Chapter 11: In Which there are Problems with Flowers
Flowers, flowers, and more flowers. One could not look anywhere without spotting a bright cluster of the plants swaying gently in the breeze, could not take a breath without getting a lung and nose full of the thick, natural perfume that filled the air. And those who suffered from allergies could not go out without an entire box of Kleenex.
"Wh-h-achoo. What the he-he-he-choo. Hell is up with this place?" Andrea asked miserably, sniffling as she rubbed at her watering eyes. Some of the people she and Lucas walked past on the way to the local Pokemon Center gave the girl sympathetic looks as she continued to sneeze.
"It's Floaroma Town," Lucas explained. "This place is known for its abundance of beautiful flowers. They sell some very good honey here too."
"Just my fuckin' luck to end up with allergies," Andrea mumbled, sniffling again. Eve, who had begun walking when Andrea had started having sneezing fits, made a sympathetic noise in an attempt to comfort her trainer.
Her efforts where in vain however because Andrea just continued to glare around at the picturesque little town, with its hill full of flowers and its flower shops and its people walking around carrying armfuls of flowers. However, the town was, Andrea had to admit, rather pretty. The homes had the look of cottages about them, many with little window baskets filled with some of the colorful flowers that seemed to thrive in the area. The Pokemon Center and Poke Mart, both smaller than any she had seen so far, were within a stones throw of each other. And the place was small, something that Andrea appreciated because she knew that not even Lucas would tell her she could get lost here. She would have rather liked the town but for the fact that the dam place seemed to export the flowers that were currently making her life a small Hell.
As they made their way to the Pokemon Center they passed one of the flower shops where a man had just come out to set up a small display of the colorful local flora. He turned to Lucas and Andrea as they were walking by with a smile and waved them in the direction of his shop. Lucas, to polite not to at least hear what the man had to say, stopped and turned in his direction, grabbing Andrea's shirtsleeve as she tried to keep walking.
"Hello you two," the flower salesman said cheerily. "Could I perhaps interest you in buying a flower for your pretty young lady my lad?"
The man held up one of the flowers he had setting up in the display, commenting on its color and low price. Lucas blushed and began a stammered explanation that he and Andrea were just traveling partners. Andrea just scowled before she sneezed and started walking away, Lucas following her after the flower salesman hastily apologized for his mistake.
Without further incident they reached the Pokemon Center and walked inside to the increasingly familiar lobby. The place was brightly lit like all Pokemon Centers, although it was smaller than any Andrea had entered so far. The small size of the building was only increased by the large pots full of colorful flowers that were placed strategically in corners to add splashes of color to the normally plain looking building. Andrea sneezed and cursed under her breath as she and Lucas walked up to the counter.
"Ah, hello," Nurse Joy greeted them before disappearing into the back to grab the trays she would carry their Pokeballs away on. When she came back she also had a small box of tissues which she handed to Andrea with a sympathetic smile. With a grateful look Andrea traded the nurse her Pokemon for the box of tissues, informed that she could keep the box and her Pokemon would be back in an hour or so.
Pokemon taken care of, Lucas was about to go get in the line to get a room when Andrea stopped him. When he looked at her questioningly, she explained. "I want to get out of this dam place as soon as possible. We're leaving once our Pokemon are healed."
Before Lucas could say anything Andrea quickly grabbed a tissue and sneezed loudly. She glared around the room until she spotted a garbage can and disposed of the tissue. When she came back Lucas agreed with her plan of leaving as soon as possible, suggesting they get lunch while they waited for their Pokemon. Andrea nodded so they set off for the cafeteria.
The cafeteria was not very crowded so they were able to go through the line quickly and find an empty table. Andrea swiftly unwrapped her sandwich and began eating as soon as they sat down while Lucas took his time, talking about their travel plans for the near future.
"It'll take about two days to cover Route 205 and, if we don't get lost, it should be three, maybe four days through Eterna Forest."
"Are you implying I'm going to get us lost?" Andrea asked after swallowing a bite of her sandwich.
"No," Lucas said, beginning to eat himself. "Lots of people get lost in there. It's normal. That being said, we should probably plan for that part of the trip to last a week, just to be careful. We'll have to pick up more supplies before we leave."
Andrea groaned, about to complain about the idea of staying in Floaroma Town a second longer than she thought necessary, when a shadow fell over the table. Andrea and Lucas looked up to see a girl holding a tray and looking a bit nervous.
"Hello," the girl said, smiling slightly, "I was wondering, could I sit with you two? I've been traveling by myself a bit and would like the human company."
