She had started to walk away from the receding waves when she noticed the Pelipper hopping alongside her. She wasn’t easily intimidated, but this bird’s peculiar behavior was making her feel rather uncomfortable. She stopped in her tracks and turned to face ...it? Him? Her? Whatever. She had never been really good at identifying a bird’s sex. “Could you just leave me alone? I won’t hesitate to kick your ass if you give me a reason.”

The poor messenger hopped away from PK in alarm. Again, it spoke in that off, slightly echoed voice. The more she thought about it, the more it didn’t sit right with her. “I think it would do you well, very well, to listen. You want to make the right choice, don’t you? You have a choice between two, right?”

PK felt the food sickness washing over her once more. Her mouth went dry, and when she spoke, it was just over a whisper. “Choice?” Perhaps she’d been caught off guard by the bird. Normally predictions were a load of garbage and she knew such. She’d seen a fortune teller herself in this very city some years ago, and those visions were all...

…hm. She couldn’t actually remember, but they were probably all generic and vague noise. Emboldened by this memory, she spoke up. “Choice? The only choice right now is for me to get outta here and head home. I don’t have time for this crap.”

“Please, make some time! I think you’ll regret it! Listen, listen, okay? You’re from a village. You run a village, I think. Is that right? Anyway, listen, the fate of that place rests with you. I think. I don’t even know why I should be saying this, it doesn’t seem to have to do with a--”

“Big deal! So you recognize me or something. Stop trying to spook me.” PK had had enough of this stupid game.

“No no, please! Don’t go with the flow here. Playing it easy isn’t going to work. Choose the health of the village, that’s what will make your love situation work. Love for the village!” And with this exclamation, a pink blur bopped itself against the roof of the bird’s beak. Just what the...?

Oh, of course, something in its mouth. PK remained indignant, nonetheless. “Okay? I’m not stupid. I can handle my own relationships, I know what the hell’s best for my own village. Got it?”

The Pelipper leaned downward to give the inner resident a better view of its surroundings. PK was given a look at her true conversation partner: a small Luvdisc. Once the water finally stilled, the little fish resumed its warning. “It won’t be your village anymore if you don’t patch things up.”

Patch things up? She’d been working tirelessly for half a month now, doing just that! “You’re kinda getting on my nerves. Do you even know how hard I’ve been working? Probably not. You don’t know me, so you can just beat it. Seriously.”

The little psychic was undeterred. “If you pick the wrong one, you’ll lose practically everything you care about. Do you really want that?”

“You’re not scaring me.” PK marched along the boardwalk back toward the restaurant plaza and the ongoing festivities.

“Well, I wish I was, “ it replied. The bird continued its stupid hop after her for the benefit of the Luvdisc. “This is important.”

“Just shut up. Leave me alone.” This was getting agitating. She was starting to itch for a fight, knew she would take the chance if they provoked her further.

Incredulously, it wasn’t finished preaching ambiguous drivel. “If you must, just pick what’s best for the village. That’s the right path to avoid the disastrous outcome I see for you.” It must have finally detected how incensed PK had become, for it sunk back into the maw’s reservoir. Shortly after, the prophet’s live carriage took to the sky and PK was alone once again with only her garbled thoughts as company. Groups of Pokemon walked around her as they headed to, or from, the beach. Just as well; she might have picked a fight if any one in particular got too close. No one made such a mistake. She continued navigating through the city, heading toward the west entry road.

Choice? There was no choice to be made. She was doing what she could, and that was all she could do. Twigs, as unapproachable as he might have seemed, was at the very least helping her out so she could run the village and rebuild it into something great, something amazing. Her anger at him had subsided a little after her short nap, and instead was directed at that idiot, prattling Luvdisc.

It was a little bizarre, she admitted. Not every day did a fish offer its supposed psychic love advice. PK had never much been one for relying on others to dictate her future, and she wasn’t about to start now. But... huh. It almost sounded like, hm. Was she really playing it easy, taking Twigs’s help? It was absurd to suggest she might lose the village over it, however. It was, well, it was almost applicable advice, if a little vague. But, someone had to be playing a trick. Maybe Anana had paid someone off. This seemed the more likely course. In fact, it made too much sense when she thought about it.

Anana had probably arranged for Pokemon to spy on her and Twigs. She was probably still jealous. She probably wanted PK to stop seeing him at all. That... had to be. Anana was very likely letting her envy consume her (isn’t that how their sisterly rift had started?), and it was just too probable that she’d gotten a hack to recite some phony vision of the future at PK.

Well, she wasn’t going to fall for it. No sir. She’d outsmarted Anana and would continue to do so.

====
Part 15 of "The Dates"

Prev:

Next: