FicWad

I know I won't be much help when it comes to moving. I can try as hard as I want and be as confident in my surroundings as a sighted person, but when there are that many people moving in and out of a house, carrying heavy, large, and even fragile items, I know it's not safe for me even to make an attempt. I would only get in the way and maybe get hurt or possibly cause an injury to someone else.

There are other ways I can help, though. I offer to watch the children. I love kids, so I know I'll have fun. There's Bale, the two-year-old, Berns's son, Anya's little girl, Himiko, Lei, my neighbors' child, Harper and Sarah, the twins, sisters to one of the school children, and Mimo, another sibling of a school-goer. The kids are a bit of a handful for a single person, especially a blind one, so Berns' wife, Akela, helps me watch them. I hear another group of several more children playing a rowdy game and being watched by a set of adults on the other side of the garden.

Akela is quiet but very kind. She knows how to stop the twins' crazy antics, for the most part, having watched them many times before, but these two are definitely a troublesome pair this evening.

They prove just how naughty they can be tonight, and with my hands full because of Lei's young age, Akela finds herself running around chasing them a few too many times. Leaving me, a sightless man, alone, baby in lap, and three young children running around.

Thankfully for me, Tinsel is a great helper and takes it upon herself to assist me in watching the two more independent and somewhat wild youngsters, Mimo and Bale, while Hop entertains my best friend's daughter, Himiko.

Sashi drops Sardee off to help out after a while. The sweet Ice-Type Ninetales has always been fantastic with children, and she eagerly takes to watching them with much happiness in her soft cry. Little Himiko eagerly takes up playing with the new Pokémon.

With her own charge displaced, Hop wanders off to supervise the ongoings of the moving party.

Either way, poor Akela seems to be having a far rougher time of it with the twins. After the third time, the girls escape into the house and nearly cause a crash when they run up the stairs while four of the guys are trying to carry up a rather large and heavy bit of furniture.

With the help of Sam and Hala, the Island Kahuna, a word I had only recently learned about, the two strong-bodied individuals are able to, thankfully, prevent any injuries or damages.

"Girls," the twins' mother says sternly as they laugh joyously while she carries them back, "if I hear you have caused anyone any more trouble, I will pack us up, and we will go straight home. And," she adds in a finalizing tone. "You'll be grounded for a week. Have I made myself clear?"

At this, the laughter dies down as I hear their mother set them on the ground in front of me. "Yes, momma," They say in unison, sounding, for once, obedient and somber.

"I'm sorry," Akela says shyly, sounding embarrassed and ashamed. "I shouldn't have taken my eyes off of them. I know how much trouble they can get into, but they've never acted up this bad for me before."

"Oh, don't worry, dear. My girls have their good days and bad. This just seems to be the latter of the two." Their mom says kindly, and I hear her patting the younger mother reassuringly on her arm. "If you two need help watching them, you only have to give me a shout." I hear her walk off, mumbling softly to herself about the troubles of twins with a small laugh.

Burnet joins us, worried about the commotion and wanting to free up my hands of Lei. I hear her open a jar of food to feed her son. With her help, Akela and I each take one twin and keep them entertained for a bit.

"I think I have an idea," I say, a sudden thought coming to light. "Tinsel, could you run inside and find my bag for me?" I ask her.

My Sylveon gives off a small chirp of protest, unhappy to be removed from her playing with Himiko, Bale, and Mimo. She listens, though, and I soon hear her paws patter off as she leaves on her mission.

I call to the children. Three small sets of footsteps walk noisily but obediently over to me, being shooed forward gently by the soft chirps of Sardee. I hear Akela bringing the twins around me too. Then, when the children have all become silent, I begin;

"Have you children ever heard of the Beauty of the Sea?" I ask, lowering my voice to catch their attention. They sit quietly in anticipation of a story. "Well," I begin. "Let me tell you a tale;"

"There once was a town that was built by the sea,

Much like the one that's near you and me.

The people were naughty and always did fight,

Oft' yelling and screaming late into the night.

One fateful day, a traveler came by.

He heard all the fighting and started to sigh.

He'd seen this before and knew what to do.

He'd help this old town, for his heart was true.

He gathered the people up close to the sea.

To quiet their talking, he counted to three.

Then with a swift arm, he showed them a chain,

A pendant attached, their eyes on it trained.

He threw it with might; he threw it with speed.

He threw that dear pendant straight into the sea.

The hush could be heard through all of the land,

But the stranger stayed silent and continued to stand.

Soon the water it boiled and bubbled with might,

And up from its depths came a wondrous sight.

A creature whose beauty hushed all of their hearts.

He knew this would work; the stranger was smart,

With sparkling scales that shimmered so bright,

The tail of deep hues set all their minds right.

His creature brought peace and joy to the town.

The fighting and anger it quickly brought down.

Through all of the day and all of the night,

The townsfolk stood watching in joy and delight.

Now town sits in peace, though the creature is gone,

For he'd brought it with, when he snuck out at dawn.

Yet the story continues, for between you and me,

I have here this creature that comes from the sea."

The twins sat in a hush. Lei was silent, most likely asleep in his mother's lap. Even the toddlers and Mimo seemed to understand where my story would lead.

