Chapter 3- What do you want?

Travis' POV

Route 2 is smaller than Route 3. Much smaller, in fact. As I walk down the path to Accumula Town, I see a small dark figure emerge from the trees. It's a Purrloin! The Purrloin staggers out of the trees, and then it sees me. It immediately sits down and acts all cute and sad. The only problem is, I know this trick. Purrloin are notorious for it. They act deceptively cute and then steal your belongings. This Purrloin is cute as hell, but I've read my book on Pokémon too many times to be deceived.

I walk past the Purrloin, not looking at it. A few minutes later, I see the same Purrloin sitting on the path. This time, without the dappling of the leaves, I can see a large scar running vertically diagonal over the Purrloin's chest and stomach. It looks like it was really bad, but it seems to have healed well. I ignore the Purrloin again, and just keep walking. Less than five minutes later, the same damn Purrloin sits on the path. Cute act over, it leaps at me, but instead of attacking me, it just settles itself on my shoulders and backpack. I'm guessing there is no point in trying to move it.

I reach Accumula Town soon after this. Accumula Town is a small town. It consists of just a Pokémon Center and a few neighborhoods of houses and small businesses. It is early evening. I think I can make it to Nuvema Town by nightfall if I hurry. However, this plan is cut short when a woman sweeping her porch calls out to me. "Oh, boy, what a sweet little thing you have on your shoulders! May I meet then little darling?"

Well, this Purrloin is still wild, so she can do whatever she wants to it. I walk over to her, and she cooes at the Purloin. "Well aren't you just the cutest little Purrloin ever!" She wisely doesn't reach out to pet the Purrloin. "How lucky you are to be companions with this little lady," the woman says.

"Oh, she isn't mine. She just hitched a ride on Route 2. How can you tell that this Purrloin is a girl?" I ask.

"Oh, there are many ways to tell. But this one is a woman's secret," she says, putting her finger to her lips. "Do you want to capture the Purrloin?" she asks suddenly.

"I guess I wouldn't be opposed to it," I reply, looking at the Purrloin out of the corner of my eye. The woman reaches into her apron pocket and pulls out a Pokéball.

"Here you go, young man. See if she'll go with you." She hands the Pokéball to me, and I look at it. I then look at the Purrloin.

"How about it?" I ask her. The Purrloin hisses quietly and hides behind my head. "Oh well. Maybe she's just not ready yet. She seems quite taken with you. She hasn't left your shoulders yet," the woman says.

"I suppose so," I say, and I hold out the Pokéball to the woman.

"Oh no, keep it. I have no use for it," she says. I put the Pokéball in my satchel. "My name is Barbera Hatcher. Do stop by whenever you're in town. You and your new friend make an interesting pair," she says, her eyes twinkling. She says goodbye and goes back to sweeping her porch.

"What do you want?" I ask the Purrloin after we get out of earshot of any people. "You just jump on my shoulder and don't even want to be captured by me. What is it you're after?" She of course, stays silent, because Pokémon can't talk.

Route 1 is also small, but it's getting dark. We reach a small clearing next to a small river and I decide to stop. I should have just stayed in Accumula Town. Now I'll have to camp out here for the night. I take off the camping backpack and set up the tent. Purrloin stays on my shoulder as I filter water into my water bottle from the river.

I'm about to enter the tent to set up my sleeping bag when I think of something. I don't know where this Purrloin has been. If she intends to sleep inside the tent with me, she's going to have to be clean (or at least cleaner than she was). I walk back to the river and pull Purrloin off my shoulders. She is confused at first but then she starts to struggle as I lower her towards the water.

"If you don't struggle, it will be over sooner," I warn, but she ignores me. I submerge her in the cool water of the river, and she screeches. "I'm sorry, but if you want to sleep in my tent you'll have to be cleaner than you were," I yell over her splashing and screeching. Finally, I am satisfied with how clean she is. Or at least how clean she looks. Besides that, she looks miserable. Her fur is soaked and her ears and whiskers are droopy.

I dry her with my shirt, and she shivers, huddling against my body for warmth. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" I ask. She just glares at me. I crawl into the tent, holding her close to me. "Well, I'm sorry, but I didn't feel comfortable with you sleeping in my tent as you were. Now that you're cleaner, I feel comfortable with you sleeping in here." I set up my sleeping bag, and take off my shoes and shirt. "Goodnight, Purrloin. Decide whether you want to join me by tomorrow. I'm not just going to carry you across Unova as a freeloader."

(A/N: What do you think will happen? What is Travis going to do about this Purrloin?)