B-B-BAKA BULBASAUR
The road back to Pallet Town was actually quite simple. Parents like to warn their kids about the dangers of going out into the routes without a pokemon for protection, but in reality they're quite safe if you know what you're doing. We kept out of the tall grasses, and out of the trees. A wild Rattata gave us chase once when we got too close, but it gave up quickly, and we were safe.
It's times like these when I regret the limits of a courtroom setting. To give you the full picture of my mind at the time, I cannot do it justice with just words. If you will, please, picture these next moments played out to the theme song of that famous spy series Mission: In Pokeballs.
You know the one.
Dun. Dun.
Duh-Duh.
Dun. Dun.
Duh-Duh.
Dun. Dun.
Duh-Duh.
Dun. Dun.
Duh-Duh
I poke my head out from behind a tall oak tree at the edge of the tree line that stands between Route One, and Pallet Town. The houses that sit several feet ahead of me are still and silent. I check left, and then right, but no one seems to be coming down the road.
"Alright, looks like the coast is clear."
"Ditto." Says Ditto. When I look down, I see he's flipping through the dirty mag again.
"Give me that!" I snatch it up, and stuff it into my pack.
"Ditto!" Ditto complains. He starts beating at my ankles with his little pink appendages. "Ditto! Ditto!"
"You can have it back later."
I return to scanning the perimeter. Thankfully, our little outbursts don't seem to have alerted the neighbors. Knowing mom, she's already bragged to everyone in town about how I had gone out to become a pokemon master, meaning that if anyone sees me now there will be questions.
I decide to carry Ditto since he's too slow to be slugging around behind me. After another quick glance left, and right, I dash to the back of the house nearest to me. Then, using its cover, I peak around its corner into the street that lays on the other side.
"Looks like another all clear." I start to run out onto that street too, but come up short and whip back around as I catch sight of Old Lady Lavender walking her Growlithe around the corner. I hold my breath, and do my best to blend in with the wall as I hear her soft humming draw closer.
"Ditto!" I clamp my hand over Ditto's mouth just as she comes walking past. Thankfully her hearing's never been all that good. Her Growlithe stops and sniffs in our general direction. My heart races, and I'm ready to book it if necessary, but…
"Come on Snuffles." Old Lady Lavender tugs at his leash, and drags him down the street after her. I let out my breath in a relieved sigh.
"You really aren't good at this, Ditto." I look down to tell him, but he's trying to chomp down on my quieting hand.
Another quick sprint, two summersaults, and a bit of army crawling later, I manage to reach the front of the old lab without anyone seeing me coming. To be safe, though, I stay hidden in the large shrubbery just next to the door while I collect my courage, and my breath.
"...Professor, I want a pokemon. No, Professor, can I have a pokemon? Better… Professor, will you please give me a pokemon." I nod to myself. "Yeah, that'll work. Will you please give me a pokemon, right?" Ditto's been watching me quietly while I struggle, but once I look over to him he tilts his head. I sigh. "Yeah. It'll work."
Before I can get the chance to lose all the courage I'd been building, I stand up, and walk to the door. Taking a deep breath… and another… then another, I grab hold of the doorknob and carefully open it.
"P-Professor?" I peer into the crack that I've made, but can't see anything. It's pitch black inside the laboratory, and with a slight yelp, I shut the door with a slam. "On second thought, maybe I don't need another pokemon after all." I laugh shakily. I take a step towards the street.
"Ditto!" Ditto stands in my way, blocking it with his little body stretched wide like a wall.
"Uh! You're right!" I groan, throwing up my hands. "I said I would do this."
I go back to the door, and turn the knob again. When I push the door open, it goes with a creek. My shadow stretches into the darkness, framed by the light of the doorway. I see the gleam of empty beaker glass, and rows of littered tables. There are pokeballs too, scattered about there, and around the floor.
"Um… Professor?" My voice sounds pathetically weak as it travels into the room. There is no answer, and now my knees are starting to feel weak. I need support. "Ditto, come here…"
Ditto climbs up into my arms, and I hold on to him tightly. Pink as a puddle, he is my ward against the darkness as I take my first step into the room. Nothing happens, and there's no alarm, so I feel along the wall next to me to see if I can find a switch. I feel nothing but smooth wall.
