Sunrise... Sunset Ch.2
Long and overdue update of my story. I hope to those of you who have read it I hope it's adequate enough. To those who haven't, you will have some trouble understanding. This chapter is rated Mature as there are sexual theme's but no actual sex involved. Chapter 3 coming up. * * *
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- * * Tension hung in the air; low and sickening. Anxiety and worry mixed in with the thick tension cast over the two who stood, transfixed on a small ball which cradled gently with the wind. The small, red and white Poke Ball rocked gently, swaying once. Twice... Then it stood still; the two figures hanging their head in defeat, though, as they began to mumble something to themselves, the little ball shook for the last time; the small red light which shone in the centre disappearing. The human, who's long brown hair hung down over his face looked up slightly at the Poke Ball; surprise in his eyes as he noticed the small ball had stopped shaking, and the centre button was not red but white; the Pokémon, who's gaze was transfixed on the humans face turned to look in the direction his master was looking. His cream fur glistening in the sunlight as his head turned slowly; the fur which hung over his face flopping over his brilliantly red ruby eye's, covering his view temporarily as he shook his head to move it. Silence now filling in the tensions gap, allowing nature to penetrate it's walls as the wind rustled the branches and grass surrounding them. There was a sigh, synchronised from the two who then laughed happily at each other. "Alright! We caught it!" Ryu grinned cheeslily at Zephyr, who cast the same grin back. Proud of his victory over his now fallen comrade. 'What did your Pokedex say it was again?' Grin turned into a blank expression as Ryu stuttered something, blushed gently and reached down to his pocket to retrieve the small red device called 'Pokedex'. He flicked it open, still blushing as he noticed Zephyr who was watching him happily. "Ah, it says it was a Shinx. Says here, it's female... Nickname?" They both looked at each other and shrugged at the same time. "... I don't know... How about Lunix?" Silence treated the two again. The silence of thought. Eventually, they both turned to face each other and nodded. Ryu imputing the name into the Pokedex, which pinged slightly in completion. While Ryu was fiddling with the little red device, Zephyr went to collect the Poke ball; picking it up gently in his muzzle, trotting back towards his trainer. Something was bothering him. Whether it was the fact that Ryu's attention was going to be divided between his new team mate, or something much deeper. Something he knew he was going to struggle with. Yet, he didn't let it show; trotting onwards with that silly grin spread across his face. He precariously placed the small ball inside Ryu's bag pack, which was thrown across the floor. Its contents spilling out slightly. Zephyr simply sat and waited for the human to finish; his tails swirling behind him in that co-ordinate swaying motion. Eye's, transfixed on the humans face which seemed distort with confusion; this only caused the Ninetales to giggle to himself. There was something about Ryu that Zephyr just loved; he didn't know what it was yet. But he could tell there was something there; being quite happy just being able to be by the humans side and see his face. That was enough. For now. "Okay, this damn thing doesn't work. I've decided, it's bottom of the bag worthy." Ryu tightened his lips together, pressing them up against his nose which he held high in a theatrical sort of way, throwing his arm to the side and dropping the Pokedex into his open bag. This made Zephyr giggle again to himself; standing up to walk towards the human, nuzzling at his hand. 'Say, we gonna get a move on then? I think we've trained enough...' Nodding in agreement, Ryu swooped up his items and swung the bag onto his back; shuffling his shoulders to adjust it comfortably. Without a moments hesitation he began to walk briskly through the grass, shoulders hunched and head hanging low. Something was the matter... 'Ryu are you okay?' A grunt escaped from Ryu's muzzle while a pout formed stubbornly; despite slowing down to a normal walking pace, he was still being distant. Avoiding the question, he spoke in that tell tale 'nothings the matter' voice. "You know what I don't get? This 'Don't walk in the tall grass without a Pokémon' hark. I mean, you can clearly see the Pokémon if you look. Unless it's a caterpie or a..." 'A...?' "Nevermind..." 'Oh I get it now... Heh. You don't know about Pokemon do you?' He stopped instantly, his pout now looser as he hung his head low in shame. "No... I don't want to have to use that stupid machine as well." He swung around, looking shocked at the giggling Ninetales; who moved towards him nuzzling and licking at Ryu's hand again. 