Sentry Post, Wigglytuff Guild
Grass Continent
"Uggh," Tesla groans as he slowly regains consciousness. His eyes open, and he sees the ceiling of the underground tunnel. He blinks a few times before getting up and looking around, noticing he's in an empty room with a table, two chairs, a jar of coffee, and Sabo sitting while reading a book. Sabo looks up from his book and notices Tesla waking up.
"Oh, you're finally up," Sabo exclaims before continuing to read.
"Sabo, where are we?" Tesla groans, holding his head in pain. The bruise he got from Victor's paper fan is still sore (How does he inflict so much damage with a mere paper fan!?).
"The Sentry post, we're doing the Sentry Duty," Sabo says as Tesla feels his eyes twitch. He was pretty sure he was against this job due to how meaningless it is to them, and he knows Sabo's desire to go out exploring, not cooped up inside a random underground tunnel. Suddenly, the room turns slightly dark as Sabo looks up before looking through the book.
"The footprint is Muk's! The footprint is Muk's!" Sabo says loudly.
"You're seriously gonna do this job!?" Tesla asks in disbelief.
"We don't have much choice, big brother," Sabo sighs. "We're merely apprentices, new ones at that. We can't demand random exploration of a new location."
"You deserve better than any of this job," Tesla growls as Sabo looks at his big brother with an unreadable expression.
"Did you not listen? We're only newbies, we don't have any right to demand more," Sabo explains, making sure he stressed every word. "Please, big brother, don't try to cause any more trouble…"
"….I wasn't causing any trouble," Tesla mutters as he crosses his arms and sits down.
"Tesla, you lashed out at anyone and attempted to harm them because of this job," Sabo says in exasperation. "If Victor didn't stop you, you would harm them."
"…no, I wouldn't," Tesla mutters, but he sounds like he's trying to convince himself instead of his brother.
"…" Sabo remains silent as he reads the book while Tesla uncomfortably tries to sit still, yet to no avail. His legs won't stop fidgeting, his tail continuously moves left and right, his ears and left eye twitch, and his fingers tap on the table nonstop.
"Big brother…" Sabo looks up from his book, looking exasperated. "Please, can you stop moving?"
"I can't help it," Tesla exclaims. "I need to do something instead of sitting here doing nothing while waiting for some random Pokémon to appear!"
"…" Sabo goes silent as he looks at Tesla, silently biting the bottom of his lips. He can't help but remember what he discussed with Thorn earlier regarding Tesla, but the fear and anxiety continue to stop him.
"Sabo, is there anything you want to talk about?" Tesla raises his eyebrows after noticing how Sabo looks like he's about to say something.
"…yeah, we need to talk about one thing, specifically your temper…" Sabo takes a deep breath, deciding that now's the perfect time. As he predicted, Tesla was taken aback by the topic.
"W-why did you decide to talk about it now?" Tesla asks.
"…big brother…" Sabo takes a deep breath to calm his nerves. "You know how much I love you, right?"
"…y-yeah," Tesla mentally kicks himself on the head, telling himself to calm down, and he's just talking with his brother.
"…then please understand I'm saying this because I care…" Sabo mutters nervously. "…big brother, y-you're…"
"Sabo?" Tesla grows nervous as he wonders what Sabo is trying to say. Before he could finish his sentence, the room went slightly dark. This made Sabo stop before looking through the book and identifying the footprint.
"…The footprint's Munchlax, the footprint's Munchlax," Sabo reports before letting out a sigh.
"Sabo?" Tesla calls, getting his brother's attention. "What is it you're trying to tell me?"
"…" Sabo takes another deep breath to calm himself. "…big brother, I understand you want to protect me after…everything that happens…but, what you did is too much…"
"….Sabo," Tesla begins. "I…I was trying to do this for you…"
"T=there's a line between doing things for your family….and completely controlling someone's life…." Sabo exclaims, his voice rising a bit. "And you had crossed that line multiple times!"
"I was trying to keep you safe! You have no idea what kind of Pokémon might hide their intentions to harm us! To harm you!" Tesla argues. Sabo flinches before regaining his composure.
