Chapter 25

It was particularly sunny that day, Anaca and her company had decided to have lunch outside, almost like a picnic. All of their Pokémon were also eating with them, all except for Mewtwo, who was too preoccupied in the training part of the hatchery to practice his new move, and Alakazam, who had gone off to help Anaca. The hatchery worker had already left to go and train some Pokémon, which left Sal and Henry sitting on the blanket that had been brought. The man was finishing off a deli wrap, while Sal was picking at some melon with her fork. The Pokémon were happily indulging in bowls filled with assorted fruit and vegetables.

Henry's Pokémon had been relatively quiet, and Sal felt a little bit awkward. She was used to Pokémon being lively and ready to be social, but from what she had heard from Alakazam the night prior, the Pokémon were probably used to being picked on and harassed just as much as Henry was, so they would keep much to themselves. She could relate, and she quietly thought back to her own days of the torment that had been public school. It had become so bad that she had begged her mother to allow her to be put in a homeschooling program.

Henry's team was very quiet, but they had a sense of strong silence to them, rather than a weak one. Sal sensed their bonds were very close, even Ninetales, who seemed to be the more distant of the group. Henry himself was rather quiet after Anaca left, but rightfully so, as he was looking through a PDA with his free hand.

Sal perked up as she heard his Pokémon start to speak. As usual, she looked away to not let on that she understood them.

"Who's the weird girl?" Henry's Raichu had a mild orange aura, and he faced the Poliwrath. The Pokémon stuffed a piece of melon in his mouth. "Was she the one Henry called you to battle?"

"Yeah…" the Poliwrath's voice was low and booming and his aura was a vibrant aquamarine. "But you know how Henry is with girls. He paired me because she had that electric type over there. Forgot his name. I forgot her name, too."

"She's probably one of those spoiled rich girls that we saw come to the graduation. And she looks weird, too. " Sal frowned. She was used to humans thinking that she was strange, but somehow hearing a Pokémon say it hurt a bit more. "Hey, Skarmory!" the Raichu flicked his sharp tail towards the bird-like Pokémon. The steel type looked up expectantly. "Do you remember if she was one of the stupid girls at the graduation?"

"I don't think so." The Skarmory squawked, his red aura pulsing calmly. "I've never seen her. She doesn't look rich."

"That's what I thought!" the Raichu's cheeks then started to spark.

"Hey… looks like your electricity is building up…" the Poliwrath observed.

"Discharge! Discharge before you shock someone!" Skarmory replied. It was sound advice in Sal's opinion. She thought about it for a bit and realized that she had never had to remind Xan about discharging. It was the one thing aside from battling that he didn't mess around with.

"I don't need to discharge! I'm fine!" the electric type Pokémon insisted. He brought up a piece of corn on the cob, balancing it with his paws. His tiny nose then started to twitch, and he made a few short, shallow breaths. Not even a moment later did the Pokémon sneeze. "CHU!" he squealed. The electric bolt of energy then went to the two closest to him: Poliwrath, and Xanthos. The water-type howled in protest, falling back and thumping on the ground, fried as a pancake. The corn on the cob was then cooked and it burst into popcorn-like bits. It didn't really affect Xanthos, though. The Luxray planted his feet firmly on the ground and channeled the electricity so that no one would be hurt, shaking himself a little bit before curling back onto the ground. But Rose, who was occupied with eating, immediately reacted.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" She raised up her pincers. " Your kind have enough electrical power to easily kill a human! Be more careful!"

"Raichu!" Henry's jaw dropped. "What was the meaning of that? You be nice!"

"He didn't mean it!" Sal burst. She put her hand on Rose and stroked her to get the Scizor to calm down. "He just forgot to discharge!"

"How do you…" the man trailed off. "…Wait, are you a psychic that can understand Pokémon?"

"Yeah, and that's all it was," She assured him. "He didn't mean it…" She knew it was still a rather serious situation, but she didn't want Raichu to get into too much trouble over it.

"Well either way," Henry crossed his arms, looking towards his Electric type. "Raichu knows better than to go without discharging. You apologize."

"Well excuse me for wanting to eat!" Raichu crossed his arms. "Sorry…"

"It's all cool, man," Xanthos wagged his tail a little. "It's all cool!" He stepped a bit closer to the other Electric type and muttered, " Be careful man, electricity's dangerous stuff to humans, they can't take it as well as Pokémon can."

"Raichu said he's sorry, but he just wanted to eat," Sal translated.

"Well, I don't blame him. Raichu's favorite food is melon." Henry chuckled.

"Wait, so you can understand us?" Raichu asked. "Then what's your name?"

"Sal," she answered. "And my Luxray is Xanthos, and this Scizor is Rose."

Poliwrath didn't reply. He was too busy eating the freshly made popcorn.

" I'm surprised Mewtwo is not with us, considering we have food," Rose remarked. " He's going to be ravenous when he's finished." She chuckled to herself. " He can have such a one-track mind at times, the male gets so lost in himself."

