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Ryuuka didn't often sit in her room doing nothing.
Her schedule was usually packed, being six years old and all. Most days she would be playing in the large garden of her home, under the watchful eye of one of her parents' Pokemon. Otherwise she'd be practicing her flimsy handwriting with her Otou-san, listening to dramatic stories from her Okaa-san, or playing with her parents in general.
But there were times they were busy. Okaa-san sometimes left the house for the whole afternoon and didn't return until it was dark, and Otou-san had work to do during the day. On days like that, Ryuuka was supposed to stay in her room until someone came home. There was only so much her koma and otedama bean bags could do for her attention span.
(Especially since she didn't particularly like otedama . She much prefered throwing the bean bags at targets to practice her aim. Ryuuka was told she was supposed to like it because otedama was a girl's game, but that just made her dislike it more. She didn't want to play a girl's game, even if she was supposed to be a girl.
The implications of that wouldn't hit her until she was old enough for it to matter.)
So there she lay on her futon, staring at the ceiling. Despite Ryuuka's endless energy, she did like to take a moment and just feel the world around her. She didn't really know why she did it, but it just felt right, and each time the world around her seemed so alive. It was a good way to pass the time, as she lost track of it while focusing on what she could feel. It wasn't much, just general peace in the air, but sometimes she could feel what she figured were emotions and traits, if those concepts had a physical texture and touched your skin.
Ryuuka didn't know how else to describe it (and she never really grew out of that lack of skill in description).
One day, though, one day things changed. Okaa-san had gone out and taken all her Pokemon with her. Otou-san didn't have work, but he did take his Pokemon out for training, which meant staying in Ryuuka's room until they returned. After a suitable amount of time throwing the colored bean bags into a basket on the other side of the room, she returned to her futon and prepared to stare at the ceiling for a while. But this day there was something new.
She could feel a strange energy in her room.
It was only after a while that she noticed it. Ryuuka was deep into her "sensing" by then, and found herself pushing her limit. She could barely feel the friendliness of the grass outside, and was focusing hard on reaching out to it. It got to a point that she noticed a new, completely different aura nearby.
She barely felt it, a smudge of excitement just as weak as the grass, but not so distant, and ever so distinct when the rest of the world was muted.
Ryuuka almost thought she was imagining it, but the energy didn't go away. As the days went by, the strange energy became easier and easier to feel with her 'second sight' (as she had taken to calling it in her head). It became so strong that it only took a few seconds of focus to know where it was.
Sometimes Ryuuka felt it move, too. It must have been a Pokemon, she deduced. But one she could only see with her second sight, not with her eyes. She didn't want to tell her parents until she was absolutely certain, though. The last time she mentioned something about a Pokemon lurking in her room, they had freaked out about it. Otou-san got mad at her when they found out it had just been a family of Patrat.
A month or so after the first discovery, she finally built up the courage to say hello. The creature in the corner froze… and fled through the window.
Still Ryuuka kept trying, and eventually it stayed a little longer for each visit. The only thing she could really do was talk, so she rambled on for ages trying to gain the trust of the mysterious creature. And one day, the creature moved around to get her attention before sitting in the corner for a moment.
A shape blinked into existence for only a split second, but it was enough for Ryuuka to recognize that she didn't know what Pokemon it was. She squealed in delight as she chased the invisible Pokemon around the room.
Ryuuka finally told her parents that night when they returned home. She proudly presented her findings over the past few months, of how she felt the energy and how she went about proving it was real.
Her parents’ faces turned as white as snow.
Otou-san stormed off in the direction of Ryuuka's room while Okaa-san pulled the child aside. She made her swear not to speak of her ability to anyone other than her parents.
It was years before she felt the energy of the invisible creature again.
On Ryuuka's tenth birthday, her mother took her aside to the bench under the sakura tree.
The tree was the centerpiece of the garden, and had lived there for much longer than any human had. Okaa-san told her it was over three hundred years old! Their house was built next to it when it was still young, and not long after the garden was grown around it.
"I am sure your friends at school have talked about it," Okaa-san began. "But it is tradition to give a child their first Pokemon when they turn ten."
Ryuuka sat up straighter, causing Okaa-san to chuckle. "Now, it took some convincing, but I managed to convince your father to continue my family's version of this tradition."
"Is it different from his?"
"Oh yes, very different," Okaa-san nodded. "It is typical for a parent to choose which Pokemon they think would suit their child, and go hunting for a young one in the wild. Once they have earned the Pokemon's respect through battle, they bring it home to give to their child as their first partner."
"I know that!" Ryuuka pouted. "Tanaka-san told everyone what happened at school when his otou-san got him his Tepig. Did you get your partner like that?"
"Not quite. The Naruhodo clan has a different way of performing the tradition than other families. My parents did not choose my partner—she chose me."
