Chapter 34: A Trainer's Responsibility
"Ohhhhh my lanta!" Amara let out an overly drawn groan as she slumped in front of a big tree, her long legs burning from toe to thigh from walking for so long. "Finally, I made it to Mahogany Town!" She exclaimed once more. The sun was still shining on the town below, bathing it in golden light. It wasn't like Goldenrod City, but for the citizens, some nice weather was very much appreciated.
Too bad Amara was not one to appreciate nature's blessings and beauty. In fact, she didn't even realize that she was in a heavily populated part of town, and people were running to and fro, too absorbed in their own business to notice her. Just like Amara. She sat down in front of the big tree, staring up at the openings through the leaves, losing herself in her thoughts. All she could think about was how she finally managed to get six badges. Just two more, and she could enter the Pokemon League, like she and Chanel wanted.
Only Chanel wasn't here. Amara would never be able to share that dream with her.
Still, she wanted to do something. For Chanel's sake and her own. Sitting around in that house was not going to get her anywhere. But while her mind and heart resolved to continue going forward, the rest of her body had other priorities. Her stomach let out a Gyarados-like growl, begging for anything resembling food.
"Uuugh…" Amara complained, placing a hand on her stomach. "I could really go for some shrimp right now…" She could picture it now. Tasty, scrumptious shrimp laid out on a plate, dipped in some kind of yellow sauce, with those little green leaf fragments sprinkled all over it. How heavenly it would be to taste that beautiful shrimp again.
Once she rested up some, she stood up and began walking around again, hoping to find someplace she could eat without being noticed. But when she happened upon a mirror that was on display, she saw an unfamiliar face stare back at her, noticing every feature she had, even things she didn't know she had. The blonde dye in her hair was fading, and streaks of her original light brown hair began to resurface. A subtle red pimple began to form on her chin. Not a pretty sight for a growing teenager. Her skin had been tanned from months of walking around in the sun, but not so tan that she'd be completely unrecognizable to those who knew her well.
But to Amara, she had become a different person. No longer was she the girl who used to sit around in the house moping about being forbidden from having Pokemon of her own. However, seeing this new face stare back at her...it was almost surreal. Frightening, even. Where had this new person come from? Her blue eyes were still the pale shade of blue they had always been, but Amara began to notice other things had changed as well. Her chin had grown out some, looking more pronounced than it was before. Her fingernails had grown longer and sharper, even though they hadn't been manicured for some time. Her face looked like a stretched out oval, and even her chest began to develop. As a result, her brand new tank top had gotten tighter around the chest. But she didn't mind. She liked tight clothes. One of her eyes was bigger than the other.
In short, Amara was in an ugly state of her life, as most teenagers liked to describe it.
Disgusted by the sight of her rapidly changing body, she marched away from the mirror. Her stomach growled once more, continuing to beg for food.
"Ugh! I look like a freak!" Amara grumbled.
To the ordinary person, Amara looked like every other girl. Average height, scrawny build, developing breasts, light brown hair, light blue eyes. One would have to look closer in order to see how she was changing physically, and Amara was definitely one of those people who could see someone have a pimple on their face and notice if it wasn't there before. Finally, she stopped at a food stand and grabbed herself a pack of sushi and a meat sandwich. It would suffice for now.
She sat down at an unoccupied bench and satisfied herself with the sandwich. The girl watched as people went to and fro. A boy and a girl were standing in front of a small fountain, kissing with their lips pressed together, their eyes closed. Amara snickered, wondering if they were making out, maybe planning to take it further. Some children younger than herself ran around the park laughing and screaming, with some Pokemon chasing after them. Amara recognized some as Sentret, Rattata, and Mareep. The kids seemed to enjoy their game. Some Pidgey and Pidgeotto fluttered about the area, chirping away or using their beaks to pick food or wrappers off the ground.
"They're lucky," Amara mused, glaring at them as she took another bite of her sandwich.
Amara wanted to be lost in her thoughts and plan for her next gym match. Too bad the opportunity was stolen before she could even grasp it.
"Ai-Ai-Ai-Aipom!"
"Yeeek!" Amara backed up to the edge of the bench when she saw a cute, purple and beige monkey Pokemon hop next to her. Its long, oval shaped ears had beige under layers, and it had stubby purple arms and beige feet, and a beige oval shaped belly. Sticking up from its head was a cowlick with three points. A long tail with a beige appendage at the end swished back and forth, and its round, blue eyes fixated on the sandwich in Amara's hands.
"Aipom!"
"Shoo!" Amara waved her hand at the curious purple monkey. "Go away!"
But the purple monkey Pokemon didn't go away. Using its long tail, it swiped Amara's sandwich out of her hands. Flashing a cheeky smile, the monkey smacked its butt in front of her twice before hopping away.
Amara stood up in alarm, her face turning beet red with rage. "HEY! Come back here you little thief!" With that, Amara chased after the purple monkey Pokemon, who simply ran on the ground on all fours. But even with the sandwich in its tail, the monkey managed to outrun Amara rather quickly. That didn't mean Amara was going to give up.
"That's mine!" Amara cried as she turned a corner. She wasn't sure how long she had been chasing that purple monkey.
Finally, the purple monkey stopped in its tracks. "Poooom?"
"Aipom! There you are!" When Amara stopped to catch her breath, Aipom's ears picked up on a familiar voice. Soon, out from some thickets came a girl about Amara's age, with lightly tanned skin and deep brown hair that went down to her shoulders, with her bangs held back by a turquoise headband. Her eyes matched her skin perfectly.
The girl scooped the purple monkey in her arms, noticing the sandwich in its tail. "I knew it!" She was quick to yank the sandwich out of Aipom's tail. "You shouldn't wander off and steal someone's food! That's bad!" She scolded in a frank tone, before handing the sandwich back to Amara. "I'm so sorry! He does-"
But Amara was in no mood for apologies. That Aipom was hers, so by association, it's trainer had to take responsibility. That was what Amara thought, anyway. "Are you kidding me?! That little pest stole my sandwich! Control that little freak, will you?!" She yelled, having no sympathy for the girl or the Aipom.
"Hey, Emily!" Another voice called out. Both Emily and Amara froze, turning in the other direction.
Amara couldn't prevent the ungraceful dropping of her jaw. Another girl showed up on the scene, with short black hair arranged in a neat bob cut, with hazel eyes gleaming with relief. Something about these girls made goosebumps dot her arms from her elbows all the way up to her shoulders. It was like she had traveled back in time.
"Oh! Great, you managed to find Aipom!" The hazel eyed girl stroke Aipom's cowlick with one hand. "Were you causing trouble again, you little prankster?"
"De…" Amara blurted out. Now all three girls made eye contact. It was as though they were frozen in time.
Finally, it hit Amara like the Magnet Train came and run her down. She knew these girls, and they knew her!
"...Debbie?! Emily?!"
Soon, the realization struck the two girls as well. Even they couldn't hold back the shock that seized them. The two of them gulped before shouting, in perfect unison, "...Amara?!"
"Is...is that really you?" Emily sputtered, barely managing to keep hold of Aipom. This was Amara? Her ex-friend?
"Yeah...yeah, it's me," Amara confessed.
Out of all the people Amara didn't expect to run into, she was sure her ex-friends would be the last people she'd wind up running into. Or back into, in this case. She had cut herself off from them long ago, to the point of not even speaking to them or associating with them in any way. In her mind, there was no need to hang around with them, as they made their priorities in life very clear. Already, she was wishing she could just teleport away from here and go to the gym.
Even now, she didn't expect a warm reception. As she expected, the atmosphere around her was cold. Emily simply averted Amara's eyes, focusing on Aipom. On the other hand, Debbie crossed her arms, her look of shock forming a scornful frown. Amara knew that look all too well. Of course she would still be mad. Who wouldn't be?
"...We never expected to run into you again," Debbie hissed, like she was spitting out poison. "I see you got a new look. To be honest, you look like you got tan paint poured all over you."
"Debbie! That's rude!" Emily interrupted, already not liking where this was going. All she got in response was Debbie holding her hand up, immediately silenced. Talk to the hand, the gesture said.
