Useless Landscape

by Interrobang27

Summary:

Months after the end of Meowth, Is That Right? Goh and his Pokemon try to get their lives back on track. I’ll try and avoid spoilers or too many references, so you can read it as a stand-alone.
But you are more than welcome to try my long fic.

Chapter 1

USELESS

LANDSCAPE

 

It was those mornings when the universe seemed to warmly welcome every being to the miracle of a new day.

The gentle breeze caressed everything, bringing a tactile element to the endless blue of the sky and sea, making peace something one could almost touch on that island.

So, why was Haru nervous?

It was the first time Miss Watanabe rallied the Pokemon Resort staff. Up to that day, her job was pretty much “do whatever appears in front of you and have fun”. As if reading her mind, the older woman went:

“We usually don’t sort out guests; we aim to treat everyone, human or Pokemon, equally. But this is needed one time; we are about to receive a special guest. Not only he does he not want to be here, but he’s kind of famous; so, let me handle him this first day. You Alisa, Tyler, and Haru, make sure his Pokemon are happy. Just do whatever you normally do, and everything will be fine.”

 

That just made the new concierge a bit more anxious. She walked away with her coworkers, their colorful shirts contrasting with the fine sand of the beach.

“Don’t worry, Haru” Said Tyler “We pay a bit more attention to his Pokemon, that’s all. How many do you think he’ll bring, Alisa? Two or three?”

“Who is ‘he’?” Questioned Haru. Alisa just smiled.

 

The question didn’t give her a rest when the boat docked. Happy humans and Pokemon arrived, a few sad faces leaving, but no one Haru found particularly noteworthy. Could it be a movie star in disguise?

“Wait another half an hour,” Alisa said.

---

 

25 minutes later, the perennial symphony of waves and breeze of the island was surpassed by the roar of a hydroplane nearing fast. Miss Watanabe joined them. Now, that particular aircraft served the Resort many times before. Its washed-up yellow body and noise reminded her again and again of a Dragonite in dire need of medical help. It could carry up to five guests but she knows that today, there’s only one passenger, likely bothering the pilot.

“Professor Goh Walker.” Said the Hotelier, while Psyduck tried to use his mind powers to close Haru’s dropped jaw.

“Project Mew Professor Goh?” She asked, “The one who wrote…”

“Here, he is more the devastated Ash Ketchum’s former husband Goh. Or Goh, who heard from Project Mew’s board ‘Take a vacation, get your act together’.” Sighed Watanabe.

 

The small plane approached, as the pilot tried to ignore the pile of cash waved by the passenger.

“A compromise. I know my Pokemons need some distraction and happiness, so we’ll leave them here for two weeks and you take me back. That’s three times your regular fa…”

His answer was not-so-gently push the passenger out of the plane. His luggage followed suit.

 

It was the first time Haru saw someone as famous. The tan complexion and large, expressive eyes are there, but now dull, with a perennial shade of sadness, and in the company of a beard the stress speckled too early of white.

 

Goh registered the greetings from the woman, the blue of the sky, and the tones of green of the rich vegetation.

Useless landscape.

But, oh, well, he was there. His tropical paradise prison.  At least his Pokemon deserve some fun. He threw his Pokeballs in the air.

“Rillaboom. Cinderace. Inteleon. Come on out.”

Chapter 2

Summary:

re-worked the chapter 2

II

 

Haru looked at the three Pokemon. Rillaboom sat in the sand, doodling something, avoiding looking at any other being. Inteleon crossed his arms, his eyes locked on nothing in particular on the ocean. And Cinderace was adamant in following Goh. The researcher explained, vacation and all, having some healing time. That just caused Cinderace to ignite his fire. But not on his feet.

On his eyes, followed by gnashing of teeth.

That will be a difficult guest, Haru thought.

The humans tried to lighten the general mood. Alisa produced a ball and brought on her Mudkip, starting to bounce it between the two of them, following the rhythm of the gentle waves:

“So, wanna play, Cinderace?”

He glared at her:

“Ciiiinder…”

One can wonder how that ball didn’t explode on contact with the pure rage kick.

But in one second the toy was no longer on that beach.

Maybe not even on the Island.

Or in that time zone.

But it was not enough to soothe Cinderace, who ran away, with teary eyes.

“Cinderace!” Haru shouted and was about to run after him, when she felt long, thin fingers holding her arm.

“Inteleon.” said the blue Pokemon, shaking his head.

“I’m sorry, Inteleon, but Cinderace needs help” she said, gently removing his hand and starting to run, Psyduck wobbling behind her, warm sand flying around, trying to match her pace. Without success.

“You seem to care a lot about your friends, Inteleon,” said Alisa.

The Pokemon just moved his shoulders and started to look for a place where he, also could be alone.

“We do, too, but we’re having problems and could really use the help of someone as smart as you.”

“Leon.” Was the abrupt answer. Was this human, practically a child, insulting his intelligence with cheap psychological tricks? He walked away.

“This is no trick, Inteleon. I just want for your friends to relax a little. They deserve it.” And, in a lower voice “Do you think it’s fair to be sad for the whole week? Is it fair for the other guests here to be sad seeing you unwell?”

Inteleon stopped.

