For the first time in his life Barry would not be spending his birthday with his parents, and he'd been trying his best not to let that affect him too much.
He couldn't blame them for not coming all the way to Pastoria. With the threat of Team Galactic looming all over the region it would be a miracle if they got a single day off. The people of Sinnoh needed them; what was a lousy birthday compared to that?
They called to say they'd swing by as soon as they could to give him his present, but he told them not to worry through a forced smile. They shouldn't strain themselves, he said. There would be plenty of time later to get together and eat cake.
Hopefully.
Forlorn, he looked down at the birthday card they'd sent through the mail, and folded it into his pocket after what felt like a minute. He walked to the mirror in his room and examined his own face.
No, that wouldn't do, he decided. He'd have to change his expression before going downstairs to have breakfast with Niss and the rest. It was his day, and he was supposed to be happy, if not for himself then at least for the people around him.
So he changed into his freshly washed clothes, combed his hair for the second or third time in his life and practiced a few smiles. Once he found one that suited him he opened the door of his room and walked down the stairs, into the lobby of the Pokemon Center.
He barely set foot there before a familiar pair of arms closed around him, throwing his body into the nearby wall.
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Inyssa didn't care one bit that the place was packed full of trainers -when the hell wasn't it?- nor that she felt a few eyes on her back as soon as she tackle-hugged Barry into the wall.
It was her best friend's birthday god dammit, and she was not going to tame her excitement for the sake of a bunch of strangers. And if anyone had any complaints then she would gladly tell them where they could stuff them, thank you very much.
"It's your birthday!" she declared, tightening her grip around his neck.
"It sure is," Barry replied with a strained voice.
She freed him from her strangling hug and took a step back, still grinning from ear to ear. "I can't believe you're finally a grownup! Now you can do as much illegal stuff as you want!"
"I… don't think that's how that works, Niss."
Correct or not, she grabbed him by the hand and walked him to their table, where Percy and Reiko waited and failed to pretend that they didn't crave the delicious chocolate cake in front of them. Inyssa did notice Barry wasn't as enthusiastic about it as he should've been, but she figured it must be nervousness or something like that. Carefully, she cut four slices and handed it to them, excitement still running like electricity through her.
Reiko was the first to take a bite, or a chomp to be more accurate, as she disappeared two thirds of the slice into her mouth.
"Eighteen, huh?" she said after swallowing it. "I can't believe you gotta be that old to go out on a trainer journey in this ass-backwards region."
Inyssa pursed her lips, trying to ignore the sting of her comment.
"I'm surprised you two were able to bend the rules and go before that," added Percy.
"That's because Rowan is the coolest professor there is," Inyssa said, lifting her chin.
"We should call him," Barry hurried to say, catching the glimpse of conflict in Reiko's eyes. "And thank him for letting us start our journey early."
Inyssa let out a Pfft and patted him in the back hard enough to sting. She was having trouble controlling her strength, or any other part of her for that matter. It had been a long time since she'd felt so excited for someone else.
"There's no time for that!" She pointed at him. "This is your day, and I'm gonna make sure that you spend every minute of it having as much fun as possible!"
"It kinda sounds like a threat when you put it that way."
Reiko and Percy exchanged a look at the other side of the table, trying to stifle their smiles. A strange sort of recognition flashed across their eyes.
"That seems like a noble enough endeavor for me to waste my time on," said the latter, feigning a sigh.
"We have a lot of time to kill before the bonfire party," nodded the former. "So let's make good use of it."
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A few hours later, and for the first time in his life, Barry thought that he'd gotten enough sugar for one day . It was a wholly unpleasant feeling, one that he'd rather not repeat in the future.
Other than that, it all went swimmingly, with even his Pokemon joining in on the celebration. Most failed to understand the concept of a birthday, but were still happy to spend time with him. He even managed to find a small birthday hat to put on Auri's head while she dozed off in his arms.
His presents definitely took the cake, though. Reiko and Percy gifted him a comprehensive Pokemon care set, full to the brim of little tools and doodads that he could use to pamper the members of his team. The set included a grinding wheel for Pedri's fins, a soft hairbrush and a complementary napkin made out of Flaaffy's wool, quality tweezers and a box full of differently flavored Pokeblocks, which would come in handy whenever he needed incentives. If those lazy butts didn't work hard to win then at least they would do it for delicious treats.
