Descending the mountain feels like it doesn’t take any time at all, Eve’s and my excitement in a feedback loop, bouncing between us. As we get closer and closer, it strikes me how small Vaniville truly is. Besides a rather large earthen Rhyhorn racing track and the storefront buildings lining the main street, I count barely a dozen houses that dot the landscape around the town.
As we reach the foot of the mountain, I begin to feel anxiety swirl in my stomach. I wasn’t entirely sure what was going to happen when I actually walked into the town. It would of course, be most likely that nobody would give me a second glance, but the couple of scenarios that popped up into my mind were way worse. What if rangers in the town recognized me; or worse, if my father had somehow tracked me down and was waiting for me within the town limits?
As I anxiously mull, Eve sighs and trots over to a river being fed by a waterfall. Assuming she’s just going to drink some water, I don’t give it a second glance, letting myself fall into my worries. Well, I quickly find out I’m wrong when Eve playfully knocks me off her back, sending me flying into the water. I stand up and gasp for air, sending a questioning anxiety to my partner, worried I hurt her in some way while I was lost in my head. Eve scoffs, and sends back amused worry. My heart warms a bit; she had noticed my anxiety, and decided to take it into her own hands, er, paws.
Climbing out of the water, I shiver as I run over to my bag and pull out a fresh set of clothes, but groan when I find that the only things still clean are a pair of shorts and my favorite hoodie. I change into them regardless, stuffing my soaked clothes into an isolated bag pocket in my bag, primarily so that they didn’t get the rest of my stuff wet. Grumpily, I also pull on a set of flip flops that I had, um, borrowed before I left Paldea.
Well, to be honest, I had stolen most of the stuff I currently had on me. It turns out when your father controls most of your life, if you rebel from him in the most dramatic way possible he won’t be happy about it! Who woulda thunk!? Anyways, I was left penniless, unable to gather any funds legally because of my age and status, so I didn’t have very many options. I was lucky that Eve was so good at finding food in the wild, but I was dying for a good homemade meal. Unfortunately, the small amount of funds I had gathered were to go to supplies for the circuit.
Obviously growing impatient at me dawdling around while changing, Eve pokes at me with her paw. I chuckle as I stand, throwing my bag over my shoulder. My anxiety thoroughly smote, I playfully push the Absol as I begin the trek to the town in the distance.
As we walk, Eve joyfully runs around, and I eventually catch her introducing herself to the leader of a pack of Gogoat and Skiddo. I notice a pride of Pyroar lying around a large flat rock, cleaning each other and their Litleo. A group of White flower Flabebe and Floette float gracefully towards me, which I find quite a breathtaking sight, but I can’t silently gape when I see the singular gigantic white Florges following in their wake.
Eve hastily hops over to the court of fairies and dramatically bows, sending me a wave of urgency the entire time. Confused, I mirror her, finding that as I do the group of flower Fae playfully chatters and giggles at me. I look up to find the Florges talking calmly with my partner, before it starts to fly off, the other fairies waving goodbye as they follow. Unsure of what just happened, I just shrug when Eve sends me a sliver of relief. It’s probably a good thing I didn’t understand what was said, Fae are hard enough to deal with when you can only barely tell what they are trying to communicate.
Continuing onward, I soon notice the first building of town approaching in the distance across a large grassy field. Me and Eve look at each other for just a moment before we both take off running. Wind rushing past us, I grin as I see my partner playfully hopping around me, displaying how she could dominate me in a race. This thankfully, wasn’t a race, so we both arrive at the house’s fence at the same time. Leaning on a post, I gasp for breath, then when I get it back I pull my hood down over my head.
It was time for something I hadn’t exactly done many times before. I knew that when Pokemon were in their pokeball they had full knowledge of what was happening on the outside, and that they would be in a ideal environment for them, but it still didn’t sit right with me to keep my partner cooped up. If I had a choice, I would let her run free while I did things in the city.
Unfortunately, we didn’t have a choice at the moment. I was definitely wanted in Paldea, and Absol were still seen as the bringers of disaster pretty much everywhere despite it being proven otherwise. Having Eve be potentially spotted was a recipe for us being chased away before we got a chance to gather supplies, so we had agreed on this the night before. Frowning, I pull out the red and black pokeball my mother had sent me, only to have my lips morph into a small smile when Eve sends me a huge bundle of reassurance. Willing my friend back into her small home, she disappears in a flash of red light. I put the crimson ball to my head for a few moments before attaching it to my belt, sending my love towards my friend the whole time.
Walking past the house I had run up to, I find that Vaniville is as small as it looked from afar. I see no one as I walk through the streets, yet the sounds of a crowd at the race track in the distance tells me that the place isn’t abandoned. I run my hand along a stone fence as I walk, my fingers rumbling across its rough surface. When the fence turns into a house, I step away and find myself aiming for the large main street I had seen from above.
It doesn’t take me long to find it, considering the lack of streets to search. A few businesses line its sides, such as a small grocery store, a laundromat and a Pokemon center. None of those are what catch my eye however, instead, my eyes lock onto a rather colorful storefront with a chalkboard sign outside it stating, “Salon Vaniville”.
I reach up to feel the ends of my hair, which I had been growing out since I had met Eve. Patting my wallet, I sigh at how empty it is, but decide to take a chance. I walk up to the door, and with its bells ringing behind me I step inside. An amazingly pleasant aroma fills the air, and I find my exhaustion fleeing as I step up to the attendant.
The woman sitting behind the stands, flashing me the classic customer service smile. The woman is older, considering the long strike of gray in her brunette hair, but her skin shows no sign of that. Her comfortable looking blouse and khakis are protected by a black apron, with several shiny silver tools peeking out from inside of its pockets. I know I’m short, but she had to have a foot of height on me too.
“Welcome to Salon Vaniville! How may we serve you today?” The woman flashes me a toothy smile right after she speaks.
Feeling immediately out of my depth, I slow down as I approach her. I open my throat to respond, but as I do I remember I hadn’t spoken in probably two months. I feel my voice begin to emerge, but a sudden terror spreads through me. Unsure of why I was terrified, I gesture up towards my head, in hopes that the woman would understand.
“I see, you’d like to get that cleaned up?” Holding her chin, the woman peers down at me.
I nod, giving my best attempt at a smile as I look her in the eyes. I could still salvage this, it was my first human interaction in a while after all. For a moment, she just stares at me, before stepping out around the corner and pulling my chin up towards her. Slightly terrified at this development, I stare up at her, finding a grin begin to spread across her face.
“Well, aren’t you a cute one, miss?" Tapping her chin, the woman's grin turns into a smirk the longer she looks at me. "I have a potentially lucrative deal for you, if you’d like to take it.”
I freeze, a warm joy spreading through me at what she called me. Taking a few steps back, I breathe in deeply before tilting my head in a frail attempt to get her to elaborate.
The woman laughs, seemingly understanding my plea. “In exchange for you serving as a… bit of an experiment for one of my staff, you won’t have to pay for anything today!”
I raise an eyebrow, and she continues: “She’ll do whatever she wants to you, which could be most anything to be honest. For reference, our full package normally costs thirty thousand.”
Despite my trepidation, my gravely and hoarse voice immediately retorts, getting a righteous smirk out of the woman.
“T-Thirty," I cough a few times, a bit worried I was going to see blood fly out, “thousand?!”
I pale as I touch my wallet in horror, knowing I don’t have anything close to that available. I consider my options, and when I look up I see the woman begin walking towards the back of the store. She looks back at me smugly, and I know that I am beat. I trudge forward with my head down, anxiously following the woman behind a closed door.
Inside the back room, besides the couple of comfortable looking chairs with sinks attached, is a honestly beautiful girl that I can immediately tell is the woman’s daughter due to how tall she was. As she stands up, her short chocolate hair bounces an inch above her shoulder, a touch darker than her mothers. Two small braids in front of her ears stretch an inch or two lower than the rest of her hair, held together by pink flower hair ties. Her clothes are more sporty than her mother’s, as if she were planning to go running after her shift, but the apron she covers them with is the same.
As the pair whispers something between themselves, I begin to feel a bit like a fish out of water, something that only grows when I see both of them turn to look at me with a smirk. Pushing down the urge to run, I obediently sit down when the younger girl pats the chair and gives me a look. A wide smile on her face, she walks to stand in front of me, and for the first time I notice her eyes. They’re a breathtaking dark crimson, and as I look into them, I feel a shiver run down my spine.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Sofie! We’ll get started here soon, but I need to grab a few things first." Her legs a blur, she moves to the other side of the room in a flash. "If you need something, call for Penelope, she’ll probably come check. Now, lean back and put your head down until I return.”