---

 

Meanwhile, Cinderace found a huge rock near the beach that served as a shield from both the heat and unwelcoming eyes. It did not work for long, however. The annoying human girl found him and sat at his side. A few moments after that, a tired Pokemon joined both:

“P-psy.. uff, puff….duuu-gasp-duck”

Cinderace weighs his options. Keep running? Kick the boulder they were leaning into Peebles, as a warning?

The girl said nothing, however. Just stood there. In silence, at his side. Just letting him know there was a being there for him. Cinderace hugged his knee tighter but did nothing else.

He could stay there a bit more.

---

 

No matter how sad or overjoyed you are, there are some undeniable truths around, Rillaboom reasoned, looking at the boardwalk over a creek, its self-effacing architecture painting a soothing landscape with the simple creek below.

And the truth was Pansage, Pansear, and Panpour were horrible as a band. The ape group was like a trio of Bacon’s Screaming Popes disrupting the idyllic Bob Ross scenario. The large pokemon pressed his hands against his ears, trying to block the torture; no use.

Rillaboom could simply go to another place far, far away from that cacophony.

And… allow this crime against Pokemon rhythm disguised as “practice” to continue?

Without thinking twice, he went to the trio and their human, took Tyler’s conductor baton and started to mark the rhythm on his drum set. Maybe add some alolan vibes to the beat, he thought.

Those three will learn to play, no matter what, though Rillaboom.

A smile started to appear on the corner of his mouth. He was starting to have fun.

And on Inteleon mouth too.

“It worked! You’re great, Inteleon.”

“Leon. Inte Leon” was the satisfied answer. Of course. His plans are always flawless and…

He realized.

The human girl tricked him into having fun. Before he could react, Alisa directed his attention to a table full of ingredients.

“So… what does Cinderace like to eat?”

 

Chapter 3

Summary:

it hurts.
it sucks.
But life goes on, and will bring better things

III

 

Haru said nothing. Just stood there. In silence, at his side. Just letting him know there was a being there for him. Cinderace hugged his knee tighter but did nothing else.

After a while, she got up.

“It’s lunchtime. Do you want to eat with us?

She offered her hand. Cinderace crossed his arms and turned his head away from her.

She kept her hand extended. Smiling. Motionless.

After what seemed an eternity, Cinderace opened an eye, looking at her.

Does this girl…

Suddenly, his stomach growled. He blushed, and her smile grew bigger.

Cinderace swapped her hand gently but followed Haru and Psyduck to the lunch area.

 

---

It was a simple large white cloth canopy held by four or five poles above a large table, blocking the Sun but letting the breeze cool the guests under it. At the table, several Pokemon and a few humans. Cinderace felt the changes in his pokemon brothers, eating there with him. Rillaboom was using his spoon to mark a rhythm on the table, and three smaller pokemon trying to mimic him; Inteleon, closing his eyes, in deep thought, nodding, smiling here and there. And what hurt him the most, was the remarkable lack of Goh on that eatery.

Did they forget already?

Cinderace looked at his plate. His favorite. He nibbled some.

It was good.

He felt good.

And guilty.

He left the table.

This time, Haru did not follow him. Psyduck looked at her, without understanding:

“Psy…?”

“Call it intuition, Psyduck. For now, enjoy your meal”

The pokemon did not need to be told twice.

 

---

After a while, Haru and Psyduck walked to the same rock they shared with Cinderace in the morning. Standing a few meters away, she went:

“See, Psyduck, I was right. Cinderace wanted to be found, just maybe not by us.”

She approached the pokemon.

“I really, really like this afternoon breeze.”

“Cinder!” Was the abrupt answer

She followed Cinderace’s eyes. Both looked at the sea, its wet mantle abruptly covering the sand, just to reveal it again slowly. Sensually. Playfully. Again and again.

“You must be thinking what’s the use of these waves breaking at the afternoon breeze. Why having an afternoon, even.”

She sat in the sand close to him

“It was a Saturday, Cinderace. My boyfriend of six and a half years broke up with me in a text message. The next day, Sunday, I wore my favorite, most expensive shoes and immediately stepped in gum. On Monday, I was late for a vital presentation. On Tuesday, my work bestie quit. Wednesday, I trimmed my eyebrows all wrong.” She heard Cinderace chuckle and kept going “Thursday, I spent three hours making curry, and it ended up non-edible. Friday, my important presentation bombed. Saturday, I stepped in gum again.” She made a pause. “That’s why I moved here. And i found Alisa, Tyler…” she scratched the head of the yellow Pokemon “and Psyduck…” after another pause “Life goes on, Cinderace, but he can explain it better.

Emerging from the path to the beach, Goh took two steps towards his pokemon.

“I miss him, Cinderace. Even with everything that happened, I miss him. So much I was forgetting about you guys. But you know? Haru here found new friends. We already have those.” The man offered his hand “Rillaboom. Inteleon. All the others. And, one day... One day, Mew.” They look deeply into each other eyes. “You. I need you. You need me. I need to have you, Cinderace, to continue on this path. What do you say? It will hurt some days, but we’ll be together. Always.”

Cinderace reached Goh’s hand and both started to walk down the path.

The flowers on their sides seemed to bloom.

 

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 3 of Meowth, Is That Right? Series