I sat on the porch with Lula, who floated on a bubble she had sang into existence only seconds prior.
"Are you ready Master?"
I AM MORE THAN READY.
"Yeah. Are you okay? Things have been chaotic, but I never really had the chance to ask," I spoke, kneeling down until we were eye to eye. Her gaze fixated on my own as she stared at me.
"I'm okay. That fight really took a lot out of me. I'm scared we may have to face him again. I'm not worried about dying. Well…not in the normal sense."
I listened carefully, making sure not to discount anything she said.
"I am too. But our friend is out there and we need to be there as she's been there for us."
"I know. When the time comes, I'll fight," Lula sang.
"You haven't had any anxiety attacks or nightmares recently?" I asked, petting her hair slowly.
"Nope. Just a little tinge of pain in my side, but it'll be healed eventually."
Her sky blue eyes focused on me as I adjusted the last few things on my clothes and the blade which hung on the backside of my hip. The handle hung out just a little bit but was extremely comfortable at the small of my back. It was reassuring to feel the light weight on my back. I knew that if I happened to skirmish, I had back up in the form of the blade, albeit only if I needed to. The clothes fit tightly, and despite it being searing hot outside, the top and bottom circulated air regularly to keep me cool.
Grabbing her ball with my good hand, I returned Lula to the ball, and took off at a run, waving at my sister and mother in the window. They both appeared to be in tears, but we all knew that I'd be back by the end of the week. Until then, my sister would be busy studying for her Pokémon test. Mom had taken the week off to care for me, and so she'd probably spend the next day or two baking to keep calm while I was gone. Granted, I would call her every night when we stopped for food and shelter at a nearby Pokémon Center. I had been to Kalos only a few times with my parents when I was younger. They were extremely advanced not only politically but also socially. Marriage between Pokémon and Human was not only acceptable but a societal normal. They had tons of culturally different areas, with historical and technological significance to all other regions. It was a beautiful region and I was excited to return. However, as Eon had warned me last night before he left.
"There are white and black spots in every city of every region. Be vigilant. Your life depends on it."
I wiped a little sweat off my brow, as I continued to sprint. Running for miles was something I was absolutely used to. Kat and I had done races across the region with me resting now and again when needed. Even my cute little sister practiced running daily. It was just part of the Pokémon culture. When you needed to get somewhere fast, you either brought a compact bike, or you ran. Flying was expensive and most sea trips were free if you had a water type. Hidden Moves were available to any starters who could learn them, if you had the right amount of money. I was lucky that Professor Kukui had taught my Popplio Surf at a young age.
As I entered the next town, my eyes wandered cautiously, even as I moved past pedestrians at a rapid pace. A single Team Plasma grunt and I met eye contact, with her jaw opening wide as I rushed past. I continued to move, noting her appearance to myself only to stop at the fountain as three others formed a line.
"You should be dead, kid," a pink haired girl sneered, casually tossing her Pokeball up and down. Her two friends held theirs in their hands.
"Mewtwo said if you showed your face outside your home to take you down, right then and there," the guy with a purple Mohawk on the right of the female said, smirking at me cockily.
My hand slid behind my back as they launched their balls forward, releasing a Pawniard, Swoobat and a Boldor.
I stared at my opponents levelly, as I analyzed each level of each Pokémon using my Pokewatch. They were only half my level give or take a few. The trainers themselves were even weaker, with the strongest being level 15. I watched the Grunts carefully, before pulling Lula's ball out from the bag.
"First city and you punks come after me. Wanna tell me what happened to my Absol?" I asked spinning her ball in the palm of my hand.
"Dead," the girl replied giggling.
"Hmm. Then that bodes terribly for you. If you know she's dead, then that means your life means nothing to us, isn't that right Lula?"
I opened the ball and she appeared in bright light with a nasty evil grin spread across her muzzle.
"Absolutely, master," she replied.
"Alright then. If you're just going to posture and threaten, I'll make the first move. Lula. Sparkling Aria."
A bright bubble appeared in front of all six of my opponents and I raised my good hand, pressing my forefinger to my thumb.
"Good bye," I smiled as all of my opponents stared at the attack incredulously. I snapped once and the bubble exploded with tremendous force knocking them all out in a single blow, save the Swoobat who barely hung on with a little hp left. Its trainer lay on the ground unconscious and it stared at us fearfully, afraid of what we might do.
"Don't kill me- I-"
"We weren't going to. Lula and I have somewhere to be."
My fairy type chased after me as we ran pass the knocked out humans and Pokémon. People applauded the battle, even as I ran away, my focus solely on getting to Lumiose City before the end of the day. Then I would rest and we could continue our travel early the next morning. As I pressed onward, Lula spoke up concerned.
"What if she's telling the truth?" she asked, her voice filled with worry.
