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Rei squinted, looking ahead at the small yellow blob.
It had been almost six months since he’d caught Giratina, and since then, he’d seen not hide nor hair of what he considered his good friend.
He’d gotten closer to his pokemon of course, and learned he could still play games on his phone, even if it was ‘Arceusified’ now. Volo would have liked it….
Volo would have liked to see Creselia, Volo would have jumped for joy seeing Heatran.
He would have tried to ride his new Alpha Zoroark, who was as grumpy as he was affectionate.
He’d taken to calling him Volo, just to substitute for the now missing friend, who’d suddenly left one day like Rei wouldn’t like him anymore.
It could just be another person from the merchant guild..but some part of Rei dared to hope, dared to run closer, going faster.
And there he was. Picking up berries from the tree he’d no doubt had one of his pokemon harass.
Rei’s lip wobbled, he didn’t falter, glomping Volo in the tightest hug he could muster up with his newly eighteen year old arms.
He bawled like a child, burying his face in Volo’s chest, his shoulders shook with every gasping breath.
Volo himself wasn’t much better, giving a surprised yelp, trying to shove him off, to no avail.
“What the-” next were Rei’s legs, determined to keep a hold of his friend, who’d he’d never considered to be gone, just lost. And now that he’d found him, he wasn’t letting go anytime soon.
Ah- but, he still had something he wanted to do, since he’d gotten hand to hand training from Commander Kamado. He abruptly let go, leaving Volo to stumble.
“Now that you’ve come back to your sense-” WHAM!
Rei gave Volo a right hook to the cheek, he went down hard, not expecting it in the least. Rei then laid down on him, crying anew as he hugged him.
“You’re not allowed to leave!” Volo’s attire was starting to accumulate tears and snot, the man himself holding his cheek and just laying there, shocked.
“I spent.. so long , looking for you, asking people, trying my best to find you. And now that we’ve crossed paths again, I’ll be damned if I let you leave.”
Rei looked up at him, he probably looked ugly with his red blotchy face and bloodshot eyes.
“You’re my best friend, you always have been. You were when we started our first excursion, we were still even at that temple, and you still had that spot even in these past six months.”
Volo looked to the side, pressing his lips together, his eyes were starting to look a bit red rimmed….
That night, they made their own campfire, and Rei called out his own tombstone to match Volo’s.
And of course, his Volo namesake, who towered over Volo menacingly.
Volo hissed at the human, turning to Rei instead, he could hear his voice in his head.
“I don’t like him, he made you cry. And I’m clearly stronger, and bigger, and I won’t leave you alone for six moons unattended, you’re too weak.”
“Alright, calm down, let's all just get along.”
“You named him after me?” his pokemon not pleased at being compared to the ‘wimpy, pathetic human’, Volo was in a similar state, claiming he wasn’t nearly as grumpy or mean, and didn’t ‘manhandle you like that, what if he broke your bone, you should call him back into his ball.’
He also called out Manapy for Volo to inspect, who grinned in childish delight, telling him of the many facts and tales of the sea prince as he hugged the small pokemon.
The next morning, they took Braviary back to the village, Volo greeted Commander Kamado with a swollen cheek that had looked decidedly worse than the black eye Captain Cyllene gave him when she saw him walk through the door.
That had been fun, watching her give a full on lecture to Volo about playing with others’ feelings, and the dishonor of not even explaining yourself.
Commander Kamado had only nodded in satisfaction, and told Rei that he could have some high quality potato mochi for making it swell so badly that it lasted an entire night without reducing at all.
He then gave Volo a pat on the shoulder, judo flipped him, and told them both to get out of his office.
Adaman was decidedly not pleased to see Volo, dragging the diamond gear clad Rei behind him, and hollering for nearly an hour in the middle of the village square at Volo.
Everyone had gathered, jeering and agreeing every so often, and he was given a talk later by Adaman why he shouldn’t put his time and emotions into people who’d rather leave them in the dirt and then ‘piss off to who knows where for six months’.
Melli, who was a staple these days by Adaman’s side, told Rei he needed better taste, and that he supposed that he’d let him hang around as long as he ditched the ‘soul sucking, no good merchant boy who wouldn’t know a comb if it turned into a pokemon and used crunch on him’.
Irida wasn’t calm either, first bursting into frustrated tears, then kneeing Volo right in the groin. Rei was shell shocked, going to help Volo up but was stopped by Lian.
“It’s a good thing she did that, because I was tempted myself. I had to watch you cry and mope for two weeks, he deserves it.”
Okay yes, maybe he was a bit miserable, but it was all okay now, there was no need to line up and beat him up! There was still a noticeable redmark on his cheek for Arceus’ sake!
Gaeric wasted no time, as soon as Irida had stepped back, about to give him a good smack talking to, he’d grabbed Volo by the upper chest and leg and then pulled him over his head, yelling out like he’d just conquered another mountain.
Maybe taking Volo to see everyone hadn’t been such a good idea after all..
It was quiet in Rei’s home, as he tended to Volo’s wounds. All his pokemon were safe in the fields, except for his Typhlosion, who slumbered by the firepit and both of their Spirit tombs, who’s currently dormant stones were set quietly on the window sill.
He voiced his thoughts, and Volo laughed quietly.
“No, I deserved all of that.” Volo held up a hand before Rei could protest.
“I did something extremely shitty, I left you all alone, believing that you would be fine, that you hated me, despite all evidence pointing otherwise. I’m often called a genius, and yet, this time, I was very stupid, and I hurt you in the process.”
They shared another hug that night, and then in the morning, Rei was sure everything would be better.