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Team MZ needs a fourth member.
Scratch that. Team MZ needs help.
Taunie, Lida, and Naveen have been able to handle several Rogue Mega-Evolved Pokémon across the city. But as the number of incidents increases, and the danger to the city’s people and Pokémon grows, they realize they may have to enlist some other Trainers. That was supposed to be the point of the Battle Royale, but it doesn’t seem as if anyone has made it to Rank A yet. And they’re starting to run out of time.
It may be surprising that they go to Canari, a popular streamer, for assistance. While she may seem like an unlikely choice, her Pokémon team is strong and she’s rising up the ranks of the Battle Royale pretty quickly. Her Electric-type Pokémon are formidable; her partner Pokémon Eelektross can Mega Evolve. And no one on Team MZ has Electric types on their team. With the growing power of Mega Pokémon, Type matchups are increasingly important. Having a versatile team is essential.
Hence why Lida, Naveen, and Taunie are standing in the Racine Construction building, attempting to reason with Terragon, a construction worker. Lida and Taunie are clearly a bit confused as to why they’re looking for a streamer in a construction site, but Naveen seemed confident so they went with it. It ended up paying off, as they now find themselves standing in a room packed to the brim with Canari merch. They must be in the right place.
After a battle with Terragon, who’s revealed to be Canari’s grandfather, they’re led to Canari’s streaming set. She doesn’t appear to be streaming at the moment, instead humming to herself and scrolling through something on her screen. Naveen visibly freezes in the entryway, looking as if his internal systems are malfunctioning. Lida bumps him on the shoulder reassuringly, before turning to the woman seated in the gaming chair.
“You’re Canari, right?” Lida asks.
“Yup,” she responds. She has vivid yellow and blue hair tied up in pigtails, and she wears a neon ensemble consisting of a crop top, baggy sweatpants, and chunky sneakers. “What’s up?”
“We wanted to talk to you about Rogue Mega Evolution,” Taunie hums.
“What’s that?”
“It’s when a Pokémon in the wild undergoes Mega Evolution, without the guidance of a Trainer or the help of a Mega Stone,” Taunie explains. “The process can be pretty painful for the Pokémon, and their aggressive disposition can be dangerous to anyone in the surrounding area.”
“We noticed you’re ranked pretty highly in the Battle Royale, so we kinda hoped you would be able to help us handle the Rogue Mega Pokémon,” Lida adds.
“Only if you can,” Naveen blurts out. He’s steadily staring at his sneakers. “We know you’re super busy.”
“Sure, sounds like fun!” Canari responds. “I wanna protect the city and all that.”
“Sweet!” Lida cheers.
“You know, I think I know someone else who can help too,” Canari says with a slightly mischievous grin, getting to her feet and standing up in front of them. “C’mon.” She proceeds to walk past the group, shoulder brushing against Naveen. Naveen visibly freezes, seeming to need a few seconds to process and reboot.
Canari leads the three of them across the garage to a similar room, tucked behind a brick wall and outfitted with similar streaming equipment. The color scheme is a lot more minimalistic: black, grey, white. There’s a guy around their age sitting at the computer, saying something quietly.
Your sister has always been spontaneous. This ends up working out for you both, since you like having everything organized and planned out to the smallest of details. Despite this juxtaposition, the two of you have always been close. After the loss of your parents, you became virtually inseparable. Now, the two of you are streamers—and your setups are covertly hidden in your grandfather’s construction site.
Well. If anyone deserves to be called a streamer, it’s your sister. She’s very popular—she has her own merch line, regular meet-and-greets, and fan events. You, on the other hand? You’re a bit more casual about it. You’re not very well-known, and you’re fine with that. Most people don’t even know Canari has a brother, and you honestly hope things stay that way.
Still, you both live in Lumiose City and your streaming setups are hidden away in Racine Construction. Canari’s schedule is pretty crazy; you try to stick to a relatively modest one yourself. Even so, Canari has a bad habit of dropping by at very inconvenient times. Like now, for example. You just reached the central climax of this game when she suddenly appears in the doorway of your space and ends your stream.
“Hey!” you exclaim. “I told you to stop hijacking my streams.” You frown and look at the screen, trying to start the stream up again. Canari’s hand latches in your collar and she tugs you up by the scruff of the neck. You begrudgingly go with the gesture, and her hand falls away before she grins.
“Sorry, bro!” Canari smiles, clearly not apologetic in the slightest.
“Whoa, wait, you guys are related?” the black-haired girl at her side asks.
“Yup!” Canari responds. “See? DYN4M0!”
“I told you I don’t like doing that…” you sigh, reluctantly putting your hands together and mimicking her gesture.
“Anyway, these guys were asking me about Mega Evolution and stuff,” your sister continues, giving you absolutely no context as always. You barely have any idea what’s going on. “Thought you might want to be in on it, too.”
“In on… what, exactly?” you frown. You’ve never seen any of these people before. They’re an interesting group: a woman with blond hair dyed pink at the ends; another woman with long black hair and dark eyes; and a guy with warm brown skin, vivid purple eyes and locs tied back in a ponytail.
“Rogue Mega Evolution,” the black-haired woman supplies. “It’s when a wild Pokémon is overcome with Mega Power and forced into Mega Evolution against its will. It can be pretty painful, not to mention dangerous.”
“Lately we’ve been handling any Rogue Mega Evolutions that come up,” the other woman elaborates. “But it’s always nice to have some more reinforcements.”
“Yeah!” the woman with black hair agrees. “What rank are you? Can your Pokémon Mega Evolve?”
“He’s Rank C,” Canari answers for you. “And yes.”
“Thanks,” you huff with fond exasperation. “Yeah, she’s right.”
“Awesome!” the woman with ombre hair exclaims. “This is great. Team MZ has two new members!”
“Not sure that’s how it works…” the guy mumbles. No one else seems to hear him. You pay him a quick glance, only to find him already scrutinizing you. He quickly looks away.
“Great!” the woman from before continues. “Do you mind if we get your numbers? We can get a group chat going. Oh, and I’m Taunie,” she explains, before motioning to her friends, “and this is Lida, and Naveen.”
You smile politely and introduce yourself in return, exchanging numbers before they head off.
“Well, someone was starstruck,” Lida grins as they exit the Racine Construction building, looking over at Naveen. “How does it feel to meet your hero?”
“Canari’s not my hero,” he insists. Taunie and Lida both know it’s a lie, but they don’t call him out on it.
“Well, I think it’s nice that her brother’s helping,” Taunie adds.
“Yeah, we got two for the price of one!” Lida exclaims. “Well. Two for the price of none, really.”
Naveen just shoves his hands in his pockets and keeps walking. Taunie and Lida exchange worried looks.
“Hey,” Taunie says. “You okay? You know we’re just messing with you.”
“I’m fine,” Naveen responds.
“What, was it a letdown?” Lida asks.
“No,” Naveen insists. “Canari is just as cool in-person.”
“Okay. Maybe you’re just going into shock or something. I bet some of Taunie’s croissant curry will fix you right up!” Lida reassures him, bumping his shoulder supportively.
Naveen just huffs. “I’m not that desperate.”
Group Chat
Taunie created a group chat with Naveen, Lida, Canari, and You.
Taunie: hey guys! figured i’d make this just so we can keep track of everything.
Taunie: we know you’re pretty busy, so we don’t expect you to drop everything to come help us. the three of us have regular strategy meetings whenever too much is going on. and there are some other trainers who can help if needed. but! it’s a small list, so we’re happy to have you on board :)
Canari: THUNDER WAVE!
You: canari… not the time 😭
Canari: THUNDER WAVEEE!
