Work Text:
PRESENT
20XX January, Third Year of Teikō
Kuroko’s heart was hammering in his chest as he watched the silver-white light surrounding his partner Pokémon. That... was entirely unexpected. Everyone else’s partners had already evolved, only his remained as he had been.
He saw the light grow in size, as his partner took on his new form. Once it faded, the ember-red eyes stared into his icy blue eyes and Kuroko’s breath hitched. His soul somehow felt lighter and heavier at the same time.
Looking at the Pokémon and his dancing flames, Kuroko felt a swell of affection, as his partner growled and leaned closer. He hugged the creature closer, relishing the heat radiating from his body.
“Oh, Yuzuki,” the light-haired boy murmured. As he held the Pokémon slowly, the change started to make sense. He pulled back again to stroke the short fur and something like almost-guilt rose in his gut. “You should not be like this... It’s my problem...”
The Pokémon nipped him with his sharp teeth enough to make him fall quiet, but not draw blood. The flames rose higher, as a soft rumble slipped past his lips. As expected, Pokémon did not speak, but Kuroko understood him perfectly anyway.
‘We’re together in this. I miss them as much as you. Your grief is mine as well,’ he seemed to say. Kuroko bit his lower lip and slipped down from his bed onto the plush rug. A moment later, the now significantly larger Pokémon curled around him and Kuroko curled into his side as much as he could, wondering how he had ended up being so alone in the first place...
FLASHBACK
20XX July, Second Year of Teikō
Laughter bounced in the air as a group of seven Junior High students walked through the streets with popsicles in their hands, easy chatter flowing. The seven all wore the uniform of the prestigious Teikō Chūgakkō and all of them were in the same year. They even shared similar interests, as all of them were part of the Basketball Club — the sole female being the Club’s manager.
Passers by and their Pokémon parted for the lively group with slightly surprised looks — after all, people so young took pride in their Pokémon partners. Yet, there were seven students and not a Pokémon near enough, to be considered their own. But, the spirits were high, so none of the group’s members noticed the looks. Or rather, even the ones who did notice the looks, chose to ignore them.
“Good work today, everyone,” Akashi said looking at four people, as he bit into his sweet treat with a content expression. The four hummed contentedly, as the Captain’s deep red gaze turned to the quietest member. “Kuroko... how did Kise do today?”
The Phantom Sixth, walking next to his Light, glanced at his blonde charge, before looking at the Captain. “He did well, Akashi-kun. I think you were right.”
At the praise — because, coming from the stoic passing specialist, those words were praise — the blonde model beamed, like the Sun. Akashi nodded in satisfaction, as Kise tried to bounce over to the shorter player.
”Thank you Kurokocchi, I try my best!” he said excitedly, reaching to hug his mentor. Kuroko didn’t resist the enthusiastic tackle, though he stumbled a bit from the blonde’s sudden weight. And while Kise clung to the shortest member of the team, they still walked towards their destination.
Behind the mentor-student duo, Midorima readjusted his glasses, a disbelieving glint in his green eyes. “How can they even walk like that ?” he muttered, gesturing at the mess of limbs the Copycat and the Phantom had turned into.
“I’ve no idea,” Akashi said, his lips curling upwards a bit in amusement.
Aomine glanced at the blonde and reached behind Kuroko’s back to grab the model’s shoulder. “Back off, Kise, you’re going to suffocate Tetsu. Besides, last time I checked, Tetsu was my Shadow.”
“Aominecchi, you’re being mean, ssu~! ” he said, flailing wildly, as he staggered a bit from the unexpected push. (Though Aomine was not a jerk, so he didn’t push his ‘newest’ teammate anywhere near hard enough to make him fall. He would not say it out loud, but he cherished all the people who were currently here.)
“Kise, let Kuroko breathe,” Akashi cut in tone light yet authoritative, “and Aomine, don’t injure him. Besides, Kuroko’s his own person. Just because you and him are partners, does not mean he’s not our teammate as well. And please behave. We’re in public.”
The Ace and the Small Forward both froze, glancing at their captain. “Gomen,” they grumped, as they reached the corner of the street.
“Eh, we’re splitting up here…” Murasakibara looked at the familiar corner, between two munches of maibō.
“Indeed,” Midorima said. “See you tomorrow,” he said, nodding to those who would split from them.
The others exchanged farewells as well, and Kise and Murasakibara took off in the same direction, Akashi and Midorima in another, while Momoi, Kuroko and Aomine took a third route.
With only the three of them, it was slightly quieter, though the good mood was still present. As they walked in silence, their snacks long forgotten, Aomine’s dark blue eyes darted to the side. “What about some more game?”
Kuroko and Momoi followed his gaze, and the girl chuckled. “Didn’t you have enough for today? It’s not like Akashi-kun took it easy.”
“But this won’t be training , Satsuki,” the Ace said. “Just some fooling around. What do you say, Tetsu?”
Momoi looked pleadingly at the Phantom, knowing that the quiet player had more common sense than her childhood friend. Kuroko just smiled subtly at his partner. “Why not? Besides, Aomine-kun said you had something to teach me…”
The Ace grinned, and Momoi just huffed, shaking her head fondly at her friends. The shadows were growing longer, and the sky was turning grey as night approached, but none of the three took notice. They passed the gate of the street court, the boys taking off their bags. Momoi grabbed the bags and sat down, taking out the ball and tossing it to the Shadow.
“Boys,” Momoi cut in gently, even before they could chase the ball. “We’re alone.”
For a moment, both looked confused, but then the manager took out her Pokéball and released her partner. Once the white light faded, a beautiful Sylveon appeared, sitting next to Momoi. The cat-like Pokémon immediately wrapped her ribbon feeler around her human’s wrist. Momoi smiled at the affectionate gesture and gently stroked her ears, electing a happy purr.
The boys shared a look, startled they’d almost forgotten about their partners. Then, both of them reached to their belts, where the Balls had been attached, and released their Pokémon as well. The two chirped in greeting. Kuroko smiled, and Aomine grinned.
“Hey Nikkō,” Aomine grinned, as the stoat-like Fire Type leaped into his arms.
Kuroko crouched down, his own partner approaching, slightly calmer. “Hello, Yuzuki.”
Momoi giggled as she watched the boys. “It’s still funny to think you both have Quilava. They’re the same species and I can see the similarities in you… but they’re so different.”
Kuroko stood up, taking Yuzuki into his arms. “Maybe Akashi-kun wasn’t wrong. We’re like light and shadow, the same, yet different.”
“Yeah, he wasn’t wrong,” Aomine murmured, as he reached over to stroke Yuzuki’s fur, while Kuroko did the same to Nikkō. Usually, Pokémon only allowed their bonded human to touch them, but the two boys had been quite close from the start and by now, they fully trusted one another, even with their partners.
The two Pokémon jumped out and Nikkō barked impatiently at the two blue-haired humans. Aomine grinned, looking at Kuroko. “Pass the ball, Tetsu.”
The shorter male dropped the ball and dribbled before passing it to Aomine, who ran towards the hoop to score. It went in, but even before the Ace could reach for it again, the two Pokémon leapt into action and Yuzuki stole it.
Aomine laughed. “Heck, Yuzu steals like you, Tetsu.”
“We’re Bonded, of course he would,” Kuroko said, amusement creeping into his usually deadpan voice, as his Pokémon passed to him. Kuroko caught the ball, taking an offensive stance, with Aomine and Nikkō waiting in front of the goal.
“So… you coming, Tetsu?”
Kuroko huffed. “You keep forgetting, I’m not the same type of player as you are, Aomine-kun.”
Aomine rolled his eyes. “Maybe you are not. But no Shadow of mine will be unable to dribble a ball properly. Gonna teach you some streetball tricks. Now come at me.”
Kuroko rolled his eyes, smiling fondly, as Yuzuki tried nipping Nikkō. The bigger Pokémon batted the Phantom’s partner away playfully as Kuroko’s eyes narrowed in concentration. Kuroko moved forward, Aomine never taking his eyes off of his opponent, knowing well he had a tendency to disappear. The Ace’s eyes glinted, as he snatched the ball from the shorter’s grip with a playful move.
“ Relax , Tetsu.”
“I’m perfectly relaxed, Aomine-kun,” the Shadow deadpanned.
The Ace rolled his eyes. “Then maybe you should quit being so formal? Geez, you’re worse than Akashi, and that’s saying something.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Aomine-kun,” Kuroko said, still dribbling the ball calmly.
Aomine groaned and Nikkō whined again. “Oh, for the love of Arceus…”
“Aomine-kun,” the Phantom admonished lightly.
Aomine groaned again as his partner’s flames blazed in irritation. Momoi giggled, her Sylveon chuffing happily. The Ace just shook his head and huffed, motioning for his Shadow to come.
Kuroko did so. Aomine watched his moves and then Nikkō leapt forwards to steal the ball, but the Shadow switched his grip on it, to prevent the move. At the same time, Yukzuki jumped forward too, to tackle the bigger Quilava playfully.
Aomine laughed a bit, his dark eyes darting between his Shadow and their playfully rolling Pokémon. “Something like that, Tetsu. Relax. Streetball doesn’t have as stiff rules as tournament games and besides, you’re pretty flexible. Use that…”
Kuroko listened, a content smile on his lips.
Second Year, Nationals eighth-finals: Teikō VS Kamizaki
Kuroko huffed, tired from the match — the usual stand-up of the team had been changed by their coach, to give some chance for some of their senpai as well, to play. Therefore, only himself and Aomine had been on the court today, the other three players all being Third Years.
Despite the unusual set-up, they’d won. In fact, they had all but swept the floor with the opposing team. Aomine had been marvellous today, more than ever.
Kuroko smiled slightly when he noticed his Light and jogged closer, offering his fist. “Good match, Aomine-kun.”
But his partner didn’t answer. Aomine glanced at him and something... something had changed. The glint in the familiar ocean-deep eyes was foreign. Aomine’s expression was blank, almost filled with despair and... could it be boredom?
He’d noticed that the Ace had been different during the match, being bolder in his plays and requiring his passes less. But Aomine’s talents had bloomed a while ago... so what was happening now?
“This was not even a match... they didn’t even try.” the Ace muttered. “I... I don’t even know how to catch your passes anymore.” Kuroko’s blood froze and an icy feeling gripped his insides. Not even Yuzuki’s ever-present fire in his soul seemed to be enough to warm him up. Suddenly, he felt like someone had dropped him in the middle of an ice field, all alone.
