Work Text:
Tulip skipped down the streets of Lumiose beaming with excitement as Litleo trotted after her. Her Uncle had finally agreed that twelve was in fact old enough for Tulip to walk to and from school by herself instead of being driven by him. This was a great relief to her and had come after no shortage of begging and pleading from Tulip that she was mature enough to do this by herself. School was hard enough without having to put up with him fussing over her in the car every morning!
Tulip paused for a moment, turning around to inspect the street behind her causing Litleo to look up at her curiously. She had a strange feeling on her walk this morning that pervaded into her current trip home. As she surveyed the area and saw nothing out of the ordinary she wondered if maybe it was just her imagination.
This repeated a few more times but every time she stopped and turned everything seemed perfectly normal. Tulip pondered this for a moment before an idea crossed her mind. She casually turned the next corner of her walk but instead of continuing on she ducked down hiding between a bush and a staircase. She held Litleo close to her and shushed it with a finger to her mouth.
After a moment a woman came around the corner dressed in a sharp yet shockingly bright orange suit. She adjusted her matching orange sunglasses as she looked around the street suddenly realizing that the girl she had been tailing had vanished.
“Shit! The boss is going to kill me!”
She ran down the street pulling a holocaster out of her pocket and desperately typing something in to it as she disappeared. Once Tulip was certain she was gone she jumped out of the bush and ran across the street and into the alleyways on the other side. Why would a person be following her? Maybe they wanted ransom money? But they were also dressed in a very nice suit… were they with some secret organization? Tulip wasn’t quite sure what she might have that a secret organization might want with her. She had been hoping she might manifest some type of cool power so she couldn’t exactly take that off the table.
After running for a very long time down side streets and alleys Tulip stopped to catch her breath. She set down Litleo who seemed to be having a grand old time running around the city. She took a moment to observe her surroundings, it was only now that she realized that the street she was on was entirely unfamiliar to her. Looking around she was surrounded on all sides by strange buildings that loomed above her head ominously casting the streets below in shadow.
Trying her best not to be overcome by the situation she was finding herself in Tulip called Litleo over to her and while the Lion Cub Pokémon seemed disappointed that nothing else fun had happened it answered her call dutifully. With Litleo in tow Tulip set off down the shady streets and alleys of inner Lumiose. She reasoned that eventually she must stumble upon some kind of landmark to orient herself around or maybe at least a public phone or Pokémon Center she could contact her Uncle from.
Despite this Tulip was still finding herself increasingly anxious about her prospects the longer she walked through the city by herself. Suddenly she picked up on a pungent herbal smell wafting from one of the turn offs ahead of her. Looking around the corner revealed a patch of plants that had sprung up in the sunlit space between two older buildings. The patch consisted almost entirely of strange black and red flowers that Tulip assumed must be the source of the smell. She cautiously approached the plants giving an exploratory sniff before recoiling with a cough at the overwhelming scent.
Tulip looked over the flowers. They appeared to be some variety of lily but she couldn’t recognize what kind. Maybe they were some kind of exotic breed that had escaped from someone’s garden? If so it was quite surprising that they were thriving so well in Lumiose. Gingerly she plucked a single flower from its stem. At the very least she could take one home and maybe look up what kind it was.
Shortly after Tulip had done this she heard what could only be described as an ‘angry squeak’ and suddenly she felt something hit her on the head. The impact was weak, so it shocked her more than anything. She looked up to figure out what had happened, placing her hands on her head and dropping the flower. Tulip’s eyes connected with those of a very angry Floette that glared down at her while brandishing her flower aggressively. Before Tulip could say anything the Floette brought its flower down on her head again.
“Ow! Hey!”
Tulip brought her arms up to protect her from the admittedly not very intense onslaught. Seemingly the Floette was more mildly irritated than genuinely aggressive. On the ground Litleo ran around hissing and growling, trying it’s best to protect its mistress without potentially setting her hair on fire. Tulip wracked her mind to what might have upset the Pokémon when she had a realization that sent her fumbling around the pavement. She picked up something from the ground and thrust her hand out. The Floette paused as she shouted-
“I’m sorry! I didn’t realize it was yours! I won’t do it again, I promise!”
The Pokémon paused its assault, blinking at the flower in Tulip’s hand. It regarded her suspiciously for a moment before accepting the flower. Tulip let out a sigh as Litleo wound around her legs meowing with concern. She took a moment to reassure it that everything was alright before reconsidering her situation as Floette drifted out to survey the damage to its plants.
Although Tulip may have pacified the Pokémon she was once again faced with the problem of being lost. She let out a long sigh and sat down on the pavement, slumping against a nearby building as she pondered her situation. Litleo once again cuddled up to her making quiet, worried, sounds and if nothing else Tulip was glad to have the fire type with her.
Once Floette had surveyed its flowers and was content they were otherwise unharmed it turned to look at Tulip and Litleo, pondering the two for a moment. Seemingly picking up on Tulip’s mood it floated over to her and gently placed the plucked flower into her hair. Tulip looked up at it, surprised, as she put a hand on the flower.
