Dee.
I was so shocked to hear that kid's voice. Even more so for what he said.
When Dan called out to me, his voice sounded like a rusty squeak. Instantly, it caught my attention, and I turned around. He'd taken a step closer, while his friends look stunned.
Natalie whispered, "Dan..." while Drew stared at his brother in absolute amazement.
I could see the hesitant fear in his eyes. I raised my eyebrows. "What did you say?"
His tiny little Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. "Yo-you don't have to..." He gulped. "You sh-should..."
Drew put a hand on Dan's shoulder. "Dan, you don't have to-"
"Shut up!" His voice cracked and raised an octave. His response visibly terrfied his brother, and Drew immediately jumped back. "D-Dee, please...you could t-teach us all k-kinds of th-things about b-being trainers!"
I didn't know how to respond. I didn't even know this kid. "I don't think so. What about Aar-?"
"I-I-I'll battle you! Let me battle you, right here!" His voice and his skinny little arms shook.
What the hell do you say when a shaking, stuttering fourteen year old boy you don't know demands you travel with him? Like, seriously?
"Dan! You can't beat Dee!" Michelle squeaked out a warning. "She used to be one of the best coordinators around!"
"Seriously, dude," Drew agreed. "Let's just go..."
Dan paid no attention to them. His warm, chocolate-colored eyes stayed on me, his mouth a set line against his tanned face.
That kind of determination, it brought back memories of Riley, that crazy, dark-haired boy who hated taking no for an answer...
I clipped a pokeball off of my belt. "Aaron, do you think the professor would mind much?"
A Few Minutes Later.
"Okay...battle!"
Professor Rowan had no qualms against us battling on front of the lab.
I took the pokeball I'd chosen earlier, probably the best choice for a beginner like him.
"Snover, I choose you!" Snover, a pokemon I'd caught shortly after our group split up seven years earlier, came out of her pokeball.
Dan frowned, seeing my choice. He chose his own pokemon, and sent it out.
"Ducky! Let's go!" He sent out a feather, brown, duck-like pokemon with a green stick. It must've been a Kanto thing.
From the sidelines, I heard Michelle power on her new pokedex. "Farfetch'd, the Wild Duck pokemon," It chirped out in a female voice. "Farfetch'd can't live without the stalk it constantly holds, which is why it will defend it to the death."
Gonna be a hell of a fight... The Farfetch'd, Ducky, waved its stalk threateningly at Snover.
Drew, refereeing the battle, glanced at his brother. "Begin!"
"Ducky, use Hidden Power!" Dan ordered right off the bat. His voice still had that rusty, raspy quality, like he had a very dry throat. "Blow Snover away!"
Ducky swirled his stalk in the air, and I saw it gather a gust of wind as it swirled. I had seen many Hidden Powers, and I assumed this one was flying-type.
"Snover, use Powder Snow!" Our pokemon had type advantages over each other, and I don't think that was an accident...maybe Dan wasn't such a greenhorn after all.
"Farfetch'd far!" Ducky used his stalk and swung it at Snover, slashing a huge gust of wind at her. Snover took a deep breath, and blew a frosty, snowy gust of wind at Ducky.
The two attacks hit each other, and the pokemon braced themselves. Ducky's Hidden Power blew a little bit of Snover's Powder Snow my way, whipping my ponytail around my back. I shivered violently at the sudden burst of cold.
"Sh-sh-shit!" I cried out. "Snover, use Ice Beam!"
"T-t-to the air, Ducky!" Dan had either gotten chill blasted as well, or was just still stuttering.
As Snover launched an ice-blue beam at Ducky, the Farfetch'd spread his wings and launched himself into the air. Snover's attack hit the ground, forming a chunk of ice in the dirt.
"A-Aerial Ace!" Dan was getting so excited. He really thought he had me on the ropes.
I grit my teeth in frustration. How could he think he had me beat?!
"Snover, use Ice Shard!"
Snover held her arms out, and a glowing chunk of ice appeared between them. She hurled the ice chunk at Ducky, striking a wing and knocking him out of the sky. He almost dropped his stalk.
Dan gasped. "No!"
"Now use Wood Hammer!" I was really getting into the heat of it. I'd basically stopped traveling after I turned sixteen, after the search for Tess was called off, so it had been about four years since I had had a good battle.
Snover raised her arms and began glowing green, humming. Then, she charged full-speed at Ducky just as he was stumbling back to his feet. He skidded back in the dirt as Snover charged at him, but he did his best to stand standing. I could see the strain it took him to fight back.
"Ducky! Use...use..." Dan wasn't sure what to do. He faltered, trying to think.
"Snover! Finish it off with Ice Punch!" Better to put poor Ducky out of his misery than keep the battle going.
Snover, still in close range, charged up the icy attack. Her fist glowed bright, pale blue as she pulled her arm back, then punched Ducky with the power of a raging blizzard. Ducky slid back in the dirt from the attack, and collapsed with a groan. His stalk was still tightly held in his feathers.
Dan's brother stared at the Farfetch'd in disappointment. "...Ducky is unable to battle," He announced in a monotone. "The winner is Snover, and the victory goes to Dee."
All the excitement Dan had shown me in battle fell from his face. He looked devastated to see his pokemon beaten. He looked down as he silently returned his Farfetch'd to his pokeball.
You could absolutely tell he wasn't experienced with battles. I felt almost bad for being so rough.
Drew.
For Dan to so much as speak to Dee like he did, let alone yell at me, was completely disorienting. To see him battle was terrifying.
Back in Pallet Town, the three of us all had our own pokemon(Nat had Lenny, I had a Vulpix, and Dan had Ducky), but Dan never really battled much. Lenny and my Vulpix, Pixel, were always competitive and urged me and Nat to battle, but Dan was far too laid back. I had never seen him challenge anyone in his life.
To see Dee and her Snover handle Ducky and Dan so roughly...it actually hurt me. Because he's my brother, you know? And he looked so disappointed to have lost.
"You really dove in there too fast, huh, kid?" Dee returned Snover to the pokeball. "Too focused on winning than on actually battling. You can't just power through like that."
Dan already looked so down. She had no need to critisize him like that. I wanted to march over to her and hit her; she was taller than me, but I had no qualms about hitting people who mess with Dan.
Then, she continued.
"Shit, and Aaron's the exact same way...he'd be such a crap teacher for you kids."
"Hey!" Aaron blushed, glaring at her. "Don't say that, you punk!"
Dee threw her hands up in a defeated gesture. "I guess I'm going to have to go with you, huh?" She admitted. "All Aaron could teach you is how to grow the most beautiful marijuana plants!"
"Piss off, you friggin' dyke!" Dee's eyebrows twitched at the slur thrown her way, but she didn't lash out further.
I heard Michelle gasp. "Really, Dee?" She asked excitedly. "You'll come traveling with us?"
Dee laughed. "I just said so, didn't I, Mitchie?" She grinned ear to ear. She must've really loved that kid.
For a moment, Aaron still looked angry. Then he cocked an eyebrow, a sly grin crossing his features. "You'll just up and leave, with nothing but the clothes on your back?"
Dee swaggered up to him. "I'll call my mom, have her pack a bag with clothes and supplies," She explained, an edge to her voice, "then have Barry deliver it to Jubilife." Aaron leaned away from her, very obviously intimidated by her.
Meanwhile, like some sick kind of fangirl, Dan was very quietly watching every move Dee made. His eyes followed every step, every slight hand gesture as she intimidated Aaron Wilkerson.
All I could think was, I want this girl to stay as far away from Dan as I can possibly push her.
