"Mother fucker!"
Enter Arianna Athelina Gwendolyn Estelle Foster, also known as Ari, Stella, Gwennie, and 'The Destroyer of Dwarves'. She is a very headstrong and independent young woman, trainer of fifty-two seconds, the person least tolerant of your shit, as well as a level eighty-three Dark Elf thief in Oblivion. She is also about to embark on a pokémon training adventure, although not the kind which involves the collecting of eight shiny yet senseless little gems.
"Mrrr-eeep!"
And this is Mary, the very un-cleverly named Mareep given to Arianna by her beloved boyfriend. Mary is just like Arianna; stubborn and independent, which are obviously not desirable traits in a pokémon. Before being forced into becoming a trained pokémon, this particular Mareep was a nice and carefree little one, always grazing in the fields with its friends. Post forced capture, it's now become a rather unfriendly little shit, as evidenced by the fact it just electrocuted its own trainer.
These two now-partners hate each other with a passion, don't get along at all, and wish ill fates upon the other. However, they do have one thing in common aside from iron will and a mutual hatred: They will not let anybody fuck with them and get away with it. Together, they will have to face the world following the disbandment of a certain major crime organization, and learn to work as a team before it's too late.
This twisted yet comedic world is the product of lots of caffeine at four AM in the morning, mindless ramblings between two friends, and the surprising formulation of plot despite being horribly sleep deprived. Being written for the pleasure of your lovely eyes, I present to you:
The Grand Spectacular Adventures of Arianna Foster
…
Chapter One: Dream of Electric Sheep
Sunday, October 16th, 2011
10:33 AM
...
Arianna's eyes slowly opened, and she instinctively looked to her left, expecting to find an alarm clock. Instead she found the bottom of a dirty couch.
"The fuck?" She sat up and racked her brain, trying to remember anything that happened the night before. That's when the soreness resulting from sleeping on the floor kicked in. "Nngggguuuuuhhhhh…" She let out a long and loud grown as she stretched in an attempt to make the soreness at least somewhat bearable, and swiped away the messy, knotted copper colored hair which drooped over her face. It dropped back down a second later. "Thanks hair," she growled.
"You got any cereal?" A voice came from the kitchen. Arianna slowly turned her head, and saw a blurry figure standing behind a counter. She could barely make out the fact it was her kitchen. "Top left cabinet… We're out of milk though." Her eyes turned to slits as she tried to make out who was talking to her. For all she knew, it could be some sort of burglar. "Yeah that's fine, I eat my cereal dry anyway," The voice said back.
Arianna furiously rubbed at her eyes, and took a good look at her surroundings. She was on the floor, sleeping on top of a blanket meant for a bed. Except she was in the living room. A very messy living room. Beer bottles, chips, and three other people littered the brown hardwood floor. It took her barely functioning mind a few moments to start connecting the dots. Then it finally dawned on her.
Arianna Foster was hungover. It did a good job explaining the massive headache starting to blossom within her head. She returned her attention to the kitchen, now that she could see a distance more than two feet in front of her. Standing behind the kitchen countertop was-
"Malcolm, what are you doing in my house?" Her tone was very calm all things considered. She woke up with no memory of the night before, and casually lets a friend who somehow got into the house eat her cereal.
"I woke up in your closet." A dry response. He definitely sounded too tired to be up. Malcolm simply stared at the cereal, and popped a few of them in his mouth. "The only other person up right now is Jessica probably. She's in your room I think."
Brief flashes of memory started coming back to Arianna. Something about… Jessica, Arianna, and lots of bad choices which seemed like good choices at the time… And a firework… Something about a firework. She got up off the floor, nearly falling back down after a head rush made her head spin. The journey to Arianna's room was as perilous as it was silly looking. And it was very silly looking. She had nearly tripped over all the people in her way, and nearly smashed a glass beer bottle under her foot. Essentially a much more dangerous game of 'Try not to step on the Legos.' Actually no, a good handful of people would rather step on the glass rather than the plastic bricks from hell. She finally made it to the doorway of her room, with the only battle damage being a small cut on her heel. Nothing a bandage couldn't heal.
