Simply to die for

I know you have questions for me. Meet me in my office for lunch, okay?

He swore, that woman was a mind reader. He knew that he was a bit of an open book at times--his eyebrows were far too expressive for his own good--but to Pandora, she had the index to every single thought bouncing around in his head. If her sickly sweet demeanor weren’t faker than her pink hair, she might have actually intimidated him. ...Actually, her pink hair might have been natural.

Tarou sat nervously across the table from where Pandora typically handled her research. She was busy hovering by the microwave, waiting patiently for her salted caramel mug cake. Before the thought even crossed his mind fully, she seemed to butt in with a comment.

“It’s not that strange of a lunch, darling.”

Oof. With the pet names already, too. Was this how other people felt when he was playfully flirty? ...It was a little uncomfortable, but also kinda hot in a weird--

“I’m going to stop you right there,” she added dryly.

Fair enough.

Before the microwave completed its beep, Pandora had already stolen her mug and was halfway to her seat. She took a bite, still steaming hot, and the expression she made was… Eccentric. The way her cheeks lit up reminded him of the phrase “simply to die for.”

“So I know you’re going to ask me about your Shadow Pokemon, one of the purple ones. Here’s the issue! All of your Pokemon are purple! Help me out a little.” She spoke like a kindergarten teacher in a way. Full of pep, full of vigor, but something about it was certainly unsettling. It was all a facade, for sure, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to see what was beneath the surface of her patronizing attitude.

“It’s uh… I guess… Arcanus?”

Pandora’s expression didn’t budge whatsoever, as if she either didn’t remember or didn’t care to remember his Pokemon’s nicknames. Tarou rifled through his head for the information he was provided. “The uh… The Noivern you gave me. He looks a little different compared to other Noivern I’ve seen.”

“That Noivern you have was designed for speed, so its physical appearance has been slightly… Modified. Let me say this, if any normal Pokemon can outspeed it, I’ll just have to retire yours and make one even faster!”

At least Pandora tried to be slightly more considerate about Tarou’s feelings this time around. Using the term retired was a lot better than I dumped endless amounts of test-tube Slowpokes into a garbage disposal for scientific purposes. Paraphrasing, of course.

“And then Agati--... The um, the Cloyster.”

“Oh! Yes! That one is one of my masterpieces! Your Shadow Cloyster has the ability Skill Link, meaning that once it has its sights on its target, moves like Rock Blast will never miss. It can keep firing away until its target is a bloody little pulp~! Combined with its naturally hard shell, and its modified stamina, it could probably withstand its own Explosion attack! … It won’t, but with a little more research, maybe one day!”

The dorky laugh Pandora squeaked out sent chills down his spine. This woman was nuts. He was nuts, but this woman was advanced crazy.

“And then that leaves--”

“XD:008,” she cut off.

Tarou swallowed hard. He wasn’t sure how to ask what he wanted. He felt Menardi tense up in his shadow, the room instantly dropping in temperature. Apparently, she was so scared of hearing the answer, she sucked all the heat from the room--his breath was visible in the sudden cold snap.

“So does he…”

Pandora bit down on the fork in her mouth, a dull metallic clink of teeth intersecting stainless steel. Her mouth twisted into a smile. Not any smile, but a customer-service smile. An I’m-legally-obligated-to-smile smile. Though her lips read can I help you with anything today, her eyes burned the same way ice did. Her gaze was cold, biting, the way they meandered along his face made his skin crawl.

Tarou shut his eyes tight, knowing that she would be able to suss out his question.

Does he remember?

Her dense eyelashes fluttered coyly as her refined eyebrows raised. Those fiery blue eyes devoured all, avid on breaking the man. How such a tiny woman could be so absolutely menacing with pink hair, a perky voice, and a Comfey napping in her hair was beyond his wildest imagination.

“That’s for me to know, and for you to find out,” she giggled, taking another bite of her mug cake, somehow still piping hot. “Would you care for a bite of this? It’s simply to die for.”