Chapter 3: Memory

Well, whoever we were waiting for was sure taking their time.

Now fully awake and boredly roaming the airport terminals, Casey, Richard, and I were eager to get going. It was only my insistence that we carry out my dad's request that anchored us to there. If only it was clear as to why we had to say… I called my dad twice with the phone in my Pokedex (I hadn't gotten to try it out on any actually Pokemon yet, but it was still great to have), but his Nav was turned off, so I couldn't reach him; it had probably died, because he never remembered to charge it.

After circumnavigating the airport twice, we found ourselves right back where we had started. I could even make out the same PC that had gone berserk and brought Richard his special delivery.

"Ok," huffed Richard. He was a few steps ahead of me, and turned around to talk. "Enough is enough. We're not even sure what your dad was talking about when he told us to come here. Hell, for all we know, he might not have even told us to do this."

"Yes," I said. "Yes he did. I'm sure he did…"

Could I have misheard my dad? The wind was picking up, I might have heard someone else's voice…

And then I heard another voice. I hadn't heard it in a long time, and even then it was difficult to recognize.

"Wait," I said, holding up a hand to freeze any incoming retort from Richard.

I stood on my toes –I'm pretty tall, but there were more tallish people around me. Richard saw what I was doing and turned around. He ducked helpfully.

"What are you doing?" Casey asked.

"I think," I said, "I see someone I know."

And sure enough, there she was.

I hadn't seen Dana since just before I left, the day before, to be precise. She was a few months younger than me and lived in Foretree. In fact, her house was just down the street from mine, and by extension, a few blocks from Richard's. The three of us went to school together and had grown up as a Three Musketeers-esque ensemble.

I could see her, staring around like a lost kid. Her eyes were as wide as any other country bumpkin's on arriving for the first time in a big city. She was wearing the same gray beanie she always had; come to think of it, I could count on one hand the number times I'd seen her without that thing since we met. There was a Pokemon hunched on each her shoulders. Her mother's well-groomed, pink Snubbull cast his trademark, under-bitten scowl around the room from his perch; I think his name was Froofy or Chewy or something like that. Opposite the Snubbull crouched a large, healthy Treecko. Dana's new starter Pokemon was sleek and green, still fresh and zealous from Birch's Pokemon Reserve in Twinleaf Town.

Suddenly, everything clicked into place.

Back on the train: Airfield… find… Mr… sent his… meet you, and… travel…

Go to the airfield and find Dana. Mr. Kasari sent her to meet you, and she'd like to travel with you a while.

I guess Dana had finally turned fourteen and gotten her first Pokemon. True, you could legally get your starter at ten, but these days, most people were more concerned about at least completing middle school before you set out on your journey. After all, you never knew when you'd get home again.

"Dana!" I called, snapping back from my rapidly derailing train of thought. "Over here Dana!"

"Dana?" asked Richard, straightening back up, blocking my view. "From Foretree? What's she doing here?"

I explained quickly about my possible deciphering of my dad's shouts. Richard just nodded as if my suggestion was as likely or unlikely as any other.

"Someone you know, I take it?" asked Casey.

"Yeah, we went to school together last year. Old friend. I think she's going to…"

"I heard you explain to Richard," Casey said, stopping me.

She scanned Dana, who was at this point struggling toward us through a crowd of exiting airship passengers, with an appraising gray eye, as if she was gauging how useful the girl might be in the future. I don't think Casey was very impressed; she just nodded and moved a little closer to me.

Ignoring Casey, I turned to greet my old friend, who had finally fought her way through the crowd to Richard.

"Hi guys! Sorry, my flight was late…"

And thus began the long, repetitive dialogue of reunion. I felt guilty: Dana had been counting off the days since we left, dying for the moment she would be able to join us on our journey. I had sort of (read: completely) forgotten her as soon as we got to Kanto…

Then again, I had had a lot of other things on my plate like, oh, you know, avenging my brother's death and saving the country from destruction at the hands of a madman while trying to keep myself and my friends alive in one piece.

Regardless, she had been waiting for this day a long time, but now, didn't seem to know what to do.

Dana and Richard exchanged greetings and stories with the awkwardness of two old friends who had gone through puberty since last speaking, which was precisely the case. I, for the most part, stood back and waited my turn. When Dana and Richard gave each a final, obviously uncomfortable hug, he stood aside and I joined in.