"Yo, Jessica," Arianna called inside the room. It was dark, and she flipped on a light switch.
"Turn it off!" A voice hissed, and Arianna quickly obeyed. She walked further into the room, and poked at the human sized lump. The covers were suddenly jerked upward, revealing Jessica's disgruntled face. "What do ya need?"
"You're in my bed Jessica."
"It was the only comfortable thing left in yer house, love."
"Yet I was left sleeping on the floor?"
"Hey, ya passed out there and decided t'sleep there. Least Caleb gave ya a blanket and pillow, meanwhile all the other saps had to sleep on the hardwood floor."
Arianna blushed, now knowing it had been Caleb who had made her sleeping experience at least somewhat better. "Where is the butt-munch anyway?" A cool breeze came in from the window, sending a chill over her entire body.
"Backyard I'm guessin'. If ya go back there however, might I suggest puttin' some clothes on?" Jessica scanned Arianna up an down, giving her a clear hint of what clothes were missing. Arianna looked down to find she was only wearing a shirt and underwear. "Well that explains why I feel so cold." She trotted over to her hamper and pulled out a pair of dirty, faded looking blue jeans. "Eh, probably good for another day right?" She slipped them on and began another perilous journey through the hallway. Only managing to trip once, she had finally made her way on the back porch, where Caleb was waiting.
"On a scale from one to ten, how hungover are you right now?" Caleb asked while leaning on the very unstable looking porch banister. If that thing snapped, it would mean an unpleasant ten foot drop to the grassy, unkempt backyard below. His neat long dirty blonde hair blew in the wind like hair would in a shampoo commercial.
"Nineteen. Hey, how come you don't look like crap?" Arianna placed a hand on her hip.
"Well for starters, I didn't have as many beers as you did. I was a good little boy and limited myself to only two." He shrugged, and walked a few steps closer toward the irate woman who would probably bite at any second.
"I have next to no memory of yesterday. The fuck happened that I have a pounding headache today?" She rubbed her head, hoping to soothe it a bit, but it only seemed to make it worse.
"You seriously don't remember? You planned it for weeks, and have been looking forward to it all year?" Caleb tried dropping hints, but sighed when he was simply met with a blank stare. "This was your eighteenth birthday Ari!" A brightened expression came over her, and she seemed to smile. "Holy shit! How did I forget a night like that!?"
"You had waaaaay to much drink last night." He gave her a supporting pat on the back. "You were so wasted you didn't even recognize me when I offered to take you to your bed. You just kept mumbling about Trent and a firework. Then you passed out on the floor, so I at least gave you a blanket to make you somewhat comfortable." He gave her a warm smile, and she couldn't help but smile back.
"This is why I love you." She leaned in closer and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "You smell nice. Did you already shower? Should've invited me…" Arianna dug into his neck, giving him a few more kisses, each one slightly more passionate.
"I did shower actually, thanks for noticing. I have to go somewhere later today, and I'm actually leaving pretty soon." He pulled her away from his neck, and she looked up at him with her puppy dog eyes.
"Where are you going? It's a Sunday. Nothing interesting happens on a Sunday!" Arianna whined and gave Caleb a tight hug.
"I have to go babe. I'm heading to Goldenrod. Whitney wanted to meet Victoria, Carrie, and myself at the gym today. It's probably something important if she called us on a Sunday." He returned her hug to make her feel a bit better. "Three girls and you inside the gym? I don't like the sound of this…" Ari questioned suspiciously, and crossed her arms. That made Caleb chuckle a bit. "You know for a fact I'm the only guy in that gym! Plus, I would never do anything with them. They're fun, but crazy."
Arianna pouted. "I sometimes hate the fact you're a gym trainer, but okay then. At least cuddle with me on the couch for a bit before you go?" Caleb let out a small laugh. "Okay, but only because I love you so much."
"Hey, Ari!" Both Arianna and Caleb turned their attention to Trent who was standing below them in the backyard with his Cyndaquill out next to him. There was also something stuck into the ground. "I'm gonna set off that firework now! Use Ember!"
