Their Stories Are Foretold Once More

"You really do underestimate me, don't you?"

There was a slightly disappointed tone in the samurai's voice-- Not like he can help it. A lot of demons did before joining him. There was struggle! But he defeated them fair and square.... Lobo on the other hand-- Saw him as a puppy. Not the first time that happened, but that one incident where he tripped over his two 'paws' as Lobo called them, face-planted onto the ground, and got a scrape on his forehead. And... the wolf pulled him up by the 'scruff'.

Sighing... Flynn still hands the demon a wrapped container-- a few large containers in fact! And unwraps the containers for him. The contents were the previously mentioned food items, definitely celebratory, with the leftover cake in the middle.

"You can take whatever you like! It's... leftovers from my birthday. The heads of the Hunter Association wanted to throw a celebration. Hence, all the food. Don't worry about my partner and me, we have enough rations to last us a while." Flynn instinctively pushes a meat dish towards Lobo, he was partial to meat, right? The first offering he gave Lobo was a stick of jerky, and he scarfed that down immediately.

He hated humans like this one. As a disjointed demon, however, he could not ignore the fact that this one had held a certain curiosity about him that reminded him of his rider from before.

It was as if he were staring at Flynn... and, beside him, the one sole 'fallen human' that had once been attached to his wild soul. No longer apart of each other, lost to the inevitable defeat of stronger demons, the King of Wolves couldn't deny the similarities that struck a cord from within.

His thoughts are cut short when he notices the scent. Eyes flickering down, Lobo's stance had changed ever so subtly. From standing tall and distant, to lowering his head and sniffing at the contents.

"Human celebrations... that's right. You do have your own forms of rituals and what not. The lifespan of a human pales in comparison to a demon, so I have long since lost track of my own. Yours... you have survived this long."

An impressive feat in of itself, since most of the time the younger ones would always struggle with the more powerful and deadly demons around. Eyes trailing from the awaiting food to the samurai in question, Lobo felt his ear twitch.

The meat smells so sweet.

Distracted by the meat, he finds his gaze once more locked onto Flynn. Negotiating with demons by using food? Lobo will be the judge of that.

"...What makes you worthy of my protection? If you claim I underestimate you and your survival, then humor me, pup. What is my blade,"

Turning his head, the wolf latches his fangs along the handle of his sickle weapon that normally rests hovering behind his back. Then, pulling his head back to face Flynn, the demon continues.

"...To yours?"

His body posture doesn't seem to be tense at all. In fact, Lobo's fur had become less bristled than usual. No flicks of fire could be seen, it doesn't seem like he is intending on fighting Flynn.

The live feed shows his Pokémon investigating her Haxorus. His Bisharp using more aggressive tones while his Skiploom just happily stands there--- And his umbreon 'barking' towards the camera.

"Your Haxorus admitted to your crime as soon as my Skiploom came out to investigate"

Putting his Rotom phone back into his jacket pocket. He leaves her with one final sentence. "You will be found guilty tomorrow if you don't find a defence lawyer or the bail money. If not, the Police Station will provide you with one." Thanks to Gouto... His Umbreon. To others, the Pokémon just sounded like a Pokémon. Gouto was a special case;, he was a Pokémon who could 'talk' to Raidou.

But that was another story.

"Perhaps you should train up your Pokémon's poker face and emotional strength rather than physical strength."

Gaze harsh and red, Hiruko's attention shifts back to the feed on the Rotom phone. It's a pitiful sight to behold. Her strongest, bravest, and most ruthless of her whole team of elite ace-leveled pokemon. Reduced to nothing more than a quivering mess at the tone of the Bisharp's loud shrill metallic-like sound. Curled up like a cat up against the wall, the black dragon's red eyes averted the camera and simply turned to seat herself so that way her back was turned to it.

Whatever confidence this creature had left was shattered, and Hiruko refused to believe this all was entirely her fault. If only it were so simple, but for now... the woman narrowed her eyes. Her fingers curling into her palms, knuckles turning white. Frustration bubbling within her veins, but she opted to hold an iron grip on her anger. At least, for now.

"How dare you question my tactics and training methods. You can take your so-called polite gesture and shove it. I'll see you in court."

