Giant Dancing Hedgehogs are Nightmare Fuel

Chapter 5

“No! Why does this keep happening to me?” Vegas asks, tossing his new Switch in his lap before burying his face in his hands.

Pete pauses his own game of Super Smash Bros that he’s playing with Porsche to tend to him. For the fourth time. There is a legitimate reason as to why Porsche is getting pissed off.

“Tell your boyfriend to pick a different game!” Porsche orders from his seat, throwing his hands up in the air, “I don’t understand why he’s upset!”

“She killed them,” Vegas chokes out, gesturing at his console, “She killed my babies!”

“Hia,” Macau says, getting up from the couch to walk over towards his brother before crouching beside him, “They aren’t dead. They’ve just fainted because of the battle. You need to take them to a Pokemon Center. The nurse will take care of them and they’ll be good as new.”

“No!” Vegas cries, shaking his head in despair, “She killed them!”

“Vegas, how high do these drugs actually make you?” Porsche asks, seeming baffled.

“Hey!” Macau snaps, briefly glancing up to glare at Porsche before focusing on Vegas again, “Bede is a bitch. I agree. Super annoying character. But she did not kill your pokemon, I promise-”

“They’re dead!” Vegas whimpers, letting his head fall on Pete’s shoulder. Pete just reaches over to pet his hair. In this particular battle, Macau clearly has more patience trying to explain the flaws in Vegas’s reasoning. 

“My P-Purrloin,” Vegas says, his voice a rasp, “My Scorbunny. My angels. I didn’t even name them yet-”

“So?” Kim says, getting up to take Macau’s seat, much to Chay’s aggravation, since the seat in question is right next to him, “You haven’t named your fish yet either and they’re actually alive-”

“Pete Junior, Kim Junior, and Arm Junior,” Vegas shoots back, glaring at his cousin through his tears, “I decided last night.”

“Why did you…” Pete starts, then shakes his head, “Nevermind. Give Macau your Switch. He’ll patch your babies up, I promise.”

“He won’t because they’re dead -”

Macau quickly takes the Switch off Vegas’s lap and starts pressing a few buttons. Within a minute, he returns the console to his brother and pats him on the back.

“There,” Macau says, nodding once, “All healed up. Check and see for yourself.”

Vegas hesitates, but takes the Switch and checks for himself.

“They’re okay now,” Vegas says quietly, the cheerful score of the Pokemon Center coming through the Switch’s speakers. He reaches up to hug his brother gratefully before returning to the game. 

“So next time you lose a battle in what should be an easy game, what are you going to do?” Porsche asks in annoyance, apparently not fully over his hard feelings despite Vegas’s previous apology and current mindset.