Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"So, would you believe me that I want you to come with me to Alola, just so I can check on Satoshi, and perhaps we can do something together like old times?"

From across the screen, a face of disbelief looked at him, and Takeshi knew he was doomed for failure. Perhaps, he was being a little too broad with how he was saying it or not giving enough information about it. Or, or, or along with many other possibilities running in his head.

The young man couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed, as he looked downwards.

"Takeshi, couldn't you… at least give me some more information instead of throwing it out there like that?" The person he speaks to over the videophone finally speaks up, and she seems curious and confused as well.

It was Kasumi, a long time friend and companion from the old days, as she peered at him from across the video.

"Er, I was hoping that would do the job but that didn't seem… to be a good idea huh!"

"Hey, hey I'm not putting you down, just... your very vague reasonings! Takeshi, you just contacted me out of nowhere, after a good long while- so well..."

There's a silence, that's become an somewhat of a wall between them, and there's nothing, nothing more than him wanting it to be smashed down.

There was someone who've could have done that, the whole damn reason he even brought it up in the first place, but Satoshi was not going to do it for him.

Because this time after all those times of him saving the world multiple times over, Satoshi was the one who needed help and friends at his side- to help him readjust to living life.

Perhaps that silence was too long that, Kasumi cleared her throat in the middle of all his musings.

"Not to like, disrupt your very serious thinking face, which is something I pretty rarely seen in all our time together, but may I hazard a guess of what's going on?"

The man twitches, because he sure can make serious faces when HE WANTS! But he semi-composes himself, trying to look unbothered, yet fails. He is talking on videophone with his longest yet shortest traveling companion, after all.

"I would try to say something to that but I am trying to recover my ever often lambasted dignity."

A snort comes out from Kasumi from the screen, and he himself can't help but chuckle. He set himself up for this, if he thinks about it.

"Anyways, here are some thoughts I'm having about your whole ... thing, proposal, or whatever."

She pauses, and looks straight at Takeshi who had the gall to look away.

"Hello? Do you want me to tell you or not, Takeshi? Actually I'm telling you whether you like it or not. I am sensing there's a whole other reason behind this and you are not telling me it."

This is why he looked away.

In-spite the fact that Kasumi had stopped travelling with Satoshi after Johto, she had been aware, or somewhat aware of the dangerous things Satoshi has gone through and in perceptive of such emotions others had felt about it.

She had been there at the scene, having to save Satoshi from nearly... at that time, while Takeshi was in a place of safety, watching it happen from the sidelines.

He had watched as Hanako-san who as might as well be the strongest woman he's known, and most caring mother, pleading to Satoshi on television to be safe.

On that singular day, and time, when the world felt like it was going to end, it was the kid who came into his Gym who battle his Onix with a Pikachu, the same boy who he ended up travelling with on his journey, it was Satoshi who stepped up to set things right so everything to go back into it's place. Just because he felt he had to, even if no one told him to. He had to.

It had left a pit in Takeshi that he tried to ignore, but was impossible to stop, as he witnessed more of these moments - where even if he were travelling with Satoshi, even if he tried to help his friend, or even do anything more, as someone who was older, responsible, he just couldn't. It was simply too much for him to personally bear, but if that didn't help - he showed that he cared in other ways.

Cooking Satoshi's favorites, giving him tips for his next battle, helping take care of his Pokemon - and while it may had not felt as important, but letting the boy know he was here for him. Whether it was worldly disasters or an argument with a companion, or …

The nightmares. At some point he would notice how Satoshi would be withdrawn and quiet, rigid. More or less, refusing to talk but only to be surrounded by only his Pokemon. It became much more than Pikachu could handle, so Takeshi stepped in and asked if he could do anything. It didn't matter if it was something like a mumble or him running his ear off about the whole details, or sometimes just one word.

It takes a while for Satoshi to admit certain things, and sometimes he would omit something else.

But there was one thing that the boy had asked him, and something he'd sometime think about. He asked him to not tell his mom - Hanako-san about any of these adventures. While Takeshi had other opinions about this, he was asked to not saying about it - the reason why?

"Knowing my mom, she'd probably cry - and… I don't want her to cry again over me, and I want to make sure she's happy, no matter what."

It's a very hard promise to keep, granted the man had been loyal to his friends, but also worried about lying to someone on someone's behalf. Perhaps it was simply a way for the boy to keep a promise that he couldn't quite fulfill, or perhaps more. He shouldn't pry into his reasons, yet he never did.

Sinnoh had been.. exhausting, so to speak and sometimes he wasn't sure how he managed get through it. Perhaps deciding to stop his journey and deciding to study to become a Doctor was an excuse- but it wasn't. He simply needed the space and time to think for himself, and follow his dreams. That's what Satoshi would want from him - even if they had parted ways.

While the doctor in training hadn't said much about those ventures or about the promise to Kasumi, she noticed how tense and tired he was when he came back to Kanto after his final journey from Sinnoh.

His thoughts has strayed again but Kasumi's waiting for a response, and she stares through him as she can through him somehow or another. A sigh comes out of him, trying to figure out what to say, and his facial expression isn't clearly helping him, his brow furrowing, knitting into some odd half-raised eyebrow, or his attempt of trying to be calm. It fails.

