Chapter 36: The Frozen Heart Thaws
When the dawn began to adorn its blue and crimson blush, Julia was already awake in her room in the Pokemon Center. She always was an early riser, sometimes waking up before 6:00 AM. She didn't mind this at all, as she found it to be great time to do whatever she wanted. Now, however, her eyes were still weary and blurry, adjusting to her surroundings. Hikaru, Saoirse, and Lucretia slept on her bed, curled up against the wall. Rina and Tokiko were on the other side of the room, sleeping contentedly. Julia smiled, noticing the PokeBalls on the desk. But something about them was off. Julia rubbed her eyes, thinking she must be seeing things. She wasn't, as one PokeBall was missing.
Geraldine's PokeBall.
For a brief moment, the first rush of adrenaline came coursing through her veins. Where was Geraldine? Did someone take her? Then she remembered, stopping herself from thinking the worst: Geraldine was gone. She had handed her over to Lance so he could take her to get help for her problems. Only now did it finally sink in.
No longer would she see the adorable red serpent smile at her when she'd see her in the morning. No more seeing her bright, shiny red scales. Neither she nor the Pokemon would get to ride on her back across great lakes and grand oceans. Geraldine would never experience the joy of traveling to new places, seeing new people and Pokemon, battling other Pokemon for the thrill of the competition, or anything else Julia had planned. She would never brush her scales, give her good food, or shower her with all the love and affection she could give ever again.
Actually, that was a bit of an exaggeration.
'Stop thinking like that, Julia,' She scolded herself for her selfishness. 'This is what's best for Geraldine. She needs help. At least she's not dead or being taken away by bad people. They can help her and handle her better than you can,' She tried to see the positives of the situation. She really tried. But the negative thoughts completely overpowered everything.
She thought about her mother's yelling and warnings from the days before. Kassia had been absolutely right. As much as Julia hated to admit it, Kassia predicted things would go wrong, and they did. Julia could have lost everything, and she couldn't handle Geraldine when she went berserk and almost destroyed Mahogany Town. It was good that Geraldine didn't take any lives, but what if she had? Julia had no intention of even thinking about what could have happened. Just that Geraldine was in better hands.
Even so, the anger still simmered. Anger at herself for being so careless, for not being able to take care of her Pokemon. Anger at her mother for being right, even though Julia knew it was wrong to be angry at her mother for that. Still, she was sure that if she were to call her mother again, Kassia would ask about it, and if Julia told the truth, she would probably say, "I told you so," and rub it in her face. By Arceus, she hated it when people told her things she already knew, usually in an angry, condescending manner, like she hardly ever understood what she did wrong.
Growling echoed from the pits of her stomach, pushing thoughts of Kassia out of her mind. "Does the PC still have bananas?" Julia asked herself out loud.
Not wanting to disturb her Pokemon, she changed into her clothes, left a note, grabbed some money, and went into the lobby to see if she could grab some breakfast. Much to her relief, there were bananas, blueberries, and other assorted breakfast foods being served. Not only that, she was the only customer, so everything could be prepared quickly. Julia smiled so big, her mouth stretched past her cheeks. Getting up early definitely had its perks, indeed. She still had a hefty amount of money, so she splurged and ordered bananas, buttered toast on white bread, a bowl of steamed white rice, and water. In some parts of Johto, rice is often served for breakfast, and is an important part of every meal.
It was absolutely perfect. Never before did Julia have such a perfect morning. A good, fulfilling meal, soft music playing on the restaurant speakers at a low, gentle volume, the morning sun painting the sky in different shades of red and purple, everything coming and going without delay, no noise, no crowds, no shouting or yelling, no crying babies. Julia had to wonder why she hadn't done this before.
Too bad her perfect morning ended the moment she left the little restaurant in the lobby.
Ring ring ring ring!
"What in the world?" Julia could hear her PokeGear blaring from her pocket. She took it with her just in case Perrine or Caiseal wanted to know where she was. Thinking it was them, she opened it up. The icons didn't display neither Caiseal or Perrine's images. The phone number itself was one that Julia recognized all too well...and one she didn't want to see.