Normally, Amara would blow her top if someone so much as looked at her the wrong way. Since Chanel's death, almost everything set her off. Even Emily and Debbie knew it, as they had been on the receiving ends of Amara's seemingly endless rants about whatever was annoying her. But now, Amara didn't have it in her to yell or scream. All she could do was avert her eyes and take it.
"Come on," Emily freed one of her hands to grip Debbie's left hand. "Let's just go. It's not-"
But her friend didn't listen. Debbie pried her arm out of her friend's and immediately put Amara on the spot with no hesitation.
"You sure have some nerve showing your face to us!" Debbie exclaimed. "After everything you did!"
"I didn't know you guys were here!" Amara protested. "What are you even doing here anyway?! I thought you still lived in Cherrygrove."
Debbie rolled her eyes. "We've been on a Pokemon journey together for months now, duh!" She replied in an exasperated tone, like she expected Amara to just know that off the top of her head. "Pretty sure we told you about how we wanted to be trainers."
The memory came back right then. It was the day Amara first met Chanel. She, Debbie, Emily, and another friend, Maria, had a picnic in Cherrygrove. Debbie went on about how she dreamed of becoming the champion and going to places no trainer had ever gone before. She had been so enthusiastic when she talked about her dream, so much so that her eyes were gleaming. Now, the only thing in her eyes was undiluted scorn.
Emily could feel the tension rising. "S-S-Sorry that Aipom stole your sandwich-"
"Hey!" Debbie suddenly cut her off. "Don't apologize to her!" She swung her arm aloft to point her index finger at Amara, again putting her on the spot. "She should be the one apologizing to us!"
Apologize to them? For what? Now she was confused. She hadn't seen them in years, but now they were making it sound like Amara, once their best friend, had done something horrible to them. But as far as Amara knew, she didn't remember doing anything particularly bad to them. Sure, she knew she had been abusing her own Pokemon, stole one from a lab, and assaulted others. But Emily and Debbie, her old friends? No, she hadn't done anything to them all year. She had barely interacted with them since the weeks following Chanel's death.
"Why?" Amara found herself asking aloud. "We haven't talked in months!" She protested.
The more the girls heard, the more angry Debbie became. "Are you kidding me?!" Debbie roared. Amara found herself stepping back two steps, completely taken aback by her ex-friend's outburst. "We were friends for years! Years! But the moment you started obsessing over Chanel's death and hanging out with those high school aged stoners, you completely tossed us aside like trash!" She was quivering with anger. "Like we never even meant anything to you!"
"You're the ones who didn't give a crap when Chanel died!" Amara protested, pointing her index finger at her former friend. A question swam through her mind: how did they know about her hanging out with stoners? She didn't remember anyone seeing her with them.
"It's not like that!" Emily interrupted. But neither girl heard her.
"You didn't even want to make sympathy cards with me! You didn't even tell the school to hold some kind of vigil for her! That shows you never cared!"
With a swipe of her hand, Debbie smacked Amara's hand away. The sting that followed normally wouldn't be much, but to Amara, it was like someone slapped her across the face. Debbie balled her fists as though she were trying really hard to not explode in a rage.
"Newsflash, Amara...we DO care!" Debbie hissed. Any attempt to keep herself calm was futile at this point. "Don't you dare say that about us!" Her voice rose with every word she spoke. "The school DID hold a vigil for Chanel! Literally the week after what happened!"
Amara froze. She couldn't believe it. It just had to be a lie. She had heard nothing about a school vigil being held in Chanel's honor. There was no such thing that had happened...was there?
"In homeroom, the teacher made us make sympathy cards for Chanel's family the day afterward!" Debbie continued. "After that week, the school held a vigil! We texted you about it that morning! We tried to tell you, we really did!" Her ex-friend's voice was almost bordering on hysterical now. "But you didn't even come to school! Not for the next three days at that!"
With every word she heard, Amara felt as though her insides had been gouged out. But the worst thing was that Debbie was right. Amara had chosen to stay home from school. She never even bothered to check her phone, she was too busy sitting in bed and mourning Chanel, completely shutting herself off from the outside world. Her phone had been off those past few days.
"We tried to come over to your house a few times before to tell you about it! We even art supplies with us so we could make cards for her together! But you didn't come out of your room even once! Your mom tried to get you to come down but she said she couldn't!"
Memories came flashing through her mind. Amara burying herself in her bed, pushing pillows down her head. Hearing the creaking of her door as her mother peeked inside to take a look. Amara wanting the world to just stop. She wanted to be alone in her sorrow.
"Amara? Your friends are here. They brought flowers and candy and art supplies-"
"Tell them to go away!"
"But they're worried about you, sweetie. They said they want to tell you that-"
"I want to be alone! Make them go away!"
How could she have forgotten about that? Another part of her was regretting turning them away. Maybe if she had accepted them and let them cheer her up somewhat, perhaps...something might have changed. Her heart was awhirl with all kinds of emotions, all of them unimaginable.
Too bad Debbie didn't know this, and continued on with her tirade. "Ever since then, you just completely ignored us like we never even mattered to you!"
The pain was too much even for the both of them.
(flashback)
Six months after Chanel's death, she and Emily noticed that Amara had been gone from school more often. At this point, their friendship had long since fallen apart, and they were in different classes, so they hardly spoke. Any time Emily or Debbie attempted to talk to Amara, the latter would always shoot them down. Even when Emily and Debbie wanted to reach out and help, Amara would always yell at them or look at them like they were the most disgusting thing on earth. What happened? Neither Debbie nor Emily had any idea. Changes swept over Amara like a tsunami, and neither Debbie nor Emily liked them one bit.
It was so strange, they thought. Amara was usually cheerful and outgoing, even before Chanel came into the picture. The times they spent together were wonderful, especially when Debbie and Emily warmed up to Chanel and saw why Amara liked her so much. It was like she was one of their own. But now that Chanel was gone, everything seemed to unravel.
"Hey, Amara? There's grief counselors at school now. Do you want to go to a session with me?" Debbie had asked Amara in the halls one day.
"No way!" Amara snapped. "I'd rather eat dirt than see a freakin' grief counselor!" She said the word like it was poison and stomped away, leaving a flummoxed Debbie all alone.
"Amara? Would you like to come to my house?" Emily asked her one day. "My mom's making T-shirts with Chanel's picture on them, and she gave me a few to give to the students. I thought maybe you could come over and-"
"Yeah right," Amara sneered. "Why should I listen to anything you have to say?" She acted as though Emily was planning some kind of cruel prank or being a manipulator. Even Emily found herself completely flabbergasted. Amara had never talked to Emily that way before.
If it had to do with Chanel, Amara would jump at anything. Now, turning down a chance to go to Emily's? That was very unlike Amara. Going to Emily's house to do anything, even study, was always something the girls liked to do.
At one point, Emily and Debbie found themselves despondent over everything. "Amara's taking Chanel's death really hard, isn't she?," Emily mused, her voice adopting a twinge of sadness.
"I don't blame her," Debbie put both hands on her chin as they sat in front of a tree by the school. This was after school, so they weren't skipping or playing hooky. "They were best friends. I'd be angry a lot too if I lost my best friends, or even my family."
"Have you noticed that Amara's changed? She's suddenly become...angry. Like, she's always angry now."
"I know," Debbie wished she could do something to help. She and Emily both. They knew nothing they did would bring Chanel back, but they wished they could do something, anything, to help Amara cope with this. "Maybe we should give her some space. She probably wants some time alone. My dad says sometimes being alone can help people who are grieving."
"Yeah, you might be right. Everyone grieves differently."
The girls really hoped that Amara would be able to cope in her own way. They weren't sure how long Amara would do this, but they knew they couldn't force it. Amara had a right to grieve, too, just like they did. For now, they decided to leave Amara alone for now. They figured they needed to let Amara sort things out. Debbie was sure they'd retain some sense of normalcy after everything that happened.
Then she heard rumors circulating around. People saw Amara hanging out in the park with high schoolers, sitting around and watching the others smoke weed or cocaine. Some even said Amara was doing some of it herself.
