Chapter 6 (End) : Odd Couple

Sometimes it was easy for Kyungsoo to forget that he and Tao were the same age. Or at least, born in the same year and the same age for a few months at a time. Most of the time Kyungsoo felt like he was ages older than Tao, especially when in the middle of “saving” Tao from some kind of bug.

“There, there,” Kyungsoo said tiredly as he pats Tao’s back.

“So many legs!” Tao wailed into Kyungsoo’s shoulder. “All over me…”

Kyungsoo knew that it really was not fair of him to roll his eyes. Tao’s fear of bugs was more like a phobia, like Kyungsoo’s fear of water, but honestly when they were camping out in the woods and this kind of thing was an every day occurrence, it could be a little tiring.

Tao eventually calmed down and Kyungsoo made him some hot chocolate. They sat by the fire, Kyungsoo’s arm around Tao’s shoulders, and Kyungsoo let Swampert and Marowak out to sit with them. They immediately curled up by Tao’s side, and Tao relaxed even more. Sometimes Kyungsoo felt like his Pokémon were more sensitive to Tao’s emotions than he was.

“We should go to sleep,” Kyungsoo said.

“Can I sleep with you?”

Kyungsoo bit back a snarky remark about how it would be amazing if Tao slept in his own sleeping bag for a change. “Of course you can.”

In the morning Kyungsoo woke up with his head tucked under Tao’s chin, and Tao’s hand his back gently.

“You awake?” Tao murmured.

Kyungsoo nodded and snuggled closer. “What time is it?”

“Sunrise. We can sleep a little more.”

Kyungsoo has never been a morning person, and Tao knew this. When it was time to pack up camp, Tao made hot chocolate and had Kyungsoo sit by the dying embers of the fire. Kyungsoo watched through bleary eyes as Tao folded the sleeping bag and jammed it into the backpack, tied everything down on the wagon, cleaned up any trash leftover, and finally came to stand in front of Kyungsoo.

“I’ll take the front seat.”

Kyungsoo nodded and stood up. Their two seater bike is rusty in places and not the fastest way to get around, but they could pull all their stuff behind it in a wagon, and that was more of a help than most people realized. Kyungsoo took the back seat and Tao pulled out the map.

“Lavender town, here we come!”

Sometimes, when Kyungsoo isn’t tired, hungry, and cranky, he thinks that he never wants to be without Tao.

Kyungsoo first met Tao at an orientation for new Pokémon trainers. They had grown up in the same town, but never had much of a chance to talk owing to the fact that they attended different schools and took part in vastly different activities. Tao had been training in martial arts, and Kyungsoo had been taking scouting lessons until age ten, at which point he switched to rock climbing. Still, they were familiar enough to be relieved when they saw each other in a crowd of strangers. They started talking and quickly figured out that they were in the same boat—they had no idea what they were doing when it came to embarking on their Pokémon journey. It had been Tao’s idea for them to stick together.

“At least we can be lost together, you know? No pressure to have a plan, yet we have someone to lean on.”

It sounded like a good idea, and they could always split if they decided on separate plans. Nearly a year had gone by and they hadn’t split yet, despite some rocky patches in their relationship. Friendship. Whatever it is. They’re not quite dating, but they act like boyfriends sometimes. It could be because they have no one but each other. It could also be that those feelings are perfectly legitimate. Neither of them has any interest in sitting down and talking things out, so they just carry on as they have for months.

Kyungsoo and Tao rented a storage stall in a crappy little barn and leave their bike and wagon in it. They took with them one sleeping bag, three flashlights, a ton of batteries, some food, and a huge bag of Onix food.

“You don’t have to come with me,” Kyungsoo said again.

Tao gulps but manages to keep his voice from shaking when he says, “I would feel better knowing you weren’t alone.”

The rock tunnel is the one place Kyungsoo’s been dying to go to. He wants an Onix, he’s wanted one for as long as he can remember, and this is the best place to find one. The supposedly haunted Lavender town is the one place Tao hates more than the bug-infested forest, having had one too many encounters with real ghosts. Even though he was a tad bit annoyed, Kyungsoo had to admire Tao’s resolve to stick by his friends even when he was scared out of his mind.

At the entrance to the tunnel, Tao released his Skitty from her pokeball and tucked her into his jacket, telling her to be very, very quiet. Kyungsoo and Tao powered on their flashlights, and then they set off.  The inky darkness of the tunnel was barely penetrated by their lights, the narrow beam of light could only illuminate a distance of about five feet at a time. Untouched by light for thousands of years, the tunnel was freezing and dank, the only sound was the steady dripping from stalactites.

Kyungsoo reached for Tao’s hand, and Tao latched on with an iron grip.

