Chapter 13: Amara Is In Ecruteak City?!
A frightened spearow flapped its wings vigorously through the thick forests. Although the sky above it was bright orange, the leaves were thick enough to block out most of the light. The spearow tried to perch itself onto a tree, but a flash of pink jumped right in front of it, headbutting the bird to the ground. The spearow looked up to find a snubbull staring down at it with an angry glare.
Stepping out next to the snubbull was Amara, holding a pokeball in her hand. Like the snubbull before her, she too was giving the spearow a glare that could kill it, had it been any fiercer. "You're mine," Amara hissed before throwing the pokeball. Once it made contact with the bird, the pokeball fell to the grass, trembling back and forth. Unfortunately for Amara, or fortunately for the spearow, it broke out of the capsule, making yet another attempt to fly away.
"Don't let it get away, stupid!" Amara bellowed. "Use Thunderbolt!"
The snubbull found itself shooting a bolt of electricity at the hapless spearow. Despite the spearow's attempts to fly away, the yellow bolt struck it, and electricity surged all throughout its body, frying it from the inside. The burning sensation numbed the bird to its core, and as soon as the electricity went away, the bird plopped to the grass, unable to move or escape. Another pokeball touched it. This time, the spearow was unable to break free. The red light disappeared, and Amara picked up the pokeball.
"That makes five now," Amara whispered to herself. Even though she caught a new pokemon, she stared down at the pokeball with nothing but scorn, as though catching this spearow was the worst thing that could happen to her. Then again, she was not one to find joy in being around pokemon. Her snubbull looked up at her with pleading eyes, like she was expecting a thank you. Amara noticed, and promptly shouted, "Don't look at me like you're all that!" She snapped. "You weren't fast enough, you useless weakling!"
Dejected, the pink bulldog looked down at the grass. With an irritated grunt, Amara put the snubbull back in her pokeball. Now, she was all alone, with nobody around but the pokemon trapped in their pokeballs. But she didn't consider them to be company. She slumped down in front of a big tree, not caring that the grass was messing up her tight blue jeans, or that the bark was scratching her skin. It didn't help that she was wearing a small tank top, so her arms and shoulders were exposed to nature.
She found herself lost in her misery. It was suffocating her. Drowning her. Pulling her in with the strength of a gyarados's whirlpool attack, and she was locked inside, unable to get out, not that she wanted to. Those awful feelings swirling around in her heart. Being the black mareep of the family. Feeling like she was nothing. Like she didn't matter to anyone. Like she was doomed to just sit in that prison her family called home, with her little sister being allowed to do what she wanted, because she was the good girl and Amara wasn't, as some said.
"So you're nice to pokemon. So what?" She hissed to herself. "Do you really think that makes you a decent person?" She wished Julia was here to hear it, so she could see her reaction.
Hatred boiled in her veins. She hated her little sister. All she felt for her was anger. Amara knew she (herself) wasn't like this years ago, but all she had in her heart was anger and hatred. She was angry. Angry at her sister. Angry at her mother and father. Angry at pokemon. Angry at the world. Most of all...she was angry at herself. She dug through her pocket, pulling out a crumpled grey newspaper clipping dated two years ago, six months after she received her original first pokemon.
The bold headline read, 'Wild Gyarados Rampages Through Cherrygrove City, Killing 14,' along with listing the names of those who died. One name stuck out to Amara like a sore thumb.
Chanel Ramsey.
Warm tears trickled down her cheeks, dripping on her pants and leaving dark marks. She squeezed the newspaper clipping and held it to her heart. "Chanel…" Amara whimpered. "You're the only one...who understood me and loved me...for who I was…" The sadness morphed into hatred yet again.
This was the answer she created for herself: She hated pokemon. All pokemon. She used to love them before. Now, she couldn't look at one without wanting to beat them unconscious. After all, in her mind, they were responsible for Chanel's death.
(flashback)
Her hatred for pokemon sprung up after hearing about what happened. For a while, she kept herself locked in her room, shutting herself off from everyone. She didn't even want to go to school. Then again, she hated school. Crumpled test papers made the trash can in her room overflow, with some already on the floor. Many of them were marked with Cs, Ds, and even some Fs, all in red pen ink.
Not even the sound of her mother knocking on the door was enough to pull her out of her room. "Amara? Please come out! We're all worried sick about you!"
Amara didn't want to satisfy her with a response. Hearing her mother's voice always bordered on annoying. She didn't want to talk to anyone. What part of that did her mother not get? Amara wished she'd take a hint and leave her alone.
"Amara, please? You can't keep yourself locked in here forever. Do you want to talk about it? I'm here if you want to-"
"Oh my God!" Amara screeched. "Just leave me alone!"
The week after that, Amara was sitting in her room, lost in the dream world created by her favorite hard rock music, pouring through her large white headphones. High pitched screaming, screeching guitar riffs, and bombastic drumbeats littered her mind, blocking the cruel reality she had to face.
