Some Sage Advice for Warren By FatalCalamityz Warren was both looking forward to and dreading this encounter. Although he hoped that he would receive the right advice to snap him out of his sour mood, something in the back of his mind kept telling him that it wouldn’t be enough to satisfy him, and he’d just be right back where he started. The mon he was meeting with was somemon Warren knew as a compassionate personality, and his words would likely be beneficial to hear, but Warren had trouble fully believing that. Internally, he was debating whether to forgo this meeting entirely. Yet he wanted this meeting; he specifically requested for this meeting to occur. And he was already at the meeting place. ‘No backing out now, I guess…’ The events from the day prior were still fresh in the trevenant’s mind, as was the way he felt afterward. Hopefully, this meeting would leave him feeling a bit better. Even an iota of optimism would be nice, he figured. Warren drew an anxious breath as he tried to think more positively, that this wouldn’t be a mistake and that he was doing the right thing. Cautiously, his six root-like legs carried him across a cobblestone walkway that led to a big house, Warren’s sole red eye focusing on the house’s entrance. The house belonged to Kevin O’Hara, Warren’s boss at Big Kev’s Bakery. A typhlosion with a heart as big as his appetite who seemingly defied logic with how he was able to maintain operations as manager and head baker of the business while weighing more than one thousand pounds, all with his signature smile stretched across his chubby cheeks as he shook off every struggle. When Warren first met Big Kev, the trevenant was intimidated by his boss’ size, feeling a little hesitant even to take him seriously; but over time, he came to respect Kev for the gentle giant he was while still showing the occasional concern for how much Kev had to push himself for the sake of his business. It was the former quality, how Kev was jovial yet wise, that brought Warren here to share his problem with his boss. They agreed that the next day they both were free, they would chat. Given Big Kev’s sheer massiveness and great success, Warren had no expectations as to what his boss’ house would look like. Crawling up to the front doors, Warren had already assumed that there’d be two and that they’d be wide. A metal ramp angled up from the path of flat rocks, connecting the low-lying porch to the ground. The house’s structure was based on a single level which made sense to Warren; as if a very weighty pokemon with significant mobility issues would have a second floor. What surprised Warren the most was how… normal Kev’s house looked from the others in his neighborhood, sharing a similar structure and shape to those down the block. Warren didn’t know why he was expecting something more extravagant-looking. This house certainly did not reflect Big Kev’s success. Rather than super, it looked simple. A culinary celebrity lived in this unassuming neighborhood. Crawling closer, Warren peered inside the double-doors. Inside was the foyer, a room that featured open entrances to other rooms in the house - what looked like a living room, a kitchen and another hallway. On the floor was a black carpet that extended to the end of the foyer. Against the left wall was a long wooden seat topped with red cushions. Sconces donning the walls illuminated the room, but there was no sign of Big Kev. To his right, Warren saw a doorbell. He tapped it, whereupon a ringing noise was heard coming from inside the house that lasted a split-second, as long as Warren’s claw pressed down on the button. Warren rang the doorbell for another second, just in case Kev didn’t hear the first ring. Then he waited. After a few seconds, he heard nothing. His unease returned to him, threatening to affect his decision to call this meeting a good idea. ‘Is he not home? He said he’d be home, though.’ Warren raised a claw to the doorbell, ready to ring it again. But then Warren felt a vibration in his bag as dubstep music suddenly emanated from inside of it. Realizing somemon was calling him, Warren reached inside to grab his phone. His eye widened as he saw the name of the caller, a name he had previously saved in his contact information. It was Kev. “Hello?” Warren asked. “Hey, Warren!” came a rustic falsetto followed by a heavy breath. “I heard the doorbell. I’ll be right there. Just know that it’s gonna take a minute, ‘kay? Gotta get up first.” “Oh, okay. Yeah, no problem. Uh, again… thank you for agreeing to… talk to me.” “Oh, yeah! Hehe, anytime, dude. Alright, as soon as I’m off the couch, I’ll get the door.” “Good. Uh, bye.” “Bye!” Warren placed the phone back into his bag and waited, keeping his eye on the three entrances that led into the foyer. Eventually, moderate vibrations were felt by all six of Warren’s legs. Soon after, Warren saw the tubby typhlosion spill into the foyer, wide