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Florian stared up at the ceiling. He willed for his eyes to become droopy and unable to stay open, but they would not; his body seemed determined to fight the urge to sleep. Shaking his head, he reached for his Rotom Phone, which had been left on his bedside. He winced at the brightness of the screen as he turned it on, looking away for a moment, before gazing at it once again in order to deduce what time it was: 23:14 (11:14 PM).
’Your match against Champion Kieran will be tomorrow at noon!’ The naive, cheerful words of the woman at the school’s front desk echoed in his head once again. He grit his teeth, wishing that he’d stop thinking about it, if even for a moment, for he was certain that the anxiety it was causing him was the reason sleep so effortlessly evaded him.
He could hardly believe how things were now. Recalling the time he’d spent with Kieran in the latter’s homeland, exploring as the Kitakamian boy told him the stories of the land, made him feel incredibly bittersweet. He cared for Kieran, truly. But Florian had made an irreversible mistake, and now the other seemed to feel nothing but contempt towards him.
Now, he was at Kirean’s school, Blueberry Academy, selected to be a part of the exchange program. How lucky for him! His friends back in Paldea--Nemona, Arven, and Penny--had seemed pretty jealous that he was chosen and they were not, as had his sister Juliana, but he frankly wished it could’ve been any of them in his stead.
Eventually Florian would see his former friend in passing. Kieran had become the champion of the academy’s League Club, and seemed to have put battling above everything, even his own well-being. It made the former feel sick with anxiety and guilt. Florian was certain this was entirely his own fault, and often wished he’d never been selected to go on that school trip to Kitakami in the first place. If only it’d been his sister instead; surely she wouldn’t have messed up like he did...
Florian would’ve been just fine giving Kieran the distance he likely craved, but unfortunately the exchange student ended up catching the eye of top Elite Four member Drayton, who would end up convincing him to join the League Club. It didn’t take long for their true motives to become apparent--he wanted someone to put Kieran in his place, but wasn’t strong enough to do so himself. That seemed to be what the other Elite Four members--Crispin, Amarys, and Lacey--desired, too.
’Someone’s gotta snap him out of it. I tried but couldn't do it. Guess I've gone soft from the lazy life. So now I guess it falls to you.’
The Elite Four seemed to have absolute faith in him. Perhaps that could make up for his complete lack of faith in himself. Florian wasn’t a terrible trainer--he was champion-ranked back home in Paldea, and had defeated the Elite Four here, after all--but he doubted he was good enough to defeat Kieran. However, losing simply did not seem to be an option. If he lost, Kieran would never change, and the League Club would eventually disband entirely.
And it would be all his fault. Just like everything else that had gone wrong in his life.
A minute or so had passed, with Florian simply sitting up in bed, having been lost in thought. He wasn’t going to fall asleep any time soon at this rate--his thoughts replayed at random like a broken record. Why tonight, of all nights, did they have to trouble him so? He was supposed to be giving it his all in a fight the next day Perhaps a good distraction would be all it would take to get his thoughts to simmer down, and he had the perfect antidote.
Getting up, Florian picked up his bag and began to rummage through it. What he sought was his book of Sudoku. The simplicity that was relying solely on logic to find answers to the puzzles was soothing, and while his mind was preoccupied with completing the puzzle, his other concerns would often be subdued, at least for the time.
Come on, come on...where is it? I know I didn’t leave it at home; I remember playing it earlier today- That’s it! After signing up to challenge Kiean, Florian had gone to the League Club Room to decompress and take the edge off of the emotional toll. He was almost completely certain he’d left his puzzle book in there.
It’s pretty late, though...would the door even be unlocked? Eh, only one way to find out, right?
Florian quickly replaced all the items he’d removed from his bag, then slung said bag over his shoulder before exiting his room. The hallways were dimly lit at this hour, making the school seem far more ominous than it ever was in daylight. He passed by no one while on his way, which he had no complaints about.
He reached the League Club Room and found that it was indeed unlocked. He opened the door slowly and walked inside. The lights were off, cloaking the room in darkness, and after looking around quickly he determined there was no one else inside.
Why was the door left unlocked...? Meh, Drayton was probably the one who was supposed to lock it up, and forgot. Classic Drayton. Florian shrugged, unbothered.
He then made his way to the couch he’d been sitting on earlier that day. Lo and behold, his book awaited him there. He picked up the Sudoku and put it within his bag before deciding to sit down for a moment.
He probably should’ve headed back to his room by now, but he felt an odd mental tug. The room was nearly pitch-black, and not a sound could be heard. Additionally, this place was at the end of a hallway, and he was certain no one else was around. If he did anything, no one would know.