That couldn't be true, Debbie thought to herself. Amara wasn't the type to do that, right? She just couldn't be! After school, she slipped over to the park to see if it was true. She had hoped that those were just rumors, nothing more. Rumors were almost always false unless confirmed. She needed to see it for herself. She was only going to wish she hadn't gone to that park.
The rumors were true. She hid behind a thick bush so nobody would see her. There was Amara, sitting among kids who looked to be 15-17 years old, and Amara was still twelve! Not only that, there were three boys and one girl, all of them dressed in black clothes, with their ears covered from top to bottom with silver piercings. Some of them even had colored streaks in their hair. Light blue, pink, lime green, grey. One boy was leaning over a stump, sticking a glass tube in his nose, using it to suck up some weird, white powdery substance. The others smoked on some white cigarettes. Upon closer inspection, they had green, seven-pointed leaf emblems on them.
A hand flew to Debbie's mouth. Amara, her former best friend, was hanging out with that kind of crowd? As far as Debbie knew, Amara was never the type to even associate herself with druggies, or even people who were far older than her. She even heard Amara say that she would never smoke or drink alcohol in her life. Just what was Amara of all people doing with them? She could only pray that they weren't going to hurt her in some way.
But in hindsight, that wasn't even the worst part about the whole thing.
"I just don't get why my mom keeps hounding me about my grades, y'know? She's all like, 'If you don't get straight A's, then you won't get to go to a good college!' Like, come on, I don't even wanna go to college. College is for nerds who don't have a life outside of school."
"At least your parents only bug you about one thing. My parents always diss everything I do. They refuse to see me for who I am."
"You guys don't have an older brother. My parents always want me to be like him, but I'm supposed to be the evil twin! I'm not some goody-two-shoes!"
All Amara did was listen to her newfound friends vent about their problems, watching the clouds of smoke come out from their mouths. Debbie, still hiding in the bush, was still too dumbfounded to completely take it all in. But even she wasn't prepared for Amara's input on the little venting session.
"My friends don't care about me or Chanel," Amara told them in the most pitiful voice she could muster. Everyone turned to gaze upon the runt in the odd group. "Especially not Chanel! I suggested they make sympathy cards or hold some vigil, but they looked at me like I was brain dead! They won't even talk about her anymore!"
Debbie's mouth fell open. Where did Amara get that idea? Surely that wasn't true! They had attempted to tell Amara about the vigil numerous times, even going to her house to try and do so, but every attempt failed. Even when they did try to tell her, Amara had always shot them down. Debbie couldn't remember looking at Amara like she was brain dead.
The three high school aged kids stared off into the distance, watching as the gray clouds above them didn't budge an inch. There was no sun, so the whole area was given a dismal grey coloration about it.
"Your friends sound like a bunch of heartless idiots," The older girl mused, holding a cigarette in between her teeth. Amara took care not to let the burning end come close to her, lest she be burned. "They probably completely forgot about her."
One of the boys shrugged. "That's just people for you. They never see what's really important. Life just sucks, and then you die," What a bleak, cynical thing to say.
"Yeah, they can be kinda stupid," Amara told them without the slightest hint of hesitation. "Debbie's kind of a fat slob, and Emily's so clumsy she can never tell when she's bumped right into a stop sign."
Fat slob. Clumsy. Can't see the stop sign. Debbie's fist crumpled around a leaf on the shrub. Amara, her once best friend, calling her and Emily stupid, fat, and clumsy? Right in front of people she barely knew? If Debbie's heart was fabric, it was getting unraveled faster than a sewing machine could fix it.
"Not only that," Amara continued, not noticing that a set of eyes was watching her from the bushes. "Emily told me that when she was a baby, she tried to eat a Rattata's poop."
The reaction was instant on both sides. "Ewwwwww! That is SO gross!" One of the boys bellowed, looking away in disgust.
"Oh, and Debbie likes to dance in the house and pretend she's married to some gym leader named Grant when she's alone."
The whole group found themselves bending over in 90 degree angles, unable to suppress their laughter. "Man, now that is hilarious! Oh, my ribs!"
On the other hand, Debbie found herself livid. 'AMARA! What the freak are you doing?! You can't just tell random strangers about your friends' most private secrets!' She wanted to yell, scream, pull Amara to the side and tell her what a horrible person she was being right now. Amara was straight up telling people about secrets that she was absolutely forbidden to disclose to anyone. This was a traitorous act that Debbie found herself unable to forgive for as long as she lived. But something inside her told her that Emily needed to know about this. Right now.
Any sympathy, trust, or compassion she had for Amara was completely gone by this point. She sprinted out from the bushes, running as fast as she could. She hoped in her heart of hearts that it was only a dream. Just a terrible, horrible dream, or even a prank that Amara was playing on them. But considering the shift in her behavior over the past few days, Debbie could feel in her gut that this wasn't a dream. This was real. Amara had taken the trust that Debbie and Emily had given them and thrown it to the side of the road like it was garbage.
Utterly unforgivable.
Debbie was quick to give Emily a call and tell her what she saw. When she mentioned the part about Amara disclosing their secrets, that she was instructed to NOT tell ANYONE no matter what, there was a very eerie silence. For a moment, Debbie thought Emily had hung up on her.
"Emily? Hello? You still there?"
An answer came, but in the form of a sob. Then more sobs, which quickly morphed into a full on bawling session. Debbie scolded herself for not expecting this. Of course Emily would cry if someone would betray her like that. Her best friend, telling some random strangers about an embarrassing secret she wanted to keep hidden? In the girl world, that was considered tantamount to a grade A felony. At least, that was how Debbie saw it.
"...How could she…? How could she do that to us?!" Emily sobbed.
Debbie frowned. She didn't have an answer for that. Actually, she did, but she was sure it wouldn't do anything to assuage the mixed feelings they had. Anger. Frustration. Regret. Humiliation. Worst of all...their trust had been completely broken.
(end flashback)
"You saw me with them?!" Amara yelled once Debbie finished. Amara had taken great pains to make sure nobody saw her with them. True, her parents found out in the end, as that didn't matter. But Debbie? Debbie saw her with them? The humiliation that washed over her was instantaneous, and far too overwhelming to even process at the moment. "And you heard that?!"
"Come on, Debbie," Emily pleaded. "Just stop-"
"No, Emily! Don't defend her! She needs to hear this!" She turned right back to Amara. "Do you have any idea how much you hurt us by doing what you did?! We trusted you! You should never have told those stoners our personal secrets!"
There was truth to what they were saying. It shamed Amara. To know that she had said those things about her friends, not realizing that they actually did care. Far more than she realized. The shame was instantaneous, and she found herself unable to protest. No, she didn't want to protest at this point.
"It really hurt…" Debbie's voice had softened somewhat, even though it still trembled. Some tears came out from her eyes, trickling down her cheeks. "...to know you betrayed us like that...after all the time we spent together…"
For once, Amara didn't disagree. In fact, she knew how Debbie felt. If someone were to disclose one of Amara's most personal secrets to someone, possibly someone who could easily use it as leverage or blackmail, she would definitely feel hurt and betrayed. She was sure Chanel would feel the same way if someone told others about what her father did.
Emily put Aipom back down on the ground, her arms weak and limp from carrying him for so long. "Amara? Listen, we don't hate you. You have every right to grieve, and for as long as you need to. It's just…" She kept her voice gentle and calm. Unlike Debbie, Emily did not wish to exacerbate this conflict. But she did feel she needed to be honest. "...Ever since Chanel died, you became all angry and argumentative, and that isn't you. Normally, you would never tell random strangers our most personal secrets, and...I won't lie, that's not what friends do."
This time, even Debbie fell silent. She didn't want to interrupt Emily's attempt at reaching out. She gave a big sniff before wiping her tears. Boy, did it feel good to finally let all those feelings out.
"We're sure Chanel wouldn't want you to be sad and mad at the world all the time," She crooned. "She'd want you to be happy and live life like you always did."
Something inside Amara snapped. She couldn't contain it. "...Stop that."
"Huh?"
"Stop lying!" Amara screamed. "Stop it! You never cared about her or me!" Debbie and Emily exchanged confused glances. "You don't know anything about Chanel! You don't know what she went through!"
