#drabble!time

[aresite]

Ares sat on a rooftop that overlooked the Festival Grounds. The rough tile underneath him had been heated up by the sun until it was so hot that it nearly burnt any exposed skin that touched it and the mid-afternoon wind was warm against his face. Despite this - the heat barely bothered him though as he looked out across the other rooftops and down to the Tournament Grounds that lay so close, and yet still so far away. The rooftop he sat on rested at the top of a hill that overlooked all the Festivities below. It was close enough that he could make out each action the Combatants made below and even some details, but not close enough to see features on anyone's faces.

His Brother, Ollie, sat beside him - but as far as either boy was concerned they might as well have been there alone. Both boys were so engrossed in watching the Combatants below that they barely noticed the other's presence.

However, that quickly changed as the next round began. Ares caught Ollie tense up out of the corner of his eye and he glanced over to see the other boy staring intently ahead. His knees were folded and his arms were tightly wrapped around his legs as his eyes continued to be locked on the Arena.

Ares glanced back ahead and quickly realized why Ollie had tensed up. Despite the distance the two boys could still hear the sound of the Hosts making announcements with the aid of a Loudred and he heard them announce the next combatants loud and clear. However, even if the Host hadn't announce it, Ares still would have seen him as the combatant that was entering the arena was unmistakable...

The crowd erupted in cheer as a boy rode in atop a pure white Rapidash. His dark blue hair was a stark contrast to the deep magenta and gold cape that was draped across his shoulders and hung down over the rear of his steed. Even from where he sat, Ares could still make out the details of Zamazenta's crest embedded on the back of that cape. The boy was none other than the Crown Prince of Galar - Prince Youta Solvieg.

The Prince dismounted his Rapidash and passed the reigns to an attendant before waving at the adoring crowd who cheered even louder in response. Their reaction was not surprising to Ares - after all, despite being only 12 years old, the Prince was a favourite among the people. And for good reason - the Prince was known to be both kind and generous while also being exceptionally good at multiple kinds of combat. He had won the Junior Division in almost every Tournament for the last four Victory Festivals. To many, Prince Youta was 'flawless' - the 'hope of the future of Galar' or whatever... either way, Ares didn't really buy into the rumors - No one was that perfect after all.

Ares didn't even notice who the Prince was up against, and frankly he didn't care. Both the Prince and his Opponent chose to fight with swords and the battle began. As soon as it did Ares found himself distracted. For some reason there was a nagging thought at the back of his head whenever he looked at the Prince. He felt like he was forgetting something very important - but no matter how hard he tried to figure out what that was he couldn't. It caused an almost nagging frustration to build up within him that made it hard to concentrate.

He pulled his eyes away in an attempt to distract himself and instead scanned the crowd once more. His eyes wandered for a little bit before they settled on the Royal's box. The King was standing up and was nearly leaning over the railing as he cheered the Prince on. His wild gestures caught his attention for a few seconds but that wore off quickly and he went to go back to scanning the audience but then quickly froze on a different figure sitting in the box.

Ares' eyes rested on a young girl who had to be around his age. Despite having her head down - he immediately recognized her and he felt his heart beat faster in his chest. He couldn't tell what it was, but something about the way she looked there felt... sad? He couldn't quite place why he thought that though. Either way, Ares suddenly realized what that nagging feeling was and he suddenly forgot all else.

Without thinking he jumped to his feet and then turned to look at Ollie, "Let's get a closer look!" Ollie startled as of Ares' words had knocked him out of a trance and looked up at Ares with a bewildered look, "Closer? What are ya talkin' about?" Ares pointed at the arena, "I mean, let's go down there! I want a better look!" Ollie paled slightly and gave Ares a suspicious look, "Are you nuts? Ya know we're not allowed down there!"

Ares shrugged and turned to start walking towards the edge of the roof, "Don't they say 'everyone' is allowed in durin' the Victory Festival?" Ollie stood up as well, "Yeah, in the city, that doesn't mean they want us within the Tournament Ground walls!" Ares shrugged and then stopped at the edge of the roof. There was a 'makeshift ladder' propped up against the side there that they had used to come up and he turned around to get ready to climb down - but something about the look on Ollie's face caused him to hesitate-

A mischievous grin crossed Ares' face, "What? Don't tell me yer afraid t'get caught? An' besides, if we are then ya just have an excuse to ask t'see the King like Chevali wants you to do and then you'll get a chance t'meet yer Father!"

