The Cold of Winter
by MalwareBirb404
Throughout the backstage area, the Great Hall’s stage crew and roster of performers all stared at Selene, as the Umbreon had asked them all to stay a bit late.
“Well… Here we are. Second to last show of the year has come to an end. And I just want to thank everyone for making this place what it is! As some of you know, mine and Dawn’s father Peony was in the audience today, and I
think
I saw him crack something resembling a smile.”
This got a chuckle out of a few of the pokemon, as the Sylveon’s serious temperament was well known to those who had engaged with him.
Hearing this, Phobos couldn’t help but let his mind drift as he thought about Peony, Selene, and Dawn. He knew for a fact that the sisters barely ever spoke to him. Even on a professional level, he was rarely if ever seen with Selene who was one of the few running the place for him.
“Not the time Phobos,” he thought, taking a short breath.
“So as a thank you before our final show of the year, I had had a few things prepared for everyone,” the Umbreon said to the crowd of pokemon before her, holding out her paw towards a large table filled with food and small boxes.
“Feel free to help yourselves!” she cheerfully said.
Ember reached for a small basket on the table, pulling a few cookies from the ones piled inside. But hearing Lionel aggressively clear his throat the Braixen quickly returned all but one. However once his back was turned the single cookie in her hand turned into two, courtesy of a slight of hand trick the Meowscarada had recently taught her.
Phobos chuckled at the sight of this, before grabbing one of the many pastries on the table.
“So, any plans for the year’s end show?” he heard Selene ask.
Breaking the cookie in half, Phobos gave a piece to the Mimikyu in his mane. “We and Dawn are planning something… But I prefer it to be a surprise,” he said as he puffed out his chest.
“Alright, alright,” Selene said with a smirk. “So you didn’t forget about the thing later, right?”
Rags reached down into Phobos’ mane, pulling out a note marked ‘ reminder, gift exchange ’.
“Good. So I’ll see you two then,” the Umbreon said as she walked away.
Phobos, about to say something, held out his claw. But by now Selene was already speaking to someone else. His thoughts were soon interrupted by snapping black claws in front of his face.
Swatting them away, he glanced at Rags. “I’m good, I’m good… Just thinking a bit.”
“Sorry we’re late,” Phobos said as he approached a round table towards the front of the cafe Dawn was him to meet her. Her and Selene were already seated, with small, half-eaten cakes and two wrapped up gifts positioned before them.
Phobos was carrying two as well, setting them down and taking a seat. “Alright, time for the first annual pre-festival gift exchange.”
“Finally!” Selene cheerfully said. “You know, I tried to do something like this around the house last year. But things didn’t go too well…”
Dawn’s ears folded back as she recoiled at the thought of her father attempting to give gifts to the mansion’s staff. Not that the stern Sylveon didn’t treat them well, but had Dawn been there; the sheer awkwardness likely would have killed a part of her she didn’t know she had.
“That reminds me,” Dawn piped up, turning her head towards Selene. “Mother wanted to know you’re still coming to the Mistfield Hot Springs with us before the festival .”
“I thought you hated places like that?” Phobos inquired.
“I do. But ever since the ‘one too many incident’, she’s been trying to bond with me more,” Dawn grumbled .
“It’s just I remember you saying those hot springs were ‘a breeding ground for creeps and weirdos’,” Phobos added.
“I said she was trying, I didn’t say I expect it to go well.”
“At least you guys are actually talking…” Phobos mumbled through a forced smile as he raked his claws though his mane. The table grew quiet as all eyes were now on the Zoroark, who now realizing what he did turned his attention to the gifts.
“So… The gift exchange?”
As the presents were passed around, the others couldn’t help but notice that something was wrong with Phobos. However the Zoroark didn’t seem to want to acknowledge it as the smiles and conversations continued.
By the time the gathering came to an end, the four stepped out onto the busy, decorated street. However, before they could go their separate ways, Phobos stopped Selene.
“Hey uh- Selene…”
“Something up?” she asked, tilting her head.
“Do you… have any extra tickets for the next show?”
Walking around, Phobos effortlessly found his way along the winding, decrepit cobbled streets. Remembering each twist and turn it took to navigate the stone and wooden maze that was Lower Stonehaven was second nature. Even though it had been quite a while he had even stepped foot in this part of the city.
Overall, the atmosphere of Lower Stonehaven was far different then its counterpart above the cliffs beside it. It was overall less active, and most pokemon tended to keep to themselves. And while seasonal decorations were strung about, decorating the city above, here it was just another day.
