A/N: I've rewritten this chapter five times. You heard me: Five. Times. Why? Well, originally, I was going to have Emma appear in this chapter, but I decided against it since I thought it would have been too early and too risky, so I erased the original chapter and started working on the current one. That was the reason for the long update.
I really wanna bring Emma in soon...I have the entire chapter written out in my head already...
Chapter 11:
Emotional Bonding
. . .
Morning rolled in quicker than I had imagined, or I had slept for so long that it was probably close to noon, if I knew any better. My hotel room was oddly dark for it to be in the daylight hours, then I realized that the curtains were still drawn closed. I squeezed my eyes shut as I yawned, still lying in bed, but I didn't see my Pokémon anywhere, which worried me a little. Frowning, I sat up and looked around the room - they were still in my arms when I fell asleep, and they couldn't have put themselves back in their Pokéballs...could they?
I sat up, noticing that I was still in my clothes from yesterday. One of my biggest pet peeves is sleeping in your regular clothes rather than your pajamas - I would always feel sweaty and gross the next day if I ever slept in my regular clothes. I must have exhausted myself pretty bad if I fell asleep in my clothes, and on my Pokémon. Speaking of, I noticed that Merida was still out of her Ball - she was sitting in the chair from the desk, but she fell asleep and was now resting her head and arms on my legs. Has she been there all night? I wonder...was she so worried about me that she stayed up all night to make sure I was alright? Toothless and Vivian must have grown tired and returned themselves back into their Balls, but Merida stayed despite the fact that she could have done the same.
"Poor thing," I murmured, reaching over to rub her head. Her big, roomy ears twitched at my touch, but she didn't stir from her slumber. I felt awful - I had already worried my Pokémon to death yesterday, and now my starter had to lose sleep just to ensure that I was alright...They've already been through enough, especially Merida - I'll let her have this day to rest up before we do anymore training or battling. I reached over and took out her Pokéball from my bag and returned back inside. "You rest up for today - you've been through enough."
I started going through my annual routine of the morning - I showered, brushed my teeth, brushed my hair, got dressed and went out. I momentarily forgot that we were sleeping in a hotel rather than the usual Pokémon Center, so I was a bit surprised to not be met with the Center's glossy hallway with Wigglytuff making their rounds.
I ran into Shauna on my way down to the lobby, so we rode the elevator down together; She was still worried after what happened yesterday, but I told her that I was seriously fine this time. She then told me that Calem told them about my sister, and that she was the reason why I was reduced to tears last night. I decided to tell her the whole story - she was my friend, and she deserved to know the root of the problem. When I had finished the story, Shauna finally understood why my emotions had boiled over the way they did. We were in the hotel's dining area by the time I was done explaining the situation to her - the boys were no where in sight, so it was just us girls keeping each other company. Not that I had a problem with it - it was just like I said last night, I needed a friend right now, and Shauna was the very friend I needed.
"I guess I can kinda understand how you feel," Shauna says "I never told you that my Dad died when I was 13, did I?"
I shook my head. "I never asked...I just know that you couldn't leave for your journey early on because of a protective parent."
"My mom," Shauna explained "Dad was a doctor when he was still alive, and had just been promoted to a position in Hoenn, and we were supposed to move out there with him. We were so excited and happy...but then...Mom got a phone call a few days later and...they told her Dad's plane had an accident and crashed in the ocean..." Shauna sniffled as she wiped the forming tears from her eyes. Electra made a sad murmur as her ears drooped while Chester reached up and held her hand before she continued. "After Dad passed, Mom grew afraid of the outside world, and we ended up staying here in Kalos. Mom refused to allow me to become a Trainer after that - she was so afraid that I would end up like Dad, so she kept me coddled in Vaniville Town until I turned 16. But Mom still didn't want me to go - it took the Professor to convince her to allow me to become one of his students to finally allow me to leave home. I already told you that I've always wanted to travel and create memories with my friends...but Dad's death and Mom's constant paranoia makes it a bit hard. So I try not to think of the negatives and think about the positives, and look forward to everything the world has in store. At least...that's what keeps me going and sane."
