Chapter 2: A Theft In The Pokemon Lab!
Having Hikaru in the house made all of Julia's previous birthday disappointments go away, like they had never been there in the first place. Sure, it stunk that she couldn't get a chikorita like she wanted, but that was okay with her. Sometimes things in life happen that people can't control, and the best thing to do was to deal with it in any way she could. Besides, she had already fallen head over heels for Hikaru the minute she laid eyes on her.
A week after she received her starter, milky morning light illuminated her room, forcing her awake. This time, she welcomed the new morning with a light heart as she peeled her eyes open, gazing down at little Hikaru sleeping right next to her. The little pichu was snug as a bug underneath a small, warm, white and pink blanket she had had since she herself was a baby, right underneath Julia's pink and blue comforter. Julia knew she loved this little pichu from the bottom of her heart. She was a girl who would protect the smallest pokemon, cry over the terminally sick pokemon who had to go to heaven, and take wounded pokemon to her parents so they could help them, no matter what, even if it meant she'd get scratched and sometimes bitten. Julia stroke Hikaru's soft, deep yellow fur and knew that this little friend would be far more satisfying than any doll she had ever owned, and she definitely wasn't any typical pichu. This pichu, Hikaru, was special.
A little later, Hikaru awoke and greeted Julia with a happy chirrup, as if to say, "Good morning!" Right afterward, Julia put Hikaru on her lap and read a book about Pokemon. "See this one? That's a Gyarados," Julia pointed to a page depicting a large, blue serpentine pokemon with a big, wide open mouth. "They're very fierce and easy to anger. In fact, it says here that they can reduce entire villages to rubble if they're angry enough, and they can go on destroying everything for a month straight!"
"Pichuuuu!" Hikaru found herself shivering in fear, terrified at the thought of such a scary pokemon living on Earth.
"Scary, aren't they?" Hikaru nodded as her trainer stroke her ear reassuringly. "Don't worry. We're far away from where gyarados live," The yellow mouse found some comfort in her new trainer's words. "See here?" Julia pointed to two different pictures. "Here's how you can tell their gender. If the whiskers on their faces are white, that means they're girls. If they're blue, they're boys. Got that?"
Hikaru nodded without a word. "Oh! Here's a pretty pokemon!" Julia turned the page and stopped at one showing a butterfly with large, white wings. "Have you ever seen a butterfree before?"
"Pichu!"
"Of course you have. They're pretty common," Julia agreed. "I wouldn't mind catching one of my own. If I catch a girl one, I'll name her Papillon. That means butterfly, and it sounds so pretty. Don't you think?"
Watching from the hallway, Kassia wiped a tear out from her eye. She was never one to cry at things like this, but it warmed her heart to see her daughter so happy, so radiant, so...overcome with joy. Perhaps getting this pichu did prove to be a good thing after all, and to think Julia had been so set on getting a chikorita before. As long as her daughters were happy, Kassia was happy, and that was all that mattered. She gently knocked on Julia's door three times.
In perfect unison, both Julia and Hikaru looked up. "What's up, Mom?"
"Breakfast is ready, dear," Kassia told her.
Julia picked Hikaru up and nuzzled her cheek warmly. "I'll bet you're hungry, aren't you?"
"Chuu!" Hikaru had to admit, she found herself liking this girl. At first, she wasn't quite sure what to think of her. She had heard stories about bad humans and how they would hurt pokemon. But Julia didn't seem like those bad humans. If she was, she would have hurt Hikaru by now. The fact that Julia was showering her with all the love she could give was enough to let Hikaru know that this girl wasn't anyone to be afraid of.
Neither of them wasted any time getting down to the dining room table and chomping down breakfast. Kassia had taken the time to make a special bowl of brown pokemon food just for Hikaru, right next to Julia's plate. Of course, that didn't mean Julia didn't give her little friend some of her own breakfast, such as a small slice of her toast and bananas. The entire dining room was enveloped in warmth, and everyone smiled upon seeing Hikaru and Julia interact. Well, except Amara.
Amara kept staring at the happy pair with a permanent scowl, her eyebrows furrowed in contempt. Just seeing the two of them together made her sick to her stomach, but more than anything, the blazing flames of envy danced in her heart wildly. Amara pressed her lips together so as to not say anything, but it was hard. Julia kept going on and on about how wonderful Hikaru was. She just wished she'd stop.
"Hey, Amara," Truman piped up, taking a glance at his older daughter. "I hear you got a B on your history test. Congrats," He told her kindly.
"It's no big deal," Amara hissed in a deadpan tone. "I just happened to know everything, that's all."
"How about later on, we go to your favorite restaurant tonight?" Truman suggested, smiling warmly. "I know how much you like their shrimp scampi."
For the briefest moment, a smile touched Amara's face. However, it immediately disappeared the moment Julia talked once more. "Is it true that pichu touch their tails and let off sparks as a test of courage?" Julia asked before sipping some water out of her teddiursa themed cup.
"Yes," Kassia replied after sipping some coffee. "For the most part."
Truman's face was buried in the newspaper like usual, but that didn't mean he wasn't paying attention. Amara's hand formed a fist. "I read that even though pichu aren't good at storing electricity, they get better as they get older."
"Pichuu!" Hikaru patted its chest with one paw as if to flaunt something. "Pichu chu pichupi!"
"Hikaru says she can use her thunder powers just fine," Julia said with a giggle. "You little braggart," She stroke Hikaru's diamond shaped ear with one hand. "Oh! Hikaru! Exactly what were you doing before you came to New Bark Town? Why were those beedrill chasing you?"
Amara dropped her spoon and an expression of surprise appeared on her face, like Julia asked a really inappropriate question. Hikaru talked as she moved her hands around. "Ohhh. So you wanted get some berries but shocked a beedrill by accident. I can see how that can happen-"
SLAM! Amara slammed her fist on the table before standing up, freezing Julia in place with an angry glare. Julia's hands flew to her ears, but Hikaru was quick to stand in between the two in a defensive stance. Truman put his paper down, and Kassia stood up in alarm. "Will you stop already?!"
"Stop what?"
"Your whole 'I can talk to pokemon' schtick!" Amara yelled. "We all know you just want attention like the little attention hog you are!"