enough to nearly be denied entry with how his sides squished against the frame and his gargantuan girth coming within inches of brushing against the carpet. He watched Big Kev waddle up to the door with slow and wide steps, hearing Kev breathe heavily as he methodically swung his large legs forward. Warren marveled for the millionth time what the secret to Big Kev’s mobility was, given Kev’s absurd degree of corpulence and the presumably near-unbearable pressure Kev’s feet constantly endured. The trevenant backed up as Big Kev’s belly swung closer to the door, Kev appearing to lean forward and use the sides of the doorframe to balance himself. Kev brought his pudgy paws down to his sides and tugged at his giant red t-shirt to help cover more of his belly which expanded and contracted as Kev did his best to catch his breath. Kev leaned to the left, requiring an adjustment in his stance, and started to fidget with something in the middle of the door. Kev then withdrew his arm, straightened his posture and took a few steps back. The typhlosion flashed Warren a thumbs up before gesturing to the trevenant to come inside. Warren gripped a door handle and pulled the door open to enter Kev’s house. “Mmph!” Immediately, Warren felt a great weight placed onto his body as Kev embraced Warren in a hug. The slender trevenant was pulled into the tubby typhlosion’s super-soft body, Kev’s plump arms wrapped firmly around Warren’s midsection. For a second, yellow and red colors from Kev’s fur and clothes dominated Warren’s vision. Warren groaned. He swore he felt some of his bark-like body creak and crack from the force. Although he, as a ghost-type, could tolerate pain less than other types of pokemon, the sensation of being squished against something so soft - belonging to another mon, at that - still made him feel quite awkward in this situation. At least he didn’t have to worry about getting the life squeezed out of him; he wouldn’t be able to work if he wasn’t alive, and he figured Kev knew that. Nevertheless, Warren attempted to reciprocate the hug by wrapping his arms around as much of Big Kev’s belly as he could, yet all he could do was feebly sink his claws into Kev’s soft sides. “Hey, Warren. Glad you’re here!” Kev told his employee as he released the trevenant from the hug. Warren looked dazed, his red eye profusely fading in and out of black energy as he rustled the leaves around his wrists and inspected his body for damages. Luckily, nothing he could see. Feeling mentally recovered from the unexpected impact of being hugged by a creature of great size and strength, he looked up at his boss. Warren nodded at Kev, a friendly gesture. Kev nodded back. “A’ight. We can talk in the living room.” The tubby typhlosion shuffled in place, making several full-body rotations to turn his heavily encumbered body around. He took a step a second, each footstep causing every inch of loose flab on his blob-like body to wobble wildly like a mound of vanilla pudding. He stopped moving after taking enough steps to face Warren at a perpendicular angle. Kev raised his left arm and pointed to the room on the left side of the foyer while taking this opportunity to catch his breath. “You can go ahead o’ me, Warren” he managed to slip in between great gasps for air, “I’ll be right behind ya.” “Okay,” Warren said, cautiously walking past Big Kev. The typhlosion took up a ton of space by virtue of how girthy he was, making for an awkward moment of Kev’s much smaller and more slender houseguest maneuvering around him. Warren’s six legs kept pushing him forward, though, with only minor struggling, and he crawled toward Kev’s living room. Hearing and feeling Kev take more footsteps just to change the direction he faced, Warren glanced over his shadowy shoulder back at Kev, expressing slight concern over his boss’ apparent mobility issues. Kev noticed Warren’s worry, and the typhlosion flashed the trevenant another thumbs up, smiling through several fatigued breaths. Warren wordlessly turned back toward the living room and entered it. Warren stopped in the middle of the room, turning around where he stood to look around the room. The walls were painted a burnt umber, and a tan-colored carpet covered the floor. A large beige couch rested against the back wall, a window above it letting light filter in through the glass. On both sides of the couch sat small tables which met the height of the couch’s armrests. Looking closer, Warren noticed a huge and deep impression that had been formed in the central cushion. Warren also noted the apparent absence of a coffee table in front of the couch, used to seeing the two items paired together in homes. Directly across from the couch was a television set mounted on a wall. A fake fireplace lay beneath it. In one corner sat a big, black bookshelf containing several copies of cookbooks by different authors past and present. Only the top three shelves were