Tabitha {Pokémon Fanfiction}

Chapter 1

He gingerly set Skitty down onto the bed and began to undress, unbuttoning his suit, then his crisp white undershirt, dropping the latter into his laundry sack while the former was neatly folded onto a hanger and returned to the safety of his barren closet, exchanged for a comfy turtleneck sweater.

When he glanced back to the bed, Skitty was nowhere to be found. Instead, a suspicious lump was moving around inside the legs of his dress pants draped across his sheets.

Tabitha sighed, a small smile snaking its way across his face. He’d have to brush off all of the strands of hair she left behind, for red was quite noticeable on black, but he’d do that in the morning anyway. As he always did. He would not allow even a single mote of dust on his suit—he had sacrificed a month’s worth of scholarship funds to buy it years ago, eating nothing but cup noodles those four miserable weeks, but it had been his one-way ticket to the working world.

A deep growl from his stomach nagged him to retrieve his pajama pants from the dresser. It was that time of year again; the crisp, cool weather of fall was beginning to transition into the bitter cold of winter, making it the perfect season to wear his favorite fleece pajama bottoms. Even if the cartoonish Torkoal were a tad juvenile in Tabitha’s opinion, the fact that their fabric had pilled and their elastic ran thin were a testament to their enduring comfort.

Now that he had slipped into more casual clothing, it was time for dinner. Tabitha didn’t even need to call out to Skitty—the rustling of the plastic bag summoned her out of the nest she had made in his nice pants. She came bounding up into his lap as he sat at his desk, pulling out a bento box stuffed with cold dumplings.

While he enjoyed immersing himself in the science of his work, there was something special about these twenty or so minutes spent each evening, back turned away from the briefcase on his bed, sitting down to eat by candlelight in the company of the one being who loved him unconditionally.

He turned to watch Skitty nibble on her dumpling. Though he had fallen on hard times as of late, Skitty was right there alongside him and his companion’s playful smile told Tabitha that everything was going to be all right.

He couldn’t fathom a life without her.

Just as he dipped the dumpling into what remained of the soy sauce canister, a high-pitched chiptune medley filled the room, spooking Skitty into hiding.

Puzzled, Tabitha rose from his seat to grab the PoéNav vibrating in his discarded pants pocket. One quick glance at the caller ID told him all he needed to know.

“Good evening, Mother. No no, no need to apologize—I’ve always got time for you. I’ve just finished dinner.” He checked his watch, grimacing at the glowing numbers that read 11:36 PM. “Yes, I realize it’s not the ideal time, but that’s the life of a salaryman for you.”

As he spoke, Tabitha moved to cradle the Nav with his shoulder while he cleaned up the empty bento box and transferred the briefcase to his desk-turned-workstation.

“Checking up on me? I’m doing well, I would say.”

Lying normally came so easy to him, but the only way he could ever justify hiding the truth from his parents like this was if it was for their own good. They weren’t exactly in the best of financial situations either, yet his mother insisted on sending him packages of food or clothes from time to time at her expense. Tabitha never wanted them to spend money he knew they didn’t have on him, and if they were even the slightest bit aware of the life he was living.

“I’m working with a research team right now on some projects. Technological development. I’m feeling like we’re onto something... of course I’m staying warm! I’m wearing that sweater—you know, the one you knit for me? Ahyahya.”

Gradually, a variety of print-outs, diagrams, charts, and blueprints began to litter the surface of his desk. He removed a sleek black laptop from the depths of its case and powered it on, flooding the room with bright blue light.    
       
“What have you and Father been up to lately? Ah, yes, it’s about that time of year, isn’t it? Well, if people are giving him grief about it, construction is a necessary business potholes don’t care if it’s the holidays.”

Minutes ticked by and the conversation continued while Tabitha worked. Skitty had long since fallen asleep underneath his chair, leaving him without distractions. Eventually, his mother passed the Nav on to his father, who teased out that hearty chuckle of his with an entertaining story of a Shroomish that kept leaving its footprints in the wet cement he’d been pouring.

After nearly an hour, Tabitha completed his documents and set the PokéNav down on his desk as he tidied up his space, returning the papers to his briefcase for the morning.

Suddenly, his mother’s frail voice came on over the speakerphone.

“Tabi, when are you coming home?”

Tabitha froze, his heart caught in his throat. A silence settled on the room as his mind raced, searching for a response.

“Ah…”

His fingers flew across the keyboard, entering the web address to his online bank account. The numbers on the screen, mocking him in a cheery blue typeface, stared back at him.

“One of these days, Mother.” he replied matter-of-factly, shutting his laptop.

No response.

Feeling the answer insufficient, he repeated himself and blew out the candle, throwing the apartment into darkness.

“One of these days.”