I mutter, “Probably?”, as I oblige her request, hearing a faucet turn on behind me as I do. Sofie steps out in front of me, grabbing a small box which she cheerfully carries over and places next to the sink. After running her hand through the stream, splashing my scalp with some surprisingly refreshing water, I gasp as Sofie places a heated towel onto my face. It’s almost too hot, but I quickly get used to it.
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Snickering at my reaction, the girl moves the faucet so that my hair begins to soak, the now comfortably warm water causing a fuzzy feeling to begin to envelop me. Sofie’s hands don’t help, as she begins to run her fingers through my hair, helping each strand receive the hydration they had been denied for so long.
Immensely comfortable, I nearly miss her voice as Sofie asks me a question: “So, miss traveler, can I get your name?”
My heart does a little flip, for multiple reasons. Name? Oh Arceus, what do I call myself? Before I can stop myself and without much thought my hoarse voice says the first name that pops to mind.
“M-Morgan.”
I pause, wondering where that name had come from. Before I can think about it too deeply, I hear Sofie hum as she pops a bottle open beside me. A second after the water stops I hear a spurt before the girl’s hands spread a chilling gel against my scalp and hair.
“Morgan, hm? It’s a nice name," She says, her eyes focused on her work, "What brings you to Vaniville, Morgan?”
I hem and haw for a second, but knowing that lying outright will just lead to problems in the future, I give the most honest answer I can: “To sign up for the Circuit.”
Humming in interest, Sofie starts putting more strength into her scalp massage, a foamy feeling quickly spreading as she does. “Really? If you came here for that, you must have come from the mountains. It’s a bit of a rarity around here, to be honest. If they knew, everyone would be hounding you for information.”
A second later, she whispers into my ear, “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”
Giggling to herself as I shiver, Sofie’s hands cease their movements as she rinses my hair. I find myself a bit sad they’re gone, only to hear a second bottle being opened as well. The flow of water stops and Sofie drops the gloop onto my head, carefully spreading it between my locks while removing the tangles and split ends she had taken note of earlier.
“Wew~. Your hair is a mess, you must have been traveling for a while." Starting at my roots, she runs a brush down my hair.
Wincing as Sofie tugs a bit on a knot, I grunt in affirmation, not giving a real answer. I wonder what she would say if I admitted it was two months. Probably call me an idiot for not taking care of it for all that time, I definitely deserved it. Who just throws everything away and steals a bunch of things before heading into the wilderness to get to a place you had never been before?
“Eek?!”
Loudly giggling at the result of her suddenly pushing a cold stream of water over my hair while I was distracted by anxiety, Sofie runs her hands through my now smooth and tangle free hair. I just knew I’d be beat red right now if not for the towel covering my face. As the water comes to a sudden stop, I hear the girl behind me stand up and move over to grab something. The towel on my face vanishes for a second before being replaced by another.
“You just relax for a moment, I need to get a few things ready~.” Rushing away, Sofie softly hums a song I don't recognize.
I murmur a definitely incoherent response as my consciousness begins to fade a bit. It had been… a long time since I had been this comfortable. I doubted it would last much longer, but it was really nice being treated as who I wanted to be, rather than someone I kind of hated. Plus, Sofie was kind of a joy to be around. After a indeterminate amount of time passes, the towel suddenly leave my face. Blinking rapidly to regain my sight, I quickly look away from the smirking Sofie as she looms over me.
“Hope you had a nice little nap, but now's the hard part. I need you to stay pretty and still for me, okay?” Sofie places her hand on the chair, letting the other rest on her hip.
I take a moment to come back to reality, nod, and the girl gets to work. I hold back a screech as she picks me up, transferring me to a different chair, this one without a sink. After a quick brush to gather it, and a quick trim with a pair of scissors, Sofie very tightly ties up a portion of my hair, clipping the tiny ponytail up onto my scalp before wrapping the upper half of my hair in tinfoil. I catch a Minccino rush up to clean the fallen hair before it nearly immediately disappears.