"The Pokemon chose you?" Ryuuka gasped with wide, glittering eyes. Okaa-san's lips curled up in amusement at her excitement.
"Yes, she did. She came to me after the celebration, when it was just me and my father in our home. Today you will do the same and wait here with me for your own partner Pokemon."
"Why is your tradition so different from other families?" Ryuuka asked.
"Because my partner and I became much closer friends than we would have otherwise." Okaa-san brushed a hand through Ryuuka's hair. "The first Pokemon partner you ever have is special. They are the Pokemon you will have spent the most time with and bonded the closest with. The Naruhodo clan values the bond between a trainer and Pokemon above all else, and encourages its growth through all means possible."
"But everyone knows that being friends with a Pokemon makes them stronger," Ryuuka pouted. "Why does the Naruhodo clan do it differently?"
"It's, well… our bloodline is special, Ryuu-chan." Okaa-san tried to explain. When Ryuuka looked up at her blankly she sighed, before brightening with an idea.
"Put your hand on the trunk of the sakura tree," Okaa-san instructed, doing the exercise along with Ryuuka. "What do you see? Or rather, what do you feel?"
"Mmm… friendly," Ryuuka told her. "It's inviting. It's easier to feel than the other plants."
Ryuuka's ability to feel the world stagnated after she was six. She could barely feel the green of the plants around her, and occasionally she could reach a bit farther, but it never lasted long. She always told her mother about her occasional use of her second sight, especially whenever the feelings seemed clearer than usual.
(Curiously, after each time Ryuuka mentioned that to her mother, the feelings returned to the distant blurriness she was used to.)
The sakura tree's friendliness was the only thing in the garden that was clear as day. Ryuuka's second sight could see it clearly, and it always seemed to reach out to her. It was comforting to feel such a strong connection when her last one had disappeared.
"That feeling, that aura you can feel? Not everyone is capable of that, Ryuu-chan." Okaa-san said carefully. "It is why I asked you to keep that skill a secret. It is a gift that is not to be taken lightly.
"But," Okaa-san's demeanor shifted into something lighter. "It is a gift nonetheless. Ryuu-chan, you are connected to the world more closely than anyone else before you. This ability will grow stronger the closer you are to your Pokemon team, and to the people you love. You should be cautious with it, but cherish it as well."
"Maybe I would, but I see no wild Pokemon around," Ryuuka grumbled. "I can't get closer to my Pokemon if I have no Pokemon."
"I should have known you would focus on that," Okaa-san huffed. "Always focused on the moment, just like your father. Alright, have it your way. Your partner was waiting for me to finish before appearing."
"Huh?!" Ryuuka's brows furrowed. "But I thought the Pokemon was supposed to choose me!"
"Oh, Ryuu-chan," Okaa-san smiled mysteriously. "Your partner already chose you a long time ago."
Ryuuka's head shot up when the familiar, oh so distinct energy appeared in the garden and landed in Okaa-san's lap. The older woman lifted a hand to pet it, and the creature she had only caught a glimpse of years ago faded into view. It was smaller than any of the Pokemon her parents had, with cream fur and two large, pointy orange ears. Bright blue eyes met Ryuuka's brown ones as Okaa-san continued.
"This is Victini, and he is very excited to be your friend."
Suffice to say, Ryuuka and Victini got along like a house on fire. They spent nearly an hour running around and getting to know each other under the watchful eye of Okaa-san. Otou-san eventually joined them with a fond look and a giant tome under his arm, and sat them down for a lecture on Victini's past and responsibility of their family to care for him. Ryuuka even managed to pay attention for most of it, although by the end she and Victini were giggling to each other and wholly ignoring Otou-san's talk. He relented and let them play for the rest of the day.
It was one of the happiest days of Ryuuka's life.
Two years later, and all it took was a single event to send it all crashing down. Ryuuka could not think of memories of a "second sight," of a unique power, of anything more than Victini's strange aura without seeing the image of a scarlet Liepard tearing a woman's throat out.
One day, she stopped thinking about them at all.
Ryuuka crumbled bit by bit as her life fell apart. Each year things changed, trusts were broken, her family driven away, until four years later it was her turn. She was thrown out into a dark winter night, no longer welcome in the home that had long since ceased to be one. All she had for comfort was her loyal partner Pokemon and the old sakura tree.
It was Ryunosuke Naruhodo that left through that garden gate, leaving behind the only life he knew in search for a new path.
"Hey! Hey, wait!"
There was a man approaching and calling out for his attention. The student Ryunosuke beat in the speech competition just a few hours ago—Kazuma Asogi, one of the top students of Yumei University. He had an intense look on his face as he stormed his way over, an aloof Ninetales at his heels. Asogi-san was probably mad at Ryunosuke for defeating him so easily in that speech competition when he was an absolute nobody.