'Don't worry... I'll tell you. You'll just have to keep me out huh?' Grinning, Ryu bent down and pecked the Ninetales forehead gently; causing the fox to blush heavily; Zephyr's fur hid his blush from Ryu, who luckily wasn't looking down at the cream fox, but into the distance ahead of them. "So if you know the Pokémon, why didn't you tell me that was a Shinx?" Once again, the Pokémon chuckled to himself. 'I just wanted to see... Nothing wrong with that, huhn?' Ryu shook his head, smiling. They were dawning upon Jubilife city as the route ahead began to thin out, the eroded footpath turning into a more civilised, paved out soil path. Ryu knew that ahead of Jubilife was his first ever Gym battle, and to win that gym battle he was going to need more Pokémon, and spend time training each and every one... But that sounded risky, and after what happened, he wasn't sure if pushing Zephyr to the side, even for a second, was the right thing to do... With these thoughts toying at his mind, they both trudged on in silence for a while. Until the quiet voice of the fox beside him spoke, barely audible. 'You won't replace me, will you?' Ryu stopped in his tracks; Zephyr walking ahead of him cautiously, before turning around. A small, brave smile was expressed across his muzzle, while his eyes watched Ryu carefully; unaware that his eyes expressed his true emotions. "Replace you... Zephy your my first pokemon. It wouldn't even cross my mind... You know that, right?" The fox smiled, and nodded. His eye's welling up at the thought of being second best, despite what Ryu said. "I mean, if I can save you from being hurt I will. But, you'll always be the best to me... These Pokémon will be our friends, but you'll always be my best." Ryu walked forward, ruffling up the Ninetales' head fur as he went past him. Zephyr smiled un-certainly to himself. *But I want to be more than just a best friend...*. * Silence crept over the two figures the majority of the way, speaking once or twice to confirm the direction in which they were walking. The day was a particularly nice day, there were but few of the fluffy clouds in the light blue sky; which meant the glistening sunlight beat down against the open greenery of the route. Tree's, flowers all flourished in the rays of heat, while Ryu enjoyed the gentle warm South bound breeze run over his face. Zephyr, on the other hand, was not. The sun was like a whip, each time he walked from the shade of the tree's into the blistering heat wore him down even further; despite being a fire type, there was only so much he could take, and with no water around the heat began to de-hydrate the fox to the point of desperation. Ryu glanced behind him at the Ninetales, before frowning slightly. "Lets sit down to rest Zephy, yeah?" Nodding in reply, Zephyr followed Ryu as he walked over towards the trees; slumping down heavily in the shade, panting slightly. Zephy kept his distance a little, he knew his body heat wouldn't help the human cool off; yet this frustrated him so much. All he wanted to do was be close to Ryu, even if he couldn't be close to him in the way he wanted, he at least wanted to sit next to his trainer... "Zeph, don't worry. It's not your fault, I'm just not used to it..." Ryu smiled through slight pants, looking over at the Ninetales who's head was bowed in disappointment; Zephyr looked up, smiled slightly and looked back down at the ground, remaining silent. Leaving the Pokémon to sulk, Ryu shifted his arms around the back of his head, leaning against them and the tree trunk he was slumped against. The cool breeze caressed the side of Ryu's face as he closed his eyes slightly for a moment, staring at the leaves on the tree thinking to himself. I wonder why Zephyr is so down...? 'It's because... Ryu... Ryu... Hey Ryu... Watch out!' 'THUMP' A searing pain dashed to Ryu's forehead as he was hit square on by a small round object. A red mark visible almost instantly , though Ryu covered it with his hands crying 'Ow!'; Bolt upright, eyes open wide. "What the fuck was that?!" Zephyr simply nodded to a small Poke ball on the ground in front of Ryu; a gut wrenching feeling over took him as he stared at the small ball. 'Great... Another one.' "Who the fuck thinks it's funny to try and catch me, huh?! What, I look like a Pokémon do I? You wanna come out here and fucking throw some more balls at me! You sad fuckers! Fucks sake that hurt..." 'Ryu it's not an empty Poke Ball...' Confused, Ryu stared at the small ball in front of him; shifting his hand forward to grasp the small ball, pushing the centre button gently. Indeed, as Zephyr had stated there was a Pokémon inside; it's red beam hitting the ground, forming the shape of a small, 1-2ft tall creature. The beam disappeared, revealing a small, brown and green Pokémon. ~Turtwwiiig!~ 'Go on. Take a wild guess at what kind of Pokémon it is.' Shifting his gaze from the fox, to the small leaf Pokémon, Ryu frowned slightly; head filled with different thoughts and idea's. "Uh. Leaf creature?" And for the first time in a while, Zephyr actually cracked a smile, chuckling to himself. 