Sup my dude! You got any good dad!kabu headcanons?
Some of these may or may not be inspired by my fren and their Kabu’s kid oc-
Kabu is the kind of dad that supports his kids in whatever they want to do. Do you want to go on the gym challenge? He’ll help you train and prepare a team. Do you want to be a dancer? He’ll look into finding a studio to teach you. He cares about you, and if anything happens to you, he’ll be at your side within moments.
You never have to worry about him denying you your status as his kid. If you’re LGBT+, that doesn’t matter to him, you are still his kid. If you’re not so great as a trainer, that doesn’t matter. He cares, he loves you, and he will support you as best he can. His Arcanine and Ninetales love you too, they’d walk you to school when you were little.
If you want to see another region, the only thing he’d say no about is going alone. Even if you’re not going with him, please go with someone else. Take your rival, or fly to Hoenn with him to visit his side of your family and see the region while you’re there. Don’t go alone, and bring your pokemon.
If you do go through the gym challenge, when you get to his gym, he is not going to go easy on you. If anything, this is going to be the most intense battle you’ll have. He’s going harder on you than other challengers because he wants to make sure you’re ready. He wants to push you to your limits and see if you break. You might lose a couple of times, but as long as you just keep bouncing back, he’s proud of you. When you finally win, he’ll grab you in the biggest hug you two have had in years. He’s so proud of you and your pokemon, and he’ll take you to the Hoennian restaurant you’ve grown up eating at for celebration.
Kabu is a supportive father, but very intense. He has a lot of expectations of you, but does understand when you just can’t make them. He’ll help you if he can, but there are bound to be some things he can’t help with.
Kabu strummed his guitar quietly as he watched the clouds gathering on the dark horizon, leaning back against the tree behind him. Nanu sat with his head resting on Kabu’s shoulder, his eyes closed, just taking in the sound, heart aching.
“And if the music stops
There's only the sound of the rain
All the hope and glory
All the sacrifice in vain,”
The first drops of rain began to fall, the two young men mostly staying dry under the leaves of the tree, the deep rumbling of thunder like a drumroll in the distance.
“And if love remains
Though everything is lost
We will pay the price
But we will not count the cost...”
Nanu’s last night in Hoenn before going on to Alola for his new job, and it was starting to rain. He wanted to believe, something, somewhere, had a cruel sense of irony, as drops plinked down onto the polished wood, tears that fell just like the rain. They listened to the distant thunder as the strumming of the guitar fell away to silence.
Word had started to spread across Galar of the two young children who Rose left behind, and although Bede was used to being in the spotlight and handling paparazzi and questions and fans and chaos, Kabu was doing everything he could to keep it all away from Basil. The damn leeches were everywhere, it was almost impossible to avoid them, and once they realized he was also housing Cyrus, a known criminal... It was only going to get worse as time went on.
Cyrus didn’t seem as bothered by them, and had scared most of them with his delightfully dark and deadpan humor that they mostly stayed away if he was out and about. His two “friends”, as he called them, started coming around more and more as Cyrus started to heal, and once he was able to move around mostly out of his wheelchair, they began to join Basil with his lessons.
They started with simple things, basic reading, writing, arithmetic, and Cyrus couldn’t help but be impressed with how smart the kid was.
“Rose made me attend lessons.” Was his defense, though he sounded less than thrilled by that fact. He wasn’t thrilled with having class now, either.
Having Lincoln around helped, especially as they taught him sign language, and the more Basil absorbed, the more fun he had with it, as Lincoln was quite talkative when he wanted to be and Basil was thrilled to have someone other than Cyrus and Kabu to talk to.
Cyan mostly sat quietly in the corner, sketchbook in his lap, doodling idly and looking uncomfortable around everyone. Basil had taken a dislike to Cyan but an interest in his sketchbook, so he’d sit as far away as he could while still being able to watch him draw, squinting nosily until Cyan would gesture for him to come over and get a better look. Sometimes, if he was in a good mood, he’d show Basil how he drew something, or explain a little about his art, but normally he was quiet, closed off, just wanting to have alone time with Lincoln and Cyrus.
Basil, however, wanted to be anywhere but in a lesson. He would much rather be running around, training his Pokemon and exploring, and Cyrus knew this. He did what he could to make the lessons interesting, but he could only do so much.
“How come you don’t have any Pokemon?”
Cyrus had been ignoring the hand in the air for five minutes now, he could tell that Basil’s question did not pertain to the lesson.
“That is irrelevant.”
“Do you have pokemon? Do they not like you? How come you never have them out? Do your friends have Pokemon? Can I see them?”
Cyrus groaned. “Focus on your lesson, please. Pokemon have nothing to do with your homework.”
Basil crossed his arms. “I can’t focus anyway so you might as well just answer the questions.” He smarted off with a smirk.
“No, I don’t have any Pokemon. You don’t get to keep your Pokemon after you get arrested for trying to bring an end to the world as we know it. I don’t know if they liked me or not, that is their business and it doesn’t matter anymore anyway. Lincoln does have Pokemon, I don’t know if he’ll let you see them that will be up to him.” He snapped bitterly. “Can we continue with the lesson now?”
Basil frowned at that, and let Whisper out of his ball, cuddling the Meowth close. He couldn’t imagine being separated from his pokemon.
“I’m sorry Mr. Cyrus… do you want to hold Whisper for a while?”
“No I do not want to hold Whisper for a while. I want you to finish this equation.”
Basil dropped the cat pokemon in Cyrus’s lap anyway, before leaning over and getting back to work.
Cyrus growled, annoyed that he wasn’t being listened to, however the Meowth was very warm and very sweet, and he couldn’t help reaching over to give it a pat every so often.
If only for Basil’s sake. He wasn’t doing it for himself, of course.
************
“You should bring an umbrella with you, there’s rain coming…” Kabu followed Cyrus to the door.
“It’ll be fine, a little rain never hurt anyone.” He assured the older man, leaning on his cane as he rushed off to take a walk with Cyan and Lincoln.
“Bye Kabu see you later!” Basil rushed past, almost making it by before Kabu wrapped him in a hug and pulled him back inside.
“Now where do you think you’re going?” He teased.
Basil squeaked and giggled. “Hop and I are going to Circhester to have a snowball fight! Let goooo!”
He let Basil go, smirking. “Alright, just be safe. It’s supposed to storm and I want you home before that happens!” He called after him.
“Okaaaaaaaaay bye!”
Basil stopped to say hello to Cyan and Lincoln before disappearing down the road.
Kabu watched them and smiled, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, taking in the scent of rain yet to come. He was so proud of how far the two of them had come, Cyrus could move around pretty freely with the help of a mobility aid, and Basil only needed his cane on bad days. The doctors told him they expected him to make a full recovery, though it was close, any more injuries and things could have been much worse.
He felt… at peace. He couldn’t remember the last time things felt so right. For once, everything was going his way. He was happy.
“Lincoln, wait up! I’m old, I can’t run that fast!” Cyrus called, smiling. Lincoln was running back and forth through the trees, chasing his Spinarak and giggling.
“He hasn’t looked this happy in months…” Cyan mused. “You haven’t looked this happy in… well ever.” He had his hand on Cyrus’s shoulder, an old habit, to keep him steady.
“I haven’t felt this happy in well ever.” He responded, sounding almost surprised. “I don’t know how to describe it. I feel… good.”
“You look good.” Cyan pecked his cheek. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Bean! Get down from there!” Lincoln was hanging upside down from the branches of a tree, spinarak dangling beside him. “You’re going to fall and bust your noggin!”
Cyan laughed. “This is as good a spot to set up camp as any, hm? Are you sure you want to have our picnic out here? We can go somewhere where you don’t have to sit on the ground…”
Cyrus waved the thought away. “No, no, I want this. I want to be out here with you. And this will make Lincoln happy too.” He groaned and tried to sit down, letting Cyan guide him down the rest of the way with a grunt. “There. See? I’m fine.”
Lincoln plopped down from the tree and sat beside him happily. “Are you going to catch any Pokemon today?” He signed excitedly. “It’d be good for you to have a companion!”
“I don’t know, Bean… I don’t deserve a pokemon after what I did. And besides, the old man would just take it away from me if he found it. He doesn’t trust me further than he can throw me, and I’m pretty sure he’d throw out his back just trying to lift me.” He smirked, and Lincoln snickered behind his hands.
“You keep saying that but that isn’t true you know.” Cyan noted. “Like it or not he does trust you. He wouldn’t let you teach his son if he didn’t trust you, you’ve seen how protective he gets. And he’s done wonders for your back, too.”
Cyrus couldn’t deny that.
The three of them ate in silence, just enjoying nature and happy with the company. It was nice to have time together, just the three of them, and they didn’t want to waste the time with idle chit-chat. Eventually, Cyrus made them pack it up.
“The wind’s getting strong, we better get back before we get blown away.”
They made quick work of packing their meal and helped Cyrus to his feet, staying much closer to him on the way back, noting how much slower he was moving.
Cyan kicked himself for not thinking to bring the wheelchair with them.
On the way back, Lincoln stopped suddenly, grabbing Cyrus’s sleeve and tugging urgently, pointing to a patch of tall grass.
“What? What is it, Bean?”
The three of them paused then, watching as the grass quivered, something zigzagging through it haphazardly. Finally, the mysterious creature emerged.
“Oh, Arceus…”
Standing before them, looking dizzy and confused, was the cutest, fluffiest Eevee that any of them had ever seen. It’s fur covered it’s eyes, and it shook it’s head trying to clear them, before catching sight of it’s tail and chasing it a few more round, plopping over on it’s face when it got too dizzy.
“That’s the most pathetic thing I’ve ever seen in my life…” Cyan covered his cheeks with his hands.
Cyrus groaned and crouched down to get a better look. “Come here cute thing…” It started to wobble it’s way over to him.
More rustling was heard, and suddenly a second Eevee flew past the first like a zubat out of hell, knocking it over before latching onto Cyan’s boot, gnawing and growling.
