A Faraway Place - NPC Account (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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farawayplace2023-04-02 01:03 am
ulternnpc) wrote in farawayplace2023-04-02 01:03 am
Entry tags:
You heard of April Fools, get ready for-
The reverse of that.
Silly white lies? No, none of that will be coming out of anyone's mouths today. Instead, anyone you meet and talk to you be shocked to realize you're incapable of lying. Staying silent may be an option--or is it? For whatever reason, it's really hard to keep your words in today.
You just might be spouting the first thing that comes out of your mind!
What another, peaceful day in Ultern it is!
...what do you mean that it's not? Well, things have been mostly peaceful for a while anyway. Some chaos is always in order! (Apologies to any Domeists in our midst).
*image vaguely related
Silly white lies? No, none of that will be coming out of anyone's mouths today. Instead, anyone you meet and talk to you be shocked to realize you're incapable of lying. Staying silent may be an option--or is it? For whatever reason, it's really hard to keep your words in today.
You just might be spouting the first thing that comes out of your mind!
What another, peaceful day in Ultern it is!
...what do you mean that it's not? Well, things have been mostly peaceful for a while anyway. Some chaos is always in order! (Apologies to any Domeists in our midst).
(🌺You thought there'd be no April Fools event?! Surprise! It's true, this is reverse-April Fools. Please enjoy, and don't forget about the OOC plotting post!🌺)
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"Sorry I yelled at you, I hate being yelled at too, it's scary," he immediately says after Elio mentions that. "I wasn't trying to yell, it just- It came out like that. Sorry. I don't know what I want from you either. You don't have to like me, I just want to not feel awful when I look at you, and I want to be honest with you, and understand you, and I don't want you to hate me. That's too much to ask for I guess." He lets out a small, unhappy laugh.
Gold nods at Elio's mention of somebody he reminds him of, but when Elio stands up, he figures maybe it was something he should try to forget. But still, it kind of... feels like maybe he could start acting natural around Elio and things would be okay.
"Okay. I guess that's alright then if you don't wanna stay. Maybe I shouldn't stay there either... I dunno how to act around Professor Banyan. The way he likes everyone feels like he doesn't really like anyone and that's so uncomfortable-" Gold gasps, looking shocked with himself and turns to look up at Elio. "Don't tell him I said that!! -Sorry, I yelled again, I'm horrible..."
Gold slowly smiles painfully at that last comment.
"I'm glad you don't. I don't think I hate you anymore. Sorry about everything, it's all my fault."
He won't try to follow Elio if he leaves.
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Since Gold wasn't looking in his direction, he chose to turn away again. This time to just stare out into the horizon.
"Ultern really reminds me of Alola." An offhand comment, but he couldn't really stop himself from blurting it out. "I wonder if that's how people from Hoenn also feel? Not that I've been there before. Sorry, that's not really related to what we're talking about."
He stopped as he considered what Gold had told him, as he mulled over what to say next.
"You're not the only liar around here. When we first met, what I kept thinking about was wanting to leave right away. I only meant to give Professor Beni a present and head back to the island over, but then I met you. I was surprised, but I wanted to try my best to get along. I like it when the people around me are able to be happy, so I thought getting along with the right thing." He shrugged. "But I realize that was kinda pointless, huh? If we didn't talk like this, would you have just continued to not like me? You don't have to answer, it's okay if you do. No one has to like me. It's scary when someone pays too much attention to me."
There, he placed his hand over his mouth again. He didn't want to look at Gold after that.
"No, shut up, Sun. You know that's not fair. Stop saying things you'll regret later." He slapped his own cheeks with both hands. "Okay! Oh, sorry, I'm raising my voice too--but If I leave, or if you leave things aren't gonna change at all. That much I can figure out even if this isn't exactly fun."
"--I can't change how you feel about Professor Beni just like how you can't change how I feel about...about not having a home anywhere, in any world." He inhaled sharply. "C'mon, Gold. We should go--ah not separately, but together. I think...you know, you misunderstood me, and Professor Beni a lot. We don't have to go see him, but I think if you spoke to him more you'd understand him a lot more! That's how it goes with anyone, and with Pokemon too."
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When Elio talks about Alola, Gold keeps his mouth blocked and just nods. It really doesn't have anything to do with this, but Gold gets the feling Elio actually does feel some sort of homesickness, despite saying he doesn't have a home.
"Really? Huh, so if I'd just said what I wanted to and told you to leave back then, we woulda both gotten what we wanted. I dunno if that woulda been better though. I couldn't have said it though, I was scared the Professor would kick me out if I was nasty to you." Gold pauses, wondering if that's something he should panic about saying, but actually finds he's at ease with Elio knowing that. Huh.