Ollie flinched at that. He looked back down at the arena. Despite the fact that the round had just begun - the battle was over. The Host was already announcing Prince Youta's 'flawless' victory. Ollie's eyes locked on the Prince and he sucked in a deep breath. For a moment neither boy moved. Ares waited for Ollie to say something, but when he didn't he opened his mouth to ask his Brother what was wrong, but before he could Ollie finally exhaled deeply and then said under his breath, "I can't." "What? Sure ya can! We know all the secret paths down there! We can probably go strai-" Ares started, "I can't!" Ollie interrupted in a more stern tone. He finally turned to look at Ares, "Not right now - Not until I'm 'better'!"

Ares was about to ask what Ollie meant by that, but he didn't have to. He followed Ollie's glance back down at the Arena as the Prince was being escorted up to the Winner's Block to receive his award for winning the Junior Tournament.

"Well, then next year then." Ares shrugged dismissively - which immediately brought Ollie's attention back to him, "Jack promised t'train us, right? The King ain't goin' nowhere. And then maybe after we train with Jack fer the year we can compete next year!"

That seemed to lift Ollie's spirits slightly and an almost determined look crossed his face. "Yeah... Yeah!" He turned to look back at Ares, "Let's do it! Let's train and get strong, and then I'll wipe that smug look right off that Prince's face and show 'em all that I'm worthy-" He cut himself off there, "That I'm a Prince too!"

Ares nodded in agreement and then stepped backwards to climb down the ladder. Ollie paused for a moment before he walked over to the edge of the roof, "Where ya goin'?" "I told ya, I'm goin' t'get a closer look - with or without ya." he replied. Ollie frowned, "Hey, wait a min-" "I don't care about gettin' caught!" Ares cut him off. He hopped off the ladder when there was only three rungs left and landed on the ground in a slight crouch. He paused to look back up at Ollie, "Besides... there's someone there that I need to thank." "Thank?" Ollie quizzed, "Make up some excuse fer me on why I'm not bringing back any money tonight!" Ares playfully taunted instead of replying, "I owe ya one!"

And with that, he broke off into a run towards the Tournament Grounds. His plan was to sneak in through the Monster Den beneath the Arena and up into the Tournament Grounds. If he timed it right he would be arriving just as the Final Round of the regular Tournament began and everyone would be so distracted that he could slip right up through a secret tunnel that exited right out behind the Royal's box. He heard Ollie shout out after him, but he did not stop. He was suddenly determined to reach his destination before the next round of the Tournament started. He could almost feel Ollie's gaze as he disappeared into the crowd.

Sorry, Ollie. He thought, But I'm not gunna miss this chance!

[deathyless]

6 AM

Alarm goes off

Get up

Brew coffee

Feed the Pokemon

Let the Pokemon out to go ‘potty’

have a cigarette and a cup of coffee or two

7 AM

Get Mika up

Make breakfast for Dad and Mika

Make sure Dad takes his medication

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!

[aresite]

Ripple Effects

Chevali sat in her Vardo and looked down into her Crystal Ball. There was a vacant, almost dazed look across her blank, expressionless face. To any outsiders, this may have looked strange, but to Ares and Olli - two of the three children in her care - it was normal. They knew better than to bother her in this state and went outside to play.

They had just lined some cans up on a fallen log and were about to start throwing rocks at it to see who could knock the most cans down when an ear-piercing shriek erupted from the Vardo behind them. It startled both boys and they whirled around just in time to see Chevali emerge from the wagon. Her face looked pale but her eyes were blazing with such an intense anger that both boys were frozen to the spot.

The red-haired Fortune Teller marched down the stairs at the back of the Vardo and marched towards them, “What did you do?!” She shrieked in such a high pitch that it sent a shiver down Ares’ spine. She marched - and nearly ran - towards the boys, and threw Olli aside with such force that he fell backwards into the grass.

