Yeah, I'm the worst author… EVAH! I'm sooo lazy… Anyway, we finally make it to some climatic crud for this story!
Four days had passed as Belle, Touko, and Black trained day-in-and-day-out, but mostly the ruffian brunette's. They were resting by the 'Challenge Rock' with a pair of Martial Artists; Lee, a girl about the same age as Touko and her friends, and Kentaro, a man about twenty years old, Lee's older cousin. Belle took another sip of her water before she turned to the two karate trainee's, "You guys are tough! It's been so great training with guys for past few days." She complimented.
"Hey thanks! Y'know even though yer not like your two friends here, you're still pretty strong Belle. I'm amazed at yer optimism." Lee applauded and Belle giggled in flattery, it was sometimes a foreign thing to her to be praised.
"But still, all three of you are remarkable young-in's, at thirteen-fourteen years old, I was still a bit shy of traveling away from the dojo back in Kanto." Kentaro admitted.
"Woah! Kanto?!" Black yelped.
"Yep, that's where Lee and I are from." Kentaro said, nodding artlessly.
"How ironic, Touko here is half Kantonese and half Unovian." Black informed and took another sip of his water afterwards as Ken and Lee turned to Touko with a somewhat dazzled look.
"E? Hontōni?! Anata wa, Kantō kara ne?!" Lee suddenly burst out in Kantonese. Belle and Black were left staring curiously at what Lee had just said and then turned to Touko.
"Īe, anata wa gokai. Watashi wa Kantō kara nai ndakedo, watashi no kettōdesu." She answered fluently. Lee and Ken gasped with a smile in their surprise at how well she spoke in their language and Black and Belle gave her perplexed looks about what they were talking about.
Touko noticed and apologized for being rude in front of them, "Lee was asking if I really was from Kanto and I answered my bloodline is from Kanto, not me directly. Sorry about talking in Kantonese when you guys can't understand it." She said as she sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.
"No, we're not offended. I mean, it's not like you get meet someone from the same region you're descended from everyday right?" Black exampled with a reassuring smile and Belle nodded energetically beside him. Touko sighed with relief.
Lee turned for a moment to look behind herself for her bag as Ken started to ask Touko if she was exposed to Kantonese language at a young age. Touko, of course, saying yes and that it was her mother who always liked to speak in Kantonese around her, her gaze not snapping away from Lee as she unzipped her duffel bag and pulled out a fairly large container with an oval-ish object inside. "Huh? Isn't that… a pokémon egg!" Belle had half asked-half stated in excitement and clasped her hands together in glee as she leaned across from where she was sitting on a stone in the ground in sheer curiosity at the egg.
Lee looked up from her lap once she had finished removing the egg from the container and smiled, "Yep." She simply chirped as she reached into her bag once more and pulled out a moist cloth. At this time her and her cousin's pokémon, two Timburr's, were returning from playing with Touko's and her friends pokémon from the bottom of the Challenge Rock's hill. Their grey eyes sparkled with compassion towards the young egg as they crept around from behind Lee and grasped her training outfit in either of the hands that were not holding the poles of lumber they used for training. From farther behind everyone by a few meters the rest of the gang's pokémon were returning with tired smiles on their faces.
Black noticed the pokémon first and stood to walk over to his pokémon to ask how was their play-time with Lee's and Kentaro's pokémon, his newly evolved Pignite looking especially tired. They cried in happiness at the fun they obviously had in response to his earlier question. Black chuckled, "Alright then. Why don't you guys take a break in your pokéballs for the time being, the heat of the day is starting to move in." He suggested and his pokémon gratefully complied, it was much cooler inside the pokéballs than outside currently. As he returned his pokémon Belle's pokémon moseyed passed him to their trainer, they began to rub against her in plea to also be returned to their cool aired containers for a bit, and Belle as well agreed to her friend's request.
Touko had her hands rested on her knees as she turned to her pokémon standing beside her, "So, what do you four want to do? Stay outside or go in for a little rest?" She asked. Immediately Oshawott let out a massive yawn that stretched from each side of his face and tumbled over to lean against her leg; that was one down. She returned Oshawott. "Anyone else?" She questioned.
