Chapter 28: Old Friends, Renewed Connections
Before any of her friends awoke from their slumber, Julia was already alert and awake, sitting at the Pokemon Transporter machine next to the video phone, talking to her father. Aqua began missing Papillon and Neji and wanted to go back home for now. Julia requested that her father send Lucretia over so Aqua could be sent to the Parisa house to hang out with Papillon, Neji, and the others. It took a few seconds, but to the Parisa Ranch Aqua went, and Lucretia's pokeball came in her place. She crept back into her room and left a note for Perrine, letting her know that she was out and about the city.
Oddly enough, the sun was completely blocked off by thick, grey clouds that seemed to spell rain. But so far, Julia didn't feel any rain drops, and nobody else had their umbrellas out. Still, the beautiful beachside town seemed to lose its cheerful, happy atmosphere. But people were still running around to and fro, so that didn't change. Julia walked into the district where there were lots of stores, with Saoirse and Lucretia trotting behind happily. Street lights were still lit, as even though it was light out, the clouds darkened the city a lot, and any passing cars would need to see where they were going.
"Wow. It sure is dreary out," Julia mused, looking up at the clouds. Since it wasn't bright out, her eyes didn't naturally produce tears like they usually did when the sun was out.
"Eevee eevee," Lucretia agreed, twitching her nose to smell any disturbances in the air. It didn't smell heavy, so there seemed to be no sign of rain.
"Oh well. I kinda like it like this," Julia said as she scooped Saoirse into her arms.
"Snubbull?" ("How come?") Saoirse asked, looking up at her trainer with a curious look in her eyes, wanting to know more.
"Well…" Julia wasn't sure how to explain her autism to her pokemon. Better yet, she herself barely had a grasp on its complicated concepts. But she did manage to scrape together an explanation that she hoped would at least satiate their curiosity. "When the sun's out, it gets really really bright, and my mom says that if you stare at the sun, you'll go blind. My eyes are especially sensitive to really bright lights, and I often feel like I'm being blinded, even though others can deal with it just fine."
Lucretia suddenly began jumping up and down like she heard great news. "Eevee eevee!" ("I know the feeling! That happens to me, too!") Lucretia squeaked.
A smile touched the girl's face. "I don't mind if it's nice out, but if it's too bright, I feel like I have to squint every time I go out," Julia explained further. Saoirse closed her eyes, looking happy with her trainer's explanation. "So...is there any place you want to go? There's lots to see here."
Both pokemon didn't seem to have an answer. Julia shrugged, figuring that Lucretia didn't get to spend much time here and that Saoirse was too focused on battling to do sightseeing. That was okay. They had their chance now, so they took the time to walk around. All of a sudden, Saoirse found herself staring at a large window leading into a dress shop. Something bright, crimson red caught her eyes, and the pink bulldog's mouth fell open, in awe of what was on display.
"Snubbull snubbull!" Saoirse suddenly exclaimed, waving her arms up and down.
"Whoa! What's up, Saoirse?" Julia asked out loud. It wasn't like her friend to shout like that. She looked up, realizing they were in front of a dress shop. The purple, glowing letters read Beau Boutique de Olivine. Kalosian for The Beautiful Olivine Boutique.
Saoirse's eyes were completely glued to a cute, crimson red dress draped on a small white mannequin. The hem of the skirt was lined with two-tiered frills, accompanied by translucent lace with flowers embroidered all over it. The sleeves were small but puffy, and a small lace collar circled around the neckline. Next to the mannequin were two matching ribbons with tiny, flower shaped jewels giving them a neat, sophisticated air to them.
"You like that, Saoirse?" Julia asked, but immediately realized that was redundant. The intense way Saoirse stared at the dress with her eyes large and curious told her that her friend definitely liked that dress. "It does look cute. It kind of looks like a dress that babies could wear."
However, what Saoirse said right afterward sent the trainer for a loop. Saoirse pointed to the dress and told her trainer, without hesitation, "Snubbull snubbull!" ("I want that dress, please!")
"Huh? You want that?" Julia asked out loud, finding herself aghast for a moment. She looked at the dress, then at Saoirse, then back at the dress. The girl had no plans on going in a dress shop for anything. She was never one to fuss over clothes for hours like her peers, and she especially hated dresses and skirts. But why would Saoirse ask for a dress? Dressing up pokemon wasn't exactly uncommon, but her dear snubbull was never one to ask for anything. "Why do you want it?" She asked.
"Snub snubbull snubbull snubbull snub," ("I think it's pretty, and I've always wanted to wear human clothes.") Saoirse answered, flapping her arms up and down.
That last statement made Julia's mouth fall open. Saoirse had always wanted to wear human clothes? Since when? Saoirse had never told her such a thing. She wanted to refuse, saying that there was no need for something as superfluous as a little red dress. They could easily get dirty while they were on their journey, and the money her father saved up for her was only to be used for important things, like food, water, potions, and other bare necessities. Julia crept closer to the window, getting a closer look at the price tag. It read $30. It seemed affordable, but was it necessary?
Even with these thoughts in her head, Saoirse gazed longingly at the dress, like she wanted it dearly. Julia thought that Saoirse was imagining herself wearing it. Her friend didn't need to say anything in order to convey her want for that dress. The snubbull was always so quiet and so sweet, never making a fuss and hardly asking for anything. She was always a good little snubbull. Just thinking about what Julia put this little snubbull through...perhaps maybe Saoirse deserved a little treat. After all, Julia wasn't going to be the one to wear the dress.
Something that her mother said to her one time echoed through her mind. "Julia? I understand you don't like dresses or skirts, especially the short ones kids like them wear. But just because they wear them doesn't mean they're bad people, and you shouldn't say that they shouldn't wear what they want because you don't like it. It doesn't cast you in a good light. Would you like it if someone told you not to wear pokemon shirts because they didn't like it?"
Julia sighed. Her mother was right. Saoirse deserved to be happy. Putting her grievances aside, she said, "Okay. We can go try it on and see if it fits. If it doesn't, we can't get it," Julia told her, offering the option of a compromise. "But if we do, it's the only thing we'll buy in there. Mom and Dad say we have to only spend money for things we need. Okay?"
The bulldog pokemon nodded without complaint, satisfied with the compromise her trainer offered. "Snubbull!" ("Got it!") Julia could see her friend smiling and clapping her little hands together like a kid in a candy store. The sight made the girl giggle.
With that, Julia pushed through the door and went inside. A small bell jingled, letting the cashier know that a customer had come in. Neither Julia nor the cashier said a word as the former walked over to the dress in question. Lucretia followed from behind, staying close to keep within her trainer's line of sight. Julia gently placed the snubbull on the floor to let her walk around.
"Hello!" A dark haired employee greeted them with a smile. "Is there anything I can help you with?" She asked.
"My snubbull wants to wear this dress," Julia replied, focusing her gaze on the woman's low ponytail, averting her eyes. The woman, whose name tag read Brittany, glanced at the red dress.