So I wasn't the only one who's suffered a hard loss in the past, but I would never in a million years expect that person to be Shauna, of all people. "I guess that makes us more alike than we think," I said "Ever since Emma went missing, I always hoped that she would be found one day. But I retaliated against the world by shutting everyone out, staying inside most of the time and only seeing the bad in everything. I only wanted my sister back, because she was all I needed...but now I've come to realize that Emma wouldn't have wanted me to be this way...nor did it do me any favors. It's funny, though...I never would have learned this if I had never left home...I guess it's true what they say about travelling, huh? You seem to grow wiser with each step you take, with each encounter you have...it's odd."
Shauna and I grew silent after that, with the only noises coming from the murmuring of the other hotel residents and the clatter of silverware against the dishes in the background. I rolled a strawberry around in the custard of my parfait using my spoon, suddenly losing my appetite in an instant. It was too bad...I was hungry too.
"Do you still believe you'll find Emma?" I looked up from the glass and faced Shauna, who was frowning.
I paused, twirling the spoon between my fingers. "I...I want to believe, Shauna...I really do..." I replied, looking back down "But I know it's just a lost cause. How could Emma survive for 5 or 6 years on her own? And yet...deep down in my heart, there's this small glimmer of hope that keeps me from giving up. I don't know why it's there, but it is! I...I guess I just need to accept the fact that she's gone...it hurts, but that's just the way it is..."
Another pause. The strawberry was completely covered in custard now, where I scooped it up with the spoon when Shauna spoke again. "You should never give up."
I looked up at her again and frowned, but my expression soften when I saw her face. More tears were forming in her eyes, but she had a small smile on her face. "You don't know how lucky you are, Kat. I know my Dad will never come back, no matter how hard I want to wish on Jirachi's Star...but the search party was able to identify his body that day...what was left of it. But you...you never got any proof that Emma died that day. You have a reason to believe that she is still out there somewhere, alive, probably waiting on someone to find her and bring her back to you! You have every reason to believe in her, and never let that go, you hear me? You have no idea...just how lucky you really are. I would give anything to be in your shoes right now...but that would be selfish, and I can only give you my full support as a friend, and hope that your wish comes true."
"Sh-Shauna..."
"Sorry," the girl sniffled again, taking her napkin and wiping her face. "It's been a while since I've been this emotional, y'know? It-it's weird, isn't it? When you finally let those emotions out..."
"...It drains every bit of life out of you, doesn't it?" I finished.
Shauna nodded. "Yeah..." More silence between us, but my mind was far from silent. I drowned out the world as I began to think about what Shauna just said to me...about how lucky I was to still believe that a loved one was still alive while she had to live with the painful fact that her father was dead. Was I truly that lucky? Or was I just being foolish? And yet...Shauna had a point; Not a lot of people are able to move past the loss of a loved one...but that wasn't true either. You can never move past a loved one's death...it's just not possible. You just learn to live with it, but you never get over it...it'll stay in your heart for the rest of your life until you yourself draw your last breath. And Shauna was no exception - she lost her Dad and a young age and had to learn to accept the fact that he was gone. Emma only went missing back then, but everyone tried to convince me that she wasn't coming back...but I never believed them. I could never understand why I still believed she was alive, but, in a way...it was the only thing that kept me going, in the long run. Thinking back on it now, it was the only thing that gave me a reason to live.
"She's right, you know."
I must not be used to hearing the voices of Pokémon by now, because it took me a few seconds of looking around like an idiot (and Shauna looking at me questioningly) before I realized a human wasn't the one who said that. I saw something brown on the floor and looked down to see an Eevee at my feet. Has she been there listening to our conversation the whole time?
"Is that an Eevee?" Shauna asked once she followed my gaze "Hey, that's one of them from the lobby!"
"One of them?" I asked "There's more?"
"Yeah," Shauna explained "there are three Eevee that live in the lobby here. They don't belong to anyone - they just came in one day and have stayed here since."
I was still looking at the Eevee, but I didn't say a word. I wasn't sure how to respond to her last comment, so I instead fed her my blueberry muffin, which she ate with gusto. Shauna and I didn't seem to be finishing the rest of our breakfast now - after that emotional bonding moment we had, we sort of lost our appetite, and for good reason. Still, I couldn't help but to feel bad and sympathize with Shauna - if anyone needed any cheering up, it was her. She had planned this entire vacation for us after all...something she didn't even need to do. We were all supposed to meet up in Shalour City, but something made her change her mind and gather up the gang for this...and I don't believe it was just the summer's heat. What ever the reason was, it didn't matter; I had to find a way to make it up to her somehow. But what was something that would bring this bubbly girl from her funk?