"P-Professor Oak?" I venture deeper into the darkness, choking down the tightness in my throat. "I… just… wanted to ask you…"
I freeze mid step as I become aware of a shadow growing behind me. My knees are shaking so much, Ditto is jiggling like a jello in my hands. A bead of sweat rolls down my neck. It's just my imagination. There's nothing there. I'm going to turn around, and there will be nothing there. Nothing there. Nothing…
"Yellow?"
I scream, the sound of which is followed by the shattering of glass from several empty test tubes crashing to the floor. The lights flip on as I scramble back to my feet in the middle of a nest of wreckage. Professor Oak is standing by the entrance with one hand on the light switch, and the other holding a brown bag.
"Professor! I'm so, so sorry. I... I didn't mean to…" I kneel down, and try and clean up some of the mess, managing to cut my dumb self in the process.
"Careful!" I wince, more from his shouting than the pain.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I feel a hand rest on my shoulder, and I stiffen.
"Calm down Yellow," Oak laughs, "I needed to clean stuff out anyways." But I'm still stammering out apologies until the professor sits me on a stool, and calms me down. "You should have told me you were coming. I was out getting groceries."
Professor Oak takes up the brown bag he'd been carrying again, and sets it down on one of the tables not yet upturned. As he starts pulling out assorted food stuffs, I realize that Ditto is missing. Looking around, I catch him peeking out from behind a shelf. He's shaking, but when I beckon to him, he waddles over quickly. I cradle him to comfort the both of us.
"Um… Professor?"
"What brings me the pleasure of your company, Yellow?"
I flinch. "I was… hoping you'd… give me a pokemon..."
His back still turned to me, the professor pauses in the middle of unpacking. "Ah, right. You were coming around to that age too weren't you?" Professor Oak let out a low chuckle. "Well, Yellow, I wish that I could help you, but right now I'm not so…" When he turns around to face me, his voice falters as he sets eyes on my lap. "Hello? Who's this?"
"Ditto." Says Ditto.
"Fascinating!" Before I can even react, the professor has rushed over and snatched Ditto from me. He raises him up towards the light, and spins him around while laughing. "Oh splendid! Superb! I have never seen anything like it! Where did you find it!? What does it do!? What moves does it know!?"
"Ditto!" Ditto cries. The professor isn't holding him right, and Ditto's dripping between the man's fingers. Slipping. Threatening a fall.
"Ah, so it's called a Ditto is it? Wonderful! Simply W-"
"Professor! You're scaring him!"
"What's that?" Stopping for a moment, the professor looks at me, surprised. Then he looks back at my poor blubbering blob, and finally seems to realise that the shaking is not something normal. "Oh, right… Ah, sorry about that." More carefully now, Professor Oak hands Ditto back to me. When I set him down on my lap again, Ditto hugs to my belly and refuses to let go.
The professor let out a light chuckle. "I guess I got a little carried away. I've just never seen a pokemon quite like this one before… If I could just-" When he tries to raise a hand towards Ditto, Ditto hides under my shirt to keep away.
Oak sighs at last, and gives up the chase. He leans against the edge of the table opposite us and crosses his arms, but he's still smiling.
"How did you get him?"
"I just… sort of, found him." I mumble, not thinking to lie. Ditto feels warm on my skin.
"Strange." the professor muses, "I'm quite sure nothing like that is native to this area. A visiting trainer, maybe? Did you ask around, and see if anyone's missing him?"
I feel a sudden pit in my stomach. I'd never even considered.
"I, um," I accidentally make eye contact with the professor, and quickly look away. "Ditto didn't seem like he belonged to anyone…"
"Hm… Well, the two of you do seem rather close."
He had no idea.
The professor shrugs. "I guess the world is just full of surprises."
When he fails to say more, a painful silence stretches between us so agonizing I want to curl into a ball. Curl tighter, and tighter, until I'm too small to see by the naked eye and just disappear. Grunting, Oak takes the rest of his Pokemart spoils to the fridge sitting in the corner where he unloads his eggs, Tauros milk, and oran berries.
Under my shirt, Ditto starts squirming again. I figure he's trying to get out now that the coast is clear, and try lifting the hem a bit to let him out, but he continues struggling. I guess he's trying to get comfortable, or something, and leave him to it. A soft clang makes me look up. It looks like the professor is preparing to make some coffee.
"Um, professor? About getting a pokemo-" I cut off my words suddenly to suppress the sudden "eek" of surprise. No longer struggling, Ditto has suddenly slipped under the belt of my skirt. My hands shoot between my legs and I clamp my thighs together, squishing him against me in an attempt to stop him from slipping farther.