On impulse, she answered the call despite not wanting to. "Hello?"
"Hi, Julia. It's your mom."
Of course. Julia let out an exasperated sigh. What a surprise. "Hi, Mom," Normally, Julia would greet her mother with enthusiasm and cheer. But she was in no mood for being cheery and happy right at the moment. "It's really early. What are you doing up?"
"You know why. The Pokemon need my attention."
"Oh. I forgot. Whoops," She mused. 'Come on, Mom. Just say it. Say I told you so. I know you want to,' Her mother was sure to mention Geraldine soon. Probably ask whether Julia released her or not. There was no escaping it, so Julia figured her mother might as well just ask.
"How are you doing?"
Julia squinted. "Fine. Everything's juuuuust dandy," Her voice was dripping with sarcasm, something Julia didn't think she would even use. This time, she couldn't resist.
"I take it you-"
Finally, she was going to say it. However, Julia was quick to cut her off. "Released Geraldine? No. I handed her off to a rehabilitation facility. She needed help, and someone offered to give the help she needs. So yes and no, I both did and didn't release her."
Something unfamiliar began rising in her heart. Her voice had adopted a strangely stern tone to it, one that her parents usually used when they were being firm in scolding their daughters when they did something wrong. Boy, did it feel good to use it on her mother for once.
"What?!" Kassia shouted, completely flabbergasted. The exact reaction Julia predicted. Predictably, she pulled the phone away to keep her mother's voice from blowing her ears off of her head. The fact that her mother was so easily set off finally sunk in. "Julia! Why didn't you release it?!"
It. Her mother called Geraldine an it, like she didn't even care that Geraldine was a Pokemon with feelings, wishes, or dreams. Immediately scolding herself for thinking such a thought, Julia tried to think of an answer. Instead of an answer, she found bubbling fury simmering in the depths of her heart. Fury at her mother for acting as though Geraldine was some monster, not even bothering to understand why she was the way she was. Then again, even if Julia did try to tell her, her mother was known for being stubborn as a Ponyta, and wouldn't listen even if she was given answers.
She had to at least try. What else could she do at this point?
Containing her true fury to the best of her abilities, Julia sighed before replying, "Releasing her wasn't going to make her problems go away. This was the best alternative," For once, she found herself surprised. She didn't expect to sound so composed and professional.
Too bad even that answer didn't satiate Kassia's anger. Of course. "Julia! You have to listen to me! I gave you an order, and it is your responsibility to-"
Order? The fury she tried hard to contain found cracks in the barriers, and was now leaking right out like a trash bag popped open. Julia narrowed her eyes. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She knew her mother wasn't giving her a choice in the matter, but the deed had already been done. Julia was already still struggling with her decision, even now. She didn't need her mother exacerbating it and getting all in a tizzy about it.
"Mom! Do you hear yourself right now?!" There was no stopping her now. Julia was in Mahogany Town, and her mother was still in New Bark Town. She didn't need to hear this. Better yet, she didn't need to just take this. "I just told you why I didn't release her, and you still get mad?! I stand by my decision and I'm sticking with it! Besides, who was it that told me that all Pokemon are important and that it's important to understand them?! You did!"
It was something she had always been taught from day one. Whenever she would see the Pokemon do something she didn't understand, like Meganium banging its head against the wall, Ampharos hitting itself across the face, or others just sitting around crying, she would always ask her parents about it. They always had answers, and told her that Pokemon can feel pain too. It's a good trainer's job to understand them and do whatever they could to at least try to help them out. It wouldn't make their problems go away, but knowing their trainers were there to understand and help them always made Pokemon happy.
It wasn't any different from how her parents raised both their daughters.
"Don't you get nasty with me, young lady-"
"See?! This is what I mean!" Julia shouted this time. Both she and Amara always hated it when their mother said things like that. "You always want us to listen to you, but then you say and do stuff that goes against what you taught us before and act like we're the ones being brats when all we're trying to do is tell you stuff and point out when you're wrong! Heck, you still get mad even if we do what you ask!"