"Hey!" Debbie threw herself back into the fray. "Come on, Amara! Sure, we weren't close to Chanel like you were with her, but that doesn't mean we didn't care!"
"Yeah right!" Amara spat venomously, narrowing her blue eyes to slits. "Don't give me that fake pity crap!"
"Why else would we suggest to Emily's mom that we make T-shirts with Chanel's picture on them?!" Debbie argued. Just what was going to convince Amara that they were sincere?
"To make yourselves look good!"
"Stop it, you two!" Emily pleaded. "We can handle this more-"
It was evident from their shaking bodies and loud, disorderly ranting that they were not going to calm down or handle this maturely. The whole thing was unraveling right before her eyes, and no matter what she did, she couldn't stop them from arguing once more.
"I hate you two!" Amara screamed once more. "You get everything handed to you on a silver platter!"
"No we don't!"
"You get to go on Pokemon journeys and I don't! You talk like you wanna be friends but really you care more about yourselves! You didn't even cry when Chanel died!"
"Yes we did!"
"You completely ditched me!"
Debbie's eyes narrowed. "You're the one who ditched us first!" She protested. "You know what? Just stop. Seriously, just stop! You don't want to heal! You just want to wallow in your self-pity and make Chanel's death all about you!"
There, she said it. She had been dying to say it since she saw Amara change so drastically. She didn't want to put her friend on the spot like that, or say those things to her. Inhaling and exhaling, the tears came back. God, did it hurt to call Amara out like that. But Amara had to know what she did, and what she was doing now. She had agonized for an answer for so long, just thinking about everything hurt her heart. It hurt all of their hearts. She knew saying that would hurt Amara. But as much as she hated having said it, her mother once said that sometimes it's better to tell a harsh truth than a kind lie.
"Alright, that's enough!" Emily yelled, taking Debbie by the arm and pulling her away. Not even Aipom's extra weight could prevent Emily from pulling her friend back any faster. "You've gone too far!"
For once, Debbie said nothing. Even Amara fell silent. Emily recoiled upon seeing the hurt on her ex-friend's face. While she did agree that Amara wasn't helping matters by continuing to be stubborn as a Ponyta, she felt Debbie could have said it more delicately. Then she pulled out a piece of paper and a pen before scribbling on it.
"Here," Emily put the paper in Amara's hand. "It's my PokeGear number. You may not think it to be much, but...I wish...I wish we could go back to the good old days. You can call me...if you want to just talk."
Before the two girls could leave, Amara's silence faded, and her frustration morphed into a volcano of anger that erupted faster than she could watch them leave. Before that, she slammed the paper on the ground. "You fakers! You're just as much bad friends as I am!" Amara screamed at the top of her voice. "You're stupid fat slobs who don't care about anything but saving your own hides!"
With that, Amara was alone. Alone with her still boiling anger. Now her friends had completely cut her off. Still, the truth was too cruel to face. She didn't want to face the truth, that Amara was the bad friend and they were right in calling her out on her betrayal. For not realizing that they tried to reach out to her, that she did nothing but sit around and wallow in her sorrow and self-pity. But...making Chanel's death out to be all about Amara? Where did they get that idea?
That wasn't the worst thing about that thought. The worst part was the possibility that they were right.
From this day forth, Debbie Strongwell and Emily Flaherty were no longer her friends. For real, this time.
By the time Julia had gotten discharged from the hospital, the air was frigid, having adopted a frosty bite to it. Everywhere, the leaves on every tree in the city would change from their summer green to colors that never cease to be amazing. The birches became a luminous yellow, almost blinding in direct sunlight. The oaks and elms would turn a mature, majestic mahogany or bronze. The maples would go from a warm, soft orange to blazing vermillion red which, in Julia's mind, was like Geraldine's thick hide.
Even with the cold and the changing of the seasons, trainers always had it in them to battle, no matter the weather. Julia and Caiseal faced each other on the battlefield behind the Pokemon Center, with Viole and Saoirse hopping around, flinging attacks at each other or dodging. Perrine sat on a nearby bench, holding Mushi in her arms.
"Saoirse, use Fire Fang!" Julia commanded.
"Snubbuuuuull!" Saoirse's sharp teeth burst into flames as she darted across the dirt, ready to fry Viole into a burnt plant.
"Ha! Viole, use Sludge Bomb to hold her off!" Caiseal cried, his smile brimming with confidence.
"Gloom!" Viole fired a sphere of sludge from the flower on his head. Since Saoirse was running, she found herself unable to get away in time as the sludge bomb came flying right toward her. Splat! The icky substance smacked her right in the face, causing her to fall on her rear. Thus, her pink face was covered with sludge.
"Haha! Good one, Viole!" Caiseal ran to his plant friend's side, holding his hand up for a high five.
Viole flashed a drool filled smile. "Gloom gloom!" He smacked Caiseal's hand with his short, stubby one.
"Saoirse!" Julia managed to pull out a napkin and used it to wash that stuff off of Saoirse's face. Thankfully, it came off rather easily. "You okay, girl?"
"Snubbull snub," Saoirse replied, rubbing her face with her own hands this time, just in case there were any excess spots she missed. Julia found herself glad that Saoirse wasn't wearing her favorite red dress and matching ribbons.
"You did great," She told her little friend.
"You were pretty good yourself," Caiseal suddenly piped in. Julia scooped Saoirse in her arms and stood up to face him.
"Same to you. I guess battling Pryce made you stronger."
"Yeah, sorta," Caiseal rubbed his head with one hand.
"But man, does it feel good to be outside again!" Julia stretched her legs out by standing on her tip-toes. "I was worried I might die from boredom!"
Perrine stood up from the bench and walked over to the kids with a bright, friendly smile. "I can relate. When I was little, my dad wouldn't let me leave the house a lot of the time except for school," Perrine explained. "He wouldn't even let me go out into the front yard," She puffed her chest out and held a fist aloft before presenting an admittedly bad imitation of her father's voice. "'Perrine, my child! A proper lady does not frolick in the grass! You'll get your dresses dirty, and I paid over a thousand dollars for your whole wardrobe! Now you better come back in here and finish your piano lessons, young lady!' Man, he was such a sourpuss back then!"
Both Julia and Caiseal held their hands over their mouths, attempting to suppress laughter but failing. Perrine's voice was far too high pitched to imitate her father's voice, but the attempt was still rather funny and accurate. Then again, kids liked doing silly things like this. It was here that Julia saw something out of the corner of her eye. She looked near the bench before running over to it.
"Jule? What's up?" Caiseal asked.
"Gloom gloom?"
"Paras?" Even Viole and Mushi couldn't help but wonder what was up.
Once Julia made it to the bench, she kneeled down to get a closer look. Laying in the grass was a grey stone with a green leaf shaped emblem on it. She reached out to pick it up. It didn't feel very heavy in her hands, but the bottom was covered in dirt that it had been sitting on for a long time. Julia cringed upon feeling the icky dirt on her skin.
"Hey! You found a Leaf Stone! Awesome!" Caiseal bent over to get a closer look. "Gloom use those to evolve into Vileplume!"
"Glooooom!" Viole agreed, flapping his hands up and down.
Julia stood up so she could meet everyone at eye level. "Hey, Cash? Does Viole want to evolve into a Vileplume?"
"Ask him."
She did just that. Viole nodded. But Julia seemed unsure. "I wonder if Blossom wants to evolve into a Vileplume or a Bellossom? I'll ask her if I ever get the chance to get Mom to send her over, then we can use the stones. Is that okay?"
Perrine nodded. "Sure."
"Fine with me," Caiseal shrugged.
"Gloom gloom gloom." ("I can wait.")
Speaking of which, she figured she could ask her mother if she could send Geraldine over. Julia did promise to at least take Geraldine back to Lake of Rage. Her parents were sure to be worried. But who could she send over in the mean time? She pulled out two PokeBalls and released Rino and Rina from their confinement. Rino yawned while Rina simply brushed her large ears.
"Niiiii niiii."
"Hey guys!" Since the poison pin duo had grown large, Julia didn't feel the need to kneel down to their level. "You know the red Gyarados, right? Well, I caught her, and she's at my house right now. I want to have her with me so we can hang out and be friends. But since I have six Pokemon, one of you has to go back home," She explained in a matter-of-fact, casual tone, like she always did. "Would either one of you like to go home and hang out with our other friends for a while?"
Both Rino and Rina exchanged glances. Julia didn't see any resentment in them like before. The last time she managed to switch Rina and Rino out, they were angry with her, thinking that she lied to them about liking her. Thankfully, those feelings had completely disappeared. Still, there was hardly a time when Rino and Rina were apart, being the lovebirds that they were. The kids were convinced they could see hearts fluttering out from their bodies the moment they would see each other. Rino and Rina found themselves ruminating.
Then, a couple seconds later, Rina raised her front paw. "Nido nido!" ("I wouldn't mind going.") She announced.
"How come?" Julia asked.
"Nido nido?" Rino cocked his head to one side, flummoxed. He figured she'd be the last Pokemon to want to go back to Julia's house.
Rina let out some huffs and grunts, explaining that although she loves Rino, she figured her lover could stand to have some time to himself and not have Rina constantly hovering over him. Plus, Rina liked some of the food Kassia made, and did find some good friends in Aqua and some of the other Pokemon. Rino nodded in an amicable manner, respecting his lover's decision.
"Okay then! Return!" Julia called Rina back to her PokeBall, deciding to switch her for Geraldine.
The practice battle session ended, and the kids scurried back into the Pokemon Center, namely because Julia was just too excited to see Geraldine again. She raced to the video phone as soon as she came in, with Caiseal and Perrine standing behind her. Julia held the phone to her cheek, waiting for the static to go away. Finally, the video began to materialize.
"He-"
"JULIA CAROL PARISA!" Her mother's loud voice forced Julia to pull the phone away. It almost blew her ears right off of her head. More than that, she hadn't heard her mother yell like that in a long time. Even Caiseal and Perrine could hear it, flinching at the staticky sound on the phone. This was not what she was expecting. "We need to talk right now, young lady!"
Julia flinched. The uncontrolled rage in her mother's voice was enough to make her shiver, and already she could picture bad scenarios playing out in her head. Even looking at her proved to be too much. Her mother's face was illuminated a bright, angry red.
"I can't believe you actually caught a Gyarados of all Pokemon!" Kassia bellowed, not turning her voice down one bit. Of course she would be referring to Geraldine.
Still, Julia found herself confused. Was that what her mother was mad about? "Yeah, I did. Is...that bad?"
On the video, Kassia took some deep breaths before continuing. "You caught a Gyarados, and not just any Gyarados, the red one that's been wreaking havoc on Mahogany Town! I've seen it on the news!" Kassia yelled, once again making no attempt to temper her voice. Again, Julia held the phone away from her ear, as said lack of tempering hurt her ears. "How could you be so reckless?! You know how dangerous Gyarados are!"
"Mom! Calm down!" Julia snapped back. "I only caught her because some Team Rocket goons were hurting her! I just wanted to help her, that's all!" Kassia was about to go on, but Julia held her finger up, silencing her. "Now, I want to ask if you can send Geraldine to me."
Kassia raised an eyebrow. "Geraldine?"
"The red Gyarados, Mom! I'm gonna send Rina over. Is that okay?"
Without a word, Kassia complied with her daughter's request. Julia put Rina's PokeBall in the transporter, watching it disappear as another PokeBall materialized in its place. There was Geraldine's name tag, in the exact same place as Julia left it. Perrine and Caiseal exchanged awkward glances.
"This is not going to go well," Caiseal whispered.
Perrine nodded in agreement, shivering like a leaf. "She's really mad."
"Thanks, Mom!" Julia beamed as soon as her hand wrapped around the PokeBall. However, Kassia still looked angry. Julia's smile faded. Just what was wrong? Was she not allowed to catch a Gyarados? She didn't remember hearing about any rules like that, and she had seen plenty of large Pokemon at the ranch. Some of those Pokemon were even perceived to be dangerous by the public, but Julia had always known the ones at the ranch to be nice and friendly. "...What's wrong?"
Kassia shook her head. "I can't believe you'd do something this stupid. I never should have sent you out on a journey, at least until you turned eighteen…"
"Hey! I heard that!" This was very unlike her mother. Julia had seen her complain about some things before, and be exasperated, but when it came to Pokemon, her mother was always enthusiastic about them. Plus, she would usually be like this when Amara did something stupid or was misbehaving. She hardly ever acted this way with her younger daughter, only when she really deserved it, which was rare.
"...Julia."
"Hm?"
"I want you to do something for me."
"Yeah? What?"
The atmosphere between them was tense. Kassia's stern expression didn't go away. She narrowed her eyes to odious slits. "...I want you to go back to the Lake of Rage and release that Gyarados."
Release Geraldine? Julia's mouth fell open. This mysterious disdain her mother seemed to have for Geraldine was unfeasibly strange. Both Perrine and Caiseal heard it as well. Again, they exchanged confused glances. Sure, Julia had planned to go to Lake of Rage and have Geraldine reunite with her parents, and maybe ask their permission to take Geraldine with her. But release her completely? Why would Kassia ask that? Julia wanted to spend time with her new friend and give her all the love, care, and affection in the world. Her parents always told her that Pokemon deserve love and care, and all Pokemon are important in this world.
All she could ask was, "...Why?"
"You know why." Julia knew from the tone of her voice that her mother meant business, and was in no mood for jokes or compromise.
"No, I don't."
Kassia gripped the phone on her side of the conversation. "Julia, listen to me. I don't want you keeping that Gyarados."
Not keep her? That did it for Julia. She could no longer keep an indoor voice. "Why not?! Other trainers can catch Gyarados and raise them just fine!" She didn't care if her mother was glaring at her for yelling. At this point, Julia wanted to yell. What else could she do? "I'll take good care of her, I promise!"
"Julia! It's not about whether you'll take care of her, it's about whether you can handle her or not!" Kassia snapped back. "And I absolutely know for sure that you're completely unable to handle a Pokemon like that!" Julia tried to protest, but her mother continued on. "Gyarados are extremely dangerous, and if anyone does anything to set them off, they can go on rampages and reduce entire towns to rubble! They're called the atrocious Pokemon for a reason! People have died because of them!"
She knew that. She knew that Chanel had died in a Gyarados rampage. But in her mind, she was making it sound as though all Gyarados were bad. Surely, that wasn't the case. Nevertheless, Kassia kept going. "They've killed millions of people since ancient times. They can generate millions or billions of dollars in property damage. What will you do if Gyarados suddenly goes berserk and begins using Hyper Beam of Mahogany Town?"
"I…" Julia had no answer for that. Then she noticed something really odd: Not once did Kassia refer to Julia's new friend as Geraldine. Just plain old Gyarados. That was strange. Why wasn't she calling Geraldine by her new name? Julia could tell that had to mean something.
"Should Gyarados do that, the town could force you to pay the property damage fees, and you know we don't have that kind of money! They could take Gyarados away and euthanize her if she so much as takes one life, and I don't want that happening to you!" Julia squeezed her eyes shut. She knew all of that. She knew she wasn't stupid, and wished her mother wouldn't remind her of that truth. "You could go to jail, and they could revoke your trainer's license!"
Unable to take it anymore, Julia found her voice. "But Mom! Geraldine's not some heartless killer monster! Besides, I've seen you raise dangerous Pokemon before, like Ursaring, Pinsir, and Rapidash! You loved them and cared for them like they were your babies, and they came out super nice! I'll love Geraldine just as much, just like you showed me!"
Again, Kassia shook her head grimly. "Julia. I've raised hundreds of Pokemon before I even had you and Amara. But for some, no matter how much care I gave them, it wasn't enough. Nothing I did could help them with their problems. I either had to put them up for adoption and have them put down-I mean, euthanized."
Julia always hated it when others would describe putting a sick Pokemon out of their misery as being put down. Why bother sugarcoating it? She knew what euthanize meant. She looked it up on the computer and in her books. It was just a fancy word for killing them with a substance they inject into sick Pokemon with needles and syringes. She didn't understand why her parents wouldn't just be honest with her about these things. However, she wished Kassia wasn't being honest right now.
