"Hmmm...I always look forward to days like this, but why do I always hate it in the end? So much for the 'City of Joy'."
It was always like this for Louise every Sunday, the day of rest. Unlike most people, she did not languor about her abode, doing whatever she pleased on a whim-she grew out of that habit a long time ago. She sat upright on her red bed and rubbed her eyes clear of non-existent drowsiness. But just for today, she attempted to perform the ritual known to most as "napping", but after an hour of relaxing and fidgeting in the thick folds of cloth, she deemed it a failure.
She slipped into her cotton slippers, and blindly made her way through the hall. The mansion was extravagant but devoid of buzzing pests, thanks to the efforts of her housemaid. Even when she left the household for a brief vacation for the present, there was not a soul in sight. All the lint and hair was pinched out of the sleek furniture, glistening desks and tables reflected her blank countenance, and the numerous windows let in strips of white light that brightened up the entire hallway.
Despite all this, the mansion did not appear comfortable at all; only disturbing.
Louise was a mature girl, almost eighteen and ready to leave her house for her own Pokemon journey. Her parents initially refused to send her out of the house on her sixteenth birthday, the age most recommended for a child to journey the Sinnoh region. Although the required age was only fourteen in Sinnoh, children aiming to be trainers were suggested they attend the Jubilife Trainer Academy after graduating from the local Trainers' School to further tune their skills. Most of them graduated at fourteen years of age, and received their Trainer certifications and Trainer Cards, but for those desiring further education and experience, the Academy was the easiest solution.
"It's not like I'm not good at being a trainer. I came out third in the Academy, didn't I?."
She crossed her arms in defiance at the reminder. Her parents made a bet with her that if she graduated at the top of the Academy rankings, she would be allowed to leave the house for her eagerly-awaited journey, along with financial support. But if she placed any lower, she would not leave until she had come of age. She was sixteen at the time, and was already famous in her cram school as one of the best. She was even hired by others as private tutors (if she had the time to cope with her tutors), making a bit of money in the studying process.
On the exam week, he easily aced the theory segment, having had various tutors educate her, topics ranging from the berries of Sinnoh to the geography of the region.
Unfortunately, she had the most trouble in the practical segment. The assignment was simple: hatch and raise a bug-type Pokemon, in her case, a Caterpie, from its egg and evolve it into its final form within the two-week period of the exams. At the final day, a Pokemon battle between classmates would be the final grading criteria. The fact most bug-types evolved and matured so quickly helped, but a Butterfree born with a wing scratched from his Metapod shell was not something she had read about in her text.
After her report was mailed to the mansion, her parents were at the very most impressed; even with a defect Pokemon, she managed to make it to the semi-finals of the tournament. After the loss, she continuously deprecated herself over her slight hesitations and wrong predictions of the opponent's moves, and it cost her 1500 PokeDollars worth of ice cream to ease her depression.
Her parents were a different story. They were glad that she did not have to leave so early, but at the same time peeved by such a minute detail. The only blessing Louise received from them was that they didn't confiscate her license.
At the thought, she slipped her hands under her black dress shirt's inner pocket, and pulled out the plastic card. She smirked at her portrait giving an awkward smile, but even more at her neck-length hair. She prepared her hair the day before the photo shoot so that it was practically blinding to anyone excessively ogling her. She and her clique of friends always had a nice laugh whenever the eyes of boys widened when they passed by the halls. She never deemed herself as beautiful, and explained to everyone she only wanted to look good for the camera.
But now it's been almost two years since that day, and she's been letting her hair grow down to her lower back like black silk. There was no purpose getting it cut yet; after a few more years, her current trainer card would expire and she would be ready to pose for a new one. Until then, she had spent the last two years mostly lounging about the house's impressive garden and taking care of her Butterfree's grandchildren, or volunteering around the city, usually at Trainers' School for the nostalgia and meeting the next generation of Trainers.
Louise belonged to the Garniers, a family famous for conceiving exceptional Coordinators in the Sinnoh region. One of them was her father, Bradley Garnier, who competed and won the Grand Festivals of Kanto, Hoenn and Sinnoh during his youth and bachelor life. When he married her mother, a fellow Coordinator, she convinced him to let her daughter choose her own path as a Trainer instead of pressuring her to join Contests.
