world – game
notes – requested by anon on lj

Transparent Beam

Morty had not been looking for anything in particular when he stumbled onto a person that talked with few words, a record of even less than him. She was a wonder, crowned as a rarity in his past escapades with talkative, arrogant challengers and the flamboyantly chatty Eusine. That was when he first saw her at the burned tower, searching with curious child eyes and naïve footsteps. He introduced himself out of courtesy, only to see her nod politely and resume her exploration of the tower. He had tugged consciously at his scarf for a moment, pausing to examine her and her disinterest before leaving with a disappointed Eusine.

He hadn't been expecting to lose a badge to the quiet girl, deceiving with uneasy hazel eyes that did well in concealing the true skill of their master. She consisted of little statements, calming with a peaceful presence that seemed to soothe the erratic attitudes of the ghost pokémon in his gym. They hovered around her and phased between the wooden support beams, stared loudly at her when she didn't notice. They were drawn to her, out of fixation or wariness; it differed with every ghost-type. The ghastly were largely entertained by her fear, the haunter unamused and especially observant with her patterns as she staggered across the dark floor and squinted in the flame of the paper lanterns.

It was not unexpected for the leader find himself caught in the same web his ghosts had gotten themselves entangled in. Morty found himself noticing her more than he should have, the emotion tumbling in her eyes and on her countenance, expressing everything that she would not convert into speech. He glimpsed hopes and dreams reflected in the depths of her youthful eyes, determination and strength gathering in those rosy cheeks – her heart and her soul catching the glow of the flames. In the end, the only thing she said to him was a mindful 'thank you' and then she had opened herself up a little more to give him a winsome smile.

And that smile was what did it – he realized that there was something about the girl. For a person to be able to compress gratitude and apology and respect and happiness into one smile – it was astoundingly beautiful in so many ways. She represented so much that he initially assumed it to be impossible – that a smile could hold only one meaning, that a young girl could command a raging gyarados, that he would never get caught in the currents of emotional affection.

However, she left the city quite swiftly after they met for the battle, right before he had worked up the courage to ask her for her pokégear number. Morty found reality nibbling at his thoughts and his heart, almost as if regret was tickling his skin. He had sighed and left the matter at that, believing that fate had just decreed that he was being an impossibly rash individual and that they were not soulmates or anything of the sort.

But he grabbed his phonebook and called Jasmine and Chuck and Pyrce and Clair offhandedly, just to ask them if they had met her too. With each week, the four leaders took turns to confirm his question, chat idly with him about the growth of her team, exchange clever banter about her softness and her untalkative behaviour. They never mentioned about her smile or the other captivating features that accentuated her face. And while Morty could not see it, he pictured her team becoming stronger and stronger and her smile becoming more unreadable as it started to wane with his memory. He trained with his own team of pokémon until every nook and cranny of the outskirts of Ecruteak had been etched into their minds. Within the same period, she had journeyed to challenge the Elite Four, and he had been eager to somehow, someway, reach the standard she had achieved for herself. Within a month, her name was printed on the cover page of fast-selling newspapers and broadcasted on television, celebrating the new champion of the Johto region. He had lounged at home and flipped through all the channels, seeing her timid face staring contemplatively at him regardless of whichever button he pressed.

On breezy afternoons, the sun's rays enveloped the shape of the Bell Tower in the perfect light, casting its shadow over the maple trees of the garden. It was a calming place to visit and reflect, completed with a stunning scenery that only few had the chance to appreciate. Morty turned in mild surprise when he felt a finger brush lightly on his right shoulder, and when the owner of said hand presented herself has the girl, his heart did a double take.

The first thing she did was to raise her pokégear and inquire for his number. What followed after was an affectionate smile that struggled not to burst with the hints of sadness and regret, the result of leaving his city too early, three months ago. She carried emotions of relief, of a fluttering heart, of a sorry expression and that of a young girl suffering from an overwhelming crush on her lips. At the sight, Morty's mouth cracked into an uncontainable smile as he returned her pokégear and promised to meet with her every Tuesday for a battle.

His smile relayed only one singular emotion, and he hoped that she would not need words to be able to read it before he died of old age.

end