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“W-what the hell is that?” The Galarian boy stammered out, eyes wide and bewildered as he stared at the creature in front of him.
“I… I’m not sure…” Kieran shook his head, glancing over beside him for only a moment before returning his gaze back to the white enigma.
It was unlike any Pokemon he had seen before. Sure, he had only ever been to two regions, but during his time as Champion he had spent hours and hours pouring over every single Pokemon he could find resources on, even if the chances of facing one in battle were slim to none.
“M-maybe, it’s some kind of… Weird Swanna?” He finally decided, eyeing the creature with some scrutiny. It did have wings, and a long neck but… He would hardly call it elegant looking, and he and his sister had gone out to watch Swanna often back home in Kitakami, especially during their migrating season where they would take off straight from the water, trailing shimmering droplets as they ascended into the sunlit sky.
“It would have to be all kinds of messed up if this was a Swanna…” Florian murmured beside him. “It’s so…”
The chestnut haired boy scrunched his face up as he tried to parse words into something that could express even an ounce of the emotions he was feeling.
“Just so…” Florian gestured vaguely at it, waving his hands as if showing it off. He didn’t need to though, Kieran knew exactly what he meant.
Sure the creature wasn’t ugly, it was… kind of cute, in a way— but it didn’t quite look right. Its eyes were tiny and beady— it was unsettling in a way he had never seen on a Pokemon before, and unlike Swanna this thing had a orange beak.
It was hard to tell if it was even looking at them… sure, it was facing their general direction, but its eyes were on the sides of its head, and they looked glossy and endless, like little voids that swallowed all sense of security into them.
If a hand on his chin, Kieran leaned forwards slightly to try and better inspect the beast. It had webbed feet, but that didn’t exactly mean it was a Water Type— maybe he’d have to try and use a Pokeball to catch it so they could—
”HONK!”
“AH!”
Both boys jumped back, clinging onto each other in fear from the sudden noise coming from the creature.
Florian was the first to move, although he kept one arm tightly around Kieran— Kieran couldn’t tell if it was for him, or for his own sake— reaching down to his belt and pulling off a Pokeball, holding it up meekly in his hand. Kieran had never seen Florian so terrified, and that only served to send him into a confusing descent of emotions spiralling between causing him to feel even more scared himself, and to feel a sense of protectiveness welling up in his chest.
“C-Chein Pao, c-come on ou—”
“HONK!”
Florian flinched as the creature flapped its wings suddenly and furiously, pecking the capsule out of the Galarian boy’s hand and causing it to fall to the floor, bouncing a few times with small plinks before finally rolling the rest of the way to the wall.
Yellow and brown eyes both stared at the red and white ball laying stagnant on the linoleum tile, a swallow, a sharp breath in, the increasing of heartbeats— the only noise in the long school hallway. The moment lasted a beat before both trainers turned their gaze reluctantly back to the white devil.
All seemed quiet, like a calm before a storm, one side staring down the other as time seemed to still into tiny little grains destined to stay at the topmost part of glass shaped thin around the center given the figure of a poorly photoshopped magazine model, and in this case, just as pointlessly, purpose halted by the lingering seconds of the moment.
The beast had barely lifted its orange webbed foot before the sting of freezing cold surgred miraculously through both Florian and Kieran’s veins, deciding silently and unanimously to turn tail and bolt .
As they rounded the corner all Kieran could hear was the pounding of rubber soles on the cold hard floor and the heat of his own pulse ringing in his ear drums. Misstepping, he skidded for a moment on the corner, drifting away just slightly before regaining his balance, the horrible screech barely even registering in his mind.
They finally stopped running, making it halfway to the dorms before either of them felt secure enough to even consider stopping.
Kieran collapsed with his back against the wall, panting hard— he felt better when he saw Florian doubled over, resting his hands on his knees and breathing just as heavily; Looked like it really took it out of both of them. Despite his relief, the larger thought in his mind caused him to frown, not liking to see Florian so scared like that.
“Y-you… hah… you okay?” He asked, pushing himself off the wall with a great deal of effort and walking over to Florian, placing a gentle hand on his back and rubbing softly.
“H-hah… y-yeah… I… hah… I’m fine… y-you?” The chestnut haired boy straightened out huffing, honey-brown meeting yellow in shared concern, all the while leaning back into the warmth of digits providing comfort on his spine.
Kieran just nodded in response, too out of breath to reply properly, simply pulling Florian closer into a tight hug, the embrace quickly being returned.
