Chapter 10: Confessions

Darla ran down the hall, she was frightened by her experience with the mean trainer, and now that her secret is out, she would be considered a freak by her friends at the pokemon center. She quickly ran into a broom closet and hid in some old rags. The smell of lemon cleaner was quite strong, but Darla didn't mind, she hid there and began to sob to herself.

When nurse joy got back from the back room of the pokemon center, she was told about the incident with Darla and the Pokemon Trainer. "What?! How could you act like that to a pokemon? It's terrible! I'm very disappointed in you." Nurse Joy was quite upset, Albert sort of did regret what he did to the young torchic, "I... I am sorry Nurse Joy, it won't happen again" Now they were curious about how this torchic, who everyone thought was absolutely silent, could in fact, speak human. They needed to find Darla. The young Torchic couldn't have left the pokemon Center, so Nurse Joy, the long-haired trainer, who was named Nicola and Albert went to look for her all over the center.

Nicola was searching down a hall for the torchic, when she heard a faint sobbing down coming from a closet. She looked inside, she could hear the sobbing, but couldn't see anyone.

"Is anyone in here?" She called into the closet. The sobbing stopped. Darla was quite again but she decided to gather enough courage to answer back.

"Yes" Darla said a small voice from underneath the rags.

"Why are you hiding from us?" Asked the young trainer. "Because everybody probably thinks of me a freak, or an accident" Answered the sad pokemon. "We don't think that at all! We only want to be your friend" Nicola said. Darla was surprised, people didn't think of her as a freak? She could not believe it. She got up from out from underneath the rags, and looked at Nicola. She looked into her green eyes, they were warm and inviting, and exuded sincerity. Darla knew she could trust her. "Really?" Asked Darla for reassurance. "Yes" Nicola replied, "there are some people who really want to get to know you, don't be afraid."

Darla followed this person down the hall with unsteady steps. She seemed to be a nice person. Maybe this trainer could be the one thing Darla had always wanted. Someone she could get close to, someone to love her, but did Nicola feel the same way about her?

They got to the front desk of the pokemon center, Nurse Joy and Albert were there. "I found the torchic." Nicola said.

"Excuse me, but my name is Darla" the small torchic said casually. Joy and Albert were astonished by Darla's ability to talk human. Darla felt a little nervous, but it soon gave way to confidence as she told her story from her escape from the torchic farm to when she got to the center, her audience was captivated not because of her story, but also because she spoke to fluently in human. When she was finished, Albert and Nicola then introduced themselves to Darla.

"Um... Hi... My name's Albert, I'm sorry for what I did to you earlier, I'm not usually that angry, I was just very frustrated and angry for losing an important gym battle, I'm a nice guy." Darla forgave Albert by shaking his hand with her foot.

Nicola then introduced herself, "My name is Nicola, It's nice to meet you" She also shook Darla's foot. The young torchic then summoned up enough courage to ask the question

"Er... Nicola... um... could I... um... be your pokemon...?" Darla stammered with embarrassment. Nicola was shocked at first, but this gave way to acceptance. "Yes... I would love you to be my pokemon, if it's okay with Nurse Joy". Darla and Nicola both looked at Nurse Joy, she was happy to see someone finally giving the small pokemon a home "Yes, of course you can" Darla was overjoyed, she had finally got her wish to be in a family all her own.

After weeks of staying at the center, Darla was finally able to leave it and go to a real home, with her new trainer, but she didn't think of Nicola as her trainer, she thought of her more as her mother. Either way, she had finally found happiness and an identity for herself.