Mystery of Sinnoh - Resting Deeply
The Sinnoh region… a place where a trainer's dream can come true in the blink of an eye. With pokemon taking to the sky and swimming deep in the oceans, the Sinnoh region has become a very large attraction for new researchers and pokemon trainers alike. Here, we will find a group of young teenagers who are embarking on a journey that will likely take them far and wide across every territory that the Sinnoh region has to offer. Friendships are built and destroyed every day for some people… The question is…
… Will it happen to them?
(Pokemon Diamond and Pearl: No Music Selected)
The rain was pouring like bullets out of a barrel of a gun, each dropping to the ground with force as the thunder ripped through the cold and moist air like a cannon. Various lightning bolts were also heard and seen throughout the area - the weather turning into a hectic environment very few pokemon should be caught out in. Still, Mira along with Dawn and Lucas rushed at their top speed. It was no longer about how tired they were or how cold it was with their clothes and hair damp as ever. Instead, the pokemon in their hands and pokeball's were what counted at this moment in time. With Piplup and Chimchar exhausted from their battle against each other and Mira's Turtwig drained from a battle against Team Galactic, emergency medical attention was required at breakneck speeds.
Flashbacks of nearly an hour ago came through Mira's mind as blinks of her… 'zone' came back to her briefly. She wasn't able to remember the feeling she got in her bones that solidified her battling spirit but they were definitely making her aware of such capabilities. Even while she was deeply afraid of battling and would likely freeze up again if something happened once more, she somehow zoned in so hard to the point where the world faded out and it was just herself and Turtwig. That was on the back burner of her thoughts as they reared to the entrance to Jubilife City, the city lights blaring through her eyes like a second sun as the rain carried on pouring.
"We're finally here!" Mira cried out with her Turtwig fidgeting in her arms, still hurting from the terrible poison the Team Galactic people from earlier scored. However, Turtwig was still holding on so Mira didn't panic but the rush for a pokemon center was beyond first priority.
"I can take us to the Pokèmon Center. Come on, guys!" Lucas exclaimed as he took lead, running as fast as he could while Mira and Dawn struggled to catch up to his coat strands. The wind was biting as well with damp and frigid temperatures ripping through their clothes as if they were nothing. Mira had tied her scarf around Turtwig's body to keep him warm while Dawn provided her trainer jacket for Piplup to keep him above the cold as well. Normally, a trainer would return their Pokemon to the pokeball but the rain helped Piplup who was now after all this time better off than Turtwig or Chimchar.
Chimchar was kept safely in the pokeball to avoid the flames from snuffing out with the rain water and strident winds. Even while they ran through the damp streets, the street lights illuminating the rain that fell around them, Mira felt worried for her poor pokemon. If only she hadn't forced him to battle…
"If only we just ran… maybe we could have saved you from less damage, Turtwig…" Mira whispered through her heavy breathing from running as well as the downpour of rain and wind. None of her partners had even the slightest of chances at hearing what she had said and she took that to heart. "I'm a horrible trainer… I'm so sorry." After whispering such words, Turtwig momentarily twitched in her hands, almost as if trying to fight some kind of action out of its own poisonous body that fell short due to the agonizing distress. Mira noticed and felt even worse for having to put her beloved Pokemon at such a position.
It took a few minutes before the Pokèmon Center came into view. Mira and her friends were so close to just dropping at the sight of it that they questioned if they would even get to it alive. The winded children managed to make it through to the glass door of the center before barging into it with force. No sooner than this, did Mira and Dawn practically drop, their breathing so rigid and irregular.
"N-Nurse J-Joy!" Lucas exclaimed with his lungs also faulty in their location. "Our Pokèmon… n-need your help!"
When Mira finally gave out and collapsed onto the hard floor below her, Chansey and Nurse Joy rushed over to assist right away. Lucas was next, but he collapsed onto one of the couches in the waiting room while Dawn stayed upright while her Piplup and Mira's Turtwig as well as Lucas' Chimchar were taken into the recovery rooms. No later than that did Dawn fall asleep and collapse onto couch next to Lucas, completely unconscious before her head even hit the cushions.
