CHAPTER FOUR

The Grand Tour

"Hey, Ster! Wake up! Come on, it's time for your special tour!"

Something was shaking him vigorously, which was actually quite painful. Sterling whined and attempted to burrow deeper into the warmth of his nest, breathing in the sweet scent of the hay.

Then his eyes shot open as he realized where he was. He was in the inn of Newleaf Town, where Pokémon like him weren't despised and shunned, and he was ready to begin his new life without his mother, without Flare. And it would begin this morning.

"Come on, Ster! You've slept long enough!" the voice groaned. It was Blaize, of course.

Sterling rolled over reluctantly, opening his eyes. The exasperated Charmander was standing over him, chewing on something vaguely round and red while he complained. It was an oddly amusing sight.

"I'm up." Sterling sat up with a huge yawn, then paused. "Wait a moment. Did you just call me Ster?"

"A couple of times, actually. What do you want me to call you, Ing?" Blaize grinned at his expression. "Well, I'm sorry, O great king Ing, for calling you by the wrong na-!"

He was cut off mid-sentence when Sterling tackled him, using both brute force and the element of surprise to pin the Charmander to the ground. With a triumphant hiss, he placed a paw on Blaize's chest and firmly held him there.

"Never, ever call me by a nickname again," he growled, shoving his nose close to the fire lizard's face. Though his voice sounded threatening, he was half-smiling.

Blaize was grinning too, even though the attack had caused the half-eaten apple to fly out of his hand. "Of course… Sterl…ing."

Then they began to tussle, Sterling yowling with indignation and Blaize laughing at his expression. The play-fight was slightly awkward, seeing as one was bipedal and the other a quadruped, and Blaize had a very hot fire burning on the tip of his tail. But Sterling found it fun anyways.

When they rolled away from each other, he found that he felt significantly more refreshed and felt light-hearted and cheerful, though hungry. In fact, he felt so hungry that it was surprising he hadn't noticed it before now. "Uh, Blaize, I'm hungry."

The Charmander snorted. "I'm not surprised. You did sleep for a really long time, after all. And fighting with me must draining."

"How long?" Sterling, ignoring the boasting, pricked his ears and looked out one of the windows. The light streaming through did seem unusually pale for mid-afternoon, and had an almost watery quality to it.

"Well, you slept through the rest of last afternoon, all of the night, and a little bit of the morning. It's still pretty early, though. I wanted to wake you up before you started hibernating." Blaize gave him a teasing smirk.

Sterling wanted to retort, though the impatient growling of his stomach interrupted him. "Is there anything to eat, or did you steal it all?"

"I only ate one apple," Blaize protested. "Don't you trust me?"

Sterling hopped up onto one of the chairs seated around the table. From there, he could easily take fruit from the bowl in the center. "Not at all, Charmander. Not even the tiniest bit."

Though that wasn't really true, he realized as he examined the bowl. He reached in a paw and picked out something that might have been a Leppa - he had never eaten one before. As he bit into it, a rush of flavor seemed to spring from the fruit, filling his mouth.

While chewing, he glanced thoughtfully at Blaize, who was finishing his apple on the other side of the table.

Somehow, he had befriended the Charmander, and had even come to trust him. Though only a little. Trust was a dangerous gift to give, even to the most loyal of friends, and Sterling wasn't willing to let himself become destroyed by trusting others.

His expression must have darkened, because Blaize gave him a serious look from across the table. Through a mouthful of apple, he asked, "Is there something wrong, Sterling?"

"I'm a little nervous at going around town," he admitted. Which was the truth, even if it wasn't the whole truth.

"Well, don't be. We're all like a big family, though there are a few bullies. They're lazy, though, and won't be awake at this time of day." Blaize seemed confident about that.

"I guess." Sterling finished his Leppa with a great swallow and looked expectantly at the Charmander. "You can show me around. Just… nowhere too crowded, okay?"

"Not a problem!" Blaize grinned. The smile looked too devious for the Shinx's liking.

The first place Blaize showed him was a small square, which was, unfortunately, nastily crowded. Merchants sat behind crudely built stalls, calling out the names of their wares, and proudly displaying their merchandise to admiring eyes. There was a wide variety of objects being sold there, ranging from food items to scarves and hats to what even looked like charcoal.

"The traders come to Newleaf every spring and winter," Blaize informed Sterling. "They're really called 'traveling teams.' We just call them traders. They're considered to be teams because they willingly venture into mystery dungeons, but they don't really save anyone or explore. They just look for stuff to sell."

So mystery dungeons didn't just occur back at the tribe. Sterling felt his heartbeat speed up at the mention of them. Mystery dungeons had always fascinated him. "Do they find lots of rare things in them, too? Do they get lost easily?"

"They do find lots of cool stuff. But they're experienced, so only the new traders get lost." Blaize pointed at a nearby Raichu. "Why don't you ask him?"

