Bye, Bye Buru
Above us the stars twinkled merrily in the midnight blue sky. We lay atop the roof of the two-storey building staring into the infinity of space.
"Look!" Kameron exclaimed, "its Tauros." He pointed at something indistinguishable in the heavens.
"Really?" I replied, staring at the seemingly shapeless scattering of stars.
"See, there's the horns, the body, one tail, two tails!" He replied happily.
"Yeah, I can see it now."
Kameron rested his head on his hands. "So, what do you really want out of life?" He suddenly asked.
This startled me. I shrugged. "I guess I just want to be free and happy, spending my life with my Pokemon, and with you, of course!"
Kameron grinned in his cute impish fashion. He kissed me on the nose. It had been several months since we had defeated Alakazam by the shores of Lake Eerie. Since then we had returned to Siryntown and I was attending lectures on Pokemon Ecology whilst Kameron had gotten a job working in a supermarket. I had learnt a lot and Doctor Frances Warwick was always giving us new ideas, and occasionally, adventures. We had no idea what had become of Jessie and James, I suspected they had either tried to return to Team Rocket (who were still, as far as we knew, leader-less) or made a break for it. Surely we would see them again, one day.
After a while, the roof got too cold, so we retreated inside. We were staying in the Halls of Residence of Siryntown University. Doctor Frances had pulled some rather extreme strings to get us in there, since we were both too young, and Kameron was not even attending lectures. I did odd jobs around campus between lectures – cleaning, gardening, baby-sitting. You name it!
"So what's your aim in life?" I asked Kameron as we sat down on the bed (we had individual rooms at separate ends of the dormitory, thank you very much, Kameron was just visiting me).
"Oh come on," Kameron exclaimed, "I'm fifteen, my aim in life is to have fun and party hard." He paused, "or something like that."
I grinned. "I think the Doctor would disagree with that," I said mischeviously.
Florion came over and clambered onto the bed with me. All of my Pokemon were wandering free around the room, somewhere or other. It was not a big room and Maki and Kiki were currently curled up on top of the book shelf, tails wrapped around each other in a blueish/grey blur, Ozmos was asleep under the bed, lying partly on top of a pizza box. Razor was in the sink, shooting moths with his bubble attacks, Snuggles was watching the tiny black and white tv. Dragosi flapped around outside, scaring students sneaking out or in of the dorms, and Florion was trying to keep us company. I stroked his furry green back.
"Flori!" He said happily.
"I know," I said, "you guys are bored, and I'm getting that way too. I think we need a new adventure."
As if on cue, the phone rang.
Kameron bet me to it. "Hello?"
He paused, putting his hand over the mouthpiece, "it's Doctor Warwick!" He hissed. "He wants to talk to you."
I took the phone off him. "Hi there, how's things?"
"Oh, good, good," came the Doctor's tinny voice. "I'm sorry to call so late (it was 9.30 pm), but I have some interesting news. It appears a pod of Lapras have been sited around the Orange Islands. I was thinking you might be interested in going to check them out."
"Sure thing!" I replied excitedly. I loved Lapras, not that I'd ever seen one, but I had always wanted to. "So how do I get there?"
"Well, I've booked you a ticket on the bus to the nearest city on land," the Doctor replied. "But I'm afraid you'll have to find your own way across there. Sorry."
"How did you know I'd go?" I asked, curious that he'd already booked the ticket.
"Oh, I knew," he replied slyly. "I've been watching you lately and I see that you're getting a little bored with the life around here. You want some excitement, and I'm sure you'll find some. You seem to have a knack for that kind of thing."
"Thanks, I think," I answered slowly.
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow then," Doctor Frances added, "I'll give you the tickets after the lecture. Still got your Pokedex?"
"Yep." I still had it, although I kept forgetting to use it. "See ya!"
I hung up and grinned at Kameron. "We're going to the Orange Islands!"
"Cool!"
The shuttle trip was, as per usual, rather boring, and it took us several days to get there, staying in Pokemon Hostels. It was probably better than walking however. If we walked we would never get to see the Lapras, after all.
