Escape

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Steven’s eyes flickered to the clock that hung on the far wall of his bedroom, his eyes staring as the crooked second hand made its way around the face of the clock. It was around five p.m. in the evening, and the sun was slowly beginning to set behind the trees in Rustboro City, and the Hoothoots were starting to settle in for the evening. However, Steven was not feeling a sense of relaxation in the slightest, not even as he watched a family of sweet little Pichus disappear into a hole underneath the tree nearest to his bedroom. In fact, all Steven could feel right now was stress, and a twinge of longing. 

See, for the past two weeks now, Steven had been holed up in his bedroom, or under strict supervision from his father and the men his father hired that he thought Steven didn’t know about. Pressure was weighing down heavy on his shoulders, and he was nearly at a loss for what to do. He felt as though he were being crushed. Smashed under his father’s hands For the past two weeks, he hadn’t been allowed to see his dearest friend, Emmeline, on his father's orders. His father felt that Emmeline was beneath the expectations for the company that the champion and heir to the Devon Corporation was meant to keep. 

Frankly…Steven didn't give a damn what his father thought about his friends. He had long since gotten over his father’s silly “expectations”, and some of the things that he said. Not to mention the fact that he was an adult now. A grown man. But with how closely he was being watched, at the current time, he was finding it harder and harder to see Emmeline. He couldn't even get close to the coffee shop that she worked at without one of his father's insolent guards catching him, and taking him right back home, telling him that they were under orders to keep him away. 

Steven remembered the last time his father’s men had dragged him home, several days ago. His father had yelled not only at him, but at Emmeline, too! Steven could only stare on in horror. But, once they returned home, Steven got into something serious with his father- not because of how his father treated him, but how his father treated someone he considered to be his best friend! Insults were thrown, and as loud and serious as it had been, Steven was proud of himself for standing up to his father. However, his father had left abruptly in the middle of the argument, slamming the front door behind him. Steven didn’t see him very much for the following days..

Which was probably a good thing, anyway.

Steven seldom left the house anymore because of this mess. All of the “battles” were rescheduled, set aside for a later date- a date when his father was being less of a nuisance. Steven stayed in his room as much as he could, only coming out when it was absolutely necessary.

Not that there was much to do in his bedroom, which still held relics of his childhood. He could only reorganize his bookshelf so many times, and adjust the medals hanging on his wall so many times, and reorganize his sparse wardrobe so many times. After a couple of cycles of the same actions over and over again, one tended to get bored. He’d already made placards for his rocks, the ones that sat neatly on his dresser, as well as making sure his Pokémon were doing alright.

Rubbing his face, Steven spun around in his desk chair, standing up. A low groan slipped past his lips, and he walked over to the wall of photos. Most of them were from the tournaments he had participated in, though there were a couple that specifically stood out to him in the current moment: The ones of himself with Emmeline. The most recent one was a picture of them sitting in the shop that she worked at, enjoying a massive milkshake together. It had been taken a few days before his father had started to monitor him, and Steven looked back fondly on the memory. 

He wondered how Emmeline was doing right now. 

Knowing her…she was more than likely at work, as she usually was on the average weekday.

Last he had spoken with her, six days ago, before one of his father's men had caught him, she was doing well…but she had seemed rather worried about him, due to how little that he had been showing up at the shop! Previously, he had been there every day that Emmeline worked. It was to the point that Steven had heard Emmeline’s coworkers teasing her, implying that Steven had some sort of crush on her…which wasn't entirely incorrect. Perhaps, in a way, that was why his father was being so hard on him. Couldn't have the heir falling in love with someone…not up to standard…

Steven scowled. 

As much as he loved his father, sometimes he felt that what his father thought was best for him…really wasn't. Sometimes his father was extremely blind to the wants and needs of his own son, pandering more to what he wanted in life. Emmeline especially was a topic of argument between himself and his father. To Steven, Emmeline was a kind, thoughtful person, and one of his closest friends. But to his father…Emmeline was a useless barista. A singer. A waste of time and money. Someone who had just gotten lucky a few times when it came to Pokémon battles. She wasn’t someone who Steven should be wasting his time with. His father had even gone as far as to set him up with a few other women, hoping that he would forget about Emmeline, but…that wasn’t happening anytime soon. Steven couldn’t forget one of the few people that made him feel…normal. That liked him for more than just being the champion, for more than just being an heir. 

Hell, he felt like a normal man whenever Emmeline was around. He felt completely and utterly…average. He was able to put aside all of his worries and all of the expectations that felt so heavy on his shoulders. 