Sterling was about to snarl a negative, terrified by the very thought of speaking to a stranger who would possibly humiliate him because of his oddly colored eyes, when he caught sight of the Raichu's tail-tip.

Instead of a lightning bolt at the end of it, there was a glossy red orb.

"All right," Sterling said, striding forward. His heart skipped a beat when the electric mouse glanced sideways, though there was friendliness in the trader's gaze.

"Hi there, Shinx. How are you doing?" the Raichu-Ampharos greeted cheerfully. He had an odd accent, one that Sterling didn't recognize. "Want to buy any of my wares? We have plenty, and we're selling at low prices."

"Uh… no. I was just, uh, wondering what traders do. You know, traveling and all." He flinched inwardly at the awkwardness. He could practically feel it.

A look of slight disappointment passed over the Raichu's face, though he concealed it quickly. "The life of a traveling team can get very dangerous at times, but it's rewarding. We go through dungeons and look for rare items in there. Sometimes, Pokémon drop them or ferals collect them, or the dungeon even creates them on its own."

Blaize spoke up from behind Sterling, thoroughly startling him out of his wits. He hadn't realized that the Charmander was behind him. "Do you fight a lot of strong wild Pokémon in mystery dungeons?" he asked eagerly. "Do you have to battle them for items?"

"Quite often, yes. So we train whenever we possibly can, and that's why we like Newleaf. Lots of Pokémon to buy our stuff, and there's the Dojo to train in. Right, Shade?" the Raichu asked, looking sideways at a Weavile.

"Yeah, yeah, totally right." The Weavile was clearly not paying attention.

"Ignore Shade," the Raichu laughed. "He's just busy. And I am too, really. Pleasure to talk to you two, and I would simply love to continue this conversation, but I don't have any time. How about you run off and play?"

Blaize didn't reply and, apparently, one wasn't required. The Charmander turned back to Sterling with a grin. "Well, that's a trader. Always looking to sell, but friendly enough. Let's move on, shall we?"

Next, they saw a large building built from worn gray stone. The place was very clearly quiet and peaceful, quite unlike the noisiness of the rest of the town. A few symbols were engraved into a wooden sign in front of it, announcing that this was the Slowking Library.

"Slowking Library," Sterling echoed, half in confusion. "Why would you name a library after a Slowking?"

"The founder was a Slowking. And they're really smart, too. Not like their pre-evolved form at all." Blaize glanced at the library, appearing to be uninterested. "The library can be pretty handy, I guess, but I don't spend too much time in here unless I need to. We might visit it later."

Sterling looked at the quiet building. He wasn't particularly fond of reading, though the books stored within would undoubtedly be helpful in the future.

"It's not entirely boring," Blaize said thoughtfully. "I once picked out two really interesting books. They were about humans who had turned into Pokémon. Though they had amnesia, they saved the world."

"Humans, huh?" Sterling had heard of them before, though he didn't know too much about them.

"Yep. Both of them were really unique and well-planned out. I liked them a lot." Blaize paused, scanning the building, before speaking again. "All right, let's move on." He began walking.

Sterling glanced back at the library before trotting after the Charmander.

The next place Blaize showed him was another building. It appeared to be fairly quiet, which was a welcome change, though it wasn't like most of the other noticeable places he had seen. It was built from a mixture of wood and stone, and was draped with ivy. However, it was evident from how some of the vines were chopped off that someone had attempted to tame the plants' wild growth.

In front of the building was a large garden, composed of several rows of plants. Some were trees, others were sharp-scented herbs, and some bore brightly colored flowers. A few seemed completely normal, bearing no fruit or flowers. Sterling wrinkled his nose as he examined them, trying to figure out which plant was which.

"This is the apothecary," Blaize announced. "It's run by Miss Chamomile. She's a Lilligant."

"Apothecary? Isn't there a hospital around here somewhere?" Sterling vaguely remembered Blaize pointing one out on the way to the library, though he hadn't elaborated much on it.

"Yep," the Charmander replied, "but it's only used in real emergencies. The apothecary's much easier. Miss Cham doesn't have medicine for bad injuries or sicknesses, so Pokémon mostly come here for small things like colds, little wounds, and even poisoning."

Sterling stared. "Poison?"

"Nothing major, just the kind that can be easily healed by a Pecha and Lum berry brew." Blaize shrugged. "I guess poison must have been really bad where you come from. Well, it's fairly common here, seeing as we live with so many poison-types and poisonous plants, and it's not that bad."

"If you say so," Sterling muttered doubtfully. He cast a cautious glance over his shoulder at the apothecary before following Blaize.

Next was a very busy area that Blaize referred to as "the town square."

Multiple shops were crowded around the edge of the square. Long lines of Pokémon waited outside and within each one, and still more were swarming about the inside, eating food as they walked and carrying heavy bags slung over their shoulders.