"Don't believe her for a second. She said it to bother us, and dissuade us from finding out the truth," I replied in between breaths. I glanced down to her and noticed the troubled look on her face.
"But-"
"No ifs, ands or buts about it. We made a promise. If we don't see this through to the end, then we'll be breaking it. Ask yourself this. If it were you, would you be waiting for me?"
Her eyes grew angry at the comment realizing exactly what I was asking.
"Absolutely, master!"
"Then we can't fail her by giving up prematurely," I stated firmly.
She nodded in agreement as we pushed onward, onto the next leg of our journey. The sun beat down on us as we made progress, through the tall fields of "ROUTE" and through the caves which populated the west side of Unova. We wouldn't be able to reach our destination today. Hopefully within three days we would arrive in Lumiose without issue. As we ran along our path, Lula and I exchanged light banter, until she popped a question which threw me for a loop.
"Do you believe in love, Kyle? I mean Master! I'm-"
I stared at her incredulously. She rarely called me by name unless extremely flustered.
"Of course, I do. I mean, it's not like I believe in a soul mate. However, if I didn't then my Mom and Dad wouldn't have met," I replied cautiously.
"Oh. That's good. What about Pokémon and Human love?"
"Where are these questions coming from?"
"Well, master, since we are going to Lumiose City I just wanted to get your personal thoughts on the subject. It's considered extremely taboo and wrong by many outside of that region. We never talked about it so I was only curious."
I considered her question for a minute before glancing back at her. Her fur had a slight blush on it, but otherwise she seemed really upfront about the question.
"I…don't know. On the one hand, our bodies are compatible when it comes to sex, and if the emotions are in it, then I would say be happy with whoever you are comfortable with. However, at this time, I'm not really looking for a girlfriend. I have you and Kat as my best friends which is more companionship than I ever could ask for. What do you think?" I finished, taking a sip of cold water from my unending supply of water courtesy of my Water type.
"Master. I believe that everyone deserves a chance to be happy. You included," she said.
I glanced to her and smiled agreeing wholeheartedly with statement.
"I appreciate that."
"Of course. We are friends as you said," she stated, before glancing away. I stared at her watching as she contemplated some deep thought before smiling at me.
"Sorry. Just worried about the future. If Mewtwo is as dangerous as he was during that fight, I'm truly concerned as to how we'll approach it."
I nodded in agreement, although there was already a single back up plan that I was relying on. My friends would fight and die for me, so I wasn't too afraid of asking them the favor. I just had to contact and arrange our meeting in a public city. One that we all loved.
"What if there are more combatants like Team Plasma, Galactic, Rocket and the Aether Foundation? What if they try to interfere and prevent us from stopping the wish?"
"We fight," I said shaking my head. The question brought up even more worry about my level and strength. Adjusting my left arm in the sling, I giggled as an itching sensation went up the extremity. I was healing just fine thanks to my Mother's handiwork. As a matter of fact, if this continued, the next fight I got in, I would be in tip top shape.
As we reached the next town, I took a look at the time on my watch. 6:30 pm. It was getting extremely late, and I had been so worried about travel, I had totally forgotten about dinner and rest. We made our way up the street to the nearest Pokémon Center. The orange dome lit up the sky welcoming new and veteran trainers to be healed, and rest as necessary. A vendor outside served warm melty cheese on what appeared to be doughnuts. Each one dripped with the extravagantly thick liquid, and I could tell based off mine and Lula's reaction that we needed one before we left. Glancing down to her, I noticed her and Kat's old habit coming back.
"No…"
Her eyes got wider.
"Lulameria!" I stated firmly, watching as her blue eyes started to sparkle with water which threatened to overflow.
"No begging…"
"P-please master?"
It was a ritual we went through every time they wanted something they normally weren't allowed to have. I always caved and it was because their happiness was worth more than my wallet. Even if it was bad for them, they worked hard enough to outweigh the negative effects.
"Fine," I acquiesced, walking up towards the red food cart. Lula cheered, startling others, before they clapped at the beautiful voice. Lula took great care to work on vocals and it showed even in the little things. As we stopped at the front, the vendor glanced up from the cheese and fresh batch to greet us. His old face was weathered, and grey spiky hair was in complete disarray. His mustache was trimmed to edge of his cheeks and blue eyes met ours with a smile.
"How many can I get you kids?" he asked in a low grumble.
"4 please. You wouldn't happen to have any drinks would you?" I asked, grabbing my card from my front pocket.
"I have a few berry fizz pops, Sonny. All cold, but I'd recommend the blue ones. They were made today and are extremely fresh," he replied, as he crafted four new ones and placed them in foil holders, which curved over the hand to prevent burning. The steam poured off the dishes as I stared at them in hunger. Lula's stomach rumbled, and I wiped a bit of drool off the corner of my mouth.
