May
"Go where? Home?" I ask.
"No," Brendan says. "Let's go on to the next town."
I can hardly believe what I'm hearing. Brendan of all people wants to move on? I want to jump for joy. I'm close to letting out a scream. If I don't do something, I'm sure I will explode. But I manage to restrain myself. Too much energy and Brendan might rethink continuing our adventure.
Still, in the short time I've gotten to know him, he doesn't seem to be acting like himself. And while I don't want to plant any second thoughts in his head, I need to know what's going on.
"I thought Petalburg was as far as you wanted to go. What changed your mind?"
"I want to get stronger," he says. His tone is cold. I can feel the anger he's trying to hide.
"Because of those two losers from the gym?" I say. "Come on, don't let them get to you."
"If they came after me, I wouldn't," he says. "Well, I'd still want to beat them into the ground, but you know what I mean."
"No, I don't think I do."
"They didn't come after me. They went for that kid."
"You're doing this for Wally? Don't you think he can handle himself? Or at least get his super cute friend who is a really tough trainer to help him out?"
I flex my muscles, or lack of muscles, dramatically. I can tell he wants to crack a smile, but it fades away quickly.
"You know I'm not exactly a social butterfly myself," Brendan says solemnly, "but even I can tell you that kid—Wally—doesn't have any friends. Trust me, I've been there. Nothing kicks you while you're down quite like a couple of jerks ganging up on you."
We're both quiet for a second. I don't know what to say, so he picks up the slack in the conversation for me.
"Someone needs to teach them a lesson. Might as well be me."
"Well, we've got a long road ahead of us then," I say. "Tons of training. Lots of you doing what I say, even if you don't understand why."
"Like what?"
"Like...you have to carry my stuff from now on. It'll make you a stronger trainer...um...somehow. And we have to get ice cream in every town. Your treat, of course. And—hey!"
Brendan tosses a pinecone at my head. I dodge it easily, because of course I do. He throws pinecones like he throws Pokeballs—badly. Not that he was trying to hit me, but even if he did, he would have missed.
"Maybe I will just go on alone," he says. He slowly starts to walk off, but anybody could tell he's not serious.
"You? Go alone? Don't make me laugh," I say. "The moment you step out of Petalburg, you'll be lost."
"Yeah? And you have a better idea of where we're going next?"
"Yeah, I do," I say. I put my hands on my hips. I'm pretty sure it gives my words more weight. When my mom does it, she has such a matter-of-fact aura to her that always makes me listen. Hilariously, I think it's working on Brendan right now. "We need to go to Rustboro City first. It's through Petalburg Woods. And you know what else? We're going to battle every trainer we see on the way there. After that...we might have to check a map."
Suddenly, channeling my mom's aura seems to fall flat. I'm actually not sure what's after Rustboro City. I mean, I know what towns the next gyms are in, kind of. But not where those towns are.
Honestly, I never thought I'd get this far.
"Rustboro City, huh? And what exactly is over there?" Brendan asks.
"The Rustboro City Gym, of course. It's the first one we have to challenge."
"We're going there for the gym? But there's a gym right here."
"We have to go in order," I say. "Your dad's gym is number five on the list." I say.
"Number five?" Brendan groans.
"Think your burning passion for revenge can last that long?" I tease. "Or do you just have a tiny little flame?"
"Okay, now I'm really leaving you here," Brendan says as he starts walking toward the Petalburg City limits.
"As if you could get rid of me that easily," I say as I chase after him.
We come to a beach outside Petalburg. Trainers and non-trainers alike are out here. Some jogging, some enjoying the waves. It's not easy to tell who has Pokemon and who doesn't. At least, not until we come across a fisherman who challenges Brendan to a battle.
There's really not much for me to say about this battle, though. The guy had a few Magikarp, but they were no match for Brendan's Mudkip. I wouldn't go as far as to say they put up a fight at all, but Brendan seemed happy with the result. Especially since Kip learned Water Gun after the battle. The fisherman was a bit distraught about the power level of his weak Magikarp.
As we're about to exit the beach, we see a cute little house not far from the shore.
"Who do you think lives there?" I say.
