I knew it was tearing him apart from the inside. I reasoned I brought it up too suddenly, and took a few deep of breaths. His own frustration bounced off of me, but I wasn’t going to let it get to my head. Just like any young Mon, I had to get down to his level, apologise, and try to reach out to him. I wasn’t going to repeat the same mistakes Dad did.
“Sis?” I said. I remembered I brought up Twig’s name, but I didn’t know if we were all on the same wavelength. “Do you have a name?”
“Curio,” she said with a smile.
“Trunks.” I smiled back. The name Curio really seemed to suit her, and Mom must’ve felt it too, since her aura brightened up a bit as well.
“Can you come and help me with Twig? I think he owes us an explanation.”
Curio nodded and went with me to the bedroom. There Twig was, underneath all those blankets, as usual. It was his comfort zone whenever he got into one of those moods. He probably wouldn’t hear us through those speakers, so a gentle approach was the best,
Although I couldn’t read Curio’s aura, judging from the confident look on her face, she understood what was going on. Without needing to ask, she sat down next to the bed and put a paw on that duvet pile, rubbing it. After a while, the music stopped playing.
“You’re touchin’ my butt.”
“
****, sorry.”
I put a paw up to my mouth, surprised at her sudden language. I guessed it was another thing she picked up from the humans. In any case, Curio laid her head next to the mattress, looking like she was about to fall asleep herself. Finally, Twig’s head popped out from under the covers, and he stared at Curio, as if for the first time. Then, it hit me. He had only known her for a year at most, and during an early age. Of course, there was going to be a bit of distance between them.
“I guess it feels weird, huh?” she said. “I kinda feel the same way as well. Last time I saw you, you were only fresh out the egg, so it’s like lookin’ at you for the first time too.”
He grumbled. “Your aura’s weird.”
“Maybe. But I’m still that buttmunch you knew years ago. You know, the one that got Trunks royally plastered?”
“Sis,” I said, stifling a laugh. “I don’t think you needed to open up that old wound.”
That finally got through to Twig, as he laughed as well. Then, he turned away from Sis, facing the wall.
“Sorry, Curio,” he said. “I just don’t feel anythin’ when I look at you. It was too long ago. But I know I should. It’s like sayin’ you’re a complete stranger. Am I a bad Mon for feelin’ that?”
Curio rubbed her temple, probably just as conflicted as I was at that moment. “Look, Twiggy, it’s more normal than you think. Even when I met Trunks back in that food court, it took some getting used to. But I’m here now, so, why don’t we get to know each other more now I’m back?”
That seemed to get through to him. Twig turned back round and frowned. At that point, I thought I’d join Curio, and rubbed his head.
“I’m sorry for bringing that up so suddenly,” I said. “I should’ve known.”
“Yeah.” Twig sat up, then, hugged us both. “I’m sorry too.” He pulled away, and his face lit up. Finally, he got out of bed and rummaged through a drawer before he pulled out another one of his board games; one of those card games where the player had to pick the worst sounding phrases out of the draw and come up with the funniest responses for all of them. “Ever since I learned to read, the Mon in the city got me to play this, and it’s been my favourite ever since. Humans come up with some weird
**** sometimes.”
“Language,” I scolded.
“What?! Curio swore!”
“Both of you, language.”
Curio laughed at that before brushing it off. “Sorry, I’ll try gettin’ it outta my system. But that sounds like fun, Twiggy. Can’t wait to play it.”
“We’ll do that after dinner then.” I patted both of them on the shoulder. “So maybe we should get started.”
After that, the rest of the day went smoothly. Cavi returned from his shift and was surprised at first to see another member of the family come back, but he warmed up to Sis quickly. While me, Mom and Cavi hunted, from what Curio told me, she kept the younger brothers entertained and showed them all sorts of knickknacks she picked up from her travels. Bits and pieces like skyscraper figures from Jubilife and a snowglobe from Snowpoint. To this day, I still don’t know how the humans came up with that technology, or just how much was in Sis’ bag at that time, but in any case, we came back, cooked dinner, which Sis gobbled up quickly, and played that card game, which got all of us to laugh at least once. I think Sis ended up winning with the best card choices. After that, I noticed Twig looked at her in a new light and aura, able to reconnect with her after so long. I think he just appreciated having someone who matched his youthful energy.