“Hey! Get offa me you little ankle biter!” He tried to nudge it away but it was determined to make an example of the shoe, however its tiny teeth weren’t doing much of anything.
“Catch it catch it!” Lincoln signed excitedly.
“What? No way, it’s vicious!”
Cyrus reached out to brush the fur from the fluffy Eevee’s eyes, but was met with a fingerfull of needle like teeth. “Ow!” He didn’t pull away, watching as it tried to suck and chew at it gently. “Cyan, they’re just babies! They don’t know any better they’re just hungry!” He pulled his finger away finally, watching as the Eevee stood on it’s hind legs and spun around before losing its balance and collapsing. “Well aren’t you a pretty little dancer!” He cooed. He couldn’t figure out why, but he had a sudden need, an urge to catch it.
“Come on, I’m sure they’ll leave us alone, we need to get back before the rain hits.” Cyan huffed and started trying to walk, but the Eevee kept getting underfoot. “Hey! I said beat it!”
Lincoln giggled. “They like you!” He looked to Cyrus, who was watching them with a small smile, and handed him a pokeball, pressing it into his palm. “Go on… it’s okay.” Lincoln smiled and squeezed his hand before stepping aside to let him work.
Cyrus whistled. “C’mere, little dancer…” The Eevee perked right up at that and scrambled back over. “You want to come with me?” It hopped back up and spun around again, making happy noises. Cyrus smiled and tossed the ball towards it. “Alright, if you insist…”
He watched the ball shake, once, twice, three times, then the satisfying click of a pokemon well caught.
“Cyan you can’t leave his friend here.” He scolded.
“I’m not taking it! It’s mean!”
Cyrus and Lincoln both gave him the look. He caught the Eevee.
They made it halfway back before the thunder started to break apart the sky and the rain started to pour, taking refuge under a bridge to wait it out with their new little friends.
************
Hop, Basil, Marnie, Milo’s brother, and the new champion all met in Circhester for the most epic snowball fight of epic snowball fights. They had invited Bede to join as well, but he hadn’t gotten back to them. Basil promised them he’d come around to their games eventually, after all they always had fun playing when they were little, he just needed a little more time to adjust.
Bede had also told him he was going to see Rose, and Basil could only imagine what that had done to him.
He pushed the thought out of his mind while they played and laughed, he hadn’t had this much fun in a long time and he was going to enjoy every second of it. He rolled his eyes when Hop tried and failed desperately to flirt with the Champion, and rolled them doubly when the Champion gave his attempts in return to an oblivious Hop. It was like watching Nanu and Kabu try to dance around their relationship and it was painful to watch.
The all eventually got tired out and stopped for lunch, piling into the cozy little restaurant and chatting happily. Basil was thrilled that they had all accepted him in as a friend, and he quickly lost track of time as they drank cocoa and gossiped about their siblings.
The snow outside was starting to pile up. The Flying Taxi’s stopped flying over Circhester.
************
“He should be home by now…” Kabu was trying not to let himself relax too much, but Nanu’s arms were so inviting. “Something’s not right, I told him to be home before it got bad out…”
Nanu pulled him close again, kissing his neck. “He’s fine, Kabu. He’s just doing what we did when we were his age. He probably lost track of time, he’s out with friends. They’ll keep each other safe.”
They were snuggled together on the couch, watching the rain come down through the window as the lighting blinded them yet again.
“I don’t like him being out in this weather. The rain is one thing but Circhester? The snow gets so bad you can’t see your hands in front of your face what if he gets lost?”
“He’s with friends! He won’t get lost.” He turned Kabu’s eyes away from the window and towards his own. “You’ve gotta let the kid have a little breathing room, babe. He’ll be okay.” He planted a kiss on Kabu’s lips, smiling at the small moan of frustration it brought and Kabu pulled him even closer.
Both of their phones started going off, startling them out of their kiss.
“What in Arceus name..?”
Kabu grabbed his first, scrambling to his feet. “No more flying taxis. I’m going to go get him it’s getting too dangerous out there—” As he spoke, a crash of lightning shattered the earth and the wind tossed a large branch against the window.
Nanu pushed him back down onto the couch. “Stay here, I’ll go look for him. He’ll feel safer with you here if he does happen to show up.” He tossed on his jacket. “But he’s fine! He’ll be fine! Keep your phone on you!”
Kabu didn’t want to stay. He didn’t want to sit and feel helpless, but he knew Nanu was right. He was okay, he was with friends. They’d keep each other safe…
************
The three strongest trainers in Galar gathered in a huddle in the lobby of the Battle Tower (Aside from the new champion, of course, but behind closed doors Leon swears his win was a stroke of luck and not a feat of skill). Piers, Leon, and Raihan spoke in hushed whispers, just loud enough to be heard over the raging storm outside.
“What about Marnie? He’s had his eyes on Spikemuth for as long as I can remember, I won’t let him hurt Marn, I’ll kill him before he gets the chance…”
“I don’t think he wants to hurt anyone.” Leon soothed. “I don’t think he’s going to come after anyone. But we have to be there for Bede and Basil, because he’ll try to get in contact with them and if he does, it’ll be bad news if no one’s there to intervene if his intentions aren’t good.”
“And the Champion?”
“Your brother’s gonna be alright, Rai. Don’t worry about it. We just have to keep our wits about us, and—”
They looked up as the bell on the door rang, announcing the stranger’s presence.
“Excuse me sir, the battle tower is closed…”
The stranger was wrapped in a large, ill fitting coat, with a hood that covered his eyes, and a scarf that covered the rest of his face. He unwrapped slowly, ignoring the warning.
“The battle tower is closed, you need to leave.” Leon warned again, hand twitching near his pokeballs.
The hood came down, and the scarf came off, and the stranger had revealed himself, though he didn’t look much like himself anymore, a shadow of his former grandeur.
His cheek still stung, face pressed into Bede's chest as he struggled to catch his breath and stop crying. He didn't dare look at the mess of laundry scattered around the room.
"I'm sorry, Basil... I should have been here to help." His brothers voice was strained, and that almost made things hurt worse. "I... I'm sorry. I know you need me to stay, but..."
Basil looked up tearfully, meeting Bede's remorseful gaze. "What?"
He looked away. "Rose is sponsoring me for the challenge... He wants me to take over as champion..."
The world felt as if it was caving in around him as he listen to Bede's admission. If Bede left, there would be no one to stand between himself and Oleana...
The next week went much more smoothly for both of them. Kabu got the boy on a more regimented schedule, breakfast was at dawn, then they were to train together (he figured "training" sounded a hell of a lot more interesting than "physical therapy") and laid out a few chores for Basil to do through the week. He was still stand-offish, he was still working through everything in his mind, but at least he was letting Kabu attempt to help.
Today, Basil sat on the couch, basket of laundry sitting unfolded in front of him, staring at it blankly, unmoving. Kabu had walked by him a few times, and finally, decided to step in.
"You alright kid? What's the matter, don't know how to do laundry?" He tried not to sound accusing.
Basil kicked the basket over and crossed his arms. "Shut up! I know how to do laundry!" He snapped, and there was something unhinged in his voice.
"Don't raise your voice with me!" Kabu started in before he could stop, guilt clutching his hear when he saw the tears welling in the boys eyes. He held up his hands quietly. "Hold on. Hold on, let's take a breath." He said, and closed his eyes, evening his breathing.
He wasn't sure, be he though he had heard Basil attempt it as well.
"I shouldn't have raised my voice either." Kabu admit. "I'm sorry, let's start over." He sat down next to Basil, and it hurt when he saw the boy flinch. "You're having trouble. What's wrong, how can I help?" He asked gently.
He watched Basil weigh his options, deciding whether or not he wanted to engage. "I can't move." He admit quietly. "Chest... Hurts. Can't breathe."
Kabu nodded. "Alright. Okay." He took Basil's hand and held it in both of his own, giving it a small squeeze. "Breathe with me then. Let's fix that first." He walked him through some deep breathing, keeping his hands around Basil's and smiling when he felt a small squeeze back.
"That's good. Really good." He praised. "Now... Can you tell me what this is about? Is it the laundry?" Before Basil could blow up again, he stopped him. "Because it's ok! We can fix that! I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on."
Basil gulped. "I don't know." It was a half truth, Kabu could tell.
Kabu moved to the ground then, piling the clothes back into the hamper and setting it back up before returning to his spot on the couch. "Let's do it together."
And just like that, he went to work, showing Basil the easiest ways he knew to fold things, smiling when he attempted to do it himself as well. "It's not working!"
"Here. You're doing it backwards, see?"
Pretty soon they had finished off the basket, and Basil had a neatly folded stack of clothes beside him, looking almost proud.
"No one's ever showed you how to do it the right way, huh?" Kabu ruffled his curly hair. "Sure they told you all the times you did it the wrong way though..."
Basil didn't answer, but Kabu could tell he'd struck a bit of a nerve.
"It's alright though. Now you know, and we'll work on it again next time too. And whenever you get stuck, just tell me. I'll help you through it."
"What if I get stuck a lot? What if I get stuck all day?" Basil tested.
"Even if you get stuck for a whole week. I'll help you work through it." Kabu promised.
"Can I go outside and play now?"
Kabu nodded. "Come back inside before lunch please..."
Basil scrambled to get his crutches under him and hobbled quickly for the door.
The old gym leader watched happily. He was gonna be okay. But being stuck here, just the two of them, wasn't gonna do him any good. He picked up the phone after Basil was gone, and called in a favor.
“Piers...” He had received the call in the middle of the night, he had been found outside of Wyndon stadium, covered in mud and acting crazy, begging the cab driver to take him to Motostoke, that Kabu would pay him, he just had to get to Motostoke...
The boy didn’t look up, but his shoulders tensed. He looked so small sitting on the edge of the little cot in the middle of the prison cell, still sopping wet from the thunderstorm outside, hair covering his face.
“It’s time to go home.”