Then it hit me.
"...Hey, Shauna," I asked "wanna go shopping?"
. . .
Apparently I said the magic words, because Shauna seemed to have bounced back from her sorrow in a heartbeat. The moment I said "shopping," she instantly hopped up and started dragging me from the table, her brightness returning to her face as if it had never left. I would have regretted suggesting the idea, but if it made Shauna happy, I couldn't complain. After we disposed of our plates, we left the hotel and started looking for the nearest boutique - the Eevee even went with us, but she mostly stayed at my side. I didn't mind the company, if I'm honest - since my Pokémon were still resting, I was going to be alone for most of the day. Our search didn't last long though - there was one just a block away from the hotel, so it was within walking distance. We passed a laundry mat on the way there, and I made a mental note to go there when after we were done with our shopping spree.
The boutique in Cyllage City specialized clothes for the more athletic types. Parkas, jackets, jeans, shorts, cycling caps and sneakers were on every rack and display. Shauna went wild and kept making trips to the dressing room, trying on everything in the store and kept asking me which one I liked best. I kept telling her to pick the outfit she liked best, but according to her, "every outfit was her favorite." If I wasn't in need of some more clothes, I would have gotten annoyed long ago. Besides, she was enjoying herself, and that was all that mattered.
I was able to get some time to myself after Shauna made another trip to the dressing rooms, so I started wandering around the store to look for anything that I would like. Since the weather wasn't letting up, I wanted to buy some clothes that would keep me cool - I was thinking about buying a parka and skinny jeans outfit, but it would be too heavy...and I wasn't too fond of the t-shirts they had available. If I couldn't find anything here, I was going to be stuck with that stupid dress I've been trying to avoid since I left home. I was considering on throwing it out completely, but Mom bought that dress for me...that was the only thing that kept me from getting rid of it.
"Need help?" I looked up from a pile of jeans to see someone come over. She was a particularly pretty young woman, pink hair and piercing red eyes hidden behind red tinted sunglasses. She wore a black tank top, red leather jeans and black heels, and had some black and red bracelets dangling from her left wrist. I had to look up at her a bit since she was taller than me (it was probably from the extra height from the heels) before I glanced back down at the jeans pile.
"Ah, no, it's just..." I murmured "I can't seem to find anything that's 'me,' y'know?"
The woman eyed me for a moment before she asked "You're tomboyish, aren't you?"
I nodded. "Yeah. I just want something plain - nothing extravagant or showy, but I want something that will keep me cool too."
The woman studied me for a full minute before she suddenly murmured a "wait here" and disappeared into the various racks of clothes. I glanced down at Eevee, who looked back with an equally confused expression, as we waited for her to return. I had to wait for a few moments before she came back, her arm full of clothes she had gathered around the store. I opened my mouth to say something as she walked over, but she suddenly grabbed my wrist and dragged me over to the dressing room. I saw Shauna looking herself over in the mirror when we got there, and sent me a look when she saw the situation I had gotten myself in.
My journey finally ended when we stopped in front of a vacant dressing room, the woman promptly pushing the pile of clothes into my arms. "Try these on," she said as she gently nudged me inside and then closed the door, leaving me standing there with a blank look on my face. I shook my head before tossing the clothes pile onto the ottoman that sat in the corner - I wasn't entirely sure if that woman even worked here, but her judgement seemed better than mine, so I might as well try these clothes on. She might have found something I would like, who knows?
The pile of clothes only consisted of two outfits that were the same thing in different colors. The first outfit I tried on was a blue and white midriff halter top and damaged jeans. This was the first time that I ever wore anything that showed off my stomach, so I felt a little uncomfortable and gross.
"I like it," I heard Eevee say behind me. She was sitting on the ottoman with my hat on her head. "Brings out your skin I think."
"I wish I could take your fashion advice," I said wryly before stepping out of the room to examine myself in the mirror.
"Ooh, Kat, that sooooo cute!" Shauna squealed - she was sitting in a chair trying on some shoes next to the dressing room I was currently using. "The blue in the top really brings out your skin tone, too! "
Eevee grew a sly grin. "Told you." I stuck my tongue out at her.
"I wish I could wear halter tops," Shauna pouted "My mom would kill me if she saw me in one of those."
"I think my dad would do the same thing," I laughed.
