Chapter Text
Ingo and Emmet were pretty familiar with Opelucid City. Elesa hadn’t been there before without her parents, so it was nice to have some guides when they challenged their last gym leader together. Her friends even had some family in town, so they’d all have a place to stay while they visited.
For some reason, Emmet was smiling like he was waiting for the punchline of a joke to drop as they wandered around. Granted, they’d only hung out together a couple times so far, and she was still getting used to how they acted. She didn’t want to read too much into anything, especially since they were the first kids her age to actually want her around for more than a day.
And now they were going to be hanging out for a few more than that.
It seemed like a novel concept for them as well. Ingo wasn’t nearly as talkative, trying his best to not say too much as they got ice cream from a stand in the park and walked around to let their teams stretch their legs. Emmet was trying to speak a little more, but was failing horribly at any small talk. So long as it was about pokemon, battling, and trains, he was okay, but anything else was a struggle.
Elesa was nervous, too. She appreciated a free place to stay while they were in town, but she didn’t know what their uncle was going to be like. They swore up and down that he was nice, but she’d just have to wait and see if she could take their word for it.
She got a little confused when they started walking through a fancy neighborhood, and worried as they came up on a sizable mansion at the end of the street. Elesa looked around as they headed towards the front door.
“This is your uncle’s house?” She asked. She hadn’t expected the twins to be the rich type, or at least related to someone who was rich. They were pretty at home with roughing it and digging around for rocks and fossils, in her limited experience.
“Yeah, the property goes as far as the bushes over there.” Ingo explained as he raised an arm to point to the side. “There’s some fun places to hang out if you want to take a look later.”
She looked in the direction Ingo was pointing. The grounds were full of trees with a few statues of dragons scattered about. She saw the corner of a battlefield when she leaned over to the side to peek around the house.
Ingo unlocked the front door and led the way inside. Elesa was the last to enter, her nerves spiking as she looked around the ostentatious foyer. She spotted a family picture on the opposite wall and felt the blood drain from her face.
“Gym Leader Drayden is your uncle.” She realized.
“Yyyyyup.” Emmet’s grin threatened to split his face as he removed his shoes. Ingo’s mouth curled at the corners like a purrloin for a moment before he saw her face.
“Are you okay?”
Dragons, she had been okay up until this point. She never thought herself a shy person, but staying at the house of possibly the strongest gym leader in the region was an ordeal in of itself. If she made a bad impression here, she’d be leaving Opelucid with two less friends than she came with.
This wasn’t going to last forever anyway, but it still scared her.
She buried a hand in Zebstrika’s mane and stared down at her feet. She hadn’t taken off her shoes yet. “Um, how about I just find a place to stay and I’ll see you guys in the morning?” She suggested.
“Wait, are you sure?” Ingo’s voice was colored with concern. “You don’t have to worry about sharing a room, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Our cousin isn’t even home, either!” Emmet added quickly, his eyes wide. “Astrid’s busy planning her wedding out in Kalos.”
“Neat.” Elesa’s answer was a little more flat and forced than she intended as she shouldered her bag again. “It’s okay. I don’t want to intrude.”
Ingo’s natural frown fell further with an expression Elesa could only guess was despair, because Emmet looked upset, too. Her face burned in embarassment as she headed to the door and back outside, pulling her headphones over her ears.
The boys followed her out, Emmet hopping along behind her and Ingo as he scrambled to pull his shoes back on. Even with her headphones, she could hear Ingo clear as day. “We’re so sorry, Elesa. We thought that-”
“Boys?”
The three of them spun around to see Drayden himself walking over from the back with a haxorus at his side. Elesa swallowed hard as she stayed rooted in place.
Drayden was tall, and big. Haxoruses weren’t exactly the smallest dragons out there, but the gym leader certainly made his look tiny in comparison.
“Hi, Uncle Drayden.” Ingo said quietly. Emmet raised his hand and waved weakly.
Drayden’s brows furrowed as he looked between his nephews, before he turned to Elesa and Zebstrika. It was hard to tell what he could be feeling. Elesa wasn’t sure if it was because of all the facial hair, or if he was like Ingo in that way.
“Is this your trainer friend?”
“Yeah. This is Elesa.” Ingo introduced carefully, glancing over at her.
