Meow! Hello again!
I have nothing to say right now, I don't believe, so I'll see you at the end! Please enjoy Chapter 9!
Chapter 9 - Mischief
I paced back and forth deep in the guild garden's hedge mazes, attempting to let off some frustration. The particular maze I had chosen was the largest and most complicated. No one could bug me here. In its centre rested a small but beautiful spring-fed lake. Goldeen could be seen lazily swimming through the clear water, carefully watched by a single Seaking.
Gripping my egg to my chest, I sighed heavily and slumped down on the grassy shore of the lake, my feet barely outside of the water. A Pidgeotto with a blue bandana around its neck landed beside me and cocked its head. It was the very same Pokémon I had befriended eight years ago. It was always there when I went into the gardens.
"Hi Angel," I said miserably and stroked its back a few times before returning my hand to the egg on my lap. Giving a soft coo, the bird Pokémon bent its head to examine the green and white shell.
"You don't suppose it's close to hatching, do you?" I asked.
"Geo…" the bird replied and nudged my face with its beak. When I didn't respond, it looked at me with concern.
"I'm fine," I stated, "Just a little frustrated is all."
The bird cocked its head, as though it was asking my why.
I sighed again. "I've hardly had any sleep for the past few weeks. Anne says I keep waking up from nightmares, but as soon as I'm awake, I can't remember a thing. On top of that, my stupid egg just isn't hatching! People are saying I mustn't be taking care of it properly! I've been hatching eggs my entire life; I know how to care for one!"
I held up the offending object and glared at it before carefully tucking it back into my chest and hugging it firmly.
"Everyone else's has hatched…Anne's hatched nearly a week ago into an adorable little Zorua and Lorin's hatched just a few days before that into a Gastly. I guess I've kind of been avoiding them because it makes me too impatient for my own to hatch…They've even found mentors and gone out on missions already so they've rarely been around and when they are, they just won't stop talking about whatever mission they've just returned from. I feel like I've been left behind and forgotten…"
The Pidgeotto watched me intently as I spoke. When I fell silent, it clicked its beak and jumped into the air. I flopped onto my side with a heavy sigh and tried to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. Gripping my egg tighter to my chest, I closed my eyes.
I don't know how much time passed before I once again heard the powerful wingbeats of a bird Pokémon.
"Angel?" I asked hopefully, beginning to sit up.
"Not quite," a deep, almost musical sounding voice replied.
Startled, I whipped around to see Light hopping off of his Talonflame. I relaxed and turned back to the lake with a quiet greeting.
"I was pretty concerned when that Pidgeotto of yours came and got me," he said, sitting beside me.
"It isn't mine," I responded on reflex before I actually registered what he had said. "Wait. Angel went and found you?"
He made a noise of confirmation. "He was pretty adamant too. I was worried that you had gotten hurt again."
"Again?"
"Yeah. Like that time back in your first year."
I rolled my eyes. "What are the chances that that would happen again?"
He simply shrugged and elected to change the subject. "So what is bothering you?"
I told him exactly what I had told Angel.
He thought for a moment before saying softly, "You haven't been forgotten. I don't know about Lorindor, but Anne and Enkay your best friends. They wouldn't forget you."
I didn't respond.
"Do you have any ideas on who you want to be your mentor when that thing does hatch?" he asked, trying to distract me.
I shrugged. "Since Anne took Enkay, no, not really…"
"You're still a terrible liar."
"Am not," I said stubbornly. "You can just read me like a book. I can lie just fine to everyone else."
"Or maybe I'm just the only one brave enough to point out your horrible lies," he quipped. "You may have stopped stuttering, but you're face gets all funny looking."
I shoved him onto his side. He chuckled as he sat back up and I couldn't help but smile myself.
"So?"
I thought for a moment before beginning cautiously, "Well, I was hoping…"
He looked at me expectantly.
"Nevermind. Don't worry about it," I said, looking away from him. There's no way.
"No no no, tell me who!" he playfully demanded.
"Well…I was hoping you would agree to…" I replied quietly.
