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This was frustrating. So frustrating. He didn’t want to deal with any company, let alone be continuously followed by a complete stranger. Victor knew that he could easily hold his ground to get his tagalong to go away; he could scare them off with no problem. He was tougher than he looked and he knew he could handle something even this absurd.
...And yet, he couldn’t muster up the courage to face the little Yamper that was toddling after him.
The little dog was horribly persistent. It had been following him since he entered Wedgehurst to run some errands for his mother. He noticed it tailing him as he was purchasing berries from the market, watching it out of the corner of his eye as he stopped by the Pokémon center for a few items.
Victor glanced around once in a while, hoping to spot any trainers in desperate search of their lost Yamper, but to no avail. He had even overheard a couple girls giggle and whisper to each other about how “adorable his little Yamper was”, which only served to stress him more than anything.
They were right. The Yamper was absolutely precious . But it was certainly not his.
Victor couldn’t take care of a dog right now. He just didn’t trust that he could handle that responsibility—or any responsibility for that matter. Most days he didn’t even want to get out of bed in the morning, others he even forgot to eat. How the hell could he possibly stick to those responsibilities for another life? He would be foolish to even try.
But the Yamper wasn’t going anywhere. It was adamant in chasing his heels. For some reason or another, an adorable stray Pokémon had chosen him as its new friend. Whether or not this was a cruel joke from the universe was up to debate.
Victor let out a sigh as he slowed to a stop by the Route 1 sign, his head lowered in defeat and his hands gripped tight to his bag straps. The Yamper stumbled to a stop behind him, its ears stood tall with interest. He had to confront it. He couldn’t allow himself to bring it home.
He turned to face the puppy, who’s ears flattened as excitement overtook its body and its paws tapped excitedly at the dirt. It was so happy to have his full attention that its big lime green eyes sparkled. Victor’s stomach knotted up and his heart clenched. This was going to be very difficult .
“...Look, uh… You’re really cute,” he started, trying his best to keep his tone even, “But I really can’t have ya right now. Don’tcha have a trainer to get back to? Or, I dunno, a Yamper family or somethin’?”
Big dumb eyes blinked blankly up at him, completely oblivious, but still so happy to be spoken to. The Yamper’s tail was wagging out of control and it ran in circles, yapping excitedly up at him. It was so silly and small and an absolute baby and--
Victor mentally slapped himself. Nope! Stop! You have to let the Yamper go.
“Look, buddy, ya don’t even--” He groaned, running a hand across his face. He was losing this battle very quickly, “Ya don’t even know me! What if I’m, like, a major jerk or somethin’? I could be a bully! A Yamper kicker! Or-- Or an axe murderer! Ya can’t just follow some random guy around!”
Hopping, the Yamper yapped more and more, its body a mess of wiggles as it began to run circles around him. Yeah. It definitely couldn’t understand a word coming out of him. Why did he even assume it could? Victor’s brow furrowed and he bit his lip to still it from trembling. This was impossible .
“...But… I guess you’d know by now, since I haven’t done anythin’ to ya yet,” he sighed in defeat. Victor shouldered off his backpack, full of the groceries and equipment he had come to town for, and placed it on the dirt trail. Once settled, he kneeled down to meet the Yamper’s level, frowning as the little Pokémon scampered up to him to sniff at his extended palms.
“Okay, so… maybe I’m none of those things, but… I really can’t have you. I’d love to take ya home, but… I dunno, life isn’t easy lately and I have a lot to deal with and you’d just be miserable around me. Is that really somethin’ ya want? Just a dumb loser who can’t even get himself together...?”
The Yamper gazed up at him with its big green eyes. His words were falling on deaf ears, but the tone he was using seemed to catch its attention. With a soft whimper, the little dog came closer to Victor’s outstretched hands. It gently shoved it’s chubby head into his palms, resting it’s fuzzy chin against them like a pillow and looking up at him with the softest puppy dog eyes he had ever seen.
