rivalsweetscent | 000// Phone Post-O

It's okay! Really. Where are you?

outsid

[This is him realizing that was really vague.]

uh outside droms

oh okay. I took a walk, do you want to maybe meet by the lake?

[There was a slightly longer than usual pause between texts, but eventually Vinnie sent:]

k

[That was. Kind of a long pause just to send one letter. Maybe it just hadn't sent right away. A slip of the finger and all that. Something that probably didn't need worrying about.]

There's that bunch by the willows. Over there.

[Because that's where Vinnie could find him.]

[Slowly, Vinnie made his way over, but his heart no longer in hanging out. His hands were stuffed in his pockets, his head downcast as he walked. Whatever cheer there had been in his face a mere few hours before was gone - he looked stunned, uncertain.

But Bulba had wanted to meet up afterwards, and he didn't want to let the Ivysaur down, even if right now his soul felt like it was violently shaking.

The Venusaur managed to lift his head to mutter a greeting. His voice sounded empty.]

...Hi.

[Bulba had been hovering in an odd state of fluctuation between being confidant in his decision and feeling nervous about it. When the Venusaur had said there was something he needed to do first, the Ivysaur had happily complied, though it meant an extra however long of no active distractions. Just him and thinking about what he was going to say.

When he heard the other approach, he felt a nervous little flutter that only grew stronger once he saw Vinnie's face, though not because of nerves. This was suddenly a much different Venusaur than he had danced with earlier. Bulba's smile dimmed somewhat.]

Hey...!

[Vinnie couldn't even force a smile. So many things were swimming in his head right now - caught in the momentum of the moment, it felt easier to keep his composure. But now every word was echoing through his head, every emotion was catching up and burying him like an avalanche. It felt like a dream, but he knew he wouldn't wake up.

His eyes didn't linger on Bulba very long. The lake drew them out, and the stared at the reflection of the moon over water.]

D'you mind if I sit down?

[There weren't any benches, but getting dirt on his white suit was the last of his concerns. Vinnie didn't trust his legs to keep himself balanced when all his insides were rattling around.]

[The Ivysaur's ears drooped somewhat as Vinnie shifted his look towards the lake. It wasn't hard to notice that something had happened. Vinnie had still come out to the lake though, so what did that mean...?]

Huh? No, not all. Go ahead.

[Bulba helped himself to a seat on the grass as well so that he wasn't just going to stand near him awkwardly.]

[There was a long stretch of silence as Vinnie stared straight ahead, unsure of how to pick words out of the whirlwind in his head and voice them. Every time he tried to grasp at something, anything he could possibly say to fill the stillness, they slipped through his proverbial fingers.

But... the quiet wasn't so bad. It was a serene reminder - even despite the turmoil inside him right now, nature was as it ever was. The stars shine down on good and bad alike. Bulba's scent began slowly filtering through his senses, bringing its soothing touch into his soul.

Eventually, Vinnie did speak. His voice was low, contemplative - a veneer of calm over his tone.]

Y'know... when I came back, I'd made up my mind. I was going t'leave the team.

[All Bulba could do was be patient. He couldn't guess at what was on Vinnie's mind, but the fact that the Venusaur was beside him would have to be enough. If Vinnie wanted to speak, he would. Bulba had learned that much. So he had stayed quiet, simply lending a presence.

When Vinnie did raise his voice, however, the words spoken were not at all ones that Bulba had expected to hear. The Ivysaur glanced at him sharply, the whole of him becoming more animated in surprise.]

Really?

[His kneejerk reaction was that this revelation was completely left-field. The part of him that took the whole team set ups for granted thought this was completely crazy. The longer he stared at the way Vinnie was watching the scenery around them, however, the more he remembered that it really wasn't. He had already known that this was going to happen, didn't he? There were other things Vinnie held important in his heart as well. That's why he thought it was important to tell him...

Bulba furrowed his brow slightly.]

... Did you?

[Vinnie could see Bulba react in the periphery of his vision, but didn't look over. If he did, it felt like he would've lost his words all over again. He knew it'd be a shock for anyone on any of the teams to hear, but...

It was fitting, he supposed, that he broke the news to Bulba first. It was Bulba that he first divulged the possibility of doubt.]

It's funny... I went t'talk to Red about it. He kicked me off the team instead. On account've being basically worthless.

[There was a hollow, dry laugh.] Which is bullshit an' I know it, but... ha. That's ironic, right?

What?

[The Ivysaur went rigid where he sat, eyes wide and trained on Vinnie. A somewhat foreign emotion was rapidly swelling in his breast, quickly filling in the small void that shock had cleared out for it. It wasn't something that Bulba felt very often, but he was definitely feeling it now.

There were a lot of things about Red that Bulba had either felt indifferent towards or just plain didn't like and they had been increasing over the years, but he was never very vocal about it. There had to be something there that his team still liked. This, however, this...

Anger. Anger was the emotion that was blindsiding him suddenly as he listened to Vinnie speak.]

I... that's completely bullshit.

[He bit his lip, pushing himself closer to the Venusaur to bodily nuzzle against him.]

I'm sorry. Screw him.

[Bulba was going to punch his lights out.]

I mean... nnnn...