"I see. We have a few of those in stock. Can I see your snubbull please? I want to check if we have some in her size," Brittany told her. Saoirse turned to face her and curtseyed. "Awwww, how cute!" The employee cooed as she took out some measuring tape and coiled it around the bulldog's body. Julia watched as her friend remained calm and collected the whole time. The trainer always hated it when people would check her measurements. To her, it always felt like an invasion of privacy, and they'd always get in her personal space. She couldn't help but wonder how Saoirse could stay so calm.
"Alright. We definitely have one in her size," Brittany wasted no time ambling a row of small dresses, pulling it and the hair ribbons out. "The fitting room's this way."
"Thank you," The woman escorted the girl to the fitting room. Julia didn't go in, as she didn't know how to put a dress on a pokemon, so she let Brittany do it, figuring she was more experienced with it. She sat down on a small chair, right next to the door, and Lucretia curled up on her lap. Two older women came into the shop, browsing around looking at dresses in their size.
"Ohhhh! This one is pretty!"
"You'd look like a star in that!"
Julia looked around the shop. She saw nothing but beautiful clothes: dresses, skirts, kimonos, qipaos, hanbok, and others in all shapes, sizes, lengths, and colors. Pinks, purples, blues, yellows, reds, almost all the colors of the rainbow. Dresses with frills, lace, collars, puffed sleeves, sleeveless ones, velvet dresses, and denim miniskirts that were so short, Julia had to wonder how anyone could walk in them without fearing that someone might see their underwear. Yet here she was, wearing just a sleeveless yellow shirt, soft brown shorts, and her favorite blue sneakers, the soles covered in dirt from so much traveling.
It wasn't the first time she felt isolated and out of place in places like this. Then again, Julia always considered herself average in looks, plain in appearance, yet somehow she stuck out even in places she thought she could blend in. Whether it was a dress shop or those trendy places where Amara always dragged her to whenever she wanted to make herself look edgy and cool, she always felt as though she was an alien on a human planet, and everyone around her seemed to think so.
Voices from the past echoed.
"Why don't you ever wear a dress or a skirt? You wonder why no one likes you."
"Instead of reading every book in the library, you'd be way more popular if you had pretty dresses or skirts."
"Do you ever wear anything that doesn't make you look like a two-year-old?"
"A girl should always care about her appearance! If you keep acting like that, you'll never get married! People will even say you're not a real girl!"
Not only the way she dressed, it seemed everything about her warranted someone to make some comment about her, whether to her face or to her parents. She even heard someone even say that saying she didn't like: If a nail sticks out, hammer it down. One would think that there wouldn't be some fancy way of telling her or others similar that they were freaks, weirdos, useless, that nobody liked them, or the world would be better off without them, that they need to be like others and aren't allowed to do things differently because that's expected of them. From wearing dresses to preferring the company of pokemon. Even when she did follow the rules, someone would always change things up and criticize her, and that was always the most confusing thing of all. Julia had never considered it wrong to be herself, but with every look, every insult, every joke, every whisper, every threat…was being herself really that bad in the eyes of others?
But the worst thing wasn't the looks, the insults, society's expectations, or even her own mixed up feelings about not being like everyone else no matter what she did or tried.
The worst thing was the possibility that maybe they might be right.
"Wow! Is that an Eevee?!" A chipper voice pulled Julia back to reality, but it came so suddenly that she let out a gasp and almost jumped out of the chair. Her heart stopped for a moment. She snapped her head up to see a girl about her own age looking down at her. Her pale, ash brown hair was tied into two diminutive braids that only stretched to the tips of her shoulders, and her deep blue eyes were full of surprise, probably from Julia's reaction. "Oh! Sorry! Did I scare you? Sorry!" The girl apologized.
"Uhh...it's okay," Julia waved her hand reassuringly, finding herself taking note of the girl's odd attire. She was wearing a short sleeved black shirt with a picture of a grey cross on it, a medium length black skirt that reached a little past her knees, matching boots, long socks with white stripes going across them, a silver belt on her waist, and a long sleeved red shirt that was unbuttoned. She looked at Lucretia with adoring eyes. "Yes, this is my Eevee. Her name's Lucretia."
"She is sooooo cute!" The girl cooed. "Can I pet her?"
"Sure. But be gentle. She's kinda bashful," Julia advised.
The girl with braids held her hand out, allowing Lucretia to gingerly creep up and sniff them. Her nose twitched a little before the girl's hand stroke her fur. Lucretia smiled as the girl rubbed her hand on her head, scratching her ears. Soon, the little eevee was rolling on her back, letting the girl stroke her belly. Julia was sure she could see hearts fluttering from the both of them.
"I've never seen a real Eevee in person before!"
"Really? You haven't?" Julia tilted her head to one side. She had known Eevee were rare Pokemon in the eyes of most people. They were hard to find in both Kanto and Johto. But she had grown up around some Eevee evolutions most of her life. "My mom has a Vaporeon."
"Alright!" Brittany suddenly popped out of the fitting room. Both girls stood up in surprise. Even Lucretia stopped to look at the store employee. "She's ready!"
Out from the fitting room came Saoirse, donning the red dress she adored, with matching ribbons tied to both of her floppy ears. She came marching out like a princess, curtseying with a polite bow. Both Julia and the braided girl melted.
"Sooooo cuuuuute!" They gushed.
"Snubbull snubbull!" ("I love it! I love it!") Saoirse warbled, waving her stubby arms at her trainer. "Snubbull?" ("Can we buy it, please?") She asked.
Julia picked her up. "Okay, we can get it. But this is all we're getting," Saoirse nodded as Brittany undid the buttons that held Saoirse's dress together. "Oh! I didn't know you could unbutton the whole thing!" Julia exclaimed.
"Lots of Pokemon clothes have buttons on the back to make sure they can be put on around the pokemon, rather than them just going through the collar," Brittany explained, showing Julia the buttons on the dress. "This is so Pokemon with large heads or body parts can be accommodated."
Julia and the braided girl found themselves in awe of this new revelation. Lucretia just let out a tired sigh, wondering what all the fuss was about. Julia paid for the dress dutifully as the braided girl bought something else. As soon as Julia was about to leave, her PokeGear rang and was quick to answer it. It was Perrine, wondering where she was. Julia disclosed her location, and Perrine said she and Caiseal will meet her there. Once she hung up, the girl with braids suddenly approached her again, her thin hands clasped together.
"Are you by any chance going to evolve your Eevee?" She asked excitedly. "I have a Fire Stone with me if you want to evolve her into a Flareon!"
The brown Pokemon's ears twitched upon hearing that, and she shook her head left and right. Julia got the message. "I think I'll let Lucretia decide what she wants to evolve into. But I appreciate the offer," She replied politely.
"Sure. You don't look like you're from around here," The girl noted, seeing how dirty Julia's sneakers were. "You're one of those Pokemon trainers who travel all around the region, right?"