"Amara! Watch your mouth!" Truman scolded, walking over to his older daughter. He was about to put a hand on her shoulder, but the older girl was quick to push it away.
"Oh! It's perfectly okay for her to be a straight up freak and get everything handed to her on a silver platter while I can't do what I want?!" Amara snapped. "I hate you! ALL OF YOU!" With that boiling rhetoric, Amara stomped all the way up to her room, making absolutely no attempt to hide her contempt.
"Amara-" Truman tried to interject, but his wife interrupted him before he could do so.
"Drop the attitude!"
"You stop treating me like I'm nothing!" Amara shouted before slamming the door.
Julia's hands didn't come off of her ears. Hikaru could feel her pain, so she simply tapped her trainer's hand twice with one paw reassuringly, hoping to let her know that she's there. Julia smiled silently. Kassia crossed her arms and let out an exasperated sigh. "Amara hates me, doesn't she?" Julia asked, her voice low and sad.
"That's not true, dear!" Truman was quick to pull his youngest daughter into a warm, tight hug. "Amara's just going through a tough time. She needs to do some growing up, that's all. Kids her age tend to be rebellious and think they can do anything. Plus...she's still grieving."
"Truman. We can't ignore this, you know," Kassia told him. "Her behavior's getting worse. I'm going to sign her up for counseling whether she likes it or not. This can't go on," Right then and there, the phone rang. She was quick to answer it. "Hello?"
Julia quietly finished her breakfast without a word, with Hikaru close behind. "Oh! Hi, Professor Elm! How's your research going? Wait...what? You want her to do what?" Kassia's voice changed from low to loud and back to low within a few seconds. "Can we...go to your lab and talk about this first?" She asked in a whisper. "Yes. Yes. Alright then. As soon as she gets dressed, I'll bring her with me. Okay. Bye," With that, she hung the phone up. "Julia? Get dressed, dear. Professor Elm wants us to come to his lab right away."
"How come?"
"He says he wants to talk to you about something. Bring all of your trainer essentials just in case."
With that, Julia got herself dressed and ready. But she had to wonder why Professor Elm would want them to come by so early. She didn't complain, though. She could bring Hikaru with her, so that was a plus. Once she prepared everything-her PokeBalls, her PokeDex, and her trainer's license-she, Hikaru, and Kassia were on the road to the lab. It had been a week since they were last there. Kassia was quick to meet with Professor Elm and go into another room to talk with him.
Julia sat in the waiting room with Hikaru resting comfortably on her lap. "Now, we can't play in here. There's lots of important things in here, and if anything's broken or ripped, we could get in trouble," Julia told her yellow friend gently. Hikaru seemed to understand and nodded.
Right then, both she and Hikaru noticed three pokemon playing in the middle of the room. One was a pale green dinosaur-like creature with big red eyes, green dots lining its neck, and a big leaf on its head. Another was a yellow anteater with a dark blue back with red spots on it, and another was a bipedal light blue alligator. Julia recognized them all immediately.
"Look, Hikaru," Julia pointed to the three pokemon. "See those pokemon? Those are chikorita, cyndaquil, and totodile!" She thought that Professor Elm might have gotten a new batch of starters just now. He did say that it usually took at least a week for new starters to get sent to him. Julia shrugged. Oh well. Perhaps a new trainer would come and pick them at any time. Besides, as much as she liked chikorita, she would never trade Hikaru for anything else.
Hikaru was absolutely perfect in her eyes.
But Julia couldn't resist doing one thing. "Hi there, chikorita!" She chirruped. The leaf pokemon turned its head around, facing the girl and the pichu, blinking twice. Seeing that they weren't doing anything, the chikorita simply smiled and let out a "Chiko chiko!" in response.
The greeting left Hikaru stupefied. The yellow mouse looked up at her trainer and asked. "Pichu pichu pichu chu pichu?" ("How come you said hi to the chikorita just now?")
"I just felt like it," Julia replied. "You know, before we met last week, I wanted to get a chikorita as my starter," She explained. "They're just so cute! But Professor Elm didn't have any left," Hikaru's ears drooped downward a bit. Julia could see the dejected expression. "Don't be sad! I'm happy I met you!" A smile returned to the mouse's face again. "Hey! I wonder if my PokeDex will work."
The brown haired girl pulled out her PokeDex. Good, it wasn't broken. No scratches, nicks, or dents. She held it up to the chikorita, who just sat on the floor to watch his friends play. Immediately, the PokeDex turned itself on.
"Chikorita, the leaf pokemon," Julia thought chikorita looked more like a baby dinosaur than a leaf, but considering it has a leaf on its head, she figured that was understandable. "Chikorita are docile, friendly pokemon who love bathing in the sun's rays, especially during the summer. The leaf on its head emits a sweet, pleasant aroma that changes in intensity depending on the humidity and the temperature. This helps it seek out warm places to live. People in the old days used chikorita as a barometer. Because of their sweet temper, they have been frequently used as therapy pokemon for people of all ages, whether to help war survivors or people with disabilities and other psychological problems."
"Oh! How about I check you out next?" Julia held the PokeDex up to Hikaru.
"Pichu!" Hikaru simply smiled, staring at the PokeDex with awe.
"Pichu, the tiny mouse pokemon," The PokeDex said in a dull, monotone, robotic voice. "Despite their small size, pichu can release bursts of electricity that are strong enough to shock humans, but not to a lethal degree. However, because the sacs on their cheeks are underdeveloped and their lack of skill in controlling said electricity, they release it by accident when they're surprised or are laughing. They can't attack others without shocking themselves in the process. They can charge themselves more easily on days where there are thunderclouds or when the air is very dry."
Before she could zone out, Kassia and Professor Elm came back into the room, with the bespectacled professor kneeling to her level. "Hello, Julia."
Julia didn't meet his gaze. She just kept looking down at Hikaru. "Hi there, professor. Mom said you wanted to...talk to me?" She asked shyly.
"Yes. May I ask you something first?"
"Sure."
"Do you remember my acquaintance? Mr. Pokemon?"
"Uhh…" Julia tried to look through her memories. Mr. Pokemon...an image of an old man in a brown suit with a grey beard entered her mind. She had met him once before. Just last year, to be exact. Truman had to visit him to talk some things out with him, but Julia kept her ears covered the whole time. He was too loud, and all she wanted to do was leave. Just being in the same room as him made her feel like all the air was being sucked out of her, but she didn't dare say anything because she didn't want to make anyone mad. "Yeah, I remember him. Isn't he really loud?"
