Chapter Text
It was a bustling day for Lumiose City, especially in the train station where a child of 8 years old just stepped down from the train onto the platform.
Harmony Sycamore was dressed in her oversized blue jacket over her white shirt while she looked around side to side in confusement and slight panic. Her Absol, who has always stood by her side since she was 4, nudged her hand with his cold nose to reassure her.
It helps a little, but it still doesn't solve her problem now.
Where was she supposed to go now?
Her dad had said she should go and meet her temporary guardian here in Lumiose City, AZ at Hotel Z.
Harmony gulped and fiddled with the end of her braid in nervousness.
Everything seems so big..
Corbeau was just passing by. He had a shipment coming by the train and he just oversaw it while Philippe and his grunts took care of the rest. When everything was done, he chose to walk back to the office, waving away Philippe’s offer to drive him.
He then saw a girl. Tiny little girl, maybe around 7 or 8, standing with a travel bag and an Absol beside her. Brunette with wispy strands of wavy hair, paired with blue gray eyes that looked nervously side to side, as if she doesn't know what to do next.
Corbeau should’ve just let her be, but it was never his style to let someone troubled alone, especially a child, even when she’s not one of the Lumiose City children.
So he steps toward her, getting her attention where her blue gray eyes flicked up nervously to him while her Absol steps forward a bit, as if shielding her.
Good. Was what Corbeau thought. At least her pokemon is loyal and offers a bit of protection.
“Hello, petite. Do you need any help?” Corbeau asked, a bit more gentle than he usually would since the girl already seemed scared.
The girl seemed to debate internally whether to tell him or not, but eventually she blurted out, “I- I’m supposed to go to Hotel Z, to- ah, to meet my temporary guardian here in Lumiose. Dad said so, and- and he already put the map in my rotom phone, so I wouldn’t get lost. But I-..” she sighed heavily and scrubbed her hand through her hair frustratedly, “I just not brave enough to step out of the station yet..”
Corbeau blinked and thought that the girl is a very honest little being. And aside from that.. What parent lets their child travel ALONE to a bustling city? Sure her father had assigned her a temporary guardian here and installed the map in the child’s phone, but where’s this temporary guardian now? Why couldn’t they meet the child here instead of telling her to come to their place alone?
Wait a minute.. Didn’t she say..
“That’s.. quite a predicament you got there, petite.” He let his sympathy bleed through before asking, “Although, did you say you will meet your temporary guardian at Hotel Z?”
The child nodded and a spark of hope was clear in her eyes, “Do you know where that is? Mister.. uhm..”
“Corbeau, pleasure to meet you, petite, and yes, I know where Hotel Z is.” Corbeau said, while inside his thoughts, he definitely KNOWS who was waiting and is going to be the child’s temporary guardian.
The child immediately brightened up and gave him a faint smile, “Mister Corbeau. And my name is Harmony.”
Corbeau nodded, “Harmony then. Do you want me to take you there or just show you where it was on the map?”
“Map please. I don’t want to bother you more than I already am Mister. You seem like a busy man.” Harmony said innocently while her rotom phone quickly floated out of her pocket to hover in front of Corbeau, who gently took the phone and internally thinking that yes, this child is a very honest little being, and he gave her the options since even though he wants to help, he can’t show himself to Hotel Z establishment yet.
Corbeau crouched down a little to match Harmony’s tiny height and explained where she should go and what route she should take. He even went as far as told her which area she should avoid.
After he was done, Harmony’s rotom phone fly back to her pocket and she gratefully thanked him, “Thank you Mr. Corbeau! It’s nice meeting you.”
Corbeau nodded and patted her hair a bit, “Take care, petite. Remember, avoid the wild zones.”
Harmony nodded, “I will. See you again Mr, Corbeau.” She then heaved her travel bag up, “Come on, Absol. We don’t want to make AZ wait.”
Hearing AZ’s name was the only confirmation Corbeau's need for his guess.
He watched the girl walk toward the station exit while he went back to where his grunts still stood nearby.
He may not be able to help the girl all the way to Hotel Z, but he could still keep an eye on her as a precaution and to settle his own worry over the petite honnete.
Harmony was in awe to see the big city in front of her. She set down her travel bag and looked around, drinking everything in with her eyes. Absol sat dutifully beside her. He, once her mother’s pokemon, had lived in Lumiose for a while.
Harmony’s mom and dad had come originally from Lumiose City. Married and made a life here. Even having her here 8 years ago, which Harmony has trouble remembering.
Because when Harmony was 2, a family friend asked her mom and dad to move away to another city along with Harmony. This family friend, her mother’s closest friend almost like a brother, apparently sensed something wasn’t right in the city even though he didn't know what it was. Her parents believe him, and her dad asked her mom to move first and he will follow when his duties are all done.
Harmony was 3 and already living in another city with her mother when a catastrophe came over Lumiose City. Her father soon came to live with them after retiring from his professor’s occupation.
A year after that, her mom died. She left her Absol to Harmony, and Harmony always kept Absol out of his pokeball so she could feel like a piece of her mother was always beside her.