"Sort of…" Julia replied nervously, averting the girl's gaze by looking down at her boots. "I-I-I'm Julia, by the way."
"The name's Chloe!" The braided girl, Chloe, introduced herself with unrestrained enthusiasm, her tiny braids bouncing with every movement she made. "Hey! We're both Pokemon trainers! How about we have a battle? I only just got my pokemon four weeks ago, so for all I know you might probably beat me," She scratched her hair with a laugh.
"I don't see why not-"
"Julia! There you are!" Perrine's voice made the two girls turn their heads down the street. Perrine and Caiseal raced to the entrance of the boutique, finally stopping once they caught up. The girl's orange hair was a mess, tangled and all over the place from running so much, and she bent over to try and catch her breath. All Caiseal did was cross his arms.
"You're at a dress shop?" Caiseal asked, giving his friend a curious but scrutinizing look. "You hate dresses."
"I know," Julia clarified. "But Saoirse wanted one," Saoirse nodded in agreement, affirming Julia's statement.
Finally, Perrine looked up. As soon as the orange haired girl caught her breath, Chloe's eyes suddenly widened, like she saw a sawsbuck get run over by a car, her mouth falling wide open. Perrine placed a hand on her own chest and said, "I'm glad you were close by. We should probably-"
Only to be interrupted by the braided girl suddenly shouting her name. "...Perrine?!"
Perrine met the braided girl's gaze, and found herself speechless. Caiseal and Julia found themselves dumbfounded. Soon, Perrine took a couple steps back, her entire being frozen with surprise. Finally, she blurted out, "C-C-C-Chloe?!"
They knew each other's names. Only one conclusion could be drawn from this. "Do you two know each other?" Julia asked.
"Of course we do!" Chloe suddenly whipped her head around to face Julia, her surprise morphing into cheer. "We used to go to the same school together! St. Goldenrod Girls' Academy!" She explained, her voice rising an octave. Julia's hands flew to her ears, as Chloe's voice wound up making her eardrums hurt a little. "You never told me you knew Perrine!"
"You never asked," Julia pointed out matter-of-factly.
"Oh. Right. Hehehe," Chloe laughed, embarrassed with herself. Good point.
"I…" After all this time being rendered silent, Perrine finally found her voice. "I...I didn't think I'd see you again."
"Me either!" Chloe suddenly took Perrine's hands into her own. "Oh my gosh, there's sooooo much we need to catch up on! Your friends can come with us, too! I'd love to hear about your adventures!"
"Sure thing," Caiseal added.
As soon as they got back to the Pokemon Center, Perrine and Chloe were suddenly locked in conversation only among themselves. Once Julia and Caiseal introduced themselves to the girl, they let the two girls dabble in their girl talk and catch up on old times. The two were pretty absorbed, not noticing anything around them as they palavered on and on. But Julia could tell that sometimes Perrine averted Chloe's gaze. She looked like she regretted something, but what was it?
"Your new friends seem really nice," Chloe's navy blue eyes glistened with joy, like sapphires.
"They are," Perrine replied sheepishly. "Umm...I didn't expect you to be in Olivine. Are you on a journey like I am?"
"No," Chloe explained, waving her hand. "After school ended, my dad got laid off. He found a better job here, so we moved."
"I see," Perrine looked down at her brown shoes. There was a subtle hole at the top of her shoe, just above where her big toe was. She wondered if she should buy new shoes. "I had no idea."
"By the way," Chloe leaned closer. "I heard that you ran away right after school ended. I figured you'd go on a pokemon journey, considering that's literally all you talked about, even when we were in school."
"Yeah. Dad wouldn't let me go, but I didn't listen," Perrine folded her hands together, continuing to avert Chloe's gaze. "I'm sorry if I worried you."
"I wasn't worried," Chloe told her. "But man, you should have seen all the police cars zipping around looking for you! Arceus, you'd think they were on a manhunt for some crazy serial killer!" She exclaimed, making exaggerated arm movements.
Perrine was unable to hold back a laugh. She could definitely imagine her father calling every police department in Johto, begging them to find her and treat her case like it made national headlines. Good thing he pulled back on that and his restrictions once they worked things out way back when. But she couldn't help but wonder...was anyone else worried about her, other than her parents? Chloe said she wasn't, but Perrine was sure she was lying. Even now, Chloe tapped her foot on the floor. She always did that when she lied, but didn't bring it up.
"But seriously," Chloe resumed speaking, toning her voice down. "I'm glad you're okay."
"Same with you," Perrine replied. "So...how are Tamron and Vanessa?"
"Are they old friends of yours?" Julia asked.
"Yeah," Perrine answered, with a twinge of sadness. Julia found herself speechless. Perrine had friends before she started her journey, but the way she talked about them...could things not have gone so well between them? Or was their friendship strained? Despite not wanting to meddle in their business, as it was Perrine's business only, her curiosity refused to let up.
"We lost contact after school ended," Chloe tightened one of the accessories that kept her braid in place, noticing it was somewhat loose. "But from what I hear, Tamron got pulled out of school and got put in another one. One less strict."
That was when Caiseal interrupted the conversation, saying, "You said you both went to St. Goldenrod Girls' Academy, right?" Both girls nodded in agreement, confirming what Chloe said earlier. "Isn't that school, like, super strict? As in, if you so much as talk in class nuns beat you with a cane kind of strict?"
Like her friend before her, Chloe couldn't resist the urge to laugh. "Naw. Definitely not THAT strict," Chloe clarified despite snorting a couple times. Julia couldn't help but chuckle, thinking that Chloe's snorts sounded just like Amara's when she would laugh. "But it is kinda on the strict side. We had to wear uniforms and weren't allowed to wear jewelry or paint our nails."
"Any school with saint in the title is usually private," Julia noted. She was never much of a social butterfree, like her sister was, but she heard lots of classmates say they were going to certain private schools. The names she could remember off the top of her head were St. Mary, St. Edward, St. John, St. Francis, etc. In fact, there was a Catholic school that her parents would always drive past whenever she and the rest of the family were going somewhere. Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacred Heart. It was right next to a funeral home.
"I never did like those uniforms," Chloe interjected. "Those shoes always scratched the back of my feet!"
"Tell me about it," Perrine agreed.
"Hey, Perrine!" Julia waved her hand to get her orange haired friend's attention. "What were your other friends like? I wanna know!"
"I don't think she wants to talk about them," Caiseal said.
"No no. It's fine," Perrine reassured. "Other than Chloe, I had two more friends. Tamron Seitz and Vanessa Grelle," She began. "They were my friends back when I went to school. But…" Once again, Perrine averted everyone's gazes. Everyone could see the dark look on her face. "...Julia, if you had met me while I was in school, I'm sure you would have hated me. I...I wasn't a very good friend. To anyone."