The brisk winter winds battered against his fur, however it wasn’t going to deter Phobos from his goal. But the same couldn’t be said about his nerves, as he repeated how bad of an idea this was to himself under his breath.
Coming across a familiar street, Phobos froze in place. Rags popped up from his mane, pointing a shadowy claw down the street. The Zoroark ignored him, turning to his right and taking a few more steps.
“OW, OW, OW, OW!” Phobos shouted before pulling the Mimikyu out of his mane. “I know what I said, but we agreed no pulling!”
Rags tilted his head to the side and gestured his claws down the direction they were supposed to go.
“Oh no, I’m stalling! Phobos retorted as he walked off.
A saddened look appeared in Rags’ eyes which got the Zoroark to stop.
“Okay, I get it. This could go better if we just rip the bandage off,” Phobos said, seemingly agreeing with the Mimikyu… Only to continue walking the wrong way.
“Nope, this was a bad idea we should just-”
But before he could continue ranting, Phobos felt himself bump into someone. “Arceus dammit. I’m so sorry, I was just-”
“Phobos?”
Before him stood another Zoroark shorter than himself, their fur slightly dulled with age. Rags glanced between the two, who were staring at each other for what felt like an eternity. However Phobos took a few steps backwards, shrinking down as his heart raced.
“H-Hey mom…”
Clearing her throat after another awkward silence, the older Zoroark then caught Rags in line of sight. “And Rags is with you…” she said.
“Yep,” Phobos answered.
“So I assume things in Cascade didn’t work out then?”
“Can we at least go inside if we’re gonna talk about this?” Phobos snapped before silence hung over the trio once more.
The other Zoroark hesitated for a moment but soon nodded. “Fine then.”
“I wonder how Phobos is doing,” Dawn said, as she and Selene sat in the Espeon’s room playing a game of cards.
“I remember his parents were really… upset after he told them he was leaving for Cascade.” Selene slid two cards forward.
“Are we talking like, Peony pissed? Or…”
“All I am aware of is that it wasn’t our father’s ‘silent anger’,” Dawn answered as her ears folded back.
Selene sucked on her teeth as her crimson eyes narrowed.
“Some choice words were also said in the exchange,” Dawn continued as she glanced away. “Frankly I think it’s very brave of him to do this.”
Selene nodded before Dawn made her move, using Psychic to slide her pair of cards.
“So how are you holding up?” asked Selene, the Umberon tilting her head to the side. “Cause you and mom have been kind of eh since-”
“I thought we agreed not to talk about that,” Dawn said through gritted teeth as her tail swished about.
Selene shrugged. “Just saying I can’t really remember the last time the three of us spent any actual ‘mother daughter time’ together.
“If I wasn’t fine, I wouldn’t have agreed to this,” Dawn huffed as her cards trembled in her psychic grasp.
“Whatever you say…” Selene remarked before the two flipped up their cards.
“How?” the Umbreon groaned. “That’s the third time in a row you got a twenty one. You don’t even gamble!”
“And you do?” Dawn inquired as her tail swished curiously.
Selene’s face would have been beet red had it not been for her ebony fur. “Don’t tell anyone.”
Dawn’s gaze narrowed as her head tilted to the side. “Selene, I was joking-”
“And so was I…”
“Okay, now I’m concerned.”
Selene groaned. “If you must know, I didn’t lose that much.”
“Oh hey look, snow!” she piped up, before walking towards Dawn’s window.
“If you want to change the subject, you can at least use a better excuse,” Dawn remarked.
“No, really look,” Selene said, pointing her paw at the window. Dawn rolled her eyes, and turned around. “Hm,” Dawn reacted, walking towards the window as well.
Pulling open the window, Selene stuck her head outside.
“What are you doing?” Dawn asked, annoyed that her room was filling her room with cold air. “It’s pretty isn’t it?”
“It’s also cold and wet,” Dawn remarked.
The Umbreon then scooped up some of the snow on the ledge.
Seeing what her sister was doing, Dawn backed away. “Don’t you dare…”
Rags could feel the tense atmosphere brewing between the two Zoroarks, as neither of them said a single word on their walk to the family home, a small two story house sitting in between two larger stone buildings. Melaina stepped ahead as Phobos had stopped in his tracks. As if right on que, the first snow began to descend upon the city from the gray skies.