'I'll give you a tip. Pokémon say what they are when they talk.' And as an example, the Fox cried out himself. ~Niiine~. It clicked, finally. "So you're a turtwig!" ~Turtwiiiig~ 'And if your not going to use your Poke dex anymore, whats it's gender?' Ryu blushed slightly, shuffling a bit on the spot. "That hardly matters. What matters is why it's here... And who's Pokémon it is... Hey fella, do you remember who your master is?" ~Turt! Turt Turt... Turtwiiiig!~ 'He says he hasn't a clue, and for the record, he's male...' ~Turt...~ 'And he asks if he can come with us?' Ryu nodded excitedly, watching the small Pokémon jump around happily almost made him laugh, but he didn't. Arm out again, he pressed the centre button to return the Pokémon to it's Poke Ball, placing him happily on his belt. "You understood what he was saying?" Zephyr nodded again, this time standing up and begging to walk onwards. 'C'mon, we better get moving.' That said, the human stood up and walked beside Zephyr, leading the way slightly as he walked. He was completely oblivious as to how Zephyr felt, and as far as Zephyr was concerned, he didn't want Ryu finding out either. * "Ho Ho Ho is that so? Are you SUUUREE it's the right answer??!" Nodding slightly in horror, Ryu stepped back from the imposing clown; he was so close that, if he was any closer, his white face paint would rub off onto Ryu's face while the large fake painted on red lips would suggest he'd been making out with it. "Well your ABSOLUTLEY ONE HUNDRED PERCENT correeeecccct~!!! Here's your third and final, ho, ticket! Don't lose it young one! Ho ho! Good luck!" Snatching the small ticket from the clowns hand, he and Zephyr quickly hustled along. "Fucks sake, why do we have to go through all that shit to get through to Route 203?" Zephyr merely shrugged, keeping up with the human as they made their way back towards the Pokémon Centre. They hadn't been in Jubilife city long, but defiantly long enough for them both to realise that it wasn't their idea of an ideal city; the slums around the outskirts of the city deterred most people away from walking through them; which meant the small local businesses closed down, meaning the poor stayed poor and the rich, well, stayed as rich and as greedy as ever. Though things may seem superficial and perfect to out lookers, the City was actually one of the least desirable places to live; neither of the two wanted to dwell in the city any longer than needed; however an obnoxious rich boy kept stopping the two from walking outside of the city, saying 'You've got to get a Poketch! Its the new latest thing!'. Ryu sighed to himself, walking towards the Poke centre's doors which slid open; the smell of antibiotics and disinfectant greeting them as they both walked in. The centre's desk, crowded with hustling starter trainers and their injured Pokémon was the source of all the sound; followed by tannoid for trainers to report to the desk to collect their healed Pokémon. In the far corner stood a gentleman wearing a black swayed suit; standing bolt upright grinning at all the passing children. If He hadn't come up to Ryu earlier, he'd think the gentleman was a pervert. "I've got your 3 tickets, can I have that stupid gadget of yours so I can finally get on with my life?" The gentleman grinned wide at Ryu, shuffling around in his pocket for a moment before retrieving another small, Pokedex like object. Except this time, it was a watch. "Ho! So you are a smart one aren't you! Well done! You've deserved this!" He took the three tickets from Ryu's hand, and almost shoved the Poketch into his chest before Ryu could walk away without it. "Thanks. If you spent your entire life making these why are you giving them away to trainers by making them answer stupidly easy questions?" "Ho!! Shouldn't you be enjoying your new gadget young one?" By this point Ryu figured it was pointless talking to him; turning around, he walked towards the Poke Centre doors. But before he left, he placed the small device on the coffee table in the waiting room, resisting the urge to stick his middle finger up at the gentleman. 'Ryu... How're you going to get past the idiot who's in front of Route 203?' For once, he had thought about this before acting so irrassionally. "Easy. Smack the little bug catching prick in the face and tell him to fuck off... Or failing that we can tie him naked to the Poketch building. Both work as well as each other." Zephyr giggled at the thought; though he didn't want to imagine that fat little human naked, not him anyway... 'Ryu. What did you think of last night?' The abrupt question caused Ryu to stop, stutter slightly and blush a little at the same time. "Uh... Well, I enjoyed it... A lot..." Zephyr pertained further, regardless of how many people were now looking at the two of them; stopping dead in the centre flow of people, just looking at each other. They both knew what Zephyr was saying could only be heard by Ryu, but still, it was embarrassing. 