As his breathing evened out and his heart-rate slowed, there was one thought that kept resurfacing to the forefront of Kieran’s mind like a recurring bad dream.
“Do… did… I don’t think…” he murmured, trying to find his voice, in the end barely getting above a whisper. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so scared before…”
“That thing was freaky…” Florian mumbled back, tightening his own side of the hug, he was even trembling slightly. “And so loud.”
“D-do you think, do you think it’s very powerful?” Kieran asked, biting his lip— in his mind, it had to be pretty strong to scare Florian that badly. Maybe he had been putting on a brave face for his sake, but Kieran didn’t think he even saw Florian get that terrified when faced with Terapagos.
He was really hoping Florian would say no, and that maybe just the soullessness of the bizarre creature had triggered his fight or flight response, but—
“I’m… I’m not sure… It’s not like any Pokemon I’ve ever seen before… It might even be a legendary, and it could be dangerous…”
Kieran was afraid of hearing that, his heart sinking at what he was about to suggest. He didn’t like the thought of putting himself in danger, but he recoiled at the thought of putting Florian in it. Even still… he was the strongest trainer— no, person— he knew. “Do… Do you think we should… try and take care of it?”
He braced himself for the answer, braced himself for the task of going and tracking down that feathered monster. Florian always was so selfishly noble, at least in his eyes. He had been told about the first time he went to area zero, and of all the things he did before that. He was a hero. He had certainly saved Kieran, at least.
“Hell no.”
Kieran blinked, looking up, yellow eyes scanning the Galarian’s face. What?
Apparently he didn’t even have to voice his confusion as Florian elaborated.
“I’ve been faced down with something that killed me or someone else one too many times already… That… thing can be someone else’s problem.” Florian sighed, the exhaustion on his face evident. “You’re safe and that’s all that matters… I’m sure someone will find Chein Pao’s Pokeball and take it to the receptionist of the dorms too.”
The Kitakamian just kept looking up with big wide eyes. “R-really? You don’t… you don’t want to, I dunno, go fight it or anything?”
It was taking a moment for his brain to catch up, short circuiting a little bit. Florian not wanting to help? Not jumping up at the chance to show off or be the best.
“Hell no.” Florian shook his head more vigorously this time before returning it to the spot on Kieran’s chest. “I mean, if it comes down to it I’ll help, but like I said, I think I’ve had enough excitement for one lifetime, maybe two. Someone else can handle that long necked monster. I don’t even want to go to the Terarium anymore, I just wanna forget about that feathered menace and be held by my boyfriend in his dorm room.”
Blinking one more time Kieran finally smiled, moving his hand once more on Florian’s back. How could he possibly argue with that?
“Yeah… Okay…” He let out a breath of contentment, looking around to finally orientate himself. It looked like they were pretty close to the elevator up. “Let’s go then… we can hole up in my dorm and wait it out until someone finally catches that thing.”
Florian nodded, removing himself from Kieran’s arms and moving to hold his hand. “Thank you…” The Galarian whispered his gratitude before looking down at the floor. “That thing really freaked me out…”
Kieran felt a warmth well up in his chest. Finally something he could protect Florian from. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe.”
He planted a soft kiss to Florian temple before leading him towards the elevators, silently wishing the best of luck to whoever had to deal with that strange bastardization of a wanna-be Swanna, unaware of just how chaotic things were getting on the other side of the building.
School had to be canceled for a week, no one ever did figure out what kind of Pokemon that was, and the feathered devil disappeared off somewhere never to be seen again.
It became somewhat of a ghost story on campus, in the end getting many different names, some called it the Honker, others called it the Ghoost of Blueberry academy, after a slip up Crispin had made one time.
It was one that never failed to put Florian on edge. Maybe it had effected him more thanks in part to it being him the creature targeted, apparently strong enough to send his Pokeball flying out of his grasp. Kieran couldn't blame him. Whenever it was brought up in front of Florian though Kieran always ended up snapping at whoever it was; He hated seeing Florian scared, but would be lying if he said he didn’t love how clingy it made him.
“It’s alright, Flor.” He soothed gently, pulling the trembling boy onto his lap after yelling at a first year so fiercely they had fled the classroom. “I’m with ya, that Honker won’t ever getcha while I’m around.”
The feeling of Florian melting into him was enough to bring a smile to his face.
It was all he needed.
Mysterious vanishing Ghoost be damned.