Lucas nodded and indicated for the girl to take the empty seat next to him. With a bigger smile and a thank you, the girl sat down. Placing her tray of the table, she held her hand out to Lucas.
"Laura," she said as the two shook hands.
"Lucas."
Laura turned to Andrea holding her hand out. After a pause, Andrea took it and they shook. "Andrea."
"It's nice to meet the both of you," Laura said, beginning to unwrap her own sandwich.
While sitting, Laura seemed much shorter than she had when standing over the table, not more then five four at best Andrea guessed as the new arrival started talking animatedly with Lucas. Her hair, cut slightly above her shoulders, was a much lighter brown than Andrea's own and made her suspect Laura might have at one point in her childhood been a blond. As Lucas told the girl about how they were heading up to Eterna so Andrea could get her next badge, Laura reached up a hand a brushed away a strand of hair that had moved in the way of her green eyes.
"So, are you from Kanto or something?" Laura asked once Lucas was finished, turning to Andrea.
"No," Andrea replied, taking another bite of her sandwich.
"Where are you from then?"
"Why do you care?" Andrea asked, ignoring Lucas's look that was telling her to be polite.
"Well," Laura began to explain, unperturbed by Andrea's attitude, "you seem a bit old to have just started out as a trainer and you have a slight accent, so I figured you must be one of those people who travels the region's once they get done with their home League. I just wanted to know where you're from."
"I started here in Sinnoh," Andrea told her.
"Really? How old are you, like, sixteen?"
"Seventeen," Andrea told her, taking another bite of her sandwich.
"I'm seventeen too," Laura informed them happily. "So, why'd it take you so long to start?"
"Family issues. Why'd it take you so long to start?" Andrea asked, hoping the other girl would become so busy answering she would stop asking questions.
Laura seemed a bit disappointed by Andrea's uninformative answer, but she began to explain her own story anyways. "Oh, I'm not a trainer, I'm a breeder. It's sort of a family trade so I've been spending my time with my parents and grandparents, learning stuff from them and working with some of the Pokemon I've caught. I specialize in flying, specifically bird, Pokemon you know. Anyway, I decided it would be good experience for me and my Pokemon to head out and see the region and stuff, you know? Now here I am, traveling all by myself, although I probably should have found someone to travel with since I'm a bit of what some would call a social butterfly."
"I never would have guessed," Andrea said dryly.
Laura happily chatted with them, mainly Lucas, while they ate. She was impressed when Lucas told her he was one of Rowan's assistants and enviously informed both Andrea and Lucas how lucky they were to know the man. Andrea did her best to have as little to do with the conversation as possible.
Everyone had finished eating but Lucas and Laura continued to sit and talk, leaving Andrea to roll the cap of her soda between her hands in a bored manner as she waited to leave. Glancing at her Poketech Andrea swore before quickly getting up.
"Come on Mr. Sociable, we have to go get our Pokemon," Andrea told one of her stunned table partners. Lucas nodded and apologized to Laura for their hasty departure before they both grabbed their trays and hurried off. Much to Andrea's carnage Laura did the same and followed them out of the cafeteria.
Reaching the lobby Andrea saw one of the nurses standing behind the counter, looking around the room. In front of her sat two trays with Pokeballs and a rather impatient looking Eevee. Lucas and Andrea hurried up to the counter, Lucas apologizing to the nurse for being late and Andrea apologizing to Eve. Both parties accepted the apologies and Lucas and Andrea were able to leave, Laura following behind them.
"I think you should know we're being followed," Eve said, looking over her shoulder as they walked.
"I know," Andrea said with a sigh.
"Know what?" Laura asked, speeding up so she was now walking next to Andrea.
"I know which way it is to the shop to get our supplies," Andrea said with a scowl in Laura's direction. "As I'm sure Lucas told you we're leaving after we re-achoo." Andrea stopped her explanation to start sneezing, remembering to late that she had left the box of tissues at their lunch table in the rush to go get their Pokemon.
"Yeah, about that," Laura began, Andrea's odd behavior from moments earlier forgotten for the time being. "I was wondering, could I come with you guys? I've figured out that I'm not really cut out to travel alone."
"How do you know we're not psychotic killers or something?" Andrea asked, rubbing at her nose.
"We would love for you to come with us," Lucas said, giving Laura a smile and Andrea a frown.
"I wouldn't," Andrea mumbled to the ground, realizing any protest she made would be ignored.
"Thanks a ton," their newest traveling companion said happily. "I have to go grab my stuff from the Pokemon Center and check out, so I'll meet you guys by the exit to Route 205." With a wave, Laura hurried off in the direction they had all just come from.
"Why'd you tell her she could come?" Andrea asked Lucas in frustration.
