Chapter Text
“Hm. A jacket with Team MZ’s logo…”
Pitter-patter footsteps grow louder towards you, alongside softer, yet more deliberate steps trailing behind.
“Hmm. So you’re the new member whom everyone is so pleased to have around.” The source of the pitter-patter, a Scraggy, shoots its paws out at you, waving them in a greeting of its own. Its voice chirps in a way that certainly clashes with the monotonous yet calming pitch presented in front of you.
“I recognized you by the jacket— I’m the one who embroidered that logo on it.” The stranger before you uttered. His fists ever-so-slightly tensing upon the admittance of such a feat. Otherwise, his expression was reminiscent of a painting with nothing but gray hues on a tinted canvas. The canvas practically glowed as the light of the setting sun reflected upon his baggy jacket.
“My name’s Naveen. I’m another member of Team MZ.” Those dull amethyst eyes rapidly traced over the overpowering brown and green jacket that you received not too long ago. You wouldn’t have even noticed him scanning his own work had you not locked yourself into a staring contest with Naveen prior.
This gentleman presented himself in a way that you couldn’t quite put a finger on. A boy with such warm and inviting tones carrying himself in such a collected and apathetic style. Even his partner, Scraggy seemed to stand out against his own personality. It made you wonder who else was on Team MZ if you could meet such different types of people in such a short timespan. If Naveen had a Pokémon, there was surely a chance that he battled with them. Despite your ability of being able to read a trainer within seconds, you couldn’t pinpoint how strong Naveen really was. This uncanny ability to discern a trainer’s power was why you stared at others so much. Your keen battle sense allowed you to understand Pokémon trainers in a way that felt like it was encoded in you—hard statistics of a trainer’s strength. This time, blinking eyes could only scan an unfeeling awareness, much like your own understanding of strength at a single given time.
“So we’re teammates, I suppose…” Trading attentive gazes, he begins to trail off and finally, he closes his eyes to take refuge in his own thoughts. You notice how long his eyelashes were—how they sharply laced around his iris, and how you were curious to see your reflection in them. Could he let you catch yourself in them? What could he be thinking of behind those eyes? Maybe he was thinking of how utterly simple you were. Perhaps the leader of Team MZ should stop recruiting clueless tourists from the streets. It was likely out of politeness that he praised you for working with Mable. His tone certainly didn’t make it seem like he was all that interested in the discussion of your place on Team MZ or even the discussion regarding the Z-A Royale for that matter. Luckily for you, it was a hopeless topic to bring up anyway, considering how fast he would change it.
“Now about your outfit… It needs something.” Naveen crossed his arms as if to support himself in his next action. Idly tapping his chin, his pensiveness grew into a revelation, and his eyes opened to speak truth of his intentions. It was like watching Naveen solve an equation where the solution just had to be you.
Within moments, you found yourself with a foreign accessory on top of your head.
Naveen’s calculated movements gave you no room to react to his advance. He recalled himself the moment he had done what he intended. A striped trilby was placed soundly on your head. Perhaps you looked silly or even foolish with it on, but you were far too surprised at his insistence that you didn’t know what else to do but to politely accept the gift in silence.
“What do you think of this hat?”
His blasé attitude towards just about everything so far made it difficult to process his question, and the staring showed no end to his fascination with you. When you return the same look of curiosity at him, you notice that the once dull eyes glint with interest in them. His iris lightened as if a small door creaked open for the true Naveen to peek at you so far away from him, wondering if the response he’ll get will be worthwhile enough to keep the door open. Your hands reached up to adjust the striped trilby, at a loss for what else to do.
He nodded, as if understanding your hesitation.
“No thanks necessary. It wasn’t my size.” His Scraggy mischievously chirred in response, playfully stomping at its trainer. Not that you noticed it. Everything else that was happening around you felt like a pointless backdrop to your conversation. The two of you continued to lock eyes, but Naveen’s pale gaze wasn’t as harsh as before. If anything, it felt like Naveen was inviting you, his unblinking eyes slowing into a twitch of intrigue. Shock or confusion—whatever it may be on your end—you couldn’t tell if you were thankful for the kind gesture or sorry for initially wanting to replace the trilby and jacket. Perhaps it was a mix of both. Maybe it was time to go shopping after this encounter—then you’d be able to actually show Naveen that you’ve got some class. Even if the accessories weren’t fitting for you… The gesture from Naveen…
“Oh, and if the jacket’s not your style, feel free to change into something else anytime.” He blinked, as if reading your mind. Before, you felt guilty for thinking of ditching the jacket and the trilby. But since he offered… You still felt a bit guilty.