Snivy brought her leafy arm to her mouth as she yawned, still with great dignity in the action as if she were doing it sarcastically, and turned to walk to the tree line not so far away. She curled up in the grass, her tail still sticking out into the sunlight, and fell asleep right there. Leaving the snakes trainer to quirk a brow with an all-knowing smile, because Touko just knew Snivy's behavior all too well by now. "Tepig, Lillipup?" She queried once she turned to look down back at the final two. Her favorite piglet yawned and oinked tiredly only to end up walking over to Touko and padding her foot on her leg to be inside her capsule momentarily. Soon Tepig disappeared into the red light of the pokéball.
Before Touko could ask Lillipup he was already gone and over by Lee's side with the two Timburr's watching her gently clean the egg, his tail wagging slowly but enthusiastically. As Touko herself watched Lee cradle the tiny object in her lap and hands she barely paid mind to the conversation Black and Kentaro were having about why he and Lee decided to come to Unova with no pokémon from Kanto so they could start fresh with their training and learn about the fighting types here in this part of world. Touko could still see Belle in her peripheral vision, staring with googly eyes at the cute egg. "So what kind of pokémon is it?" Belle finally asked.
Lee looked up from her egg in mild surprise from being snapped out of her trance of wiping her egg of any surface stains, "Oh? Umm… I actually don't know, I got it from a nice elderly woman up in the north of this country when Kentaro and I helped her take her heavy groceries to her house. But all I know is that this isn't the egg of a fighting type pokémon. I think it's a normal-type egg." She explained.
"Wow! That's so awesome, as repayment she gave you a pokémon, cool!" Belle chirped. Touko nodded in agreement at the excitement of her friend, even Lillipup was barking in happiness and jumping up with a twirl here and there in his excitement. Both of the Timburr's laughed with Lee before they turned and started moving towards Kentaro for some his attention. "Ooh! May I?" Belle asked and reached out her hands eagerly to finish her question of what she wanted to do.
Lee did a quick once over of her egg before reaching for the egg's container and tenderly sliding the oval-sphere inside and tightening the lid back on before she carefully handed the carrier to Belle. Once the egg was safely secure in another's arms Lillipup started to hobble up on Lee's legs in attempt to climb onto her, she smiled and grabbed him to pull him upwards on her lap. "You're Lillipup is energetic, a lot like the pokémon Growlithe in my region, but I don't like fire-types all that much. My favorites are Fighting, Poison, and the occasional Normal type, speaking of which, aren't Lillipup's a normal-type?" She asked as she stroked the puppy's back with some rather high affection while staring up a Touko.
"Mhm." Touko simply nodded. "They're also the only canine species of pokémon discovered so far with two stages of evolution instead of just one or none like the others. But off topic, Lillipup has taken a real shine to you; he doesn't often get this close with new people." She giggled.
There was a silent moment between to the two as Lee continued stroking Lilipup's back, Belle was still admiring the egg beside Touko, and the chestnut brunette stared lovingly at the sleeping form of her puppy. Suddenly Lee blinked with an excited glimmer in her eyes and shot her up to Touko, "Touko?" She called out, despite the short distance between them both.
This more than just the person called out to as everyone's attention was drawn to the two teenage girls; Lilipup had even woken up from his small snooze in Lee's lap. Lee spoke with confidence, "Let's make trade; my egg for your Lillipup!"
Everyone else: "…"
Touko shot up screaming, "WHHHAAAATTT?!" While everyone else screeched a 'huh' or a 'what now'. "Y-y-you-! You can't be serious!" Touko hollered as she shook a finger at Lee, the fighter girl's smile still clear on her face.
"Nope! Not in the least, I'm serious when I say 'I want to trade Pokémon with you'!" She grinned. The next moment she was standing up with Lillipup in her arms and taking the two small steps into Touko's personal bubble to stare her down straight in the eyes. "Think about it, we know each other fairly enough by now since we've been training everyday-all-day for the past four days. Lillipup has a bit of a liking to me more than he normally does with new people, as you yourself said, and the way you've taught him how to fight, even against fighting types, is remarkable! He's an amazing pup!" She explained with stars in her eyes.