"Y-you treat almost everyone as suspicious Pokémon! You made everyone avoid us! Neither of us has any friends or social life because you can't stop being suspicious!" Sabo exclaims, feeling his blood start boiling.
"How can we be sure either of those Pokémon is not suspicious!? You've seen what those bastards did to us?! To our parents!?" Tesla exclaims, making Sabo stiffen. "Neither of them was caught by the authorities, and we have no idea who they are or how they look. Do you think we can trust anyone so easily when that bastard is still around!?"
"I-I get it! I completely get it!" Sabo exclaims, flames bursting from his back. "But, you've gone too far! Losing our parents is enough, but your overprotectiveness made things worse! I can't walk around the town without feeling like an invisible barrier is keeping me away from everyone! I can't even make friends with any Pokémon I've met because you keep scaring them away! I was lucky that Thorn and Victor even wanted to talk to me, even when you treated them badly!"
"Why can't you understand!? I was trying to keep you safe! How many times do I need to tell you until you understand!?" Tesla angrily exclaims, sparks coming out of his cheeks.
"You didn't keep me safe! You are distancing both of us from the world!" Sabo roars as they both stare at each other, and the sound of fire and electricity crackling can be heard in the entire room. Both look at each other before slowly calming down and turning their head away.
Both of them remain silent for the rest of the Sentry Duty, only speaking whenever there's a guest arrives at the guild. The rest of the guild members can't help but notice the silent treatment they gave each other and become concerned. It's only for a few days, and everyone knew those two were very close, even for brothers, so seeing them acting in that way concerns them.
Even during dinner, they both continue to refuse to talk to each other. Thorn is worried that convincing Sabo to talk had resulted in this. After finishing dinner, Sabo walked out of the building while Tesla walked straight to the team's room.
"…I think I made a mistake," Thorn mutters.
"You didn't," Victor says as he approaches Thorn. "It's…common for siblings to argue and then give each other the silent treatment. No matter how close they are, arguments are inevitable. You should know that since you have siblings of your own."
"Yeah, but I didn't think too much since my siblings were not normal. They're very obsessed with being the best, and I realize that after seeing how Tesla and Sabo act towards each other." Thorn replies as Victor grimaces. "I can't help but feel I'm responsible for this, trying to push Sabo to talk with Tesla," Thorn mutters guiltily as Victor let out a sigh before patting his head.
"With how things go between them, it's bound to happen sooner or later," Victor says as he comforts his friend. "Don't blame yourself too much about it."
"…I wish it didn't lead to them fighting…" Thorn says as Victor snorts.
"If they didn't fight, then something is truly wrong. No relationship is that perfect," Victor says before gently patting Thorn. "If you still worry, we can try to talk to them. Or perhaps, just lent an ear for them to talk."
"…you know how to deal with something like this, huh?" Thorn mutters.
"Being older means having more experiences," Victor huffs as Thorn snorts at the supposed older one.
"With how you act, it's hard to think you're the old one," Thorn says.
"Every adult has their inner child, I simply embrace it," Victor says while puffing his chest as Thorn rolls his eyes.
"You're so silly," Thorn says, smiling at his friend.
"Would you prefer a grump who was too depressed and pessimistic with life?" Victor asks as Thorn shakes his head.
"No," Thorn replies honestly. "Don't change, Vic. Don't change."
"I'll try," Victor says with a smile before they both go their separate ways, planning to help their teammates.
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Outside, Wigglytuff Guild
Sabo can be seen curling up while watching the night sky near the cliff. He had no idea what he was supposed to do after the argument. He had tried to follow Thorn's advice, but it ended up leading to an argument with his brother, something he wanted to avoid. Now, they were both unable to talk with each other without feeling sour after that argument.
"Hey, Sabo?" The Cyndaquil turns its head and looks at Thorn, standing behind him with a guilty expression.
"…" Sabo merely turns his head back towards the night sky, not uttering a single word.