“Anyway. I’ve got to go. See you later.” He didn’t even bother waiting for a response from you. Maybe he wanted to spare you from sitting on that guilt for too long. Nevertheless, Naveen sidestepped your gaze, breaking free of your shared stare and brushing past you until his back was the last thing you could see of him. With his Scraggy partner rushing to his side, Naveen’s exit was as swift as his entrance.
Perhaps if you wear the outfit for a little bit longer, you’ll grow into it?
“Want to know why Naveen joined Team MZ?” Lida asked, leaning out of the armchair with a cheeky grin.
Your observant eyes glanced over from Naveen, now curiously resting on Lida. A slight tilt of the head was all Lida needed to know that she had piqued your interest.
“This is an invasion of privacy.” Naveen sighed, defeatedly leaning back into his seat. “I’m not particularly interested in all of your business, and I’d wish you’d stay out of mine.” He squinted his eyes, clearly bothered by the suggestion. Did he have to be so rude about it? Besides, you were teammates now, no? So wouldn’t it make sense for teammates to get to know one another?
You felt a twinge of disappointment within yourself at the idea of Naveen pushing himself away from the rest of Team MZ. Even without the ties to Team MZ, there was something about Naveen that simply made you drawn to him… Though, there was little you could do if he chose to close himself off to anyone who dared.
You opened your mouth to suggest that the three of you move on from this conversation when Lida managed to interrupt you before you even began to speak.
“You two have a Pokémon battle, and you’ll have to spill the tea if you lose.” She turned towards Naveen, a finger poking out of her oversized hoodie to point right at him. The proud grin on her face accompanied by the lingering silence from the three of you signaled that there was a genuine contemplation of her suggestion. This was definitely a proposition you could listen to. It felt like Naveen had considered it for a second as well.
“Why would you suggest that? You know that battling isn’t my forte…” He shut his eyes, hoping to close himself out from any further disturbances. Unfortunately, this was the very sign Lida needed to guarantee the event of a battle in the first place.
“OK, it’s settled! Out into the courtyard, you two.” She shot up from her seat, adamantly herding the two of you out to the courtyard.
The perpetual scowl on his face resembled an expression he often held when in complete focus. This complete focus was intimidating, but it eventually melted into one of pensiveness, before finally settling on one of defeat. He just couldn’t figure you out.
“Why do I even bother?”
“Lida won’t let this go until we put it to bed, so I suppose I’ll battle you.”
“But make no mistake— I’m going to give it my all, because I don’t want to talk about my life.”
A Spinarak. The String Spit Pokémon. Fitting for someone like Naveen. He was a tailor who sewed clothing, just like how a Spinarak uses its silk to spin webs. It was so obvious. A Spinarak’s web, on the other hand, could be so intricately woven that only the Spinarak itself could understand the process behind every step. You recalled your meeting with Naveen. It was as if he were holding himself back from completely introducing himself to you. Why was that? The way he stared at you so intently while waiting for your opinion. It was like there could be a wrong answer—not for you, but for him. The decision was made to hide his resolve under the guise of formal team introductions. Only Naveen could tell you why he did that. You can meet me because “we’re teammates, I suppose.” I’m Naveen “I wished you stayed out of my business,” member of Team MZ. I’ll agree to Lida and battle you “because I don’t want to talk about my life.”
You strangely wanted to win this battle more than any other battle that you had so far in Lumiose City. Maybe it was actually the appeal of becoming closer to Naveen, or maybe it was the thought of hearing Naveen’s story from him and on his own terms—a sign of his trust in you. Your usually observant eyes could hardly read him aside from what he deliberately chooses to share. You couldn’t understand if he intended to truly push others away or if his stand-offish attitude was a product of your misunderstanding. One thing was for sure: You’d be able to tell his true motivations from this battle.
Enough idling. You had always been prepared for this moment. Even without the need for super-effective moves, your own partner Pokémon was always stronger. You were always destined to win. It was like the results were predetermined for you.
No matter how hard Naveen tried, there was just no way to avoid opening up to you. Maybe it was payback for the jacket. He shouldn’t have used such a noxious green color right on top of a muddy brown… Out of all the hues he could’ve picked.
Deep down, he hoped that you’d win. When he caught himself thinking this, he grew agitated before shifting into a state of shock as his mind-wandering led to a defeated Spinarak. You were strong, but he had to be stronger. If he was going to lose, he at least wanted to put up a fight.
