Poppin' Arms ~ Large Dorms

[Fusion]

"I don't have hands," Vix said flatly. "And... I'm still not all that used to big crowds," she tittered.

 

[IFBench]

Saltriv turned around as they heard voices.

"Hi, everyone! I'm sunbathing in here, since the other dorms are occupied. I'm glad we managed to win again!" they said with a smile.

Though their smile was bright, it also seemed strained, as did the cheerfulness in their voice. They also didn't comment on their early return.

 

[Navar]

"...I'm with Vix. No big crowds for me. Anyway, nice to see you Saltriv!" Shiron gave them a thumbs up. "Sunbathing? I didn't know Chikorita did that, but I guess it makes sense."

 

[Ambyssin]

Sunbathing... by a window? Sounded appealing to some primal part, but not as good as being outside. "You know, if the cold weather is problematic, you could just ask Maple to make you a portal to Treasure Town. There's a beach there and the weather is much warmer."

 

[Fusion]

"Yeah, I feel like that would be better than sitting around in your room," Vix said, floating a bit closer to Saltriv. She was still figuring out this body of hers, but every now and then, some strange... feeling rose in her whenever someone was feeling down, and she could swear she felt it here. It wasn't a good feeling, really. "Are you feeling alright, Saltriv?"

 

[IFBench]

"Yep, sunbathing!" Saltriv clarified. "I always find it relaxing to feel the sunlight on my leaf. And I'm fine with doing it right here!"

Here, there's less people I could hurt.

"Are you feeling alright, Saltriv?"

For the briefest of moments, Saltriv's smile wavered, before pointing back up. "I'm okay!"

 

[Navar]

Shiron raised an nonexistant brow. "Are you sure...? Well, if you're not, you can tell me. And I can try to help!"

 

[Fusion]

Vix kept her gaze on Saltriv for a moment, then sighed. She set herself down beside Saltriv. "You can tell us if you're not feeling alright, Saltriv. With these weird powers of ours being tied to our emotions, it's kinda dangerous to keep bottling stuff inside."

"Speaking from experience?" Puddle scoffed from inside Vix's bag. Vix closed the bag and tossed it off to the side.

 

[Ambyssin]

There was such a thing as tiptoeing too delicately around an issue. And this was it. The curse of the psychic was reading the ebbs and flows of others' spirits even when one didn't intend to. Which is exactly what Bahamut had done. He hadn't been around Saltriv much, but as best he knew they weren't upset before the rematch.

"... something happened to you during that battle." Though Bahamut wanted to add that sitting on the issue would only make it easier for the shadows to provoke Saltriv, that approach was probably too harsh for the moment.

 

[IFBench]

"I'm sur—" Saltriv began at Shrion's words, stopping as Vix spoke up. They hesitated, then continued speaking.

"I do have something that I'm worried about, but it's fine! It's not a problem!" Saltriv said in response to Vix.

It was no big deal, they could handle it! They bottled up their feelings all the time, what was just one more time?

Then Bahamut hit the nail on the head, and Saltriv looked away from the group. A contemplative expression was on their face.

"You're right," they eventually said after a few seconds.

They looked directly at the group, their smile replaced by a frown.

"Did you see that attack I did to Rayquaza as the battle started?" they asked, all cheer gone from their voice.

 

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut shook his head. "Not really. The idiot noodle made it hard to tell what was happening on the screen."

 

[Navar]

Shiron tilted his head. "I'm sorry, Saltriv... I didn't. What happened?"

 

[Fusion]

"That shadow attack... right?" Vix asked, her light dimming slightly. "I... yeah." It shouldn't have been hard to figure out that the first time someone used a shadow attack, they'd feel... not great about it.

 

[IFBench]

"...yes," Saltriv said, their gaze turned away from their group.

 

[Navar]

Shiron sighed, taking a deep breath. "...Look, I don't have much experience with... Shadow attacks. You and I are the newest additions, but... I'm here if you need support, Saltriv. You're a nice Pokémon. I believe in you."

 

[Ambyssin]

"Be silent." Bahamut stuck a hind leg in Shiron's path. "I think there's more to their story." He leaned over, though even that still put him above Saltriv's eye level. "Go on."

 

[IFBench]

"When I used that attack...I had almost hurt my teammates with it," Saltriv said, looking back towards the group. "What if next time, it does hurt some of you? What if I accidentally unleash it outside of a battle and really hurt someone? Or worse?"

Tears began forming in Saltriv's eyes. "I don't want to hurt any of you."

 

[Ambyssin]

"And what happened the first time you used that attack?" Bahamut's tail lazily swayed to and fro. "Was it intentional? If you know the circumstances behind it, you can adapt."

 

[Navar]

Shiron looked down, unsure of what to say. "...Look, maybe you can train that?"

 

[Fusion]

Vix nodded in agreement with Shiron and Bahamut. "It's not like we can't help you through this, Saltriv. We're a team after all."