[Vinnie nodded mutely as he nuzzled back. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, filling his lungs as far as they would go, before exhaling in a sigh. He didn't want Bulba to be angry, he wished the Ivysaur would let it go and allow this mess to be something the Venusaur deal with alone. But distantly, there was the tiniest feeling of gratification, knowing he cared. That he cared so intensely.

Smelling sweeter himself, Vinnie leaned his head against Bulba's and murmured:] I'm... pretty sure something's wrong. Some school thing. He wasn't like this earlier.

But even if he wasn't himself, he... [There was a pause as Vinnie steeled himself. The words were just so surreal to say.]

I don't have a Pokeball anymore. I'm officially free.

[While the school did do crazy things and changed people sometimes, Bulba wasn't entirely sold on that logic just yet. Maybe he was simply too angry, or maybe he just held on to too many grudging feelings from the last few times he had felt offended by the other trainer. They probably didn't matter. Red had said the things that Vinnie had worried about for so long. Things that weren't even remotely true and yet... and yet....

Bulba took in a deep breath of his own, filling his senses with Vinnie's scent and letting it linger. Being angry wasn't going to do anything at the moment. For now there were other things to address. The Venusaur's flower could ease some of Bulba's negativity, but it did nothing for the wave of nervous energy that crashed through his stomach.

Being free meant Vinnie had no obligations there. He could come and go as he pleased. But if he went, what would even bring him back?]

... What are you going to do?

[If Red's words had come a year earlier - even a few months earlier - Vinnie's spirit would have been completely broken. But the timing as it was, he had to admit to himself, the end result of the talk had really still been the same. It had just been a parting on much, much worse terms.

He'd been afraid of being worthless for so long. This was already the worst case scenario - and now that it actually happened, it meant... Vinnie really had nothing to keep fearing. He knew his own worth, and he had a path that he wanted to follow, independent of his team. None of that had changed.]

Keep following the original plan, I guess. Get a major. Focus on actually learnin' something from th'school I otherwise couldn't.

[The relief that flooded through the younger saur was so sudden and jarring that he almost started laughing, unable to figure out another way to process it. Bulba kept a lid on it by biting his lip again, knowing there was no good way to explain just why he was so relieved. As far as Vinnie was aware, there was no reason for those extremes.

He did nod a bit too eagerly against him though.]

I see... That's pretty solid actually. [Says the nerd.] Were you still thinking something botanical...?

[ Bulba's eagerness, thankfully, came off simply as friendly encouragement. The Venusaur glanced over at him finally, looking less shaken and uncertain than before.]

Mm. Environmental conservation.

[He didn't know exactly which classes or what he had to study in order to pursue this, but for the most obvious of reasons, it was a subject he cared about deeply. The rest he could figure out now that he was back at the school.]

[The Ivysaur was already looking at him. There was still some worry in his eyes, but that was hardly a surprise, all things considered. Vinnie's gradual shift was comforting, and Bulba smiled a bit to try and encourage that.]

That's a really good fit. You'll do really well with that.

[No doubt. Vinnie might not have cared much about school itself before, but the motivation hadn't been there. If it was something he was passionate about like this, then there wouldn't be any problems.]

[Vinnie nodded again. He was fairly confident he could do good in the subject as well - when he applied himself, he had the diligence, and a fair bit of intuition to help him out. He had never been hopeless with most academics, even before.

There was no way that it could be anything as gruelling as the past two years of physical training he'd put himself to. Having accomplished as much as he had already, Vinnie definitely wasn't a stranger to hard work.]

I want... t'be able to do something I couldn't as just a Venusaur. Or just a human, either. I always knew how to use both through fighting - I think... I could use it t'contribute more than that.

[He paused, lowering his gaze for a moment.] I know I can be more than just a trainer's Pokemon.

[It was an interesting thing to consider, really, applying both pools of knowledge to accomplish something that just one could not. To go out and actively put it to use was not something that had ever crossed his mind as something he himself would ever do. Becoming more of his own person had not entirely branched past his own trainer pokemon status.]

… You know, that's really admirable. I never really thought about it much… If there's anyone that can do it, it's definitely you.

[Bulba leaned up to nudge his nose against Vinnie's neck with a small sigh.] You absolutely can. I think you're probably more than that already, really.

[The corners of Vinnie's mouth twitched into a small, tentative smile upon hearing Bulba's words. This was the right thing to do, he told himself. He did the right thing. Everything he was feeling right now was just another process of starting to move forward again.

Having a direction, his own direction, it felt good. Better than what anyone else could give him. The Venusaur's face softened as he closed his eyes and pressed his nose against Bulba's hair.

Quietly, he muttered a simple but appreciative:] Thanks.

[Bulba hummed a bit in response. All he could do right now was back Vinnie up in the things he decided he wanted to do. This one was easy to get behind.

He eased under Vinnie's touch. His anger was all but set aside for now, to be picked up and re-evaluated when the right time came. Now it was just the gentle sounds of the lake and Vinnie's breathing as they moved together. Bulba lowered his gaze a bit, not looking at anything in particular as he spoke up in a soft voice.]

I'm... I'm really glad you were planning on sticking around.

You'd miss me, right?

[That Bulba had become more comfortable saying such things made Vinnie feel, well, pretty pleased as an advocate for saying whatever was on your damn mind, and as a someone who held him dear. There were things that were unsaid that still needed saying, sometimes.]

I'm not that easy t'get rid of.

om nom nom

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