Chapter X

A large flock of Starly flew overhead as Cotter quickly scarfed down his granola bar breakfast because Reimi was ready to keep moving. Reimi slipped on her black backpack and then immediately started walking forward, without saying a word. Cotter sighed as he was hastily but sloppily rolling up his sleeping bag.

"You could've at least put out the fire!" Cotter unhappily shouted.

"Why waste my team, you're Buizel is already out and could handle that in a second" she wisely replied, not even looking back at Cotter to talk. Cotter's brows furrowed because she was right and he didn't like it when she was right. A cloud of steam came from the make-shift fire pit as Buizel had just unleashed his Water Gun.

"Thanks buddy. Suddenly Cotter's eyes lit up like the morning sun. As Reimi was now a good 30 feet off in the distance Cotter quickly flipped up two of his pokeballs. The prankster Diglett and the personality unknown Weepinbell came out to their master's call. "Diglett go serve up trouble and slow down Reimi" Cotter ordered in a whisper. Diglett happily stuck out his tongue and ecstatically took off digging towards the unsuspecting female. "And Weepinbell, can you use your skilled Vine Whip and roll up this damned sleeping bag." Cotter crossed his fingers after giving Weepinbell the order, since he didn't know what kind of pokemon Weepinbell was. Luckily the grass type obeyed and sent out it's green vines that with great precision rolled and tied up the red sleeping bag in mere seconds. Then without order Weepinbell dropped the sleeping bag in Cotter's large, opened pack and he even zipped it up. Cotter was very impressed but had to shake the impression off and get moving. "You're quite excellent, I like you" he complimented before returning Weepinbell in a flash of red back to it's pokeball. Cotter grabbed his pack, not even bothering to put it on and took off running with just Buizel in tow.

"Damn you!" Cotter heard Reimi scream and he couldn't help but snicker. As the boy got closer he saw his childish ground type waggling it's tongue at Reimi as she struggled to get out from the hole. The hole Diglett had made was actually his largest yet, it got Reimi up to her waste. Reimi could hear Cotter's laughing loud and clear as he approached behind her. He was able to completely reach her and she was still struggling to push herself out of the hole.

"You could've easily used one of your pokemon to help you out" he commented to which she just grunted.

"I don't need anyone, I can do this myself"she huffed while giving a large push off the ground. Cotter smiled at her persistence and slowly got down on a knee. He firmly held his hand out towards her with a large smile on his face. "I don't need anyone" she repeated slapping his hand away.

"I won't tell anyone if you don't" he smoothly replied, holding his hand out again. She didn't seem impressed by his lines and just ignored him, continuing to struggle out of Diglett's trap. "If you don't need anyone then why did you ask to travel with me?" he asked curiously.

"That's different."

"Not really. If you can do everything yourself, then you don't need a traveling companion. Because you don't need anyone, so that means you don't need any company" he accused, getting a little upset now. He had been confused ever since she asked to travel with him, she was a mysterious puzzle to him. Suddenly with a boost of energy Reimi shoved her waste free and came out of the hole. Before addressing Cotter she crawled to where Diglett was sitting and swung her fist down. Diglett's jaw dropped and his widened as the fist came towards him, but the scarred mole dropped down underground to avoid her attack. Cotter didn't get made at her action because Diglett kind of deserved it. He had commanded the mole to slow her down, not halt her progress. Diglett popped up about ten feet from Reimi, with his scarred face gone and his tongue out but Cotter returned his prankster before he could irritate the girl anymore. Reimi rolled over to sit with her legs crossed to try to get her energy back. Cotter calmly sat down next to his partner and looked her right in the eyes.

"Don't give me that look" she ordered him but in a slight joking tone. "Yes I'm hiding things from you but I'm sure you're doing the same. But we if we want to stick together, we probably should start opening up a little. So I'll tell you something that I've been keeping from you. But first, you explain to me. You have five pokemon but only four pokeballs on your trainer belt, there is a story behind this. Cotter and Buizel looked at each other and Buizel raised his chin high in the air to which Cotter smiled.

"Not much of a story to tell. Buizel is a proud pokemon, too proud to be caught" Cotter informed as Buizel adjusted his sunglasses with a smirk on his face.

"That's it?" Reimi questioned, not impressed.

"Pretty much. I mean if you want detail. I met him one day while on a walk where he was surrounded by three Staravia and he fought them all and won but his body was beaten badly. So I took care of him but grew too attached. And so..."

"Wait!" she interrupted. "That's not a story. Where is the detail, tell me about scenery, the action. Immerse me in your tail" Reimi demanded.

"I am a pokemon trainer, not a story telling. Anyway you can assume the rest of the story" he informed while getting up to his feet.

"Lame" she mumbled, crossing her arms.

"Well we're wasting time here, time we could be training. Rise up Reimi or I'll leave you behind." Cotter stood looking down at her for no more than five seconds before walking off. Reimi laughed as she caught up running to her partner.

"Glad you're back in a laughing mood, sorry about Diglett's hole, he is a troublesome pokemon, going off and digging holes like that. Anyway, I told you about Buizel, now you tell me something, you said you would." Reimi turned towards Cotter, tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled.

"I have a fear of Nidokings" she told him with a big grin. An unsatisfying face came over Cotter's face which turned into a disappointed scowl.

"Really, that's it?" he asked, crossing his fingers for something more.

"That's it, only a fair trade for your lame story." Reimi then increased her pace so she was two steps ahead of him, she liked walking in the lead. "Oh and Cotter. About my hole thing about not needing people or needing them. It's a constant struggle I have with myself that won't conclude anytime soon. So just, get used to it" The young male sighed, there was a lot more to his traveling partner, but for now he was just enjoying her company.