This is my first fanfiction so advice/reviews would be greatly appreciated! They will also determine whether or not I keep writing. :)
Please, please, please review!
I do not own Pokémon.
It was a warm spring day in Unova as the flowers enjoyed the breeze and sun and the Pokémon seemed cheered to have warmer climates to wander through. Of course none of this could be experienced by Touko who was busy rushing through the streets of Castelia City, where the only thing she could smell was the cigar ash hitting her face as she pushed by irate businessmen. One man was conversing on his cellphone and didn't seem to notice her until they collided and fell to the ground.
"Watch it!" the man shouted as he stood and brushed himself off.
"I'm sorry, do you know where—"Touko started.
"I'm busy" the man began to walk away.
"But I would just like to know—"
"I don't have time for you!" at that moment the man had turned his back to her completely and was almost halfway down the street.
Touko was now more distraught than when she first began this journey.
She looked at the Aipom on her shoulder, "Well I'm sure he could have spared a second." Aipom gazed back at her seeming to say "There's nothing we can do" and she continued to walk towards what she hoped was the right direction. It was starting to get dark. Growing up in a small town where you knew everyone was completely different from what she was now experiencing; the constant noise, the disgruntled people, the movement all around her by things that were completely manmade were all foreign and yet strangely exhilarating. She then thought back (as she has been known to do recently) to how far she has come from her lonely house in Nuvema town. As she walked down the alleys she pondered all the friends she has met, the choices she's made and wondered if they were the right ones. The right decisions, the right motives…motives. N had a motive. N has been on her mind lately as a mystery, as someone who would know how to help her with what she has been wanting to confront all this time. Her ideal. But she pushed this out of her mid. This was not her most important task. She wanted to explore Unova to find what she had been searching for since she became a Pokémon trainer. And anyway, there was no way of reaching him right? He disappeared the day they had battled and went off to…she wondered if he had told her.
She stopped short.
"Where am I?"
Touko looked around; there were less people in this area. In fact there were none. She noted her surroundings wearily but she kept her pace as her instincts told her to keep moving. The streets were lined with old apartment buildings and flickering streetlights. There was litter everywhere and it smelled like sewage. Touko deduced that she was definitely not in the right place.
"I was supposed to meet him at the diner 45 minutes ago…"
The sound of something running towards her on the asphalt caught her attention and she turned to see a Houndoom coming at her full speed.
"Aipom!" she yelled, but it wasn't needed as her Aipom was already on the ground preparing for a battle. She was about to yell out the necessary commands when Aipom started to walk towards a garbage can. Touko now noticed in the faint light that there were in fact three vicious Houndooms charging towards her.
"What are you doing?" She hissed knowing that none of her Pokémon would ever allow any harm to come to her but was alarmed all the same. Just as the Houndooms were a bound or two away from mauling Touko the Aipom found what it was looking for.
"An electric cord?"
The Aipom then swiftly ran under the Houndooms, around them, through them, in a pattern only visible to itself that when it finally stopped moving the beasts were immobilized and falling over each other.
"Oh…", Touko smiled "Not what I was expecting but as long as it works." She let Aipom climb back onto her shoulder and gave him an appreciative pat on the head.
"Dammit!" A man shouted from a couple windows up on the apartment next to her. He was in shadow but was easily identified as pudgy, balding, and not someone she would generally like to have a conversation with.
"Are they yours?" She asked pensively and motioned to the Houndooms. She wasn't sure if she should stop now but her curiosity got the best of her and she didn't want to leave the Pokémon alone and tied up in the street.
"Yes, they're as useless as they look too, that's the third time they've missed their mark today, aint worth shit these damn mutts." He threw a can out the window straight at her and as she dodged it she noticed with a wince that it wasn't intended for her; it was meant for the man's "mutts".
"Their mark?" She asked, confused and suddenly aware that this might not have been the best time and place to strike up a conversation.
"Yeah, ya idiot, they were supposed to rob ya blind. Someone with as many badges as you must've got a fat purse, know what I'm sayin'?"
Touko was about to reply with something off-putting and witty but realized she was so shocked she was unable to say anything other than "Oh."
The man leaned out the window a bit farther, "Hey! Ya aint a bad face either…wanna come on up? Bring me mutts though, heh heh." The man chuckled and stared at her as though she was a purse herself.
"I seriously doubt it", and with that she began to walk swiftly away refusing to look back even as the man continued to catcall her. Every so often she would turn and walk faster unable to shake the nagging feeling that more Houndooms were around the corner.
"Gengar." She whispered and released the pokéball.