“What made you want to come back here?” Melaina asked.
Phobos raked his claws through his mane. “I don’t know… Just tired having left things on a bad note I guess.”
“I see…” Melaina solemnly answered, focusing her eyes back on the door. “Phobos, I- …We all said some choice things the day you last here. And-”
“Dad’s still mad, isn’t he?” Phobos interrupted.
While expecting some kind of an answer, Melaina’s silence was all the confirmation he needed.
Phobos looked at the ground. “Right.”
As a hesitant Melaina opened the door, a flash of magenta light engulfed Phobos. She turned her head to see a Delphox standing in his place. Rags hopped off him to the ground below, looking up at the tense vulpine. He pointed at Phobos before pointing back at the door. Holding out his umbral claws before balling them up with a determined look in his eyes.
Giving a sigh, another flash of magenta overtook Phobos’ form as he reverted back to normal. “You’re right… Hiding isn’t the answer,” he thought.
He gave the Mimikyu a slow nod and took a deep breath. Despite this, Phobos looked like a prisoner who was about to face the gallows. His heart raced, and his body shook as he watched his mother open the door.
The inside of the house was still just as he remembered it, the main room’s cluttered shelves, the large nest sitting off to the side, and the connecting kitchen all giving the place a quaint atmosphere. However it couldn’t take away from the overwhelming feeling of dread Phobos felt as he stepped inside.
“Noctis, I’m back!” Melaina called out, much to Phobos’ dismay.
“Welp, no going back now…” he thought.
“Were you able to find any?!” a gruff voice shouted from upstairs
“No… But I did run into someone,” she answered as she walked towards the stairs.
Phobos could hear the rhythmic creaking of the old, wooden stairs as another Zoroark made their way down. He was almost a spitting image of Phobos, albeit with a more well built frame. His mane was more unkempt, there was a linear scar over the bridge of his snout, and his lower right arm was missing.
Reaching the bottom of the steps, his eyes met with Phobos and Rags. “What are they doing here?” he flatly asked, his mood quickly turning at the sight of the two pokemon.
Phobos looked down as the elder Zoroark simply leered at him. His body starting to shake as his urge to conjure an illusion and hide grew with each passing second.
“So your little trip to Cascade didn’t work out, and now you’ve come crawling back for my help. Is that it?” Noctis said in a condescending tone as he placed his claws on his hip.
Phobos held Rags close to his chest much in the same way as a scared child would cling to a toy, and the Mimikyu could feel Phobos’ grip tightening as Noctis’ stare pierced into them.
“N-No, actually… I’m not here for that,” Phobos said as he looked back up.
“Then why are you here?”
“I started working at the Grand Hall a while back.”
Phobos noticed this seemed to get a reaction from Noctis and Melaina, giving him more confidence to continue.
“And I’m actually doing okay for myself.”
Noctis once again stared at the younger Zoroark with an annoyed glare. “And? Did you think this would change anything? Storming in here, just to tell me about shit that I don’t care about?”
Phobos flinched at the coldness in Noctis’ voice, his grip on Rags loosening as the strength was sapped from his arms.
Rags held back the urge to leap out of Phobos’ arms with a Shadow Claw at the ready. Sensing this, Phobos turned to the side.
“Would you prefer I say that I decided to rejoin the guild?” he quietly asked. “Cause knowing you, you’d still find something to complain about.”
“And I’ll keep complaining. Because at this point, you would be as useful to them as a spoon trying to mine out the Gilded Caverns,” Noctis spat.
Melaina stood with her mouth agape, and Phobos froze in place.
The Zoroark shook off her look of shock. “Noctis-”
“You were always weak, Phobos,” Noctis continued, cutting her off. “Why I thought even for a second you would last in the guild in the first place is my own mistake . You refused to strengthen yourself.”
“I never wanted to be there and you know it,” Phobos choked out.
“Neither did I, but I saw it through!”
“Then how come you’re not still out there with them?!” Phobos snapped, gesturing a claw towards the Zoroark’s missing arm.
Noctis scowled and seethed at the remark, stepping forwards. “Listen here you little-”
“What?! You don’t like that you-”
Phobos stopped himself. It took everything he had to keep himself together as his eyes began to well up. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have said that.” His voice wavered as he slowly backed away and turned towards the door.
Noctis leered at his son, bearing his teeth before letting out an angry sigh and turning away.
“I should go,” Phobos softly said, barely turning his head back towards his parents. He tried his hardest to hold back his tears, unable to stand the thought of them seeing him cry.