The part 'it's scary when someone pays too much attention to me' has him blinking in surprise. That felt too specific.
"You got a stalker or some- No, sorry, I didn't say that, don't answer that. Too personal, I got it. I don't wanna know. But I'd totally kill- No, ugh, shut up shut up..." He presses his jaw shut, leaning against his hands. That's too much, just forget it, Elio doesn't want to talk about whatever that is.
"...I think things have already changed," he manages after a moment. "This all sucks but I already... see you as a person more than before. Ugh, that's not... That's not how I meant it, it was just you felt so alien I didn't get you and I didn't even want to get you. Ugh, that's worse!" Gold groans. "I can't say what I meant in a polite way because there is no polite way!! --I raised my voice again, sorry."
Elio bringing up the idea of going to Banyan has Gold freezing up slightly, and he shrinks into himself, still sitting down.
"Do we have to go talk to him? I don't want him to see the worst of me, I'm terrified of anybody finding out that I-" He bites his cheek to stop talking for a moment, before continuing: "He owns the house I live in, if he finds out what I'm really like he'll throw me out. No, he wouldn't do that... But I can't trust that. I can't, I can't talk to him right now..." Gold shakes his head, screwing his eyes shut.
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When Gold admitted his own fears about being kicked out by Banyan he thought back to the Ulternian Professor.
"I don't think he'd kick either of us out. If I had been upfront about how I felt, then things wouldn't have ended the way it did, but I was worried about hurting both you and Professor Beni. I mean, I think Professor Beni maybe knew I wanted to head out again but I chose to stay. I stayed because it was nice meeting someone again around my age, who spoke in an accent I'm familiar with. I thought I got better at talking to others, but I remember being a little nervous too. I'm not that good at making new human friends, like with Pokemon."
He'll begin digging into his bag to reach one of his Pokeballs, a Quick Ball. He temporarily stopped when Gold spoke again. He tried hard not to think about it but immediately, he blurted--"I wish it was a stalker then things would be much easier."
Sighing, Elio bite down. He did not want to think hard on it, so instead he stared at the Quick Ball that was now in his hand. He could sense the Pokemon that was inside--Nebby.
"Oh, I get it. It's hard understanding a stranger. It's easier to just not and make up your mind about them by treating them like not a person. Don't worry, I'm not upset, it's actually refreshing getting to know what someone's thinking. I mean, I'd be lying if I said that didn't hurt but I've heard worse anyway."
Throwing the ball to call out Nebby, he paused and turned over to Gold. Taking in how the other boy was he beamed as bright as he could.
"Gold, I want you to meet my friend." He turned over to look at Nebby. "This is Nebby--I was actually in the middle of looking for him when we first met." Elio lightly patted Nebby's side, before he knelt down and held his hand to Gold. "We're going to ride on Nebby and just go but we don't have to go and see Professor Beni."
He then grinned wide.
"Let's go somewhere else."
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"...Yeah, I don't really think he's the kinda guy who'd kick anyone out, but still, I'd rather leave myself than risk that." He pauses for a moment. Huh, now that he said that out loud he realizes that is how he feels. "Familiar accent? Yeah, I know how that is, one time I talked to somebody just because they were talking this one rare kinda Kanto accent, I dunno what it's called. I guess you don't really think about missing stuff like that until you end up somewhere different. Wait, so you're from Johto or Kanto?" The last sentence is less of a question and more of a surprise, like he just realized it the moment he said it.
"Yeah, making friends is hard. They just happen. I ended up making friends with Trip kinda on accident-" And he suddenly starts laughing. "Oh man, Trip told me the other day people don't just tell their secrets to random strangers easily! And look at us now!" It's an ironic, sharing-misery kind of laugh. Elio might not even get why that's funny, but it just is. The laugh tapers off pretty quickly, and he just kind of sighs when it's over.
"Worse than stalker? I bet you don't wanna talk about that. I'll forget about it. Man, wish I could forget as easily as Silver." The last part is spoken quietly to himself, but Elio can still probably hear it.
"Thanks for getting it. I guess it's kinda relieving hearing the truth and knowing it's the truth. But hey, you should say some more painful shit about me too. I feel bad if it's just me hurting you. Come on, you've gotta have something you hate about me, right? Like how it's a pain to deal with me or my smile is annoying or something. I've heard it all before," Gold says in a casual tone, too used to all that to be phased by saying it.
