TEEN: - Complete [Horizons, Liko/Dot] Purpose

[Mialentia]

Content Warnings: Self-Deprecation​

Summary:​

In the face of her friends’ fulfilled dreams, Dot can’t find her own place in the world. A chance encounter with someone very familiar gives her the chance to settle something she had long desired to.

Tags:​

Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, Doppelganger

Fic:​

Dot couldn’t believe her eyes.

Every story, every legend, every vision she had the privilege of witnessing – none of it truly did Laqua justice. It truly was paradise. Countless rainbows covered the sky in vibrant color. The water was so clear, you could see the bottom of the lakes. Pokémon thought to be exceedingly rare or even extinct roamed its vast fields and towering mountains. Taking it all in, she thought Roy’s childhood storybook was more of a history textbook. As a research hobbyist, the streamer couldn’t help but be amazed, even nearly to tears. However, the voice in the back of her head kept getting louder and louder every time her attention was brought back to Liko, Roy, and Friede, who were all over the moon…

“We’re here…! Finally! Pagogo, isn’t that amazing?” Liko asked the Tera Pokémon, who had long wanted to reach the mystical land.
“Pago!”
“To think Rayquaza always knew this was here… oh, man, I’m so glad I got to catch it!”
“Roy, it’s not your Pokémon, you know…” Friede piped in.
“I know, I know, but–”
“Wait, is that a… Oh, man! Sorry, kids, but I’m following this lead. As a Pokémon Professor, I’m not about to let the opportunity to explore this place pass me by!”
“Ah– wait, I’m coming with you!”
“Me too! Um,” Liko stopped herself, and turned toward Dot. “Aren’t you coming too, Dot?”
“Uh– n-no, I’m fine. You can go on ahead.” The former shut-in was caught off-guard by Liko’s question.
The ancient adventurer’s descendant, picking up on her friend’s tone, raised an eyebrow. “Is everything all right? We can talk, if you–”
“N-no! Leave me alone already– gasp”
Taken aback, Liko shrunk in a little. “O-Oh… I understand. I’ll see you later, Dot… okay?”
“...” Ashamed of her sudden outburst, Dot nodded and ran away, leaving Liko to run after their more excitable crewmates, though her thoughts remained with her loved one.

“Ugh! What the hell is wrong with me!?” Dot’s efforts to not tear into herself in what essentially amounted to the happiest place on the planet all burned away the moment she lashed out at Liko. “She only wanted to look out for me, and I…! This is something the old me would do, not me now–”

Suddenly, a thought flashed across her mind, a thought she didn’t want to entertain. Trying her best to ignore it, she turned her head and averted her gaze, as if the issue was standing in front of her.

When she looked ahead of herself once again, said issue was standing right in front of her, wearing a familiar pink cardigan, and bangs that hide her eyes.

------------------------------------------------

“Meeow.”
Liko was snapped out of her thoughts by her first Pokémon’s call. “Hm? Floragato, what’s wrong?”
The Grass Cat Pokémon didn’t think it necessary to even vocalize its reason, and thus only looked at her Trainer like she was as wise as a Slowpoke.
“Ehehe… you’re worried about me, aren’t you? It’s sweet of you… but I’m okay. I’m just… worried about Dot, is all. It’s been months since she lashed out at me like that…”
“Mrrowr…”
“B-But I’m sure it’ll be all right! Dot likes her alone time. It’d be rude of me to, say… run after her and make sure she's okay! Haha, yeah, that’d be silly–”
“Meeeowr!”
“Floragato, I just told you–”
“Meeee…”
“O-Okay, okay, I get it! You don’t have to threaten me with Magical Leaf…”
“Meow.” Satisfied, the Grass-type put away its vine.
“I should probably tell Roy and Frie–”
“Oh my gosh! Is that a Zapdos!?”
“Whooaaaa! Crocalor, look! It’s a Terrakion! It’s so cool!”
“...well, maybe they won’t even notice I was gone.” Liko couldn’t help but smile at how innocent the two were acting. “Floragato, keep an eye on them, okay? I’ll be back in a flash. With Dot in tow.”
The feline Pokémon, satisfied with her Trainer’s resolution, nodded in approval.
“Oh, and… thank you. You really do know me better than I know myself!”

And with that, Liko was off, her thoughts already racing. She had to figure out how to get through to Dot. She owed her that much for all she did for her.

-------------------------------------------

“Y-You… but that’s… impossible!” Dot exclaimed, panicked and confused.
“...” Dot remained eerily silent.
“...so that’s how it’s gonna be, huh?” Dot clenched her fists, feeling anger she would never direct at even her worst enemies. Well, her second worst enemies.

Only one person could ever be considered Dot’s least favorite person in the entire world, and that would have to be herself. And now, the universe had given her a chance to finally face her greatest foe.