(flashback)
A pearl white limousine pulled up to the front of St. Goldenrod Girls' Academy. With a contorted, angry face, Perrine hopped out of the limo and slammed the door as hard as she could, her eyebrows furrowed. The school was made entirely of red bricks, and at the top of the tallest section, which was the front, was a pure white cross. Kids of all ages ran to and fro, playing games amongst each other, talking, jumping rope, or doing whatever it was kids did. Perrine's uniform consisted of the following: a short sleeved yellow shirt underneath a black sleeveless vest, with a yellow ribbon going through the collar, a long yellow skirt that went down past her knees with a black stripe at the hem, black stockings, and brown loafers. Sewn on every black vest was the school's insignia: a shield with the words SG sewn on it in beautiful cursive.
But Perrine was in no mood for school. All she did was sit on the rusty silver bleachers and let out a drawn out groan. Once again, her father opposed the idea of Perrine going on a pokemon journey. He wouldn't even let her have a pokemon, even for protection should a burglar break into the house. She had no idea what his problem was, and even if she did know, she was sure he would continue to be stubborn and refuse to let Perrine do what she wanted. The shining sun warmed her angry face with its gentle rays, but the girl found it utterly indecent that the weather be nice and clear when her heart was a raging storm sending crashing waves throughout her system.
"Perrine! There you are!" A girl wearing the same uniform came racing in her direction, her long, straight black hair flowing in the breeze. As soon as she stopped to stare down at the orange haired girl, she used her maroon eyes to give Perrine a scrutinizing look. "Did you bring my notes this time?"
As soon as she said that, a lightning bolt shot through Perrine's mind. With a growl, she facepalmed particularly hard, hoping the pain would be severe enough to leave a bruise. "Darn it! Sorry, Tamron," Perrine apologized.
Before she could go on, Tamron continued the conversation for her. "Seriously?! Again?!" She yelled, her voice bordering on extremely disappointed. Scratch that, she had gone past disappointed. "This is the third time you forgot to bring my notes back after you kept promising you would!"
"Sorry…" Perrine whimpered ruefully.
"Sorry doesn't cut it, girl!" Tamron crossed her arms and leaned closer. "What is wrong with you?! You know what, I'm going to your house and getting them myself! I have tests to study for!"
"Hey! It's not my fault my dad's a sore loser who won't let me get a pokemon!" Perrine suddenly shouted.
"What's that got to do with this?!" Tamron yelped.
Classes continued on, and at lunch time, Perrine sat at a table with Chloe, Tamron, and a dark skinned girl with brown eyes and deep violet pigtails. But Perrine kept staring down at a book full of information about the Johto Elite Four. Their personalities, preferred pokemon types, their pokemons' moves, their abilities, random trivia, etc. Perrine fixated her gaze on a red haired man donning a long cape. Lance Cipris, the current champion of Johto. Someday, she would defeat him and claim the title of champion. Yes, that was her lifelong dream.
"Perrine!" The pigtailed girl shouted, pulling Perrine back to reality. "Are you listening to me?!"
"What? What is it, Vanessa?" Perrine asked.
Once again, Tamron gave the orange haired girl a disappointed, austere expression before shrugging and saying, "Girl, Vanessa needs our help. Her mom keeps yelling at her about her math scores," She explained.
"I suck at math!" Vanessa cried, burying her face in her hands, pushing her glasses up as a result. "If I fail this next test, she and my sisters will think I have brain damage and make fun of me forever!" Chloe rubbed the girl's back gently with one hand, hoping to let her know that they were there for her.
"It's okay," Chloe told her friend reassuringly. "We can help you out."
"You have been studying, right?" Perrine asked. She didn't mean anything bad by asking this question, as she was just curious. "If you just take notes and listen like you always do, you should pass the next test just fine. I pass all my math tests, so I don't see why-"
"Perrine!" Tamron stood up from the table, slamming her hands on it. Their food trays clattered. Chloe was able to stop some milk cartons from spilling onto the floor, preventing a mess for the janitor to clean up. "Do you hear yourself right now?!" Perrine shrunk into her chair, her eyes wide with surprise from Tamron's outburst. "She's tried that already! You don't get it!" She groaned, pushing her hands through her hair. "Ugh, just forget it!" With that, Tamron slumped down in her chair.
"Don't worry. Show me your homework," Chloe suggested. "I can show you how it's done."
"No no! I can-" Perrine attempted to go to the other end of the table, having already stood up from her chair, but Tamron's hand clamped around her arm.
"Just forget it, Perrine," Tamron hissed. Perrine got the message and sat back down.
At the same time, however, she couldn't understand why Tamron and Vanessa were so angry. Did she maybe phrase what she said wrong? Did she come off as unintentionally hurtful? She wasn't sure, but Vanessa and Tamron seemed to think so. But why Tamron told Perrine to forget it even when she tried to help was beyond her.
Thankfully, that issue was done and over with. Soon, the girls met up again for a final project they needed to do before school ended. "Okay, we need to get this project done by next week," Tamron said. They had chosen to make a food pyramid sculpture that showed everything from fruits, vegetables, meats, and junk food.
"If you want, I can draw pictures and paste them on the pyramid," Vanessa suggested, raising her hand as if she were in class.
"That's great. Thanks."
"I can write about all the food groups," Chloe added. "I actually already wrote about fruits and vegetables, so I can do the rest."
"That'd be a big help," Tamron high fived her friend with a smile.
"Since you're making the actual pyramid, Tamron," Perrine piped in. "I can do the report."
"Alright, so that's that," Tamron clapped her hands once. "The teacher said we need to make the project together, so how about you all come to my house and we can work on it," She suggested.
Chloe threw her hands in the air like she was trying to cheer for a favorite sports team. "I'm in! Let's do it!" She announced, her thin braids bouncing left and right.
"I'll need to ask my parents, though," Vanessa mused. "I'll let you know if they say yes or not."
"I'll definitely be there," Perrine added. "Going to your house is pretty much one of the only things my parents actually let me do."
Tamron crossed her arms. "Alright. All of us need to work on this project," She reminded them with a stern tone of voice. "We'll get a bad grade if none of us contribute in some way."
Right after the meeting ended, Perrine put herself to work right away. They agreed to go to Tamron's house tomorrow right after school, but Perrine figured she could write her report. Her fingers danced across the keyboard, pressing every key she could use for this report. It needed to be at least two or three pages long, and double spaced, so Perrine had little difficulty getting it done. It took her at least an hour and a half to get it done. Perrine felt proud as she watched her printer churn out her two page report.
However, when the day of the get-together came around, the phone rang at about three in the afternoon. Perrine was quick to answer the phone, holding the receiver so close to her face, the bottom almost touched her chin. "Hello?"
"Hey, Perrine!"
Perrine immediately lit up. She knew that voice anywhere. "Aunt Mao!" A smile touched her face. "Hi! What's up?"
"I know your dad doesn't want me seeing you and all," Mao said. "But I'm actually in the neighborhood right now," She explained further. "I thought maybe we could spend the day together. There's a show going on at the Goldenrod Theater downtown."