Professor Elm let out a chuckle. "Yes, he can be loud. He likes to exaggerate things as well. But anyway…" The bespectacled professor cleared his throat. "Since you have your own pokemon now, we were wondering if maybe you would like to do me a favor."
"A favor? Like what?"
"You see, I got an email from him saying he has a pokemon egg he wants me to examine," Professor Elm told her calmly. "But both our schedules are tied up at the moment. Do you remember where he lives?"
"Yeah. Just past Cherrygrove City, right? It's right near that big cave where all the geodude and zubat and dunsparce live?"
"Yes! Would you like to go to Mr. Pokemon's and bring the egg here to me?"
If Julia heard him say he caught a legendary pokemon, she wouldn't be any less surprised. Her mouth fell open. He was asking her to leave the house and go someplace all on her own. Julia clutched Hikaru tightly, her green eyes wide like saucers. Julia was never one to leave the house on her own. True, she went to Professor Elm's lab last week, but that was because it was close by and because she was impatient.
Going past Cherrygrove City was another story entirely. Driving through Route 29 usually takes about five minutes tops, but on foot it takes at least half an hour, with Mr. Pokemon's house fifteen minutes away from there. Since both areas had grassy places where pokemon easily roam, if she were caught in any battles, the trip would take even longer. Julia wasn't sure if she could do this, and why Professor Elm was asking her about this was beyond her.
"It's been a week since you received Hikaru," Professor Elm explained. "Usually, trainers take their pokemon and go on their journey right away. Since you're more cautious, I want to see if you can handle something like this on your own before doing anything else."
"So...you just want me to go get an egg and bring it back here?" Julia clarified.
Professor Elm nodded. "That's the gist of it, yes."
"If you don't want to, that's perfectly fine," Kassia told her reassuringly. "We don't need to rush things, and you don't have to do anything you don't want to do."
Julia was already lost in her thoughts. Lots of trainers traveled the world with their pokemon. She wasn't sure if she could do that. For her, being with Hikaru was good enough. But if she went on this errand, she could catch some more pokemon. She could make more friends. She could go to Pokemon Marts and buy whatever she needed, go to Pokemon Centers in case her friends got hurt, gather berries to use, and maybe see and catch new pokemon. Plus, it wasn't as though Mr. Pokemon's place was hard to get to. She had seen plenty of signs to get there whenever she and her family would drive past it, and for the most part, it could be an easy trek.
Her mind was made up. "I...I want to do it! Is...that okay?"
"Of course it is."
"How come?" Kassia asked.
Julia stood up. "I can catch some pokemon while I'm out, right? If I have lots of pokemon with me, I can feel safe on the way there and back, right? Hikaru can come with me!"
"Chupi!" Hikaru added to her argument.
"I'm not sure about this…" Kassia added nervously. "I'm happy you want to do this, but we can easily get there by car. You don't have to-"
"I want to! Please?"
The bespectacled professor put a hand on Kassia's shoulder. "Let's let her go on her own. It'll be good for her."
After some more talking, they agreed to let Julia go see Mr. Pokemon and pick up the egg. Kassia was quick to hand her an odd, pink cell phone. "This is called a PokeGear. It's a cellphone, map, and radio all in one. I've already put important phone numbers in it in case you need to call us," Kassia explained, placing the phone in her daughter's hand. "We already made a call to Mr. Pokemon letting him know you'll go to pick up the egg. Just call us if you need anything or have any trouble. Okay, sweetie?"
"Yes."
Kassia pulled her daughter close and pecked her forehead once. With a quiet wave, she and Hikaru walked on the dirt path away from the lab. Kassia buried her face in her hands, worried about what might happen. She had never seen her daughter go off on her own before. To suddenly be away from her, even if it was for a short while, made her heart feel as though someone was duct taping titanium bricks on it. Then again, maybe this would be good for her. After all, children grow up and learn lots of things, so maybe it wouldn't hurt to let her try this out. Besides, she needed to be there for Amara and help her through her grief. With that in mind, Kassia returned home.
A pair of eyes stared at them from a nearby window, fixating their gaze on one of the pokemon. Particularly the totodile.
"Wow! Look, Hikaru! See all those pokemon?" It had been a while since Julia left, but already she was amazed by the pokemon running about. Sentret and rattata scurrying around. Tiny bird pokemon flying across the sky with the wind beneath their wings. The rustling of the trees sounded like a lofty lullaby, and just a whiff of the spring breeze was enough to revitalize anyone who had an appreciation for nature.
"Pichuuuuu…" Hikaru watched as a small sentret scuttled to a nearby stump, standing on its puffy tail to observe its surroundings.
"Oh! A sentret!" Julia pulled out her PokeDex and held it to face the sentret. The brown pokemon glanced at Julia, but didn't look or feel intimidated in any way.
"Sentret, the scout pokemon," The PokeDex announced in a robotic female voice. "It stands on its tail so it can see a long way. If it spots an enemy, it lets out a loud cry in order to warn the rest of its kind."
"So this is how a PokeDex works. Now let's see…" Julia pressed some buttons and held the PokeDex in front of the sentret once again. A pink female sign appeared at the corner. "Oh! This one's a girl! I'm gonna catch it!"
Julia rummaged through her pocket to find a PokeBall she could use. 'I know the books say I should weaken a pokemon to catch it, but...I don't want to hurt it!' She told herself, finally pulling out a PokeBall. "Sentret, you're-" When she raised her hand to catch it, her mouth fell agape. The sentret had run away. The girl fell on her knees and let out a whine. "Bwaaah! I wanted to catch her!"
With a sympathetic expression, Hikaru tapped Julia's arm reassuringly. "Pichu pichu pichu…"
The girl stood back up. "Yeah. You're right. There's plenty more, so I can catch another one. Plus there's lots of other pokemon around here. Hey!" She saw some buildings nearby. "That's gotta be Cherrygrove. We made it!" She cheered.
"Pichu!"