"Uhh-hu-uh…?" Was Touko could convey at the moment. Everything was happening all so fast and Lee was being so optimistic about this. What could she do? Her head was spinning like a Hitmontop!
"H-hold on a sec-!" Black tried to intervene but Lee once again opened up her mouth to speak.
"I'm not saying it has to be right now." She stated. She unclasped her arms a bit more from around Lillipup and glided him through the air to Touko, who swiftly cradled him into her own arms. "I'll let you think about it at least until tomorrow morning, that's when you were going to set out for Castelia right? You have until then!" She chirped and turned to Belle to retrieve her egg. "C'mon Kentaro, let's head back to the Center." She ordered with little authority, but a large cloud of light-heartedness was overcasting her.
~Afterwards: Later the Evening~
Touko sat in a chair in front of the open in the room she, Belle, and Black had been renting during their stay in Nuvema. It was starting to feel like a second home in the warehouse city, but no comfort was being felt tonight as the chestnut haired teenager leaned onto the tiny windows ledge for some sort of support; both physically and emotionally. She heaved a massive sigh that felt as if she had water filling them to the brim. Something interrupted her depression as it nuzzled against her leg, she looked down to see Lillipup giving her a worried expression; deeply showing in his ogling eyes.
"Haaa…" Touko sighed heavily again. She reached both her arms down and wrapped her fingers sullenly around his body to lift him into her chest. He nuzzled into her chest and neck, a whine from him indicating his question of what she was thinking. "I don't know… I don't want to just give you off like your some object, because you aren't, you're my friend…" She puffed more air out her lungs tiredly as she clutched her puppy closer to her person.
He fidgeted under her until she loosened her grip to allow him movement so he may look her in the eyes. "Touko." He said as seriously as he could and it made Touko instinctively brace herself for some sort of emotional blow. "I think it's okay to go with that Lee-girl for a while…I think… I want to go with her. I like her a lot; she's similar to you in many ways…in my opinion…" He whimpered silently but his tail did drunkenly sashay over her stomach.
Her shoulders racked a bit more but she forced a smile, she knew this was what he wanted. "A-alr-right … ngghuhgh-!" She choked a bit, "Lillipup, you need to promise me…" She started, his ears perking up attentively, "Promise me-! That-you… That you won't forget me." She pleaded.
"Touko!" He barked, he actually sounded frustrated! He scuffled upwards on her chest as his nose just came millimeters from her nose, "I can never forget you! You're my human-mommy and the only human to ever hold my heart forever!" He barked innocently. Then Touko's ruff stream of tears evolved into a waterfall that evening…
~Later That Night (Very late)~
"Everything is fine on this end. Nothing to report." Kurai spoke into an earpiece as he stood atop a light post on one of the docks in Castelia. He stared down at the ocean that had an aggressive gleam to it as lunar-blinding clouds overlooked the horizon.
"Good, but keep an eye out." Simon instructed, even though Kurai was reporting to Luc. Always the precautionary one.
Kurai blew up his cheek's a bit in irritation under his mask, "Well aren't we just stuffy this evening." He chuckled. Simon had always gotten moody when a storm, like the one out at sea, came up; it was a response from his powers. That and he never really liked getting wet unnecessarily; like swimming or going to a water park… just like a fire type. Kurai grinned under his face cover deviously, what is his down fall at the moment was Kurai's chance to be uppity, and somewhat Lucian's as well since storms did bring lightning.
"Shut up Kurai." Simon tiredly spoke over the growing static of their intercoms.
"Girls you're both pretty, now stay alert." Lucian's voice interjected coldly. It had been like this all night, 'These two are such girls when they get the chance… Why must it be I to be cursed this way?!' He sighed while wallowing mentally. They had been patrolling all night to look for people that Plasma could 'liberate' pokémon from and as well as keeping the security of the area around the building where they had currently set base.