(Pokemon Diamond Pearl: Pokèmon Center Music plays)
Lucas woke up to a cramping in the both of his thighs followed by the exit door of the Pokèmon Center opening and closing softly. The lights were bright, Illuminating the entire area with morning lights. But, he was alarmed to rub his eyes and see that it was nearly noon already which meant he had slept for way too long. Flashes of the frantic rush to the Pokèmon Center played through his scattered brain for a moment - remembering the battle between Dawn and her Piplup versus himself and his…
Chimchar.
He checked around him to see no Pokèmon at all and not even his pokeball. Being the only Pokèmon he had caught so far, he was unaware as to where the fire monkey could have ran off to. Until he, too, remembered that the battle must have wiped out his Chimchar. So, since they were in a Pokèmon Center and his Pokèmon AND pokeball were missing, they must be with Nurse Joy. Scanning his environment again, he saw Dawn laying only a few feet away from him. Not remembering how SHE got there, Lucas scooted away from her and grabbed his half-fallen off jacket from the couch. It had dried out somehow and none of his clothes were damp besides a tiny spot on his T-shirt which was due to the crumbled spot of fabric.
He stretched after standing and enjoyed stretching out his now very sore muscles. Lucas didn't know the last time he had ran so hard and so long. Maybe he never did since it would have stuck out like this experience. Still, he adjusted his cap and looked around for any sign of Nurse Joy. If she wasn't present at the counter he would have to wait until she was or else he could get in serious trouble even IF he wasn't doing anything wrong. So, he paced around for a few moments and noticed…
Mira wasn't in the room. In fact, none of her belongings were in the room at all. He roughly recalled seeing Mira crash onto the hard floor when they made it into the room before he too fell asleep… or something? Nothing was for sure at this point. Their ten year old bodies were pushed much too far after yesterday night's adventure -- or nightmare.
Dawn might know where Mira went but she was clearly still in deep sleep with her trainer jacket wrapped around her shoulders like a blanket. He chuckled briefly at her -- remembering that they were on neutral terms now. No conflict, just friendship or… whatever came after hate. Before he dove too deep into that mess, he needed to figure out just where Mira has gone to. Perhaps she found herself a room in the upstairs? There would be only one way to find out.
Lucas went upstairs in a quiet rush, looking around at the closed doors to the bunks. Until, he heard his name in a loud voice.
"LUCAS! I SHOULD FINE YOU!"
Barry was alive and well.
"Barry! Long time, No see! Sorry to keep you waiting so long…" Lucas apologised and placed a hand behind his neck. "We ran into some crazy trouble last night."
Barry went to raise his voice again but instead looked down and closed his eyes. "Yeah, I heard… Sounds like you guys had a rough time. How did you guys get so beat up on Route 202!?" Barry exclaimed, his voice obviously louder than anything in the hallway which Lucas wasn't ready for just yet. It was WAY too early in his own day for such.
"It's a long story… I'm looking for a friend of mine - one of the trainer's I promised you would be able to battle against. She was downstairs last night but isn't here anymore." Lucas admitted as he moved past Barry into his room, the door wide open and apparently inviting Lucas inwards. When he entered, Lucas looked around as if Mira had somehow wandered into Barry's Room. Upon looking out the window, he saw that the weather had cleared up nicely and the sun was even leaking out of the clouds. So, the storm cleared up not too long ago.
Barry followed Lucas into his own actual room, and pondered why the kid even bothered looking for a girl in his room when he specifically recalled nobody entering his room within the time he took ownership of it yesterday. Still, he let his friend amuse himself by searching.
"Why would… she leave?" Barry asked with a raised eyebrow. Not knowing just what had happened over the course of last night, Barry was simply oblivious to how strongly Mira had felt when Turtwig had collapsed into a fit of a downward spiral. "Nurse Joy was talking about a Turtwig… Could that be hers?"
"That's the one. What did she say to you?" Lucas asked, turning to face his friend after the news. If he had any idea why Mira wasn't spotted nearby than maybe Lucas would know where to look. Well, maybe… he hardly knew the short pig tailed red head for a day and Jubilife was a large city if she vanished so suddenly - There could be anywhere.
"Well, I didn't talk to Nurse Joy! But when I was downstairs I saw you all and I played attention to what she was saying… But I saw a third girl with you when I was downstairs. Is she the one with the hat?"
"No, that's Dawn. She could give your Prinplup a run for her money!" Lucas joked before settling down again, remembering what was actually important here and now. "But, Mira has red hair. It's in a pigtail style! You know?"
Barry nodded and snickered. "She's so… so, CUTE!"