We stopped at midday in a small city, whose name I didn't catch. The next day we would be taking the shuttle the final part of the journey, to the town by the sea. Bored and stiff from sitting all day, Kameron and I decided to take a walk.
"Look at that kid," he exclaimed, "she's asking for trouble!"
A small girl, probably no more than eight, was skipping along the middle of the road, holding a rose between her hands. She appeared to be singing to herself.
"I think there's something wrong with her," I muttered. "We better go and get her off the road."
No sooner had I said that, then a large truck came roaring down the road. The little girl turned and clapped her hands in delight.
"Dragosi!" I cried, calling forth my Dragon-fly Pokemon. "Grab that child, quickly!"
"Draaaa!" The powerful purple dragon swooped out of the air. Time seemed to slow, or at least, the truck did. Probably seeing a large purple dragonfly swoop down in front of you was enough to make you pump on the brakes. The little girl screamed (well, wouldn't you?) as Dragosi swooped down and grabbed her in his forearms. He deposited her in front of us.
She made to run away, and then suddenly saw Maki.
"Poke!" She said, clapping her hands delightedly.
Maki didn't know what to make of this. He jumped onto her shoulder and sniffed her hair. Kiki followed suit.
"Maki?" He asked.
"Maki murr!" Kiki appeared to agree.
"Maki!" The girl shouted, clapping her hands. In the middle of the road, her fallen rose lay, crushed by the tuck, petals dispersing with the wind. She did not appear to realise how close to death she had become.
"I'm Kataryna," I informed her, "who may you be?"
She glanced at me for a moment, her blue eyes seemingly blank, devoid of recognition. She turned back to Kiki and patted the Makimur on the head.
"Makimur," Kiki purred happily.
I looked at Kameron. "I think she's a little wrong in the head," I said as delicately as possible. "Where do you think she came from?"
The brown haired young man merely shrugged, "we better take her to the Police Station. Perhaps they know something."
"Ok, where is it then?" I asked him.
Kameron rolled his eyes in exasperation. "We passed it walking here," he replied, "have you no memory?"
"It appears not."
As usual, Kameron was right. We had passed the station walking here. We ducked inside, dragging the child along with us (she seemed willing to go wherever Maki and Kiki did). The Officer behind the desk was male (surprise!) and peered at us over his small glasses.
"Hello," he said, "what have we here?"
"We found her playing in the middle of the road and thought she shouldn't be out alone," I informed him. "I'm Kataryna, and this is Kameron. Do you know who she is?"
He nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. Little Rosie Miller. Her parents were killed in a car crash a few months ago and she hasn't been the same since. She's supposed to be in the Orphanage, but she escapes on occasion. I'll give them a call."
He glanced at Rosie, but she was happily playing with the Makimurs. He then went to the telephone.
"Poor kid," Kameron muttered, "I wonder if there's anything we could do to help her?"
"She seems to like my Pokemon," I replied, "and doesn't even notice us. Perhaps there's something in that."
Kameron stroked his chin. "Maybe…"
A short while later a harried woman came running in. "Rosie!" She cried, scooping up the child in her arms. Rosie appeared not to even notice this.
"Maki," she said, still talking to the Makimur.
"Thank you!" The woman said to us, "I'm Vanessa Warner, I run the local orphanage and I thank you so much for finding Rosie. She's a little rebel, and can climb the fence with ease. "Oh, I wish I had some help around here!"
"Perhaps we could help," Kameron suggested. "Rosie seems to like Kat's Pokemon, perhaps the other kids would too."
I was somewhat startled by this sudden show of kindness from Kameron, certainly he was a kind boy, but to offer assistance to someone we did not know, that was a new one. I think Alakazam had changed him, the same way he'd changed me.
A little of infinite gratitude crossed Vanessa's face. "Oh would you?" She said, "the kids would be so happy. They love Pokemon, but I can't afford them, the government gives us precious little money as it is!"