Silence sharpened quickly like a knife though butter. This was going to be a long and tedious trial, she can tell... but anything to get HIM and his stupid face out of her way.

{ Days later... The Trial of Hiruko Shizuhara: The Ultimate Decision }

The court had a very straight-forward ruling. In fact, all evidence pointed incredibly to Hiruko and her trespassing into private property. Including video footage of the confrontation, to the outcome of the battle, to the audino affected by the whole ordeal. It was easy to condemn someone like Hiruko to jail time with the intent of confiscating her pokemon from her.

That is, until near the very end, one of Hiruko's defenses had stepped in with a quiet clear of his voice. A packet of paperwork in hand, he provided the one key evidence that would've saved Hiruko from her pokemon becoming confiscated, as well as soften the blow when it came to the mention of how long she would be placed in jail.

"Y-Your honor... if I may, even though the evidence rules her at fault, I need you to consider this. The Shizuhara family is actually in contract with the pokemon centers here. Within this contract, it's stated that the Shizuhara family is joint with the ace trainer committee and are given full access to train on pokemon center grounds. This includes the Audino. T-This doesn't excuse her case though... I agree that how this played out was an unfortunate confrontation that should've been handled by her a lot more calmly."

He was earned a sharp glare by Hiruko in particular.

"...but because of this contract here, I'd say there's enough to consider her sentencing to soften from jail to doing time in public service with a parole officer. It's why it's decided that if Shizuhara-san agrees to accept responsibility for the stress on the Audino her and her pokemon initiated combat with, that a fair ruling will let her off with her assigned officer to spend time with her in public service."

A few murmurs whispered in the background and while the judge considered this, the defense looks back over at Raidou, then at Hiruko.

"I'm sorry... but this is all I can do for you. You still committed a serious offense and for that you'll need to serve your time, but at least... this will make things more tolerable. I hope you'll learn from this, Shizuhara-san..."

{ Post Trial: The Aftermath }

That was it. That was the ruling, and Hiruko had never felt an array of mixed feelings before until this very moment. From the relief that she won't actually be shoved into bars without her own pokemon, to the unfettered irritation from being paired with a parole officer in order to 'better herself' in public service.

Not to mention this parole officer wasn't even a random cop, either. It had to be HIM. Of all others that could've been chosen, she was stuck with the one guy that had caused this whole thing from the get-go.

Walking back to her place with Raidou beside her, practically becoming her shadow now, Hiruko had let out a frustrated sigh.

"Do you have to be so close to me? If I had known any better, I would've guessed that you enjoy this more than I am now that THIS is what I have to put up with."

Her comment tossed to the wind, Hiruko could only focus on the heaviness of the pokeballs that stayed latched to her belt.

"You really think so? I didn't even consider participating in the world tournament as a goal to reach towards."

"Though I suppose it really should be if I want to pursue the goal of being strong. If I make it I hope you'll be able to watch. After all, you're one of the people who've helped me realise something important."

* Kieran was finally being honest with Rika and more importantly to himself. His goal would inevitably bring him there if he wanted to prove himself. Though the idea of battling famous champions filled the teen with both anxiety and excitement.*

He may be surprised by Rika's confidence, but it was natural that the coach would be able to pinpoint the strengths of another fellow trainer- Kieran, included!

"Of course, kiddo! Listen, if there's one thing good ol' Rika is good at doing, it's reading your true potential. Heck, I think even the other Champions from other regions will be able to see it, too. Gives them a new challenge to overcome, and that's why we'll surprise'em when the time comes!"

Clapping her hands together in confirmation, Rika simply grinned at Kieran!

Mikan was very obviously an anxious person. Years of bullying and being alone made her a rather nervous little thing. Making friends was a lot harder for her, but at the same time, she appreciated her friends way more because of how difficult it could be. So to have Kokichi drag her along and include her like this meant quite a lot to her. She was devoted to him now; she'd follow him to the ends of the earth.

She beamed as he complimented her. The feeling of being praised and treated like an equal was new to her! Ibuki treated her more like a pet, while Mahiru tended to turn a blind eye to Hiyoko's cruelty toward Mikan. Most looked down at Mikan with pity.