filled, whereas the bottom three lacked anything at all. Once again, Warren commented that he was expecting something more luxurious. Although, he figured the colors made sense for a dwelling owned by a fire-type. Warren’s observations were distracted by the sound of Big Kev approaching around the corner. His gut, then his chest, then his arms and finally his head passed through the living room’s entrance. Kev stopped to catch his breath again, placing a paw against the doorframe to lean against it. His breather lasted a few seconds before he continued, waddling into the room and heading toward the couch. Warren hurriedly scurried out of the way as Kev got closer. Sitting down on the couch required several moves from Kev, all of which looked like they required an extraneous amount of effort on Kev’s part. First, he stopped to stand in front of the couch, the tip of his girth brushing against a sagging cushion. Then he made several more full-body rotations to face away from the couch. Kev prudently backed up until his rear could feel the couch cushions, and Kev gingerly sat down. A loud, gracious-sounding sigh left Kev’s mouth as he felt the pressure be taken off his feet, wiggling his toe-claws while they were suspended off of the ground by Kev’s abundant leg flab. The cushions practically disappeared under the tubby typhlosion’s great heft. Warren could hear the couch creak ominously as Kev shifted his mass into a more comfortable position, draping his arms over the back of the couch. “Kev, I gotta know,” Warren began, wanting his curiosity satiated, “How are you able to move like that at your size? It’s… crazy.” “Well…” Kev replied, “When you’ve been… as big as I am… for as long as I have… you learn a thing or two… ‘bout… wearin’ the weight well.” “Okay…” Warren muttered, feeling slightly dissatisfied with Kev’s response, for it didn’t fully answer his question. “Ugh, sorry. May I catch my breath… before we talk fo’ real?” Warren nodded, standing still with leafy arms crossed over his wooden chest while the humongous, half-ton typhlosion recovered from the exertion of hauling his heavy mass from the couch to the front door and back. Eventually, Kev’s breathing became less hoarse, and he could manage complete sentences without much interruption. “So… what’s up?” “Oh… Umm…” Warren suddenly looked away, breaking his eye contact with the gentle giant. The words he had prepared wouldn’t leave his mouth. In the pit of his trunk, he felt a pang of regret about this meeting that he couldn’t quite explain. He believed, for a split-second, that Kev wouldn’t take his side when he said what he had to say. Seconds of silence passed before it was broken by a voice. “Warren,” the trevenant heard Kev comment. Hearing his name brought his focus back to the typhlosion on the couch. “Remember, you wanted this, Warren. But take some deep breaths if you need to.” Warren sighed. He knew Kev was right. He badly wanted this meeting. He faintly recalled how desperate he sounded when he reached out to his boss, the emotions of the incident having gotten to him. Even now, it was still fresh in his mind and making him feel like garbage. Kev wasn’t there to witness it, but just from the way Kev was looking at him, he figured the typhlosion already knew the source of his somber mood. It was just up to Warren to confirm it. “Yeah… it’s… What happened yesterday.” Warren admitted. >-o-< “I can’t believe these trays and plates were filled at the start of the day!” Warren gazed upon the empty and half-empty platters from the opposite side of a display case. As he was wiping a cloth back and forth against the glass’ surface, he envisioned the cakes, cookies and pies that had once sat inside. A full pumpkin pie with homemade whipped topping and spicy cookies started out with eight slices but now had a quarter remaining. Half of a red velvet cake sat on a plate, allowing Warren to see the white rows of cream-cheese frosting that sat in between the three red layers of scrumptious-looking cake. And all of the sugar cookies on one tray had but disappeared, gradually sold throughout the day either one at a time or several in one box. It was the end of another day at Big Kev’s Bakery. Warren watched customers of all shapes and sizes enter the bakery looking for a sweet treat and leaving with a satisfied smile. Aside from lending a helping hand in the kitchen, Warren helped facilitate the delivery of food from the display case to the counter when needed. Cleaning the display case was one of his final tasks of the day. Once this was done, he was free to head home. The sound of the doorbell ringing caught Warren’s attention, and he looked in the direction of two more customers: a raichu mother and her pikachu son. The pikachu immediately ran up to the display case on the other end of the counter and started bouncing up and down as he energetically tapped the glass. The older raichu caught up to the younger