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Lear never expected that he would’ve got a new pokemon as he started his daily rounds.
It all started while he was checking on the Pokecenter Triplets. Despite the common belief he just lazes in his villa all day, Lear takes his job of maintaining the PML very seriously.
And if that means meeting with every worker each morning, so be it—
Ah, he’s getting sidetracked.
When he arrived at the center, he was greeted by the sight of the trio attempting to coax something out from underneath Trista’s information desk.
“Prince Lear, thank goodness you’re here!” Trista sighed, brushing off her dress as she stood up, “You won’t believe what happened last night.”
“Some jerk of a trainer just came in, threw at Pokeball right at Trista, and ran out while shouting nonsense about curses! We didn’t even have time to say anything.”
Tricia muttered, arms crossed and a snarl on her lips.
“Then when we let the poor dear out of its pokeball, it ran straight under the kiosk, and hasn’t moved since.”
Trianna rubbed her eyes with the palm of her hand, even the every cheery barista couldn’t keep her composure. “I can’t imagine how it must feel. We’ve been trying everything to try and get them out, but nothing’s working.”
“I believe it’s an Absol, but I barely got a glimpse before it hid.” Trista whispers, now attempting to coax the pokemon out with a poffin.
Lear kneels down to look under the desk, and though he can’t make out much, he can see the outline of the Absol.
It’s smaller than others of its kind, and stares at him through the shadows with weary eyes.
(He recognizes that expression–a hopeless resignation to one’s fate. A cold, sinking feeling lands in his heart.)
Oh so carefully, Lear reaches out to the Absol.
Red eyes meet red shades.
It flinches, but once it realizes the prince means no harm, it presses its face against his hand.
With bated breath, they watch as the Absol finally steps out of the shadow of the table, revealing—
“It’s a shiny!?” Lear can’t help but shout, before quickly adding, “N-Not that it wouldn’t be bad if it wasn’t-”
“But shinies are a rare bunch. Either the trainer found them by pure luck, or by actively hunting for one.” Trinnia cuts in softly, pulling out a Pecha berry from her pocket. She holds it out for Absol to take, only for it to flinch back, looking ready to bolt right back under the desk again.
He nods, crossing his arms with a sneer. “And yet they decided to throw Absol away like a broken toy.”
Said pokemon curls up on the floor, dejected.
Lear’s mind is made up.
“Well, if some fool on my island decided to abandoned Absol, then I suppose I must step up and take responsibility.” The prince states with a snap of his fingers.
The triplets are silent for a moment, before-
“That’s wonderful!” Trista cheers, putting her hands together and tilting her head. Her sisters follow suit, agreeing with an undercurrent of “thank goodness.”
Trinnia runs over to her station and pulls up files on her computer. “Here, I can transfer ownership to you, just give me a moment-”
A couple of documents and a pokeball swap later, Lear leaves the Center with a brand new pokemon.
…And he still needs to finish his rounds. Ugh.
Lear finally arrives back at the villa by the time the island starts to come alive. He heads straight to the Battle Villa, pulls his team out of the storage system, and turns back to Absol.
The pokemon had been silent this entire time, hiding in Lear’s shadow.
Lear was about to give his usual “You are my pokemon, so I expect you to be strong” spiel, but the memory of a certain gym leader pops into his mind, stopping him in his tracks. The words feel… wrong, now. A worn out puzzle piece that can't click with the others anymore. So, he decides to pivot.
“I suppose introductions are in order, now that I’m your new trainer. But first,” Lear releases his team, pokemon cries echoing through the room.
Absol ducks behind Lear’s coat immediately, only peeking once it senses no threats.
Krookidile, Staraptor, Donphan tower over Absol, visibly curious about the new member but don’t move.
Absol carefully steps out from Lear’s shadow, tilting its head at the other pokemon.
“These three are my sync pairs, my,” Lear pauses for a moment, “My friends.”