Cherrygrove City was a calm, quaint, and lovely little town a little ways from New Bark Town. Although it was bigger than Julia's hometown, it had a greater sense of community. Whenever she and her family would drive through it, there was no shortage of people talking to each other or pokemon and kids playing. It helped that the town was known for their cherry trees, which would blossom in pink white blooms during the spring, and they never ceased to be amazing.
On Julia's left was a Pokemon Mart. A tall white building with a blue roof. For a brief moment, she thought about going inside. She thought she could get some potions in case Hikaru got hurt. But Kassia didn't give her any money, so that was a no-go. With a shrug, she turned away and looked for the path leading to Mr. Pokemon's house.
"This is Cherrygrove City, Hikaru. Have you been here before?"
Hikaru nodded.
"It sure is nice, isn't it? But I like my home the best."
Once she stepped on the dirt path, a round, blue and white mouse pokemon suddenly shot out of a little pond. "Awww! How cute!" Julia was quick to pull out her PokeDex once more.
"Marill marill!" The pokemon chirruped, contentedly sniffing a berry nearby.
"Marill, the aqua mouse pokemon," The PokeDex explained, in the usual robotic voice. "Marill's oil-filled tail acts much like a life preserver. If you see just its tail bobbing on the water's surface, it's a sure indication that this Pokémon is diving beneath the water to feed on aquatic plants." Julia saw a female sign pop up on the PokeDex, indicating it was a girl.
"I've gotta catch this one!" Before Julia could pull out her PokeBall, Hikaru charged at the marill with a battle cry.
"Pichuuuu!" Sparks of electricity crackled from her cheeks before Hikaru unleashed a strong bolt of lightning. Before the marill could react, the lightning bolt shot down on it, sending pain all throughout its body. Julia covered her eyes. She wished Hikaru hadn't done that. Then again, all her books said that in order to catch a pokemon, she had to weaken it with one of her own.
This was her chance. Hikaru knew it.
"Pichu pichuu!" Hikaru commanded, pointing to the fallen marill.
"Alright! I'll catch it! Go, PokeBall!" With a single swing, the PokeBall flew into an arch before hitting the blue and white mouse. Marill turned into red light as it was absorbed inside the PokeBall, which then fell on the grass. The circle on the center flashed in a red light, and the PokeBall wiggled from side to side.
Julia crossed her fingers and prayed. 'Please work...please work...please work...' Finally, a click sound echoed, and the flashing light on the PokeBall disappeared. Julia looked down at the PokeBall and picked it up. Already she could feel her whole body become enveloped with an overwhelming sense of joy.
"Wow! I...I...I did it! I caught my first pokemon all by myself!" Julia stood up and jumped around with the PokeBall in her hand, shouting in her loudest voice possible, "Woohoo! Yaaaay! I caught a marill!"
"Pichu pichu!" Hikaru joined in on her joyous dance, hopping and twirling right along with her. Some trainers admittedly stopped to watch.
"What's with her?"
"She's weird."
"Maybe she caught her first pokemon."
"Come on. Let's go."
Julia didn't notice, nor did she care. She was just too happy to have caught her first pokemon. "Come on out, Marill!" She opened her PokeBall, and out came the marill from before, who scratched one of her ears with a stubby hand. Julia kneeled to its level to make eye contact with it. "Hello! I'm Julia, and this is my friend Hikaru!"
"Pichu!"
"Marill marill?" ("What happened?") The marill tilted its head to one side with a confused expression, looking around in a daze.
"Sorry for scaring you like that," Julia told her apologetically before giving Hikaru a stern glance. "You didn't have to use Thundershock on her, y'know."
"Pichu pichuuu!" Hikaru argued.
The blue mouse pokemon gave Hikaru a disapproving glare, looking angry at her for shocking her like that. Feeling the intensity of the glare, Hikaru backed away two steps to give the marill some space. The marill let out a sigh. "Anyway, would you like to be our friend?" Julia asked kindly, offering her hand out for the marill to sniff.
Marill didn't approach her right off. The blue mouse raised an eyebrow, giving her new trainer a quizzical, confused look. "Marill marill…" ("I'm not sure…") The blue mouse wasn't sure what to make of being caught by a human. She had seen glimpses of them before, but was always told to stay away from them. But something inside her told her that Julia didn't seem like one who would hurt her.
"If you don't want to, that's fine," Julia told her. Her parents always drilled it into her and Amara's heads that when dealing with pokemon, you always had to take their feelings into consideration. Just because they can't speak human language doesn't mean they don't have anything to say or don't have feelings.
"Mar...marill…" ("Sure...I guess…") Keeping a guarded demeanor about her, the marill walked over to her new trainer and tapped her hand with her small blue one.
"Yay! We're friends now!" Julia chirruped sweetly. "Oh! Would it be okay if I gave you a name?"
"Marill?" ("A name?")
Julia nodded. "I always give my pokemon names," Marill stopped to think. Perhaps having a name won't be so bad. The marill never did like being confused for other marill. The blue mouse nodded reluctantly.
"Alright!" The girl clasped her small hands together, the cogs in her mind moving. "Since the PokeDex says you're the aqua mouse pokemon...how about…" It came to her right away. "Aqua! How about that?"
Aqua...the marill liked the sound of that. It had a distinct, watery feel to it. "Marill!" ("Sure!") Aqua replied, adopting her new nickname.
"Oh! That's right! I can't forget to go see Mr. Pokemon!" With that, they went further down the path. Julia decided against putting Aqua in her PokeBall right away. She figured it'd be nice to have a good walk with them and let them get used to her before keeping them in PokeBalls. In her mind, they deserved some fresh air and a chance for some quality time with her.
Hikaru crept closer to Aqua and whispered, "Sorry I shocked you like that."
The aqua mouse backed away a little bit, not sure what to make of this pichu. The tiny mouse was smaller than she was, and despite her harmless appearance, her thundershock threw her for a loop. Aqua kept her guard up, hoping it wasn't a trick. But some other part of her said that Hikaru and Julia seemed friendly enough. At the same time, however, she didn't want to take any chances.
"Marill marill," ("It's alright. I forgive you.") Aqua replied politely. Hikaru could hear the guarded tone in her voice. "I must ask, why is your fur so dark?" She asked. "Most pichu I've seen have light colored fur."
All Hikaru could do was scratch her ear sheepishly. "I dunno. I was born this way," Hikaru answered with a giggle.