She had enough. Enough of everything. Enough of Julia being a goody two shoes, enough of everyone's chirpy nagging that you go to school, do your homework, do your chores, take your mind off of Chanel, enough of your other friends being idiots and not considering your feelings valid, enough of your totodile being a happy little volcano of giggles that just refused to shut up. More than that, she had enough of people bugging her, being watched, being reprimanded for just about everything. She couldn't turn it off. She could still hear their voices in her head. She couldn't stop thinking. Listening and listening...she just wanted them to shut the heck up.
Leave. Me. Alone. It's NOT hard.
Yet, it seemed that way for everyone else. They would drag her out of her room, plague her with their inanity and stupidity, and irritate her until she was ready to kill someone.
The man singing the song raged all throughout, ripping her eardrums apart. Good. "Amara?" Oh great. The fun police is here. "I want to talk to you. Turn off your Ipod."
"I don't," Amara hissed.
Unfortunately for Amara, her sanctuary was unceremoniously yanked off of her head. Kassia pressed the stop button on her Ipod, and the music ceased. Amara whipped herself up, staring Kassia in the face with a wide eyed, confused yet angry stare. "MOM! Are you freaking kidding me?!"
"When I say turn off your Ipod, I mean turn off your Ipod," Kassia told her firmly. Amara could tell by the one of her voice that her mother was in no mood for nonsense. Neither was she. She wondered if the universe loved mocking her pitiful existence. "We need to talk. Now."
"What?! Make it quick!"
"The school called," Kassia began. Immediately, Amara knew what she was talking about and yanked her Ipod back. "Your teachers say you've been skipping classes, and outright refusing to do your homework. You're already failing several classes."
"So? You know how much I hate school, Mom!"
"Not only that, what's this I hear about you punching another girl so hard you gave her a black eye?"
"It was her fault! She said Chanel deserved to die!"
Kassia took a deep breath and exhaled, calming herself down. She sat on the bed, right next to her older daughter. "Amara. I know it's hard. You miss Chanel. I know you do, and that's okay. But...this isn't the way to go about it. It won't do you any good to skip classes and get into fights and cry all the time."
"Just go away!"
"Would you...like to go to grief counseling? Your teachers recommended some counselors. They can help you through this. I know we've tried this before and you refused, and that's okay, but I think-"
Counselors? Hearing it made Amara jump on her bed. "Absolutely not! I'm not crazy!"
"I never said you were-"
"Counselors are for crazy people and stupid idiots!"
"Amara-"
"I want no part of this!"
"Amara, please! Why do you keep pushing us away? Why push everyone and everything away? Everyone's worried about you. Your father and I are worried about you. You don't spend time with us or your friends anymore, or everyone else for that matter. This can't go on. I know you're upset. Believe me, I've lost friends in my life, too-"
"Oh yeah, like you know EEEEEEVERYTHING there is to know about me and my terrible existence!" Amara snapped back. "Oh my God! You don't get it, do you?! Just GO AWAY!" Amara screamed as she pushed her mother out the door and slammed it so hard, it could be heard all throughout the house.
No attempt was made to reason with her after that. Everyone tried to help her. They all did. All everyone wanted was for her to move forward. To cheer up. To live life again. But Amara didn't see it like that, nor did she want to. She thought they didn't understand, that they didn't care. In her mind, all they wanted was for her to be a little zombie for their own convenience. She hated it. She hated it all.
Another week after that, a year after she received the awful news, a twelve year old Amara ran into the huge meadow that was her backyard. She didn't know where she wanted to go. She just wanted to run. Run away. Run as far away as she could. Away from the sadness, away from the despair...but it always caught up with her, trapping her in its clutches, refusing to release her. Amara tripped on a big rock, falling to her knees. A tiny fist balled the grass underneath it, picking up some dirt as well.
Tears dripped ceaselessly on the ground, and Amara found herself bawling louder than she thought she ever could cry. Running behind her was a totodile giving chase, stopping at her trembling form. "Totodiiiile?" The blue alligator tilted its head to one side, wondering what was wrong. His trainer was clearly upset, but he wasn't sure what to do. All Amara did nowadays was either cry or snap at people angrily. Sometimes, Amara would even snap at him, her precious partner.
What happened?
"Toto toto toto toto diiiiiile!" The concerned totodile tapped Amara's arms with his tiny ones, hoping to get her attention. It didn't work, but he didn't give up.
"Nobody freaking cares!" Amara cried and shouted at the same time. "They don't care about me! Nobody does!"
The totodile found itself taken aback by Amara's statement. He shook his head vigorously and pushed on Amara's arms in an attempt to convince her that at least he cared. After all, he was there with her right now. "Toto toto toto toto!"
"Just go away!" Amara swung her arm at the blue alligator, but this little croc was not deterred.
Totodile's warbling continued, striking every nerve in Amara's body. The rage in her heart boiled all throughout, like lava pouring out from a volcano ready to erupt. All she wanted to do was erupt. Make everyone go the heck away. Even her totodile was a nuisance to her. No, she didn't see the totodile as her friend anymore. Totodile was a pokemon, the creature that took her beloved friend away.