Aomine picked up his jogging speed as Kuroko slowed down, his whole body feeling cold.
“Ore ni kateru no wa ore dakeda.”
The bitter words echoed in Kuroko’s mind as he watched the back of his partner drifting farther and farther away.
Heat spread from his heart, like invisible fire, as Yuzuki tried to comfort him without being physically present. Kuroko bit his lower lip, his fist falling limply to his side, eyes darting to Momoi. The six of them only trusted the pink-haired girl to hold onto their Pokéballs, while they were having a match. True, now only Aomine and himself had played from the First Years... but they’d given their partners to her.
Kuroko shook his head and tried to focus. It was not working at all.
He took a deep breath and walked to the bench. Sanada-kantoku was saying something about winning and pride. Kuroko could see the terrified, disbelieving awe on his face, as his brown eyes darted to Aomine, who was much quieter than usual. Momoi eyed both of them, wondering what was going on. She had surely noticed that something was off. Still, she did not say anything, as she handed their Pokéballs back to each of them.
Kuroko muttered some response to his coach, clutching the ball close, as he darted off to shower and change. Aomine followed him, quiet... and somehow a shadow of himself. Clear blue eyes darted to the Ace once more, as the Phantom tried to gather his thoughts.
How could he say what he wanted to without hurting his friend? He could not hurt his best friend. But wasn’t Aomine hurting everyone with the way he was acting? He had to talk to him. He had to make his Light see reason.
“Aomine-kun...” he trailed off as the Ace opened the door to their assigned locker room. The taller teen didn’t look at him. “Aomine-kun... you...” he faltered again, looking for the words still. For now, the changing room was theirs, but soon enough, the rest of the team would follow and Kuroko didn’t want anyone to hear this conversation, no matter how it would go.
This was just between them. Aomine and him. (Between Nikkō and Yuzuki too, since their Pokémon acted very much like they did with each other. And the way Aomine was drifting away... Kuroko had noticed that Nikkō sought Yuzuki out for company less. Not to mention that the bigger Quilava seemed to avoid being touched. Which was strange, because his partner’s Pokémon had been the first to seek touch from him, after he had met Aomine.)
The Ace turned around, his dark eyes seemingly dead, a scowl settling on his face. “What? Spit it out, Tetsu!”
Kuroko froze for a moment, taken aback by the sudden shout. But then he quickly gathered himself. “You’ve changed, Aomine-kun...” he said, voice low and haunted. The more time passed, the more the change in the Ace was visible and Kuroko honestly didn’t know what to make of it.
Aomine raised an eyebrow, a dismissive scoff escaping him. “Changed? What d’ya mean?”
“Aomine-kun is no longer the same person I used to know,” he breathed. The more he talked, the more real this situation seemed and the heavier his heart was. Yuzuki tried to help, as the Shadow could feel the fire spreading in his senses. Yet, despite his Pokémon’s show of kindness, the unknown, chilly feeling did not recede. Instead, it seemed to fester.
“Aomine-kun isn’t the person whom I know and admire,” he stated simply, looking into the Ace’s dark eyes. For a moment, there was silence and Kuroko felt his spirit withering the longer Aomine refused to acknowledge his words.
There was a flash of light, and Yuzuki appeared from the Ball. Usually, those of Teikō had good control over their Pokémon to keep them in check. However, right at this moment, Kuroko did not care about control and what the school had taught. He cared about his Light, who had been his closest companion since meeting him and now seemed so far away…
Yuzuki made a concerned chirping noise, before turning to look at Aomine, sensing that his partner’s negative emotions were directed at the dark-haired player. Aomine‘s eyes narrowed slightly on the Pokémon.
Aomine tore his eyes from the Quilava and scoffed again. “ Tsk , you sound ridiculous. I’m still me. What’s with that look, anyway? Are you gonna cry or what?”
Yuzuki growled, flashing his fangs as his flames blazed, as he jumped from the bench to stand in front of the Shadow. Aomine growled lowly and a moment later, his own Pokémon was at his feet, growling at his counterpart aggressively.
Kuroko took a calming breath and his expression was just a little closer to the usual blankness, though the blazing flames of both of their Pokémon were a dead giveaway of how they were feeling. “Tell me, Aomine-kun… What do you see as a shadow?” he asked, as his gaze darted around the room, seeking the shadows in the room created by the bright light from above.
Aomine’s eyes narrowed as Nikkō growled. “Something that does not exist without the light,” he said flippantly, not quite understanding where this conversation was going.
The blank blue eyes found him again, and Aomine stared into them. “And the light?”
Then the Ace scoffed, annoyance overriding everything else for a moment in him, as Nikkō’s fire blazed, the bigger Pokémon making an unhappy chittering sound. “What do you mean ‘and the light’, Tetsu?! You sound as annoying and cryptic as Akashi! Just say whatever you want or let me be!”
Another moment of heavy silence followed, the only sound being the crackling of flames, and their Pokémon occasionally growling and barking at one another. “Tell me, Aomine-kun. What happens to a shadow, the darkness, when the lights burn bright?”
Aomine blinked, the question catching him off guard enough for him to lower his voice. He shrugged carelessly as he turned to change. “It disappears? I dunno…”
“I see…” the passing specialist muttered, as Yuzuki made a sad chittering sound.
The Ace growled again, throwing his jersey to the bench, eyes alight with sparks of anger, confusion and despair. “What do you see, huh?” Nikkō chuffed angrily, but this time the other Quilava did not react. For a moment, not even Kuroko answered.
When he spoke again, his tone seemed more deadpan than ever. (Not that Aomine was in a state of mind to care.) “Is there something that keeps your basketball up? A reason for you to play?”
Aomine faltered for a split second. “My basket? I dunno. If you mean this match, it was pathetic. They did not even try . That’s no fun.” Anger and contempt flashed in the deep blue gaze once more.
“So, it’s not even victory that makes you want to play?”
Aomine scoffed. “Winning is always part of the deal, Tetsu. We don’t lose .” (Who the ‘we’ were went unsaid. Those of Teikō lost no competition. And the First String of the Basketball Club certainly never lost.) “ I don’t lose,” he added, tone low and dark.
Kuroko looked up again. “So, what do you win for?”
Aomine almost felt like throwing something. What the damn hell was this ? An interrogation? But… whatever had got into Tetsu now, Aomine would tolerate the whims of his former partner. Former , it felt…. he could not even name what he was feeling. He was strong enough alone to win. He did not need a Shadow now. Or a team.
“Because I can ? The game is not fun, if you don’t win. But it’s even less fun when the opponent doesn’t try .”
Kuroko shook his head lightly, something glinting in his eyes, which the Power Forward couldn’t identify. “But there is always someone out there who is trying. Someone who will give you the challenge you want. You just need to continue playing your basketball, as you did, and you will find them.” Yuzuki gave a hopeful bark at that.
Aomine’s eyes flicked to the other player’s Pokémon, before he looked back at the Phantom. Tetsu was not like him. Tetsu will never understand this . “Is there, Tetsu? I don’t think so.”
Kuroko opened his mouth to say something, remembering that conversation. When on the way home, he’d told Aomine his Light will eventually find a worthy rival. Back then, Aomine had been sceptical. Now? Now he downright dismissed the idea of anyone being better than him.
“I believed you first,” the Ace muttered, catching Kuroko’s attention. “When you said the same thing…”
Something in that tone made Kuroko uneasy. Yuzuki chittered, his red eyes jumping between the two humans. Nikkō’s lips were pulled into a silent snarl, but otherwise, the Pokémon was as still as a statue. Rather unusual, considering the near-endless energy Aomine and his partner seemed to share.
“Aomine-kun…”
“That there is someone who will make the game fun. But there is nothing. They don’t even try ,” he said, his tone lilting into hysteria just a tiny bit, his eyes glimmering with a light Kuroko had never seen before. The light of something not entirely of this plane…
“There is — ” Kuroko tried to reassure him again. Or was he reassuring himself now? He did not know anymore. Was he the one in the wrong, clinging to a friend, a Light, who obviously saw him, the Shadow, as a hindrance?
Yuzuki chittered, his flames dousing somewhat, flickering at his negative emotions. But Kuroko could not even look down at his own partner. Not now. If he looked into those smouldering red eyes now, he’d break and Aomine will be lost, as much as himself.
“No, there is not,” Aomine cut him off firmly. The passion in his eyes was dead. His tone was colder than ice, despite the Fire Type curled at his feet. “After all…” his voice faltered for a moment, “ Ore ni kateru no wa ore dakeda.”
He was alone.
The best.
None could stop him. He did not need help.
Ore ni kateru no wa ore dakeda. The words echoed in his ears and sent ripples through his soul. This was his truth. This was who and what he was.
The best. The strongest. The brightest, whose flames burned everything else to cinders.
Nikkō stood on his hind legs and then suddenly, silver-white light surrounded him. Both players’ eyes went wide, as the light, which was the Pokémon, grew and changed. Soon it faded to reveal a fully evolved Pokémon, now much closer to Aomine in height than before.
Typhlosion roared loud enough to shake the locker, and Aomine’s eyes narrowed on Kuroko. “Ore ni kateru no wa ore dakeda,” he said, tone cold.
Kuroko stood there, wide-eyed and shocked, as Yuzuki whined in sadness and fear.
Momoi Satsuki was not as sharp-eyed as Akashi Seijūrō or Kuroko Tetsuya. But, she was an analyst and she often read the emotions of the people surrounding her well. That showed as her Pokémon, too. Not that many knew what it was. (Not that it mattered to her.)
Therefore, she noticed the change, especially in Aomine and Kuroko. In fact, she seemed to be the only one to take notice of said change. The rest of the team… Well, they were acting strangely as well, though for now, the actions of the Shadow-Light duo were the most concerning.
Two weeks ago, something had happened in the locker room after the match. Something had happened, because when they had arrived… Well, both of the boys’ Pokémon were out and Yuzuki had been whining. And the Shadow had looked like he’d been punched in the face. But the most glaring change had been the massive, growling Typhlosion standing next to her childhood friend.
Somehow, in the short time of them being apart after the two boys had left the court, Nikkō had Evolved. (Even Sanada-kantoku had been surprised enough not to scold the boys for marching off the court.) And something in her friend had changed.
And Aomine had stopped coming to practise. And Kuroko was twice as quiet as usual. Which was concerning — after all, he was quiet every day. She would have to find her childhood friend and talk to him.