"Can I ask why you're with a human?" Aqua asked tersely. "Aren't you afraid she might hurt you? Humans can be dangerous."
"Julia's not dangerous," Hikaru replied without hesitation. "She saved me from some angry beedrill about a week ago," This straightforward revelation made Aqua's eyes light up with surprise. Humans could really do that? Aqua was sure they didn't care about pokemon, mostly because everyone else told her so. "My friends used to say that humans were bad, too. But Julia's been nice to me, so she's not bad."
Aqua couldn't help but find that hard to believe. But in a way, she could sense that Julia didn't seem like a bad human. Pokemon have a mysterious sixth sense that lets them know which humans are kind and which humans are cruel. But that didn't mean some would open up to them right off. Aqua wanted to trust the feeling she got, but still kept herself guarded.
Julia kept her eyes on the road in front of her, with Hikaru and Aqua following close behind. She passed by a small house, noticed some trainers battling their pokemon rather passionately, and saw some bird pokemon fly to another tree. All of a sudden, she passed by one tree and saw a small green bug pokemon, eating some leaves. The pokemon was about as big as Hikaru, with a big pink antenna, big black eyes, and stubby yellow feet.
"A caterpie!" Julia pulled out her PokeDex a third time, holding it up to the caterpie.
"Caterpie, the worm pokemon. Caterpie have a voracious appetite. It can devour leaves bigger than its body right before your eyes. From its antenna, this Pokémon releases a terrifically strong odor, and their legs have special suction cups designed to stick to any surface." Once again, a female symbol appeared on the PokeDex as it hovered over the caterpie.
"Caterpie can evolve into metapod and then butterfree," Julia mused to herself, pulling out a PokeBall. "This one I have to catch!"
Once again, Hikaru took the initiative. This time, she ran toward the caterpie and threw herself at it, throwing it right off the tree. Before the caterpie could get up, Hikaru blew a soft kiss, and a pink heart floated toward the caterpie. Once it hit the caterpie, it began to wobble and lose its sense of direction. "Hey!" Julia exclaimed. "I told you not to attack any pokemon!"
"Pichu pichu chuuuu!" Hikaru argued, pointing to the caterpie.
"You have a point…" She gripped the PokeBall before throwing it. "You're mine, caterpie!" Oddly enough, as the ball was thrown, the caterpie didn't even attempt to move. It just stood blinking at the object coming its way. Like with Aqua, the ball hit the caterpie, turning it into red light. The PokeBall fell to the grass and wiggled, with the red light flashing. After a few seconds, the ball stopped, and the red light ceased.
"Yay!" Julia picked the PokeBall up and held it in the air. "I caught another pokemon!"
Two pokemon caught in one day. Julia couldn't help but wonder if lady luck was smiling down on her. But regardless, she made yet another new friend, and she was too quick to let the caterpie out of its PokeBall. As soon as the caterpie met Julia's eyes, all she did was tilt her head to one side, examining the trainer curiously. "Maaaaao," ("Are you a human?") The little caterpillar asked in a sweet voice.
"I am. I'm Julia," She pointed to Hikaru and Aqua. "And these are my friends Hikaru and Aqua," She spoke in a soft, calm voice so as to not scare the little caterpillar. "Sorry we scared you."
The caterpie barely reacted. She just continued to stare at them with her big, curious black eyes, like she wanted to understand them from top to bottom. Julia slowly extended her hand out. "I'd love it if we could be friends. If not, that's okay, too," She told her.
At first, the caterpie just stood there, continuing to stare at them. But something told her that Julia was not a human to be afraid of. Slowly, she crawled up to Julia's hand, sniffing it with her big nose. Julia remained still as a mannequin, as she didn't want to scare her new friend. Aqua and Hikaru remained still as well.
Finally, the caterpie closed her eyes and gave what appeared to be a smile as it cooed, "Maaaao!" ("You seem nice! I like you!") Right then, the caterpie crawled up Julia's arm and nuzzled her cheek, making her trainer giggle.
"Can I name you Papillon?"
The caterpie nodded affirmatively. "Mao!"
"Hello, Papillon! We're friends from now on!"
Like with Aqua, Julia kept Papillon outside of her PokeBall, so all three of her new friends were right by her side. Papillon sat on her shoulder throughout the entire walk. They had to get to Mr. Pokemon's house and get that egg. No more delays. Thankfully, Julia passed by a sign directing her to his house. Not only that, a brown and red house came within their vicinity, so they were getting close. Finally, they made it on his front porch. A white sign on his door read Mr. Pokemon. Shyly, Julia walked up to the door and knocked on it three times.
"Hello? Mr. Pokemon?" Julia called out.
"Maaaaaoo!" Papillon cried, helping her out.
The door opened, and a man dressed in a brown suit greeted the girl with a cheery smile. Julia had to back up a few steps because he came a little too close to her for comfort. The man's face was a whirlpool of wrinkles, and underneath his nose was a fluffy grey mustache, with some streaks of hair lining his chin. Probably a small beard. But his beard was bigger the last time she saw him. She assumed he must have shaved it.
"Oh! Good morning, dear child!" Mr. Pokemon exclaimed in an old, crotchety voice that was filled to the brim with merry cheer. "Professor Elm called and told me you were coming! Come on inside, lassie! Come on in! Don't be shy!" He left the door open for her to come inside.
Her body tensed up, and her hands flew to her ears. After all this, he still couldn't understand the concept of an indoor voice. With a sigh, Julia and her pokemon went inside. She immediately noticed a glass container with a white egg inside of it. The white egg was about as large as Papillon, with red and blue markings dotting its hard surface. The faint smell of soft cookies wafted into her nostrils, but as much as she liked cookies, this was no time for eating.
"This is the egg, right?" Julia asked.
"Yes yes!" Mr. Pokemon placed a tray of fresh cookies on the table, right next to the egg. "Help yourself! My! What lovely pokemon you have!"
Julia kept staring down at the cookies to avert his gaze. "Th-Th-Th-Thanks…" On impulse, she grabbed a cookie and chomped it down. They were soft and warm, melting into her mouth, with the bolus bouncing around on her tongue before trailing down her throat. She always liked how chocolate chip cookies tasted. Hikaru, Aqua, and Papillon grabbed some for themselves, scarfing them down and enjoying every minute of it. Once she finished, Julia picked up the container and held it in her hands.