He kneels in front of Absol, taking off his shades.
“My name is Lear, and I am the prince of this island. And on my honor as prince, I promise to be the best trainer I can be.”
And for the first time, Lear sees Absol’s eyes brighten.
⁂
It’s been about a week since Lear first acquired Absol, and the nervous pokemon has become a constant companion for his daily rounds.
Absol, while still one to jump into Lear's shadow at the first sign of a stranger, has gotten brave enough to actually walk by Lear's side instead of hiding in his shadow.
Once again, Lear is out and about, checking for anything remiss with Absol trotting along by his side.
Nothing was out of the usual, which Lear silently thanked the gods for.
Suddenly, Absol stiffened.
But it wasn't out of fear—Lear could instantly clock Absol's fear at this point—rather, what seemed to be curiosity.
A soft chime drifts through the air, and Lear turns to find a Chimecho floating a few feet away, its long ribbon waving a greeting.
Lear half expected Absol to jump into his shadow. But, to Lear's surprise, it ran towards the Chimecho with a cheerful yip.
Lear walks towards the Chimecho with shock and wary caution, not sure how this pokemon knows Absol, or if it's even benevolent.
"Chimecho! Chimec- OH!"
Lear turns his head to find a startled young woman, a Lass judging by her white top and blue skirt.
She flustered, fidgeting with a black-white bracelet.
"Hi-Hello prince Lear! Didn't mean to disturb you, Chimecho just wandered off and- and-," The Lass squeezes her eyes shut and blurts out, "I'm so sorry about the whole Team Break thing! I know you weren't the best person, but we shouldn't have messed with the PML!"
Now it's Lear's turn to be startled, having to quickly process everything at once. But like any good prince, he regains his composure in record time.
"No need to worry about that, I know I was a bit—much per se. You're turning over a new leaf like I am, so I'm not holding it against you."
The Lass blinks, "R-Really? Oh thank you, prince!"
Lear waves her praise off, but not rudely, "It's no trouble, ms...?"
"Mia, my name is Mia."
A chime from Chimecho catches her attention, and suddenly Mia's breath catches.
"Absol?"
Absol, who had ran back over to Lear, acknowledges the Lass with a cheerful up and head nudge to her leg
“Oh I’m so glad you’re okay!”
“Wait, you know them?” Lear can’t keep the confusion out of his voice.
Mia briefly hesitates, then nods, “Yeah, I… I used to be friends with its old trainer.”
The mood instantly shifts.
Absol crouches in an instant, backing up behind Lear’s coat with a whimper.
Voice steady, Lear gently rests his gloved hand on Absol’s head. “Mia and I need to speak for a moment. Go on and catch up with your friend.”
Chimecho catches Lear’s cue, circling Absol with a bright, encouraging chime.
It takes a moment, but once assured its old trainer wasn’t about to pop out from nowhere, Absol finally steps out from behind Lear to play with Chimecho again.
Only once the two Pokémon were out of earshot did Mia speak.
“So Absol use to belong to this other grunt I knew, Zack. He’d brag on and on about how he lucked out and found a shiny without even trying, that he was such a magnet for luck that Team Break would surely succeed.”
Mia winces, “He didn’t take it too well when that kid—Bettie, right?—started wiping the floor with Team Break, and then legendaries started appearing, and Bettie, his worst nightmare, became the trainer of a Solgaleo. Zack started saying that his luck was gone and something must’ve caused it, but he didn’t snap until you used a Sync Move.”
Lear doesn’t let himself react.
“After that, he started insisting it was all Absol’s fault, that him stumbling across it was a sign of doom rather than luck. He’d pull up photos of other shiny Absol’s and rant about how “It being a redder hue means Absol is extra dangerous.” I would’ve taken Absol, but Zack refused because he “didn’t want to be responsible for someone’s doom.””
Mia explains, eyes locked onto the two pokemon the entire time she’s speaking.