“Just to be safe. It’s actually a bit of a blessing that your hair isn’t too long, since we won’t have to dye that much of it," Sofie says, but I think it's just to reassure herself.
Taking a deep breath, Sofie begins to very carefully apply a sludge to my inner hair, making sure that every inch is covered. For a few tedious minutes I sit as still as possible, anxious that if I moved it would all be screwed up beyond repair. When the girl messing with my hair finally takes a breath of relief and wraps the bottom half of my hair in tinfoil, I almost crumple as the tension leaves me.
Pumping her fist, Sofie grins. “Hard part over! Next step!”
Sofie pulls the tinfoil from the top half, and restarts the process that she had just done. I tense up a bit, but realizing it probably won’t be that bad, I let my shoulders relax. It doesn’t take her long to finish, wrapping it up in the same foil she had just removed. Feeling a bit silly with all this tin foil on my head, I glance at Sofie to catch her preparing something else.
“What’s that for?” I murmur, and when the girl turns, she holds up a bottle of black nail polish.
“Manicure! It’s not technically part of what we offer but like..." Shrugging, Sofie sits down on a chair and rolls herself over to me. "We have to wait for the dye to dry anyways, so we might as well!”
“Uh… okay?” I manage to get out, her enthusiasm a bit overwhelming.
Sofie begins with cutting my nails, pushing back my cuticles right after.
Seemingly uncaring of decorum, Sofie outright asks,“So, what Pokemon do you have?"
“Um…” I hesitate, unsure if it would be a good idea to reveal Eve or not.
“You do have a Pokemon with you right? I know that you have to have one to sign up for the circuit.” Sofie raises her eyebrow at me, but keeps working.
Biting my lip, I look away from Sofie, who sighs and swaps to my other hand.
“Would it make you feel a bit better... If I told you the two Pokemon I’m bringing with me on my own journey?” Trembling in it's excitement, Sofie's voice echoes around the small room
I blink twice, her words sinking in.
“You’re joining the circuit too?” I whisper, my mind jumping to a few different conclusions.
“Yup!” Sofie claps twice, and the Minccino I saw earlier comes running towards us, pausing in confusion at the lack of a mess. Reaching over, Sofie pats them on the head, receiving a quick nuzzle in return before the busy bee runs off towards the sink, wiping up some water that had apparently splashed out of the bowl.
“This is Cappuccino the Minccino! She kinda showed up one day, vigorously cleaning all the hair up off of our floor." Smiling joyfully, Sofie looks lovingly at the Chinchilla. "When I said I was going through the circuit this year, she demanded to join up.”
I give a smile to the little chinchilla, which somehow gives it permission to run up to my legs and sweep up some hair that it had missed. I find myself giggling, an indescribable joy swelling up inside of me.
I really, really loved Pokemon.
Shifting back to my other hand, Sofie applies a clear coat of polish then places my nails into a bowl of water.
“My other Pokemon is probably out in the window at the front of the shop. Chamomile is a Petilil, so she loves the sun," Sofie announces, looking back as if she could see them. "She was my first Pokemon and we kind of spoiled her by letting her sit in the window like that for so long. She’s getting a bit... squishy."
A muffled cry from the other room defends itself, and I find myself laughing in sync with Sofie this time. Finding that I actually did feel a bit better about sharing now, I take a deep breath. As the words leave my lips, I steel myself for the inevitable rejection.
“Absol,” I say under my breath, the volume of my words barely a whisper.
Sofie blinks twice, but doesn’t stop applying the clear coat to my left hand.
“Pardon?” A quick swipe and she finishes the thumb.
Anxious, I look down, away from the girl doing my nails.
“Eve, my Pokemon, she’s an Absol.” I mutter, my voice feeling more hoarse then ever.
Sofie actually pauses for a moment, then whistles as she replaces my right hand with the left in. With slow practiced motions, my nails begin to turn to a midnight black.
“That’s really not a Pokemon I hear of very much." Her wrist barely moves as Sofie paints, "Can I meet them?”
I turn to look the girl in the eyes, finding an honest interest behind them.
“You’re not scared?” I ask, my voice shaking.
Sofie softly kicks my leg, and I squeak.