Piers stood, slowly, and dragged his feet as he sulked towards him. Kabu watched him cautiously, even at 10 years old they had had to put him in handcuffs as he had assaulted one of the officers that had tried to arrest him. He was ready for anything Piers might throw at him.
He wasn’t ready for the boy to wrap his arms around his middle and bury his face in Kabu’s chest, and begin to cry, gaunt frame wracked with sobs, still shivering from the cold.
“Please don’t make me go back to Mr. Rose!” He whimpered.
Kabu was at a loss for words. This is the first time he had seen Piers open up, that wasn’t violent anger of dismissive disinterest. He put his arms around him, wrapping him up in the long fur coat he was wearing.
“I won’t. I’m taking you home, I won’t make you go back...”
He felt Piers’s scrawny arms hug a little bit tighter. “I’m sorry... I’m sorry Mr. Kabu please don’t get rid of me again...”
He had let Rose take over caring for the boy in the hopes that it would give him a better life. Rose could afford to give him what he needed. What had he done to shake him this badly? He was afraid to find out.
“I won’t. I promise. Lets go home.”
For two days, Kabu sat at Basil’s bedside, shifting nervously, pacing back and forth, practically pulling out his hair, waiting for him to wake up. Leon had come to visit, just as confused as Kabu, unsure of what had happened to Hop. When Hop was discharged, Leon dragged him down to Basil’s room by the ear, ignoring the bandages and all his attempts to act innocent and cute, and sat him down between himself and Kabu.
“Hop. Tell us what happened.”
He shook his head, he couldn’t look either man in the eye.
Kabu held up a hand to Lee, indicating to him to relax and let him take a turn. He slowly knelt down and took Hop’s hands, trying to make him look at him.
“Hop, you have to tell us what happened. It’s very important, we’re not going to get mad at you if you tell us the truth. We’re worried, Hop. We’re scared and we want you and Basil to get better, understand? And we need to know what happened in order to do that.”
“I promised him I wouldn’t tell...” He was fidgeting with the fur on his coat, refusing to make eye contact. “I promised...”
“Do you want something bad to happen to Basil?” He asked seriously, knowing it might have been a little harsh. He could see Hop’s lip quivering, and his chest hitching for a normal breath.
“Kabu...” Leon warned, putting an arm around Hop and letting him hide against his side, wrapping up in the heavy cape as he fidgeted silently with the fur trim.
“Leon he has to tell us.”
“Give him a second.” Leon gave him a challenging look, as if tempting him to continue upsetting his brother.
Kabu opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the doctor who promptly called him out into the hallway to talk with him.
Once Kabu was gone and the door was shut, Leon hugged Hop tight. “I’m sorry. I know you’re scared, I know you’re hurt. But I need you to talk okay? I need you to tell me what happened...” He whispered. “I promise, no one will get mad at you. Basil won’t be mad either. And then we’ll go get something better than hospital food to eat okay?”
Hop wrapped up a little tighter in the cape, and Leon took it off and let him have it. He watched Hop fidget a while longer in silence. It was processing in his brain, he knew Hop would do the right thing. He had to think about it. And that was okay.
When Kabu entered, red faced, Leon gave him another look that told him not to test it, watching him deflate some as he instead went to Basil’s bedside.
“You promise you won’t be mad...?” Hop asked finally, quietly. Leon nodded encouragingly. “We... we went into a Dynamax Den... I should have listened to Basil but I wanted to show him how cool it was... But it was too strong and it tried to attack us and...”
Kabu’s head shot up and he gave Hop an angry look. “You WHAT?!”
“Kabu!” Leon quickly moved himself in front of Hop. “What did I just say about getting mad?!”
“I gave them ONE RULE! They had the ENTIRE Wild Area to explore! All I asked is that they stayed away from the Pokemon dens!”
Leon tugged Hop to his feet and pulled him out of the room, shooting a nasty glare at Kabu. Kabu, however, had forgotten all about the two brothers rushing out the door, now more concerned with the loud beeping of the heart monitor that was spiking out of control.
“Basil? Oh, Basil...” He grabbed his hand and watched helplessly as the nurse came to check on him, and once his heart rate had fallen back down to normal she left them once more. He leaned over, closing his eyes, holding one of Basil’s small hands in both of his, pressing it to his forehead gently, praying to Arceus and any other being that would listen to help make sure Basil would be okay.
Nanu was in and out after that, making sure to keep Kabu eating and drinking and sleeping, holding him all night just so he’d relax enough to close his eyes.
On the second day, Nanu walked in with a sly smile.
“Nanu, I don’t want to hear it.” Kabu rubbed his tired eyes. “Whatever stupid thing you’re going to say, just don’t.”
“What? I’m not going to say anything!” He promised. “I brought him something.” He had his hands behind his back.
Kabu sighed. “I don’t even want to know.”
There was a click, and a flash of light, and a small “mmrp” as a pair of large cat eyes stared back at him.
His eyes narrowed. “A Pokemon?”
Nanu nodded, still smiling. “Meowth. He’s very gentle I promise. See?” He watched the Alolan Meowth slowly stalk out from behind his legs, sniffing in Kabu’s direction experimentally.
“But... why? Training Pokemon got him into this whole situation in the first place.” Kabu warned. “He’s not ready for this.”
“Oh, Kabu... He’s a kid. Kids make stupid mistakes. You and I certainly did when we were his age.” He chuckled and picked up the Meowth, plopping him down at the foot of the bed.
“Nanu careful...” He warned, a nervous, overprotective wreck in the wake of the accident.
“It’s alright. I promise. He’s specially trained. A service Pokemon.”
Kabu watched silently. Just like Hop’s Dubwool....
“It’ll scare him when he wakes up, Nanu. Please listen to me. I know you’re trying to help but I don’t want him to be afraid...”
He reached for Basil’s hand instinctively when he noticed his vitals beeping differently than normal. “Basil it’s alright dear... Put it back in the ball, Nanu!” He demanded fearfully. “Please..!”
Basil’s eyes opened slightly, face to face with the Meowth. It hunkered down on his chest and purred contently, licking Basil’s cheek. His face screwed up into a look of discomfort at the rough tongue, and he wrapped his arms around it gently, falling back into a deep sleep.
Kabu’s mouth opened, but no words came out.
“See?” Nanu was still grinning, but it vanished when he saw Kabu struggling not to cry, instead choosing to pull up a chair next to him and hold him. “Now you quit that! Don’t cry, Don’t cry...”
Kabu’s chest heaved as he broke down. “He woke up... he’s going to be okay...”
Nanu laughed quietly, holding him close and rubbing his back. “He’s fine. You knew he was going to be fine, you silly old koot...” He rocked Kabu gently, and when he had cried himself to exhaustion, he tucked him in on the little couch against the wall and took a seat next to Basil to take a turn keeping watch over him.
************
Basil’s eyes opened again, the world was still spinning but less so now. He didn’t know where he was, had he and Hop made it out of the den? Were they dead? Where was everyone..?
“Basil? Basil oh thank goodness you’re awake...” He could hear Kabu’s voice beside him. He blinked away the stars from his eyes and tried to focus.
Kabu was quiet while he tried to gather his bearings, answering any questions he halfheartedly muttered. Eventually, Kabu helped him set up so he could look around. His head throbbed, and his arm ached.
“Basil... Please tell me what happened.”
What happened...
“I don’t remember.” He lied. One look at Kabu and he could tell he didn’t buy it. “We were... attacked by some guys they were real mean they beat us up.” He cringed inwardly at the look of disappointment this tale received.
“Basil... why are you lying to me? Hop told me what happened. I know you’re lying to me.”
With all of the other emotions and pain, this scolding was too much for him to handle and he burst into tears. “Please don’t send me away I’m sorry! I’m sorry Kabu please!”
It broke Kabu’s heart to see him like this. “Sweetheart, I’m not going to send you away.” He promised.
“You’re mad at me!”
Kabu scooted up into the hospital bed beside Basil then and pulled him close. “Yeah, I’m a little mad at you. You did exactly what I told you not to do. But more than that I’m upset and scared! I give you rules for a reason, Basil, and not just to be a jerk! When I saw you lying on the ground... and all the blood I...” he couldn’t stop his own river of tears from falling. “I thought I was going to lose you Basil..! I was so scared I didn’t know what to do! Don’t ever scare me like that again do you hear me?!” He could tell his tone sounded angry, but by the way Basil clung to him as they cried, he could tell Basil understood what he meant.
“I’m sorry Kabu I’m sorry!”
Kabu let Basil hold onto him and cry, and tried and failed to reign in his own tears.
“Don’t be sorry. I know Hop didn’t mean to put you in danger, and I know you tried to tell him no. I’m not mad at you.” He promised.
Basil leaned against him, petting the strange Meowth that was trying to worm its way between them. “Where did this guy come from?” He smiled. “He’s cute...”
“Nanu brought him for you, as a get well present. He’s a trained service Pokemon.”
Basil closed his eyes and groaned, feeling a sudden wave of nausea wash over him. “Kabu I don’t feel well... Am I gonna die...?” He whimpered.
“I’m sure you don’t. That cut was pretty nasty, and whatever attacked you two poisoned you. Not enough to kill you, but you’re gonna feel like the back end of a Trubbish for a while.”
Basil groaned and let his head fall back onto Kabu’s shoulder.
************
Leon had texted Sonia with updates, and let her know her apprentice wouldn’t be home for another few days, as he wanted to keep him in sight and make sure he was going to be alright. He had brought Hop back to his place, which he had already made sure had a special spot just for Hop, should he decide to come visit, so that it would always be ready.
They had eaten already, and now he was sitting on Hop’s bed with Hop’s head in his lap, Dubwool laying behind them and making the bed lean in his direction. Leon leaned against the soft Pokemon, and Hop had both hands dug deep into the wool, worrying it with his fingers while they talked.
“You know why we were upset don’t you?” Leon asked gently, and Hop nodded. “Basil’s not as strong a trainer as you. It was dangerous to bring him in with you, especially when he can’t dynamax his pokemon to protect himself.”
