Hey all! I hope this reaches you sooner rather than later. I suddenly found the motivation to continue with what I was writing… so take this and maybe enjoy it? Thank you all for the feedback! It was pretty insightful and I will try to make more positive changes in the future.
The air in Route 101 was filled with excitement as the trio made their way back to Littleroot. Following the incident with the Poochyena, neither Pokemon had elected to return to their Pokeballs. Mudkip was nestled in May's arms, enjoying the sensation of being held and having its smooth almost damp skin stroked, while Torchic sat upon Brendan's shoulder, taking the scenery in at a new height and occasionally pecking at Brendan's hat trying to decide whether it was hair, feathers, or something else. The professor couldn't help but smile softly at the pair as they walked and enthusiastically chatted about the experience. The light of joy shone from the young man much brighter than it had in a long time, knowing about his home situation and the relationship he had with his father. Birch scratched his chocolate brown chinstrap beard, ruminating about the next steps he should take, and decided to butt in on the conversation.
"For your first ever battle, I have to say you two have really astounded me. Naturally it's because of all the guidance I've given you over the years" He mused, puffing out his chest proudly. The two chuckled politely at this display as he continued. "But in all seriousness, I would have been in serious trouble if you two hadn't come along when you did. So… Thank you for that." The two soaked in the gratitude, feeling proud of themselves before his attitude quickly performed the fastest 180 anyone had seen from him, shifting from grateful professor to overprotective father. "But what were you two thinking coming out here without any Pokemon of your own?! Do you know how easily you two could have wound up in the same situation I was in? I've told you both over and over again never to leave town unless I or your mothers are with you."
This stopped the two in their tracks wincing at the sudden outburst. He was right of course, but all the same, they weren't expecting to be scolded for their actions. Hanging their heads in shame, an awkward silence filled the air only broken by the occasional call of a Tailow. May was the first to say something "We're sorry dad… we got excited because… it's Brendan's birthday, and you said you wanted to see him…" The hint of tears building in her eyes cracked the Professor's stern disposition, but he attempted to remain stern and stoic.
The birthday boy was next to pipe up, eyes snapping back up to meet the older man. "It's my fault, Professor Birch. I could have insisted we waited, but I ended up dragging May out here, putting her in danger. Please don't get mad at her. I'll take full responsibility!" He pleaded, clasping his hands together and bowing his head in apology. The crack from his daughter spread even further with this assault of remorse. He knew Brendan would take a bullet for his daughter, and punishment was no different. His face slipped from anger, to a brief flash of sadness, before a resigned smile began to tug at the corner of his lips.
The Pokemon looked at the two in confusion, not understanding the sudden shift in mood. Mudkip did its best to press its head comfortingly into May's chest as her grip on it tightened slightly. Birch sighed in defeat and rubbed the back of his head, realizing that he perhaps could have been less harsh. "What's important here… is you two understand that Pokemon can be as dangerous as they can be friendly. And most importantly that nobody got hurt this time. Don't worry, I won't tell your mothers about this." His smile broadened, his fun loving demeanor returning as he brought his finger to his lips. "We'll consider this our little secret. Okay?" He stiffened up and then this time was the one to clasp his hands and bow his head "Especially from your mothers, they'd tan my hide if they knew what happened out here."
The two looked at each other with a mixture of relief and joy, both saying "Thank you!" at the same time. Ever since they were little, the two were oddly in sync. And moments like these reminded the father how grateful he was that they found each other and became such good friends. On that subject, he noted how affectionate the Pokemon were towards the two, sensing the shift in tone again and joining in on the celebratory mood. At that moment he was sure that his hunch was correct. They were ready to face the world together. It was time for these two to begin a Pokemon Journey of their own.