"…I'm sorry," Sabo froze when he heard Thorn's words. "I…didn't mean for you two to start arguing and become distant…I am simply worried how Tesla's short temper and overprotectiveness could lead to more trouble that…I…didn't think how you two discussing it could lead to this…"
"…don't apologize…" Sabo mutters. "I was the one who caused the argument. I lost my temper again…"
"…what did you tell him?" Thorn asks. Sabo goes silent for a moment before he explains how the entire conversation goes. He also explains in detail how he feels when he talks to Tesla, how he feels frustrated at his brother's overprotectiveness, refuses to see how he was in the wrong, and continues to justify his actions to the point he feels his blood boiled, his fear and nervousness towards possibly ruining his relationship with Tesla disappeared and replaced with annoyance, frustration, and anger.
"…" Thorn expects a lot of things when he hears how Sabo might lose his temper when talking with Tesla, but he didn't expect it to be like how Sabo describes. The anger part is understandable, as everyone is capable of being angry, but the way Sabo feels is shocking since he didn't expect it from someone as timid and kind-hearted as Sabo.
"Do...do you think it's bad for being angry at him?" Sabo mutters, looking at Victor.
"…honestly, no," Thorn replies. "If I were you, I would lash out as well…"
"That doesn't exactly convince me that it's not bad," Sabo mutters.
"…if you're angry because you're worried about him, then it's not bad," Thorn explains, slightly unsure how to explain it properly.
"It's…more than that…" Sabo mutters. "I hate how he keeps me from properly interacting with others, threatening Pokémon so they won't harm me, only letting me go out of the house if he's by my side, and is very controlling. The only reason I have more freedom now is due to his wanting to help me be an explorer."
"So, in short, you simply hate how he acts towards you," Thorn says as Sabo nods. "Then, you have even more reason to be angry at him. I understand his fear of getting his only family harmed by dangerous individuals, but he has gone too far."
"That's what I said, but he refuses to listen! He stubbornly exclaims that he's doing this for my own sake!" Sabo yells in frustration, causing flames to burst from his back, startling Thorn. "O-oh, sorry!"
"I-it's fine," Thorn mutters in slight fear, relieved that he didn't get burned.
"…" Sabo goes silent as he looks at the sea. "…what do you think I should do?"
"…I honestly had no idea what you should do," Thorn admits. "I mean, I have issues with my siblings, and I run away from them…so, I'm not exactly the best Pokémon to give advice."
"…if you didn't run away, what would you do?" Sabo asks.
"…I would lash out at them as well," Thorn says with a helpless smile. "As I said earlier, I'm not the best when it comes to advice."
"Oh…" Sabo mutters as they both watch the night sky.
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With Victor
"…" Tesla's eyes twitch as he sees Victor entering the room. He can't help but feel annoyed upon seeing him.
"Is something wrong?" Victor asks innocently as he picks up his book from under the straw bed.
"What are you doing here?" Tesla rudely asks.
"I…am grabbing my stuff," Victor replies with the same innocent tone.
"Don't lie, you're planning to talk to me about what happened, aren't you?" Tesla snarls.
"Nope. Just grabbing my stuff," Victor says as he opens his book and writes something. Tesla crosses his arms while staring intently at Victor, waiting for him to ask something. For an entire minute, Victor remains quiet while Tesla continues to twitch.
"Say something, will you!?!" Tesla exclaims, feeling his patience slipping.
"Okay, I'm confused. Earlier, you implied you didn't want to talk, but when I give you a silent treatment, you demand that I talk? Made up your mind, will you?" Victor points out, making Tesla splutter before looking away and grumbling.
"…" Tesla looks unsure of what to say, glancing around in desperation, hoping Victor would be the one who starts the conversation. Victor stares at Tesla for a moment before letting out a sigh. He was hoping that staying silent would get him to talk, but apparently, he didn't consider Tesla to be a socially awkward Pokémon.
"Can I ask what happened?" Victor asks as Tesla looks at him before huffing. "…yeah, I thought so." Victor deadpanned before going back to his book. Tesla looks like he was about to explode, but he can't, especially since Victor's reaction is reasonable. If he won't reply to his question, then he shouldn't ask more. But why in the world did Victor make it look insufferable!?
"Arrgh, fine! I argued with my little brother, which never happened for so long! He points out how he hates me for keeping him safe!" Tesla exclaims in anger. "Happy!?!"