pikachu, her eyes following the areas where her son was pointing. The raichu patted the pikachu’s shoulders and whispered in his ears, whereupon the pikachu’s expression started to turn sour as he groaned softly. It sounded like the kid wanted several different things but the mother only allowed him to choose one. Warren chuckled at the sight. ‘Kids will be kids,’ he thought. Both parent and child nodded at each other and then strode over to where orders were recorded. Looking around, everybody else was occupied with their own end-of-the-day tasks, so Warren crawled up to the counter to greet them both. “Hello. How may I help you?” Warren said with a wave. However, the electric-type rodents’ faces suddenly changed upon seeing Warren. The raichu mother’s eyes opened wide and her smile turned upside-down. Internally, Warren cringed, doing his best to not let his disdain show in his otherwise friendly demeanor. He hated being reminded of how unsettling most mon found his appearance to be. The trevenant felt like he had to put twice as much effort into leaving a good impression as if to prove himself as a trustworthy figure. But again, Warren hid his disdain over being judged for his creepy appearance for the umpteenth time. Instead, Warren maintained friendly body language with a polite wave and resting his claws on the counter. The raichu mother, after appearing to get her bearings, opened her mouth, ready to order. Until… “Waaaaaaaaaaah!!!” The pikachu began crying loudly, moving to hide behind his mother. The pikachu clung to his mother’s waist. The raichu’s ears perked up, surprised by her son crying out of nowhere when he was so well-behaved - if a bit rambunctious - just a few seconds ago. She turned away from the counter to wrap her arms around the crying pikachu in an attempt to comfort him, patting his back and licking his cheek. Warren backed up from the counter, shocked by the events unfolding before him. Even though he tried to act as affable as he could, was it enough? Sure, he saw that the kid was scared to approach him, but he never could have anticipated that the kid’s fear would be this great to the point of screaming and crying. He wondered if he had accidentally done something wrong to startle the pikachu. Warren’s heart sank as guilt started to set in. He wanted to help, so he reached out to the mother. “Hey, uh-” But the raichu suddenly jerked her head up and glared at Warren who returned the mean look with a confused eye dilation. She looked ready to shock Warren for apparently upsetting her son. Without saying anything else, the raichu left Warren alone and carried the pikachu out of the bakery, the bell ringing again as the door closed shut. Warren’s gaze slowly fell to the carpet in front of the counter. The trevenant stood still, unsure of what to feel or how to think about the crying child. This was why Warren hated kids; they were always the quickest to judge him. Looking up, Warren felt the entire dining room’s eyes on him. He awkwardly slinked behind the counter, hunching over to hide behind the display case he was just cleaning. He looked around, most of his co-workers clearly looked shaken by the sound, focusing way too hard on wordlessly completing tasks in the kitchen. Warren, too, went back to his own task of cleaning the display case. He hoped it would be a nice distraction from what just happened, but the sound of that pikachu crying kept echoing throughout his conscience. This was a new low for him. ‘Damn it! Why can’t I just get the kindness and respect that I deserve!? Why… Why do I have to look like this!?’ >-o-< Big Kev nodded, which Warren took to mean that his guess was correct, that his boss had pinpointed exactly what was bothering him. Warren was half-embarrassed, half-amazed. Kev always humbly bragged about having keen intuition, guessing what other mon were thinking just by looking at them as if reading their minds like a psychic-type; but never had Warren actually seen that intuition in action, and now that he had, he was quite impressed if still embarrassed, given the subject matter. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, dude,” Big Kev told Warren. Warren sighed. Although his hollow eyes were unable to produce any tears, his dejected feeling was evident in his voice. “It’s fine. I’m… used to it,” Warren spoke slowly. “Hmm… Wanna talk about that?” Kev asked Warren. Warren tilted his head as if to mimic confusion, only the hunk of bark around his eye turning sideways. “About what?” “What’s on your mind,” Kev clarified. “S-Sure…” came Warren’s reply, but the trevenant still sounded uncertain. “How do you feel about… feeling ‘used to it,’ like you said?” Warren paused for a few seconds, giving himself enough time for his troubled thoughts to combine into an answer to Kev’s question. “I… I don’t like it.” Warren said. “I hate feeling judged for my appearance all the time! I hate walking into work