"What are you doing!?" I hiss.
"Right, of course." Unaware over by the far counter, Oak lights a bunsen burner under a large flask full of water. "Well, I guess you'll see soon enough. I wish you had come sooner. Red, and Blue have already come through, you see, so I've run a bit low on options you can choose from. You could always come later of course, once I've had a chance to restock."
The professor is still looking away, so I take the chance to lift my shirt again and try and pull Ditto out. I manage to get a good handful of him, but he slips right between my fingers as I start pulling. I grit my teeth, try scooping him out like a bucket brigade, but Ditto is determined to stay where he is.
"Do you take coffee, Yellow?" I pull back down the end of my shirt just in time as Oak glances over.
"S-sure." I stammer, trying to keep my voice steady. Down there, Ditto is starting to have his fun, rubbing against the fabric of my panties. I bite my tongue hard to keep my face in composure. As soon as Oak looks away again to lift the beaker that's started to boil, I shudder.
"Ditto, cut it out."
I give one last attempt to claw him away, but save standing up and dropping trou right there, I can't think of any way of stopping him. I keep my legs pressed together at least to slow him down, but he persists to squeeze on between. His rubbing stimulates me despite my protests, and I swallow my spit.
"There we are." Looking up, I see Oak returning along the table aisle, two hot steamy mugs in his hands. He hands one to me, which I take shakily, and leans back on the opposite table. "Boy, I must have really scared him." Oak laughed, gesturing towards the lump of my shirt.
I try a weak smile. "Heh-heh. Yeah."
Rub. Rub. Rub.
Oak blows the steam from his mug, and takes a cautious sip. Swallowing, he meets my eye, but when he does, he frowns. "Yellow, are you feeling okay?"
"Hm?"
"You seem a bit… flush." A fear clenches my belly.
"Oh, um… It's just a bit stuffy in here I guess."
Professor Oak gives a knowing smile. "The lack of circulation. I've been meaning to get an AC in here, but never really got around to it. I can open a window, if you'd like."
"Professor," I interject instead, keen to change the subject. "Do you have a pokemon for me?"
Oak scowls. "Well, yes, I do have one that I can offer you. It's just that, well, whether you're interested in it or not…"
"Professor, I'll take anything." Ditto's playing might be making me a bit impatient. I can hardly concentrate on forming words.
"This one has a bit of an attitude about him. I'm not sure a gentle girl like you will be-"
"Professor!" My shout is so sudden that even Oak jumps a bit. How he hasn't figured out yet what's going on, I have no idea. I almost think he's playing dumb just to be polite. I grit my teeth, trying to ignore the damp pool forming on my seat.
"Please. I really, REALLY need a pokemon. It's important to me. It's been my dream since…"
"Wow, hey, hey!" Oak throws up his hands. "No need to cry, Yellow." Is that what the shakiness in my voice sounded like? Thanks alot, Ditto, you're making me look like some cry baby. Now if you'd just stop-
Mmmmm!
"If you want a pokemon, then it's yours." Oak continues, reassuringly. "I'm not trying to keep it from you, I just was worried it wouldn't be the best fit. Come on, cheer up won't you? Have a sip of coffee." Oak takes a long draught of his own, and sighs. "Ah, that really hits the spot."
"AH!"
"Yellow?"
"Um, Sorry. Ha-ha. It's just a little hotter than I'd expected." But it's not the heat that made me cry out. Ditto had chosen that moment to sweep aside my last protection, jamming it home, and now I can feel him inside me. Rubbing against my clit. Feeling my everything.
Oak sets down his mug, and brushes the front of his lab coat. "Right, I'll bring him out now shall I?"
At this point, I can only manage a shallow nod, knowing that if I unclench my teeth now, all that will come out is a moan. The professor excuses himself and disappears behind a door leading further into the lab. Not a moment too soon either, because just as it closes behind him my composure shatters.
I shiver a sigh. My knuckles turn white gripping the mug, and I squirm like a Squirtle. Okay, so we're doing this. Just get it over with before the professor gets back. I let my legs go, and Ditto floods the dams. It's like he wants to feel every part of me, because he leaves nothing untouched. He fills me, searching deeper and deeper, and despite the risk, I do, I moan. The fear of Oak stepping in at any moment tightens me. Is this why the rush is so overwhelming?
