Chapter Eleven: Got That Lightning Inside Me
"Hey, Carla, what are you doing today?"
Carla shrugged. "I'm not sure. Where can you go from here?" A thought struck her. "Didn't your friend say you could go to Mauville or Rustboro from here?"
"He did, yeah," Dave said through a mouthful of scrambled egg.
Carla wasn't sure she wanted to go back to Mauville. Not yet, anyway. "Maybe I'll go to Rustboro."
"I was kind of hoping you'd say that."
When Carla looked at him, Dave went on: "When I called my parents last night and said where I was, they invited me back home for a day or two - you know, for some rest and home-cooked food - and they said I could bring any friends along too. I know we only just met, but do you want to come?"
For a moment, Carla couldn't reply.
"You don't have to," Dave said quickly.
It did sound tempting - and hopefully Dave wouldn't want to stay with his family for long. Carla couldn't afford to push her team too hard. "I'd love to go. Thank you."
"Great! Would it be OK if we left right after breakfast?"
"That's fine." Carla would have her bag packed in minutes, and the berries she'd picked yesterday would sustain her team until they reached Rustboro. "How long will it take us to get there?"
"Oh, about an hour or two. But we'll have to take torches; I've heard it can get pretty dark in there."
"I don't think I have one."
Dave grinned. "That's OK. I do."
After putting her things away in her bag, Carla went to the front desk and checked out. Dave was waiting for her by the Centre entrance and they walked outside. Immediately a cold wind bit at Carla's arms; she shivered and untied her fleece from her waist, just as Dave shoved his hands into the pockets of his blue jacket.
They wove their way through the cottages towards the foot of the mountains. The air held the scent of snow and sweet grass; Carla breathed it in as deeply as she could.
As they passed one cottage, the door opened and Ronnie emerged. "Are you guys going to Rustboro?"
"How could you tell?" asked Dave.
Ronnie snorted loudly. "Where else could you be going from here?" She turned to Carla and folded her arms, a half-smile on her face. "I'd like to have a battle with you - when your team's a little bigger."
"The minute one of them evolves, I'll let you know," Carla replied. She rather liked the challenging look in the older girl's eye.
"Good." Ronnie pressed a slip of paper into her hand. "Here's my number." With that, she went back into the cottage and closed the door.
Carla put the paper into her pocket; she would add Ronnie as a contact once they reached Rustboro.
"You sure like to battle, don't you?" Dave laughed.
"Yes. So do you." Carla pocketed the money she had won from her most recent battle. They hadn't battled anyone in Rusturf Tunnel, but since emerging she and Dave had run into quite a few trainers.
Unlike her, however, Dave seemed to genuinely enjoy it. He was always smiling at the end, no matter whether he won or lost.
Carla also couldn't help but notice that Dave's battling style was much more inventive than hers. His team made good use of their surroundings, and they used a variety of offensive and defensive techniques Carla had never even considered.
"This route is where I caught Erasmus," Dave announced. "He was pretty tough; kept getting up every time Shiran knocked him down. I knew he was meant to be on my team then."
That was how Carla had felt about Nixie. And Zoe. And - the realisation fizzled through her sharply - possibly Tess and Rakel.
Was it like that for all trainers? Did they see a certain pokémon and just know it was meant for them - or was that the exception and not the norm?
"There it is," Dave said, grinning broadly. "Home sweet home."
Carla had seen images of Rustboro City before and had dismissed the place as uninteresting because everything looked so grey. Now that she was seeing it up close, she knew it was anything but uninteresting. It was as if she was staring at the past.
One building stood high above the others. It was close to the northern entrance to the city, but it would have been impossible to miss from anywhere in Rustboro.
"That's DevonCorp," Dave told her. "That's actually where my dad works."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I was thinking about dropping in to surprise him, but he knows we're coming, so..."
Carla was only half-listening. Her attention was caught by two figures standing outside the DevonCorp building. One had grey hair, the other white and they were both wearing smart business suits.
She stopped walking and stared at them.
"What's up?" Dave asked.
"Is that who I think it is?"
"Who?" Dave looked at the grey-haired man. "Yeah, that's him."
"What is Barnabas Reed doing here?"
"Well, the PTPL headquarters is right next door." Dave pointed towards the building next to DevonCorp. "Come on, let's get going before they wonder why we're staring."
He led her down a broad street to the right of the main road. The houses there were relatively large, and seemed to be made from a darker shade of stone than some of the other buildings. Carla guessed this was where the upper crust of Rustboro lived. Then again, considering Dave's father worked in DevonCorp, she shouldn't be surprised he lived around here.