expecting to be treated like that! Can I help it that I naturally look like a…” he stopped short, cutting himself off before letting an unpleasant word slip past his mouth. Warren didn’t need to say the word, though, for Kev spoke up again, sensing Warren’s negative emotions. “Shoot… Well, if it makes you feel any better, know that I still ain’t afraid of you. Nobody on the staff are, either.” “Heh, that’s just cuz you’re an equal-opportunity employer that’s supposed to put up with somemon of my type. You have a legal obligation to value diversity in the workplace.” “It ain’t just that.” Kev spoke. “It’s also cuz I don’t believe that somemon’s exterior is an accurate reflection of what lies inside of ‘em.” Kev’s tone noticeably lost some of its rustic falsetto as the typhlosion continued. “I was never afraid of you from day one, and I chose to add you to the team because you’ve got the skills and the character for the job. I never thought about how customers could react to your appearance, and frankly, I don’t care about that.” Warren was blown away by Kev’s comment. In the time he had known Kev, he admired Kev as a big guy with a big heart, yet he was still surprised by the kindness Kev was showing toward a ghost-type pokemon like himself. He also never expected Kev to be this blunt in delivering an opinion. It practically opposed Kev’s gentle giant persona. But it came from, like a majority of Kev’s behavior, from a good-natured place. He was being conscientious about Warren’s well-being, as a good boss would be. “Uh… Thanks, Kev.” “No prob!” Kev said, switching to his more pitched cheery voice again. “I just wish the customers understood that.” “You mean more of the customers understood that?” “Y-Yeah…” Kev’s ears twitched. It hurt, seeing one of his workers look so gloomy. Kev let one of his humongous arms rest atop his ample chest, keeping the other one draped over the back of the couch. As Kev thought about Warren’s situation, Kev gently patted the side of his enormous abdomen, the loose flab wobbling slightly from the impact. “Warren, I’ve witnessed you serve customers expertly before,” he said, trying to lift Warren’s spirits. “You’re letting these negative thoughts distract you from your accomplishments, dude.” Warren knew Kev was right. Thinking back to yesterday, several polite customer interactions preceded the raichu ruining his day. He knew he could handle customers well, yet the occasional judgmental stare and shaky stutter would always stay with him afterward. “I guess you’re right. But is there anything I can do to make them understand better? Anything at all?” “Honestly,” Kev said,” I wouldn’t worry about that. The stress of trying to please everyman ain’t worth it. Take it from me; I know what that stress is like.” “Huh? How?” Warren commented. “Dude,” Kev started, smirking slightly. “I’m a male typhlosion who weighs more than half a ton,” Kev commented, grabbing a fistful of flab and shaking it for emphasis. The action caused the entirety of Kev’s mindbogglingly massive body to wobble about from his highest neck roll to the tip of his girth. After a big breath, Kev continued talking. “I know it ain’t normal for a typhlosion to be this big, and there are plenty of mon who will remind me of that.” Warren held back a comment that he did somewhat agree - it truly wasn’t normal. “I’ve had my fair share of mon who walked out of the bakery upon seeing me, too.” “Y-You, too?” Warren said in moderate disbelief. “Well, imagine you’re a particularly judgmental mon, you enter a bakery to find something good to eat… and you’re greeted by this.” A loud smacking sound resonated throughout the living room as Kev’s big belly was squished in between his paws, his ample chest rising up against a neck roll like a wad of dough while Kev’s claws sunk slightly into his soft sides. Warren flinched from the impact, averting his gaze and trying not to look at the maelstrom of motion Kev made on his massive midsection. But hearing Kev’s statement, for a second, he tried to put himself in that kind of customer’s perspective. Particularly judgmental? Critical of anything that went against what was considered to be the societal standard? He hated to think about it, but if he were like the raichu mother, the sight of someone as fat as Big Kev waddling around the bakery would have probably made him left like she had when she first saw him. And yet Kev didn’t seem like that kind of behavior bothered him, a great contrast from how bad Warren felt after the raichu’s encounter. “Gosh, I wish I had your confidence, Kev.” Warren said. “Want some advice?” Kev offered. “Yes!” “So, confidence ain’t something that’s developed overnight. Confidence is something you practice over time. And sometimes, a helping hand is necessary to help you build that confidence.” Kev added with a smile. “I mean, I wouldn’t be nearly as proud of my size as I am now if my parents didn’t teach me from