#this one is boring sorry yall | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mynamesaplant · 1 year

Text

Lost in Transit and Translation (part 8)

----------------------------------------

Plot synopsis: Subway Boss Ingo finds some lone Pokéballs and decides to hold on to them until the owner can be found. The Pokémon, however, aren’t too keen to stick around some stranger who they can’t understand, and decide to find their trainer on their own.

Characters: Subway Boss Ingo (Pokémon), Subway Boss Emmet (Pokémon), Olivia Kame (OC)

Just for clarification, my OC and her Pokémon's speech is italicized, Ingo's Pokémon speech is in bold, and Emmet's Pokémon speech will be in bold and italicized. I tried to make it clear who was speaking without signifiers, but just in case!

---------------------------------------

Infernape was breathing hard, his sides ached and his whole body felt tender, like he had been hit with a ton of bricks- which was not too far off from the truth. Raichu was sliding off his back, he caught and cradled the Electric type against him, his blue eyes half open and his ears twitching in agitation.

Golurk was not much better, the venom had been administered much more deliberately with them than it was with Raichu and at a much higher dose. It was making the large Pokémon very wobbly, until they found they could not go any further.

They are going to catch us.

Golurk moaned as Infernape flopped down beside them, patting their chest, and urging them to be quiet. He had selected a shrubby little area surrounded by large rocks and a steep hill, secluded and well hidden from any nosey humans. They just needed a little bit of time to recover and regroup, maybe the men in the coats and their Pokémon will have given up on them, figuring they were not worth the effort of capturing.

Just leave me here, you both can get away.

I’m not leaving you alone with those weirdos on the prowl. We’re sticking together, got it?

The Fire type said firmly, giving Golurk a little punch to the chest for emphasis. It was quiet for a while, soft voices of other Pokémon calling to each other in the canopy as they just took a moment to breath.

I promise to keep us together, no matter what they try to do.

Infernape assured the two half-conscious Pokémon before going silent, placing his hand on the Ghost type’s chest when he heard branches and twigs snapping. He also caught something else, something really faint to his ears that was just not as pressing as the two men emerging from the bushes.

Something akin to relief was on their faces, probably glad that they were too tried to keep running and Infernape growled at them, gently setting Raichu down on Golurk’s chest and turning to face them. He would hurt them, especially with their Pokémon nowhere to be seen. He did not care if he knew it was wrong or if it was fruitless. They had already separated them from their trainer, Infernape as not going to let them take that a step further and separate the three of them entirely.

Again, he heard that familiar sound, pricking his ears as he started to hear something else familiar, a voice. The whistle was sharp in his ear as he recognized the old call and he looked around, trying to determine the source. The two men were bearing down on them. Infernape screeched, letting her know where he was before he attempted to lunge at them.

“No!”

He stopped dead when he heard her voice, his trainer’s voice, and he glanced around to where it was coming from. She was up on a walking path at the top of the steep hill, breathing heavily with her face creased in worry, and she quickly hopped the stone wall, sliding down the embankment. The men were protesting as she did this, but she did not seem to be listening to them as reached the bottom, throwing her bag aside and running toward him, tackling him in an embrace.

Olivia was speaking frantically, crying into his fur and he blinked slowly, feeling his exhaustion starting to weigh on him. She did not seem to care that the men were there at all, she barely even acknowledged their existence as she hugged him tightly. He recognized that she was apologizing to him over and over again. Her fingers were buried in his fur, which made him wince a little when she did that, but he did not try to stop her as she carefully checked him over. His trainer’s hands finally rested on his face and she looked into Infernape’s tired eyes, her own familiar brown eyes shining with tears.

“I am so sorry, darling.”

He chittered at the words, leaning into her touch as her eyes began to brim with more tears.

“Ma’am?”

She and her Pokémon flinched, blinking up at the two men. Olivia did not recognize the urgency in the voice of the one who had spoken to her, but she did recognize them from the description the operator had given her. She had also seen them in many posters around the subways. The eponymous Subway Bosses. She had not put two and two together from said posters because she hadn’t realized they were twins. Both were about a foot taller than her, which already made them feel a little more intimidating than they intended to be, and both looked beat, like they had been running around all day.

She quickly swiped the tears from her eyes, quietly reassuring her Pokémon that she wasn’t going anywhere and extricating herself from his grip. Her eyes moving over to the passed-out forms of her other Pokémon, but she swallowed and turned to the two men. Before she realized what she was doing, she was giving them a hasty bow as she stumbled through a fast apology while her heart raced.

