The Twice-Abandoned Sunkern
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, it's merchandise, yadda yadda. It's copyright of its creator, and Nintendo, etc.
Chapter Content: Massages, and more thunderwave induced drunken-ness. Also, a little bit of awkward staring.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bright Future, Hazy Past
Chapter Four: The Twice-Abandoned Sunkern
After pushing through bustling crowds of various oblivious Pokémon, we finally managed to escape the city, heading past its limits and to the more rural end of the region. We walked along a tranquil dirt path, undisturbed by any of the undetectable wildlife they happened to reside here.
Eventually, Trevor stopped unexpectedly, causing me to walk right into him. I backed up a little ways, breaking our hand contact.
"S-sorry..." I chirped shyly, rubbing the back of my neck. He simply turned and smiled at me, unaware of what happened. He pointed at a large, pelican-shaped building. It seemed rather old, judging by how weathered away its walls were. Rescue teams must have been around a long time in this world.
"That building over there," he started, as a Pelipper flew out from the mouth of the building that served as a roof, "is the Pelipper Post Office." Another Pelipper flew into the structure, narrowly missing the branches that covered the roof, and that were the sources of the ivy vines snaking their way down the backside.
The Pikachu led me over to a wooden sign crowded with what looked to be advertisements seeking service, help, and other such commands. This must be where all the Pokémon post jobs for Rescue Teams like us...
"This is where info is gathered from Pokémon needing rescue around the region. If someone's in trouble, a paper will be slapped up here that says so. Have a look," he states, scooting aside to let me scan the board.
As I do so, he continues explaining its use to me. It's a bit overboard, I think, to go into so much depth over just a bulletin board, but since I'm still new, he must feel he has to explain everything about it, down to the last tack.
Of course, I had no problem with this. I love the sound of his voice. So very calm, with a hint more masculinity in it than my own. It's not too deep, but it's not high, either. It's just that melodious happy medium.
While he finishes his explanation, I snap out of my daze.
"So, see anything you think we can handle?" he asks confidently. I look to him, then to the board. Feeling haughty, I respond with something I thought would be witty.
"We can handle anything when we're together!" However, instead of coming across as arrogant, it toppled out cornier than anything. Trevor just laughed it off, and tapped the board twiceâ�"an implication that he wants me to find something.
And I do.
"This looks promising. A Sunkern has been left behind, and his friend needs someone to come and get him," I relay, and Trevor nods.
"Well, okay. That sounds good. Where is the poor guy?"
Looking back at the letter, I gather they are both in the Thunderwave Cave, where I had first had a serious mission with my partner. Gazing up to him from my knelt position, I recall the event vividly...recollecting how good his firm, fuzzy body pressed up against my own made me feel...
"Darius," he called, once more jolting me from my reveries. "You sure space out a lot," he says, smiling. "Come on, let's go."
And go we did.
***
As we left, Trevor briefed me on the process of getting our name better known.
"As you saw at the Post Office, there are a LOT of requests. Taking on tasks posted there is sure to get our name out, and more job offers will come into our Mailbox. Which is excellent if we don't want to walk all the way out to the Post Office," he added, winking.
The trek there was shorter this time, now that we knew the way. But as always, it was tiring, so we decided to rest in the clearing we discovered beforehand. We perched ourselves among the sunny rock.
Trevor yawned, laying down to bask in the sun. I looked at him from my sitting position next to him, eyeing the subtle movements he made. His ears twitched every now and then, showing that even while he was relaxing, he was alert.
I opened my mouth to speak, but he beat me to the punch, groaning a little bit. "My feet are so sore," he complained, much like he did the first time we rested here.
"If we're going to be traveling as much as we are, we'll just have to get used to it," I said, stating the obvious. He chuckled.
"Yeah, I guess so..."
All was quiet, save for the gentle breezes that fleetingly provided coolness on this hot afternoon. It's been a long time since I've experienced such an awkward silence. I decided to act on it.
I scooted over, kneeling behind Trevor grabbing one of his feet so suddenly, he quietly squeaked.
"Oh!" he cried, startled. "You gave me a start," he said, without turning over. "What are you..."
"Shhh," I cooed. "Just relax." I found myself acting bolder than I used to. But I liked the change. I gripped his foot, rubbing it firmly around the slight arch it held. I started slowly at first, gauging the mouse's reaction. He sighed pleasantly; I was doing well.