They walked for what felt like forever, and Tao checked his watch repeatedly. After five hours, they finally heard a low rumble from under the ground. They both froze

“Was that—?” Tao started to say, but he was cut off as a wall of rock gave way about twenty feet in front of them. Tao’s shriek of surprise was swallowed up in the mighty roar of a huge Onix.

“It’s beautiful,” Kyungsoo gasped as Tao cowered behind him.

Kyungsoo reached for his Swampert, but before he could make a move a streak of pink flew by him and an affronted meow echoed around the cave.

“Skitty!” Tao half screamed, half gasped.

Kyungsoo’s heart stopped as the enormous Onix looked down at the tiny Pokémon. Skitty’s fur stood on end, her hackles were raised, and she took a swipe at the Onix’s tail. To Kyungsoo’s surprise, the Onix recoiled with a wounded sound.

There was a beat of silence, and then Skitty seemed to deflate. She sat down and began to groom her paw, and Onix lowered its great head and sniffed Skitty curiously. Skitty allowed it for a moment, then gently pushed Onix’s head away from her. The Pokémon’s eyes landed on Kyungsoo and Tao. Kyungsoo held out his hands.

“Hi there,” he said softly.

Onix slunk forward, nudging at Kyungsoo’s hands. Kyungsoo its head. “Well, this is a surprise,” Kyungsoo said quietly. Behind him, Tao’s knees gave out and he slid to the ground with a whimper. Skitty trotted over and leaped into her master’s arm, his cheek.

“What the hell?” Tao whispered.

“I think this is a young one,” Kyungsoo said, still petting Onix’s head. “It’s actually pretty small.”

“They get bigger?”

“And it seems underfed,” Kyungsoo continued. “Poor baby. Want to come with us, and we can get you something to eat?”

Onix nodded, and the group began the walk back to the mouth of the tunnel.

After a few hours in total darkness, the light of day was painful to Kyungsoo’s eyes, but when Tao saw the light of Lavender town cutting through the dark he raced towards it. Kyungsoo caught up after a few minutes and found Tao flat on the ground, overcome with tremors. Kyungsoo gave him a few moments and turned his attention to coaxing Onix out of the cave. It emerged with its tail shielding its eyes, and Kyungsoo was finally able to get a good look at his new Pokémon.

As far as Onix go, this one was pretty small, and quite scrawny. Kyungsoo guessed that this one was the runt of its litter, probably not well adapted to life in the wild. Kyungsoo could care less about how big and strong it was, he could feed it and train it up. He was just happy to finally see such a beautiful Pokémon up close! Onix fed on a calcium rich diet, and Kyungsoo had been saving all the chicken bones he and Tao had collected the past year for this moment. He dumped his backpack on the ground, scattering chicken bones all over the dirt. With a trill of delight, Onix began to gobble them up.

Kyungsoo then turned his attention to Tao. Skitty was perched on his back, grooming his hair, and Kyungsoo knelt by his side and rubbed his shoulder.

“You okay?”

“I will be,” Tao said faintly.

Kyungsoo grinned at him. “I got my Onix.”

“I’m very happy for you,” Tao said, and Kyungsoo knows he means it.

Kyungsoo gently Tao’s cheek, the little bit of it he could reach. “I’m really proud of you. And I’m really happy that you were with me.”

Tao lifted his head, revealing a pale, tear-streaked face. “Even though I’m a bit of a chicken?”

Kyungsoo’s heart melted and he gathered Tao in his arms. “You may be a chicken, but you’re my chicken.”

They walked back to town hand in hand, Onix slinking along behind them, and Skitty riding atop Onix’s head.

“What an odd pair they make,” Kyungsoo sighed.

Tao laughed. “No more odd than us!”

Tao’s battle team is largely comprised of Fighting type Pokémon. He hardly ever had to battle them to capture them, at least not in the traditional sense. Fighting type Pokémon were well known for being impressed by displays of martial arts, and often they would latch on to a trainer who could impress them. Tao’s Hariyama had come to him while he was practicing wushu by a lake shore. He and Kyungsoo had been staying there for a few days, with no real plan in mind, and Tao was showing off for Kyungsoo when the Pokémon walked up and made itself at home by Tao’s side.

That’s not to say that Tao trained Fighting type Pokémon exclusively, he would train any Pokémon that caught his eye. And one that he had his heart set on was Lapras. To catch it, he would have to take a boat out to sea and go fishing.

“You know, I can go by myself.”

Kyungsoo shook his head and stepped into the little row boat. “You came into the cave with me. I can do this with you.”

Tao looked apprehensive, but he didn’t try to argue further. With a push, he and Kyungsoo were off to sea. After rowing for about half an hour, Tao pulled the oars into the boat and cast his fishing rod. It was another twenty minutes before he caught a bite, and it was immediately clear that he had hooked something huge. Tao wrestled with the creature on his line, and the tiny boat was rocked and tossed as waves were churned up by whatever was on the hook. Kyungsoo clung to the boat for dear life, wishing he had stayed back at the storage house with his Pokémon. Suddenly the think on Tao’s line broke the water, and Tao let out a whoop of joy.