His grin widened, though I was still avoiding looking at him so I failed to see it. "Me?"
"I know you say that you never want an apprentice, but I thought that maybe you'd make an exception because you've known me for so long and I've alwayd looked up to you so much 'cause you acted so much like a mentor to me anyways…" I spoke really fast before trailing off. Light said nothing, but when I finally worked up the nerve to look at him, he was smiling brilliantly.
"You thought of me as a mentor all these years?" he asked in wonder.
I shrugged, "Well, yeah…"
"Then I better not disappoint you!" He suddenly jumped to his feet with a smile.
I looked up at him, perplexed. "so, you'll-?"
"I'd be honoured to be your mentor," he confirmed, offering me a hand. I took it, grinning wildly. "Now as your mentor, may I see your egg?"
I handed it to him, but added, "I don't think you achieve official mentor status until it hatches."
He waved me off as he took it. "You know how I've always felt about rules."
I chuckled, but otherwise remained silent as I watched him examine my egg closely, turning it over in his hands. Gently, he handed it back to me.
"Why don't you go for a fly on Axe?"
"Um…why?" I inquired.
"Just go for a fly and make sure the egg stays in contact with his feathers. Meet me back at the Emerald Lounge when it's time," he said vaguely as he started walking back into the maze.
Confused, I clambered onto the fire bird's back. "Do you know your way out of this maze?"
"I saw it as I was flying over; I'm sure I can find my way out. If not I'll get Marie - my Gardevior - to teleport me back."
"I know who Marie is you dork," I stated with a roll of my eyes. I had met all his Pokémon numerous times.
"Whatever Nerd. Have a fun flight," he said as he waved over his shoulder
"Thanks, though I still don't understand why…"
"You'll figure it out. See you back at the guild!" he called as he rounded a corner out of sight.
"Well someone's being terribly cryptic," I grumbled. "Come one Axe."
I squeezed slightly with my knees and within seconds, I was soaring far above the treeline, my egg pressed between Axe's back and my own chest. We soared for hours, dipping in and out of the clouds, skimming the lake in Petalburg, dancing through the sky. I don't know how long we flew, but the longer we were up there, the more I relaxed. Warmth seeped through the Talonflame's feathers, keeping me from feeling the cold of the higher currents. I closed my eyes and nestled further into the soft plumage with a content sigh.
Suddenly, my egg moved!
I was so shocked I sat straight up, nearly dropping it in the process. Then I clued in: Axe must have the ability Flame Body! Light wasn't sending me for a joyride to simply clear my mind - he was helping me hatch my egg faster! I smiled like the idiot I felt like in that moment. How could I not have realized sooner?
"Axe!" I called. "We need to get back to the Guild as fast as possible!"
"Flame!" It responded before releasing a sharp cry and launching itself through the air at speeds that nearly knocked me off its back. It felt like seconds before we were landing on the large balcony that led into the Emerald Dorms.
I jumped off the bird's back and ran inside, scanning the room for Light. He was sitting in the far corner-the best place in the room to watch all the entrances and have no one sneak up behind you. He looked at me with a knowing grin as I ran up.
"It's hatching!" I cried happily, holding my egg out for him to see it move. All the inhabitants of the room looked up curiously. What would the runner-up's first Pokémon be?
I sat down beside Light and we both watched intently as cracks formed across the smooth surface. There was a flash of light similar to when a Pokémon is released from its ball and the shell dissolved into the air. When the light faded, I was able to see the baby Pokémon resting in my hands. I began to tear up.
An Eevee. A perfect, beautiful, fluffy little Eevee.
It blinked open its tiny eyes and looked directly at me. I couldn't help but laugh and tears began to drip down my cheeks. "Hello little Eevee."
I raised a finger to pet its chin when-
Chomp!
It firmly clamped its teeth around my finger and gave me a look that could only be described as…an evil smirk?
Light laughed. "Looks like this one's got a bit of a naughty nature."
I removed my finger from the little fox's mouth, earning myself a glare from it, and cuddled the tiny creature into my neck. It seemed to not mind this new position and quickly fell asleep.