As I continued to massage Trevor's feet, the world around me became a happy blur. I was completely oblivious to the existence of anything but the Pokémon whose feet I was handling so delicately. I caught the various sounds Trevor emitted while my attentions continued: soft sighs, quiet coos, and even a low growl that sounded uncannily similar to a purr.
After what seemed like hours, I finally decided my job was done. I drew back, still on my knees, smiling softly.
He craned his head around to look at me, a blissful haze in his eyes and a faint blush across his face. He had enjoyed himself quite thoroughly, judging from that look. I blushed slightly. Such a gaze made my heart leap.
"That was wonderful," he said, his gaze unwavering. "I almost didn't want you to stop."
"But I have to," I teased. More boldness. "If I hadn't we wouldn't finish this job." He simply nodded, overcome with determination. His eyes sparkled anew with the sense of adventure.
"Quite right!" he declared, rolling off the rock and pumping a fist. "Let's be on our way, then, we can't keep the poor thing waiting!"
He waiting for me to climb off the rock before swiftly taking my hand in his, and spiriting me away.
***
Once again, we found ourselves in front of the open mouth of the cave, into which we couldn't see very far. It still intimidated me to go inside, though our last venture into the place was rather uneventful.
"Prepare yourself," I warned my partner. "You remember what happened last time."
I was of course referring to his previous intoxication. He nodded.
"I'm not worried. I have you with me." The words struck a chord, and my heart leapt into my throat. Or at least, that's what it seemed like. Taking his hand in mine, I led him inside.
As soon as we entered, I tripped over a group of rocks.
"Those are Gravelerocks," the Pikachu explained, picking them up. "They'll definitely come in handy." He tossed them up into the air before catching them, stuffing them into the Toolbox.
I got up and dusted myself. I was no sooner done with that when a Rattata tackled me to the ground, and I got up again.
"Pesky pests," I growled, splaying my claws. They sparkled. I raised a claw, readying it to attack the thing, but Trevor was quicker to the draw, deftly tossing one of the rocks I'd tripped over earlier. It hit squarely, knocking the rat off kilter, but not enough so that it was deterred.
It came at us again, only this time, I was ready.
"Scratch!" I called, swiping at the beast. I landed a good hit, judging from the cry the Rattata gave upon contact. It gave another cry, somewhat of a death rattle, before collapsing. I looked to Trevor, who nodded approvingly, and we continued.
Deeper into the dungeon, we encountered a female Nidoran. She was sleeping, though, so we opted not to bother her. It seemed like another uneventful mission.
I yawned as we continued on. Trevor picked up on this and called to me, worried.
"Are you tired?" he asked, his voice slurred. The vibes of the cave were starting to get to him.
Instantly perking, as I didn't want to seem uninterested in the mission, I shook my head.
"No," I said. "I'm just kind of wondering why there isn't anyone around. I mean, we've been traveling for a long while and have only come across two Pokémon, none of which were Sunkern."
As I spoke, I turned around to find Trevor bending over, his rump facing me. I found myself intrigued, and so I moved closer to him. He was haphazardly searching for some item unseen by my eyes, and in doing so, he raised his tail absent-mindedly.
I felt my cheeks warm up hotter than ever as they were painted with a deep, rather apparent blush. I couldn't bring myself to look away, so I kept my gaze upward, toward the tip of his raised tail.
However, I found myself unable to resist casting my gaze down, following the tail until my eyes laid upon its base, and lowering my gaze even more to his round, plumpâ�"
"Ah, here it is!" He cried suddenly. He stood up quicker than I would have liked, holding a blue object. It was an Oran Berry. "I knew I smelled one," he sputtered, his voice still garbled. He turned around, eyeing my blush suspiciously.
"What's wrong?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's-It's nothing," I murmur, turning around and hiding my cheeks. "Let's keep going."
"Hm..." was all I heard from him. He was probably tired of hearing 'It's nothing' by now, but it was the only answer I could ever have courage enough to muster. Heeding my advice, he followed me onward.
***
Deeper into the cave we went. It certainly was taking use a while to find this little fellow. By now, Trevor had become so inebriated off the vibes of the cave that he was holding onto me again for support, not that I minded. As before, he had tried to move my tail out of the way, but this time, I had willingly moved it.