"Please don't start with this attitude-"
"Mom! Releasing Geraldine back into Lake of Rage wasn't going to solve anything! I just told you that! Why are you acting like I murdered someone?!" If there was anything Julia hated most in the world, it was not being taken seriously, or being told she was being a brat. Why did adults always have to be so...hypocritical? Saying and doing one thing and then saying and doing the opposite when no one's looking. Julia wasn't stupid. She was going to tell her mother how she felt, and nothing was going to stop her this time.
Not this time.
"I hate it when you're like this! You want everything to go your way and then get all stubborn and angry when someone tells you something you don't want to hear, like Dad wanting to take you out to dinner or Amara wanting to go to some rock concert with Debbie and Emily and the others! Or even when I wanted to go to that kid's house back when I was in 5th grade!"
For once, her mother didn't say anything. At this point, Julia didn't want to hear anything else.
"I'm done. I have to go. I want to battle the Mahogany gym leader. Bye," She hung up before her mother could say anything else.
She stomped back to her room in the PC without another word. This time, her Pokemon were wide awake, occupying themselves with conversations or silly jokes. Julia flopped onto the bed, looking right up at the ceiling. She hardly ever talked to her mother like that, and never found the need to before now. But being told to "not start with the attitude" or that she was getting nasty really made her fury come right out. True, in her heart, she knew her mother was just worried, about her and Amara. Both of her daughters were gone, under different circumstances, and for all she knew, Kassia might have gone through days and days of fruitlessly searching for Amara. That might have contributed to her recent snippiness. Still, she hated being told she was being a brat or displaying attitude, when all she was trying to do was either call someone out for their garbage or stick up for herself. Was that so wrong?
Julia had to wonder...was this what Amara had been feeling lately? Was this what drove her to become so argumentative and confrontational about everything?
"Eevui?"
"Snubbull?"
The sweet voices of two of her small friends pulled Julia out of her reverie. Seeing the sad, concerned eyes of her friends melted her heart. With a despondent smile, Julia pulled Lucretia and Saoirse close, with their fur touching her chest. Lucretia inched closer to lick Julia's cheek. She had to admit, Lucretia's tongue was pretty wet with saliva, and the cool sensation made her giggle some.
"Thank you, girls. You're both sweet," Julia told them in a soft, grateful whisper. "But...hugs and kisses aren't going to make everything better this time," She hated having to admit this. As much as she wished that life was easy and not complicated, that wasn't the case. Geraldine was gone, and the red serpent needed help that may go on for possibly months, even years. Hugs and kisses certainly weren't going to satiate Kassia's anger.
Oh well. Julia didn't want to let her mother's moods ruin the rest of her day.
After she put everyone back in their PokeBalls, she met back up with Perrine and Caiseal. They didn't even need to exchange words. They could see that Julia's eyes were red and heavy from a combination of both sleep and crying a lot. The events of last night still lingered in their minds.
"Morning, Jule," Caiseal greeted her gently this time. Nobody expected him to be so calm and discreet, and he was usually very blunt. "How you doing?"
"Fine," That was the only answer Julia felt like giving. Going into details took too much energy out of her a lot of the time.
Thankfully, both of her friends found her response satisfactory. Perrine put a hand on her friend's shoulder and said, "If there's any way we can help, don't be afraid to tell us. I know...this may not mean much, but…" Perrine paused for a brief moment before continuing. "Lance is famous for advocating for Pokemon's rights, and he donates a lot of money to places like these, so Pokemon with problems can be given the care they need. Plus, he works hard to fight the bad reputation that Gyarados have received over the past few years. I don't doubt that he'll be able to give Geraldine all the love and special care in the world."
Julia wanted to believe Perrine so badly. She really did. Perrine was a big fan of Lance, and it wasn't hard to figure out why. Lance did tell them that one of his own Pokemon had similar problems and now was completely rehabilitated. That eased some of her worries. Still, Julia wished she could just go there and make sure Lance was true to his word. Having all these empty reassurances from people wasn't going to make all her worries go away. Julia wanted to be absolutely sure that her decision was the right one, and if something terrible were to happen to Geraldine while she was gone...she wasn't sure if she could ever live with herself.