I bite down on my lip so that I can't moan anymore. Against my walls, Ditto ungulates and ripples, creating a warm waving sensation in my belly. I peek towards the door with slitted eyes. It's still tightly shut, but for how much longer? If he is just picking something up then it couldn't be very long. If he sees us now, oh Arceus! Arceus!
I think I can hear Oak coming.
What if he sees me cumming!?
When I finally let go, it's like a release of all the anxiety and fear. A flood of awkward conversation, and glaring judgment leaving me in shivering spasms. I guess the more taught the string, the greater the breaking, and I melt on the chair. A successful deviant, Ditto pulls out of me with the sound of something sucking wet, and with him out, I flatten back down my skirt as if nothing has happened.
"We're gonna need to have a talk about this, mister." I tell my little cum droplet as I hastily towel him off with the end of my shirt.
The door to the back swings open, and I straighten and try and look natural. Oak steps back out with a box in his hand. He beckons me over with a nod of his head and sets the box down on the far counter. My heart racing again, I put down my coffee, and pick up Ditto, and go over to join him. The professor opens the box, and pulls out a pokeball. He holds it out to me, but I have to let Ditto down before I can take it.
"Ready to meet him?" I nod. Oak smiles, and gestures. "Well then, go ahead."
I press the button on the front so that the large marble expands into a ball that fit snugly in the palm of my hand. Giving it a soft toss, the ball bounces on the hard tile floor. It cracks in half with a bright shining light that grows into a small form. My eyes grow wide as the glowing subsides to reveal my brand new pokemon.
Looking back on it now, it's hard to remember him for what he was. It's been so long since he was young, but despite his differences, Venusaur had even then the hints of the stoutly beast he would become. His four legs where small, but still held the hint of a sturdiness as strong as his pride. His budding showed the shy potential of the flower he would become. I like to gush about my pink mush, but I care for Venusaur dearly as well. Though, we did not always get along.
Well, I guess you'll see that much soon...
"Saur!" Cries the Bulbasaur.
Something bright swells in my chest. The professor's reluctance had made me worry, but this is everything I could ever have hoped for. I'd always wanted a Bulbasaur to be my starter. Bulbasaur sniffs around him, then realizes we are watching him. He sets his big red eyes on me.
"Yellow, meet Bulbasaur."
"Hello." I say, failing to think of something better. I take a step towards him, but freeze.
Bulbasaur is growling.
"Bulbasaur?" I figure he might be scared of me, so I try and extend a hand to comfort him.
SMACK. Quick as a whip, a vine cracks from under his green bulb and strikes me across the arm. I yelp, and pull back with a red welt already forming. Oak sighs, scratching his head.
"Yes, well… I did try and warn you."
As Oak digs back into the box, Bulbasaur continues growling. I watch him glaring at me with venom, and wonder what's gotten him so angry.
"He's been like that since they sent him." Oak explains. "I've tried everything, but he's a stubborn one." He pulls out. In his hand is an assortment of five pokeballs and a pokedex. "Take these with you."
I do, putting them all on my belt where I figure I'll have the best access to them.
Oak watches me clip them on the band. "You still want him?" I hate that I hesitate for a moment, but I nod. Oak shrugs. "Well, okay then."
"Bulbasaur, return." Still growling, the little bud turtle starts glowing till it reduces to a flash of light disappearing inside its pokeball. I pick up the, for now, harmless thing. "Thank you, Professor."
I bow to Oak to show my gratitude, before blushing as I realize how stupid that must look with a heavy pack on. Who bows anyways, what is he a king? To hide from further embarrassment, I snatch Ditto up and hurry to the door.
"Good luck!" Oak calls out before the door shuts behind me. I grit my teeth.
I guess I'll need it.
Dun. Dun.
Duh-Duh.
Dun. Dun.
Duh-Duh.
Dun. Dun.
Duh-Duh.
Dun. Dun.
Duh-Duh
I manage to get out of town without any witnesses. It was harder with so many more people out now later in the day. I'd managed only by throwing a shirt over my head as a disguise which I pull off now that we are safely in the clear of Route One again. There might be people reporting for a while about some lunatic running about Pallet Town, but so long as they don't know it's me I'll manage. Still, I put a few more miles between us and there just to be safe.
As the sun starts to draw high in the sky, I find a nice shady looking tree where I figure we can stop at for a quick lunch before getting to work. Before any of that, though, I still have one more thing to settle.