"This is us!" Dave said cheerfully, pointing at a house with 27 emblazoned by the door in large brass letters. He walked right up to the door and rang the bell.
A young woman opened it. "Hey, Davey!"
"Abby!" Dave launched himself at her, throwing his arms around her neck. She laughed and staggered backwards, clutching at the doorframe.
"Easy! Don't strangle me!" Her eye fell on Carla, who was standing just outside the door. "Who's your friend, Davey?"
Dave released her, his eyes shining. "This is Carla. Carla, this is my sister Abby. I had no idea she was coming!"
"That was the idea. Come on in, Carla. It's nice to meet you." Carla gestured to the coat rail. "Just leave your bags under there."
Carla hung back a little as Dave and Abby walked into the kitchen, which was neat and shiny enough to put the Saverre kitchen to shame several times over. A clear glass door allowed her to see into a large yard, which was lined with a simple concrete floor.
"That's the training yard," Dave told her. "It used to be a garden, but Mum's clients kept messing it up, so she changed it."
"Our mum is a move tutor," explained Abby as she filled the kettle. "She uses TMs and she lets the pokémon practise the moves in the training yard."
"Where is she?" Dave asked, looking around the room as if hoping she would appear at any moment.
"She's helping Roxanne at a charity event, but she's made up the spare room in case you did bring anyone back with you. Do you like tea or coffee, Carla?"
"Tea, please."
Dave pulled a chair out and sat down, leaning his elbows on the table. "So how are you doing? How's uni?"
"Great!" Abby replied. "I had two essays to turn in last week; that was not fun. But my study group is going really well; I've got my union meetings as well and the nightlife is amazing."
"Abby studies History at Lilycove University," Dave explained to Carla.
"Hey, why don't you let your teams run around in the yard?" Abby suggested. She glanced nervously at her brother. "You don't have an Onix, do you?"
"Not with me."
Although the yard wasn't exactly small, it looked full with all nine pokémon in it. Nixie seemed confused when she saw there weren't any trees to climb, but she was soon chasing Drummer around the area.
"Which one's your starter, Carla?" Abby asked.
"The Snorunt. Her name's Zoe."
"If it's OK for me to ask, why a Snorunt? They're not the most..." Abby scrunched up her face before deciding on: "...conventional pokémon to start a journey with."
"Hey, you can start your journey with anything!" Dave protested. "Remember when I wanted an Aron?"
"And then a Fire-type when there was a new Champion." Abby turned back to Carla and said: "We all thought Dave would get a Torchic, like May did, but he picked Shiran. I guess it was love at first sight."
"It was like that with me and Zoe too," Carla admitted. She felt a little awkward standing up, so she slid into a nearby chair next to Dave. "I always wanted to start with an Ice-type."
"Well, at least you knew what you wanted." Abby set three mugs on the table. "And you're not changeable, not like Davey here." She playfully nudged his shoulder as he reached for his mug.
Carla couldn't stop herself from smiling, and she glanced towards the yard to check on her team. Her smiled faded when she saw Tess sitting by herself a little way away from the others. The Vullaby was staring at the ground and her tiny wings were hanging by her side.
"Excuse me." Carla got up and walked into the yard, right up to Tess. She knelt down in front of her. "Tess? Are you OK?"
Tess shrugged without looking up.
"What's up?" Carla had never seen any of her team so unhappy before.
Tess waved her left wing twice. Carla looked in the direction Tess had 'pointed' to and saw Polly perched on Erasmus' head.
"Is it Polly? What about her?"
Tess' head drooped and she flapped her wings several times.
"Oh. You're upset because she's evolved and you haven't."
The Vullaby nodded miserably. She looked as if she was about to burst into tears.
Carla scooped Tess onto her lap. "Hey, it's OK. You will evolve, it'll just take a while. And when you do it'll be twice as awesome, because you'll be twice as powerful."
Tess nestled into her stomach, cheeping softly.
When Carla said she wanted to help set the table for dinner, Dave's mother wouldn't let her.
"You're our guest," she said kindly but firmly. "But if you want, you can help clear up afterwards." She glanced at her watch, frowning impatiently.
As if on cue, the front door opened.
"Hi, everyone! I'm home!"
Dave and Abby's faces brightened when a tall man in a business suit entered the kitchen. He had the same blue eyes as his children, and he hugged them both warmly.
"I was beginning to wonder if you'd be home before dinner, Ed," Dave's mother, Belinda, said teasingly.