"Quill!" A small flame shot out from the Cyndaquill's snout, lighting the fuse. Ari's eyes went wide.
"Wait, Trent! No!-"
Peeeeeeeeeewwwww…
BOOM!
…
11:03 AM
...
"It wasn't a gunshot officer, I assure you." An annoyed look formed over Caleb as he spoke to the officer just outside of the door. Fifteen minutes later, the officer finally left, and Caleb flipped him off the second he turned his back. He walked back inside and shut the door.
"Well there goes cuddling." Arianna stated dryly, and Caleb just shot her a quick glare. "A firework!?"
"Jessica and I were probably already drunk when we bought it! Also, you didn't have to take the heat you know."
Caleb rubbed at his temples before sighing. "I'm technically responsible for you until your mom comes back from Hoenn. But I'm just gonna pretend this little fiasco didn't happen for the time being. I wanted to be cute in doing this but now I don't have any time..." He dug around in his pocket, and fished out a minimized great ball.
"You catch a new pokémon? I don't remember you having a great ball for any of your pokémon…" A smile formed over Caleb's face as she spoke. "It's not my pokémon… It's yours."
The silence that encompassed the room was almost eerie. Even Malcolm who was still munching on some cereal stopped eating.
"My… My pokémon?" Arianna was wondering whether or not Caleb was serious. "Are you for real?"
"Wow, I thought you'd be more grateful than this honestly…"
"No! I am! But just… Why? I was barely responsible enough to care for that pet Goldeen I had four years ago!"
"Yeah, then you gave her to me. She's doing well by the way, and actually evolved into a Seaking. But this is different! She was a pet. Now, you get your own training pokémon for your birthday!" Caleb seemed awfully pleased with himself as evidenced by the cheesy grin on his face.
"But why!?"
"Because I love you, okay?" He held both of her hands. "I'm a trainer, so I don't have much time to spend with you while I'm out training. If you become a trainer with me, I can spend even more time with my beautiful Butterfree!" Caleb kissed Arianna on the forehead causing her to squirm and blush.
"You're such a dork, you know that?" She couldn't help but giggle. "Is it at least a cute yet terrifying badass pokémon?"
"Maybe when it evolves! Find out for yourself!" Caleb's outstretched hand gave Arianna the minimized great ball. "Press the button then throw." He helpfully informed.
"I knew that!" Ari snapped. She didn't actually know that. She pressed the button and it maximized to the size of her palm with a dooit sound. One toss to the ground and-
Fsheeeewwww!
A bright flash burned the image of a small, round pokémon into the retinas of Arianna's eyes. "Ah fuck!"
"Shit- Forgot to mention, don't stare directly at it as you send it out…" Caleb scratched the back of his head, but was only met with a middle finger in his face. After the bright spots faded from Ari's vision, she got a good look at the pokémon standing before her. It was woolly, it was blue, and had black and yellow striped conical ears, as well as a similarly striped tail with an orange bulb on the tip.
"Mar-eeep!"
Arianna blinked. "A Mareep?"
"Yep!" Caleb had a wide grin on his face. "Isn't it cool?" Arianna continued to stare at the electric sheep, silently criticizing. Maybe if she believed hard enough, it would turn into a Charizard. When it didn't, she sighed, and placed a hand on Caleb's shoulder.
"Caleb. I love you. I really do. But I don't think a Mareep is the way to get me into the training scene…" She instantly wanted to take back her words as she saw the hurt expression appear over Caleb. "You… You don't like it?"
Now Ari felt like a total asshole. She bit the bottom of her lip, and looked down at the ball of wool, then back at Caleb, who was giving her the kicked Growlithe look. "I'm kidding obviously! I love it!" She feigned an excited tone, and after eighteen years of practice, she was pretty damn good at it. Luckily for her, it worked. "Really? I knew you would!" He cheered and pulled her into a hug. "Gonna give it a name?"