He used the last of his strength to hold a wriggling, thrashing Rags in place. The Mimikyu was furious, and the last thing Phobos wanted was for things to become physical.
Reaching the door, the Zoroark glanced back before reaching the handle. His claws shook as he opened it, but just as he pulled a blast of freezing wind and snow forced its way through the door.
Getting knocked off balance, Phobos found himself getting struck in the face by the door before being pelted by the frozen tempest outside. Rags then took it upon himself to get a good grasp on it, digging in his claws before forcing the entrance to the house shut.
Melaina walked towards the nearest window, pulling back the curtain to see nothing but white on the other side. As she and Noctis looked at Phobos and Rags, the two turned towards each other.
Feeling he knew exactly what his spouse was thinking, the Zoroark shook his head. “It’s just a bit of snow.”
This was met with by Rags raising his middle claw and scowling at him as Phobos shook the frost from his fur.
“Noctis be reasonable,” Melaina protested. “It looks like Kyurum’s playground outside. I know you three have your problems, but we are not making them leave in that!”
Once the shock front the cold wore its course, all Phobos could do was lay his back against the wall and slid down as he toned out the unfolding argument nearby. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Rags beginning his march towards Noctis, but soon stopped upon hearing Phobos’ heavy breathing.
Turning around, all he could see was the rest of the hall with no sign of the Zoroark. However the breathing persisted, prompting Rags to hold up his claws and tap at the air. Seeing it ripple, Rags walked through the illusion to find Phobos staring blankly at the pair of tickets Selene had given him .
Feeling a light tapping on his leg, the Zoroark broke from his trance-like state.
“I’m fine Rags… I’m fine.”
Slowly pulling himself up, Phobos stuffed the tickets in his vest and wiped his eyes.
Dropping his illusion he watched as Noctis stormed back upstairs, seemingly losing the argument. Stepping back into the room, Phobos saw his mother put on a forced grin.
“Feel free to stay until the storm stops.”
After a while of sitting around the room in tense silence, Melania stood up from her chair. “Is there anything I can get you?”
Phobos shook his head as he and Rags stared out the window, waiting for the snowstorm to pass.
“All of this… Is it really about me leaving the guild, or is there something else? cause looking back on it, even before the accident it kind of felt like he had this veiled hatred for me.”
“He never hated you,” Melania answered from the connecting kitchen as she heated up some tea on a black, wood-filled box attached to the wall.
“He just… hated what you were doing.”
Phobos and Rags both slowly turned around, glaring at her.
“I suppose that didn’t come out right.”
“Yeah, because putting on small shows for the other kids warranted being yelled at and chased into my room,” Phobos remarked.
Melania continued to monitor the tea. “What I remember was you staying out longer than we had told you to, Phobos.”
Looking up at him, Rags crossed his arms before pointing at Melania and holding out his claws. The Zoroark sighed.
“So is this just about the guild or not?” he asked, turning his attention back to his mother. “Cause everyone was too busy yelling last time to get a direct answer.”
“If it’ll get you to stop talking, I’ll give you a fucking answer,” an all too recognizable, surly voice growled.
As Noctis came back downstairs, he sat on the bottom step. “It’s not just about the damn guild. It’s about you pissing away an opportunity that was laid out for you.”
Phobos and Rags glanced at each other before reluctantly giving Noctis their attention. “What the hell are you talking about?”
There was some hesitation from the elder Zoroark as he refrained from looking Phobos in the eyes. “Guildmaster Raine was there during the accident. I saved her, and she made me a deal.”
“She’d see to it that you and your friend became real explorers after spending some time in the Gilded Cavern.”
“So you just traded me- traded us off to the guild without even telling me?!” Phobos fumed before he held up his claws.
“So all the times you tried to pressure me into joining… The answer was already made.”
Noctis huffed. “And you give it all up just you you can go prancing around on a fucking stage,”
“There’s more to it than that,” Phobos cried, gritting his teeth as he turned away.
“Right… Forgot you use your illusions as part of it too,” Noctis said in a condescending tone. “Something any Zoroark could take your place doing.”
He tried not to let his father’s words get to him, but a burning dryness in the back of his throat made the Zoroark visibly tense up. “You know… I didn’t say anything back then. But you wanna know the real reason I left?”
Noctis turned to look at Phobos, seeming to pay more attention now.