"Sorry. One thing happened after another; I couldn't seem to get... hello!" Dave's father - Edward - caught sight of Carla standing by the table. "What's your name?"
"I'm Carla."
Edward came over and shook her hand. "Great to meet you, Carla."
"Now we're all here, shall we sit down?" Belinda suggested. Everyone obligingly pulled out their chairs and sat down. Carla looked down at the tablecloth; it was green and white, just like the curtains and duvet in the spare room.
As one, the Ronan family bowed their heads. Belinda said: "Lord Arceus, thank you for bringing this family all together, and thank you that Carla is here as well. Thank you for the food, and for your gift of life. Amen."
"Amen," everyone echoed.
"So how did you meet Dave, Carla?" Abby asked as soon as the plates were full.
"I got lost," Carla admitted, "and Dave helped me out a bit." She sensed the Ronans were hoping for a longer explanation, so she went on: "I was trying to get up the Jagged Pass and got stranded."
"Hey, I got lost too," Dave protested. "And... I kind of asked Luka if he could give us a lift to Verdanturf. Don't worry, I won't make a habit of it!"
"I would hope you did call someone if you were ever in trouble," his father told him. "Anything exciting happen in Verdanturf?"
"Actually, yeah! We saw the dance of lights, and it was Carla's birthday as well."
"Oh, really? How old are you, Carla?"
Carla blushed and couldn't quite meet Belinda's eyes. "I'm fifteen. The dance was amazing; there were so many different patterns."
She looked around the table, at the happy and smiling family, and forced back a sudden wave of longing.
"So what was so important at work that you had to stay so long, Dad?" Dave asked teasingly.
"Oh, it wasn't that important. Raymond's not happy - I gather he had another talk with Mr Reed and it didn't go well."
"We saw Mr Gerrard talking to Reed on our way here. Is he still not backing down?" Dave sounded deeply impressed.
"For now, but I don't see how long he'll be able to hold out."
"You'll have to explain this to Carla," Belinda said, motioning towards their guest.
Dave cleared his throat. "You know how you don't need permission from your parents to become a trainer? OK, you do need permission, but it's not official. You don't have to turn up with a signed slip just to get a licence."
"I know what you mean."
"Well...some people want to change that."
Carla sat up a little straighter. "They actually want to introduce a system like that? Like in Galar?"
"Not exactly. You only need endorsement if you want to take the League Challenge in Galar. It is a good way of determining who has the skills and talent to participate," said Dave's father, "but parental permission isn't required to become a trainer. No, Raymond Gerrard has been talking about getting that rule legalised for a while now, and he's not the first. It's only in recent years that they've been given the opportunity."
"Because of the PTPL." A thought struck Carla. "But Barnabas Reed isn't going ahead with it."
"Yeah, which is funny because you'd think that would be the first thing he'd get legalised," Abby remarked. "He'll employ bounty hunters to go after rogue trainers, but he won't get the League to implement a parental permission law?"
"Like I said, eventually he'll have no choice," Edward said, "and this whole matter with Team Scythe isn't helping anyone."
That reminded Carla of something. "Mr Ronan..."
"Please call me Edward, or I'll start thinking my father's here."
"OK - after the Mauville incident, Gabby Galloway was talking to Mr Reed and she asked if hunters had been given a free hand when dealing with Team Scythe. Do you know what she meant by that?"
"I do. It means they can do whatever they need to in order to bring the target in."
"Basically it means 'no more mister nice guy'," Abby interjected.
"But why would they need to play by the rules in the first place?" Carla wondered out loud.
"Well, frankly, it's because they're not mercenaries. A lot of people on the trainer blacklist are still teenagers, and the rules are there to protect them. From what I've heard, a lot of hunters aren't too keen on using brute force against a teenager. Of course," Edward continued, "some of those teenagers are pretty ruthless and have extremely dangerous pokémon. They'll fight like a Lycanroc, but hunters are prepared for that."
There was silence for a few seconds. Then Abby said brightly: "Hey, did you hear about Marina?"
"You mean the Johto Champion? What about her?"
"She's engaged!"
"Engaged?" Dave spluttered. "I didn't even know she had a boyfriend!"
"She certainly kept that secret, didn't she?" mused Belinda. "What's his name, Abby?"
"I can't remember, but he's got long red hair. And apparently Lt Surge is going to be on TV tonight; he's taking on Aaron from Sinnoh."
"I'd like to see that!" Dave said, his eyes brightening. "Battles between Elites are awesome. Do you want to watch it, Carla?"
"Um...yeah, I'd love to!"