She whirled on her heels and headed for the door, just when the coach appeared. “Where to, Momoi-chan? Don’t you usually wait for the boys to finish training?”
She nodded. “I do, Sanada-kantoku. But… Aomine is not here. I need to speak with him. If Tetsu asks where I am, would you be grateful if you told him I went after Aomine?”
The man seemed thoughtful for a moment, and then nodded. She dashed past him, having a good idea where to find her friend. Just like his Pokémon, Aomine liked to sunbathe, therefore he became quite predictable.
Worry filled her mind as she hastily made her way to the main building. The Pokéball on her belt shook with distressed emotions as her pace picked up.
The hallways and paths were quiet. Everyone was at their own afternoon clubs, so everything Momoi could register was her concern for her childhood best friend and her Pokémon’s feelings.
She made it to the door. The entrance to the top of the roof, where Aomine and Nikkō always loved to lie together in the sun. But back then it was always the two and their partners.
Reaching a hand to the doorknob, she stood unmoving as she gripped it.
A light flashed from behind her. A soft, concerned meow came, making her look slightly over her shoulder.
Something soft wrapped around her wrist, a gesture she was familiar with from her Pokémon.
“I’m worried, Chieri,” muttered Momoi, turning back towards the door. The ribbon around the wrist of her gripping hand tightened reassuringly. “Something happened. They’ve changed…”
The Sylveon immediately made her way over to her, the ribbon wrapping up her forearm. Another soft mew came from her as she placed herself into her.
“I want to know what’s wrong. I need to know what I can do for them,” said Momoi. Tears of concern filled her eyes, but she hurriedly shook her head and wiped them off. “Something happened which made them like this. Something that pulled them apart.”
Finally, coming back into her senses, with determination filled in her eyes, she opened the door and stepped out. Magenta eyes scanned the surface of the flat rooftop. The pure, white concrete roof was all bathed in the sun's light. And at the far corner, she saw what she was looking for.
“Dai-chan,” Momoi softly called, making her way over to them, Chieri following right by, with her ribbon still swirled around her arm.
No answer came from the boy, but Momoi’s sharp eyes caught responses. A slight, almost invisible frown appeared on the boy’s face, Nikkō’s flames having the tiniest of fierceness to them.
“Why aren’t you at practice?” asked Momoi, stopping right by him to get a good look. “Why are you up here when practice is down at the gym? And what happened back at that match? Tetsu’s been-”
“Shut up,” came a snarl from the boy as he turned to lie with his back towards her. “What’s the reason for going to that damn training, if I’m already the best?”
“Dai-chan…” muttered Momoi, looking at him with wide eyes.
Chieri loosened her ribbons as she made her way to the curled up Typhlosion.
She gave out a cheerful, almost congratulating, meow as she reached out a ribbon towards him. However, the ribbon was immediately retracted as Nikkō cracked one eye open, to give her a glare along with a growl, warning her.
Her light blue eyes widened in fear, and she leaped back and behind Momoi for cover. She gave out sounds of concern, confusion and fear as she eyed Nikkō as his flames grew with his glare.
“Dai-chan,” said Momoi again, eyes now firm as she glared down at the boy. “What are you talking about? And what is with that attitude?! You always love to play at practice to hang out with Tetsu-kun.”
“I said shut up ,” came a dark snarl, making Momoi freeze in shock.
She watched with wide eyes as Aomine and Nikkō shifted to sit up, turning towards her.
“And stop with that stupid name already,” snarled Aomine, icy, dark eyes glaring right at her. “Practice is useless, it’s just plain boring,” he went to lie back down, arms crossed under his neck. “And I don’t need Tetsu anymore. He’s being an annoyance, and I don’t need any of this to win anything.”
“W-what…” stuttered Momoi, frozen in shock. Her wide, pink eyes shot over to the Volcano Pokémon which had his teeth out, sneering with a warning glare. “What, but Tetsu-kun, he-”
“I already said I don’t need him ,” growled Aomine, Nikkō sensing his emotions, gave out a roar, his flames bursting out bright and wide making Momoi and Chieri stagger back in fear.
“Get lost, Satsuki,” grunted Aomine, turning to lie on his side again. “Leave us alone. There is no reason for us to do anything. Ore ni kateru no wa ore dakeda .”
Nikkō gave out a final, fierce bark, and Momoi felt the fear of her Pokémon. Her ribbons tightened around her arm from the fear of who they once saw as their greatest friends.
The two females turned around in a haste and sprinted back to the door. Their friends gave them no heed at all, as they just continued to laze around.
Momoi was silent as she slowly made her way back to the gym. Thoughts and emotions were swirling all around her mind, Chieri’s also joining them. The dread her Pokémon was feeling still lingered inside her mind. It kept growing and festering.
Chieri was back inside her Pokéball, both because of the rules of Teikō, and also because her own emotions were swirling too much for her to handle her partner being outside.
The sound of doors opening made her stop and look up. Practice was over. Everyone was leaving for today.
“Tetsu-kun,” muttered Momoi, and took off in a sprint.
Running into the gym, she took no notice of the glances shot her way, as she was too focused on finding her friend.
The coach eyed her, but made no movements or signs to ask her about her troubles. He had no care for that. He sent the players off from the court and went to leave himself.
Momoi panted lightly as she looked around the gym. No sight of him. She ran down into the hall, towards the locker rooms.
A couple of boys left the room, but the last one left the door open. Which meant that everyone had left.
“No,” said Momoi, making her way over to the door to make sure. She was indeed right. No one was inside.
Her Pokéball shook, and she spun her head around to scout out the halls.
“Momoi-san?” came a soft call, making her spin to see who she was looking for. “Is there something troubling you?”
“Tetsu-kun!” she almost cheered in joy, feeling tears slip form in her eyes as she leaped into him. “Tetsu-kun! Dai-chan… He… He…”
Kuroko was silent, his bangs cast shadows from the lights above, hiding his eyes. He just wrapped an arm around her, but kept silent, concerning her.
“Tetsu-kun?” asked Momoi slowly, pulling away from him to get a proper look.
“I know he’s changed,” Kuroko breathed, almost too softly for the manager to hear. “I... It’s been brewing for a while, I think. The last straw was Nikkō’s Evolution.”
Momoi’s breath shuddered a little. Both her friends had been mute about what exactly happened in the short time while they had been alone. No one knew. Not her, not Akashi-kun and not even their coach.
“What happened?” she asked, almost fearing the answer.
Kuroko sighed, ageing a decade in a few seconds. He pulled away, turning to the door. “Would you walk with me? I’d hate to have you walking home alone on your own. Whatever Aomine-kun did to come running like this...”
She blinked and nodded. “I’ll wait.” She looked down at her feet. She could feel Chieri trying to calm her down, but it was hard, when her companion was as upset as herself. Besides, Teikō’s rules were strict. She could not let her out, even if she wanted to. She’ll have to wait some more, before she could hug her Sylveon. “He... Nikkō almost bit Chieri,” she muttered, glancing at the Phantom.
Kuroko stiffened slightly, his clear blue eyes growing colder than what seemed possible. “I see...” he said, pressing his lips into a thin line, before the expressionlessness settled again. Despite that, Momoi could tell he was displeased — the icy glint in his eyes would have been terrifying, if it was anger directed at her. But she knew the Phantom was angry on her behalf, instead.
He gave her one last tiny nod before slipping into the changing room. She leaned against the wall, waiting for him, her fingers playing with the Pokéball attached to her belt. A few minutes later, Kuroko emerged from the room, now dressed in their school uniform.
They walked out of the school grounds in silence, side by side. On the walk home, they stopped by Maji and Kuroko bought both of them a milkshake. Once out of there, she finally gathered her courage to ask again.
“What... happened in the locker room? He... it seems something’s not right since the eighth-finals,” Momoi muttered, looking at her feet.
Kuroko sighed. “Something’s… been brewing even before that. The match against Kamizaki was just the final drop. I… told Aomine-kun I’ve noticed the change. I… His skills had grown too fast, it seems. There’s no one to challenge him. I told him someone will eventually come. He scoffed at me and told me he didn’t need me anymore.”
Momoi gasped, tears gathering in the corner of her eyes, as she listened to her friend recount everything, tone flat. It was like remembering that day took away even his last drop of will to live. It made her feel twice as wretched as she already felt. “Oh, Tetsu-kun…”
“Then he said that the only person who could beat him was himself,” Kuroko’s grip on his drink tightened, making the plastic cup creak a bit.
The Phantom fell quiet and sipped his milkshake to gather his thoughts and strength to speak again. Momoi did the same, needing a moment to digest what she’d been told. Kuroko lowered his cup again as they took a turn. “I fear… the others will end up similarly,” he whispered. “They keep getting better and better. Sanada-kantoku seems hesitant and even Kise-kun and Mursakibara-kun are…” he shook his head, forcing himself to stay quiet.
It was happening already. They could both see it. A day. A week. A month. It did not matter, but they could see the team might end up just like Aomine, because they found no competition. But they did not voice those concerns, for speaking them out loud would make it way too real.
Kuroko took one last big sip only to note disappointedly that by the time they reached the street court — which was halfway to their neighbourhood — his cup was empty. They both faltered at the entrance, wondering what to do. Many wonderful memories have been made here.
Back before their Ace’s skills bloomed, Aomine would insist on stopping right here for another round of post-training game. Kuroko remembered the countless late afternoons when Aomine patiently explained what made up his ‘style’ of play and tried his best to teach Kuroko some offensive skills. (Who knew that a usually spontaneous player, like Aomine Daiki, could be good at teaching, with some trial and error? He was not a natural at ‘mentoring’ like Akashi, but he managed well enough to help Kuroko. And that mattered more than anything else. But then again, Aomine had done something similar for Kise. Kuroko had been the actual mentor to the blonde, but Aomine also ‘helped out’ by playing many one-one one games with the part-time model.)
He walked towards the bench and sat down, Momoi following close behind. The moment she could, she grabbed her Pokéball and released her partner. “Come here, Chieri,” she whispered.
The Sylveon meowed and elegantly leapt into the girl’s lap. There was another flash of white light as Kuroko’s own partner slipped from the ball. The Quilava chittered questioningly and Kuroko absently stroked his fur, eyeing the pink duo. Momoi was unusually quiet, none of her cheerfulness visible.