Hop was frowning and looking away. “I know. I’m sorry I just wanted to show him how cool it was... I thought I could handle it...”
Leon smiled softly and pat his cheeks, making Hop smile. “I know you didn’t mean to get anyone hurt! You just have to be careful, not everyone is as skilled as you and Rex.”
At the mere mention of the new Champion’s name, he blushed.
“I’m sorry...”
Leon chuckled at that, and started tracing patterns all across Hops face with one finger, watching him twitch and giggled under the gentle tickling feeling as he started to relax again.
“Are you gonna make me a zigzagoon?” Hop was smiling again.
“I can make you a zigzagoon.” He giggled and started tracing a star over his eye, moving over to boop his nose before moving to the other side. Hop faded off to sleep in his lap, and once he was gently snoring, Leon tucked him in and let him rest. He had had a rough few days, the kid deserved a break.
“You think you’re real clever don’t you?!” Oleana had him pinned, the thick sharp heel of her boot digging into his bad leg, making him cry out. “You just had to go and open your smart little mouth!”
Basil tried to pull his leg out from under her but every move shot waves of agony through his knee. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry I won’t do it again please!”
“You’re damn right you won’t do it again...” She lifted her leg, but reached down and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him towards her face. “If you ever tell Rose about this, I’ll make sure you never walk again.” She threatened him with a venom that he had no doubt was real and deadly. “You’re not fit to worship the ground he walks on. You’re just a crybaby.”
She let go of him and stalked off, leaving him to cry on the floor, clutching his leg tightly and waiting desperately for the pain to go away.
Basil woke up as the sun began to stream through the blinds and into his eyes, rolling over and coming face to face with Kabu. Oh. He had forgotten about last night. A feeling of guilt started to rise in his gut. This was all his fault... He should leave so Kabu could sleep. But he felt so safe with Kabu beside him... Maybe he could afford to be selfish a little while longer. He snuggled down a little further into the warm blankets, trying to pull them out from underneath Kabu without waking him, and scooted a little closer to him, closing his eyes. He promised himself, this would be the last time he showed his weakness.
Kabu woke slowly from sleep, groaning from trying to fit himself onto Basil’s small bed without knocking the boy off. “Mmgnh.... Basil? Are you awake?” He whispered finally.
“I’m awake.”
“Oh, good morning.” He gave him a little awkward side hug, which he found difficult still with sleeping limbs. “Ugh... did you sleep well?”
Basil nodded shyly. “Yeah. I’m sorry....” He looked away.
“What? Don’t be sorry. I don’t ever want you thinking you can’t come to me if you need me.” He ruffled Basil’s hair. “Let’s go get some breakfast, hm? I’m hungry.” He forced a smile, hoping Basil couldn’t tell how angry he still was with Nanu.
Basil got up and began searching for clothes, and Kabu slowly, slooowly managed to straighten his back, and knees, and stand up. He stretched, took a few tentative steps to pop his knees into place, then quickly left to give Basil some privacy. He recalled his pokemon that were guarding the door, thanking them for doing a good job, before wandering to the bedroom to find his robe and tossing it on over his sleep clothes. There was no sign of Nanu, no clothes, no note, nothing.
Maybe that was for the best.
He stumbled downstairs to the kitchen, trying to stretch as he did, really feeling his age after the night he had had. He hadn’t even noticed the fridge door standing wide open until it shut in front of him.
“Good morning sleepyhead... are you hungry?” Nanu had a tub of butter under one arm, and a handful of eggs in the other. He smiled brightly, hoping this would serve as an apology.
It only served to piss Kabu off, and he let out a gruff growl before reaching around him for some bread to toast silently.
“You’re kidding me right now. You’re just going to give me the silent treatment all day?”
Kabu crossed his arms, keeping his back to Nanu.
Nanu rolled his eyes. “Fine. Whatever.” He grabbed his coffee and cooked his eggs in silence.
When Basil sulked down the stairs, still sleepy eyed and disheveled, they were both seated at opposite ends of the table, glaring at each other over their barely touched meals.
The sight of it caused Basil’s heart to rise in his throat. He couldn’t shake the feeling that this was his fault. If he hadn’t been here, this would never have happened. He tried to turn around and go back to his room, but Kabu had already seen him. “Good morning, Basil. Why don’t you come get some breakfast?”
“I’m not hungry...” He hated that his voice was shaking.
“It’s alright. Our friend here was just leaving.”
“Did you hear somethin’, Kid? The wind is getting strong today.” Nanu growled. “It almost sounded like some childish old man who can’t take a joke.”
Basil flinched at that and ran back upstairs.
“Nice one, asshole!” Kabu hissed at Nanu, trying to keep his voice down. “You wanna keep undoing all of my hard work?! Why don’t you just go kick his cane out from under him while you’re at it?!”
Nanu was surprised by this outburst. “Hey, come on! I didn’t do anything wrong! Why are you yelling at me?!”
Basil curled up at the top of the stairs and put his hands over his ears. He didn’t want them to fight, fighting always lead to getting hurt...
“How can you sit there and defend the way we were raised?! How can you think that anything we went through was a good thing?” Kabu was struggling to keep his voice down.
“I’m not! I never said that I was just saying--”
“I know what you were saying. But he doesn’t. You say things like that and he thinks you’re talking about him! If he had heard you last night... I never want him to feel the kind of fear we felt.”
Nanu looked into his empty coffee cup. “Look, I’m sorry. I’m not good with kids. I’m not good with people. In general. Why do you think I fucked off to Alola the first chance I got? So I could stay away from everyone.” He said bitterly.
Kabu sighed and shook his head. “What happened to you, Nanu..? You’ve changed. You used to want to help people. You used to want to fight for people.”
“The world is cruel, life hurts, then you die. There’s no point in trying to fight it.” He didn’t look up from his cup as he spoke.
Kabu gulped, and stood on shaky legs. “I told you this wasn’t going to work. I want you gone when we get back.” Each word ripped his heart out anew. He didn’t want Nanu to leave, but he had a responsibility to keep Basil safe. That was all that mattered. He turned on his heel and disappeared up the stairs, almost tripping on Basil as he turned the corner.
“Oh- Basil--!” He dropped to his knees in an instant. “What’s wrong are you hurt? Did you hurt your leg?” He wiped the tears that were falling tried to console the shaking boy.
“I’m s-ss-orry!” He moaned out, unable to keep from bursting out into ugly sobbing. “It’s a-all my fa-ault!”
Kabu fought back his own tears as he gathered Basil up in his arms and rocked him gently. “Shh... It’s not your fault. None of this is your fault why would you think that?”
“I shouldn’t ha-ave b-bothered you last ngh-night! I’m just a c-crybaby!” He sobbed, and Kabu quelled the anger rising inside of him once more. Nanu had really outdone himself this time.
“Basil I don’t care if you’re still waking me up in the middle of the night when you’re 35.” He soothed. “I will always, always be here for you, no matter what. You understand?” He wiped Basil’s eyes again. “You’re not a crybaby. It was very brave of you to come to me, and tell me what was scaring you.”
“What if I’m 70?” Basil sniffled.
Kabu smiled. “Even when you’re old and grumpy like me.” He poked Basil’s side, happy he got a small giggle out of him. “You are always allowed to cry. Feel your feelings, that’s why they’re there.”
Basil wiped his nose on the back of his sleeve. “Okay...”
“Tell you what. Why don’t you go get washed up, splash some cold water on your face, and let’s go see what your Scorbunny can do in the wild, eh?” He helped Basil stand and walked him back to his room. Kabu was well aware any sadness Basil was holding onto would disappear at the thought of getting to catch his first Pokemon. He let Basil compose himself and gave him some space while he packed them a bag and a lunch.
Nanu was gone by the time he made it to the kitchen. He felt a pang of guilt at not saying goodbye. He just wished they could get their timing right...
*************
Basil was looking energetic and excited by the time their flying taxi finally landed. He had only been to Wedgehurst a few times with Rose on business before, and even then, he wasn’t allowed to just go out and explore.
Kabu let him wander the shops a while, keeping tabs on all of the things Basil pointed out to come back for later. He gave him some money to buy some potions, and pretty soon they were out in the middle of the tall grass, waiting for the perfect Pokemon to appear.
“Oh! Basil look!” He grinned and pointed. “That one wears eyeliner like yours!” He teased and elbowed him gently.
Basil blushed. “You’re making fun of me!”
“I’m not!” He chuckled. “It’s a good look, even Pokemon are trying to steal it.”
He huffed, but he had to admit, the little Fox prancing around the tall grass was pretty cute...
“I wanna catch him!” Basil exclaimed suddenly. “How do I catch him?”
Kabu put a hand on his shoulder and walked him through it, giving him tips on the best way to battle, trying to keep things simple so that he wouldn’t get frustrated.
“Hey, you’re doing great!” He grinned. “Go ahead and throw a pokeball! Don’t get discouraged if he doesn’t stay, you can always try again!”
Basil dug in his bag for a pokeball, looking from it to the Nickit and back. “Just... throw it?”
Kabu nodded. “Fate will do the rest.”
Basil closed his eyes and lobbed it. “I can’t watch...”
“Basil look! Look!”
He peaked through his fingers nervously, watching the pokeball twitch, once, twice, three times... then a click and a flash.
“You did it!” Kabu cheered, genuinely excited.
“I... I did..? I did! I did it!” He dropped his cane and ran over to the pokeball, limping slightly. “I caught you! You’re my new partner!” His eyes went wide as the ball twitched in his hand slightly before popping open, the Nickit plopping into his arms.
“Hi!” Basil laughed and snuggled it close. “Kabu look I caught him!”
Kabu’s chest swelled with pride. “You did great. Keep it up and you’ll be rivaling Leon in no time!” He winked. “Oh, and I want you to have this.” He handed Basil his very own rotom phone. “I want you to be able to come and go as you please, but I want to be able to get ahold of you, and for you to be able to call if you need help.”
Basil took it gingerly. “Really..? Are you sure?”