“Last I heard he left a week ago first thing in the morning. I didn’t know what he did with Absol, and I was so worried, but I had no clue where to look…”
She goes quiet, before giving Lear a small smile.
“I assume you’re his new trainer now?”
Lear nods, “I’m giving Absol a new start.”
“I’m glad.” Relief colors her voice.
Mia falls quiet for a moment.
“Um, speaking of new starts, are you doing anything for Palentines?”
Lear straightens, answering in an almost rehearsed tone, “I’m afraid I cannot attend any events for the occasion, my duties give me little time for such indulgences.”
The Lass seems to have expected the answer, yet her shoulders still droop. “Oh, that’s a shame. I was talking to some other sync pairs, and we were hoping you might want to celebrate with us.”
Lear’s mind stalls.
They want him to join?
Sure, Lear always attended events, but out of obligation as the organizer, not because he actually assumed anyone enjoyed his presence.
Lear finally gets his voice to work, “I suppose taking some time off to attend wouldn’t hurt.” He smiles with a tilt of his head, composed and confident.
Mia lights up, “Really? That’s wonderful! I’ll see you there, Prince Lear!”
With a cheerful wave, Mia runs off alongside her Chimecho.
Lear remains where he is for several seconds, even after Mia disappears from view. It’s only when he walks away that his smile fades
Later in the villa, rounds done and no audience to preform to, Lear sighs and sinks to the floor.
“Absol,” he says, staring at the ceiling, “I am. So screwed.”
⁂
The following days were what Lear would call “utterly exausting.”
He took it upon himself to practice interacting with others, not wanting to ruin this opportunity to prove he really did change, that he’s not the arrogant prince Team Break hated.
He practiced while walking through Centra City, murmuring pleasantries under his breath even when no one was around. In front of mirrors in the villa, constantly adjusting his posture, his tone, his expressions—anything to come off as more welcoming.
Lear had even begun practicing by interacting with other sync pairs while out on his rounds, no matter how much he felt embarrassed by it. He let himself be dragged into conversations he would’ve brushed off, gave complements while forcing his voice to soften, choosing each word with surgical precision.
But once the interaction ended, his thoughts would swarm him like a pack of Beedrill. Lear would end up replaying each exchange over and over and over, dissecting every perceived flaw.
You worded that wrong
That was too condescending.
It sounded just like before.
Until he was sure he failed. That all the changes he had since the PML was nothing more than a pretty lie.
All the while, Absol followed along, seeing every strained smile, every awkward pause, every messy attempt at discussion.
And Absol began to worry.
Its species has the innate ability to sense danger, disasters looming on the horizon.
But that was with regular Absol.
Not it.
It was dangerous, cursed, every hateful thing its species said to be.
Its former trainer had been kind, once. Gentle, even proud of Absol’s presence on his team.
Until one too many battles lost, one too many legendary appearances, one too many impossible scenarios somehow were made possible.
Kindness curdled into resentment, and resentment hardened into certainty.
Absol remembers the words, drilled into it until they felt like truth. The last words its trainer ever told it.
Bad things happen. Because. Of. You.
So, rather than just seeing Lear struggling, it hears each fumbled attempt and thinks: It’s all my fault.
If Lear stumbled over his words, it must have been because Absol distracted him. If conversations felt tense, it had to be because of Absol's cursed presence.
Absol didn’t want Lear’s opportunity to go to waste.
And with that thought, Absol began to…withdrew. Stopped a step further away from Lear, stuck closer to his shadow, draw as little attention as possible.
Of course, Lear ended up noticing Absol’s sudden shift, and the guilt corroded away at Lear’s already fragile belief of his growth.
He’s hurting Absol, his sync partner.
Just like before.
That relization became a catalyst, a chain reaction perfect for two struggling beings to fall further into an endless spiral of doubt.
Lear criticizes himself more fiercely, obsessively scrutinizing every word, trying for a perfect performance that simply doesn’t exist.
