Chapter Text
The forest was devoid of all sound, except for the quiet rustling of the leaves in the soft summer breeze. Even though the days were longer now, the Tangle was still embraced by the endless twilight, hidden within the shadows of the tall trees. The only dim light ever came from the large mushrooms at the sides of the path, that lit up brighter as soon as you touched them. Opal always said it was because the Tangle was a magical place, created by the fairy Pokémon. Bede wasn’t sure if that was the truth, but he did know the forest at least felt magical. After a year of living here, it had become his favorite place in the world. There was no one there; just him, the fairies and the tiny woods. Still, this was not the time to simply enjoy his surroundings. He had a goal in mind, a Pokémon to catch.
Luckily, the wild Shiinotic still hadn’t noticed the two of them. Bede glanced at his Sylveon beside him. She was walking by his side silently, taking care where to place her paws just like he taught her, so she wouldn’t make a sound. He followed her gaze towards the wild Pokémon, that had its back turned to them. The problem with Shiinotic was that they were very stubborn – as soon as you attacked them, they simply healed themselves with one of their many healing moves. It was very frustrating, and the exact reason why it was one of the few fairy types Bede hadn’t caught yet. To be completely honest, he was already tired of the stupid Pokémon, but Opal insisted that he should have at least caught and trained every fairy type Pokémon that had made Galar its home. Bede didn’t need that many. But Opal said he would only be able to understand fairies once he had bonded with them all. And Opal’s word was – however annoying it may be – still absolute. Bede didn’t even know why he was listening to her.
Either way, the only effective way to catch a Shiinotic was probably to attack it while it was distracted, and quickly throw a pokéball before it could heal itself. Which was the exact reason why Bede was already clenching a great ball in his left hand. Irritated, he gritted his teeth, sneaking closer to the Shiinotic with each step. Sylveon looked up at him, her head slightly tilted. She probably felt his uneasiness, like she always could, like most of his Pokémon could. But that was bad, because what if she lost concentration and-
‘FINALLY FOUND YOU! REMATCH! YOU AND ME, MATE!’
Bede’s heart jumped from the sudden loud sound, and cringed slightly. Just a bit more, and he would’ve tripped over his own feet. On the one hand, it was a good thing that he hadn’t, because it would have been more than a little embarrassing. On the other, it wouldn’t have mattered anyway, because right in front of his eyes, he saw the Shiinotic turn its head. It made a soft yelping sound, then jumped, disappearing in the small bushes. Sylveon jumped after it, but immediately returned with a disappointed look on her face. Damnit! This was the closest they’d ever been!
‘Hey, don’t ignore me!’ called the voice behind him.
Annoyed, Bede turned to the source of his misery. What he didn’t expect was the pair of very bright, yellow-ish brown eyes looking right into his. A pair of eyes he hadn’t seen in, well, at least half a year. A pair he didn’t like seeing very much, either.
‘Good evening, to you too,’ Hop flashed a smile and Bede had to look away.
‘I was going to catch that. You’re as good at ruining my efforts as always, I see,’ he answered.
Sylveon let out a soft mew, as if greeting him, and Bede wasn’t sure if he should feel betrayed or offended.
‘Hey there, Sylveon.’ Hop leaned down, scratching Sylveon behind her ears exactly on the right spot, and Bede found himself crossing his arms in front of his chest, glancing at their exchange.
Sylveon purred, and Hop laughed, letting go as he stood straight up again. Bede frowned. Did he grow taller?
‘Alright, back to business, I’m challenging you to a battle!’
‘Battle? Why? Do you suddenly think you can beat me since you have the fairy badge? Just let me get this straight – who miss Opal gave a badge to is none of my concern. I have even higher standards than she has and-’
Hop cut him off. ‘I don’t need your gym badge, I just want a rematch. It’s been pretty long, don’t you think? I got stronger, too.’ He grinned, then Bede noticed he was already tossing a pokéball up and down in his hand, all ready to take him on.
Bede remembered. A misguided mind and a fragile heart. How easy it had been to crush both with just a few words. A victory in more than one way. A honey-sweet pride with bitter edges. He could still taste it. He couldn’t recall whether he had liked it a year ago or not. Right now, he was unsure.
Averting his gaze, he took a few steps back, Sylveon bouncing after him, following his steps like a little pup.
‘I hope you are prepared to get your hopes crushed,’ he smirked, but he couldn’t quite feel the joy.
Hop didn’t seem to notice as his eyes lit up. ‘Finally! Let’s go, mate!’ He threw his pokéball. Shreds of a comment about him being unable to properly throw a pokéball flashed through Bede’s mind. He ignored it as he watched Hop’s trusted partner emerge. Dubwool. More flashes. A very angry Gloria. Yelling something about dear partner and insecure and lost and – Bede ignored it, glancing at Sylveon next to him, who was watching him with hopeful eyes.
‘Are you ready for this, Sylveon?’ he asked her.
Sylveon let out another mew and Bede watched as she jumped in front of him, eyes determined.
‘I’ll let you make the first move,’ he declared. ‘Since you are so eager.’
‘Well, then don’t complain if we win,’ Hop grinned and gave his Dubwool the first command.
