Vocational Retraining: Chapter 2
Imported from SF2 with no description provided.
“What the hell have you been doing?! Do you realize how much of a mess you've made?!"
“I-I'm sorry, sir...I don't understand how it came up to this..."
“It all came to this because you haven't been doing a proper job, that's what it is! What do you think you're being paid to do?"
“I-I..."
“Enough! You're down from this project, I'll give it to someone who knows how to read! Next time you make such a mistake, you're fired! Am I clear?!"
“Y-Yes...sir..."
“Look, I'm going to need my rent and I'm going to need it now! I don't know about you, but I have living expenses to cover, you know!"
“T-That's mean...I'm not treating this matter any lighter than you are!"
“Well, it doesn't look like that to me! That's six months now, six months! Plus the current month's rent! I'm not running a charity!"
“Please...Just give me a bit more leeway...I swear I'm going to pay the rent, just-"
“I'll give you one week. If you haven't paid me in full by then, I'll take the room back the way I found it, deposit included, and we'll settle this in court. Understood?"
My eyes opened suddenly, as the last, blaring vision of the dream I had slowly vanished, letting me regain my senses and assert once again my whereabouts and the recent events. Bit by bit, I began recalling the details of my actions today, as I took in the remnants of the slight breeze blowing close, mostly nullified by a comforting body warmth let out by the big Dragon Pokémon that was currently holding me against him, high up in the sky, with a reassuring grip that drastically opposed his big and burly silhouette, almost twice taller than mine.
After finally coming back to a more aware disposition, helped by the relaxing sound of Rikiya's large wings flapping in a regular rhythm, as if they were following the pace of a perfectly tuned clock, I quickly noticed that we were standing upright in a stationary fashion, feeling the strong gravity attempt to pull my body through my lower half but stopped by the strong arms of the Pokémon. It didn't take more than that to quickly ask myself once again how a creature with such a big frame could possibly defy this absolute of a natural force by itself, while still ensuring that I didn't fall prey to it either.
Focusing more of my attention on the Pokémon, I felt through the slight periodic movement of his neck, that he was slowly turning his head forth and back, from his left to his right, turning us around as if to look in every direction...It seemed like he was lost, and my heart skipped a beat at the thought. We were supposed to head to where he lives, and he met me at a spot not removed from his usual route, from what he'd told me.
The way he was acting felt rather strange, and for a moment I flirted with the thought that he might've been deceiving me and that all of this was a cunningly crafted trap...But I decided against this judgment, deeming it the result of my still foggy state of mind. As the Dragonite moved his head to his right, slightly brushing my hair with his chin, I decided to inquire about it, my voice a bit muffled by the front of his neck:
“What's the matter, Rikiya? Is something wrong?"
I could immediately hear him gasp, feeling at the same time the movement of his neck and his head going back to their original position. I sensed his gaze down on me before he replied, in a slightly panicked voice:
“You surprised me, buddy! I thought you were still asleep. Was it because I did a quick stop? Sorry for that, I should've known better than to brake rashly."
I understood why my nightmare ended the way it did, and laughed bitterly in my mind about the turn of events before answering back:
“It's okay. I was having a bad dream anyway, so thank you for inadvertently waking me up."
I hadn't even finished my sentence before I felt Rikiya's smooth paw slowly stroking my back, in what I assumed was an attempt to reassure me. I let out another sigh of contentment in his neck, basking in the warmth and solace provided by the large and strong Dragonite, and squeezed briefly my arms and legs around his neck and chest, to which he immediately reacted by squeezing me back with meticulously controlled strength. However, realizing that he had actually avoided my question, my brain went back into focus and urged me to ask him again:
“But you didn't answer my question, Rikiya. I could feel your chin turn left and right, what are you looking around for? Are we lost?"
The dragon Pokémon kept on stroking my back while speaking:
“No, no, we're not lost. I'm just checking that nobody has followed us here, force of habit."
“Oh...But why here? Have we reached your place?"
“Yep!" He chirped, returning to a brighter mood. “You actually slept the entire trip, buddy. Well, we still have to actually land down there. The island and its surroundings are protected by a mist barrier that hides the island, so landing isn't an issue, but everything before remains important. Luckily enough, nobody seems to have followed us here.“
I was curious as to why, or how, a “mist barrier" would be casted upon an entire island. Although I figured making a Pokémon friend would get me acquainted more often with these kinds of tricks and magics, it still remained something entirely alien to me. As I was pondering about those, Rikiya began to descend carefully towards what I presumed to be the island. Suddenly, I felt all my senses flare up, as something gassy and slightly humid came into contact with my clothes and skin. I figured it was the result of said mist barrier, but it somehow seemed like it wasn't just your normal, average moisty mist, and that there was something else going on. Rikiya piped up as he kept focusing toward his landing:
“Don't panic, buddy. The mist has psychic properties, so it might mess with your brain and senses a little, but it only happens the first time. When we leave, you won't feel anything from it."
I nodded against the Pokémon's neck, muttering an 'Okay' of acknowledgement as he rubbed my back once again, trying to help me endure the side-effects of the mist's contact. At first, it didn't feel like anything remotely special or dangerous. It was just then that I was suddenly surprised at something stretching the seam of my jeans, mere inches below my belt, and pressing lightly against Rikiya's body.