The Yamper was so trusting and cozy with him and it was practically pleading for his affection. It felt as though his heart had been lured into a trap and he didn’t have it in him to fight back anymore. He couldn’t escape this any longer.
“...You’re really gonna be the death of me, y’know that?”
__________
“So, this is your new friend, huh?”
Victor watched lazily from the couch as Hop waggled a Poké Toy at the little Yamper on his living room floor. The puppy swatted and yapped so excitedly at the jingling feather, tumbling over paws and rolling around the carpet. Hop giggled at the Yamper’s effort, sparking a flutter in Victor’s stomach that he tried to ignore.
“Yeah,” Victor mumbled from where his face rested gracelessly against the green armrest of the couch, “She wouldn’t leave me alone, so now we’ve got another pet, I guess.”
“She’s adorable! And so full of energy,” Hop praised and the Yamper dove into his outstretched arms, cuddling up to him and attempting to lick his face, “I bet she drives you absolutely mad , what with you being so sluggish these days.”
Victor huffed a sigh at that comment, burying his face further into the armrest. Sluggish was definitely a word for it.
“Nah, she’s… fine. She keeps me busy. In fact, you’re actually givin’ me a break from her right now.”
Hop chuckled, “Yikes. That busy, huh? Hey, does she have a name yet?”
The brunet rolled over onto his back, settling more comfortably into the couch with his gaze fixed to the ceiling. He drummed his fingers on his stomach leisurely. “...I’ve been callin’ her Thunder, but she pro’lly needs a better name than that.
“ Thunder? ” Hop snorted. Victor could hear the teasing grin in Hop’s voice and his cheeks heated pink. He glanced away from him.
“...’Cuz, uh… She was trailin’ after me,” he tried in vain to justify his decision, “And she’s an Electric type, so… Well, y’know-- ”
“So, does that make you her Lightning? ” Hop scooted closer across the floor with Thunder cradled in his arms. He poked a finger at Victor’s side to get his attention with a smug smile, earning a lazy swat at his hand in response.
“ When ya say it like that, it sounds really stupid, ” Victor mumbled, throwing an arm over his face to hide how red it was. What a horribly corny decision, but he was never the best with naming Pokémon.
Hop snickered at his flustered reaction before raising the Yamper in his arms, gently placing her on Victor’s belly, “Aw, c’mon! It’s not so bad! It’s actually really cute. She definitely looks like a Thunder.”
Thunder’s tail wagged happily as she padded her way up her human’s chest, settling herself comfortably on top of him as she playfully licked kisses at his chin. Victor raised his arm to look down at her with a grumpy pout. Damn it, Thunder. How could she be so darn cute?
Victor lowered his arm to gently pet a hand through her fluffy fur. The little puppy yawned in response, her ears laying flat as she settled her chin onto her wide paws. It seemed Thunder was finally tired out, happy to take a nap on her new friend’s chest. Victor was sure his heart was melting at the sight.
Hop watched the scene play out, a warm smile on his face as he leaned against the couch cushion with his chin in his palm. Victor hadn’t noticed how close he was to him now, so focused on soothing his Yamper to sleep with his soft petting and scratches. His heart leaped into his throat when he finally acknowledged the small distance between them. He tried not to think about it too much.
“Y’know… It’s none of my business, but I think it’s a good thing you two found each other,” Hop spoke softly as he watched Thunder snore on Victor’s chest, “You’ve been so down lately. I think a Yamper would be good for you.”
“...You really think so?” Victor murmured.
“Yeah! I’ve heard they’re good for getting people out of a slump. And if I’m honest, seeing you with her really shows a change in you already. You look happy , Vic.”
His gentle petting slowed to a halt at those words. Happy? Did he really look all that happy? And… did he look unhappy before? Victor was really hoping he didn’t look as drained as he was feeling, but he supposed it was becoming more difficult to hide as time passed. It was hard to keep up an act when everyday felt empty to him.
But if he was starting to look better, he supposed that wasn’t such a bad thing.
“...Yeah,” he finally replied, “I guess I am.”