Ch. 2 A Fun Exploration

Faith the Vulpix lay face-down on top of a couch, tears pouring out. Earlier that day, she received a note from some official-looking Pokémon, who introduced themselves as members of the Pokémon Exploration Team Federation, which her parents worked under. They told her that her parents went on a mission and disappeared, likely dead.

They questioned her about the nature of the mission, which she couldn’t remember from the top of her head, and kept pressing her until she wondered if her heart would burst out. Finally, they explained that the mission they went to took them to a forbidden zone, which contains a town called Resladerstadf and ten miles around it. No word was given on why such a zone suddenly existed, and any attempts at finding out were stopped. In time, especially when Pokémon realized that word wasn’t coming out from the town, they accepted it and moved on with only a few naysayers.

They kept pressing her about how this mission could come to their hands, why they accepted it, and her part in this. Yet, they weren’t satisfied with the idea that she didn’t know or even forgot about it. In fact, they treated her less as a victim who lost her parents but someone who plotted this. So, they soon left, but not before they said that there would be another discussion, this time about her inheritance, and it’ll be with the mayor.

A knock came from the door, and her ears twitched, with her emitting a growl. Her swollen eyes turned to the door with a glare that would melt an Avalugg. More knocks came, and Faith gritted her teeth for a few seconds.

“Go away!” Faith said. “I am not interested in—”

“Faith, it’s me,” a voice came from the other side said.

Faith blinked and, with surprising speed, ran to the door, and she pressed on a switch. The door lowered to the ground. A black and blue Pokémon stood there on two feet-paws. Two black appendages hung down from the sides of his head, as though attached to his black ‘mask’ and his red eyes looked down at Faith, concern overflowing from his face.

“Kyle!” Faith lifted her hind legs up and hugged him. “You came!”

“How can’t I?” Kyle asked as he patted Faith’s orange, curled locks on her head. “When I heard the news, I came as fast as I could.”

“The news of my parents’ deaths already spread around this town, huh?” Faith said as she led Kyle the Riolu inside her home, a two-floor house with several rooms.

“News spread fast in a small town, Faith,” Kyle said as he got up onto the couch, his body shaking as though it contained too much energy. “And it gets worse. The Pokémon Exploration Team Federation just finished their meeting with the mayor and, while there isn’t a formal announcement yet, it sounded as though they’ll withhold your inheritance until further notice.”

Faith sat next to Kyle, and she looked at her paws, tears landing on them even as black claws popped out from them. “I don’t care if I have Poké or not. What I want is my parents back. Why don’t they understand?”

Kyle shifted a little on the couch. “I know. Some Pokémon are willing to believe the worse in others.”

“You mean they don’t see me wanting to go on a rescue mission to save my parents, even if it’s less than a 1% chance?” Faith asked in a bitter tone.

Kyle paused for a few seconds, his eyes shifting. “Look at it from their point of view. They saw two Pokémon, a married couple, go on a fake mission to a forbidden zone. You’ll look pretty suspicious at that, even if your nature is far from that.” He shook his head. “Plus, it makes them look bad that something like that came on the board even though it’s forbidden. In a sense, I think it’s because of a desire to blame others, even if the ones responsible for it are dead or it’s beyond anyone’s control. Otherwise, they’ll just think it’s their fault.”

“I’m not sure that I understand what you’re saying.” Faith shook her head. “Just that I think it’s silly to blame and punish others even if they have no bearings as to what happened.”

“Indeed,” Kyle said, his tone high even as he clenched his hand-paw. He paused for a few seconds, rubbing the back of his head. “I know how you feel.”

“You do?” Faith asked, turning to Kyle in surprise.

“My parents,” Kyle said as he turned up to the ceiling, “were researchers when they were alive. I wasn’t sure what they were studying since I was three at the time; it may have been anthro technology. But, I know they were well known for their research in my former hometown and beyond.

“But the leaders of that town got annoyed at how slow their latest study was going. They demanded that my parents show them what it was, but they refused. Then they came, and, ignoring my parents’ protests, they activated it. Then something happened.” He turned downwards, his voice shaking a bit. “I can’t remember what happened afterward, but I was alone, far away from town, and I was told that everyone in there died.”

Faith shivered. “That is horrible! And have you gotten any news from what happened since then?”

Kyle curled up his feet-paws. “Even after ten years, I still don’t know.”

Faith sprang up and hugged Kyle. “And to think that you held onto such pain within without it spilling out.”