an early age to not let my size be a source of insecurity for me growing up. Hehe, well… that was before it all ballooned up this big, but I digress.” “But…” Warren began, prepared to point out the biggest difference between his and Kev’s bodies. “The thing is… you’re… intimidating with how… f-fat you are. I’m… I just scared a mon with my natural appearance alone, even though I’m, uh… for lack of a better term, normal by trevenant standards! Why?” Warren saw Kev nod, the typhlosion finding no offense in Warren’s comment about his huge size being abnormal. “Yeah, if that’s how she reacted when she saw you… gosh, I bet I can guess how she woulda reacted if she saw me, heh.” “Y-Yeah… But why do you think they reacted that way?” Warren asked. “Well… what do you think?” Kev asked, throwing Warren’s own question back at him. Warren wasn’t expecting to be told to answer his own question. He groaned in frustration but nevertheless started thinking. ‘They both came into the bakery looking happy. Then they saw me, and… that’s when the raichu looked intimidated but not enough to refuse me. I think she still would have allowed me to serve her. She didn’t look upset until…’ “Until her kid started crying,” Warren realized. “Until I… I made him cry. That’s when she rejected me.” “‘Kay. But it wasn’t your fault, Warren,” Kev said, “You know that, right?” Warren closed his eye. He couldn’t deny it was hard to shake off a feeling that it somehow was his fault. “Cuz here’s what it sounds like to me. It sounds like you were gonna give ‘em the star-quality customer service that Big Kev’s Bakery is known for. But I’m also thinking the mother had heard some things about how certain types of pokemon act. It sounds like she was suspicious of you at first but willing to at least talk to you, but hearing her son cry probably triggered her parental instincts which in turn probably confirmed her thoughts in her mind, and that’s why she left with him. But again, it ain’t your fault. Warren, you were doing the right thing; it was just a misunderstanding. This is on them, not you.” “You sure?” Warren said back. “Yup. They just never gave you that chance to make a good first impression. There’s nothing you could have done differently to change the situation.” “Then… why didn’t they?” “Well… Imma be brutally honest with you, some mon are just… like that. So absorbed in their own biases and beliefs that they won’t consider the idea that somemon like you is ‘good.’ Again, that’s on them; not you. So please, don’t think it’s your fault when you didn’t do anything wrong, Warren.” “I-I guess…” Warren replied. Everything Kev had told him was difficult to comprehend. He hardly still believed it. “That’s horrible.” He stated. “I agree,” Kev replied,shrugging his stocky shoulders. “I’d love for more mon to be more compassionate. Not everymon’s willing to give me a chance, either, but I know I can’t please ‘em all. That doesn’t stop me from acting as friendly as always, though; and you shouldn’t feel that way, either. Keep doing your thing and greet every customer who walks through our doors with the same pep in your speech as always. If they ain’t gonna change their minds about how they see you, that’s on them. But trust me when I say that the ones who are willing to be open-minded will appreciate your service, like the dozens of mon you’ve served before.” “And honestly…” Kev continued, his eyes developing a more fiery look behind them and the ends of his mouth curling downward. “If a customer ain’t willing to give any of my staff the respect I know they deserve…” Kev pounded the backboard of his couch with a free paw. “...then we probably don’t deserve them. Simple as that.” Warren was left aghast at Kev’s display of aggression. The look in Kev’s eyes could have burned a hole in the wall behind him. It felt bizarre seeing somemon who sported a jovial smile and hummed a merry tune almost every time Warren saw him now demonstrate an emotion the trevenant had never seen from the typhlosion before. Warren couldn’t hold his surprise back. “W-Whoa… Really?” “Yeah, I don’t mind losing one customer. She can take her business elsewhere, and we’re not gonna worry about that at all. We’re gonna keep doing what we do best and what we know is best.” “Wow! I… Wow, I did not expect that from you, Kev.” Kev lowered his head, sighing as his head appeared to sink into one of the flabby rings that made up his neck. Yet Kev didn’t lose his eye contact with Warren. “I’m sorry,” Kev said, sounding regretful. “I don’t like acting like this. I don’t like being… angry. But… I also don’t like seeing a friend of mine get unfairly subjected to harsh stereotypes by some…” A particularly frustrated-sounding grunt left Kev’s mouth. “...jerks who think they know better. Ugh, again, sorry…” Warren relaxed, feeling like Kev was gradually turning back into the Big Kev he knew. “Uh, don’t… You don’t need to apologize. I appreciate you