Naveen: ⚡️👋
You: thanks for entrusting us with this!! we’ll try to help whenever we can.
Lida: sweet!
Taunie: thank youuuu!
A few weeks later…
Group Chat
Taunie: just checking in on that mega victribell. i think @Canari mentioned being able to tackle it with @Naveen
Naveen: ye
You: oooop
Lida: wut
You: dammit.
You: canari’s back in vaniville visiting our parents this week
Taunie: oh np!
Lida: yeah dw abt it!!!
You: i can cover for her, if it’s needed. sorry, she does this a lot 😔
Lida: omg it’s no problem!!
Taunie: always the responsible older brother, huh?
You: at this point 😭
Taunie: i’m sure naveen would appreciate the help! he should be there in a few minutes.
You: ok. leaving now!
Taunie and Lida liked your message.
Team MZ
Lida: naveen…
Naveen: yes?
Lida: you don’t have to keep lurking
Lida: you could’ve at least responded to him so he knows ur there waiting,,,
Naveen: that was implied
Lida: riiiiiight
Taunie: it’s fineee! we get it, ur totally not nervous or anything ;)
Naveen: why would i be nervous.
Naveen: …
Naveen: i wish it was canari.
Lida: we know. and ur making it kinda obvious. try to tone it down a bit, ok? he seems like a really nice guy!
Naveen: hmph
“Hi,” you say somewhat awkwardly, climbing the rooftop and settling next to Naveen.
“Hey,” Naveen responds. His hands are buried in his pockets. His shoulders are tense. One thing is abundantly clear: He does not want to be here.
“Sorry,” you say with an apologetic grimace. “I know you were probably looking forward to meeting my sister, but…” You don’t really know what else to say. Your brain gives up on organizing your thoughts. You shake your head. “…Yeah. Let’s just do this, I guess.”
You both approach the Mega Victribell. It lets out an earth-shattering screech, and the battle begins.
Group Chat
Taunie: just got word from vinnie that the victribell is pacified already?
You: yep
Taunie: sweet!!!
Lida: seems like you guys are the dream team!
You loved Lida’s message.
Team MZ
Naveen: guys
Taunie: yeah?
Lida: u good?
Naveen: canari’s brother has a zoroark
Lida: whoaaa! fr???
Naveen: yeah. and it could mega evolve.
Taunie: WATTTTT
Naveen: you stole canari’s line
Taunie: ?
Lida: ?
Naveen: “watt” ?
Naveen: like electricity?
Taunie: ohhhh. hahaha
Taunie: but seriously???
Lida: yeah, is that even possible?? i’ve never heard of a zoroark being able to mega evolve before
Naveen: yeah me neither
Taunie: well dang! guess that’s why he’s ranked higher than canari lol
Lida: 🫣
Lida: what other Pokémon did he have??? now i’m curious
Naveen: zoroark was the main, and he had a mega gardevoir too. not sure abt the rest.
Taunie: sheeeesh! looks like we made the right choice, choosing him and his sister!
Lida: yeah !
Taunie: it went well, then? :0
Lida: i mean it must’ve
Naveen: you guys were right about me being obvious. he said sorry for not being his sister.
Lida: oof…
Taunie: big oof……
Naveen: he was weirdly nice
Taunie: weirdly?
Lida: how so?
About thirty minutes prior, just as Naveen and you had finished pacifying the Victreebel…
“I think it dropped this,” you blink, holding up a Victreebelite. “You want it?”
“It’s giving it to you,” Naveen explains. He ducks his head. “Keep it.”
“Okay,” you remark, slipping it into your satchel before looking around awkwardly. “So… we’re good, then? The Pokémon are just… fine, after this?”
“Supposedly,” Naveen answers. “We put a small tracker on them for a week or so, just to make sure they’re doing okay.”
“Good,” you remark. “Well. Sorry again… Canari’s a bit flighty. The name’s more fitting than people realize.” You huff, attempting to get rid of the awkward tension settling in the air.
Naveen doesn’t respond. You don’t like being given control of the conversation, because, clearly, as you’re showing, you don’t have perfect social skills. There’s a reason why Canari is a more popular streamer than you are: she’s far more optimistic, cheerful. She knows how to get people excited, and she enjoys interacting with her fans.
You’re practically a hermit compared to her.
Still. Naveen is walking away now, and he’s probably disappointed, and you feel strangely guilty about it—
“Hey, wait,” you say before he can disappear. Naveen pauses in his tracks. You try to organize your thoughts. “My sister—Canari, whatever—will be back Friday. She said she’s free most of next weekend, if you want to hang out with her or something.”
Naveen looks puzzled.
“Okay,” you say quickly. “I should…… go. Bye.”
You promptly turn and walk away before things can get more awkward.
Team MZ
Naveen: he told me when canari’s free next
Naveen: to hang out
Lida: omg!! that’s nice!
Taunie: yessss you gotta text her
Naveen: right…
Naveen: what am i even supposed to say
Naveen: “hey, just pacified a rogue mega-evolved pokémon with your brother when he told me you were free next weekend. want to hang out? i’ve only been a fan of you for years.”
Lida: lmfaooooo
Taunie: pls 💀
Lida: nah just smthg like “hey! ur brother said u were free to hang out next weekend? no pressure.”
Naveen: ok
Naveen: this way, if it fails, it’s ur fault
Lida: what NO WAIT
Naveen: too late
Naveen: the rest of my life has been determined by your words
Lida: dramatic ass 🙄
Taunie: lmaoooo
Team MZ
Naveen: update
Taunie: ?
Lida: >?
Naveen: this is hard for me to say
Naveen: sigh
Naveen: ty lida
Lida: GASP
Lida: omg!!! did it work???? r u hanging out with canari this weekend?
Naveen: we met for coffee yesterday, actually
Taunie: OMGGGG
Lida: YASSSS
Naveen: so…
Naveen: ugh
Naveen: thx
Naveen: … <3
Taunie: omg he loves us
Lida: YAYYYYY
Naveen deleted a message.
Naveen: no evidence
Lida: too late i screenshotted ;3
Naveen: dammit
Lida: <33333333
Naveen: ……
Naveen: … <3
After the next Mega battle, Naveen and you find the nearest cafe and practically collapse. These battles always take an absurd amount of energy, since you’re both attempting to pacify the Mega-Evolved Pokémon while dodging its attacks and keeping yourselves in one piece. It’s stressful and a pretty vigorous means of exercise, which is how you’ve established this unspoken tradition of going to the nearest cafe to decompress after a battle.
Naveen and you are seated at one of the iron tables outside, waiting for your drinks, when you see a few passersby stop and whisper amongst themselves. You immediately try to pretend as if you hadn’t noticed them, but when you see them start to approach, you know it’s no use.
“Raven!!” a guy in a neon sweatshirt exclaims. “It’s you!!!”
“Hey,” you say somewhat awkwardly, painfully aware of Naveen’s gaze burning into the side of your face. “Yeah, that’s me.”
“We love your streams, man,” his friend volunteers.
“Thanks,” you say with a slightly sheepish smile. “That means a lot.”
“You’re cool as fuck, dude, seriously,” his friend agrees. “Not tryna bother you and your friend here, just… Can we get a quick pic?”
“Yeah, sure,” you agree, after sending Naveen an apologetic look. Naveen is silent and has a blank expression on his face as the two guys lean in and take a selfie with you. They thank you again before walking off. You immediately turn back to Naveen.
“…Sorry about that,” you say defeatedly. Fortunately, you’re nowhere near Canari’s level of popularity—your sister gets stopped on the street almost every time she leaves the house. But there are still moments when you’re recognized, like just now.
“You’re a streamer,” Naveen states, a strange note of something in his voice.