"I know a couple who run a daycare center just outside Goldenrod City," Mr. Pokemon began, weaving a strand of his mustache around his index finger. "They just found this egg out of nowhere and gave it to me."
"You don't say…"
"Is it true you became a trainer recently?"
"Yes. Last week," Julia forced a smile, not once making eye contact. 'Come on! I have to go take this back to Professor Elm!' She thought. She wished he'd let her go already.
Mr. Pokemon pulled out a small bag and poured the cookies inside, along with putting in some blue, pink, and red berries. He tied it up with a black bow and handed it to her. "These are for you. There's berries inside in case your pokemon get hurt," Mr. Pokemon said. Julia took the bag without question.
"Thank you. I'm...gonna go now…" With the egg and bag in hand, Julia left the house, her pokemon following close behind.
Once she walked a safe distance away, she let out a relieved sigh and slumped on a nearby stump. "Whew! I thought he'd never stop talking!"
"Marill?"
"Mao?"
"Sorry. I'm not exactly the best at...talking to people," Julia explained. "Plus, he's really loud," She said with a hand over her mouth. But she had to admit, it was nice to him to give her the berries and cookies, even if it was for her pokemon's sake, so it wasn't as though she hated him. She just wished he'd stay out of her personal space and use an indoor voice sometimes.
"Mao mao maooo…" ("I kinda liked him.")
Julia smiled at Papillon and stroke her head. "You like him, huh? That's good."
They weren't in any rush, so the young trainer thought it'd be nice to take a break from all the walking. After all, she didn't want those cookies to go to waste. She gave some cookies to her beloved pokemon and saved two for herself, leaving at least three left. There were two blue berries, two pink berries, and two red berries in the bag as well. Oran, pecha, and cheri berries. They were going to be very useful in the future.
"Oh! I should call Professor Elm!" Julia rummaged through her pockets to pull out the PokeGear. She could let him know she got the egg without a hitch. She searched through the number list and found Professor Elm's number. Boy, her mother sure loved to make sure she was prepared. She pressed the call button and held the phone up to her ear. It rang a few times, but no answer came.
"That's odd. I wonder if he's busy?"
"Marill?"
"I'll call him a little later," Julia tied the bag and stood up with the egg container in hand. "We'd better get back home. I'd love to show you two my room."
"Marill mar!"
"Maoooo!"
Both Papillon and Aqua loved the idea of seeing Julia's house. The girl smiled as she walked down the path with a light heart. The morning sun shined in the sky, giving everything a distinct, warm glow, and wildflowers bloomed at every turn. Perhaps going out on her own wasn't so bad after all. She wished she could do this more often. Maybe when she got home, she could talk it out with Kassia and Truman. After a while, she made it back to Cherrygrove. It was the same as usual, so the walk back should be perfectly fine.
Or so she thought.
Shards of broken glass scattered around the remains of a window in Professor Elm's lab. The bespectacled professor himself laid on the floor face down, his glasses having bounced off of his face. A large, black boot came down on them, crushing the glass beneath her feet. The lens cracked as the boot smashed it deep into the floor. The mop headed man reached one hand out in an attempt to grab the culprit.
"No...why…" He croaked weakly, his voice trembling. His entire body was tense, like a pichu had electrocuted him. A tall silhouette loomed over him, holding a small, handheld taser gun in one hand, and a PokeBall in the other. "Don't...take it away…"
"Shut up!" A woman's voice boomed before the silhouette leaped out of the window.
Professor Elm struggled to get up. His legs felt like jello, and any time he moved, he felt as though he were going to fall over. But he had to do something. With a heavy grunt and shaky breaths, he crawled over to a red alarm button on the wall. Clutching to a chair, he used it to stand himself up. With a loud yelp, he bashed the button once, and a wailing sound echoed all throughout the lab. "HEEEELP!" He shouted at the top of his voice. "Help!"
A young woman burst through the room, her eyes widening at the sight of Professor Elm's weak form. "Professor!" She ran to help him up. "What happened?!"
"Call the police!" Professor Elm choked out. "Call someone! Anyone! The totodile...it's been stolen!"
Said silhouette stood in some bushes nearby, holding the PokeBall in her hand. The sirens wailed from inside the lab. With a grunt, she pushed her long ponytail out of her face. "You belong to me now. It's about time I finally got what I deserve!" With that, she dashed away from the lab.
Finally, this was her chance to fulfill her dream. Now, nobody was going to take it away from her. She could do whatever she wanted and get away from the house she considered a prison.
Truman stood in front of the bathroom sink, his cheeks and chin caked with thick, white shaving cream. He held a deep red razor to his cheek, pushing the shaving cream away, hoping the excess hairs would come off. Soon after, Kassia popped her head in. "Truman? Have you deposited money in Amara's bank account yet?"
"Yeah, I did. Last week," Truman replied, examining his face closely. Some hairs had come off. "About one hundred, so that comes to…" He counted on his fingers. "About $10,724."
"Jeez," Kassia mused. "You sure do save a lot of money, don't you?"
"Of course!" Truman put his razor down on the sink to make sure he didn't scratch himself as he talked. "We have the mortgage to pay, the pokemon to feed, the girls' college funds in case they need it, the bills, there's a lot to do! You gotta be smart and thrifty when it comes to saving!"
Kassia found herself chuckling. She glanced over at Amara's bedroom door. "I wonder how Amara's doing?"
"Last I checked she seemed fine," Truman looked deep into the mirror. Some hairs were still sticking out from underneath his nose. "I know it didn't work much before, but try to talk to her, Kassie. Try to understand her. Maybe she just needs someone who understands how she feels."
"I'll try," With this, Kassia left Truman to his shaving. She stopped in front of Amara's door and knocked on it three times. "Amara? You in there? It's me," She announced. "Can I come in? I know you think Mom's stupid and annoying. I just...want to talk. Just mother-daughter talk, that's all," She added. No response. When she knocked again, the door moved inward, leading Kassia into Amara's room. It wasn't closed all the way.