No. Wait. That wasn’t right. He hasn’t lost. Naveen scolded himself for yet another pessimistic thought about the outcome. He wouldn’t lose. He wouldn’t let his Pokémon down. He wouldn’t let himself down! This was more about putting up a fight before his defeat—he wasn’t going to be defeated, no way. Besides, there was no good reason why anyone would possibly want or need to know anything about him. Him. Of all people.
He had nothing interesting or of importance to report. He’s not some high-ranking trainer in the Z-A Royale. He was yet to be a famous fashion designer. Heck, he wasn’t even online. Plus, those who did acknowledge his passions wouldn’t understand it as he did, so why bother? Disappointment after disappointment. Disruption after disruption. How he wished for no more interruptions in his life.
Your presence had already disrupted his usual routine when he was dragged off to participate in the Z-A Royale instead of sewing in his makeshift studio. In fact, he could so vividly recall last night when you blatantly ignored him—zipping towards a berry on the ground instead. The audacity! Was his advice for you that irrelevant that you needed to so rudely RUN past him? Naveen stared at his opponent—you—your unbending eyes locked onto his fainted Pokémon, not even at him.
It was even more of a reason for Naveen not to lose against you. He straightened himself up, confidently gripping his next Premier Ball in his hope of emerging victorious.
A Sableye. The Darkness Pokémon. They lead quiet lives away from others. They’re more feared than anything, and their gemstone eyes burn with a sinister yet beautiful glitter. You couldn’t help but shift your focus to Naveen’s own amethyst eyes to compare the two. There was the same glint of madness in Sableye’s crystal eyes that was reminiscent of the sparkle in Naveen’s eyes from yesterday’s introduction.
Before you could further summarize the status of the battle, Naveen had already commanded his Sableye to perform a Shadow Sneak on your own partner Pokémon. It was a clean hit.
A barely perceptible smile formed on your face. Sableye was another apt Pokémon for someone like Naveen. The reflection in Sableye’s gemstones had that flicker of elegance that Naveen brought to a conversation. At its core, Sableye embodied traits that resembled a miniature of Naveen: Withdrawn, taciturn, and aloof… Or perhaps that was how he wanted himself to appear in others' eyes’, hiding away from everyone, even those he cared about.
Far too many extra hits and one close call from a fainting Pokémon introduced the idea of your calculations being off. Either you had underestimated Naveen’s battling capabilities or perhaps something within him clicked to urge him to make a powerful stand. Naveen and Sableye managed to do quite a number on you and your partner, that’s certain. For a moment, you could make out a small smile of triumph on Naveen’s face as Sableye landed a critical Take Down on your Pokémon.
No matter—for a trainer such as yourself, you and your Pokémon would make quick work of this fight. A price was paid for you to be able to study Naveen’s passion during the rush of battle. You personally thought that the exchange was quite fair: A few hits for a few observations. Had he been keeping a watchful eye on you as well? If Naveen could keep up with you, he would know that it was time for the next in line.
Naveen was running out of options. He was also less than pleased to hear Lida cheering from the bushes. In fact, he had been so focused on battling you that he had completely forgotten how he would have to talk about himself in the case that he lost.
“You really want to get to know me this badly?” He tapped at his face, sighing.
It was a question that he didn't mean to ask in the heat of the moment. He’d prefer if you didn’t answer it either. To him, there was really no useful reason to understand him. Trying to understand him would be more of a headache for him than whatever Team MZ already had planned for him. Regardless, being on the same team meant being subjected to “team bonding.” It was an unfortunate truth that he was dreading to address. Honestly, he wondered if the studio space was even worth it if he kept on getting dragged into shenanigans such as this. How he even agreed to a battle with you, he couldn’t understand it himself.
Scraggy. The Shedding Pokémon. The Pokémon on the back of Naveen’s jacket—his ace. If the battle were a fashion line, Naveen’s Scraggy had to be the centerpiece of the show. You once recalled meeting a pack of Scraggy while traveling, staring into one’s eyes for far too long, and eventually being met with a ferocious head-butt. You held back a smile from imagining the same thing happening to you for annoying Naveen. No... He would never do that to you. Maybe his Scraggy would, though, if you kept on pestering Naveen.
Scraggy pulled up its skin defensively, casting an unsmiling stare at its opponent. The same jolly Scraggy from yesterday evening was focused, alert, and just as stern as its trainer. You could see the resemblance now. Scraggy’s wide eyes lock up at you before lowering onto your Pokémon. You took the opportunity to glance over to Naveen only to find that he had already been looking at you, watching you examine his ace.