“It’s no worries,” Kyle said, patting Faith’s back. “I learn how to handle the pain. Especially since I know that there’s no way one can walk on this world without some great pain.” Faith nodded as she nuzzled Kyle, who gave out a slight smile. “Though, if I may say, I think our bond has increased in strength.”

“What do you mean?” Faith asked, her right ear folded to the side.

“I mean,” Kyle said before pausing, looking into Faith’s baby blue eyes, “I feel like we have something in common that only deepens our bonds. Both of our parents died either due to others’ negligence or malicious acts that slander us instead of them. Don’t you think that’s something that can connect us further?”

Faith blinked as she stared at Kyle, as though this was the first time she saw him. He gave out a smile, unnatural to someone who doesn’t smile that much, but a smile nonetheless. She returned that smile, and she nosed him.

“Let’s stay together like this forever, Kyle.”

Faith relaxed on her hay bed, her eyes opening towards the wooden ceiling as her bittersweet memory ended. She sighed, wondering why she recalled that event from six years ago, as she flicked her ears. Perhaps it had something to do with Adrian and what happened, she decided.

What happened afterward was, as Kyle foresaw, her inheritance was withheld for what should’ve been five years as they investigated. Given that she wasn’t approached for any more questioning or even some trial time, what should’ve happened was that, after the five years, both the Explorer’s Committee and Arkanilacum returned her inheritance, the house, and the money made in her parents’ name. The fact that they didn’t, even after she demanded reasons why, made her wonder if they still think she had something to do with her parents’ deaths.

She was so lucky that the very next day, when she lost her home, Kyle allowed her to move in, the one she lived in now. She smiled a bit, remembering how the day after she got the news of her parents, he evolved into a Lucario. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder what happened that caused him to hit peak happiness.

Perhaps it was because he was happy with the idea of them living together, she decided.

Adrian and David, who were an Eevee and Zorua during that time, also did what they could to support her despite all the classes and jobs they took. She frowned a bit, remembering the cast Adrian wore on his front-left leg and him explaining that his leg broke. And yet, despite his job of delivering Evolutionary Stones as part of his parents’ business, he kept working. She tried asking how he broke it, but he refused to answer, and she gave up.

Faith’s mind flashed back to hours again, with him asking if they could live together before insulting A-Ninetales, and she shook her head. He said it despite knowing how great A-Ninetales is, but perhaps she did overreact to what amounts to a slip of envy. She rolled off from the bed, planning on meeting with him again and making up.

A knock came from the door, and her ears twitched. Maybe it’s a speak of Giratina moment, and Adrian decided to come himself, Faith wondered. Her white paws, the reminder of her Alolan Ninetales father, walked upon the wooden floor as she walked to the door. She smiled to himself, admitting to herself that she couldn’t stay angry at him forever. She pressed the switch, and the floor slid down—

Faith froze, seeing not Adrian the Flareon that she expected to meet, but A-Ninetales, with shining sea blue eyes and a badge with a lime green A on it, attached to his green bandana, himself.

“Hello again,” A-Ninetales said with a bow. “I asked some locals where you lived, and they directed me here. So how are you today?”

Faith stood there, feeling a massive pressure that felt too much against her tiny body and unable to speak for a moment.

“Is there anything wrong, Faith?” A-Ninetales asked, tilting his head in confusion.

“Hello-there-A-Ninetales-I-am-doing-great-today-how-are-you?” Faith answered, her voice fast and high.

A-Ninetales laughed and patted her head. “At ease, Faith. I’m doing well, by the way.”

“Sorry.” Faith blushed even as she rubbed the back of her head. “It’s just that you’re the A-Ninetales. The one who fought against a Groudon singlehanded and won. I mean, how many Pokémon could claim that they achieved victory against a Legendary Pokémon?”

“I imagine more than you think,” A-Ninetales answered, though he grinned. “And besides, while I did defeat that Groudon, it was because he underestimated how much of a power boost I would’ve gained from a Fire Blast.”

“But still, beating a Groudon!” Faith said as she hopped in place. “That is awesome!”

A-Ninetales shrugged. “May I come in?”

“Oh, of course!” Faith answered, standing aside while giving out a massive grin.

A-Ninetales smiled back as he stepped inside, his head turning all around the single-room house. He tapped against the table which sat at the center of the room, facing the single bed across from him. He then walked to the right and sat on a chair next to the table, his head tilting at the unlit furnace, even as his nine tails curled up behind him.