Immediately, a red flag shot up in her mind, but she tried to take her mind off it. The minute she stepped inside, she saw the entirety of Amara's room. The walls were painted a pure white, with some walls covered with posters of shirtless men wearing jeans and who had tattoos on their bodies. Some frilly pillows sat on Amara's disheveled bed, with others having fallen to the floor. The light purple comforter on Amara's bed was folded halfway, facing the foot of the bed, indicating that it had been slept in. Kassia always grilled Amara about making her bed. Her white desk was covered with jewelry and cosmetics such as lipstick, bottles of eyeshadow, nail polish, hair scrunchies, etc. Other things lined the desk as well, such as jewelry holders, jewelry boxes, some books (both educational and recreational), a duffel bag full of clothes, etc. Some clothes such as tank tops and skinny jeans were scattered on the floor.
Only one important thing was completely missing: Amara. No Amara, anywhere.
"Amara?" Kassia walked into her daughter's messy bedroom. Worry began as a small sprout, growing with every glance. Where was Amara? Was she in the house? A gentle breeze from her window made the mother's gaze turn to a window. It was open all the way, with the transparent curtains floating about. With a gasp, Kassia ran to the window and looked down. Some grass beneath the window had been pressed down, like someone had laid down on it.
This told her all she needed to know. "Amara!" Kassia screamed. No answer. "Amaraaaaa!"
His wife's screams made Truman put down his razor. He grabbed a towel, wiped the shaving cream off, and ran to the bedroom. "What's wrong?"
"Amara's gone!" Kassia yelped, her green eyes wide with a combination of fear, worry, and anguish. Truman knew that look anywhere. "She must have snuck out again!"
It had become a common occurrence lately. Amara would sometimes sneak out of the house or just leave without saying anything. But Amara never went out the window before. If she was willing to do this much...alarm bells were blaring.
"I'll call the police," Truman suggested, keeping himself calm and collected. "You search the neighborhood and ask if anyone's seen her, or go look for her. I'll catch up with you."
Without another word, Kassia ran to neighboring houses like her house was on fire. She banged on the doors, surprising her neighbors, asking them all the same question. "Have you seen Amara by any chance?"
"No I haven't, Kassia."
"What?! She ran away?! I'll help you look for her!"
"I didn't see her, but if I do, I'll let you know right away."
"Haven't seen her. Sorry."
"I'll ask around. She couldn't have gone too far."
Soon, more people looked around the neighborhood, on foot or by car, searching for the missing girl. Kassia's heart was suddenly plagued with worry and fear. What if something happened to her? What if she got caught up in the wrong crowd? What if she was lost? Hurt? Kidnapped? Just thinking about the awful possibilities made her feel as though she couldn't breathe. Truman was outside on the porch with a phone held to his ear. "Officer? My daughter's gone missing. Please look for her!"
"Kassia!" One woman with blonde hair suddenly ran up to Kassia. "You're not gonna believe what I heard! Professor Elm's lab was robbed! I heard him say that a girl Amara's age with brown hair stole a pokemon!"
Both parents froze, their eyes wide with shock. No. It just couldn't be true. Could it…?
"Welcome to the Pokemon Center!" A pink haired nurse greeted Julia as she came in through the revolving doors, with all of her pokemon following close behind. The nurse was dressed in a soft pink dress with a white apron, cream colored stockings, and pink shoes. A white hat with a red cross mark on it cupped her curly pink hair. Two blissey walked around calmly, observing everything around them.
Julia put all of her pokemon in their PokeBalls and handed them to the nurse. "You're Nurse Joy, right?"
"Yes I am," She replied in a kind, pleasant voice.
"Can you heal my pokemon, please?"
"Certainly!" Nurse Joy put the PokeBalls on a tray before taking them away.
She had done her research. Julia had always known that Pokemon Centers were good places for trainers to go in case their pokemon had gotten hurt. Of course they would take their pokemon away for a short while. Still, Julia couldn't help but feel as though she lost something important, like her security blanket. She wished she didn't feel so anxious about this. They were still in there, and it wasn't as though Nurse Joy was stealing or hurting her pokemon. She'd get them back in no time.
'Calm down, Julia. They're fine,' She told herself, sitting down on a chair, clutching the egg container. 'You're gonna have to get used to this some time. This is what they're for.'
"Nurse Joy!" A young boy stormed through the revolving doors in a frenzy, holding an unconscious, injured rattata in his arms. His loud voice made Julia's hands fly to her ears in fright. "You gotta help Rattata!"
"Goodness, Joey!" The Nurse Joy exclaimed. "This is the third time this week you've come here. I know you're excited about battling-"
"NO!" Julia stood up in alarm. The despair in the boy's voice was unmistakable. Not only that, Julia noticed some fresh cuts on the boy's arms, particularly one on his forehead that was bleeding onto his eyebrow. "Some weird girl just came out of nowhere and beat me and Rattata up!"
Hearing this made Nurse Joy come around the corner to take a closer look at their wounds. She gestured for a nearby blissey to come over and take a look. "My goodness! Blissey? Take Joey and Rattata in the back," She told her.
"Blissey!" With that, the blissey escorted Joey and his rattata into another room. Another blissey came with a tray in its hands, holding three PokeBalls. Julia could tell they were her own PokeBalls. She put stickers on them to make sure they were theirs. She took her PokeBalls diligently and left the Pokemon Center.
That was when she saw someone she didn't expect.
"Julia?!"
"A-A-Amara?!"
There was Amara, standing right in front of her. Her long hair was tied into its usual straight ponytail with a purple scrunchie. She was wearing a black tank top, very small, pale blue shorts that did a great job in showing off her legs, and tall brown boots. Her icy blue eyes fixated their gaze on her little sister, and in her left hand was a PokeBall.
Julia's mind was sent into a spiral of confusion, and all kinds of questions were running through her mind. What was Amara doing here? Shouldn't she be at home? She was sure she was grounded for hanging out with a group of kids she wasn't supposed to. Why did she have a PokeBall in her hand? Did Mom and Dad know she was gone?
"Wh...wh...what are you doing here?!" Julia blurted out.
"Totodile. Come on out," Amara said in an icy voice, releasing her totodile from the PokeBall.
The small blue alligator materialized as he appeared. Blinking twice, he looked around to observe his surroundings, finding himself confused. Why was he outside? Wasn't he supposed to be at the lab? Where did this random girl come from? Totodile couldn't help but scratch his head with one claw, wondering what the heck was going on.