"Uh-huh...my hunch was right," the woman said as she walked over "You have the ideal body shape for outfits like these, Kat. You pull off the halter top well thanks to the fact you have the hourglass-like shape needed to make it look right. Then again, I shouldn't be surprised - you have Grace's killer shape, after all."
I would have taken the compliment had it not been for the one thing she said that threw me off. "Wait...how do you know my name?"
The woman suddenly grew a broad, yet sly grin. "I know everything about you, Kat Yvetta." She laughed at my shocked expression. "What, you didn't think I wouldn't be able to identify Grace's daughter? You're kind of popular, y'know, especially after you were featured in Alexa's article." She then extended her hand towards me. "My name's Malva - I'm a news reporter and journalist. I was the one who announced that you and your family moved here, remember?"
I stared at Malva for a moment before the connection finally clicked - she was indeed a news reporter that I would always see on TV whenever the news was on. She was quite popular as well, having a large fan club in her name for many reasons. I became embarrassed for not recognizing her right away, but I was never the one to keep up with celebrities, the only exception being Diantha because she was in a lot of my favorite movies.
"Oh jeez, sorry for not recognizing you sooner," I apologized while shaking her hand "Hey, what's a person like you doing here in Cyllage anyway?"
"What everyone else is doing," Malva replied "I'm on a little vacation of sorts. And I take it you're here for the Pokémon Gym, right?"
"Partially," I explained "we're mostly here because my friend planned a week long vacation for us. I'm gonna challenge the Gym later, but not until I train my team a bit more."
Malva nodded. "Understandable. Though I have full confidence that you'll do well in the Gym. After your win in Santalune, I don't plan on being disappointed."
"Well then...I'll make sure to live up to your expectations."
"Good," Malva smirked "now try on the other outfit - I want to see how it looks on you." I obeyed Malva's orders and went straight back into the dressing room. I didn't know Malva well, but from what I've heard, she's that type of person who you're better off staying on her good side, or else you'll be in for a very nasty surprise if you did otherwise.
As I said before, the outfits Malva picked out are roughly the same, just different colors and different accessories. I put on another midriff tank top, except this one was black, red, orange and yellow with light brown shorts and black leggings. I really wanted some boots of some kind, but this particular boutique didn't sell them. So I settled on buying some red and black high tops and blue sandals just to hold me over until I could do better. I stepped out again, Shauna instantly gushing about how cute I looked in these clothes while Malva was looking very pleased with herself.
"I like this one more," she says "The colors bring out your eyes and hair, while the blue combination brings out your skin. Here, I got these too." Malva then handed me two cycling caps, one beige and the other white, and two bags - one red and one blue - with white stripes. The boutiques here in Kalos are nice enough to allow you to wear your clothes out the door, so I kept the red, orange and yellow combination outfit per Malva's advice, and bought my new wardrobe before walking out the door, placing the beige cap on my head and replacing my old bag with the red one. I was feeling really good, I'd admit.
"I'm going to be here in the city for a while, so feel free to stop by," Malva told us once we were outside "I'm in the seaside hotel - my room number is 217 on the second floor."
"We'll come knocking if we need ya," I grinned.
"Thanks for everything, Miss Malva!" Shauna exclaimed, sporting her new pink and purple parka, pink shorts and purple high tops. We parted ways with the famous news reporter and started walking down the streets of Cyllage. The air was hot and heavy, but the slight coolness from the salty sea provided some relief, albeit a little. The city itself seemed to be an athletic dream - not only was it directly next to the ocean, but there were plenty of roads dedicated to cycling and running. The cliff face here was even made into a cycling road of sorts, with steeping inclines and rounded curves, it was a dream for anyone with a bicycle.
It was still early in the day, so I told Shauna I wanted to stop by the laundry mat to do some quick laundry. I was running low on clothes, and I didn't want to wait until I ran out, even with the new outfits. Shauna saw my reasoning and decided that she should do the same, so we made a quick trip back to the hotel to gather our dirty clothes, then left and went to the small, yet somehow cozy laundry mat down the street. The next two and a half hours was just the two of us separating our clothes, putting them in the wash, nearly beating the quarter machine to submission, getting yelled at by the owner for beating said quarter machine, buying detergent and fabric softener, and waiting for said clothes to come out the wash. It was beyond boring, but it had to be done. Fortunately, we were the only ones in the building.