“Uh… yeah,” you say. You thought he knew that already.
“A well-known one,” Naveen continues.
“I mean, not really—” you try to justify.
He doesn’t even seem to listen to your answer. “How,” he says flatly. “How.”
“You didn’t know that?” you ask disbelievingly. Didn’t you first meet back at Racine Construction, when you were in the middle of a stream? Maybe Naveen was distracted. “Oh. Sorry, I guess?”
“Stop apologizing,” Naveen huffs, pushing his chair out and getting to his feet. “It’s annoying.” The chair’s legs screech against the pavement and he shoves his hands in his pockets before walking away.
“But your drink—” you try to say. But he’s already down the corner by the time you can get the words out.
You sigh.
Team MZ
Naveen: WHICH ONE OF YOU
Taunie: oh my arceus are we going to die?
Lida: naveen using all caps? I’m genuinely terrified
Naveen: WHICH FCKNG ONE OF YOU NEGLECTED TO TELL ME THAT CANARI’S BROTHER IS A STREAMER TOO
Taunie: i mean… canari literally interrupted him mid-stream when we first met
Naveen:
Lida: yeah! plus, i mean, i dunno, he kinda has that vibe
Naveen: ???????!????????
Naveen: no he doesn’t
Naveen: he and canari are literally so different
Naveen: this makes no sense
Naveen: i don’t understand
Lida: i mean, my rotom phone’s telling me he streams horror and visual novel games, mostly. maybe that’s why you haven’t seen him?
Naveen: how many followers does he have
Naveen: how many subscribers
Naveen: actually no let me look
Naveen: i don’t trust you people
Lida: WOWWWW
Taunie: WOWWWWWWW
Team MZ
Lida: Naveen it’s literally been hours are you oaky
Taunie: oaky?
Lida: okay* lmao
Naveen: …
Naveen: millions.
Taunie: millions?
Lida: of what? subs?
Naveen: yes.
Naveen: almost as many as canari herself.
Naveen: how. is. this. possible??????
Naveen has been scowling long enough for his head to start hurting.
He doesn’t care.
How can he call himself a fan if he didn’t know you, Canari’s brother, were also a streamer? That should’ve been common knowledge to someone who’s been watching Canari for years.
Maybe there’s a stream you’ve appeared on before. Maybe he missed it? No, that can’t be. Naveen can count the number of Canari streams he’s missed over the years on one hand. There’s no way.
He groans and types “canari’s brother” into his browser. The results lead him to a Reddit page and a Youtube compilation. He’s starting to feel a little better—there wasn’t an automated response, so this must not be common knowledge. Naveen taps on the YouTube video, frowning at the title: Canari deleted stream: Raven appears!!!!!
He watches the first few seconds, apprehensive. He doesn’t think this is going to end up being useful. There’s just no way that he could’ve missed something so important. Naveen is supposed to know almost everything about Canari! How could he have missed this?!
There. Naveen stops scrubbing. There’s another figure on screen. He goes back ten seconds and hits the play button, listening as Canari talks about the game she’s playing. She turns her head and talks to someone off-screen, before there’s suddenly another figure in the camera’s field of vision.
It’s you.
“This is my brother!” Canari says to the camera. “He’s only a little bit annoying. He streams too, so you should check him out!”
“Wow, thanks for the glowing endorsement,” you say sarcastically. You wave briefly to the camera. “Hi.” You’re wearing a simple sweatshirt and jeans. You look a bit tired but overall content. You’re quiet, only speaking when spoken to. You’re not trying to share or steal the spotlight. Canari and you seem close—which Naveen has already seen from your in-person interactions. He sighs and exits out of the video. You were on one stream that he missed… and that Canari later deleted. He feels less bad about himself now.
After some contemplation, Naveen throws away the rest of his dignity and looks up #CanariBrother on Twitter. The first post that shows up is from a Canari fanpage.
@canarygotweet
about 15 months ago
canari’s brother… y’all…
[A fan edit set to Smooth Operator by Sade, with photos of you from Canari’s stream.]
30k retweets | 112k likes
Replies:
@pokepunched: I NEED HIM BIBLICALLY
@steeltypeofb1tch: i wish men were real
@gratatatat: saving this to my pinterest bf aesthetic board as we speak
The edit starts playing again automatically. Naveen watches it, hitting the like button absentmindedly. Realizing what he’s done, he tosses his phone across the bed and buries his head in his pillow, groaning in frustrated embarrassment.
Canari and you are just planning to have a nice day outside. You’re going to visit Café Gallant and enjoy the good weather.
And, for the first twenty minutes or so, it seems like the day will prove to be uneventful.
Of course, that’s when things fall to shit. You’re taking one last sip of your drink, listening to your sister recount one of her recent gaming adventures, when you both hear a loud sound. It’s impactful enough to part the trees nearby, sending a harsh wind through the thicket. Immediately, both of you are on alert, getting to your feet and squinting into the distance.
For a few seconds, there’s nothing. Then, another loud boom. An unnatural sound. Canari and you exchange a look before heading over to the source of the disturbance. Your shoes screech against the pavement as the sky above turns a pale cloudy grey. A few people run by in a panic.
By the time you reach the plaza, all of the people have cleared out of it. That in and of itself is strange: it’s the middle of the day. This is usually a pretty central hub for the city. Then again, the Rogue Mega-Evolved Pokémon standing in the center of the square may have something to do with it.
There’s a harsh pink-red glow emitting from it, and your Rotom Phones immediately alert you to a spike in Mega Power. Canari and you both look over.
“Is that a Kabutops?” she asks.
You frown and take another hesitant step closer. “Looks like it,” you respond. Indeed, it appears to be a Kabutops: the prehistoric shellfish Pokémon. Its arms are formed into blade-like talons, with a hard abdomen and two claws on each foot. You can’t say you’ve seen a Kabutops in recent days—the Pokémon was thought to be extinct.
“Guess we’re doing this,” Canari sighs, pulling out her Eelektross’ Poké Ball. “Man! I wanted another Galette.”
“I’ll get you one after,” you huff, resigning yourself to your fate. You adopt a similar battle-ready stance, the cool weight of Gardevoir’s Poké Ball providing some comfort. With Eelektross and Gardevoir standing in front of it, Kabutops is quick to let out an earth-shattering roar as its form contorts and grows. Numerous blades sprout out of its body, and its eyes harden before it’s quickly running at you.
And holy shit, the Pokémon is fast. Inhumanly fast. Almost too quick for you to even perceive. You try your best to recall what you know of Kabutops, while dodging its attacks and directing Gardevoir as needed. The Pokémon is a rock and water type, a prehistoric arthropod. It was thought to be in the process of evolving prior to extinction, so it’s able to slice through water at high speeds while still being mobile on land.
Canari and you slowly but surely battle it, taking care to avoid its volatile Ancient Power attack. The Pokémon’s use of Whirlpool is particularly troubling, as it pulls you and your own Pokémon into its orbit. What’s worse, Kabutops keeps lunging at Canari and you with frightening speed. Still, you’re starting to chip away at its defenses. Besides, you know that none of this is the Pokémon’s fault. Pokémon without Trainers don’t choose to Mega Evolve. While the rationale behind that isn’t completely understood yet, you know that Kabutops is just trying to protect itself. It’s clearly in immense pain, and Canari and you have to help it.
So, the battle rages on. You dodge, roll to the side, evade its attacks. Gardevoir uses Magical Leaf, dodges with you, uses Psybeam, evades, uses Draining Kiss. This continues for a while, until Kabutops uses Rain Dance and puts a damper on everything. Literally.