"Keep an eye out." Gengar chuckled and quickly disappeared until he was just another creature waiting and watching on the street. Touko continued to walk for another 15 minutes until she found what she was looking for; the Street Corner Café.
"Not a very creative name." She thought unkindly as she steeled herself for the verbal onslaught she was about to receive. She could feel his glare through the glass door, down the aisle, until it reached maximum intensity when she sat down in front of him. The amount of restraint Cheren was exerting on himself to not cause a scene was palpable. It made her uncomfortable. She scratched her arm and looked away.
"Where were you?" He said quietly. He rested both arms on the table, which is what one would say if it didn't seem as though the table was taking on all of Cheren's weight as he leaned over it, both fists clenched on top of a menu that had already been looked over several times. Touko decided to turn a full force smile on him.
"Oh?" she said brightly. "Oh, you're right I'm a bit late aren't I? I just got a little lost—"
"I've been here for over an hour." He didn't break his gaze.
"You're exaggerating—"
"I am not exaggerating!" he slammed his hand on the table. Aipom, alarmed by the force of his anger, started to pace from shoulder to shoulder until Touko set him on the seat next to her.
Cheren continued, "You could have been in a lot of danger, you're very important, you know."
Touko sighed, "Yes, I know, the Pokémon champion! Oh, what would we do if she fell down and scratched her knee! Oh! How devastating!" She began to pick at the cushion she was sitting on; making a mess by dropping the yellowing cotton onto the floor and not allowing the waiters to see it. This isn't how she wanted to start this.
"That's not what I meant Touko, I-"
"I understand, I'm sorry, but I'm fine. Wasn't the point of dinner to have pleasant conversation and catch up?" She met his gaze and gave a sorry half-smile that didn't quite reach her eyes but was genuine all the same.
Cheren stared at her as if he had wanted to say more and relented.
"You're right." He stated and smiled up at Touko. "You have ten seconds to decide what you want to eat" he said and then waved the waitress over to order. Touko quickly looked through the menu and decided to get one of the "Famous Magikarp Recipes" made with poached aspear. She didn't remember ever trying it, and as she recalled Magikarp was supposed to be really tough, but she ate a lot of aspears on her travels and it reminded her of much simpler nights.
They chatted and laughed, and made a ruckus that was not noticed by either party because Touko was glad for the reprise and Cheren was glad to be with her again. Unfortunately Touko had something to say and she wasn't going to back down from her decision. The laughing died down in the silence that followed but Cheren still had a twinkle in his eye and a sad smile as he stared down at his empty plate. It was like he missed the food; regretted that he had let it slip through his mouth and away from where he wanted it to be which was apparently on his plate. That's silly though, Touko realized as she was diverting away from the task at hand.
"Um, I…" she started, but when Cherens gaze met hers she suddenly lost confidence. Was this the right thing to do? She had already put her friends through so much…and her mother is all by herself…she pushed these thoughts away. Now isn't the time to reconsider.
"I'm going to be away for a while. I'm going undercover, no badges, no fame; I'm going to do what I had been doing before. I will be exploring and trying to find…trying to find what I've been looking for..." Her voice had lowered by the end of her proclamation and her confidence had waned but she could not move her eyes from Cherens. She could tell he was trying not to express his opinion on the matter too quickly.
"What are you looking for?" He asked after a pause.
"I'm not sure." She replied and began a preemptive strike on the feelings of doubt before they arose this time.
"You have no money."
"I have money it's just—"
"You gave most of it to the Pokémon humane societies after your battle with…" Cheren seemed to be choking on his words, "your battle with him." He sneered.
"Well, yes, but I still have money", she chuckled nervously and began to pick at the seating again. This isn't going well.
Cheren glared up at her, "This isn't good enough for you? Do you know how many people have trained their entire lives to become the Pokémon champion? How many people have put everything they have into it and still not be good enough? And you're just going to toss it aside like it was some kind of consolation prize!"
Touko knew the conversation was now personal but she was not dismayed. She knew Cheren would always be mad at her because she had claimed the title of Pokémon champion and he hadn't. And it hurt that this would always be between her and her best friend.
"Fine." Cheren said after a while, "Do what you like, I don't care. I have better pursuits than to waste my time finding things that don't exist. So enjoy." Despite the nagging feeling that this needed to be done Touko was stung by what he said. Cheren stood up and slammed money on the table without knowing how much his meal was. But it was most likely more than enough. Cheren didn't like to leave loose ends.
Touko looked around and realized their spat had attracted the attention of the waiting staff and she was happy there was no one else in the café.
"Check please." she mumbled.
Thus began her adventure to find her mislaid dreams.