She had already made her decision. There was no turning back or giving up on it.
"Thanks, guys. You're the best," Julia hugged both of her friends. "I'm gonna go battle Pryce. I'm sure you guys want to go to Blackthorn City already, and I don't want to drag you down."
"You're not dragging us down," Caiseal told her without the slightest hint of hesitation. "And we're in no rush to go anywhere. Take all the time you need."
"Yeah, what Caiseal said!" Perrine clasped her hands together. "Plus, there's some stuff I still want to do here anyway, so it'll be perfect!"
Once again, Julia smiled. Where had these two been in the early years of her life?
After that, Julia made her way to the Mahogany gym without difficulty. The actual gym wasn't particularly noteworthy in terms of its design. It just looked like a regular white building with a round red roof on it and triangular windows going across the front horizontally. Resting just above the triangular windows was a large, light blue emblem shaped like a snowflake. Obviously the standout feature of the entire gym. Julia went inside without hesitation. Since she had on a light purple jacket, she wasn't bothered by the steady decrease in temperature.
Standing before her was a battlefield completely covered in ice, with some large, frozen rocks dotting the arena. In the very center of it was a round cavity filled to the brim with water. Julia's mouth fell agape, in awe of its beauty. She had never seen an icy battlefield before. She was so mesmerized by the arena that she didn't notice an old man approaching her from her left side.
"Are you here for a battle, miss?"
The familiar, raspy voice made Julia jump up at least a foot. She whirled around to find the old man, Pryce, staring right back at her with the same icy scowl. Once again, simmering fury began to take hold. This was the man who almost killed her and Geraldine. She knew the police were likely still investigating the situation, but the fact that he was right in front of her was enough to completely sour her mood. But she reminded herself that she was not here to relive that memory.
"Umm...hello, Mr. Snow!" Julia greeted. "If it's okay with you, I'd like to have a battle with you."
Pryce tapped his cane onto the ground once. "I have some business to take care of, so I only have time for a one-on-one battle. Is that alright?"
"Yes, sir!"
One on one. Julia had expected a three on three battle, since he had three Pokemon. Oh well. It was better than nothing, so Julia had to make do. Then again, if she won this single battle, she could win a badge easy. But she reminded herself not to get overconfident. Pryce was far older than she was, and he probably had much more battling experience under his belt. Once they took their positions on their sides of the battlefield, they took out their PokeBalls.
"Go, Hikaru! Let's win this together!" As Hikaru materialized from white light, her whole body sparkled as her tiny paws landed on the battlefield.
"Pikachuuu!"
Pryce scowled at the electric mouse. "Dewgong. Teach this girl a lesson," Out from the PokeBall came a large, snow white sea lion, with a tiny horn protruding from its head. The Dewgong held itself up in a proud stance, and the ice beneath its body and fins didn't bother it one bit.
"Deeeewgong!"
Although she had seen Dewgong before, Julia pulled out her PokeDex to get better information on it. "Dewgong, the sea lion Pokemon. Dewgong loves to snooze on bitterly cold ice. The sight of this Pokémon sleeping on a glacier was mistakenly thought to be a mermaid by a mariner long ago. Dewgong can store thermal energy inside their pure white, fur covered bodies, and can swim in frigid water at eight knots, using their tails to change direction quickly. During winter, its body can blend in with the white snow, obscuring it from predators. However, long ago, hunters would hunt Dewgong for their pelts, almost driving them to extinction within the past century. Thanks to the efforts of dedicated Pokemon conservationists, Dewgong have since repopulated and are off the endangered Pokemon list."
"Pika!" At one point, Hikaru almost slipped on the ice. She managed to regain her footing and stay on all fours, but the ice bit at every single toe and finger in her body, sending chills all throughout.
"You okay, Hikaru?" Julia asked.
"Pikapi!" Hikaru nodded reassuringly.
"Alrighty then!" At this point, both parties considered the battle to have begun. There was no referee, so they began without one. "Hikaru, use Thunderbolt!"