Lucas, who met him and Inyssa for a few minutes in a nearby café, went above and beyond his expectations and finally revealed his secret project; a set of four beautiful silver Pokeballs made with the metal from Skarmory's feathers. He would've been content with just how nice they looked, but it turned out they had a practical use besides being pretty. Lucas told him to grab one and throw it as if he were catching a Pokemon, and he did. The ball traveled for about twenty feet before slightly stopping in place, spinning and flying back to his hand, though the surprise made it so it almost hit him in the face.
"The texture and malleability of the metal allows it to work like a boomerang. That way you don't have to go look for it after you throw it," Lucas said, raising his finger in a scholarly manner. "They're only the beta version of my project, but I hope they can work well, even if they have a few defects."
One of those defects, he explained, was that the premeditated lock-down system hadn't been installed yet. This was the feature that allowed a trainer, should they catch a particularly violent Pokemon, to forcefully activate the lock of the device so it couldn't be opened in any way for a period of six hours. It was a fail-safe that was rarely used, so Barry didn't mind and thanked him for such an amazing gift. And, being who he was, he gave two of the Pokeballs to Niss.
Not wanting to be outmatched, she presented her own gift in return. He couldn't help but gasp as he set eyes on it, curling his fingers in excitement. It was an odd looking black belt, a simple piece of cloth that most would've mistaken for trash.
But he knew better, from years and years of watching competitive battles. He knew that the belt had been woven from a Hydreigon's fur, and he knew that it had the strange power of allowing the Pokemon wearing it to deal significantly more damage to their opponent if their attack had type effectiveness.
Touching it felt like grabbing air that had been given form. He stared at it for almost an entire minute, speechless.
"Niss… this is…" he whispered, voice thin. "This is an S-rank battle item! How did you…?"
He was once again silenced with a sudden hug, followed by a soft kiss on the cheek.
"Don't worry about it," she said, beaming. "You deserve it."
She didn't stop there, and Barry soon learned that Niss' ambition extended past her desire to become the Champion and into anything she put her mind into. She worked as hard as her under-slept body allowed so he could have a pleasant birthday, and he enjoyed it to the fullest to thank her for it.
He had such a great time that he even managed to forget for a day about the voice that had spoken to him during the Gym fight. He had an inkling as to whom that voice belonged to, but he decided to investigate later, considering the occasion and all.
In the end they all decided to head back to their rooms at around eight, giving them enough time to shower, change and have a little nap before the party, something they'd all been looking forward to.
Barry smiled as he lay his head into the soft pillow of his bed. Even if it wasn't what they expected, even if it turned out to be boring or awful, he didn't care. As far as he knew his birthday had already been a success, and he wouldn't let anything ruin that for him.
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The last party Inyssa had gone to happened when she was barely fifteen, thrown by a snotty girl in her class who invited her because she had a crush on her, or so the rumors said. Even then, all she did was stand close to a pillar and slowly sip her cup of soda, until the clock reached twelve and she was free to leave.
All in all, she wasn't quite in, as she imagined the kids said these days, but that didn't mean she couldn't have fun. She'd just follow the party rules she'd seen in movies: don't get into trouble, try not to make a fool of yourself by dancing and, if two people started fighting, cheer on the one that looked bigger and stronger.
Those were the thoughts going through her head as they made their way towards the Great Marsh. Barry walked next to her, dressed quite casually with a simple green shirt and grey jeans. She'd decided to go for the stylish look with a loose, thin sweater, tight blue pants and a purple pair of aviator glasses.
"You know those are for like… when it's sunny out, right?" asked Barry.
"Style is style, regardless of the time of day," she replied.
She'd have thought that making a bonfire in the middle of a marsh would be a bit of a counterproductive idea, but as they arrived to the party and noticed the giant, twisting pillar of flame beckoning them, she had to admit that, for once, she'd been wrong. Whoever had planned the party managed to find an elevated piece of ground far away from all the water and Pokemon, around which a multitude of people did… whatever people did in parties. As they wormed their way through she saw that a few were drinking with friends, while others danced to the beat of some douchebag's guitar, his voice like that of a cheese grater being run through a meat grinder.
Since the place was crawling with wild vegetation and the light of the flames didn't reach far, she couldn't exactly tell how spread out the people were or how big the party was. Still, judging by the distant screams and laughs she heard once in a while she figured it must've extended at least a few hundred yards.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
It took them a few minutes of walking until they found Reiko and Percy, and they were only able to do so thanks to the former's hair being as bright as the bonfire itself.
