Hello! New chapter, yay! Most of the stuff I have to say is at the bottom, so enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 4: Being Ditched Sucks
"You're doing WHAT?!"
Cheren rolled his eyes, as if I should've seen this coming. "I said I'm going on ahead, to Striaton City. I'm planning to challenge the Gym there, you should too." He turned to the route gate, but stopped. "And White? Wait to leave after me."
"But Cheren, WHY?!" I thought we had something, buddy! An oath of friendship that cannot be broken! And yet, you-
"I need a break from you for a while." He said it! I stood there, shocked, as Cheren sighed and walked off. I-! He just-! I'VE BEEN DITCHED!
I sat in a corner with Tsuki, crying. "It's just you and me, friend. Just you and me..." And where the hell did Bianca go, anyway?!
"Snivy..." Tsuki patted me on the head. I got the message: It's okay, I know the feeling. Try getting dropped by an idiot Professor every three seconds. I think our mutual understanding skills were getting very good! And Tsuki was extremely sarcastic, I'm so proud!
"Okay!" I stood up with rekindled fight. "Who cares if Cheren just ditched us here in town! We'll just be super awesome and beat the gym before he can!"
Tsuki snorted. He ditched you, not me. It's the same thing!
I let Tsuki hop up onto my shoulder. "We are going now! I am so going to crush Cheren's stupid pride into the ground when I see him next! Just watc-!"
"Honey!"
I jerked backwards. "M-mom?!" Yup, it was her. No one else would call me "Honey" in the middle of the street while waving around a pair of shoes. "What are you doing here?!"
Tsuki looked confused. "Sni?"
"I brought you these running shoes!" She panted slightly from the running herself. "I had completely forgot about them, to be honest. They were for your birthday," she shrugged, "but since your leaving, a good-bye present will have to do."
I frowned. "Come on, you already gave me that town map a while ago! Honestly, you do too much!"
"Says you," she handed me the sneakers with a smile. "Don't get into trouble, alright?"
I laughed. "I can't promise the impossible, mom." Putting the shoes on, I was surprised that they were actually really comfortable. I could sleep in these! As a matter of fact, I should! I slung my bag over my shoulder. "Thank the professor again for me, alright?"
She nodded. "Of course, but try to spare Cheren some grief, and don't forget about Bianca!" She really would nag me to the end, huh?
I took off, sprinting. "Can't do that, mother!" He makes it way too easy! And of course I'll remember Bianca!
ooooooo000ooooooo
I had never imagined that running could feel so great! I raced through the tall grass, feeling its light sting over my arms. I felt like a ninja, speeding through an undercover mission. Running-no-jutsu! At this pace, I might even beat Cheren to Striaton! It would serve him right, the stupid neat freak!
Suddenly, a wild Patrat leaped out of the grass in front of me. It was a enemy attack! A Patrat-Ninja! "Tsuki, Vine Whip!"
Tsuki pushed off my shoulder, right above the Patrat. "Vyy!" She slammed her vine down on the poor (not) Pokemon's head, knocking it out cold.
"Take that, enemy ninja!" I cheered, pumping my fists in the air. Tsuki just face palmed, back on my shoulder.
Panting, I pushed past the last of the tall grass and into the broad pathway. I had to stop to catch my breath. Darn, running sure wasn't easy! I guess it felt good though. Looking ahead, I saw the faint shadows of buildings past the next patch of tall grass.
"Hm, that's probably Striaton, unless I got lost..." I looked over at Tsuki. "What do you think?"
Tsuki nodded, with a huff. "Sni." Of course, stupid trainer. Where else would we be?
"Hey! Whitey!" I jumped up. Bianca?! There she was, stumbling down the path behind me. I sweat dropped seeing her trip over her long skirt. Thank god I had the foresight to not wear a skirt on my journey. Or ever. I hate skirts.
"Hey! Bianca!" I waved enthusiastically. "Where have you been?! I didn't see you in the Center at Accumula."
"I was on the route, training!" She pouted. "And when I went back to the town both you and Cheren were gone! I can't believe you two ditched me like that!" Oh. We ditched her... I kinda felt bad, I mean, I got ditched too, so-
Wait.