Steven folded his hands behind his back, and walked over to his window once again, staring at the slowly setting sun. His head was starting to hurt now, thanks to all of the thoughts that were racing through it. He knew there wasn’t a chance in hell he was going to be able to quietly sneak out of his room to go and see Emmeline…his eyes darted to just below his window, where he spotted a couple of his father’s men waiting.Though they were average men,  It’s like I’m a prisoner! I have not even done anything worthy of this treatment! Unless it is a crime to be friends with someone…Steven thought bitterly to himself, shaking his head. 

“You know what…?” Steven muttered to himself, looking up. “I’m going out. I- I need to be brave. My father can’t hold me back forever! I can’t let him."

Steven walked over to his wardrobe, slipping on one of his favorite pairs of shoes, and grabbed his bag off of the back of his door, throwing it over his shoulders. He was going to do something about this. His father couldn’t just keep him locked up inside the house all day, let alone make him feel scared to go anywhere due to the constant watch his father had on him. Steven tugged on a coat, and took a deep breath, before slowly opening the door to his bedroom. Though there wasn’t much time left in the day, he was going to make damn sure that he made the most of what he had left…starting with visiting Emmeline at the coffee shop!

He only hoped that he could avoid his father’s men while he did so…

---

Elsewhere, Emmeline was wiping down the front counter of the coffee shop, her eyes downcast. Quite recently, she had transferred to work at the Rustboro location, not long after her friend had been dragged to live back at home with his father. But…it had been several days since she had last seen her good friend, Steven, who normally stopped by every day for a cup of the finest hot chocolate the Hoenn region had to offer, with a dollop of whipped cream, and cute little Bulbasaur sprinkles. But, as of late, she had been seeing less and less of him, sometimes not seeing him for entire days- even weeks at a time. Though, recently, she had grown more and more concerned with his disappearance. 

Something in her gut told her that it had something to do with his father. She and Mr. Stone had never seen eye-to-eye…though, in a way, that was an understatement. Whenever Steven wasn’t around to mediate, Mr. Stone could be horribly cruel to her, calling her names and making the worst kinds of jokes about her past, before she had come to Hoenn, and before she had met Steven. Hell, sometimes it didn't stop when Steven was around. He still made jokes or jabs, but in such a way that Steven wouldn't catch them. 

Nothing made her more uncomfortable than the kind of things that Mr. Stone would say to her. Telling her that she wasn't worth being friends with, that she was lucky that he allowed his son to associate with her. That her Pokémon had to be brainwashed to win for her- whatever the hell that meant! It didn’t make a single note of sense, and at this point, Emmeline tended to tune out anything that Mr. Stone said to her, as much as it hurt her, deep down. She had also long since stopped telling Steven what his father said to her when they were alone. It wasn’t that Steven didn’t believe her- because he did- it was moreso the fact that she didn’t want him to get in any trouble by confronting his own father. She had seen what usually happened when she spoke her mind.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Emmeline stuck the soiled rag she had been using to clean the counter in the bright red sanitizer bucket underneath the register. Today had been an immensely slow day in terms of business. She saw only one or two of her regulars, and not just that, but the  customers that did come in weren’t even customers at all, but noisy tourists that were just looking around, and weren’t at all interested in making purchases. Emmeline didn’t mind pointing out where the Pokémon Center was, though she did wish some of them had ordered coffee just to give her something to do with her time. 

Maybe she’d get lucky, and there would be some sort of last minute rush, and she’d get to make a bunch of caramel frappes for a gaggle of giggling teenagers. Ugh…caramel….

Not only did she dislike caramel in general, it was a right pain in the ass to make drinks with, especially when you got a handful back-to-back. Not to mention, it got all over the counter and Emmeline’s hands…she shuddered, and took back her wish for a bunch of caramel-based drinks to come in! That would be a nightmare more than it’d be a dream, as it would probably take her twice as long to clean the countertop back up…and they’d probably leave all of their empty cups on the counter, some of them spilled over…which is usually what happened.

One could fantasize about something to do, though, huh?

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Emmeline walked around to the other side of the counter, and took a seat at one of the bright red, hard, scoop-shaped chairs, leaning her elbows on the tan-marbled countertop, a frown on her face. Her mind wandered yet again to Steven…

She wished that he would communicate with her- somehow- just to let her know that he was okay. Emmeline knew that Mr. Stone wouldn’t do anything to Steven, not with how anal he was about his son being the champion, and the heir and all that noise, but she couldn’t help but be so worried about him…what if they never saw each other again? Mr. Stone couldn’t keep Steven away forever, could he? Steven didn’t even care about being the heir to the Devon Corporation- so what did he gain by listening to his father? 