You have your arm over your forehead, but it’s almost impossible to see. Canari and you are barely even speaking to each other now, focusing instead on battling the Kabutops. Occasionally, you’ll shout out a warning or she’ll do the same.
The two of you are starting to get soaked, though. The ground is slick. It’s hard to see, it’s hard to hear. Hell, it’s hard to think. You’re not sure how much longer your Pokémon can endure this—and you don’t think you even want them to.
Against all odds, Canari and you both manage to scrounge up enough Mega Power to evolve your Eelektross and Gardevoir again, respectively. After a joint attack with Thunderbolt and Dazzling Gleam, respectively, the Kabutops finally shudders and falls to its knees, returning to its normal form. The Mega Evolution is over.
Canari and you exchange a glance, breathing hard. That battle took a lot out of both of you. Kabutops is incredibly fast, and you suspect it has the Swift Swim ability—which doubles its speed in rainy conditions. Honestly, it’s a miracle that everyone is relatively unscathed. You’re sure you have a few scratches and bruises, but it’s nothing serious. (Your ribs hurt particularly badly, but you’ll cross that bridge when you get there.)
Kabutos is silent. And it’s still standing there. “Is it okay?” you ask Canari. Usually, the Pokémon have remained just long enough to be tagged before running off. They’re not typically eager to stay behind, and you can’t necessarily blame them. It’s hard to convey to them that you’re just trying to help, and you imagine that, if you were in their situation, you’d be pissed at the Trainers battling you without reason.
Canari shrugs helplessly. “No idea,” she shakes her head. She considers you for a moment. “You good?”
“Yeah,” you respond. “You?”
“Yeah,” she nods. She laughs breathlessly. “That was kinda fun.”
You can’t help but laugh in response. “Seriously?” you huff. “Feels like we just ran a marathon.”
“Hey, you two!” Taunie says, suddenly appearing from the mist like some kind of magician.
“Hey!” Canari responds brightly.
“What are you doing here?” you blink, squinting at them. It’s hard to see with the sheer amount of raindrops across your face, threatening to fall into your eyes. As Taunie gets closer, you realize she isn’t alone: Lida and Naveen are both with her.
“You didn’t see?” Lida asks, her head tilting to the side in curiosity. She’s holding a bright blue umbrella and, after a moment’s contemplation, she adjusts it so it covers Canari from the rain. “You guys were on the news!”
“The news?” you echo skeptically. “Why?”
“Well, I am pretty famous,” Canari smirks.
“Shut up,” you say with a restrained laugh. It’s only the millionth time you’ve heard that joke from your sister. But it’s somewhat true, ironically. She kind of is famous—hence why she has to hide away in the depths of Racine Construction.
“Well, yes, that,” Taunie answers in amusement, stopping at your side and covering you both with her multi-colored umbrella, “but more the whole Rogue Mega-Evolved Pokémon tearing up the public square part.”
“You guys look like cats that were forced to take a bath,” Lida teases good-naturedly.
“Thanks,” you say sardonically. Canari just throws up a peace sign. Typical.
“Let’s head back to the hotel,” Naveen says, breaking his silence. You had almost forgotten he was standing there, with how quiet he was being. He’s wielding a black and purple umbrella, shielding himself from the rain. He looks mildly annoyed, as always.
“Okay,” you agree, moving to fall in step with Taunie. Except Taunie’s face pales and she freezes.
“Uh…” she says, subtly stepping away. The calm drizzle of rain starts to hit you again and you shiver.
“What?” you blink. There’s that eerie feeling of someone being in your personal space; you turn around to find Kabutops standing over you. Now that you’re in close quarters, you realize the Pokémon is quite big—even in its natural state.
You instinctively freeze, waiting for it to attack you. You’re not sure how long you stand there, locked in this silent tension. It must be minutes. You shift backwards a bit, trying to decide if you should run or just remain frozen under its gaze.
Then, finally, the Pokémon’s blade shifts… and it nudges the satchel at your side. You blink as if thrown from a trance.
“It wants to go with you,” Naveen says. You turn to find him waiting for you. Taunie, Lida, and your sister are nowhere to be found—they must’ve gone ahead.
The Kabutops nudges your satchel again and you remember the matter at hand. It stares at you impassively. You think Naveen may be right. Without breaking eye contact, you slowly unzip your satchel and pull out a Poké Ball, before letting it rest in your open palm. “This?” you ask it uncertainly, secretly waiting for it to slap it out of your hand.
Instead, Kabutops chitters and leans in, nudging its head against the Poké Ball and willingly going inside it. You stare at the capsule in shock, watching as it shakes once, twice, three times… Then settles.
Kabutops is now your companion.
Within moments, the Poké Ball is shuddering impatiently. You suspect Kabutops won’t like being confined to a Poké Ball, so you let it free. It stands in front of you again, before making that chittering sound once more. It must like the rain. You hesitantly reach out, leaving your open hand a few inches away from its head. Kabutops bumps its head into your hand and you pet it.
“You’re getting soaked,” Naveen says, paying a wary glance at Kabutops before looking at you. “Let’s head back.”
“Okay,” you agree, falling in step next to Naveen. He adjusts his umbrella ever so slightly, an almost unnoticeable gesture. The two of you walk back to Hotel Z, shoulders brushing against each other as you seek reprieve from the rain.
It’s a quick walk back, with the two of you walking briskly through the damp streets. Kabutops is at your tail, letting out occasional chittering sounds. You pay it a glance every so often to make sure it’s okay. It looks at peace—no trace of the immense pain it must have endured mere moments ago.
When you arrive at Hotel Z, you both linger just before the door. “Uh…” Naveen says awkwardly, glancing at Kabutops. “It’s gonna ruin the floors.”
“It doesn’t like the Poké Ball,” you frown.
“Yeah, well…” Naveen replies tentatively. “You need to get inside, at least.” He puts a hand on your back and gently guides you inside.
“Kabutops…” you say helplessly. You don’t want to leave it neglected on the porch.
“It’s fine,” Naveen says, nudging you over the threshold and into the warm, dry air. “They used to live in the water.” His certainty is enough to convince you, so you begrudgingly follow after Naveen and head into the foyer. You don’t go very far, namely because you don’t want to track water everywhere.
Your arrival doesn’t go unnoticed. “You’re back!” Taunie says brightly, heading over to the two of you. “Finally! We were getting worried.”
She heads over and gives you a few towels. You start to dry off, but your clothes are still soaked through. And suddenly you’re so fucking tired. Your eyelids burn as you blink. Your adrenaline is crashing quickly. You glance over at your sister, relieved to find her passed out on the nearby couch.
“Canari’s fine,” Taunie reassures you. “I lent her some clothes. And I have some lost and found clothes for you!”
“Okay,” you say. “Thanks.” You take the proffered clothing and head off to the bathroom. Or, at least, you try. But the ache in your ribs must be more noticeable than you thought, because Taunie is soon interjecting.
“Wait,” Taunie exclaims, just before you can enter the bathroom. “You’re walking weirdly.”
“I’m walking fine,” you try to argue. “I’m just tired.” That much is true. Your adrenaline is starting to fade, leaving room for exhaustion.
“Turn around,” Taunie orders. You begrudgingly turn around. “Lift up your shirt.”
“What?” you blink. Naveen sputters.
“You’re hiding something there,” Taunie continues, pointing at your side. “Kabutops got you, I bet.”
Why does she have to be so perceptive? “Yeah, maybe just a little…” you grimace. Taunie gives you an expectant look. “Fine, fine,” you huff, begrudgingly pulling up your shirt enough to show the wound ripping through the skin near your ribs.
“Arceus,” Lida says with a whistle, approaching the three of you. “That’s gnarly.”