Slowly coming to the realization of what it actually was, I felt my mind starting to panic, and prayed to any and every sort of higher being that Rikiya wouldn't take notice, a mad blush covering my face all the while. I felt ashamed about that outburst of hormones, and at a complete loss regarding the reason for its manifestation, until I wondered if that wasn't caused by my physical proximity with the Dragonite.
However, although my preferences regarding intimate partners did lean toward men, I had never felt any sort of attraction towards any Pokémon I ever laid my eyes on before; the rare times my mind thought of the act immediately ended with me scorning it as an act against nature, like most of my peers. And that judgment also applied to the Pokémon currently holding me against him; at the very least I was convinced of such on the surface.
Yet as if on cue, the nastier part of my inner voice piped up and told me that thinking of so many compliments regarding the Dragonite's strength and kindness, about a creature I had met just hours before, couldn't have been done out of entirely pure, innocent ideas. I was trying to bring out a spicy comeback of my own against that mischievous part of myself, but the more I daddled, the more embarrassed I became, and the harder my loins turned. Right as I was losing all hope of not being considered as a pervert by the only friend I made moments before, the one thing I dreaded most happened, and Rikiya's soft voice reached my ears:
“You good, buddy? Hang in there, we'll soon be out of the mist."
His tone was as usual, devoid of any surprise or potential disgust. Maybe he hadn't noticed after all. But his words lingered in my brain, and a few seconds after, I finally caught on to what he meant by the mist's potential effects. Figuring that this would last until we were out of its range, I decided to wait until then to force my excited member back to its natural state. Soon enough, we were leaving the barrier, and I could at last redirect all my mental efforts towards making my appendage settle down out of sheer will. Before Rikiya had a chance to even mention the throbbing of my loins, I urged myself to question him about that eerie aphrodisiac of a mist:
“Why is there such a barrier all over your home? Did you cast it yourself?"
“No, I didn't. My trainer helped a Pokémon at some point, and as a way of thanking him, she casted this. It prevents anybody who isn't accompanied by a resident of the island from crossing the barrier and discovering it. That way, we didn't need to post any kind of surveillance whenever we were leaving." Rikiya stated matter-of-factly.
“And, do you live here alone? Is there nobody else?" I asked with a hint of curiosity.
“There are some wild Pokémon around, but my Trainer is the only human with a secret base on this island." He replied, and added “Well, it's technically a secret base, but it's more like a modern house built in a cave. I'm sure you'll like it, buddy. In fact, here we are."
With the loud sound of his legs making contact with the ground, I felt the small movement of our bodies required to cushion the big dragon Pokémon's landing, signaling our long-awaited arrival. Once he landed safely, Rikiya put his paws back under my shoulders, and slowly lifted me off him as I released my own limbs from his body, slightly reluctant in the process, putting me down gently on the ground.
As soon as my feet made contact, the numbness of not moving my legs for several hours made me falter, and my body began tumbling forward, on its way to drop to the ground, if it were not for the big dragon's soft belly preventing that embarrassing display. Having put my hands against him for support, I let out a small, ragged breath, finally regaining my composure and looked up at my new friend's face, which was showing a worried, and strangely enough, guilty expression. I didn't have to wait long before he inquired about my well-being, his large paws holding my shoulders in a firm grasp:
“Are you okay, buddy? I guess the flight was rough for you after all..."
“Yeah, I'm okay. I just needed a second right there. Honestly, it was really nice to fly around like that. I hope we can do this again someday."
The Dragonite seemed reassured enough, and replied in his usual cheerful tone:
“Of course! Now, turn around, so you can have a look at the place."
Following the Pokémon's request, I turned my body to come face-to-face with a huge, rough-looking rock formation in the shape of a cave, much like Rikiya described it to me, with a large, thick double leaf iron door embedded at the front, equipped with two door handles of different sizes and heights on its left side. The ground below us was made of soil, hard and sturdy, likely from the number of times Rikiya must've landed on it. To our left, a path extended and made its way into a large, seemingly untouched forest, circling the cave at a distance of a few meters. No doubt it was home to a plethora of wild creatures I couldn't even fathom the existence of.
Turning around, and around, I drank the sight of my bucolic surroundings with awe, the thrive of nature seeming a given to whomever would lay their eyes on this place as I currently was. The rustle of the trees, the pure dark blue sky littered with twinkling stars, the smell of grass and flowers, all expressions of life were slowly making their way to the recesses of my mind and showering my soul with a cascade of calmness and relaxation. As I made a full turn, my eyes stopped back on Rikiya's face, harboring one of his signature smiles. I smiled back at him, and decided a full-hearted praise of his home was of order:
“This is a beautiful place. You're really lucky! Just standing here for one minute has made me completely awake and invigorated! Where did you say this place was, again?"
“My trainer used to call it 'Sevii Island #13', but I just call it 'home'. And you haven't seen anything yet, buddy!"
Following that, Rikiya moved forward and pulled the high door handle down, slowly opening the door leading inside the cave. The handle he used was fixed too high for me to reach with my own hands, but I figured the other handle, at arm level, was the one built for human use. A smaller frame around said handle showed its outline inside the bigger door and moved along with it, from which I deduced it was its own passageway, designed for Rikiya's trainer. This meant I would likely be able to go in and out of the place of my own, unbound by the natural wall formed by the thick-looking, iron door.
