Just Follow the Light
As we walked along Kalos Route 5, Krystal and I were having one of our occasional conversations. Many would consider them to be kinda trivial, but for one thing, I'm talking with a Pokemon, and for another thing, she's my best friend, so there. Anyway, this time, we were talking about common myths that really got on our nerves.
"I find the myth that humans can get warts by touching a Croagunk really stupid. It's almost racist, when you think about it," Krystal said thoughtfully.
I nodded and said, "You know what, you're absolutely right. I've always thought Pokemon myths like that were cruel. Although that myth is not near as bad as the myth that Absols cause disasters."
Krystal smiled at me and said, "Oh, I don't mind that one."
I stared back at her in shock, "You don't? Why not, I mean-."
"If it hadn't been for that myth, we might have never met," Krystal said softly.
I felt my heart grow a bit warmer from that sentiment, and I reached over to pet her affectionately, much to her enjoyment.
"Right again, Krystal. . ." I said. Then I took my hand away and cleared my throat before continuing on, "Okay, so, here's one that really bugs me: that walking under a ladder is bad luck. It's just a big ball of reverse logic. It's not bad luck, it's dangerous. You're inviting something on top of it to land on your head. It's like saying jumping off a cliff is bad luck. It's just a dangerous thing to do."
Krystal turned her head to look at me and said questioningly, "But if there's nothing on top of the ladder, then wouldn't it be okay to walk under it?"
I thought on this for a moment. I really appreciated the way Krystal was able to get me to think more deeply about things with her questions. It's not that see was naive or overly curious, she just liked to get to the heart of things from time to time. And for a journalist like me, a partner like that is priceless.
"Still no. You might still bump into the ladder and knock it over, or the ladder might collapse and land on you. It just isn't safe," I answered.
Krystal looked satisfied with that answer, and she said, "That's sensible. Not very aggravating thought. What is without a doubt the most aggravating myth to me is the idea that certain Pokemon can't help but chase lights."
Krystal's voice had a definite edge to it, showing her great dislike of what she was talking about. However, I was unsure to what she was talking about. "What do you mean by 'chasing lights'?" I asked.
Krystal nodded her head, tossing her horn behind her. "You know. . . those. . . you know. Like, a dot of light, or a patch, made by a beam. . . um. . ." Krystal wrinkled her nose as she tried to describe what aggravated her so. "Rrr. I must be feeling like you when you were trying to explain 'videos' to me."
I thought hard about what Krystal was describing. Before long, a memory within my mind was jarred loose. It was from a class I took in school, and a device the teacher was using.
"Do you mean a laser pointer?" I asked.
Krystal frowned and said, "I don't know what that is."
I explained, "Well, it has to do with what you meant. I know what you're talking about. How some Pokemon will chase around a light."
"Yes."
"Yeah, the set up usually involves a laser pointer. It's a little gadget that shines a tiny dot of light wherever you point it," I said, and I could feel myself squinting out of habit just from thinking about it, "I really hate those things myself. I'm convinced that those things can blind a person if someone points the lazer in their eye, even by accident. Ugh, that's scary. I'd never even touch a laser pointer because of that."
"If you say so. . ." Krystal commented, sounding as if she wanted to move on to something else. I could also see it in her gait, which had picked up quite a bit and was slightly stiffer.
I picked up my own pace to match hers and said, "I don't see why that would bother you. I'm sure Pokemon find it fun-."
"We DON'T do that," she replied sternly.
I was taken off guard by the strong conviction in her voice. "Krystal, it's okay-."
"We DON'T."
"It's nothing to be asha-"
"NO."
"It's just something fun-"
"NO."
I stared down at Krystal, who now face away from me as she walked stiffly onward. I was honestly surprised how strongly Krystal was refusing this little quirk, which I knew to be true. Not that I believed all individual Pokemon within the set of species that did it actually are susceptible to it, because that would be a foolish notion. But anyway, I knew that some Pokemon just can't help following a light, but there's nothing wrong or shameful about that, especially if they have fun doing it. Perhaps Krystal held herself in too high of a regard to admit that any Pokemon would act in a way many would call 'silly.' But so what? Everyone looks silly at some time in their life.
However, I don't think my heart could take having Krystal be upset with me, so I changed the subject.
"Um. . . stepping on cracks! That's a really stupid one. How could stepping on a crack cause someone who might be miles away to break their back?" I said.
Krystal turned to me, a curious look on her face. "You made that up just now. That doesn't even make any sense. What connection is there? None. There is none. . ."
Finding a convenient bench to sit on, Krystal and took the time for lunch in the warm noon Sun high in the sky. I can't over emphasis how good that warm, bright sunshine felt. As I was eating a tuna fish sandwich, I had taken out my Holo Caster and was checking up on the latest news developments, via the screen of course, among other things I often spend time reading on the internet. After a while, I suddenly noticed how quiet Krystal had become. I found this odd, because after the hiccup that was our discussion on Pokemon that play with lights, Krystal had brightened up and spoke to me with renewed interest as we discussed several more myths we both found completely ridiculous and pathetic. She seemed pretty happy, so her sudden silence was strange. At first I thought she was simply busy eating, but when I looked over at her, I saw that her food bowl was still half full, and that she was not eating, but sitting up on her haunches staring intently at something.
"Anything wrong, Krystal?" I asked.
Krystal blinked her eyes and turned rather quickly towards me. "What? Oh, um, nothing. Just thinking about. . .um. . . more silly myths. Yes, um, never-mind, we can eat." Krystal then bent back down and began attacking the rest of her Pokemon food with renewed vigor that I found a bit suspicious.