“Lida,” Taunie says, amused.
“What?” she questions.
“Not helping,” Taunie teases. She turns to you. “Well. Luckily for you, we have a tailor in our ranks.” She looks pointedly at Naveen.
“Me?!” Naveen chokes. “I’ve only stitched fabric,” he insists. “Not humans.”
“It can’t be that different,” Lida hums, bumping his shoulder reassuringly. “Besides, you’re wicked good with a needle; you’ll be fine!”
“I trust you,” you blurt out. The room is spinning around you and you want nothing more than to collapse on the floor. Besides, you do trust Naveen. He wouldn’t hurt you on purpose, and you know he’s very good at what he does.
The room falls silent. Taunie and Lida exchange bright looks. Meanwhile, Naveen is looking at the ground like he wants it to swallow him whole.
It’s silent for a few seconds. Naveen then huffs and walks past you. “Bathroom’s over here. Let me get the supplies.”
You head to the bathroom on slightly unsteady feet, placing the folded clothes Taunie gave you on the counter. You slowly change into the fleece sweatpants provided, annoyed but unsurprised to find that they are definitely not your size. Taunie did say they were from lost and found. And considering the hotel doesn’t see many guests… Well, you’ll have to take what you can get.
Honestly, you’re just thankful that you happen to be wearing a button-up shirt. You’re certain you wouldn’t be able to get your arms over your head to take off a normal shirt, but this way, you’re able to get the offending soggy material off just as Naveen returns. He closes the door behind him with an audible click, placing the medical supplies on the nearby counter before turning to you.
He blinks. Blinks again. Naveen stares at you, then immediately looks away as if burned. You’re immediately made aware of your state of undress, just standing there without a shirt. Naveen looks down at his supplies. “…Right. Stitching. You should sit.”
You move to sit on the lid of the toilet. Naveen is silent as he crouches down and starts to clean the wound, removing any dirt or debris that got near the edges. Then he starts threading his needle, before paying you an uncharacteristically sympathetic grimace. “This is going to hurt.”
“I know,” you respond. “It’s fine.”
“You always say that,” Naveen remarks, already focusing on the task at hand. “If you ever say things aren’t fine… remind me to be terrified.”
You laugh quietly. The movement sends pain searing up your ribs. “Ow. Stop being funny.”
Naveen rolls his eyes. “Ready?” You nod and he begins stitching up the wound.
Safe to say, it hurts very badly. At one particularly long threading, you hiss as darkness creeps along the edges of your vision. Naveen immediately stills. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine, keep going,” you urge him. Another gesture pulls a flinch out of you.
“Sorry,” Naveen says again, something like genuine remorse gleaming in his eyes. It’s gone before you can wonder if you imagined it.
“Stop apologizing; it’s annoying,” you huff out jokingly, your voice sounding more breathless than you’d like. A callback to your last conversation, when he first learned you were a streamer like Canari.
Naveen just rolls his eyes. His head is bent and his eyes are locked on the needle, his brows furrowed in concentration. “Last one. Hold still.”
You manage to hold still, despite how much it hurts. When Naveen declares that he’s finished, you exhale in relief.
“Thanks,” you say.
Naveen cleans up the supplies and gets to his feet, giving you a somewhat jerky nod before leaving the bathroom. You watch as he walks away, evidently heading up the stairs. For a second, you’re just sitting there in dazed disbelief. You’re not surprised that he pulled it off—you knew he could. Honestly, you’re more surprised that Naveen let you sit that close to him.
With Lida’s help, you manage to get some bandages over your newly-stitched wound. She helps you put on the sweatshirt Taunie grabbed for you, which is also—surprise, surprise—very oversized. You probably look incredibly ridiculous. But you’re far too tired to care. Battles with Rogue Mega-Evolved Pokémon are always exhausting, and Kabutops was particularly fierce.
She guides you back to the common area, where Taunie is discussing something with the very tall man behind the desk. Your brain feels too scrambled to attempt making an introduction or thanking him for his hospitality, but you’ll make sure to do that later.
Finally, finally, you’re situated on the massive couch across from Canari. Your sister is already fast-asleep, leaned against the arm of the couch with her feet resting on a nearby ottoman. Her Luxio is tucked into the space between her and the back cushions; her Heliolisk is curled up under her arm.
Taunie guides you to the other side of the couch. You sink down into it, needing a moment to get situated considering the circumstances. You don’t want to hog all the space, but you also don’t want to be lying on your injured side. Eventually you’re comfortable enough to fall back against the pillow behind you.
Somewhere along the way, your satchel falls to the ground, Poké Balls rolling out of it. They fall still for a few seconds, before shuddering and vibrating. “They do that sometimes,” you murmur. You’re not sure who you’re talking to anymore. “’s fine.”
You drift off rather quickly after that.
Taunie pays a glance at you and your sister, sound asleep on the couch, before humming and heading over to the front desk area. Naveen is lingering near the elevators awkwardly.
“Thanks for the help, Naveen,” Taunie says, sending him a supportive smile.
“Yeah, great job!” Lida beams. Evidently remembering Canari and you are sleeping, she lowers her voice. “That was pretty cool.”
“...Thanks,” Naveen responds after a moment. He looks at the edge of the wall to his left, eyes wandering to where the couches—and you and Canari—lie just out of eyesight. “How are they?”
“They’re both wiped,” Lida says.
“Not surprising,” Naveen hums. He scuffs his sneaker in a mindless gesture. He’s looking at the patterned carpet like it holds some kind of important secret. “I thought Kabutops were extinct.”
“Me too,” Taunie hums. Then she shrugs. “Lots of weird stuff is happening lately.”
“Yeah,” Lida agrees. She takes a few steps towards the common area. “I could use a nap too, honestly…”
“You didn’t even do anything,” Naveen points out.
“So?” Lida huffs. “What, do I have to go out and subdue a prehistoric Pokémon too? Not fair.” She makes a nonchalant hand motion. Whatever she means to say next seems to fade, as she freezes in place; Taunie, who had been following her, promptly crashes into her.
“You okay—?” Taunie asks, trailing off as she peeks over Lida’s shoulder. “Oh my Arceus…!”
Confused and curious, Naveen follows them. And suddenly, he understands why his friends both froze.
Canari and you are sprawled on the different sides of the couch. Canari is leaning against the right side, her Heliolisk and Luxio cuddled up against her. You’re lying with your back to the left side, clearly just as exhausted. On the ground, your satchel lies partly open, with a few Poké Balls on the ground. There’s a Deino bumping its head against your hand, nibbling at your fingers with deceptive gentleness.
“He has a Deino!” Lida whispers excitedly. She looks to Naveen. “Nav, it’s so cute.”
“I told you not to call me that…” he scowls, secretly endeared by the sight. Your Deino keeps bumping its head against your hand affectionately, before gnawing on the couch and latching its front legs onto the cushions. It scurries up onto the couch and nestles into your side—noticeably, your uninjured one.
Another Poké Ball rolls towards them ominously, before a second Deino pops out.
Taunie and Lida both gasp. Even Naveen stares at it for a bit too long, watching as it attempts to get its bearings. This time, the Pokémon heads straight over to them—bonking his legs, then Taunie’s, then Lida’s. Then it turns and walks behind the couch.
An Amaura emerges from behind the couch moments later, staring at them with wide eyes. Naveen blinks in surprise. An Amaura? Honestly, that’s not exactly what he would’ve guessed your other Pokémon to be. Taunie and Lida seem to think the same. Amaura bends its head and then uses Mist, obscuring their vision.