The uniqueness of this craft piqued my interest, even more so when noticing the door didn't have any lock or keyhole whatsoever. Not that it would be of any use, not when the whole island was already safeguarded by a magical mist acting against any sort of trespassers. Soon, Rikiya had completely opened the door and beckoned me inside, turning the lights on in the meantime and closing it back after I entered.
My eyes were welcomed by a spacious and tall room, with walls and what I estimated to be a four-meter tall ceiling made of the same sturdy stone that shaped the outside of the cave, and furnished with, surprisingly, more items than I thought I would ever see in such a remote island; a large, taller than usual wooden table, seemingly made of mahogany, sat proudly in the center of the right half of the room, surrounded by six gorgeous backless seats with impressive ornaments depicting what I assumed were Pokémon heads, everything accommodating the table's height and looks to perfection.
Meanwhile, the other half was filled by a big leather couch.and a couple of large beanbags, all circling around a rounder, and overall more modern table, on which a lone black remote had been left. All of it was facing a giant plasma screen embedded into the wall, and below which one could behold a smaller, but longer piece of furniture, housing a gaming system and controllers I wasn't unfamiliar with, all wrapped neatly in their boxes. The walls were decorated with a few paintings, depicting gorgeous and various landscapes, while a sleek phone had been latched and could be picked up separately, rounding up the cozy atmosphere of the living room.
Surprisingly, some items were adapted to both a human's average height and Rikiya's impressive height, probably so that he could feel comfortable using his paws or just moving around. The modern table, for example, stood as tall as my own head, but had lower boards attached to it that could be used by any human person without inconvenience. As I took in all the details of what was the living room, I noticed Rikiya getting closer to me, harboring a proud smile:
“Welcome to my trainer's humble abode, buddy. How do you like it so far?"
“It looks really nice! It does feel like you both live around here! And I didn't know your trainer was a gamer."
“Oh, those aren't his yet." The Dragonite confided bashfully. “I actually got them as a present for him when he comes back, but he's still away, so I'm just putting them on display for now."
“I see. I really hope I can meet your trainer at some point, he seems like a great guy! I've been getting curious about what other species of Pokémon he managed to raise as well as you."
Rikiya beamed after hearing my praise, slightly puffing his chest out, but ultimately preferred to change the topic:
“Wanna see the other rooms? There's a kitchen, a small study, a bathroom and a bedroom with its private shower."
I nodded enthusiastically, and Rikiya took it as his cue to show me around. As we entered the kitchen, I was taken aback by the number of utilities; the whole place was furnished to the brim with several utensils, most of which I failed to recognize, and hosted a large workspace made of true, authentic marble, with a hood and an oven respectively installed above and inside it. A large washing and drying machine stood far away in a corner of the room, stacked on top of each other, rivalizing with the kind of appliances one could behold in a laundromat.
From the larger than usual size of the drawers and the cookware, and the workspace being as tall as myself, I quickly understood, much to my surprise, that those were tailored for Rikiya's exclusive use; which he confirmed after seeing me studying my surroundings, and added with glee that he would whip us something quick and nice for tonight. My mind was racing at the possibilities of what a meal made by a Pokémon would look and taste like, as we left the kitchen and headed for the bathroom.
That room was unlike any bathroom I had ever seen. Of course, the tall ceiling had a part in this, but so did the tall and large marble bathtub, putting any traditional hot tub out there to shame. I immediately understood that it was definitely tailored to Rikiya's above-average size. There were some borders delimiting what looked like an opening in the bathtub's material, otherwise perfectly impervious, as well as a small ladder, most likely also intended for human use.
On my left, two washbasins, as usual with different sizes, were embedded in the walls, sporting a few sealed up and used products for dental care. Said walls were covered in a sturdy, light orange tiling, the color reminiscent of Rikiya's scales. with a small ventilation system discreetly overseeing the whole room from above. And last of all, a closed-off space stood at my right, probably there for relieving oneself, in the nearby corner of the room, again adapted for both human and Pokémon alike. I couldn't help but voice out my amazement and disbelief:
“Wow! This is literally a personal sauna! How on earth did you guys afford that?"
“Well, uh, the whole setup was on sale, and since I spared a bit of money from work, I thought I could use bathing at home. A friend of mine suggested it to me, he said it would be a nice addition instead of just showering," Rikiya sheepishly admitted, pointing at the high up shower head and dryer that somehow escaped my.first examination, located far from each other behind the bathtub.
“Your friend? Is it another trainer?"
“Actually no, it's a Pokémon too! He's the super smart kind. If we get the chance, I'll present you to each other!"
“I'd be really interested to meet him, I have to say you've piqued my curiosity."
“Nice! Talking about curiosity, how about heading for the study? There are lots of books about training and Pokémon there, maybe you could find something interesting to read!"
I couldn't hold my enthusiasm any further, pushed indeed by my curiosity and ignorance about those strange creatures, and nodded at the Dragonite to keep going. After a last look at the oversized bathroom, we turned around and reached what he called the study.