"Huh?" Gold asks in surprise, blinking up at Nebby as he's introduced. "Wasn't that the Pokemon you were riding back then? Oh, or is this a different... Solgelo?" He frowns. "No, that wasn't it... Solegao?"
He looks at Elio's hand, hesitating for a moment, before slowly reaching out and taking it, letting Elio help him up. This kind of feels like a big decision he just made. Or maybe it was just accepting a helping hand.
"Where are we going?"
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At Gold's next question at least, there was no hesitation in his response: "Kanto. Not that I haven't heard a bunch of accents in Ultern, but I feel like for the most part it's been Ulternian accents and Hoenn accents but they sound kinda similar so I can't tell which is which some times. Except maybe Professor Beni's. His can be really heavy when he gets super excited and he sometimes blurt out Ulternian--but that's not so bad. People in Alola did the same."
Wow, okay that was a lot of rambling but it wasn't like he was alone in this. At the mention of "Trip", Elio paused. He thought back to the blonde haired Unovan trainer he met in the cafe.
"Oh, so that's the other thing you lied to me about." It was an offhanded comment, which he really didn't mean harm by if his wincing and biting of his lower lip gave a clear indication. "--I should have figured, but I thought you could have just been someone else altogether, back there. Kinda like how Ashy and Lillie both are."
At the comment of sharing secrets however, Elio averted his gaze. Mostly to run his hand through Nebby's fur. The Sunne Pokemon gave a loud purr in response.
"...it'll take a while to forget but it really is better to let it be. I mean, it doesn't matter to anyone here anyway. If she did show up I could just- oh, no. Stop it, stop being like that, Sun." He muttered to himself. He turned his gaze back to Gold and gave a laugh.
"I don't want to say horrible things about someone because it's a waste of time, for me! For you, too. I feel like I'm going to vomit when I do, because if I ever raised my voice, or said how scared I was, or lashed out--" Elio's eyes widened in horror as he covered his mouth. When he does, Nebby immediately gave a soft snort in his direction before gently rubbing his face against Elio. Looking up, he gave a smile to Nebby. "Thanks, Nebby. --and Gold, I just don't feel angry at you, I really don't. So you know, all I can do is tell you what I feel now. I mean, I already am."
Stepping away from his Pokemon, Elio beamed. "Hehe, it's much easier talking about Nebby, anyway. That other one, Solgaleo, Nebby and I found him together. He drifted here looking for his trainer so Nebby went first to find him. Nebby was never the type to keep still, anyway. So we were both just chasing after him."
Once he helped Gold back up to his feet, Elio didn't even hesitate: "To Overlook Hill! Oops, I didn't mean to be loud. I just like going there. Have you been?"
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"Oh, you're from Kanto? All your Pokemon looked exotic so I thought you were from Alola or something. I guess people can move to other regions though. I never really left New Bark Town so I didn't think about that," Gold says. This feels like a pretty safe topic to talk about, but Gold feels like he should probably shut his mouth before he says too much about his hometown.
"Ah, yeah, that was a lie," Gold says casually, not offended in the least. "You didn't realize? I kinda thought you knew what was up but just pretended you didn't. Did I really only lie to you about two things? That can't be right, I feel like I lie a lot more than that in general." He's noticed Elio mentioning Ash and Lillie a few times now, but he doesn't really consider it important. So Ash and Lillie exist in multiple worlds too, not a surprise.
Gold pretends he's not listening to what Elio mutters, but parts of it do stick out. The part about a 'her' showing up prickles Gold's neck uncomfortably.
"If somebody you wanna hide from shows up I'll help you hide with no questions," he says with practiced casualness, offhandedly, like it's not very important. He's a bit surprised with himself for offering that to Elio, who he hasn't even cared about for very long, but since he said it it must be true.
"Alright, if it's hard then you don't gotta say anything," Gold says. "It's kinda annoying how nice you are, but I guess I gotta believe it's not fake now. I feel like scum next to you. Ugh, but you don't wanna hear that..." he mutters the last part.
"Oh, okay. That's kinda confusing but I get it," Gold says. He looks at Nebby, trying and failing to find any ways he's different from the Solgaleo he met back then.
"Being loud is fine if you're happy about it," Gold assures Elio. "It feels different then. Yeah, I've been there, I explored all of the island the first few months after I came here." Not that Overlook Hill really made much of an impression on Gold. "So... Do I just climb on?" he asks, looking at Nebby, hesitating.
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At the mention of moving, Elio does his best to keep his expression the same. Even if his smile doesn't reach his eyes at all.