There was nothing to do while we washed - the only TV in the building was fuzzy and were showing and old football game, providing the only noise there besides the soft hum of the AC and the soft rumble from the washers. Eevee and Electra decided to chase each other on top of the washers and dryers, while Chester remained at Shauna's side, looking content to be by his Trainer's side. I started to feel a slight pang of loneliness the more I watched Shauna and Chester - Merida was always out with me ever since I got her, but it feels so different without her around. And not just her, but also Toothless and Vivian - if Merida wasn't accompanying me, then it's usually one of them in her place. But they needed their rest, and it would be selfish of me to bring them out because I was feeling lonely. Besides, I always had Shauna, and Eevee was here too, oddly enough.
I was sitting on top of the washing machines while Shauna sat on top of the dryers (which were two of the machines sacked on top of one another, by the way), idly kicking her feet while Eevee and Electra ran laps on them. I tried to turn my attention to the TV, but I found sports boring, and the fuzzy reception caused me to lose interest fairly quickly, so I laid on top of the washers while staring up at the ceiling.
"I wonder what the boys are up to," I finally said to break the silence.
"I remember Trevor telling me he was going to Ambrette Town for something," Shauna spoke up "No idea where Tierny or Calem went..." Silence. Again. Electra finally settled down in Shauna's lap while Eevee climbed on top of the washers and laid on my newly exposed stomach. Shauna stopped kicking her feet for a few seconds before she groaned loudly and leaned against the wall. "This sucks."
"Preach," I sighed "We could leave, but I don't wanna leave my clothes."
"Same here," Shauna said, just before a tune sounding like a pop song erupted from her bag. She reached in and pulled out her Holo Caster, switching it on to have Calem's holographic appeared before her. "Oh, hey Calem! Where've you been?"
"Training out on Route 10," Calem replied just before his tone changed to a worried one "Where are you by the way? I tried calling Kat, but she won't answer my calls..." I frowned before I sat up and started digging through my own bag for my Holo Caster. He couldn't have called me because my Holo Caster never rang. But when I tried to turn it on, I was only greeted with a picture of an empty battery with a thin red line at the bottom. I forgot the charge it the night before...whoops.
"She's right here with me," Shauna replied with a quizzical look on her face "In fact, she's been with me all day! Are you sure you tried calling her? We never heard her Holo Caster ring..."
"I forgot to charge mine," I called whilst looking for the nearest outlet to plug the device to. I really hoped Mom or Dad hadn't tried calling me, or else I was going to be in bigger trouble than I was yesterday. I finally found an outlet above one of the tables while Shauna explained where we had been for most of the morning.
"We're washing our clothes in the Bubble Sport place down the street from the hotel," she finished after I returned to my spot on the washing machine.
"Oh, okay," Calem said, a hint of relief in his voice "I'm on my way to the Pokémon Center now, but I'll meet you guys there."
"Sounds great," I said "not like we're going anywhere anyway."
Shauna laughed. "We'll see you soon Calem." The Holo Caster switched off, and we were, once again, left to play the waiting game. This was going to be a loooong day...
. . .
Calem finally came around just as Shauna and I were in the process of transferring our clothes from the wash to the dryer. Turned out Calem had stopped to buy us a quick lunch while on his way here - he bought a container of finger sandwiches and bottles of Ramuné, a type of soda that was mostly sold in Johto until they started shipping them around the world a few years back. That feeling of homesickness started to come back as I looked over my bottle of strawberry Ramuné, but I pushed it back and focused on my clothes. Once I finished transferring my clothes, I went back to check on my Holo Caster and decided to see if Mom or Dad tried to call me while it was off. Turned out that neither of them called, but I held a small conversation with Mom while I sat and ate.
"I can hear an engine in the background," I mused to the holographic image of my mother "Are you on a bus or something?"
"I'm am, actually," she replied "I'm on my way to Lumiose City - Silas invited me to stay with him for a while. I thought it would be nice to finally get out the house for once...I haven't even went out to the front yard since you left!"
"Well I'm glad to see that you're out and about," I smiled, knowing that Dad had invited Mom to Lumiose because he wanted to see her. "I'm in Cyllage City by the way. Shauna planned a week long vacation here before we moved on."
"Really? That was nice of her," she said, sighing a bit "I guess we could all use a vacation, huh?"
"Seems that way."
"Oh, Kat, we're approaching my stop, so I'll call you back, okay? Tell your friends I said hello!"
