She didn't pop over right away.. There had been a few things that she had wanted to get done first. Breakfast for her and her troupe of pokemon for one thing. And going over the schedule for her next gig and traveling to get there for another. But of course it wasn't long before she was teleporting to Miguel and Mika's neighborhood. She immediately felt that he wasn't at home. And she already knew Mika was at school. So she walked up to the house and sat on the front porch to wait with her bag of goodies.
She'd worn a simple plum t-shirt and Jean short overalls.
She didn’t pop over right away.. There had been a few things that she had wanted to get done first. Breakfast for her and her troupe of pokemon for one thing. And going over the schedule for her next gig and traveling to get there for another. But of course it wasn’t long before she was teleporting to Miguel and Mika’s neighborhood. She immediately felt that he wasn’t at home. And she already knew Mika was at school. So she walked up to the house and sat on the front porch to wait with her bag of goodies.
She’d worn a simple plum t-shirt and Jean short overalls.
Miguel ran straight home - but he wasn’t fast enough. He saw her sitting on the steps as he came running up the sidewalk.
“B-Balia!“ Miguel gasped. Shoot!
The front yard was a mess. The grass was over grown and he hadn’t picked up Jolteon or Eevee’s morning ‘droppings’ yet, and he didn’t even want to begin to start thinking about the inside!
It’s not that he was lazy... it’s just... Life was hard when you were the sole provider for a household as well as the one maintaining that household and he just hadn’t gotten to it yet!
“Hope you didn’t have to wait long!“ He added as he slowed to a stop in front of her.
Another text comes in about two minutes after his [LoL! ❤ I just said I wasn't busy! I'll pop on over! I've got some souvenirs for you and Mika from Sinnoh to bring over too!]
uh oh!
Miguel had already left the house when he checked his phone again and saw that text.
He immediately turned around and ran back home. Hopefully he'll make it there before she does so he could tidy up a bit!
Get Mika ready for school and get him out the door for 8 AM.
And usually after that was take the bus to work. But today Miguel didn’t have that. So instead, after dropping Mika off at school, he was going to go do a bit of shopping and then head home to get a jump start on the chores...
He’d be embarrassed if company were to show up with the house in the state it was.
...He hadn’t had time or energy to do the dishes in two or three days now and they were starting to smell.
Oh, he should also try and open the living room window while it was still warm enough outside to do so and... air the place out a bit. After all, his Dad rarely ever left the living room couch and while some days were better than others... sometimes just convincing his Dad to get up and shower was a battle... nevertheless getting him to change his clothes.
At least every morning was the same routine and he didn’t have to think of it much. Nothing like back when he used to be a Pokemon Trainer and would wake up in a new town every day... No, don’t think about that. He gave up his journey to come home and look after his Dad and Brother. Thinking on the past was pointless. And besides! Mika would be ten years old soon and be able to embark on his own journey!
At 5 to Midnight Miguel gets a text from Balia. [Hey Sweetheart! Did you just get done with work? I wanted to ask when you'd like to meet up next? I have the next couple days off till my next gig.]
Miguel had fallen asleep without meaning too and woke up feeling sore, hungry, and still quite tired. He had been woken up by the sound of the alarm on his phone going off at 6am, and had rolled over to turn it off when he saw a missed text message.
Instantly he forgot about his drowsiness, leaned over to grab his glasses from the night stand, and leaned up to open the text message, and a smile crossed his face.
Miguel tossed his glasses on the night stand and flopped face first down on his bed. He was still in his work uniform but he was too tired to care.
Jolteon got up from his bed across the room and stretched before jumping up onto Miguel’s bed. Miguel smiled and tilted his head to pet Jolteon’s head.
“I’m off tomorrow.“ He sighed.
That meant he could finally get caught up on the dishes that were piling up in the sink and the laundry. He could also get some of the grocery shopping done...