“LAPRAS!”

Kyungsoo wished he could join in Tao’s moment of glee, but when the Pokémon broke water it rocked the boat so much that one of the oars was dislodged. Kyungsoo tried to pull it back in the boat and lost his balance, and he plunged had first into the icy water.

Kyungsoo’s first reaction was to scream, and in doing so he inhaled a mouthful of water. He choked, lungs burning, and he flailed, trying to get back to the surface. Something wrapped around him and yanked, and he struggled like mad for a minute until his head broke the water.

“It’s me! Kyungsoo, it’s me!”

Kyungsoo stopped fighting against Tao and instead his body began to fight against the water he had inhaled. Kyungsoo was vaguely aware of his body hitting the floor of the boat, but he was more concerned with the burning in his chest.

Tao arms wrapped around Kyungsoo’s waist and hauled him up. “Kyungsoo, listen to me, you’re okay now, you’re going to be okay.”

Kyungsoo choked and hacked, and Tao held him steady.

“It’s okay. I’ve got you, you’re safe now.”

Kyungsoo spat out a mouthful of water and was finally able to take a long, deep breath. He gasped, barely managing to hold back more coughing, and slowly he began to come back to himself. He could feel his arms and leg, he could feel the solid wood of the boat under his hands, and he could feel Tao’s arms holding him steady. Kyungsoo turned, buried his face in Tao’s chest, and began to cry.

“It’s going to be okay,” Tao whispered. “I’ve got you.”

There was a distant shout, and Tao stood up, hauling Kyungsoo with him. “We need help!” He yelled.

Kyungsoo kept his eyes shut tightly until he felt someone else’s hands on him and he flailed.

“It’s alright,” an unfamiliar voice said. “We’re going to get you somewhere safe.”

Kyungsoo opened his eyes. There was another, much larger boat alongside their tiny one, and two men were leaning over the side, reaching for Kyungsoo. Tao helped Kyungsoo up over the side of their boat, and then scrambled on board after him. The next hour passed in a haze—the men lead Tao and Kyungsoo below deck to a tiny bedroom. Tao helped Kyungsoo out of his wet clothes and wrapped him in a blanket. One of the men came in and listened to Kyungsoo’s lungs, and the other gave him a cup of strong tea.

When Kyungsoo stopped shaking and found his voice, he turned to Tao and said, “Did you catch it?”

“That’s not important,” Tao said.

Kyungsoo started to cry again. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Tao said, “I should have…I’m sorry, Kyungsoo, I can’t believe I let this happen—”

“Hey,” the man who had brought Kyungsoo’s tea said from the door, “You two should come up on deck and see this.”

Tao carried Kyungsoo up the stairs, and they came face to face with a lapras. It stretched its neck out over the deck and sniffed at Kyungsoo’s face, and then began to him.

“What the?” Kyungsoo gasped, and he squeaked as Lapras nearly his mouth.

“It’s you!” Tao cried happily, reaching out a hand to pat Lapras’ head. Lapras trilled in delight and launched itself on to the deck of the boat. It rocked a bit, not quite as severely as the row boat had, but Kyungsoo still shrieked and clung to Tao’s neck. Lapras nuzzled Kyungsoo’s cheek and him again, as though in apology.

“She saw you jump in to save your partner,” one of the men said. “It impressed her so much, she’s been following us this whole time. She wants to be yours.”

Tao pulled out a Pokeball, and Lapras went in without a fight. Tao and Kyungsoo stayed on the deck and introduced themselves to their rescuers.

“I’m Minseok,” Said the man who had brought Kyungsoo the tea. “That’s my boyfriend, Baekhyun.”

“Kim Minseok?” Tao asked.

“The very same,” Minseok said. “So you’ve heard of me?”

“Who hasn’t? You’re like, more famous than the Elite four!”

Baekhyun laughed. “I’ll remember that you said that. So, where are you guys looking to be dropped off?”

“We left all of our stuff back in town,” Tao said.

“Well, how about we take you both to our friend’s place, and you hand out for a while so Kyungsoo can rest up a bit? It’ll be way better than any run-down overnight place in town.”

“Are sure it’s not any trouble?” Tao asked, but Kyungsoo held a finger to Tao’s lips.

“Shut up, I don’t feel like going to a motel. Or camping for that matter.”

“Then it’s settled,” Minseok said. “I can’t wait ‘til you see where we’re going.”

A short boat ride and a brief hike later, Tao and Kyungsoo walked into a research lab a few steps behind Baekhyun and Minseok.

“CHANYEOL!” Baekhyun screamed.

“BAEKHYUN!”