"Ah, here they are." She unknowingly found herself in the affectionately labelled "Trophy Room", which was more or less a corner of the main hall that prostrated the Garniers' proud achievements. Louise had a small glass case dedicated for her own deeds, filled with wooden plaques, brass medals, and most recently, her graduation diploma at Jubilife Academy.
Her attention, however, was attracted at a photo, displaying her father and mother's last attendance at the Hoenn Grand Festival, as well as their last Contest. It showed Bradley handing the elaborate 30-pound bronze trophy with his knee bent to his opponent, Seras Monde. She came from Snowpoint City originally as a Pokemon Trainer and somehow made her way through to the finals of the Grand Festival. Of course, she did not win against Garnier; she knew him too well to think she had a chance at beating a Contest veteran.
When the award was presented by residential celebrity Wallace, she promptly took it out of his hands, waded through the offended glares of the audience, and boldly relinquished the trophy over to Garnier herself. While her stature as she did so seemed forceful, her voice revealed her full respect towards her opponent.
Some called her move audacious, other simply insulting to the figurehead of Coordinators everywhere. For Garnier, however, it was the catalyst that cemented their love for each other at last, and the photo not only demonstrated his own respect and love for her, but doubled as an impromptu confession. Finishing his declaration of devotion with a hug, the entire audience, starting with Wallace, commenced a ten minute-long standing ovation to the new couple.
Sure, this was retold by both Bradley and Seras as what happened that day, and they may have stretched the truth by a slight, but she always preferred the dramatic version she grew up with.
"Mom... all I want is to be like you." Louise gingerly opened the glass case housing the bronze cup above a rainbow of ribbons and reached to grasp the photo case. Simply touching the glass made her feel weak in her legs.
"Please don't touch, miss."
Louise's throat was instantly dried by her involuntary gasp. Her hand, along with her whole body, tensed at the sudden sound, dangerously tipping the picture frame from balance, but still upright. She raised her free left hand to her mouth in shock, but it formed a twitching fist in a moment.
"How many times do I have to tell you, to stop sneaking up on me like that?!" She quickly rounded on the speaker, her fist shaking in exasperation.
The speaker wore a simple black waistcoat that contrasted with his white and green body, although it made way for a large red horn in his chest and out the back. He wore a pair of white silk gloves that blended perfectly with his colour scheme. His white face complemented his emerald and teal hair, although his rounded hips stood out from his otherwise human appearance.
"Why do you insist on surprising me like that? No, tell me this first: how do you do it?" Louise continued her barrage of complaints, and the Pokemon returned a mischievous smirk.
"It's simple, really-just don't talk aloud, miss." Garcia's answer, while legitimate, only frustrated her even more. The monotony in his voice was, as Louise commented in a previous meeting, his biggest flaw. The Garnier fortune left her with a substantial amount of money, which she received in monthly allowances from the bank until she was of age, when she would have full rein over her inheritance. This allowed her to purchase one the first Pokemon translators when she turned seventeen, resembling a small black button. Not surprisingly, the translators were quickly removed from stock for its inefficiency and poor practicality. The device was attached to the Pokemon's throat, transforming his grunts and growls into English. This however, did not have the added benefit of adding liveliness to his voice.
"Couldn't you have just called me with telepathy?"
The Gallade pointed one of his stubby fingers to his neck. As a Pokemon who served Louise for the last year, he had grown used to her gripes. "If I did that, your present would not serve much purpose, miss. Besides, you are familiar with my conditioning."
Louise growled at the lengthy response. It was evident he had indeed been spending too much in the library again, delving himself in old literature. "You've been spending time at the library again, haven't you?"
The Gallade permitted a miniscule curve to his lips. "I deduced you could identify my prior location utilising my scent, laced with aging paper and dust, miss. You have informed me that you wished to remain alone, so I took my liberty to study in the library, as you have answered."
Louise gave a loud sigh. Garcia spent the last two years studying English to better serve her, but that didn't mean she had to like it. The translator would ignore most of his butchered linguistics, but translate the words he could not completely pronounce, often resulting in repetition and mistranslations.
"Then why are you out now?" Louise smiled at him, thankful for this change in environment; she thought as a Pokemon, he would prefer training over reading, but his disposition towards the mansion library was a quality she never predicted. "Tired of the library already?"