"I will, Mom. Bye, and love you." I switched off the Holo Caster and set it back down on the table so it could finish charging. I fed Eevee one of my sandwiches, before looking out the window into the streets. The sun was still high in the sky - I was late in the afternoon, but it wasn't going to get dark anytime soon. Though, there was still something that has been bugging me ever since I left the hotel today...
"How come you've been following us?"
Eevee looked up at me with crumbs from the bread sticking around her mouth. "Huh?" she tilted her head.
"Why are you following us?" I repeated.
Eevee used her paw to wipe away the crumbs before saying "Because, you and I are alike." I raised my eyebrow but allowed her to continue. "You want to believe that you'll find the person you love, while I want to believe that a nice Trainer will come one day and love me too."
"Odd," I murmured "I know there isn't a Trainer out there who would pass up a free Eevee."
"Maybe I'm the problem," Eevee said, her ears drooping a bit "See, I had a Trainer prior to now, but she abandoned me because 'I was taking too long to evolve,' and released me at the hotel one night and just left. I was really sad that day, but I figured that it wasn't my fault, but my Trainer's. So I began to believe that there was a good Trainer out there that would take me with them, and love me for who I am, and not for what I could become. And I never gave up hope...wanna know why? Because hope never dies."
I found myself silent as I studied the little Pokémon before me. You would have never guessed that she was abandoned up until now. But the nerve of that Trainer, whoever he or she is! The poor thing looked up to him or her with love, and all they were worried about was how fast Eevee could evolve? People like that make me sick...to train an Eevee just to get access to one of its evolutions. And yet...she was right, in a way - we were both hoping to find the one person we loved dearly to come to us, and we were willing to wait for them, no matter how long it took.
I found myself petting the little Eevee; she's been sticking to my side mostly since she left the hotel, but I didn't want to catch her. Don't get me wrong, I would love to have an Eevee of my own, but it felt wrong for some reason. What if she didn't want to come with me, but only followed me around to see what kind of other Trainers were available to her? I wonder if...she was better off with Shauna? I anything, she needed Eevee more than I did. If anyone deserved this sweet creature, it was her.
"But you know what?" Eevee suddenly said, drawing me out of my thoughts "You're really nice. I know you are, because I was watching you when you came in yesterday. You were really sad, and I wanted to see what was wrong, but you went upstairs before I could get to you. I decided to see what was wrong, so I followed you to your room...and I heard you talking to your other Pokémon." She placed both of her paws on my hand as she looked up at me, those big, brown eyes looking deeply into my hazel ones. "You really love them, don't you? I could tell, you were worried about them, but they were more worried about you. I wish more humans were like you, then maybe this world would be a better place. But you're one of the reasons why I never gave up, and you shouldn't either! Our wishes will come true one day, I'm sure of it!...So that's why I want to ask...if you're willing to make my wish come true...I believe you and I were made for each other, so...will you take me with you? Please?"
Did she really have to ask at this point? I've realized that Eevee had chosen me to be her Trainer from the moment we left the hotel, I just refused to catch her for the simple fact that I believed I wasn't the one who needed an Eevee. But it's not about what I want, it's about what the Pokémon wants, whether it's yours or a wild one, and a lot of Trainers fail to realize that. I guess I was lucky enough to be able to speak with them - at least I have an easier time learning what they're really saying and thinking.
"I'd love to take you with me," I told her "but I don't have anything to catch you with right now." And that was because my stuff was still in the process of transferring from my old bag to the new one.
One of the reasons why I hate shopping for new bags is the transferring; Because the inside of our bags are made to act like a hammer space, you can't just take everything from your old bag and put it into the new one. The inside of each bags are made from the same program used for the Pokémon Storage in the PC, and the bags automatically registers itself to the person who purchased it via scanning a Trainer Card. This also explains why space inside a bag is unlimited, and why it's always lightweight and never show signs of a heavy load. Bill, the originally creator of the PSS (Pokémon Storage System), teamed up with Silph Co. for a collaboration to create the bags after Trainers kept complaining of the limited space. Even with the upgrade, the price of these bags never went up or down, making them very efficient and cost efficient. You just need to be prepared for a transfer if you buy a new bag, because it acts like the PSS, electronically transferring everything you had stored, and that takes time, no more than a few hours depending on how much stuff you had at the time. So I was stuck without my items for a while, at least until the day was over. Good thing Merida, Toothless and Vivian's Pokéballs were on my belt.