And behind Chanyeol stood Kim Joonmyun, former member of the Elite four, and the current members of the Elite four.

“Oh, my god,” Tao whispered.

Wu Yifan, dragon trainer and even taller than Chanyeol, took one look at Kyungsoo and gasped. “Everybody back up! This is a job for Yixing!”

If someone had told Kyungsoo a week ago that he would soon find himself being fawned and fussed over by the members of the Elite Four, he would have thought they were crazy. Yet there he was, being tucked into bed, given hot water bottles, tea, and medicine, all of it brought to him by the Elite Four and their boyfriends. When the flurry of activity ended, Kyungsoo was tucked into Tao’s side, sipping tea, and talking to ten very curious young men.

“So, you caught the Lapras in the end?” Sehun asked.

“Yep,” Tao said, “But I wouldn’t have cared if I didn’t. I’m just glad Minseok and Baekhyun were there to get us out of there.”

Lu Han nodded. “Yeah, thank heaven the two of you were there when you were. What were you out there for, anyway?”

“I have no idea!” Baekhyun said happily, “I just knew we had to go out to sea.”

“My boyfriend is psychic, I’m telling you,” Minseok said.

“That’s all well and good,” Joonmyun said, “But maybe we should leave Kyungsoo and Tao alone now. They’ve had a long day.”

“Good idea,” Chanyeol said. “Get some rest, bathroom’s behind that door over there. You can wear any clothes you find in the dresser if you want to change. We’ll go to town and get your stuff, and if you’re hungry held yourself to anything in the fridge.”

There was a sudden rush as everyone left, and then for the first time in hours, Tao and Kyungsoo were alone.

“Are you okay?” Tao asked.

Kyungsoo nodded. “I’m really sorry. I almost wish I had just stayed behind.”

Tao nuzzled Kyungsoo’s cheek. “I’m glad you came. I’m sorry you fell into the ocean, but look at where we are right now! We just became best friends with the Elite four and a famous Pokémon trainer. Kyungsoo, this is going to turn into a precious memory for us, I just know it. I wish it had been under better circumstances, but I think we need to look on the positive side of things in this case.”

Kyungsoo grinned and leaned against Tao’s chest. “You sound so grown up. When did that happen?”

“I think I’ve been grown up for a while, I just…I like being younger than you. It’s weird to say, but I like when you take care of me. But I don’t mind taking care of you every now and then.”

Kyungsoo blushed and looked up at Tao. “I don’t mind taking care of you, either. I like being with you.”

“Good, because I like being with you too.”

“Tao?”

“Yeah?”

“I kind of want to kiss you.”

Tao blushed, but leaned forward. “Okay.”

In the morning, Kyungsoo and Tao made their way to the kitchen, unsure of who would be waiting for them. Only Lu Han and Yixing were up, and they were making eggs and bacon.

“You’re up already?” Lu Han asked.

“Well, we pretty much went to sleep almost right after you guys left,” Kyungsoo said. He had been too tired to stay up much longer than the time it took to kiss Tao.

“Well, want some breakfast?” Yixing asked.

“We can make it,” Tao said, but then his stomach gave a loud growl and he blushed deeply.

“Sit down,” Lu Han said firmly.

Soon enough everyone else was up, and they all sat and had breakfast together.

“Looks like we’ve made two new friends,” Chanyeol said happily. “After we’ve all eaten and gotten dressed, do you guys want to come meet our vaporeon school? Tao, you can let your Lapras swim with them for a while if you want.”

Tao looked at Kyungsoo, and he nodded. An hour later, the twelve of them were gathered in the shallow end of a huge pool, watching Lapras play with Chanyeol and Joonmyun’s group of Vaporeon.

“They get along really well,” Chanyeol said. “We’ll have to make note of this.”

Joonmyun explained, “We’ve been doing a lot of research on the habits of Vaporeon, from their language to their actions.”

“That sounds amazing,” Tao said. “How does it work?”

Joonmyun grinned. “Stick around a few days and we’ll be happy to show you. Not enough people know about the research section of Pokémon training, we’re always happy to teach.”

Tao turned to Kyungsoo. “Okay with you?”

Kyungsoo looked at Joonmyun. “Can we stay here?”

“Of course!” Chanyeol cried, “We have a ton of room, the more the merrier! Especially since this lot is going back to the gym tomorrow.”

Kyungsoo smiled at Tao. “Sounds like a nice change from camping.”

“It’s settled then,” Joonmyun said. “Welcome to the team, Kyungsoo and Tao!”

Kyungsoo and Tao may have started their Pokémon journey without a path in mind, but in the end it didn’t matter. Their path found them, and it came with ten great friends, dozens of wonderful Pokémon, and one amazing relationship.

So, that’s the end of the Pokémon arc! I hope you enjoyed it, leave a comment if you did and make sure to check out my other stories!