Ryunosuke gulped as Victini's aura flared from the spot above his shoulder. Ever since he had been kicked out, Victini had been extremely protective of his trainer. If anyone so much as gave the wrong impression, they were scared off by fiery pranks. The little Pokemon toned it down when he realized how it was hurting more than it was helping, but it still meant that Ryunosuke had trouble making friends.
He subtly took a rawst berry out of his bag. Ryunosuke was not looking forward to the clash of the two intense auras approaching him.
"How did you do that?" Asogi-san demanded when they were face to face. "How did you speak so perfectly on stage? You spoke every word flawlessly."
"U-Uh," Ryunosuke blinked. That… did not go in the direction he thought it would. "What?"
"Your speech," Asogi-san clarified, misunderstanding Ryunosuke's confusion. "You spoke so confidently, and your voice was captivating; even I was hanging on to every word, and I was your opponent. I expected all that, if you were capable of reaching the finals, but your words."
"My, um, my words?" Ryunosuke sputtered out, completely bewildered and still slightly terrified. "What was wrong with my words?"
"Nothing! Nothing was wrong!" Asogi-san insisted. "That is the problem. Your speech itself was a bit bland, substance-wise, but you said everything correctly. Every phrase, every metaphor, every dragon-forsaken tongue twister; they were all perfect! So, what is your secret? How is it that you never trip up on your words?"
Now even Victini was surprised, his aura muting down from simple astonishment. Ryunosuke could easily imagine him making a slack-jawed expression. "Well, it's not that much of a secret," Ryunosuke grinned nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Speaking fast is my hobby."
It was Asogi-san's turn to gape. Nearby, Ninetales was shaking from laughter at their conversation. Ryunosuke allowed himself to chuckle before he continued. "It takes a lot of practice, but it can be really fun once you get the hang of it. The one you stumbled on during your speech is a complicated one— 'plight and the fight for filial piety.' I'm surprised you picked it if you couldn't say it. If you want an easy one to start with, you should try the famous samurai sword one: 'swift samurai swords swipe silently sideways.' "
"Swift swamurai sword—sift samurai—" Asogi-san's face grew redder as he repeatedly failed such a simple tongue twister.
"Well, um, you take English, right?" Ryunosuke barely caught the sound of Victini's giggles as the little Pokemon flew a few feet away. Thankfully Asogi-san seemed too frustrated to notice. "How about one from there: 'she sells seashells by the sea shore.'"
"She shells she—ARGH!" Asogi-san clenched a fist in the air and grit his teeth. He glared at the Ninetales, who was muffling her laughter with one of her tails. Victini flew even further away to hide his own laughter, and all Ryunosuke could feel was pity for the poor man. What luck, to have incredible skill with public speaking but be stumped by even the simplest tongue twisters.
It was then that Ryunosuke noticed what time it was, and he yelped. "Ah, if I don't go now I won't have time to buy my groceries before the store closes! Sorry, Asogi-san, I have to go." Asogi-san's head shot up to look at him with such defeated eyes, and Ryunosuke couldn't help the pitiful smile. "Um, here, let me tell you the easiest tongue twister I know, and you can start practicing with it. It goes: 'red bread pan, lead bread pan, dead bread man.' Alright, have a good night, Asogi-san!"
Ryunosuke scurried off quickly after that, paying no more heed to Asogi-san's plight. He thought it would be a one-off conversation, something the clearly more intelligent man would disregard like all the others did.
Asogi-san sat next to Ryunosuke in their shared lectures the next day, sporting a hachimaki headband. He did the same thing the next day, and the next, and the next. When Asogi-san became Kazuma-san, and eventually just Kazuma, Ryunosuke was suddenly hit with the realization that oh, he’s here to stay. I’ve gained a real friend.
Kazuma quickly became his closest companion (human-wise) and Ryunosuke was surprised to hear the reverse was true as well. Kazuma was one of the best students in Yumei, but his strong will and "attitude" (as the professors called it) made it hard to befriend him or for him to befriend others. The two had acquaintances, sure—people they could rely on for studying or light conversation—but the closest friends they had were each other.
After just a few months of knowing each other, Ryunosuke and Kazuma became practically inseparable. If their lunch breaks lined up, they'd eat together at the same table. If one was down, they would first look for the other for comfort. If one simply wanted to spend time with another person, the other was the first person they seeked out. And if one got ill , the other would end up 'hovering like a doting mother.'
Or so Kazuma argued, one day in May. It had been raining incessantly during the week before, and Asogi arrived at his lectures with a runny nose and a bad cough. He looked and sounded horrible, but he insisted he had to attend his classes. Their Pokemon clearly weren't happy about it, but there wasn't much Ryunosuke could do to stop him once class had started.