"Pikachuuuuuu!" Hikaru began by unleashing a barrage of thunderbolts, sending them sparking all over the battlefield.
Pryce kept his arms crossed, scowling at the attack. "Dewgong, slide on the ice to dodge, then use Headbutt," He told it in a low but firm voice.
True to its ice typing, Dewgong used its body to slide across the ice. Steadily building momentum with every move, Dewgong slid all across the field, going from one frozen rock to the other, with no intention to stop. Hikaru tried to drop some thunderbolts on the sea lion, but its erratic movements prevented any of them from striking. Then, Dewgong slid right toward Hikaru, with its horn ready to attack.
"Hikaru, dodge it!" Julia commanded.
It would have been easy to dodge. However, the ice beneath Hikaru's feet was too cold and slippery. Hikaru stood up to jump, but one of her feet slipped, and she fell face first on the ice, rendering her immobile for just a moment. Just enough time for Dewgong's horn to meet its target. "Pikapiiiii!" The horn managed to slam right into Hikaru's fur, sending her skidding across the ice. Since the ice was so cold and slippery, nothing that Hikaru could grip was enough to stop herself from sliding. Thankfully, she did slow down and got back on her feet.
"You okay, girl?"
"Pikachu!" Hikaru gave another reassuring nod.
"Aurora Beam," Pryce commanded.
Swishing its fins upward, the sea lion Pokemon opened its big mouth, firing a thin, rainbow hued beam of light heading right toward Hikaru. Julia ordered another Thunderbolt, and the electric mouse blocked it with the electricity, managing to keep it from striking her. Rainbow colored lights spread all over from the point of impact. Some of them managed to break some of the frozen rocks into smithereens.
Pryce followed up with, "Ice Beam this time."
Dewgong didn't even give Hikaru time to dodge before firing a much stronger, light blue ray at the electric mouse. Hikaru staggered in a futile attempt to slide away from the situation, but the beam came too fast. Hikaru's whole body turned numb, and she found herself completely unable to move. The scenery in front of her turned blue.
"Hikaru!" Julia's hands almost flew to her mouth.
Frozen on her side of the battlefield was a helpless Hikaru, completely encased in a block of ice. Hikaru's mouth and eyes were wide open with fright, as were Julia's.
"Headbutt again."
"Deeeeeeewgooong!" Not stopping to rest, Dewgong slid across the battlefield on its stomach, ramming right into the frozen mouse. Despite its small horn, Dewgong managed to slam right into the block of ice, smashing it to pieces, freeing Hikaru from her icy prison.
"Pika!" Hikaru bounced on the ice, only stopping in front of another small rock.
"Hikaru! Are you okay?"
Again, Hikaru got back on her feet. But Julia could tell from the way Hikaru's legs were shaking and her weakening gait that she wasn't going to last much longer. Still, they couldn't give up.
"Use Disarming Voice!"
"Pikaaaaaaaa!" A wave of pink circular shapes fired right at the sea lion Pokemon.
"Ice Beam!" Pryce commanded.
Much to Julia and Hikaru's horror, the beam went right through the attack, managing to strike Hikaru once more. It came so fast, neither of them could think of dodging. This time, Hikaru wasn't imprisoned in a block of ice. However, Hikaru fell down to the ground, unable to pick herself back up. Her tiny body was numb and limp.
"Hikaru!" Julia ran over to the field, taking care not to slip and fall on the ice, and scooped her fallen friend in her arms.
"Pikapi…"
Julia smiled. Hikaru was still okay. "Don't worry. You did great. I'll take you to the PokeCenter right after this."
But the scene unfolding before Pryce did not thaw his frozen heart. He kept his icy scowl as he recalled Dewgong. "You lost because of your childish naivete and idealism," Pryce's voice had a subtle venom to it. "Friendship and kindness do not ensure victory in battle, and it's useless to rely on such childish sentiments to get through life."
The trainer clutched Hikaru in her arms. It wasn't childish or useless. None of it was. As much as she wanted to keep her mouth shut, as he was far older than she was, her body didn't listen to her heart.