Drayden wiped off his hands with a cloth and extended one of them to her. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you from the boys.”
Elesa stiffly stuck out her hand to shake. “Really?”
“Really.” Drayden’s hand was rough and calloused around hers. She’d heard from The Gymquierer that he wrestled dragons for fun. Was that what he’d been doing just now?
“Emmet was pretty excited to tell me that you’re doing your challenge as a type specialist.” He continued. “He said he gave you a joltik?”
She nodded, still not quite meeting his eyes but feeling a flood of appreciation for her friends for putting a good word in. “His name is Pom-Pom.”
“A fitting name.” Drayden chuckled—actually chuckled—and turned a little more towards the twins. “You all want to put your bags inside? I have a few things to take care of before dinner.”
Ingo and Emmet looked to Elesa hopefully, not saying anything yet. Elesa squirmed for another moment, rubbing her arm.
“Um, sure.” She said quietly.
Immediately, the twins’ moods switched. Emmet nearly grabbed for her as if she would try and make a run for it, but Ingo pulled him towards the door before he could do so.
“We’ll show you around!” Ingo shouted eagerly, waving her after them.
Elesa gave Drayden a brief glance as she passed by him to follow. He was already looking at his haxorus, giving it a scratch around the base of its tusks as it churred happily.
“What does he need to do?” Elesa asked softly once she caught up with the twins. They went back into the house and Ingo led the way down the hall. “Is he going to the gym?”
“Probably not.” Emmet answered, glancing behind them as a door shut somewhere else in the house. “He just went to his office.”
“Uncle Drayden’s on the city council.” Ingo added. “He makes sure the roads are kept nice or something, so he probably has some paperwork to finish.”
“Borrring.” Emmet grinned.
The two of them led her to a guest room and she set her bag on the bed. She took off her headphones and looked down at the old bedspread for a moment.
“Why didn’t you say anything about being related to a gym leader?” She asked.
Both brothers looked guilty again. Emmet busied himself with petting his eelektrik while Ingo turned his gaze to the floor. “…We thought it would be funny to see your reaction.” He said. “We’re sorry. We didn’t realize that you might not find it funny.”
“Sorry.” Emmet repeated quietly.
Elesa’s mouth twitched into a half-hearted smile as she rubbed her arm. “It was kinda funny. Your uncle seems pretty cool.”
“He’s the best.” Emmet insisted, nodding. “And verrry strong.”
“He’s been the gym leader for forever, since before even Astrid was born.” Ingo explained. “He took it over from Grandma when she retired.”
“That’s pretty neat.”
The three of them stood in place awkwardly for perhaps a little too long before Ingo spoke up again. “…Do you wanna meet his pokemon?” He asked.
Elesa exchanged a glance with Zebstrika. “Isn’t that like… cheating, a little bit?” She said.
“Not really?” Ingo thought on it for a moment. “We’re not battling anyone. If you don’t want to, we can explore around for a while instead.”
“There’s a river nearby we can go to.” Emmet suggested quietly. “It’s nice there."
“Yeah, wanna do that?” Ingo asked.
Elesa smiled a little more. “Sure.”
Again, the twins sprung into action, dropping off their things in another room and leaving behind the pokemon that wanted to just stay and relax. Elesa was whisked outside and through the grounds to a river just outside the neighborhood, and the three of them waded around and let their pokemon play before Drayden texted Ingo and Emmet to say that dinner was ready.
Drayden wasn’t as scary as Elesa thought as she spoke more with him. He hadn’t been kidding earlier when he said the Ingo and Emmet had been talking about her. He knew all about her dream to get her foot into the fashion industry and also to become a gym leader.
“I’m assuming you’ll be setting your sights on Nimbasa then, since you’re an electric trainer?” Drayden guessed.
Elesa nodded, scooping a helping of potatoes onto her plate. “I like Kami’s gym.”
Drayden nodded in agreement. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they give the place another remodel soon. They tend to get bored with any one layout for too long.”
He handed her the vegetables and hummed in thought. “Your timing is pretty good, I have to admit. Kami’s been gym leader for quite some time now. If you’re already as strong as the boys have been telling me, I’d say you have a chance at catching their eye in the future.”
“Of course she’s strong.” Emmet interjected emphatically. “She already has seven badges!”