A lust for revenge seized her. Before she knew it, she grabbed a rock and slammed it on the totodile's big mouth. "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" Two more blows. The third time, totodile managed to bite on the rock, avoiding Amara's fingers. "You all should DIE!"
Green vines coiled around Amara's arms. The big rock fell out of her hands, rolling on the floor. Kassia scooped the injured totodile in her arms before commanding the meganium to bring Amara to the house. Amara kicked and screamed like she had reverted back to being five years old. It was all too much to bear. Too much. Too much. Too much.
(end flashback)
A spot of light floated near Amara's leg, pulling her back to reality. With a start, she stood up in alarm. Although it was getting dark, she could make out two human-shaped silhouettes, waving flashlights all around the area. They donned blue police uniforms. Amara made a beeline for some thick bushes, hoping to evade their sight.
'I can't get caught! No way! I'm not getting caught!' She told herself, praying that the police officers would leave soon. 'I have a dream to fulfill!'
One of the policemen wiped sweat off his forehead with one hand, his boots crushing the orange leaves underneath, making a crinkly sound. "Man, this Amara girl's a sneaky one. She's only thirteen, right? How can she evade us so easily?" He asked in an exhausted voice.
"I don't know," Another policeman replied, putting a hand on his hat to make sure it didn't fall in front of his eyes. "Her parents are probably mighty worried. I would be too if my kid ran away."
"How old is your daughter again?"
"She's turnin' nine this year. One more year and she'll be ready to get her own pokemon, if she wants."
"That's wonderful! Are you gonna let her go on a journey?"
"I'd like to wait until she's about eighteen or so, when she knows enough about the world. But in the end, it is her choice."
Amara remained silent as a pichu, even as prickly pines poked the skin on her arms, leaving little round marks. Before long, her eyes grew heavy, and everything went black. Too much walking throughout the day left her tired, and her body was begging for her to sleep, and thus, sleep made the decision for her.
The black night sky was adorned with stars by the time the children finally managed to reach Ecruteak City. Dots of yellow or white lights lit up from the windows of many houses nearby. The Pokemon Center was entirely lit up, probably to show trainers that it was there in case they were weary from traveling. It was good they came when they did, because they were tired, hungry, and covered in grass and grime. The first thing the kids did was give their pokemon to Nurse Joy so she could take care of them.
"Man, I thought we'd never get here!" Caiseal laid down on a red leather cushion, stretching his legs out. Too much walking make his legs feel like they were being pulled by a rice picker. Perrine wiped some dirt off of her white stockings, and Julia stretched her arms out.
"Indeed!" Julia added. "I'm glad we made it before seven. I need a shower. Bad," Tiny green leaves stuck out from parts of her hair, which she was quick to pull out.
"Ecruteak gym is right around the corner," Perrine mused out loud. "I can't wait to go and battle Morty!"
Julia tilted her head to one side, glancing at Perrine with a confused expression. "Morty? Is that the gym leader?"
"Yeah. His real name is Mortimer Prieto. He uses ghost types, but three of them are part poison type, too," Perrine explained.
Poison types. A shiver ran down Julia's spine. "I-I-I'm gonna go call my parents!" She walked over to the screen phone and punched in her house number. Static flickered across the screen for a moment before it materialized, projecting an image of her father's oval shaped head, thick glasses, light blue eyes, and dark brown hair. She could see that he was wearing a bright red shirt.
"Julia! Hey there, slick!" Truman's merry voice exclaimed with a hearty laugh. "It's been a long time!"
"Hi, Dad."
"You look well! Achoo!" He let out a sneeze. The cold air tickled the hair in his nostrils, and he scratched his nose with one finger to get rid of the itch. "Excuse me. How's your journey going, dear? Your mother tells me you're going on a pokemon catching spree!"
Julia chuckled at the sound of that. "It's been going great. I'm in Ecruteak City right now."
The chubby man's eyes widened further. "Ecruteak! Goodness, you went that far?!" His mouth made an O shape as he expressed his shock. But his smile returned just as instantly. "My oh my. I remember the days when you wouldn't go anywhere past the front or backyard."
"How are my pokemon doing?"
"If you mean Aqua, Papillon, and Neji, they're doing very well. They're quite happy playing in the backyard with the others," Truman explained, scratching his head with a laugh. As soon as he said that, Julia happened to notice Papillon floating right past Truman, holding a salmon colored towel in its hands. "But that scyther you caught doesn't seem to be real social. All it does is sit underneath a tree."
"I see. She probably needs some time to get used to you."
"Do you want me to send her over?"
"Not now," Julia answered. "But I have decided to name her Lavinia."
"Wow. That's really pretty. By the way, I deposited some more money into your bank account, so you should still have a hefty amount in there," This is where Truman adopted a serious expression. "Don't spend it on anything you don't need! Especially stuffed animals!"
"I won't, Dad!"
