When she nodded, he nodded.
When she walked, he followed.
When she laughed...oh how he wished he knew what was so amusing.
They were inseperable; they hadn't even left Accumula Town yet, and already Oshawott felt like he couldn't let go of her. Touko became his world. She lifted him up when he was down; literally. There wasn't a moment when he wasn't in her arms or up sight-seeing on her shoulders, try his best to avoid getting lost in the brunette's big puff of hair.
Except for when they danced.
The day before they set out of Accumula Town, it rained. No, it poured. Oshawott had held back the urge to be outside, the water one of his great admirations. But that was before Touko had picked him up off the cushion in the Pokemon Center, and rushed them outside.
She undid her hair and twirled 'round and around, tossing Oshey in the air as she danced. Unlike every other person still out on the streets, Touko brought no umbrella. She embraced the rain like no one else, and yerned to be out in it.
Never had he seen her happier.
Until the day after. The moment the two decided it was time to leave Accumula Town, they took no time to wave goodbye to the almost barren little town. The first step they took onto route 2 made a slow smile turn into a flashing, white-toothed grin for the young trainer.
Yes. A trainer. That's what she had decided.
No...That's what they had decided.
The teen had been reading the entries of the only two Pokemon she had in her Pokedex. "It says here that Oshawott will fight back immediately once they are attacked, without hesitation. How come you didn't fight back on your own in the battle with N?"
He smiled up at her. "Because you needed to take the first step on your own. It's part of growing, and I promise to always help you grow."
Touko swore on her life, crossing her heart over with her fingers nearly a thousand times, that she would never continue her journey unless Oshawott was there by her side.
Right by her side, and not a step further away.
Route 2 was fairly small, but perhaps it was for the better. Accumula Town had been somewhat of an amazement to them, which was saying something. The two needed to grow as the land did, to shape themselves with the earth, following the same pace as Unova. Their paths would get bigger eventualy, so all they wanted to do now was enjoy the simple sites, and take things a step at a time, which meant pushing away all thoughts of a city they had heard of called Nimbasa until they were acualy there.
"Look!" Touko darted into a near-by bush after she pointed to a person standing along the trail.
Oshawott, in an alarmed state, sprung after her. "What? What's going on?"
The teen snickered. "It's a wild 'lass'. They're said to have a rather sassy nature, so we better be careful."
A smile slipped over the otter Pokemon's face as he realized his friend's joke. But it was true about the lass trainer, not to mention two youngsters on their path ahead. But things like this were no longer a worry. Now they knew what they were doing, and were prepared to do it well.
Moves like "tail whip" were tried out, and always did nicely when followed by a tackle. This sort of combination turned into a routine between them, although became a little boring after so many times.
"Use flamethrower!" Touko shouted in a battle against Youngster Roland.
Oshawott stopped dead in the middle of the battle and turned to her, laughter taking over. "How stupid are you!"
She stood there, dumbfounded. "What?"
He shook his head, "Nevermind." And from there went on with a tackle.
At the end of the battle, Oshawott began to glow slightly, but it faded quickly.
"What was that?" The teen was almost worried.
Until her friend looked up and replied, "I believe I just learned a new move..."
And so they danced again, this time in celebration. "Water gun" had just been gained, but more importantly, it was the first move he had ever learned.
The two danced as they walked, throughout the grass that was still wet with rainwater, along the dirt paths that scuffed Touko's shoes, everywhere. And it didn't matter to them who looked, who stared. They were all too lost in their own amusement; the kind of fun that seperates you from the world, and makes you feel as if no one else exists. And at one point or another down the road, they were the only ones.
But it was all for the better when they started asking some of the stupidest questions, as some sort of attempt for them to get to know eachother better. Although, in a way, it wasn't obvious if it was helping.
It was now Touko who was to ask the questions, as they took turns. "What do you think you'll reincarnate into?"
"Who says I believe in reincarnation?" Oshey scoffed at his trainer, his friend.
"Dunno." She said. "Alright, if you could be any sandwhich spread, which would you be?"
"Jelly or jam, easily."
"If I threw white-out on you, what would you say?"
He spread his arms out and looking himself up and down with a disgusted face. "What the hell was that for?"
"What about plant food?"
"What about it? It tastes grose." He paused and furrowed his brow. "Believe me."
"OOOOH! Touko!" Bel came running up with a conrete smile plastered over her face.
The blonde hugged Touko tightly, without hesitation of letting go for several moments. In all honesty, Touko had missed Bel. Sure, she could be a little clueless at times, and possibely annoying, but she was still a friend.
More than anything, Touko missed Bel's hugs, missed the way her voice would get all sing-songy when she was happy. What were merely once obnoxious habits, now seemed like someone had taken Touko's heart and splashed it all over her well-being. She never realized how much she needed her friends.
Oshawott simply stood there, grinning in the sight of happiness; For two different reasons. The greeting of two trainers setting out on their journey only ever lead to one thing, and Oshey was right about this.
"Hey Touko, I've been training a lot lately, and I was thinking that maybe we could have a battle." Bel didn't bother asking it as a question; she already knew Touko would agree.
Which was also correct.
The brunette turned to her Pokemon friend, awaiting for a reply. When Oshawott nodded, the battle begun.
Bel had surprisingly become stronger than expected. Perhaps her team wasn't as tough as Cheren's, but she cared for her Pokemon deeply, and it showed.
"Uh-oh...am I in trouble?"
Bel's Lillipup had been taken down already, and all that remained was her Tepig. It was absolutely adorable, which almost made Touko go easy on it, but she knew better. She had been raised to fight back with violence, as she had always been treated in such ways.
"You bet you are!" The petite teen winked. "Oshey's water gun is super effective!...right?"
The Oshawott looked back at his trainer. "Correct."
So Touko wasn't the most coordinated trainer, she was only a beginner, still learning the basics as she went along. Battling had become a fun activity for her, but more than anything, she didn't want her Pokemon to get hurt all too badly, especially not like she had been. Touko rubbed over her once bruised cheek at the thought.
Bel returned her Tepig to it's Pokeball. "Wow, you've turned out to be one tough cookie, huh Touko? I guess my Pokemon and I still have a lot of training to do!"
"Naw, you're pretty good yourself. After all, me and Oshawott haven't been through many battles yet, so I wouldn't say we're all that good." The brunette flashed a smile down at her Pokemon.
"Well, I guess I'll get going, then!"
And so Bel headed off, with only her breif goodbye to hold Touko's mind together.
After several moments, the teen picked up Oshey. "She's gone...Just like everyone else."
He waited, trying to find some words of comfort, but none seemed to come to mind. "I know."
Touko's heart seemed to get a new puncture wound with each goodbye said between her and...basicly anyone. She didn't want to let go of people, especially ones she was certain about seeing again. This whole journey just reminded her of how distant she was becoming from the people she already could barely call her friends.
It was all because of the Shadow Triad, and how they'd never let her get attatched to anyone...although, she hadn't seen them in a while now. Perhaps this would be the start of her happiness. Not that she truely believed it'd last long.