He did put his foot down when the day ended, though. Despite struggling through his classes all day, Kazuma insisted he stay later at the library to study for an upcoming exam. Which was in two weeks . Ryunosuke would not stand for it, but Kazuma was nothing if not stubborn. Even Victini tried to get the man to take a break, while still invisible. When that attempt ended in failure, Ryunosuke knew he had to approach this problem from a different angle.
The answer was simple, thankfully. Kazuma was dead set on studying somewhere , though it didn't have to be at the library. The best thing to do would be to take him somewhere with a bed nearby, so that when he inevitably passed out he could be taken care of properly. So, Ryunosuke invited Kazuma to his dorm room.
Just as he predicted, Kazuma nearly fell over just trying to put his bags on the table; his Mienshao had to do it for him. Ryunosuke enlisted her help to carry Kazuma to bed, the man whining the whole time. Ryunosuke paid it no heed, leaving the man in the care of his Pokemon while he and Victini left to make dinner. Victini even reheated the food when Kazuma meekly asked for seconds.
Despite his previous mistrust, it hadn't taken long for Victini to warm up to Kazuma. Ever since their first meeting, Victini's aura had never flared aggressively when Kazuma approached. In fact, the little Pokemon had even pointed the man out in crowds. He never messed with Kazuma's study materials (a prank Victini was fond of, although it used to involve more fire before Ryunosuke intervened) and never heated his drinks to an uncomfortable temperature (a prank Ryunosuke allowed because he found it extremely funny). It was more respect than Victini normally gave a person, even more than his aunt and uncle.
Ryunosuke decided to sit nearby to keep an eye on Kazuma while the night went on. He’d unroll an extra futon eventually, but for the first few hours he simply wore a blanket around his shoulders. When he thought Kazuma was asleep, he looked down at Victini, who had snuggled into his blanket so he wouldn’t have to stay invisible.
“You really like Kazuma, don't you?" Ryunosuke whispered.
Victini blinked and let out a quiet cheer, nodding.
“That’s good.” Ryunosuke smiled. “I like him too.”
It was true. Ryunosuke really did like Kazuma. He was compassionate, considerate, and a huge dork. He liked how passionate Kazuma was about his career, about his goals. He liked the rather one-sided competitions they had with tongue twisters. He liked hearing Kazuma boast about his Pokemon companions, whom he loved with a care that many people in their empire did not afford such amazing creatures. He liked that Kazuma saw him as an equal, as his partner.
Ryunosuke liked having someone he could trust to have his back, no matter the circumstance. He didn’t have many of those kinds of people in his life.
He must have made a face at the thought, because Victini cooed and poked Ryunosuke’s chin. The little Pokemon giggled when his trainer rubbed his head.
Kazuma was not as asleep as he had thought. “Is your partner Pokemon shy?”
Ryunosuke choked on his breakfast.
“Wh-what do you mean?” Ryunosuke tried as Mienshao punched his back lightly to help. Kazuma only stared at him expectantly. “I, I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“You have a terrible poker face, Ryunosuke.” Kazuma responded bluntly. His unimpressed expression somehow exactly matched that of Masayoshi, his Ninetales. “I can provide an argument with supporting evidence, if you’d like.”
“What evidence?!”
Ryunosuke realized his mistake too late when Kazuma continued. “Whenever other students at the university ask you for a battle, you tell them you don’t have any battling Pokemon, not that you don’t have Pokemon at all. You have a bag of Pokemon food in your cabinets and Pokemon feeding bowls, which are the ones you fed my Pokemon with.”
“Those, those are for when I have guests over!”
“You never invite anyone to your dorm room, Ryunosuke.” Kazuma retorted easily. “Whenever students ask to study with you, you always suggest going to their dorm or the library. Honestly, it’s part of the reason I accepted your invitation so readily yesterday.”
“Well, just because I don’t invite anyone over doesn’t mean I can’t be prepared!” Ryunosuke tried to argue in his rising panic.
Kazuma’s expression didn’t change. “I heard you talking to someone last night.”
Ryunosuke froze. He barely noticed Victini’s warm energy getting closer to the table. “The only things that respond to questions with cheers and giggles are Pokemon and infants, and a Pokemon is the more logical option—Ryunosuke?”
Ryunosuke couldn’t focus. The noises and feelings around him became a blur as his thoughts spun wildly. Calm down, this is just Kazuma. He’s your friend. He was a good person—would never do anything to hurt Ryunosuke, or hurt Victini. Not knowingly, anyway.
But what if Ryunosuke was wrong? Could he really trust himself to make that kind of judgment? What if Kazuma did expose Victini, or try to take him out of Ryunosuke’s hands, or something else? He could do almost anything with both good and bad intentions. Ryunosuke knew, deep down, that Kazuma would never do something harmful if Ryunosuke at least explained it to him first, but those rational thoughts were quickly being buried under that one distinct memory.