"Oh! That reminds me! You know the company I work for, right? Magcargo Express?" Truman said. "We specialize in storing and delivering things. I figure since your new bag might not be able to hold a whole lot of stuff, you can call me by my assigned number and I can send someone to pick it up for you, then I can take it home so it'll be safe."
"Wow! That'd be great! What's the number?" Julia pulled out her PokeGear so she could put the number in. Truman told her the number, and she pressed the buttons needed to put it in. Bling! Magcargo Express, specifically Truman's number, was registered into the phone. "Thanks!"
"You're welcome dear," A friendly smile touched Truman's round face. "I'm glad everything's been going well on your end. Your mother told me you made a friend. Is that true."
"Yep! Her name's Perrine, and she's been nothing but great since I met her in Union Cave!" Truman's smile grew longer. Julia could see a tear creep out from one of his eyes. "Did I...say something wrong?"
Caiseal found himself walking toward the screen phone, standing by the side so her father wouldn't see him. "No no. It's just...I'm so happy. I know you've always wanted friends but it's always been hard for you to make friends. I remember you would come home from school crying sometimes and say things like 'Nobody likes me!' or 'Everyone hates me!' and 'No matter what I do, nobody wants to be my friend!' Seeing you cry always broke my heart," Truman wiped the tear away. "Now look at you! You made a friend and you're even battling pokemon gyms!"
The brown haired girl knew why Truman only said friend. Perrine was the only friend they knew of. As much as Julia thought about it, she wasn't sure if she considered Caiseal her friend. They liked pokemon, but they just seemed too different. Caiseal was blunt, impatient, and didn't always know when to tread lightly, whereas Julia at least tried to spare people's feelings, even if it didn't always go well. The stinging feeling of being called a liar was still strong in her mind. "Mom told you that last part, didn't she?"
"Yes, she did," Aqua popped up on the screen right then and there. She beamed upon seeing her trainer's face, and squealed happily, along with waving her stubby hands. "Marill marill!"
"Hi, Aqua! Are you being a good girl?"
The blue mouse nodded. "Marill mar!"
"By the way…"
"Hm?"
"Have you run into Amara by any chance?" Truman's cheerful smile morphed into a frown. Julia told him about her encounter with her in Goldenrod. He didn't say a word all throughout the conversation. "I see…well, I'm glad you're both doing okay."
"Dad!" Julia balled her fist. "I'll make sure to teach her a lesson and bring her back! She can't keep treating you guys like this forever!"
"Actually...I don't think you should push it."
"Huh? Why not?"
"You know how Amara is. Stubborn, willful, thinks she knows everything when she really doesn't. I don't approve of what she's done, but...maybe this will be good for her," Truman explained. "I think we should let her figure things out on her own. We all know she's tired of our nagging. A whole lot of good that did anyway," Before he could go on, he noticed the time. "Oh! I better let you go. You're probably tired. Let me or your mother know if you need anything or just want to talk. Okay?"
Julia nodded. Already, her heart grew warm upon hearing her father's voice. "I love you, Dad. Tell everyone I said hi."
"I will, and I love you too, sweetie. Be careful. Eat healthy foods and use your money wisely!" With that, the screen turned off.
Caiseal turned around, facing the pristine tile floors beneath his feet, balling his hands into fists. A pang of jealousy shot through his heart, and he pressed his lips firmly together in order to stop himself from saying something he would regret. First Perrine, then Julia. They have good families. Parents that love and care for them, happy to even see their faces. Why couldn't his parents be like that?
"Don't come here anymore," The deep, hoarse voice of a man echoed in his mind. "I can't have your mother know that I'm talking to you. I can't deal with her getting more upset."
All he could do was bang his fist on the nearest wall. It wasn't so hard that it made everyone in the room hear it and turn in his direction, but it certainly made Julia whip her head around to face him. "Caiseal?" Her eyes were like saucers, and Caiseal looked down to see the surprised girl right beneath him. "You scared me!"
"Sorry. I didn't...mean to…" Caiseal muttered sheepishly. Julia could hear the remorse in his voice.
Right then, Nurse Joy paged for the three kids, as their pokemon were completely healed. Their stomachs all growled in a perfect chorus, so they figured they could grab a late dinner before crashing for the night. Truman did tell Julia to eat healthy foods, so she decided to try some chicken dumplings with broccoli, white rice, and corn. Perrine ordered lasagna, and Caiseal ordered a calzone. Oddly enough, Mallow popped out of Caiseal's pokeball and sniffed a piece of the calzone.
"You want some?" Caiseal asked.
"Bone bone!" Mallow nodded.
"Alright. It's hot, so be careful," Caiseal gave Mallow a plastic fork he could use, and the ground pokemon ate a good chunk of the calzone.
"What is a calzone, exactly?" Julia asked. "I've never seen one before."
"They're basically like pizza, only they're folded up, kinda like a taco," Perrine explained.
"Ohhhh. I get it."
"Hey, Julia," Caiseal said, catching her attention.
"Hm?"
"You said you can understand pokemon, right? Ask Mallow here a question."