"Ditto." I set him down in front of me, and undo my pack, sitting by the gnarled roots. "I thought that I told you before that you can't be doing these things." I'd like to say that he understood me, but I don't think he's even bothering to listen. His dotted eyes wander and he starts making little buzzing noises.
"Ditto, look at me." I turn him around to face me again. "What you're doing is wrong. Do you- Hey!" As he starts looking away again, I grab his cheeks and try to hold him in place so that he looks me in the eye. It's something my mom used to do with me when showing she was serious. Admitably, it worked better then. It's harder to keep the petulant boy still when his cheeks are barely solid.
"Ditto!" Ditto squirms.
"If you keep doing this, then I'll…" What? Put him in a time out? Hit him? Leave him?
Of course not, but maybe… I unclip one of the shrunken pokeballs from my belt and brandish it where he can see it. This seems to get the guy's attention for a minute.
"I'll stick you in one of these. You here?"
"Ditto," says Ditto.
"Good." Reclipping the ball, I let out a deep sigh. "Now then, let's get this over with."
Bulbasaur's ball I set as the last one to the left along my belt. I did this to be sure that I won't get it mixed up with the empty ones. I press the front button to inflate it to palm size. Preparing for the worst, I give the ball a light toss. The ball bounces once in the dirt, cracks open, and there's a familiar glow.
"Saurrrrrr." Bulbasaur growls from deep in his throat.
"Ditto." Ditto shies behind me.
"Hey, Bulbasaur."
"Saurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr." Bulbasaur keeps his distance from us, and I know better than to approach him now. I hold my hands up instead to show I mean no harm.
"It's okay. People are scary, trust me I get it." I unzip the pocket of my pack. At the top is Ditto's favorite magazine, I toss it to him which he takes eagerly. Then I pull out some power bars for myself, and a couple apples. "Here Ditto."
I roll the next apple in Bulbasaur's direction. "Saur?" He sniffs at the round red thing, as red as his own eyes which glance furtively at me. I unwrap a chocolate flavored power bar that has melted some in the heat. Ditto swallows his apple whole, and makes a cute little "Boo-boo-boo" sound like a burp. Finally, after nudging it once with his snout to be sure it was safe, Bulbasaur takes a munch of his own apple. His eyes brighten, and he scarfs the rest of it down.
I feel a smile coming on. "Good isn't it?"
"Saur," He snorts indignantly. He upturns his nose, as if what he'd eaten had been barely edible. It's a switch so abrupt that it actually makes me laugh, but I stop right away when the sound of it makes him growl again.
"Sorry." I say.
Bulbasaur slowly winds down to silence. We stare each other down as a wind gusts through the leaves above us. There is a loud rasping sound as Ditto noisily turns a page.
"Can we at least try to get along, Bulbasaur?" He hesitates. For a second I think I might've gotten him to warm up, but then he crouches into a defensive stance, bulb pointed in my direction, and starts growling again.
"Saurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr."
How can he manage so many r's in one breath? I dig the trusty manual out of my pack. "So, obviously you know Growl… are there any other moves you know?" I find the page listing the base move sets. "Can you use Tackle?" Hesitating again, Bulbasaur nods grudgingly.
"Alright then, we're getting somewhere." I snap the book closed. "I also noticed that you can make vines." There's still a line of red along my arm from where he'd struck me before. "Do you think that you can use something like that in battle?"
"Saur?"
"Alright, well we can work on that." Given time, I am certain his vines will be a valuable asset. Fast, and flexible, I can think of five ways off hand in how they can be used in the heat of battle. A strong offensive and defensive, whipping and binding.
And little did I realize at the time, their potential outside of battle.
My mind races with the possibilities, but I remind myself to reel in my expectations. I repack the guide, and throw the straps over my shoulders. As I stand, Bulbasaur backs up some as if threatened.
"Alright Ditto, we're heading out."
"Ditto!" Says Ditto.
I pick up Bulbasaur's empty pokeball, and show it to him. "Bulbasaur, would you like to get in here, or do you want to walk?"
"Rrrrrr." He's not even bothering to enunciate any more.
I shrug, clipping the ball to my belt. "Walking it is." I walk past Bulbasaur who eyes me warily. Ditto plods on behind, and we head into the sunlight. I get a few paces out before looking over my shoulder. "You coming, Bulbasaur?"
Eventually he does.
