>>18694610The waterworks are quick to start.
They're quick to stop too."E-Eh...?"
Arms circle around Alice, arms that belong to Chople, "You're not going to be alone. You still have people that care about you, they were with you this entire time. They may not be the best at what they do, and sometimes they don't do the right things or make the right decisions, but they're far from the worst."
"P-Poppy...a-and mum-mum?"
Chople nods.
"Even if I could keep this up--staying by your side to keep you company--, I'd just be contradicting your entire point. There's someone who needs me right now, someone who needs me more than you. If I don't stay by his side and make sure he lives every day to the fullest, he might just give up altogether like a frail little flower, I can't let that happen. He may not be as strong as any of the later ones, but he has the most heart, I just can't turn my back on him."
"Z-Zorua..."
"Hn. It's my fault he's in that condition, I wasn't paying attention to anything, I lost track and sight of it all. I forgot I had... responsibilities, and I briefly lost wind of them. Zorua... He was the Pokemon that stood by me when I didn't know how to wake up, when all I could do was just sit at the corner and look outside the window, and wonder how amazing it would be if I could venture outside."
Alice buries herself in his chest.
"I didn't know what any of that was like until I met you. It was almost as if my heart didn't start up at all until I first caught sight of you, it's strange, I can't even explain it but.."
A) Verbal confession.
B) Subtle confession.