“Oh? Are you trying to cheer me up?”
Floette nodded and Tulip smiled slightly. She rummaged in her satchel before pulling out a pull string bag. Opening it up she produced a pink poké puff and offered it to Floette. The Pokémon tilted its head and cautiously took the poké puff. Litleo began meowing loudly demanding that it too be given a treat and Tulip giggled before fishing one out for the cub too.
“Haven’t you had enough treats today?” Her voice was fond and Litleo scarfed the snack down nearly instantly. “Eep! Litleo! Not so fast!”
Floette watched the two before taking a small bite out of the poké puff. Its eyes lit up and it let out a happy trilling noise as it began to dig into the confection rapidly. Tulip smiled when she noticed this, looking up from where Litleo was still licking crumbs from her hand.
“It’s good right?”
Floette quickly polished the puff off and let out a satisfied sigh. Tulip beamed but her smile quickly turned downwards.
“Hm… Still… How am I supposed to get home now?”
Floette seemed to ponder this before looking up and floating up into the sky. Tulip turned to watch it ascend higher and higher until it went above the buildings and into the sunlight. It peered around as if searching for something before its gaze caught on some distant object and it descended to return to Tulip and Litleo’s sides. It tugged on Tulip’s sleeve pulling her in the direction it had been looking. Tulip wasn’t exactly sure what the Pokémon was getting at but it seemed to have an idea of where it was going. She stood up and dusted off her skirt and followed Floette off into the city.
This was easier said than done, however, as Floette’s route wound through narrow gaps in buildings, over fences, and through more than one yard. The Pokémon didn’t seem to pay much mind to how inconvenient this path was for Tulip and Litleo except when it had to pause for them to catch up. Fortunately it at least rerouted for the several times Tulip and Litleo were totally unable to cross a certain barrier Floette had made its way through with ease.
Eventually the trio burst out into the sunlight and Tulip gasped as she saw the Prism Tower gleaming brightly as it towered over Centrico plaza. She turned to Floette.
“You were following the tower to the city center! How smart!”
Tulip felt foolish that she hadn’t considered doing the same but her anxiety must have clouded her judgment in the moment. Floette smiled before turning away and drifting back towards the alley.
“Wait! You’re going back?”
Tulip reached out to Floette before retracting her hand. Of course the Pokémon wouldn’t have a reason to stay with her now it had escorted her to her destination. Still, Tulip wasn’t ready for their adventure to end just yet. Floette looked towards her curiously.
“Um. Well. I wanted to thank you for helping me so...”
Floette let out an inquisitive chirp.
The bells attached to the front door of Lysandre Cafe crashed together with a violent noise as it was flung open. The two remaining people in the store jumped at the sound and turned to see who had come in. The Cafe’s namesake was standing in the doorway looking around the room with a panicked expression. While the lone remaining barista looked like a deerling in the headlights at the sudden arrival of their boss the other person perked up upon recognizing him.
“Uncle Lysa!” Tulip chirped, turning in the chair to face Lysandre.
“Tulip!” He gasped, running over to her, stumbling once in his haste. He placed his hands on her shoulders looking over her anxiously. “What happened? You aren’t hurt are you?”
“I’m fine!” She pushed him away glaring at him with a slight pout. “There was a suspicious lady in a really bright orange outfit following me and Litleo! But I lost her, easy!”
Lysandre covered his mouth with a hand, a strange look on his face. “I… see… and the reason it took you so long to contact me…?”
Tulip seemed a bit embarrassed at this. “Um. Well I wanted to make sure they wouldn’t find me again so I ran down a side street and then I made a few turns… and uh. I got a little lost?”
Lysandre moved his hand up to rub his temples where he could feel an oncoming headache. Tulip noticed this and continued.
“B-but! I got help from a nice Pokémon! So everything’s ok! I came here and the guy closed up early and he called you for me!”
“A Pokémon?”
Now that his attention had been drawn to it Lysandre noticed that Tulip’s Litleo wasn’t the only Pokémon in the room with them. The Floette in question was observing the two of them curiously while it took small, dainty, bites out of a very high quality Poképuff.
Tulip nodded. “Mhm! She helped me find my way to Centrico Plaza even after I picked one of her flowers! She’s really nice and smart, and she gave me one of her flowers!” She gestured to the flower still in her hair.
Lysandre glanced between Tulip’s new adornment and the Pokémon that had given it to her, the look on his face once again unreadable. Tulip frowned.
“Uncle? What’s wrong?”
He shook his head. “Oh. Nothing.” He let out a long sigh. “Tulip, Listen. It’s not safe for you to go running off like that. If something happens like that again you should go to a Pokémon center or a Shop or anywhere there’s a lot of people and contact me as soon as possible, okay? I’ll take care of it.”
Tulip nodded sullenly. “Okay. I’m sorry- I didn’t mean to worry you, Uncle Lysa.”