We step into the tall grasses, ready for battle. Bulbasaur keeps a distance between us, but I'd like to think that it's a smaller gap than before. Searching around, eventually I see something rustling about. I catch sight of a rush of purple fur, a Rattata poking around for food. I crouch down so as not to startle it away.
'Alright, Bulbasaur. Here we go."
With a swishing of grass, Bulbasaur rushes forward with a response time I can only blink at. It's just like the trained pokemon in the Gym battles on TV, like what I had at one time hoped Ditto would act like. Flustered (I'd been expecting some resistance from the growling grass grub), and despite having plans of attack already concocted, I can only watch. Bulbasaur slams into the Rattata with tremendous force, sending the purple rat sprawling into the grasses.
"Saur! Saur!" He strikes again, and again ruthlessly using the only offensive move he knows. He Tackle technique is well honed, though there is little strategy to it, and I wince as I see him get struck by Rattata's claw from an attack that could've been easily avoided.
"Bulbasaur, hold on!" I call, a pathetic attempt to retake charge as he staggers backwards, but he only shakes his head to recollect himself and charges back in. Soon enough, the Rattata teeters, and falls over, properly beaten into submission.
"You did it Bulbasaur!" I cheer despite myself.
"Ditto! Ditto!" Ditto waves his mag like a pom pom.
Bulbasaur upturns his nose at us, and marches off.
"Bulbasaur, wait!" I follow behind. "Bulbasaur, that was great, but I'd really rather you listen to what I have to say. I think that I can help you improve."
"Saur!" Bulbasaur runs away.
"Wait! Don't leave!" I cry in a panic, thinking I'll lose him. My hand goes to my belt for his ball. I inflate it, and ready to return Bulbasaur until I look up and see a Pidgey in the brush ahead. Bulbasaur barrels over the bird and starts a similar onslaught. I lower my hand, letting the ball shrink as Bulbasaur makes the Pidgey faint as well. Just as it's subdued, Bulbasaur scampers off again in search of another battle.
He seems like he's having fun, and it's clear he's not ready to listen to me yet, but at least he's getting some training in. Content with having that much for now, I pick up Ditto and run after Bulbasaur so that he won't end up getting lost.
We train through the afternoon. By this time both me, and Bulbasaur, are panting. Him from a handful of tense battles, and me from chasing after him.
"Ditto! Ditto!" Is the only one of us bubbling with energy as he'd gotten a free ride in my arms.
"Ready to call it a day, Bulbasaur?"
"Saur." Bulbasaur agrees.
We find a nice place to camp out the night by a crystal blue lake. I take the opportunity to refill my water bottle that's getting low, and set up a nice crackling fire. I unroll my bed roll to sit on, and pull out some pecha berries that I'd found while we were running about training. I figure that it might make for a nice cobbler for dessert.
As Ditto reads (I'm surprised he hasn't gotten bored of that thing already), Bulbasaur sticks to the far edge of the fire light to watch as I place the pot over the coals and slice the fruit up to drop in. I then pour in just a bit of water, some sugar, and some quick mix. I mash it around a bit, and put the lid over top of it. I use a stick to pile more coals on the top, and sit back to wait.
The moon is rising, and it makes for a beautiful rippling reflection over the surface of the lake. The constant swish of the water will no doubt be a relaxing presence to lull us to sleep, and we'd been training so hard today already that I'm even now fighting back yawns. I catch Bulbasaur's eye once, and smile.
Soon enough, I figure the cobbler is ready, so I wrap my hand in one of my shirts so as not to burn myself when lifting the pot out of the flames. I set it in the dirt beside the fire circle, and lift the lid so it can cool. The night cool air becomes entwined with sweetly delicious smells. I poke at it with a spoon to see how it's cooling, and it looks nice considering. There's quite a lot of it, though, but I figure that's more a plus assuming it's actually good.
"Here, Ditto."
"Ditto!" I dish out three good spoonfuls, one for each of us, and there's still plenty left in the pot. I place the first plate in front of Ditto, who jiggles excitedly as he smells it. I then take mine, and,
"Would you like to try some too, Bulbasaur?" I offer.
"Saur!" Bulbasaur turns away with an upturned nose.
I sigh. "Okay, suit yourself." Then I get an idea. I take a bite of the piece that I'd offered him. It tastes so sweet, and the berry's usually firm texture has softened nicely while it'd simmered, and the crumble of the bread mix fits in nicely. "Mm-mm! This cobbler sure is tasty though, huh Ditto?"
