Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Just to Satisfy ❯ Wisdom ( Chapter 14 )

Disclaimer: I do not claim any of the Pokemon characters used in this chapter, because they are all property of Satoshi Tajiri and I haven't stolen the rights from him yet. I bet he has people try that all the time, actually; probably has to have bodyguards and stuff.

 

 

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Ariados carefully checked the whereabouts of his daughter-she was bouncing happily behind them-before turning to his escort, asking delicately, “What bothers you, miss?” His sharp eyes were quick to pick up Kitty's distress, and so she had come to mentally christen him “Sherlock Holmes the ariados.” My mother loved those books. Pausing to consider his next words, the spider ventured curiously, “You seem to be troubled by something.”

 

I think you mean someone, she mentally corrected before heaving a sigh and shaking her head at his inquisitiveness. “It's nothing important, Ariados. I don't want to dump my problems onto you.”

 

He clacked his pincers together in amusement, waving away her concern with a thin leg. “You aren't bothering me, miss; after all, I was the one that asked.” When she still didn't seem to be convinced, he chuckled and motioned for her to disclose her worries and woes, glancing behind them once more to verify that his daughter was still with them. “This old spider might have a word or two of advice, if it pleases you.”

 

She frowned, thinking over it for a while before deciding that she could trust the older pokemon's judgment. He seemed like a very caring paternal figure, something she missed dearly from her own father, and it caused her to loosen her lips on the troubling issues that had been bothering her for days. “Well . . . someone I know has had a very strange change of heart and . . . he's acting really weird now.”

 

Sherlock hummed thoughtfully at her words, inquiring, “Weird how?” After she explained some of the things Gengar had done (excluding earlier that day, with the almost-kiss), his pincers went to clacking as he became pensive for several minutes. His daughter, Heracross, was the only one to speak during that time, trying to coax praise out of the spider when she pointed out certain berries and pokemon (Kitty had to quickly knock out the latter before the child got into trouble), and she giggled nearly nonstop as she enjoyed her the journey with her father and his friend. The sight of the energetic and joyful bug prancing about them collecting flowers brought a smile to Kitty's face, and she accepted a few for herself as the little girl placed them carefully on her head. If she didn't shake her head too much, they were secure enough, so she took her time aiming shadow balls at the pokemon that tried to destroy the quiet group's peace as she waited for the ariados' wisdom.

 

Finally, he gave another hum and nodded, seizing her attention once more as he asked her slowly, “And he's never showed any . . . romantic interest in you before, you say? That is odd.” Mulling over it a moment more, he carefully went over how he was going to discuss these circumstances with her. “Well, I remember when I was young many years ago, and I did enjoy teasing the ladies that I thought were cute. While it may seem out of place for him,” he went on as she made a face at both his suggestion and his compliment, “it may simply be him growing up . . . or at least opening his eyes. Perhaps your heroic acts caused him to reconsider his behavior around you?”

 

“I don't know,” she mumbled uncertainly, completely lost on the subject of the ghost-type that pestered her relentlessly. “He seems to enjoy bothering me more than he does the flirting aspect of it. It's like he's looking for specific reactions or something from me.”

 

“Ah,” Sherlock chuckled at her choice of words, “that might be the heart of the matter. Either he's searching for what bothers you the most . . . or he's looking for your honest opinion of him.”

 

Kitty furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “. . . uh. Can't he just ask me directly?”

 

He questioned back smoothly, “Would you ask someone what they thought of you after you nearly ruined their life?” When she conceded on that point, he added with a spidery grin, “And, much to your shock and disbelief, he might actually be shy.”

 

That did her in; she snorted at the suggestion before bursting into a fit of giggles, and as he watched her in amusement she gasped in between bouts of laughter, “Shy? Him? Oh, man, you do not know the guy!”

 

“No, I don't,” he admitted, “but from what I've heard of him, he's very proud of his image. He takes great care in keeping the reputation of a generally spiteful person for reasons I can't even fathom.” Looking on ahead to watch his daughter skip happily, he muttered half to himself, “It makes me wonder what he's trying to hide.”

 

 

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Theme: Judgment

 

Lots of dragon-y love (and cookies!),

~DL (“Dragon Lover”)