“I... don’t know what to do, Tetsu-kun,” she whispered, as Chieri’s ribbon wrapped around her wrist tightly. “It’s like... Dai-chan’s not the person I grew up with anymore. Back on the roof...”
“Nikkō didn’t burn you or Chieri,” he said firmly. “And if he tries again...” Kuroko whispered, tone dripping with the promise of painful retribution, “he’ll regret it.”
Momoi’s eyes blew wide at that and she looked at the Phantom Sixth, Chieri meowing louder this time. “Tetsu...”
The Phantom looked into her eyes. “We’ll get them back... they’ll see reason. They’ll just need time...” he trailed off. “Maybe we all need some time. But... even like this, I’ll always be here, Momoi-san. Come to talk, I’ll listen.”
Chieri meowed once more, voice shriller this time as Momoi’s dark colour eyes filled with unshed tears. “You... you’ve got to deal with this too, Tetsu. I can’t burden you...”
“You’re not a burden,” he said firmly, his partner’s flames blazing brighter, showing just how serious he was. “You’re my friend and a good friend like you shall never be a burden.”
Momoi’s lips parted a little as the tears escaped her eyes, Chieri pressing her ears flat against her head, a clear sign of how upset both of them were.
Momoi gave him a watery smile. “Thank you, Tetsu...” she whispered, leaning into him.
Kuroko instinctively wrapped an arm around her, as Yuzuki slipped across his lap to nuzzle Chieri. The cat-like Pokémon purred in appreciation and carefully wrapped a feeler around the Fire Type.
“You... don’t have to thank me,” the Phantom said quietly, gazing haunted at the hoop towering a few feet away. “That’s what friends are for... and you’re precious to me.”
Momoi hummed, closing her eyes, trying to focus on the barely there presence of her (currently) only friend. The Sylveon brushed past Yuzuki and settled in Momoi’s lap again, fixing her startling pale blue gaze on the Sixth Man. Kuroko gave her a sad smile, but that was overtaken by an expression of shock, as the feline wriggled her head under his free hand.
Kuroko blinked, eyes blowing wide in shock, and he shifted to look at Momoi, but the girl just tightened her grip, not giving him much space to move. The pass-specialist sat there, his hand on the silky, pale fur.
Neither Momoi nor her Sylveon protested. Gingerly, he started stroking the pale-furred creature across her back, eliciting a happy purr. Momoi exhaled, relaxing into his side. Kuroko took a soft breath and swore to himself he’d not leave Momoi and Chieri alone.
They’ll work it out, together.
Kuroko paused in front of the door that would lead him to the roof. He reached for the doorknob, his hand hovering above it. A reassuring wave of heat passed through him from Yuzuki and he nodded to his partner mentally. He opened the door and took the stairs that would lead outside.
The sunlight warmed his skin comfortingly and he could feel Yuzuki’s inner fire — the fire, the soul they shared, — blaze brighter. He glanced around and then headed towards the left and soon enough, caught sight of his teammate sunbathing, his arms under his head, eyes closed. Despite Teikō’s strict rules, Nikkō was also outside his ball, laying well within touching distance of his human. His flames danced lazily, but brightly, showing just how powerful both human and Pokémon were, in all senses of the word.
Still, despite the brightly blazing collar of fire Nikkō had, Kuroko could see the grey, cold cloud hang around both of them. A cloud of boredom, indifference and all other negative emotions one could possibly think of.
“Aomine-kun, we need to talk,” the Phantom called calmly.
The Power Forward didn’t bother looking up, or even moving an inch from his lazy position on the warm concrete. “What do you want, Tetsu?”
Clear blue eyes narrowed into pinpricks as he approached the dark-skinned teen. “I understand you see yourself as strong, but is it necessary to skip practice like this?”
(He understood better than perhaps anyone. After all, he and Aomine had the same species of Pokémon, as their partner.) Nikkō might be stronger now, but deep beneath those dazzling flames and shiny fur, the Pokémon was still a Cyndaquill.
Still, the one laying before him was a shadow of his former self — he was a shadow of the brightly smiling boy, who had been filled with dreams of wonder and greatness. Ironic how Aomine, the Light , had become a shadow of his true self.
“And what about Momoi-san?” Kuroko added, his tone just a tad frostier than a moment ago. Though, Aomine was too immersed in his thoughts to notice.
Aomine didn’t move still. “Practice is no fun at all. Dead boring, actually. And what ’bout Satsuki?”
Kuroko pressed his lips into a thin, angry line, staring down at his (once) partner with soul-chilling eyes. “You’re scaring her, Aomine-kun.”
“Scaring her?” the Ace echoed, his tone still bored. “With what? And since when was she a scared cat? ”
Kuroko could not help the small, displeased snarl that broke his ever-passive features. “Aomine-kun...”
At the changed tone, the Ace opened one eye, while his Pokémon growled. The growl sent a shiver through Kuroko — Nikkō had never growled at him or Yuzuki in such a manner before. All the previous growls had been playful and good-natured. This one... this one was pure malice.
“Speak fast and then leave me to take my nap. Better yet, leave me napping now .”
His Pokéball shook as Yuzuki’s distress grew. Kuroko took a deep breath to try calming his partner, but seeing the red eyes of the bigger Pokémon glowing like embers was rather unnerving. There was something foreign in Nikkō’s gaze and for the first time in his life, Kuroko was — just slightly — afraid of Aomine and his partner, even with the human having not made a single threatening move.
“You’ve indeed changed, Aomine-kun,” Kuroko noted disappointedly. In the back of Aomine’s mind, a tiny voice whispered that he should make it up to Tetsu and Yuzuki, and be done with this stupidity. They were friends. But... he ignored that part of himself, effectively shoving it to the farthest corner of his consciousness. “But this is too far . What happened to our friend? The friend who cared for us, hung out with us and did not scare us away by threatening to hurt us?”
Aomine scoffed. “Nothing. Just grew bored with you is all. As boring as basket. Why the hell does Satsuki insist I go down to practise, when I can beat anyone, anyway? Plus, Akashi had let me go, as long as we won the matches. And we always win.”
Kuroko’s eyes darkened as his anger grew, his Pokéball shaking. The Phantom narrowed his eyes. “What happened to your love for basketball, Aomine-kun?”
The Phantom’s Pokéball shook, still attached to his belt, and the next second, Yuzuki sprang out, standing on all fours, growling threateningly. Aomine glanced at the smaller Pokémon, before his gaze returned to Kuroko.
“What...?”
Aomine’s sentence was cut off by Yuzuki giving a sharp bark, his flames growing larger. Kuroko glanced at his partner. “Yuzuki, calm down .”
But the Pokémon was not listening. Aomine scowled, as Nikkō stood up and walked over to him. Yuzuki growled again and the bigger Pokémon stood on his hind legs as a warning. “Leave Tetsu,” Aomine grunted, eyes narrowing. Nikkō bared his fangs, snapping them at the Quilava. “I give you one warning, for the sake of our old bond. Leave . If you don’t ...” his eyes glinted darkly, as the Typhlosion roared. “... I’ll crush you too.”
Yuzuki chittered angrily and the next moment leapt at the bigger Pokémon, his entire form coated by orange flames. Kuroko’s eyes went wide at the sight of the offensive move — Flame Charge .
Nikkō would most likely be able to withstand it and it will just anger Aomine and his Pokémon more. The breath caught in the Phantom’s throat. “ Yuzuki! Stop!”
But it was too late. The attack connected, flames spreading everywhere. Aomine had to leap backwards to avoid his uniform catching fire. “Shake him off! ” the Ace spat, dark blue eyes furious at a level Kuroko had never seen before.
Nikkō roared and swung a clawed paw to send the smaller Pokémon flying. Yuzuki landed roughly on the rooftop concrete, skidding several feet even after landing, causing Kuroko to flinch slightly, as pain shot through his shoulder and back. Nikkō snarled again, Aomine glaring daggers at both human and Pokémon as the Quilava stood up, shaking himself.
Kuroko blinked to get rid of the weakened aftereffect of his Pokémon being practically backhanded. He looked at Aomine, blue eyes furious and pleading at the same time. ‘What happened to you, Aomine-kun? This... is not the real you.’
Quilava growled and stood up, flames blazing, as he prepared to fire another attack. The flames sprang forth from his mouth in a condensed spiral. Kuroko’s eyes went slightly wide at seeing it. Inferno.
He was so shocked that he could barely get the words past his lips. “Stop, Yuzuki...”
The attack hit Typhlosion again, and the bigger Pokémon flinched slightly. Aomine snorted derisively, despite the shadow of pain biting into him. At least, that shadow of Nikkō’s burn made him feel something amidst the numbness .
“Look at you, you’re so weak that not even your Pokémon listens to you,” he growled, as he waved at the Typhlosion. “Nikkō, show him real fire. Use Blast Burn !”
Nikkō roared, his fire blazing around him wildly, as he slammed into the roof floor. A few seconds later, the blue-tinted-orange flames burst upwards, hitting Yuzuki full force, sending him flying off the roof. As the smaller Pokémon flew off the roof, the Typhlosion roared once more in victory.
Kuroko just barely regained his senses to stumble forwards and whips out his Pokéball. “Return!” he called, just barely catching his partner.
Once he was sure his partner was safely inside the ball, he relaxed somewhat, clutching it close. Then he pocketed the ball and turned his icy, furious gaze on the duo. He did not flinch when the Typhlosion snapped his jaws at him, as Aomine’s eyes narrowed.
“I don’t know who you are. You’re a stranger, wearing my friend’s face,” he said, tone deadpan and frosty at the same time. “The Daiki I used to know would have never tried something like this...”
Aomine opened his mouth to say something, but Kuroko whirled on his heels and walked off hurriedly, yet he barely made a sound.
But the way he slammed the door leading to the roof made Aomine flinch.
PRESENT
20XX January, Third Year of Teikō
Yuzuki lay on the soft covers in the den of his human. The rest of their territory, which his human shared with his blood-pack and their own partners, was quiet and empty. For now, no one from the blood-pack was back.
Which meant there were no sounds of activity or communication and no smells other than the usual, subtle sweetness that was most likely used to mark territory. His human had been silent since that fight with his closest playmate. Yuzuki still had a hard time understanding why his kin was acting so… unusually. His kin’s human had upset his human and then the taller human had ordered Nikkō to attack…
He was snapped from his musings by the powerful emotions that radiated through the Bond. His human was too quiet. Yuzuki stood up and padded over, nudging his partner’s side with a soft chitter. Eyes like the sky glanced at him and his human huffed.