"Yeah, I moved. Not by choice but it turned out okay because I got to escape." Oh, diddly darn. He said too much. He's looking away trying to focus hard on Nebby. "I heard a little bit about New Bark Town. Professor Elm lives there right? Ashy told me once about Professor Elm. He told me how once the Professor started talking, he didn't stop." He chuckled, thinking fondly about his friend more than the Professor he hasn't met. "Oh, but...was it the same where you're from? I know people, and places can be different in other worlds."
He was used to meeting same people, with differing personalities. He does give a look to Gold, tilting his head.
"Honestly, that's why I thought back in the cafe, maybe you were someone else. If you were, it wouldn't have been a good feeling having a stranger tell you who you are, and aren't. Plus my hands were a bit full with Rose at the time--the Chikorita I was with. If you did lie to me more than those times...I don't remember. Maybe they were small lies, but who doesn't tell lies? I've told them too, like I've said."
He's a little surprised when Gold offered to give him a place to hide.
"But where would I even hide here? Professor Beni's? I guess that would be a safe bet...or maybe the forest? I guess Chura or Tingala...ah, those are the other islands in Ultern. They're further away." He began to explain. He then paused considering Gold's offer briefly, and spoke: "thanks, Gold but if...if she--uh, um you know. Instead of hiding I think. I think I might just fight instead. ...oh." He laughed, finally realizing what he really wanted to do. "Yeah, I would fight that person! If I don't, they might hurt someone else."
At Gold's comment about being scum--he immediately faced him.
"No." For once his tone is firm. "You're not scum, you're just doing your best the way you know you can. Like me, I'm just trying my best too. I don't have to be Su--er, I mean I don't have to be like how I used to be. Besides," his expression softened. "You just wanted me to feel angry too, right? It's not natural if I don't, but...the people I do hate aren't here."
When Gold seemed puzzled about the two Solgaleos, he smiled to himself. If he wasn't Nebby's trainer, he no doubt would have confused the two, too.
"They're both Nebby, actually...but that other Nebby's trainer calls him Solgaleo now." He explained a bit. "Confusing, right? Anyway!"
Elio with learned ease, hopped onto Nebby's back. Once he does he'll offer his hand once more to Gold.
"Here, I'll pull you up. You might want to hold on too since Nebby's real fast." Nebby in response let's out a "Lioo!" as if to reassure Gold. "He might be really intimidating looking but Nebby's really nice. I've known him since he was just a little Cosmog."
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"Escape? From your hometown? Hell yeah, same here," Gold says, giving a small fistpump, almost like he wants to bump fists, but aborts the gesture since he's not sure Elio's up for that. It's probably no surprise he's not especially excited about the subject of Elm. "Hmm... Yeah, that sounds like Professor Elm," Gold says with a slightly bitter tone. "Didn't stop talking, never listened to me properly or even learned my name."
"Yeah, if there weren't multiple people from other worlds I still would've tried that." He pauses. "...I was gonna say 'I wouldn't have tried that' but I guess that woulda been a lie. I lie a lot y'know, it's fun and useful, but I haven't been doing it as much lately since I don't wanna disappoint dad." He pauses, making a sour face and covering his mouth. Talking about lying's fine and dandy, but the dad part was something he didn't want to reveal.
"I dunno, didn't think that far. Thought you could hide under my bed or something." Gold shrugs. "But if you wanna fight, great! I'll help if you wanna. Don't want whoever that is to hurt people either."
The firm tone kind of startles Gold, but not in a bad way. He stares at Elio, wide-eyed, but then relaxes into a small smile.
"So you can hate people? That's great. You seemed too perfect," he says happily. "I'm still a worse person than you though, and that's just a fact! I love stealing and lying, and I'v-bghh." That was the sound of Gold biting his lower lip while in the middle of talking. He pauses, and doesn't keep talking until he's sure he won't say what he was about to say. "Anyway, thanks for saying that!"
"Oh, so it's Nebby from another world," Gold says in realization. "Huh. Never thought about it but I guess Pokemon have doubles like humans do."
He accepts Elio's hand and climbs up clumsily, much less used to clinbing large Pokemon than Elio.
"Alright, I trust you and Nebby," Gold says as he's settling in behind Elio, and blinks as he realizes he means it. Huh. Well, no time to dwell on that, he has to figure out what to hold on to. Holding on to Elio means Elio would have to hold on for the both of them, so after some deliberation, Gold holds on to Nebby's fur in front of Elio, leaning against Elio's back. That way if Gold ends up falling, Elio would notice.
"Is this okay?" he asks, just to make sure.