“Hum, that’s a good question. I don’t know that we will since the entire city is inside what looks like a giant indoor mega mall. I’m gonna bring a light one just cause I’m weird about cold now.” she gave a huffy sigh. Mildly annoyed with how sensitive to cold she was now. Then she turned back to her phone.
“Alright Uncle Shii. Half an hour and we’ll see you when we get there. See you soon!” she grinned and hung up the phone. Carefully reaching down to scratch Jolteon’s brow without getting stuck by his prickly ears and she stretched.
“Think there’s anything you’d like to pick up while we’re Shopping?” she asked Miguel.
Miguel hesitated. Its not that he didn’t want to hang out with Balia’s friends... its just that... her ‘Uncle Shii’ was a Reaper and he was a Ghost. He was only here right now because of another Reaper. The guy seemed nice at least... a little dense, but nice.
“Whatever you’d like.“ He wasn’t sure whether or not he should make shopping suggestions. The fact he was unemployed kind of sat heavy on his shoulders. He didn’t want to be a mooch to Balia. Should he suggest something for the house? Like some new pots and pans? No... he chose not to suggest anything and just smiled at her.
Slowly, he pushed himself away from the table. Or at least he attempted to push away slowly... he wasn’t quite used to the strength in his ‘human form’ yet and ended up knocking the chair over... and then had to scramble to pick it back up again.
Currently Aragh was laying upside-down on the rung in front of the fireplace with one of his toys in his mouth, wiggling and kicking his big fluffy feet in the air as he did. It was pretty funny looking. He’d paused and looked up at Balia when she’d said his name.
“Okay, cool! Humm…. How about a half an hour? That’ll give us some time to get ready… and maybe you two enough time to wrangle the kids and everyone? Does that sound good?” she liked up at Miguel again, even though she was also asking Shii. At the same time as she was shutting down her laptop.
Jolteon was sitting firmly between Balia and Miguel and yawned lazily as Balia closed the laptop.
Miguel stood up, “I suppose we are teleporting to Hoenn then?” Teleporting was not something he ever thought he’d get used too... but it was convenient, “Will we need our coats?”
Balia was still giggling while Shiite answered her with his sarcastic “har har”. Leaning back away from the paper listings and the laptop in front of her to lean into Miguel’s side. Finding a new place and a new house to live, now that Miguel was back in the picture and the privacy of their current place was compromised; was taking a bit longer then she’d hoped. But she wasn’t really in any big hurry. And if they didn’t find a pre-existing house she didn’t mind spending the money to buy a bit of property and then building a house on it for what they needed.
“Mauville you say? That sounds like a lot more fun than what we’ve been doing right now. What do you think?” She turned her head to look at her boyfriend.
“Do you feel up to going?”
As a ghost... the idea of going shopping with a Reaper wasn’t something he’d normally think of doing but... Balia trusted this guy.
“Um... okay? I mean, I have no complaints.“ Miguel replied.
“Good Morning Mika. Would you please set the table?” she asked as she waddled back to the stove with a slight oof as her spine ached.
Mika sleepily mumbled something. It sounded like a complaint... but whatever it was, it was completely muffled. Still, he managed to shuffle from his seat to head over to the cupboard to help get the plates.
By the time Mika had gotten all the plates down, and was reaching for some cutlery... Miguel was heading back inside.
Miguel looked much more alert now that he’s had his ‘morning ritual’, and walked over to pour himself another cup of coffee.
“I think the eggplant is ready to come in.“ He mused to himself as he mentally went over his chores for the day. He had been adamant about doing almost all the chores for months now - anything to allow Balia as much rest as she could get... even if it meant he was out there for hours. He didn’t want to put any strain on Balia at the moment. Not that he minded of course - collecting harvests and milking cows were a lot nicer than working retail most of the time.
He put his fresh cup of coffee aside, and approached Balia again, “Need help with anything?“
@the-real-angry-bird
All the world was quiet but for the skitter of leaves being blown across the porch. She’d always woken up at this hour. Which is one of the reasons why she adapted to this life again so quickly. The other is that it was a familiar kind of life.
