Chương 18: 18-Icecream

Tanya staggers as the initial wave of excitement from the proclamation finally abates. When her sisters had been woken to the declaration of a surprise celebration, for them, the initial minutes had been some of the most chaotic she'd experienced in any life. The former soldier leans against a wall, careful not to jostle the paper plate and its slice of cake too much. Before her head slowly tilts downward, looking at the plate in her hands, and notes the plastic fork stuck into the top of the chocolate confection.

… When did she get cake? That thought too is lost to the energy of the room as two siblings –Happiny and Happiny– run over, wielding empty plates and chocolate frosting around their mouths."" Happy Birthday!!"" They both shout in stereo, before turning toward each other and yelling it again. Tanya forces her face into neutral placidity to cover for a mixture of amusement and discomfort.

"Happy birthday." Her lackluster response seems to be more than enough for her sisters, as they each cheer and go in for a hug, realizing just in time that the cake Tanya's holding makes it impossible, and leaving with another call of 'Happy Birthday!!' as they go. But just as quickly as they leave, someone else takes their spot, then another, an entire nursery full of happiny running in every direction screaming the same two words to everyone they lock eyes.

Finally, after several more minutes of this, everyone's managed to tire themselves out enough that the utter bedlam slows down, groups slowly forming as the caretakers start trying to regain some amount of control over the situation. It's only then that Tanya gets a moment to take a bite of her cake.

But as the taste of chocolate frosting coats her tongue and evokes a chirping warble, she notes how the chansey didn't even try to enter the fray when the energy was at its peak, and they didn't even seem surprised by it. Tanya's eyes flicker over to Matron, who's receiving a pulse of healing energy from another caretaker as she too leans against a wall next to a metal cart that used to contain a cake. The thought that this is normal is a deeply troubling idea.

She almost shudders as she stuffs more cake into her mouth. Just as soon as the last crumbs of some genuinely delicious sheet cake are consumed she feels a hesitant tap on her side.

"Um. Big Sis?" Tanya allows the confusing mix of emotions that name evokes to wash over her as she turns to her most managerial of sisters.

"Yes?" Her sister rocks side to side a little, clearly anxious about something, before clearing her throat.

"Well… Oh! Happy birthday." She says with a nod.

"I know it was supposed to be a surprise, but I saw it was coming a little early and I thought… I could get you a gift…" She trails off. Tanya nods slowly at the hesitant story, suddenly making note of tired circles under her sibling's eyes. Hopefully the two are unrelated.

"Happy birthday to you too. Do you want to show me the gift?" Her sister nods, then looks unsure, then nods again.

"Yes! I wanted to show you later, but… I didn't expect it to get so noisy in here. I'm worried he'll be scared when he wakes up." Tanya almost starts nodding, then catches herself as the words process.

"... He?" Her sister nods and opens her mouth to respond, but before she can say anything Tanya can hear the door opening again as Matron calls out, voice steeled with grim determination.

"We've also got ice cream for anyone who wa–" The room. Explodes. Tanya tries to press herself and her sister against the wall to protect them both from the mob but, before she even realizes what happened, she finds herself swept up among her swarming siblings, already energetic from the sugar rush of cake. Then a blanket catches on fire!

—-- –_– —-- Torchic snuggles deeper into the strangely soft stones of his nest, half asleep and trying to stay that way as the rest of the brood enjoy the morning with their usual vigor. A single half formed thought bubbles to the surface as the room quiets down, noting the lack of any battles yet. Almost rousing him by the strangeness of a slightly quieter than normal morning. But that thought drifts away as he falls back into a deeper slumb– ICE CREAM! Torchic's eyes snap open! Where's the ice cream!?

Stoking his fire back to life, Torchic flares the flame within to get to the ice cream as fast as possible! But he's trapped in something! Keeping him from ice cream! Claws come out as tongues of flame flicker across his feathers and the obstacle is nothing! Standing to his full height Torchic flares his wings in victory, embers flying off the tips of his wings and eyes scanning for the promised ice cream! But instead of the nest, he finds himself underneath some kind of… blanket?

Held up by a strange interlocking series of wooden pegs. Both of which are quickly catching on fire. Torchic watches the fire spread alarmingly quickly across the surface of the structure. From there he only has enough time to feel a twinge of worry before he feels an aura flaring that smells like humidity and fresh rain that his instincts say means danger before– WATER! —-- A very soggy Torchic pecks at his scoop of vanilla as miserably as one can while eating ice cream. Because the way they stole him was unfair!