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"Well, I didn't mind my hometown but-umm!" Elio's quick to cough over his words. "It's complicated since the Kanto I knew is different from the Kanto where I moved to..." he trailed off. He saw Gold held up his fist and pondered if Gold had wanted him to reciprocate the fist bump. However before Elio could react, Gold was already moving his hand away. At the mention of Professor Elm just being the absolute same had a frown form.
"Somehow I'm not surprised. He's not the same Professor Elm, but the one I heard about didn't even realize one of his Pokemon in his care went missing. I don't like that about him very much. Maybe because I've seen how Professor Kukui and Beni are like..."
At the mention of "Dad" and how abruptly Gold changed subject made Elio think for a moment. Not that it really stopped his mouth from moving.
"I have a Dad apparently. I never met him once. I've been told he's working overseas but I don't believe it. Maybe he's dead, maybe he's not coming home. Whatever the truth is, that's fine with me. I don't have one as far as I know. Why look for someone that never tried to look for me?" Yeah, that's how's felt all this time having to hear this and that about his Father. At least he felt a little bit better airing out his own thoughts. "Anyway, I think it's nice that you're trying to make a change for someone. I did too, because we were both so similar. I felt like things wouldn't have changed unless I tried to move forward like she did."
His expression dimmed. Thinking about his friend, and mentioning about the people he hated just reminded him about his own anger.
"If I were to be honest, I really wish Mo--no, that person just not be in my life or anyone's life." He'll leave it at that. He really didn't want to be reminded of her but unfortunately his mind wouldn't let go of that topic easily.
"I don't think it's fair to compare ourselves. I mean...I can't even do basic things but everyone around me just sorta assumed I could. It's my fault I couldn't even tell them that much. Funny, right? ...it's not funny, actually. Never mind. Forget I said something dumb like that! What I really wanna say is, you got good and bad things about you like how I got good and bad things about me. That just makes us all whole like the sun and the moon that shines over us."
Elio's grinning when Gold seemed to get that oops! Solgaleo and Nebby were alternates of one another.
"Honestly I was surprised to see you had a Lugia--Umbar! I've only heard stories from Ashy so I was amazed."
Waiting for Gold to settle, Elio considered going but he realized Gold wasn't exactly holding on to him. Was that safe? No, that can't be. He glanced over his shoulder to Gold.
"You should hold on to me, just in case. Don't worry, I'm used to riding Nebby so it's going to be okay." He reassured the other. He'll wait for Gold to readjust before giving Nebby the signal to move forward.
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"Yeah, the town itself was fine, but somebody who lived there was the problem, right? Or maybe it's different for you, I dunno. Anyway, I get you."
"Oh yeah, that's Elm all right!" Gold barks out a laugh. "He gave me my first Pokemon so I'm grateful for that, but I don't care if I never see him again. Professor Banyan's the only good Professor I've met."
The way Elio talks about his dad has Gold kind of thoughtful.
"Yeah, I thought that too about my dad for a while, but then I met him," he says with a faraway look in his eyes. "Still kinda think he should've tried harder to come see me, but... I get it. He had my sister to take care of. And my mom was-" he stops himself, biting his cheek. "Anyway, once I met him I just- I- never felt that kinda love before so I- Ah, shit." He pushes at his eyes to stop himself from tearing up. Not now, not in front of Elio. He resolves to not bring up his dad anymore.
He stays silent for a long moment, just nodding to show he's listening to Elio. He empathetically nods in response to Elio wishing 'that person' wouldn't be in his life anymore. He absolutely knows that feeling. He doesn't know who it is Elio's thinking of, but it reminds him of his own mom. He doesn't want to assume it's Elio's mom, but a part of him is thinking it.
"Oh," Gold says, taking his hands off his face to look at Elio apologetically. "I made fun of you not knowing how to cook, huh? Maybe I didn't say that out loud but I was thinking it. Sorry. There's lots of stuff I dunno either that a lot of people know, like TV and celebrities and clothes and the internet and stuff. But people here are nice about that, since there's people from different worlds and times so there's less stuff everybody should know I guess." Gold shuts his mouth, not because he said anything he didn't want to say, but because his words were starting to veer into irrelevant random thoughts he was having.
"Good and bad shines over us like the sun and moon, huh?" Gold says, then smiles. "That's nice. I like that way of thinking about it. You gotta have both the sun and moon to be whole, and you need both good and bad. And anybody who thinks they've only got the sun are just wrong! -Sorry, that was irrelevant, forget about that." He might've started thinking about certain people he dislikes, there.