"I'm g-glad that I c-could help out a little bit. Although, I d-don't know how to d-do anything on social m-media, really. I just have social media accounts... I h-had to get Ibuki-chan and Mahiru to h-help me with the r-rest. But I'll d-do my v-very best to help you w-wth the d-doll account!!"

She paused at his question. "Building anticipation? Hm... Like a h-horror movie? Dripping w-water that leads to the r-reveal of a w-watery ghost? Things like that, you mean?"

Ah yes, his robot friend who would trust Kokichi though experience rather than his words alone. Quite useful when he needed something, but there was always that genuine look on his face that would make Kokichi hesitate.

Friends. Yeah, he would consider them friends... even in the end, if he chose to push them away, they still found themselves nestled comfortably within his life. Like little mourning doves settled on top of a tree.

Complicated, it was never simple for himself entirely- but instead of dwelling on those icky and conscious feelings, he'd hit the reset button! Flying his hands up and behind his head once more as he glances at Mikan. Proud, confident, and most importantly: creatively inviting for someone like her. Practically painting what he hoped would be someone that would be recalled within a fond memory at some point down the line.

Kokichi Oma? A fond memory, and not a soured one? He snorts to himself while smiling at her.

"Oooh, I hadn't thought of that, but now that you mentioned it...! I DO like a tease more than spoon-feeding the audience. Nishishi~ Miki-chan's onto the good stuff here! We could maybe do something like... a mysterious phenomena by a foggy lake-type of teaser. Not too revealing, but just enough to make everyone curious for more...~"

Oh, brilliant! Maybe he can freak Kaito out with it, too. DOUBLE the points for that!

The walk through the streets continued. The streetlamps illuminated their path through the city, and Lady laughed at Nero's response to not wanting to bring down the rent prices, the sound echoing off the brick and stone. She couldn't help that Nero's sense of humour was rather top-tier. He certainly didn't make her groan and roll her eyes as much as Dante could. She had to wonder just where he got that from?

"Well, you'd better suggest that to Nico. I'm sure she could figure out a way to make all your weapons a lot more flashy. I'll just stick to Kalina Ann just the way she is."

They made their way to their final destination for the night: Devil May Cry's main office. The lights were on inside, meaning Dante was able to pay the electricity bill this month. Lady sauntered up the steps to the main door and casually threw the door open. The office was just as they'd left it earlier that evening, still as messy as ever.

"Looks like your old man and Dante are still out on their patrols," Lady stated, dropping her weapons at Dante's desk in the middle of the room. "You hungry? I think there's some leftover pizza in the fridge. Oh, I think there's a carton of eggs in there too..."

Funny… bargaining with the devil-type of shit here, except Dante had the heart of a human. Even without knowing the ins and outs of it, with multiple subjects being shoved and side-lined off from Nero's questions, he knew there was something there. It's what helped Vergil find his way, too, wasn't it?

"Hey- wait, you LIKED Shakespeare? Hold up- I'm coming!"

Hurrying along inside while still baffled from Lady's explaination on her chosen taste in literature (seriously, who knew anyone BUT Vergil was into that kind of thing) Nero was met with a very telling sight. Within the devil hunter's domain was, of course, the shit storm he was expecting: a mess.

"Man… Sometimes I forget how much time they don't have to spruce the place up a bit. Figures as much…" Nero utters under his breath before casually glancing over at the desk where Lady had placed her weaponry. Yeah, maybe he could picture himself lounging in that same chair, boots on the table and arms resting behind his head. Maybe someday, he thinks to himself before moving his way over to where Lady was. Following the faint white light that was thte fridge- hopefully, nothing is as cursed inside as there were other cursed shit around here.

"Oh- holy shit, you're not kidding. Wow, I feel like that's an entirely new direction here. Maybe there is such thing as miracles."

A coy smirk, Nero steps back to glance over into the cooking area. Would be a shame to take their only non-pizza food here for their own, but hey… if Vergil was the only one eating them and not Dante, then can they really complain?

"I bet pops makes them sunny-side up. Unless if he's experimenting- then in that case, my money's on him boiling them to-go."

Tapping his finger against his chin, he grins back at Lady.