Esaias was already up when he heard the sound of scrambling paws and claws. Erebus, who until that point had been content to laze around at Esaias’ feet, leapt off Esaias’ bed and joined the other dogs in their dash for the yard. Esaias sighed and quietly tucked the book he’d been reading under his pillow and climbed out of bed to get changed and go help Balia with the morning chores. He was allowed to help a bit now that he was ten, but he was still always trying to get her to let him help with just one more thing. By the time he was changed though, Balia was already bringing the eggs back inside. He’d never admit it, but his face looked like he was pouting. Seeing that she’d already gotten started without him, now he was extra eager for a task to do.
“Balia, what can I do?” he asked, walking up to her.
Miguel was used to getting up early - even before he moved to the farm. But it didn’t surprise him that Balia was an even earlier riser. She was gone to start the morning chores before he even had the chance to fully wake up. He sat up and stretched loudly, before climbing up from his bed.
Birds chirped outside the window and he smiled out into the gray dawn light, before he started from the room. The smell of coffee wafted up from the kitchen and the urge to go straight down there.
While he knew Esaias would be up by now... he also knew that Mika would not be.
He walked down the hall to Mika’s room, and knocked on the door before slowly opening it and flicked the light on, “Mika.” He said groggily, “Breakfast time! Up and at’em!” He got a grumpy groan in response, but at least he knew Mika was awake.
After that, he headed straight downstairs and saw Balia and Esaias in the kitchen. He patted Esaias’s head as he walked by, and then stopped by Balia to kiss her good morning on the cheek, “Thanks for breakfast!”
Immediately after that, he went to go pour himself a coffee. As his normal routine, he intended to take the coffee outside with him for his morning smoke. As he poured the coffee, he looked out the window at the barn. It looked like it would be a good day today. After breakfast he should go out and let the horses out, and milk the cattle.
He was stuck an unlit cigarette in his mouth - he knew better than try to light it in the house - and was just heading towards the back door when Mika sleepily trudged in, and collapsed on a kitchen chair. The look on his face showed that he was still half-asleep.
He couldn’t wait to become a Pokemon Trainer and go on adventures, collect badges, and capture Pokemon! It was so close he could taste it!
The image suddenly faded away, and Mika awoke to a brisk chill. It took him a few seconds to realize he had been dreaming.
A knot formed in the pit of his stomach. That was a bittersweet memory he’d rather not relive.
The now fifteen year old yawned loudly, and sat up. He had been sleeping in a cave, surrounded by Pikachu and Pichu... but the Pokemon were getting up to start the day, and without their warm fur, the autumn breeze had washed over him from the mouth of the cave.
Picking himself up, Mika walked outside and saw the autumn colours dance around him. Winter would be here soon, and all the Pokemon were busy trying to squirrel away food before the first frost.
It had been 6 years since his life changed forever, and he came to live here in the Viridian Forest. 6 years since his brother died. 6 years since he abandoned his dreams of becoming a Pokemon Trainer, and left the human world behind forever.
He stretched. Reminiscing wasn’t healthy. Not when he had to do his part in collecting food for winter.
Mika, Eevee, and Ao were nearly running as they hurried back home. It was mid-autumn, and the leaves were falling all around them in different shades of reds, oranges, and golds. Viridian City seemed alive with colour. There were Halloween Decorations decorating every other house down the street, and the air was chilly and crisp.
Neither child seemed to stop to take in the beauty though as they raced down the sidewalk. Neither of them even slowed down at all until they reached a small, well-manicured home that rested near the middle of a small cul de sac. The lawn was nicely groomed, and the leaves had all been raked up and put in large orange bags with jack-o-lanturn faces on the front as decorations. The sides of the house were nicely painted, and there was a strong, homely feel to the house.
The house was nothing like the neighbors. The run down, old-fashioned house next door with the over-grown yard that was covered in leaves made the two houses look like a terrible ‘before and after’ image.