“She beat Clay with her team.” Ingo added. “That’s saying something!”
“It took me a few times, though.” Elesa mumbled, looking down at her plate shyly.
“If you can figure out a victory against a typing your team is weak to, I say you’re already well on your way towards thinking like a true specialist.” Drayden said. “It is a unique challenge, but it very clearly displays a trainer’s strength and hard work when they can make a certain type shine.”
Elesa couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face as she pushed a piece of broccoli around her plate. Hearing something like that come out of Drayden’s mouth meant a lot to her. She glanced up to look at Ingo and Emmet, who were smiling encouragingly in their own ways.
Dragons, she was glad she decided to stay. She wasn’t expecting the morale boost, but it was nice to get it.
“Thanks.” She said quietly. “I have worked really hard.”
“And she’s gonna beat you.” Emmet added, glaring playfully across the table at his uncle.
“I look forward to it.” Drayden said, squinting a little. “I wish all three of you the best of luck in my gym, tomorrow.”
———
All good things had to come to an end.
It was just how it was in Elesa’s experience. She’d make friends in summer camps and clubs at school, and even with her efforts to stay in touch, she could never hold onto anyone after ways were parted. She enjoyed traveling with and crossing paths with the twins on her pokemon journey, but it was obvious to her that they would just be another couple of friends that would fade away once they all went home and got busy in their lives again.
It was fun while it lasted, though! Even though Ingo and Emmet said they weren’t planning on challenging the Elite Four, they still went with her to the League. They celebrated the end of their journeys by splurging on dinner for them and their pokemon, even with her loss.
They trekked back to Opelucid for one last night at their uncle’s, before they went to their homes. Ingo and Emmet told her they would keep in touch, and Elesa just smiled politely at the empty promises.
She had long accepted this was just how it was with people.
But then, the strangest thing happened.
They kept reaching out.
Their communication didn’t even slow once school started up again. They liked her, for some Dragons-forsaken reason. They liked the girl who had an early growth spurt and stood half a head taller than them, who had a penchant for battling, who set a really high bar for herself in the coming future.
Not only did they reach out, but they invited her over, to hang out!
Their parents were nice, too. They were happy about their boys having a friend, and she liked how welcome she felt whenever she came over. Their dad knew more about battling than her own parents did because of growing up with Drayden, though he didn’t hold the same interest in it. Even their mom had a few pokemon from when she attempted her own gym challenge as a kid.
It wasn’t that her own parents were bad, but… it was nice. Nice to have people her age to talk to. Nice to come over after a long day at her school and just unwind with a battle that threatened to tear up the backyard.
It was nice to have some people who got her.
“Please let us know if we’re being annoying, Elesa.” Ingo said to her one day, after one such battle. “You’re the first person we’ve ever really wanted to spend time with before, so we don’t want to ruin it.”
Elesa shook her head vehemently. “You guys are fine! More than fine, I… I’m really glad you still want to hang out with me.”
Ingo sounded genuinely confused as his voice rose. “Why would we not want to hang out? You’re great!”
“Mmhm!” Emmet nodded quickly, his eyes bright.
Elesa smiled warmly as she rubbed her hands up and down Zebstrika’s head. Maybe, just maybe, she could allow herself to believe that these ones would stick around for a while.
“You guys are pretty great, too.”
———
“Okay, have you’ve heard this one?”
Elesa set the disk labeled “Dance Mix 3” into her boom box and shut the top close. Modern pop started coming in through the speakers, and she bobbed her head along to the beat.
“Nope. Never heard of it.” Emmet said, tapping his foot against the wall. “I like it, though.”
“I recognize maybe one or two of these from the radio.” Ingo said, taking a look at the track list on the CD case.
“Dragons, I’m giving you guys some more homework.” Elesa groaned. “We gotta get your music tastes into this century.”
She set another disk in her computer tower and started the process of burning a copy of the playlist onto it. There were already two other disks she was going to force the twins to bring home with them to listen through.
“Your music tastes are like your parents’, no offense.” She said, flopping onto her bed and bouncing them both. The three of them could barely fit, now that the twins were matching her in height. It didn’t help that Eelektross was determined to be included, too.
Ingo shrugged and set the case down between them. “Well, we have other interests that take our time away from discovering new music, so we listen to what they listen to.”