Kabu nodded. “You’re old enough to start doing things on your own. And making your own decisions. If you want to go work towards being champion, I’ll support you 100%. If you want to go stay with Leon, and let him mentor you, and help set you up to take over as Chairman of Marcos Cosmos, that’s okay too. And Piers sees a lot of potential in you, you know... He’s not gym leader anymore, but I know you like dark types like your new little friend, he could help you specialize in them if you’d like. He would love to have something to keep his hands busy now that Marnie is taking over for him.”
Basil hugged Nickit a little tighter and frowned. “Um... that’s a lot...” He said quietly.
Quick to calm him, Kabu put his hands on Basil’s shoulders. “I know, I know it’s a lot. But you don’t have to make a decision now. You don’t have to do any of those things. I just wanted you to know that no matter what you decide to do, or where you decide to go, I’m proud of you. And I’ll be here to support you no matter what.” He smiled when Basil looked up at him. “I just want you to be happy.”
Basil blushed and looked away. “You’re too nice to me...”
“I disagree. I think I’m just the right amount of nice.” He chuckled. “Now are you done catching Pokemon? Or do you have a few more in you do you think?”
Basil grabbed his cane then and rushed forward into the tall grass again then, laughing, his two new Pokemon following close behind, warming right up to each other.
Rose stared down at all of his work, scatter across his desk, scribbles and mess and chaos. How had things gotten so out of control?
And Leon... Leon telling him to wait, that was the final straw. He couldn’t wait another day. It was too dangerous, word was already out and if all his research were to suddenly fall into the wrong hands tonight?
Galar, nay, the whole world would be doomed.
He alone was smart enough to make this work. And Leon was the only one strong enough to stop it before it got out of control. Bede had already been taken care of, Rose knew Opal would help the boy become everything he had pushed him towards and more, no thanks to Oleana’s meddling of course... He hadn’t wanted things to end that way, but he couldn’t lead the boy along further into danger.
Basil, however, was another story. But Basil had a good heart, a strong heart, and would never understand why things had to be the way they are. If he let Basil in on the plan, he would run. He would turn his back, and leave.
And it would be better for him, that way.
And Rose would fall on his own sword. Galar needed a hero, they needed Leon. He would play the part of the villain, and Galar would live on without him.
Basil spent two more days in his hospital bed, and Kabu spent those two days without letting Basil out of his sight. Piers and Marnie even came to visit, and it made Kabu happy to see them getting along, and to see Basil smiling and laughing again.
While they waited for the release papers, they sat idly together and chatted. Basil was antsy to get home, and Kabu was doing anything he could think of to keep him distracted enough to not think about it.
“How come Piers calls you Master?” Basil asked after the two visitors had left. “Its kind of weird.”
“Because he respects me, as his teacher.” Kabu smiled. “It’s not weird, it’s polite.”
“I don’t want to call you that it’s weird.” Basil wrinkled his nose. “I’m not some servant! And you shouldn’t make Piers call you that either!”
Kabu laughed. “I don’t make him call me anything. He does it because he wants to show me respect! Because unlike SOME people--” He ruffled Basil’s hair playfully, “He has manners!”
Basil squeaked and tried to put his hair back in place. “I have manners!”
“You don’t have to call me anything you’re not comfortable with Basil. You can keep calling me Kabu, whatever you’d like.” He chuckled. “What brought this on?”
“Well... Mr. Rose always tried to get Basil and I to call him Dad and I just...” He was obviously thinking of a polite way to say what it was he was trying to say.
“You don’t have to call me Dad if you don’t want to, Basil. You’re not hurting my feelings I promise. And you won’t hurt Rose’s feelings if you do.”
Basil leaned back then, thinking hard.
“Is there something else on your mind?” Kabu inquired cautiously.
“Do you think Rose misses us?” He asked quietly after a while.
Kabu squeezed his hand. “I think he misses you both very much.”
“Do you think he’ll try to visit when he gets out?”
“Maybe,” Kabu admit, though he hoped not, “We’ll just have to wait and see won’t we? Unless you don’t want him to visit. If you don’t want to see him again you won’t, I’ll make sure of it.”
Basil nodded then. “Okay. I don’t know.”
The doctor came in with the papers, left him with some medicine, and told them Basil was free to go home. Basil couldn’t be happier, and Kabu had to hold on to him to keep him from booking it out the door, walking him calmly out to the flying taxi so he didn’t knock anyone over in his haste. It was good to be going home...
************
“Milo?! Nessa! We’re home!” Kabu called as they walked in the door, and found Milo at the table with Cyrus in his wheelchair at the table.
“Welcome home!” Milo grinned.
“Please make him go home...” Cyrus growled pathetically. “I can’t take it anymore.”
“Oh, we’ve had tons of fun! He’s doing really well, I’d love to come back and help more! Reminds me of taking care of my Nanna before she died.”
Cyrus made an indignant noise. “I’m 27! And I’m not dying!”
Milo giggled and stood. “Maybe not but you’re just as grumpy. You two would have been friends.” Basil and Kabu laughed, and Kabu told Milo he was free to go, thanking him again for helping out.
“Well Cyrus, you’re looking well.” Kabu chuckled and cleared his empty plate for him.
“How dare you leave me here with those two!” He seethed, but it didn’t sound very threatening. “I’ve got a headache from him! No one should be that bubbly! And the girl was just mean!” He pouted.
“Did you deserve it?”
“That’s beside the point!”
Kabu just chuckled, and Basil went to his room to change clothes. Once he was gone, Cyrus wheeled around the table so he could lower his voice.
“What happened?”
Kabu explained, briefly, that he had been hurt by a Pokemon. If Basil wanted to tell him that was fine, but he didn’t feel it was his place to tell someone like Cyrus what had happened.
Cyrus listened with a frown and looked towards the stairs. “He doesn’t look like you at all.”
That earned a scoff from Kabu. “Yeah no shit. He’s not mine. I’m just taking care of him.”
“Oh. Seems like a good kid. Reminds me of the kids who used to work for me. Real bright kids. Good kids.” He said solemnly.
“The ones you forced to help you try to destroy the world?”
A pause in the conversation. “You’re making it sound like a bad thing. And no, I didn’t force them. I didn’t force anyone to do anything.” That was almost the truth.
“What are you getting at, Cyrus? Or are you just trying to test my patience.” He put the dishes in the drainer then and turned to face him. Cyrus was still staring at the stairs.
“If you think I’m such a bad guy, why would you ask me to tutor him?”
Kabu walked around him and pushed the wheelchair, earning a cry of protest.
“Hush. If you honestly must know, I think it would be good for both of you. And don’t think for a second I’d let you hang out around him alone.” He threatened, pushing him to the living room and sitting on the couch in front of him. “But if you’re going to make an effort, then I have to show you as much trust as you show me, understand?”
Cyrus leaned back, a glint of anger and annoyance in his eyes, but he held his tongue for the most part. “Don’t touch my wheelchair.”
Kabu crossed his arms. “Fine. I won’t. I was just trying to help.”
“I didn’t ask for your help.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”
They sat in silence, glaring at each other for a while, unsure of how to proceed. Basil fixed that problem by rushing back down and plopping on the couch by Kabu happily. “Kabu Kabu! Come look come look!” He tugged on Kabu’s sleeve impatiently. “Look look look hurry!”
Kabu was startled by this and stood with him. “What what is it what’s wrong?”
“Come on ugh you’re so slow come on!” He tugged him along up the stairs, and threw open his bedroom door. “Look!”
Kabu stepped inside and his jaw dropped. Everything had been rearranged, his garish beanbags had been replaced with cute chairs, everything had been decorated and updated and looked, well, amazing. He pulled out his phone to text Nessa and saw a message there from her already.
<Got bored, hope the kid likes what I did. 💙
Kabu laughed and shook his head.
<What would I do without you two, Ness?
Basil was looking through all the new stuff, books and a tv and some games, there was even a black and gold vanity mirror desk to replace his sad little desk and mirror set up. Nessa had even left a giant sampler of her makeup there, too.
<Well you’d be way less cool, first of all.
Kabu sat on the edge of the bed and watched Basil gleefully taking everything in, sneaking a few pictures to send to her. Eventually Basil turned around and rushed back to him, giving him a giant hug.
“Thank you Kabu..!”
Kabu laughed and hugged back. “You’re welcome but don’t thank me, I didn’t know either.” He smiled and showed him a picture of Nessa.
“NO WAY!”
“Yes way.”
“You two know each other for real!?”
“Why do you assume I don’t know these people we’re co workers!” He teased.
“Because they’re so... Cool! And you’re... weird.” Basil teased back, making Kabu laugh again.
“Keep talking like that I’ll let them keep you!” He threatened, squeezing him a little tighter and poking his sides.
“No! Kahabu!” He wriggled out of his arms and rushed back to the other side of the room to look around some more. “Can I meet her? Oh, she wouldn’t like me. I don’t want to meet here she’ll think I’m weird!”
“I think she’d love to meet you. Despite what Cyrus said she’s actually very nice.”
“Marnie said sometimes she and Nessa go clothes shopping together...”
“Well that sounds like a ton of fun.” Kabu stood again. “Don’t wear yourself out too much, you’re still recovering.” Basil was already curled up in bed with his pokemon snuggled around him, reading a book.
He stepped back downstairs where Cyrus had moved to the staircase, listening to them with a small smirk.
“What, you knew? What’s with that look?”
“What? I’m not as heartless as you make me out to be.” Cyrus shrugged.
Kabu shook his head. Cyrus was a strange man indeed, he couldn’t get a read on what he was thinking at all.
************
Bede sat in the waiting room, surrounded by strangers, many of whom recognized him, all of them much bigger than him, gruffer and meaner and frightening. He sat with his eyes glued to the floor, crumpled letter in his hands, fidgeting idly, waiting for his turn. He wanted to run away, he hated it here, he should never have come. He couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was staring at him. Of course they were, look at him. He was out of place, and out of his element.