"I'm already seeing signs that your Gyarados has problems that you're not going to be able to handle, even if you do give her all the love in your heart," Her voice quivered somewhat. Whether it was anger or sorrow, Julia wasn't sure. She couldn't quite make it out with the phone's sound quality. "Besides, only experienced trainers who know how to care for Gyarados can handle them. At your level, how can you even begin to try to raise one? I just don't want you getting into trouble or taking on far more than you can handle."
"Mom! I've read books on how to care for Gyarados!" Julia argued once more. "Can't I at least try? I know Geraldine's not some evil monster! She's a nice Pokemon!"
"JULIA!" Kassia barked, her face curling into a hideous expression of both melancholy and anger. "I'm not giving you a choice here! Get rid of that Gyarados right this instant! I don't want you keeping that thing!"
Now she was plain distraught. All she could do was stare at the corners of the monitor, looking like she was going to burst into tears. Her grip on the phone strengthened, and her blood began to boil. One side of Julia saw-and knew-that her mother was right. Gyarados were dangerous, and if she couldn't handle them, people could get seriously hurt or even die. Maybe she herself might get killed. Should a Gyarados destroy a whole town, someone would have to pay for the damages. The Parisas didn't have that kind of money. They weren't poor, but they weren't rich, either. There was no possible way Julia could pay for any property damages beyond what she had saved in her account, and she was told to only use that money for her journey, especially for necessities. Plus, Julia had no experience with especially large Pokemon, and all she really did with the ones her mother owned was play with them and feed them a lot of the time. She hadn't raised them or taught them manners or disciplined them when they were bad. The rational side of her said to comply with her mother's demand and spare herself the dangers and the trouble.
Then-sweeping across her mind's eye, in one swift instant of wishful thinking-she visualized the moments she could spend with Geraldine. There was so much they could do together. Julia could read books to her out loud, just like with her other Pokemon. She would feed her good food, the best her money could buy. She and Geraldine would play with the other Pokemon and become great friends. She and Geraldine could ride the oceans to other regions and see the world, and she wouldn't have to worry about boats, storms, waves, other water Pokemon, or even paying any fees. Julia could tell her lots of funny jokes that would make anyone, human or Pokemon, laugh out loud. Julia could make Geraldine happy and give her love, love that would help her overcome what Team Rocket had done to her. She would brush her scales every day, keep her company, tell her secrets, and maybe perfect some of her attacks. Why shouldn't she keep her? Sure, she had gone berserk in Mahogany Town, but that was because Team Rocket had hurt her. It wasn't like she wanted to hurt anyone. She was scared and upset. Anyone would be if random strangers kidnapped them and did horrible things to them.
Besides, Julia was in Mahogany Town. Her mother was far away, back in New Bark Town. Too far away for her mother to suddenly bark new rules at her. Her blood boiled even hotter, which made her build up her courage. There were too many questions, too many impossible choices swimming in her head, all at war with each other.
One choice began to win everything over: No. She was done being told she couldn't do one thing she wanted.
"Do you understand me, young lady? I want you to release that-"
A shiver of outrage finally ran through Julia's being. In the course of a split second, she refused to let her mother finish that command, screaming, "NO!" She didn't care if people turned to look at her. It wasn't any of their business anyway. She stood up from the chair. "I'm NOT getting rid of her! I'm GOING to take care of Geraldine, like a good trainer should! I'm GOING to be a good trainer AND THAT'S FINAL!"
With a grunt, she slammed the phone down in its proper place, and the video suddenly turned black. Soon, she found herself gasping for breath, though she wasn't running or doing anything that would make her lose breath. Perrine and Caiseal were speechless. They had never seen Julia like this before. The people who stopped to look were also speechless, though they were more confused than shocked, wondering just what was going on. But it didn't take long for them to go back to what they were doing.
"Uhh…" Only Perrine managed to summon the courage to speak. "Jule? Are...you okay?"
Julia took in a sharp breath before turning to face her friends. "Let's go to Lake of Rage. Geraldine wants to see her parents."
Once again, the duo exchanged glances. Talk about changing the subject. Nevertheless, they complied without a word.
Lake of Rage wasn't far from Mahogany Town, only a 30 minute walk on foot. Unlike before, the Lake of Rage was now calm and serene, and nothing stirred. Even the lake's waters were still as a mannequin. Once Julia got close, she took out her PokeBalls and let all of her Pokemon out, Geraldine included. The red serpent stood before them on a small bit of land right in front of the lake. Julia looked up at her serpentine friend, beaming, unlike before.
"Hi, Geraldine!" Julia warmly greeted her friend like it was the most normal thing in the world. "Guess what? You're back home now!"
Geraldine turned around. There was the lake. Her home, her beautiful, serene lake, just the way it was when she left. Already, relief washed over her. She was home now, just like Julia promised. She closed her eyes and flashed a big smile, rejoicing in her return. The joy was instantaneous, and Julia could tell that the red serpent was in a state of absolute bliss.
"Sorry it took so long to bring you back here," Julia apologized. The anger in her voice had vanished completely. The walk probably helped. Nature sometimes does that to people. "Oh! I want to introduce you to my friends! These are Perrine and Caiseal, and all the Pokemon here are my friends!"
The red serpent listened as Julia, her new trainer, introduced the Pokemon one by one. It must be confessed that the Pokemon found themselves huddled together, shaking like leaves. Julia could see the fear in their eyes.
"Don't worry, guys!" Julia told them reassuringly. "Geraldine's a nice Gyarados! She's not gonna hurt you!"
The red serpent looked down at them, despondent. Of course they'd be afraid. She was a giant red serpent known by the public for attacking people and reducing towns to rubble. They were tiny, harmless Pokemon. Still, she wasn't an angry Pokemon, nor did she want to hurt anyone. She was big and did look intimidating, but she knew this wasn't her fault. Very slowly, she lowered herself to their level.
"Pikapi…" Hikaru held her hands over her head just in case anything happened. All she felt was a soft, slobbery tongue licking her fur. She looked up, seeing Geraldine smiling at her. Her body relaxed at the gentle but sticky touch. "Pikachu!" Hikaru beamed. So Geraldine wasn't dangerous after all. The other Pokemon could sense Hikaru's relaxation, and they followed suit.
Then, Geraldine turned around and let out a growl. "Mom! Dad! It's me! I'm back!" She cried. Within a split second, two blue Gyarados sprang up from the ground, growling with relief as they coiled their bodies around their daughter, rejoicing in her return. Julia could hear and translate every word they said.
"Oh! Thank goodness you're alright! We were so worried!"
"We were afraid those humans had killed you!"
"Sorry for scaring you, Mom, Dad."
"It's alright. It's not your fault. We're just happy you're safe and sound."
"Come meet my new friends!" Geraldine gently escorted her relieved parents to Julia and her Pokemon. The Gyarados parents tilted their heads to one side, looking flummoxed. "This human here is Julia! She and her Pokemon saved me! I couldn't have gotten out without their help," Geraldine explained in soft growls. Julia's cheeks turned a rosy pink.
The two Gyarados exchanged glances. Soon, their faces relaxed and they bowed before the girl in gratitude. "We thank you for saving our daughter," The Gyarados parents warbled.
"You're welcome! Hey, Geraldine? Do you want to play?"
Geraldine beamed. After being cooped up in the PokeBall for a week straight, of course she wanted to play. She allowed Julia and the Pokemon to ride on her back as she swam through Lake of Rage, allowing the girl and her Pokemon to take in all the new sights. Julia and the Pokemon were in awe. Everything around them grew smaller as they were high up on Geraldine's back. They even found themselves among a flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto, as the birds flew right past them, flapping their wings and flying to wherever they wanted to go.
"Hey, no fair!" Perrine complained. "I wanna ride a Gyarados, too!"
Caiseal pulled all of his PokeBalls out. "How about we all ride on her?"
Soon, all of their Pokemon found themselves out and about, riding on the backs of many grateful Gyarados, Geraldine included. They had no idea when Pryce was going to come back, so Julia figured they could hang out here for now, that way Geraldine could relax and catch up with her family and friends. She was in no rush to battle him. Basically, the kids and the Pokemon decided to play at the Lake of Rage all day.