“This whole performing thing was just what we were going to do after leaving…”
“What’s the real reason then?” Noctis angrily inquired.
“I… I just-”
“You just what?!”
Phobos snapped. “I couldn’t stand being in there anymore! Every day, it was just nonstop ridicule from pokemon I barely even knew. Yeah, turns out a lot of them have some fun little names they like to call mons from both the diggers division and Lower Stonehaven.”
“Then you tell ’em to fuck off and and get over it,” Noctis grumbled. “Hell, you could’ve actually put your illusions to use… This is shit we went over when you were a kid!”
At this point, Phobos shook with barely contained rage. “You really don’t get it do you?” he said, only to be met with a long silence. “Fine, then let me tell you exactly what happened the day we decided to leave.”
… … …
Despite having been working at the guild for the past number of years, Phobos was still met by the all too familiar sight of his parents’ house upon waking up. The only difference was this time he found himself front-side on the floor, having fallen out of the nest-like bed in his and Rags’ room.
The Zoroark had swore he heard Noctis say something in the next room over in response, but paid no mind to it. Most at this point would have given up on trying to go back to sleep and pull themselves off the floor. Phobos however continued to lay there, barely awake as Rags stood over him. The Mimikyu waved in his face before snapping his claws in Phobos’ face.
Cracking his digits, Rags then moved to the Zoroark’s side and began the process of rolling him over. The darker markings around Phobos’ eyes didn’t do anything to make him look any less tired, but at this moment, Rags wouldn’t fault anyone for thinking his friend was dead upon first glance.
“Rags, just let me sleep…” Phobos quietly groaned, refusing to move despite now laying on his side.
“Or better yet, hold that pillow over my face…”
Glancing up at the aforementioned pillow sitting on the side of the nest, Rags instead crept towards Phobos’ head and slapped him in the face.
“Fine, I’m up!” Phobos angrily grumbled.
A few minutes after pulling himself up, he and Rags made their way downstairs. The Mimikyu noticed that Phobos didn’t have the same lifeless look in his eyes he had every morning before their walk to the guild each morning. They were still tired, but there was now a glimmer in his gaze that hadn’t been present over the past few days.
Phobos had been thinking about quitting the guild for a while now, but at this point, he hadn’t told anyone about this desire aside from Rags. But he had a plan this time, something he was surprised that he hadn’t tried before. Rather than try to explain his dreams to Noctis and Melania, he was finally going to make the decision to show them.
Sitting his Phobos’ explorer bag, Rags gave the Zoroark a questioning look as he held up a playing card. “Yeah, I know. I kept saying I was gonna do it, but I mean it this time,” Phobos quietly said with a now determined look.
“Once we get back from our next job, it’s showtime.”
However this newfound confidence began to waver upon reminding himself just who he was planning to perform for.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Phobos and Rags peered around for any sign of activity. “Good, they’re still upstairs,” the Zoroark muttered.
“You still have that spare costume in there, right?”
Phobos leaned against the wall, watching as the other pokemon clad in orange guild scarfs passed by in the guild’s foyer. Some were on their way to and back from various jobs while others were simply idling and talking to each other. The last was especially true for a particular. A Mienshao, Sawsbuck, and a Staraptor .
Rags popped up from Phobos’ mane as he continued to watch them talk. And while he couldn’t hear them, a feeling of dread was building up. The Mimikyu gestured towards them before holding out his shadowy claws to Phobos.
“Yeah, pretty sure they’re talking about us,” the Zoroark said in a defeated tone. “Come to think of it, we’ve been getting a few more weird looks than normal…”
Rags tilted his head to the side and shrugged.
“Yep…” Phobos sighed as he lowered his head. “Word definitely got around about it.”
Known throughout the guild as Team Ruse , Phobos and Rags weren’t exactly the best performing team that the Stonehaven guild had to offer. As each mission they went on what often turned into some flavor of unpleasant misadventure. This held true to their most recent job, which had wound up being a resounding failure. And in a guild full of uppity gossips, the news of this was but another story to add some entertainment to their day.
Pulling away from the wall, Phobos began to walk towards the job boards. As much as he didn’t want to be here, he still had a job to do. The Zoroark slinked away, hoping to avoid the judgmental gazes around him. He was tempted to use his illusionary abilities to evade the other guild members, but was sure doing so would only lead to more problems if someone saw him do it.
Reaching the wooden board near the center, Phobos and Rags looked over the organized papers pinned to its surface. However their focus was broken by an all too familiar voice.
