Chapter Text
Harmony hated the alarm every morning. Every time she slammed her fist on the snooze button, she ended up laying down and staring at the ceiling for an hour at most, snagging time from her sleep. But for a week now, she woke up continuously before the alarm even dared to blare. Her pyjamas would get drenched in sweat and bags would form under her eyes, and her hands clutched uncomfortably on the bedsheets. She was stuck, eyes opened wide, like Darkrai had possessed her.
It’s been a week since the problem with Ange has been solved, right? No more mega evolutions means crisis averted, right? Why has Harmony begun to wake up earlier than expected, and not in a positive light?
Her mind was fogging from the barrage of thoughts that’s creeping up on her brain; and she wanted to scream, but the walls of the hotel room were made of flimsy woodboards. The curtains and blinds were fully on, so the hour remains a mystery for the girl who’s slowly going crazy.
A tear formed on her eye, and realising she was about to cry again like a baby Pokémon, she tried her best to muffle her sniffles. The pure misery kept flowing out from her tear duct, the efforts to silence the sadness breaking by daylight. It didn’t help that the bedsheets began to feel warmer, and an image which served as a reminder was forming in her mind.
His smile.
His charm.
His…
Sniffle. Harmony continued to tear up and her heart started to pound. Her eyes couldn't help but let the tears continue to stain her cheek, moistening the sheets beneath her. Her breathing grew laboured, jagged and rough around the edges. Her nails scrape uncomfortably at the fabric, pulling threads from the bedsheet like a deconstruction. Her chest felt heavy, a feeling replicated by putting multiple Steelixes and Aggrons on her.
“Harmie-”
A soft voice cut through the collection of sobs and heavy breathing, followed by a succession of knocks on Harmony’s door. Harmony grabbed a pillow and put it over her head, and let out a constrained scream.
“GO AWAY LIDA, OR I'LL DRAG YOU TO THE DISTORTION WORLD!”
“... R-right, as you wish-”
Lida left the girl alone despite not seeing her state, and Harmony threw the pillow to the curtains blocking the sunlight. The force from the pillow caused the curtain to move ever so slightly and let enough light pass through, hitting Harmony straight in the tearful eyes. She hissed and writhed in pure agony, her wrist twisting and her palms shaking at the burn. She turned away from the sun’s rays and scooted closer to the edge of the bed, the small hics breaking through the attempted silence. Her friend knew she wasn’t handling the loss well, and it was better for her to let Harmony express this grief instead of adding more fire to the flame.
Harmony muttered under her breath, “Harmie. Who the hell do you think you are, Lida, only he calls me that.” Her voice dripped of anger despite being as loud as a whisper in strong winds, her voice breaking as she said the last word. She was so, so desperate to be called that nickname again, and she didn’t want it coming from anyone else but him. Why, why did he have to be so stubborn enough to walk in the face of Yveltal? “Ur…bain…”, She followed up, a somber tone overtaking the burst of rage she felt, as if she wasn’t just… pissed. The sobbing turned to hiccuping and she began clawing through the sleeves of her shirt. The fabric was thankfully thick enough for her nails not to scratch at her skin, for the scars underneath had been the cause of so much blood on both the bed and on her hands.
Without Urbain’s housekeeping, the stains were still there even after a week. She felt pathetic, like a million knives were all pointing at her, and she tried her hardest not to bash her head against the edge of the bed. But, the harsh sunlight had to be a sign for her to begin her day. Hesitantly, she rolled off the bed and hit her cheek on the rug, but she brushed it off and immediately got up. She glared at the slightly exposed window and rushed to fully close it. She took a sigh and grabbed her towel, indicative that it was time to mask again. After all, she is Lumiose’s greatest trainer. Rank A, after being in the city for only a few weeks, a feat nearly inhuman for many trainers in the globe.
She entered the shower and stared at the flow of water, and closed her eyes. It was rainy that day, the perfect time to evolve Urbain’s Sligoo into a Goodra. Not wanting Harmony to get wet, he decided to bring an umbrella and turned it on once they stepped foot outside of the hotel. The two didn’t mind getting some mud on their sneakers, they’ve been working tirelessly to aid Mable’s Research after all. Urbain was trying to flirt with the gesture, though he failed horribly at it; and yet Harmony just laughed. When they entered the Wild Zone, Urbain let go of the girl and immediately wrapped his arm on her waist as he sent out his Sligoo to scout for any Pokémon to use for experience.