Tinsel had returned in the middle of my story, and I had dramatically pulled a Pokèball from my bag. I knew the children must have had their eyes fixed on the round object in my hand, eager to learn what was held inside. I pressed the button and expanded the ball, then called the name of the Pokémon inside, "Whiplash!"

I hear squeals of delight and awe as my Milotic appears massive and beautiful in front of the children.

"Is this really the creature from your story?" Harper and Sarah ask in unison.

"You tell me. Do you feel like fighting or being naughty?"

Five little voices chime out, "No."

"Good," I say, then after a pause of silence from the children, "Well, go on, go play with her." I hear the sound of ten feet patter over the soft grass to where Whiplash sat waiting. She loves playing with children, so I knew she wouldn't mind having them around her, and if they get to be too much, the Ninetales will be there too.

We, three adults, sit for a moment, observing the play of the children and Pokémon.

"Good story," Akela says, scooting closer to me.

"That's just a bit of dribble from a story my father would tell me when I was a child. His version was much longer and far better put together." I say with a laugh, then add. "Whiplash actually used to be my father's Pokèmon."

"Oh?" She says questioningly. "It's so sweet when parents pass down their Pokèmon."

"I agree so much with that!" I say happily. "I hope someday to pass down my stories and Pokémon to my own generation," I comment with a smile.

"I'm sure you and Sashi will make wonderful parents." Akela says kindly. "How long have you two been together?"

"Well, we've known each other since birth, and we've nearly always had plans to marry. We hit sixteen years as husband and wife just a few months ago, actually." I beam, feeling a well of joy bubble up in my gut at the time we'd spent together.

"What?" Burnet's voice chips in, sounding shocked. "I thought you two were Kukui's age."

"We are." I confirm. "We're thirty two as well. Sash and I got married when we were sixteen."

"That's so young!" Akela says, her voice louder than I've heard all night.

I scratch the base of my skull in embarrassment. "Well, I was a lot sicker back then. There was worry that I wouldn't live into adulthood. Sashi wanted to marry me before anything happened." I pause, yanking out a blade of grass from my lawn and fiddling with it awkwardly in my fingers. "It also allowed her to start up her research and open the lab under my last name, rather than her maiden one. It was a dream she'd had since childhood, to study under the name of Ashoka."

"You can't publish research notes without first receiving your doctorate though." Burnet mused, sounding confused and very curious.

I shifted my legs and tucked them underneath me, the soft grass tickling at my ankles. "She'd received her degree a few months prior."

The women before me sit in a stunned silence. I hear Akela mouth out the words "sixteen" but don't know if she was meaning to say it out loud or not.

"My wife is quite an intelligent young lady." I say, pride filling me up. I just wish she could see that in herself. My thoughts buzz, pulling me back down.

The children played with Whiplash until the house was finished being unpacked. With the hands of so many people and even a few Pokèmon, it didn't take very long.

Making dinner was also sped up, and we found ourselves enjoying a refreshing meal just as the warmth of the sun began to fade. Unfortunately, there was a very many more people here than was expected by anyone, so Sashi had to order a larger amount of food to the house by way of delivery.

When dinner was finished, the children went back over and played with the Pokèmon and us some more while the older generations chatted idly.

With the house full of our furniture, bellies stuffed with good food, and spirits filled with pleasant conversations, our new troupe of friends bade us goodnight until just the neighbors were left. Anya remained as well, having decided to stay with us for a few days.

"I have plenty of vacation time to put in, so don't think you can get out of this." She had told my wife and me sternly but more kindly than before.

This wouldn't be an issue for us, as, even though my wife's twin tended to have a nasty and swift temper, she was also good company. When she was able to keep her tongue in check, that is. Having known her all my life, it wouldn't be too tricky for Sashi and me to calm her down when we aren't in such a large group setting, though.

Little Lei was brought back home by the elderly couple that he came with, who turned out to be his grandparents. I'm not entirely certain, but I believe they were Burnet's parents, having the same last name as her. Their thick accents did throw me for a bit. I'll be asking Sashi later to confirm, as I know, even if she never physically talked to them, she'll have been watching all the conversations carefully from the sidelines.

While she doesn't like to be or talk in such large group settings, she is very good at staying out of the way and observing. Unfortunately, where I take joy in settings such as these, Sashi tends to become drained of energy.

I listen to Harper and Sara leave, yelling goodbyes to Whiplash, Sardee, and even Tinsel, who didn't do much playing with them after I told the story. I promise them I'd bring all my Pokémon by sometime for a visit just to get them to listen to their mother though.

With the crowd gone, the night became almost eerily still. Of course, it wasn't late yet, the warmth of the sun having just recently vanished, but the large gathering of people would mean any nearby wild Pokémon would stay silent for a while until they were certain the coast was clear. That didn't stop the sea from moving, though, as it swayed rhythmically against the shoreline, bringing with it the smells of fresh salty air and a distant cry from one water creature or another.

I stood outside, alone, and listened. I remained still for so long that, very slowly, the sounds of the dusk-dwelling Pokémon finally began to sing their tunes and call out to their friends. Eventually, Tinsel tugs on my wrist to pull me back to the house to sit with the people who remained inside.