'So why didn't you let me do anything to you...? I wanted to...' Ryu shuffled slightly in awkwardness. "Uh... Well... Because... Can we not talk about it here?" By this point, there was a few people stood watching the two; confusion on their face as they watched the human talk to the Pokémon, as if it was talking back to him. 'No. Please I want to know... Did I turn you on at all?' "Yes Zephyr, you did... Please, not here..." Zephyr stayed quiet, staring at Ryu for more of an answer. Eventually, Ryu gave up and sighed; now crouching down to whisper into the Pokémon's ear. "Yes you did...Zephyr... So much that I had to... You Know... Please, I really did enjoy it but not now... I'll tell you later... Okay...?" By this point Ryu was almost dying with embarrassment; though Zephyr seemed satisfied. At least he knew he'd talk to him about it... Finally he might be able to tell Ryu just how he felt... Maybe they could have a long talk together into the night? Zephyr liked that idea, and so, with that in mind, decided not to pertain any further. Hustling their way past some of the people who had stopped to watch Ryu and Zephyr, they quickly made their way towards the entrance of Route 203. A rather fat child, wearing an extra extra extra large blue shirt stood in the centre; he was speaking, well, shouting at a couple of trainers. "Sooo!! You got a Poketch yet? Nooo? Go get one! They're great fun! You need one to pass by me!!" The kid didn't budge for the couple. Both of them tried reasoning with him, but... He wasn't moving a muscle. The coupled sighed to themselves, walking away slowly in annoyance; they past Ryu, he gave them a little hand notion to stop walking. Then he began to walk towards the fat child; Zephyr following him close by and the couple watched from a distance as he faced the idiot blocking their path. "Hoo! You got yourself a Poketch yet? Noo!?! Couldn't answer the questions! I'll give you a..." "No, you listen to me freak. I'll give you some advice. I don't want this fucking machine and I don't care if you want me to have it! If you don't move out of the fucking way right now I'll smack you so hard your teeth will fly out of your ass and your brain, if any, will fall out of your ears, you got that? Everyone in this fucking town are pricks and if you keep standing in my way, and theirs, so be it I'll fuck you right over..." He gulped, standing still in the same spot; sweat now forming against his chubby face. "Beat it. Before I do something you'll regret." And with that said, he waddled off to the side, huffing as he sat on a pedestal; glaring at Ryu who simply smiled and walked by, allowing the two trainers to walk past with him. The forest gradually tore away from the bustling crowds and buildings of Jubilife; changing into a more relaxing scenic route. By this time, the sun hung slightly to the west; which implied that it was getting late, fast. The couple of trainers said their thanks to Ryu, trotting off down a pathway in the tree's; leaving Ryu and Zephyr alone. 'Right... So what was it you was going to tell me?' Ryu sighed and looked down at Zephyr, looking down into them deep ruby red eyes of his which seemed to sway majestically like the flickers of flames... "Zephyr, I don't know how to say this... I... Well... What we only met a few days ago. Over the past few days, I... I really found that I like you, your such a good friend and I can't have asked for anyone better to be my best buddy ..." Zephyr merely nodded, watching Ryu's face carefully to see if he was lying. It was easy to tell when he was. "And, about last night... Well you wanted to know whether I was aroused, yeah? I'll tell you I was... And trust me I really enjoyed myself last night, even if it wasn't that much... But let's not make anything of this, please? Were friends, yeah?" Looking down to the ground, Zephyr gulped and took a heavy breath. He got his answer... Now how was he going to convince Ryu otherwise? Just before he spoke there was a cry in the background, as if someone was shouting... They both turned around to see Dante running towards them; his green scarf flowing behind him as he sprinted towards the two. Stopping just in time to save a collision, Dante greeted Ryu with a smile; followed by Zephyr. "So, Ryu. Mind showing me how much you've grown?" Ryu's humour getting the better of him, he placed his hand up in the air, measured his height, then Dante's; estimating the difference with both his hands and pouting, thinking about the size difference. "I'd say, I've grown 2" taller than you. Is that all you wanted?" Dante laughed half heartedly, frowning as he stopped. "No, I mean, Pokémon battle?" By this point he was smiling, almost a malice grin. Reluctantly, Ryu agreed, stepping a few paces back from Dante before turning on his heel. He nodded at Zephyr, who gracefully took his place a few paces in front of Ryu; crouching his body ready. Smirking still, Dante swiped a single Poke ball from his belt; throwing it into the air as the ball inflated to the large Poke Ball size. He caught it, pumping his arm forward as he pressed the button; a single read beam shot out from the balls centre, hitting the ground to form a small bird. The light dissipated, revealing a small, common Starley. "Be cautious Zephyr!" The Ninetales turned around, raising an eyebrow slightly; his voice ringing inside Ryu's head. 