She grabbed Ares by the front of the shirt and lifted him up into the air, “What did you do?” She repeated with a venomous hiss.   The young boy looked startled and tried to return her gaze but couldn’t seem to, “I-I don’t know?”  “You are the only one ever who’s future I cannot see.“ Chevali hissed, “So tell me, why has this future I have so painstakingly sculpted for the last ten years suddenly changed? And why can I no longer see you nor the Princess?“ 

Ares was completely confused. He held onto her wrists to keep himself from choking on his collar. Princess? What Princess? What did he have to do with a Princess?!?

Chevali backed up until she nearly slammed the boy against a tree with a force that looked beyond her small frame, “Over ten years of planning suddenly disappeared and I can no longer see both you and the Princess’s timelines.” “I-I don’t know what you are talking about!“ Ares cried out.

A low growl came from behind them, and Ares looked over his shoulder to see a short, blue-gray Absol crawling out from under the Vardo. It was Ba’ul - the Absol who had brought him to live with this Troupe when he was just a baby. The hackles on the back of Ba’ul’s shaggy neck stood up slightly as he growled at Chevali - though it was hard to tell with the various tuffs of shed, dead fur trapped in his coat.

“Mom...?“ Olli interjected in a nervous tone. 

Chevali looked over at Olli like she wanted to strike him... but suddenly her expression softened and she dropped Ares. She watched the boy crumble to the ground in a startled heap before she crossed her arms. 

“No matter.“ She looked at Olli and her eyes glazed over with a mystical sheen once more. A slow smile sneaked it’s way to the corners of her mouth and she turned to look Olli over. 

“That was just one future out of many possibilities.“ She closed her eyes for a second like she was lost in thought - but then she seemed to straighten up. She turned and looked into the woods and frowned.

Suddenly a sly grin crossed her face, “Be grateful for this day, Apollo. For your fate just changed.” She then turned and started back towards the Vardo once more - leaving the two boys exchanging startled and nervous glances. 

Olli was just walking over to help Ares to his feet when a figure emerged from the trees. They both turned and saw the smiling face of Jack walking back with a small crew in tow. His grin only widened when he saw the boys, and his pace picked up... but then he must have seen the look on their faces because his expression suddenly changed to worried and his pace slowed. 

“Everything okay, boys?“ He asked. 

Olli and Ares exchanged glances, but it was Ares who dusted himself off, and looked up at Jack with a forced smile, “Yup! Olli and I were just playing!” 

It was Olli’s turn to give Ares a worried look, but he just turned towards Jack and nodded in agreement.

Jack approached them and patted both kids on the head, “Well, we’re going to have company tonight, so be on your best behavior!”

The two boys exchanged looks again. They had no idea what had just happened, but they knew better than to question it. Instead, Olli looked back up at Jack, “Company?”  “Yup! A traveler we met on the road, so I can’t play with you both right now.“ His eyes locked on Ares for a second and a frown crossed his face. He reached down and straightened Ares’ shirt, “But, I’ll make a point to stop by later. So you kids go have fun!”

Neither of them felt like playing anymore though. 

“I want to see the guest!“ Olli ventured. 

Ares would rather not. He turned and left Olli to pester Jack with curious questions and walked back towards Ba’ul - he was a little more shaken about what had just happened than he was letting on and could use some time to wind down.

That look Chevali had given him before walking away - that was the same look she gave anything she was bored or done with. The look like one may give to an apple core once they were done eating the apple around it. It gave him a bad feeling. He suddenly had the feeling that he was in real grave danger... and didn’t know if it was his thoughts playing tricks on him or the adrenaline still running through his body... or if it really was something he should be worried about. Either way... he just wanted to curl up with Ba’ul and worry about it later.

[aresite]

Erya slowly approached a tree. There was nothing remarkable about this tree - it was the same as every other tree in the forest. A plain oak with it’s leafless branches reaching upwards towards the sky. 

The Rover Girl crouched before it and fumbled through the decaying leave layer at it’s base until her fingers wrapped around the hilt of a rusty sword that had toppled over and had gotten buried at some point. The leather that had once wrapped the hilt of the sword had almost completely eaten away, and what remained was damp and mushy. She pulled the sword free and examined it for a moment. The rusty metal was dull after years of exposure... but somehow she could still see her reflection in it’s blade. She stuck the sword - blade down - into the dirt in front of the tree, and knelt there for a moment. She studied her reflection in the dull morning light, and she could not stop the memories of another time from washing over her as she did. 