“I am so, so sorry that I caused you any trouble.”

“Ma’am!” The one in black said urgently, pointing. “Your sleeve is on fire!”

She looked at her sleeve and it was in fact smoldering. Probably from when she had held her Infernape, the flowy sleeve igniting from the lit flame on his head. It was small. Nothing terrible. She had seen worse when he was a Chimchar. She cursed, slapping the fire out impatiently as both of them stared at her mutely in alarm. Clearly, she was used to it.

“I apologize.”

She said, trying to get back to her apology before she had a breakdown. Olivia didn’t really want to have a breakdown around two strangers, but she was just so relieved that they were okay. Maybe a little banged up, but they were here and safe, that was all that mattered to her. She ran a hand over her face as more tears began to drip from her eyes uncontrollably. She couldn’t help it.

“It’s been a very long day. This is all my fault. If they caused you any trouble, I take full responsibility. Did they cause any damage? Are you and your Pokémon okay?”

“Uh, no, we’re fine.” Ingo replied, glancing at Emmet out of the corner of his eyes when she had bowed at them. Emmet only had to offer a little shrug. “Our Pokémon are fine, but are you alright?”

She didn’t answer him directly.

“I didn’t even notice they were gone until I was back at my office.”

She said, swiping at her eyes and trying to get ahold of herself, yanking at the useless belt around her waist. She had known the magnets were shot, but she had been in such a rush all day that she didn’t notice the absence of her Pokémon until the secretary had asked her where they were.

“I swear, I’m a good trainer! I have never lost them before.”

She said it almost like she was trying to convince herself it was the truth as her Pokémon shakily got to his feet and plopped down next to her, leaning into her. She looked at him and she abruptly switched languages. She lightly batted at him, probably not trying to get her shirt set ablaze again. That was when it clicked for Ingo.

“Arceus, no wonder they’re so nervous. Ma’am, do you always speak to them in Kantonese?”

She winced- he was very loud. Olivia quickly switching back as she shifted from foot to foot.

“I’ve been trying to get them used to Galarian, but they’re picking it up slowly.”

“Ohhhhhh, that makes much more sense.” Emmet replied, also seeing what his brother was seeing. “They haven’t had any clue what we’ve been saying to them this whole time.” The idea that this was all some big miscommunication was somehow kind of hilarious.

Her Pokémon had been confused because they did not know they were trying to help in the first place, even their Pokémon had not been able to convey that to them. Emmet laughed to himself a little but quickly stopped when she saw her hurriedly wiping away more tears.

“Miss, please don’t cry. Your Pokémon are safe and there was verrrrrry little harm done. The temporary closure of the Battle Subway as we tried to wrangle them at most.”

That statement did not seem to make her any better, even if he had tried to be gentle. In fact, it almost seemed to make her more hysterical.

“I am so sorry that it interfered with your work. I understand your work is very important to you.”

Another small bow and Emmet exchanged a helpless look with his brother, neither of them was really sure how to deal with this woman. She was overly apologetic, oozing sincerity, but she was remarkably out of sorts. Clearly insecure in what people thought of her and her Pokémon, especially after they had been running amok all day.

“I swear I’m a good trainer.”

She repeated, more to herself then to them, they could see her shoulders trembling. She was practically hysterical. They could understand. They would feel the same way if they had lost any of their team so unexpectedly. However, they weren’t sure how to soothe her. Olivia took their dumbstruck silence as a bad sign and reflexively kept apologizing. She apologized for the stress, for the miscommunication, for her negligence- it was a little overwhelming. It did, however, clue Emmet and Ingo into the fact that she felt remarkably out of her depth.

They could tell she didn’t feel quite comfortable around them. There was a bit of a language barrier, even if her conversational speaking was nearly flawless, she must have been trying to translate at Mach speed in her mind to keep up with the deluge of apologies. In her frantic state, the twins privately shared the concern that trying to stop her at this juncture would prove to send her into further hysterics.

“It’s quite alright.”

Ingo tried gently while he patted down his coat, retrieving her Pokéballs and handing them back to her. She sniffed, giving them a small but grateful smile that did not manage to stay on her face for long, peeling back like a piece of tape that had lost its stick. She took them back, holding them tightly as if they were a lifeline.