'You serious?! It's just a little fucking bi-Oofph!' Starley slammed it's small beak into the side of Zephyr's jaw; catching him off guard and causing him to stumble slightly. Ryu simply gave him an 'I told you so' look, which didn't help Zephyr one bit.Not only did he feel emotionally burdened, he was now being humiliated by a tiny bird. 'Fuck this...' Shifting his paw lazily towards the hopping Starley, he whacked it to the side, knocking it out with his paw. Ryu cheered, his arm pumping out into the air in happiness; Zephyr didn't feel that happy, in fact, he decided to waltz towards the tree's, slumping himself down grumpily and staring at the ground. Frowning, Ryu gave Zephyr a single look, cocking his head to the side inquisitively. 'You may as well train your new Pokémon.' He said, almost bitterly, though he tried not to show his jealousy - A weakness he held . Shrugging, Ryu turned to face Dante who had grumbled something about 'Best Starley' and returned the beaten Pokémon to it's Poke Ball. He reached down at his belt; fumbling his fingers around the two small Poke balls which hung loosely. Shinx... He thought, picking up the Poke Ball closest to the front and pressing the centre button; the ball expanding and the familiar red beam firing out, hitting the ground gently and forming a small, 1ft in height canine. Its colourings were odd; a mixture between black and blue, while a small yellow star placed itself at the end of her tail. Eye's, a swirled yellow in colour; confusion spread across her face as it scanned the area around it, Crying 'Shi...' every so often. Zephyr picked up slightly, watching the small creature intently; raising an eye lid as he watched the small creature paw gently at Ryu's leg in confusion. ' Oh... So this is her... She looks fairly harmless... ' For a second he could swear he saw Ryu glance up at him; just a glance, but it made him feel like Ryu had heard him. Paranoia struck him for a second, worrying and wondering if Ryu could hear his thoughts, too. "You gonna come over here then Zephy?" He didn't sound bothered, or look it; relief took over, sighing slightly, yet, he couldn't help but wonder that if Ryu could heard what he was thinking... Would it have changed his answer earlier? 'No, its nice and cool back here.' Ryu simply nodded in reply, mumbling 'Fair enough' to himself as he prepared the little Shinx for her first ever battle. 'What was it he called her again? Oh yeah... Lunix. Its kinda pretty...' He watched the small Shinx pose herself ready to attack; her face and features almost made Zephyr laugh. ' Cute... She is kinda cute, in that, young way...' Mind wandering, Zephyr stared blankly at the unfolding battle in front of him, taking no notice of what was happening, lost in his own thoughts. 'What if Ryu wanted to do something, with another one of his Pokémon...? That just makes my blood boil, really... I couldn't stand to see him with anyone else... But, the way he said it... Sounded like, he didn't have, any feelings for me... That he was just, enjoying himself... ' Frowning to himself slightly, Zephyr probed on deeper into his own thoughts. ' I... I guess I'll just have to make him want me more than anyone else... Damn it... Why's it so hard to make a human love you? What is it that I'm not getting? ' Someone cheered ahead; raising his head slightly to see who it was. On the battle field, lay a beaten looking Shinx; her weak body damaged with cuts and grazes all along her side; in front of her, an Eevee. It's body laid across the floor, aching in agony. 'She must have gotten lucky.' "She didn't." Ryu said carefully, glancing towards Zephyr wryly while hoping Dante didn't notice anything. Frowning once again, Zephyr merely replied with an 'Oh.'. Not wanting to cause a problem after Lunix's first victory. He bowed his head down, almost burying his face in his silky chest hair. 'I'm gonna stay here for a while Ryu. By the looks of it you'll need to train your new Pokémon before we continue.' Not raising his head for a reply, Zephyr sighed into his chest, rolling down onto his side and curling up facing the opposite direction. The thick shadows of the tree's giving him something to focus on; depression curling in his mind as he continued to worry. He was working himself up over all this, and he knew it; but with each new thought and each new possibility, being more than a friend to Ryu seemed almost hopeless. Ryu simply shrugged again, bidding his farewells to a disgruntled Dante, he quickly picked Lunix up; nuzzling her nose slightly in praise. Just as he did, Zephyr took a quick glance over his shoulder; wishing he hadn't as he turned to face the darkness within the tree's... * * *
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- * * Any formatting problems let me know. Next chapter coming up next.