"I think we're in for a treat here," Edward remarked as the opponents walked into the stadium.
"Of course we are!" Dave's eyes were fixed intently on the screen.
Lt Surge was massive. His shoulders and arms bulged with muscles and his blond hair was cut short on his head, but his eyes were sharp and shrewd. Aaron, on the other hand, was slender and lithe, and his arms were crossed over and over with thin white lines.
A chill ran down Carla's spine. Those lines were scars.
"Carla and Dave, why not let one of your pokémon out?" Belinda said. "Maybe they'd like to watch this."
"Cool! Thanks, Mum!" Dave released Shiran, who sat by his chair and looked at the screen with eager eyes.
Carla decided to follow his example and released Zoe.
On the screen, both Elites released their own pokémon: Surge a Raichu and Aaron a Beautifly. The referee raised his arms and dropped them sharply. Immediately the Raichu unleashed a blast of electricity, which the Beautifly barely dodged. She used String Shot, but it was the most elaborate String Shot Carla had ever seen; it spanned the entire width of the stadium and left the Raichu little room to move. The Raichu retaliated by slashing at the web with his tail. Unfortunately, the String Shot did what it was supposed to do and Raichu was left frantically trying to pull his tail free. Surge shouted a command and a flash of sizzling power lit up the arena. When it was over, the web lay in tatters on the ground.
Carla was entranced. The way they battled was like a dance - a deadly dance of raw power. Her battling could never compare to that.
Suddenly, she found that she wanted to be on their level. Her team wasn't bad, but compared to the pokémon fighting here, they weren't even close to being as good as they could be.
And neither was she. Normally when she battled, she tried to get it over with as soon as possible, but Aaron and Surge - and even Dave - utilised their pokémon to their full potential.
The realisation stung deeply.
Carla had told her team that they would become stronger, and she would keep that promise. She wouldn't fail them or her family.
Things were going to be very different from now on. Carla smiled to herself. She was already beginning to get ideas.
Breakfast was at eight. Carla entered the kitchen to find an assortment of pastries on the table. Dave was already there, filling the kettle; he smiled at Carla as she entered.
"Hey. Did you sleep OK?"
"I did, thanks. The spare room's really comfortable." She had been allowed to let her team out to sleep in the room, but only if they behaved.
Dave put the kettle on and turned to face Carla. "I've got an idea," he said boldly. "Remember how Abby said Mum's a move tutor?"
"Yeah."
"Do you want to have someone in your team learn a new move?"
Carla couldn't breathe for a moment. Then she said: "Would your mum really do that?"
"If I ask her, yeah, she might."
"Ask me what?" Belinda asked as she entered the kitchen. "Good morning, Carla."
"Good morning," Carla replied. "Thanks for letting my team sleep outside their capsules."
"You're very welcome. What did you want to ask me, Dave?"
"I was wondering if you might teach one of Carla's team a new move - if you don't have any clients."
Belinda frowned thoughtfully, studying the table. "I don't think I've got anyone booked in for this morning. Which one were you thinking of, Carla?"
"Tess," Carla replied immediately. "She's my Vullaby." Part of her was wondering if Dave had made the suggestion out of pity, and it rankled, but if any of her team needed a boost at this moment, it was Tess. She couldn't afford to let this opportunity go.
"They're Dark-types, aren't they?" When Carla nodded, Belinda said: "I'll have a look and see which TMs are compatible with her species, but I'm going to tell you something I tell all my clients: I can teach pokémon a move, but I can't make them master it. That's up to the two of you. Are you willing to work for it?"
"Absolutely," Carla said firmly.
Ed chose that moment to walk into the kitchen. "Morning, everyone!" He turned to his son and asked: "Am I correct in thinking you're going to want to leave soon after breakfast?"
Dave glanced at Carla. "Yeah, I think so. We've just got to do something first."
"Are you going to head to Petalburg?" Belinda asked as she poured hot water into the cafetiere.
Dave shook his head. "I don't know. I just added Drummer to my team, and he's not ready for a Gym match yet. Maybe I'll go somewhere else and train for a while."
"What about you, Carla? Where are you going next?"
"Meteor Falls," Carla replied. "Then I'll go to Fallarbor."
"Sounds like a good plan," Belinda said with a smile.
It was. Dave wasn't the only one who had training to do.
Carla allowed herself a secret little smile. She couldn't wait to get started.
If you're wondering when Carla's going to get an evolution on her team…it won't be for a while. But she is going to get another team member.
This chapter's title comes from 'Legends Are Made' by Sam Tinnesz.