I was positive that Krystal had been looking at something, but taking a glance around the area yielded nothing of interest, aside from trees, grass, and the road. There weren't even any people or Pokemon around at the time. So, I decided to just finish eating and finish reading the article on Team Plasma I had on my Holo Caster.
When I had finished doing both, I looked back down at Krystal and noticed that while her face was still in her bowl, and I could hear her slowly munching on Pokemon food, her eyes were focused directly on something in front her. Rather than say anything to her like last time, I quietly followed her gaze to find what had her so captivated. I nearly laughed out loud when I saw it. It was a small, bright spot of light on the ground. Then I looked from there to my Holo Caster, smiling and shaking my head. I moved the Holo Caster a bit, and was rewarded by seeing Krystal lift her head out of the bowl and lurch forward . However, in the very next second she caught herself and quickly sat back up on her haunches and began licking her forepaws.
"Hey, Krystal," I said, smiling as brightly as the Sun above.
"Yeah?" she replied as she cleaned off the crumbs from her face and chin.
I patted a spot the bench to my right and said, "Come on up here with me."
Krystal immediately obliged, and sat up on her haunches, taking a moment to nuzzle my right cheek.
Grinning, I leaned back in the bench, held up my Holo Caster and said, "Let's just rest here for a while. I need to check up on a few things."
I didn't bother to look back at Krystal, I simply stared past my Holo Caster, making sure the angle was just right. I spent a minute or two rereading the same article, then I changed a glance to the right. There was Krystal, her eyes focused on the ground in front of her. I tilted my Holo Caster a few times, and her eyes moved back and forth. I also noticed that her large foreclaws were starting to clench tightly and bite into the bench. Her whole body seemed so very tense.
"You really want it, don't you?" I remarked.
Krystal broke out of her trance and turned to me. "Want what?" she said nervously.
"Come on, Krystal," I said in an almost pleading voice, still smiling due to my inner desire to start laughing, "Have some fun."
"I. . . . fun doing what?" Krystal asked me, the tension in her body still not going away.
"Quick, look!" I said suddenly as I pointed down at the ground with my free hand.
Out of reflex, Krystal looked down at the ground, and her eyes grew wide when her gaze fell upon the spot of light. She immediately turned back to look at me and held an obviously forced smile on her face as she said, "There's n-nothing there."
I knew Krystal must be very nervous by now, because she was stuttering in her telepathy. Trying my best to smile in a friendly and understanding manner and not a teasing manner, I continued pointing at the light reflected off my Holo Caster and said, "Come on, Krystal. You know you want it."
At that moment, Krystal's head began to turn toward the spot, as if by it's own accord. However, Krystal quickly regained conscious control and continued looking at me, her mouth no longer smiling but now hanging open slightly.
"Go on, Krystal! Have fun!" I said eagerly.
The wooden bench creaked as Krystal's foreclaws dug into it, and her teeth were clenched tightly as her breathing became very deep and audible. I could clearly see her chest rise and fall and she said to me in a stilted tone of voice, "I. Am. Not. Having. Fun right now!"
Loosing my patience, I replied, "Of course you're not. You're not letting yourself have fun! No one can judge anyone for having different ways of having fun. Some people think solving number puzzles like Soduko is fun. I think writing about random things and playing guessing games are fun. And there are some fun Pokemon who think chasing a spot of light is fun."
"No. . ." Krystal said desperately as she swallowed a lump in her throat and began tremble.
I watched Krystal for a few seconds, amazed at how deep within denial she was. Now I knew I needed to help her. Luckily, I felt that I had the problem all figured out. I gave a sigh, and said calmly, "Krystal, are you afraid that I'd think of less of you just because lights catch your attention?"
Krystal's eyes were watering from not blinking them, and she still kept them open as she nodded to answer my question.
Leaning forward a bit, I asked, "Have I ever criticized you for licking yourself?"
Krystal finally blinked her eyes, and her telepathic voice came through with a sense of surprised realization within it, "No. . ."
I shrugged my shoulders and said, "It's just you, Krystal. I like you because you are you. I want you to be what makes you happy and do what makes you happy." I pointed at the ground and said, "So don't be ashamed of it. Just be yourself and enjoy it. You've always made me happy by giving input in my articles and indulging my conversations. Now let me make you happy. No one else is around, so now one will laugh at you, and you know I won't. So just accept yourself for who you are, because you know I already have."
Krystal licked her lips several times as she stood, virtually frozen except for her heaving chest. Then, she slowly turned her head to one side, her lip curling and her nose wrinkled as she appeared the sense the light on the ground nearby. Then, she gave a combination between and growl and purr, and then jumped at the light.
To make a long and rather pointless story short, I moved the light around, Krystal chased after it, swinging her forepaws at it, and after a minute or two of this, and I'll have you know I put an effort it making it a reasonable challenge to catch, Krystal suddenly stopped, looked at me and said, "Eh. It's not all that great. I'm not getting much out of this."
She then turned her back to the spot of light, and I chuckled and said, "This is pretty ironic, isn't it."
Krystal sniffed and said, "I'm not sure if that's the right word."
I got up from the bench, put away my Holo Caster, and said, "Anticlimactic?"
Krystal closed her eyes for a second, then shook her head and opened them as she said, "Close, but not really."
Krystal and I walked onward down Kalos Route 5, side by side as we began our newest debate.