“No, Yuzuki,” his human said. “Not now.” Soft hands pushed him away, and he chuffed at the other. Predictably, his human didn’t listen — the redhead human was right sometimes indeed. Yuzuki knew best that his partner could be stubborn.
He sat down and watched for a little, as his human slid from the soft bed onto the floor. His human curled up even more and the negative emotions flowing through their link became stronger.
Anger. Sadness. Loneliness. Exhaustion. Regret. Humiliation. Pity. Wishfulness. Disappointment. Anger. Sadness.
Betrayal…
Yuzuki whined again. It was a never-ending cycle. He’d been feeling too much of these emotions since that fight with his kin. And the more time passed, the stronger the feelings became. He had hoped that his human’s other playmates would help him through and teach a lesson to the blue human… but that had not happened. In fact, it seemed all the humans seemed to have forgotten that they had bonds. That they were playmates and had even trusted and respected each other, to share food and allow their partners to be touched. (Just as once, Yuzuki had allowed the other colourful humans to touch him. But not since his kin attacked him. The one he still fully trusted was the pink female.)
Staring at his human, as he was deep in thought, he did not take notice of a tiny, pale blue light emitting from behind the blue-haired boy. Ember-red eyes stared with deep concern, as the flames on his back instinctively flared up. All the emotions transmitting from his human were growing quicker, fiercer, darker .
A flickering light of dark blue made him avert his eyes to the light behind the boy. Yuzuki now stared at what seemed to be a small, blue flame floating behind his human.
The flame flickered at his sight. Growing ever so slightly as both his and his human’s inner feelings swirled. The sight of the small floating presence made something move inside him. The conflicting feelings grew ever so slightly more stable.
Yuzuki looked back at his human. Still curled up, still transmitting these unwanted dark emotions. Emotions which were increasing and thundering, like the dark clouds of a storm-filled night. A storm which would thunder down on everything in a flash, then cover everything in a pure blackness a moment after.
The flames on his back went from growing fierce to more of a gentle sway. More of those small blue flames appeared around his human. None were moving to hurt him, so he stared. Stared at the slightly swaying, blue flames. The more of them appeared, the more their emotions seemed to calm down.
He watched the flames, transfixed, watching them dance around his human and float closer, barely touching him, and with each brief touch, his human calmed more. With each brief touch, he seemed less... burdened.
He chittered at the flames, carefully reaching out, and his human’s eyes snapped to him. “Yuzuki?”
He didn’t answer the call at first, watching the strange blue things. But then they danced and flickered so he could understand and he chittered back. The flames floated from his human to him, bringing with them the weight that pressed down on his human.
His flames blazed brighter as he rumbled. The apparitions clung to his coat and flames as he leaned into his human. Hands brushed his fur and flames warmed him.
The heavy feelings that had once been his human’s... now they shared them. He felt the weight of them. But he would be strong. For both of them. There had been one too many times when his human had been strong for him.
Now, he’ll return the favour. He missed his playmates as much as his human. But together, if they shared good and bad, they would make it through.
His flames rose higher, burning hotter than ever, yet he felt them calm, as the world seemed to lose focus, before everything was back.
His human seemed smaller than ever before... but calmer. Affectionate, yet sorrowful eyes, looked at him as he leaned into the touch, rumbling. He would be stronger for both of them.
Rumour has it, rumour has it... Teikō’s Kiseki no Sedai had made a pact with a yōkai, to win all their matches.
Some say Teikō’s captain shares his tea with a faceless Phantom, while he plans the fastest way to crush opponents.
Rumour has it, rumour has it the blonde Miracle leaves offerings for a Shadow, as thanks for becoming a Miracle himself.
Have you heard? Teikō plays with a Shadow among them, who has no face and no game record to his name.
Those were rumours Aomine Daiki was used to hearing. For those outside of the school, Kuroko Tetsuya was a spectre. One they pretended to dismiss, but feared still, for a player you knew nothing about could be ( was ) the greatest danger.
For those in Teikō... Kuroko Tetsuya was just an average, forgettable face.
For those on Teikō’s Third and Second String, he was a role model, the one they could still dare to approach, after the Kiseki no Sedai rose to fame.
For the First String... Kuroko Tetsuya was many things.
A student.
A partner and Shadow.
A mentor.
For Teikō’s Kiseki no Sedai , Kuroko Tetsuya was their Sixth Man , the Shadow who was nothing like the five of them, but was still exactly the same.
Those who fell before the might of Teikō spoke of five monsters and a sixth spectre looming behind them, making sure none but the prodigies could ever touch the ball. So, Aomine Daiki was used to hearing those rumours — fables even — surrounding his once-partner.
However, he was not used to hearing the lower Strings mutter about the Phantom at all.
Aomine knew they respected him and he remembered well, with what exactly had the pass specialist earned that respect from the other players. However, no matter how much they respected him, they did not speak of the sky-haired boy at all. Not outside of club hours.
So hearing rumours from the lower Strings caught his attention. Hearing that the Phantom kept disappearing in the middle of the game did not surprise him. Those less used to the low presence lost track of him quickly.
But... There was one sentence from a player that perked his attention. “One moment he was dribbling down the court, then the other player stopped him... and then he disappeared ! The next thing I realised was the buzzer going off to signal a basket. When he got into shooting position...” the guy shook his head and then he was gone.
Aomine faltered for a brief second. ‘Tetsu? Shooting...? Tetsu can’t score for dear life... ’ he thought, shaking his head and continuing his stroll towards his usual sunbathing spot.
The Shadow was weak; he had limits. The rest of them did not. He would not risk shooting. His ball-handling was immaculate, he and Akakshi had made sure of that , but scoring was just not the Phantom’s thing.
So Aomine dismissed what he had heard from the Third String at first.
But he could not do so forever.
Momoi kept muttering that she had given up trying to find Tetsu yet again. She was around him less, Aomine noted, though she lingered sometimes. She did not speak the Phantom’s name around him much either, and he could do without that. It’s not like he needed a weakling around.
But the way she murmured about the passing specialist all day was annoying him. “Can’t you keep quiet?” he grunted, side-eyeing the girl. “What’s with Tetsu, anyway?” He would never admit he wanted to know how his (once) best friend was doing.
Momoi threw him a surprised look, eyes widening. Ever since that one time on the roof last year, she never kept Chieri out of the ball, not even when they were walking home. He was surprised and annoyed at the same time that she still insisted they walk home together on days when she had no club work.
She pressed her lips into a thin line and then shrugged with a sigh. “I think... I gave up trying to find him a week ago.”
Aomine raised an eyebrow. “What?”
The manager shrugged. “I can’t find him. Even Ki-chan screamed a few times when he turned up at the gym.”
Aomine rolled his eyes. “What... is Kise turning blind? It’s just Misdirection .”
Momoi glared at him and shook his head. “Even Akashi-kun needs to double check where Tetsu is, and the coach has totally given up trying to find him. The other club members too...”
Aomine scoffed. Akashi was slacking off or what? Tetsu wasn't that hard to find, once one knew the trick of how to ‘wipe away’ the effects of Misdirection. “Sure, sure,” he rolled his eyes. “Like Tetsu could ever disappear from Akashi’s damn eyes. The day that happens is gonna be the day I lose. Never .”
Momoi opened her mouth, but, before she could say anything, Aomine picked up his pace and walked off.
He would not admit it to anyone... he barely admitted it to himself ... but the news of the Phantom deceiving Akashi had been interesting. Perhaps... the Shadow could show something new, after all? He didn’t even remember when he had met Tetsu last — they had no shared classes this year, thank the kami. Maybe it was time to rectify that?
The street court was abandoned, the shadows long and growing ever darker, as the Sun crept below the horizon. An odd feeling, something Aomine could not put a name to, rose in his gut. Nikkō appeared next to him from the Ball, standing on his hind legs, sniffing the air.
Aomine glanced at his Pokémon, as the Typhlosion kept sniffing around. He could feel Nikkō’s uneasiness and it just made his own unidentified feelings feel more invasive. “What now?”
Nikkō growled, his flames rising and swaying agitatedly, the fierce heat filling the Power Forward’s senses.
“So... why have you called me here, Aomine-kun?”
The Ace whirled around at hearing the soft voice; the words fading into the chilly wind. Teikō’s Phantom melted out of the shadows, steps nearly soundless even against the concrete of the court. The Sixth Player was calm, his posture confident and screaming power in a way Aomine had never seen — it was a stance almost hauntingly familiar to Akashi’s.
Nikkō rumbled uneasily, but Aomine tried to banish his Pokémon’s wordless warnings. Glacial eyes stared at him from a face as smooth and pale as fresh snow. Where once he had seen a familiar glint or a familiar crease, there was nothing now. Kuroko Tetsuya’s expression was so indecipherable, that it could have been carved from the smoothest marble.
Sea deep eyes narrowed slightly. Tetsu had changed... that he could tell. What he could not tell was the nature of his change.
Nikkō growled warningly and through their Bond, the Pokémon was warning him to be cautious. Aomine could sense the change, too. But despite the uneasiness he was feeling, he could not see the Phantom as a threat. He was the better player. Nikkō was stronger than Yuzuki, too.
“You’ve changed, Tetsu...” he drawled, eyes narrowed on the Sixth Player. Something was not right... yet Aomine couldn’t identify the feeling of uneasiness. Or what caused it, even?
“Is that so?” the Phantom’s tone was even and deadpan. So empty of everything that it was startling. Something was not right... yet he just needed that confirmation. Those just had to be rumours. Tetsu was a Shadow, incapable of change on his own. Once he was sure Tetsu was still the same old one, he could contently turn around and ignore this had ever happened.
He scoffed derisively. “Don’t play with me, Tetsu. You know I hate Akashi’s mind games. Or yours. It’s all the same. What’s your deal?”
The Phantom remained unmoving and expressionless. “Hm, why not think, Aomine-kun? I cannot see from your perspective.”
Something was bothering him. Something made him uneasy — and few things ever made Aomine Daiki uneasy. So, the growing uncomfortable feeling made him more impatient and irate. That he could not read his once-partner at all just added to his woes. Nikkō growled louder, his flames dancing agitatedly, red eyes gleaming. “Damn it, I asked a question. Can’t you give a fucking straight answer once?! I don’t give shit what you do, but you should have seen Satsuki these days!”