"Why were you being so rude?" Lucas shot back, leading the way to the small store that sold traveling supplies.
"'Cause I don't want her to come," Andrea shouted.
"Why not? She seems nice enough."
"Who was she anyway?" Eve asked.
"Her name's Laura," Andrea answered before turning back to Lucas, "and that's why."
"Because her name's Laura?" Lucas asked in confusion as they entered the store.
"No you idiot," hissed Andrea, keeping her voice down only because she did not want anyone hear what she was going to say next. "Because I can talk to my Pokemon. Even I know that's not normal."
Lucas looked a bit stunned by this reasoning, opening his mouth to say something before closing it again with a thoughtful look. "I never actually thought of that," he told Andrea with a nervous smile.
"You never thought of it?" Andrea asked in an enraged whisper. "Well did you ever think of some of the other reason's I don't want someone I know nothing about coming with us? Like, maybe because the main reason I'm on this trip is to find out why I'm here and who I am? In case you forgot I sort of have amnesia here."
The two had grabbed a small basket and begun their shopping while Andrea raged at Lucas and a few of the other shoppers were beginning to give the pair curious looks. Lucas smiled at them while Andrea scowled, the two looks either reassuring people that things were fine or warning them they had better mind their own dam business.
"I'm sorry okay, I never thought of any of that. I guess I just sort of got used to it. It would be rude to suddenly tell her she can't come though, especial since we don't have any good reasons we can tell her as to why she suddenly can't come." Picking some things up from off of a shelf, Lucas thought. "How about you just don't talk to your Pokemon around her as much? It's mot like you need to stop talking to them entirely, just not as much."
"Why don't I stop talking to you altogether?" Andrea said, Eve agreeing with her despite the fact Lucas could not understand what she said.
"I don't know what to tell you Andrea," Lucas said in exasperation.
"You could tell me you're telling her she can't come," Andrea pointed out.
"I can't tell her that," Lucas protested as he placed some more of their needed supplies into the basket.
"I can," Andrea told him.
Lucas sighed and turned to Andrea. "Look, why don't you give Laura a chance? Maybe you'll like her and you can tell her about talking to your Pokemon and stuff."
"I should just leave you two to go travel on your own."
Lucas smiled and turned back to their shopping. "You can't do that. You'd be lost within the hour."
"I would not be," he was informed indignantly.
"You would too," Eve said with a sigh. "That's why we don't have much choice but to stick with someone who knows their way around the region."
Andrea was prepared to argue with the both of them but they had finally come up to the counter to pay for their items. After being reminded that Lucas had paid last time, Andrea brought forward her pack and dug out her money, paying for the supplies. Items purchased, they headed out of the store and distributed the items between the two of them.
Unable to think of a valid reason for ditching Laura that didn't involve her talking to Pokemon and such, Andrea was forced to follow Lucas without protest as they walked up to the decided meeting spot.
Any hopes Andrea had been holding onto about not gaining a new traveling partner were dashed when they were in view of the entrance onto Route 205. Standing under the sign that happily requested people to please come back to Floaroma stood Laura, who waved once she saw them. Lucas waved back while Andrea scowled.
"You know," Laura said jokingly to Andrea once they had met up, "your face is going to end up sticking like that."
"Good, maybe people will start getting the hint to leave me alone," Andrea said. Laura just smiled as if Andrea was being unfriendly simply to be amusing. She might just think that way, Andrea realized, thinking about how, excluding those two Galactic Grunts, everyone seemed to get along with everyone around here.
"So, why'd you decide to become a trainer?" Laura asked Andrea politely as they all began walking.
There was a brief pause as Andrea tried to quickly come up with a reason that sounded normal. When none came to her she simply replied with, "None of your business." Laura, seeming to have finally become exasperated with Andrea's unfriendly behavior, sped up so she was walking ahead with Lucas. Andrea slowed her own pace so she was walking next to Eve, who was having a bit of a hard time keeping up with the long legged humans. Figuring they would soon be far enough away from the accursed flowers that she didn't have to worry about sneezing as much, Andrea bent down and scooped up her Pokemon. Eve thanked her before regaining her normal place on her trainer's shoulder.
While all of this was going on, Laura was having a quiet conversation with Lucas.
"Did I do something to offend Andrea?" Laura asked worriedly, glancing back at the girl in question.
Lucas shook his head and tried to reassure the newest member of the group. "No, she's like that with most people, they're just not around long enough to deal with it much. She's not much of what you'd call a people person, so I think she's trying to scare you off. Hang out around her enough though and you'll find she's actually a real nice person under all that attitude."