“And you lived in this place alone?” A-Ninetales asked as Faith pressed on the switch again, shutting the door. She turned back and nodded. “Huh. I thought you were with Adrian.”

“No. He got his own place,” Faith answered as she walked to the other side of the table. “Though he did ask if I can live with him. I’m still thinking about it since I don’t wish to leave this place. It was once Kyle’s place too.”

“Hmm? Who is Kyle, if I may ask?” A-Ninetales asked as he tilted his head.

“He is, well, I guess you say my boyfriend,” Faith answered with a blush even as A-Ninetales blinked. “He invited me here when I most needed it since I lost my original home. Since then, even after he disappeared five years ago without a word, I lived here.”

“Huh. I thought that you’re together with Adrian,” A-Ninetales admitted, and Faith blushed redder. “And you said that you were kicked out from your old home? Why?”

“It’s a long story, and I don’t fully understand it myself,” Faith answered as she lowered her head, facing the wooden plates that hold berries on them. “My parents went on a mission six years ago, and they disappeared, considered killed. The organization my parents were a part of, the Pokémon Exploration Team Federation, and Mayor Richard never outright said it, but they hinted that I had something to do with their deaths. You see, the mission they took upon led them to Resladerstadf, which was forbidden to go to at the time. I think that they believe that I arranged for that mission, despite there being no evidence of me doing that, and they withheld my family home and money until five years passed. Even though it’s been six years since I still cannot access them for no reason.”

A-Ninetales closed his eyes, deep in thought. “Resladerstadf.”

“Yeah.” Faith turned upwards. “I heard that the restrictions were lifted some weeks ago, but they never revealed why it was forbidden in the first place.”

A-Ninetales waited for a few seconds before nodding. “Indeed.”

“That town took my parents away.” Faith shook her head. “I figured that the decent thing is to explain why it was restricted in the first place.”

A-Ninetales opened his eyes and stared at Faith for a few seconds, his ears wiggling up and down. “In any case, Faith, I have an offer for you.”

“Huh?” Faith tilted her head, rubbing on the tableside.

“I want you and your friend, Adrian, to come with me on my next journey in two days.”

Faith’s eyes widened, so much they were the size of the plates, if not more. Her heart slammed against her chest as her head felt hot to the point that she wondered why she didn’t faint from shock. Instead, her jaw dropped, and her breathing stopped.

A-Ninetales laughed, raising his paw against his muzzle. “I think you two will enjoy it.”

“Oh-dear-Arceus-the-famous-A-Nineatles-just-offered-to-invite-me-and-Adrian-on-his-journey-of-course-I-will-come!”

Faith jumped off the chair and hopped around the table, giving out a massive grin, with A-Ninetales twisting his head so that she didn’t leave his sights. He smiled a bit while his tails swayed behind him. He soon extended a paw and landed it on Faith’s head when she came around a third time.

“I’m glad that you wish to come. Will you send the word to Adrian?”

“Of course! I’ll head out right now!”

Faith ran to the door, pressed the switch, and exited out from the now open door, leaving A-Ninetales alone. He blinked and looked around a bit, twitching his ears a bit even as he turned serious. Then, he turned down to the badge and, with a paw, pressed it against his chest.

“All good so far, Saria,” A-Ninetales said to the badge. “The travel should be a smooth one. Hopefully.”

He then walked out through the still-open door and pressed on a switch, and closed it behind him with a flick of his tail.

“Wait, what?” Adrian said, sitting on a wooden table.

Both Faith and Adrian sat next to a table, with Faith having a drink made out of Gummis. Several other types of Pokémon sat within the café, each within their groups and tables, such as a trio of Poochyena playing a three-way card game and each winner howled. Next to the wall, where the drinks were made, an elderly Spinda, who ran the place for thirty years, wobbled in place. Some Pokémon were still hammering in new structures at the side of the café, where a giant Lycanroc slammed her tail against a month ago.

“Yes! I am aware that you think that he is a ‘devious, arrogant Ninetales who’s just full of himself,” but,” Faith blinked one of her baby blue eyes at him even as he clutched an Apicot berry tight, “I think you’ll see how great he really is.”

Adrian nodded as he lowered the berry against the Chesto berry. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s OK,” Faith said with a nod. “And I’m sorry as well. I overreacted. In any case,” she extended one of her paws and booped him, “will you come?”

