Vileplume, Bellossom, and Enny all waited by the stone bridge. The sun was starting to set, and Capim town was starting to get dark. There wasn’t too much they could really do while waiting for Adrian, so they decided to pass the time with some idle conversation.
“So, Enny,” Bellossom started. “What was your human life like?”
“Honestly, not that interesting,” Enny said, humbly. His voice wasn’t as high-pitched as the night before. “I lived with my mom and worked retail before all this.”
“Hey, so did we!” Vileplume said. “Well, minus the retail part.”
“Did you two grow up around here?” Enny asked.
“Yeah, we did!” Bellossom cheered. “This town has been our home since we were born!”
“Our mother used to run a small café years back,” Vileplume explained. “She ended up retiring a little after Bell was born because she wanted to focus more on us.”
“That’s so sweet of her. What about your dad?” Enny asked. “What does he do?”
“Oh, he-”
“Adrian!” Bellossom shouted, interrupting Vileplume.
The umbreon slowly approached the group with a rolled up paper in his mouth. He dropped it on the ground in front of everyone. “Can anyone here besides me read a map?” He asked, caring little about the prior conversation.
“I know how,” Vileplume said.
“Great. That means you’re navigating. I’m not carrying that in my mouth the whole time.”
“Adrian!” Bellossom called, trying to get his attention. “We got supplies!”
Adrian looked over at her. “What all did you guys get?”
She excitedly began listing everything the group had purchased in town, including all the different kinds of rations, medicinal berries, and one stun seed. “…and I got this little defense scarf, just like the one you got!” Bellossom said while presenting the white scarf around her neck.
Adrian stared at her scarf with a jaded look in his eyes. “Defense scarves have grey spots on the corners. You bought a nullify band,” he noted.
“Wow!” She exclaimed. “What does it do?”
“It makes your ability stop functioning,” Adrian commented apathetically. He then moved past her towards the other side of the bridge.
Bellossom started to tear up silently, feeling humiliated. She took her scarf off, and Vileplume moved in closer to console her.
“Alright, we’re sticking to the roads,” Adrian explained. “The path I marked should keep us clear of any mystery dungeons besides the one we’re traveling to. Don’t instigate any fights with wild Pokémon unless you have to. We can take time to rest, but I want us to keep moving at a consistent pace. Have I made myself clear?”
“Yes, sir,” Enny mocked, bringing back his high-pitched voice.
Adrian scowled slightly at Enny before turning around and leaving the town. The rest of the team followed suit.
The following days were filled with plenty of talk between Vileplume, Bellossom, and Enny. Vileplume and Bellossom told Enny a lot of fun things about the Pokémon world, as well as stories from their childhood. Enny told them some fun things about the human world, and things he used to do as a human. Adrian, however, didn’t respond to any questions unless they were related to the road they were traveling on. He didn’t even look back when his name was mentioned.
Early on in the journey, Adrian pulled Vileplume aside to a nearby lake. He explained that he wanted to show him something.
Once they approached the coast of the lake, Adrian asked, “Do you have your sister's nullify band on you?”
“Um, I think so,” Vileplume replied.
“Hand it over. I need it for something,” Adrian ordered.
Vileplume reached into his bag and pulled out the white scarf. “Here. You know, you didn't have to be so rude to her. She was really excited when she bought that, and you made her feel stupid.”
Adrian took the band and tore it in half. He seemingly ignored Vileplume’s lecture, instead focusing on tying the scrap from the band around a glass jar with his teeth and one of his front paws. His dexterity was surprisingly good, but he still fumbled with it frequently.
“What are you doing with that band?” Vileplume asked.
Adrian finished tying the scrap. “Normally you can’t drink lake water because it sits around and collects dirt and grime,” he explained. “This fabric should act as a filter, so all that enters the jar is clean water. Any fabric would do, really.” He handed the finished jar to Vileplume.
Vileplume took the jar, a little confused at first. He brought it down to the water, filled it, and pulled it back out. Sure enough, the water inside remained relatively clear, while the fabric kept out most of the muck.