Holding his bag close to himself, Florian began to cry.
He always felt like someone like him should not ever stoop down as low as to be this vulnerable, so crying sessions always felt somewhat forced. However, he knew it was good to let out his emotions at times, and admittedly always felt better after crying for a while. However, he never cried in front of other people. Even during his ventures with his friends in Area Zero, he’d maintained a cool exterior, and had been a pillar of stability that the others could rely on.
Initially, it was merely tears inching down his face in silence, but eventually he had his face buried in his bag, which he held onto tightly, sobbing softly.
Someone he immensely cared about had become a bully, and it was Florian’s fault. This person had disrupted those around him, and it was Florian’s fault. If this person wasn’t stopped, it would be Florian’s fault. His fault. His fault. Everything was always his fault. Was everything not always his fault? Always, always it was his fault. All his fault. All his fault. All his-
Florian’s eyes, which he had unknowingly had squeezed shut, snapped open as he felt arms wrap around him. He may have screamed had he not been so disheveled at the time; the terror he should’ve felt didn’t even register. At the time, all he thought of was how the embrace made him feel, which was...rather content. He could not remember the last time he’d been held like this, so gently and comfortingly. After all, why would Florian, the boy who always has everything together, need a hug?
His own arms changed from holding onto his bag, to this person, and he realized the fabric of the other’s attire was familiar. Like a Thunder attack, it hit him: who else would possibly be awake at this hour, doing who knows what in the League Club Room, but...
“...Drayton?” Gah, he hated how pathetic his voice sounded. Well, Florian hated how pathetic he was at the moment in general. This was so embarrassing...
“Shh...it’s okay...let it out...” The dragon-type trainer spoke in a tone softer than Florian could’ve ever imagined them using while slowly rubbing his back in a soothing sort of way. Who knew the aloof, unphazed-by-life student had such a tender side?
Florian continued to cry for another minute or two, until he felt that it was all out of his system. As his sobbing ceased and his tight grip on the other’s jacket loosened, Drayton pulled away before sitting beside him on the couch. “You feeling a bit better now, bud?”
Florian nodded, looking away in embarrassment. “Yeah...I’m sorry you had to see me like this...”
“It’s all good. Even the toughest people break down sometimes,” his friend assured him. “...Do you want to talk about it?”
“...I guess I’ve been feeling upset about Kieran lately. You...you know that he became a bully because of me, right?”
Drayton nodded. “Carmine told me all about that. She’s been pretty worried about him.”
“Yeah, well, that’s part of it. I just...I don’t know if I can face him. I can’t help feeling like his bullying is my fault, and that fighting him will just make it worse. And, I...you all really believe I can beat him, but I dunno...”
“...I see. Guess we have been pushing all the pressure onto you, huh? Sorry about that, buddy; wasn’t our intention, really. If I could take care of Kieran myself, I would. But I can’t. Even if I could, he’s far more likely to listen to you.”
“What makes you say that?”
“He puts up this whole front, going on about how much he hates you, but I’m certain it’s all hot air. Surely even he can see that you made a mistake and just want to apologize?”
“I guess...”
Drayton shook their head. “I don’t think you get it. While her and Kieran were on that school trip a few months back, Carmine was telling all of us about what was going down. Before the thing with Ogerpon, it seemed like our Kieran had a real soft spot for ya. I just find it hard to believe all of those feelings could go away, just like that.”
Both were silent for a moment, before Drayton abruptly pulled out his phone. The brightness of its screen felt exaggerated by the lack of light in the room. “Hmm, it’s pretty late.”
“Are you going to sleep?”
“Me? Heh!” Amusement sparked in the other teen’s eyes. “No. I’m not sleepy yet, probably won’t be for another hour or two. You, however, do have your championship match tomorrow, and the more sleep you get, the better you’ll feel.”
“Alright...” Florian stood up, picking up his bag. “...Thank you so much.”
“Don’t worry about it, Flori. I’ll be cheering for you tomorrow. I know you don’t believe in yourself, but me and the other Elite Three do, so that’s gotta count for something, right?” They smiled faintly.
“Okay...you go to bed at a reasonable time too, ‘kay?” Florian chided lightly.
He left the room before he could catch his friend’s response, making his way down the halls back to his dorm. It was amazing how light the weight that’d been on his chest had become. He reached his destination and let himself back into his room. He held his bag, thinking for a moment, before placing it on his nightstand and climbing into his bed, deciding he wouldn’t need to do Sudoku to fall asleep after all. He still had his worries about the next day--or, later today, at this point--but for now, he would sleep.