Visually, this new room stood as a complete opposite of the modern, sleek kitchen that was located in the opposite direction. I wouldn't have been surprised if someone told me it was directly modeled after one of those old, dated Pokestar Studios movies. A large desk, also made with mahogany, sat in the back of the room, its legs curved upwards and featuring even more Pokémon heads in addition to the living room's table. The whole furniture stood under a large landscape painting; a flock of bird-like Pokémon flying towards a breath-taking sunset, the whole piece brimming with energy and life.
A bookshelf, full of old publications with leather bookbindings, stood to the right, matching the desk in design with ornate handles and flourishes on its top. There was another small desk at the left, all black and overall blander, but this one hosted a personal computer; not the latest model, yet not obsolete either, and it had the usual handy devices connected to it. It basically was an office setup, one that could've been perfectly at home where I work.
The sight of the computer suddenly reminding me about my workplace, all the issues that had transpired in the last few months began to resurface, things that I surprisingly had managed to push back to the recesses of my mind ever since accepting Rikiya's proposal. My body shivered in response, something the Dragonite didn't fail to notice:
“Is something wrong, little buddy?"
I looked back at him. His concerned expression felt endearing and, to be honest, a little bit painful to watch. I replied instantly to try and ease his worries:
“Yeah, sorry. Seeing that computer just reminded me a bit of my work-related problems. I'm okay."
The big creature didn't seem to doubt my explanation, and moved on, trying to show consideration about my feelings:
“Alright, then...There's just the bedroom left, wanna take a look?"
“Sure..."
Leaving the study and heading to the bedroom, I was surprised to see that the last room of the dwelling was the most bland-looking compared to others. No posters, no wallpapers, no decorations...nothing. Although I had seen a few small paintings in the living room, no personal item was giving this part of the house any individuality, except the closet, at the right of the door, wide and covered in intricate decorations and ornaments, and the bed, human-sized, cozily put against the wall opposite to the door, its frame made with the now familiar mahogany that I noticed here and there around the house. Aside from that, an almost virgin, eerie feeling haunted the bedroom, making me chill in the process.
Being so entranced by the location, I jumped when Rikiya's voice unexpectedly reached my ears:
“What do you think, buddy? As you can see, there's a human-sized bed, so you can sleep there! And there is a shower just next door, no need to go to the other bathroom."
I couldn't voice those insecurities out loud, figuring this would sound ungrateful and picky, especially when he just made arrangements for me to sleep here. So I decided to not pay it any mind for now and simply take him up on his offer:
“Wow, thanks, the bed looks really nice! But there's only one. Where are you sleeping?"
“No problem, I'll just sleep sitting against the wall, at the foot of the bed. Don't worry, it's comfy enough!" He replied with his usual energy.
“If you say so...aside from that, it turns out I actually wanted to take a shower, but now that I think about it, I don't have a change of clothes with me..."
He chimed in again, his tone slightly lighter than before:
“Oh, don't worry about that! You can borrow one of my trainer's pajamas for tonight, I'm sure he won't mind it! You have similar builds anyway."
I gave him a doubtful look at that. If his long-time missing trainer was as finicky with personal space as I was, he probably wouldn't like someone to mess up with his clothes. To begin with, he would probably have reservations about inviting someone he doesn't even know to his secret base of all places. I seeked further confirmation from the Pokémon before committing to this:
“Are you sure? I wouldn't want to impose anymore than I already do..."
“Yeah, go ahead! I'll just put it in the laundry when you leave." The Dragonite confirmed. “There should be everything in the shower. Meanwhile, I'll cook us something quick for dinner, alright?"
I agreed with his suggestion, albeit slightly hesitantly. Borrowing a sleeping outfit from the closet, without really paying any mind to its aesthetics, I made my way into the shower room, disrobed myself and fumbled with the dials before relaxing under the warm, gentle jets of water that assaulted my body without reprieve, covered by a shampoo headgear and a layer of soap. Once I got settled in my own little mental realm, I took a moment to replay today's events in my head. And like a much colder shower than the one I was having right now, reality dawned on me again.
I had skipped work. Tomorrow, and most likely the day after, I would not show up at that dreaded desk, fumble around my keyboard trying to understand what am I even doing with those ten fingers of mine, or be demeaned by my boss or belittled by some disrespectful colleagues. I wouldn't sleep in that ragged bed either, in that cramped joke of an apartment, counting my dimes for each meal, waiting for the now seemingly inevitable expulsion that closed in nearer than ever.
And somehow, I had to thank not even a fellow human for that, but a Pokémon. It goes without saying, but to someone as ignorant of those creatures as I was, befriending a Pokémon such as Rikiya was not something I thought I would end up experiencing until today. I didn't know anything about his species, his habits, his habitat, and most of all did not expect him to be able to talk, which, in hindsight, really helped. The Pokémon seemed to be the kindest and friendliest living being in existence, offering me to stay at his trainer's place without barely knowing me, and somehow sensitive enough to be able to pinpoint what was really going through my heart.
Yet, I couldn't shake off this uncanny feeling that something was wrong. It mostly made itself known when I ended up thinking about Rikiya's trainer, especially since I was basically invited to his home without his explicit approval. What would happen if that person suddenly came back only to find another human stranger in his secret base? How would he react? Did he give permission to Rikiya to do as he pleased? The possible scenarios butted at each other in my shaky mind, and it took everything for me to not sink in a world of grim eventualities.