The slimy Pokémon slid over to an Altaria, and Urbain commanded: “Sligoo, use Dragon Breath!”
Altaria fainted, and Sligoo was finally ready to turn into the mighty Goodra. Keeping his flirty stance, he glances over to Harmony, who was as red as a tomato. His stint of commanding a Pokémon while having a girl in his arms did lead to the umbrella being basically useless, Harmony’s hair wet from the downpour; but she didn’t mind. She was in the arms of the love of her dreams, and he didn't even realize it. He winked, before allowing his Sligoo to evolve into Goodra. Urbain had this cheeky smile painted on his face, which wooed Harmony even more.
“Oh, Urbain, you stupidly cute—”
The echo of the room gave away the illusion forming on her mind. Her smile slowly broke away into her near-permanent frown, and her tears began to once again spill from the ducts in her eyes. The image of dirt and rain transformed back to the steel cold porcelain tiles and the highly pressurised shower head; a vision Harmony didn’t want to return to. She turned off the shower knob and wrapped herself in the towel, intending to just return to her preparations for the day. A quick outfit change later and she exited her hotel room with a quickly plastered smile and tinted glasses so she doesn’t look like she’s been crying for the past few hours.
The hallway of the hotel was quiet. Eerily quiet. Things really have changed since AZ and Urbain passed. It looked like a puzzle with missing pieces, something that has been driving the rest of Team MZ into intense grief. While Naveen and Lida could mask their sadness pretty easily, and attempt to distract their mind from the deaths, Harmony’s attempts were more haphazard. Which is why Naveen immediately clocked Harmony’s breakdown based on the dried tears on her cheek.
“Harmony-”
“Naveen.”
“Shit, sorry. I mean… Good morning Harmony.”
Lida knew Naveen knew and she had to shut him up for a quick moment to not let Harmony break. It was best to just move on with their lives as normal to try and not interfere with her mourning, and it was better for Harmony not to melt down again after a long time of doing so. The air was still awkward after the greeting and so Lida tried to uplift all their spirits, including Floette’s, by standing up and teasing Naveen.
“You swear like Canari, huh, you truly are a fan of hers!” Naveen reacted sourly, pulling back; while Floette smiled at Naveen’s disdain and spun around with her eternal flower. Lida then turned to face Harmony, who she could see was chuckling at Naveen’s reaction. “Good morning, Harmony. What do you plan on doing today?”
“Uhm… I guess I could stay here and guard the hotel with Floette?”
“Are you sure you’re not participating in the Infinite Royale today?”
“N-no. Really, I don’t. But you guys, have fun!”
Lida worriedly grimaced at Harmony’s inaction, fearing that leaving her alone would only add to her insanity. Naveen, for once in a blue moon, smiled and got up next to Lida, trying to keep his tone warm and friendly to convince Harmony to adventure with them. A shocked expression was on Lida’s face for a second, and honestly so was Harmony’s. Naveen replied, “Come with us. This was what Urbain wanted, right?”
Oh Urbain. Oh Urbain. Of course, she only wished for the Infinite Z-A Royale because this was what Urbain talked about before they battled one last time. Participating in this would make Urbain happy, and her Pokémon were itching for a battle as they haven’t done so in a while. Lida stepped up and followed up Naveen’s offer with quite more convincing, “Yeah! To make Urbain happy, right?”
To make him happy. Yeah, she could do this. Yeah, she could — but her body disagrees with her. Her knees still felt weak, her mind would still move in and out of focus, and she didn’t really have the mental fortitude and spatial awareness to even battle properly. Making Urbain happy by participating in his dying wish is a desire for Harmony right now, but she can’t drive herself to get out there and participate in the Battle Zones. So, Harmony shook her head and sheepishly grinned.
“You guys… I would like to as well… But I’m not ready to really battle yet.”
Lida put her hand on Harmony’s shoulder.
“Then we’ll help you get ready! That’s what friends are for, right?”
Kyururu!, Floette responded. Harmony continued to refuse, shaking her head and gently pushing away Lida’s hand from her body. She glanced over to the immortal Pokémon and walked over to her, letting out a light chuckle before looking back at the two of her friends. Naveen tried to approach Harmony but was interrupted by the buzz of his Rotom Phone. He picked it up and checked the notification, which turns out to be his next opponent in the Infinite Z-A Royale.
“Who-?”