Julia wasn't sure what to think. Was Caiseal interested in understanding her? Did he feel bad about calling her a liar? Or was he trying to set her up and then laugh at her? Julia wasn't sure what he wanted. As much as she wanted him to understand, she knew very well that there were people who just couldn't or refused to understand no matter what. "Like what?"
"Anything. Something about me or them that you don't know," Caiseal replied.
"Alright then," Upon further reflection, this could be her chance. "Hey, Mallow! Where is Caiseal from?"
The cubone stopped eating and told Julia. "Mallow says you're from Blackthorn City. In the Dragonmark neighborhood. He says you used to live on some street called Lanceros Avenue."
Caiseal's plastic fork slipped out of his hand, bouncing on the table, right into the tomato sauce. His mouth fell open. His blue eyes grew large like saucers, like he saw a ghost. "...That's correct," That was all he could mutter.
"Hey, Mallow! What's Caiseal's favorite food?"
"Bone bone cubone!"
"Ewww!" Julia's face contorted with disgust before turning to Caiseal. "You like mushrooms on your pizza? They're poisonous!"
"Cooked mushrooms aren't poisonous," Perrine clarified.
"I...never told you I liked pizza with mushrooms," Caiseal said.
"You didn't," Julia pointed to the cubone. "Mallow did."
"Bone bone!"
A heavy silence fell on the group after that, indicating that the conversation was over. Caiseal was the first to finish dinner. "I'm gonna take a shower," Caiseal mused before leaving with a grim look on his face. Julia could see that Caiseal ambled out of the dining area, like someone had sucked the energy right out of him.
"Did I...say something I shouldn't have?"
"No, you didn't," Perrine told her reassuringly. "He's probably having a hard time believing it. He'll come around when he's ready. But why is it that whenever something happens, you ask if it's your fault?"
Julia found herself shivering and folded her arms up right as Tokiko took a bite out of a chicken dumpling. Hikaru treated herself to some white rice. "Because usually when I say or do something that I shouldn't or something weird, they usually get mad and yell. Kids at my school used to pick on me a lot, and that teacher I told you about would yell at me for just about anything, even when I wasn't doing anything!" Julia explained. "I just...I always feel like I make people mad all the time even when I don't mean to. Mom and Dad say I tend to say or do things that are...inappropriate, I think."
"It happens," Perrine put a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder. "I know you're not a bad person. If you were, I wouldn't be hanging out with you, and everyone says or does things that are kinda off the ball. Heck, when I was little, I used to pick my nose and eat the snot!"
"Ewwww! Gross!"
The pokemon got a good kick out of that and found themselves roaring with laughter. Even Kitsune couldn't hold back her giggle fit. Their merry chattering helped lighten the mood a little. With that, the kids found themselves taking showers and preparing for bed. Caiseal was the other room next door, all by himself, as he didn't want to sleep in a room with two girls. It was only to respect their privacy. He didn't want to be seen as a licentious creep or a pervert. No way.
All of his pokemon slept in the bed across from his. He had always kept them in their pokeballs. But Julia had told him that she likes to keep her pokemon out so as to spend more time with them. He wondered if maybe he could do the same. 'My pokemon...are the only ones I can trust with my whole heart. At least pokemon don't lie to you or use you for their own gain,' This was what he believed. With that thought in mind, the darkness creeped over him, taking him away from reality.
"Goodness…" Nurse Joy and a chansey found themselves stumped. They stood before a silver machine next to the screen phone that had a hole on the bottom. It was the Pokemon Transporter, for when trainers wanted to rotate their pokemon. But a grey spring protruded out from one part of it. "I sure am glad no trainers used it lately. I wonder when Bill will be here?"
"Chansey…"
Speak of the devil, a young man in his late teens or early twenties at best came moseying into the Pokemon Center. He had a ruffled head of brown hair that resembled a pidgey's nest, light, apricot colored skin, and small brown eyes a darker shade than his hair. He was wearing a clean white shirt with a periwinkle blue tie, green trousers, and matching shoes. Resting in his hand was a small red toolbox.
"Howdy, Nurse Joy! Lovely evenin', ain't it? I got'cher message!" The man greeted her with a very thick southern accent.
"Bill!" Nurse Joy was quick to escort him over to the machine. "Thank you so much for coming. I'm sorry for calling you this late at night."
"Ain't nothin' to be ashamed about, ma'am! So what seems to be the problem here?" He kneeled before the Pokemon Transporter and noticed the spring. Before Nurse Joy could tell him what the problem was, he was already at work, opening a panel and using a screwdriver on some part of it. Nurse Joy and her chansey weren't experts on how to fix a Pokemon Transporter, so they weren't sure how he could do it. But he did create it, so he could probably fix it, as well.
"Ahhhh. No wonder it ain't workin'!" Bill exclaimed. "This here fuse sizzled out like a candlelight!" He pulled out a small, glass cylinder and immediately replaced the other one. As soon as he closed the steel panel, a red light flashed. "Done and done! Should be right as rain now!"
"Thanks so much, Bill!" Nurse Joy shook his hand gratefully.