"I don't care what nature it is," I whispered. "I'm finally a Pokémon trainer."
Light hummed in agreement and reached over to pet the tiny fuzz ball. "I guess I should formally ask: will you be my apprentice?"
As I quickly agreed, grumbling could be hear from other guild members. Being runner-up made me a pretty desirable apprentice, but it's against the guild rules to ask a student to be an apprentice before their egg hatches. Those that had been waiting to acquire an apprentice until my egg hatched were now all out of luck. Given that mine was the last of the class to hatch, they'd all have to wait another year.
A few weeks later...
"Grrrr! Come here you little monster!" I called as my young Eevee tore through the Emerald Lounge, gaining stares from the other guild members. I had tried recalling it into its Pokéball, but it just popped out again. I was left trying to catch the little creature by hand. Many of the other trainers in the room were casting me disapproving glances while whispering to whomever they were with. I was sure they thought I shouldn't have passed my trainer exams… Others were less covert and just yelled at me to get the thing under control. I ignored them all.
I huffed as the fluffy creature evaded another one of my lunges. Of course I'd get a naughty natured Pokémon with a run away ability, I thought glumly. This wouldn't be quite so humiliating if Anne and Lorin weren't standing in the entrance laughing their arses off as they waited for me to wrangle my handful of a Pokémon.
Of course both of their Pokémon were behaving perfectly. Anne's Zorua, Luka, was sitting in her arms patiently and Jack, Lorin's Gastly, was hovering close by, restraining himself from joining in the fun.
"You guys could help, you know?" I rounded on them in exasperation.
"Nah!" Lorin replied with his toothy werewolf grin.
"This is way to amusing," Anne agreed.
Growling, I tried to grab for Eevee again. She jumped on top of one of the bookshelves and looked down at me with a smirk.
"Please, Eevee!" I begged, trying to change my tactics, "We were supposed to meet Light in the mission room half an hour ago! Don't you ever want to go out on a mission and get stronger?"
The little fox tilted her head, appearing to be contemplating what I said. After a long moment-which I'm sure was just to irritate me-she gracefully jumped off the shelf, landing by the entrance to the lounge. She gazed back at me with a mocking expression as though to say, "Aren't you coming?"
I angrily grumbled out a few curses with unintellectual words mixed in. Feigning to wring her little neck, I took a step toward her.
"Eev!" she cried, giving me an innocent smile as she slightly moved her paw.
"Don't. You. Dare."
Her grin grew wider and, before I could take another step forward, she took off running down the hall.
"Get back here you rotten little fur ball!" I called as I ran after her, ignoring my friends' roaring laughter and the sneers of the older trainers.
Eevee continued to run ahead of me as I yelled all kinds of threats and curses at her. Fortunately for me, she stopped just outside of the mission room.
"Ha!" I cried triumphantly as I scooped her into my arms.
"Eee…" she whined sadly.
"You're lucky I don't take you out into the woods and leave you there - try again next year for a better behaved Pokémon. I have half a mind to, you know," I threatened.
"Veee?" she cried as she gasped dramatically, placing a paw over her mouth.
Growling, I tucked her under my arm and entered to room. Light was in front of the large digital screen, looking over the jobs.
Upon seeing him, my mood drastically lifted; I was finally going on a mission!
Both Lorin and Anne had already been on a few more since Eevee has hatched. They had even collected their first badge. I, however, had been stuck behind at the guild. Light wanted to make sure my Eevee was strong enough to handle a fight if one came up so I had to spend the past few weeks training while my friends were out exploring the world.
At least the rotten little creature somewhat listened to me during battle…
Turning to me, Light grinned. "That Eevee giving you trouble again?" he asked, obviously amused.
"Yes," I stated, holding the creature out at arm's length, glaring at her. "I've spent the past thirty minutes trying to stop her from running rampant in the lounge!"
Light laughed, "I can imagine."
"That's why we're late," I explained. "And sorry about that, by the way…"
"It's all good. Don't worry about it," Light shrugged. After a pause, he said, "You know, she might listen a little better if you give her a name. It usually endears a trainer to the Pokémon, making them easier to manage."