A sudden knock on the bathroom door pulled me out of my interrogations, and Rikiya's friendly voice echoed through the wall:
“Hey, buddy, are you done? Dinner's ready in the living room!"
“Y-Yes!" I scrambled, turning off the shower's dials. “I'm done now. Just let me dry off and dress up, I'll join you in a few minutes."
After finishing up with the lukewarm, relaxing shower, drying off with a nearby towel, and dressing up with the borrowed clothes, thankfully neither too tight nor too ample, I made my way out of the bedroom and joined Rikiya in the living room.
Once again today, I was surprised at the sight. Two plates, one small and the other large, lay filled with various berries of all kinds and sizes, diced and grilled with care, covered by an appetizing yellow-colored sauce. Despite their appearance, most of them remained interestingly familiar, allowing me to recognize some Razz, Lum, or Persim berries among a few others. I looked back at Rikiya, who seemed to be paying attention to my reaction. Apparently satisfied of what he had seen, he suddenly exclaimed:
“Welcome to Rikiya's Restaurant! Today, we have the pleasure of presenting you, the chef's special 'Berry Assortment'! Made with the best ingredients available; a few berries of choice, whose various flavors perfectly complement each other, diced and slightly roasted on a light flame. Everything has been dressed in a fragrant Nomel Berry sauce, to stimulate your palate during your degustation! I wish you a nice and fulfilling meal, dear customer."
My initial surprise morphed into slight amusement, as I let out a chuckle at what I now understood was one of Rikiya's favorite hobbies:
“So after a steward, you're imitating a chef now?"
The Dragonite recoiled back at my playful comment, incomprehension and slight hurt adorning his eyes:
“W-Wh-But...I thought you liked it? Or that at the very least, you didn't mind?"
I immediately corrected his thoughts, unwilling to let him think that I was mocking him:
“Oh no no, I don't mind at all! Sorry, I didn't mean to make fun of you. I was just surprised." I quickly went by the table and gestured at the two plates of food, putting emphasis on their quality. “Honestly, you're playing the part to the end! I've never seen such gorgeous cooking, that is definitely worthy of a restaurant! I really can't wait to have a bite."
“T-Thanks, buddy..."
Rikiya scratched his cheek, apparently still harboring doubts about his performance, so I took the chance to alleviate his worries and spoke to him with a heartfelt tone:
“Look, Rikiya, I should be the one to thank you. You've been an awesome host so far, and you're even offering to help with my problems...Most people wouldn't do half of what you're doing for me right now. So once again, thank you. I feel like I'm going to say this a lot onward, even if it might be early, but you're the best friend I've ever had."
Rikiya slowly reverted back to a relaxed composure, and let an assured smile decorate his maw:
“Y-You're welcome, buddy. I just feel like that's the minimum to do. How about we dig in, then? You must be hungry."
“Sure! Just let me take a seat first."
I lowered myself on one of the valuable mahogany chairs, taking in the soft contact of the cushion's silk and wincing a bit at the faint creaking sounds made by the pressure applied on its legs, while Rikiya took his own dish in his hands and sat on the ground in front of me, in the same fashion our first talk happened a few hours ago. After wishing each other a nice meal, we started eating. With the fancy fork lying at the right of my plate, ready for use, I stabbed a piece of the dish and led it to my mouth. The sweet taste of the plate immediately assaulted my tongue, the slightly acidic sauce neutralized by the sweet and rich flavor of the berry that was tossed around in between my teeth, mashed and swiftly digested without any encouragement required:
“Oh my lord, this is delicious! You're amazing at cooking, Rikiya, I've never tasted something this good before!"
The Dragonite accepted my praise without any issues:
“Thanks! I'm glad you like it! There's more if you want seconds, I put it in the freezer."
“I think there's enough here, but if I'm still hungry I'll help myself, for sure!"
As we were starting to get in a rhythm, Rikiya initiated a laidback conversation, taking advantage that we were slowly resting from the trip and getting settled for the night:
“Actually, buddy, I failed to mention something to you earlier. Do you remember the friend I mentioned when I showed you the bathroom?"
“I do, why do you ask?"
“While you were showering, I gave him a call with the phone," he continued while looking at the item in question. “I didn't tell him everything, but I did tell him that you were having issues with money and asked if he could come here tomorrow during the evening to maybe help us find a solution."
“You did? And what did he say?"
“He agreed. Since he's smart, I figured he might come up with something good."
“That's a good idea! But, uh...Will I be able to communicate with him? Actually, could you just simply tell me more about him?"
Rikiya slyly smiled at the question, ultimately deciding to give me an evasive answer:
“I think it's better if I don't answer you, buddy. Since you told me that you didn't know much about Pokémon, I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise. But yes, you will be able to talk with him, I can assure you that."
I couldn't help but get slightly disappointed at having to wait to know about the individual who could be the deciding factor about my situation, but decided it wasn't that important to make a fuss about, so I complied on that front. However, I immediately thought to instead redirect my inquiries toward the big Dragonite in front of me, deeply focused on his own meal:
“Alright...If I can't learn about him, then could you tell me a bit about you? I just realized that I don't know much about you, save that you're a male Dragonite, that you're extremely nice and extremely good at cooking." I pointed at my half-empty plate with my fork for further emphasis.