Absol senses the tension and retreats further back into its metaphorical shell, not wanting to interrupt Lear’s practices.
Lear feels guilty for causing Absol distress.
Absol feesl guilty for existing badly enough to cause Lear pain.
Each doubt fed the other.
An orobouros of despair.
And that, of course, is when Hoopa decides to enter the picture.
Hoopa had no clue about the tension building the last few days, how Lear and Absol’s worst thoughts haunted them.
So when Hoopa appears into Lear’s office, ready to play one of its trademarked pranks on the prince, its startled by the heaviness in the room.
Lear is standing before a floor-length mirror, reciting greetings over and over like practicing a script. Absol is laying in the corner next to Lear’s desk, out of view of the mirror.
“Oh, hello Hoopa.” Lear mutters. His eyes widen. “I mean, Hoopa! I’m so glad to see you! How are you!!”
He all but shouts with a strained smile, voice adnomarly saccerinen sweet.
Hoopa tilts its head in confusion.
Lear’s expression breaks, and he buries his face in his hands.
“Three days of practice and I can’t even greet my own friend correctly.” He sharply laughs, voice full of mirth.
As Lear lowers his hands, Hoopa can finally see his face.
Hoopa’s smile falters.
His shades are gone.
Lear’s purple eyes are dull, in a way Hoopa has only seen before once.
Back with Lear’s tutors.
And that realization made Hoopa… Careless.
Hoopa summons its ring, reaches in, and flies in front of Lear, snapping him out of his muttered greetings.
“Hoopa, what—?”
Its disembodied hands inclose Lear’s, and places something round in his hand.
The sync stone within Lear’s Poryphone flashes in recognition from the phone’s resting place on the desk.
Lear slowly blinks, even putting his shades back on to confirm he’s seeing it correctly.
On his palm is a Mega Stone.
A smooth dark blue sphere with a red-black streak at its core.
“Is this… an Absolite?”
Absol’s head snaps up from its corner of the room.
Hoopa cheers, circling the prince before grabbing his hand.
“Hey!” Lear shouts, and Hoopa’s other hand floats over and picks up Absol, who lets out a startled trill.
The pokemon only lets go of the two once they reach the battle area of the villa, excitingly gesturing for them to try it out.
Lear hesitates, grip tightening on the stone.
He’s never had the chance to Mega Evolve a pokemon before, Krookodile and Staraptor and Donphan have no known Mega Stones.
And judging by the piece of work that was Absol’s previous trainer, it likely never got to try.
Absol seems to have been thinking the same thing, cautiously coming closer, red eyes gleaming with hope.
“Do you want to try?” Lear’s voice is raw and hesitant, a complete opposite the confident prince Pasio knows.
Absol yips in agreement with a flick of its tail.
“Alright. Let’s do this!”
Absol bounds forward as Lear activates the Mega Stone with a brillant smile.
Lear throws his hand forward as if he was using a sync move.
Rainbow light swirls around Absol, before a dark orb materializes and bursts to reveal—
Lear’s smile drops.
Instead of the Mega Absol he expected—one with huge white wings and sickle horn formed into a wide wave—this form was wrong.
Absol’s fur is such a deep blue it's almost black, its smooth horn now a jagged Z-shape. Where there should’ve been fur wings was instead a massive claw in its place, the dark blue fur turning a deep red at the ends.
Horror slams into Lear like a freight train, causing him to stumble back.
“No, no, no—”
Every doubt that had temporarily been quieted by hope now bursts forth to scream in his mind.
You forced it! Destabilized it with your weakness! You couldn’t use Sync Moves properly, why did you think this would be any different!
Can’t be genuine, can’t talk to others, can’t even Mega Evolve Absol correctly!
Meanwhile, Absol catches its reflection in Lear’s shades.
The claw on its back, the jagged horn, the blood red color that still permeates despite the instinctive knowledge that it shouldn’t be there.
