and through the roof he'd land. glass shaking as dragonite landed from above and onto the greenhouse. attached to his back was a kirlia. tapping at the glass from above mateo, grinning, waved. nodding at his kirlia, she'd teleport him in whereas dragonite flew off.

the kirlia, then, jumped off of mateo's back and curtsied at kyle. "someone's lookin' under the weather!" mateo was feeling good as new. no hangover for him, nope. not at all. not when he had a special walkin' aspirin to give him treatment. it wasn't a miracle worker, so they would come back every now and then. but it was good for a temporary fix. "someone can't hold their liquor!" he'd tease within a taunting manner.

walking around the garden, he'd flick one flower the next. "you lot sure are fancy here. i don't know if our garden is even still standing, to be honest." they were all brutes in their own way. but it was most likely to be rebuild since hyacinth housed all the warheads.

he almost threw the mug full of tea at the roof when he heard something crash. too debilitated to move, or even care in general, his body did not respond to the urge. instead, he watched mateo crash and teleport in with tired eyes.

"shut up! i... don't drink often. i don't think i even got to my bedroom last night."

the last time he did was at that beach party, and he was pretty sure he was reprimanded for that. he cannot handle being intoxicated, as well as having a tolerance comparable to an under-aged teen getting drunk on wine.

he motions with his face the pot of tea on the table. "it's there if you want. courtesy of bry." he takes another sip of tea afterwards, cringing at it. it tasted good, but he needed coffee more than this.

the good thing about canary is that most people are sane, or at least know how to conduct themselves in public. hyacinth huntails on the other hand...

"why? did you put your garden on fire or something?"

nice, bry's tea was the best. he'd move on in to pour him cup. he'd plop a seat next to the wounded soldier, "bry's always got the best tea. she knows how to make it taste just like home!"

an exasperated exhale. he was enjoying the delicacy of her tea. "what?" he turned toward kyle, "oh, yeah. some guys had a battle in there today, they were fighting over something and ended up setting the place on fire. it was pretty crazy!" there's some tough cookies in hyacinth.

"anyway, do you need some first aid? i can have kirlia provide you some head care." he'd take another sip, "why do you think i have a pep in my step?"

he stares at mateo at his statement. he's too weak to make a comment on it since it would sprout a whole new conversation which kyle believed he wouldn't understand the reasoning behind. why were people fighting outside the warfronts? he supposed he can only speculate the answer for now.

leery eyes widened as mateo mentioned an easy way out of his condition. he wonders if he had pokemon that could do the same, but his head aches just enough for him to abandon the idea of actually thinking.

"wait, your kirlia can do that? ...i need more useful psychic-types."

he takes another sip of his tea, both hands clutched onto the mug, before going back to mateo.

"so, how does it work?"

"she's more of a personal caretaker give to me by my mom." waving his hand lazily about, he'd call for her to come. kirlia, at the moment, had been too enthralled with the vast amounts and uniquely defined flowers. unable to see mateo, whose brows furrowed, calling her over.

standing, he went to pick her up and place her on top of his shoulders. walking toward kyle, he'd look down, "shirt off, lay down on the bench." why did his shirt need to be off? it just felt better that way. especially with the suns rays beaming through the ceiling. this was the perfect spot showered with perfect lighting.

had he done so, mateo would set the kirlia down. she'd come to stand with great balance upon the arm chair of the bench. where kyle's head laid, she stood over him. "all you have to do is just take in the gardens scent, breathe in and out, and just let her do the work." she was his caretaker for a reason. "she wasn't exactly made for combat, but under my tutelage we'll be changing that very soon!"

eyes would stay at mateo's as he told him instructions to follow while taking a long sip of tea. he takes one deep breath and places the mug back to the table. he wished his personal caretaker wasn't a dog.

he steps away from the chair he crouched on and towards the bench, stripping his shirt as he walked away. he throws it back to the chair's backrest but misses entirely as it drops on the floor. kyle turns and stares at it momentarily before shrugging. he'll pick it up later.

"take care of me."

he lays on his stomach on the bench. the throbbing in his head distracts him from enjoying the ambiance of the garden. the position and the warmth of the sun makes him feel drowsy, however.

"you might regret that to be honest," kyle comments about the part with combat training. "my mightyena weren't trained for combat initially either and now they're--" he cringes. talking makes his head hurt more. he skips the entire explanation why he thinks it's a bad idea and goes straight to the encouragement part. "actually, yeah, i hope for the best for your kirlia."

such a slob. picking up his shirt, he'd place it over his neck. as kyle laid upon his stomach and prepped for physical therapy, he'd order kirlia to begin.

"heal pulse." light, pink wave of energy began to emit from the kirlia. with kyle's in between the palm of her hands, she'd begin to administer a small treatment. "it's a temporary fix, but it's like an aspirin, except it's in the form of a pokemon." mateo had been messing around with a random flower. upon doing so, he'd come to look upon kyle's back.

he was a bit far at the moment, but he'd try to see if there were any forms of scars or wounds from his recent battle against rocket. "you need to get tatted up, y'know?" thinking aloud, he'd say, "how about a mightyena on your back? or one of those crazy faced galar pokemon? don't know much about them, but i heard there's this one pokemon that's got a heavy metal look to it." laughing, he'd continue, "looks like a mightyena on steroids!"

mateo wouldn't find any scars on his skin. despite multiple encounters with dangerous rocket individuals in the past, kyle has always made it a priority to keep himself alive. his appearance and demeanor doesn't reflect his experience in the field.

he lazily turns his head to his side, eyes facing mateo. "where did that come from?"

he hasn't even considered having ink applied to him before. they were just unnecessary and purely cosmetic. along with it, they hurt and the good ones cost a lot. if something's going to be permanently etched onto his skin, he might as well get something of quality.