"Save something for him, huh Rosie?" Sal asked her and the Scizor nodded.

"So you're not one of the mean ladies from the graduation, are you?" the Poliwrath looked towards her.

"Uh… no. I'm from New Bark Town." The girl's gaze softened. She could just see all of those snooty people picking on them, and it made her mad just thinking about it.

"Ha! Remember when I shocked that old fat lady who called me a filthy rat?" Raichu laughed manically to himself. Even Xanthos frowned in disapproval. He was all for jokes, but not on people who were sick or elderly.

Ninetales then looked up from being curled up in a ball next to Henry, and Sal sensed an immediate tension in the air when she locked gazes with the Raichu. "Yes, and that nearly got Henry thrown out of his own graduation party. Are you happy about that, too?" It sounded just like something Mewtwo would say, and Sal noted the Pokémon's fuchsia aura.

"I'm happy that it was nearly and didn't actually happen." The Electric type crossed his arms. "I don't know why Henry goes to those stupid parties. But you're just an old lady and won't have any fun." Sal thought that Raichu should be grateful that Henry lacked the ability to understand him, because he probably wouldn't appreciate the way the Electric type was addressing the elder Ninetales.

"Well this 'old lady' knows that Henry has social obligations. You're lucky he lets you go to things like that with him and not just lock you in your Poké Ball." The Ninetales retorted.

Sensing her powerful psychic abilities, Sal shielded her thoughts to the others and sent a message to Ninetales. -Ohhh, he's lucky he isn't my Pokémon, - she remarked.

"Oh, Henry let him have it. Don't worry. But it is a Raichu's nature to be impulsive."

"A lot of Electric types are, even Xan's a goof off, but not about his electricity, he never shocks people to scare them, his kinda tickles actually."

" Lower charge is always safer," Xanthos said with a nod. " Yo, Raichu, save some of that Hondew you're munchin' on for Mewtwo, wouldja? He's got a thing for them."

Sal grinned." Petayas are his favorites though, and for good reason," she said, knowing that the rare Berry was known to boost Special Attack.

" They are very pleasant," Ninetales agreed, " It's a pity they are toxic to humans."

" There was this mountain in Johto somewhere that Mewtwo said grew the best Petayas..." Sal began.

" Mt. Quena, oh yes!" Rose rolled her eyes in dreamy pleasure as she recalled the mountain where she and Mewtwo had once made their home. " If only you could have seen it Sal, the place was paradise!"

"Oh, you just wait until we get back to the mansion, Ninetales!" Poliwrath chimed in from where he, Xanthos, Raichu and Skarmory had been having another conversation. "It's so beautiful. You'll really love it! You and Skarmory both will! It's even better than the house in Kanto! They have lots of fireplaces…"

"Does it have places to fly?" Skarmory asked.

"Oh, yes! And they have lots of fountains to play in and beautiful flowers to smell!" the Poliwrath sighed and wobbled. "But it's nice here, too…"

"You just like anywhere with a pond or a fountain," the Raichu added.

"That's Water types for you though," Sal said with a smile.

Henry's other Pokémon looked at her strangely. "…Well, that needs some getting used to," the Raichu blinked.

"Aw, you get used to it," Xanthos said. " I think it's pretty cool."

"Hey, you're pretty nice. You like melon?" he offered her one of his own.

"Oh, no thanks…" Sal smiled. "I have my own." - Hey, Mewtwo, are you coming to get some food? - she checked on her starter for a moment. - You're missing all the fun! There are Hondew Berries… - she said in a singsong voice.

- And you know it has been proven that they lower special attack! - Mewtwo responded. -Desist from tempting me! - Sal heard Ninetales chuckle at their conversation. They weren't using private telepathy, just shielding it from non-psychic ears.

-If only we had Petayas, - The fox Pokémon remarked.

-Ah, do not speak to me of Petayas, I shall be craving them for months now! - Mewtwo half moaned, and Sal grinned.

"Wow, being able to talk to Pokémon." Henry shook his head. Sal smiled a bit awkwardly. Her talking to all of the Pokémon must have sounded really strange to him. "That surely gives you an advantage in battle, doesn't it?"

"Meh, not really, but it helps with getting to know them, and for out of battle things, like just taking care of them… I've been meaning to ask you something." Sal was happy that the door for conversation had been opened. "If you're not a Trainer, and you said you were studying to be a doctor, right? So why do you have Pokémon?"

"Oh, simply because my parents got them for me when I was little. Leisure battling. Funny story, actually. Poliwrath, Raichu, and Alakazam were given to me in their first evolutions, fresh from eggs, on my seventh birthday, and my parents commissioned the Haddelles to get them."

"Are they friends?" Sal stroked her Luxray absentmindedly.