After a blink, Naveen avoided your gaze as if he had never even glanced your way to begin with. It was funny how he tried to hide his interest. He had been so keen to lock eyes with you before and yet in the unfamiliar territory of battling, he could only gaze at you while you were looking away. Was he scared?
Scraggy hit a critical Headbutt, leaving you with wide eyes as you recalled your current Pokémon. Naveen really was pushing himself to his limit. Of course, you’d have to respond with your own ace. It was only fair.
You threw out your first Pokéball, sending out Totodile.
Something akin to satisfaction swelled within you. Naveen wasn’t just battling to protect himself from befriending you. You could tell in Naveen’s fighting spirit that he truly, genuinely wanted to win.
This was what you wanted to face up against.
“You… really are good at this.” Naveen sighed, placing his hands on his hips. His two stray locs gently swayed as he shook his head in disbelief. A smile draped across your face, proud to have shaken him to a new emotion: slightly more annoyed… but also impressed. Of course, you couldn’t forget the determination in his eyes.
Before you could praise his battling skills, rustling from your left-hand side caused the two of you to turn to the bushes. You turned just in time to watch Lida vault over the large hedge with leaves and a few twigs still stuck on her hoodie.
Ah. This was Naveen’s cue to ramble. He tapped on his chin, posing to be deep in thought about what he had learned from this battle, his gaze avoiding Lida’s.
“Nice try, but changing the subject won’t work! A promise is a promise, so I’ll spill the story for you!”
Surprisingly, Naveen didn’t respond as predicted. His arms were at his side, not in a defeated limp, but an acceptance. He shrugged. A deal was a deal.
A relative not allowing him to follow his dreams..?
“She… wanted me to concentrate on improving my test scores. But I was more interested in doing fashion sketches than academics.” Naveen’s voice softened, his eyes closing in a state of vulnerability.
No wonder he was so closed off. A bond meant to promise complete and unconditional love, and yet it couldn’t even provide the compassion to understand.
Before you knew it, Naveen’s same amethyst eyes shot open with a pained bitterness to them.
“Still, she didn’t have to go and throw away all of my sewing equipment.”
That type of strained relationship with a relative… It leaves you with nowhere else to go and no reason to search for things that should’ve been promised to you—no strings attached, no intricate webs woven. To Naveen, it was easier to be anywhere else but “home.” His room which once served as his atelier, a personal studio, was now barren with just the bare minimum to be considered a place of rest. The desk that he would spend hours sketching at now turned into a storage place for his many textbooks.
Deep down, he still cherished his grandmother despite it all. He knew she was doing this because she wanted him to be happy. He knew she only wanted to protect him, but at the cost of spending his life in hiding… It wasn’t something he could live with.
Ironically, after that incident, he couldn’t help but always hide a small part of himself away from all others. It was best for him to keep to himself and for others to keep away from him. He had planned out how his interactions with people would go, and there wasn’t a chance that the same mistakes could be made again. There was no shame to his identity, but now there was an invisible barrier—a barricade. He would like to shut the door for good this time. If anyone wanted to connect with him, they would understand it through his art. If they didn’t understand him, then it wasn’t meant for them. No, thank you. Not again.
“Again” is the memory of that night. He remembered that night so clearly.
In a fit of betrayal, Naveen stormed out of his “home.”
Naveen was lucky that a Battle Zone didn’t spawn on top of him that night. She had never threatened him. Never forced him to do anything he didn’t want to. Never expressed anything more than for him to achieve stellar marks and pursue a respectable career. Yet her disappointment in him translated into more languages than he could have possibly known.
Timely check-ins became routine inspections. Disagreements turned into microaggressions. Guidance turned into control. She promised that all she wanted Naveen to be happy, and Naveen had promised her to study to make her happy in return. Apparently, it wasn’t enough.
That night, he remembered hauling a bag over his shoulder. The bag harbored his messily coiled fabrics—the usable ones after digging in the garbage, and the few sewing instruments he could recover after wild Trubbish had started chewing on them.
With his other arm, Naveen clutched his sketchbook close to his chest, holding onto it with the little energy he had left. He blinked lifelessly as he continued dragging himself under the dimly lit streets. A pitter-pattering noise followed hot on his heels, but more concerned chirps failed to catch his attention. Behind him, Scraggy held the remnants of an unfinished jacket, crying out to try to comfort Naveen.
He slowly blinked, coming to a stop as his tired eyes drooped down even more. From the corner of his vision, he could see Scraggy jump in front of him, alert and anxious.