Lucian stood on the towering antenna that sat upon one of the highest buildings in Castelia to overlook the entire city. Even when facing a storm that was only about thirty miles off-shore and standing over seventy stories above the ground, he was not flinching in the slightest as he stared down at the pedestrians walking along the streets of the down-town area. The layout was Lucian taking the aerial view, Kurai had the ground level of area's not so populated (Pier's, the coast line, ect.), and Simon was in the sewers and backstreets where a lot of low-lives hid about, to scout the area.
In his haze, Lucian had not noticed that Simon and Kurai had started bickering again over their communicators, this time it sounded rather intense. "I will stir you with your spear in a pot of soup made from your own massacred body if you don't shut up Kurai!" Simon threatened, a moment of clarity in the communicators signal making his voice sound like he actually meant it.
"Pretty big talk from a man who cowered like a helpless infant Sewaddle in a corner from a one-foot-eight piglet that was ready to cook you alive because you tried to give her a bath when she only let's Touko bather her." He reminded of one sunny Saturday afternoon when Touko was twelve.
"I. WILL. KILL. YOU!" Simon started. This was getting ridiculous, Lucian thought. 'Okay, so empty threats from Simon and embarrassing memories from Kurai are normal, but not of this intensity. Not since we were all young recruits and those two would punch each other senseless when their eyes met.'
"Oh, hold up Sissy-pants." Kurai interrupted half-way through another one of Simon's threats. Finally, something to stop their quarrels! "I think I've found something." He sounded cautious this time. Simon and Luc waited over the line, what was going on?
"Kurai?" Simon spoke out.
"Shh." His voice echoed statically over the signal; the storm must be coming closer judging by the sprinkling rain. At the docks everything was quiet, unlike the business center Lucian was over-looking currently or the back-streets where alcohol induced late-night fights would occur. Kurai was walking along the railing of the docks until he made it to the center dock; Prime Pier. Still they waited for their teammate to inform them on anything. "There's a black yacht docked here at Prime Pier… I think you guys should get over here quick." He said frantically.
Lucian started hopping down from rooftop to rooftop and began phasing in and out of shadows from buildings. "What's over their?" He asked in a tone that demanded a swift answer this time.
"I'm closest to you, I should be there momentarily. Just wait for me and Luc, but Kurai, what the hell is over there?!" Simon yelped in aggravated concern. What was at Prime Pier? Was it going to lead to a situation in which he had to be a protector of Plasma's king or be a brother to Kurai?
Kurai answered with a low growl ripping through his vocal cords, it actually startled the other two, "Hunter J."
Lucian was already on top of the neon red roof of the Castelia Pokémon Center and Simon was crawling out of a man-hole on Sightseeing Pier when they both halted in sheer astonishment. "Oh fuck." Simon managed to spit out.
"Yeah, 'oh fuck' is right." Kurai started.
"Kurai get away from there now! We're all going back to headquarters." Lucian instructed and his presence disappeared from the area and started moving westward. The two of them immediately obeyed. Sometime later they all situated onto the top of the building complex Team Plasma. As they appeared from different directions they kept throwing questions at each other without stopping.
"Howisthishappening?!- Whatisshedoinghere?!-Idon'tknow,itonlylookslikesgr untswereontheboatbutthatisdefinatelyavesselownedby 'J'!-!" And so on, until Simon yelled above them all.
"Touko is coming here any day now! What are we going to do?!" He stated and his teammates shut their mouths and stared in realization. "In case you guys are wondering, this is practically worst case scenario shoved up our asses with a power-drill covered in sand-paper on high!" He graphically exclaimed to their faces.
"Shh-" Kurai hissed and ran all of his fingers under his wig, ripping it off less than a second later, and throwing to the Helicopter landing slate below his feet. His real, shoulder length, blonde hair whipping everywhere around his head only for him to violently rake it back and turn to his comrades. "How can we do this?! We can't keep Touko safe and do our duties at the same time! Sooner or later one side will find out about the other!" He forewarned loudly as he flung his arms here and there at the situation they were in. Simon was about to exclaim how he did not know and to tell Kurai to shut up but Luc interjected.