"Not at all, miss!" Garcia's lips grew wider and his whole face seemed to shine as a result "I was merely distracted by the prolonged period of silence accompanying your request, and was on my way to visit. Then, I sighted you fidgeting with the trophy case I polished yester-"
"I was doing no such thing!" Louise interrupted in vexation, raising a wagging finger as she did. That verbal tic of his! How many times had she insisted that he call her Louise or even Garnier! It infuriated her to no ends, and he continued to address her by that title after so many months of insistences! "I was just trying to take the photo out to take a closer look!"
The Gallades eyes grew wide. They narrowed when he realized her intent. "Ahh, your parents. I understand."
At the mention of the word, Louise frowned at his condescend; the last thing she wanted was pity, especially from her unofficial butler. "I don't mind your sympathy, but I don't think you do. You don't even know your own parents, do you?"
As soon as she said it, she felt like slapping herself, and she turned her head to the photo again in self-loathing. The words escaped from her throat without her permission, and she was digging her nails into her palms.
"You are right, miss." Gallade uttered after a while, bowing his head as he did. "I tried to comfort you when I had no understanding of your situation. I apologize."
"No!" Louise objected, much louder than necessary. "I should be the one saying sorry! I'm...sorry." Her face grew hot as she uttered the phrase.
Blinking a few times in mild surprise, Garcia let a few awkward seconds pass as Louise looked everywhere but him. He let out an unnoticeable smirk. It was true that he was born without knowledge of his parents, but he did not mind. After all, how can you be sad about things you never had control over or knew anything about? That was the creed the Gallade lived by, and it was doing him well. It allowed him to have a smile on his face whenever he worked and grow up with simplest desires and pleasures of life.
"Do not worry, miss." He bowed again, trying to show not contempt but respect. "During the entire time under your employment, I have never regarded your remarks as of malicious intent. I only hoped that during your time of languor, you would have used it in a more...efficient manner, than just reviewing your notes."
"Looks who's talking! There's nothing wrong with studying!" Louise, while usually a determined character, could quickly change priorities when needed. Such a quality was evident when she rid her heart of regret from her earlier comment. "Besides, I do volunteer work almost everyday! Oh!" She pulled back her left sleeve and read the time-12:20 p.m.
She let out a small gasp at her misrecognition of the time. "Damn it all! I'm supposed to be at the Trainers' School! I promised Candice I would meet her there to help her!"
As mentioned before, Louise's favourite pastime tended to be volunteering in the local school, from janitorial duties to substituting for absent teachers. Today was different, however. Candice, a popular teacher from the northern Snowpoint City's Trainer School was visiting Jubilife for a class demonstration. It wasn't the first time she came down south, and she and Louise became quick friends during their first encounter.
Before Garcia could ask anything, he found himself being dragged by the hand.
"Um, miss?"
"No time, Garcia! I needed to have left ten minutes ago!"
Louise was a fit girl, with a healthy and well-proportioned body. Nevertheless, Garcia's stoic look was broke as his feet clumsily copied Louise's. "Um...but what is the reason for which I must go?"
"You're going to help me with Candice's demonstration! Now come on!"
Without even looking at them, she fit herself into her black sneakers and attempted to iron her dress shirt with her hands. Garcia, having had no article of clothing other than his waistcoat and dusty gloves, had no motive to prepare himself as eagerly as she.
"Now come on! We need to run for it!"
It was times like this when he desired to be more fluent in English, but even with the aptitude, he never could object to his mistress's wishes. Whenever he saw her with such vigor, he doubted anyone could. Comprehending her rush for speed, he pushed the door open for Louise, who muttered a quick "Thank you!"
Garcia couldn't help but smile a bit. "You are most welcome, miss. But now, we must be running."
And run they did.
...
For anyone that had the patience to read through this, thank you for your tentativeness! If you've ever read my other stories (Who Are You? And Run with Me), you would have noticed the writing style's a bit different from them.
This may sound nerdy, but thanks to my English tutor, I've been reading a lot of 19-20th century text (think A Christmas Carol and Tom Sawyer, except a lot more wordy), and I'm trying to imitate those text purely for my amusement.
Obviously this would not appeal to most readers of . But regardless, for anyone that's read my stories before, please give this a review of your thoughts. As I've written in the summary, this is a short summary, and the lemon's not going to be written for a while, at least not until I've written the characters' backstory.
Stay tuned for future updates, and keep on reading! (It's not like you're going to read anything out of BOOKS in your free time!)