So, what else was there to do but to let loose?

“You pathetic piece of shit! So that’s all you have to say, huh? Well, yeah, makes sense! You’re either way too quiet or way too goddamn loud!”
“...” The other Dot stood still.
“I’m surprised you even bothered to show up at all, instead of hiding in that pigsty of a room you call home! Hey, did you forget your costume? You gotta hide your disgusting face somehow, right? Or is that what the bangs are for!?”
“...” The other Dot did not move a muscle.
“Giving the cold shoulder like you’re better… you sure love to act tough behind those walls, huh? Even though you know deep down you’re worthless!?”
“...” The other Dot uttered no words.
“I hate you! I hate everything about you! You treat your friends like shit, you flit about with no goal or purpose in life, and you pretend you’ve gotten soooo much better regardless!”
“...” The other Dot barely breathed.
“But we both know…” Dot fell to the ground, exhausted. “...deep down… you’re still at square one.”
“...” The other Dot.
“I-I…” A tear fell to the ground, catching itself in the grass below. Then two. Then a dozen. “Who am I!? What am I d-doing here!? What have I even accomplished!?”
“...” Dot.
“L-Liko and Roy… they’ve both achieved their dreams! Friede has a reason to be here! And m-me… I’m just here to play researcher…”
“...” The other Dot finally moved, walking closer to her double.
“I-I’m just a stupid kid… who amounts to nothing, has done nothing, and is nothing.”
“...” The other Dot kneeled down.
“J-Just my mom’s regrets, stashed away on an airship as a last resort… until her life wastes away… no one could love that–”
“...”

Dot hugged Dot, as tightly as she could.

“...!” Suddenly, Dot heard a voice, her voice, in her mind.
“Can’t you think of someone?”
“Y-You… me…? I… what…?”
The other Dot smiled, and ran away, seemingly satisfied.

Suddenly, as if a flash cut through the fog of her self-hatred, Dot understood what the other her meant.
“Dooooot!” A familiar voice rang out in the distance.
“...Liko!”
“Dot, where are you?”
“...right. I’ve done enough moping. Whatever that was… whatever you are… thanks. I think I understand now.” And with that, Dot got back up, heading towards Liko’s voice with renewed determination.

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“Doooot! Are you there? Gosh, I hope I didn’t miss her…”

Liko worried more and more, as she headed deeper into the forest. God, did she miss her friend… she hadn’t said anything back there, not wanting to overstep, but now she really regretted it. Every second away from her felt wrong, and she didn’t quite understand why.
“Liko! I’m here!”
Hearing the influencer’s voice, Liko turned around, a bright, relieved smile on her face. “Oh, thank goodness! I was worried.”
“Hm? Worried?”
“U-Um– a-about having missed you– I mean, lost you, of course!”
“Heh…” Liko’s flustered mannerisms were a sight for Dot’s sore eyes.
“Is everything all right? Your eyes… they look kind of puffy.”
“...Can I be selfish for just a moment, Liko?”
“O-Oh, of course! Is there something you wanna tal–”
Before the taller girl could react, she found herself wrapped in a tight hug, Dot’s head resting on her shoulder and her arms tightly embracing her waist.
“A-Ah–”
“Thank you!”
“What!? Thank you for what!? What is happening!? I–” Liko was utterly lost, blushing profusely as she wondered what was going on, and what kind of deity blessed her with this moment right out of her daydreams.
“The truth is… I’ve been jealous of you. For so long.”
“Jealous…?”
“From the moment we met, hell, before we met, I’ve always thought of you as someone better. Someone who could do all these things… that I could never do. Even when you struggled with similar things to me, you overcame them with such grace… and I could only follow.”
“But that’s–!”
“Please, let me finish.”
“...”
“When we reached Laqua, I noticed that I was the only one without a clear goal, and that… kind of made me feel worthless. What was I doing here? Did I even belong here, standing next to you and Roy? It overwhelmed me, and I lashed out.”
“Dot…”
“But then… well, I guess you could say I had a long talk with myself. And I realized something. Through all my struggles, through all my victories… and my failures… someone was always in my corner. Someone who, even when I’d lost all hope in myself, would always stand by me. Someone who makes it all feel like it’s going to be okay. And most importantly… that someone… is very, very important to me. That’s what I realized.”
“And that’s…?”
Dot tightened her grip and buried her face in Liko’s neck, trying to hide her embarrassment. “...Can’t you figure it out…?”

As Liko finally understood, screaming loud enough that the Archen in the trees all flew away, a certain pink Pokémon looked on from the skies, innocently laughed, and floated away, satisfied with its handiwork.

Dot didn’t quite know what her life purpose was yet. But maybe that was too much to wonder about right now. Right now, she had Liko, and that felt like plenty.