The alley still smelled of dust and stale air. Atlas's steps faltered as he passed the very spot where he'd been beaten, a phantom ache tightening in his chest. A cold knot of fear twisted in his gut, but then he felt the familiar warmth of Buneary in his arms. I'm not alone anymore, the thought came to him like a breath of fresh air, and the fear began to recede. He quickened his pace, passing the alley before she could fully catch his thoughts through their link.
Arriving back at the run-down shack, he carefully opened the door. The single room felt smaller now, empty without the bustling energy of their recent battles. He gestured around awkwardly.
"Well, welcome home. It's… not much, but it does its job."
Buneary hopped from his arms onto the old wooden table. 'As long as we have each other, the location doesn't matter,' she sent through their bond, a warm pulse of comfort. Her eyes, however, were fixed on a dusty picture frame leaning against the wall.
'Who are these people?' she asked, tilting her head. 'They look a lot like you.'
Atlas's gaze followed hers to the faded photo of two smiling people. He looked away, his jaw tightening. The words felt heavy on his tongue.
"They were my parents," he finally managed, his voice barely a whisper. "They died five years ago. They encountered a Yveltal in the wild while trying to find a solution for my problem—the one we just solved."
Buneary's ears drooped in guilt. 'I'm sorry,' she sent, and the emotion that washed over him wasn't just guilt, but a deep, shared sadness. He immediately felt bad for putting that burden on her.
"Don't apologize, it's not your fault." he said, his voice softer now. He walked over to a small cabinet and took out a worn notebook with a pen on top. "Actually, what we found out earlier, you and I, is the thing my parents were looking for a solution for."
He opened the notebook, flipping through a few pages filled with handwritten notes and sketches of Pokémon. "They lost their lives looking for something that would let me bond with a Pokémon, but they hit a dead end. Now that we've solved it, the only way I can pay them back is to live my life to the fullest." he said with a new determination in his voice.
Buneary watched him, her worry obvious thanks to the link. 'I don't want to be the reason you live your life a certain way,' she said. 'That's not a good way to live.'
"I know, but the only way I'll get over my guilt is by doing something like this," he replied with a small smile, trying to reassure her. "Besides, now that I have you, I can register at the Trainer's Association. I can make money by taking on the Trials, passing them gives us access to more dangerous parts of the wilderness. The more trials we pass, the further we can go, and maybe if we get strong enough, we can go look for the Yveltal that took my parents lives."
'So, the harder the trial, the stronger the Pokémon we can fight?' she asked, her voice now full of excitement.
"In a sense. But first," he said, a smile finally reaching his eyes. "Let's get some dinner." He walked to the corner of the room, pulling a few meager ingredients from a mini fridge. As he began to prepare the meal, Buneary hopped off the table and began to inspect the rest of the shack, her curiosity evident.
After they finished their dinner, Atlas cleaned up the dishes, the silence between them comfortable. He finally climbed into his bed, and without a moment's hesitation, Buneary followed, curling up on his chest. A warmth spread through him, a feeling of comfort he hadn't realized he was missing. He felt a slight blush, not from awkwardness, but from the simple, surprising affection of her presence. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her, holding her gently as he drifted off to sleep, filled with a sense of peace he hadn't felt in years.
A groan escapes Atlas as he pushes off the bed, his body protesting from the bruises he'd earned yesterday. He instinctively holds Buneary to his chest, carefully maneuvering to make sure she doesn't fall as he gets up. Placing her back on the bed, he moves to the corner of the small shack to prepare their breakfast.
Midway through making the simple meal, a familiar pulse of warmth and curiosity hits him through their link. He glances back to see Buneary stretching, her eyes still heavy with sleep.
"Well, look who decided to wake up," he says with a soft smile, placing a plate of breakfast on the table.
They eat in a comfortable silence before he lays out his plan. "After this, we're heading to the library. We need to see if we can find out anything about Alpha Pokémon."
After finishing their meal, they head out. The walk from the slums to the city's inner core is a familiar one, but this time, it feels different. For the first time in years, he's walking with a purpose. He reaches the towering library doors, and the two security guards at the entrance glance over. Their faces twist into expressions of visible pity, their eyes lingering on the shiny Buneary sitting on his shoulder. One of them even mutters something to the other, a flicker of disdain in his eyes.
'Fools,' Buneary's voice rings with a cold fury through their link. 'Thinking they can look down on me when I could take them out without a problem.'
Atlas lets out a long sigh, running a hand through his hair. "That ego of yours is going to get you hurt one day, you know that right?" he mutters under his breath, stepping past the guards and into the hushed hall.