Finally someone called him, and he stood curtly, making his way to the door with his head down. The officer led him back to another room, gestured to a couch behind a little table. At the front of the room was a large TV. The officer reminded him of the rules, made sure Bede wasn’t carrying anything dangerous, or any recording devices, and that he was ready, and he nodded. He could do this.
The lights dimmed slightly and there was an electric crack as the TV clicked on, and in front of him sat Rose.
He looked terrible. His hair was a mess, dark circles under his eyes, he hadn’t shaved and his facial hair was getting scruffy. His wrinkled orange prison clothes looked so strange, so informal, so messy on him. Bede couldn’t manage out a word, caught off guard by his appearance, and the look on his face.
There was a moment of confusion, on Rose’s face, before recognition brought that small, familiar smile to his lips, that made Bede’s stomach turn.
Basil held Rose’s hand under the table, good leg bouncing nervously as he tried to keep up with the conversation. Everyone was talking so quickly, and there were so many numbers, and terms, he couldn’t keep track of them all. He hoped Rose wouldn’t try to ask him to add to the conversation, he was completely lost.
Rose gave him a quick smile and squeezed his hand as someone else started to talk, reassuring him that it was going well, and he was doing a good job.
“Yes, I agree. I think that if we were to--”
Rose’s thought was cut short as the door slammed open. “Chairman Rose, Sir, I -- “ Bede stepped inside confidently, until he realized he was interrupting, and his shoulders hunched. “I’m sorry, Chairman, I didn’t realize...”
Roses’s smile never faltered, but the look in his eyes quickly changed. “Young Bede... You’re interrupting. Where are your manners?”
“I’m sorry sir.” He stared at the floor, sulking over at Rose’s beckon and taking a seat on his other side silently. Basil watched him hide his face in the collar of his coat, the eyes of the board members all on him. He straightened up his posture and looked back towards the group at the table. If he wasn’t on his best behavior, Oleana would punish both of them for this...
Bede held the letter in his shaking hands, severe eyes barely making it past the first line before he was overcome with the urge to rip the letter into a million pieces and never look back. But he knew he wouldn’t do that. He couldn’t bring himself to do it.
He took a deep breath, and started the letter over.
Dearest Bede,
I hope this letter finds you well. I know must not mean much coming from me right now, but it is the truth. You have been at the forethought of my mind since our argument at Stow-on-Side, and I will be eternally grateful to Opal for opening her home to you, and seeing to it that you’ve been safe in my absence. It warms my heart to have seen how far you’ve come as a trainer, and now a gym leader. I always knew you’d find your place in the world.
I know It’s hard to understand, but believe me when I say, things are better this way. For you, and for Basil. I want you to remember me as someone who did everything I could to keep you safe. Everything I did, I did for you. For Galar. Sometimes in life, we have to do the right thing, even if that makes us the villain.
I’m not asking you to forgive me. I’m not asking for your pity. I only wish that you know how much love I have, for you and your brother. From the bottom of my heart, truly, I am sorry.
Your loving father,
Rose
Bede was gripping the fancy paper so hard it was starting to crumple in his grip, anger coursing through him like boiling water. How dare he? The nerve! He abandoned them! He can’t just drop them like they were nothing, only to come back when he wanted something! He scanned the letter again, searching for a clue of what possible motive could be behind the sudden letter. Why now..? Why...?
He was brought back to the present by a sharp stab to his chest. He looked down, smiling slightly as his Rapidash nudged his chest again with her horn, looking concerned.
“I’m alright. There’s no pain there you’ll be able to heal...” He pet her mane gently, though he didn’t think the healing energy his Rapidash tried so often to use could heal a heartbreak, the act of trying was healing enough. He leaned back against her and shoved the letter in his pocket. “I know, I know. You’re worried. You’re always worried about me, sweet thing...”
He laid his head back against her flank and looked up at the stars, listening to the sounds of his team running and playing as they camped in the deep, dark center of the Glimwood Tangle. Sylveon hopped up into his lap and curled up, licking his hand.
“You’re worried too, huh? Is it that obvious?” He chuckled. “Well don’t worry about me. I’ll be okay. If you’re gonna worry about someone, worry about... Basil.” He sighed. “Arceus, don’t send him a letter Rose... Don’t do this to him...”
************
“KABU!” Basil kept an arm up, trying to shield his face from the whirlwind of sand making it impossible to see a thing.
“It’s okay, keep going!” Kabu called through the swirling debris. “Keep going! Trust in your pokemon!”
A maniacal laugh tore through the blinding storm, and Basil turned towards it. “There! Go!” He pointed, and Scorbunny and Nickit dissapeared into the storm too.
There was a quiet sound of confusion, but he didn’t hear the sound of an attack being made, Suddenly, it was quiet. Too quiet.
“Scorbunny?! Nickit come back!” He called, and in the same breath let out a cry as two claws grabbed him under his arms and lifted him into the air. “HELP! NO!”
The storm began to clear, revealing two very confused looking Pokemon looking dazed and lost. On the other side of the gym stood the Dragon Tamer himself, hands on his hips, laughing at Basil who was now dangling in the air, being held up by Raihan’s Duraludon.
“Close! You almost had me that time kiddo!” He teased, stepping up in front of him and poking his stomach with a grin.
Basil kicked at Raihan’s hand. “Stohop! Tell him to put me down!” He pouted. “Kabuuuu tell him to put me dooown!”
Kabu laughed from the sidelines. “You didn’t trust your Pokemon enough!” He called, which made Raihan laugh again.
“Okay, you’ve had your fun you can put him down now.” He ruffled Basil’s hair, laughing as a dust cloud poofed up from him. “You’re gonna need a bath after today!” he teased.
“Ugh...” He dusted himself off. “I’m never going to be able to do this...”
“Sure you will buddy! Just keep practicing!” Raihan encouraged. “You’re a strong trainer, you just need to trust yourself more. Don’t second guess yourself!”
Kabu pat his back. “Head for the showers, kid. You did good today.”
Basil smiled at the praise and grabbed his cane. “Thanks Mr. Raihan...”
“Any time kiddo! Always up for a good spar!”
Basil waved shyly before rushing out of the gym with his Pokemon following close behind. He was in an exceptionally good mood today, the excitement of the exibition matches happening over the weekend were already getting to him, the chance to meet the rest of the gym leaders was exciting enough as it is, but knowing that Bede would be in town, and that they’d get to see each other in a few days? That was what excited him most.
The doorbell rang, and he detoured to the front door, trying to brush himself off enough that he was looking presentable if someone was calling for Kabu. He opened the door and prepared to give his overly polite, generic greeting when he was almost knocked over by someone rushing him at the door and wrapping him in a big bear hug.
“Oof--! Bede?!”
He hugged back immediately, melting into Bede’s hug.
“I missed you little brother...” He squeezed tight. “How have you gotten even shorter than the last time I saw you?”
Basil giggled. “I didn’t get shorter you got taller you big jerk! What are you doing here?”
“Bede has decided to come stay with us for a few days, until the exhibition is over.” Kabu explained over his shoulder. “Won’t you help him up to the spare room with his bags, Basil?”
Basil already had an armload of stuff, hurrying down the hall. “Come on Bede! I’ll show you where your room is!” He limped, leaving his cane at the door.
“Hey! You know you’re not supposed to be walking without your cane!” Kabu called.
“It doesn’t hurt! It’s okay!”
Kabu sighed. “Basil, you know what the doctor said, I’m not going to tell you again.”
“I don’t need it!”
Bede grabbed the cane from the floor and followed Basil with his other bag.
“This is great! I was worried I wasn’t gonna see you at all!” Basil bounced all over happily, and Bede grabbed his shoulders and sat him down on the edge of the bed. “I know. That’s why I’m staying. Also... Opal thought it would be good for me to spend a little time here with you and Kabu. She thinks I’ve been spending too much time alone.” He smirked, and there was a twinkle in his eye. Basil couldn’t remember the last time he had seen Bede look this happy.
“So what’s she like? What’s it like being a gym leader? Tell me all about it!”
Bede flopped down beside him and told him all about life in Ballonlea, and about Opal, and all the hell she’d been putting him through.
Basil listened intently with wide eyes. “She sounds awful!”
He giggled at that and nodded. “Oh, she’s the absolute worst.” Bede agreed. “But... I have to admit. It’s done me so much good. And... sometimes I think she really does care about me. And she wants me to be better.”
Basil hugged him again. “I’m so happy for you Bede... I’ve been so worried about you... I’ve missed you so much...”
“Enough about me, tell me about you!” Bede hugged back. “I want to know everything!”
Basil gave him a tour, running around with excitement while pulling Bede along, telling him about all of the interesting new people he had met, and his new pokemon, and how nice Kabu had been to him. Bede laughed at his stories and tried to keep up with him, and pretty soon he, Basil, and Kabu were in the living room having tea and snacks. Bede and Kabu were talking cordially to each other, albeit a little coldly, Bede still hadn’t forgotten about the humiliation he had suffered at Kabu’s hands, and though Kabu knew the boy couldn’t have known, he hadn’t forgotten the humiliation that Rose had put him through later in payment.
Neither one of them noticed when Basil snuck out of the room and back upstairs.
“We normally don’t eat fast food, but I think tonight is a good night to order some delivery. What do you think, Basil?” Kabu glanced over finally and noticed he was gone. “Basil? Where’d he go?”
Bede frowned and shrugged. “Maybe he went to take a nap. He did just burn off a lot of energy...”
Kabu nodded. Of course. That made sense.
“Why don’t you go get settled, Bede? I’ll order some food, and come get you when it gets here.”
He nodded in agreement, keeping his eyes narrowed and his shoulders tense as he stood, trying to look as mature and menacing as possible.
Kabu only smiled, sheepishly, wishing he could go back and fix things. “Uh. Sorry.” He muttered. “I know I... I mean. You know. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t mention it.” There was a bite to Bede’s tone. “Ever.” He turned on his heel and marched to his room then, and once he was out of sight Kabu exhaled. That was awkward.
***********
Kabu set the table, humming to himself, before stepping out into the hallway. “Boys, food is here! Dinner is ready!”