"Oh," Eevee hummed "well that's okay! I'll stay with you until you can."
There was nothing else I could do anyway, unless I went out of my way to buy a Pokéball just to catch her with. And I had already spent enough of my money buying clothes and trying to wash them, I needed to save what I had left for other things I would need. That and I would have to start battling other Trainers to earn more money...I may have to take a trip back to the Battle Chateau. But I won't be heading there until I had my whole team again, which will hopefully happen tomorrow.
The next hour was uneventful, to say the least. I heard Shauna telling Calem about our encounter with Malva at the boutique earlier - I had drowned the two of them out during my conversation with Eevee, so I decided to join in instead of being the odd one out. There was still some time to spare before our clothes would finish drying, so it was just us talking amongst one another, none of the conversation being particularly important with the exception of what we plan on doing for the next few days while we were in Cyllage. I also noticed that Calem kept looking me over when I wasn't looking; I couldn't understand why he was doing that until I realized that I was wearing the halter top.
I caught him looking when I was taking the empty sandwich container to the trash. He quickly turned away while his face started flushing pink, but I decided not to call him out on it.
This time.
The buzzers finally went off on both machines, and I never thought I would be so glad to start folding clothes of all things...I honestly wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible. Unfortunately, Shauna managed to finish her clothes before I could, since she didn't have a a lot of clothes to wash to begin with. I was still in the process of folding my laundry when Shauna offered to stay with me until I was finished. Quite honestly, I wanted her to stay, but I remember her telling me that she wanted to go to the bookstore before it got too late, and I didn't want to hold her up, so I told her to go until we met back up at the hotel later. Besides, I had Calem with me, so I wouldn't be completely alone.
"If you come back with a copy of Twilight, I'm gonna kill you!" I teased as she walked out.
"I should buy a copy just out of spite!" she called back before hurrying down the street. I shook my head and went back to folding while Eevee jumped into the basket of warm, clean clothes. I ended up petting her again while pulling a shirt from under her. I couldn't keep my hands off of the little creature for some reason - there was something about Eevee that made you just want to constantly pet and cuddle them. They were cute, of course, but their fur was also very soft and warm. No wonder they were so popular.
"So, I managed to hear your conversation with Eevee earlier," Calem spoke up - he was sitting in the chair of the table I was folding my clothes on "I believe you'll take great care of her...but how come you haven't caught her yet?"
"I don't have my other Pokéballs yet," I told him "they're still in the process of transferring from my old bag."
"Well if you needed a Ball, you could have just asked for one," Calem smiled before he pulled a Pokéball from his own bag. The top half was pink with hearts etched on it. It was a Love Ball - I've seen these in every magazine I've read, but I've never saw one up close. I started to see why they were popular amongst female Trainers; it as really cute, but why did Calem have one? "The shop in Ambrette were giving these away to anyone who bought five Pokéballs at once." Well then.
He placed the Ball in my hand and nodded at Eevee. "I think you two were made for each other. Besides, the Pokéball fits, doesn't it?"
"Oddly enough," I murmured. Eevee had somehow buried herself into my clothes, and I had to call her in order to get her to come out. She popped out to the sound of my voice, but had a pair of my panties on her head when doing so. I immediately grabbed them and placed them back in the basket, trying my best to not look up at Calem (I knew he had seen them, but making eye-contact would have made the situation awkward). I didn't have to tell Eevee that I was ready to catch her - she already knew what was going on, and pressed the button on the Ball with her nose, activating the capture. That familiar red beam of light hit her and converted her body into energy before absorbing the once solid Eevee into the device. It twitched and beeped a few times before it clicked and went silent, indicating that I had caught Eevee. I pressed the button again and called her out; She materialized on the table, her tail wriggling as I started folding a pair of jeans.
"I've decided," I said, looking down at her "to call you Madoka." I've been thinking about Eevee's nickname ever since she told me she wanted to travel with me. The way she spoke about how she never gave up reminded me about a girl from an anime I love watching. Plus, with her new pink Pokéball, I thought the name fits perfectly.
Madoka seemed to agree, since she climbed up on my shoulder again and started nuzzling my cheek. "Yaaay! I love my new name, and I already love my new Trainer! We'll become best friends, I know we will!"