Arianna thought for a moment. Only one, singular moment. "Uh, Mary! I'll name her Mary!" She had chosen the most un-creative name for a Mareep imaginable. Caleb cocked his head. "Really? I mean- It's great! Fitting... Anyway, I need to head out now. I'll see you tomorrow maybe?"
"You better come see me tomorrow, or I'll hunt you down myself." She pulled him in by the shirt collar for a kiss. "Love you!"
Caleb smiled and started to open the door. "Why don't you just come meet me in Goldenrod tomorrow? It'll me easier for me."
"Hm, alright then. I'll see if I can. Just for you babe!"
He laughed. "I'll see you then. Love you! Make sure to get along with your pokémon!
"Got it." Ari blatantly ignored. The door was shut, and she was left alone with the Mareep. "Hey you." She bent down in an attempt to pet it.
"Reeeep!"
Bzzzt!
"Gah! Mother fucker!"
And that was how Arianna's first day as a pokémon trainer began.
…
11:39 AM
…
The rest of the day followed with Arianna having to figure out how to return a pokémon into a pokéball, and fighting a Mareep to get inside said pokéball.
"Get in here you little shit!"
"Mreeep!"
It shot electric sparks from its body, and Ari just barley managed to dodge them. It instead hit the picture of Castelia City hanging over the couch, leaving it a bit singed. "That's my favorite painting!" She lunged toward Mary, arms in front of her to grab it, but it gracefully jumped out of the way, leaving Ari to crash to the floor.
"You want some help with that?" Malcolm offered. He had simply been observing as the events unfolded before deciding to be of use to Ari.
"Yes please! This sheep from hell can't take the two of us!" Both Arianna and Malcolm stood on either side of the Mareep, making the living room look like some sort of western cowboy draw. Mary looked back and forth between the two of them, waiting for their next move. The three of them waited in silence until it was broken by-
"Now!"
The two humans lunged toward the Mareep, and despite its best efforts to dodge, was yanked backed to the ground as soon as it jumped.
"Gotcha you fucker!" Arianna stood triumphantly (well more like kneeled) over the Mareep. The two of them were holding Mary down by its electrified wool coat, causing both of their hairs to stand on end.
"Quick, Ari! The pokéball, before-" Malcolm was abruptly cut off by the electric sparks now flying all over the room.
"Reeeeeeeep!"
"Shitfuckshitfuckshitfuck!" Were the only words Arianna could utter while being electrocuted by a Discharge attack.
"Ughhh…" Malcolm passed out on the ground, hitting the floor hard.
"Ree-eeep!" It trotted away into a different room, bouncing over all the obstacles on the floor. There was only one other person still passed out, the others had either gone home or were helping clean up.
"Oh no you don't!" Ari jumped up and chased the pokémon to the hallway where it ran into one of the rooms. "Dammit, where'd you go?" She thought to herself.
"Aren't you the cutest little thing?" A voice came from Ari's room. "Jessica." She ran into her room where Jessica was cuddling with Mary, nuzzling into its wool.
"Jessica, you are currently cuddling with a pokémon who probably managed to claw its way up from hell. I suggest-"
"Stella, is this yer pokémon? I didn't know ya had one!" She scratched behind its ears, seeming to pleasure it a bit.
"Mareeeep!" It cuddled closer to Jessica.
"Caleb just gave her to me," Arianna pulled out the great ball. "I hope he kept the receipt." She pressed a small button on the back of the ball and a beam of red light shot out at Mary, successfully returning it.
"Aw, why'd ya do that? I was busy fawnin'!" Jessica pouted.
"That thing is not as cute as you think it to be, trust me. Caleb gave it to me for my birthday, and I think I can safely say it's one of his worst gifts. Right next to the time he gave me the 'special shampoo'."
"That was a disaster." Jessica agreed. "You need any help cleaning up the place?"
"I could use the extra pair of hands," Ari shrugged. "We also need to shoo everyone else out of here."
"I got ya covered in that front, don't worry love." Jessica gave Ari a wink.