"You're wrong," Julia told him, keeping her voice cool and calm. "I don't know what made you think that, but...that's not true. My Pokemon and I have been through a lot together, and it's because of them that I'm the person that I am...and how I managed to survive up to this point."
For a brief moment, Pryce found himself speechless. He had expected something like that from an old timer like himself, only less jaded. But a young child? One who had yet to experience life's difficulties? Pryce had no words. Still, he averted his gaze, not once laying eyes on the girl. With that, Julia left the building.
"Man. You lost? On a one-on-one battle?" Caiseal was the first to ask about Julia's gym battle once she handed Hikaru to Nurse Joy. She wasted no time telling him and Perrine all about it. "Jeez, that sucks."
"I'm kinda surprised you guys had a one-on-one battle," Perrine noted as she brushed her orange hair. "We had three-on-three battles with him."
Lucretia sat on Julia's lap, curled into a Q shape. Julia stroke her furry friend's brown and cream fur with one hand, keeping it at a steady, unchanging rhythm. "He said he only had time for one-on-one, and you guys are right. He is a sourpuss!" Julia exclaimed. "After the battle, he yammered on about how Pokemon and humans aren't meant to be friends."
"Told ya," Caiseal said. "You gonna try and battle him again?"
"Of course! I'm not gonna give up now."
Thankfully, it didn't take long for Hikaru to get healed, and the two friends were reunited at the counter moments later. After that, Julia spent the whole day training with her friends for the next battle with Pryce. She figured maybe she could battle him again the next day. He said he only had time for one battle, which meant that he would probably be busy all day. Oh well. There's always tomorrow.
Unfortunately, there wasn't going to be another battle.
"What?!" The first thing Julia did upon finishing breakfast the next morning was go to the gym. However, it was completely closed. There was a sign on it that said, 'Closed until further notice,' Julia groaned. "Awww, man! I want to get a badge already!"
"Eevui…" Lucretia agreed, her ears arching backward.
"Oh well. Guess we better try again later," Julia scooped Lucretia in her arms and decided to leave.
...Or she was about to, but rumbling underneath her feet made her freeze dead in her tracks. The ground was trembling, stopping and then starting again every second. Everything around her seemed to be jumping up and down, and the shock jolted her whole being from the toes up. What was going on?
"Yeeek!" Julia yelped.
Lucretia's ears twitched. Since her ears were longer, she could make out the source of the noise. Large feet stamping against the ground, coming from the left. "Eevui!" Lucretia relayed her information to her trainer. Gradually, the stomping sounds grew louder with every step. Julia turned to her left, scared out of her wits, but more out of not knowing what was making that noise than the actual event.
Gradually, a brown shape came into view. As it hopped closer, Julia could make out a big hump of brown fur, a pink nose, and white tusks. With every step the creature took, its large feet made the ground tremble, prompting it's floppy ears flying in erratic circular motions in tune with every movement. Julia tried to get herself to move, but she found herself frozen. Everything around her froze her in place, and now she was imprisoned by fear, namely her mind coming up with scenarios for her potential death.
Thankfully, Lucretia wasn't paralyzed by fear. The little brown feline leaped out of Julia's arms with a determined expression. "Eevee eevee!" She let out some shrill cries, hoping to get the creature's attention. But the big hunk of fur paid no heed as it came closer and closer, about to stomp right over them. However, as soon as it got close, it ran right past them before stopping right in front of the gym's doors.
Her body finally relaxed, and Julia turned around to see what was coming right at them. There it was, a large Pokemon rubbing its large feet across the door, making deep whining noises. The Pokemon was just a foot taller than she, and it kept looking up at the door, whining, "Muuuuuu!"
"Whoa! Where the heck did this Piloswine come from?" Julia asked out loud, pulling her PokeDex out on impulse.