"Oh yeah, there might be alternates of my Pokemon too!" Gold glances down at his Pokeballs. "So are the Lugia from other worlds alternate versions of Umbar or just different Lugia?"
Umbar, in his lure ball, offers no answer.
"Oh, okay," Gold says. This is kind of awkward, but he wraps his arms around Elio's waist and holds on tight. "You sure this is alright? I feel like I'll fall if you fall! I mean I've had more unsteady rides, but that was on my own Pokemon so it was different," he can't help but say. But he holds on to Elio and is prepared for them to set off, and once Nebby actually starts moving he'll feel more confident about this.
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Thinking on Elm, Elio's making a face like he's unexpectedly at something sour.
"He should really take a page from either Professor Kukui or Professor Beni. Oh well, it's not like we'll see him here. If he does show up, we can just not talk to him." Right? He couldn't exactly go fight the man, which made him think about someone else entirely in return. "I'm sure Guzma would have...Never mind, I'm thinking out loud."
Elio's quiet again, as he thought of what Gold said. "We really got a complicated family, huh? My Dad is...well, it doesn't matter. He wasn't there, and whatever his reason for not being there won't make things better. We should just stop talking about it, right?" Plus it didn't seem like Gold wanted to keep dwelling on the topic. Why force themselves that? Okay, it was kinda hard NOT to. "I'd rather think about something else anyway!"
At Gold's apology about poking fun at his lack of basic cooking skills, Elio shook his head.
"That's okay, even if you did or just thought it. I'm still lacking in a lot of skills...but I've got time to learn it, like how I learned how to be a Pokemon Trainer." He couldn't help but smile fondly when Gold continued on. He didn't mind the other veering off topic. He's already did plenty of that himself. "I guess I could try learning that too while I'm here in Ultern."
There's a small laugh from Elio, when Gold started talking about the sun.
"We're all different, so I guess some would prefer that one over the other! I like both, but I also like the moon a little more. Things are quieter then, and it makes me think about Se-Selene..." He couldn't help stammer out Selene's name. Why was his stammering?! He buried his face to hide his embarrassment.
"Ahaha, a-anyway! I don't know if that Lugia and Umbar were alternates since I never met that specific Lugia before... all I know is, Ashy met them down in the Orange Archipelago! I wasn't there but I remember the weather getting crazy at one point during that time back home..." he trailed off. "I know the Orange Archipelago is further away from Johto, so maybe they are different?"
That was something to think about, and maybe something he could ask Banyan. Putting that thought aside, he nodded over to Gold.
"Okay," He looked back to Gold once more. "I've got experience! If you can't trust me just trust Nebby he won't let you go flying. Right, Nebby?" He gave a pat with Nebby giving a roar in response. Holding on to Nebby's mane, Elio gives a signal for him to set off. "To Overlook Hill, Nebby!"
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"Meh, Elm probably wouldn't even remember me. I'll just ignore him or pretend I don't know him if he shows up, so you do that too," Gold says petulantly. "Who's Guzma? Actually I don't care, I'm just thinking out loud too so you can ignore that."
Gold nods to the talk about dads, but something about the way Elio talks has him feeling kind of defensive over his dad.
"I like my dad, okay? He's not like yours, I do like thinking about him, even if it's hard, and I miss him. So don't think I hate him or anything," he says with an annoyed edge to his voice. "Just thought you should know that!"
He goes back to smiling like it was nothing when they talk about cooking though.
"Yeah, you should! I probably can't teach you since I think I got some weird cooking habits. I dunno what's normal until people stare at me like I said something weird. So get somebody else to teach you!"
"That's not really what I meant but whatever," Gold says, staring flatly at Elio. The blushing and stammering is weird, and Gold doesn't understand what's up, but it looks like Elio's embarrassed, so Gold keeps any comments to himself and pretends it's not happening.
"Orange Archipelago? Never heard of it," Gold says. "Umbar, what about you?"
"Me neither," a tinny, smooth male voice comes from the Pokeballs on Gold's waist. Gold shows no reaction and offers no explanation to that. He hasn't forgotten Elio's never heard Umbar talk in human language before, he just thinks it's fun to spring Umbar on people unexpectedly. (Umbar thinks it's fun too.)
"Huh, I guess Orange Archipelago doesn't exist in our world then," Gold says casually.
Gold holds on to Elio tightly at first, tensed up, but quickly forgets his fear and watches the scenery go by in awe. He's never ridden a Pokemon this fast before.
1/2 since the comment is so long kasjksfj
He'll let that subject drop too as he thought back on Elm.