Emmeline stole a glance to the front windows of the shop, her eyebrows furrowed. There were a few tall men dressed in all black lurking around outside, though when she looked away, and back again, they were gone. She figured that these were some of the men that Mr. Stone had hired to keep an eye on Steven, though she hadn’t the slightest idea what they were doing here now. She had half a mind to go outside and ask them if they wanted coffee while they waited to harass their boss’s son. 

Shaking her head, Emmeline shifted her gaze to look straight ahead now, staring at the chipped recipe cards that were hanging on the walls. Her heart panged somewhat as she thought about the day that the shop was closed, and Steven dropped by anyway, and the two of them took turns making weird and random drinks, not caring about the messes they made or the trouble that Emmeline knew she’d get into if her boss knew that she had let someone into the store while the store was closed- she was going to clean up, anyway, so it wasn’t as if she was going to just leave the store a wreck. 

That was one of the days, though, that Mr. Stone had shown up to collect Steven, and drag him off back home. Emmeline stood there while he yelled, and lectured his son, before turning onto Emmeline. The things he had said to her that day still stuck with her. He’d called her a slob among other things, and had told her she was a terrible influence on his son, all because they’d had a little fun at her place of work when there wasn’t much else to do. Sure, maybe Steven could have been studying, or even training for battles and events, but Emmeline thought it to be a good idea to wind-down from things, and to put all of Steven’s worries and responsibilities on the backburner. Not to mention…Steven was a full-grown man. At this point, he should have been able to make all of his own decisions, but apparently his father still had quite a tight hold on his son.

Unfortunately… 

Emmeline sighed, and shook her head. There were times that she wondered if it would be viable to run away in a sense, with Steven- away from his father’s influence, anyway. Somewhere they could be themselves. Steven could still be the champion. Emmeline could still make cute coffee drinks. The only difference would be…Mr. Stone wouldn’t be present. Something inside of Emmeline felt bad for disliking Steven’s own father as much as she did, but he cast the first stone, so to speak, when they had first met.

“...Maybe I’ll get lucky. Maybe Steven will drop by today…” Emmeline spoke aloud, turning her head to look out of the massive windows again. “Oh, do I miss him…”

---

Not too far away from the coffee shop, Steven had run into a problem. Currently, he was hiding behind a massive tree, watching a couple of his father’s men poke around some bushes. His heart was racing in his chest- dead ahead, he could see the coffee shop that Emmeline worked at, and if he squinted, he could swear that he saw Emmeline herself sitting at the counter. He was almost there. Almost to Emmeline…despite how risky all of this was.s. But, soon, the cloud of men dissipated, and the way was clear. 

Now was Steven’s chance.

Quickly as he could, Steven slipped out from behind the tree, and jogged towards the path that led to the coffee shop. It was starting to get fairly late out, most of the townies making their way home for the evening. Steven allowed himself to merge with the small crowd for a moment, not minding, for once, having his feet stepped on or his elbows bumped. For, right now, he was a man on a mission.

And, it wasn’t long before he was at the door to the coffee shop, looking in. His heart had begun racing in his chest, and his hands were starting to shake. He wasn't even this nervous during his first Pokémon battle! But right now, he could barely keep his nerves in check. Why was he so scared? Was he worried that his father was going to jump out from around one of the corners, like that odd red-hooded boy who had spooked him some weeks ago, whilst he was out looking for new rocks for his collection. 

“You need to get a hold of yourself, Steven…” he told himself, shaking his head. He pulled on the door handle to the cafe, and entered, letting the door close softly behind him. Sure enough, Emmeline was here, standing behind the counter, making a drink for another customer. He watched her as she moved, a small smile on his face, letting out a soft sigh or relief. Steven walked towards the counter, and took a seat at one of the bar-chairs, putting his bag gently on the ground next to him. 

Patiently, he waited for Emmeline to finish up with the customer she was helping. He appeared to have several drinks ordered, and she was cranking them out as quickly as she could manage, not stopping for a single second. He drummed his fingers on the pristine counter, and hummed quietly, his gaze wandering to the massive windows at the front of the shop. There were several stickers on the windows of a couple Pokémon that were native to the region, as well as the name of the shop in painted detail in the main window. 

Another sigh came from Steven, and his shoulders slumped slightly. Somehow, it felt like the weight was all being lifted off of his shoulders, just sitting here in the same vicinity as his dear friend. Despite the things that had happened the last time they had crossed paths, Emmeline still appeared to be pushing on like it hadn’t happened. Steven only wished he could say the same. 