“Hello Philo.”
“Phobos…” the Zoroark reflexively groaned, not even tuning to the pokemon talking to him.
“Whatever,” Allistair quipped. The Mienshao dismissively waved his paw, his smug grin never left his face.
Rags looked down at the Mienshao from Phobos’ mane, glaring at the mink.
“I would appreciate it if you would not give your superior that look,” Allistair snidely said as he waved a paw over the golden guild badge on his white vest. “You know I’m still surprised, didn’t we start around the same time?”
Giving a defeated sigh Phobos turned around, revealing the bronze badge pinned to his scarf. “What do you want, Allistair?”
“I was told to give you this,” the Mienshao said as he held out his paw to the side. His Sawsbuck teammate dropped a rolled up paper with his paw before forcefully handing it to Phobos.
“Try not to screw this one up, alright. It was meant to go to one of the newbie teams, but I think you two can handle it.”
Phobos and Rags watched as the trio walked away, the latter making a strangling motion with his shadowy claws. He was about to start complaining, but soon noticed that his friend was oddly still. Giving Phobos a tap snapped him out of whatever trance he was in.
“I… I-I’m fine, Rags… Let’s go.”
“An item delivery…” Phobos quietly read as he held the paper Allistair gave him. Rags curiously tilted his head. “A water stone, fire stone, and thunder stone. We have to give ‘em to someone waiting at the end of… Marble Valley.”
The Zoroark gritted his teeth. “And they were gonna give this to a newbie team?”
Rags cracked his digits in response, unafraid of what the job entailed. However Phobos wasn’t as confident, as he had heard that Marble Valley had been growing in difficulty as of late. A number of teams were bested by the sudden shift, not taking the change to the mystery dungeon too seriously. Rags hopped down from the Zoroark’s mane, giving him a thumbs up before thrusting his balled up claws into each other.
“If you say so,” Phobos said as he nervously raked his claws through his mane.
Noticing his look of uncertainty, Rags continued to try and hype up his friend.
“Well yeah, of course I trust you,” Phobos remarked as the Mimikyu continued. “Alright, alright… I guess when you put it that way.”
Hearing this, Rags hopped up into Phobos’ arms.
A slight grin came to the Zoroark’s face. “I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?”
Upon arriving back two days later, Phobos and Rags were beyond livid. The entire mission had been a complete bust, and the client had been nonexistent. The two suspected that Allistair had something to do with it but knowing the culture of the guild, they knew it was likely nothing would be done. It was this day that Team Ruse was no more. Guildmaster Raine attempted to reason with them, but the years of misery building up inside Phobos had finally reached a boiling point.
The two never knew how, but word of their resignation had quickly spread throughout the guild. As Phobos walked through the lobby, he could feel the contempt-filled stares from the pokemon walking and lingering about pierce into him.
However, the pair’s attention quickly turned to caught a glimpse of a Mienshao, Sawsbuck, and a Staraptor at the end of the lobby, erasing the guild’s scorn instantly from Phobos’ mind. Rags stared daggers at the Mienshao, and his partner felt the Mimikyu’s rage boiling.
The Zoroark began to swiftly steer away from them, but a team of a Rhyperior and a Gallade walked in front of them, blocking their way. Another team of pokemon followed suit, walking up beside them. And then another, and another, each one glaring at Phobos and Rags as though they were looking at the lowest of criminals.
Phobos grimaced and Rags shook with anger as Allistair and his team approached. The leader shook his head and sighed. “Heard about what happened. Such a shame.”
“But really Philo, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Some of us just aren’t cut out for guild life. Not exactly the most honorable way to go out, but hey, that’s your decision.”
“Really?” Phobos asked, scowling in suspicion at the Mienshao’s surprisingly friendly demeanor.
“Oh really,” Allistair said, holding up his paws. “Though I must ask, what do you plan on doing now?”
Phobos didn’t answer, looking down at the floor. A wide grin began to creep onto Allistair’s face. “Don’t tell me… You two aren’t still planning to go perform in Cascade City are you?”
A few snickers and chuckles spread throughout the crowd.
“So what if we are?” Phobos quietly asked. Rags glared at the Mienshao in defiance.
“You know what, he’s right,” Allistair said as he motioned for the other guild members to clear a path. “Who are we to stop someone from going after their dreams?”