saying that to me. I do feel… a bit better.” Warren nervously held his claws together. The slight squint in his eye indicated a less pessimistic disposition. Kev nodded while smiling. “‘Kay. And… I’m glad I can talk to somemon else about these things. It ain’t everyday I get the chance to, you know? What with having an image to maintain and all - gentle giant ain’t got a mean bone in his big ol’ baggy body, right?” Kev joyously shook his body from side to side from where he lay on the couch, causing the top of his belly to wobble. Underneath him, the couch creaked from the shift in pressure from the left side to the right and then back in the sagging middle. “Kev,” Warren began, no longer hiding his concern about the condition of Kev’s furniture. “How long have you had that couch? Just… curious.” “Oh, this li’l thing?” Kev said. “Ah, I’ve had it for a year now. It’s the… let’s see… second couch I’ve owned in this house. I’m actually surprised it’s lasted this long, but I ain’t complaining. You know, this couch is the same kind of couch that snorlax have in their houses.” “A-And you’re a typhlosion…” “I know, heh!” Kev said, finding some humor in the comment. Warren chuckled some, too, but not for long. Comments that his laugh sounded ‘evil’ no matter how jolly he tried to sound kept him from laughing too much. “But glad to hear that you’re feeling better. You ain’t alone in your feelings, you know.” “Yeah, thanks.” Warren said, his tone noticeably more chipper than it was a moment ago. The trevenant fidgeted with one of the leaves sprouting from his wrists. “I guess I just… I still want to know if there’s anything you think I can change about my appearance to help me look more… approachable?.” “Like what?” Kev asked with a raised eyebrow. “Uh…” Warren crossed his arms as he started to think, his eye fading out in concentration. Internally, he was hoping that Kev would answer his question for him. Left to think on the spot, he just blurted out the first thing that popped into his head. “I-I dunno… Some flowers in my branches?” For a second, Big Kev looked surprised. The next, though, he laughed again. “You think flowers will make you look more approachable?” Warren could tell Kev found the idea just as laughable as he did, but he figured it’d be worth throwing out nonetheless. “Well, hehe…” Kev began. “I can’t deny the thought that some more color in your leaves might look pretty. But let’s not go that far yet. You don’t need to.” The tubby typhlosion heard Warren sigh in relief. Warren nodded. Grasping his claws together, Warren cast a glance at the watch wrapped around one wrist. A lengthy amount of time had passed since he had arrived at Kev’s house to talk with his boss, and he had been pleasantly surprised by the sage advice Kev offered. Even now, replaying the events of yesterday in his mind, a feeling of uneasiness permeated his subconscious; but Kev’s words reminded him of the many positive customer interactions he had since he started working, an indication that he was truly a good worker who was worth hiring. “Hey,” Kev said suddenly yet softly. “Wanna know a secret?” Looking away from the time, an interested-looking Warren crept closer to the couch-crushing typhlosion, eager to hear what Kev had to say. “Most of my size actually ain’t in my control.” Warren tilted his head to the side again, not fully understanding Kev’s ‘secret’. It sounded contradictory to him. He knew that Big Kev was a big eater; that had to be the reason behind Kev’s extreme obesity, he figured. Eating was, as far as Warren was concerned, a very voluntary action, and Kev ate a lot every day. So Warren was wondering whether Kev was implying that he wasn’t always conscious of how much he was eating in a ‘Once you start, you don’t stop’ kind of way. “Before I tell you, I need to know: how much do you know about the pituitary gland?” Kev asked Warren. Pituitary gland. Warren hadn’t heard that word since high school health class. He knew that only certain species of pokemon had them - a trevenant not being one of them as essentially a spectral, sentient tree husk - but forgot what it did, so he asked Kev for more information. “Alright. Biology teacher time! Well, I can tell you one thing that the pituitary gland controls, and that’s metabolism. This pea-sized thing in my brain does a lot of work secreting these hormones that help break down the calories I put into my body. That in turn regulates body weight - or it’s supposed to. You see, there’s something wrong with mine which causes not enough of those calorie-breaking hormones to be created, and it affects metabolism, making it not as strong as it theoretically should be, causing weight gain. And that… plays a big part in why I’m as big as I am now.” A gleaming look of clarity shone in Warren’s eye as he stared at Big Kev in awe. A single genetic malfunction strong enough to push an adult typhlosion past a thousand pounds? He