"Anytime, ma'am. Actually…" Bill let out an awkward laugh as he scratched his big mullet. "I have another reason for comin' here."
"What is it?"
Bill put two fingers in his mouth and made a high pitched whistling sound. Two small, fluffy pokemon scuttled into the lounge. They both had light brown fur with their necks covered with cream colored manes, large black eyes, four legs, and big fluffy tails with beige tips. "Eevee!" The two pokemon found themselves standing right next to Bill's legs.
"Goodness!" Nurse Joy exclaimed, her hand almost flying to her mouth. "A pair of Eevee!"
"Chansey!"
"I hate to burden ya with more work, but I found these two critters huddled underneath mah porch in my house in Goldenrod," Bill explained. "They dun seem to belong to any trainers, and the Pokemon Center in Goldenrod had some problems, so I wanted to see if maybe you could take'em off mah hands."
The two eevees' ears twitched upon hearing those last words, as though they could understand what he was saying. "I ain't no pokemon trainer, and I got a lot on my plate already. But I couldn't just leave'em on the street, y'know? There's been poachers lurkin' around, and since Eevee are rare, I dun want'em ta get hurt or killed, y'see?"
Nurse Joy kneeled down to the two eevee and cradled them in her arms. Their fur was cold like ice, probably from the night air. "Leave it to me, Bill. I'll see what I can do for these little friends," One eevee glared at her, while the other one simply nuzzled against her breast lovingly. With that, the two parted ways, and Nurse Joy put the two eevee in a separate room for them to rest. It was time for her to go to sleep as well.
What she didn't know was that one of the windows was open. It wasn't opened all the way, but enough for an eevee to crawl through. As soon as Nurse Joy left, one eevee fell asleep, with the other inspecting the room around them. It was dark, with no light in sight aside from the moon. But the eevee did see a set of boxes stacked against the wall, right underneath the window. He looked right at the piece of sky cut into a square.
'I can't take her with me forever…' The eevee thought to himself, looking over at his sleeping friend. 'She's too fragile. She may not be able to survive in this cruel world. I'd rather her be happy, should something happen to me,' He told himself. This was no time to sit around. He leaped off the bed, onto the boxes, and crawled right out of the window.
What he didn't know was that a scalpel fell to the ground, its clattering sound pulling the other eevee out of her beauty sleep. Her friend was gone. Where was he? She looked out the window. With gusto in her heart, she also climbed up the boxes, clumsily knocking one down as soon as she crawled out the window.
Thus, they disappeared into the night.
"NO!"
A shout from next door pulled Julia right out of dreamland. She sat up like a jack-in-a-box. The walls were thin, so she could hear the scream clearly. It didn't help that said scream came right next door. Even Hikaru was unceremoniously awakened by the scream. She had no time to get ready for the day or adjust her eyes to the morning light. But...Caiseal was screaming. He might need someone. Something must have happened. Julia flung a robe over herself, stormed out of her room, and burst through Caiseal's room.
Caiseal was thrashing in his bed, crying loudly. Tears were streaming out of his eyes, dripping onto his pillows. "Caiseal!" Julia ran over and shook him with her hands. "Caiseal, what's wrong?"
"I thought...I thought you loved me!" Caiseal wailed to no one in particular. All of his pokemon huddled in a corner, sans Apollo and Mallow, who joined in to shake Caiseal out of whatever dream he was having.
"Cubone bone!"
"Quilava!"
"Caiseal! Come on! Wake up!"
The blonde boy's eyes flung open, and he sat up so fast, Mallow fell off of the bed. "Wah?!" Julia found herself startled by his sudden awakening, and took a step back to give him some space. Apollo and Mallow did the same. Caiseal found himself breathing heavily, like he had been drowning underwater and managed to reach the surface. Once he calmed down, he took a better look at his surroundings. "Julia? What are you doing here?"
"Sorry! I heard you screaming and thought maybe something happened," Julia told him. Mallow and Apollo nodded in agreement. "Were you...having a nightmare?"
"Sorta. Yeah," He whispered.
"What was it about? Do you...want to talk about it?"
He gave her a glare before shouting, "Mind your own business!" With that, he curled up in the blanket and buried himself in the bed.
Julia's face burned. Her worry morphed into anger. Friends looked out for each other. She worried her head off over him and this was how he treated her? "You could have said no thank you, y'know! I was worried about you, Caiseal!" She grumpily stomped out of the room with Hikaru following her.
What a way to start the day.
After the kids had breakfast, Perrine brought up the gym challenge. "We might as well get going. We might miss Mr. Morty if we get to the gym too late," Perrine said.
"How far is the gym from here?" Julia asked.
Caiseal pulled out his PokeGear. "According to this map, the Ecruteak gym is about ten blocks from here on foot."
The sun shone its light down on the old looking city, making it easier for the kids to get a better look at it. The ground beneath them was entirely made of stone, so every step they took was bumpy, not in any way smooth whatsoever. All of the houses around them were large, also made of stone, with orange roofs that didn't look as though they were made of modern tiles. Julia wasn't sure what they were made of, but she liked how they looked. Looming over the entire city was a ten tiered tower with hooked roofs, standing taller than even Sprout Tower. It seemed to be able to reach toward the heavens.