"I know which one you mean!" Perrine pumped her fist, immediately psyched. "And yes, I'd love to hang out with you!" She hadn't hung out with her Aunt Mao for a long time. Not since her father forbid the two from seeing each other. But she could leave a note saying she was at a friend's house studying. She had already gotten her portion of the project done.
Perrine's cup of happiness was practically overflowing. So much so that she had completely forgotten everything else, including going to Tamron's house to help with the project. When Aunt Mao's car pulled up, Perrine jumped right in, happy to finally be able to spend time with her beloved aunt. Honestly, Perrine could care less about any kind of ridiculous restrictions her father wanted to put on her. Now, tonight was her night.
Aunt and niece went downtown and did lots of things together. They watched a two hour play at the Goldenrod Theater, went to dinner at a fancy restaurant, and walked around town, admiring the sights and sounds of downtown Goldenrod City. City lights, cars zipping to and fro, and crowds of people gathering all around were par for the course in this golden metropolis. Being a city girl, Perrine had become quite used to it. But she did sometimes notice that Mao would cover her ears whenever they were near crowds of people, like some drunkards they ran into while they waited for their turn at the restaurant.
But regardless, Perrine had the time of her life. When night fell, she slept like a snorlax, happy to have had a fun time with her aunt. Alas, she had to be at school tomorrow, and school wasn't something she could just skip. At the same time, however, she couldn't wait to tell her friends about the day they spent together. She was sure they were going to listen with open ears.
Or so she thought.
"Hey, girls!" Once Perrine saw them at recess, she was quick to wave at them and approach them. When they turned around, however, Perrine stopped in her tracks. Instead of receiving her with smiles and curiosity, Perrine was frozen in place by their disappointed, austere expressions. Chloe looked more disappointed than anything, as she just stared down at her shoes. Tamron and Vanessa, on the other hand, were staring daggers at her, their eyes blazing with rage.
"Seriously?!" Tamron hissed like an ekans. "You completely ditch us when we needed you the most, and you're all hey girls what's up?" Perrine found herself backing away two steps, Tamron's voice was absolutely dripping with venom. "I knew it."
That was when it hit Perrine. She was supposed to go to Tamron's house and help them with the project. Instead, she hung out with Aunt Mao the whole night, having completely forgotten about it. The implications hit her like a freight train: she had completely abandoned them just for a chance to have fun with her favorite aunt.
"I...I printed out my report," Perrine mumbled ruefully, rummaging through her bag to pull the report out. With a scornful scowl, Tamron swiped the paper out from Perrine's hand. "Ow!" One corner of it cut through Perrine's pinkie finger, leaving a fresh red cut.
"What the heck were you even doing last night?!" Vanessa yelled. Perrine told them about her aunt and how her father forbade them from seeing each other. "Oh, is that how it is!" Vanessa stamped her foot on the concrete. "Your aunt is way more important than your friends?!"
"No, that's not-" Perrine tried to reason with them, but Tamron and Vanessa both cut her off.
"Stop with the excuses, Perrine!" Tamron yelled. "We needed you and you completely blew us off! And for what?! To slack off and hang out in the city?!" The girls grew more and more upset every time Perrine opened her mouth. Perrine could see it.
"Come on, girls," Chloe put a hand on Tamron's shoulder. "I think-"
"Don't defend her, Chloe!" Tamron snapped, forcing the girl back two steps. "She needs to hear this! She needs to be ashamed of herself!" She whipped her head back to Perrine, who was almost near tears at this point. "You're a terrible friend, you know that?! When someone wants to tell you about their problems, all you wanna talk about is becoming the champion! Anytime you ask to borrow something, you never give it back! You said you'd come to my house to help us with the project, and you just completely ditched us like we were garbage!"
Perrine stood there, just taking it all in. Not once did she even try to defend herself or argue with her. She stood like a mannequin under Tamron's furious gaze. All she could say was, "I'm sorry…" Despite having said it, she knew it wouldn't help. A simple I'm sorry would never quell their anger.
"You're not sorry at all!" Vanessa yelled. "You don't care about anyone but yourself! If this is how you're going to act all the time, then...we can't be friends with you anymore!"
Perrine's eyes slammed open. What did she say? They couldn't be friends anymore.
"Hey! Alright, calm down!" Finally, Chloe stepped in between them. Tamron and Vanessa's furious gazes fixated on Chloe, like they were accusing her of being a traitor. "I think you're being too harsh. Look, she gave us the report and we got the project done! We'll still get an A on it! She at least got the report done! Can't you give her some credit for-"
"That's not the issue here, Chloe!" Tamron yelled. "You should be on our side!"
"This isn't about taking sides!" Chloe argued. As much as she agreed with them on Perrine's behavior, deciding not to be her friend because of this? Even Chloe thought that that was going too far.
On the other hand, Perrine was lost in her mind, her heart having been torn to shreds. The worst part was, they were right. Perrine had been a bad friend. She made promises she couldn't make time to keep, nor did she care to. She gave Tamron her notes back, but it didn't quell her simmering anger. She promised to go to Tamron's house to help with the project, but completely abandoned them for her own selfish desire. She had always promised herself to be a good girl. She wasn't perfect, but she was never outright mean.
The last pieces of her heart sank, because she realized that all this time, she had been mean to them for quite a while.
All this time she wanted to be a good friend...and yet she had been nothing but a bad friend the whole time. The tears came out.
Chloe called out to her as she stormed back into the school building. This was all too much. Too much. Too overwhelming. She wished the ground beneath her feet would just break and swallow her up. To disappear from the world where she wouldn't hurt anyone or anger them with her selfishness ever again.
(end flashback)
"Oh wow…" Both Julia and Caiseal were speechless. They couldn't believe what they had just heard, Julia especially. Was Perrine really like that before they met? Perrine, the nice, sensible, polite, helpful, and dependable rich girl who was always there for them and always kept them together, being a bad friend? Such a concept was alien to them, like Magikarp learning how to climb trees.
Perrine finally looked Chloe in the eye this time. "...I'm not proud of anything I did back then. I know...it won't change much, but…" She had kept it inside the whole time, knowing it wouldn't do anything to fix what happened. Nothing could. But she needed to let it out. It was gnawing at her, and it was time to release it. "I'm sorry for being such a horrible friend."
"It's okay," Chloe told her reassuringly, without the slightest hint of hesitation. "I'm over it. Hey! You still play the piano, right?"
Everyone's eyes widened. That was a sudden change of subject. "...Yeah. But I haven't played in a while," She replied.
"You see, the real reason I'm here is because of this," Chloe pulled out a folded up flyer, complete with the creases all over the paper. The kids leaned closer to get a better look. The big blue letters on top read 'Pokemon Music Recital!' In big bold letters, accompanied by a picture of someone playing a large, deep brown cello. Standing on both sides of the man were a pikachu firing thunder bolts on the stage, along with a bellossom dancing in a hula dance, with flower petals floating all around in a beautiful display.
"What's this?" Caiseal asked.