"Wait!" He shouted. He sighed when they turned to him with eyes full of horror that were starting to turn calmer, "What about the Harvest Festival back in Nuvema?" He asked with his voice filled with memorability. For a moment Simon and Kurai stared at him in both confusion and shock, mostly confusion. They shifted their stances completely towards him once their attention was grasped, "The Harvest Festival is coming up in two-and-a-half weeks, now I've learned from Ghetsis that Plasma's plans are at a halt in our research investigations, so that is leaving us with nothing to do but go with what the public thinks we've only been doing; the liberation preaches." He explained.
The other two nodded and took in the info, yet then Kurai was the next person to speak up. "Uh-huh. So what you are saying is, is that since the organization is at a standstill, Ghetsis won't be needing us for the time being. So we can go home." He realized. Lucian nodded.
"Then that means we invite Touko home for the festival, therefore keeping her safe from J's men if they were to recognize her, but meanwhile keep an eye out for J's activity. And hopefully… break it to Touko cautiously or even better, expose J's men and leave their arrest and investigation to the National authorities where they may be lead to J, without her knowing." Simon wondered aloud.
"Yes." Lucian admitted with another nod. "Touko arrives at the city gates in two days tops. Simon I need to rely on your connection's in the black market to gather as much information as possible; see what you can find out about J's movement's, why she has men here and for how long. I want the whole nine-yards. Kurai, you accompany him for the next two days." He ordered and nodded in understanding.
"One more thing," he said, "We can't let Touko know we're here in the city, which means we are not to interact with her or her friends!" He warned, making both of his teammates whimper and pout.
"What?! I can't see my little angel?!" Kurai cried in near despair.
"No." Lucian bluntly vocalized.
"Luc you're terrible." Simon grunted while crossing his arms in displeasure and Lucian merely 'hmph'ed and shrugged his shoulders.
"So then, what will you be doing?" Kurai asked with the words sliding deviously off his tongue, he had always used this tone to taunt Luc (if only just a wee bit) when he acted like he Shadow Triad leader many citizens and authorities idolized / feared him as.
"Ghetsis has already told me that he does not care what we do since our operations are frozen." He pointed out. "Plus the King is at his own disadvantage here in the city, he may actually be transferred back to the Castle to recuperate from being around so many humans. So meanwhile that will leave Ghetsis and the Sage's to manipulate the city-folk with their speeches as they please. They'll have things covered here." He rationalized. "I guess that leaves me to going home and preparing for Touko's arrival back home." He realized.
"You? Welcome Touko home? Luc, I realize you care for her greatly but unless you were slashing the throats of any person who harmed her you would not be able to show it in many other ways." Kurai informed as he crossed his arms and dejected his leader at how terrible he was at being normal. "When someone you love arrives home, you're supposed to welcome them spontaneously with all their favorite foods strewn across the table. The house must be immaculate and a large jubile smile must be stretching wide on your face." He instructed.
Simon looked at his blonde teammate like he was the drunkard he had seen over an hour ago who could not even piss straight in the alley he saw him in. "Kurai, that's how you would greet Touko home, not Luc." He stated only to have a finger waving in his face the next moment.
"Wrong you are Simon, that is how I will greet Touko when she arrives home!" He corrected gaining more crazed looks from the blue eyed man and his golden eyed comrade beside him. "I will go home and prepare for the festival. Sorry Lucian, I'm afraid I will have to disobey your order of going with Simon to the filthy backstreets of this junk-yard." He explained whimsically.
"You're really going to go against what Luc orde-?" Simon almost questioned but stopped when heard something snort beside him. He turned to the astounding sight of seeing Lucian violently covering his masked face with his hand as he… he wheezed with laughter!
As seconds passed and he saw Simons' and Kurais' faces Lucian could not handle it anymore! "Pwahaha! Hahaha! Haha, okay, okay! Fine, Kurai you can go, and Simon I'll accompany you to the backstreets." He finally managed to say to his jaw dropped comrade's.