“I’m glad you’re alright. Don’t worry me like that again.”
Tulip wrapped her arms around him and Lysandre returned the hug with a gentle smile. He stood up, lifting her with him as he went. Litleo, who had long since finished its treat followed after dutifully. Lysandre paused for a moment glancing over at Floette.
“Right. Thank you for helping my Niece. I’m truly grateful.”
He turned to the lone remaining worker who was going through closing procedures, glancing over occasionally with a wary expression. He approached the counter and the man jumped before rushing over.
“Thank you for putting aside your work to take care of my Niece. She wasn’t a bother to you, I hope?”
The Barista gulped. “Ah… No sir! She was a delight to have! It was no trouble at all! Really!”
“I’m glad to hear it. Of course I’ll cover her bill, and see to it that you’re adequately compensated for your time. I’ll make sure to contact your manager and see it’s handled.”
“Oh! Uh, Th-thank you sir!”
“Please ensure that Floette is seen out safely when she is done with her meal. I do owe her for keeping Tulip safe.”
The Barista glanced over to the Pokémon and back. “Right. Of course, sir.”
Lysandre made his exit, taking an extra moment to push the door open with Tulip in his arms. Once he did this, though, Floette took the opportunity to fly through the open door and into the street in front of them. Rather than fly off altogether, though, it twirled happily in the air letting out a cheerful noise. Litleo meowed loudly as it ran in circles following the fairy Pokémon.
Tulip perked up at this and wiggled free from her Uncle’s arms to jump onto the street below and run over to to Floette. Floette floated down to hover just in front of her with a smile.
“Floette… do you want to come with us?” Floette chirped and flew over next to Tulip’s satchel. “Huh? Hey! Don’t tell me you’re just planning to follow me around so I give you more pokepuffs!”
Despite her words, the young girl didn’t seem very cross. She turned to Lysandre with the best sad, pleading look she could muster.
“Uncle…”
“...Yes?”
“Can Floette please stay with us? I’ll take care of her! And she won’t cause any trouble, I promise! I’m taking really good care of Litleo, right? I can handle another Pokémon!” She picked up Litleo, using its big kitten eyes to bolster her cause.
Lysandre muttered something under his breath about feeding wild Pokémon, but unfortunately he was susceptible to the tactics his Niece was employing.
“Fine. But only as long as you’re taking care of it, understood?”
Tulip and Floette grinned as Litleo blinked innocently.
——————
Ring...Ring...Ring..
Lysandre listened to the dial tone of his Holocaster as he carefully hung up his jacket for the day. He idly wondered if he should give Tulip one so she could contact him more easily. She was probably a bit too young to use any of the other features but it wouldn’t be too hard to restrict its functions to emergency calls.
As he considered this he took a moment to duck his head into Tulip’s room. The girl was sound asleep and not too far away Floette slept peacefully in a makeshift bed that Tulip had put together for it. The Pokémon let out soft trilling sounds as it rested its head on the closed bulb of its flower. Lysandre gently closed the door with a smile just as the person on the other end of the line picked up the call.
“So. Have you come up with a proper explanation for what happened today?” Lysandre’s mood had shifted in an instant, his kind smile transforming into a deep scowl in a heart beat. “Whatever it is it better be good.”
The woman on the other end squeaked. “I was keeping an eye on her- like I was supposed to! I don’t know what happened! She just vanished!”
“I know- She said so herself, she saw you following her and hid until you ran off. Tell me, how did a young child not only notice your presence but lose you so easily? I understand Tulip is a smart girl but this is unacceptable!”
“I. I don’t know- She managed, somehow- I was so sure she hadn’t seen me but I turned a corner and then she was gone-”
“Remind me, what did you do then?”
The woman’s voice paused for an uncomfortable moment. “I. Um. Went to get back up…?”
“Right. You ran off. She’s twelve years old! How far could she have possibly gone? You should have at least looked over the area before leaving!” Lysandre hissed into the speaker. “Use your head!”
Across the room Pyroar raised its head with a quizzical expression. He took a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. Right. He shouldn’t be doing this here and now.
“You are very lucky my Niece has gotten out of this incident unscathed, you understand? If something had happened to her…” He trailed off darkly.
“Y-Yes sir…” the voice replied shakily.
“As it is- I’ll continue this discussion tomorrow instead of dismissing you right now. Am I perfectly clear?”
“Crystal clear, sir.”
“Good. I will see you there.” He hung up the call without another word and was left in silence once again.
He picked up Tulip’s flower which she had carefully deposited in a bowl of water and looked over the delicate black and red petals. What were the odds…? Pyroar meowed at him from across the room and he placed the flower back into the bowl. He strode over to the big cat Pokémon where it was curled up in a large bed. Next to it Litleo snoozed as it cuddled up to its parent.
“Sorry. I did mean to disturb your beauty sleep” Lysandre smiled giving Pyroar a scratch under the chin which it graciously accepted. “At least I can depend on you, right?” Pyroar chuffed happily.