He washed his hands and sat down at the table, waiting patiently.
Bede looked as if he had just woken up from a nap, hair sticking up in more odd places than usual and clothes wrinkled on one side. “Where’s Basil?”
“He should be down soon. Basil! Dinner!”
They sat in silence a few beats, before Kabu frowned and stood. “Don’t wait on us, go ahead. Eat up. I’m sure you’re hungry.” He gave him a friendly but forced smile before excusing himself to Basil’s room.
The door was closed, and Kabu made sure to knock this time. “Basil? Is everything alright in there? Dinner’s ready...”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Bede is waiting for you.”
“I don’t care.”
“Can I come in?”
Silence. Kabu opened the door to find Basil curled up on his bed, holding his leg. His face was red from crying, and one look told him he was fighting not to start again.
“You hurt your leg, didn’t you?”
Basil’s shoulders jumped with stiffled sobs and he nodded.
“Let me see.” Kabu helped sit him up and straighten his leg, being gentle, careful not to do anything that might hurt him or make it worse. “Tell me if this hurts...” He started pressing around with his fingers, looking for out of place bones or other alarming issues. Basil winced when Kabu’s fingers dug into the muscle, but that was all.
“I warned you, Basil. You’re lucky, you’ve just knotted up some muscles, but if you aren’t careful your leg might not heal. The doctor said as long as you give it time, you can make a full recovery. But you have to be careful. And use your cane.”
“I hate it!” He cried. “I hate it it isn’t fair!”
Kabu sat down beside him then and rubbed his back. “I know it isn’t fair. But it isn’t a punishment. You want to get better, right? It’s no different than using a cast for a broken bone, or medicine for a fever. It’s to help you heal.”
Basil hiccuped.
“You understand don’t you?”
“I don’t want Bede to see. He’s doing so much better now, I want to be better too.”
“You are! Are you kidding? You’re doing great! You caught your own Pokemon! And you learned how to fold laundry really fast! You’ve made new friends, and you don’t have to use crutches anymore!”
Basil looked up at him then. He hadn’t really thought of it that way.
“Where’s your cane?”
“I don’t know.”
“We’ll find it later.” He put his arm around Basil and lifted him up a bit. “Hold on to me, let’s go get some food. Food fixes everything.” He smiled.
Basil wrapped an arm around him to keep himself upright and limped along beside him, trying to keep his weight off of it with Kabu’s support.
“I think Bede’s still mad at you.” He whispered once they got out into the hallway.
“That’s alright.” Kabu soothed. “He’s allowed to be mad.”
Bede was sitting at the table when they got back, and though he hid it well enough from Basil, Kabu could tell that his eyes looked red, like he had been crying. He didn’t bring attention to it. Bede would let them know if something was wrong, pressing would only upset someone.
Their meal was peaceful, and delicious. Bede held Basil’s hand under the table when he wasn’t using it, and Basil didn’t fight it. He squeezed tight, thankful for the comfort.
************
Kabu tucked Basil into bed, giving him some medicine to help soothe the pain in his leg and making sure he was set up for the night. “You need anything else?”
“Another blanket?” He asked shyly. “It’s kind of cold tonight.”
“Of course. The warmest blanket I can find.” He smiled and left the door open a crack as he left. Basil relaxed and closed his eyes, not opening them when he heard the door open again.
“Thanks, Kabu.”
He didnt’ hear a response, which was weird, so he opened his eyes and turned to look at what he was doing. The door was open, but no one was there.
“Kabu?”
“BOO!” Bede pounced on him, startling him with a cry.
“BEDE?! Don’t do that!” He shoved his brother hard, trying to avoid his hug. “Youre a jerk!”
“Oh come on it was funny! Don’t be such a stick in the mud!” He moved around his arms and hugged him.
“What do you want!”
Bede’s smile fell a bit. “I dunno. Couldn’t sleep.”
Basil scooted over then, giving him room to crawl up further and sit.
Kabu returned with blankets, and two mugs of warm milk and honey. “Hm. I had a hunch you were gonna need these.” He handed each of them a mug and distributed blankets to them. “I’m going to bed, if you need me, wake me up.” He ruffled Basil’s hair and kissed his forehead gently. “You too, kiddo.” He looked over at Bede, who looked only slightly jealous of the attention.
“I’m not a kid.” Was all he could think to respond.
“Goodnight.” He smiled and closed the door then, leaving the two alone, sipping their warm drinks and talking about the past.
“Remember the last time we had a sleepover like this?” Basil yawned. “You were afraid Oleana was gonna punish you for interrupting a meeting, and I told you that I was gonna protect you and I stayed awake all night waiting for her.”
Bede laughed. “No you didn’t! You fell asleep before I did!”
“Well i tried to stay awake all night!”
They both laughed then, lapsing into comfortable silence.
“Do you... ever miss Rose?” Bede asked after he had sat his mug aside and curled up under the blankets.
“No. I hate him.” Basil said seriously. “I never want to see him again.”
Bede nodded. “Yeah.” He thought about the letter in his pocket again.
“Do you?” Basil asked cautiously.
“I... Don’t know.” Bede admit. “I’m still so angry... but part of me wants an answer for what happened. But I know that no answer could ever be good enough for me.”
“He used us. That’s your answer.”
Bede sighed and closed his eyes. “Yeah. I know.”
“We don’t need him.”
***********
Kabu cleared the last dish at the table, still rubbing the beginnings of sleep from his eyes. It had been a long day, it was past his bed time, and all he wanted to do was crawl under the covers and sleep. Something about this state he was in had him feeling venerable, so when there was a loud knock at the door, he practically jumped out of his skin.
“Heavens! At this hour? I swear..!”
He stormed to the door and threw it open dramatically, putting on his fiercest scowl he could muster in his state.
There was no one there, he scanned the horizon looking for tricksters, but if they were out there, they were hidden well. He glanced down before shutting the door, almost missing the bouquet of flowers on the doorstep. He grabbed it, scanned the horizon one last time, and closed the door.
The flowers were beautiful, orange and red and yellow like a raging fire, with a note attached.
I’m sorry. I was wrong. Give me one more chance to make things right. I won’t let you down.
Nanu
Kabu rolled his eyes and chucked the note into the trash. Until he could talk to him face to face like an adult without getting defensive, he could stay sorry.
“I can’t do it!” Kabu’s voice sounded weak and hopeless.
“Yes you can. You can do this. Keep trying.” A gentle hand on his back, pushing him a little further.
“It hurts...” He whined. “Please, I can’t...”
“It isn’t going to get any easier if you don’t push yourself to strengthen your body again.”
“I don’t want to. I don’t want to get better I want to be dead.” Kabu hiccupped.
“Don’t talk like that. You deserve to get better, you can get better. I know it hurts now but you have to keep fighting. Don’t let the fire go out...”
He closed his eyes, and let himself fall back, giving up. He wondered if there had ever been a fire inside him at all.
“Hop was really nice! He was so funny and he was really good at the game we were playing!” Basil held Kabu’s hand and babbled on about the sleepover. “And he had the cutest Pokemon ever! A Dubwool! He said it was his service Pokemon and it helped him out a lot. I don’t really understand what it does but it’s cool!”
Kabu smiled. “Is that so? How nice.” He tried not to let it show that his head was still pounding from hangover. “I’m glad you two had fun.”
“He said that he wanted to introduce me to the Champion next time! They grew up together did you know that?”
“I didn’t know that. It sounds like they’re really good friends.”
“Yeah... I wish I had friends like that.” Basil’s smile fell slightly.
“Well you do, don’t you? Piers and Marnie are your friends, and you and Hop are friends now right? And Bede, he’s your friend too.”
That made him smile again. “Oh! I guess you’re right! I never thought about that...”
Kabu chuckled. “You have lots of friends. And I know you’ll keep making even more friends too.”
Basil leaned against Kabu’s arm happily. “Nanu didn’t do anything stupid last night did he?” He asked cautiously.
“No. He was a perfect gentleman.”
“Oh.” he frowned. “Does this mean you’re dating now?”
Kabu sighed. “Basil, I know you don’t like him. And I know he’s kind of a jerk sometimes, but I know you’ll like him if you give him a chance. He has trouble making a good first impression. Will you give him another chance?”
“I don’t want to. He’s mean.” His voice faltered a bit. “What if he gets mad and hits me?”
Kabu went very serious, and took Basil’s hands. “He would never do that. I promise. And if he did, I would never talk to him again. Ever.” He squeezed his hands. “Did he do something while I was gone? What brought this on?”
“No, he was just being stupid.” He sighed and looked away. “I just don’t like the way he talks. He can be scary.” He admit.
“We can talk to him about it. If you tell him, he’ll understand. He doesn’t want you to be afraid of him, he doesn’t want that.” He pulled Basil into a hug as the taxi came to a stop. “He won’t hurt you, I swear. But I won’t make you be around him if you’re afraid of him.”
He helped Basil out and walked with him up to the door. “And you can always tell me anything. Or ask me anything. I want you to trust me. I won’t brush you aside.”
Basil let him hold the door open and wandered inside, flopping down on the couch. “What did you mean the other night? When you two were talking?”
Kabu sat across from him and gave him a quizzical look.
“When you said you weren’t his dad or your dad. What does that mean?”
“Oh.” Kabu rubbed the back of his neck. “Our dads were friends. And they were real mean. And they uh. Wanted to make sure we knew it.”
“Did they hurt you?”
Kabu didn’t want to scare him, but he nodded. “Yes. Sometimes.” He watched Basil, afraid that he’d be afraid, but it seemed almost the opposite. He seemed more confident as he prodded the question.
“Did you get away from him? Did someone help you like you’re helping me?”
Kabu smiled sadly. “No, I didn’t have anyone to help me like this. I was on my own.”
“But you were a kid.”
“I was a little older than you actually, but yeah. Basically a kid.”
“What happened?”
Kabu hurriedly tried to think of a way to dodge the question. He didn’t really want to talk about it. “It was a long time ago, Basil. In the past. All that matters now is the future.”