It would be so easy to repeat that night in winter, when it all fell apart. The night when a curious little child eavesdropped on something he shouldn’t have. The night his childhood home was stained with the sight of blood that would never disappear no matter how hard he scrubbed, or how clean the room actually was. That night that stopped him from ever thinking past those days without hearing that horrible scream from the woman he admired the most, without seeing flashes of that blood-soaked scarlet Liepard—
“—ke! Ryuu! You need to breathe!”
Kazuma had moved to his side. Ryunosuke regained some of his awareness when Kazuma grabbed his hand—his chest did feel tight and painful. Ryunosuke let out a strangled gasp, panic still overwhelming him. When had he stopped breathing?
Kazuma brought their hands to his own chest. “Here, look at me,” he commanded clearly and exaggerated his own breaths. “In and out, just like that. Can you copy me?”
It took a while for Ryunosuke to pull himself together. When he had finally calmed down, his cheeks turned red with mortification and he hung his head in shame. "I, I'm sorry—"
"Don't you dare apologize for that," Kazuma cut him off immediately. "That was not your fault. If anything, it was my fault. I shouldn't have pushed you so hard when you've clearly put so much effort into keeping this secret."
"No, no! If it's not my fault, it is certainly not yours." Ryunosuke gave Kazuma's hand a small squeeze—oh, they were still holding hands. "You couldn't have known. And, that isn't why I reacted like that. It's, well…"
"You don't have to tell me," Kazuma assured him.
“No, it’s okay. I trust you. I can trust you, right?” Ryunosuke let out a shaky breath as he rambled. “Sorry, that was a question for me. I haven't trusted another person with this in a long time. It’s just, the last time someone found out about my Pokemon, they killed my mother.”
Kazuma startled, his eyes wide with horror. Mienshao and Masayoshi, who were hovering nervously around the two men, let out sad cries. “That’s… horrific. That someone would commit such terrible crimes for a single creature… What kind of Pokemon is your partner?”
“You can’t tell anyone,” Ryunosuke stressed, holding Kazuma's hand in both of his own hands. " No one . Please, Kazuma. I can trust you, can’t I?”
"Of course." Kazuma responded without hesitation. “I won’t tell a soul.”
“Thank you,” Ryunosuke sighed in relief, hoping Kazuma could tell how grateful he was. People have told him he was very expressive, after all.
Ryunosuke maneuvered so that he was sitting with his legs crossed and Kazuma copied his position. After taking a nervous breath, Ryunosuke sensed the familiar warm energy just above his head and gently pulled the invisible Victini into his arms. “...You can show yourself now, Victini.”
Kazuma—who had watched the whole display with no small amount of confusion—let out a startled gasp when Victini suddenly appeared. The little Pokemon greeted him with a bright chirp. Kazuma slowly raised a hand towards Victini, and when the little Pokemon didn’t react he gently set it on the Pokemon’s head. Victini cooed happily and leaned into Kazuma’s hand.
Ryunosuke’s face lit up in delighted surprise. “He’s never let anyone else touch him before,” He chuckled.
Kazuma chuckled with him, but then his shoulders slumped as the realization of what he was petting finally hit him. “You have a Pokemon of myth,” the man breathed out. “Victini, the Pokemon said to bring victory to whoever possesses it. No wonder you’ve been so secretive about it.”
“Him.” Ryunosuke gently corrected.
“Him.” Kazuma echoed, pulling his hand back. “How—how did you become his trainer?”
“You’ve heard the legend, I presume.” Ryunosuke began, putting a hand on his chin as he thought. “Victini was known as a social and friendly deity, back during the first decades of our empire. One day, during a time of great peril, Victini offered his power to the then-emperor of Japan. The empire was saved and Victini was praised, but the emperor soon grew mad with greed and power. He abused Victini’s power and almost destroyed the empire, so soon after saving it. When the new ruler was overthrown, Victini grew distrustful of humanity and hid from society.
"That last part isn't entirely true," Ryunosuke absentmindedly stroked Victini's ears while he spoke. "Victini may act like a fussy toddler most of the time, but he has a big heart. He could never hate the entirety of humanity even after being betrayed.
"The new rulers knew this, and so they hid him away to keep his generosity from being abused again. He was entrusted to my ancestors, who swore to protect Victini for as long as they lived. The responsibility has been passed down through my family for centuries, and now it is my turn. Well, I only should have gotten him when I turned eighteen, but...”
Ryunosuke trailed off with a distant look. Kazuma clearly wanted to ask for more, but he thought the better of it. He instead asked: “Did you just call a deity a fussy toddler?”
Ryunosuke snorted, glancing at the pouting Pokemon in his lap as he considered his words. "Victini is… protective. He’s always worried about how people will treat me, and holds grudges very easily. Do you remember that incident a few years ago with Makoto Murakami?”