He's not sure exactly how to describe what the weird happiny did was unfair, he's sure it is! If it was fair they'd fight him properly, and if they won he'd go with them. But they wouldn't win, so he'd be able to tell them to go away. Instead they were sneaky! He pecks a mouthful of the frozen treat and lifts his beak to more easily let it slide down his throat. So no, it's not fair!

He's about to continue angrily ranting to himself, but finds himself distracted as a happiny walks up, carrying her own paper bowl of chocolate ice cream. Torchic growls and tries to puff up, but finds drenched feathers uniquely bad at the task.

"What do you want?" The pink 'mon pauses and gives a nervous chirp before taking a step closer and holding out her ice cream.

"W-Well, I was wondering if you wanted to share my ice cream?" She asks, coming closer at his confused glare and tilting her head before explaining.

"Because you have vanilla, and bilateral trade allows for greater prosperity." Torchic blinks a few times at the complete nonsense that just came out of the weirdo's mouth. The entire line is strange! He growls, louder.

"Or I could just take yours." The happiny's eye grow wide, half pulling her treat back with a frown.

"You want… all of mine?" She asks quietly. Already Torchic is getting into a ready position from where he's sitting.

"You deaf? Yes! Wanna fight about it?" Because there's no way a fight isn't about to happen! No one would just give up their ice cre-"O-ok." She says softly, walking forward to give the ice cream. Torchic gives off a pained screech.

"No! You're not– Ugh! No! Go away! I don't want it!" The happiny flinches back and scuttles off, leaving Torchic with regret mixed into his already stewing mess of negative emotions, alone on the periphery of the room once again. He watches the happiny he'd just talked to get intercepted by one of the chansey, leaning down a little to talk to her charge. He wants to fight someone right now, and he's been taken –using unfair tricks– to the only place in ever with 'mon who'd refuse to fight! None of this line do!

He's not even allowed to start fights with them! Torchic settles back down with a grumble, taking care to rein in his fire to not melt his ice cream, or ignite anything else. Not that he'd attack them, even if it was allowed. But not because he's scared! It's just… whenever he tries to get them to fight him, they just get really sad, and that makes Torchic feel awful.

Another angry peck at the frozen confection flows smoothly into the 'mon looking around the room for the only other normal person in this upside down place. His Rival! He easily picks her out of the crowd, as she's almost double the size of anyone else in her brood, he catches sight of her just as she starts leaning down to talk to another happiny. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. She's not like all the rest. She's a battler!

He can feel that fundamental truth in every exchange of blows! He can see how much she enjoys every battle, almost just as much as he does! Torchic pecks his ice cream again. But she picked one of the nurse trainers, which means she's going to the special school, and not going –with him – on a journey! He tries to ruffle his feathers agitatedly, but is once again reminded that he's soaked. He refuses to believe his Rival would end up like all the other chansey at the hospital, she can't.

But if she's learning to be a nurse, she's not getting stronger to fight him! At the reminder, his internal flame gutters with doubt. The thought of his Rival choosing to leave him, the only person in the world who's just as passionate about battling as he is, it's… The thought trails off as Torchic blinks, eyes flicking between two scenes across the room from each other. The chansey, giving a gentle smile and pressing a second cup of chocolate ice cream into her charge's arms.

His Rival, her normally rigid expression softening slightly as she listens to her sister explain something too far out of earshot to make out. The chansey reaches down and gently takes her charge's arm in hers as she gently leads the happiny back toward Torchic, slowing down to let her charge steady her nerves. His RIval, gently gripping her siblings arm and guiding both of them toward Torchic.

Torchic stares at the scene as a thousand half remembered scenes all piece their way together in his mind, every interaction his Rival had with the other happiny, each touch and word given a new context and meaning that– No– She cant – But… His Rival arrives first, sibling in tow. She pulls the 'mon in front of her and clears her throat." Happiny here would like to say something with regards to your current… situation." She says, tapping her sister on the arm and stepping back as the smaller 'mon steps forward.

As she locks eyes the happiny starts trying to withdraw into herself, lowering her eyes, before appearing to remember something and snapping to attention.

"My most sincere apologies, Torchic. Kidnapping is a serious crime, I am very fortunate my actions did not move you outside of the property, thus not meeting the legal definition of said offence. I do not expect forgiveness, and merely…" He tunes out the pointless noise as he places total attention on his Rival, watching how she looks at her sibling. He sees her expression soften into an unmistakable expression of fondness. An expression he's seen only on Chansey.

Until finally the conclusion that had been forming in his mind for the past few minutes comes bubbling up unbidden.