Steven looked around the shop some more- and then froze. Out of one of the other windows, he could see a couple of his father’s men, as well as his father himself, marching towards the shop! It appeared that it hadn’t taken very long for the men at the house to inform his father that he had left, and even less time for them to tell him where he had gotten off to. Sharply, he turned his head to look at Emmeline again, who had just finished helping the customer, who was now carrying three drink carriers full of beverages, which were teetering precariously. 

When Emmeline spotted Steven, her eyes widened, and a bright grin on her face. “Oh, Steven! I thought I’d never see you again!” 

“I thought I’d never get to see you again.  My father- ever since the other day, he’s been so terrible! I can’t stand to hear the awful things that he says about you,” said Steven, shaking his head. “It’s terrible, the way he speaks of you. The way he talks to you- he hasn’t been here at all, has he?”

“No, he hasn’t, thankfully…” Emmeline trailed off, her gaze wandering towards the windows now.  Steven watched as her expression changed, once she spotted his father heading towards the coffee shop. “Aside from now- what did you do? Did you set him off or something?”

“I haven’t spoken to him since our argument the other day…I guess his men saw me leaving and told him- there were some men on the street, too. They probably went and told him I was coming here.” Steven groaned, rubbing his face. “Not that it’s any of his business. It’s bad enough he dragged me to come live here with him! Now I have to deal with this too?” I wish I had stood up to him sooner.”

Emmeline reached a hand out, placing it over top of Steven’s. Steven always liked how soft her skin felt. “I think you’re doing what you can, Steven. He’s your father…and like you’ve said before, you’re an adult. You don’t have to stay in this city if you don’t want to.  You still have that cottage in Mossdeep, don’t you? The cute one.”

Steven looked up at Emmeline again, his eyebrows furrowed. She always knew what to say to him. “Well, if I leave now, I’d be leaving you behind. Unless…you’d come with me back to Mossdeep City. Transfer back to the coffee shop there. We would be away from my father- at least for a little bit.”

“Oh, Steven-”

It was here that Steven’s father finally pushed the door to the coffee shop open, just as the customer, who had been struggling to juggle his drinks this entire time, was attempting to leave. The door hit him directly in the face with a loud SMACK! With a loud exclamation, the man stumbled forwards, the three trays of drinks flying out of his hands, and onto Mr. Stone and his hired men, plastic cups flying all over the place. Coffee, caramel, and whipped cream was absolutely everywhere, and the customer immediately jumped to his feet, apologizing and bowing his head as Mr. Stone began to yell.

Steven couldn’t resist. A rancorous laugh came from him, his shoulders shaking; and Emmeline, too, began to laugh. Mr Stone was shaking his hat with one of his hands (it was covered in Pikachu-shaped sprinkles) and his men were surrounding the customer who had spilled the drinks, their identical shoulders squared as the customer sweated and backed away from the massive mess, still apologizing furiously, though there seemed to be a slight smile on his face.

“I’ll deal with the both of you later!” Mr. Stone shouted over the commotion, head snapping in the direction of the laughter. “Especially you, Steven! Sneaking out of the house in the middle of the evening to come see- this thing-”

“This thing is my best friend. And she isn’t a thing, Dad. She’s a person.” retorted Steven, standing up off of the plastic chair, his arms crossed over his chest. “I will be packing my things when I return home- I’m moving back to Mossdeep City, to continue my hunt for some of the rocks I have yet to add to my collection. You don’t control me- and I’m not going to let you tell me who I can and can’t be friends with, either. Emmeline is my best friend and I daresay that I hold her deeply to my heart as well!” 

Mr. Stone seemed to be taken aback for a moment, his eyes going wide, seeming to forget that he was currently covered in twelve sugary confectionery drinks. “You hold her to your heart? Do you mean that you love her, Steven?” His voice cracked as it raised, his eyes slightly buggy, like a Caterpie’s. It would be amusing if the situation were not so serious.

“...I suppose that I do mean that,” said Steven. His cheeks began to burn, probably going the same shade of red as the chair he had been sitting in, and he was aware of every eye in the coffee shop on him now, including the clumsy customer’s, though he seemed to be more concerned with sliding himself away from his father’s men, to no avail. Steven took a step back again, towards the counter, which Emmeline was still standing behind, looking aghast. “I won’t let you control my friendships- or my relationships.”

Mr. Stone spluttered for a moment, appearing to be at a loss for words.  Steven didn’t know if he was angry, or what, though he could see the vein in his father’s neck throbbing, like it always did when he was about to start yelling. But for once, Steven didn’t feel scared at all, or nervous, even. He reached behind him, and took Emmeline’s hand in his once again, squeezing it tightly, reassuringly- feeling her squeeze it back just as tightly. He brushed his thumb over her knuckles, and exhaled. He was trembling somewhat, and his heart was slamming against his rib cage, as he watched his father’s jaw work.