Rikiya stammered at my praise, letting another quick blush color his face, one that I was sure I noticed this time, but gathered his thoughts and resumed the conversation:
“W-Well, uh...There's n-nothing really interesting about myself, you know...I don't really have any memories from before I was captured, so I couldn't tell you about my life as a wild Pokémon even if I meant to. And after finding this base and living here with my trainer, I just fell quickly into a routine. He taught me how to speak, I found an interest in cooking, he'd train me regularly, I would transport him whenever he needed to go somewhere, and once in a while, I'd do some jobs here and there to make some money, which I still do now that he's away. All in all, it's nothing to write home about, any other Pokémon living with a trainer would tell you the same."
I latched onto the training part, because that point intrigued me ever since our encounter:
“So, you've been training? As in, getting stronger?"
“That's right!" He confirmed enthusiastically.
“And...Not to pry too much, but how strong are you, Rikiya, if that's okay? From my ignorant point of view, you do seem fairly strong."
“I guess I'm stronger than average," the Dragonite meekly admitted. “I don't want to sound like I'm gloating, though."
I gently reassured him, and kept the conversation going:
“Don't worry, you don't. Although you do look the part, heh. What kind of jobs have you been doing, then?"
“Some manual labor once in a while. I'd transport heavy furniture for moving, alone or with other Pokémon. Most of the time, I also work as an interpreter, since I can understand and write human language, in order to help some trainers who may have issues with their Pokémon, or the opposite. People always ask, so I never get bored!"
“Oooh, so you do speak in front of other people! I thought you weren't keen on doing that too much."
“Well, to be entirely honest, I carry out those by writing instead, so I don't actually speak out. It's better to leave a trace of what a Pokémon wants their trainer to know in writing, especially with how forgetful some of them can be. And I can practice my paw-writing that way!"
His tone had perked up a bit at the end, as if his intention was to make a funny joke. I didn't comment on it, and let the lull stay for a moment as I finished the last bites of my meal about the same time as the big Pokémon, who, in retrospect, ate in a rather slow and civilized fashion despite only using his maw. I slowly patted my belly, full to the point my stomach didn't require another serving, although I wouldn't have refused it were it to present itself. Putting a stop to the lingering silence, I bounced back:
“Wow, I hadn't thought that far about it...Still, you're really polyvalent! I'm even more impressed, Rikiya!"
He licked the slight traces of berries that remained around his jaw, and stood up, a bright expression on his face:
“Thanks, little buddy! But you're not someone to make light of either. Given that you just skip-"
He stopped in the middle of his sentence, suddenly putting his paws in front of his mouth, as if to prevent himself from continuing what he intended to say, probably because he assumed I'd get upset at hearing it. Even so, I already understood the intent of his sentence, and it didn't bewilder me as much as I may have been in the study. I looked at the apologetic Dragonite with the kindest, albeit slightly defeated smile I could muster:
“Given that I just skipped work...That's what you meant to say, right?"
Rikiya looked as if he would shrink on the spot, his panicked eyes contrasting sharply with his otherwise harmless face, and immediately replied:
“Y-Yeah...I'm sorry, buddy, I didn't mean to remind you of your problems again."
I stood up in turn, and gave him a thumbs-up, confirming that I wasn't hurt nor disturbed by his comment:
“It's alright, Rikiya. I know I reacted strongly earlier on, but now that I'm aware that there's at least a plan in motion, I don't feel as down as before. I'm good."
He let out a sigh of relief, and reverted back to a casual smile shortly after:
“Alright. I'm glad you're feeling a bit better about this."
He gave a quick glance at my empty plate, and inquired:
“How did you find dinner, buddy? Do you want seconds?"
I waved my hands at him to refuse, and added:
“No, thank you, I'm full. But it was really delicious! If it's possible to eat it for breakfast, I'm looking forward to tomorrow morning!"
“Of course that's possible!" Rikiya beamed, relieved by my compliment. “I'll clean the table and wash the dishes, then. Is there something else you want to do tonight?"
I prepared myself to answer, but it was at that moment that my own body decided to take over and force me to let out an audible yawn, covering my open mouth with my hand. I took a swift look at my worn out watch, and recoiled at the time, displaying a tardy 23:00. I slowly stretched my body, feeling the slight pops in my joints and taking in the accumulated exhaustion from today, before turning back to Rikiya, who had moved around the table and picked up my plate in the meantime. I wasted no further time to inform him of my intentions:
“No, I'm completely tired. I think I'll just go to sleep, but after helping you clean up."
“Don't worry about that, buddy, I got it covered. Just settle in the bed and go to sleep, I'll join you soon after, okay?"
“Are you sure? I don't want to impose even more. I should help you a bit, if just to thank you for your hospitality."
Rikiya didn't budge, and offered me a reassuring smile to emphasize that he was fine with it:
“It's okay, you don't have to do that. Plus, you saw the kitchen, right? The sink is too tall, you wouldn't be able to reach it."
I wanted to protest again, my mind assaulting me with further guilt and regrets for not even being able to help him clean my own dish. But I ultimately relented, not wanting my friend to himself feel bad for me any more than he already did today. I gave him a tired smile and nodded:
“Got it. I'll go brush my teeth and head to the bedroom, then."
