Heart of Steel [Pokémon Fanfiction]

31| Parting Lashes

I hastily made my way outside into the midday heat, calling my friend's name. Winona came out behind me, asking what was going on.

"What happened? I heard yelling and then Wallace left!" she protested. To her, her brother had just bolted out of the house, leaving her in the dust without an explanation.

   "You know that tension between your brother and his mom you mentioned?" She nodded. "Well, it sort of blew up in their faces," I said.

   "Can you please find him?" she begged.

   "That's what I'm doing right now. Can you stay here?" I asked. She stammered out a "yes," and I blindly ran out into the city, hoping he hadn't gotten too far.

   With some help from Meteor's thought-sensing, I found Wallace—ironically—by the Tree of Origin. He was talking to himself angrily, clutching a Poké Ball in his hands so tightly I thought it would break.

Then in a burst of frustration, he threw the capsule to the ground, the action automatically triggering the device to open. Starmie appeared and instantly began jumping around her Trainer, her ruby core flashing repeatedly.

   "Quit it, Starmie. I get it. Leave me alone," Wallace muttered.

Starmie's core blinked again, more rapidly this time, and the flashes were much, much brighter. It seemed like she was yelling.

   "Stop talking to me, please! I just want to be alone!" Wallace scrambled to grab Starmie's fallen ball and ended up stumbling and falling to his knees. He snatched up the Poké Ball, his thumb roughly jabbing the center button. Starmie returned to it, emitting one last slow flash from her jewel before vanishing.

Wallace made no effort to stand afterwards. He fell back into a sitting position, head bowed and shoulders shaking slightly, as if he were holding back sobs.

   I opened my mouth to call to him, but faltered halfway through, a stifled syllable being all that came out. Part of me desperately wanted to try and comfort him, but the rest told me to respect what he said and leave him alone.

   "I know you're there," he then said, his voice low and unsteady. He looked up at me with dulled eyes. "You might as well stay. It'd be awkward for the both of us if you didn't." He uttered a humorless laugh, face twisting in anger-laced mirth. Unsettled by this, I didn't want to stay. But I told myself that the reason I was here was to do just that. And so I did, sitting beside him.

   We stayed silent for a minute, the lively buzz from the city muted by flowing water filling the void. I wasn't content to simply sit here, I needed to talk to him. "Y-your mom wants you to come back..." I said cautiously, making no effort to sound convincing.