At one point, Julia sat down in front of a tree, and Geraldine just plopped down next to her. An opportunity arose. "Hey, Geraldine! Want to listen to me read a book? It's super good!" Geraldine smiled, keeping her mouth closed. "Look! This is one of my favorites! I'll read it to you!" Soon, Julia's other Pokemon gathered around, listening as their trainer's soft, friendly voice read the words in the book aloud for all to hear.
Caiseal and Perrine sat down just a couple feet away, watching the happy group enjoy themselves. "She's so good with her Pokemon," Perrine mused, brushing her hair with a comb she brought with her. "It's no wonder they like her so much."
"Yeah, true," Caiseal stretched his arms out. "But I wonder if she can really handle a Gyarados, though? I mean, they can be pretty rough when they want to be. They're not called the atrocious Pokemon for nothing."
Perrine fell silent. Caiseal had a good point. Doubts began to spring forth like a leak in a boat. Julia's mother did bring up some good points. Every trainer and Pokemon is different, and sometimes a trainer and a Pokemon just aren't compatible. Sure, Geraldine was being calm and friendly now, but Gyarados were well known for having vicious tempers. Who's to say something won't set her off or cause her to go on a rampage? Perrine shook her head.
"Well, if something happens, we'll do what we can," Perrine answered. "I mean, we are Pokemon trainers after all."
By this point, Caiseal pulled out a crossword puzzle. "Let's just keep an eye out, okay?" He filled out one word in the puzzle before looking up to see Julia still reading to the Pokemon.
"'You are a princess, and nothing can make you any different,' said Henriette. 'You're still my friend no matter what,'"
Not even Caiseal could deny how warm, accepting and loving Julia was toward Pokemon of all shapes and sizes. But even he knew that that love could only go so far, and just because someone loves their Pokemon, doesn't mean the recipients would always be willing to accept it. He knew this from experience. For now though, he let them be. They were happy, so he was happy. Everyone else was, too.
After a full day of doing nothing but play and have fun, the kids found themselves bushed when the moon rose, and they didn't feel like going back to the Pokemon Center. Not only that, Julia figured Geraldine would like to spend the night at her home, so they decided to camp out for the night. The sky was draped with an elegant black cloak, bejeweled with a myriad of shining stars, and crowned by a crescent moon. Everyone, even the Gyarados, was deep in sleep, lost in dreamland, enjoying the peaceful nights. The kids slept in tents that they set up-which Perrine and Caiseal had bought long beforehand-and some of the Pokemon stayed outside in case anything happened.
Hikaru was one such Pokemon. She slept right in front of Julia's tent, her ears tucked back. But oddly enough, she couldn't sleep. Images of Geraldine being welcomed back by her family kept on lingering in her mind, blocking out everything else. At one point, Hikaru simply woke up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes with her little fists. She looked up to see Geraldine, also awake, staring right up at the crescent moon with curious, interested eyes. Hikaru frowned, and her stomach lurched. Memories of her old parents barged right in, intruding on the peace she had made with herself.
But worse than that was jealousy. Geraldine was accepted by her parents, and her parents loved her. Hikaru's...she shook her head. She was over them, and the less she thought about them, the better. Still, the pain lingered, and the despairing thoughts were intruding upon everything else. That wasn't Geraldine's fault, and Hikaru mentally scolded herself for being jealous of a Gyarados. Nobody can choose their parents, nor can they choose the color of their fur. Neither Hikaru nor Geraldine chose to become shiny Pokemon, especially since their shiny coats brought them so much unneeded grief and trouble.
Geraldine stirred, turning around to see the small rodent behind her. "Oh? Hi, Hikaru!"
Hikaru's ears drooped. "Hi."
"What are you doing up this late?" Geraldine kept her growls low so she wouldn't wake anyone.
"I should be asking you that."
"Touche," Geraldine lowered herself down to Hikaru's level, placing her chin on the ground. "Want to hop on?"
Without hesitation, Hikaru hopped on Geraldine's head, holding tight onto one of her horns as the red serpent pulled herself back up. Under the moonlight, Hikaru noticed that Geraldine's red hide looked somewhat darker, a blazing crimson. Even more strange feelings Hikaru couldn't put a name to raged in her heart like a whirlpool. Finally, another shiny Pokemon she could relate to. Sure, Geraldine wasn't born a shiny Pokemon like Hikaru was, but her color had changed, and it was different from other Gyarados. Just like Hikaru's orange fur was different from regular Pikachu.
"So...you're a Pikachu, right?" Geraldine asked in a low voice. Since Pikachu had long, pointed ears, which grew longer from evolution, her hearing had become more sensitive. She could hear Geraldine's low growls. "I've never seen a Pikachu before. Are all of them orange like you are?"
Hikaru smiled at the red serpent's curiosity. "No. They're yellow. I'm what you call a shiny Pokemon. They have different colors than normal."
Despite her unfamiliarity with the rodent sized Pokemon, Geraldine could understand Hikaru's words perfectly. Different colors...Geraldine looked down at her tail. "So...does that make me a shiny Pokemon?"
"Sort of," Hikaru clarified. "But I was born shiny. You were forced to evolve against your will."
"Ohhhhh!" Geraldine was awestruck. Finally, she had answers. Did it feel ever so good to receive some answers. "That explains why I look so different!"
However, in her happiness, Geraldine could sense something stirring within the mouse Pokemon. Was she somehow sad? "You don't sound happy. Did I do something wrong?"
Hikaru's ears perked up, and her mouth fell open. How could this Gyarados think she had done something wrong? She had been nothing but nice throughout the whole day.
"No. It's not you. It's just…" Hikaru replied with a hint of sorrow in her voice. "Your parents...they really love you."
"Yep, yep, yep! They do!" Geraldine agreed, sounding pleased. "I was so afraid they'd throw me out because of my odd colors, but they didn't! They still love me!"
'You're lucky,' Hikaru thought to herself. 'You're so, so, so lucky,' Once again, the pang of jealousy sprang up in her heart.
"My parents...they didn't like me."
"Huh? Why not?" Geraldine asked, curiosity piqued.
"They thought my shiny coat would attract predators," Hikaru explained. Talking about her past made her feel drained. The last thing she wanted to think or talk about were those Raichu who disowned her. What good would it do to bring them up again? For reasons that were a mystery even to her, Hikaru continued on. "They said I was bad luck, so they didn't consider me their child. They said I was a defective, wretched creature."
Geraldine looked down, flummoxed. "What does defective mean?"
"It means in their minds, I came out wrong, like I was broken," Hikaru explained. She found herself liking this red Gyarados.
Confusion evaporating, Geraldine found herself appalled. "That's terrible! Your parents shouldn't have done that! I think you're a great Pokemon! You didn't come out wrong at all!"
"Try telling them that."
"To think they'd throw you aside like trash like that…" Geraldine kept herself calm, not wanting to wake the others. "If that's how they're gonna treat you, then they shouldn't even be parents at all!"
Hikaru smiled, pleased. "My adopted dad said the same thing."
The two Pokemon found themselves laughing in agreement. "I...I know this seems insignificant, but...I had a crush on another Magikarp before I evolved," Geraldine explained once more. "I wanted to tell him how I felt. But when I evolved, he swam away like he saw a ghost."
"Hmph! He's not worth it," Hikaru crossed her paws and sat down. "You'll find someone better."
The red serpent liked the idea. "Do you, Julia, and the others travel all over the world?"
"Not the whole world, but we have been traveling," Hikaru answered. "I've been hanging out with Julia, Perrine, and Caiseal for a while. I've seen lots of things I would never have seen before. There's a lot we still haven't seen."
"That sounds fun! I'd love to travel with you!" Geraldine beamed. "I mean, I'll have to ask Mom and Dad if I can, but now that they know I'm safe, I'm sure they won't be worried."
It hadn't occurred to Hikaru that Geraldine felt as though she had to ask her parents for permission to go with her. Then again, different Pokemon had different values and policies. Hikaru looked up. The moon was high in the sky, having reached its zenith.
"The sky sure is pretty, isn't it?" Geraldine mused.