“And not all of it is bad.” Emmet insisted. “You like some of it!”
“Well, duh, there are some good oldies, but they’re old.” Elesa said. “How can you enjoy yourselves at parties if you don’t know the music?”
“You’re talking like we go to parties, at all.” Emmet huffed.
Elesa shrugged as she took a piece of paper to write down the song lists for their copies of her disks. “You never know. Maybe I’ll invite you guys to some fancy event once I’m famous.”
“A fancy event?” Emmet’s smile grew.
“One where we have to wear bowties at?” Ingo added.
“Bowties and cummerbunds and jackets.” She nodded. “The full suit experience.”
“It’s thanks to you that we even know what a cummerbund is.”
“We could get matching top hats!” Emmet suddenly gasped.
“What? You don’t need a top hat for that!”
“A top hat sounds like fun, though.” Ingo said, squinting slightly. “It could ‘suit’ us, even?”
Elesa snorted and grinned at him. He was getting better at that. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to ‘bowtry’ it. To see if you guys like them.”
Emmet’s smile suddenly turned into a frown. “I don’t want a top hat, anymore.”
Ingo and Elesa laughed, making Emmet frown further to the point that he looked like Ingo. He flipped both of them off and made a show of sliding off the bed and to the floor. Eelektross followed his lead, and Elesa heard Emmet wheeze as seven feet of eel dropped bonelessly on top of him.
“You don’t have to wear a full suit—or even a suit—but I’ll make sure you guys are dressed extra nice.” She promised.
“Just don’t make us prettier than you, since it will be your party.” Emmet said from the floor.
“And what makes you say that?” Elesa leaned over to grin down at him.
“You’re gonna be a gym leader someday! Of course there’s going to be a party for you.” He rolled his eyes at her, as if it was obvious.
Elesa’s smile softened and she turned back to writing down her playlists. “I appreciate the vote of confidence.” She said. “I’ll make sure you guys look amazing for your own parties too, whenever that happens.”
Both Ingo and Emmet scoffed quietly at that. Bidoofuses. She couldn’t wait to prove them wrong, someday.
———
Compared to Elesa’s and the twins’ house, where the three of them ended up moving into for their first year at uni could hardly be called an “upgrade.”
But it was theirs, completely and utterly. At least, for as long as the lease lasted.
Elesa had spent a lot of time in close quarters with her friends over the years because of the trips and outings they’ve gone on together, so she had gotten a pretty good idea at what it would be like sharing a place with them.
It definitely meant that her day-to-day life was much more interesting than it had been living with her parents as a single child.
“Move aside, you callous oaf. You make a better door than a window.” Ingo grumbled to his brother, who was brushing his teeth in front of the sink.
Elesa caught a glint in Emmet’s eye as she passed by on her way to the kitchen, and Ingo’s next words were muffled against Emmet’s hand.
Emmet let out a gargly yelp the next moment, and Ingo let out a cry of his own.
“You got spit all over the mirror!”
“You licked my hand, like a child!”
“You smacked your hand against my face! What else was I supposed to do?”
“I am Emmet, and I did not smack your face.” Elesa heard the faucet running as Emmet finished brushing. “There. It’s clean again. Happy?”
Elesa could clearly hear the smile in Ingo’s tone. “You missed a spot.”
“What? Don’t-!”
Elesa calmly set out three travel cups and the creamer on the counter as a struggle erupted in the hallway. Zebstrika snorted and came over to her side for pets. She scratched her partner along his neck before she slipped her headphones over her ears.
There was the sound of a pokeball opening and a screeching war cry joined the fray. Ingo’s shout rattled the frames on the wall. “Archeops, no!”
“This is your fault! You brought this on yourself!”
Elesa looked over her class schedule for the day and double checked that she had her essay ready in her bag. She threw her backpack over her shoulders and grabbed her drink as she headed towards the door.
“Coffee’s already in the pot!” She announced. “I’ll be back late tonight.”
“Thank you, Elesa!” Ingo said brightly. “Have a good day!”
“Thanks!” Emmet suddenly wheezed like he’d been elbowed in the gut. “Fuck, get off of me! Why are you acting like this in the morning?!”
“LANGUAGE!”
Their fight was only slightly muffled when she closed and locked the front door behind her, and this was with her having her headphones on, with music playing. Fortunately this wasn’t the norm, but she knew it would hardly be the last time it would happen.