"We'll be there tomorrow," Kameron replied. He'd forgotten something. We both had.
* * *
Morning came, and with it, realisation. "We have to catch the bus today!" I informed him. "If we go to the orphanage, we'll miss the bus!"
"But we can't desert the kids." Kameron muttered. "How far are we from the shore?"
I shrugged, "two, three days walk, probably. I think a bunch of orphans are more important then us getting to the Lapras tomorrow. Let's help them."
"Makiki!"
"Makimurr!"
"Yeah!" It was unanimous.
The Orphanage was an impressive sight, with its towering gothic buildings and sturdy gate. It did not look like a happy place for children and it looked like a real pain to heat! We marched up to the gate and walked in. Tall trees framed the pathway and there were a couple of children here. One was a boy, of about twelve, the other one was a pretty little girl with red hair tied in pigtails.
"Hey, are you the kids with the Pokemon?" The boy asked, somewhat unnecessarily as Maki sat on my shoulder and Kiki on Kameron's.
"Of course," Kameron said cheerfully.
"Yah!" The girl cheered. "I'm Bethany and this is Josh. We love Pokemon. Do you have a Clefairy? I love Clefairy?"
I shook my head, "I'm afraid we don't have a Clefairy. They're very rare. So rare I've never even seen one."
"How about Charizard?" Josh asked.
"I have something better than a Charizard. Come on out Dragosi!"
"Drago siiii!" The large purple dragonfly soared into the air, turning a loop and swooping over Josh's head.
"Cool!" He said, mouth gaping. Bethany tried to hide behind me.
"It's scary," she said.
"Nah," I replied, "Dragosi may look scary but he's really friendly, come on down, Dragosi." He landed beside me and let me scratch his head.
"Can I ride him?" Josh asked, typical boy-style.
"Probably not a good idea, yet," Kameron said. "We should talk to Vanessa first."
Bethany ran down the path, "Vanessa!" She shouted.
A moment later Vanessa appeared through the arched doorway, a cluster of small children around her. "You made it!" She said happily.
"So, would you like to meet my Pokemon?" I asked the children.
However, they had already surrounded me.
"Do you have a Pikachu?"
"A Jigglypuff?"
"Charmander?"
"Butterfree?"
Etc, etc.
To shut them up, I pulled out my Pokeballs.
"These are my Pokemon," I said, "Ozmos, Florion, Snuggles," I glanced around, spying a pond, "Razor, come on out and say hi!"
"Ooh, a Vaporeon," one of the young boys exclaimed, "I love vaporeon. But she has fins!" Ozmos, pleased at the admiration, came over and nuzzled him.
"Vap?" She said. "Vap vap oreon!"
"Flori!" Florion came over to see what his "beloved" was up to.
The children of course were surrounding them now. But there were only about fifteen children, so it wasn't too stressful on my Pokemon. Kameron took out his Pokeballs too.
"Dancer, Shrubslash, Marrill, Flareon, come on out and play!"
Marrill bounced out and went over to the fishpond, to play with Razor. She threw piece of bark into the air and Razor hit them with surprising accuracy. Several of the children went over to investigate, more than a couple of them receiving wet faces from the Seadra with a sense of humour.
"Can we battle them?" One of the older boys asked.
"Only if they want too," I replied, "and only if you stop before they hurt themselves."
"Cool!" He looked at Flareon and Ozmos. "Hey, you two Eevee thingies, wanna mock battle?"
Flareon narrowed his eyes. "Flare!" He spat.
"Vap!" She agreed. It seemed the two were not the best of friends.
"Flori flori!" The grass Eeveelution sounded concerned.
"Vap oreon, oreon," Ozmos reassured him. He still didn't seem too happy.
"What's wrong with you Sandslash?" One of the more astute kids asked.
"He evolved himself with a Leaf stone," Kameron explained. "You two behave," the second part was aimed at the Eeveelutions.
Two boys took positions behind Ozmos and Flareon, at opposite ends of the field. Nobody but me noticed that Flareon winked at the Vaporeon.