"Wow! Have you ever seen a more abundant forest?!" Belle exclaimed in sheer bliss as she reached her arms in the air and lowered them to her sides soon afterwards as she walked a few paces ahead of the others. There was one more day left of traveling and then afterwards they would all part ways for the rest of their journeys! Well if Touko would pick up the pace that is…
"Touko?!" Belle whined as she placed her hands on her hips, "C'mon, Castelia is a days' walk away and at the speed you're moving at we won't there until, like, when we're ninety!" She huffed but let out a sigh no less than the next second later. She should not be chastising her friend right now, she knew that, and she felt guilty for it, but she wanted Touko to forget the pain of trading Lillipup as soon as possible! A depressed Touko meant everyone would become depressed!
The brunette just sulked there with the crown of her head against a tree as the container to her new pokémon egg rested loosely grasped in her dangling arms. Belle was tempted to just slap the taste out her mouth or worse lecture Touko until she turned purple, but that would never work… No, it would make her worse. "Belle, calm down." Black instructed as he placed his hands on her shoulders momentarily to settle her down. He turned once the blonde had stopped fuming steam and paced back to Touko.
"If you regret it so much why did you trade Lillipup?" He questioned her. No reply except for a deep and drunken sigh. He tapped her shoulder until she swiveled her head to meet his gaze, but then snapped her sight back to her mud-riddled boots. He sighed and took it upon himself to force Touko to sit down instead of standing and quirked a brow at her when she looked up to him. She grunted irritably and held the egg's incubator close while she brought knees up as close as possible before responding.
"BecauseLillipupwaselatedtothethoughtofgoingoutwit hanotherpersonandlearningmoreabouttheworldfrommore thanjustonepoint of view." She hastily spoke without a breath. 'She sounded like N there for a second…' Black thought to himself. He gesture to her with a wave of his hand to beckon her to explain more. Once more she sighed in irritation at her curious friend, "I just… I could see it in his eyes okay? It may not be the most favorable decision I've made but it is going to benefit him, I'm sure of that much. Even if… I- I have my heart broken a little."
Black made a sound somewhere in between 'd'aw' and 'so', plopping beside her and wrapping his right arm around her shoulders. "Touko, I know it's hard, but it's not the worst thing that'll happen to you in life. You of all people know that…" He reminded which got him a confused and slightly hurt expression from Touko. "Let me finish, you at least owe me that." He smirked lightly as he pointed to his jaw. She nodded and stayed silent. Black shifted before speaking again, in the corner of his eye he saw Belle leaning her back against the tree on the other side of Touko.
"What I'm trying to say is that you are tougher than anyone I know, and while yes it is hard to let go of a pokémon like Lillipup because he was such a bright light in your team, you did something that made him happy. So you, even with the small heart-break, should be happy too. I'm sure your older brothers felt the same way about when you left for your journey." He exemplified.
She stared at him for a few agonizingly silent seconds before a small smile shyly crept onto her face. " 'Kay. I see where you're going now… thanks Black." She mumbled and leaned into his half embrace for a moment as a way to show her gratitude. He squeezed her in his arm before letting it drop to his side and soon climbing off the ground.
"Now then let's get moving." He advised and offered her his hand to help her up. Graciously she took it and grabbed her egg incubator and placed it into her bag, only to be hugged by Belle once she was done.
"I'm so glad that's over!" She squealed and then held her at arms-length, "No more depression!" She chimed as she waved her left hand in the air like a magic wand and bopped Touko on the head with her index. Proceeding with both girls laughing as they started towards their headed destination with Black.
A few more hours passed before bright sunlight was seen at an opening farther down the road. "Oh! There, there!" Belle pointed to the forest's exit before beginning to bolt for it.
"Belle hold up!" Black called after her but was sadly too late as something popped out of the forest from the roadside and tripped the blonde, bouncing off of her body and landing on the other side of the road in the bushes. "Gah! Uh… Belle, are you okay?!" Black hollered.
"What was that?!" Belle screeched as she snapped up onto her arms, not noticing the trail of blood starting down from her forehead. Both of the teens trotted over to the blonde; Black helping her up and Touko going over to the bushes to see what ran into Belle. Then they heard Touko gasp and squeal with… joy?
"T-Touko…?" Black stuttered. He was getting very creeped out, especially when she turned around, still hunched over the bushes, and showed a psychopathically delighted smile. "Uuuhhhh…" It was not only him saying that, Belle was syncing with him.