“You mean when his project was suddenly swapped with a Substitute doll in the middle of a presentation, only to be found on fire behind the teacher's desk?” Kazuma’s eyebrows shot up. “It was the talk of the school for ages. No one could figure out who the culprit was. That was Victini?”
"A combination of Substitute, Trick and some fire type move he knows," Ryunosuke sighed. "Murakami-san was struggling in the class, so he asked for my help. As it turned out, he was copying my work exactly during our study sessions and intended to accuse me of plagiarism. I had to restart my whole project just a week before it was due. Before I could stop him, Victini had already flown to the front of the room and sabotaged Murakami-san’s presentation.”
Instead of the disapproval Ryunosuke expected, Kazuma let out an amused huff. “Serves him right.” Victini cackled in delight at his approval, and the man smiled in triumph. “Hmm, does that mean that incident with Juzo Fujikawa was Victini as well?”
“Oh, yes, I almost forgot about that.” Ryunosuke frowned as he tried to recall that day. “Apparently the girl that Fujikawa-san was interested in rejected him, and she told him he should 'be more like Naruhodo' if he wanted to successfully court anyone."
(How ironic. Ryunosuke was so focused trying not to show his amusement that he missed Kazuma's harsh frown.
Victini did not miss the expression, and shot the man a very smug smirk. Kazuma's cheeks reddened for a moment while he tried to regain his composure.)
"He started harassing me after class because of it, and one time he caused a big enough scene to draw a crowd." Ryunosuke continued. "At some point he had left his bag unattended, and Victini took the opportunity to set his lunch on fire. By the time anyone noticed, the food was completely charred."
"Yes, even the professors were gossiping about it." Kazuma chuckled. "The general consensus was that it was karma for bullying the kindest person in the university."
Ryunosuke's head shot up in surprise. "Kindest?"
"Seriously, Ryuu, do you know anything about what people say about you?" Kazuma made his familiar unimpressed expression at Ryunosuke’s cluelessness. "Everyone calls you a sweetheart. You're always willing to help classmates study, and you seem to have an infinite amount of sweet snacks to share during the day. Where does all that food come from, anyway?"
"Oh, I make them myself." Ryunosuke said with a shy smile. "Victini loves sweets, I love sweets. It was only natural that I teach myself how to make them."
"Well, everyone else also loves your sweets. People wonder whether you buy them or make them all the time." Kazuma told him, though his expression suddenly turned serious. "People come up with such crazy theories about you. It worries me, sometimes."
"Why is that?" Ryunosuke straightened, suddenly much less relaxed.
"No one knows much about you at all, despite how open you seem at first. People get curious." Kazuma shrugged, though his tense shoulders betrayed how unsettled he was. Masayoshi placed her head in his lap to comfort him. "I've even overheard that some people wanted to use less... moral means to find out why you were so secretive. It annoyed me at first, but now that I've gotten to know you, and I know you might not be able to defend yourself if anything happened…"
Ryunosuke had never understood how Victini could be so reckless at times, disregarding his own needs for the sake of his trainer. But now, looking at how increasingly distraught Kazuma was getting, his next choice was obvious.
Ryunosuke took Kazuma's hand in his own and gave it a small squeeze.
"I guess it's a good thing that I've got you to watch out for me, isn't it?" He said softly, the blood rushing to his face when he realized what he did.
Kazuma blinked in a moment of surprise, before he made a smile so full of fondness that Ryunosuke's heart skipped a beat. "Yes, I suppose it is."
"Tini!"
Victini interjected after a moment of comfortable silence, pointing to himself in a rather arrogant fashion. Ryunosuke laughed, understanding the little Pokémon perfectly.
"Yes, yes, you're also here to protect me." Ryunosuke brought the little pokemon down to his lap and started tickling him. "If you don't get fat on all those sweets you steal, despite me telling you to stop!"
"He is a legendary Pokémon." Kazuma mumbled suddenly, a contemplative look on his face. "I'm sure, with a little training, that we could turn him into a competent battler."
"I'm the one who's supposed to be protecting him, though."
"Being able to defend you and himself in battle will help you protect him. And besides, he's already been helping you succeed anyway." Kazuma suddenly adopted a teasing grin.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Ryunosuke pouted.
"Well, having the Victory Pokemon at your side basically guarantees victory, I imagine. I wonder if that counts as cheating?"
"What?! No! I haven't been cheating! And Victini's powers don't even work like that—Kazuma, stop laughing!"
Being confronted certainly wasn't enjoyable. But, in the end, Ryunosuke was glad things turned out that way. It was incredibly freeing to have someone he could confide in about Victini, without having to change his phrasing so much to hide the truth. It was comforting to have someone who he could trust to take care of Victini if anything happened—even if that was just his paranoia talking.