"-Itto!" Ditto manages to say through his own swollen cheeks, his body squirming with bliss and utterly unaware of my ruse.
"It sure is a good thing Bulbasaur doesn't want any of this. We get to have it all to ourselves!" I snag a quick glance in his direction, and catch him hastily looking the other way. Has he edged closer? If he has, it's too small of a hop for me to tell for certain.
I set Bulbasaur's plate down next to me, and start eating from my own. Ditto keeps squealing his enjoyment, and when he's sucked his plate clean, he waves it at me to get my attention.
"Alright," I laugh, taking his plate to dish out another portion. "Just make sure you don't eat too much and get a tummy ache."
"Ditto!" Ditto defies, challenging the very idea of his little limitations.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see something slithering. I'm vaguely aware of a pair of vines curling under the plate of cobbler resting beside me, and lifting it up, shaking as they try to keep it balanced. I turn to look, and Bulbasaur freezes, caught in the act. He growls, and retracts his vines, but with the plate still in them. He glares at me as he takes a bite, then his eyes widen.
I smirk. "Told you." Bulbasaur growls again.
Despite my fears, we eat it all, but at what cost? I don't know about them, but my belly feels close to bursting. Judging by how Ditto is puddling, I figure that he feels much the same way. The fire's gone down to a pleasant flicker. I put another few sticks in to be sure it's kept lit.
The lake sighs with waves.
Slowly, I become aware of a soft humming. I look over. Bulbasaur is curled up snuggly, his eyes closed as his bulb rises and falls with his breaths. I realize, he actually looks rather cute when he's not glaring or growling. You'd think that he were really a Growlith in disguise with how much noise he always makes. I smile, and lean back on my bed roll to watch the moonlight on the water.
"Ditto." Sluggishly, Ditto slides onto my lap. He tugs on my hand, so I tickle him, and he wrestles, and I one handedly wrestle him down. When he tires, and submits, I tickle him some more till he's gasping for air. Then we just sit in each other's company as the fire eventually burns itself out.
The waves whisper.
I think about the other night, and about our incident at Oak's laboratory. I wonder if the soft presence in my lap will try something again tonight. Or did my threat finally get him to listen? Seeing as he's not trying anything, I figure that might be the case. And I guess that I'm okay with that. It's what I'd asked for after all.
I stifle another yawn.
"Diiitto." Ditto yawns for me. I smile.
"Did you have fun today Ditto?"
"Ditto." Says Ditto.
"And what about Bulbasaur?"
"...ditto." He mumbles less enthusiastically.
"Yeah, I know. But he'll come around. We just have to be patient with him."
"Bu-bu-saur…" I look up, and see Bulbasaur tossing in his sleep. He rolls onto his back, stout body stretched over his bulb, and his legs in the air. It hardly looks comfortable, but then he starts snoring loudly. "Zzaur. Bu-bu-zzaur." I cover my mouth as I start giggling so as not to wake him.
My Bulbasaur. My stubborn, little Bulbasaur, but I can see he's passionate as well. Yes, I had hesitated at first. Can you really blame me, he'd whipped me after all, but it took just one moment, and I knew. Back this afternoon as I ran around after him, dreading again if I'd ever become a master, I caught the glimmer in his eye. A fire in his eye, and a smile on his snout. I know the expression well. It's the same fire I'd seen in the mirror the other day when I prepared myself for this adventure. It's the love of the battle that I had selfishly tried to make Ditto understand.
Yes, it was that moment when I'd realized there was no better starter that I could have asked for to join my team. Venasaur cannot fly like a Charizard, nor does he have the explosive power of a Blastoise, but too often in a fight are these skills over valued.
When I was younger, people would always tell me how a Bulbasaur was the worst pick of the bunch. That was when I knew that I'd wanted nothing more than a Bulbasaur. But it wasn't until I saw that glimmer that I realized that, no, I didn't want a Bulbasaur. I wanted this Bulbasaur. And seeing how far he's gotten me, I do not regret that choice.
I hear Ditto let out a soft sigh. Looking down, I see that he's fallen asleep too. So he didn't plan on trying anything after all. My eyes are drooping, I figure that I might as well call it a night. I carefully lift Ditto so as not to disturb him, and set him down beside me so I am free to lay down. Taking a deep breath, I let it out slow as I close my eyes.
The water wanes me to sleep.