“Awesome. I won't take long, so wait for me!"
I nodded at him in confirmation and immediately acted upon my words, heading for the bathroom as Rikiya directed himself towards the kitchen, plates in hand. Having quickly finished my business, I left for the bedroom, stopping in the center to assert my surroundings once again. As I had concluded before my shower, nothing really stood out as a definite personal touch in this room, except the closet filled with the clothes belonging to the owner of the place. That virgin impression made itself even more blatant. But no matter how I tried to find an explanation for this, I couldn't manage to make sense of this lack of consistency with the other rooms' layouts. I ultimately inferred that perhaps, Rikiya's trainer wasn't the type to really spend much time in his bedroom, and that he rather fancied the study next door, which seemed to be brimming with personality and knowledge.
Satisfied with that conclusion, I stifled another yawn, climbed on the bed and nestled myself under the blankets. The mattress felt noticeably more comfortable than my own, quickly adapting to my form and fitting around my body, while the covers above me proved to be light and smooth, meekly bouncing around with the hazardous movements of my legs trying to find a comfortable position. Lastly, the pillow, although not dressed in a pillowcase, felt soft enough to persuade me to sink my head into it without any hesitation.
As I finally settled in a satisfying position and began closing my eyes, they remained half-open when I heard Rikiya's footsteps closing towards the bedroom; seconds later, I saw his massive frame passing through the entrance, which felt even more daunting when looking at it laid down on the bed. We both exchanged an amused smile, my large friend throwing in a playful comment in the mix:
“I see you've made yourself at home!"
I replayed in the same tone as he flicked off the lights and moved towards a spot at the foot of the bed:
“It's hard not to, this bed is very welcoming. I'll do my best to be a remarkable tenant during my stay. I see you've also been quick with the cleaning!"
“I told you so, buddy." He answered while taking a seat directly on the floor, at the foot of the bed, then let out a big, yet somehow cute yawn, his round maw opening and closing slowly. Turning towards me, he gave a last smile and carried on: “I'm getting tired, too. Until tomorrow, then. Good night, little buddy!"
I wished him good night in turn, as I caught him turning back his head in front of him, and slowly closing his eyes. After another yawn, I quickly closed mine and began drifting away, trying to get a good dream running in my tired mind.
“Hey, you? What's your favorite?"
“My 'favorite'? 'Favorite' what?"
“Duh, your favorite Pokémon, of course! You have to have one! Mine's Charizard, he's so cool and strong! I hope I get to train one someday! What's yours?!"
“Oh, sorry, I don't have one. I don't really care about Pokémon."
“You don't? Not even the pet Sunkern we have in class?! Why?!"
“I just don't, it's a waste of time. I'd rather learn useful stuff to get into a good college later."
“College?! Dude, we're in grade school! You shouldn't be thinking about that now!"
“I don't want to waste time. And please don't call me 'dude', I don't like it."
“Seriously? Wow, you suck, no wonder you don't have friends. Hey, guys! This dude says he doesn't care about Pokémon!"
“No way?!"
“He wants to 'study for college' instead, can you believe that?"
“Oh my god, what a loser!"
“Most boring guy award-worthy!"
“I told you not to call me 'dude'. We're not friends."
“I know we're not friends, since you don't have any, 'dude'!"
“...Whatever. I'm going to the library."
“Yeah right, run away, loser!"
“Maybe he shouldn't learn about Pokémon after all! He's such a coward, he's never gonna win a battle anyway!"
“Heh, nailed it on that one!"
“What's the problem now?"
“I... I don't know! I've never seen this happening before! I don't know what to do!"
“I'm paying you a generous wage to find solutions and prevent events like this and you're telling me you don't know?! I should fire you on the spot for spouting that kind of nonsense!!"
“Please, no! I'm going to solve this, I swear!"
“I can't believe this guy, he's completely clueless."
“We're busting our asses trying to not make this company sink and he's pulling all of us down. Who even hired him?!"
“He's got a reputable degree, but he doesn't know shit. Whenever he asks for help, he ends up coming with the stupidest questions. No wonder nobody wants to handle a project with him."
“I'm gonna have to bring this matter to my superior. Don't be surprised if you get called in. I want to believe in you, but you're not making my task any easier."
“I'm sorry...I'll do everything I can to be more useful."
“I'm starting to doubt that."
I let out a sudden gasp, my eyes painfully jolting awake and darting around, as I came back to my senses and asserted my environment. After breathing erratically for a few seconds, my own sweat drenching all around my body, the truth quickly dawned on me: I had another nightmare. Out of curiosity, I looked down at my watch, and managed to faintly make out the shape of the Poketch's digits indicating an early 1:00 AM after my eyes adjusted to the ambient darkness.
Redirecting my efforts into trying to get back to sleep, I turned around in the bed, moving around to fit the covers around me, but all of it proved fruitless, my mind staying fully awake, simmered with anxiety and tension from that nasty dream. As I kept aiming to calm down, I noticed a quiet noise at the end of the bed, which I quickly deduced to be Rikiya's light snore. Extremely faint, like any other human's, it spread around the whole bedroom with the quiet sound it produced, all but bothersome. Focusing on it gave me the reassurance I needed to slowly ease my mind step by step.