Dana was still her old, scatterbrained self (this became clear as she realized that she'd left her luggage next to the door and broke the conversation to scramble over and fetch it) and still smiled a lot. She was shorter than she had been the last time I'd seen her; I realized shortly that this was impossible, that I had just grown taller, and smiled to myself. In truth, it was probably just because I had changed too much that she seemed so… stable.

After we had caught up, I noticed Casey standing quietly at the outskirts of our group and beckoned her in.

"Dana, this is Casey. She's a friend of ours"-I was careful to say both friend and ours so that Dana wouldn't be as confused about Casey's and my relationship as I was-"Casey, Dana. She's traveling with us."

"Nice to meet you," said Dana, bowing quickly in the traditional greeting. Casey nodded, arms akimbo. "I can't wait to get on the road! This is going to be so much fun!"

"Oh, yes," said Casey with an infinitesimal fraction of Dana's enthusiasm. "So much fun."

Dana didn't catch it and kept chattering on excitedly about our upcoming adventure. Her excitement was contagious and Richard soon joined in. The talked in short, quick bursts of euphoric conversation all the way back to the hotel.

(-o-)

We explained to Dana that we only stayed in hotels now when we needed to freshen up before gym battles or other important events, unless someone else was buying. She had some money, but not a large amount, and we told her to save it. If we really needed to, we could battle other trainers and work up enough cash for a room, but my dad had given me enough money to buy a few nights stay in the upcoming towns.

After checking in (we got two adjoining rooms with two beds apiece; Casey, to her simmering anger, was sharing with Dana) we went out to get lunch. We found a cheap deli a few blocks away and sat in the sun, enjoying the warmth of the afternoon.

A few tables away from us, behind me, I could here two guys talking; they were loud and annoying, swore a lot, and seemed to be talking about Pokemon.

"So he sends out this little shit of a Pokemon, like a Sandshrew or something, and I'm like 'Is that the best you got?' and he's all, 'It's more than enough for you'. So I'm fucking pissed, right? And so Quill goes tearing across the field and knocks the shit out of his little shit Pokemon."

"Wicked, man."

Trying to blot out the sound of their conversation, I struck up one of my own.

"So what's the plan for tomorrow morning?"

"I've been looking over some maps," Casey began with a smile; she was back in familiar territory. "And I think we'll get to the first gym fastest if…"

"The first gym is in Violet City, right?" Cut in Dana without a second thought. I cringed. Casey began turning red with anger, but Dana continued. "I looked it up on my computer back at my house and I think…"

Oh crap. I could already see what was going to happen. Casey wasn't just mad at being cut off: it was obvious that she felt like she was being bumped to the backburner now that Richard and I had an old friend around. And though I was trying to include Casey at every possible occasion, Richard was warming up to Dana already. He brought up old stories any time a memory struck him and I was usually dragged in as well, which sort of negated my positive pull on Casey. Casey… she was going to explode and plug poor, ignorant Dana full her shrapnel.

And as if that weren't bad enough, the guy's behind us were getting louder and louder with each time-bomb-ticking second.

"And when I was done with his Pokemon, I went after him too."

"Dude, you are such a badass!"

"Hey!" I shouted, pushing back my chair, jumping to my feet, turning around quick… two surprised looking guys stared back. They were a little older than me, dressed in clothes that were probably very expensive but looked ratty. I don't get fashion these days. The looked like rich, pretty-boy types. I could take them, easy. "Watch your mouths in public, seriously! It's offensive."

"I'll talk how I like where I like, bitch!" said one of them. It was the one who had been talking about his battles earlier.

"Yeah, man, Alex could kick your ass easy," said the other. This one was the one who had just sort of agreed with everything Alex, the big talker, said. It made me mad, how stupidly he followed along everything the first guy said; it was stupid.

I had to teach them a lesson, and if it stopped Casey from going berserk, well, that was good too.

I heard Richard get up to back me up, but I held up a hand to stop him.

"Don't worry man, I can handle these two losers myself. Come on Alex, we'll see who can kick who's ass."

True, I hadn't battled anyone since my fight with Rook at the Battle Tower, during the Pokemon League Challenge and that had been almost a month ago. But guy's like Alex are predictable, and I can handle that.

Plus, the nice guy always wins in the end, right?