Thank goodness they found a place with two bathrooms, at least.
———
Kami squinted off into the distance. With how their glasses magnified their eyes, it gave the action a bit of a comedic effect. “Who are those punks and what are they doing with my ferris wheel?” They asked.
Elesa turned to see what her mentor was looking at. Off in the distance, Ingo was talking a mile a minute as he traced invisible lines at the wheel with a finger and wrote down notes. Emmet was nodding along, munching on something as he rocked on his heels.
“Homework, I would guess?” She answered. “Those are my friends, and roommates.”
“Oh.” All of the suspicion melted from Kami’s tone, and after a moment they turned to Elesa expectantly. “Well, are you going to introduce me?”
Elesa straightened and immediately felt her face turn red. “Yeah! Sorry, come on.”
She led the way over, trying not to appear as nervous as she felt. Kami hadn’t met anyone in Elesa’s life yet, and she didn’t know how this was going to go over. She could see it going any which way, depending on everyone’s mood.
“Elesa!” Ingo was the first to notice them arriving, his voice cheerful. Chandelure chimed her own greeting above his head. “And Gym Leader Kami!”
Emmet eagerly spun around on his heel to grin at them both. “Hello!”
“Hi guys.” Elesa waved before gesturing to the two of them. “Kami, these are my best friends, Ingo and Emmet. We met during our journeys.”
Ingo stepped forward to shake Kami’s hand. “I don’t know if you remember us, but it is a pleasure to officially meet you outside of the gym challenge. Elesa’s told us a lot about you.”
“All good things, I hope?” Kami nodded. They paused and gave the twins a curious look after shaking Emmet’s hand.
“…You’re Drayden’s nephews, aren’t you?” They asked. “I think I’ve seen you two running around his place a couple of times when I’ve been over.”
“Ah, yes, we are.” Ingo answered. “Apologies about not introducing ourselves sooner!”
“Don’t be. I try to avoid talking to people outside of a work setting. I probably wouldn’t have given you the chance anyway.” Kami gave the two of them another look, as if sizing them up, then smiled a little. “I’m assuming you got my badges?”
“Yup.” Emmet grinned. “You’re a verrry strong opponent.”
“And your eelektross is a sizeable threat all on her own!” Ingo added enthusiastically, nodding to their partner.
Kami huffed, pulling Eelektross close and giving her a pet. “Dragons, don’t give Elle a bigger head. She’s enough of a menace as is.”
Their eelektross warbled and lazily swam through the air around them, clearly soaking in the praise and attention. Elesa hadn’t realized how much older Kami’s partner looked against to Emmet’s, but seeing them in one place made her realize just how young Emmet’s eelektross was in comparison. Kami’s partner had a couple decades on him, at least.
“So, what are you two doing, anyway? Trying to steal trade secrets?” Kami asked.
“Absolutely not!” Ingo insisted. “It’s for an assignment.”
“I am here for moral support,” Emmet said, scratching his own eelektross under the head with one hand and holding up something fried with the other. “and funnel cake.”
“They’re both studying engineering at uni.” Elesa explained.
“I am Emmet. I am in civil engineering.” Emmet said. “Ingo’s doing mechanical.”
Elesa had quickly learned that Kami had very little patience for small talk, or rather, very little energy for it. She could tell that Kami had already been getting tired of the conversation up until that point. They regarded both of them with a little more interest than before. “What do you plan to do with those degrees, once you have them?” They asked.
“We hope to utilize our education at Gear Station.” Ingo explained enthusiastically. “We have ideas on improving the railways.”
Kami barked out a surprised laugh. “Dragons, good luck with that.”
Elesa smirked at her friends knowingly when Kami wasn’t looking. She had to wonder what her mentor would think if they knew about their Facility plans. It would be something right up their alley, for certain. No doubt that Kami would be over the moon about a new project and want to help.
…Sometimes she did question why Kami picked her, out of everyone, to be their apprentice. Sure, she was a good enough electric-type specialist, but as far as personalities went the two of them weren’t very similar. Elesa was outgoing where Kami was reclusive. Elesa was flexible while Kami got thrown off with changes in their plans. They both loved to be creative, but their mediums were vastly different.