“Rude, a Pokemon rumored to bring disasters is nothing compared to the ones the old loner guy at the edge of the town has around." Sofie scoffs, pointing out her thumb to the west. "I’ve seen his Kangaskhan casually cause an earthquake. I’m not some innocent maiden, so don't treat me like it.”
Quickly putting it into memory that I need to avoid that man, my gaze shifts to a very interesting corner of the ceiling. I take a deep breath, finding myself unable to stop smiling. For the first time since I had arrived in the Salon, Eve had sent me a bit of happiness as Sofie had so casually accepted her. When I look down at the girl, however, I find myself unable to say what I truly feel.
“W-Well, maybe you can meet her." I whisper, feeling Eve's joy in my chest, "I-If we find ourselves in a place where she’ll fit.”
Sofie snickers, swapping my hands again. “I have just the place, let’s go there after you sign up for the Circuit today.”
I nod, falling into a small daze as I watch her work on my hands. Despite her casually chatting with me, it seemingly doesn’t impact her focus at all. Her hands barely move as the polish brush spread’s its ink over the canvas, a deceptively warm darkness covering the past I so dreaded. Her palm, slightly revealed by the way she holds the brush, is covered in small scars and calluses, a beautiful recollection of the work that she had put into her life.
We sit in silence as Sofie works, both of us content to allow for the rather nice atmosphere we had going to stay as it was for the moment. It isn’t until Sofie finishes applying a clear coat of polish onto my nails that she gets up and carefully removes the foil from my hair. Grinning ear to ear at the sight of her work, Sofie offers me a hand, pulling me to my feet when I take it. Dragging me behind her, she begins to parade me to a mirror, but before we arrive she abruptly stops, turning to squint at me with her chin in her hand.
“Hmm… HMM… Something is missing…” Sofie snaps her fingers as she realizes something, zipping open a small bag and rushing back over to me after grabbing three things out of it.
“Close your eyes for me Morgan," she orders, a look of determination on her face.
I hesitantly oblige, flinching when I feel something touch my lips, then something else against the edges of my eyes. I obediently keep them closed though.
Placing her hands on my shoulders, Sofie pushes me forwards towards the mirror. “You can open them now~.”
Taking a deep breath, my eyes flutter open and I gasp at the sight of, well, me. My hair, once a ugly brown mess, now displays a beautiful blackish blue hue, contrasted magnificently by the pastel pink of my inner hair. It’s still not too long, I sort of wish that it was longer, but somehow Sofie had managed to make it look great. The light mascara and slightly pink lip gloss were good touches, but it made me wonder how I was going to manage to do it myself.
Holding back tears, I reach down and squeeze Eve’s pokeball, getting a teeny bit of concern at my distress. I shake my head, looking at my feet, anxiety of a new kind filling me. When this all faded, when I no longer looked like this, who would I be? A quick glance at the mirror showed me what I wished to see, a cute girl in too big athletic shorts and a dingy burgundy hoodie, yet every glance seemed to show imperfections, a way that the world would see me as someone I wasn’t. I can feel Eve prepare to forcibly leave her ball, but she is stopped by Sofie saying something that makes both of us pause to reexamine the situation.
“Now that we’re done, we need to get going," Sofie states, as if her presence was a matter of fact. "The circuit signups end at sundown, and you’ll miss the period if we dawdle too long.”
“I, uhm, You’re coming with me?” I mutter, unsure of if I heard her right.
Sofie winks, walking over to pick up Cappuccino. She allows it, but continues to stare at a small mess that Sofie had made in the makeup bag.
“Of course, you said you’d show me your Absol, and I just gave you a whole makeover." Moving to stand behind me, Sofie pats me on my shoulder. "If we aren’t friends after something like that, I’m definitely doing something wrong.”
“We're... Friends…” I murmur, the words unfamiliar on my tongue.
Feeling tears rise for a different reason then before, I bite my lip as I rush out the salon’s back room. When I step outside, the first thing I notice is Chamomile, hopping over to see the results of her Trainer’s work. When I see her, I can’t help it; I start cackling, gripping my stomach as my knees give out from under me. Sofie, stepping around me, is obviously a bit confused at my sudden laughing fit as she picks up her Petilil and places it onto her head.
“What’s so funny?” Sofie asks, her Pokemon deflating a little.
Wiping a tear from my eye, I grin as I look up at her.
“You were right, she IS plump!”