"Totototo…" The totodile warbled.
Julia clutched her PokeBalls tightly. All she could do was blurt out what came to mind. Even Hikaru seemed confused. "Why do you have a pokemon?! Mom said you can't have any pokemon anymore! You know that, right?!"
"Shut up!" She pointed an index finger at her frightened sister before shouting, "Use Water Gun!"
"Dahhh?" The totodile whipped his large head around, looking at Amara with wide, confused eyes like he was asking why. Was she seriously making him use an attack on a human being? Why? Both Julia and the other pokemon were dumbfounded.
"Just do it, you wimp!" Amara roared. Totodile shivered, figuring that she was serious. Reluctantly, the totodile shot a blast of water right at Julia, sending her rolling on the ground soaking wet. Some bystanders gasped as they watched the totodile send the spout of water at her. Even Nurse Joy came out to observe the chaotic scene. As soon as the attack stopped, Hikaru, Aqua, and Papillon all popped out of their PokeBalls.
"Chuu chuu?"
Letting out a small grunt, Julia got back on her feet. "I'm fine, Hikaru…" She let out some heavy pants before shouting, "What's going on, Amara?! Tell me! Why are you doing this, and why'd you attack me?!" She stood in front of all of her pokemon like she was a knight protecting a princess. The three pokemon all looked at each other, wondering what was going on.
"Because I'm done babysitting you. Totodile! Use Bite!" She replied in an icy voice.
Obeying its trainer's orders, again reluctantly, the blue crocodile charged at Julia with its big maw open wide for chomping. Once again, Hikaru took the initiative and let out a thundershock attack, sending a bolt of lightning right at the totodile. The jolt was strong enough to make the totodile fall on its rear. Even Aqua and Papillon went into battle stances.
"Marill!"
"Mao!"
"Hey! What are you doing?!" The Nurse Joy ran over to Amara and pulled on her arm. "You can't use your pokemon to attack people!"
"Shut up!" With a grunt, Amara used her arm to shove Nurse Joy to the ground. Two blissey managed to catch her before she could fall, preventing any potential injuries.
"Call the police, will ya?!" A man in a suit yelped. The woman next to him pulled out a phone.
"If that's how you wanna play it then fine! Use Water Gun again!" Amara growled.
"Hikaru! Dodge it!" Julia blurted out. On cue, Hikaru evaded the attack. "Papillon! Use String Shot!" The little green bug shot a web of white silk all around the totodile, trapping it in place.
"Use Scratch and Bite to break free!" Amara commanded. Totodile used its teeth and claws to rip through the silk thread. Some of it did get on its tongue, and the totodile used its claws to wipe the silk off.
'No! I can't...I don't want to battle! I don't want to do this!' Julia thought. Her entire being was frozen with fear and confusion. Too many questions were running through her mind, the biggest of them being...why was Amara doing all of this?
"Marill!"
A scream pulled Julia out of her mind, awakening her to a horrible sight. Totodile had its teeth digging into Aqua's side. She had to do something. Her friend was hurting. This was no time for hesitating. "NO! Aqua! Use Bubble on its face!" On cue, Aqua unleashed a barrage of bubbles, sending them all right into the totodile's face. The soapy bubbles stung its eyes, and it squeezed them shut to prevent further entry. Aqua used the opportunity to pull the totodile's teeth out of her side and run free.
"You won't beat me!" Amara roared.
"Papillon, use String Shot! Hikaru, use Thunder Wave!" Like before, Papillon spat out a long thread of white silk, wiggling around to make it weave all around Amara and her totodile, trapping them in place. With a piercing battle cry, Hikaru unleashed a small jolt of electricity, shooting it right at them. The jolt was strong enough to render the totodile unconscious, but Amara kept her scowl, staring right up at Julia with nothing but contempt. The electricity didn't hit her, so she wasn't paralyzed.
Hikaru, Aqua, and Papillon all stood in between them, acting like bodyguards protecting their princess. Julia's legs began to feel like jelly, but she needed answers. "Amara? What's going on?"
Before anyone could react, Amara pulled out a Swiss Army knife and used it to cut through the web. Julia's mouth fell open once more. Since when did she get a Swiss Army knife, and how? She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice Amara glaring at her. Amara charged at her sister before throwing a fist straight into her face, sending her rolling on the ground. Aqua's hands flew to her mouth, Papillon curled into a ball in fear, and Hikaru let out a hiss. Not even giving her time to react, Amara pinned Julia to the ground and punched her face three more times, the third time being strong enough to make blood flow from her nostrils.
"Why do you always have to get in my way?!" Amara spat, her saliva flying onto Julia's face.
Her mind was swirling in a sea of confusion. The odd taste of liquid iron flowed into her mouth as she flew her arm upward in an attempt to fend off Amara. Too bad she was never physically strong, and despite flailing and kicking her legs, nothing she did worked. Some bystanders did try to pry her off, but Amara was too strong for them and managed to force them off with ease.
It was too much. The yelling, the screaming, the ground rubbing against her soaking wet clothes, the blood on her face, the fist making contact...she had to escape, but couldn't. "GET OFF OF MEEEEEE!" Julia yelled in her loudest voice possible.
"Chupi!" Hikaru jumped up and bit Amara straight on her hand, digging her teeth into her skin, making her yelp from the pain. That was enough to make Amara stop and release her. Aqua and Papillon stood in battle stances once more, giving her deathly glares, almost as if they were daring her to lay yet another hand on their trainer lest she face their wrath. Hikaru was quick to comfortingly lick the wounds on her face.
Her eyesight blurred. Her head was spinning. Finally, everything went black. The last thing she heard were police sirens wailing in the distance.
I redid some parts of this chapter a bit and added some extra stuff. Some people said that Julia's new pokemon instantly becoming loyal to her felt a little unrealistic, so I'm hoping to rectify this somewhat. I hope it helps!
Julia: Pichu (Jolly Nature, Thundershock, Disarming Voice, Tail Whip Sweet Kiss), Marill (Mild Nature, Bubble, Tail Whip, Water Gun), Caterpie (Calm Nature, Tackle, String Shot)
Amara: Totodile (Lonely Nature, Water Gun, Bite, Scratch, Growl)