Laura turned to take another look back at the brunet, noticing how she was smiling happily at the Eevee now on her shoulder, bringing up a hand to scratch the Pokemon behind its injured ear. The breeder was a bit surprised to see that happy smile on that face, having only seen frowns and surly looks up until then.
Before she could be noticed watching, Laura turned back to Lucas. "I would ask Andrea this, but it might be a touchy subject for her, so could you tell me what happened to her Eevee?"
Lucas took a quick look backwards himself before turning his attention to the road ahead once more. "It could be a touchy subject, I'm not all that sure myself. Anyways, her Eevee, who's name is Eve by the way, was abused by her last trainer from what we can tell. That's where she got all of those scars and stuff from. Eve was having some real hard times before Andrea showed up and now I honestly haven't seen them apart."
"That's sort of sweet," Laura commented.
Lucas chuckled, "Yeah, well, just don't tell them that. You want to be liked, remember?"
Laura smiled and nodded. "Point duly noted. So, you think Eve'll evolve into an Umbreon or and Espeon? Or is Andrea planning to get a stone and evolve her?"
"I don't think she is planning to evolve her at all," Lucas admitted. "I asked myself one time and after Andrea got all done with being grumpy at me she said she was leaving it up to Eve."
Laura glanced back and saw what appeared a whispered conversation going on between Andrea and Eve. Smiling at the closeness of the trainer and her Pokemon, Laura turned back to Lucas and continued to pepper him with questions, some about Andrea and her Pokemon and other's about the boy himself. As eager to have someone to talk to as Laura herself, Lucas happily answered her questions.
As Laura and Lucas talked, Andrea had her own quiet conversation with Eve.
"Her name's Laura and she's a breeder?" Eve asked, looking at the back of the girl in question.
"Yeah, and she apparently specializes in bird Pokemon."
Eve thought about this before voicing her next question. "Do you think we can trust her? If she found out?"
"I don't know," Andrea answered with a small shake of her head. "Everyone I've met who found out has taken it well so far. I just don't want her to find out that I'm not from here and stuff and then go blabbing it around."
"She does seem talkative," Eve observed. Andrea seemed to slump slightly as Eve said this, so the Pokemon rubbed her head against her trainer's cheek. "Don't worry we'll get this all figured out. Roz and Zora will help too, when we tell them about it later."
Since they had left Floaroma Town, there had been a river peacefully moving along to the left of the dirt path they were traveling on, a white picket fence separating the shore from the Route. The group had now come across a sturdy looking bridge that spanned the river, allowing travelers to pass onto the farther portion of Route 205. Standing in front of the bridge and looking as if she was about to cry, was a small, black haired girl.
Upon seeing the three teens the little girl, no more than eight, rushed up to them. "Oh, trainers you have to help me. These mean spacemen won't let me go see my papa. I've asked and asked, but they just won't let me in to see him." The little girl finally started crying and Laura bent down to rub the girl's back and make comforting noises.
"Why don't you ask the police for help?" Andrea asked, unfazed by the tears. "Or some of the locals?"
"Be-because no one around here believes me when I tell them about the spacemen," the girl informed Andrea through her tears.
"And Floaroma is too small to have its own police station," Lucas added, looking uncomfortably at the crying child, not sure what he should do. "The nearest one is in Jubilife."
"Andrea, doesn't the spacemen thing sound familiar?" Eve asked suddenly.
Andrea, who had not considered what Eve was suggesting, turned quickly to the little girl. "Hey, kid, do these spacemen have funny looking blue haircuts?"
The girl nodded, her tears slowing down as Laura continued to comfort her. Lucas gave Andrea a wide eyed look when the girl nodded. "You don't think it could be…?"
"I do," Andrea told him. "Come on kid, show us where these spacemen are quick and we'll help your dad."
"Oh, thank you," the girl said before rushing off ahead. The three teens were forced to run to keep up with the girl, Laura asking questions as they went.
"So you guys know these 'spacemen'?" She asked between breathes.
"Yeah, group of real bastards who call themselves Team Galactic," Andrea told her. When she and Lucas had met up with the Team Galactic members for the first time in Jubilife she had taken an extreme dislike to the group for some reason and was looking forward to another confrontation with the freaks, if only so she could mess with whatever plan they had this time.
They saw the windmills, huge, white and blue constructs rotating lazily in the wind, before they came into view of the actual building. Still running after the girl they passed a sign announcing they were reaching the Valley Windworks, home of ecological, wind driven energy. Slouching near the front door of the Windworks building and calmly smoking was a man with a blue bowl cut and spacesuit like uniform. Upon hearing the group of people running in his direction, the man dropped his cigarette to the ground and stomped it out before quickly standing to attention, as if to trick whatever superior that was coming that he had actually been guarding the place attentively the whole time.