"I really don't even know what that guy looks like now that I think about it...so if I did meet him I guess I wouldn't know until he said his name." When Gold questioned about Guzma it made Elio smile. "I don't mind. Guzma's someone I knew back in Alola! I like him, he's nice. Although I don't think he'd like hearing me say that to anyone, so let's just have that be our secret."
Thinking about Guzma brought a grin to Elio's face. Not that it lasts when Gold became prickly about his own Dad. Elio couldn't help but stiffen, but he managed to keep up his own smile not wanting to outwardly show how that had just effected him.
"I wasn't trying to say that you did--I was just saying, I don't really care about mine. That's all! Sorry. I don't want to talk about family, actually. It gives me the worst feeling in the world even if it's supposed to be nice."
He was glad to move on from that. Yeah cooking, cooking was a safe subject absolutely not related at all!!! Except--
"I wouldn't know what's weird or not either when it comes to cooking. She made my food, and I had to eat it no matter what it was, or how it tasted because I should be really grateful-" He paused not wanting to think about it further. Instead he'd rather think about Selene again even if it made him feel weird, but not in a bad way.
At Gold's stare Elio could only laugh, and add a hasty, "--sorrrry! It just slipped, I just think about her when I think about the night that's all!"
When Umbar spoke up, Elio didn't seem startled or surprised, given the tales he's heard from his friend. Instead, he nodded in understanding.
"Yeah, no one in Alola seemed to know about some of the places I mentioned like the Orange Archipelago. I guess it just doesn't exist in a lot of the other worlds." He doesn't think to elaborate further than that.
2/2
"We're here! How about we walk the rest of the way?"
"Lioli?" Nebby rumbles out questioningly. From the purr he gave, it was clear he wanted to walk around a little more with the two.
"Ahaha, of course you can walk with us too, Nebby."
1/2 yeah long comment is long
"Oh, I guess you wouldn't, huh. Well, if he shows up and says who he is, smile and walk away! Or something like that," Gold laughs. Hearing about Guzma has him smiling too. "Oh, that kinda friend. Maybe he's kinda like Silver."
"Alright. Sorry. I knew you weren't talking about my dad but I sorta... Nevermind, let's not talk about family any more," Gold looks away, feeling guilty. Seems like dads are a sore spot for both of them, but in different ways.
Except not talking about family is hard when talking about cooking.
"Wow, she cooked for you so much you never learned to cook? Must've b-" And Gold slams his mouth shut, covering it with his hand. He could tell what was coming out wasn't nice. He'd been thinking something along the lines of how he would've liked to have that food, even if it was bad, but that was obviously the worst thing he could say. Gold shakes his head, still covering his mouth.
"Okay," Gold says, still just staring blankly. He hasn't seen Elio flustered like that before so it's a bit odd, and he doesn't know what to say about it, so he just moves on.
Gold is a bit disappointed by the lack of reaction to Umbar, but whatever.
"Yeah, makes sense," Gold says, not thinking about that enough to realize Elio just implied he's been in two worlds before arriving in Ultern. Umbar notices, but doesn't say anything, just makes a mental note.
2/2
But he knows the sights up the hill are worth climbing up. Even here, at the foot, the scenery's already great. Gold hasn't been here since last year's autumn. Though the weather in Ultern doesn't seem to change much over the year, the place seems a bit different.
"Wow, there's more flowers than last time I came here." He doesn't intend to say it out loud, but it's the least offending thing the truth effect's made him say, so he doesn't mind.
1/2
"I guess I could just do that! I sorta did that a lot in Alola, haha. That probably made some people angrier but it was easier to just leave." He admitted, and at the mention of a "silver", he's curious. "Is Silver your friend from back home? Also I don't know if Guzma's a friend but I like him plenty. He'd probably laugh it off if I told him that."
Not talking about family? Not a problem is what Elio would be saying if he didn't still think about family even as they dropped the touchy topic on Fathers. Unfortunately, the other topic of Mothers seemed to hang just as awkwardly. Elio pointedly looked away. He felt the tip of his fingers feeling cold, and tingly.
"I couldn't do anything she didn't like." He tried to keep his tone as neutral as he could. It was impossible to however with the truth effect taking over him. "I wish--no, please. I don't want to talk about this either. Why do I have to keep thinking about her? She's not here."
He'd rather think of happier things, from Nebby's soft fur. The salty breeze, to-
"...I'm just trying to live the way I want. That's all." He uttered, hoping for the wind to just carry his words away.
2/2
"Lilionnn!" Nebby replied cheerfully. Elio laughed, ruffling Nebby's fur with both hands. He's hopping off of the Sunne Pokemon with practiced ease, before stretching out his arms.