"Man, it's been what… minutes?" Reiko smiled, placing both hands on her hips. "Never thought I'd see you without the hat, pipsqueak."
Percy tried to stifle laughter. "She was seriously considering making a bet whether or not you had a bald spot under that thing."
Her comment shouldn't have bothered Inyssa, it had no reason to do so. And still she felt that spark in her stomach, heating up her limbs ever so slightly. With a deep breath she forced the anger down and tried to smile.
"Thanks. You two look… adjective."
"You look great!" Barry added, throwing his hands up in the air.
As they made their way towards a little corner of the party they could call their own, Inyssa chastised herself for the way she was feeling. She really didn't want to be mad at Reiko, she knew it was stupid and both of them had already apologized to the other. But then again her anger had never given a single shit about what she wanted, so why would it start now?
Gloomily, she grabbed a red plastic cup from one of the nearby tables spread all around and imitated Reiko as she mixed soda with an alcoholic beverage whose name she couldn't quite make out. She felt Barry's judging glance on her as she took it to her lips, but decided to ignore him.
It tasted overly sweet, with the unmistakable odor of alcohol she'd grown accustomed to by living with her mother. Not bad, but not great either. She didn't understand what the woman saw in it.
"Of course it had to be sweet," Percy scoffed, bringing her back to reality. "I'm guessing the frat boys throwing this party haven't considered wine as an alternative for those of us with an actual palate, have they?"
"Forget wine," said Reiko. "Where's the sour drinks!? I can't just drink this sweet stuff all night, I'm gonna get cavities!"
Inyssa moved the cup with her fingers, sloshing the drink inside. "Yeah… alcohol talk. I totally understand what you guys are talking about."
"You shouldn't even be drinking," Reiko pointed at her, frowning. "But I know a guy who should!"
She extended her arm forward and offered some to Barry. His hair seemed to get pointier as he was approached with it, and he raised both hands to the side, gulping.
"It's… it's okay," he smiled nervously. "I think I'll just go with soda for now."
Some awkwardness aside, the party didn't end up being the oppressive, anxious trap she expected, mostly because the attendants seemed to keep to themselves and their group of friends, thank god.
Looking down at her wrist she saw Hao with what she imagined were party clothes, dancing and winking at her. At least someone was having a good time.
They kept talking over the loud music for a few minutes, occasionally sipping their drinks without thinking about it much, and Inyssa realized she was slowly getting used to the strong flavor of it. They had planned to do a toast for Barry's birthday, but they needed Lucas for that and the boy hadn't arrived yet, for some ungodly reason.
Barry's Pokétch started to beep as soon as she thought that.
"Huh? Oh, it's Lucas!" he said, having difficulty reading the message with one hand occupied. "He says he's here already, but… he's being, held up?" he scrunched up his nose. "What does that mean?"
"Did he say where he is?" inquired Inyssa.
"Yeah, close to the entrance and the bonfire."
They decided to go look for him, hoping he hadn't gotten himself into any kind of trouble, though she couldn't imagine how he could do such a thing. The boy was so stupidly adorable even a starving Ursaring would've had pity on him.
They found him behind one of the thick trees that were blocking the light of the bonfire, which slightly reflected off his thick glasses. The boy looked towards them and formed a wavy, anxious smile. He seemed to be talking to someone who was sitting against the tree.
Someone who, as Inyssa discovered once she reached her, looked like a younger version of Fantina, if the woman fancied dressing up as a shitty witch. Her entire outfit was a dark purple, and her skin was so pale it almost seemed to emit light . She set her gaze on the four of them, and showed a smile of shiny white teeth that made Inyssa shiver. After a few moments she looked at Barry, whose eyes had gone wide a few moments before.
"Ah… Barry," she said, barely above a whisper. "The stars told me we would meet here tonight."
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Barry wondered if he secretly had some sort of power to run into the weirdest people, and then he remembered his own theory about the voice he'd heard in the Gym and decided not to follow that particular line of thought any further.
"H-hey Lucas. Hey Sanbica." He waved weakly at both of them. "Nice to see you too."
He felt everyone's eyes on him, made him feel as though little insects were running under his skin. He figured an introduction wouldn't hurt, but he honestly had no idea where to even begin when it came to the woman sitting in front of them.
Reiko was the first to break the ice. "So… I'm guessing you're the Lucas these two have been talking about." She addressed the boy, who nodded nervously and looked down to the floor. "Damn, you're even more of a pipsqueak than Niss! Nice to meet you, pal."