And Kami was smart, as evidenced by the amusement park they currently stood in, designed and built by the gym leader, themself. If the twins wanted to see if Kami could help with their project, then who was Elesa to get in the way?
Not that she was jealous or anything…
“So, how is Elesa doing with her apprenticeship so far?” Ingo asked next.
The question pulled her very suddenly out of her thoughts. She blinked at the question, feeling her face warming up again.
“She’s been all right.” Elesa chanced a glance over to see her mentor shrug. “I think she has what it takes. What’s she been telling you?”
“All good things, I promise! I-I- um-” Ingo’s eyes darted between the three of them. “W-we can definitely vouch for her, if that’s what you’re concerned about.”
“Yup!” Emmet smirked around a mouthful of funnel cake, unbothered by his brother’s social plight. “She’s a verrry good battler.”
“She is good.” Kami agreed. “She learns quick and has a pretty tricky strategy with her emolgas. Plus, she’s not exhausted from doing this for decades!”
“Oh, Dragons above. All of you, I’m right here.” Elesa put her burning face in her hands, trying not to groan too loudly. She could hear Kami huffing in amusement.
“We don’t want to keep you.” Ingo said. “No doubt the two of you are busy, but we appreciate you saying hello!”
Elesa peeked through her fingers to see Emmet looking at her. “We are going grocery shopping after this to restock the fridge. Need us to grab some things for you?”
She slowly lowered her hands and sighed. “Spinach, and grepa juice? I’ll text you if anything else comes to mind.”
“Sounds good.” Emmet nodded and glanced to his brother. “Ready?”
“Just about.” Ingo raised his notebook and started writing notes again. “It was nice to meet you, Gym Leader Kami.”
“I wish you both the best of luck in school.” Kami put their hands in their pockets before looking to Elesa. “Ready?”
“Y-yeah. I’ll see you guys later.”
Even though Elesa had at at least a foot of height on Kami, she still had to pick up the pace as the gym leader made a combeeline back to the gym. No doubt they were done with socializing and wanted to get out of the public eye for a bit.
“You’ve got some nice friends.” The commented once they stepped into the employees only area.
“They’re pretty great. Like my brothers by this point.” Elesa smiled a little. Her face still felt warm from earlier.
“Hopefully they can do something about how the green lines always run late, someday.” Kami smirked. “Come on. Let’s get back to gym leader business.”
Elesa nodded, following behind Kami as they showed her around more of the back area. It had been kind of… nice, hearing a little of Kami’s opinion of her. They said she had what it took to be a gym leader. She wouldn’t have been picked among many for the apprenticeship if she didn’t, but still…
It was good to hear she was doing something right.
———
Of course, someone just had to show up sick to work and ruin her week.
Elesa went down fast once she started feeling off. The smallest mercy in all of this was that it happened after her first big photoshoot following the holidays, so she would at least get a paycheck for it.
Still, she got it bad, to the point that she had to tell Kami that she couldn’t make it to the gym. The first day she barely moved from bed, only to take medicine and get a piece of buttered bread and some water in her. The second day was a bit better, but she still had little to no appetite. She ended up canceling her plans to hang out with Skyla so she could get some more rest.
The third day, she heard people in her apartment.
It took her a second to clock the voices, and another for her brain to register that yes, she did give a copy of her key to Ingo and Emmet when she moved in a couple months ago. She dragged herself out of bed with a blanket draped over her head, and watched as her friends busied themselves in her kitchen.
Or rather, Ingo busied himself, while Emmet observed from his spot at the table, nursing a hot drink.
“What are you doing?” She croaked out.
“We are commiserating!” Emmet turned to her, his voice sounding just as rough.
“Oh, Dragons. You guys are sick, too?”
Emmet nodded as Ingo closed the oven and straightened to look at her. “How are you feeling?” He asked.
“Not great,” Elesa said, “but not as bad as a couple days ago. You two look like you’re doing better than me.”
“We are both on the tracks to recovery, though my cough refuses to leave the station.” Ingo said, his own voice carefully soft and even. “I was able to go to work for part of my shift today.”
“Ingo made me take an extra day.” Emmet squeaked out.
“It does sound like you needed it-” Elesa covered her mouth as a coughing fit rose up, knocking one of her emolgas off her shoulder.