When the air clears, Naveen looks over to realize Amaura is gone. And in its place…
“Wait…” Lida trails off, pointing at the unusually-colored Floette in front of them. Floette is already next to AZ. “That’s not…”
“Oh yeah, he has a Zoroark,” Naveen realizes aloud. Honestly, he’s embarrassed he didn’t make that connection sooner. Then again, it’s been a very weird day. “I forgot. I’ve never seen it illusioned before.”
As if sensing its time is up, the fake Floette spins—and then Zoroark is finally undisguised. It stares at each of them with piercing eyes, before focusing on AZ at the front desk. If the man is unsettled by the glare, he doesn’t comment on it.
“A Zoroark,” AZ hums instead, regarding the Pokémon with idle curiosity. “Interesting. Few, if any, live in Kalos.”
“He met it in Unova,” Naveen says before he can stop himself. Suddenly the eyes of the group are on him. He immediately stiffens.
“Didn’t realize you knew so much about him,” Lida teases, a mischievous grin rising on her lips.
“It’s just something he said,” Naveen mutters.
“Those siblings must be quite capable Trainers,” AZ remarks, swiftly diverting Taunie and Lida’s attention. Naveen relaxes a little, a tentative smile rising on his lips. He catches AZ looking at him. And he swears the man winks.
Twitter
Trending
Canari
Related tags: #THUNDERWAVE, #DYN4M0
Raven
Related tags: #CanariBrother, #Kabutops
@cleverusernamehere
#Raven how did yall not know canari has a brother?? he’s showed up on stream before
→ @canoodling: well excuse me for not catching every single stream she’s ever done 😭
→ @cleverusernamehere: lmao fair
→ @axelotelle: she deleted the stream at some point. plus some of us have a life and can’t catch every stream bruh
@popgoesthesickle:
um who was gonna tell me Canari has a hot ass brother #Raven
→ @krookodiled: and he has a kabutops now??? Like how is that fair. YOU CAN’T BE BOTH A GOOD TRAINER AND HOT. it’s not FAIR.
@radiomanpanda
#Raven SIRRRR PLEASE GIVE ME A CHANCE
A few days later…
Twitch Stream
You
There are kind of a lot of people watching today. Like… a lot.
You guys realize my sister’s streaming too? Probably right now, actually. She’s Canari. Go check her out, she’s more entertaining.
You rest your chin on your hand and watch the chats go by for a few moments.
You
Okay, I guess I don’t really have a choice but to at least address the situation. So if you saw me on the news, then you know what happened. I don’t really want to talk about it, so I’ll just say that Kabutops is fine and it’s recovered. My team is fine too, and so are Canari and her team. There were a few people injured in the fallout, but I think they’re all in stable condition. And… that’s about all I can say.
Now! Since there are so many new viewers, I feel like we should do a little Q&A or something. Then we can start Mimikyu’s Madness, which I’ve been wanting to play for a while now.
So… ask me something, I guess.
You wait and watch as the chat flies by.
You
I should’ve clarified. Ask me something that isn’t about the battle, Kabutops, or showing my Pokémon on camera.
The chat spams sad emojis, but eventually complies.
You
‘Are you the same age as Canari?’ No, I’m a year older. We were born in the same month, though. Her birthday is two days after mine.
‘What’s your favorite type of Pokémon?’ If I had to choose, I’d say Dark. But all types can be cool. Pokémon are just cool in general, I think.
‘How’d you come up with your gamer tag?’ Well, my sister always used Canari as her username—even when we were kids and had to share the family computer. I remember one time I had no idea what to put as a username, so for fun, I started thinking of other bird-related usernames. and then… boom. Raven. Not exactly rocket science, I have to say. (laughs)
‘Are you in university?’ I actually graduated about two years ago now… I have a bachelor’s. And now I’m here. Not even really using it. Sigh.
Anyways, that’s enough about me. Let’s get into the game, shall we? Mimikyu’s Madness isn’t going to be released for another month or so, but the devs gave me early access, which I’m very grateful for!
It’s a horror game, and from the store’s page, it has gore, blood, death, violence… The usual stuff, basically. Let’s get into it!
For a while, your playthrough is typical. You react to whatever’s on screen, while trying to get your bearings in the game and learning more about the characters. About an hour passes when there’s a shuffling noise, just barely audible over the game audio and your speaking. It goes mostly unheard, until it’s repeated at a higher volume, as if something is getting closer to you.
You
(looking at something off-screen)
No, buddy, I told you: I’m streaming. You don’t wanna be in here.
There’s a displeased sound from off camera. You sigh and reach your arms down. Blue legs latch onto you and Deino’s head pops into view. It immediately latches on and climbs onto you.
You
(looking at the camera helplessly)
Well, I’m a jungle gym now.
The chat explodes with messages. You’re a bit too preoccupied to notice, as Deino soon ends its exploration. You manage to place it on the desk nearby, only for it to step across your keyboard. It sniffs at your screen before nibbling on the camera.
You
Hey, no, that’s not good for you—
You manage to pull Deino away from the camera. You don’t usually like having your Pokémon on camera, namely because they can’t really consent to it. But Deino is quickly settling in your lap, moving in a small circle before lying down and nibbling on your hoodie. You sigh and reach out to adjust your webcam, adjusting it so that the Pokémon is out of frame.
You
(resolutely)
Okay, so I’m going to have to be extra careful not to get jump scared now.
…Naveen hasn’t seen you in weeks.
It’s fine. It’s how things were meant to happen. After all, you’re both busy. You live on the opposite side of the city, you’re busy with your streaming stuff. Naveen is busy too, albeit in what feels like a different way. He rewatches Canari streams, goes over pictures and screenshots and old lives. He revisits his comfort videos.
Nothing gets rid of this ache in his chest.
The next time there’s a Rogue Mega-Evolved Pokémon, Canari joins him for the battle. He’s grateful, of course. He’s grateful and just a bit starstruck and… and confused. Jumbled. He doesn’t know how to feel. Naveen knows he should be elated, absolutely over the moon to have a chance to hang out with Canari. But he’s starting to realize that he doesn’t really know her all that well.
Scratch that. He knows her online presence. He knows her public persona. But when the cameras are off and no one’s watching, the reality of the situation is that Naveen doesn’t have the faintest idea what to talk about with her. She’s bubbly and energetic, which comes through on stream. But face-to-face, it’s almost overwhelming.
Naveen knows it’s his fault. He probably built up some kind of false image of Canari in his head, and now he’s paying the price by coming to terms with the fact that she’s an ordinary person. Just like him. She’s not some endlessly patient, kind, and compassionate saint with a heart of gold that never does anything wrong. She makes mistakes—they all do. This shouldn’t bother him.
Taunie and Lida can sense that something’s off with him in the coming weeks. But they know Naveen well enough to know that pushing and prodding will only make him retreat further. Even his Pokémon can sense that he’s not feeling right, though. Scraggy keeps headbutting his leg gently, as if urging him to do something.
At one point, his newest Pokémon, Aron, actually starts walking away from him. Naveen just stares at it in disbelief, before falling in step behind it.
“Where are you going?” Naveen asks.
It doesn’t answer, instead toddling off with loud steps. Despite the Pokémon’s small stature, it weighs around 130 pounds. Its steel armor is absurdly heavy. Still, Aron is deceptively quick. Naveen sighs and follows after it, turning down corners and walking through alleyways. He’s starting to get winded when Aron walks up to a café table with renewed energy.
Naveen is already running through an apology in his head when he realizes Aron isn’t near a stranger.
“Well, hello,” you say, looking down at Aron with surprise. You haven’t seemed to notice Naveen yet, who is standing a short distance away and attempting to look inconspicuous. “Aw, you’re so cute.”