No sooner did he exclaim this loudly did people poke their head out of the doors to their dorms, expressing their distress in the form of, "Shut up!"
"She what!?" Dawn exclaimed, Piplup now back to her side after the long rest both her and her best friend had. Since she had fallen asleep, she was unaware of what happened to Mira and was surprised since her Turtwig was still inside it's pokeball laying on the front desk of the building.
"She just… took off!" Lucas explained as he put a hand on the Chimchar on his shoulders, stroking the top of his head. "I don't know why, but she did…"
"You must be Dawn!" Barry exclaimed loudly, switching the mood completely in a matter of seconds as he grabbed his Prinplup's Pokeball. "Let's have a battle! Lucas told me he had some strong trainers with him so I want you to prove how strong you are!"
Dawn raised an eyebrow and exchanged a puzzled look with Lucas. "You said I was strong…?" Lucas just returned a nervous chuckle and placed a hand behind his neck nervously. Still, Barry was challenging her. So, she waved her two hands with a stupid grin. "Sorry, but my friend is a little lost right now. I should go find her. If you're up for a battle when I get back then you have yourself a deal!"
"Ah COME ON!" Barry exploded, waving his arms and legs in disappointment - his long awaited battle opponents now just disbanding to find their friend. While respectable completely, he simply just wanted a battle and was a little disappointed when his opponents weren't up for one. Still, he couldn't force it. So, he would help out just in case.
"I couldn't even tell my Turtwig what to do when the time came…" Mira complained, her shoulders hanging as low as her attitude. Her eyes were narrowed and would occasionally close even while she walked along the sidewalk. "I know I'm no trainer… But come on, Miranda." Kicking pebbles across the still damp sidewalks, Mira felt a total dip in her mood which wasn't recovering. Remembering how hurt her Turtwig was and how petrified it looked to have to suffer so much pain in battle really put her mood on a halt. Feeling much too guilty to be able to return to the Pokèmon Center where her pokemon remained, she walked on.
Various urban birds would fly above her in flocks or just single birds - a wingull looking for food after the heavy rain and a flock of Starly looking for bigger ponds to drink. Everything seemed to be just right outside of her conscious but she herself was lacking greatly.
"Only when Turtwig was about to give up did I come in… I watched him take so much damage! I'm no trainer…"
Her mumbling to herself came to an abrupt end as heavy footsteps came rushing up to her from behind. It had to be several people catching up to her and she was shocked to hear her name come from a familiar mouth; Lucas.
"Mira! Hey! What are you doing out here!?" Lucas barked out as he ran in front of her and stopped, his hands extending to her shoulders which made her face briefly light up. "Do you know how worried we were about you?"
Dawn was next, dropping the Turtwig she owned in front of her between Lucas and Mira, who looked up at his trainer with a happy and excited grin before leaping onto her head and nibbling at her hair energetically. Mira, however, wasn't feeling the same - While she adored her pokemon greatly, she knew that he needed a better trainer. So, she grabbed ahold of him and set him down a further distance from her and took two steps back.
"Mira?" Dawn mumbled as Barry held back his heart eyes for the young girl, watching also with confusion at the act of the red headed girl. Dawn was aware of the distress from last night and on their rush to Jubilife City, she heard about all of what Mira was concerned of. But, she had no idea Mira was actually going to feel this hurt by her own actions.
"Turtwig… You need to go... n-now…" Mira said softly, her voice cracking and her eyes lowering to her feet. It was hardly possible to understand what her shaken voice had said but they all managed to decode. Lucas was now more confused than ever and Dawn started connecting the dots.
"Tur…? Turtwig?" Turtwig mumbled as he stepped forward and was met with the opposite reaction from Mira who was now standing beside Barry but unaware of his presence. Her hair now slumped forward to cover half of her face which protected the sight of her crying from everyone else.
"It's… for the best that you find someone who is always… r-ready to battle... " Mira stammered out, taking another step back as Dawn rushed forward and grabbed a shoulder from Mira and turned her. Well, she tried before Mira shrugged her off and took another extra step - trying to build up the courage to run away from the pokemon she loved so dearly. "Go on! It's… it's okay!"
"Mira… you don't need to walk away--" Mira cut off Lucas as she stomped and spun around to face them - the tears falling from her eyes like bombs. Her red eyes were even more red with the blood vessels larger with her crying.
