The Robust
He/Him/His
Twenty-Eight
October 30th
Bevaridge Town
Biomesexual
Pokemon Educator/Vlogger/Biome Enthusiast
Avatar/Gym Leader/Elite Ranger
See ya later, Feraligatr!
"I'm glad to hear that mate! I find that a good battle always brings out a different side of the Pokemon." Zac said in agreement.
"You're right about Marsh. That was some inspired usage of the water. Exactly what I wanted to see in this biome. You turned the whole arena into your weapon."
"And you seem to be well aware of why the battle with Beauty didn't go your way quite as easy." Zac nodded sagely. Ki had already covered the issue: move-set. "With that said, you demonstrated a fantastic usage of the biome, as well as the ability to learn from your mistakes, and I have no hesitation in awarding you-"
"What about you? I know this is your job, but did you have fun?"
Zac stopped dead, one hand still in his pocket, clutched around the rare triangle of metal. Something cracked. For a second the giant thought he had broken the badge, but then Zac realized that it wasn't an external break. He had spent a lifetime pouring himself into his work, in the hopes of making people happy. He polished himself to be as bright and shiny as possible, hoping to fill another day with pleased people.
And nobody had ever asked him if he had fun. Not in the direct, earnest way Ki had just done.
Maybe people thought Zac's happiness was a given, because he was always smiling. They were right, too. Zac was always having fun. He had to be. That was how he faced the world.
And here was Ki. Asking him if he had enjoyed himself.
"Uh, oh. Well," Zac said, clearing his throat and unceremoniously pulling out the badge, which thankfully wasn't bent. "Yeah it was great." he said, his usually boisterous voice flattened to a near monotone from his clenched control. Zac held out the badge and pulled the bent smile of a man trying very hard to get through an uncomfortable conversation. "Congratulations, mate," Zac said, "you're the second to get one of these. Pretty exclusive club, ay?"
There was a wet, slapping sound as Zac's Tirtouga cameraman flopped out of the waters. Zac turned away from Ki and went to check on him. "Ah bugger, the playback shows approximately shit all," he said, forcing humorous inflection back into his words, "I need to invest in some better underwater gear for next time."
Zac kept fiddling with the camera. "The Miniors will have only captured us gawking at the water, so there's not much use uploading it to the website, ay? Amazing work though mate, and I'm looking forward to our next battle. We always have fun, don't we? I'll, uh, see you later Feraligatr!"
Zac stayed on the cavern floor long after Ki had left. He removed the SD cards from the Tirtouga and the Miniors, and shoved them into the innermost pocket of his Golden Explorer's Jacket. And now he sat, back against the wall, looking at the broken remains of the camera. There was ink all through it. Case must have been cracked. He had noticed it leaking, and pulled the whole thing apart, dissecting it as if hoping to find answers as to why it hadn't been properly sealed in the first place.
Why has nobody asked me that before? It doesn't matter, right? I love what I do and that's what matters. Zac sniffed, coughed, sniffed again, and returned all his Pokemon, dropping the cavern into darkness. He sat in that darkness, alone and unobserved, for quite some time, wondering why he was crying.
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