"Don't ask me, you're the one who spills everything," Victor says, making Tesla's blood boil before looking away. Another awkward silence filled the room, and Victor noticed Tesla's expression shift.
"D-do…do you think Sabo hates me?" Tesla mutters. Victor almost drops his book as he is caught off guard by how miserable Tesla sounds. He then stops himself as he remembers that Tesla may have been rude and acting like a complete dick, but he's a teenager, and they're prone to a lot of mistakes.
Victor knows this very well since he was once that kind of teenager.
"What makes you think that?" Victor asks gently.
"…he never raises his voice or is angry at me…not until now…" Tesla mutters.
"…I doubt he hates you; he was very close to you when I first met you two," Victor says as he closes his book. "But, he does seem frustrated at how you act."
"…I just don't want to lose him," Tesla admits.
"…can you tell me why you want to protect him so badly? I have seen anyone being protective towards their family, but you were different." Victor asks. "You don't have to give me a full detail, just give me enough for me to understand."
"...there's this one Pokémon that hurt our family…the officers and Guilds haven't caught them or even identified what Pokémon it is…I'm scared of how it could come and hurt us anytime…" Tesla mutters as he curls up. Victor didn't say anything to respond as he sat next to Tesla, making sure he wasn't close enough.
"I understand your fear…I understand why you did it, but…don't you think what you did is a bit too much?" Victor asks. "What you did isn't just simply protecting, you're threatening everyone that you will hurt them if you try to do anything to your little brother…do you think your brother would like that, especially with how kind he is?"
"…" Tesla didn't respond, but he knew the answer.
"It didn't help that the way you treat Sabo, it was like you're treating a fragile glass that could shatter with a single touch," Victor explains. "I don't know about your brother, but if I were him, I would be very annoyed and insulted."
"…." Tesla remains silent.
"It's a good thing to care about your brother, but let me give you some advice as someone who has experience," Victor says as Tesla looks at him in surprise.
"You have a younger sibling?" Tesla asks in surprise.
"Not exactly, a younger cousin to be more precise, but I treat him like a little brother. But, that's not the point." Victor says. "Your brother's safety is one thing, but you should also consider how Sabo truly feels. You may be the older one, but the younger sibling is their own person and has their preference and needs, and you should respect that. Both need to properly communicate, reach an understanding between you two, and come up with a compromise where both siblings can be satisfied."
"…how can I do it?" Tesla mutters, making Victor smile.
"Start by talking with each other, being honest with each other," Victor advises. "Take the first step and don't rush it."
"…I'm still wary of you…" Tesla mutters; his voice lacks the aggression he usually has when he talks to anyone other than his brother.
"Oh, wow." Victor deadpans. "I know you have every right to be wary of me, but saying that after helping you with issues is super ungrateful."
"I-I wasn't finished!" Tesla flustered. "I…I want to say thanks…you weren't as bad as I thought…"
"...a piece of advice? You should try to get to know others before judging if they're a bad Pokémon or not." Victor deadpans.
"Oh, shut it…" Tesla huffs, slightly annoyed, but he did take the advice to heart. His brother admits he wants friends, and the way he treated him made it impossible to find one, so he'll try to change that.
And maybe, he should find himself a friend as well. Being constantly wary of anyone is tiring, and he hates to admit it, but being lonely sucks. But the problem is how he would get a friend. Tesla takes a glance at Victor and immediately dismisses the idea; there's no way he'll ask Victor to help, it'll be very embarrassing, especially after what happened earlier. His pride won't allow him to do it.
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Later
It didn't take long before Thorn and Sabo returned to their room as Tesla requests a private talk with Sabo, which surprised Thorn as he didn't expect Tesla to take the initiative, but with the way Tesla asked for the request, it was too soft-spoken for someone like Tesla, making Thorn instinctively asks who is he and what did he do to real Tesla. Victor had to bite his lips from laughing out loud while Tesla looked like he was about to fry Thorn.
Sabo eventually agrees, and both siblings leave the room to talk alone. Thorn looks slightly worried and looks at Victor.
"Do you think it'll be okay to let them talk? After everything?" Thorn asks.
"It'll be fine. I managed to talk with Tesla and even gave him advice." Victor says as Thorn looks at him like he has grown a second head.