"if i'm getting one, i might as well get large one across my back. maybe a legendary if i'm getting one." the second 'if' was emphasized. he hasn't decided which legendary pokemon was his favorite though. he wasn't interested in history and mythology to be familiar with each one anyways.

"wait, why would i want a mightyena on steroids on my back? it's gonna look so bad when i get old and wrinkly."

"that's why," mateo would flex a muscle, "you keep working out!" so that your tattoo wouldn't get soggy and wrinkly. "trust me, chancelor's dad looks like a character you'd find in the boss battle of a video game. you wouldn't think the guy's old." he was pretty sure, if memory served correctly, he had a tattoo somewhere. "plus, it'd be pretty boss since mightyena's are your thing and all." legendaries? he had no idea he was into mythology.

walking over to kyle, mateo would place a hand upon the center of his back. "in all seriousness," looking away, "i was worried about you, y'know. when i heard what happened." he remembered a little bit of their conversation before. on how he was featured in a news article. "i was worried about you." and he was pretty angry, but kyle didn't need to know that.

"i may say you lot are annoying, which is true, and i that i hate you all a lot, which is also true, but..." his head rotated to the side. not wanting to finish his sentence, "a-a-anyway, it really pissed me off that someone apart of my branch was almost killed. i invited you into the family, you can't just go off dying and running off into danger." continuing, he'd look back, uttering in annoyance after, "that's my shtick you, tryin' to bite off my style or something?!"

he smiles at the thought, eased by the lessening pains from the hangover, by both the image on his head and the thoughtfulness of his former gym leader in front of him. he tries to find eye contact before speaking.

"i'm sorry."

the fact that someone goes out of their way just to say the words tugged at his heartstrings. if mateo was being all emotional over something that has already passed, he might as well let his thoughts out. he never usually did, but this was something mateo warranted. he'll need to teach him how awkward these kind of things usually end.

"don't worry. i know that. well, you should, too. i'd prioritize my own well-being over an entire region, just so you know." he makes soft chuckles as he turns his head to the other side.

"you know, i should apologize for another thing too."

he takes the time to word it in his head, but nothing better comes to mind. it happened a long time ago, and the time to say it out loud was already past its expiration date when he met mateo at lilycove when he first arrived on hoenn. he decides to just word it as it is.

"sorry for leaving johto on such a short notice."

a disgruntled look. he thought to himself and wondered if that was something a hero should say. though, in his case it was.

it wasn't until he brought up something mateo had forgotten. that was so long ago that it slipped his mind. "oh yeah, you did do that..." he wanted to ask why. but he didn't care all that much now that it was in the past. his hand was still upon the center of kyle's back, the warmth brought him a slight smile while kyle's head turned.

"it's whatever. just take me out on a date and all will be forgiven!" he'd bring the palm of his hands together, raising them over his head and casually wandering off. "i'm a man lover of meat. so, if you're really sorry, take me out." he'd look back, grinning, "i'm sure the league pays the hero of hoenn handsomely. i want a piece of the pie!"

he turns his head as he hears mateo wander off of him. he had his head turned away in case his expression betrays his intentions, to which they did. the smile was still on his face.

"wow, that's a weak response," he says in jest, sitting straight up. "i had a whole speech ready for it too." he doesn't. he expected something more awkward from him, but he supposed someone who wears a cape in public has grown numb to it.

he motions to the kirlia that he's fine now. there were traces of the hangover left, but it was something he can ignore by now.

kyle reclines his back on the bench, interlocking his hands and resting them on his stomach. "remember my apartment here on slateport? there's a good barbecue place near there. i think the owner's looking to reopen." the location's pretty hidden, although it has good food and it wasn't often filled with people.

"the place isn't that big, but invite everyone you want. my treat."

part of him wants to remind mateo that most of the league's budget is reassigned to the rebuilding and rehabilitation of slateport and verdanturf. even if he was to get a raise, it probably won't be much. it'd ruin the mood though, so he holds it of for later.

he hopes there's a reopening promo when it does.

"well, at first, i was pretty pissed." scratching the nape of his neck. mateo didn't necessarily have the energy to get riled up today, courtesy to kirlia's healing prowess. one could guessed it quelled not only the mind, but the spirit or he was just very chill for the day. summer was almost over, after all.

listening to kyle's offer as he held onto his shirt. he'd stare momentarily, "mm, it's been awhile since we've had sometime alone together." kyle tended to be busy, just the same as mateo--if not more than him. "i rather it just be the two of us, i could use a break from noelle. i'll get bryony to distract her and chance." besides, he still didn't have his own place.

"with the four of them here," meaning morgan, chancelor, bryony, and noelle, "the family manor i've been at's gotten louder than ever. i liked it better when it was just me and, occasionally, others." just thinking about chancelor's snoring revved his gears. oh how he could suffocate that snorlax looking bastard. "maybe i can stay at your place a bit, sleepover?" he'd toss kyle's shirt at him.

kirlia ventured off to return admiring the many flowers found within the greenhouse.