"It's a show that the Olivine Theater holds every year," Chloe began. "The pokemon trainers play whatever music instrument they want, like a guitar or piano or violin or whatever, and whatever pokemon they have accompany it by showing off their attacks and making them in tune with the music," She elaborated. "It's like one of those Pokemon Showcases they hold in Kalos, and those Pokemon Contests in Hoenn and Sinnoh, but the trainers play instruments instead."
"Wow!" Julia's eyes were glimmering. "I had no idea something like that existed!"
Caiseal turned to Perrine. "I didn't know you play piano."
"I've heard her play a few times!" Chloe interrupted. "She's really good! Anyway, I already signed up three weeks ago. I'm gonna play my erhu."
The orange haired girl took the flyer out from Chloe's hand and scanned it. It was true: Perrine hadn't played the piano in a while. But she remembered loving every moment when she played by herself. Pressing her fingers on the keys, producing whatever music she liked, kicking her legs up and down, and oftentimes singing along with it, as bad as her singing voice was. The only times she didn't like playing piano were during piano lessons, where teachers always wanted her to play whatever music they wanted, not what she wanted.
But playing the piano as her pokemon displayed their attacks in a spectacle-esque manner. Somehow, the idea piqued her curiosity. She hadn't played in a while, but what harm was there in participating? She found herself growing more and more fond of the idea. Chloe was going to be in it. With that, she made her decision.
"How can I enter?" Perrine asked.
"Whoa! You're entering?!" Caiseal yelped.
"Why not? I don't mind a little something like this," She replied matter-of-factly.
The sign-up process was easy. All she had to do was go to the theater and sign a form. The Olivine Theater wasn't far from where the Pokemon Center was, and the actual performance was a week away, so Perrine had plenty of time to practice. But there was one problem: how could she practice without a piano? Chloe told her that the Pokemon Center actually had a piano in a secret room. She had seen it many times before, and Perrine was delighted upon hearing her friend tell her this.
She already had two pokemon in mind for the recital. When she got to the piano room, she let Kitsune and Luminita out of their pokeballs.
"Nine?"
"Chinchou?"
"Hey, girls," Perrine said. "Want to hear me play this?" She placed her hand on the big black grand piano.
Both Kitsune and Luminita exchanged confused glances. They tilted their heads to one side, wondering what was going on. Perrine sat down and began playing.
It was as though her hands remembered everything, never forgetting what it felt like to press those milky white keys and make those beautiful sounds. Soon enough, Perrine was lost in the music she herself produced. Bending over back and forth, pressing her fingers on the white keys, kicking her legs back and forth. Even Kitsune and Luminita found themselves lost in the music and began dancing in tune with it. Since Kitsune was a fox pokemon, she danced around the room with elegant steps, never missing a beat. On the other hand, since Luminita's limbs were so short and stubby, she fell on her rear more often than not, not that she minded.
It hit Perrine right then and there. She could do this. No, she wanted to do this.
"Wow. Perrine's practicing all the time, isn't she?" Julia noted, four days after having met Chloe. It was true: ever since Perrine heard about the contest, she and Chloe had almost secluded themselves from the world entirely, focusing solely on practicing for the recital. Sure, they knew to change their clothes, eat their meals, go to the bathroom, and care for their pokemon, but Julia couldn't help but be a little cowed by how devoted they were to this.
"It has been a long time since they've seen each other," Caiseal said as he brushed the foliage on Viole's head with a small brush. "I say leave them be. They probably have a lot of catching up to do, and they're caring for themselves and their pokemon, so I wouldn't worry about it."
On the fifth day, Julia was on her way to the bathroom when she ran into Chloe, holding a small seed-like pokemon in her hands. "Oh! Hi, Chloe!"
"Hey, Julia!" Chloe greeted her with a smile.
"Sunkern!" The yellow pokemon chirruped sweetly. It looked like a large seed with brown stripes going across its body vertically, and sprouting from its head was a green shoot.
"Is that your sunkern?" Julia asked. Chloe nodded. "It's so cute!" Although she already knew about sunkern, she pulled her PokeDex out to examine it anyway.
"Sunkern, the seed pokemon," As usual, the PokeDex's robotic, monotone voice didn't change one bit. "Sunkern try to minimize movement to conserve the nutrients they have stored in their bodies for evolution. They will not eat, subsisting only on morning dew. If attacked by a Spearow, it will violently shake its leaves. Knowing it's weak, it simply feeds until it evolves. Since they are very weak but friendly pokemon, they are often used in daycare centers to keep children company, and are often used to introduce children and babies to pokemon for the first time. They are very popular among housewives and very young children. This specimen is a male with the ability Chlorophyll, and its attacks are Grasswhistle, Grassy Terrain, Giga Drain, and Seed Bomb."
"Are you gonna use him for your part in the recital?" Julia asked.
Chloe closed her eyes. "Yep, and my Wooper, too."
"Sun sunkern!" Sunkern chirruped, waving the leaves on his head.
All of a sudden, a strange silence fell in between them. Julia couldn't help but remember their conversation from a few days ago, about Perrine being very different than the person she is now. Julia just couldn't imagine Perrine being a bad friend when she had been nothing but nice to her since day one, with a couple quarrels here and there. But being a bad friend? Forgetting to fulfill promises? Intentionally putting her own desires above those of her friends? None of those described Perrine one bit. How could Perrine have been someone like that? Then again, Amara used to be nice and kind until she became bitter, cruel, and rebellious, so perhaps Perrine changing before their encounter was possible.
Even so, none of what she heard changed how Julia viewed or thought about Perrine one bit. "Um…" Julia began shyly. "I...I know you've known Perrine longer than I have, and...you probably know her a lot more than I do, but…" She had to get it out somehow. No hesitating. "I know you said Perrine was very different back when you knew her, but...ever since we first met in Azalea Town, she's been super duper nice to me."
"I don't doubt that," Chloe agreed. "She's always been nice to me and the others, so...my friends calling her a bad friend just seemed a little harsh, even if they did make good points about her behavior back then."
Unbeknownst to them, Perrine herself almost passed right by, stopping once she saw the two of them there. She found herself frozen in place, listening, even though she knew eavesdropping was wrong. Regardless, Julia continued on. "Growing up, I didn't have many friends. I had a few, but we drifted apart," Julia looked down at the Sunkern tucked warmly in Chloe's arms. "I'm autistic, and kids used to tease me because I wasn't normal like they were. I didn't like the same things they did, and I used to go home crying all the time wondering why nobody liked me even when my parents and teachers taught me ways to make friends. I would...get really lonely. It was sad."
Chloe silently listened to Julia's story. So did Perrine. "I know this may sound silly, but Perrine is one of the best things that ever happened to me. She's always been there for me, supported me when I needed her, comforted me when I was sad, rejoiced with me when something good happened, and stood up for me. There were even times when I helped her, and...it felt really good to finally meet someone who understood me and didn't automatically hate me because I was kinda weird," It was rare for Julia to put her thoughts into words, mostly because she felt she could never find the right words to use to convey her thoughts and feelings in a manner that anyone could understand. But here, it was easy as pie. "She never...made me feel like...I was some kind of ugly brain sucking alien from outer space like other kids and adults did."