Erya had been around five years old when she came to live with the Rovers, and yet she still had vague memories of it. She remembered how scared and alone she had felt as Chevali led her into the camp. She remembered clutching onto Chevali’s skirt and looking around as if her parents could pop out of anywhere to save her... but that hadn’t happened. Instead Chevali led her to a large, intimidating man who scared her so badly she had started to cry. The Chief. And, despite the fact that he was dead and gone for over a year now... she still could hear his voice on that day they had met. 

‘She’s a little too young to be of any use’. He had said. ‘We’ll have no use for her for another several years.’ He had demanded that since Chevali brought her there, she was responsible for her. He also demanded that she would start training immediately so she’ll know how to preform when she was old enough, and that her name must be changed so those that may come looking for her could not find her. 

Erya, he had called her. She could still remember the sting of the beatings whenever she called herself her real name... how hard they tried to implant her new name on her and strip her of her old identity. She could remember how sore and bloodied her feet became as they taught her to dance...

And yet, as she stared at her reflection in the blade... she didn’t feel bitter about it. She had been scared, but not alone. It had been on her first day in the Rover Camp that she had met them - two young boys also under Chevali’s care, and about her age named Ares and Olli. They tried their hardest to cheer her up and distract her. They started competing to see who could make her smile. She grew to love those boys more than anything in the world.

But there was also another who looked after her. Another who’s face came to mind whenever she saw this blade. He was a man who was in his mid-thirties when Erya had met him. He was tall, lanky, and battle-scarred... but not scary like the other Rovers. Erya could remember that unlike the others who dressed in garish colours, this man wore earthy tones. He had curly red hair, and wore a wide-brimmed green hat with an orange feather tucked in the brim, and a deep green cape.

Erya ran a finger down the rusty blade and allowed the memories to consume her.

It had been on a day just like this. She had tried to run away, but her feet hurt to much to carry her too far and she didn’t know where she was... so she had wandered back to the camp and sat behind Chevali’s Vardo and cried. Ares had found her there, and he came up to try and comfort her. Olli then came running up shortly later along with that man. They had gone to him for help when they couldn’t find her. They always went to him before anyone else. He was a mentor to them in ways she could not yet understand. His name was Jack.

Jack had picked her up and placed her on the back patio of the Vardo so her legs dangled over the edge and slowly removed her shoes and helped rebandage her feet. She thought he would chastise her for trying to run away, but he didn’t. Instead, he smiled at her. It was a soft, caring smile. It made her feel comforted in the same way she felt when her Father had comforted her when she wasn’t feeling well or was hurt. 

She remembered blurting out to him, completely unprompted, as he tended her feet that she was scared. She was afraid that she would never learn how to dance and that the Chief would find her ‘useless’ and send her away - that he’d resell her somewhere dangerous and she’d never see Ares or Olli again, and be taken so far away that her family will never find her. She remembered telling him that she was afraid she’d forget who she was. She remembered feeling sheepish about admitting this after, but Jack had just simply finished re-bandaging her feet, and then looked up at her. Erya could remember how soft and sad his bright blue eyes looked at that moment. 

“Wren,“ Jack had said. It had been the first time anyone had used her name since she had gotten here and it startled her, “You don’t have to worry. Because even if you do forget who you are, and where you came from - I’ll be here to remind you. You won’t ever be sold or abused. I won’t let that happen.“ He had smiled at her then, “For as long as I live, I will protect you.“ 

She hugged him then. She wasn’t sure why, but she was small and afraid, and wanted the comfort of an adult. He had a fatherly aura about him that felt so strange to her. He smelt like smoke and dirt and his beard was dry and scratchy. He wasn’t like her father at all... but for some reason, she trusted those words as if her Father had said them.

“Be strong, Wren.“ Jack had said as he hugged her back. 

He had been the first and the last person to ever use her real name within the Rover Camp.

Erya felt a tear run down her cheek and the feeling snapped her out of her reverie. “Bastard.” She mumbled, and reached up to wipe the tear away.

Be strong. Well, there was no denying that. She was strong now. Stronger than she had ever once believed possible.

She straightened then... and leaving the sword stuck in the ground at the base of the tree, she turned around and walked back the way she had come.

It glistered in the light behind her as if seeing her off.