Heeding his gesture, the crowd parted. Phobos and Rags began to silently walk away, unable to meet the other pokemon’s eye. An air of judgment and humiliation quickly filled the space in lieu of their voices.
As the two turned their backs to Allistair, the Mienshao took a step forward. He grinned. “And when you fail, we’ll always have a spot for you two in the Gilded Caverns.”
Phobos froze. Rags leapt out of Phobos’ mane, attempting to spring towards Allistair’s throat. The Zoroark spun to catch him in his claws before a fight could break out. The three stared at each other for the next few seconds in silence. Allistair kept his twisted smirk.
Phobos turned around before storming out with Rags in his hand.
“I need a fucking drink…”
… … …
“Why did you never say anything?” Melania asked.
“Why do you think?” Phobos said as he glared at Noctis. “It’s fucking Allistair. No one’s gonna stop him anyway?”
The elder Zoroark sat up “You. And you tell him he’s-”
“It’s not the same since you were there, dad!” Phobos shouted. “He is the guildmaster’s son! He can basically do whatever he wants, and no one stops him! …Or anyone like him.”
“It’s still not an excuse to run off and do whatever, and do-” Leaving his remark unfinished, Noctis grunted and swatted the air with his claws. “Any Zoroark can do it.”
“You know what?” Phobos angrily said, pointing at Noctis. “I’m gonna do a trick for you. No illusions. And if you can tell me exactly how I did it, I’ll quit.”
“Really?” his father snidely said with a raised brow. “You’ll quit… Just like that?”
Phobos froze up, both realizing what he had said, and that Noctis was calling his bluff.
Feeling a smack on his side, Phobos looked down at Rags who crossed his arms as he stared daggers at the Zoroark. Starting to panic, Phobos aimlessly glanced around until something caught his eye. Remembering the trick he was initially going to show them, an idea came to mind.
The three Zoroarks soon moved into the kitchen, Noctis and Melania sitting on either side of the table while Phobos stood before them with Rags perched on his shoulder. His arms shook as his breath hastened.
“It’s just like any other show Phobos,” he thought, trying to calm himself.
“So are you going to start, or waste more of our time?” Noctis flatly asked.
Gritting his teeth at the remark, Phobos then took a deep breath and looked his father in the eyes. “I’m going to flip though these, and you’re going to pick one,” the Zoroark said as he held up a deck of cards in his claws.
Quickly flipping through the cards, Phobos paused before Rags hopped down onto the table. “Wait no, that was too fast. Let me do it again.”
Repeating the process, Phobos eyed his audience of two before turning his gaze to Noctis. “You got one?”
“Yeah,” he grumbled. “Now get on with it.”
“Do you see your card here?” Phobos asked as he fanned the cards out, only for Noctis to shake his head.
Rags then held up a card as if to ask if it was theirs. Noctis shook his head again.
“How about this one?” Phobos asked before quickly yanking off Rags’ costume. As he had hoped, the two flinched. “I said, how about this one?”
In the Mimikyu’s place, sat a new card beside the one the small ghost type had picked.
“Yeah that’s it,” Noctis answered.
After a brief silence, Rags emerged from the cabinet above Phobos’ head. The Zoroark tensed up. “So… How’d we do it?”
The next morning after the snow outside had let up, Phobos and Rags headed for the door. The Zoroark turned his head back to find his mother facing him, but averting her gaze. Noctis however sat faced away in the kitchen, waiting for him and Rags to leave. Phobos sighed as he opened the door, not uttering a single word as he left.
The snow would have up past the Zoroark’s knees had other pokemon not started clearing it from the streets. However this seemingly went unnoticed by the duo, as Phobos’ mind was on autopilot. Their only objective in this moment was to get back home and process the previous day’s events.
Making the long walk back into upper Stonehaven, the two ignored everything around them as they made a straight shot to their building. Once they reached their room, the first thing Phobos did was collapse in his bed. Neither of the two had eaten before they left the house, but the Zoroark couldn’t summon the energy to move. Food didn’t matter right now, only rest. He lost track of how much of the day had gone by until Rags began poking at him.
Phobos’ eyes shifted towards the Mimikyu who was holding a cookie towards his face. Mustering whatever energy he could, Phobos lifted his head to nibble on the confection before dropping back down. “Thanks…”
A few minutes of silence passed until Phobos rolled onto his back. “He almost figured it out, Rags…”
The Mimikyu pointed at him before holding out his shadowy claws.
“Almost is still pretty close,” Phobos answered.