The orange haired girl's blue eyes widened, shocked by the revelation. She had known Julia had trouble making friends in her younger days, and was often bullied by her peers. Perrine knew what it was like to feel lonely, like nothing she did mattered, even when she was being nice. But...she had no idea Julia really felt this way about her. Then again, she had some inkling, but she wasn't quite sure what it was until now. Her heart grew warm, and she found herself clutching a piece of fabric on her vest.
"I don't know if your other friends...still think she's a bad person or not, but…" Julia stammered, folding her hands together. "To me, Perrine's been nothing but a great friend to me and Caiseal. But sometimes I feel like all I do is drag them down or make them angry with my...stupidity."
'What?!' Perrine's eyes slammed open. How could Julia think such a thing? 'You're wrong! You don't drag us down, and you're not stupid, nor do you make us mad!' She wanted to shout. It hit her that Julia didn't like the sound of people yelling, so she kept her thoughts to herself. Then again, confidence wasn't something that her friend was known to display. Considering what had happened to her all those years, it was understandable.
Finally, Chloe said, "I can see Perrine's changed a lot, and for all I know, maybe you and Caiseal and her pokemon were responsible for that," She put a hand on Julia's shoulder and told her, without mincing words, "She talks about you a lot. Don't say you're stupid or that you drag them down. Perrine really holds her friendships with you, Cash, and her pokemon in high regard. If she really thought that you dragged her down, I'm sure she wouldn't even be hanging out with you."
A tear trickled out from Perrine's eye, clinging to her chin. Perrine wiped it off with her sleeve, wondering why she was crying all of a sudden.
"Besides, Perrine's very lucky to have someone like you in her life," Chloe said.
"You sure?" Julia asked, folding her hands tighter. As much as she wanted to believe what Chloe said, her heart wasn't so sure if that could ever be true.
"Absolutely."
Perrine's chest tightened. 'She's right, Jule. I am lucky to have you as a friend. You, Caiseal, Chloe, and my pokemon alike…' She thought to herself, wondering why she had never come to this realization before. 'Don't ever think all you do is drag us down or make us angry just by being around…' Perrine wished her friend would have more faith in herself and actually believe what people like Chloe said to her. But more than anything, her cup of happiness was overflowing once more.
"Nine nine?"
"Chinchou!"
The sound of her friends calling for her attention pulled her out of her mind. Wiping another tear away, Perrine smiled at them. "We have a few more days until the recital, and there's a lot we need to do. You ready to practice?"
Kitsune held her head up high. "Niiiine."
Luminita jumped up once, the yellow tips of her antennae glowing in soft, yellow lights. "Chinchou chou!" ("Yep yep yep! Let's do it!") She chirruped.
A new surge of confidence blazed in her heart.
The Olivine Theater was a large theater that took up several acres of land, and it was only five blocks away from the Pokemon Center. Julia and Caiseal paid for their tickets, which turned out to be not too expensive. In return, they received strange sticks that resembled glow sticks, but had several buttons on them in different colors. Orange, light grey, light blue, purple, red, etc. There were to be twenty performances total, and the recital itself would only be an hour long. According to the pamphlet the kids received, Chloe would come sixth, then Perrine eighth.
The first few performances went right by, but immediately after starting, everyone was entranced by not just the beautiful performances by the people who played their chosen instruments, but the pokemon as well. One person playing a flute had a flareon spinning fire right in tune with the bouncy, cheerful melody its trainer was playing, along with using Swift to make stars fall from the sky. A girl who played the drums, which were already set up on the stage along with a grand piano, had a pikachu and a flaaffy creating a dazzling lightning display. One blonde haired man with a venomoth and a gengar particularly captivated the audience with an enthusiastic violin, along with his pokemon creating psychic spheres, shadow balls, and their bodies shining from using Safeguard, keeping the audience's eyes on him.
"Alright! Next up is Chloe Morris and her Sunkern and Wooper!" The announcer edicted. The audience clapped as Chloe, her Sunkern, and her Wooper trotted onto the stage. Caiseal couldn't help but notice the odd instrument in her hand: a very thin, violin-like instrument made out of bamboo, with only one string on it. Even the bow was made of bamboo. Yesterday, Chloe had explained that her father often played this erhu, and Chloe had become interested in playing it, having done so since she was ten.
Chloe sat down on a chair, placing the sound box of the erhu on her lap. She closed her eyes, losing herself in the music, dragging the bamboo bow across the string, creating a very high pitched sound, higher than any violin could produce. Sunkern began with a Grasswhistle attack, singing loftily while swaying back and forth, producing green musical notes that floated everywhere. Wooper did the same, only all it did was spit water all over the place, matching the beauty of the soft, elegant song that came out from the erhu. Chloe kept another hand on the pegs, tapping her left foot twice in the middle of the performance. As soon as Sunkern saw that, he glowed green, and the entire stage was covered in light before fresh shoots of grass sprung right up.
"What was that?" Julia asked. "I don't think I've seen that attack."
"It's Grassy Terrain," Caiseal replied in a low whisper.
Julia found herself captivated. "Ohhhh! So that's what Grassy Terrain looks like!" She exclaimed, keeping her voice low so as to not disturb the audience.
Once that was over, Perrine's turn was coming up. The minute a man finished playing a portable melodica, the announcer exclaimed, "Next up is Perrine Innocenti, with her elegant Ninetales, Kitsune, and cheerful Chinchou, Luminita!"
Like a princess, Perrine ambled toward the piano, sitting right down, pressing her fingers onto the keys. She didn't even look at the audience as she began. Immediately, Luminita bounced around the stage, shooting bubbles all around. Ninetales danced elegantly, her tiny paws barely making any sound, like they were made of velvet, as she spat flames all around, using Extrasensory at the same time to keep them from burning the stage. Then, Luminita shot several Electro Balls in a circle. Once Kitsune made her flames dissipate, she used Extrasensory on the Electro Balls, keeping them from hitting the curtains or the audience. Moving her head in a circle, Kitsune manipulated the electric spheres, making them move in a circular motion right around Perrine and the piano. Finally, Luminita leaped into the air, shooting a geyser of water in a circular motion that, under the fluorescent lights, sparkled like diamonds.
Everyone found themselves captivated, even Julia and Caiseal, who sat in their seats wide eyed and their mouths agape. "Wow. Perrine is really good," Julia noted, her eyes still sparkling in captivation.
"Yeah, really," Caiseal agreed.
After twelve more performances, the recital ended. All of the performers gathered on stage with their pokemon by their sides as the announcer stood in front.
"Now, I will announce the winners of this year's Pokemon Music Recital!" The black haired announcer opened an envelope. "Third place goes to...Junichi Sugimori, and his Xatu and Delibird!" The performer in question received a small bronze trophy. "Second place goes to...Chloe Morris, and her Sunkern and Wooper!"