...Was this irony?!
I burst out laughing. "Ahaha, actually, I got ditched myself! That stupid neat freak went on ahead to Striaton City, but I'm going to kick his ass next time I see him!" He will rue the day he decided to leave me behind. FOREVER.
"...Oh." Bianca slowly nodded. "I see. That's- That's fine! Well, I'm going to train some more, okay?" She pointed back to the tall grass. "If you need me, I'll be over here, alright?"
Huh. That was oddly subdued for Bianca... "Yeah? Have fun!" I turned to leave. "Don't die on me now!"
"Mm!" Bianca smiled, before clumsily running off. I wonder what was eating her...? Meh. Bianca was strong. Whatever it was, she could handle it!
"Okay!" I pumped my fist into the air. "Let's go get revenge! Oh, and beat a Gym Leader and whatnot..."
Slap. Trainer, you are so simple-minded... Tsuki! I'm amazing, don't you know?
I took off running full blast, watching the shadows of Striaton City get closer. Cheren, just you god damn wait!
ooooooo000ooooooo
Striaton was a relatively small city, even while being larger than both Accumula and Nuvema combined. There was the main apartments district, and then the main street with the Pokemon Center, Restaurant, and Trainer's School. On most days it would probably have been peacefully quiet too, but...
"Oh, Striaton City! Have thou not ever seen such a beautiful day such as this? The gods of learning have spread open arms to you, and the refreshing air you provide is sweeter than a Combee with a Vespiquen! Never, in my entire life have I felt such an amazing presence as you!" I took a deep breath. "Ah! I finally got to finish a monologue! Hey, Tsuki, let's make this a thing from now on!"
I got a slap on the head in response to that. "Snivy. Vy." Do not. My sanity won't last long enough. Haha, you shouldn't have expected to stay sane from the start!
"Hey, you!"
"You know, Tsuki? I've just realized that you don't really say all that much. Maybe you should start making monologues too!"
"Sni. Vy." You are stupid. No.
"Hey, I'm talking to you!"
"Okay then, what about a catch-phrase? Like, I'll say "Hey! I'm White!" And then you be all like-" I used my super duper ultra serious voice- "'Snivy.' And everyone will be like, "what I cool Pokemon!" And I'll be like, "I know, right?" and then-"
"GOD DAMN IT! LISTEN WHEN SOMEONE'S TALKING TO YOU!" Some weird guy with flaming red hair stomped up to me, seething. He was dressed up in a messy waiter's outfit but missing the tie, really sharp. He looked pretty angry and if I wasn't completely insane then I probably would have been troubled by the fact that he was quite literally on fire. It was pretty.
I blinked. "Oh? Who are you?"
He walked over to me, the fire dying down. HOw did he do that? Does he have extreme anger issues or something? "I'm the Gym Leader of Striaton City, Chili!" Chili? Like, the food? "You're making a huge disruption in town, so I'm telling you here to bug off!" Ohh! I finally spotted what was making him catch fire!
"Ooh, is that your Pokemon?" I asked excitedly. "It's so cute!" There was a little red monkey hanging from his shoulder! Aw, and it's head was on fire!
I blinked up at me. "Sear?"
I choked. "So...cute...no way..."
Chili sputtered in disbelief. "Hey, I'm telling you to get the hell out of here!"
I waved him off. "Yeah, yeah. Most people tell me that, it's nothing new. Anyways," I leaned towards him grinning. "If you're the gym leader that means I have to battle you!"
"Wait- What?!" He backed off with a grimace. "You're a challenger?"
I laughed with my hands on my hips. "Guilty as charge!"
Chili buried his face in his hands. "I can't believe this...and you have a grass-type too, so that means..."
I grabbed his arm happily. "Now, lead me to the Gym! I need to get revenge on somebody!"
"Tch." He grumbled, shaking my hand off. I couldn't tell whether he didn't hear the part about me getting revenge or just chose to ignore it. Probably the latter. "Fine. Follow me, just try not to disturb anyone."
I tilted my head to the side. "Hm, but I have the feeling that you're the kind of person who would be disturbing people..."