Kuroko quirked an eyebrow. “Oh? Now you say that I don’t see her? That’s hypocrisy of a new level, Aomine-kun. You’re many things, but I’ve never taken you for a hypocrite .”
Aomine reeled back, surprised by the tone. Then an angry glare settled on his face. “What the hell are you talkin’ about?”
“I think I will have to let you think of that for yourself,” came the stoic reply.
Aomine’s eyes narrowed as he caught the scathing and touch condescending tone. “Who the fuck are you? You’re… you’re not Tetsu. Tetsu would never use a tone like that.”
One of Kuroko’s eyebrows crept upwards, just a little. “Then who are you?”
Aomine’s eyes widened, and then he scoffed once more. “What the hell are you talking about? I’m me. Aomine Daiki. Though, not sure who you are.”
“Then I am Kuroko Tetsuya. But I do not know of you, Aomine-kun. The one I knew is not you.”
Aomine’s eyes sparked in anger and Nikkō snapped his jaws at the Phantom, but Kuroko remained unruffled by the threat. “What the fuck are you barkin’ about? I’m still me .”
Clear blue eyes grew colder and had Aomine not known better, he would have thought the shorter male’s Soul Pokémon was an Ice Type. “You are not. The Aomine-kun I knew and loved is gone.” There was a heartbeat of pause and the next words were even more acidic than those before. “Because of you.”
The words were bitter, distant, and acidic. It made something inside Aomine ache and he wanted to weep as much as he wanted to run. But the riddles and half answers annoyed him more than anything else. Nikkō was still spying the surroundings, uneasy and angry, his fangs flashing sharply in the lamplight.
“Damn it! Give a straight answer once in your fucking life!” he spat, eyes as sharp as steel as he glared, and Nikkō’s fire leapt towards the sky again. “I don’t get your damn riddles !”
Aomine waited, but the passing specialist did not speak. Instead, he stared with those cold, empty eyes.
The Ace scowled in derision. “Oh, fuck it. Still as irritating as back then , huh? Fine, be as annoying as you want. But you're gonna answer me.”
Kuroko’s freezing stare landed on Nikkō, causing the Typhlosion to snarl, but then his eyes slid past the massive Pokémon, towards the shadows in a far corner. For a long moment, he just stared at the shadows, before his focus was back on the Ace. “I don’t think so...”
A growl slipped past Aomine’s lips and soon, Nikkō joined him too. “What? You still don’t give straight answers. Did you even ever know what those were?”
Kuroko eyed the dark-skinned teen with a piercing stare. “Do you know the answer yourself maybe, Aomine-kun?”
Aomine’s eyes narrowed once more, muscles tensing. Tetsu may annoy him more than ever, but he would not outright hit someone. Not without being forced to, first. Still, Nikkō shifted onto all fours, taking a threatening posture. This time, however, unlike the last time the Shadow had been face to face with the Typhlosion, the gesture did not make him tense in fear. “I wouldn’t be asking if I knew you... you ...!” He balled his hands into fists and scoffed as Nikkō snapped his jaws at the teal-haired male. He scoffed, shaking his head. “But fine , pull an Akashi. You’re so fucking good at that, anyway.”
Kuroko didn’t answer.
Aomine’s eyes narrowed as a sharp smirk crept onto his face. “But not much longer. One on one. If I win...” as if he’d ever lose , “... you spill what’s the deal! And what you did to Satsuki, too!”
Glacial eyes stared at him blankly. “I don’t have time for this, Aomine-kun.”
Nikkō roared, the sound echoing in the silence of the night. The city was full of life at all times, but this part of the neighbourhood was mostly empty now. “Oh, now you do not have time, huh? I fucking ask a question and you don’t answer. Now I want my answer and you don’t fucking have the time?! Busy crying in a corner that you hadn’t been playing in matches because we don’t need weaklings like you?”
The Shadow’s eyes lingered on his former Light before he turned around to walk away.
If possible, Aomine’s anger reached even higher, the heat from Nikkō’s flames making the night air hazy. “Don’t turn your back on me, you freaking coward!” he spat and his Typhlosion roared once more, sharper than before.
Kuroko’s steps faltered, and then he looked over his shoulder. Something malevolent glinted in the blank eyes Aomine had never seen before. “The only cowards here are you, Aomine-kun.”
Aomine’s blood was boiling. Tetsu was ignoring him. Tetsu was calling him a coward. The nerve of him! “Who the hell are you calling a coward, midget ?!” he spat out. This was a bad idea, a part of his mind whispered. Akashi and Tetsu both despised, when people commented on their height... but Aomine had been doing a marvellous job of ignoring his common sense and rational judgement.
Kuroko paused, his back ramrod straight. Then he sighed and turned around. “Fine.” Not even giving Aomine a chance to process his change of mind, the Phantom strode to the corner of the court, where an abandoned basketball was untouched by the fence. He picked it up.
Aomine smirked, his eyes sparking wildly. “I’ll crush you real quick and then you tell me what the hell you did to Satsuki…”
Kuroko’s cold, blank eyes darted to the side, looking deep into the shadows. “It will be quick, indeed…”
Aomine waited for the shorter player to get closer again and nodded behind his back. “That’s my basket.”
Kuroko nodded and stopped across from the Ace. “Rules?”
The Power Forward shrugged, eyes glinting triumphantly. “Whoever gets the first three baskets… wins. Fair?”
Kuroko nodded calmly as he offered the ball. “Fair.”
Aomine shrugged, his stance loose — too loose and lazy, Kuroko noted. The stance of a player who was overconfident. The stance of one who underestimated their opponent. “You start, Tetsu,” he said, waving at Nikkō. The Typhlosion huffed and lazily walked to the side, giving more space for the two humans to play.
Anger sparked within him at being underestimated, but he took a deep breath and instead, he allowed his feelings to flow through his Bond, to feed Yuzuki’s flames. He started dribbling slowly and then as Aomine moved, Kuroko dodged past him with a Vanishing Drive. He knew how Aomine played, how he stole. It was easy to turn all that knowledge against the Ace now and trick his senses, even if he had no teammates to hide his presence, as was usual.
Aomine froze as the Phantom disappeared from his view of sight. He knew how Misdirection worked, so how had the Shadow tricked him? He whirled around just in time to see the ball slip through the net and bounce harmlessly against the pavement.
“That’s one point for me,” Kuroko said calmly, snapping the Ace out of his shock.
Kuroko tossed the ball to Aomine and the taller teen snatched it from the air, dribbling it for a moment to experiment on the grip, before he turned around and, with no care for the other player, sped towards the other side of the street court. Nikkō was still laying by the side, his eyes scanning the surroundings. Something was bothering his partner.
Aomine scored. He snatched the ball the moment it bounced back, ready to throw it to the other, but Kuroko waved him off and instead, they just paused by the middle again. Aomine started dribbling and whirled around the shorter, the ball following him in perfect rhythm.
And then, the next moment, it wasn’t there, and he faltered as he noticed it was gone from under his hand. ‘What the hell?’ he thought in disbelief. He immediately whirled around to follow the shorter player, who was yet again getting into an odd stance... ‘How the hell did I not notice he was close enough for a steal?’
He jumped to catch the shot to prevent the point — he refused to lose to the weakest of them , — only for the ball to go right through his hand. His midnight eyes widened in shock as the ball bounced on the rim before falling in.
“Two points,” Kuroko announced, as he glanced at him over his shoulder. Then he jogged to get the ball. Aomine stood there, feeling out-of-place.
How was Tetsu winning? That should not be possible.
Nikkō growled, standing on his hind legs. Aomine paused, looking around for signs of threat. Something was up and the longer they were here, the more his nerves were being stretched taut.
“Something the matter, Aomine-kun?”
Nikkō’s flames grew stronger, illuminating the court. Nothing was in immediate sight, though to some corners the firelight didn’t reach. “Aomine-kun? Shall we continue or did you...?”
Aomine shook his head. He was being paranoid. Nothing was out there. Nothing could be out there, because Pokémon were never far from their humans and only himself and Tetsu were here.
“Yea, let’s do this.”
Kuroko tossed him the ball and Aomine snatched it again, this time being careful to keep a speed the Shadow could not match. The point went in, though a moment later he noticed that Kuroko was just a little farther from his previous spot. Meaning, the Phantom had not even tried to catch him this time.
Nikkō roared, and he scowled. “Are you giving up or mocking me?” he spat. For some reason, the idea of the shorter mocking him pissed him off more than anything else.
“Neither,” the Phantom said, snapping his gaze from a dark corner. They waited for a moment, and then he moved again to score, but this time the Shadow followed him, because the next moment the ball was gone from his grip.
Something cold ran down his spine and he whirled around. ‘There!’ he leapt ahead, blocking the pass specialist’s path. “You’ve improved Tetsu, huh? But don’t think you’ll win!”
But Tetsu just looked into his eyes, frosty blue glinting with deadly red. Whips of purple seemed to cling to the shorter, like barely visible fog, flickering in the dark like fireflies. It was hard to focus… He shook his head to clear it and closed his eyes. Probably Misdirection… he reached forward, relying on his other senses to find his opponent for a second. When he thought he was close enough not to be deceived, he opened his eyes again.
And Kuroko vanished .
Aomine stumbled, a startled squawk leaving his lips. A heartbeat later he was steady on his feet again and sped after the Phantom, but it was too late. He was already in that odd shooting stance. He jumped once more to block… only for the ball to go through his hand again as if it were not even made of solid material.
A minute later, the net swished and the ball hit the ground. Three baskets.
Aomine stood there, shocked. ‘Tetsu… beat me? How is this…?’
Nikkō’s flames dimmed, making the shadows grow longer, as the Pokémon registered his human’s shock and disbelief. Aomine stood there unmoving, trying to process the short match. His Pokémon rumbled in concern, walking over to him. Somewhat numbly, Aomine stroked the sleek fur.
The shadows grew even darker and Aomine blinked, to try clearing his mind. He looked for his opponent and he found himself alone... no, there . His eyes fixed on the Phantom and he noticed the shorter standing on the edge of the shadows, almost part of them.
For a bit, he stared incomprehensive, trying to make sense of what had happened and what he was seeing now. Nikkō shifted, and the flames illuminated the Phantom. Aomine’s eyes went wide as his mind finally made the connection. ‘His... Is his presence even lower, then before? Was... that how he’d beaten me?’