"Oh, yes. My parents knew the Haddelles in high school, before any of them were even married. They've kept in touch ever since… Skarmory was given to me from a professor. It was only a year ago, but I had known Skarmory before that because I was put in charge of taking care of him, since the professor liked to use him in class. Ninetales I just happened to stumble by. You could say that she chose me, not the other way around." The young man smiled, and he pet the mentioned Pokémon beside him. Ninetales purred, stretching. "But she is a dear. But now, I don't know what I'm going to do with them. I plan to take a year off from school since I took many pre-college classes, but when I get into the university… I don't know what I'm going to do with them. It will just depend if battling is a past time there, too. But enough about me. What about you? Are you a Trainer?"

"…Yeah. I guess I'm not exactly your average one though ," Sal looked beneath her.

"Alakazam told me that you and Mewtwo met by pure chance. That must have been very thrilling for you, wasn't it?"

Thrilling? Sal didn't know if she'd put it that way, but she would leave Henry with his opinion. She didn't know how much Alakazam told Henry, but she knew that whatever Mewtwo told Alakazam would eventually get to Henry. Not that she wanted to keep secrets.

"Things with Mewtwo are interesting, yeah," Sal nodded. "I still have days where I can't believe he wants to be with me, it's surreal. Mewtwo's kinda funny sometimes, like he gets so caught up in thinking about things that it's almost like he can't focus on what he's doing. He can usually shove whatever it is aside and battle just fine, but he always seems like he has a lot on his mind, " she said.

"Well, everyone can be prone to racing minds. I know that if I have something on my mind, then I can become inattentive to other tasks, sometimes not even sleep well. I don't know how long you've known Mewtwo, but at first, Ninetales was like that after she joined me. When he's thinking, it would be best to give him his space. And when the time is right, just try and talk to him." Sal nodded in agreement.

" Rose isn't your average Scizor either, she has old connections to Mewtwo, and so the two of them are close. I'm her third Trainer, she's had other Trainers before me, Xanthos has too, and they weren't the best of people from what they tell me, except for Rosie's first Trainer, Anthony. We're just a bunch of outcasts really, " she said with a shrug.

""I know it can be tough. I adopted a Walrien when I was at the academy, one that had been abandoned, abducted when he was wild and taken from his pack. I only had him until I was fifteen, and he passed away. I didn't like the fact he was abused, but at least I was able to make his life better for that short time. I am sure they are very fortunate to have you as a Trainer. I wish all Pokemon did." Henry said. His hand then subconsciously went into his pocket, and he blinked for a second as he felt something inside. Sal cocked her eyebrow as he pulled out a shiny silver spoon. Its handle was warped into a corkscrew shape, and decorated with Unknown symbols and her gaze widened. That was a Twistedspoon! They were used by Psychic Pokémon used to make their attacks stronger, and this one was exceptionally decorated. The quality of Twistedspoons varied, and Sal knew that the most valuable ones were made of pure silver and the Unknown symbols were made of onyx, not carved into the metal like the cheaper ones.

"…Huh." The man blinked, puckering his lips in thought and nodding. "This must have been the Twistedspoon I got at graduation…" he shrugged. Without a second thought, he handed it to her. "Mewtwo is a psychic, right? You can use this."

"Wha…" Sal stared at him, thunderstruck as she examined the spoon with both her eyes and her powers, confirming that it was made of real 100% silver and the Unknown symbols were actually onyx. Normal Twistedspoons were such rare items, and this one must cost thousands. Henry was just giving it to her, just like that? Sal couldn't believe it. She couldn't take something like this, she decided and set it back down on the blanket.

"Come on, take it," the man urged.

"Are you… serious?" Sal shook her head as the item was set in her hands.

"Sure, you're a Trainer. It's not like I know many Trainers, anyhow. You could put it to more use than I could. Alakazam already has one of his own."

"…Wow," Sal took the item and fingered at the shiny surface. "Thank you…" she mustered to say, though those words didn't nearly cover it.

"Ah, you're more than welcome, dear," Henry took her gloved hand and kissed the back of it, patting it afterward. Sal blinked for a moment in bewilderment. She wasn't used to such mannerisms from anyone. "I'm sure that it will be put to good use."

"I almost want to give this to Mewtwo for his birthday…" Sal pulled her knees to her chest. "But I think we'll want to have it before then. He mentioned it was February sixth, but with our schedule now, not to mention our budget, I don't know what to do with it. This will… this will be nice."

"Will you still be in Johto by that time?" Henry cocked his head to the side.

"…Yeah. Why?"

"Well then use the Twistedspoon now!" he said matter-of-factly. "You can give it to him, do yourself some good. If you would like, you can come back to my house and I can host him a private dinner party for you! Buffet and all!" he exclaimed, a smile of excitement coming to his face. "I don't have company over that often. And I'm sure that Anaca would be happy to come."

"But… why?" Sal looked up, blinking. "I just met you two days ago, and you're inviting me to your house? Your Pokémon said that you live in a mansion! I- I've done nothing for you…" she was excited to be offered these wonderful gifts, but also very hesitant. No one had been as generous to her as Henry or Anaca had, with the exception of the Elms. Even her own mother hadn't been as giving to her as these two were.

"Do you always need a reason to be nice to someone?" Henry adjusted his glasses.

Sal blinked. Talk about déjà vu.