Coro, the Trumbeak

  She is the most beautiful creature I have ever seen. Her grey-black feathers give her a touch of nobility and her brown legs add a soft colour to her monochrome. It’s nothing like the Pokémon from Alola, which all have the same quirky charm as I. The big city clings to her.

  With difficulty, I stretch every muscle in my body. Since I’ve changed so much, I’ve grown. The Pikipeks on Alola can no longer hold a candle to me, but I have to admit that this Unfezant remains out of my reach. Her legs easily make her twice as tall as me.

  The fluttering restlessness in my chest prevents me from getting any closer to her. What remains is eye contact – the haunting yellow of her eyes, which scrutinise me with half-lowered lids and narrow interest.

  “You have beautiful blue eyes,” she utters shortly afterwards with a soft coo, and only the sound of her voice reminds me of the wondrous whistling that once mesmerised me.

  Singing that has burnt itself deep into my memory, making sure I can hardly sleep a wink. Who would have thought that she was so close to me all this time?

  “Not as beautiful as the sound of your voice.” I have no clue what I’m talking about. They’re expressions I picked up in my wild Pikipek days between humans – but most males got lucky with their attempts. More often than not, they’ve made their mate laugh and I think that’s all I need in those seconds.

  “My voice?” She tilts her head.

  “I’ve heard you sing,” I reply. “And I’ve always been in tune!”

  She doesn’t need to know that I’ve probably failed miserably – no one needs to. The others in the team have no sense of music and my trainer hasn’t criticised me once, which means I must have been doing well. How could it be otherwise? I am a proud Trumbeak with many talents. Singing is no obstacle.

  “Really?” Another coo escapes her delicately curved beak. “Would you sing my song with me?”

  Eager nodding overcomes me and although I should meet her with more dignity – after all, I’m the smartest member of the team – I can’t stop my body from reacting too quickly and too eagerly.

  But Unfezant seems oblivious to all my wrongdoings, and when she starts whistling, I close my eyes instantly. She doesn’t whisper any words or attempt any sounds reminiscent of chirping. Instead, she remains true to her melody, and up close, it seems as if she is indulging in distant longing.

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  It’s a feeling I know only too well. So I open my beak a crack and take a deep breath before I tune in and join her song – completely different from what I expected.

  My tones don’t match hers and even a second attempt only sends shock through me and I choke on my tongue. No matter what I try to contribute, my voice ruins the sound of her lovely melody. And she takes it with a restrained laugh as she interrupts her song and lifts a wing in front of her beak.

  “I’m sure one day you’ll find your voice.” She blinks briefly. “You just can’t give up.”

  She looks at me as if I am the only being she can see, and the weakness of my legs makes it impossible to stretch my head and accept her words with natural behaviour. I can’t come close to saying the same words to this Unfezant as I can to Ying or Raya.

  Worse, this fluffy, yet thick skull of an Eevee was probably right. In these breaths, I can hardly think of anything better than staying by this being’s side and giving her all my attention – no matter how reprehensible it may sound.

  “Maybe you’ll teach me...”

  “Can you stay?”

  Can I? I want to say I can, but I don’t dare look at Domino. My vow was to stay by her side and get to know the world. Everything in me wanted to get away from the other Pikipeks, away from Alola and away from everything else. Everywhere is full of all these things and although I should think otherwise, my head doesn’t want to deal with fresh adventures. Instead, I long for a kind of freedom that seems weirdly far away.

  “You look to me like you want to stand by your trainer wherever her path takes her.”

  “I want to!” The reply rattles in my ears, making me puff myself up and try to be a little bigger than my wavering emotions. “She needs me! I’m the smartest member of her team! My wings are there to get her help whenever she needs it and ... and I’m the best at fighting.” I swallow. When has she ever relied on my wings? When have I ever cut a better figure in battle than the others? “I ... she needs me!” Unsteadily, my body shakes a little over the wood of the table. “Without me, she’s ... lost!”

  “Don’t put on airs.” Unfezant intercepts me with a warning. Her cooing threatens to draw a clear line between us. “You seem to love your trainer very much and yet ... you’re not with her wholeheartedly. Before you pretend to be unique, you should set your own rules, desires and perceptions.” She lowers her head. “Maybe one day you’ll understand the sound of my melody.”

  Before I can say anything, she turns her head away. I no longer matter in her world and although I could tell her so many great things about myself, it also feels like I’m brushing her words aside.

  “I know what I want!” I try anyway. However, I don’t get an answer, not a single look from her, and I realise she won’t look at me again until I can be a little more honest with myself.

  A barely perceptible snort escapes me. I’ve never been dishonest with myself and I know how to be honest about my thoughts and feelings, even if I don’t like it. But how can I define something clearly if I don’t know what it is inside me? This kind of conflict is new. Unfamiliar and mean and confusing and I think Domino feels like this very often. These are the moments when she makes stupid decisions because she doesn’t think about herself long enough.

  I have to do better than that. Unfezant is right.

  And yet, the stinging in my chest doesn’t subside.