//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Absolution 2 // by ed2481 //------------------------------// “It’s not fair...” Applejack muttered to herself, her face stinging with both tears and cold from the flakes of snow, which had stubbornly refused to melt. First, was waking up here, next was meeting that blazing Cres, and now she was denied a way back home. Her built up anger had nearly been diminished by grief... but then she’d been tossed around by Cres which only added more salt to the wound. I just want to go home... she thought to herself while heaving out a heavy sigh. All of this it’s... just too much... She felt something touch her back and her fur stood on their ends while she whirled her head around to find Matt sitting down next to her. Her eyes glanced at his hand then back at him before looking away, not even feeling the need to even fight back. “Hey... I’m sorry we couldn’t get you back home, but we’ll find a way, I assure you,” Matt said to her in a friendly, comforting tone, though that’s all she could make out. “Just leave me alone... y’all done enough already...” Applejack said as another sigh escaped her lungs. Matt titled his head forward so at least one of her eyes saw him. “I can see you really don’t want to comforted, but that only encourages me to try anyways,” he said as he pulled his head away and softly pat his hand on her back before stroking it down. Applejack just stared at the ground, barely noticing the hand petting her and removing some snow off of her fur. “You’re in a tough spot, a position you weren’t expecting to be in or like, but you’re stuck here for now. I can see you’re filled with discomfort, irritation, and a bit of anger towards Cres... but we need to work together if we want to find a way for you to get back home.” Matt moved his hand up, brushing off more snow from her neck and around the back of her head, causing the mare’s ears to twitch a bit. “Now I probably don’t understand a word I’m saying, but I’m hoping by talking friendly and non-threateningly manner while cleaning the snow off of ya is helping you earn a bit of trust towards me.” He slid himself forward so he was in front of her and brought his hand to brush the snow from the side of her face. “Is it working?” Applejack lifted her head up slightly to look at the man directly, her eyes still showing some signs of discomfort, but without hostility. Matt smiled lightly. “I’d say that’s a bit of a yes.” “I think we’ve been here long enough to figure out that Giratina is going to be gone for too long for us to wait up here,” Cres’s voice suddenly broke the trance. “It’s starting to get a bit dark and I’d rather get back to Belle and Xav before midnight... not to mention that even Reva has a bit of trouble with this path when it’s pitch black.” Matt nodded his head and slowly got back up with some help from his crutches. “Right... though, I think for this trip AJ can walk with us till we get closer to the city,” he said, reaching towards his belt to pull out a Pokeball. “If you think she can keep up,” Cres said with a slight shrug, doing his best not to look in Applejack’s direction. “I think she can,” Matt said with a small smile as he tossed the Pokeball out. “Reva, come on out.” There was a flash of light and Applejack’s eyes widened in a mixture of surprise and fear. The beast that appeared from within the Pokeball was... a muscular unicorn a little taller then Celestia or the towering zebra she’d seen earlier. That... was the ‘less interesting’ part though. The fear set in when Applejack noticed the fact that instead of a mane and tail, the unicorn possessed a pair of great blazing silvery fires, each mimicking that which she lacked as well as even more flames that blazed around her silvery steel hooves. Applejack took a step back, a faint memory of how Twilight looked similar to this once when she was extremely... angry and wondered if the same held true to this unicorn. Yet the unicorn craned her head down at Applejack and smiled friendly. “Why hello, you must be Applejack, I’ve heard so much of, it’s nice to meet you,” she said in a kind gentle voice, to Applejack’s surprise, she sounded a bit like Celestia. Applejack’s body tensed down from alert and she nodded her head. “Howdy...” she said softly. “Well now that we’ve introduced you, let’s be off,” Cres said with a slightly impatient huff. Applejack looked at the Absol flatly, but Reva nodded her head. “Yes let’s,” she said as she stood still to allow Matt to mount her. The Rapidash glance over to the mare. “You think you can do a light trot for now?” she asked. Applejack glanced up at her and held it there for a moment before slowly nodding her head. “Yeah... I think so... as long as he keeps his distance from me,” she answered, glaring over at Cres. “I can get down this mountain with my eyes closed,” Cres replied with a shrug. “I’ll see you at home Matt, watch the pony Reva, she’s emotionally unstable and likes to kick people,” he added before he walked to the edge of the sheer cliff and casually