A sneer came to the man's face and he slumped once more when he saw that it was only the annoying little girl who had been coming for the last few days and a small group of teenagers. Kids these days, never leaving people alone to work on their plans for world domination!
"Oi, kid, I thought I told you that you're not allowed in here. Take your little buddies and leave!"
The little girl stuck her tongue out at the galactic grunt and pointed at the people she had brought with her. "These trainers are going to stop you and help me see my papa again, you meanie spaceman."
The Galactic grunt laughed, making no attempt to hide his contempt at the thought of being beaten by any of the group. AS the group looked at him with varying degrees of frusteration, the man tried to control his laughter and eventually got it down to a small chuckle. "Okay kiddies, I'll make this easy for you. You just have to leave right now and I promise you won't get hurt."
"Just let us in you jerk," Laura said angrily, taking a step forward. "How heartless can you people be, keeping a young girl from her father?"
"Like I said," Andrea said with a shrug, "real bastards."
"Andrea," Lucas said severely, glancing down at the little girl before glaring in Andrea's direction, "there's a child here you know."
"She'll hear the word eventually. Just don't go around repeating it kid," Andrea added as Lucas continued to glare at her.
"If you kids don't get out of here, I'll be forced to teach you who you're dealing with and take your Pokemon as payment for the little lesson," the grunt warned, taking a Pokeball off of his belt. Eagerly, Andrea took a step forward, ready to take on the man's challenge. Laura held out a hand to stop her though, bringing out one of her own four Pokeballs.
"Oh, so you want to loose your Pokemon?" the man asked gleefully.
Laura gave the man a frown that could rival one of Andrea's on a bad day. "No, I'm going to be the one teaching. Today's lesson: manners."
"Lame," came Andrea's voice. "Just kick his ass already. And don't repeat that word either kid."
Ignoring Andrea, Laura released her Pokemon at the same time the grunt released his. From the man's Pokeball came a Glameow, from Laura's an odd, colorful bird with a head shaped like a musical note.
Andrea watched the following battle critically, not expecting much from her newest traveling companion and her odd little bird Pokemon. Chatot, or Jack as Andrea soon found he was called, was surprisingly strong however. Laura had said she had spent the last seven years training her Pokemon and learning her chosen trade as a breeder, a job Andrea later learned involved, among other things, bringing out a Pokemon's full potential in everything from battles to something called contests. Those seven years were evident in the way Jack easily followed Laura's commands, almost seeming to anticipate them as he swiftly avoided many of Glameow's attacks and viscously retaliated. In almost no time at all the battle was over, Laura ending up the victor.
"Class dismissed," Laura said with a pleased nod as both she and the Galactic grunt returned their Pokemon
"Extra lame with a side of corny," Andrea added from the sidelines. This time Laura turned to face Andrea with a frown, only to receive a mischievous grin from the other girl. Sighing, she turned back to her former opponent.
"Now let us in," Laura demanded of the man, taking a step in the direction of the door.
"I'm not going to fail like those idiots in Jubilife. Do you know what they'll do to me?" the man asked, backing away in the direction of the door. "Ha, you kids'll never get in because I'm going to lock you out. The only other people with a key to this place are my comrades in the Floaroma meadow. Let's see you ruin our plans now." With that the man whipped around and opened the door. As everyone rushed forward he slammed it behind him and in the silence that followed they could all hear the lock turn.
"Dam it," Andrea shouted, going up to the door and rattling the handle. From the safety of the building she could hear the grunt laughing at her. Slamming her fist on the door, she cursed again, quickly adding that the young girl was not to repeat what she was saying. "So what are we going to do now guys?" the angry teen asked her group.
"He told us where to get another key," Lucas pointed out. "Why don't two of us go and get it and the other can stay here with the girl incase anything changes here."
"Good idea Lucas," Andrea said, walking over and patting him on the shoulder. "And I'm so glad to hear you volunteer to stay here with the kid."
"Wait…but…I never…" Lucas stammered, trying to protest as Andrea started rushing off, motioning for Laura to follow. When he could tell he had no choice but to stay, he shouted after the two females, "Don't let Andrea lead, you'll be lost in minuets." There was no comment as the two continued to run back in the direction of Floaroma, although Laura did speed up and take the lead.
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AN: Hope you guys like the story so far. Also hope you're not sitting on the edge of your seats to find out what happens next because I'm going on a rather long vacation. No updates for about three weeks guys, sorry for the wait.