“If that is what you want, Steven.” Mr. Stone’s words sounded forced, and his face had gone dark, his eyes narrowed. There was a scowl on his face, as he stepped over the mess on the floor, to the small bar near the counter, grabbing a stack of napkins to wipe himself off. “Then…seeing as you are an adult, I can’t stop you from associating with the lowlifes of the region, nor can I stop you from inheriting the Devon Corporation when I pass on.  But guarantee that you will see no support from me until then.” 

His voice was quiet. Almost too quiet. Mr. Stone stepped back over the mess, tossing the napkins deftly into the ocean of coffee onto the floor. And, with that, he pushed the door to the coffee shop back open, heading out into the evening. Soon after, his men followed, leaving the poor clumsy customer to dab at the mess with the napkins that he still held in his hands from his attempt to leave previously. But, once he noticed that it was fruitless, he stole a glance towards Emmeline and Steven, like a deer caught in headlights, and left the shop as well, his head down, and his hands in his pockets.

Steven sighed, his shoulders falling.

“I am deeply sorry for him- and for the mess that he left behind,” Steven apologized, turning to look at Emmeline, though still keeping a firm grip on her hand. “And I am sorry for how he speaks of you.  I…am not unhappy with how things just ended, though. But I meant what I said, about how I feel about you…that I hold you deeply to my heart. I…am sorry if that is too forward.”

“...It wasn’t too forward at all, Steven. I…suppose, in a way, I feel similarly to you. You’re very dear to me, and I appreciate that you’re willing to stand up to your father for me.  I…am sorry that he spoke to you that way.” said Emmeline, a deep frown on her face. “I don’t understand why he acts like that- why he won’t let you just be your own person! But I guess it’s over now, isn’t it?”

“I guess so,” Steven said solemnly, though, a wave of relief washed over him as he realized that his father hopefully would no longer be an issue. “I will be returning to his home one more time so that I can collect my things and return to Mossdeep. I only hope that my cottage is still the way that I left it!” All of those rocks that father wouldn’t let me take when he brought me back here in the first place! Because there was “no room” in the house, or in my bags. I do hope nobody broke in while I was away…and if they did, I hope they at least left the big rocks alone. Oh, and the evolution stones!

There were also a couple of rocks that he wanted to gift to Emmeline that he had been forced to leave behind when his father had pulled him away! Special ones that had reminded him of her. 

Emmeline’s voice roused him out of his thoughts, which had drifted to shiny stones and diamonds. “Oh, and please- don’t apologize for the mess.” Emmeline’s voice was soft, though there was the slightest note of amusement in her tone. Curiously, Steven looked up, and watched as she rummaged underneath the counter for a moment, drawing out a set of bright pink rags, and two bottles of dark blue sanitizer. “Because you’re going to be helping me clean it.” She thrust the second bottle of sanitizer into Steven’s hand, a grin on her face- which was as pink as the rags were.

“Wha- I don’t even work here!” Steven complained half-hardheartedly, pulling his hand away from Emmeline’s, a pout growing on his face, as he watched Emmeline walk out from behind the counter, wielding her own bottle of spray and a rag. 

“If you truly hold me to your heart, you’ll help me clean up this mess so that I’m not here all night. If you do- I can come help you clean out your room. You can stay with me in my apartment until the morning,” Emmeline offered, walking over to the mess, and beginning to scrub some of the coffee and caramel off of the walls, grunting with effort. “Unless you want to stay in the same house with your father all night after that mess.” She snorted, rolling her eyes.

Steven’s eyes widened, and he immediately strode over to the mess, scrubbing at one of the trash cans near the door that was caked in sprinkles and whipped cream. “I…would like that a lot, Emmeline. Would you also come with me to Mossdeep tomorrow? I'm going to need help, and…the ride there is scary alone.” There was a note of hope in his voice, and he looked towards Emmeline as he spoke, watching as her scrubbing motions slowed down slightly, and she seemed to think for a moment, her eyebrows furrowed.

Then-

“...I would. Of course I would, Steven. I’d go anywhere with you.” Emmeline said, stopping her cleaning. “Anywhere in the entire world!”

And my father won’t stand in our way…Steven thought to himself, giving a slight nod of his head, and returning to his cleaning. He knew that he had a long day tomorrow, but it would be worth it…as long as he was with Emmeline.

Everything was going to be okay…