Harmony sighed and was suddenly approached by a teenage girl with gradient hair and three pokemons by her side,
“Hey! You look like a tourist, do you want to help me make a video?”
Evening fell around Lumiose, street’s lights were already on while fewer people around the street. Harmony felt so tired and out of breath, and she desperately just wanted to go to Hotel Z to go and rest.
‘Taunie’, the teen girl from before had introduced herself, was wiping her brow with her sleeve and smiled at her, “Well, that’s quite a workout, isn’t it? Let’s get you to Hotel Z. AZ will probably be waiting for you, or.. well- anxiously worried, but don’t worry, we’ll get back soon and nothing will stop us now.”
And as soon as she said that, green hologram lights flashed around making some kind of walls and gates around them.
Taunie rakes her hand through her hair sheepishly when Harmony flashed her a tired frown. Absol was even glaring at the older girl, “Alright, I shouldn’t have jinxed it. This is.. well- not bad, but not good either. The battle zone for Z-A Royale has come up and we do NOT want to be here right now. Follow me, but quietly..”
So Harmony and Absol followed Taunie until they reached near the gate to go outside of the battle zone, “Come on, it’s just this way..”
And suddenly, there were four trainers came towards them with smirks and pokemon on the ready.
Absol bristles and let out a fierce growl, stepping in front of Harmony, while Taunie scowled at them, “Hey, look, we don’t want any trouble and I just want to bring her to the hotel so we could rest. So.. could you just let us through?”
Two of them smirks, “Nah, no can do kid. You two step on the battle zone, so you like anyone else here has to be ready for battle.”
“This is going to be an easy battle, huh? Look at that tiny little kid. We could beat her pokemon if it’s just that Absol.”
Absol growls even louder while Taunie shields Harmony from the four trainers' view.
When Taunie stanced herself to take on all four of them, a flower came from above right in front of them.
Harmony blinked at the unique colored Floette who twirls and smiled in relief when she saw the both of them.
“Floette?! Did AZ send you here?” Taunie asked in disbelief.
“Hmph! That Floette won’t save you now!” one of the trainers yelled mockingly.
Immediately, Floette glared at the four trainers. Taunie stiffened while Harmony tensed at the immense aura of power coming from the little flower pokemon. Even Absol cut off his growling to look at Floette.
Floette readied her flower to let out some kind of attack towards the trainers, and Taunie quickly outstretched her hand, “Don’t hit them!”
Floette then subtly redirects her attack towards the sky. A burst of violet light came from her flower and missed the trainers towards the night sky.
Harmony blinked in disbelief while the four trainers quickly ran out of the battle zone, crying out in fear. Floette put her flower back and smiled in victory.
Taunie raked her hair sheepishly while Harmony and Absol looked at her for explanation, “Floette’s attack, Light of Ruin, is a pretty scary move. Well, at least, she got us out of trouble in a pinch there. Let’s just go back to the hotel before we worried AZ more, hm?”
One of Corbeau’s grunt came to report about what she saw after she was tasked to keep an eye on the small child until she’s safely inside Hotel Z.
“What took you so long? It couldn’t be that long for the child to go where she was supposed to go.” Corbeau said calmly. Not accusing, but mildly annoyed since he was waiting for news about the child.
“Uh.. sorry Boss. But a Pancham stole the child’s bag and she along with a teen girl ran to catch up with it. Then they got stuck inside the battle zone before they were saved by a Floette. The child is safe inside Hotel Z for now, Boss.”
Corbeau looked in disbelief but he received the footage of all of it from the grunt, and he had to force himself to believe what he saw and dismissed his grunt.
After he was left alone, Corbeau sighed and leaned back on his chair, “Harmony.. You’re quite a petite tourbillon, aren’t you?”
Inside Hotel Z, Harmony finally meets with AZ. The towering ‘giant’ of a human. Apparently he had lived for 3.000 years.
He had sighed in relief and welcomed her warmly, “I am very glad that Floette had arrived on time to help you both. How was your first day in Lumiose aside from the battle zone, Harmony?”
“Uh..” Harmony rubbed the back of her head, “Pretty hectic actually.. and so tiring..”
AZ chuckled, “That sums for the entire day, Child. I won’t hold you any longer, you look dead tired on your feet. You can use the room on the 2nd floor. Have a good night's sleep, Harmony. I will inform your father that you have arrived safely.”
Harmony nodded and accepted the room key, “Thank you Mr. AZ. Good night to you too.”
Absol followed along with Harmony to her room. She cleaned herself up and changed to her pajamas while Absol made himself comfortable on his side of the bed.
Ever since her mom died, Absol always sleep beside her, and Harmony wouldn’t have it any other way.
She climbed into her side of the bed with her well-loved Absol plush in her arms and cuddled close to Absol’s side. He curled around her, carefully positioned his horn away while Harmony’s head was part on pillow and part on his shoulder.
Weary from the day and finally warm under the covers, both Harmony and Absol immediately fell asleep on the big double bed.