"Probably Mr. Briney," Brendan says.
"Who is Mr. Briney? How do you know that's his house?"
"I don't know, I just read the sign on the door," Brendan says.
Sure enough, there it is in big bold letters: MR. BRINEY'S HOUSE. Needless to say, I feel a little dumb.
"Well, it sure doesn't look like anybody's home," I say, like that will restore my pride. But I see someone who might.
Nearby, there's a girl in a green dress carrying a fancy parasol. She's a trainer, I can feel it.
"I better take this one," I say, power-walking toward my opponent. "Don't want you to get googly-eyes and nearly lose again."
Brendan just shakes his head. In his defense, she's not that pretty anyway. But in my defense, I really want a good battle right now.
Unfortunately, she wasn't much better than the Magikarp Brendan dealt with. She only had one little Zigzagoon, and Fluffernugget roasted it.
And maybe that wouldn't be such a big deal, but when we enter Petalburg Woods, I watch a bunch of trainers just running and hiding from us. Bug catchers have abandoned their nets on the forest floor, and one kid even lost his cap.
Is it so much to ask for a challenge around here?
Oh well. The Pokemon lurking in the tall grass of Petalburg Woods will have to do. Fluffernugget can rip through them with ease, so I let Silky lead the way through here. Brendan follows my lead with his Cascoon. It's not the worst training, I suppose. And before we know it, we'll have our Pokemon evolving again, I'm sure. I just wish something more exciting would happen.
Maybe I should battle Brendan again...
The thought becomes enticing enough for me to go for it. But before I can voice the idea, something much more interesting happens.
A man in a suit walks our way. He's the first one in these woods who does not hide from us immediately.
"Hello, there!" he calls. "Have you seen any Shroomish around here? I am oh so fond of that Pokemon, and would love to meet one."
"Don't tell him your fire chicken torched the one we encountered," Brendan whispers to me.
"Can I tell him you screamed like a girl when it popped out of the grass?" I whisper back.
"Yeah, obviously, that would be great."
"Okay then, I will," I say, ignoring his sarcasm.
"ENOUGH!"
A rough voice roars from somewhere behind the man in the suit. Moments later, a guy wearing a striped shirt and a blue bandana with some weird symbol on it comes bursting through the trees. If I had to sum up his wardrobe, I'd say he looks like he's been watching too many pirate movies. And in true pirate fashion, he runs up to the man in the suit and starts shaking his shoulders.
"Give me those Devon Papers!" the wannabe pirate shouts. "I'm tired of waiting for you to get a move on, so just hand them over before things get ugly!"
The man in the suit squirms away and runs behind Brendan and me for cover.
"You two are trainers, aren't you? Please, you have to help me!"
"Hard way it is then," pirate guy says. And already he has called out a mean-looking Poochyena.
I can't contain my grin. Finally, a real battle.
"Don't worry, mister," I say, flipping my hair dramatically. "I'm the strongest trainer Littleroot Town has ever seen. No way I'll let some thug get past me."
"Just beat this guy already, will you?" Brendan says with a groan.
Oh, I will. I am so ready for this.
"Let's show them how it's done, Silky!" I say, calling out my Silcoon. I need to test the waters a bit. This guy's Poochyena seems fast and fierce. If Silky can slow it down, Fluffernugget will be able to finish the job no problem.
Alright, time to show these boys what a girl can do.
"First thing's first, Silky; use Harden!"
"Bite, now," the thug orders.
The Poochyena sinks its teeth into Silky before my Pokemon can steel itself. The bite is so painful that Silky flinched—hard. My command is forgotten entirely.
"Harden, Silky!" I call again. This time, Silky raises its defenses, but not before the Poochyena howls itself into an attacking frenzy.
It's fast alright. And definitely fierce. I wanted a challenge, and my wish was coming true. Now I have to switch up my strategy before it becomes a death wish.
"Silky, use Poison Sting!"
"Sand Attack."
The thug's Poochyena kicks dust into Silky's, well, eye, I guess. I can only see one. It is effective, because Silky can't connect with the Poison Sting at all.
"Bite," the thug commands.