Touko started chuckling maliciously, almost hysterically, and the sinister gleam in her eyes was not helping. "It's… a… Whir…." She whispered out inaudibly.
"Wha-what?" Black choked.
"IT'S A WHIRLIPEDE!" She exclaimed in glee before barreling behind the bush and out of Black's sight.
"What are you doing?!" Black called out but he halted as he remembered Belle still on the asphalt road. He helped her onto her feet and then practically dragged her by her hand over to where Touko disappeared behind the shrubbery. They moved aside some brunches to witness the confused looking Whirlipede being hugged upon by a seemingly crazy brunette.
"Uh-huh… wha….?" Belle blubbed silently as she shifted her perplexed expression towards Black. To which he noticed and shirked back with a 'What-are-you-looking-at-me-for?' face and presented his arms towards Touko as if to say 'You-ask-her!'
Belle turned back to stare at Touko before she sighed exasperatedly, "Touko, uh… what's all …thi-…" She trailed off… She could not for the life of her find a way to word her queried state of mind.
Finally their friend gazed up to them with an innocent gleam in her eyes, like a child who had won in battle while playing 'Save the Princess'. "It's a Whirlipede." She repeated.
"Yes… now what's so… um… special about…it?" Black managed to question.
"Oh come on guys! You seriously don't remember the Harvest Festival three years ago before you all entered middle school?" She asked with a whine in her tone of voice.
"Uhhh…" Was all either of the two mentioned as their answer.
Touko sighed with some irritation, "Three years ago a performer came and dazzled the entire town for one afternoon during the festival. I don't know exactly what he came to festival for; maybe it was to just give out a show and get some money or maybe it was to trade for some crops. But either way he put on a show with his pokémon and it was his Whirlipede that was the star of the show!" She explained as she held the still trapped Whirlipede in her arms a little closer. It appeared that it did not mind… the creature actually looked to be cuddling up to her.
"So what? You gonna capture that Whirlipede because you were impressed by one you saw in the past or what?" Black bluntly questioned, feeling somewhat annoyed Touko put up such a ruckus for a giant centipede. But then again none of his friends or acquaintances were exactly normal… take N for example…
Touko looked up to him with a glimmer of realization striking her face, "Oh yeah…" She said. She turned her gaze to the pokémon and saw it was staring up at her with its big yellow eyes… should she? For the next few moments the two beings did nothing but stare into one another's eyes… Oh this was ridiculous!
"Toouuukoooo!" Both Belle and Black both cried with massive impatience.
"Oh, quick yammering!" She turned and snapped at them, but their faces just shifted into one's of pouting children who were tired of walking with their mother and they crossed their arms a little. "If you're that anxious to get across the bridge I'll meet you in a bit! Go on!" She shooed. They may be her childhood friends, pretty much even siblings to her, but they did not have to follow her around like she was a mother Swanna and they were her Ducklett babies. Grimacing slightly the two grunted before they stood up and said they would wait for at the Castelia gate at the other side across the bridge, soon leaving out of site.
Touko sat down and crossed her legs as she watched her friends leave and still watched where they exited the forest even after they disappeared. She felt on nudge on her right, the Whirlipede. It made some clicking sounds that Touko was not exactly transcribing at the moment. "Oh sorry, what'd you say?" She asked as she finally laid her full attention on the pokémon in front of her.
"Oh, I didn't know you could hear me!" The Whirlipede gasped.
"Eh-heh-heh. Yeah, you're not the only one. So what were you saying… uh, Miss?" Touko asked again. The Pokémon sounded like a girl but sometimes bug-type could sound like what they were not; males sounded like females and vice versa, it was very confusing.
"Oh! Uh… I think I forgot… But I am a girl!" She said cheerily as she clicked in a certain pattern that indicated her happiness.
"You're very Naïve aren't you?" Touko bluntly questioned and the Whirlipede answer was no less shocking…
"Yep! The other Whirlipede's said it may get me into trouble but nothing's happened at all!" She chirped. "But y'know they always say that after something happens in the nest's territory; like the time some Bouffalant came rampaging through the forest last winter." She stated… almost proudly.