Not again.
No, no, Lear said it wasn’t dangerous, that its not cursed, and yet why does it look like that—
A memory whispers to Absol.
Bad things happen. Because. Of. You.
Absol whimpers.
Zack was right.
I am cursed.
The Mega Evolution fractures.
Light shatters outward, and Absol is back to normal, the biped trembling in place.
Lear scrambles upward, guilt clawing up his throat.
“Absol, it’s alright—” His voice chokes on tears. “It’s my fault, I did it wrong, I must have—“
Absol hears the tremor in Lear’s voice.
How Lear stares at it in horror.
The doubt in his eyes.
Without another sound, Absol turns.
And runs.
“Absol, don’t go!”
But the Pokemon is long gone.
Lear’s breath shakes.
“I ruin everything,” he says quietly.
Hoopa hovers by in stunned silence. And for once, it doesn’t know what to do.
(Lear wouldn’t learn this till after the fact, but when Hoopa had reached into its hoop to get a Mega Stone for Absol: It never thought to specifically look for a regular Absolite.)
⁂
Lear stands at the shore, uncaring of the setting sun, about how his shoes are being splashed by the incoming tide.
Usually this was when Rachel and Sawyer would appear and give him a pep talk, tell him how he has improved, that this can be salvaged.
But they’re off dealing with an issue for the king.
And Lear is here, alone.
He stares blankly at the horizon, tuning out the world around him.
He doesn’t notice Hoopa’s ring open behind him.
“…Lear.”
Lear turns sharply, ready to tell off whoever stumbled upon his moping, but—
“Cheren?”
The Unovan trainer adjusts his glasses, standing straight even with sand shifting under his shoes.
“Hoopa brought me. Seemed like it was really worried.” Said mythical floats nearby, unusually subdued.
Lear lets out a brittle laugh. “Of course it did. Now you get to see how I failed Absol.”
Cheren stares at Lear for a long moment.
“You look,” he says slowly, “like how you did during the PML.”
Lear scoffs, “Thanks. I already know I haven’t changed, no need to rub it in.”
Cheren shakes his head, “You have changed. During the PML, when things went wrong, you blamed others. Your pokemon, your retainers, those who criticized you; But now, you’re here, blaming yourself.
Lear turns away. “That’s not an improvement.”
“It is,” Cheren replies. “Even if the blame is misplaced.”
“How am I not to blame? I Mega Evolved Absol and—” Lear swallows hard. “I confirmed its worst fears.”
“A failed Mega Evolution,” Cheren counters. “Is not a guilty verdict. It just means you need to strengthen your bond with your pokemon. And one mistake does not revert every improvement you made. And the fact you aren't blaming Absol for failling, but rather yourself, is something the old Lear would have never dreamed of doing."
“If I did not believe you could change,” he said carefully, voice strong with conviction, “I wouldn't have extended my hand to you. But I did, even when you seemed unreachable, and here we are.”
“And if I managed to reach you,” Cheren takes Lear’s hand in his, “you can reach out to Absol.”
Lear stares at him, eyes wide with hope behind his shades.
Hoopa tugs at Lear's shoulder, "Hoopa? What is it?"
It waves its hand at the sand.
The shadows from the setting sun shift, and Absol hesitantly steps out of Lear’s shadow.
“...Absol?” Lear breathes out.
The biped whines, head low.
“No, none of that. It wasn’t you, I must’ve messed it up-” Lear starts panicking, trying to reassure Absol.
Cheren places a hand on Lear’s shoulder, and the prince forces himself to take a deep breath, before starting again.
“I-I, I don’t know what happened with the Mega Evolution. If it was one of or both of our faults or something else entirely. But that doesn’t matter.”
Lear kneels, red eyes level with red shades.
“When I said I would be your trainer, I meant it. Others can call you evil or cursed or any other nasty word, but I don’t believe a single word of that foolishness. If you saw doubt in my eyes, it is because I doubted myself. Not you.”
