CHAPTER TEN
I saw them everywhere.
The Jolteon, claws clasped around my throat, snarling and saying I deserved to rot. How could she have been willing to kill me, willing to take away a living being's life?
When my mind turned from her I saw Blaze and Sally. How could they act so amiable, pretend to be someone's friend, someone's companion, when you would willingly stab them in the back? How can your lies not slowly eat you up from the inside?
I shook my head. It's idiotic to cry over the past. Denari was beside me, ears drooping and tail hanging so low he could trip over it. For once he wasn't talking. At least it couldn't get any worse, right?
BOOM!
Wrong. Thunder crashed overhead and the sky became clotted with ominous grey clouds. To top it all off a light rain began to fall.
Oh Mew, do I hate water. Every time a droplet landed on me I had to resist crying out. It felt like the liquid was eroding away my skin and it burned like the sting of a flame.
"Are you okay, doll face?" asked Denari, his voice slightly raspy from his lack of speech.
"Stop doing that!" I snapped.
"Doing what?"
"The stupid pet names! Doll face, sweetheart. It's annoying!"
I had a terrible past few days and Denari wasn't helping. He knew the only reason I didn't lash out about being called Sparkles was because I didn't have any better option. I'd rather be Sparkles than Bonehead, and I was not being called Cubone. Yes, some trainers don't use nicknames, but that's ridiculous Have you ever met a human named Human? Didn't think so.
"Jeez, Sparkles, didn't realize you were so wound up about it," said Denari, sounding slightly hurt. "But it's not just you, it's every girl. You're doll face, she's doll face, that lady over there is doll face…"
"Denari, that's a man in a wig."
"Oh."
I sighed and shrugged Denari off. He wasn't a big fan of the rain either and he cringed every time a drop hit him. His fur was matted to his sodden body, his eyes were wide and gloomy, and he looked a lot like a sad kitty. How can you get mad at a sad kitty?
In the distance I saw a Pokémon Center, hard to miss with its eye-watering bright orange color. There was another bang of thunder and the rain began to pour in thick sheets. The pain was overpowering and my consciousness was beginning to slip, black spots dancing in my vision.
I felt a sinking sensation and the muddy ground gave in. I descended into the mire and thrashed around, but it felt the more I tugged the more I slipped. The rain came down in greater vigor.
"Calm down, Sparkles, take my paw." said Denari, extending a hand. I latched onto him and he pulled me out.
"Thanks," I said, giving my tail an experimental wiggle.
Denari simply smiled, but it said a thousand words. We headed towards the building and he pawed at the door until a Nurse Joy opened it.
"Oh my!" she exclaimed, ushering us inside.
"Pardon me, Nursey, but aren't wild Pokémon banned?" asked a man in a white lab coat. Big glasses rested on the bridge of his nose and only a Hello Skitty bandage taped in the middle held the spectacles together. His jacket was stained with grease, his stomach bulged over his belt, and his hair was oily.
Nurse Joy laughed, a sound quite like a tinkly bell. "Nonsense! I'm not letting these cuties get all cold and wet! Besides, this is a perfect example for your experiment! Let's say for this Cubone wants to have a baby with this Meowth."
"What?" Denari and I said simultaneously, but to no avail.
"That wouldn't be possible because they're in different breeding groups," Nurse Joy continued. "Pokémon in different groups have such a low success rate of actually producing a baby that we classify them in separate groups. The odds of this Meowth impregnating the Cubone are so low it's virtually impossible. I doubt this Cubone wants a child, though. Cubones are so secluded it's a large surprise she's traveling, especially with a Meowth!"
The scientist coughed impatiently and Nurse Joy visibly fought the impulse to scowl at him.
"If the Cubone had a mate in her group, however, she would have a child but would die shortly after birth like every other Cubone or Marowak. Unless, of course, she came to a Pokémon Center or Daycare where we're trained to—"
"Yeah, yeah," chastised the scientist, "I love Pokémon pregnancy as much as the next guy, but I'm not trying to clone a Cubone. What if, hypothetically, I was trying to clone a Mew?"
"A Mew!" exclaimed Nurse Joy. "I'm afraid I can't help you there. Mew is a mythical creature, a fairy tale. If you wanted to go on a wild goose chase it would require extreme finances. Can your organization afford that?"
"Of course," scoffed the scientist, "Team Rocket can afford anything."
"I've never heard of Team Rocket," Nurse Joy admitted.
"Oh," the scientist chuckled, "You'll hear of us soon. Very, very soon."
With that he kicked open the door and waltzed out, evaporating into the misty rain before I could call out and ask him what he meant about Team Rocket.
Sighing, I resigned to leaning up against the leg of an overstuffed chair in the lobby and watching the rain pat on the windows. Denari curled up next to a fireplace and fell asleep. Meanwhile a gang of teenage humans walked up, talking loudly and leaving wet footprints all over the floor. Several busily texted on their iPhones while others giggled in hushed voices, and they all had extremely short mini-skirts. The only male in the group was a runty boy.
The girls instantly spotted Denari and scooped him up, his yowls of protest being drowned out by the coos of "Look at the sleeping kitty!"
They all fought over him until one, who seemed like the ringleader, pushed forward and snatched Denari up. She wore a fuchsia halter top, had blonde curls, and possessed so much make-up little clumps of mascara fluttered off every time she blinked.
No one paid attention to me even though I'm positive they all saw me. Then the boy walked over and attempted to pick me up. I hissed at him and he held his hand out in front of my nose. I sniffed it, decided his intentions were good, and allowed him to lift me up. He took a seat in an ugly plaid chair and began to slowly run his hand through my fur. It felt really nice and I let out a little sigh of happiness. The boy began to rattle on about how he was going to be a Pokemon master. He had a Bellsprout, a Nidorino and Sandshrew and was being forced to travel with his annoying older sister. I was willing to put up with his jabbering if it meant he'd keep on petting me.
"Like, oh my Arceus, Ethan, what are you doing with that ugly groundhog?" I looked up to see the girly ringleader glaring at her brother and I in disdain. She still clutched a wriggling Denari in her arms.
"It's not a groundhog, Veronica, it's a Cubone," Ethan retorted. "And it's not ugly."
"Whatever," said Veronica, flipping her hair behind her back. "It's stupid and you're embarrassing me in front of my friends."
"The only stupid thing is you," growled Denari, his paws beginning to glow as he readied a shadow claw. I quickly shook my head— injuring the jerk would only get us tossed into the rain.
Veronica ignored the outburst, partially because humans don't speak Pokémon and partially because she's a moron.
"Now put that thing outside before I make you!" she screeched, pointing a bubblegum pink painted fingernail at the door. "It's probably not even housebroken."
As she uttered the last few words Denari escaped her iron grasp and hopped on Veronica's shoulder. As Veronica said 'housebroken' a devious smile played on Denari's lips.
He lifted a leg at Veronica's face…and let the golden rain flow.
A/N: I love this chapter, so I'm dedicating it to the people I love...that's you! Thank you, lovely reader, and special thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed, and added this story to their favorites.