Hopelessly Devoted to Misery {Pokémon Fanfiction}

Chapter 8: The Agony of the Persecuted

First thing that went through my mind: it has to be the work of Arceus. Meeting a girl that I bumped into earlier? Can only be the work of Arceus or purposely related events.

I'll put my bets on the latter.

"Serenity Rinea huh..." I mumble as I watch the girl I earlier deemed aloof. She looks around frantically for something. I assume someone to serve her. Her clothes are the same from earlier: folded skirt, sky blue shirt, and the ruby red ribbon around her neck. Her expression is panicked, still trying to locate someone who works in this establishment.

As if on cue, Chili arrives at her side. He grins and shakes her hand and says something I can't hear. He nods, showing his bright white teeth that blind me even from all the way in the back corner I'm in.

My heart drops when he points in my direction.

Serenity, or so Chili claims her name is, nods as she closes in. I instinctively dive my hands into my jacket pocket and whip out a Poké Ball. I glance down quickly and look at what I pulled out.

Aquila? Really? Of all three Pokémon I own, I pull out my young, untrained Ledyba?

Serenity moves in, weaving her way through the tables that reside in the large hall of the restaurant. Why did Chili tell her to come to me? What did I do to deserve this punishment?

I don't know either.

Time speeds by as I watch in agony of her getting closer every second. I clutch my stomach for some reason, as if I'm going to vomit the tea I just ingested. That would've been fun to do: puke in this restaurant.

And then she...sits two tables away from me?

Of course Chili would scare me like that.

I glance forward and see Chili holding a round, silver platter in hand, like the ones used to hold plates and glasses when serving people. His ruby eyes meet mine causing him to wave to me. I can't tell what he's planning. Wouldn't the most logical thing be to have the girl sit with me?

Then again, when is anything logical in this restaurant? Nothing that I can think of anyway.

I watch Chili trot over to me, his red mess of a hairdo bouncing each of his steps. He pulls out the chair across from me as he places his serving platter on the table. He sits, adjusting his position for maximum comfort, and leans in towards me. His white sleeved forearms rest on the table as his expression beams in excitement. I raise my eyebrows, grit my teeth, and eye him quizzically.

"What are you plotting?" I ask him.

"Plotting? You make me sound so devious Tristan. I assure you, it's just a demonstration," he smiles. He glances over at Serenity, motioning me to look over at her by shifting his head. I look over and see the aloof girl sitting alone at the table, tracing the fonts on the restaurant menu with her index finger.

"What the heck?" I say to him. And that's when I realize exactly what is so wrong about the scene.

One, two, three, seven young boys and girls walk into the restaurant. A teacher is at its head, her glasses and meter stick telltale signs of her knowledge and authority over the rest. Unfortunately, as she chats with a waitress, the rest of what I assume is her class, start to scatter and wander around the restaurant.

I recognize a trio of them immediately. Two boys and a girl. They are the ones Serenity was chasing earlier when she bumped into me. And it appears they ended up leaving her behind.

Looks like evidence supporting bad things happen in threes.

Another boy and girl join the three. The five of them point to a table on the opposite end of the restaurant. They all take measures to occupy it, one even stealing a chair from another table just to sit with the group. Those people, they're all the same. They're all conformists who don't feel safe if they aren't attached to people.