“Don’t worry about talking if you can help it.” Ingo poured some steaming water into two mugs and dunked a tea bag into each of them. Emmet set his own next to theirs to get refilled. “This is a ‘get better’ visit, not a ‘get worse’ one.”
Elesa sat at the table after washing her hands and Emmet nudged the box of tissues closer to her before taking one for himself. The two of them blew their noses simultaneously, and loudly.
“You’re gross.” Emmet tried to laugh. Elesa stuck her tongue out at him as Ingo set the mugs on the table.
“What kind of tea?” She asked, holding the warm mug between her hands.
Ingo shrugged. “Mom just calls it throat tea. She gave us a bunch of it before we came back home. It does help, though. Let me know if you need more honey.”
It was oddly quiet as the three of them sipped on their drinks. Usually Ingo was talking about something by this point, but Elesa could tell from his voice earlier that he was trying not to aggravate his cough, and both him and Emmet looked nearly as exhausted as she felt. They’d been friends long enough that such a silence was comfortable, though, and with three teams of pokemon between them, the apartment could hardly be classified as “silent.”
She was plenty used to the sounds of pokemon scuffling around, so in a way it was still too quiet. Elesa got up to turn on some soft music, just in time for her to get a whiff of something through her stuffed-up nose.
“Lasagna?”
Ingo nodded. “That is what is in the oven, yes. Mom gave us a lot of leftovers over the holidays.”
Elesa took a glance at the oven as she came back to the table. “A whole ‘leftover’ lasagna?” She smirked.
Lasagna always tastes better as a leftover. Emmet signed sagely.
“Your mom takes the definition of ‘leftovers’ very loosely.”
Verrry loosely. Emmet chuckled.
Elesa started to laugh but ended up in another coughing fit. Emmet gave her a gentle pat on the back as she finished off the rest of her tea before reaching for another tissue.
“You guys didn’t have to do all this.” She sighed, resting her chin on her arms.
“Why not?” Ingo asked. “You’re family. It’s the least we can do.”
And we miss our roommate. Emmet added.
Elesa smiled sadly and hummed in agreement. She loved having a lot more space for her pokemon, especially as she was finishing up her apprenticeship and preparing to take over the Nimbasa Gym, but she did miss having her friends around all the time.
“I miss you guys, too.” She said softly.
Ingo reached over to fix the blanket slowly slipping off her shoulders. “Will you last long enough to eat something?” He asked.
Elesa nodded and rubbed her eyes. “I really need some food in me. I haven’t eaten much since I got sick, and I would like to take some medicine.” She sighed. “Are you going to head out afterwards?”
The two of them exchanged a glance with each other. “…If you’re up for it, we could watch a movie or something?” Ingo suggested. “No pressure, though. Resting is more important right now.”
“If you guys are okay with me passing out partway through, I’m fine with it.” She shrugged, closing her eyes. “You’re welcome to stick around as long as you like.”
“We will let you have the whole couch so you can sleep.” Emmet decided. Ingo nodded his head in agreement.
There was no changing their minds once the idea had been said aloud. Elesa ate a large serving of lasagna—warm, wonderfully homemade food that almost made her cry—and drank some more tea before taking a hot shower to freshen up. She still felt terrible, but being clean and dressed in new pajamas did help a lot.
The couch was prepared for her by the time she re-emerged, along with a nest of blankets and pokemon on the floor for the twins to lay on. Elesa was out of energy to argue about taking so much space and just flopped her head onto her pillow, letting her emolgas curl up against her before she pulled the blanket over herself. Zebstrika was already laying in front of the couch and turned his head to rest it next to her. She placed her hand on his nose and gave him a few rubs.
“Thanks for coming, guys.” She mumbled softly.
“Of course. Glad to have a chance to see each other again since the move. I know we’ve all been busy.” Ingo said from the floor, remote in hand. “Any suggestions?”
“Not really.” She sighed, closing her eyes. “Just keep the volume down.”
She heard the television turn on and Ingo flip through a few channels before he and Emmet decided on something. She was already half asleep and too tired to pick out what it could be.
Elesa could hardly consider this a hangout, but it was nice, having her friends around again. It made falling asleep that much easier, knowing she was surrounded by loved ones who had no other expectation from her other than just feeling better.
It wasn’t as quiet, either.