But these kids knew these houses well. The Kihell Family and the Ueno Family had been neighbors for many years. Both Mika and Ao’s Mom’s were good friends. Mika had known Mrs. Ueno longer than he had known his Mom, and she was like a Mother to him now. The Ueno’s had been looking after him after school for as long as he could remember, and today was no different.
The two kids and the Pokemon were panting as they hurried to the front door. Without hesitation, Ao threw the door inwards and stampeded in.
“Hurry Mika, or we’re gunna miss it!“ She cheered as she kicked her boots off.
Mika didn’t need to be told twice. He had his sneakers off before the last words were out of her mouth. Both kids dropped their bags by the door and rushed to the living room.
The inside of the Ueno Residence was just as suburban and upkept as the outside. The furniture looked lived on and comfy, but wasn’t worn out. It was warm, and friendly, and there were Pokemon laying about everywhere.
A happy-looking Growlithe trotted up towards them as they both climbed up onto the couch, but neither of them seemed to notice him in their hurry, so he opted to jump up on the couch between them as Ao turned on the tv.
Immediately a familiar anthem lit up the room, followed by the voice of an announcer. Good! They hadn’t missed it!
“Aozora? Mika?“ A kind-sounding voice came from the hallway, “Are you home sweetie? How was school?“
“Hi Mom!“
“Hi Mrs. Ueno!“
Mrs. Ueno peeked her head into the living room with a curious look... but the moment she saw what was on the tv, a smile crossed her face. She walked across the room and folded her arms on the back of the couch, “Oh! There’s a match today?”
“Yeah! Lance is playing today!“ Ao cheered.
“Well then, I better go get you some snacks.“ Mrs. Ueno laughed. She leaned down to peck Ao on the forehead, “But as soon as the match ends, I want you two to start your homework. Deal?“
“Deal!“ They both said, without turning their attention away from the TV.
Mrs. Ueno laughed and turned away. Both kids were too transfixed to notice her leaving.
Without turning his attention away from the tv, Mika grinned brightly. He crossed his legs on the couch and leaned forward, “This is gunna be us some day!”
“Next year!“ Ao cheered, “But no crying when I beat you!”
“As if! Eevee and I’re gunna be the next Champions!“ Mika replied.
The announcer finished, and the music pumped louder, attracting their attention fully back to the TV.
Mika could feel his heart racing in his chest as Lance stepped out into the arena. He never wanted anything more badly in his entire life! He couldn’t wait to become a Pokemon Trainer and go on adventures, collect badges, and capture Pokemon! It was so close he could taste it!
Sighing, Miguel closed Mika’s door, and turned to walk back downstairs. At the mention of breakfast, even Jolteon had gotten up, and he was followed back down by not only Eevee, but Jolteon as well.
Once, this house had been full of Pokemon. Miguel had remembered a time when Pokemon had helped from everything from heating the house, to helping with houseplants. There was twelve Pokemon that he had grown up with from birth that were all gone now - all rehomed after his Mother died. Even all of Miguel’s Pokemon had been retired, save for his starter, Jolteon. So now, all that was left in the house was his starter and Mika’s future Starter Pokemon - Eevee.
How long had it been now? Six years since the accident that took their mother from them? So much had changed in that time. Mika had only been a toddler and didn’t remember... but Miguel did. He had been a teenager when his Mother died and had long left for a Pokemon Journey, just like his parents had when they were children.
Miguel snapped himself from his thoughts. Reminiscing was not healthy. Instead, he quickly popped down some toast, and moved to pour the PokeFood into the bowls for Jolteon and Eevee. By the time he had finished that, the toast popped, and he quickly prepped the toast with peanut butter and jam, before heading out of the kitchen and into the living room.
The smell immediately hit him the moment he entered. It was a stale, unwashed smell, that stank of sweat and beer. There was no lights on in the living room and the only light came from from the TV that was playing some sort of infomercial.