"How about you two keep those two? A little birthday gift from me. Besides after seeing the performance that you two displayed back there, it wouldn't feel right NOT letting you keep them." Both the young teens and Pokemon were elated at the suggestion, and then as quick as an Accelgor, they were standing very close to him, eyes glimmering with hope, and a sense of adventure that took the professor aback, literally arching his spine backwards to put some distance between the two suddenly being in his face
"You mean it? You really really mean it?" His daughter asked, the tears from before making a return and threatening to spill over in happiness. For the longest time, her father had insisted that she was too young to own her own Pokemon, and that if she really wanted to learn about them, she should work with him in the lab. It was a couple years back when she gave up asking, resigning to the idea that were she ever to receive her own partner, she would have to either catch it behind her Father's back or wait it out. To hear those words now, well it was like a fantasy of hers made into reality.
The Professor scratched the back of his head and glanced to the side. Seeing that look in his daughter's eyes made him consider for a moment that perhaps she was a little too eager for this, then deciding to follow his initial gut. He chuckled awkwardly and held up his hands causing the teens to back away before he gave a reply "I think you've both more than proved yourselves ready to take on such a responsibility of starting your own adventure" The daughter of the Professor started jumping up and down with joy, holding her Mudkip and twirling around with it. Torchic and Brendan glanced at each other, with the human giving it a smile, touching its beak and rubbing it between his index finger and thumb.
"Guess that makes us partners huh?" The Fire-type cheeped in both affirmation and delight, letting a small puff of fire escape from its beak. The boy reeled back at the sudden heat before laughing at his new partner's exuberance, placing his hand gently on the Pokemon's head. His eyes glanced once more over the chick and that curiosity from before returned in full force. Brendan turned to the father of his best friend and asked, "Hey Professor Birch? I wanted to ask you, this Torchic looks… different from the ones that we've seen before. Why is that?"
Clearing his throat, the Pokemon Professor straightened up and raised his index finger, ready to explain. "Ah you see, in the world, once in every 8000 eggs or so, a rare phenomenon will happen. This Torchic is a living example of this Phenomena. We call them Shiny Pokemon. Despite extensive research into this, the only thing that the Professors around the world have discovered about them is their rarity, and they don't seem to be any more or less powerful than their non-shiny counterparts. I have specifically looked into their habitats, but as they're so rare it's hard to track them down. The Torchic you have on your shoulder now was delivered to our lab as an egg from a breeder who had to move to the Kalos region." The young boy was enraptured by his mentor's words while the girl didn't seem to heed them very much, much more interested in playing with her new Mudkip. "Why don't you give your new partner a nickname?"
Brendan was so entranced by the knowledge and the excitement, that the thought of a nickname didn't even cross him. The boy gently wrapped his hands around the Pokemon perched on his shoulder, its warm, soft and surprisingly supple feathers tickling his hand. He held the Pokemon at eye level, who tilted its head in curiosity. "Well Torchic? Would you like a nickname?" The bird chirped again happily as if it was saying yes. He brought his arm in front of him and placed the Pokemon on it so he could look at it properly while it perched. Its talons were slightly sharp and the texture of its skin was a coarse contrast from its feathers, but he didn't seem to mind this, too busy thinking of a good nickname for his new partner.
"Hmmmm…" He began racking his brain thinking of good nicknames for this chicken. "Chicky… Hiyoko…Chabo… Chocobo… Satsuma…" With each passing nickname the look on the Pokemon's face grew more in disdain, seeming to hate each passing nickname, and suddenly his fingers snapped pointing at the Pokemon. "How about Suzaku?" The fire-type thought for a moment and nodded excitedly. "Alrighty! Suzaku it is! Happy to meet you!" It let out a noise that could only be described as delight, and then leaped from his arm back to its previous spot on its trainer's shoulder.
May twirled with her new partner and exclaimed "Mudkip is fine with me! It doesn't matter what I call you as long as we're together right?" The water-type let out a stream of water into its new trainer's face and laughed at the mischief it caused. "Ahhh hey! Quit it!" giggled the girl as she wiped the liquid from her face and tilted her head to better see the water-type climb all over her. "Alright Mudkip! Let's go home. I want to introduce you to mom!"