When he was approached by a shadowy figure, Naveen sighed. Typical Naveen reaction. Well… All things considered, he lived a pretty good life. If this were how things would go, then at least he’d go out with his hopes and dreams in his arms.
“Yes… I learned about Hotel Z then…”
Oh.
A hotel…
At first, he thought it was a mistake. First of all, hotels were for people without a permanent residence. He had a home. Second, he had been a resident of Lumiose City for his entire life. There wasn’t a single street or landmark that he wasn’t familiar with, and he had definitely never even heard of this “Hotel Z” until moments ago. Thirdly, who even hides in shadows to offer suspicious housing to people at their worst? Were there more people waiting in the shadows to collectively jump him? This had to be some sort of punishment for running off from home so abruptly. Either way, Naveen shook his head.
Did this stranger take him for an idiot?
The stranger laughed, then when they realized that Naveen was serious, the stranger kept insisting that he take up the offer, swearing that Hotel Z was “honest” and “legit.” Besides, Naveen “looked like he really needed a place for the night.” Well… a spacious studio with rooftop and courtyard access, high-speed internet, and on top of being nestled away in a safe area for nobody to bother him?
It sounded too good to be true. Scraggy even agreed, preparing to head-butt the stranger in front of them.
Luckily, there were no head-butts.
“I’ve been using it as a studio of sorts ever since.”
He had nothing to lose at that point, and the stranger certainly didn’t seem to want to harm him or Scraggy. Naveen knew better than to trust the words of some random person at night on the street, but there was something about the stranger that made him feel at ease. He certainly remembers the kindness given to him to this day, despite how his attitude towards Team MZ so far could show otherwise.
That night, Naveen slept soundly for the first time in many months.
Despite so, he still had to return home…
“Look, I’m sorry, but there’s something I just remembered I have to do… I’ll see you later.”
Actions came before words. Before you knew it, your outstretched hand grabbed onto the hem of Naveen’s sleeve, stopping him from leaving.
‘Team MZ can be your home too, if you let it be.’
Naveen paused. He didn’t turn back to face you. He remained unmoving where he stood, locked in a stunned state.
Why had you stopped him?
What now?
Why weren’t you saying anything?
Confounded by your own actions, you let go of Naveen’s sleeve just as fast as you decided to stop him from leaving.
“Let’s battle again soon.”
Naveen’s brows furrowed and his gaze fell to the floor. He strangely felt a mix of… happiness…(?) and confusion when you reached out to stop him. Yet it was only to find out that it was all to schedule a rematch? A rematch after you had practically stomped him?
“I don’t usually battle. Let’s leave the battling inside the Z-A Royale…” Naveen closed his eyes, tensing up before opening his fists and sighing to relax himself. He didn’t want to admit it, but the trance he had while battling you felt almost akin to the feeling when he was completely captured in his sketching and sewing. He couldn’t tell if it was his dedication to minding his own business or if something within his heart truly wanted to emerge victorious.
In fact, there were plenty of other times where the requests to battle him from other Team MZ members got denied instantly one after another. “I’m sewing something right now,” “I need to finish this sketch first,” “Scraggy’s not in the mood for a battle,” “Sableye’s helping me organize sequins,” “I’m designing logos with Spinarak.” Perfectly suitable excuses just for him to slip away right when they come looking for him again. The fact that Naveen instantly gave in to the idea of battling you, on top of allowing Lida to mouth his business... This wasn’t normal. He couldn’t stand it. He had to get out of there to analyze his situation.
“I’ll be going now, for real this time.”
The mysterious Naveen slowly slipped out of your vision yet again, leaving you standing with a bewildered Lida.
“He’s a shy one alright..!” Lida wore a silly smile, hands in her hoodie pockets. “He’s warming up to everyone surely but slowly. He even designed Team MZ’s logo out of the blue one day. He said not to thank him, typical Naveen.” Her smile turned into a fond nod. She paused, taking her hands out of her pockets.
To be honest, Lida was the most surprised out of the three of you. Her understanding of battle was nowhere near as talented as yours, but she could also tell that Naveen battled with a certain disposition that wouldn’t have been present if it were against someone else.
“That’s the first time I’ve seen him battle so earnestly… Are you really serious about a rematch with Naveen?” She crossed her arms, replaying the battle between the two of you in her head.
You smiled at Lida, nodding with your eyes closed..
There’s something special about that boy. For that reason, you’d like nothing more than to battle him again.
You were going to make it happen.