"Woohoo!" Chloe whooped as she danced across the stage and received a silver trophy. Her Sunkern and Wooper jumped up and down in exaltation.
"Yay, she won!" Julia cheered. "I wonder if Perrine will get first place?"
"I don't know," Caiseal told her, donning a dubious expression. "Perrine hasn't played the piano in a long time according to Chloe. For all we know, the judges might say she's gotten rusty."
"And now, first place goes to…" Both Julia and Caiseal crossed their fingers. Then, a spotlight shined on...the man with the Venomoth and Gengar. "Gervasius Hughes, and his Venomoth and Gengar!"
"Yeeeeeah!" A man shouted from the audience. "You go, Little G! WOOHOO!" Julia's hands flew to her ears as she ducked, perturbed by the man's shouting.
Perrine held her head downward, staring at her shoes. "I didn't win…" She whimpered. "Well, of course I'd lose. I haven't played in a while, after all," She rationalized. Although she had accepted the loss, it didn't stop a tear from streaming down her cheek.
"Nine?"
"Choooou?" Even her pokemon could see that their trainer looked quite despondent from the loss.
Later, Julia, Caiseal, Perrine, and Chloe met up outside the theater. "I'm sorry you lost, Perrine," Julia told her friend, taking one of her hands into her own. "You practiced so hard, too."
"It's okay. It was kinda inevitable," Perrine answered. "I don't mind. Congrats on getting second place, Clo."
Chloe ran a hand through her ash brown hair. "Thanks. I didn't think I'd even get that high. So...what do you guys plan on doing after this?"
"We were just gonna plan our trip to Mahogany Town," Caiseal explained. "We're training to beat the gyms and enter the Pokemon League."
Julia looked down at Chloe's Wooper, who seemed content with rubbing itself against Chloe's leg. Despite having seen a Wooper before, Caiseal's Wooper before she evolved, she pulled out her PokeDex to examine it.
"Wooper, the water fish pokemon," Julia couldn't help but find that description to be rather redundant. "Though they prefer to live in cold water, these appealing Pokémon forage for food on land. They are kept warm by a layer of insulating body fluid. When it walks around on the ground, it coats its body with a slimy, poisonous film. Touching it barehanded will cause a shooting pain. However, it is able to control the fluid and hold it back when around trainers or people it trusts. Although they are friendly and docile most of the time, they are dull-witted pokemon that are usually oblivious to their surroundings. When sleeping, it partially buries itself in the mud at the bottom. This specimen is a male, with the ability Water Absorb. Its attacks are Water Gun, Double Kick, Mud Shot, and Rain Dance."
"Hey, Perrine! How about we exchange PokeGear numbers?" Chloe suggested, holding her index finger up. "We can keep in touch now!"
A warm smile touched the orange haired girl's face. "I'd like that a lot," With that, they held their PokeGears out and exchanged numbers.
"The next time we see each other again, I'd love to hear about all your adventures!"
"Me too. Hopefully...maybe we can be friends again, like before," She said wistfully.
Chloe kept smiling. "Aren't we already friends? I mean, I never lost faith in you, y'know."
All Caiseal and Julia did was watch, and even they couldn't help but smile at the sweet reunion. Some friendships can break, while others just drift apart. With these two, perhaps their old friendship would finally be rekindled. Even a friendship like this could be one that could change the world if possible.
Whoooooo! My computer's fixed! I can actually work on my fan fics now! Sorry for not being around much. Job hunting and my computer going on the fritz for a while, so I wasn't able to access any of my documents. But now that's fixed and I can work on these now! And yeah, I figured there wasn't much Perrine backstory here, so I decided to try writing one here. Sorry guys, but another filler chapter is after this, but don't worry! It'll be the last one before we get to the Red Gyarados arc, which I'm seriously looking forward to writing!
Random Fact: Chloe is named after two voice actresses: Chloe Grace Moretz, who is currently known for playing Carrie White in the 2014 film remake of Stephen King's first novel, and Kaguya in The Tale of Princess Kaguya, and Cassandra Lee Morris, who voices Suguha Kirigaya / Leafa in the Sword Art Online anime in English, Kyubey in Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Ritsu Tainaka in K-On, and many other roles.
Julia's Party:
Hikaru (Shiny Pikachu, Female, Jolly Nature)
Ability: Static
Attacks: Thunderbolt, Disarming Voice, Sweet Kiss, Volt Tackle
Lucretia (Eevee, Female, Bashful Nature)
Ability: Anticipation
Attacks: Quick Attack, Helping Hand, Bite, and Shadow Ball
Tokiko (Togetic, Female, Hardy Nature)
Ability: Serene Grace
Attacks: Extrasensory, Headbutt, Dazzling Gleam, Magical Leaf
Saoirse (Snubbull, Female, Gentle Nature)
Ability: Intimidate
Attacks: Ice Fang, Bite, Fire Fang, and Scary Face
Rina (Nidoran, Female, Bold Nature)
Ability: Poison Point
Attacks: Double Kick, Poison Sting, Scratch, and Bite
Rino (Nidoran, Male, Modest Nature)
Ability: Poison Point
Attacks: Double Kick, Poison Sting, Peck, and Horn Attack
Perrine's Party:
Kitsune (Ninetales, Female, Quiet Nature)
Ability: Flash Fire
Attacks: Heat Wave, Extrasensory, Confuse Ray, and Faint Attack
Florian (Meganium, Male, Gentle Nature)
Ability: Overgrow
Attacks: Petal Blizzard, Vine Whip, Body Slam, and Grassy Terrain
Fuwari (Skiploom, Female, Relaxed Nature)
Ability: Leaf Guard
Attacks: Tackle, Fairy Wind, Bullet Seed, and Acrobat
Mushi (Paras, Male, Quirky Nature)
Ability: Effect Spore
Attacks: Scratch, Stun Spore, Growth, and Giga Drain
Luminita (Chinchou, Female, Naive Nature)
Ability: Water Absorb
Attacks: Supersonic, Water Gun, BubbleBeam, and Electro Ball
Fukuro (Noctowl, Male, Sassy Nature)
Ability: Tinted Lens
Attacks: Psybeam, Peck, Hypnosis, and Dream Eater
Caiseal's Party:
Mallow (Marowak, Male, Lax Nature)
Ability: Lightning Rod
Attacks: Bonemerang, Bone Rush, Headbutt, and Rock Smash
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, Earthquake, and Slam
Ravenclaw (Murkrow, Female, Hardy Nature)
Ability: Super Luck
Attacks: Wing Attack, Night Shade, Dark Pulse, and Haze
Viole (Gloom, Male, Quirky Nature)
Ability: Chlorophyll
Attacks: Acid, Sludge Bomb, Sleep Powder, and Sweet Scent
Stacey (Pinsir, Female, Serious Nature)
Ability: Hyper Cutter
Attacks: X-Scissor, Swords Dance, Seismic Toss, and Double Hit