"Shut up!"
ooooooo000ooooooo
I was ecstatic. "It's a restaurant!" I ran around all over (and let me just say that if anything broke then I had nothing to do with it. At all), taking in the elegant atmosphere. I hadn't been to a real restaurant in ages!
There were delicate chandeliers dangling from the cream colored ceiling, and each table had a carefully laid out tablecloth beneath shiny dishes and silverware. It reminded me of something my mom would have done back when my daddy was still alive.
"He sure loves things fancy," I remember Mom smiling at that and humming slightly under her breath before setting a fancy bowl atop the white tablecloth.
"Yep, now we just have to wait for him to come home."
Even with all the fancy dishes and stuff though, the place was surprisingly empty.
"Shoot!" I heard a slap and turned to see Chili running his hands through his hair. How did he get it like that, anyway? Was it naturally red or something? I should dye my hair! "I forgot, closing hours are at seven today... Come back tomorrow, okay?"
"Eh?" I checked my Xtranceiver. "It's already seven?!" It didn't feel like that long at all? Where did the time go?
"Actually, it's eight." Chili commented dryly. "Come back tomorrow, I'll be waiting for you, okay?"
"B-but, at this rate I won't beat Cheren!" I pouted, crossing my arms. "You're the Gym Leader, just battle me here!"
"No!" Chili snapped. "As much as I would like to beat the living daylights out of you and your Pokemon, I can't because it wouldn't be an official Gym Battle!" He huffed in annoyance. "There are rules, you know?"
Since when have I cared about rules?! "I have to get revenge on Cheren though, I can't leave until I do that-"
"Cheren?" Chili blinked at that. "Dark hair, red glasses, attitude?"
I gasped. "Yes!" I have never heard such an accurate description of Cheren in my life! "Did he come through here already?"
"Yup, but he lost." Chili grinned proudly. "Didn't stand a chance, he's coming back tomorrow too."
I turned that over in my head. Cheren lost equals more time which equals more sleep which equals revenge tomorrow which equals more sleep. Makes sense! "That's cool! see ya tomorrow, Cherry!"
I watched a column of fire explode as I ran outside. "MY NAME IS NOT CHERRY!"
ooooooo000ooooooo
Somewhere in the Unova Region, a great big house stood tall. It was four bedroom, with a large kitchen for a busy housewife and a spacious living room for restless kids. If one were to venture deep inside, they would find tons of little pokemon toys littering the floor, courtesy of a certain little girl.
It was perfect. It was home.
A young girl hopped up on the stepping stones through the garden, brown hair swinging back and forth.
"Momma?" She called, squinting through the bright sunlight. "Can I ask you something?"
The woman who had been called looked up from the berry bush she had been clipping with a smile as radiant as the sun. "Of course, dear. You can ask me anything."
"Mm." The girl nodded. "Then, who's the creepy guy standing behind that tree?"
"What?!" The lady jumped up and scanned the trees, paling when she did indeed see a strange shadow behind an old Fir. Dropping her shears, she ran over to her daughter. "White, go inside, I'll call the authorities-"
"Wait!" A panicked voice called from behind the tree. "There's no need for that!" The man who stepped out from the tree was rather young, with brown hair swept back at the ears. He donned a large brown overcoat with shiny black boots that the little girl couldn't help but stare at in fascination. He looked rather familiar, the woman thought cautiously, moving her daughter behind her. But you could never be too careful.
"You can call me Looker." The man nodded to himself before walking forward. The woman took a step back. "I presume that you are Heather? I was a colleague of your husband." He held out a shiny badge that the girl didn't recognize. Was he from the police?
The little girl perked up though. He knew Daddy?
The lady narrowed her eyes, not appeased in the least. "Was?" She didn't like where this was leading. As a matter of fact, she wanted this strange man gone altogether.
"Ah. Well..." His eyes flickered to the little girl. She looked more curious than cautious, he noticed, feeling a pang of guilt. He really had drawn the short end of the straw, having to come here. "It...it pains me to say this, but-" he cleared his throat, nervously. He really hadn't wanted to do this.
"Proceed." The woman's voice was as cold as ice. It left no room for argument or diversion. The girl gripped her dress tightly. What was going on?