His jaws went slack. He remembered Satsuki saying that for a while now; the Phantom was even harder to find and from time to time, even Akashi was struggling to keep track of him. Now it made sense.
A flicker of light caught his attention, and another figure melted out of the shadows, a few inches taller than Kuroko. Deep purple fur and eyes like smouldering coals... fire around the neck, casting eerie light around the pass specialist, which made the shadows even stronger.
A Typhlosion.
Kuroko patted the dark fur, and their eyes met. Glacial blue on dark blue. In that moment, Aomine realised he knew that Pokémon. “Y-Yuzuki...” he whispered in shock.
Yuzuki had evolved. When? How? Why didn’t he know? And why was Yuzuki so different from Nikkō? He was different now, yet similar. Yet, Yuzuki shared little in common with Nikkō now. His flames were reddish purple and burned with a gentle, near hypnotic sway. The ember-red eyes had no joy or wildness in them, but calm. Yet, beneath the tranquillity, Aomine also glimpsed sorrow.
They were the same now, Aomine realised. Tetsu was just like him... yet not.
Kuroko and Yuzuki both were drastically different.
Kuroko caught his eye, as if the Phantom knew he was staring at the Pokémon. His voice was like a wisp of smoke in the chilly night. “Light and shadow are two sides of the same coin. One is nothing without the other, therefore one is not stronger than the other. And for one to grow, the presence of its opposite is essential, otherwise none would exist.”
Nikkō rumbled to show his confusion, because Aomine could not find the right words. But it did not matter, because even before he could get his wits together, the Phantom patted his Pokémon and both melted into the shadows of the night with nary a sound.
Aomine remained alone on the court, clutching Nikkō as his only lifeline, still trying to comprehend what had happened today.
It took him several minutes to gather his wits after he was left alone. Nikkō rumbled, concerned, and he scowled. “I’m fine , now let’s go.” He grabbed the ball from his belt and, after a stern glare, the Typhlosion returned.
He turned around and headed to his house, not at all concerned by the growing darkness. His Pokémon was more than capable of helping him out, in case it was needed, though even without the searing flames, he was not defenceless.
He’d lost. Against Tetsu, of all people.
How could he have lost against Tetsu?
That should not have been possible, for no shadow overcomes the light. Yet, he had said three points. And Tetsu had done it. Three baskets faster than Aomine thought possible.
But Tetsu just looked into his eyes, frosty blue glinting with deadly red. Whips of purple seemed to cling to the shorter, like barely visible fog, flickering in the dark like fireflies. It was hard to focus… He shook his head to clear it and closed his eyes. Probably Misdirection… he reached forward, relying on his other senses to find his opponent for a second. When he thought he was close enough not to be deceived, he opened his eyes again.
And Tetsu vanished .
Aomine stumbled, a startled squawk leaving his lips. A heartbeat later he was steady on his feet again and sped after the Phantom, but it was too late. He was already in that odd shooting stance. He jumped once more to block… only for the ball to go through his hand…
The red glint and the lower than ever presence at least made sense now. It was probably a bleed-through from Yuzuki. The Shadow always had the strongest Bond with his Pokémon, out of them all. Hell, back… before , Tetsu had a connection to Nikkō that even Aomine didn’t have.
A flicker of light caught his attention, and another figure melted out of the shadows, a few inches taller than Kuroko. Deep purple fur and eyes like smouldering coals... fire around the neck, casting eerie light around the pass specialist, which made the shadows even stronger.
A Typhlosion.
Kuroko patted the dark fur, and their eyes met.
When had Yuzuki even evolved without his knowledge? Did the team know? But… if Akashi knew, it made no sense for him to keep it from the rest of them. If Yuzuki had evolved… if Tetsu could do what he had just experienced…
Aomine paused for a moment, blinking. Had… Tetsu finally bloomed , like the rest of them? Was this the true Phantom?
“I can’t find him. Even Ki-chan screamed a few times when he turned up at the gym.”
Satsuki could not find Tetsu. And according to her, even Kise and Akashi were struggling to keep track of the unremarkable player. But… things like this always came from somewhere, no? What… had been the trigger to Yuzuki’s evolution and Tetsu finally blooming? It made no sense at all. They’d all bloomed in games or practice, but Tetsu…
He made it home. The moment the house’s door fell closed behind him, he whipped out his ball and Nikkō all but leapt out in a beam of light. The Typhlosion landed with a dull thud and then looked at him, growling softly.
“Daiki?” his mother called from the kitchen.
Aomine nudged his partner and kicked his shoes off. “Tadaima,” he called half-heartedly, mind still too preoccupied.
He had lost a game against Tetsu. Tetsu, who had a Pokémon he had not seen before. Tetsu, whose eyes were like ice, and tone like the sharpest blade. He looked at him with contempt instead of admiration.
Aomine made it to his room and slammed the door behind himself, ignoring his mother’s call. He threw himself on the bed with Nikkō lying next to him on the floor. He stared at the ceiling, fingers playing with orange flames without being burned.
Aomine started dribbling and whirled around the shorter, the ball following him in perfect rhythm. And then, the next moment, it wasn’t there, and he faltered as he noticed it was gone from under his hand.
He was unstoppable. The strongest. The brightest.
“Ore ni kateru wa ore ni dakeda...” he whispered, the words almost echoing in his very being, as Nikkō growled.
Yet... he had lost. To Tetsu. The Shadow. How could the Shadow overcome the Light?
What did this mean? Was Tetsu more like him than he had ever assumed? Or had he grown weaker? Impossible .
“Ore ni kateru wa ore ni dakeda...” he whispered... yet after what happened today, he was not sure if he should believe that entirely anymore.
Aomine’s emotions were a vortex of incomprehension, despair, guilt and... some others he dared not name. Though perhaps the strongest was self-loathing. Tetsu had left him alone, had shared nothing with him, because he had pushed the Shadow away.
He watched the Blast Burn throw Yuzuki off the roof as Nikkō roared triumphantly. He knew the price of a Pokémon dying or getting permanently injured. If they survived, that reflected on their humans. Yet he felt nothing, as the Quilava was plummeting into his death... but then Tetsu caught him.
“I don’t know who you are. You’re a stranger, wearing my friend’s face,” he said, tone deadpan and frosty at the same time. “The Daiki I used to know would have never tried something like this...”
And oh, so right, the Shadow had been! Aomine felt shame and guilt creep up his spine as bile filled his mouth, leaving behind a disgustingly bitter taste. (He needed time to understand that what had happened between him and Tetsu was his fault. He needed time to think and to admit his faults. But now, he understood.)
He took a deep breath to get a grip on his emotions. Nikkō’s fire burned through his veins, calming him and he felt some more guilt and shame. After his skills bloomed, he’d even neglected his partner. ‘Sorry, Nikkō. From now on, I’ll pay more attention, alright?’
Another wave of power ran through him, this time softer and warmer. It was calming to know that his other half didn’t hate him. Feeling more at ease than when he’d arrived, the Ace stepped into the First String gym only to find it unnaturally quiet.
Akashi was sitting on the bench, bent over some papers. Murasakibara was sprawled on the floor, an array of snacks surrounding him, looking more asleep than awake. Midorima was practising his shooting skills, though even his moves seemed sluggish — lazy . Kise was leaning against the wall, talking on the phone, while using his free hand to fiddle with a ball.
In short, it didn’t look like the team was training at all. Nikkō shifted in his Ball uneasily and Aomine took a deep breath. He could not see Tetsu, but he remembered what Satsuki had said days before, when he’d met the Phantom on the street court. These days, everyone had trouble finding the Phantom.
Aomine walked over to the Captain, knowing that Akashi was the likeliest to know where the Shadow was. “Akashi.”
The Point Guard looked up, meeting his dark blue eyes with bi-coloured ones. Kami, seeing the Captain like this, was more unnerving than he would admit out loud. “Daiki, what a pleasure to see you.”
He glanced around again. The teal-haired teen was nowhere to be seen still, and it didn’t look like any of his teammates were going to get any more active. (Weren’t there supposed to be training, still?)
“Where’s Tetsu?” he asked, looking back at the redhead. “And... aren’t we still in training time?”
Akashi shook his head. “Tetsuya had been attending training with the lower Strings for weeks now. And... What’s the sudden interest? It’s not like we need such strict training, now do we? I told you, you’re free to go, as long as you’re present in all our matches and bring victory.”
Aomine glanced around. Strict training?
The team looked like they hadn’t even warmed up, minus maybe Midorima. But the Shooting Guard looked positively bored... Akashi called this training? What had they become? They were the best... could they have fallen as far as Tetsu had implied without so much as mentioning the team? His eyes had said enough... He shrugged, feigning disinterest, as something foreign reared its head in his mind.
“And Sanada-kantoku?”
“I’m responsible for the First String,” Akashi said dismissively. “He oversees the Club.”
“I see,” Aomine muttered.
He was trying to connect the haughty tone to the mother-hen Akashi had once been. Kise was still giggling on the phone, the ball now forgotten. That Kise, leaning against the wall, was not the Kise who’d come here. The one who was like a puppy when looking at him. The one who nearly kissed the ground Tetsu walked on, once the blonde realised why exactly was the shortest male part of the First String...
Suddenly, the coldness in Tetsu made sense. It made sense now... and the realisation terrified Aomine. The others didn’t seem to care that they pushed Tetsu to be what he was today. They didn’t seem to care that he had not been attending training. They didn’t seem to care that the Phantom was not here either.
Were they even a team still? No , they were not.
He whirled on his heels and strode out, running. Running from the truth of what the team had become. He was running from what he had become. Running from the truth of what they’d made Tetsu into.
He leaned against the wall outside the gym, attempting to calm down. He could see, at least partially, what Tetsu had been implying. They’d all changed... and definitely not for the best.
The Ace took a deep breath and headed to the gym. He had to talk to his partner (was he still? He could not remember the last time he took a pass from the Shadow).
He hesitated in front of the Second String gym for a moment. Now or never.
“The only cowards here are you, Aomine-kun.” Tetsu had said, days before.
No. He shook his head to chase away the memory. He wasn’t a coward. This is something he will do. He’d fucked up... and he wasn’t idiotic enough to lose his best friend to pride. He could swallow his pride and apologise. Tetsu... deserved that, at least.
