:thinking emoji:

{♞} Cobalion walked down the streets of Castelia. Hands dug into the pockets of the leather jacket he now adorned. He had stepped out of his typical police uniform to put on a more—as Virizion kindly put it—’normal human outfit.’ Despite having the day off, he had gone to work, in uniform, to catch up on some paperwork. This didn’t sit well with his grass type friend. She ended up forcing Cobalion to change and kicking him out of his office. ‘Go outside and drink coffee or something, just leave your office for once. Actually have a personal life.’ 

Nobunaga took the manuscript and opened it carefully, mindful of the aged binding. “Oh?” He needed but a moment to recognize what it was: an old folktale, the story itself written in an older dialect of the common language with characters’ thoughts and dialogue in Valdragisian. Pushing his work to the side, Nobunaga ensured Zekrom was seated comfortably beside him and began reading.

“Long ago there lived a woodsman. The woodsman had once been a soldier of the army, and he fought so well that when his sword arm grew weary he was rewarded with a house. Though his sword arm had grown weary he could still lift an axe. And so each morning before the light of dawn he went into the woods and returned at sundown to provide for his wife and their many children.

“One day, a priest came to the home of the woodsman to share the teachings of the gods. 「Oh honorable woodsman」 said he 「though you wore flowers in your hair during battle you do not honor the gods with prayer 」.

“「If you kept a family as large as mine」 said the woodsman 「you would never pray either」.

“This angered the priest. He gave such vivid descriptions of the woodsman’s soul being bound in the cycle of rebirth to never ascend to the form of a dragon that though the woodsman was strong of heart he wept for fear. The woodsman then swore unto the priest that he would honor the gods with prayer and keep their teachings in mind for always.

“「Work and pray」 told the priest to him 「for prayer is what binds our tribes to the gods and keeps us from submitting to the armies we fight for」.

“The woodsman did not heed the priest’s words. After the priest left he did nothing but pray. All day was prayer and never work, so that the crop died and his family starved. Though the woodsman’s wife had never once raised her voice to her husband, she now became angry and showed him the starved and thin bodies of their children. 「Look you」 said she 「our children were healthier when you fought in battle and we had no house. You must go the woods and do something more helpful than prayer」.

“His wife’s anger shocked all words from the woodsman. When at last he could reply his words stung and hurt the ears of his wronged wife.

“「Woman」 said he 「the gods come before yourself and our children. How impertinent to put yourself first. I will have no more to do with you!」 and without a backwards look the woodsman took his axe and went into the woods where he climbed a mountain where he soon disappeared into a mist.

“Upon the mountain, the woodsman heard a noise and saw a Swablu disappear into the treetops. The woodsman knew coming across one of the gods at such a time was a sign of luck, and chased after the dragon in hopes of seeing it once more.

“Though he chased and chased the woodsman could not find it again. About to give up, he came to the bank of a river and saw two noble women playing shōgi. Entranced by their beauty and concentration the woodsman felt compelled to sit and watch their game. For a long time there was nothing but the soft clack clack clack of pieces on the board and the sound of running water.

“The noble women took no notice of the woodsman. They played a game with more moves than the woodsman knew and though each took many turns their game did not end. Finally, the woodsman saw a false move.

“「Ah ha!」cried he 「You have moved wrong fair lady!」. At the sound of his voice the noble women transformed. Their skin turned blue and their robes turned white and the woodsman looked upon two Altaria before they finished turning to clouds.

“The woodsman tried to chase them, and found to his dismay that though he had been sitting but an afternoon his limbs were so stiff as to stay still. His beard and hair had grown long to tangle his legs and turned white as the snow. His axe, though made of the hardest wood, crumbled away at his touch. At last he was able to stand and walk down the mountain. When the woodsman left the woods he saw another house where his had stood with an old woman out front hanging laundry.

“「This is not my beautiful house」 thought he unto himself 「this is not my beautiful wife」.

“「Where is the house of the woodsman?」 asked he to the old woman 「For I am he returned from the mountain」.

“「The woodsman!」 cried she, who believed the woodsman to be mad. 「The woodsman has been gone three hundred years. As has his wife, and his children, and his children’s-children!」

“The woodsman wept to learn of his fate. 「The gods have cursed me」 moaned he 「for when I worked I had no time for they, and in prayer I had no time for work. Work and pray!」 told he to the old woman 「Work and pray!」”

“Don’t you ever think about all the possibilities in the world?” The question comes out of her mouth before she can stop it, but Bianca doesn’t really mind. Sometimes talking to strangers could be a hell of a lot easier than talking to friends. 

𝔽𝕚𝕣𝕤𝕥 𝕀𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤   ♚   @elxtricblue

Of all the Pokémon for Reshiram to bring him too…

Natural stood before Zekrom frozen in his place, eyes wide and lips parted in awe. A far different picture from how he’d previous stood before the dragon, with his arms spread beckoning him in for a fight over false truth and ideals. Yet, something was amiss, someone was missing, and perhaps that was what cause the horrible sinking feeling in Natural’s chest.

Where is he, he wanted to demand, as if he was still a pretend king with a paper crown on his head. However, Natural had learned the hard way that demanding anything, friendship included, from these dragons resulted in pain.

He had the scars from Reshiram’s fiery claws to prove it.

❝Zekrom…❞ Was all he could breathe out, heart thumping loud in his ears, only spurred on by the nudge Reshiram gave him to his back.