almost didn’t believe Kev, thinking that he was merely making an excuse to waive responsibility for his size away from himself. Yet he knew Kev had no reason to lie at this time, and Kev had spoken in a direct manner without wavering his tone or gaze. “Basically, this condition makes it very easy for me to gain weight and very hard to lose it.” “Oh… I-I see, Kev.” “My dad has it, too. Bless his heart, dude…” Kev added with a somber-sounding sigh before immediately following it up with the jovial delivery of a joke, “Heh, I guess that’s one thing that runs in the family. Hehehe.” Warren caught onto Kev’s seemingly abrupt change in emotions, but he decided not to press, as it sounded personal for his boss if it involved his parents. The revelation of this genetic factor to Kev’s weight still left Warren feeling shocked. “Okay. D-Dang, I didn’t know you… had this… thing.” “Most mon don’t.” Kev replied, shaking his head. “Just one of those things I like to keep to myself… and only share with mon who I think deserve to know.” “So why are you telling me this?” Warren asked, wondering why he ‘deserved’ to know this about his boss. “Well… I’m sharing my secret with you because I don’t want to see you come to hate yourself over something you can’t control.” “What?” “If I was gonna be fat no matter what - no matter how much I ate or how much I exercised every day - then the least I could do was learn to love my body the way it is.” “How?” “I just… accepted it. And like confidence, it ain’t something you develop…” Kev snapped his claws. “...like that. You know? I wish it was that easy. Wouldn’t it be cool if it was that easy?” “Yeah. Okay… I think I get it.” “So when you come into work tomorrow, I don’t want to see you letting anything the customers say or do get the best of you again. Can you do that?” The trevenant thought for a second then nodded. “And if you do catch yourself feeling down again, you know you can come to me.” “Yep.” “‘Kay. Want another hug?” Kev added, patting the top of his mattress-sized belly. Warren hesitated, wrapping his arms around his wooden waist as he recalled how uncomfortable he felt when Kev had pulled him into Kev’s big belly by the entrance. He preferred not to re-experience that, but he also figured it’d be rude to refuse the advance from the mon who had helped snap him out of a bad mood. “O-Okay. Just try not to be so forceful this time. I think I’m still feeling the first hug in my trunk.” “Mmhmm,” Kev asserted, opening his arms wide and leaning back further into the couch. Still visibly nervous, Warren crept up to Big Kev’s belly, extending his own arms out to the sides, too. The trevenant placed his claws against Kev’s soft body, attempting to grasp as much of it as he could. He suddenly felt Kev’s paws grab him by his upper arms and gently pull him into Kev’s gigantic gut, the weight moving onto Warren’s back as Kev repositioned his pillow-esque arms. “Thank you,” Warren muttered, his tone sounding as if he was on the verge of tears. Although he couldn’t cry, the sadness was still evident in his voice. All the frustration of being continually judged for his creepy appearance washed away as he was wrapped in a warm embrace by somemon who saw him for the good guy he truly was. This act of kindness meant everything and more to Warren, removing any negative thoughts about this meeting being a potential waste of his boss’ time. He closed his eye as he enjoyed the hug. The trevenant swore he could fall asleep right then and there; part of him didn’t think Big Kev would mind, either. The hug lasted about a minute. Warren allowed himself to withdraw from Kev’s grasp, backing away from the big typhlosion. He would continue to express his gratitude, and Kev would humbly tell Warren that the praise was on the trevenant for choosing to organize this meeting in the first place. He accepted an offer of snacks, so Kev heaved his heavy self up from the couch and headed to his pantry to retrieve some cookies and crackers for the two of them. Both mon conversed about other things for several more minutes as they ate until Warren felt like he had stayed at Kev’s house for long enough. He bid his boss a merry goodbye, and they both waved at each other. Warren left Big Kev’s house feeling much more optimistic than when he had walked into it. Breathing a sigh of relief, he gazed down at the old-looking tree parts and shadowy aura that made up his body. ‘I’m a ghost-type. I will always be a ghost-type. And that’s okay.’ Per Kev’s encouragement, he knew he had to abandon his current mindset about assuming the worst. ‘Some mon will naturally be afraid of me, and it’s my responsibility to show them that I’m not the monster they think I am. I do mean well. And if they choose to run away afterward. That’s… on them. Yeah.’ The thought of work tomorrow occurred to Warren as he crawled away from Kev’s front door. He could put his lessons to the test tomorrow.