I smiled, rubbing my new partner's head. Still, a pang a guilt suddenly hit me in the pit of my stomach; I still believed Shauna deserved to catch Eevee, and not me...and it looked like I wouldn't feel any better if I continued to feel this way. And yet, I would be wrong if I traded her away - Madoka already chose me, and looks like she was very happy to be at my side now. I just wish I could feel that same happiness, and not this growing feeling of guilt.
. . .
Grace and Silas sat on one of the many plush couches of the hotel's lobby while another sat across from them. A middle aged man wearing a brown trench coat with short borderline grey hair sat across from the couple, a mug of coffee nestled between his hands. Originally, Silas had called Grace over form Vaniville to spend time with her, but after receiving a call from the man before him, the couple's meeting turned on its head. Silas contacted Grace while she was on the bus, sharing the information the man had shared with him previously. This caused the visit to turn from social to serious.
Grace began to fidget in her seat, shifting nervously while clutching her hands in her lap. Silas noticed her discomfort and lovingly placed his hand on top of hers, letting her know that he was there whenever she needed him. Grace turned and smiled at her lover, before turning back to the man, her expression turning serious.
"And you are absolutely sure it's her?" she pressed, still unable to comprehend the news that was previously given to her.
"There's no mistake," the man replied simply.
"Where did you...?"
"I was already investigating a case when I found her," the man explained "Parents have sent in an alarming amount of complaints and reports about their children disappearing for hours, sometimes days, in alleys before finally returning home. Nearly all the children that disappeared for that amount for that amount of time were students." He took a sip of his coffee before continuing. "When I arrived at one of the spots, the children who were already there were guarding her and refused to let me through. I couldn't touch them, obviously, so I almost couldn't get to her at all."
"So how did you manage to get passed them?" Silas asked.
"She looked familiar," the man went on "so I returned to my current headquarters and dug up an old missing child report from 6 years ago. She matched the description and the picture profile perfectly - even though she's a little older now - and I rushed back to the alley and told her that I could find her parents. She told the other kids to back off and demanded that I bring her to you. Of course, I couldn't do that unless I made a few phone calls, but that was before I realized Silas was already in the city. You both can figure out what happened after that..." The man noticed the look of worry on the couple's face, and smiled as he set the coffee mug on the table. "I have her resting in my current headquarters, which is locked securely, so I can assure you of her safety."
"It's not that," Grace spoke up "but how would we be received when she sees us again? What if she believes we abandoned her? What if she hates us for not coming to get her? Or gaining custody for her when we could?" A pang of guilt erupted through Silas' being at the last sentence - he knew, looking back on it now, that they could have easily won the custody battle if he was brave enough then. But he already lost his wife and almost his daughter once, and he didn't want it to happen again. And yet...this whole situation could have easily been described as cruel irony.
"You have my word that she doesn't have any resentment to any of you," the man explained "in fact, she was overjoyed to know that I could find you both. If she should have any resentment towards anyone, it should be towards her abusive mother."
"What about Kat?" Silas asked.
Grace raised a quizzical eyebrow. "What about her?"
"You know that the two of them had a bond, Grace," Silas said "Should we tell her now? Or have them meet face-to-face?"
There was a pause between the three adults, each of them thinking of a way to tell the news to the travelling teen. Grace rubbed her chin before a small smile appeared on her lips as she spoke. "Actually...I got an interesting call from her friend Shauna earlier. She wanted Silas and I to come to Cyllage City soon, and that gives me an idea..."
E/N: Who else loves Malva? I know I do - she one of my favorite characters from the game, and my favorite Elite Four member. She's going to be more involved in this story, because I have a few ideas in mind.
So...did anyone else blow most of their money buying clothes and trying them on in the game? I know I did...still do. Did I mention that I loveloveLOVE the character customization in the game? It's amazing.
And yes, Kat's fourth team member is Eevee, but the Eevee on my original save file was traded to me, so I couldn't name it Madoka...(love the anime, by the way). I had a very hard time deciding on allowing my character to get her Eevee now, but I have an idea on what I want to do with her team...but that won't take place until Emma comes in. Also, Eevee in Pokémon Amie...hnnnnggh~
Also, I just want to say that I'm SO glad you guys, the readers, are really enjoying this story. I was about the scrap it and start over until I started getting so much positive feedback; you guys are the only reason I kept writing, and I just wanted to tell you all that I appreciate the support and I love you all. Thank you very much for reading C:
