Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. Enjoy.
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"Barry."
"What?"
"What did you just say?"
"I said I'm going to the Lake."
"Not today you're not."
"Mum, come on, I'm twelve. I know how to get to Lake Verity and back." He jumped to his feet once his laces were tied and started bouncing on the spot; his mother was right, there was a lot more bounce in new shoes than in old ones.
"What are you going to do?"
"Homework, Mum. We have to go and watch Pokemon in their natural habitat and I'm gonna have the best thing to hand in! I'm the only one from Twinleaf so I'm the only one that'll go to Verity, all the other kids in my class are from Jubilife and Oreburgh so none of them will have a report about Gyarados!" Barry was bouncing from foot to foot with anticipation. "Imagine having to write reports about Geodude!" He laughed and kissed his mother on the cheek. "Bye Mum!"
"Take your coat, it's raining!"
"Okay!" Barry was already out the front door by then and halfway towards the main road; he didn't hear her. "I'll race you to the lake!" She heard him say as she closed the door. "I'll fine you if you lose!"
"Hey Lucas," Barry started. He sat down by the edge of the water and took off his sneakers and his socks, then rolled up his pants so they were at his knees. He shifted so he could put his legs in the water. It was cold, he thought, but not too cold. It was kind of nice, hopefully the Gyarados thought so as well. "should I tell my Mum about what happened last week?"
"I thought you told her already."
"Nah, she had to go and see my teacher last week and she was really upset about something."
"Why would you keep it a secret?"
"Because she'll just worry all the time if I tell her. It was kinda scary."
"It probably was." Lucas said. He could see a Goldeen swimming below his feet and stretched out his toes to try and touch it.
"Yeah? I didn't know where you went, how scary was that? I thought that you'd drowned or something and I didn't know what to do."
"I was here the whole time though, like just in the grass over there." Lucas gestured towards the patch of grass behind them. "Maybe that's why you couldn't see me."
"But why couldn't you hear me? You just disappeared and I was yelling a lot because I thought you were doing it on purpose, like to scare me or something."
"I didn't do it on purpose."
"It was real scary, Lucas. Like really scary. Like sometimes when you disappear like that it's not really so scary because I know that you're really good at sneaking off like that. But last week it was really bad. Like you know when we saw all those Magikarp and I screamed because they came out of nowhere?"
"Yeah."
"It was really sunny and warm, right? That's why we said it was so cool living right next to the Lake."
"Yeah, it was really like Summer and everything."
"When you disappeared though, everything went really strange."
"What happened?"
"It got really dark and started raining and everything. And really quickly I got so wet that I thought that I'd fallen into the lake. And I just ran home because I was so scared. Like, it didn't stop raining the whole afternoon. And my Mum said that it was raining the whole day and that's why she didn't want me to go to the Lake anyway."
"But it wasn't raining the whole day." Lucas said. "It was nice."
"I know. But my Mum says it was and that's why I don't want to tell her what really happened."
"What did you tell her?"
"I just said that I wanted to go to the lake to play, it's better than playing in Twinleaf." Barry said. He kicked up some water.
"There's not much to do there though, that's why. Imagine if we lived in Jubilife though, imagine living in the city!" Lucas exclaimed.
"I don't think I'd like it. I mean we go to school and everything there and I kinda like Twinleaf, it's just so small sometimes. And everyone there thinks that I'm crazy, they think you're not really there."
"That's so stupid. If I wasn't real, I couldn't do this!" Lucas said and with a laugh, he pushed Barry forwards into the Lake.
"Hey! That's not fair Lucas!" Barry tried to shake the water out of his hair and he found his footing. The sky was overcast, the clouds heavy and grey and he suddenly felt cold. It wasn't the nice kind of cold either, it was the kind that filled him with dread because it meant that something was wrong. Usually it was just the sky being out of balance, the hot and cold air combining so far above his head that it caused thunderstorms. "Lucas!" He yelled. "Where did you go, Lucas? LUCAS!"
Barry exclaimed as he dragged himself out of the water. "Lucas!" He called again. He ran through the grass looking for the other boy, I was in the grass, Barry, that's probably why you didn't see me. Lucas' words rang in his head and he eventually had to stop at the edge of the forest. He didn't like going into the forest alone, he didn't like going into the forest with anyone except his father. "LUCAS!" He shouted again, turning around suddenly. He picked up his bag and his shoes, never mind the socks or the pencils that fell as he ran out onto the lake front and back towards Twinleaf.
"Barry! What's wrong?"
"Mum!" He shouted and dropped all his belongings to the ground. "Mum, Lucas has gone again," He was crying by then, hugging his mothers' waist tightly. "It happened last week too and I'm scared, I don't know where he went, it was sunny and nice and we were talking and I was waiting for a Gyarados so I could do my report and then he pushed me in because it was funny and then he was GONE!" Barry wailed. "I don't know why it keeps happening now! Both times it was nice and sunny and then when Lucas disappeared it got dark and rainy and I'm so so scared!"
"Shh, it's okay," She smoothed down his hair. "Stop crying, Barry, its okay." They were both getting rained on and Barry was already soaked from falling into Lake Verity. "Come on, let's go home."
"Where's Lucas gone though, Mum? Why does he keep disappearing like that?"
"I don't know, Barry, but I think it's time we made you an appointment with a Doctor, okay?"
Barry would have said yes to anything by then. He nodded.
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"Barry."
"What?"
"What did you just say?"
"I said I'm going to the Lake."
"Not today you're not."
"Mum, come on, I'm twelve. I know how to get to Lake Verity and back." He jumped to his feet once his laces were tied and started bouncing on the spot; his mother was right, there was a lot more bounce in new shoes than in old ones.
"What are you going to do?"
"Homework, Mum. We have to go and watch Pokemon in their natural habitat and I'm gonna have the best thing to hand in! I'm the only one from Twinleaf so I'm the only one that'll go to Verity, all the other kids in my class are from Jubilife and Oreburgh so none of them will have a report about Gyarados!" Barry was bouncing from foot to foot with anticipation. "Imagine having to write reports about Geodude!" He laughed and kissed his mother on the cheek. "Bye Mum!"
"Take your coat, it's raining!"
"Okay!" Barry was already out the front door by then and halfway towards the main road; he didn't hear her. "I'll race you to the lake!" She heard him say as she closed the door. "I'll fine you if you lose!"
"Hey Lucas," Barry started. He sat down by the edge of the water and took off his sneakers and his socks, then rolled up his pants so they were at his knees. He shifted so he could put his legs in the water. It was cold, he thought, but not too cold. It was kind of nice, hopefully the Gyarados thought so as well. "should I tell my Mum about what happened last week?"
"I thought you told her already."
"Nah, she had to go and see my teacher last week and she was really upset about something."
"Why would you keep it a secret?"
"Because she'll just worry all the time if I tell her. It was kinda scary."
"It probably was." Lucas said. He could see a Goldeen swimming below his feet and stretched out his toes to try and touch it.
"Yeah? I didn't know where you went, how scary was that? I thought that you'd drowned or something and I didn't know what to do."
"I was here the whole time though, like just in the grass over there." Lucas gestured towards the patch of grass behind them. "Maybe that's why you couldn't see me."
"But why couldn't you hear me? You just disappeared and I was yelling a lot because I thought you were doing it on purpose, like to scare me or something."
"I didn't do it on purpose."
"It was real scary, Lucas. Like really scary. Like sometimes when you disappear like that it's not really so scary because I know that you're really good at sneaking off like that. But last week it was really bad. Like you know when we saw all those Magikarp and I screamed because they came out of nowhere?"
"Yeah."
"It was really sunny and warm, right? That's why we said it was so cool living right next to the Lake."
"Yeah, it was really like Summer and everything."
"When you disappeared though, everything went really strange."
"What happened?"
"It got really dark and started raining and everything. And really quickly I got so wet that I thought that I'd fallen into the lake. And I just ran home because I was so scared. Like, it didn't stop raining the whole afternoon. And my Mum said that it was raining the whole day and that's why she didn't want me to go to the Lake anyway."
"But it wasn't raining the whole day." Lucas said. "It was nice."
"I know. But my Mum says it was and that's why I don't want to tell her what really happened."
"What did you tell her?"
"I just said that I wanted to go to the lake to play, it's better than playing in Twinleaf." Barry said. He kicked up some water.
"There's not much to do there though, that's why. Imagine if we lived in Jubilife though, imagine living in the city!" Lucas exclaimed.
"I don't think I'd like it. I mean we go to school and everything there and I kinda like Twinleaf, it's just so small sometimes. And everyone there thinks that I'm crazy, they think you're not really there."
"That's so stupid. If I wasn't real, I couldn't do this!" Lucas said and with a laugh, he pushed Barry forwards into the Lake.
"Hey! That's not fair Lucas!" Barry tried to shake the water out of his hair and he found his footing. The sky was overcast, the clouds heavy and grey and he suddenly felt cold. It wasn't the nice kind of cold either, it was the kind that filled him with dread because it meant that something was wrong. Usually it was just the sky being out of balance, the hot and cold air combining so far above his head that it caused thunderstorms. "Lucas!" He yelled. "Where did you go, Lucas? LUCAS!"
Barry exclaimed as he dragged himself out of the water. "Lucas!" He called again. He ran through the grass looking for the other boy, I was in the grass, Barry, that's probably why you didn't see me. Lucas' words rang in his head and he eventually had to stop at the edge of the forest. He didn't like going into the forest alone, he didn't like going into the forest with anyone except his father. "LUCAS!" He shouted again, turning around suddenly. He picked up his bag and his shoes, never mind the socks or the pencils that fell as he ran out onto the lake front and back towards Twinleaf.
"Barry! What's wrong?"
"Mum!" He shouted and dropped all his belongings to the ground. "Mum, Lucas has gone again," He was crying by then, hugging his mothers' waist tightly. "It happened last week too and I'm scared, I don't know where he went, it was sunny and nice and we were talking and I was waiting for a Gyarados so I could do my report and then he pushed me in because it was funny and then he was GONE!" Barry wailed. "I don't know why it keeps happening now! Both times it was nice and sunny and then when Lucas disappeared it got dark and rainy and I'm so so scared!"
"Shh, it's okay," She smoothed down his hair. "Stop crying, Barry, its okay." They were both getting rained on and Barry was already soaked from falling into Lake Verity. "Come on, let's go home."
"Where's Lucas gone though, Mum? Why does he keep disappearing like that?"
"I don't know, Barry, but I think it's time we made you an appointment with a Doctor, okay?"
Barry would have said yes to anything by then. He nodded.