She gave him a pat on the back so strong even Barry could feel it in his bones, and Niss turned towards him with a look of: And you say I'm the tactless one.
You are the tactless one, he replied with his smile.
"And you…" Reiko looked down to the strange woman, narrowing her eyes. "Hold on a second. That outfit… you're a medium, aren't you?"
Sanbica's eyes widened, and the way her sclera contrasted against the darkness made her look like a Hoot-hoot.
"Finally, someone who knows how to show respect around here! I was getting tired of being called a hex maniac by all these thoughtless brats."
Barry caught a glimpse of Niss rolling her eyes at that comment.
"That's awful," said Reiko. "I know a lot of mediums from Lavender tower and they're super cool and fun to hang out with. If you don't count that one time they were possessed by a Marowak's ghost, that is."
Out of all the unlikeliest friendships he could've imagined, Reiko getting along with someone like Sanbica had to be somewhere in the top of the list. Then again he'd been friends with Niss for most of his life, so who was he to judge?
"…Indeed, I met Barry a few days ago in Veilstone," Barry heard Sanbica say once he realized he was spacing out. "I assured him we would meet again, and here we are!" She raised her arms to the side as if wanting to give the air a hug, her loose sleeves falling down and revealing the multitude of bead bracelets adorning her wrists. That strange black dot still rested in the middle of her palms. "Now, do you wish to continue what we were doing back then, Barry? I'll even give you a discount for your birthday."
He felt something uncomfortable set in the pit of his stomach. He had mentioned that his birthday would be around the day of the party, but he never specified exactly when.
Was Sanbica guessing, or…
"Yeah, I'm totally down for this! I love fortune telling!" Reiko exclaimed, startling him. "Unless some grump here wants us not to have fun…"
She glared at Percy and Niss respectively, both of whom simultaneously crossed their arms and looked to the side.
"Not like I have anything better to do," the latter muttered under her breath.
As per her instructions, they all sat in a circle around Sanbica, who was busy placing a heavy black candle in the middle of it. She lit it with a match and then threw a strange powder into the wick, which turned the flame a pale, sickly blue. It didn't illuminate much, in fact it almost seemed to be absorbing the little light they could get from the bonfire.
At Barry's right Lucas shifted in place, shoulders squared up and eyes set on the floor. He couldn't help but agree with his unspoken sentiment; this whole thing was beginning to freak him out a bit.
"Alright then…" said Sanbica once all preparations were complete. "If I'm not mistaken, last time you were quite eager to know your guardian star. Shall we start with that?"
There was a slight, almost in-perceivable change in the atmosphere, as if the world outside their circle were fading and the sounds of chattering and laughter became more distant. Sanbica looked at each one of them directly, her expression completely serious.
"We should start counter-clockwise, since the stars are the dominion of dear Palkia," she declared, before setting her gaze on Niss. "Do you mind being the first? I'm sensing you'd want to get this over with as fast as possible."
Niss' nose flared up at her words, a sign of danger that Barry recognized too well. He feared she might say something hurtful, but instead she simply glared daggers at Sanbica and nodded.
"Good."
She spent the next thirty seconds just… staring at Niss, as if she were a mildly entertaining television show. Barry was about to ask if there was something wrong when she spoke again, startling him.
"Your guardian star is… Tauros," she declared, her voice slightly reverberating. "The stampede Pokemon."
Niss' nose crinkled slightly.
"I was expecting something a bit more…"
Sanbica raised her hand to interrupt her. She hadn't blinked in a while, and when she started speaking again that strange atmosphere swallowed their circle once more.
"Tauros are known for their stubborn nature and constant state of rage," she explained, never breaking eye contact. "They are only able to go forward, blind to all but the path they travel. Stopping them is almost impossible, since they care not for what they might have to demolish to reach their destination. They leave nothing but pain and destruction in their wake."
The air grew cold around them. Everyone's eyes turned towards Niss, who sat in place with a look as if she'd been punched in the face. They saw her rage almost in slow motion; first her eyes went wide, then her lips parted with a gasp of anger and finally she pushed herself up to her feet, free hand turned into a fist.
That's what the rest saw, at least. Barry was different; he felt it.
He couldn't stop his eyes from turning golden, and when they did the full brunt of Niss' anger hit him like a wave of heat. It pierced his skin and dug into his bones, traveling until it set on the pit of his stomach where it lit his insides up. It was the most nauseating, toxic feeling he'd ever experienced, enough to momentarily paralyze him.
