One kitchen/living room/dining room space and two bedrooms; one for me and one for mom. She's gracefully taken the smaller room and given me a larger one with a wall-TV, a queen-sized bed and enough room for me and my Pokémon to all hang out. She says she doesn't need a TV but she's just compensating.
Compensating because she knows how I feel about Dad not being here. I carefully place my backpack on my bed hoping to not disturb or damage the pokéballs that are inside. "Do you like it?" she asks with a hint of desperation in her eyes.
I grimace but pull it off as a smile and turn to her, "I love it, Mom. The whole town is lovely." This bit is true; Aspertia City is beautiful.
She walks out the room and starts to unpack her stuff in her room so I decide to do the same. I get out a few clothes and out them in my drawers and I leave my phone and Pokédex on the crisp, white sheets of my bed and finally line up three Pokéballs and one Masterball on my floor, sitting cross-legged in front of them. I flick open the first and my Gardevoir emerges in a shimmering cloud of light. She seems to stretch from being in the ball for too long. She hums, the only sound she can make, and eyes me happily. "Hey, Gardy," I smile.
The next is Zorua, who hops out of her ball quickly and tackles me in happiness, licking my cheek. I laugh and cuddle her, running my fingers through her long, soft, black hair and eventually she leaves me and goes to play around the empty space under Gardevoir, where her feet should be.
The final pokéball is my Dragonair, who gracefully slithers behind me, brushing against me kindly and eventually she curls up in rest against the side of my bed.
I look at the final ball the Masterball, and wonder if I should let her out. She doesn't like changes to her environment and I've been worried about her ever since I found out we were moving. She hasn't gone through a move before because she's so new to the team.
Well, she'll have to get used to it eventually. I click the button and Celebi appears before me, looking a little upset. She looks around and trembles unnerved by the fact that she doesn't know where she is. She swings down and nudges at her Masterball, trying to push it towards my hand. She wants to go back in.
"No, sweetie. You can't stay in there forever," I soothe.
She looks down and slowly hovers towards me, nuzzling into the crook of my elbow. I hold her close and she seems to relax, "take all the time you need," I whisper.
I stay there for a while before Gardevoir leans over me and looks at me quizzically. I realise that there's a tear rolling down my cheek. I wipe it away and assure her that everything is ok. I let Celebi float away from me and lead my four friends to the small space that serves as a balcony. It's just the lower roof that covers the bottom floor but stops as it gets to my room. The surface is flat and slides down at the edges, giving us enough space to all sit down. There's a lake right in front of me and a huge field behind that. We all sit in the light of the setting sun and I can hear a light mumble coming from the town behind the house, out of my sight.
I look out at the field and sigh. I don't want to stay in the house right now and I've spent far too long in a car driving here without one of my Pokémon by my side. Now we're together again I want somewhere to train with them. I call into the house and shout "Mom! Can I go for a walk for a while?!"
"Where?!"
"The field outside!"
"Sure! Be back in a couple of hours, though! I'm getting food in for dinner!"
I pick up Zorua, hold onto Celebi and watch as Dragonair wraps her tail around Gardevoir's wrist. "Use Teleport, Gardy."
I blink and we're outside my new front door and I can see the path that leads after the bridge that goes over the lake. We start walking towards the bridge. Zorua is darting about and tumbling between my ankles while Gardevoir is gliding beside me. Celebi is flitting about like an insect and Dragonair is slithering slowly behind me.
I was thinking about how Gardy is beside me moving at the same speed and height as me…we look like one being, but she's the Pokémon version of me. But my train of thought is quickly interrupted by the sudden sound I hear behind me.
"Wooooohoooooooo! Yeah!" I hear a male voice scream. Instinctively, Celebi flits beside me while Zorua jumps to the other side. Dragonair stands to attention in front of me and Gardevoir tenses and focuses in front of her, a light pink aura started to glow around her body.
A huge figure, definitely a dragon-type, flies barely a few feet above my head. My Pokémon wait for an attack but there isn't one. The figure simply flies over me and passes by, the sound of rushing wind mixing in with the excited shouting of whoever is riding it. The Pokémon was flying so low because it was landing in the field in front of it. The field in front of me.
Shaking with fury I stalk over to the clearing as I clearly see the huge, white dragon land on the ground. I pause in the shadow of a tree and watch as a boy hops off his Pokémon and pats its neck. It has piercing blue eyes and huge wings that balance out its large bulbous tail that is surrounded by white rings. Its colour is almost blinding in the soft orange haze of the sky and the black far treeline.
Satisfied that my entrance will be dramatic enough I walk forward, my four Pokémon following me. Zorua, Gardevoir and Dragonair travel proudly beside me whereas Celebi, troubled by the wide open space, hides behind my shoulder.
"Hey!" I shout, just as I'm sure I'm close enough that he can hear me, "watch where you're going!"
The boy turns around and I stop dead in my tracks.
God, he's pretty.
The cutest boy I've ever seen turns around to me and raises his eyebrows at me and tries to stifle a laugh as he says, "Hey, there. I'm N...what was that you were saying?"