"Rescue and exploration teams visit here most often," Blaize explained. "Some of them are traders, a bunch come from distant towns and cities all across the region, and several are students at the Newleaf Academy."

"Newleaf Academy?" That was an unfamiliar name.

"Yeah. We have a sort of school in here to train aspiring rescuers and explorers." Something flashed in the Charmander's eyes. "It's just about every young Pokémon's dream to become one of them, though not many hold onto that ambition as they grow up, and most of those that do don't even pass the entrance exam."

Sterling glanced sideways at Blaize, studying his face. "Did you fail the entrance exam?"

The Charmander laughed sheepishly. "No. I haven't even tried to get in. If you don't have a partner, then one is chosen for you, and I don't want that. Besides… the entrance exam scares me."

"Sounds harsh," Sterling commented.

"I don't know. I know a few Pokémon that go there, and they say it's all right."

At that moment, something large smashed straight into Sterling. The tackle was so unexpected that, for a moment, the Shinx could do nothing but lay there. Then he reached up and bit down hard on his attacker's paw.

"Owww! Ow, ow, ow! What's with you?" howled the culprit, which appeared to be a Poochyena.

"What's with you? Watch where you're going next time, or I'll electrocute you instead of just biting!" Sterling snapped back.

The Poochyena growled at him. "You can try, stupid cat!"

Next to him, Blaize seemed to have encountered similar trouble from a sneering Totodile and a glaring Chikorita, both of which had also attempted to knock him over. "You guys are just awful!" he raged, his tail-flame flaring up.

"Maybe we are – awful at failing at life. Though you're all too good at it." The Totodile crossed his arms. "And aren't failures. We're preparing to take the entrance exam for the Newleaf Academy, unlike you." The Totodile smirked. "Loser."

"At least, unlike you, I have a brain, idiot." Blaize scowled at him. "I bet you three will fail so spectacularly that they'll have no choice but to write it down in the history books, and then everyone will laugh at you and remember you as the world's biggest failures!"

The Poochyena stepped back with a snarl, still glaring at Sterling "Looks like you've got a friend, Charmander. Surprise, surprise – someone can actually tolerate you."

"It's surprising that anyone can tolerate you!" Sterling hissed. "Your smell alone makes me want to run away and never come back!"

To his surprise, found that he already hated this arrogant Poochyena. And it was clear from Blaize's expression that he knew the trio all too well, and disliked them too.

The Poochyena bristled. "Yeah, why don't you? That'd save us all from having to stare at your ugly face!"

The Chikorita spoke up for the first time, her voice cold and annoyed. "Why are we wasting time arguing with them? Let's just get going. We could be training right now." She seemed indifferent, as if Sterling and Blaize were nothing more than nuisances to be ignored.

"Aloe's right. Let's go." The Poochyena shot Sterling one last glare before trotting off, following the Chikorita. The Totodile leered at the two of them and followed after his companions.

"And those are three of the most annoying idiots in the neighborhood, not even deserving of the title 'bullies.' It's a surprise that they think that they can get into the Academy." Blaize glared bitterly after them.

Sterling glowered, too. "They are idiots. If you and me partnered up, we could definitely get in, but I've only known them for about three minutes and I can already tell they're too stupid to do anything right."

It took a moment before he realized that Blaize was staring at him, jaw gaping.

"Do you really mean that, Sterling? That we could both get in together?" There was a kind of desperate longing in the Charmander's voice, as well as sincerity and hopefulness in his face.

Do I?

The realization was startling.

"I do," Sterling said slowly.

"Would you… want to?"

Want to?

Though it was something he had blurted out in the heat of his anger, it did make some sense to Sterling. He had nowhere to go, nothing to do, and really no place to stay but the inn. Even though joining the Academy would be very impulsive, it would at least give him an occupation until he figured out what to do.

His mother was dead. And though it was painful, there was no bringing her back. His old tribe had killed her, and perhaps he could avenge her death someday, but that day wasn't today. Until then, he had to get stronger and better.

His mother would not have wanted him to rot away without something to do. His father wouldn't have, either. And if Flare had come along…

Flare would have told him to do it.

"Yes," said Sterling. "I would want to." He paused before adding, "We could do it, you know. If you wanted to."

The answer was barely more audible than a whisper. "Of course I would want to. We'd have to prepare first, but… yes. I would love to. It's my life's dream."

And then Blaize said three words that Sterling had never heard before, not from his mother, not from Flare, not from anyone. And they were sincere and truthful, with genuine meaning behind them. They filled the Shinx with an odd sort of warmth.

"Thank you, Sterling."

AN: And that's Chapter 4.

Sorry for how long it took to update. I restarted my Explorers of Sky and finally got Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, which consumed most of my free time.

I don't plan to take this long again, though. Though my plans never do seem to work out…

EDIT: I went back and edited some mistakes I hadn't spotted in the first chapters, as well as editing this one. I added in several parts. It might be a good idea to go back and look at the changes to this chapter.