"...Very well." The man looked resigned. "As it pains me to say it, Arthur- your husband is no longer with us. There was a...field incident involved with exploding Voltorb and Electrode..." The man held his head low. "I'm deeply sorry for your loss." Next comes the tears, he thought miserably. Then the tearful thanks even when he didn't deserve anything at all for bringing such awful news, which was then followed by being left alone outside while distraught families would go inside to grieve-
"You're lying." The man's head jerked upward, towards the little girl. Her round brown eyes looked annoyed. "You're lying. Daddy isn't dead. He's invincible. Told me so himself."
The man certainly hadn't expected that. He looked towards the mother helplessly. "I-"
"Honey," the woman moved down to pat the girl's head. "This man is telling the truth. Please, don't-"
"No!" The girl clamped her hands over her ears. "No, no, no! Lalalala! I can't hear you!"
"Dear-" the woman broke off, trembling. Tears streamed down her face. It was too much. How could she comfort her daughter when she couldn't even be strong herself?
"It's not true!" The girl shrieked. "It's not true! IT'S NOT TRUE!" She pushed away from the woman and the strange man and ran into the house, shouting the same words over and over again.
IT'S NOT TRUE. IT'S NOT TRUE. IT'S NOT TRUE. IT'S NOT TRUE. IT'S NOT TRUE-
I woke up screaming.
ooooooo000ooooooo
"Did it get you too?" I looked up from my coffee, grimacing. Yes, I know how to grimace.
"Get what?" My voice was raspy and strained, and my head hurt like hell, likely from the lack of sleep I had gotten last night.
Nurse Joy shrugged. "People around here have been having strange dreams lately. Some have incredibly happy ones, while others have terrible nightmares. There hasn't been a pattern yet, but-" she set down my third mug of coffee- "It's pretty obvious it has something to do with the Dreamyard."
"The Dreamyard?" I yawned widely. "Is that a playground or something?"
"No," Nurse Joy laughed. "It's an abandoned laboratory to the east of the city. It was devoted to the study of-"
"Pizza?" I burst in. The lack of sleep really wasn't doing any favors for my thinking skills.
Nurse Joy blinked. "Uhm...no. Dreams. It was devoted to the study of dreams. Recently, there was talk about demolishing it, since it seems to be the cause of the abnormal dream patterns as of late, but Dr. Fennel put her foot down."
"Fennel? As in the food?" I downed my fifth cup of coffee. I think I was getting some of my normal energy back now! "Sounds yummy! But why did the people listen to the food?!"
Nurse Joy held back my next cup. "I think you've had too much coffee. No more for you today." What?!
"But!" I panicked, standing up from the table. "I'm always like this! Ask Cheren! Or Chili! Or Bianca! They'll tell you!" I needed my coffeeeee...the stuff was the best thing since I found out striped horses actually existed!
She shook her head, frowning. Don't act like my mom! Nooo... "Nope." At my dejected look, she softened. "Okay, how about I have you meet Dr. Fennel today, then? It'll really be a pick-me-up, don't you think?"
I perked up. "I don't know what's so great about this "fennel", but okay! It'll give me something to do!"
Was I forgetting something? I think I was forgetting something...meh. The only thing that came to mind were cherries.
ooooooo000ooooooo
Back at the Striaton City Gym, a column of fire exploded. "MY NAME IS NOT CHERRY!"
Cilan frowned disapprovingly. "Chili, not in the restaurant. And who are you talking to?"
"THAT CAN GO TO HELL! WHERE IS THAT IDIOTIC GIRL ANYWAY?!"
"I think he needs time alone." Cress observed.
Cilan sighed. "I just wish he would calm down sometimes..."
Cress smiled. "Don't ask for the impossible."
"But I have to wonder what set him off like this. He's been doing so much better as of late."
"WHAT ARE YOU TWO IDIOTS TALKING ABOUT?!"
Oookay! That chapter was kind of all over the place, haha. Anyway, screw what I said about keeping people in character, because I now realize how incredibly boring that would be. I probably won't make that big of personality changes, but just expect it, BECAUSE IT WILL HAPPEN. Yea.
Leave a Review?
Till next time,
DawnRunner