𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐘𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐃 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐋 | [Royal!Sycamore/Hybrid!Reader] | POKÉMON

VII

𝐕𝐈𝐈
𝐩𝐨𝐯.: 𝐲/𝐧

The days pass way too easy now. You wake and are surprised to always find yourself excited,- for some reason wondering how the day would play out. 

There's just so many new things. So many new people. And it's thrilling. Much more than staring at a jail cell at least,— not that it would be hard to top. 

Between keeping yourself well fed and clean, and trying to gather the keys, you slowly find out more about the people around you. Too much one would even say. That's mostly because you start training with the knights regularly now. It's still more of a tossing them around,— in armour or not, it doesn't matter. They're all well trained and yet still weaker than you. 

Though, they claim to gain something other than bruises from it— and you get to release some stress. So why not?

Leon is actually quite a decent guy. Has a pregnant wife at home and is incredibly happy to soon be a father. In all seriousness? You come to understand that most men under their armour are quite the teddy bears. With families at home they all want to protect. Most are patient and calm, some are more short tempered but still as genuine. 

Except for Green, who's a little piece of shit. The youngest of the crew. He has great intelligence hidden behind that thick skull of his and way too much confidence, which leaves him to fall onto his nose more than often. Not that he would care. Being the youngest knight to ever manage to pass the trial, it has made his ego grow times hundred. 

You steal some food from the kitchen every now and then too. Not for yourself of course, you're more than satisfied with the giant amounts you get. When the banquet hall is stocked with food for the royal families dinner, you grab some food from the tray carts and stuff it into your own pockets. Sometimes, you don't even bother hiding it and simply run. Who's going to stop you after all? 

The food you then take down to the basement. Many hybrids are surprised and enraptured by your kind gesture. You're told food down here is sparse. They're given much less than they really desire— not enough to really starve them, but not enough to satisfy either. Maybe to keep them weakened. Maybe it's simply out of spite. Who knows?

Ah— yes, not to mention the sweets you bring them. Sweets are a privilege they never experience. And you're mad at the prince for telling you he's surprised you've never eaten sweet rolls,— and yet, doesn't bother giving the other hybrids similar treats.

They tell you stories of their home. Of their past. And while it's obvious that many of them are sombre and enraging at times, you're also overwhelmed to listen to heart-warming ones too. Lyam the Lucario Hybrid in particular, had many stories of his family to tell. He seemed less glum when he talked of them, which relieved your aching heart at least a little.

One night, the other Houndoom claims his mother to be the first victim of a once young King.

"He'd killed her without batting an eye. He was so young too. Truly, a child of evil."  

You said your condolences. And the look you shared felt personal, on a more intimate level. You yourself could still remember the day you had been taken. You were too young. And so innocent.

From twelve keys, you managed to gather four in the span of five days. In just two days, the ball would be held. No one had noticed your handiwork yet. But as more keys gather under your bed, the stakes rise. 

You needed to hurry and find the remaining ones. If only you wouldn't be distracted by the royal family all the time. 

To be fair though, you mostly do this to yourself. Helping— that is, when you know you shouldn't. Mairin has her piano lessons every three to four days. You only remember as you hear the faint tune echoing down the hallway. Too silent for human ears, but yours pick up the tune clearly.