It turned dark, and so, for lack of a better place for her to go, I offered Sis my bed. She was a bit reluctant to do so at first, but I assured her it would be fine, so that was the end of that. As for me, I meditated out in the garden while the rest presumably fell asleep judging from their auras. That presence was still there, though. I would’ve fallen asleep out in the open, but to my surprise, Curio’s opaque aura walked out of the dojo and joined me. My eyes were still closed, but I wanted to let her come up to me herself.
“Boo,” she said.
“You can’t surprise a Lucario, even if they’re your own kind,” I said, opening my eyes. I got a punch in the arm for that.
“Shaddup,” she said, and we laughed it off. Then, Curio tugged at my shoulder. “Hate to bring this up out of the blue, but Dad ain’t here.”
“No, I’m afraid not.”
“He screwed off somewhere else then, didn’t he?”
I immediately turned around to look her in the eyes. They looked calm on the surface, but deep down, I knew they hid a lot of anger as they twitched. I didn’t want her to come back to that, but I might as well have told her the truth.
“Liam, um, I mean, Dad, wasn’t very emotionally stable once you left the island. It wasn’t your fault, I promise.”
I told her the rest of the details, stuff I don’t care to recall, but remember vividly nonetheless. The wailing. The massive surges of guilt that radiated from him. The suicidal threats. The wordless goodbye over night. The more I told her, the more rapid Sis’ breaths were, and when I finished, she ran and punched a crater in a nearby tree with her bandaged paw. I sat as still as stone, trying to process how she was capable of doing such a thing. She shouted and cursed in all sorts of sickening human words, not caring who heard her. My belly started churning through the violent power of her voice alone. The rest of the family didn’t stir from this; the only other thing that answered her was the frightened calls of the flying types who were startled out of their nests.
In that moment, a part of her aura cleared up, showing intense feelings of resentment and betrayal.
“He,” Curio said in between gasps of air, “He said. He would. Be strong. For me.” She pounded the ground beneath her, sending clumps of mud flying everywhere. “
****ing liar.”
That human swear still cut deep, even though it wasn’t directed at me. Still, I felt her anger. I felt the same when I first struggled through his departure. Her fresh reaction picked at that old scab.
Curio took a few more deep breaths before gathering herself. Her aura was no longer clear, but its usual impenetrable self. “So, after he left you up
****’s creek, what happened?”
I sighed, remembering the times we lived on the streets and tried to find any work or training duties that put us out of the stray-filled streets at night. “Long story, but whatever happened was hard. But I pushed through it in the end, for all of us, and got to where I am now.” I held her paw. “Everyone else helped as well, especially Mom. She fought for us as much as I did.”
“So you became the new Dad.” She squeezed my palm. “What a life, right?”
“For better or for worse.” I pulled it away and patted her head. “But I’m over it now, so don’t you worry about it. I landed on my feet here.”
She sighed, looking to the distance. “If ya say so.”
“Truth be told, if it wasn’t for you going to that learning centre, you wouldn’t have inspired me to do better.”
Her eyes widened at the mention of it. I didn’t mean to pry, but I felt it was time to ask.
“If you don’t mind, Curio, can I--”
“N-no.” She shook her head rapidly, tugging on her remaining aura sensors. “Not now, bro. I can’t. L-leave it for another time, please.”
Her voice was shaky, and from there, I knew I had to stop. The timing had to be right, after all, so I dropped it. A moment of silence passed. Curio breathed in and out, calming herself, before she asked me this:
“Bro, you know you were talkin’ about teachin’ other Pokemon the human tongue. Do you really think I should start doin’ that?”
I nodded. “Without question. I think doing that will open up more doors than you might think.”
“Yeah, I kind of get sick of stealin’ after a while. It just doesn’t feel earned. Plus, I guess it would be nice just to chat. I could do that for ages.”
“Then you’ll probably love this.”
“But where do I start, y’know? I can’t just go up to any rando and ask ‘hey, wanna spend hours just trying to say hello in human?’”
“I never said it was easy. You’ll need to prove you’re a good teacher, so you need to keep up good impressions around here. Once you get it though, you might never have to steal anything ever again. How does that sound?”
She paused, deep in thought, before she lied down on the grassy floor and groaned.
“Ugh, fine, you win. You and your dumb responsibilities, hmph.”
“Good. We’ll start looking tomorrow. But for now, let’s just enjoy our own company.” I winked at her. “You’re still a part of our family, after all.”
She smiled and clutched at my waist. “Thanks, bro.”