After sweeping the floor for all beer bottles, chips, and people, you could almost convince yourself it didn't look like a tornado struck the inside of the house. Everyone, including Malcolm and Jessica, left the house, making it seem emptier than ever. With nothing to do, Arianna was mind numbingly bored. She pulled out her phone and looked up standard procedure for new trainers.
"Talk to the nearest licensed pokémon professor…" She scanned the WikiHow article on the basic gist of becoming a trainer. "Obtain a pokédex to become an officially licensed trainer… Okay, now I should probably find out who the nearest professor is, shouldn't I?"
After some more searching on the Internet, Arianna found out the nearest pokémon Lab was just in the next town. "Professor Elm's pokémon Lab, located in New Bark Town. Eh, fuck it, I have nothing better to do today." She made her decision to leave Cherrygrove City and take the bus to New Bark Town to receive an official trainers license. She figured it would make Caleb happy.
...
1:44 PM
…
"Sign this paper over here." The red headed boy slid a paper over the desk towards Arianna.
"Sign this then I'm done?" She arched her eyebrow. It seemed almost too simple.
"Well no. You sign, register a pokédex, then we take your picture…"
Damn! She knew it had to involve more than just a simple signing.
"Also, write your full name on this line right here." He pointed to the space of three lines at the top of the paper.
"My full name? Can't I just-" Arianna tried to protest.
"Full name, like I said." He bluntly replied. She figured there was no use trying to fight it, so she took the pen the boy handed him, and wrote her signature just below the fine print, as well her full name at the top. "Perfect." The head of red hair disappeared below the desk, and there was a very prominent thud sound.
"Gah, son of a…" The boy muttered under his breath, and Ari had to stifle a laugh. He poked back up, rubbing the back of his head, and glared at Arianna. He probably heard the laugh anyway. "Yo Elm! Where are all the pokédex?" He turned around in his swivel chair, and faced the back of the room.
"Give me a moment!" Another voice called back. "Just let the old man deal with this, alright?" The boy got up from his chair and walked into a room towards the left of the lab. "Okay then?" Arianna was just left to be confused. She swung her feet back and forth as she waited, continuously scuffing her shoes on the ground. She leaned back in the chair so far she was facing the ceiling, and let out a long groan of boredom. Patience wasn't very well suited for her. "It would be great if I could become a trainer in the next five years you know!"
No voice called back to defend itself. However, just before Arianna could consider getting up and leaving, a man in a lab coat with short acorn colored hair entered the room with a folder in one hand, and something shiny and red in the other.
"You're the new trainer right? Sorry for the wait, I'm a bit short staffed today…" The man gave a sheepish grin and sat down across from Arianna. "First, we need to get all the complicated stuff out of the way first. I trust Silver already made you sign the registration paper?"
"That's his name? Seems almost too gay to be true." Arianna remarked. The smile on the mans face decreased a little.
"It says so on my birth certificate." The red haired boy had re-entered the room, and handed the man a few more papers, while keeping one in his hand. "But I suppose you shouldn't be talking," He looked down at the paper he was holding. "Arianna Athelina Gwendolyn Estelle-"
"Okay! I have a long name, so what?" Ari snatched the piece of paper from his hands, and a sly grin appeared on the boy's face.
"Okay you two, just settle down. We don't need a fight on our hands." The man said calmly. "So, you're Arianna?" He took the paper gently from her hands.
"That's me."
"Good. My name is professor Elm. Now that I know you signed the registration paper, we can start with your pokédex." He held out the shiny red object out at Arianna, and she took it, wondering what it was. Without thinking, she pressed a button and the top part of the pokédex flipped upwards, revealing a screen below.
"Woah, this some kind of phone?" Arianna questioned. She examined the piece of technology carefully.
"Almost like one actually! This device registers the information of any pokémon you may encounter. However, it also has a map, as well as a direct messaging system! I designed this version myself!" professor Elm proudly beamed. Ari couldn't deny, she was somewhat impressed. Only somewhat though.
"Cool. Am I a trainer yet?" She began to grow even more impatient.