'The hell is wrong with her?!' Touko screamed inside her mind. Okay that put her nature at Naïve, probably on a scale worse than Belle, but still she was a cutie! "Umm… so do you know what Pokémon trainers are?" The flustered brunette finally said.
"Umm… … … …" Time passed silently with no answer until about three minutes later when Touko was nearly ready to suggest a hint. "Oooh! You're those types of humans that explore nature for adventure and discoveries right?!" She ditzily questioned.
Touko almost wanted to scream, this was too much! Belle would look like Cheren compared to this giant insects level of common sense! 'But!' Touko stared at the little Whirlipede for just moment and saw it was following a butterfly fluttering above her spikey body. 'I may not get the chance to come across such a cute Whirlipede ever again! I want to catch her but should I really?!' She screamed.
In the middle of her mental breakdown Touko barely heard the statement of the young Whirlipede that caught hold of Touko's heart. "I've… never been outside. Not out of the territory which was deep inside the forest." She mumbled just barely high enough so Touko could hear. "This, today… it's my first time seeing this much sunlight because the thicket is so dense in the inner forest and you… you're the first really real human I've ever made contact with!" She chirped and clicked, she sounded as if her nose was getting stuffy because she was so emotional, if bug's noses could get stuffy…
The bug looked up to her with eye ogling and brimming with small tears, "Can you… show me your world? Can I travel and see the sun and feel its warmth and, and, and-! Can I just come wit-!"
"Alright, alright!" Touko giggled as she forced a hand in front the ever growing anxious bug. "All you had to do was ask, you don't gotta prove your worth like that. Your perseverance is proof enough!" She cheered. Next thing she knew she had spikes from a hard armor almost digging through her clothes and skin as Whirlipede rolled onto her stomach and chirped so loud it was not translatable! Looks like the family just grew bigger!~
The sun was settled onto the horizon of the canal, passed Skyarrow Bridge, as Touko took her final steps down and walked into the Castelia gates. Black and Belle had called via X-Transceiver earlier to say they had found Cheren hanging the checkpoint area to greet them and that could not wait any longer or the rooms in the pokémon canter would be taken before sundown. Thankfully Belle promised to get a room with two beds for her and Touko. 'Haa, Belle you're a saint!' She sighed happily at her luck.
She passed the checkpoint gate and came to one of the most breathtaking sights she had ever seen in all her years. Castelia city's lights in the purple-and-orange lit sky, reflecting off into the ocean's glistening water in front of the Pier's that seemed to stretch for miles across the ocean front of the city. "Wow…" She sighed, "Ah! I should show everyone this." Touko thought to herself before she pulled out all her pokéballs and unleashed her teammates. They cried out cheerily being able to stretch and see each other until the three starters heard an unusual chirping beside them.
They froze and slowly shifted their heads, only to end up staring at a grey-purple shell and a piercing yellow eye. "Gyaah!" The three starters hollered as Oshawott and Snivy wrapped their tiny arms around Tepig's neck as they screeched in surprise at the thought-to-be-threat squeezing her windpipe a bit too much as her head bloated up like a balloon. "Guys, guys! This is our new teammate, Veni." Touko informed very quickly before Oshawott and Snivy would start to squeeze the fire out of Tepig to burn Veni to a crisp. They stopped and relaxed visibly before unsteadily approaching the new pokémon. As time passed and the sun started to sink under the ocean's waves, Touko had taken to staring back at the ocean, with Tepig joining her at her ankles, while Snivy, Oshawott, and Veni played about the dock behind them.
Touko was so entranced by the view she had not noticed the presence behind her and Tepig that was examining the two of them with a sinister glare. Veni and the other two were being affectionately patted and giggled at by some stray people father up the dock, putting the figure just out of their earshot and sight as they bore holes into Touko and Tepig. "Finally, after so long since the incident… Here you are… you brats." The man whispered hoarsely to himself as his electric blue eyes seemed to pierce through the two figures who stared unknowingly at the purple sky and light navy wave's.
I wonder who the figure glaring at Touko and Tepig is? Oh-hohoho! Till next time everyone. Read and Review!