"Ok, Vaporeon, water gun it!"
"Flareon, dodge and retalliate with a flamethrower."
Vaporeon turned and lightly sprayed the boy with water and Flareon coughed up a couple of smoke rings.
The other kids laughed, but the two boys looked embarrassed, and in one case, wet.
"Vap vap vap."
"Flare flar flar." The two Eeveelutions laughed.
I then realised that I hadn't seen Snuggles for a while. Maki and Kiki were playing checkers with some young girls (when I say "playing", I mean nibbling on the pieces and moving them randomly around the board), Dragosi was perched on the roof (some of the younger kids were scared of him). Shrubslash was chopping the grass and showering the children in clippings, Marrill and Razor were in the pond, playing some sort of bizarre spitting-in-your-face game and Dancer was delighting one little girl by somersaulting through the sky. But no Snuggles.
I went off to find him. I wandered around the corner of the huge gothic building, and there was Rosie, sitting on a huge concrete step. She was crying, and Snuggles sat beside her, his short arms hugging her skinny body.
I did not want to interrupt, so I stood there and watched.
"Mummy and Daddy have gone to Heaven," Rosie informed Snuggles, who responded by hugging her closer.
"Buru ru," he said sadly.
"And now I have to live here all alone. I don't wanna make friends. What if they die too?" She paused, staring at Snuggles, "sometimes I wish I had gone to Heaven with them."
"Ru, ru ru ruu!" Snuggles disagreed with that emphatically.
She patted him on his large head. "I know, but then I wouldn't be all alone."
I turned and walked back to the group. It was the most cohesive and in touch with reality I had ever seen Rosie, and she had to sort out herself. If my Buru could help, that was all well and good.
An hour later, my Pokemon were worn out, so I recalled most of them (except the Makimurs and Snuggles) and we went inside for the tour, and also for lunch. Vanessa was very grateful for our help, we had brightened up the kids morning.
Lunch was a fairly desultory affair, sandwiches and fruit, but I did share it with my Pokemon. Rosie had joined us again, she held Snuggles by the hand but still appeared to be away with the faeries, so to speak. The Buru, on the other hand, refused to be taken away from her and I didn't even attempt to recall him. He was such a sweet natured creature that I trusted him thoroughly. If anyone could help this child, it was he.
After lunch, was class. Vanessa made me talk about my Pokemon here. I would call one out of its ball, sit it on the desk, and tell the class a bit about what it was, where I'd found it, and any particularly interesting information I knew about the species in general. Florion was the most unusual, and therefore, I had many question to answer about him. It was late afternoon by the time we bid the children farewell.
"Bye Kataryna, bye Kameron, bye Maki and Kiki!" They said loudly, and then each one insisted on hugging us (and the Makimurs too).
Vanessa thanked us with gratitude. "You've certainly brought a little ray of light into their lives," she said.
I looked at Snuggles, who was still clinging to Rosie's hand. "I'm sorry Snuggles, but we have to go now."
The Buru looked up at me, and squeezed Rosie's hand, giving her a hug and walked slowly and unenthusiastically over to me.
He turned and looked back at Rosie, who had tears streaming down her cheeks, crying silently and staring at him.
"Buru?" He looked up at me sadly. "Bu ru ru." Turned his head to look at Rosie. "Burururu."
I crouched down so that I could look him in the eyes. "Snuggles," I said slowly, carefully, "if you want to stay with Rosie, I'll let you. You don't have to come with me if you don't want to." I was beginning to feel sad myself. But what life was mine really for the gentle soul? I had adventures, and Snuggles had the wrong sort of personality for adventures. He wanted to help people, and I could whole-heartedly support that.
"Buru?" He looked at both of us, hugged me and darted back to Rosie, grabbing her hand enthusiastically.
"Bye Snuggles," I said sadly.
"Bu bu," he replied.
Rosie smiled happily, looked up at me. "Thank you Miss Kataryna," she said.
And that was all the reward I needed.