"Watch out, Silky!" I say. But there's nothing to be done. The Poochyena strikes hard, and Silky is done for.
My palms are sweaty as I try to call back my fainted Pokemon. Silky didn't even touch the Poochyena. If anything, it is stronger than before.
I am so not ready for this.
"Come on, Fluffernugget," I whisper. I'm running through my options in my head, but I'm just not seeing a solution. His Poochyena is looking to rip into my little Torchic like a chicken nugget. I don't have any way to raise Fluffernugget to the same level. But...
Suddenly, I have an idea to even the playing field.
"Fluffernugget, use Growl!"
"Bite, quickly!" the thug demands. Somehow, Fluffernugget is faster—at least this time. The Poochyena's resolve weakens just before its bite connects. I can tell it hurt, but my Pokemon shakes it off.
"Growl again!"
The thug catches on to what I'm doing, and counters with:
"Howl!"
"Growl!" I shout.
"Howl!"
"Growl!"
Our Pokemon are gridlocked in this grumbling match for a while. Sometimes his Poochyena is faster, sometimes not. We aren't making much progress, but I can tell the thug is getting frustrated. Then, when I knew he would order another Howl, I made my move.
"Fluffernugget, use Ember!"
The thug couldn't change his course of action in time. A flurry of flames befalls his Poochyena before he can order a Sand Attack. By a stroke of luck, the Ember hits just right and inflicts a serious burn. His Pokemon still got off the Sand Attack the thug ordered, but now it's limping.
And while Fluffernugget shakes off the Sand Attack, I order another Growl to undo the effects of Poochyena's Howl. Mr. Pirate Wannabe was not happy about that one bit.
"You stupid kid!" he roars. "Go, you dumb dog. Bite like your life depends on it!"
The Poochyena charges with all its strength, and chomps down on its opponent. I know it is an especially hard hit because Fluffernugget lets out the most heartbreaking squeak before collapsing.
I stand there, dumbfounded. I know it's the wrong thing to do. In that moment, all I can think of is that we lost. But the thug makes a mistake too—he's too busy celebrating to see that my Torchic isn't done yet.
Fluffernugget stands up slowly, like a tough gust of wind might knock it back down. But the Poochyena is trying to lick its burns. My voice is trembling, but this is my only chance left.
"Fluffernugget, Ember!"
More fire rains down on the Poochyena, and this time, it's too much. It tries to back off, but the fresh Ember reignites its burns and it drops by its trainer's feet. Unlike my Pokemon, Poochyena isn't getting back up no matter how much the thug orders it to.
"Grr, if I had more Pokemon, I'd wipe the forest floor with you," the thug says. "You're lucky the boss only gave me one."
The thug retrieves his Pokemon and disappears into the woods ahead. He dropped some money on the ground, but I'm still shaking like I'm in a snowstorm in my swimsuit. Brendan picks it up for me.
"That was close," the man in the suit says. I don't think he knows just how close it really was. "Thanks for your help. I don't even want to think about what would have happened if he got his hands on these important papers. Maybe I shouldn't have brought them out to the woods by myself. Please come by the Devon Corporation building next time you are in Rustboro."
With that, he says his goodbyes, and is off. I manage to make it to the closest tree stump before I collapse.
"That guy seemed tough," Brendan says. "Glad you took him on instead of me."
"Yeah," I say with a weak smile. I apply a potion to Fluffernugget, trying not to seem like I'm falling apart. But a little bit more, and I would have lost all my Pokemon—all my protection. Who knows what he would have done then? Brendan still had his Pokemon, but if that guy could get through me...
My potion runs dry. Fluffernugget seems better, but still needs a trip to a Pokemon Center. Silky definitely does too.
I hear leaves crunching somewhere behind me. I glance over my shoulder, but whoever—or whatever—it was doesn't stick around.
"Did you hear that?" I ask, still looking between the trees.
"Hear what?"
"The leaves."
"May, we're in Petalburg Woods. There are leaves everywhere."
"I do not need your sass," I say. I give him a light punch on his arm, emphasis on the light. It would have been harder if he didn't make me laugh. But he did. And boy did I need it.
"Let's go," I say. "I'm sick of looking at all these trees."