"Hey, while you explain yourself about your thrilling poetry knowledge, think I can make a better cooked egg than you?"

"Sweet talk a fairy...?!" He'd never exactly had much luck with sweet talking girls but he wasn't about to divulge that little tidbit to Ouma...! "G-Got it, I'll try and think up the best jokes that I can...! I don't want my bloodline getting cursed or nothing...!"

Of course, since when did a guy like him ever have to worry about his bloodline...?! He was still only sixteen years old and the idea of even having a bloodline seemed all but impossible...! But still, for the sake of his hypothetical and imaginary grandkids, he had to do his best to try and make sure there weren't any bloodline curses...! Whatever hexes or bad luck befell the Sakamoto bloodline sure as hell wouldn't be resting on his shoulders...! No way...!

Besides, maybe he could get a fairy's blessing instead...!

"H-Huh...! People in suits...? But then how do they fit into those spaceships then...?" He blinks, head tilting from left to right as he tries to squeeze this logic into his head and make it make sense but try as he might, it didn't really...!

"I'm not really sure I get it but better fairies than aliens...!"

After all, aliens could abduct you and probe at you...! That was totally what they did to cows, right...?!

Playfully shifting his attention from the other student to where he was looking at, Kokichi simply hummed a response to the blonde's question. Oh, he'll believe ANYTHING so long as Kokichi is confident in spoon-feeding him information! Besides, there's a lot more to be wary of in the world. This little innocent game of make-believe was totally harmless, and the trickster merely matched the other's energy by giving him a curiously raised brow at his question.

Yeah, how DID Kokichi know any of this information, indeed. Innocently twirling a strand of hair, grinning, he answered with a slight attention shift elsewhere.

"I have my sources. Top secret, actually. You wouldn't believe me even if I told you, so consider this a friendly little gesture of showing you how to earn a cheat code into your life when you do manage to catch it!"

Stifling a fit of laughter upon hearing him whistle, the liar instantly nudged the laser pointer into his sleeve and pretended to stretch a little. Aiming the fine red glowing 'fairy' at the other side of the ceiling.

"There-! Hey, hey, hey!! Hurry-! Capture it so that way we can get our wish!"

For extra measure, he flickered the laser pointer a little frantically, as if to make the 'fairy' seem like it was aware of being spotted!

His  body  begged  for  rest.  He  wanted  so  badly  to  just  drift  off  to  sleep  and  get  back  the  energy  he  had  been  lacking.  But  when  it  wasn't  a  nightmare  waking  him  up,  it  was  the  fear  of  a  nightmare  dwelling  in  the  corners  of  his  mind  keeping  him  awake.  It  was  a  vicious  cycle  that  he  could  not  find  a  way  to  break.

He  breathes  in,  then  out.  Trying  to  force  his  body  to  relax.  The  bed  was  comfortable,  but  he  still  felt  tense.  It  made  it  feel  wrong.  He  wouldn't  be  able  to  sleep  if  he  didn't  relax.  But  with  the  added  factor  of  Hiruko  standing  over  him...  It  felt  like  a  challenge.

"A  headache  from  sleeping  too  little,  maybe...?  I  know  I've  gotten  them  from  oversleeping."  He  muses  quietly,  forcing  his  eyes  to  remain  closed.  He  shifts  a  tiny  bit.  Maybe  he  should  try  to  slide  under  the  blankets?  The  effort  of  moving  seemed  like  too  much  right  now,  honestly.

Her  question  pulls  a  small  hum  from  him  as  he  really  thinks  about  it.  Turning  it  over  in  his  head,  he  can't  really  find  a  solid  answer.  Ideally  he  would  wake  up  to  a  normal,  boring,  and  peaceful  day.  Even  if  it  was  just  here  at  the  academy.  No  death  or  battle  or  pain.  Just  being  able  to  laze  around  in  the  company  of  the  people  that  had  come  to  mean  so  much  to  him.

"...  I  guess...  Just...  having  a  relaxing  day  with  everyone."  It's  a  boring  answer,  but  it's  really  all  he  could  come  up  with.