Next to it was a smaller building that was covered in black soot. Some broken wood beams protruded from the opening in the roof. It stood on a tall hill, also covered in soot, with a set of stairs leading to the entrance. There was no vegitation around it whatsoever. Some wooden beams sat on the corner, dormant. They didn't look as though anyone touched them for years. Streetlights dotted the sidewalks and corners, currently unlit since it was daytime right now. Curled up leaves in bright colors lined the areas. Orange, red, light brown.
"Awwww man!" They made it to the gym, but found themselves disappointed. A white sign hung on the door, with red marker spelling out the words, 'CLOSED. Won't be back until later. Doing important research.' "He's not here?!" Caiseal complained. "I can't believe this!"
"I really wanted to battle him today, too," Perrine agreed.
"It's okay!" Julia chirruped. "This means we can do some training before we can battle him!" She held up her index finger. "They say good things come to those who wait."
"Yeah, well, I don't wanna wait," Caiseal replied petulantly.
In spite of their disappointment, Julia did raise a valid point. It always pays to be prepared. As they were leaving the gym, however, the bushes next to them rustled. The kids froze in place. "What was that?" Perrine asked. Hikaru was quick to adopt a battle stance.
"Pichu!"
Out from the bush came two brown pokemon. One of them was dragging the other one by its tail, right across the street. The pokemon it was dragging had fresh cuts and scratches on its fur. There was a particularly large splotch of red blood on its cream colored mane. "Oh my goodness!" Julia ran over to the unconscious pokemon. "You're hurt!" The uninjured pokemon simply looked up at Julia with pleading eyes.
"Vee…"
"Whoa! Those are eevee!" Caiseal exclaimed. "They're super rare!"
Perrine pulled out her PokeDex, right as Julia pulled out a potion. "Eevee, the evolution pokemon. Eevee is a particularly rare pokemon with an unstable and irregular genetic makeup that, upon mutation, allows it to adapt to any kind of environment. Because of this, it is able to evolve into at least eight different pokemon depending on its environment and circumstances. It can also evolve if it is exposed to radiation from certain stones," A female sign flashed up when Perrine held the PokeDex over the injured eevee. A male sign appeared when holding it over the uninjured one.
Julia sprayed one of the eevee's wounds with her potion, and it went away within seconds. "This is my last potion," She mused worriedly.
"Pichu!"
"Vee!" The uninjured eevee squeaked. "Eevee eevee ee!" All of a sudden, it turned around and scurried away.
"Wait!" Before anyone could chase it, the eevee had already outran them. But she was quick to scoop the injured eevee in her arms. "We're taking this one to the Pokemon Center!"
Without a word, the kids ran back to the Pokemon Center and handed the injured eevee to Nurse Joy. "My! That's one of the eevee that escaped from here last night!" Nurse Joy exclaimed upon taking it out from Julia's hands.
"Escaped?"
Nurse Joy took the eevee into the back room where she could take care of her. After about fifteen minutes, Nurse Joy came out from the room with a smile. "The eevee is going to be okay!"
Julia let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."
"What do you mean when you said it escaped?" Perrine asked.
"A friend of mine dropped these two off. I think they might have been abandoned by a trainer or something. I don't know for sure," Nurse Joy began. "I took them into the back room so I could let them sleep for the night. But when I woke up and went to check on them, they were gone. But it was my fault they escaped. I didn't close a window all the way down."
The chansey walked over to Nurse Joy and put a reassuring hand on her arm. "Chansey chansey!"
It was here that the female eevee walked past the chansey, cautiously approaching the kids with a curious, interested look on her face. Her long ears twitched upon meeting Julia face to face. The brown haired girl kneeled down to the eevee's level. "Hello. Are you feeling better?" She asked in a low, soft voice so as to not scare the little thing.
"Eevee…" The eevee sniffed Julia's hand for just a moment.
"You were hurt really bad. Want to tell me what happened?"
Immediately, the eevee began squeaking. Julia nodded a few times so she could listen. "So...you and your best friend escaped from Team Rocket after you got kidnapped. Your friend tried to leave you here but you went with him, and some girl with a croconaw and a bunch of other pokemon attacked you," She translated.
A girl with a croconaw. Could it be…?
Two young men suddenly scrambled into the Pokemon Center. One of them was Bill. His hair looked more disheveled than ever, with strands flying out of place, like someone tried to pull his hair out. His tie had come undone, there were fresh tears in his white shirt, and a fresh scab was on his arm. The blonde haired man behind him didn't have a scratch on him. His big purple headband held his hair back, but his brown eyes were brimming with surprise, like he had seen a ghost. He was wearing a black sweater with purple bracelets on his wrists, a scarf painted red at the ends, white pants, and purple and red shoes.
"Arceus almighty! We're safe!" Bill wailed.
"Bill! Pull yourself together, man!" The other man told him, holding him up by the arm.