Seeing Rags hold out a claw, the Zoroark finally pulled himself up. “Oh no, I just said I’d quit so he’d take me seriously.“
“And I think he might have known that,” he nervously said as he raked his claws through his mane. “Then again, it’s not like it’s the first time I’ve been a bit dishonest with them…”
Noctis stared at the three pieces of paper that only could have come from Phobos. In his claws were a pair of tickets, and a note. He hadn’t given up trying to figure out how his son had pulled one over on him, as ever since Phobos left the words on the note echoed in his head.
Two tricks, one performance. How did I do it?
“Noctis,” he heard Melania say from behind him. “You’ve been staring at those things ever since the two left.”
“Little bastard pulled a fast one on me… The whole act was a distraction,” he said as he placed the tickets on the table.
“From the way you’re acting, you almost sound impressed,” Melania quipped.
“I’m not. I’m annoyed,” huffed Noctis as he stood up.
“Uh huh.”
“Those two can do whatever they want. They’re outta my house, so it’s not my problem.”
As Noctis walked away from the kitchen, Melania noticed her mate had taken the tickets with him.
A couple of days had passed since Phobos and Rags’ emotional trip to Lower Stonehaven, as the Grand Hall’s final show of the year was finally starting, much to everyone’s excitement. Phobos however felt like he was going to throw up.
Noticing this, Lionel shot the Zoroark a dirty look. “If you insist on vomiting because you indulged in some ‘holiday cheer’ before the show, at least have the decency to do it where no one can see you.”
“So even for the holidays you can’t lighten up, can you?” Phobos retorted, leaning his arm against the wall as he stared down into the bucket Rags brought him.
The Braixen by Lionel’s side sighed and leaned towards him. “Mister Lionel, I’ve actually read that sometimes stress can cause-”
“Only amateurs stress before a performance,” the cat remarked.
Ember, Rags, and a few other pokemon stared at him, prompting Lionel to turn away and keep quiet.
Sometime later, it was Phobos and Rags’ turn to go on. Walking onto the stage with Rags in his mane, and Dawn approaching from the opposite side. The trio waved to the cheering audience before each taking their position.
It was then that Rags leapt into the air before unleashing his umbral limbs, using Shadow Claw in rapid succession on both Phobos and Rags. Violet slash marks appeared all over them before both dissipated away into a flurry of cards.
The duo were soon spotted walking through the center aisle between the seats before coming to a stop. Phobos would throw card after card towards the stage, aided by Dawn who used Psychic to enhance their speed.
Rags in turn used Shadow Ball, launching the fast, spheres of dark energy at each incoming card, causing them to detonate into various shapes. This kept up until Dawn began containing the explosions with Psychic. A bright flash soon overtook the room, and by the time it faded the trio were all back on the stage. Phobos stood posed with his arms out, while Dawn balanced on his shoulder with one paw as Rags stood on the end of her tail.
As Dawn and Rags leapt off, Phobos scanned over the cheering audience and smiled. However his grin briefly faded before his cheerful demeanor returned as quickly as it left.
“So-” the Zoroark called out as he turned towards Dawn. “We’re allowed to have volunteers, right?”
By the time everything was over, Phobos, Rags, Dawn, and Selene walked outside as the snow began to gently fall. The sisters had noticed that Phobos had been oddly silent since the show’s end, but every time they asked they got the same response; a shrug and a quick glance away. Despite this, he didn’t seem upset. However he didn’t look happy either.
As they walked away from the Grand Hall, Phobos stopped and turned his head back. “They didn’t come.”
The Espeon and Umbreon stopped as well, the latter tilting her head in confusion. “What was that?”
Phobos sighed. “I… I invited my parents to- Well, not really invited. But you get what I mean.”
“Sorry to hear that,” Selene said as her ears fell back.
T he Zoroark shook his head and held up his claws. “Don’t be. They can do whatever they want.”
Staring at the Grand Hall, Phobos’ gaze narrowed. “While I was up there… I think I realized something.”
“And what’s that?” Dawn asked.
“I felt… happy once our act started. And after a while, I forgot about inviting them. And I forgot about wanting to impress them.”
Selene sighed. “So much for reconnecting though.” she said before getting bumped in the shoulder by Dawn.
“It’s fine,” Phobos replied, raking his claws through his mane. “But I think moving forward is what I need to do right now.”
A faint smile crept onto the Zoroark’s face, as he turned around. “So, who wants to get something to eat?”
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