He opened the door and stepped in, only to be immediately assaulted with the sounds of proper training. Balls bouncing on the backboard and on the rim, shoes squeaking on the polished wood. Raised voices filled the gym as the players tried to get instructions to each other. The controlled chaos of Teikō’s training time. The players were currently too preoccupied with their own tasks to notice him, but that was fine. He was here for Tetsu.
Eyes the shade of midnight sky scanned the gym looking for a mop of powder blue hair. There was nothing. Had... Akashi been wrong? ‘No. If Akashi said Tetsu is here, then he has to be here.’
He did the mental trick that Akashi had taught the team, to dispel the effects of Misdirection. Tetsu had a lower presence now, probably the effect of his bloomed skills. He scanned the gym once more and spotted the Shadow, surrounded by a handful of enthusiastic players. With the group gathered around him, it was hard to keep track of him from such a distance. But... at least he’d found the one he’d been looking for.
He strode over purposefully, drawing eyes to himself, like always. “Tetsu!” he called sharply.
The other players present froze and those close by backed away, as he approached, the crowd surrounding the Phantom parting like the sea. He even noticed how one guy whose eye he caught looked away immediately.
Though the whispers were hard to not notice. Not when the barely audible words were filled with mortified awe or downright terror. Did these guys truly fear the Kiseki ? If so, how come they do not tremble with Tetsu here? Tetsu was one of them , too.
(“First String...”
“Their Ace...”
“One of the Kiseki...”
“The perfect scorer...”
“Did you notice how familiar he is with Kuroko-senpai?”)
“Aomine-kun,” the Phantom greeted, tone unreadable. “Have you perhaps lost your way? Our training is under Akashi-kun’s supervision in the main gym.”
Aomine huffed, noticing the passive-aggressive jab, and did his best not to react. Based on how he’d been acting for a while now... perhaps he shouldn’t be surprised by the frosty greeting. Maybe he deserved it, even.
Aomine rolled his eyes, reaching for the Phantom. “I know that. But I came to talk to you.”
Kuroko paused warily as the Ace’s fingers wound around his wrist. “We’re in the middle of training time, Aomine-kun. Only because you can win matches without so much as attending training. That is not true for the rest of the Club and I’d offered to help with the Second String today.”
Aomine took a deep breath again, trying to fight his irritation at the second passive-aggressive jab within five minutes. He kind of deserved this. He ignored the rising anxiety in the gym, as the other players present made sense of what the Phantom implied about him — and about the Kiseki as a whole, — with that sentence.
“I’m not disrupting their training,” Aomine said, making a flippant gesture to the other players. Some were pretending (badly) not to be listening in, while others downright stared at them. “I just need to talk to you and no, Tetsu, it can’t wait,” he said, gently tugging at the teal’s arm to emphasise his urgency.
Annoyance darted through the passive features, so fast that, had Aomine been a random person, he would not have noticed it. “I will not...”
“Tetsu,” the call was light and feminine. Aomine’s dark blue eyes zeroed in that direction to notice his childhood friend. Her dark pink gaze lingered on them both, face harder than Aomine remembered.
The Phantom didn’t move from his grip as he looked at the manager. “Yes, Satsuki?”
Aomine’s eyes widened slightly. When did Satsuki and Tetsu get to be on a given name basis? Rather, when had Tetsu started using her given name, instead of being so damn polite? Had he missed out this much, lost in his own world, that he did not even notice, that his two best friends had formed stronger bonds than ever before?
“I’ll watch over the team while you’re gone,” she offered. Her tone was perfectly sweet, but Aomine had learned over the years that the girl’s cheerful sweetness hid deadly steel beneath. Her eyes narrowed on him slightly, and Aomine swallowed hard.
He understood the message from her. If he dared to upset Tetsu any more than he already had, she’d kill him in his sleep. (Aomine would have liked to blame Akashi for the fact that both Tetsu and Satsuki had turned so damn bloodthirsty ... but the thing was that he was seeing both of them for who they truly were. Akashi, Tetsu and Satsuki were all equally bloodthirsty. Had always been. Akashi had just never hidden it.)
The Phantom nodded. “Very well.”
Aomine met the frosty eyes for a second and then he dropped his grip as the manager turned to the other students. “Alright, mina-san! Back to training, please!”
For a moment, the students didn’t move, but then Tetsu threw a look at a few and they moved, and the rest of the gym moved with them. The Shadow turned then, walking towards the door, and Aomine followed a step behind him.
The gym door fell closed behind him and they were left alone in the corridor, only the bouncing of balls and soft thumps of feet from the gym breaking the silence. “Alright. What is it you want, Aomine-kun?”
Aomine studied his partner for a moment. “I… should not have dismissed you back then. In the locker,” he whispered. “When you said I’ll find someone to match me. You were right.”
Kuroko hummed, and Aomine felt the tension in his body increase the longer the Shadow remained silent. There was a wary glint in the baby blue eyes, and it made him feel horrible. Tetsu, his own partner and Shadow… was as wary as those underclassmen back in the gym.
“Your point, Aomine-kun?”
Aomine faltered again before speaking. “I always dismissed you as the weakest of us, the one who’ll never understand what it means to do what we do… and then you beat me at my game. I was the one to encourage you years ago… and now I was the one who dismissed you, who hurt you most. Back at the court… it made little sense, what you said. But… I was just there, you know. In our gym… and exchanged a word with Akashi,” he shook his head. “You were right. They’ve changed . I did too.”
Kuroko hummed and nodded again. “Indeed, all of you have changed. Being unchallenged…”
“… made us arrogant,” he muttered. “I’m not an idiot. You… tried to tell me back on the roof, huh?”
“I... tried.”
Aomine winced, looking away. “I… we should not have done what we did. I know the consequences of a permanently injured Pokémon…” he shook his head. “I… don’t know what came over us then.”
Nikkō appeared from the Ball, whining softly at Kuroko, laying down by his human to seem less of a threat. Kuroko looked at the Typhlosion with a soft smile.
“You’re more like us , than any outsider will ever know,” Aomine said again. “And… we are alike too, Light and Shadow. I understand if you don’t trust me… but if you would be willing to give me another chance…” he trailed off again.
Kuroko hummed as Yuzuki appeared next to Kuroko as well, growling softly at the two across from him. Aomine watched the darker-furred Typhlosion with sight awe, his eyes following the gentle sway of the unnaturally coloured flames. Yuzuki huffed in greeting, laying down to gently nudge the other Pokémon, as Kuroko smiled and raised a fist.
“I could never hate you, Daiki. We’re Light and Shadow, after all.”
Aomine grinned, quickly bumping his fist into the paler one.
They were interrupted by the gym’s door opening and both of them tensed, hoping that they would not be reported for violating rules. Pokémon were not supposed to be outside of their Balls within school grounds and certainly not in the building.
Momoi appeared, slipping out, as she closed the door behind her. “Tetsu?” her eyes jumped between the two boys and she froze in shock as she noticed their fists in that oh-so-familiar gesture of kinship. “D-Dai-chan?”
Aomine hummed, glancing away from his childhood friend. “I guess I owe you an apology, too, huh? I... Sorry, Satsuki. I... should not have acted like I did. Shouldn’t have dismissed you or Tetsu when you tried to help.”
Momoi blinked in shock and then a soft smile appeared on her face, her eyes becoming moist. “I... I’m glad you noticed the problem. And that you have enough courage to apologise, Dai-chan...” she giggled wetly, as Chieri popped from her ball, purring and immediately bouncing over to the two Fire Types, to greet them.
Aomine scowled at her, but his body relaxed, and Nikkō rumbled contently. “Told you not to call me that , troublesome woman.”
Momoi giggled again at that and jumped at them both. The two males stumbled in surprise, steadying each other, so that they could keep all of them from falling. Momoi hugged them enthusiastically, and they both held her close. Two different shades of blue met above bright pink tresses, silent understanding passing between the Light and his Shadow.
This was not over yet... but they were a step closer to being what they used to be. For now, humans and their Pokémon as well, enjoyed the content moment, close to each other.
Xx Omake xX
The three pulled away from each other with smiles, but turned as a cheer came from their side. Giving out smiles, they watched as Chieri leaped around the two Typhlosions in glee, her ribbons wrapping around their arms.
“Chieri sure is happy,” giggled Momoi and knelt down as Chieri leaped over to her. “Right, girl?”
An overjoyed meow came as an answer and Aomine turned to look at their Pokemon.
“But Tetsu…” muttered Aomine.
“Yes?” answered Kuroko, turning to him.
“Remind me not to piss you or Yuzuki off…” he muttered as he and Nikkō observed said Pokémon.
“Why do you say that, Daiki?” asked Kuroko with a tilted head, not taking notice of Momoi’s slight gap as a reaction. “Yuzuki and I would never do a thing.”
“But look at him!” almost yelped Aomine with a spin to him. “Imagine him pissed!”
Both Kuroko and Yuzuki tilted their heads at him, making both Aomine and Nikkō give out a huff.
“Excuse me,” said Momoi, gaining their attention. “Tetsu, did you just say ‘Daiki’ ?”
“Indeed, I did,” nodded Kuroko.
He turned then as the gentle warmth filled his soul. Yuzuki and Nikkō had gone to play together, like they did as Quilavas. Both on their fours and leaping and playfully snapping at each other, their flames both calm, but still fierce.
“Oi, Satsuki…” called Aomine, as he eyed the girl. The pink-haired girl had stars in her eyes, as both she and Chieri leapt at the two males.
“I’m so glad!” she cheered, her leap making them all fall to the ground, causing the boys to groan in discomfort.
Chieri also gave out a joyful meow as she leapt and her ribbons wrapped around their Pokémon.
“Oi!” yelled Aomine, rubbing the back of his head, offended, but then grinned brightly. “But it was about time you called me that, Tetsu!”
“Yes, I know, Daiki,” smiled Kuroko.
Joy-filled laughs came from the group, the Pokémon sharing their humans’ delight, and continued to play their game. Their game between playmates going on like their time back then — now filled with a closer bond growing between them all.
Notes:
Aomine Daiki
Pokémon partner: Nikkō [日光] (“day”, “light”)
Species: Quilava/Johtonian Typhlosion
Kuroko Tetsuya
Pokémon partner: Yuzuki [佑月] (“Help someone”, “Moon”)
Species: Quilava/Hisuian Typhlosion
Momoi Satsuki
Pokémon partner: Chieri [桜実] (“Cherry blossoms”, “fruit, kindness”)
Species: Sylveon