Bede kept his eyes on the field as their Pokémon danced around each other, dodging and getting hit, landing attacks and missing. Sylveon was doing great, and Bede swore he could feel her joy in battle. It brought a small smile to his lips. It took two of Hop’s Pokémon to take her down, and Bede glanced at the other boy as he returned Sylveon to her pokéball. He was grinning proudly, sending words of pride his Snorlax’s way.
‘My partners have become stronger, haven’t they?’ The bright yellow eyes were focused his way, and Bede looked away.
‘Hmph, it still took you two Pokémon to beat my Sylveon. Fairy types are clearly superior.’ He let his Rapidash go next.
Hop was right though, he really got stronger. Still, Bede beat Hop’s team with ease; he hadn’t even needed to let Hatterene battle. As he returned Gardevoir to her Pokéball, he watched the other boy return his Zacian. The legendary. A fairy type. It was hard to believe Hop was a chosen one. Gloria was a different story, she had been messing with Bede’s life ever since they met, but Hop, he had never even defeated Bede. Meaning Bede was better than he was, right? Then why, why did he feel something sting at his chest. Envy? Indignation? There was no point in defining a meaningless feeling, anyway, so Bede stored Gardevoir’s pokéball in his bag and turned away, walking back towards Ballonlea.
‘Don’t think you’ve crushed my spirits!’ he heard Hop call after him. ‘I’ll be back! And I will beat you!’
‘It would be a waste of effort,’ said Bede. ‘But whatever. If you enjoy losing so much, I will surely keep reminding you of the feeling.’
‘One day, you will be at my mercy, fairy!’ He could hear Hop run off then. Frowning, Bede walked back towards the town. Fairy? A nickname? That boy, he really was stupid. Wasting his time like that. He was probably going to get an earful from Opal, since he had been gone for hours, and was going to return without a Shiinotic. Once again. Still, he was not about to give Hop credits for making him fail.
The opening to Ballonlea appeared in front of him, the shadows of the trees making way for the path towards town. Bede glanced up at the sky, as this was the spot where it was easiest to see. Tiny, little light bulbs dotted the dark-blue heavens, and he was shocked to determine that it was already much later than he had originally thought. He had to hurry, Opal wasn’t really one to openly voice her worries, but Bede knew that she cared. As he stepped into Ballonlea, he immediately felt at ease by the colourful mushrooms lighting up the small town. They were of every size; ones as tiny as a child’s hand, others as large as houses, aspiring to be as tall as the trees in the Glimwood Tangle. The mushrooms here were always shining brightly, they wouldn’t dim like their cousins, a stone’s throw away in the Tangle, too proud, too stubborn to let go of their shimmer. Bede loved it.
Quickly, he headed to the Pokémon center. His Pokémon would probably be fine after a good night’s rest, but he didn’t like to leave them wounded for too long. Hop wasn’t able to defeat him, but he had to give him credit for beating him up pretty well. It had been the most challenging match in a long while. Not that he would openly admit that.
‘You’re up late, sir,’ the lady at the counter blinked. Ever since he became gym leader, they started calling him that, but he wasn’t sure if he would ever get used to the ‘sir’. It felt good to receive recognition, but he was still just a 13-year-old.
‘Yes, well, I have been… training in the Tangle,’ he smiled a bit. ‘I got distracted by a few trainers.’ Just one, really, but he didn’t feel like being more specific. ‘Could you take a look at my Pokémon, please?’ He handed over his great balls.
‘Of course! Just a moment!’ she turned away.
The center was pretty much empty by now, so when Bede’s eyes picked up on a silhouette on the other side of the doors, his heart almost skipped a beat. Especially since it was very familiar figure, and it wasn’t entering the building, it simply beckoned him with a nod, and disappeared. Bede let out a shaky breath. Again? So soon? He glanced over the counter, but the lady was still busy taking care of his team.
‘I will be right back,’ he declared, not waiting for her answer before leaving the Pokécenter.
He looked around. The man wasn’t very fond of standing in the spotlight, but Ballonlea was full of shadows. Which one did he choose to hide into?
‘Right here,’ a voice called, and Bede followed it, behind one of the large chunks of trees that made the edge of town. He pushed his hands in the pockets of his coat, shivering lightly. Was it getting chilly? He vaguely recalled that the aura of the man might have always made him feel that way.
‘Do you have it?’ the figure asked when both of them stopped walking. His face was always partly hidden underneath the collar of his long coat, and partly beneath his large, dark hat. Bede could however still see the purple of his eyes. It was a dull, dark purple, more blue than red, having trouble to find its spark of passion.
‘You’re… back sooner than I expected,’ Bede answered, hating that the hesitation in his voice was audible.
‘Yes. Do you have it?’ Always hasty, never speaking more than necessary.
Bede took his left hand out of his pocket, revealing an envelope, as he handed it over to the figure. He took it, sticking it in a pocket on the inside of his coat. ‘I will be back.’
‘When?’
‘You’ll know.’
The man turned around and walked away in the direction of the Tangle, leaving Bede to watch him go. He felt nauseous as he moved back towards the Pokémon center to pick up his team.