With his arms around my waist, I guided him through the cavern, using my tail as light. Nothing could be heard but the soft dripping of little droplets of water that fell from the ceiling, and my and Trevor's breathing.
For a while, there was nothing. Just the flame-lit radius of cavern we could see, and then the pitch-blackness ahead of us. Then I noticed a light. I headed towards it. Nothing blocked our way, and we had made it out safely.
We ended up back at the entrance to the cave.
"We're outside?" Trevor asked, recovering more quickly from his state than last time. "How can that be? We didn't find the Sunkern yet..."
"We must have...missed him," I said, sadness lacing my voice. Is that possible? Is it possible for someone to overlook a Pokémon like that? We had been so busy looking for him that we hadn't actually been keeping a lookout for him. He's still in there. He's still in trouble. "We have to go back."
When I got no response, I turned around. Trevor had passed out. Laying on his back, a paw over his belly, snoring softly, Trevor was sleeping.
The rescue, unfortunately, would have to be postponed. We can't rescue anyone in this condition.
I hefted Trevor onto my back piggyback-style, and started the trek back to our base. It was a shorter trip, as it was last time.
By the time I got there, I was exhausted. So much so that I practically tossed Trevor onto the alfalfa hay, waking him up.
"Hey," he started groggily, smiling a bit. "Careful with the merchandise."
I laughed hollowly. I was still thinking about the poor Sunkern. How afraid he must be, having woken up in the cave all alone...We had abandoned him just like those who had before us. Trevor could see the worry on my face, and patted the space next to him.
I sat next to him, my face in my hands. He patted my back, rubbing it.
"It's okay. We'll go back after we get some rest. We'll get him out. No worries." I looked woefully at him. His caring expression remained unchanged. I smiled gently.
"Okay," I agreed. It was a promise.
We laid next to each other, and I shivered uncomfortably, still worry-stricken. Sleep would not come easily, I had thought. Suddenly, I was driven from my thoughts by Trevor.
He wrapped his arms around me, bringing me close to him, hugging me from behind. I was so close to him, I could smell him.
"Everything is going to be okay," the Pikachu reassured. He could tell I was still distraught. He was comforting me. I gripped his arms with my hands, holding them close to me. He tightened his embrace, caringly, lovingly.
I closed my eyes.
Everything was going to be okay.
Chapter Content: Massages, and more thunderwave induced drunken-ness. Also, a little bit of awkward staring.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bright Future, Hazy Past
Chapter Four: The Twice-Abandoned Sunkern
After pushing through bustling crowds of various oblivious Pokémon, we finally managed to escape the city, heading past its limits and to the more rural end of the region. We walked along a tranquil dirt path, undisturbed by any of the undetectable wildlife they happened to reside here.
Eventually, Trevor stopped unexpectedly, causing me to walk right into him. I backed up a little ways, breaking our hand contact.
"S-sorry..." I chirped shyly, rubbing the back of my neck. He simply turned and smiled at me, unaware of what happened. He pointed at a large, pelican-shaped building. It seemed rather old, judging by how weathered away its walls were. Rescue teams must have been around a long time in this world.
"That building over there," he started, as a Pelipper flew out from the mouth of the building that served as a roof, "is the Pelipper Post Office." Another Pelipper flew into the structure, narrowly missing the branches that covered the roof, and that were the sources of the ivy vines snaking their way down the backside.
The Pikachu led me over to a wooden sign crowded with what looked to be advertisements seeking service, help, and other such commands. This must be where all the Pokémon post jobs for Rescue Teams like us...
"This is where info is gathered from Pokémon needing rescue around the region. If someone's in trouble, a paper will be slapped up here that says so. Have a look," he states, scooting aside to let me scan the board.
As I do so, he continues explaining its use to me. It's a bit overboard, I think, to go into so much depth over just a bulletin board, but since I'm still new, he must feel he has to explain everything about it, down to the last tack.
Of course, I had no problem with this. I love the sound of his voice. So very calm, with a hint more masculinity in it than my own. It's not too deep, but it's not high, either. It's just that melodious happy medium.
While he finishes his explanation, I snap out of my daze.
"So, see anything you think we can handle?" he asks confidently. I look to him, then to the board. Feeling haughty, I respond with something I thought would be witty.
"We can handle anything when we're together!" However, instead of coming across as arrogant, it toppled out cornier than anything. Trevor just laughed it off, and tapped the board twiceâ�"an implication that he wants me to find something.