“Thank you. Again, I’m so sorry that they caused you any trouble. I promise, they’re quite sweet.”

“Miss…”

Ingo hesitated, desperately not trying to sound exasperated because this poor woman was just on the very of a complete emotional breakdown and he didn’t want to be the one to push her over the edge. He just wanted to reassure her that all was well, but she had not even introduced herself to them in her haste to seek forgiveness. How could he soothe her if he didn’t even know her name? She seemed to know who they were, so Ingo wanted to be on equal footing. Olivia picked up on where he trailed off, realizing with a pang that she had not even told them her name. She flushed.

“Sorry, I’m Olivia. The… The operator said your names were Emmet and Ingo.”

Olivia could tell that she was making them a little uncomfortable with all of the apologizing, but she could help but keep rounding back to that conversational cul-de-sac. It did not remotely help that they intimidated her. These men were clearly professionals and professionals usually didn’t take too kindly to careless people. She could also tell they felt obligated to stay with her because she was such a mess. That also had to be pretty tedious. Think. She demanded of herself. These men just spent half of their day running around trying to find her lost Pokémon. They didn’t want to stand here and listen to her feel sorry for herself.

She tried to think back to the posters and to what the battle obsessed secretary had said. The very least she could do was address them correctly by name and be on her way to get out of their hair. She knew their jobs, while not one-to-one, were similar to that of a Frontier Brain. One of them was a Double battles specialist. Pointing at Emmet, Olivia said,

“You’re Emmet, you run the Double line. You like winning more than anything else. And you’re Ingo,” Olivia pointed at Ingo. He was the Singles expert. If she remembered correctly, they also ran something called the Multi line, but she wasn’t quite sure what that was. “You run the Single line. You’re always shouting…” She paused, not remembering the word, she had never heard it used before she came to Unova and now, she was drawing a blank.

“Well, he is always shouting.”

Emmet said with a small snort as he saw Ingo’s cheeks tint the faintest of pinks.

“Hm? No, uh, it’s a word. Like, uh, good job?”

“Bravo?”

Ingo supplied and her face brightened briefly in the most charming way, it was positively radiant compared to before.

“Yes! Bravo!”

Now suddenly Olivia was blushing as she looked at them, shifting her gaze away. Well, that was lame. It didn’t go anywhere and things were just as awkward as before. Her stomach wouldn’t settle, still quite upset over the whole situation, and she could feel her heart crumpling in her chest. It had been all her fault that she had caused them so much trouble, Olivia couldn’t let herself forget that, and apologizing didn’t seem to suffice. If anything, they served to make the situation more awkward, but she didn’t know how to atone. She didn’t have the right words. Perhaps if she was calmer, she would have, but her thoughts were spiraling.

A sudden idea occurred to her. Olivia gave her Infernape a little pat on the head before leaving his side and trotting over to the messenger bag she had hastily thrown aside without a word to either Subway Boss. She knew she had a few of them still left in there as she dug through the contents, stuffing three Full Restores in the pockets of her ruined slacks and fishing out two business cards. They were a little crumpled, but everything was still legible, she also pulled a pen out and scribbled her phone number and name down on the back before returning with the bag slung over her shoulder to hand one card to each of them.

“I really cannot say I’m sorry and thank you enough. If either of you ever need anything, anything at all, please do not hesitate to contact me. It’s the least I can do.”

“Ms. Olivia, this is truly unnecessary.”

Ingo tried to say as he attempted to press the card back into her hand, but she was very insistent. He was relieved that she had at least temporarily stopped apologizing, becoming a little less nervous in the process. The twins could practically see the tension leaving her frame as she handed them the cards. Emmet pocketed his card without argument, he could always use a favor in his back pocket and he watched with amusement as this small woman shot his brother a look that told him not to argue with her. Ingo sighed and looked at the card: Teller’s Courier Service. There was an address, a phone number, and a fax line listed on the front with the business name. He glanced at the back where Olivia had written in blocky letters her name and phone number.

“Thank you, Ms. Olivia. We’re just glad we could bring your Pokémon back to you safely. Will you be okay to, uh…”

Ingo had almost forgotten that she slid down a steep embankment to get down here, not even hesitating to do so. He peered at her slacks, caked in dirt with a big rip in the left leg. Completely unfazed. Olivia hadn’t even panicked when he told her sleeve was on fire, more impatient than anything, although she was probably used to the occasional mishap with a Fire type Pokémon, just as he was.