His  eyes  flutter  open  to  look  in  her  direction  when  he  feels  her  weight  on  the  bed.  He  still  feels  nervous,  still  flushed  and  embarrassed  beyond  belief.  And  yet...  he  accepts  it.  She's  trying  to  help  him,  after  all.

Being mindful, hands still in her lap as she watched Takumi glance over at her, she remained as she was. Body sitting far enough that she wouldn't disturb him too much, but close enough that Takumi was aware that her presence is behind him. Her plan wasn't to settle onto her side- not yet, anyway. Although the invitation and expression that Takumi had made seemed to catch herself ever so playfully.

Not bloodthirsty. Nor cocky, prideful, or even mocking. No… Hiruko's attention had simply swept to the side while lifting her hand to gesture for him to make up his mind.

"Your my team leader, Sumino. If you really want me to, then you'll make room for me if I decide to."

In most cases, her tone could've been sharp and full of knives and disconcerning. Except in this instance, her tone held onto a certain assurance. As if telling him that if he chose to act on his own accord, she will follow him to the end.

There's still much more to explore with that thought, but for now… Hiruko simply remains seated at the edge of the bed. Her heel digging into the floor while leaning back ever so slightly, her presence still seemingly out of reach- but so close in this moment that all it would take for her is to shift one leg over from the side if she picked the opportunity to.

"Back to you then, Sumino. After you're finished getting comfortable, I want you to tell me something."

Her crimson gaze lingers back to him, glancing over her shoulder.

"You're given an option to choose between having a day to relax and spend time with everyone and having the option to make that single day into weeks… months… maybe even years. What's the first thing you would do when that decision comes to you?"

As she asked this, Hiruko lifts a hand rather quietly. She glances back at Takumi once more… waiting patiently…

Then, as if attempting to ease the answer from his wandering mind, Hiruko placed her hand atop the middle of Takumi's back.

Hi gang, it's me again. Comms are open! I've recently finished my seasonal position, and I'm on the hunt for a job again. So, some extra money could help with some groceries and paying for my dog's food and meds during this time!

If you're interested in commissioning, please visit my Ko-fi page!

And with monthly expenses (bills, groceries, and my immigrant parents refusal of not wanting to pay for Netflix and the security camera subscription) —can't seem to fill my dog's prescription and my mood stabilisers.

I also added a head/bust base for those who are on a budget!

Help me pay for my medications and my dogs' medications too!!

Her pale hands fly up to clasp over her mouth, astonished by her own strength. The latias is grateful that it at least flew past Steven rather than struck him—she could have very well knocked him out!

'I'm so sorry!' Estelle darts forward in a swift sprint, before she bows her head with remorse.

Steven was expecting some type of velocity and lift when the ball was thrown, but color him shocked and surprised when the pokeball came whizzing right past him and out towards the opening behind them. Almost in awe, Steven found himself chuckling rather than being frightened! Certainly, she could very well have the skill of a ball-thrower without even trying, too!

Turning his head back to her, the silver Champion had given Estelle a friendly and warm smile following with an understanding nod. The legendary didn't know her own physical strength, and that was okay! Steven certainly knew that it wasn't her intention to toss it so far.

"Haha, it's quite alright! Maybe with other pokemon, that kind of speed would certainly be do-able! Maybe try it under-handed at first. It might work out better, especially since the ball would end up dropping down near you more than anyone else. Here, let's have Skarmory go grab it for us."

With a small flick of his wrist, a burst of red would quickly form the shadow of the armored bird pokemon. Its feathers clicked in a metallic echo, eyes as sharp as its talons. As if knowing the issue before even being told, Skarmory quickly darts towards the descending Pokeball and captures it with its talons!

Circling back towards the two, Skarmory croons while landing with a soft 'click' of feathers. Picking the ball from its talons with its beak, it leans forward for Estelle to take. For being a delicate yet sharp-looking steel type, this Skarmory seemed to be lovingly polished and preened!

"There we go! Don't be too hard on yourself on it, since this is an exercise you're not really used to with a person, right? Which makes me wonder, do you have a preferred game or past time you tend to gravitate towards?"

-Indie multifandom multimuse, written by Astro, 25 yrs old. Sideblog to @ byimagination and will follow back from there.

Feat. The brothers, Nobuyuki & Yukimura Sanada.