And I do.
"This looks promising. A Sunkern has been left behind, and his friend needs someone to come and get him," I relay, and Trevor nods.
"Well, okay. That sounds good. Where is the poor guy?"
Looking back at the letter, I gather they are both in the Thunderwave Cave, where I had first had a serious mission with my partner. Gazing up to him from my knelt position, I recall the event vividly...recollecting how good his firm, fuzzy body pressed up against my own made me feel...
"Darius," he called, once more jolting me from my reveries. "You sure space out a lot," he says, smiling. "Come on, let's go."
And go we did.
As we left, Trevor briefed me on the process of getting our name better known.
"As you saw at the Post Office, there are a LOT of requests. Taking on tasks posted there is sure to get our name out, and more job offers will come into our Mailbox. Which is excellent if we don't want to walk all the way out to the Post Office," he added, winking.
The trek there was shorter this time, now that we knew the way. But as always, it was tiring, so we decided to rest in the clearing we discovered beforehand. We perched ourselves among the sunny rock.
Trevor yawned, laying down to bask in the sun. I looked at him from my sitting position next to him, eyeing the subtle movements he made. His ears twitched every now and then, showing that even while he was relaxing, he was alert.
I opened my mouth to speak, but he beat me to the punch, groaning a little bit. "My feet are so sore," he complained, much like he did the first time we rested here.
"If we're going to be traveling as much as we are, we'll just have to get used to it," I said, stating the obvious. He chuckled.
"Yeah, I guess so..."
All was quiet, save for the gentle breezes that fleetingly provided coolness on this hot afternoon. It's been a long time since I've experienced such an awkward silence. I decided to act on it.
I scooted over, kneeling behind Trevor grabbing one of his feet so suddenly, he quietly squeaked.
"Oh!" he cried, startled. "You gave me a start," he said, without turning over. "What are you..."
"Shhh," I cooed. "Just relax." I found myself acting bolder than I used to. But I liked the change. I gripped his foot, rubbing it firmly around the slight arch it held. I started slowly at first, gauging the mouse's reaction. He sighed pleasantly; I was doing well.
As I continued to massage Trevor's feet, the world around me became a happy blur. I was completely oblivious to the existence of anything but the Pokémon whose feet I was handling so delicately. I caught the various sounds Trevor emitted while my attentions continued: soft sighs, quiet coos, and even a low growl that sounded uncannily similar to a purr.
After what seemed like hours, I finally decided my job was done. I drew back, still on my knees, smiling softly.
He craned his head around to look at me, a blissful haze in his eyes and a faint blush across his face. He had enjoyed himself quite thoroughly, judging from that look. I blushed slightly. Such a gaze made my heart leap.
"That was wonderful," he said, his gaze unwavering. "I almost didn't want you to stop."
"But I have to," I teased. More boldness. "If I hadn't we wouldn't finish this job." He simply nodded, overcome with determination. His eyes sparkled anew with the sense of adventure.
"Quite right!" he declared, rolling off the rock and pumping a fist. "Let's be on our way, then, we can't keep the poor thing waiting!"
He waiting for me to climb off the rock before swiftly taking my hand in his, and spiriting me away.
Once again, we found ourselves in front of the open mouth of the cave, into which we couldn't see very far. It still intimidated me to go inside, though our last venture into the place was rather uneventful.
"Prepare yourself," I warned my partner. "You remember what happened last time."
I was of course referring to his previous intoxication. He nodded.
"I'm not worried. I have you with me." The words struck a chord, and my heart leapt into my throat. Or at least, that's what it seemed like. Taking his hand in mine, I led him inside.
As soon as we entered, I tripped over a group of rocks.
"Those are Gravelerocks," the Pikachu explained, picking them up. "They'll definitely come in handy." He tossed them up into the air before catching them, stuffing them into the Toolbox.
I got up and dusted myself. I was no sooner done with that when a Rattata tackled me to the ground, and I got up again.
"Pesky pests," I growled, splaying my claws. They sparkled. I raised a claw, readying it to attack the thing, but Trevor was quicker to the draw, deftly tossing one of the rocks I'd tripped over earlier. It hit squarely, knocking the rat off kilter, but not enough so that it was deterred.
It came at us again, only this time, I was ready.