"… You always seem to know when I'm trying to hide something from you." A scratch behind his neck, "But I do want to go to Alola, even if it's on the pretense of checking in on Satoshi- I… well. I want to let… him know that his friends are here for him, no matter what." A sigh, well, there's the truth, that he had a a hard time admitting. "Maybe I'm being nosy or something, but…"

Another quiet pause, and he doesn't really have much to say now - but he'd hope-

"Takeshi- if you could've been just straight with me- ugh. Never mind all that. You know me- I'm one of Satoshi's friends- and I'm also your friend too. Sheesh, both of you keeping things on the down low. It's as if I wasn't on that first two journies with you two!"

A harumph came out and it sounded annoyed - like all the times she reminded Satoshi about the bike. "As for your idea, do you have an actual reason to actual go to Alola? You've been really busy to do anything asides study, and attend lectures you know?"

"Ugh, you sure know how to hit a sore spot. I don't know how I'll manage but I'm sure I can figure… something out." Then the man had noticed his friend had a big grin on her fact, that clearly was a sign of something. It was a grin that clearly said, I know something that you don't.

"If you have something to share to the class, Kasumi, you might as well say it."

There's a slight chortle that comes from her, as she bats her eyelashes at him, and he couldn't help but want to srunch his nose. "So you know, how when Satoshi and his classmates came to Kanto? I've exchanged contacts with one of them, the girl named Suiren. She actually asked me a while ago if I could come visit Alola with you."

…

…

…

Takeshi would have covered his face if he could with his own two hands, but he could barely stop his mouth from hanging ajaw, and a low sigh came out, as if affronted by the fact that she'd only bring this up now. The sigh turned into a low, but somewhat loud groan, feeling as if he somehow embarrased himself by making himself do this.

Why did he even go through all this effort for?

"And you couldn't have decided to you know, interrupt me like earlier, instead of … whatever I was doing?"

"Hah! I wanted to hear you out! But you keep going into these long silences and stuff, and I really wanted to know what's up. It's been a while since we talked anyways, soooo."

There's a smirk that's very apparent on her face- and it's taking a lot out of him to not throttle her, but she's not in the room right now, only over in the other side of Kanto- in Cerculean City.

"Why do you do this to me."

"Satoshi's not here and you're the other person that I know is personally bullyable."

"You're insufferable, you know that?"

"You still love me regardless whatever I do, and you know that."

Chapter Text

Planning the trip, and making sure it was a surprise was the first part. Apparently there's going to be a break at school soon, and on Melemele Island, there would be a firework display, that happens that same week.

Suiren had taken care of getting the ticket for both of them, and as well getting the hotel rooms booked for both of them.

As for how long they'd stay in Alola, that was a whole other thing on it's own. Perhaps a little too many back and forths of throwing ideas back and forth, until the two of them had decided some sort of stalemate.

Kasumi needed a break from the constant ongoing battle requests from trainers who wanted the Cerculean City's gym badge, in order to move on to the next gym, or which ever order those trainers were doing it. She may or may not had complained his ear off about the proper order of getting gym badges, among other things, such as who'd take over her job temporarily.

He knew that the gym leader had very high expectation for anyone who'd take up her gym duties, so he was slightly surprised to see that she would allow her older sisters to take up her duties (albeit temporarily.)

She didn't quite tell him her reasons, nor did he really bother to ask, but there was a certain look of pride that comes in her eyes when she told him aboout her sisters taking the duties, while she'll be away. Perhaps he had felt that same pride when Jiro took up the Pewter City Gym.

Then the conversation turned to Takeshi, and he was going to do, and he wasn't quite sure, since he had been really at this really nice pace of studying and slowly getting somewhere, like interning. It was clear that to the both of them, he was kind of stumped.

"We… both could take a week."

"Why does it sound like such a struggle for you to say that?"

He forgets that moment that they were talking together, in the same room at Hanako-san's little resturant, the Pallet House.

It's quiet right now, but he can hear Mr. Mime sweeping away at the front, and Hanako-san washing the dishes, humming a low tune. The only customers are only the two of them, but of course, she'd never consider Satoshi's friends to be customers.

She had allowed them to come over and to plan out their trip to Alola at her restuarant, the only place that the two of them felt was great enough to do so. Then, he realizes what she said, soon making what seems to be an agrieved sound, as he scrunches his nose, frowning only a little.

But that passes over, as the two discuss more things as like whether or not to bring camping equipment (in spite of staying at the hotel), amongst other things. At some point in their very intense discussion of what they could and should do, someone not even part of the conversation in the first place, cleared their throat.

"I called up the Professors to ask if they'd be willing to lend camping and cooking equipment during your stay!"

The two friends looked at each other and then at Hanako, slightly bewildered as to when she even did all this. A slight chuckle came from the woman, "And they said yes! They'd be happy to, and will keep quiet."

"Well... guess all what's left is to head to Alola?"

"Apparently so!"

"However before that did you pack your things? It honestly seems to me as if you two are rushing off without thinking about it clearly!"

"Hanako-san..."

"Well?"

"Er, yes, we both have packed our things for the trip."

The woman smiles at the two of them, patting both of them the shoulder. It was odd but somewhat comforting. Once she lets go, there's a faraway look in her eyes as she speaks.

"Be there for him, alright?"

The two of them exchanged looks, and nodded in silence, then soon exited the Pallet House together. Right before they'd left the premise, Takeshi paused in his footsteps as Kasumi walked ahead.

He turned around to look behind him, looking at the house and the restaurant and the serene yet forlorn scenery.