00—0-0-00—-000-0-00
The walk back to Twinleaf was short but filled with laughter. May and Brendan decided to part to introduce their new partners to their mothers. Both fawned over how adorable the Pokemon were and decided to whip up some food. For Brendan, the scent of egg and caramelized onion filled the air and tickled his nose. If only he could enjoy that scent. "Come on, what DO you like?" asked the boy to a stubborn chick who was adamantly refusing to eat anything that he put in front of it. He sighed and placed his hands on his hips. "Honestly 3 different brands of Pokefood later and you still don't like anything?" He brought a curled finger to his bottom lip in contemplation, "No Pokefood huh? Hang on…" An idea dawned on him as he started thinking about various foods that Pokemon like.
"Mom! Can I borrow the pot and some berries?" Caroline glanced over from the pan that she was working with, just finished expertly flipping the omelet that was neatly forming, curiosity growing at the sudden request.
"Sure dear, I'll make some room." She schooched over to allow her son free passage into the tiny space behind the minimalist cooking area behind the bar counter. He rattled around the pots and pans inside a mahogany cupboard until he found a cooking pot large enough for what he was needing, setting it on top of the open burner. He nodded at the selection, satisfied with his choice and went to look at the berries on hand, talking out loud to himself as he made his selection.
"Oooh! We got some Pecha berries here, definitely adding a couple of those. Better throw in a Watmel as well for flavor a hint of… Oh heck yes! One Custap for that extra sweet kick!" Suzaku tried to climb onto one of the bar stools that lined the other side of the bar counter so it could get a better look at what its trainer was up to. Caroline plated the food she made for her son and got out of his way. Noticing the chick trying to climb up, she giggled and gave it a helping hand before sitting on the stool next to it.
"I haven't seen that look in his eyes for a long time. Let's see what he makes shall we?" She asked, glancing over at the golden bird. Suzaku looked back over at its trainer, curious about him and wanting to see what kind of person he was. Brendan, oblivious to his audience, continued working over the stove, adding the flavor from the berries to the batter he whipped up.
"Oh it's a lot thinner than… oh right! It thickens as I stir right?" He snatched up a wooden spoon and began to swirl the batter around at a moderate pace. Despite his care, he accidentally spilled some over the sides, landing on the stove and sizzled. "Ah shoot! I need to be a little more careful. Stiiirrr… stiiirrr!" His brow furrowed in concentration, making sure not to spill any more than he already did.
Her eyes lit up and under her breath she said. "Oh-ho… I see what he's doing now. Careful dear son of mine, those are slightly trickier than they appear." A smirk crawled up her lips as she rested her head in her hands, elbows laying on the counter. As the batter thickened, Brendan began to have a harder time stirring it and a look of panic flashed across his face.
"Ok ok ok. Uhhh gotta stir harder and then pour into the mold. No problem!" The grip on the pot tightened and he really put his back into it, before grabbing the handles and pouring into the empty cavities with a satisfied nod. Despite everything, he managed not to let it burn at least. "Okay now they just need to harden and…"
10 minutes later, a plate of fresh Poffins were placed in front of the Pokemon with the boy rubbing his forehead, wiping away the sweat. "I haven't made these before… but I hope they turned out okay. Suzaku hopped up on the counter and pecked at the food slowly, trying it out. Brendan waited with bated breath, then his partner finally started to dig in. Jubilation washed over him, and he started jumping up and down "He likes it! He really likes it!" Caroline, picked a piece off of one and popped it into her mouth.
She brought her fingers to her lips as her eyes widened. "It's sweet…" She looked at her son who was too busy celebrating and watching his new friend eat to notice her. "With a little more practice, you could be an absolutely terrifying chef."
Brendan went over to the pan and put the rest into a plastic container with a towel lining the bottom. "I'm going to bring some of these to dad! I also want to introduce him to Suzaku!" With those words, his mother's smile vanished.
0—000-0–00000–0-00–0
Thank you all so much for reading! Next chapter we'll be more focused on May's point of view. I'm hoping to kind of center the story around each of them swapping from chapter to chapter. Until next time all, Fare thee well.