hopped over the edge. Applejack emitted soft annoyed growled but Reva shook her head lightly. “I’ll just ignore that...” she said while glancing down at the orange mare. “For now, just keep up as best you can, if I need to slow down, don’t be afraid to say so.” Applejack nodded her head and followed Reva as they started at a light trot down the summit and into a cave, beginning a series of winding paths down Mt. Coronet. Cres let out a sigh as he easily hopped his way down the slope, while it would look impossible to anyone but a Gogoat, he’d done it so many times that he knew the entire path by instinct alone. When he reached the bottom, half an hour before Reva could at her fastest pace, he set off back towards Hearthome. The road fell away beneath his paws as his mind whirred. They would have to put up with Applejack for the foreseeable future, until Giratina found a way to get rid of her at the very least. That meant he and his family would have to deal with her spitefulness for quite a while. The absol let out a small sigh. Perhaps he would see if Xav wanted to stay with Grace for a few days until it all blew over. That would be better then having his son suffer the same treatment that he had at the mare’s hooves and foul mouth. He was back in the city before he knew it, and made his way easily to the apartment, going up the fire escape and through the specially constructed Pokemon door built into the apartment's rear. His breath left him with an easy sigh as he took in the familiar scents of his whole ‘extended family’, Matt and Roxanne’s mingling with Belle and Xav along with Emilia’s and Ohm’s. As he padded in, he saw that the Luxray was sitting on the large leather chair, his eyes closed and his tail tapping lightly on the side as he ‘meditated’ the time away. “Welcome home, Cres,” he said without opening his eyes. “Thanks, Ohm,” Cres replied, giving the electric lion a smile that he was sure he saw. “I miss anything interesting?” “Nothing really... though you should brace yourself,” Ohm replied. Cres tilted his head slightly before a small blur of red tackled into his side. “DAD!” a very young absol pup exclaimed happily as he nuzzled his head into Cres’ side. Cres smiled widely as he crouched down to give his son a nuzzle. “Hey there Xav, have a good day buddy?” he asked. “Yes, but it was so borrrrrrring,” he said with a small roll of his eyes. “Mom just made me read all day... I hardly did any practicing...” His face lightened up a bit as his tail blade wagged. “You think you can train me a bit? Pleasssseeee!” “Hmm... how could I say no to that?” Cres replied, his heart filling with pride at his son’s enthusiasm. Then he glanced at Ohm who was stately tuning them out. “Okay... here is your training for the day should you choose to accept it. Catch Ohm’s tail without using your blade or your mouth.” Xav blinked a bit blankly as he craned his head over to looked at the Luxray’s tail, swishing casually at the side of the chair. He smiled as he looked back at Cres and stood a bit taller on his four legs. “Consider it done!” he said as he bounded for the chair. He zoomed up Ohm and leapt up with his paws stretched out to grab onto the end of his tail. But as he was coming down, the yellow fluff deftly swished away making Xav miss entirely and bounce off the side of the chair. Xav bounced a bit on the floor on his rump with a big confused expression plastered across his face. He frowned as he glanced at the Luxray’s tail and leapt up again to trap it between his paws. But yet again, the tail evaded the young absol and did so with every other attempt Xav made. Cres chuckled a bit to himself as Xav bounced around like a Skitty trying to snatch a thread of yarn. His eyes glanced at Ohm’s face, seeing a faint smile of amusement on the Luxray’s face as he toyed Xav around with the yellow tip of his tail. “STAY STILL!” Xav growled as he continued to bounce back and forth with youthful energy. “How’s that working for you?” Cres asked his son, taking pity on him as he walked a bit closer. Xav stopped and sat on his rump with a frown on his face. “How can he tell where I’m going to strike if he has his eyes closed?” he asked with a pout. “Well, shall I answer that, or would you like to Ohm?” Cres inquired of the Luxray. “You are his father, you have that right,” Ohm replied. Cres smiled and then gave Xav a nuzzle as he brought his head down beside Xav’s. “You’re being too loud,” he told the crimson Absol. “Ohm has excellent ears and you’re giving him all the information he needs to know by bouncing around like a Skitty. Get into a crouch, stay there for a bit so that everything is silent, and then strike.” Xav nodded his head and did what Cres advised him. He crouched low, his back legs arching up ready to be spring loose at any second. His blue eyes were locked onto the tail, still swinging about causally and Xav wiggled his hind quarters as he waited for the perfect moment. Then in half a blink, he sprang up and extend his paws out, landing and grabbing onto the end of Ohm’s