Damn it. Of course his Aron led him straight to you. Right into a trap. What are the odds?
Naveen sighs, unwittingly drawing your attention. You look over and your eyes widen with surprise. “Oh, Naveen, hey,” you greet him. “What’re you doing here?”
“Just… running some errands,” he responds. A complete lie.
“Is this Aron with you?” you ask. “It’s so cute.” Aron nuzzles its head against your ankle. Because of course it does. The little traitor.
“...Thanks,” Naveen manages to respond. “Yeah, it’s with me.”
“Nice,” you say. “It’s good to see you,” you smile slightly. Naveen’s traitorous heart skips a beat. His shoulders relax a bit. “Sorry it’s been a while.”
“It’s fine,” he responds casually, his hands buried in his pockets. Aron is bonking its head into your leg affectionately. You don’t seem to mind. He studies you, taking in your outfit: a collared shirt and sweater vest; black slacks, boots, and lightning earrings. “New clothes?” Naveen asks.
You blink, looking down at your outfit. “Oh, uh, yeah,” you respond. “I finally went to that one place Canari likes. Passage Ombragé? They have some nice stuff.”
Naveen just nods. “What are you doing over here, anyway?” he asks, eyes flitting about the nearby area. You get to your feet to stand across from him.
“Oh, right,” you say. “I was just taking a break. Thinking about helping the woman over by the Wild Zone.” You nod at where an elderly woman lingers just outside the boundary of Wild Zone Four.
“What does she need?” Naveen questions.
“Supposedly, she dropped something important in the cemetery,” you explain. “But she can’t go back in, because it’s a Wild Zone. I was going to grab it for her. Wanna come with?”
“Sure,” he agrees, burrowing his hands in his pockets.
“Cool,” you remark. “I think she said it’s a gold necklace? It belonged to her late husband. One of the Pokémon probably snatched it up.”
It takes you all of four minutes to track down the necklace and get it back from the Sableye that had been clutching it. Naveen is pretty much just your shadow, at this point—watching you silently, not contributing anything other than the occasional murmur. He doesn’t really mind—it’s clear you have it handled.
When you return, the woman practically lights up. “There you go,” you say to her politely, giving her the necklace back. “A Sableye was carrying it.”
“Thank you very much,” she remarks, eyes twinkling. “Such a kind young man. I appreciate your help.”
“No problem,” you nod. “I’d be happy to accompany you sometime, if you want to visit your husband without the wild Pokémon bothering you.”
Naveen’s eyebrows climb up his forehead. That’s… very nice of you to offer. Why are you so nice? It makes him want to be suspicious. Surely no one is that nice for no reason. Right?
“Oh, that would be just wonderful, dearie,” the woman responds, breaking him out of his thoughts. “Thank you, truly.” Then she turns to Naveen and smiles. “And thank you for accompanying him.”
“Oh, uh… sure,” Naveen responds, caught off guard. He didn’t really do anything, but the woman is already walking off with an extra pep in her step. He sighs, before turning back to you. “You always do this kind of stuff?” he asks curiously.
“I guess so,” you respond. “When I can. Usually it doesn’t take long.”
“Hm.” Naveen doesn’t know what else to say. For some reason, he doesn’t want this interaction to end yet. But it’s clear there’s nothing more for you to discuss, and you seem to be focused on whatever task you’re going to complete next.
He shouldn’t be surprised when you end the conversation. He shouldn’t feel disappointed.
“So, I guess I’ll see you later?” you say awkwardly.
“Yeah, see you,” Naveen nods.
“Thanks for—” you start. Naveen is already walking away by the time you continue speaking. “—coming with me,” you finish defeatedly.
Naveen and Lida soon end up helping you track down your opponent for your next promotion match in the Z-A Royale: Ivor, leader of the Fist of Justice. The Fist of Justice is a grassroots group that focuses on honing human strength and power, in the hopes that the Wild Zones will one day be eradicated.
Naveen doesn’t really know what to think of that. He can agree that the Wild Zones can be a bit disruptive at times, but expecting every person in Lumiose to be able to defend themself from wild Pokémon is… unrealistic, to say the least.
He’s broken out of his thoughts by a ping from his Rotom Phone. Naveen taps the notification and opens it.
You: finally found ivor’s sister
You: FINALLY.
You: i think he’s gonna meet me back at their training ground or whatever for the battle
You: tbh he just ran off… sigh
You: whatever!
Naveen stifles a laugh at your clear annoyance, before deciding to head over to the training ground himself. He’s just curious. That’s it. He wants to make sure you make it there in one piece—it’s just some friendly concern. Definitely not because you’re a really competent Trainer and seeing you Battle is always inspiring and—
Nope. Definitely not.
He shoves his hands in his pockets and heads off. His timing is perfect—as soon as he arrives, Ivor and you are summoning your first Pokémon and beginning the battle.
The match passes pretty quickly, but Naveen isn’t very surprised. Battling alongside you has shown him that you’re a very competent Trainer, and your Pokémon trust you. They’re quick and agile, dodging many of the attacks from Ivor’s team. Before long, you’re taking down his Mega Falinks and defeating him in battle. Naveen lets a slight smile overtake the edge of his lips as he watches your Rotom Phone spin in midair, processing the victory.
Your promotion match was fun. You tell Ivor as much, to which he responds by sweeping you into a hug, fully lifting you off the ground like you weigh nothing. Maybe to him, you do. This is the guy that punched through a solid metal gate, after all. He is strong—almost too much so. He’s starting to suffocate you.
“Too tight—” you try to say, laughing breathlessly. Ivor loosens his grip and lets you down. “Whew,” you say, needing a moment to catch your breath. That was kind of intense. And entirely unexpected. “Give a guy a warning next time.”
“Ah, I’m sorry!” Ivor says quickly, bowing his head timidly. His sister Gwynn shakes her head in disbelief from behind him. “I got excited, I apologize.”
“Do all promotion matches come with a hug to the death now?” Naveen scoffs. You forgot he had been observing the battle. You head over to him, only to find that he looks… irritated.
“I hope not,” you huff good-naturedly. “Almost broke a rib.”
Somehow, this isn’t the right answer. You have no idea how else you were supposed to respond, but apparently you failed. Because Naveen’s scowl only darkens, and then he’s storming off. You stare after him in complete disbelief. What just happened?
“Go check on your boyfriend,” Ivor urges you kindly, gently pushing you towards where Naveen retreated.
“He’s not my—” you try to say. But that’s not important now. What is important is the fact that Naveen is walking away. You frown and run after him, catching up in a few moments.
“Nice battle,” Naveen says eventually, his eyes locked on the ground. He doesn’t want to look at you, apparently.
“Thanks,” you reply. “It was nice of you to watch.”
Naveen just nods. There’s a brief pause. “I didn’t realize he was your type,” he says dismissively.
You’re so surprised by the statement that it takes you a few seconds to process. Naveen is persistently avoiding your eyes, but you can tell by the tense line of his shoulders that he’s a bit bothered. “Ivor?” you ask. “No—”
Naveen is walking away again before you can plead your case.
“Hey,” you exclaim, catching up to him once more. “What’s up with you?”
Predictably, Naveen doesn’t respond.
“Ivor’s not my type,” you insist. “He’s sweet, but he has way too much energy.” Seriously. The guy would give you a headache within a few hours of proximity. Not really boyfriend material in that regard. You’d prefer someone who wouldn’t feel the need to be constantly talking or taking up space.
It’s silent as the two of you start to walk back to Hotel Z. You pay Naveen a few glances every few minutes, trying to ascertain the cause of his sour mood. It can’t be you… right?