He hugs Absol.
“And I refuse to lose you to doubt, whether it be yours or mine.”
And Absol, sensing the honesty, sensing that no disaster will come from Lear, nuzzles against him with a purr.
⁂
Later, when everything had settled, Cheren finally asked the question.
“You said you and Absol failed at Mega Evolution, but you mentioned Absol taking a different form. What exactly happened?”
Lear hesitates, then pulls the Mega Stone from his coat pocket. He gingerly passes it over to Cheren, as if one wrong move would cause disaster.
“Hoopa found this Absolite and wanted Absol and I to Mega Evolve to cheer us up. Absol did Mega Evolve, but the form was different, and that made us both freak out, and well, now we're here.”
Cheren adjusts his glasses, turning the Mega Stone from every angle. The sunset’s light shines against its dark blue surface, highlighting the gray core with its red-black streaks.
“Lear. This isn’t an Absolite.”
Silence.
“Excuse me?”
Absol make a confused churr.
“An Absolite is white with dark blue core. Your’s looks as if the colors are inverted. It doesn’t match any documented Absolite, but it has to be one, because you said Absol did Mega Evolve.”
Lear blinks and Absol tilts its head.
“So,” Lear says cautiously, “you’re telling me I did not somehow ruin the Mega Evolution, nor was it due to some curse from Absol.”
“Correct.”
“And that this stone—”
“—is something else entirely, yes.”
For a moment, the only sound is the ocean.
Then Lear sits down in the sand. Absol flops besides him. Hoopa sighs, its trademark smile finally reappearing.
There is no words to describe the relief the three feel.
(Korrina’s smile when they told her the next morning could’ve rivaled the sun.
“THIS IS INCREDIBLE!!!”
She holds it in her palm, her Mega Ring glowing in sync with the Mega Stone. Her Lucario peers over her shoulder, looking at the stone with just as awe as his trainer.
“No curse or danger here, it's just a regular old Mega Stone! Your Hoopa discovered a brand new variant of Absolite, and you two managed to Mega Evolve with it on the first try!! That's truely a bond to be proud of."
“So, do you wanna try again?”)
⁂
Palentines Day arrives in a whirlwind of pink ribbons and shinning lights.
Centra City's plaza is alight with music and laughter and the smell of chocolates; trainers of every type, even the former Team Break grunts, are out and celebrating.
And standing in the middle of it all, was Lear.
Not as a organizer, not as a host.
A fellow guest.
His usual outfit has been replaced with a white suit with vivid red in the middle, accented with golden buttons, with a huge black and red fur collar. The collar's fur flares out into three crimson arcs, looking just like Absol's very own fur claw. A shako rests ontop his head, red, black, and with a tuff of fur and two golden rings dangling from it.
Besides him stands Absol.
But not in its usual form, but rather the Mega Evolution that caused both of them so much grief.
And Absol isn't hiding behind Lear, but rather next to him, stance confident, its dark fur and red claw matching perfectly with his trainer.
A familiar chime cuts through the plaza's noise.
“Lear!”
He looks over to see Mia running towards him, her Chimecho bobbing along above her head.
"You came, you actually came!"
Mia laughs, delight remminating throughout.
Lear grins, "I managed to squeeze it in."
Her eyes drift over to Absol, and they widen as she takes in its form.
Absol didn't hesitate, stepping forward with a proud cry.
"We found a new Mega Stone. Korrina calls this form Mega Absol Z."
Mia snaps out of her shock, "Mega— You two Mega Evolved!?"
Absol nods.
Her eyes shine, "You really are doing so much better."
Absol nudges her leg, and Mia runs her hand through the its fur.
"I'm so proud of you, Absol." She sniffles with a grin.
Absol looks over to Lear.
Red eyes meet red shades.
Lear smiles, not with the perfectly practiced grin meant for politics, but something softer.
Something real.
“So am I.”