"Yeah. Yeah, it is."
"I...I'm scared to go to sleep."
"How come?"
"I...I'm free from Team Rocket. I don't have to worry about them capturing me again," Geraldine elaborated, her voice quivering. "I should be happy and feel safe...but I don't. I...I still see myself in that room, going through those awful things. Sometimes I feel like I'm still back there. I can't seem to stop thinking about it no matter what."
Once again, Hikaru could relate. Memories of her parents disowning her still lingered despite wanting to put them behind her. But she could only imagine what Geraldine's pain must be like. Hikaru hadn't been subject to Team Rocket's experiments, but whatever Geraldine went through, they must have been extremely traumatizing. No wonder she didn't want to go to sleep. She wished she had the answer to the red serpent's inquiries. Regrettably, she didn't.
"I wish I could help with that," Hikaru told her. "Maybe hanging out with Julia can help."
"You might be right."
"So, uh...what do you think of her so far?"
Geraldine beamed once more. "I think she's great! My family and friends were always wary of humans, but she helped me, so I'm sure not all humans are bad. She's nice, too!"
"I can definitely agree with that. I should probably get back to sleep."
"I'll try to sleep, too," Geraldine lowered herself to the ground, letting Hikaru down safely. "Good night."
"Night."
With that, the two Pokemon returned to their slumber. Geraldine laid her head down on the ground, leaving the rest of her body in the water so her family would know she's still there. If only the rest of the night were peaceful and serene.
Before the sun came out from the horizon, as red and purple clouds streaked the sky, a loud, deafening roar roused everyone from their sleep, and rather rudely, at that. Julia and the other Pokemon found themselves shooting upward, awake and alert. Julia barely scrambled to put her hands over her ears.
"What in the world?!" Never had she been awoken in such a manner. Better yet, she had never been woken by a deafening roar in her entire life. Not until now.
She slipped her shoes on-without putting her socks on-and raced out of the tent, as did Perrine and Caiseal. They were all still in their pajamas.
"What the heck was that?" Caiseal yelped, his curly blonde hair still disheveled and in dire need of brushing.
"I...I-I-I-I-I don't know! But man, I was having such a nice-"
Perrine didn't get to finish that sentence, as yet another roar cut her off. They all looked toward the Lake of Rage, and their Pokemon followed suit. The source of the roars was right in front of them. In the middle of the lake was Geraldine, roaring and shooting random beams of multicolored light in the air. Some of them almost hit some nearby Pidgey and Pidgeotto. Others managed to knock down several trees, which roused many other forest Pokemon from their sleep.
"Oh no!" Julia hands almost flew to her mouth. Geraldine was roaring and shooting Dragon Rage all over the place. Just what was going on?
Then Geraldine turned around. Her eyes were squeezed shut, like she was still dreaming. Everyone's pupils shrunk to the size of dots. They had to do something.
"Geraldine!" Julia screamed, picturing what would happen if she didn't try and calm her down. "Geraldine, stop!"
"Pikapikaaaaaaa!" Hikaru screamed with her.
Their cries went unheard, as Geraldine fired yet another Dragon Rage attack on another set of trees, sending them falling to the ground. Tremors sent ripples all through the entire lake. More Pidgey and Pidgeotto flew away from the forest, intent to escape with their lives. Julia couldn't let this go on. She yanked out Geraldine's PokeBall.
"Geraldine, return!" Julia shouted, attempting to recall the red serpent, but her wild movements caused the red beam to miss somewhat. Finally, the red beam managed to hit Geraldine, pulling her right back into the PokeBall. Overcome with relief, Julia fell to her knees, clutching the PokeBall like her life depended on it.
"Thank goodness!" Perrine let out a huge, relieved sigh. "I thought we were toast for a second there!" All of the Pokemon gathered around with concerned looks on their faces.
"What the heck just happened?" Caiseal asked, scratching his hair.
"I...I don't know…" Julia immediately released Geraldine from her PokeBall.
The red serpent's eyes were wide open. This time, she didn't look like she was in pain. She examined her surroundings, noticing that some trees were knocked down. She let out some confused growls, which Julia translated as, "What just happened? Did I do that?"
"Geraldine!" Her trainer's voice pulled her out of her reverie. "Are you okay?" The concern in her voice was unmistakable. "You were using Dragon Rage and going a little berserk just now."
Geraldine stiffened. Did she really? Upon further rumination, that was the only explanation that seemed somewhat plausible, and she could only assume that they saw it happen. Remorse overtook her, and she bowed apologetically. "Sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that!" Julia could hear the pain in her serpentine friend's growls. "I dreamt that Team Rocket was hurting me again!"
Julia smiled, satisfied with the explanation. She walked over to her friend and stroke her yellow hide gently. "It's okay. You had a nightmare, that's all. It happens," She told her friend reassuringly. "We all get them. But don't use Dragon Rage when you're sleeping, okay? If someone got hurt, we'd both get in trouble, and I don't want anything bad to happen to you."
Perrine and Caiseal exchanged glances. They could only assume Julia was trying to take some of what her mother said seriously, or at least try to take the initiative and prevent any trouble. Geraldine smiled, basking in the warmth of her trainer's touch. For now, everything seemed fine. Julia tried to convince herself that this was just one little incident. Nobody got seriously hurt or killed, and Geraldine didn't mean it, so she was sure they could try to get past this with a little love and care.
Unfortunately, this would only be a harbinger of terrible events to come, and Julia was going to wish she had listened to her mother's warnings.
Alrighty! The red Gyarados arc is almost done! Just one more chapter to go. Yeah, the next chapter will be up soon if I ever get the inspiration.
So...who's excited for Pokemon Sun and Moon?! Oh my God, I can't wait for November 18th! I want November to come already! Aren't the new starters just utterly precious?! I love them all, but I like Rowlet and Popplio the best! I'm gonna get Moon and start with Rowlet, and then get Sun and choose Popplio, and get Litten through GTS. New Sun and Moon info is gonna come out June 2nd. And guess what?! Trainer customization is back! I hope they add more clothing options for girls, like normal shorts and capris (I seriously hate how they keep shoving girl characters into ridiculously short shorts that go up to their thighs. If you guys like them that's fine, but those have got to be really uncomfortable, and I don't think they'd be very practical for harsh travel). Anyway, I can't wait for the games to come out, and I'm buying them on the first day!...if I have enough money, that is.
Random fact: I thought about giving Marius the Girafarig to Caiseal, but seeing how Perrine hadn't caught any new Pokemon since Luminita the Chinchou, I decided to give him to her.
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
Rino (Nidorino, Male, Modest Nature)
Ability: Poison Point
Attacks: Double Kick, Poison Sting, Peck, and Horn Attack
Geraldine (Shiny Gyarados, Female, Careful Nature)
Ability: Intimidate
Attacks: Bite, Ice Fang, Aqua Tail, Dragon Rage
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
Baloo (Jigglypuff, Female, Docile Nature)
Ability: Cute Charm
Attacks: Sing, Wake-Up Slap, Disarming Voice, and Body Slam
Mushi (Paras, Male, Quirky Nature)
Ability: Effect Spore
Attacks: X-Scissor, Stun Spore, Growth, and Giga Drain
Luminita (Lanturn, Female, Naive Nature)
Ability: Water Absorb
Attacks: Supersonic, Discharge, BubbleBeam, and Electro Ball
Marius (Girafarig, Male, Mild Nature)
Ability: Sap Sipper
Attacks: Stomp, Odor Sleuth, Psychic, and Crunch
Caiseal's Party:
Mallow (Marowak, Male, Lax Nature)
Ability: Lightning Rod
Attacks: Bonemerang, Bone Rush, Headbutt, and Rock Smash
Apollo (Typhlosion, Male, Bold Nature)
Ability: Blaze
Attacks: Flamethrower, Flame Charge, Rollout, and Smokescreen
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
Heracles (Heracross, Male, Relaxed Nature)
Ability: Moxie
Attacks: Brick Break, Megahorn, Aerial Ace, and Endure
Geo (Golem, Male, Brave Nature)
Ability: Sturdy
Attacks: Steamroller, Rock Slide, Heavy Slam, and Magnitude