The bulk of the stench was coming from the couch, where a middle-aged man was slumped over wearing nothing but a stained muscle shirt and briefs. He was surrounded by empty bottles and was snoring loudly.
After the accident, Miguel’s Father had never returned to his room - the Master Bedroom had become a time capsule - left untouched by anything but dust for the last six years. At first Miguel didn’t blame his Dad for not wanting to go in there - he didn’t want to go either. There were too many memories of his mother in there. So, he had let his Dad hunker down in the living room... but as time went on, and his Father made the living room his new bedroom... it had gotten rather stale... literally.
He flicked on the living room light, “Good morning, Dad.”
Yet again, he got another dissatisfied grunt in response. 2 for 2. That was pretty normally.
Miguel crossed the living room and put the plate of toast on the coffee table in front of his father. The man was gauntly skinny with sickly pale skin and a thick stringy beard that was in desperate need of a trim.
His Father opened his eyes and murmured, “Mornin’ already?”
“Yeah. Here.“ He gestured at the plate and straightened up, “Have some breakfast.“
Miguel instinctively picked up a few empty beer cans, “I’m going to be working late again today... so I’ll bring something home for dinner... anything you feel like?”
Dad just mumbled something in response.
After picking up as much as he could carry, Miguel straightened back up again, “Can you do me a favour today? I’ve got a ten hour shift today, so can you please do the dishes for me? And take the garbage out?”
This got a response form his Father, “Why me?” He grumbled, “I took the garbage out last time.”
Miguel felt his chest tighten, and he fought back a retort. Instead he sighed, and then tried to keep an upbeat tone to his voice, “Remember what the social worker said - getting up, showering, and getting some exercise is good for you!”
His Dad was about to argue, but luckily the sound of Mika running down the stairs caught both of their attention. Miguel looked over his shoulder at the light from the kitchen, and then back to his Dad, “...I can take the Garbage out on my way out. So all I need you to do is the dishes, please?”
“Fine, fine.“ Dad replied dismissively.
Taking that as a small victory, Miguel turned around and hurried back to the kitchen to dispose of the cans and grab himself something to eat before he had to go drop off Mika at school, and go to work.
Every day had been like this for the past six years - get ready for work. Get Mika and Dad up. Get Mika ready for school. Work. Come home. Sleep. Rinse and repeat.
He didn’t have a choice though. There was no time to argue about it. Miguel was used to it by now anyway. He knew that even though his Dad agreed... when he came home from work - the dishes would still be there. Miguel was the sole homemaker and bread-winner of this household. He had been ever since Mom passed away.
Sure enough - he told himself as he sat down at the table and instantly had Mika start blurting out the events of his favourite cartoon over his cereal - the dishes would be there tomorrow too.
Slowly, a hand slipped out from beneath the covers and reached over for an old phone. With a groan, a young man leaned up and groaned wearily, before silencing his alarm. He propped himself up on his elbows for a moment and rubbed his eyes wearily, and then he reached over for a pair of thick-rimmed glasses that sat upon an old fashioned nighttable.
The young man fully sat up, sung his legs over the side of the bed, and put his glasses on. The mid-autumn morning chill that had settled in the room sent a shiver down his spine, and he wrapped the comforter around him tighter and looked down at his phone.
6:52.
He fought the urge to go back to sleep for another ten minutes, and sighed heavily. He forced himself from the warmth of the bed, and quickly got dressed in the usual orange uniform top and black slacks. He quickly ran a brush through his long, shaggy black hair that was in desperate need of a haircut, and drowsily left the room.
Still half asleep, Miguel walked straight downstairs to the kitchen - where a pot of coffee was already auto-perking. He always made sure, no matter how tired he was the night before, to set it up so it was ready in the morning. The smell lit up the kitchen and helped to chase some of his weariness away.
It would be the normal morning routine. He would have enough time to sit at the kitchen table and scroll through his notifications while he drank his first cup of coffee, and had his first cigarette of the day, and then at 7 o’clock, he would go back upstairs.
