Pokémon: Out of the Woods | A Galar, Unova & Sinnoh Fanfiction

Chapter 86: Goodbye

Heather and Pluto passed Tatsuko and Fayiz on their way to Hammerlocke Stadium. They were out for their morning run with their Pokémon. It was sweltering hot already. Tatsuko looked ready to give up and go home if she was stopped, but she skidded to a halt to speak to Heather regardless.

'Good morning! You're going to be my first challenger, aren't you? And the first challenger to ever be endorsed by my boy!'

'Yeah... but I think all of us know he endorsed me because the International Police told him to.'

'Well, yes, but that means we also know Khalid would've endorsed you anyway. I hope you'll go all out to show me why! It always feels like forever until someone actually makes it to me. Sometimes, no-one even gets past Bede... so get yourself a coffee and make sure you're in top condition!'

Fayiz knelt to pet Zorua. 'Wow! I've never seen a Zorua like you before! Aren't you a little cutie? Do you like mushrooms? If you do...'

The snack bars in Fayiz's bag were for his own Pokémon after the run, but he had plenty more at home. He gave a mushroom flavoured one to Zorua. Usually, Zorua eagerly gulped down any treats right away, but its eyes welled up then. They were happy and sad tears. It was so happy that its dreams of a kinder world outside Team Plasma weren't as far-fetched as Jahzeel insisted they were, but it was afraid Pluto wouldn't fully accept that until it was too late. It had a bad feeling about that rupture in the wallpaper in Spikemuth.

Pluto didn't see Arlene scowling at them from the Battle Café. Zorua did. It didn't trust her. It never did. Zoroark remembered Pluto's childhood friend, before she was consumed by what she believed was her sole purpose in life, but Zorua was young. The obsessed and hateful Arlene was the only one it knew.

Arlene left the Battle Café as Heather and Pluto went in. They still didn't see her. They were so preoccupied with each other that they didn't even sense the presence of the six Shadow Pokémon in her bag. Heather bought a strawberry milkshake. Pluto ordered iced green tea.

Even that annoyed Arlene. Pluto was the king. There was no need for him to buy his tea. It was probably disgusting compared to the tea served in the castle. Heather wouldn't understand. She wanted to destroy his ideal kingdom before it even existed.

'Have you thought about what you'll do when the Gym Challenge ends?' Pluto asked, 'Will you return to Orre? Stay here as the reigning champion?'

'Orre is home. It's where I belong. And I don't think I'd ever want all the attention that comes with being a champion. But what am I gonna do about you?'

'I'd certainly like to visit Orre...'

His cheeks turned pink again. 'I imagine I might even want to stay...'

'I sure hope so, 'cause you're not getting rid of me, but it's fuckin' cold over here! But I don't think I want to be a bounty hunter after all. I'm not cut out for it. I'm too emotional. But... I'm not exactly cut out for a supermarket or an office, either.'

'I doubt I ever will be... perhaps we could work with Pokémon...'

'Can I make a confession?'

'Of course. You can tell me anything.'

'Y'know what I've been dreaming about? You and me and shit-ton of Pokémon on a big ol' ranch. Like Poké Pelago but in the desert.'

'I would love that.'

Arlene willed him to check the results of the DNA test already. Didn't he want to know? What was he doing instead? Wouldn't they even check it over their breakfast? They didn't. They returned their empty cups and left, hand-in-hand and laughing at Zorua's illusion of a drunken Khalid.