"Okay, you can stay on top of Nebby." Elio nodded, before taking the lead. "Let's head on up you two!"
Where was Elio getting all this energy from? It's a mystery. Regardless, he walks with Nebby moving along his side. The newly blossoming flowers gently swayed along the wind.
"The flowers are nice." He glanced over to Gold, grinning. "I bet the view up ahead is even prettier now that it's spring!"
1/2
The subject of mothers is tough for them both, and Gold cringes guiltily when he sees what his words did to Elio.
"I know, right. It's not fair," he says with a heavy heart, and reaches over to pat Elio on the shoulder. "Sorry. We're both gonna be free from now on. Let's not talk about them. Let's not even think about them. Let's think about-" He struggles to think of something to say that wouldn't have either of them thinking about their parents, so they wouldn't be tempted to talk about them either. "-Hobbies! I'm thinking of starting a plushie collection!"
2/2
He holds on to Nebby when the Pokemon starts to walk, and looks at the flowers. It's a nice view from up here, especially when he doesn't have to walk.
"Yeah, this season's pretty," Gold says. "But summer and autumn are the best seasons. Summer because it's warm and autumn because there's lots of food!"
1/2
He'll slap his hand over his mouth as if caught being up past his bed time.
"Uh, no worries. I'll pretend I didn't hear that!" He was quick to reassure before thinking about Guzma. "Speaking of rivals...he's definitely rivals with Professor Kukui. Umm, they're both around the same age I think! I'm not really sure how old they are but...they're way older than the two of us." Elio nodded to himself, while thinking about the two men.
"Also he used to be the boss of Team Skull, but he quit, and had them all disband. They were kind of fun! But I really can't recognize them without their masks..."
Elio was glad that Gold was willing to shove the subject about, well, family in general. At the mention of hobbies--
"I don't know...let's see...trying to complete my Pokedex? It let me make new friends that way--wait!" His eyes lit up. "Photos! Um, they're not the best but I really like taking photos with my Rotom Dex. I've taken a bunch in Alola and here too."
2/2
"Eheh, I like the summer too. It's the best time to visit the sea! Plus the last month of winter it gets way too cold to go visit. My first winter in Ultern I ended up catching a cold and it sucked." He made a face. "On top of that there were more Tentacool and Tentacruel in the water so it made it really hard for my Ride Pokemon. I didn't even think to pack a Repel that day, talk about bad luck."
He shivered just remembering the blistering cold, and the not so happy jellyfish Pokemon.
"Anyway, autumn's nice too. The Harvesting Bonds Festival was pretty fun. I definitely ate too much then, but also during the spring too when we went to the Memorial Garden. That's where the graves are and...oh that doesn't sound like a happy thing to talk about, huh?" Elio scratched his head. "I freaked out the first time, I mean. But I did have a lot of fun there too."
1/2
"You talked about Professor Kukui before. He's a bit like Professor Banyan, right?" Based on how Elio's talked about him, anyway. "So Guzma's like, old. I was imagining a teen or something."
"Team Skull? Another team kinda like Team Rocket? Huh, cool," Gold says. His mental image of what Guzma looks like keeps shifting. Now he's imagining somebody Professor Banyan's age, with a suit like a Team Rocket admin, and a masquerade mask?
"Photos? Hey, Trip likes taking photos too!" Gold's face lights up. "Didn't he take some photos of Rose at the cafe? I saw them at the Professor's house. You should go see them, they're pretty good! Anyway, you guys would get along! I think I kinda accidentally sent him after you at the cafe though." Gold's face falls a bit as he remembers that. "He took it like a spy mission even though I just didn't want to talk to you. Sorry."
2/2 me trying to figure out the geography of new bark town
The thought had Gold's heart aching slightly. Even though he doesn't want to go back, it was still a place that formed his childhood. Maybe... Maybe someday, he'll visit it.
Elio's next words bring him back to Ultern, and he blinks, and smiles as he remembers the Harvesting Bonds Festival.
"Harvesting Bonds Festival was fun. I helped bake pies for it, and set up decorations too. And some friendly Murkrow hung out with me, too! And I met Trip, but not that Trip. A little Trip," he grins. It was thanks to meeting little Trip that he eventually made friends with the older one, so it's one of his fondest memories.
"Wait, there's another festival in the spring?" Gold asks. "Is that gonna be soon? What's it like, do we visit the graves?" He wants to be prepared for it.
1/2
2/2 sorry this took such a long wait!
1/2 no worries, I was on hiatus anyway!
2/2