"You… You really are a happiny, aren't you?" He says, eyes beginning to mist over. His Rival blinks, then half looks down at herself as if confirming; yes, she is a happiny. Looking back up, she gives a cautious nod.

"That would be correct." She taps her sibling on the arm.

"Happiny, would you mind getting Chansey? I think something might be–" Torchic stands up, fire flaring in his core unbidden as he takes a step closer. Immediately, the water in his feathers begins to sizzle and pop.

"But that doesn't mean you're off the hook!" He cries out, fire in his heart burning even brighter than before as certainty in what the future will be takes hold.

"That just means you have to train even harder to keep up with me!" The fire in his heart is too much to contain, spilling over as his feathers start to ignite, yet even those are cold in comparison to the fire inside as it starts to burn blue.

"And I'm going to make sure of it! I'll make my trainer come and challenge you and your trainer had better be able to keep up!" He's boiling! Passion and certainty burning white! Hot enough to change the world with nothing more than conviction and determination. His Rival takes a half step back but he can feel the fire within her flaring as well! Kindled by his own! Pushing each other to be the very best they can be! She opens her mouth and the instant before she speaks seems to stretch out to eternity.

"... Sure. If you convince your trainer to go to some random nursing school, I'll fight you as many times as you like–" At those words, confirming their rivalry and accepting a lifetime's challenges his fire becomes too much to be held within and his vision goes white! —-- –_– —-- Amelia stares down at the empty cardboard box in front of her for a long few minutes, wrestling with her emotions before getting to work with a sigh.

With this year's league circuit coming so soon, and everyone who's going on a journey talking about nothing else, she's been forced to face reality. From around the room, a wide variety of items are taken and put into the box. Traveling maps of the region, a heavy duty backpack, a hammock, a collapsible hiking pole. A brown bandoleer with three pokeballs attached She pauses at the sight of the balls, gently grabbing one in its travel form and turning the aperture to face her. Amelia had been lying to herself.

She'd told herself her refusal to try to find a happiny partner was to avoid upsetting them with her 'intensity,' all the while secretly hoping to find a partner with any other species. Lying to herself for months to buy time for a shadow of an excuse to disappoint everyone who cares about her. Then she met Happiny. And they were meant for each other. She sighs, releasing the ball and standing to pack away all the other odds and ends that she'd gathered for an imaginary journey.

There was a flash of hope when they'd fought that torchic. But every visit to the library afterwards only proved that Happiny is exactly the kind of 'mon Amelia claimed she wanted. Because Happiny wants to be a nurse, badly enough that they're studying material two or three years in advance and already talking about their specialization, a close call between pharmacology and physical therapy.

Digging through her drawers and sorting out endless pamphlets and books on pokemon training, the soon to be nurse gives a wet sniff and begins roughly tossing the literature into the box across the room. The worst part –in Amelia's mind– is what this means about her. People find their partners because they share the same passions. The bond is formed over the fact that they are, in a very real sense, meant for each other.

She can only conclude that, by bonding with Happiny, she didn't want to become a trainer bad enough. That all her friends who are going on a journey have the fire that burns in her chest times a hundred, and easily found partners to match that passion. At the bottom of the drawer is a well worn piece of paper, glorified junk mail she'd gotten so long ago.

'Southwest Hoenn Tech: Correspondence Nursing and Traveling Residency' Below it describes, in bright colors and breathless tones, the advantages of correspondence school. Bragging about every pokecenter that's an 'affiliated location' as it practically screams how easily it would match up to a pokemon journey by implication. The junk mail is torn in half, then again, and again, until sixteen little scraps of paper flitter into the wastebin. Amelia sniffs, blinking a few times as the room blurs. Stupid.

She can't do that to Happiny, someone who'd fast become one of her closest friends. Being a Pokemon trainer is a full time job, so is school. Doing both would just mean doing neither, and a correspondence school would just mean a sub-par education leading to an equally sub-par job, and there's no way either of them would accept a pretend compromise that ends up sabotaging them both. It's better this way. The lid of the box is sealed with a resounding thunk and violently shoved under her bed.

It's good this happened, that it was caught early before she could ruin her future. Now, when she watches the exhibition match from the bleachers, –where she belongs– she'll be able to move on to what she's supposed to do as the exhibition battle kicks off this year's gym circuit without her. What she wants to do. Amelia hiccups, wiping her sleeve across her face to clear tears and snot from the dust disturbed in packing away a childish fantasy. And waits for the still burning fire in her heart to die out.