She was a little odd to say the least, but the twins could tell that she was just a little frazzled from the events of the day. They had caught her at a bad moment and they couldn’t judge her for her behavior just then. It wouldn’t have been fair. Although Emmet and Ingo were all about first impressions, they were willing to give Ms. Olivia a little leeway. Olivia looked in the direction his eyes had moved, seeming to realize just now how far down it was with a sharp inhale.

“Oh, that was a lot further than I thought it was. No wonder you were yelling. I’m sor-”

“Please stop apologizing.” Emmet said abruptly, perhaps just a little impatiently. He couldn’t take another apology no matter how sincere. One of them had to say it, otherwise she wouldn’t have stopped. His smile was a little tighter than usual and she stopped midsentence, blushing fiercely. “We can escort you back to the path, if you’d like.”

“Th-Thank you, I appreciate the offer, but that isn’t necessary.”

“I’m afraid it is.” Ingo informed her. He had crouched down to look at her leg because he noticed there was long rash-like abrasion that was steadily oozing blood that trickled down her leg. Some sections were much deeper than the others with flecks of dirt and pebbles. “You were injured on the way down.”

“Huh?” Olivia said, finally noticing the rip and the edges of the khaki material turning red. She had not even noticed. “It doesn’t look serious.”

She said off handedly, it didn’t hurt so it was probably fine. If she was being honest, she was more concerned about her Pokémon and their injuries that her own. They needed to be healed first. She tugged a Full Restore from her pocket, breaking the seal and taking Infernape by the hand.

“Up we get.”

She urged him, and he rose to his feet, grimacing as she sprayed the various cuts and bruises that she could see.

“Ms. Olivia, you should really have your leg looked at. We would be happy to take you to the nearest Pokémon Center.” Ingo tried to insist after getting back on his feet, but she was far too engrossed with her Pokémon. “Ms. Olivia.”

He said a little louder, making his voice stern so she wouldn’t argue. Safety was important! Maintenance of one’s cab was an integral part of safety procedures. Olivia turned to look up at him and Emmet tried to his best to stifle a chuckle because she looked so child-like looking up at his brother. Ingo shot him a pointed look and Emmet could not help but grin, he returned his attention to her.

“I understand you’re worried about your Pokémon, but it’s also important to take care of yourself.”

There was a beat of silence as she looked over the two of them while she clambered to her feet. Even if she was oblivious to the pain, Emmet and Ingo could see she was favoring one leg, beside Olivia her Infernape chittered nervously, tugging on her sleeve.

“Yes,” she finally relented, “You’re right. One moment, please.”

Her Pokémon followed beside her as she went over to the other two. Golurk seemed to be in a sort of sleep mode, yellow light flickering inside them in their half consciousness while Raichu’s cracked open a blue eye when he heard Infernape making noise.

Hey, hey wake up! She’s here!

Raichu felt himself being lifted up and hugged into a warm body, the familiar scent of his trainer reaching his nose and he relaxed into her. Olivia’s careful fingers stroking him from his head to his back in a familiar motion, he nuzzled his face into her neck affectionately.

“I don’t know what I would have done if I lost any of you.”

She murmured quietly against his soft head, and she could not help the little curl of her mouth as his ear gently flicked against her cheek in acknowledgment. She gave Golurk a little pat on the shoulder and they beeped faintly. She returned the Ghost type to their ball and tried to do the same with Infernape, but he swiped the ball out of her hand, shooting a glare at the two Subway Bosses.

“Hey, you know better.”

Olivia chided, following his gaze and frowning. She turned back to face Infernape and cradled his cheek with one hand, and he turned his yellow-blue eyes to her.

“They’re not going to hurt you and they’re not going to hurt me. Okay, tough guy? You don’t have to go in your ball, but you do have to be nice.”

He blinked at her slowly, grumbling as she gave his cheek a little pat and readjusted her hold on Raichu. Now she was starting to feel the pain in her leg, perhaps the adrenaline was finally making its way out of her system as she returned to the waiting men.

“Are you alright, Ms. Olivia? Do you require assistance?”

Emmet asked, noticing the grimace on her face and her limp, but she nodded without replying. Her Infernape watched them suspiciously as they guided her back through the brush, doing as they promised and taking her straight to the Pokémon Center.

<<Previous--Finale>>

||First||

2 notes · View notes