Raising my head slightly to take a look at his silhouette, my eyes now had fully adjusted, and took note of his peaceful expression. He was as still as a statue, completely unmoving, save for the slight movement of his body synchronized with his quiet breathing. However, my observation quickly got disturbed by the aches of my own bladder, asking for relief. I quietly tip-toed out of the bed and towards the door, careful to not try to inadvertently wake up Rikiya, and headed for the bathroom, immediately entering the large stall that served as a private restroom.
Being no exception to the rest of the house, in there stood commodities adapted to both Rikiya and his trainer, with two differently sized basins embedded in the ground, spotless through and through. But the most surprising element was that, instead of the unwelcoming smell I'd come to expect in those kinds of places, a gentle fragrance, berry-like, permeated the closet...A scent identical to what I had detected on Rikiya's body during our flight together, generated by a diffuser on the wall.
I couldn't help but smile respectfully at the extreme level of care put into making this isolated place a livable and pleasant home, my admiration towards Rikiya and his trainer getting ever stronger, and internally thanked both of them for allowing me to spend a night here, free from my own worries and duties. Without wasting any further time, I quickly finished my business and washed my hands, secretly hoping that the flush's noise, louder than I expected it to be, wouldn't wake Rikiya from his deep slumber.
I quietly slipped out of the bathroom, back to the bedroom, but after barely making two steps, my heart immediately sank upon hearing a buzzed voice from the opposite of the room:
“Mmmmh...You're awake? Is something wrong, buddy?"
I froze on the spot. I had woken him up, despite doing my best to prevent this outcome. I slowly looked at the massive Dragonite's face, still in the position I last saw him, and I almost could picture the inquisitive look he was directing at me. I replied to him, a speck of guilt coating my voice:
“Sorry for waking you up, Rikiya. I...I had another bad dream about my issues, and I needed to go to the restroom afterwards."
“Another one? Aww, my poor little buddy..."
Worry was transparent in his tone, yet the kind Pokémon didn't add anything for another moment. Then, without warning, he gently opened his arms, and verbally offered the most unexpected invitation I could imagine:
“Wanna sleep together?"
I didn't respond immediately, failing to process his words at first, and almost stared emptily at his round, sleepy face. His voice aimed to be reassuring, yet for a moment I contemplated simply refusing his offer, not wanting to keep inconveniencing him, again and again, while he probably needed the sleep more than me:
“A-Are you sure? I-I wouldn't want to bother you any more, and-"
“Shhh...It's okay. Come here...Come to your buddy Rikiya."
I stood speechless at the sight of this strange creature not faltering in the slightest, keeping his arms open, as if they patiently waited to welcome me in their hold, and felt my hesitations disappear at the amount of tenderness he offered me in this very instant. Technically, I had already slept in his arms once without any issue arising from it...And yet, because of some principles that I couldn't even clearly define at that moment, I was, as per usual, trying to find an excuse to not commit to this. I felt pathetic, and the thought of hitting myself for my own cowardice unabashedly crossed my mind.
Then and there, I decided to stop gnawing about it any further, and threw away the last pointless reservations I had until now. Slowly advancing towards the big Dragonite, I stood just in front of him and extended my arms upwards, much like earlier when he took me on my memorable first flight. Perhaps my expression seemed more desperate and needy than intended, because just after I stopped in front of him, Rikiya displayed a warm smile, as if to comfort me in my decision.
And following the same process, he bent over, picking me up delicately under my arms and quickly, yet softly, arranged me in the same fashion - my legs wrapped completely around half of his upper body and supported by one of his bulky paws, my head tucked under his protective chin, and finally, my arms circling around his wide neck. I squeezed tightly my limbs around his frame, unconsciously afraid that this was still part of some dream, and let out a long, relaxed sigh in Rikiya's neck, basking in the warmth of his soft body, built up tension leaving mine, while he straightened himself back to his original position, himself letting out another yawn and reassuringly rubbing my back:
“There, there...How do you feel, buddy...? Think you'll be able to sleep...?"
I tiredly managed to put out a muffled answer, the sweet call of sleep starting to reach me once again:
“Yeah, I already feel less nervous...Thank you, Rikiya. Thank you so much."
The big and cuddly Dragonite kept circling my back with his paw, calmly trying to soothe me into the land of dreams:
“You're welcome...Don't worry, my trainer once told me that I always stay still in my sleep. You can rest at ease, you're not going to fall off."
Focusing on his steady breathing and trying to lull myself to sleep, I rested my head further against the bulk of his soft scaly neck, before acknowledging his words:
“Alright, I'll just do that...Have a good night, Rikiya."
“Hm...good night, little buddy...I won't let those pesky nightmares scare you again tonight."
Smiling to myself, I slowly drifted away in his arms. I didn't hear anything else for a few moments, but as I began completely succumbing to drowsiness, my respiration steadying in turn in a regular rhythm, I took notice of something wet and soft swiftly dragging downward along the top of my head, his strong arms stealthily tightening their grip. The last whisper I heard before my complete departure served as the final touch to the spell that made me fall asleep in my best friend's gentle hold:
“I won't abandon you...We'll find a solution, buddy. I promise."