Adrian’s green eyes looked back at her baby blue eyes, with his eyes shifting a bit. She tilted her head a bit, wiggling her tails, and he lowered his head, his eyes closed. A few seconds passed, and he lifted himself back up; his eyes opened once more.

“Of course I will, Faith,” Adrian answered with a nod.

“That’s great! But,” Faith leaned back, rubbing her chin, “is there anything wrong?”

“Huh?” Adrian’s ears twitched.

“You seemed deep in thought for what should be a simple answer.” She took another sip of her drink. “Is it jealousy?”

“What?” Adrian blinked a bit, his tail fluffed up a bit.

“I mean, with all of the jealous anger you have against him, I’m sure that you’re coming just so that he doesn’t steal my heart from you. But you don’t have to worry.” Faith smiled. “After all, my heart belongs to another.”

Adrian shifted a little bit, his left forepaw twitching a bit. “I see. But if he comes, I’ll show him.”

Faith shook her head even as she giggled. “Even with the type advantage, you’ll do better as a Vaporeon.”

Adrian flinched as though a paw suddenly grabbed his heart and squeezed it. “Maybe I should’ve listened to him instead of going with this petty scheme.”

“Huh?” Faith leaned back even as his expression darkened. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” Adrian said as he shook his head and hopped off from the chair. “I’ll go and get ready for the trip. You better do the same.”

“Adrian?” Faith’s tails stood still even as he ran out to the doors. “Adrian! Wait!”

But he already disappeared without looking back, leaving Faith alone. She blushed as she turned back to the drink and fiddled with the straw a bit. It felt odd that he left because of some Vaporeon comment since it’s their joke for years. At least, what she thought was just a joke between them.

“You made a bit of a mess, haven’t you?”

Faith blinked and looked around, seeing no other Pokémon nearby. She sighed and turned to the front of the table—

A Zoroark sat on a chair, where Adrian was sitting while fiddling with her blue earring hanging on her left ear.

“Eep!” Faith stumbled onto the floor even as the female Zoroark laughed a bit, the red earring on her right ear wiggling as well. “Amber!” Faith climbed back onto the chair. “How long have you been listening to us?”

“For a while,” Amber said as he picked up one of Adrian’s uneaten berries and fiddled with it. “I saw you ran across town, looking for Adrian, and I couldn’t help but follow to see what’s up. So, a trip with A-Ninetales and Adrian, eh?”

“Yup! It’s going to be so awesome!” Faith answered with a grin. She turned to the door, and the grin faded. “Though I’m not sure why he was so upset about it.”

Amber rubbed her chin even as she ate one of the berries. “I can guess. But tell me, how much do you know about Adrian?”

Faith blinked and wiggled on her chair. “For much of my life, since he was a little Eevee. What he lacked in strength, he usually makes up with some kind of scheme that usually works. I still remember how he managed to defeat a Machop by distracting him with Tail Whip and Sand Attack before using a series of Quick Attacks.” Faith laughed a bit. “I don’t know much about his home life. Just that, when his family left to set up their business elsewhere, he chose to stay. I never understood why he did so or chose to become a Flareon instead of a Vaporeon. At least, until now.”

Amber lay one of her elbows on the table. “For love, right?”

“Yes, it was then where I realized that he looked at me not became he admires me, but because he’s in love with me. I should’ve realized it since I recalled your husband making similar looks to me before you moved in. But, of course, he was worse about it.” Both Faith and Amber laughed. “But,” Faith closed her eyes even as she shook her head, “I know that I’m destined for Kyle, who supported me during my worst day. I’m sure that Adrian would come if he didn’t break his leg.”

“Not exactly a fair comparison.” Amber raised one of her claws to Faith. “After all, where was Kyle when you have an evolutionary flux problem? Where was Kyle when the town was attacked? Doing whatever he’s doing. Meanwhile, Adrian stuck with you and helped you out with both of them, even though he’s outclassed. Doesn’t that count for something?”

Faith blinked. “O-of course it does!” She then gave out a long sigh. “Just that I wish that he wouldn’t do everything for me, especially if it’s to make him entitled to have me. And especially if Kyle will return.”

Amber tilted her head. “You still think he’ll come back? It’s been five years.”

“Even though I haven’t heard anything from him,” Faith rubbed her chest, “I know he’s out there, thinking of me. And once he’s done with whatever he’s doing, he’ll come back.”

Amber nodded even as her eyes drooped. “If that is what you believe.”