Lida and Harmony watched Naveen’s Z-A Royale App slowly reveal who his next match was, and Naveen’s eyes immediately narrowed in shock — the adrenaline in his veins rushing. The dancer girl next to him giggled at the tailor’s reaction, before patting him on the shoulder. “Is it Canari? You’re going to fight THE Canari!?”
“N-no— It’s… someone worse!”
“Hm?”
“Jacinthe!”
Lida began to laugh wildly like a Poochyena, while continuously hitting Naveen from the back; while Harmony is trying her best to contain her laughter. Naveen just stands in horror as he realized he has to go through a lot of craziness, a lot of misadventures, just to fight this socialite. He whipped around to grab Lida’s wrist and to end this small bit of embarrassment. Lida stopped laughing, and held it in, enjoying pissing off Naveen (because they needed a few moments of positivity without Urbain). Her Rotom Phone did buzz and reveal her next opponent, to which she checked first before looking back at Naveen to tease him.
“Oh look, I have to fight Canari, I wish Naveen will be there to witness this.”
“Uhm, hello, I’m literally right here!”
“You really do have the funniest reactions, Naveen.”, Harmony said.
“C-Can we trade promotion matches, please?”
“Nuh-uh! Tough luck, buddy!” Lida blew a raspberry while sliding her Rotom Phone back on her jacket’s pocket, much to Naveen’s disdain. The boy forcepalmed and moaned in frustration, but decided not to give in to Lida’s ragebait or it’ll just worsen. For the first time since Urbain’s last moments with her, Harmony was genuinely enjoying the interaction between her friends. Despite losing her most precious one, these people are still in her daily life. They might not match Urbain’s goofiness and his antics, but she loved her friends a lot. Team MZ, while losing its leader, was still part of a whole. Though the joy wouldn’t last for a long time however.
“I think it’s time we leave, Harmony. You sure you’ll be okay?”
Harmony nodded, muttering under her breath: “Yeah. I-I’ll be fine. Have fun guys.”
She turned her head to Naveen. “Beat Jacinthe’s ass for me, please?”
Naveen meekly put his thumb up and smiled. “Y-yeah, of course.”
The two trainers put out their fists for a fistbump with Harmony before leaving her alone in the hotel lobby, slamming the door shut behind them. Finally, it was safe for Harmony to take her tinted glasses off and expose her reddened, swollen eyes for only Floette to see. She walked over to the back of the reception desk, and took a key from one of the drawers. Jingling it in her hands, she resisted the urge to cry again, wrapping her palm around it and walking towards the elevator. Unbeknownst to Harmony, Floette was following her from behind with curiosity and empathy. She only noticed so when she was at the front of the door the key opened, and she plastered on a weak grin.
“Oh hey, Floette. Want to join me?”
Kyururu! The Pokémon responded, which Harmony took as a yes. She breathed heavily, and inserted the key in the slot, pushing the door open gently. Her sneakers scraped by the hotel’s wooden floor, making an irritating noise that made Floette cover her ears and made Harmony sigh in annoyance. For not being visited in a week, Urbain’s hotel room was oddly clean and has barely accumulated dust yet. The floor still shines as if it was recently waxed, the bedsheets were still fresh without creases, and the walls didn’t feel sticky or dirty. A wave of grief swallowed Harmony as she froze in her tracks, looking at a note and a Pokéball. She stared the words of the note down.
It was a letter from Urbain.
Dear Harmie,
I am incredibly sorry. So, so sorry. Sorry for not holding on longer. Sorry for not doing everything to cherish you before I pass. Sorry for making your grief replace your joy. There are debts that your mere existence has put upon me, and I fear that those debts will remain unpaid. I wish I could get up from my hospital bed, walk up to you, and kiss you one last time. I crave your soft touch and your gentle care, yet my heart says I’m undeserving of such a beautiful woman in my life. So yes, I continue to apologise, for everything wrong I’ve done to you — that includes my death. The Pokéballs on my bed are proof of that. They contain my Emboar and Feraligatr, remember them? I remember when they were still unevolved, and when we first met near the train station. You had the sweetest smile, and I admit now that my heart was pounding like crazy that time. Now, I give you these two Pokémon, your Meganium’s friends, and I hope that it’s substantial enough for you to forgive me. As I lose my breath, I want you to realize you were the best thing to happen to me. You were the missing piece in my life. And now I’m glad it’s complete.
Love you Harmie <3
—Sincerely, your “foolish” Urbain xoxo
Harmony broke.