"Eager one are we? Okay, I'll fill out most of the formalities now, you just focus on registering your pokédex, okay? Silver here will keep you company." A surprised look came over Silver, and Arianna could just barely here him murmur- "Wait, what? Why?" Followed by a sigh from him.
"Guess you're stuck with me." Arianna remarked. She turned her attention back to the pokédex which was asking her some basic questions an online survey would ask of her. Then it came to a screen which read 'STARTER INPUT'. Before Ari could even ask, Silver, who was sitting down next to Ari, spoke up.
"Considering you didn't fill in the lab starter box earlier, I assume you already have a pokémon, right?" He asked Ari. She hesitated before doing so, but eventually pulled out the Great Ball containing Mary from her pocket. "This little shit is my starter. A Mareep."
"Great. Keep it minimized and insert it into this groove in the back of the pokédex." Ari felt the groove he was talking about and inserted the pokéball. The screen changed from 'STARTER INPUT' to 'pokémon REGISTERED'. She popped the Great Ball back out, and stuffed it back in her pocket.
"Now you have all the information on your pokémon. You can even name it if you haven't already." Arianna took that advice and input the Mareep's name as Mary. "If you'll come with me, we can take your picture for your trainer ID."
"I have to get an ID too? Can't I just take the pokédex and leave?"
"I know, it's a lot of formality, but it's better to register now. I actually didn't register to become an official trainer until three years after my training started." Silver led her into the room on the right of the lab. The room was small, and in it was a computer and a camera. "Stand against that wall and say cheese."
"Right here?" Arianna stood in front of the camera and struck a pose. "Yep, right there. Say cheese."
"Cheese!"
Click!
Arianna was briefly blinded by the flash of the camera, and blinked a few times to make her vision return to normal. "Am I done yet?"
"I swear if you ask that one more time, I'm gonna replace your trainer ID picture with a picture of Danny DeVito." Silver glared at her from over the computer screen, and she simply threw her hands up in surrender. They were just left in awkward silence as Silver worked on her ID. She was just leaning against the wall, making clicking noises with her tongue. It seemed to grate on Silver though, so she stopped so her picture wasn't replaced by that of Danny DeVito.
"How was it like when you began training?" Arianna asked in order to break the silence. She hated silence more than anything.
"I stole my Totodile from Professor Elm." He stated bluntly. It surprised Ari, and she was a bit taken aback.
"You stole your pokémon? Why?"
"I… I'm really not sure looking back at it today. I was in a rough spot during those few years. Not in the best of emotional states. If I had just simply asked Elm for the pokémon, it sure would have helped me avoid any trouble with the police down the road." He seemed to be recalling the events as he had stopped typing on the keyboard.
"Rough spot, huh?" Ariana was actually kind of interested. "I know how you feel there."
"I don't think you do. The situation I was in could only be applied to me, and me alone."
"Oh come on, I don't think-"
"My dad was the leader of Team Rocket. I win."
Normally, Arianna wouldn't believe such a thing. Claiming your dad was the leader of one of the largest mob organizations was a pretty big statement. However, the fact his tone had remained the same and completely serious, Arianna just didn't bother to question him further. This time, she didn't bother to break the silence.
"There, your ID should be printing in the other room now. You can leave soon after you pick it up." Silver motioned towards the door, and she got up and left the room. Elm was waiting for her outside.
"You've been registered in the system, and your trainer card just finished printing. You should be all set to leave now." He handed her a yellow colored card with all the information she had filled out. "Do you have any questions before you leave?"
"Not that I can think of at the moment. I'm just ready to get the hell out of here and into Goldenrod City."
"I shouldn't keep you then. If you do think of any questions however, you can use the pokédex to contact either me or Silver-" Arianna made a mental note to delete those numbers. "-And you can register the number of anybody else with a pokédex if need be."
"Good to know. I'll just be heading out now." She started her way towards the door, but was stopped when a hand was placed on her shoulder. "You'll need these too." Said Silver's voice. Ari turned around, and six minimized pokéball's were handed to her. "Oh, thanks." She put the pokéball's in her purse as well. "Here's a little bit of personal advice that I give to most trainers: If you encounter any weird shit on your journey, it's better to not question it and just accept it."