"Bill!" Nurse Joy ran over to the disheveled Bill. "What happened to you?"
"It was awful, ma'am! Mighty awful!"
The blonde haired man stood up and did the talking, seeing as Bill was in no condition to do so. Caiseal whispered to Julia, "That's Morty, the gym leader."
"Seriously?!" Julia yelped, but kept her voice at a low level. Nurse Joy put Bill on a chair so he could calm down and regain his composure.
"A female trainer came and attacked us out of nowhere. She had a croconaw and other pokemon, too," Morty explained in a calm, collected voice. He sounded as though he were nearing thirty. "She was trying to catch an eevee that Bill left with you. We tried to stop her, as we know she's on the Blacklist, but she defeated us in no time flat."
The blacklist. That only further confirmed it.
"Do you know where she went?" Nurse Joy asked.
"I saw her...heading to Brass Tower…" Morty replied. "But it's too dangerous over there! Not only that, the legendary beasts are there! If she hurts them-"
"Hey! Julia!" The girl, her pichu, and the eevee suddenly raced out of the Pokemon Center. Caiseal lurched forward to try and grab her, but she had already outrun him. "Come back!"
Uuuuugh. I am sooooo angry at myself. I studied for my Japanese midterm, but...I got a 32! A freaking thirty two! I NEVER get grades that low! I even studied, too! Oh well. My grade is still decent overall, so I can bring it back up if I put in the effort. I hate school.
And yes, there's gonna be another point 5 chapter. I always plan chapters out, only to end up making them into two chapters so I don't feel like I'm dragging said chapter out. Sorry, guys! Then again, some people did say my pacing is a bit brisk, so maybe this'll help.
Random fact: I'm giving the Gym Leaders last names so as to make them feel more human. For example: Falkner Uccello, Tsukushi "Bugsy" Morimushi, Whitney Blanche, Lance Cipris, Mortimer "Morty" Prieto. I kinda make sure to give them surnames that associate them with their type preferences, or something about them in general to make them feel more alive.
Julia's Party:
Hikaru (Shiny Pichu, Female, Jolly Nature)
Ability: Static
Attacks: Thundershock, Disarming Voice, Sweet Kiss, Tail Whip
Tokiko (Togepi, Female, Hardy Nature)
Ability: Serene Grace
Attacks: Extrasensory, Headbutt, Dazzling Gleam, Protect
Tsubasa (Pidgeotto, Female, Naughty Nature)
Ability: Keen Eye
Attacks: Tackle, Quick Attack, Wing Attack, Twister
Saoirse (Snubbull, Female, Gentle Nature)
Ability: Intimidate
Attacks: Ice Fang, Bite, Lick, and Scary Face
Ladybug (Ledyba, Female, Timid Nature)
Ability: Early Bird
Attacks: Tackle, Comet Punch, Flash, and Safeguard
Blossom (Oddish, Female, Docile Nature)
Ability: Chlorophyll
Attacks: Acid, Poison Powder, Stun Spore, and Mega Drain
Perrine's Party:
Kitsune (Vulpix, Female, Quiet Nature)
Ability: Flash Fire
Attacks: Flamethrower, Extrasensory, Confuse Ray, and Faint Attack
Florian (Chikorita, Male, Gentle Nature)
Ability: Overgrow
Attacks: Razor Leaf, Tackle, Growl, and Poison Powder
Fuwari (Skiploom, Female, Relaxed Nature)
Ability: Leaf Guard
Attacks: Tackle, Fairy Wind, Bullet Seed, and Sleep Powder
Chirin (Mareep, Male, Adamant Nature)
Ability: Static
Attacks: Thundershock, Charge, Cotton Spore, and Tackle
Baloo (Jigglypuff, Female, Docile Nature)
Ability: Cute Charm
Attacks: Sing, Wake-Up Slap, Disarming Voice, and Round
Fukuro (Hoothoot, Male, Sassy Nature)
Ability: Tinted Lens
Attacks: Confusion, Peck, Hypnosis, and Echoed Voice
Caiseal's Party:
Mallow (Cubone, Male, Lax Nature)
Ability: Lightning Rod
Attacks: Bonemerang, Bone Club, Headbutt, Growl
Apollo (Quilava, Male, Bold Nature)
Ability: Blaze
Attacks: Flame Wheel, Tackle, Quick Attack, and Smokescreen
Flippy (Quagsire, Female, Jolly Nature)
Ability: Damp
Attacks: Water Gun, Mud Bomb, Mud Slap, and Slam)
Ravenclaw (Murkrow, Female, Hardy Nature)
Ability: Super Luck
Attacks: Wing Attack, Night Shade, Dark Pulse, and Haze
Viole (Oddish, Male, Quirky Nature)
Ability: Chlorophyll
Attacks: Acid, Stun Spore, Sleep Powder, and Sweet Scent
Geo (Geodude, Male, Brave Nature)
Ability: Sturdy
Attacks: Tackle, Rock Throw, Rock Polish, and Defense Curl