Although it was especially convenient when Ryunosuke found himself inside a Western-style restaurant, holding a gun while the man behind him was shot dead.
Ryunosuke had been shoved in a closet almost as soon as the shot went off. He kept his senses alert, and soon enough he could feel Victini's pulsing aura enter the back. The little Pokemon had flown off to follow Kazuma for a bit, and had likely returned to a gruesome scene with his trainer nowhere in sight.
"Vic," He whispered, praying to the dragons no one else was in that hallway. Luck was on his side—Victini shot towards the door at the sound of his voice and rattled the doorknob. "No, no—don't open the door! Go find Kazuma and stay with him. Go! "
Victini hesitated, but shot off again to follow instructions. Now it was just Ryunosuke inside a tiny, dark closet, having just witnessed a murder, and utterly, utterly alone.
He wanted to cry.
He did cry, when Kazuma came to visit him in his holding cell. Ryunosuke wasn’t alone, his partner believed in him, his partners believed in him. Still, Ryunosuke made Kazuma promise to take Victini to his uncle if things went south.
“I won’t need to,” Kazuma insisted. “Don’t you trust me?”
“I do,” Ryunosuke sighed miserably. “I just… please? I won’t be able to focus, or sleep, if I’m worrying about Victini’s future. Just in case.”
Kazuma agreed, but insisted it was unnecessary. He was right, of course, but perhaps the promise still helped. It was Ryunosuke who proved his own innocence, and he was barely able to focus as it was. At least Victini’s safety wasn’t plaguing at the same time.
It was during the celebration afterward that Kazuma asked him to come with him to Great Britain, as a stowaway. He explained his plan that night while they were slightly drunk on sake, and it was unbelievable how much thought Kazuma had put into it. Almost as unbelievable as the fact that Ryunosuke said yes.
As is common when one rushes into things without thinking, problems immediately arose. Problems that even someone like Kazuma could not have foreseen, mainly because Ryunosuke hadn’t told him of some vital information. It was quickly evident that the risk of their plan would skyrocket if Ryunosuke kept it a secret.
It terrified him when he realized it. But he did not want to let Kazuma down, and had already agreed to go along with this ridiculous plan.
So, once again Ryunosuke was forced to share his biggest secrets to one of the few people he trusted.
He invited Kazuma to his dorm again under the pretense of testing the suitcase they would stuff Ryunosuke into during the voyage.
Ryunosuke had to think carefully about what he packed, considering he had to fit with the clothes as well. He prepared two full outfits that Kazuma could reasonably have cleaned—two shirts, two pairs of pants, only one uniform jacket—but there was a glaring exception to his pattern that Kazuma was quick to point out.
“I know cleanliness is important, but…” Kazuma frowned at the pile of cloth on the bed. “Do you really need this much underwear? And what are all these extra pieces of cloth?”
“I, um, I can explain!”
Ryunosuke opened his mouth to do just that, but his throat suddenly tightened up. He had been slaving over his speech for days, had covered so many papers with paragraphs to make sure he knew exactly what he wanted to say—but he didn't anticipate how nervous he would be.
"Purrloin got your tongue?" Kazuma teased, but the comment just threw Ryunosuke off even more. He did not need a reminder of that on top of all the fears churning in his gut. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down, when Kazuma put a gentle hand on his arm. "Hey, what has you so distraught?"
Ryunosuke let out a strangled laugh, putting his face in his hands. "I'm sorry, it's just… oh, dragons, I haven't even said anything yet and I already messed it up…"
"Hey, no, nothing is messed up. I just wasn't expecting a reaction like that from such a simple question," Kazuma assured. The man eyed Victini curiously as the little Pokemon rushed to Ryunosuke's shoulder and patted it with an encouraging coo. "This, this isn't another serious secret like Victini, is it?"
"No! It's not that important," Ryunosuke tried to brush off, but Victini glared at him. "Well, it's not not important, just not in the same way as Victini."
"But it's still important to you," Kazuma said. "And you are afraid of telling me."
"It has to stay between us," Ryunosuke insisted. "Just like Victini, but for more personal reasons. I'm trusting you with this."
Kazuma tilted his head thoughtfully. "As long as it isn't hurting anyone, I won't speak of it to anyone," He said with the same conviction he had during their first confrontation.
"This particular secret affects no one but myself," Ryunosuke sighed quietly. This wasn't a rare Pokemon, a heavy responsibility, or protecting the greater good; it was just him. It only affected him, and how society viewed him. "It stays a secret, and life goes on the same as it has. If it becomes public, the only person it would hurt is me. So, yes, I'm a little scared, but I want to tell you, and I… trust you."