"Scratch!" I called, swiping at the beast. I landed a good hit, judging from the cry the Rattata gave upon contact. It gave another cry, somewhat of a death rattle, before collapsing. I looked to Trevor, who nodded approvingly, and we continued.
Deeper into the dungeon, we encountered a female Nidoran. She was sleeping, though, so we opted not to bother her. It seemed like another uneventful mission.
I yawned as we continued on. Trevor picked up on this and called to me, worried.
"Are you tired?" he asked, his voice slurred. The vibes of the cave were starting to get to him.
Instantly perking, as I didn't want to seem uninterested in the mission, I shook my head.
"No," I said. "I'm just kind of wondering why there isn't anyone around. I mean, we've been traveling for a long while and have only come across two Pokémon, none of which were Sunkern."
As I spoke, I turned around to find Trevor bending over, his rump facing me. I found myself intrigued, and so I moved closer to him. He was haphazardly searching for some item unseen by my eyes, and in doing so, he raised his tail absent-mindedly.
I felt my cheeks warm up hotter than ever as they were painted with a deep, rather apparent blush. I couldn't bring myself to look away, so I kept my gaze upward, toward the tip of his raised tail.
However, I found myself unable to resist casting my gaze down, following the tail until my eyes laid upon its base, and lowering my gaze even more to his round, plumpâ�"
"Ah, here it is!" He cried suddenly. He stood up quicker than I would have liked, holding a blue object. It was an Oran Berry. "I knew I smelled one," he sputtered, his voice still garbled. He turned around, eyeing my blush suspiciously.
"What's wrong?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's-It's nothing," I murmur, turning around and hiding my cheeks. "Let's keep going."
"Hm..." was all I heard from him. He was probably tired of hearing 'It's nothing' by now, but it was the only answer I could ever have courage enough to muster. Heeding my advice, he followed me onward.
Deeper into the cave we went. It certainly was taking use a while to find this little fellow. By now, Trevor had become so inebriated off the vibes of the cave that he was holding onto me again for support, not that I minded. As before, he had tried to move my tail out of the way, but this time, I had willingly moved it.
With his arms around my waist, I guided him through the cavern, using my tail as light. Nothing could be heard but the soft dripping of little droplets of water that fell from the ceiling, and my and Trevor's breathing.
For a while, there was nothing. Just the flame-lit radius of cavern we could see, and then the pitch-blackness ahead of us. Then I noticed a light. I headed towards it. Nothing blocked our way, and we had made it out safely.
We ended up back at the entrance to the cave.
"We're outside?" Trevor asked, recovering more quickly from his state than last time. "How can that be? We didn't find the Sunkern yet..."
"We must have...missed him," I said, sadness lacing my voice. Is that possible? Is it possible for someone to overlook a Pokémon like that? We had been so busy looking for him that we hadn't actually been keeping a lookout for him. He's still in there. He's still in trouble. "We have to go back."
When I got no response, I turned around. Trevor had passed out. Laying on his back, a paw over his belly, snoring softly, Trevor was sleeping.
The rescue, unfortunately, would have to be postponed. We can't rescue anyone in this condition.
I hefted Trevor onto my back piggyback-style, and started the trek back to our base. It was a shorter trip, as it was last time.
By the time I got there, I was exhausted. So much so that I practically tossed Trevor onto the alfalfa hay, waking him up.
"Hey," he started groggily, smiling a bit. "Careful with the merchandise."
I laughed hollowly. I was still thinking about the poor Sunkern. How afraid he must be, having woken up in the cave all alone...We had abandoned him just like those who had before us. Trevor could see the worry on my face, and patted the space next to him.
I sat next to him, my face in my hands. He patted my back, rubbing it.
"It's okay. We'll go back after we get some rest. We'll get him out. No worries." I looked woefully at him. His caring expression remained unchanged. I smiled gently.
"Okay," I agreed. It was a promise.
We laid next to each other, and I shivered uncomfortably, still worry-stricken. Sleep would not come easily, I had thought. Suddenly, I was driven from my thoughts by Trevor.
He wrapped his arms around me, bringing me close to him, hugging me from behind. I was so close to him, I could smell him.
"Everything is going to be okay," the Pikachu reassured. He could tell I was still distraught. He was comforting me. I gripped his arms with my hands, holding them close to me. He tightened his embrace, caringly, lovingly.
I closed my eyes.
Everything was going to be okay.