'What ego?' she snaps back, the link buzzing with indignation. 'What I'm saying is pure fact, and you just don't want to admit it.' She shifts on his shoulder, turning away from him in a dramatic huff.
Atlas smiles to himself, a feeling of fondness overriding his exasperation. He simply shakes his head, his eyes scanning the vast room for an open table where they can settle down to begin their search.
Atlas found a secluded table in a far corner of the library, away from the hum of other trainers. He set his bag down, and Buneary hopped off his shoulder, her paws making a soft clicking sound on the polished wooden floor. The air was thick with the scent of old paper and dust.
He headed toward the pokemon history section, scanning the spines for anything that looked relevant. He returned to the table a few minutes later, his arms full of heavy, leather-bound books. He dropped the stack onto the table with a soft thud, causing Buneary to jump a little.
"Well, these are what we're going to be looking through for the time being," he said, sitting down. "We need to find out what's so special about you being an Alpha pokemon."
Buneary looked at the pile of books with a skeptical eye. 'And if we don't find what we need in these?' she asked, a hint of worry in her voice.
"Then we'll ask the Librarian," he replied, clearing a small space to start. She nodded, then moved to his side, her curiosity getting the better of her as she watched him open the first book.
He spent the next hour reading, the silence of the library only broken by the soft rustle of pages. He flipped through sections on Pokémon behavior, ancient battles, and local legends. His fingers ached from turning the pages, and a sense of frustration began to build as he found nothing of use. At one point, he came across a book on Pokemon History and quickly slammed it shut upon seeing notes on pokemon marriage and how it worked, a blush creeping up his neck.
Buneary, growing restless, began to nudge the books with her paws. He finally reached the last book in the stack, flipping through it until he found a small, almost forgotten mention of Alpha Pokémon. Reading through it the only detail he could find was that they were much larger than their regular counterparts, ranging from 1.5 to nearly 2.5 times the average size. It was a small bit of information, but information nonetheless.
Closing the book, Atlas stood up and stretched, wincing as the bruises from the previous day made themselves apparent again. Buneary watched him with an expectant look.
"So? Did you find anything about what makes me, an Alpha pokemon, so special?" she asked, her voice a hopeful ping through their link.
Atlas let out a sigh. "I didn't find much, just that you'll grow to be bigger and stronger than regular Pokémon would. For now, let's put these away and then ask the Librarian if she knows where we can find more information."
Grabbing the heavy stack of books, Buneary hopped onto the top and then moved to her usual spot on his shoulder. They walked back to the Pokémon History section, the leather-bound books thudding as Atlas placed them back on the shelves. As they moved toward the front desk, the librarian looked up from her computer.
"Hello?" she said, her eyes meeting his. She paused, her gaze shifting from him to Buneary and then back again. The polite smile on her face faltered, replaced by a flicker of pity and disgust—the same look they'd seen on the security guards. Atlas's expression soured, but he pushed the feeling down, needing to get information for both of them.
"Yes? Do you have any questions?" she asked, her tone now colder.
"I wanted to know if you had anything on 'Alpha' Pokémon?" he asked. The librarian looked back at her computer, her hands moving skillfully across the keyboard. "It doesn't seem like we have anything on 'Alpha' Pokémon in our database," she said, without looking up. "But there is a scientist in Veridia City currently researching them, according to our records. If you want any information, that's the best place you'll find it."
"Thanks," Atlas said, his voice flat. He turned away from the desk and started walking toward the door.
The disgust he felt from the librarian was now a cold fury running through their bond from Buneary. "I hate how everyone looks at you like that," he said, his voice tight with anger. "Like you're garbage that's decided to cling onto me, and they pity me for it.
Buneary sent a wave of pure, unwavering hope through their link. 'Remember, Atlas,' her voice echoed in his mind. 'Even if the world is against us, we still have each other. And maybe the world isn't as bad as we think. We might find others we can trust.'
Atlas let out a long sigh, running a hand over his face. The bitterness in his voice was undeniable. "You're right. It's just that… I haven't come across anyone besides my parents who accepted me for who I was." The words were heavy with a pain he had carried for years.
Buneary didn't respond with words, but with a surge of renewed optimism. 'Now that we're leaving this city,' she sent, 'maybe we'll find those people. People who will accept us both.'
Atlas looked down at her, a small, weary smile on his face. "I hope so," he whispered.
He pushed open the heavy library doors, the sunlight a stark contrast to the quiet gloom of the building. With Buneary nestled on his shoulder, they walked back through the city streets. They were still in the same city, but something was different. Their path was no longer a retreat home, but a step forward. The road to Veridia City stretched out before them, a long and uncertain path, but for the first time in a very long time, Atlas didn't feel alone on it.