Miguel quickly poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down. The kitchen about him was rather cluttered - dishes from the night before were still piled in the sink, and there was a faint smell of garbage seeping out from the corner - a clear sign it was time to take that out. There was a pile of unopened bills on the table, and there was a sweater or two draped over the back of one of the kitchen chairs. Almost everything was in a state of disrepair - the dishwasher didn’t clean quite right. The fridge was old and noisy. And one of the burners on the stove didn’t heat up. None of the plates and cutlery matched anymore, and some of the pots in the sink were starting to loose their non-stick coating. The yellow light coming down from the ceiling fan in the center of the kitchen did little to hide this. It bothered Miguel a bit... but there was little he could do about it, so once again he pushed it from his mind and tried to focus on his phone.
Nothing seemed to interest him much though, and he found himself endlessly until his 7 o’clock alarm went off. He sighed, and reluctantly pushed himself from the table and headed back towards the stairs.
The house was old and the floorboards creaked underfoot. It had been built in the 60′s and the wallpaper that still lined the walls clearly displayed that. It was a simple, two-story dwelling, with three small bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs, and a kitchen, living room, and a small bathroom downstairs.
Miguel’s room was the first room on the right, and the door was open. Through the crack in the door, he could see a Jolteon still curled up at the foot of his bed, and was still snoring slightly. The room was plain and wasn’t elaborately decorated. The room across the hall from his though was a whole other story. This door was closed - but the door itself was covered in magazine pages of Pokemon Battles and competitions. There was a giant painted name plate hanging from the center of the door that read ‘Mikado’.
Miguel knocked on the door lightly, but heard no response. So instead, he opened the door a crack, and flicked on the light. Unlike his room, the room that suddenly lit up was much more cluttered. Old toys and dirty laundry littered the floor, and there was much more furniture.
There was a sleeping hump on the bed - curled up beneath a mountain of blankets and pillows. Miguel called out, but he got no response.
“Mika.“ He said again - this time louder.
“Hmm...“ A soft groan replied.
“Mika - get up. It’s time to get ready for school.“ Miguel replied.
This time, Miguel saw Mika roll over. The nine year old’s face peeked out from under the blankets with a mess of shaggy black hair that was similar to Miguel’s, only somehow even more messy, and a pair of black, sleepy looking eyes fluttered open, “Five more minutes...” He whined.
“Nope. Get up or you’ll miss breakfast!“ Miguel replied.
At the mention of ‘breakfast’ a pair of long, brown ears poked up from beneath the sheets, followed by a fluffy head. Eevee trilled and squirmed free and ran towards Miguel. He let her escape the room, before looking back up at Mika, “Better be up in five minutes!”
He just got a groan in response.
Sighing, Miguel closed Mika’s door, and turned to walk back downstairs. At the mention of breakfast, even Jolteon had gotten up, and he was followed back down by not only Eevee, but Jolteon as well.
Erya started forward - eager to get a hit on that bastard when she had the chance, but Ares grabbed her shoulder and held her back.
“What the hell happened here?!“ Ares gasped. His eyes were glued to Balia. What he had just witnessed wasn’t normal - even for his own world. That woman was no human. None of them felt human.
He could see that he wasn’t the only one who was staring at Balia though. Across from him was a young man who’s eyes were glued to her… though not in the same way Ares and Erya looked at her. His expression showed respect and admiration. He looked more impressed than upset.
Miguel had no idea how to react to this. He had never witnessed something like this. He was both impressed at Balia’s reaction, and a little scared. It was a unique feeling.
He looked down at Celia, and gently tried setting her down on her feet.
She looked like such a small child that he felt horrible for her, and tried to think of the most gentle way as possible to break the news to her... well, as much as gently as he understood at least.
“I am not quite sure what happened...“ He tried to explain, “But I think you lost control... and I’m sorry... but it appears your friend isn’t here anymore?“
He wished he could find the proper words, but he was a little stunned.