“Wow… that’s actually pretty useful,” Vileplume commented.
“Her purchase wasn't completely stupid,” Adrian stated before walking back towards the road. Vileplume sealed up and packed away the jar before running after Adrian.
The chatter between the group continued along the journey. Enny and Bellossom got along really well with each other. Vileplume was still paying attention and talking to them, but he kept noticing Adrian’s silence.
Everything in the group was able to contribute some of their skills to their travel. Vileplume and Bellossom would occasionally forage together. The stuff they found kept the group from burning through rations too quickly. Adrian’s eyes were better adjusted to darkness, which enabled him to guide the group better.
Besides telling stories to Bellossom, Enny picked up any flowers he saw that were interesting. He placed most of them on his bow ties and his skirt. The rest he gave to Bellossom and Vileplume for decorating their satchels.
Just as the group was about to reach Labyrinth Cave, Vileplume suggested that they make a camp and relax for a bit. It was just a little while before twilight, so Enny volunteered to make a fire. When the fire started crackling, and the light slowly started showing in the sky, the group lied down and started talking. Enny explained the plot of a human story to Bellossom.
“Human stories are so wonderful, Enny!” Bellossom marveled. “I wish I could see one of those books someday!”
“Trust me, I will make sure you see a shoujo manga someday,” Enny promised.
Vileplume wasn’t too engaged in the discussion. He was busy looking at Adrian. Adrian had been sitting at the fire by everyone, but all he was doing was staring into the flames.
“Hey, Adrian?”
Adrian glanced up towards Vileplume.
“What was your life like as a human?” He asked, trying to pull him into the conversation.
Adrian stared at him for a moment, not really saying anything.
“You’ve barely said anything during this journey at all. Come on… do you have a family?” Vileplume questioned.
Enny and Bellossom paused their discussion and looked over at Adrian. He continued staring at Vileplume for a moment, but then he shifted his gaze back to the fire.
“I had a father and a younger sister. My mother passed when I was young, and I don’t remember her very well,” he said solemnly.
Vileplume got quiet for a moment. His sister spoke up, trying to lighten the mood. “Um… do you like your sister?”
Adrian looked over at her. “She was a constant pain in the ass, got me in trouble with my dad, and we had nothing in common.”
Bellossom backed down as well.
“Yeah, I actually understand you a bit. My dad left when I was young,” Enny said, trying to empathize with Adrian.
“Yeah, I knew that the second you walked up to me in the lounge,” Adrian replied, turning to look at Enny.
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” Enny asked.
“It means you’re just another fag with a predictable sob story,” Adrian remarked coldly.
Bellossom started to sob. Vileplume glared at Adrian. “Adrian, don't say that.”
Enny and Adrian both ignored him, now getting at it with each other. “You’re just projecting your own fears onto me! So sad that you can’t be as happy as me, aren’t you?” Enny laughed.
“People like you never had happiness to begin with. Just a bunch of pathetic little boys crying out for daddy’s belt,” Adrian proclaimed with seething hatred.
“Guys, quit the fighting!” Vileplume tried to interject.
“I bet you wish you could be as cute as I could! There’s a reason you’re an umbreon, I’m sure,” Enny smirked.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Adrian growled intensely.
“Come on. You know, umbreon’s the most popular eeveelution in more ways than its design,” Enny said with a giggle.
“I’ll know what your fucking entrails look like!” Adrian roared. He stood up. The rings on his body glowed brightly, and his eyes burned brighter than the campfire.
“You’re not the tough guy you keep acting like! You’re just a sweet wittle bwe,” Enny mocked, standing up and putting on a girly voice again.
“ENOUGH!” Vileplume shouted. He shot a bluish-purple powder into the air, and it landed on Adrian and Enny.
The two eeveelutions hit the ground simultaneously, falling asleep instantly. Bellossom continued to sob, and Vileplume sat beside her. He looked at the two unconscious humans before him and breathed deeply. He and his sister slowly fell asleep as the sun rose over the horizon and the fire slowly simmered.