"You? Manage to talk with Tesla? And even giving him advice!? Are you sure you're not drunk?" Thorn asks as Victor gives his friend a deadpan look.
"I did, I have dealt with someone much worse than Tesla, so give me some credit," Victor huffs.
"…I still don't get it," Thorn says as he looks at Victor. "Advising people, I mean…I had zero idea what I should say to Sabo, all I could do was be there for him…"
"…you may not know, but being there for someone is already enough to help…sure, you didn't solve their issues, but your presence is enough to reassure them," Victor explains.
"…I just hope it does," Thorn mutters dejectedly as Victor pats his head. Meanwhile, Sabo and Tesla can be seen in the room filled with the job list, looking at each other silently.
"…what do you want to talk about, big brother?" Sabo asks.
"…I'm sorry," Tesla says, causing Sabo to take aback from his brother's attitude.
"H-huh?" Sabo voices his disbelief. "D-did you drink a Shuckle Juice earlier?"
"N-no!" Tesla exclaims, looking flustered. "I-I mean it, I-I'm sorry…for how I treat you…you're right, I had crossed the line many times…I treat you like you're…defenseless…Everything I did was too much, and I'm sorry…"
"…I wasn't expecting you to apologize," Sabo comments, making Tesla flinch. Is he that bad? "…I want to say sorry as well, I could've just told you how I feel, but I ended up losing my temper…"
"In honesty, I deserve that…" Tesla comments. "I…I was too afraid of everything…random strangers, unfamiliar places, unsuspecting moments…I was too scared that things might go wrong that I…I could lose you like our parents…"
"I…I get it…" Sabo mutters shakily. "I get why you did it, big brother…I'm scared too…but, a-are we just gonna live like this…for the rest of our lives…always being afraid of everything? Always been distant from the world?"
"…no," Tesla admits. "I...don't want that as well…I…I want to make friends too…I want to be part of this world…it's…lonely…"
"…what made you….?" Sabo didn't finish his sentence, unsure how to finish it.
"…ironically, Victor made me feel how…bad it was living alone…if not for him, I wouldn't apologize," Tesla answers, his face turns slightly red. "P-please don't tell him I say that…he won't let me live it down…"
"Okay," Sabo giggles as he looks at Tesla before hugging him. "I…I don't mind having you on my side…just, please don't get all aggressive…"
"O-okay…I…I promise…I promise to try, Sabo…" Tesla chokes as he returns the hug, holding himself from tearing up. He had honestly thought he had lost his brother due to an argument. Some Pokémon might think it was silly, but the argument stems from Sabo's annoyance with his attitude for years. His mistake could drive them apart, and he didn't want that. Sabo was the only family he had left. He was glad that he could apologize before it got worse, and grateful for the advice Victor had given.
"I-I'm sorry…I'm so, so sorry…" Tesla says as Sabo leans closer to his cheeks. Meanwhile, Thorn watches from a distance and lets out a quiet sigh of relief before walking back to the room.
"You're right, Victor…it turned out to be okay," Thorn admits as he looks at Victor. "How do you know?"
"It was an obvious result when you see how close they are," Victor says. "Just give them a way to fix things up, and everything is back to normal."
"…I wish I could say the same with my siblings and me," Thorn mutters, slightly envious. Thorn could only give him a sympathetic look and gently pat his head. Then, Tesla enters the room while carrying Sabo on his back, with visible tear stains on both of his cheeks. He looks at Victor and Thorn before flinching and looking away out of embarrassment.
"… If you're worried about me teasing you for crying after talking with Sabo, then don't worry too much," Victor says. "Reconciling with your siblings due to an argument caused by miscommunications mostly leads to crying."
"O-oh, shut it," Tesla hisses at Victor, causing the Veemon to chuckle at Tesla's antics.
"I think you should focus on putting your brother back to bed," Victor says in an amused tone. "And you should get some rest, we've got work tomorrow as well, remember?"
"Yeah, yeah…" Tesla mutters before walking to Sabo's bed and gently puts him down. "… thanks."
"…happy to help," Victor says with a smile. He and Tesla may have a rough start, but he's still his teammate, and he will still help him.
To be Continued