How… how the hell can she stand this? the rational part of his mind asked.
Niss inhaled deeply, before saying only three words:
"Go fuck yourself."
She turned around and started walking in the opposite direction, stomping the ground beneath her feet and shoulders squared up. It was too late to stop her by the time Barry came back to his senses, eyes returning back to their normal brown.
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If Inyssa were stomping the ground any harder she would've probably created a few earthquakes by now.
Stupid… hex maniac… who… the fuck… does she think… she is…
With each word she violently took a sip of her drink, until there was no longer anything inside the cup and she crushed it. She approached one of the hundreds of makeshift garbage bins around the party and threw it in there because she still had manners, thank you very much.
Hao's voice reached her from the device on her wrist.
"Ni Ni, are you okay?" he asked, frowning. "If you need to talk…"
"I'm fine," she replied coarsely. "I want to be alone."
He gave her another worried look before nodding and turning the device off. She silently thanked him, walking towards a nearby tree and laying with her back against it. The texture was rough and somewhat spiky, but that was the least of her concerns at the moment.
Sanbica's words still rang inside her mind, turning the anger sour as it swirled and stagnated inside her body. Part of her knew that she only felt this way because there was some truth in what she'd said, but it still wasn't any of her business. She hadn't done anything to her, aside from maybe looking at her the wrong way.
I do that to everyone I don't know, she rationalized. Does she think she's special or something? Because she's not.
"I need another drink," she whispered to herself, voice coarse.
Her eyelids felt heavy, which was odd since she wasn't feeling sleepy; she never did when she was angry, as a matter of fact. Trying to shake it off, she walked towards one of the nearby tables. Her fingers closed around one of the plastic cups when she heard someone talking to her.
"Yo! Niss, right!?"
She turned around vehemently, the cup creaking as her fingers unconsciously put pressure on it.
Not this shit again.
Some guy was waving at her from a few feet away, a dazed smile on his face. He wore a spiked leather jacket that didn't cover his midriff and there were piercing adorning his nose and ears. He looked like the kind of guy who was part of a gang and had nicknamed his bike Melissa or Daisy or something like that.
"Yeah, that's me," she replied grimly. "What do you want?"
He stood there for a moment, as if he had trouble focusing his eyes. She figured it had something to do with the tall cup full of some kind of dark drink he held in one hand.
"Woah, it really is you…" He let out a giggle. "You're… a lot shorter than I expected."
Inyssa's eye twitched. Either the guy was drunk, really dim, or he simply didn't realize the metric fuckton of anger boiling inside the 110 pound girl in front of him. Probably a was a mix of all three.
"What. Do you want," she repeated, eyes narrowed in frustration.
"Oh right, I'm Zachary!" he introduced himself, seemingly unbothered by her cold glare. "Anyway… I saw your fight the other day, that was so rad! And then I saw you here and I was like… Woah, that's the same girl! Crazy, right?"
"Yes, crazy how one person can be in two places at different points in time," she scoffed.
"See! You get it!" He smiled widely, apparently immune to her sarcasm. "So like… wanna hang out?"
That gave her pause. She raised an eyebrow, looking at him as if she expected him to be talking to someone else.
"I'm… sorry?"
"Yeah, me and my friends are just shooting the shit over there." He spun for a few seconds, until finally he pointed at a small mound between two trees. "And I was supposed to come get more drinks, but then I found you! We don't get many trainers over here and I'm sure they'd love to hang out with someone like you."
Perhaps the alcohol had finally started to clog the gears inside her brain a bit, but she genuinely had trouble understanding what she'd just heard. She stood stunned there, eyes going from the guy to the group of people in the distance, drinking and laughing and seeming like they were having a good time.
He… wants me there? she thought, incredulous. Someone wants me to… hang out with them?
At first she laughed, thinking the whole thing some kinda joke. However Zachary just stood there, staring at her as if he didn't understood what was the problem. Either that or he was falling asleep on his feet.
She craned her neck back, towards the place where Barry and the rest still were talking to Sanbica. She couldn't quite go back there after throwing that temper tantrum, could she? And to just stand next to the table, awkwardly drinking until she had an excuse to leave… that felt just a bit too sad now.
After a few moments of consideration she shrugged, and turned towards Zachary.
"Why the hell not," she whispered. "Just let me get another drink first."