Ryunosuke took another deep breath, fidgeting under Kazuma's patient look. Victini nodded with an encouraging look, making his signature ‘V’ hand signals. There was no going back now. Time to bite the bullet and pray Kazuma would still want to associate with him after it.
"I wasn't born a man."
Kazuma blinked, confused. "Huh?"
"I am a man, but I was born a woman," Ryunosuke elaborated, wringing his hands together and looking at anything but Kazuma as he continued. "For the first years of my life I was raised to be a woman. I never felt happy as a woman, though. The happiest moments of my life were when I was small, when expectations weren't so strict and I could do what I wanted. And then I grew up and things became miserable. It didn't feel natural, it didn't feel like what I was supposed to be, despite what everyone told me.
"Then one day Victini stuck one of my father's old hats on my head." Ryunosuke smiled for a split second when Victini perked up at the mention. "I looked in the mirror and realized how much I liked the look. I had to experiment; I tied my hair up and hid it under the hat, wore men's clothes, and went into town. For the first time in ages, I felt like… me .
"One thing led to another and I kept donning the disguise, until it was no longer a disguise but who I really am." Ryunosuke looked up to look at Kazuma, who had wide eyes but was still listening attentively. "I know it must sound ridiculous to you, but it’s the truth. I am not a woman dressed as a man, or simply disguising myself. I am just me. I am Ryunosuke Naruhodo, and I am a man."
He stood stiffly as he waited for Kazuma's reaction. A myriad of emotions passed over the man's face as he processed everything Ryunosuke told him.
The silence grew. Ryunosuke shook as the crushing despair hit him.
"It's, it's alright if you don't accept me," Ryunosuke mumbled. It was not the truth, it was not ideal, it was not what he wanted. "I just ask that you keep it between us. I, I’ll get expelled if the university finds out, and I can’t—I can’t…"
It hurt, it hurt to be rejected by the one person he cared the most, but it was Ryunosuke's fault for trusting someone with this. He thought he could trust Kazuma, after everything they had been through, after the trials and tribulations. He supposed it was too much, after already having to keep Victini's secret. Now Ryunosuke was about to lose his only friend, the only person who bothered to get to know him—
"Ryunosuke…" Hands landed on his shoulders, and Ryunosuke looked up to meet Kazuma's eyes. "Why wouldn't I accept you for who you are?"
Ryunosuke's eyes widened, the sudden surge of hope knocking the breath out of his lungs. "You mean…?"
"You're an idiot if you think something as trivial as your anatomy would change the way I feel about you," Kazuma smiled softly, but expressed his passion and emotion with his voice. "You took your fate into your own hands, despite the hardships you faced. You found your Ideals and resolved to turn them into Truths. You are the bravest, kindest, most amazing man I have ever met. I am honored to be someone you trust with this, and I… I couldn't be prouder to call you my best friend."
Tears pricked in his eyes, and Ryunosuke was launching himself forward, wrapping his arms around Kazuma in a hug and digging his face into the man's shoulder as the tears flowed freely. Relief, elation, and happiness were the only things he could focus on as Kazuma hugged him back.
"Thank you," was all Ryunosuke could bring himself to say, so overwhelmed by emotion. Kazuma responded by hugging him tighter. They swayed there for a while, letting the emotions run their course while their Pokemon giggled around the room.
"Not that I don't appreciate what you just told me," Kazuma said as they parted. "But what does all that have to do with extra cloth and underwear?"
Ryunosuke deadpanned, though the effect was less effective due to the snotty nose and puffy eyes. "I have a uterus, Kazuma, and there is a certain cycle that occurs each month in people with uteruses."
"Ah." It seemed Kazuma finally caught on.
"And we are going to be out at sea for over a month, which means I will certainly experience the messy part of the cycle while being a stowaway."
"I see how that could be a problem," Kazuma winced. "It’s good that you thought to bring it up. I certainly would have overreacted if you gave me bloody clothes in the middle of the voyage and thrown all caution to the wind. But we will work around it. You have been doing so for a long time, have you not?”
“I almost got caught several times the first few months, but yes,” Ryunosuke sighed. “It was one of the more difficult problems to hide, and it wasn’t like I could ask anyone else for help…”
“Well, you have me now,” Kazuma asserted, crossing his arms with a bright smile. “You don’t have to come up with a solution by yourself. We will figure this out together.”
Ryunosuke could have cried again, right then and there. Kazuma wasn’t just referring to the voyage with his words. He would be there to support Ryunosuke through whatever trouble he faced. He would support Ryunosuke in his endeavor to be himself and maintain his identity, no matter what others said about it.
Ryunosuke was accepted. He was free to be himself, his true self. He was free to feel safe in someone’s presence with nothing hidden, without worrying about his secrets. He was home. He was safe.
He was loved.
When Mikotoba-san told him Kazuma was dead, Ryunosuke's hope died with him.