"Don't you understand!? A REAL trainer who loves their pokemon fights! Didn't you see me yesterday!?" Mira exploded as she lowered her eyes but still faced her friends. Now, she looked dead on Turtwig and sighed. "I didn't trust in myself and I failed… Which means I'm not ready to be a pokemon trainer!"
Barry stepped in front of the girl he adored but didn't let it show, instead balling a fist in front of her with half anger and half concern.
"Your Turtwig loves you! You may not trust yourself just yet but THAT'S what the journey provides! Get it together, Mira! If you walk away from your pokemon right now then I am going to FINE YOU!" Barry exclaimed loudly. "Prinplup and I haven't always won every battle we've faced! We've lost more times than we've won and that's okay! We're young!"
"We make mistakes, Mira…" Dawn said softly unlike the male to her right who announced his inner thoughts like a gun. "But can you really learn if you run away when it gets rough…?"
Quietly, Mira looked at her hands which were fidgeting with each other nervously. She wasn't sure if she had made herself do that or if it was natural reaction. It became clear when Lucas returned his hands to the shoulders of Mira and smiled.
"You're such a great person! Don't let it go to waste just because you doubt yourself. Remember… as a team…" Lucas looked over to Dawn and sent her a smile - as well to Barry. "We can do anything we put our minds to. Turtwig and you have lots to learn! So do Chimmy and I, right buddy?"
"Chimchar!"
"So, quit saying you're a failure. The fact that you can admit when you've done wrong is something most of us don't have… I respect that. And look, Turtwig respects that as well…"
Mira looked away from Lucas and to Turtwig who was worried - his eyes fluttering with tears that were begging to fall to the ground. Here she was, about to make her very first pokemon cry just because she was having her own doubts. Growing up, she was the mature one to tell everyone that pokemon have feelings too and that you can't put those aside. "How am I becoming that kind of person…" Mira thought to herself before she realized the mistake she was making by pushing her pokemon away. The issue would NEVER get resolved and she would always feel this way unless she worked to improve it. Sure, she didn't need to become a trainer and take on every gym there was, but there was more to growing up than that.
"How could I be so naive…" Mira whined as she dropped to her knees and gripped onto her Turtwig and pulled him into her arms and cradled him like a baby. "I'm so, so sorry, Turtwig! I won't ever doubt our bond again… I promise!"
Turtwig let out coo's and laughs as well, the two rejoicing and bonding instantly. The feeling of the connection fixing itself was a huge motivation to both Turtwig and Mira and with that feeling, neither of them could truly lose again.
Still, Barry was entranced by the girl and her Turtwig and after several seconds of them rejoicing, he felt he should do or say something. Being how active and explosive he was about his greeting and connections, Barry struggled very little when it came to approaching the girl and saying something. However, when he went to say something, Mira stood up from the ground with Turtwig beside her and turned towards Barry.
"I didn't get your name… you are?" Mira asked softly - in the eyes of Barry she was glistening and shining beautifully with her red hair flowing lightly with the breeze. Everything about her was just incredible and he appreciated this right away… in the form of slurred speech and an inability to form a proper sentence.
"I--Uh! I'm uh. Barry! Right, Barry is my name!" Barry stumbled, mentally kicking himself. "I don't think we've… you know, MET before! But I'm your new rival you hear?"
Lucas and Dawn exchanged puzzled looks as they approached.
"Barry, you're not anyone's rival but mine." Lucas admitted with a devilish grin, hoping that he would crush the small hope that Barry had. However, Dawn stepped out from beside Lucas and wrapped her arm around Mira who jumped at the sudden touch.
"I'm Dawn! We can be rivals!" Dawn exclaimed with a bright sunlike smile as she extended her hand outwards for a handshake. Completely obliterated by Dawn and Lucas' interruption in his and Mira's Conversation, Barry ignored her hand and instead started waving his in annoyance.
"I don't care who's my rival I just want to battle somebody!" Barry exclaimed, making Mira jump once again. Instead, she scooted away from Barry and moved closer to Lucas where she hid behind him, a little freaked out by Barry who took notice. It was like a bullet ripped through his ego as he dropped his look. Dawn was less weirded out and more just shocked by his battling spirit.
"Battle? Why didn't you just say so?" Lucas intervened. "Chimmy and I need a good opponent for our challenge in Oreburgh City!"
"Then you got yourself a deal! Let's battle, Lucas!"