"A name, huh?" I looked at my Eevee, who stuck her tongue out at me before grinning. I scowled and tucked her back under my arm. "I'll have to think about that. In the meantime, what missions are we looking at?"
"I think a simple D Rank would be the best for your first time," he said, narrowing the mission search to D-Ranks.
I looked through each mission, reading them carefully.
"Um…this one," I said, picking a less difficult, but high paying one. The file read: A PokeMart was broken into last night at about 12:30 AM. The shop was vandalized, though it is unsure if anything was taken. Police believe it was a couple punks causing trouble and doubt it was anything more. A small bag was left behind at the scene. Police would like help doing an inventory of supplies and tracking down the perpetrators.
Requirements: A Pokémon with tracking abilities.
"What do you think Eevee? Could you track down some baddies?"
"Vee!" the little Eevee cried, squirming excitedly in my grasp.
Light chuckled. "I do believe that means yes. Just hit this button to print it and go collect it from the-"
"I'll take that, thank you very much!" A delicate hand snatched the printing sheets before I could grab them. I looked up in shock and indignation. I was even more shocked to see a girl that looked a little younger than Light with small features, fair skin, and platinum blonde hair. She would have been very beautiful if not for the disdainful sneer that marred her face.
"Come on Clarisse, give it back. Scout chose the mission before you."
"That's Lady Clarisse to you. Besides, it's not like a peasant like her with her mongrel pup could complete this mission anyway. The thing looks too dumb to find its own tail, never mind a dangerous criminal. Its sire was probably a Magikarp."
Dangerous criminal? The file said a couple of punks…
Eevee jumped out of my arms and began growling at the girl before I could say anything. Clarisse laughed. "Aw, did I make the poor little mutt angry?"
Without further warning, the "little mutt" pounced. Kicking off the arm the girl had put up to defend herself, it landed on her neatly done hair. The girl screamed and tried to knock my Eevee off, but it held firm and she only managed to ruin her hair even more. After a second of surprise, I began to laugh.
"Get this crazed beast off of me!"
I looked to Light who was behind me, laughing as hysterically as Clarisse was screaming. He managed to nod at me and I moved to the girl's aid.
"Come on fur ball, let go of the mean lady's hair!" After a second I could see that it had no intention of releasing her any time soon, so I added, "You don't know what sort of crap she puts in there to make it that colour and I would rather you don't get sick."
Seemingly satisfied, the Eevee jumped off the girl's head into my arms.
The girl screeched hysterically, "How dare you! First your beast attacks me, then you insult the dignity of my hair? I shall talk to the Guild Leader about this!"
I made a mock attempt at looking panicked before rolling my eyes, "You do that."
"I will have that creature destroyed!" she huffed and tried to straighten her clothes before grabbing my mission and storming out of the room. As soon as she was gone, Light and I broke into laughter once more, not particularly caring about our lost mission.
I held Eevee in the air and exclaimed, "You're mischief. You know that?"
"Vee!" It cried happily and waved its tail.
"I think you just found a name for it," Light said, regaining control.
"Mischief?" I pondered, looking back at the brown fur ball in my hands.
"Vee vee!" it replied happily, nodding its head.
"Alright then Mischief! Let's choose our first mission since the mean lady took our other one."
"Eevee!"
And that brings us to the actual plot! All the annoying backstory stuff is officially done! Thank you so much to everyone who has favourited, followed, reviewed, or given me inspiration for characters up to this point. It means more than you know, really.
Now, along her journey, Scout is going to meet many strangers. For these characters, I'd like to give you all the chance to submit your own characters! I can't promise I'll use them, but I'll fit them in if I can ^_^ All I need is the character's name, age, gender, physical description, short background/biography, personality, Pokemon team, and the names and natures of their Pokemon, and whether you want them to be good or bad. Rules: They cannot possess a legendary and must have a backstory behind any shinies. Thanks in advance ^_^
I'll see you next time with Chapter 10: Beginning of the End