Pokémon Obsidian | An Orre Fanfiction

Chapter 114: Changing

Holly found herself in Quartz Town with the keys to her first house. The town, with its backdrop of sunset-striped rocks, was beautiful and offered plenty of activities to keep Perry entertained. It was also close to Mt. Battle, the University of Orre campuses where Jon and Cornelia would study and a short flight from The Under and Agate Village.

The whole family knew that house was the one when Holly showed them around by video call. It was secure, with gates and walls they could extend if they found themselves being harassed. Still, it was so grand that Holly felt terrible, like she was burning her fiancé's money; despite Zjarror being so eager to move out that he sold it to Ilirian's best friend for less than half its worth. Her modest car looked out of place outside.

'Eager to get out, my ass,' Toru remarked over the phone, 'I might be a rich boy, but he's a shameless rich boy!'

Zjarror left that morning. Holly was still looking around. The house seemed even bigger now it was empty.

'He's left his bed! And the entire bathroom and kitchen... and the laundry room.'

'How much was Eldes worth?!'

'About P5 trillion.'

'Fucking hell! Not that I'm complaining. Thanks, Verich Industries!'

A faint smell of stale booze and cigarettes still lingered. Holly opened the windows and added rose and violet oils to the aroma diffuser she brought from home. Zjarror and Paisley apparently kept the windows shut. It only took a few days of the desert wind to blow away any bad smells.

Amber and Trip sold their apartment in The Under. If Abbey, Leon and Alfie were staying, they wanted to be close by, so they too bought a house in Quartz Town. Theirs was small and derelict, but renovating it with their Pokémon would be a welcome distraction from all that happened. Amber also wanted to be near her friends more than ever and it was only two doors from Cassia. She didn't struggle to find work. Any town was eager to take her as Orre's favourite sewer worker.

Holly's diligently saved wages could at least buy some furniture and paint. Before the orders of flat-pack furniture arrived, Aiko, Ilirian, Laila and Chess helped her paint the rooms that would be Fuchsia's and Perry's. She wanted them to feel at home, but also like they were somewhere new and exciting, so she painted The Under Subway for Perry and a pastel saloon instead of a castle for Fuchsia.

'This is actually adorable,' Chess said as he stepped back to admire his work, 'It almost makes the thought of two random kids seem tolerable. Almost.'

The tinny sound of his P★DA's speakers echoed through the house. He was pleased that he could listen to Ryland's music without feeling like he was listening to a serial killer now.

'What're you gonna do with that bed?'

He smirked. 'Maybe our favourite garbage man will take it?'

It was impossible to miss the familiar face that collected the garbage. Jamie's orange hi-vis jacket said 'COMMUNITY SERVICE' on the back. The left leg of his trousers was rolled up so it didn't snag the ankle tag he was allowed after sticking to Amber's supervision.

'Having fun, Champion?'

Chess couldn't resist. Jamie must have been feeling better, because he didn't hesitate to reply with his middle finger. Laila found it both bizarre and endearing to see her brother collecting garbage in the morning and appearing on TV to advertise that year's Gym Challenge in the afternoon. At least he could work efficiently with his strong Pokémon. His Electivire and Zoroark seemed to be enjoying their matching hi-vis jackets.

'Wanna take Zjarror's bed?'

'I can't take a fucking bed, you moron. And I won't take the bin if y'all keep overfilling it like that.'

'OK, OK. Just asking. No need to go all Grand Master on me.'

'Can't your Pokémon carry the bed to the tip? Or are they too busy warbling about walking a lonely road with Palpitoad?'

The truck departed with a blast of stale food before Chess could reply. When Holly moved the mattress protector, she found it was covering a wine stain, but the other side of the mattress was clean. It looked as if it had never been slept on. She flipped it over and pulled on the constellation-themed bedsheets she brought from home.

'No need to get rid of it. The frame can be wiped down and the other side of the mattress is clean.'

'That's kind of nasty,' Chess replied, 'You don't know what they were doing in there.'

'I don't think those two have done anything for a long time, Chess. What do you think people are doing in hotels, anyway? Aiko!'

Aiko was about to stick the posters of Toru on the wall. Holly pulled them from her firm grip.

'I only brought them to make fun of him! Just because you keep yours in the microwave...'

That was a running joke since Aiko forgot to remove the stack of photos of Yan from the microwave. He found them when he went to reheat a bowl of pasta.

Even with all the furniture assembled and the two couches that arrived, the house still seemed empty. Holly hung her battling awards on the living room walls. She stuck some of her favourite photos around them. The framed engagement photo that Manami sent fit perfectly over a dresser. There was still plenty of space to fill with photos of the future and whatever awards Toru or the kids wanted to display.

Amber dropped in to 'have a nosey.' She thought she might get some design ideas, but the gothic decor was too gloomy for her.

'Was Zjarror living in a void? Or did you open the gates to hell?'

'He was totally living in a void. He'll be painting his new place all black already. I actually painted over it in the kitchen, believe it or not.'

'I was going to say!'

Amber admired the pink and turquoise cabinets and walls. 'Turquoise is the best colour. Who chose it?'

'Fuchsia.'

'It looks great. The goth rooms look great, too. I'm just not into long-term voids. I might nick your kitchen colours. I can't get inspired at all.'

'Go for it. I've got some leftover paint if you want it.'

Between shifts at Mt. Battle's reception desk, Holly helped Amber and Trip paint their kitchen. She wasn't as noisy as Aiko, but she did miss Toru. Keeping busy took her mind off it. As for Amber, there was a point during the trial when she thought she would never relax or feel at home in Orre again. Now, doing something as mundane as painting with her family and friends and being as proud to hand the garbage to Jamie as she was to see him on TV, she felt like life was only changing as it should.