"Been doing this awhile?" I asked, handing over my payment and grabbing the dishes. I handed the drinks over to Lula who balanced them on her open paws with ease.
"Only fifteen years. Not as long as some people."
He returned my card after swiping and we walked over to a nearby bench and enjoyed our small meal. The flavors were indescribable. The salty bacon was still juicy with fat, and the dough was crispy yet tender to chew on. The cheese was smoky and sweet in all the right ways with the green scallions he had added on at the very end, lending a real crunch and accent to the flavors.
"So good!" Lula cried out, and I couldn't help but laugh. Her nose was almost covered in the cheese, and some of her fur was sticky with the sauce as well.
"You're a pain you know that?"
She winced at the comment, even as I licked the cheese off her nose and bopped her.
"I still love ya though. Let's get cleaned up at the Pokémon Center, and we'll call it a night?"
"Okay, Master! As you wish."
We entered the Pokémon Center, and stood in line behind a young but extremely attractive black haired girl. Her hair had red highlights that hung to the small of her back and was tied at the end with a cute red ribbon. She was dressed in a leather skirt which stopped short of her knees. Spikes lined the shoulders of the outfit. She wore heels and was focused on the line in front of her, when she turned to face me. As we moved forward in line, she tripped, and I quickly reacted. My body turned naturally to my good side, and I caught her. Perfume filled my nostrils as I held her gently. My bad arm groaned in protest at the pressure on it, but the pain was tolerable at worst. Moving her gently until she was standing her blue eyes homed in on mine. Her tongue darted across her lips, and I found myself shocked by the action.
"Are you okay?" I asked, my voice suddenly hoarse.
"Now I am, thanks to you," she said, straightening her appearance, and moving several strands of hair out of her face. "How can I repay you for such kindness?"
I smiled and blushed hard, even as Lula nudged me. She bumped me again a little rougher, and I swatted her paw away, even as the woman knelt down to stare at Lula. For a moment, tension filled the air as the two females stared at each other. Lula broke the silence singing her name slowly and in a higher than usual pitch.
"Riiiiinnana."
In response the black haired woman stuck her tongue playfully, before turning to face me.
"She's pretty protective of you. That's a good thing. Granted your girlfriend must be jealous of her attention."
Her words made me stumble as I awkwardly fumbled to reply.
"I-don't. Ummm. No Girlfriend."
I face palmed mentally at my inability to string together a coherent sentence.
"Oooh! Someone as good looking as you? Huh. What are the odds? Well. If you ever decide you'd like some company, here's my number."
Before I could protest her hand wrenched my Pokewatch up and deftly moved across the screen before letting go.
"Name's Elaina. Pleasure to meet you. See ya around," she said, stepping out of line. Her hand caressed my cheek warmly before she was gone. I inhaled the scent of sweet perfume for a minute then turned to face Lula. A vein seemingly stuck out of her forehead as she glared at me angrily.
"What the heck was that about?" I asked staring at my starter.
"Are you dense or stupid? She was obviously flirting with you."
I shook my head in shock.
"Yeah. I know she was but it's not like I'm that attractive. She's way out of my league," I said with a sad smile. I didn't exactly have the highest of standards as I always considered myself too skinny and a little too emotionally unstable to be considered a 'man'.
"You're too hard on yourself sometimes, Master," she said shaking her head in disbelief.
My water type pushed me gently forward towards the front of the line where a Nurse Joy and Audino were awaiting to service us.
"Welcome to "" Pokémon Center. I'm Nurse Joy and this is Audino. How can we be of assistance?"
"We just need a room for the night," I replied reaching for my card only for her to shake her head.
"Lodging and healing is free. Audino here will assist you with the check in process. Thank you for staying!" she said gleefully.
Sign in was relatively swift and although we were getting to bed just after sunset, we would be up bright and early to put more miles between us and home. Hopefully closer to our goals. Nude save a pair of green shorts from my backpack, I glanced to Lula who snored loudly in the corner. Today was a good day, but a pang of sorrow echoed deep in my chest. I wish I could have shared it with my Absol as well. She was in danger and I couldn't protect her now. It hurt, and I turned over saddened with that thought. I glanced at my Pokewatch for a minute before swiping the screen to wake it up. I looked through my short yet concise list of contacts for the two names I knew would be there. Tapping twice on each of the names to ping the distant end, I waited to see if they'd respond. Almost five seconds later my pings echoed back, notifying me they were there and ready to chat. It brought joy to my face as I grinned like an idiot. Typing in a quick message, letting them know I was in need of dire and dangerous help, I awaited a response. Two minutes went by before I received the first, followed by the second shortly thereafter.
"I'm in. "
"What is it? Whatever it is, we got this. My team and I'll back you up. Don't you worry."
"Glad to hear it," I whispered to no one in particular, as my eyes drifted shut and I fell deep into slumber.