“Oh...” Basil looked down at his hands then. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’m sorry.” He moved over to sit next to him, putting an arm around him. “Someday, I’ll be able to talk about it.” He sighed. “It’s hard to think about.”
Basil nodded. “I understand.” He hugged Kabu then. “I’m glad you’re okay.” He said sweetly, and Kabu smiled down at him.
“I’m glad I’m okay too. Because I got to help you.” He hugged back.
Basil blushed more.
“Hey, I uh. I have something I want to talk to you about.” Kabu said suddenly. “I was asked to help someone out, but. It’s a little complicated, and I don’t want to make any decisions without talking to you first.”
Basil frowned. “Like what?”
Kabu took a deep breath and explained the situation with the man named Cyrus he had spent the day thinking about.
“If you weren’t here, I’d do it in a heartbeat.” He admit. “But, I worry about you. He’s hurt, he wouldn’t put up much of a fight, but I don’t want anything to happen to you. No one else wants to give him a chance, but if he wants to change, I want to help him change.”
Basil frowned thoughtfully. “I don’t know. He sounds kind of scary.” He admit.
Kabu nodded. “Yeah, he does. Tell you what. Why don’t I meet him first. Talk with him, get an idea of what he’s all about, and we’ll go from there?”
“Can I meet him too?”
Kabu paused. He didn’t want to put Basil in any danger...
“Well... as long as you promise to do exactly as I say. Especially if something goes wrong. Alright?”
He nodded dutifully. “I will! I’ll be really good! I want to meet him first too!”
Kabu chuckled. “Alright. I’ll make some phonecalls. Later. For now, I need to lay down because I am very hungover and everything hurts.” He admit, rubbing his temple.
Basil frowned then and rushed off without a word.
“Uh. Basil? Basil are you okay? It’s alright, I’m not drunk anymore or anything!” He offered with a sigh. Shit. He was gonna have to go deal with that too, he supposed. He hadn’t thought about that scaring him. He closed his eyes and tried to make the world stop spinning.
“Kabu...”
His eyes snapped open and he jolted upright. “Huh? What? Basil?”
Basil was standing in front of him, looking serious, holding a cup in one hand and medicine in the other. “For your hangover?”
Kabu relaxed and smiled then. “Oh, Oh thank you. I was afraid I scared you.”
Basil gave him the drink and the medicine. “I’m not that skittish, jeez.” He huffed. “Mr. Rose used to be hungover a lot after parties. I”m used to it.” He promised. “I know you wouldn’t hurt me or anything.”
Kabu smiled and sipped the drink, almost spitting it back out. “Ugh what is this? Its awful!”
That made Basil laugh. “Do you want to feel better or not? Just drink it. It’ll work.” He promised.
Kabu drank it, and lo and behold, he was feeling better later, and Basil spent the day taking care of him, much to his insistence that he was fine. Though it was nice to have someone around that cared...
************
Kabu made the appointment and helped Basil pack for their trip to the Sinnoh reigon where Cyrus was currently being held. He could tell that Basil was nervous to travel, he had never been this far away from Galar but Kabu was going to make sure he had a good time, even if the issue with Cyrus wasn’t going to work out for them, it’d be good for Basil to travel around and see new things.
They did a little sightseeing the day before the meeting, to help Basil feel more comfortable, and it worked wonders. Kabu was thrilled at his progress, and thought maybe, if this went well, they’d be able to visit his old hometown in the Hoenn reigon next. He wasn’t sure if he’d be ready to face the memories... but maybe then he could tell Basil about where he had come from.
The next moring, He woke Basil, and the two of them got ready to meet Cyrus. He helped Basil with his tie, and he had to admit, even though they weren’t related by blood, the boy looked like a little Rose mini-me in his suit.
Kabu straightened his own tie and led him out the door to the prison, holding his free hand as they were led past the cells of mean mugging inmates.
“Is Rose here too? This is for the really bad guys right?” Basil whispered.
“No, Rose is in Galar. Leon fought to make sure he wouldn’t go here.” Though he couldn’t understand why, he wanted to add.
“What about Giovanni?” His eyes went wide. “He’s really scary! I read about him in a book once!”
“Yes, probably. Not this close to the entrance, though. You won’t be seeing him.”
“Oh.” Basil sounded almost disappointed.
The were let into a small interrogation room away from the cells, and Kabu turned to Basil. “I need you to sit right here outside the door. Don’t wander, don’t come in yet, just sit. I’ll come get you if it’s safe alright?”
Basil pouted but nodded, sitting dutifully on the ground with his head in his hands.
Kabu was led inside then. There was a table in the middle of the room, and Cyrus sat on one end, in a wheelchair. He looked unhappy to be there, dirty and ragged as if he hadn’t had anyone helping him at all.
“You must be Cyrus.” Kabu sat down, looking him over.
“I don’t know who you are or what you want but I can assure you, I’m not interested.” Cyrus had a deep voice, however what he had probably meant to sound angry and intimidating came out exhausted and more than a little frightened.
“Your lawyer asked me to come talk with you. He thinks I can help give you a second chance.”
“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. They’ll never let me out of here and even if they do, I don’t want your help. I don’t need or deserve anyone’s pity.”
Kabu’s face softened a bit. “Everyone deserves a second chance.”
He shook his head and went silent.
“I want to help you, Cyrus. I’ve heard about how bad they’ve been treating you here. Trust me when I say I know what an asshole Giovanni can be when he gets it in his mind to mess with someone. But in order to help you, I need you to cooperate. I need you to want to be helped. And I can’t bring someone into my home who could be dangerous. Do you understand?”
Cyrus looked away. He didn’t speak.
Kabu sighed then and got up, walking towards the door. He thought, for just a second, that he heard a small sound come from Cyrus, but he wasn’t sure. He could have been hearing things. He opened the door a sliver and glanced out. “You ready, kid?”
Basil was still sitting next to the door, but jumped up excitedly. “Yeah! I can come in now?”
“Not like that. Take a deep breath, calm down.” Kabu advised, and waited until he had taken a few calming breaths before opening the door and letting him enter.
Cyrus’s eyes narrowed when someone new entered the room, but the glare turned to confusion when he saw Basil. “What kind of joke are you trying to pull here?”
Kabu let Basil sit in the chair, and he rested his cane against the table. Kabu noticed Cyrus taking note of that.
“You’re a bad guy right?” Basil asked excitedly, trying to stay calm.
“Basil, enough. We talked about this.”
Cyrus tipped his head curiously. “Hm. To you, maybe. I hurt a lot of people trying to do what I wanted, so I suppose people might call me a bad guy.”
Basil ignored Kabu’s warning. “Did you summon a big monster to destroy everything?”
Cyrus was caught off guard by this line of questioning, but humored him.
“I suppose you could say that, yes.”
“Basil...”
“Do you regret it..?” Basil’s voice fell away as he asked, his mind turning to Rose suddenly.
Cyrus watched the two of them, confused at what exactly was going on, and was silent at first. He didn’t know what to say.
“Sometimes.”
Basil looked down at the table then.
Kabu frowned. “I think it’s time for us to go.” He put a hand on Basil’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, I should never have agreed to bring you here.”
Basil stood and hid against Kabu then, shaking and feeling weak.
Kabu looked up at Cyrus, noting the utter confusion on his face. “My apologies for wasting your time today.” He grabbed Basil’s cane and helped walk him out of the room, leaving Cyrus to sit in stunned silence.
Before the door closed, Kabu thought he heard Cyrus say wait, but he didn’t turn around.
His lawyer stood before them, and older gent with a shaved head and a rumpled suit. “Well? What’s the verdict? Can you help him? Please say you’ll do it... If I can’t find someone to assist him, they’ll never let him out on his own he’ll go straight back into the system and these guys will eat him alive in his condition.”
Kabu flinched. “Wait, wait hold on don’t lay all that out on me! This isn’t my fault!” Basil clutched his suit jacket a little tighter. “I don’t appreciate the way you’re talking to me right now.”
The lawyer was wringing his hands nervously. “My apologies, I didn’t mean to make you feel like that. I just want to help him.”
Kabu shook his head. “You can’t help everyone. You can’t help guys like that. They don’t want to change.” He pushed passed the nervous lawyer and helped walk Basil out to the car.
“Are they gonna hurt Rose?” Basil finally managed out. “Is he gonna get hurt like that?”
Cyrus sighed. “No, dear. This prison is a bad place. The bosses run the whole operation, not the staff. Rose is somewhere safe.” He promised. “We wouldn’t let him get hurt like that.”
Basil whimpered and stayed close to him the rest of the day, not daring to let go. Kabu kicked himself for ever agreeing to let him come with. “This is my fault, Basil. I’m sorry. I knew this would upset you.”
Basil rubbed his eyes. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t get upset.”
“It was upsetting. I”m upset too.”
“You don’t look upset.”
“I’ve had more practice hiding it.” He smiled soothingly. “Don’t you worry. How about next time we travel somewhere even more exciting, and spend the whole weekend exploring and looking for new Pokemon?”
Basil cheered up a bit at that. “Okay...”
Kabu cut their adventure short, and brought them home as soon as he could. He tucked Basil into bed, and sang him to sleep, smiling when Basil let out his pokemon to sleep on the bed with him.
“You’re gonna run out of room if you keep catching Pokemon.” He teased.
Basil smiled. “I’ll just buy a bigger bed.”
Kabu laughed and kissed his forehead. “Sure kid. We’ll do that too.”
He went downstairs and crawled into his own bed, but in his dreams, he saw Cyrus.
************
The doorbell rang early the next morning, before Basil had even rolled out of bed. Kabu put on his housecoat and his slippers and grumpily waddled to the door, still trying to loosen his stiff joints from sleep. He threw the door open with a growl.
“Nanu, what could you possibly want at this hour!? I--”
His words were stolen from him as he looked upon the sorry sight before him.
Cyrus, still in his wheelchair, barely breathing, pushed by two young men who looked terrified.