tail. Xav beamed a smile as he hung onto the tail. “I DID IT!” he exclaimed in glee. “I ACTUALLY DID I-” before he could finished Ohm flexed his tail and gave it one whip like swing, sending Xav to the ground and sliding over the wooden floor. “It....” he finished, his voice a bit dazed. “That you did,” Cres agreed as he walked over and gave Xav a lick on the forehead. “Now, the rest of your lessons are going to involve holding on until you can do it for a full minute,” the Absol said. Xav frowned in determination. “Right, I’ll do it dad. I’ll show you I’m just as good as an Absol as you,” he said as he got to all fours and headed for the chair once more, but was stopped as Cres placed a forepaw in front of him. “You can work on that tomorrow, I think we’ve taken up enough of Uncle Ohm’s meditation time already,” Cres advised, glancing up at the Luxray who gave him the faintest of nods. Xav was about to protest, but let out a sigh and nodded his head. “Okay...” “In the mean time, what do you say to Uncle Ohm,” Belle’s voice spoke up as she walk into view. “Thank you for letting me play with your tail,” Xav said, glancing up at the Luxray. “You are welcome young Xav,” Ohm replied. “Good boy,” Belle said with a small smile at her son before looking up at Cres. “Hello dear, you’re a bit late coming home than normal,” she said, walking up and giving him a loving nuzzle. Cres’s heart swelled as he returned the nuzzle. Belle, the center of his world, how he loved her. “I know, I know, it certainly wasn’t my idea, and I’m sorry for being so ‘tardy’.” “It’s okay,” she replied shaking her head. “So, why were you gone in the first place? I thought the gym was closed for the weekend?” she asked as she went over to Xav, bending her head down and beginning to clean his fur, much to the pup’s displeasure. “Well... remember how I went to that other world years ago?” Cres asked her, a note of dread in his voice. “Mhm,” Belle replied as she continued to clean their son’s fur. “Well... the troublesome orange one ended up getting caught by Roxanne today somehow,” Cres explained with a shake of his head. “Which of course means that Matt, being Matt, just had to take her to Mt. Coronet for Giratina to sort out instead of the better idea of just leaving her somewhere...” Belle paused in midlick and frown as she pulled her head away and looked over at Cres. “If he went to Giratina to sort it out... then why do you still sound troubled?” “Because something or someone is keeping the stubborn pony here and we couldn’t get rid of her,” Cres replied with a dour frown. “And I’m expecting her to start yelling at me the moment she gets here.” Belle’s frown furrowed a bit. “Then maybe it would be best if you weren’t here then if she’s going to be staying with us,” she said, much to Cres’s surprise. “But it’s our house? Why does dad have to leave?” Xav questioned as he craned his head up at his mother. “That was actually what I was thinking,” Cres agreed with his son, a frown crossing his face as he glanced at his beloved mate. “Because like you said, Matt being Matt, he will most likely side with her if the two of you start a fight,” Belle replied. “Not because he would not see it your way, but because hes trying to make our visitor more... comfortable living here. And I can’t fully blame him... you are a bit... stubborn in letting go of grudges with Pokemon who have annoyed you.” Cres let out a familiar sigh, as usual, Belle proved smarter than him. “I suppose you have a point... but I’m not leaving. It’s my home. I... I’ll just wait in the bedroom until it seems like a good time for me to come out...” “Good, though if you want my advice, it would probably be best if you find a way to settle whatever is between you two,” Belle said. “Because I doubt you can live in the bedroom forever, and will have to come out once and awhile to grab food and go to the bathroom.” The male Absol let out another familiar sigh and gave her a nuzzle as Xav looked between the two, a bit of confusion in his eyes. Cres noticed it and bent down to give him a nuzzle as well. “Remember son, your mother is smarter than me,” Cres told him with a small chuckle. “Except when it comes to blade work.” Xav nodded his head while Belle simply shook her own in amusement. “So where is Matt by the way? Did you go ahead of him?” she asked as she stepped back to bend her head down to resume cleaning Xav’s fur. “He’ll be along I’m sure,” Cres said with a nod. “Though hopefully later rather than sooner, I’d like a bit of peace before they get here.” Belle nodded her head as she finished cleaning up the last bit of fur on Xav’s back. She then pushed a paw on him gently, urging him to head to the bedroom. “Start getting ready for bed Xav,” she order him. “But-” “No buts,” she interrupted before he could even finish. Xav pouted and walked through the slightly open door to the master bed room. She then turned to Cres. “Well, how about you tell me about our new guest till then, it would help me when I meet her when Matt comes back.” “Right, well...”