Well. You did come prepared, regardless. “Hey, wait,” you tell your friend, putting a hand on Naveen’s shoulder and stopping him in his tracks. “So, in that long and stupid quest to look for Ivor’s sister, I had to check in with my sister, which is ironic. Anyways, I have something for you.” You dig through your satchel before pulling out a signed Canari plushie. You hold it out to Naveen with a victorious smile. “Ta-dahhh.”
It’s quiet.
“…I don’t want it.”
Your brain takes a few moments to even process that he’s refusing it. “What?!” you then exclaim disbelievingly. Your heart sinks to your stomach. Did you misread it somehow? Naveen’s a pretty big fan of your sister, so you assumed that something like this would cheer him right up. “Why? How— Are you okay?” you ask.
Naveen pushes it back in your hand.
“Okay, I’m concerned,” you frown, looking to him for help. “Are you sick? Do you have a fever?”
“I’m fine,” Naveen bites out. “Just leave me alone.”
This time, when he walks away, you don’t follow—instead frowning after him, the neglected Canari plushie in hand.
You | @raven
??????!????
Replies:
@charpizzard: ooh how cryptic
@popplioparty: mood
@greninjago: me
@who_named_ekans_and_why: LOVE U KING
@halfdemonraven: kabutops stream when??v
→ @poppofflio: he’s already said he doesn’t like showing his pokémon on stream.
→ @halfdemonraven: why not???
→ @popofflio: because they can’t consent??? because it’s impossible to communicate to pokémon that showing up on a camera could expose them to countless other people across the world???
→ @halfdemonraven: ohhhh shit wait that actually makes sense 😔
Direct Message
You: ok sis i need ur help
Canari: wassup
You: something’s up with naveen
You: idk what it is but
You: he was acting rly weird at my promotion match
You: then i tried to give him that plushie you signed
You: and he DIDN’T WANT IT.
Canari: okay first of all, quintuple texting is diabolical
You: desperate time s
Canari: anyway lemme read that again.
Canari: oh… you silly feeble-minded little gay
You: WHAT???? WHAT AM I MISSING
Canari: i don’t think *i* will be able to cheer naveen up. but i can talk to him anyway.
You: pls. i’m getting pretty worried honestly
Canari: yeah yeah, thank me later.
Canari: he’s my friend too!
You: ik. and i would do this myself, but… he told me to leave him alone :/
Canari: arceus how can you be so smart and so stupid all at once
You: hey 😭😭😭
You: i mean i understand what ur implying, but he acts like he barely even tolerates me
You: so it’s hard to believe
You: andddd you’re gone. of course you are
You: sigh
Direct Message
Canari: my brother
Canari: is one of the most oblivious people on the planet
Canari: if u tell him to leave you alone, he’s gonna leave you alone—without reading between the lines.
Naveen: …
Naveen: it doesn’t even matter. he’s straight anyway
Canari: huh
Canari: wuhhhh
Naveen: what
Canari: his rainbow friendship bracelet didn’t raise any flags?
Naveen: he said he got that from a fan
Canari: ok fair
Canari: but nope! my brother’s gay
Naveen:
Canari:
Naveen: oh
Canari: yup
Canari: so stop moping. cause every time you do i have to hear about it xP
Naveen: hmph
Canari: hehe ⚡
Naveen: starting to realize ur kind of a menace
Canari: who me???? whaaaat?
Canari: i’m so hurt!!! my biggest fan thinks i’m a menace!
Naveen: 🙄
“Why are you being so nice to me,” Naveen scowls, the question coming out more like a demand. It’s a few weeks after the whole… promotional match affair. He’s honestly a bit embarrassed by how childish he was acting. But articulating his feelings has always been hard for him, so here he is: taking a shot in the dark and hoping that you’ll latch onto it, praying that you’ll somehow understand what he’s implicitly asking—
“Because I like you,” you respond, blinking at him like it’s a stupid question. And maybe it is. Naveen doesn’t really know what he’s doing anymore. “We’re friends.”
That latter remark hits him like a punch to the face. Friends. Yeah. Right. Friends. That’s all you are. Friends and nothing else. It doesn’t matter if he has feelings for you, it doesn’t matter if Naveen feels infinitely more comfortable around you than anyone else in his life. So what if he’s thinking about you every day? So what if he’s woken up from dreams about the two of you, playing some video game together on the couch or walking the city streets hand in hand?
Naveen has always prided himself on having excellent emotional control, but it seems to finally break at that moment. His eyes widen, his expression sours, and he just knows that you’ve noticed.
Canari’s words ring in his mind again: My brother is one of the most oblivious people on the planet. Naveen’s starting to think there was a degree of truth in that statement. He can’t tell if you’re cautious, entirely uninterested, or just completely oblivious. Maybe even some combination of the three. And it’s starting to irritate him. He’s not angry with you—he’s angry with himself, for allowing this to keep going on. Canari told him you needed direct communication, but Naveen has been the one attempting to give you hidden signs that you’re obviously not catching. Like, of course you haven’t realized he likes you! He practically told you to fuck off last time; he refused your thoughtful gift; he’s always turning tail when things get even the slightest bit vulnerable…
Ugh! He hates this. Naveen hates vulnerability, he hates the thought of having to speak on these feelings and acknowledge them. But at the same time… hearing you label your relationship so definitively, with no knowledge of his true feelings and desires… that’s worse. It’s so much worse.
Eventually, he forces the words out. Fists clenched at his sides, he looks at some point in the distance just over your shoulder and spits it out. “I don’t want to be just friends.”
And that finally does seem to work, because your eyes widen and you stare at him in disbelief. Your hands rest at the edge of your pockets and he watches your finger trace the edge of the material, as if restless or nervous. “You… don’t,” you repeat, as if needing to hear it again. Naveen nods. You look just as inexperienced at this as he is, which does make Naveen feel a bit better. “You want to be more?”
“Yes,” he says in a punched-out breath. Naveen looks down at his sneakers. Then he forces himself to make eye contact with you again, because he wants there to be absolutely no doubt in your mind that he’s serious. “I want to be dating. If you want that too.”
There. He did it. Naveen actually did it. He spoke about his feelings. He was honest and truthful, and now it feels less like he’s being suffocated every time he meets your eyes.
All that’s left is your reaction. And he’s honestly not sure what you’ll say. He could see it going either way.
“That’s why you’ve been acting all weird?” you seem to realize. “Ohhhhh.”
It’s quiet for a moment. Naveen kind of wants to run away, but he already got this far. The hard part is over. The worst you can say is no. One of the many things he’s learned about you throughout the time you’ve spent together is that you’re a nice person. You wouldn’t be cruel, but you also wouldn’t lie to spare his feelings. He trusts you to be honest with him in return, and he knows you will be.
Your next words, then, are kind of a surprise. “Naveen, you’re, like, the coolest person I know,” you say. Naveen blinks. “You’re talented, you’re clever, you’re cool. I… already said that. You make me nervous, dude. But in a good way. I like spending time with you.”
“Don’t call me dude if we’re doing this,” Naveen mutters. He stares down at the ground. “You’re… fine too. Way too nice, smart… and… Whatever.” And other things that would definitely be too embarrassing to utter aloud.
“I really like you,” you say with a smile. It’s different from the usual polite one, less reserved and more real. “So… I want to be dating too.”
Naveen smiles back. Actually smiles. Then he catches himself and tries to scowl again, avoiding your gaze. “This is embarrassing,” he mutters.
But when you ask to kiss him, he doesn’t say no. And his hands latch onto your jacket all the same.
Instagram
You | @raven
A picture of your hand in Naveen’s. The caption is just a black heart.
Lost in the swarm of fan comments:
@n0tnav33n: 🖤