Arianna looked at him like he had grown three heads. "I have absolutely no idea what the fuck you mean by that dude."
Silver laughed. "That's okay. Most people don't." He turned around, started walking off, and waved.
"Good luck on your training adventures!" Professor Elm said, and gave Arianna a thumbs up. "See ya." She walked off and started her way towards the bus station once more.
…
7:52 PM
…
The sun was setting, and the sky was getting darker. Luckily for Arianna, she liked Goldenrod better at night. She thought it looked really pretty. The pink lights coming from the gym illuminated the street in front of Arianna.
"Seriously, Whitney added pink lights too? I swear that girl is too girly…"
Arianna stepped inside the gym, nearly getting blinded by how many bright lights and pink surfaces there were. "Whitney! You in here?" Her voice echoed throughout the entire gym.
"Gwennie? Is that you?" Another female voice echoes back. Ari sighed. She hated when Whitney called her that. Behind the pink maze wall emerged a pink haired girl with just as pink eyes. Another headache already started to form on Arianna. Just as her previous one started to go away too. Whitney walked up to her with a cheerful smile on her face. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" She asked in a very perky manner.
"Yeah, the last time we saw each other was like… six months ago? At Jasmine's birthday barbecue I'm pretty sure." Arianna had to act at least somewhat friendly with the gym leaders she's met, even if she couldn't stand their presence. Bad blood with one of them could potentially affect Caleb's dream of one day becoming one.
"Oh right! I remember that! Haha, remember when you nearly choked on that grape? Your face was priceless!" Whitney laughed to herself.
"Thanks for reminding me of the time I nearly died." "Where's Caleb?" Ari changed the subject before she was ready to punch a pink haired bitch.
"Ooh, you just missed him! He went to the café a few blocks down with Carrie and Vic. They had arranged some kind of meeting after I was done with them." Whitney walked circles around Arianna as she spoke. "They should still be there."
"Thanks Whitney." Ari turned on her heel, and marched toward the glass doors.
"Oh, by the way, I also wanted to say-"
Arianna tuned out whatever it was Whitney said to avoid a bigger headache. Cars quickly sped past her as she walked down the sidewalk, and the café started coming into view.
'Café le Wow' is what the words on the chalkboard sign read. There was even a little doodle of croissant and tea. She pushed past the wooden door, and was greeted to the smell of biscuits and coffee. On the far end of the café there was a table where the three musketeers sat. Caleb spotted Ari, and his face went from focused to happy.
"Jesus Ari, what did you do? Take the Pidgeot Express?" Caleb managed to trap her in a hug, and all Ari could do was squirm. She managed to break free and took a few steps back. "Actually I left New Bark Town this afternoon. Had one hell of a nap during the bus ride."
A confused look came over Caleb. "What were you doing in-"
Ari pulled out the pokédex from her purse. "I became an officially licensed trainer for you."
"Aw, you did that for me? Well, I was gonna take you to do that anyway, so you saved me some trouble actually."
"Ari's a trainer now?" Asked Carrie from behind. "Did you give her a starter too?"
"A Mareep actually! How is it by the way? You two get along after I left?"
Arianna rolled her eyes back and let out a scoff. "The pokémon you gave me is a piece of shit. It shocked me on multiple occasions, refused to get inside its pokéball, and even singed my Castelia City painting!" She listed off the crimes on her fingers. Caleb's happy expression got a little saddened. "R-Really? I thought…" He trailed off, but his chipper mood came back quickly. "You two just need to spend more time together! You'll become best buds in no time! I promise!" He sounded almost panicky. Ari decided it was probably best to change the subject.
"Well, what's this meeting here about? Something to do with why Whitney called you today?" A sly grin came over Caleb.
"What if I told you I was becoming a gym leader?"
…
Next Chapter: Now that she's an officially licensed trainer, what will be the first thing Arianna does? Will her and Mary ever see eye to eye, or will she be too much for Ari to handle? Perhaps a new pokémon could help build a bridge between the two…
…