"Piloswine, the swine Pokemon. Piloswine's entire body is covered with fur, which makes it hard to see, so it uses its nose to sense its environment instead. If it charges at an enemy, the hairs on its back stand up straight. It is very sensitive to sound. Piloswine's furry coat allows it to endure even the harshest of blizzards and freezing cold. It uses its tusks and it's very sensitive sense of smell to dig up food that has been buried under ice. Although its legs are short, its rugged hooves prevent it from slipping, even on icy ground. If it charges at an enemy, the hairs on its back stand up straight. Because its ears are long and floppy, it is very sensitive to sound," A male sign appeared in the bottom left hand corner of the PokeDex.
"Muuuuu!" Piloswine released a drawn out moan, as if he was looking for something...or someone.
Lucretia looked up at her trainer. "Eevee eevuiiii?" ("What the heck just happened?")
"Beats me," Julia was just as confused as Lucretia was.
"Piloswine!" A womanly voice thick with a Southern drawl made both trainer and Pokemon whip their heads around. Charging toward them was a large woman with a head full of curly chocolate brown hair that bounced with every step, and her matching eyes were overcome with surprise. The woman was wearing a pair of blue overalls over a yellow shirt, brown cowboy boots, and a purple cardigan. "There you are!" She stopped right next to Piloswine, putting both hands on her hips and giving it a stern glare. "You shouldn't go runnin' off like that! You had me worried!"
The Piloswine ignored her, continuing to claw at the door.
"Ummm…" Julia raised one of her hands up to get the woman's attention. "Is this your Piloswine?"
"Oh! I'm sorry, miss!" The woman apologized. "He didn't run you over, did he?"
"Nope."
The woman crossed her arms. "Sorry he scared you. This is the first time he's behaved like this. I'm just here on business, but the moment I told him we were going to Mahogany Town, he just went nuts. Oh! I'm Bess, by the way."
"Julia," She looked over at Piloswine. From the way he kept moaning and clawing at the gym's front doors, Julia was sure there was a reason he wanted to go in there. It wouldn't hurt to ask, right? "Umm...if you don't mind, I can find out why he's doing this."
Bess's eyes widened. "You can? How? You're just a trainer, right?"
Ignoring the woman's concerns, Julia walked right up to the Piloswine. "Excuse me, Piloswine? Can I ask why you want to go in there?"
Finally, Piloswine stopped clawing at the doors. He got back on all fours and began moaning, "Muuuuu muuuuu!" Julia kept nodding with every drawn out "Muuuu!" sound. Bess found herself scratching her head. The two were very deep in conversation, like they were old pals. But the thing that stuck out to her the most was that Piloswine was smiling the whole time, like he was happy to have someone to talk to. Perhaps he was happy he was being heard. Whatever was going on, Bess wondered if any good would come out of this.
"WHAT?!" A sudden yelp from Julia pulled Bess out of her reverie. "Pryce Snow is your trainer?!"
Not even Bess could prevent her jaw from dropping. Piloswine nodded vigorously, his floppy ears swaying with every nod. "Muuuu!" Bess's hand flew to her mouth. How did this girl come to that conclusion? But from the way Piloswine was nodding, he behaved as though Julia was right. How she figured that out was beyond her. All of a sudden, Piloswine lowered himself to the ground, using his snout to sniff at the ground.
"Mumuu!" Piloswine gestured for both Bess and Julia to follow him. Keeping a slow, steady pace, Piloswine began walking away from the gym.
"He wants us to follow him," Julia told Bess.
"My oh my," Bess didn't protest and followed, but the whole situation was still so baffling. "I haven't seen Piloswine act this way at all. But he probably has his reasons."
Piloswine led the way as he followed Pryce's scent, keeping his nose up and alert, refusing to let that aroma escape his nostrils. Julia and Bess stayed quiet, wondering just what was going on. Everything happened so fast, neither girl had much time to really let it all sink in. They found themselves away from the gym and heading into some woods. The trees were spaced out, so sunlight came down onto the area. Some Hoothoot and Pidgey flew across the sky above them.
"So, uhh…" Julia began, wondering where to start with this. "...I take it Piloswine isn't really your Pokemon?"
"Sort of," Bess told her. "Last year I found him in a forest injured and near death. I took him to the Pokemon Center in my area and they nursed him back to health," She explained. "Nobody could find his trainer, or even confirm he had one, so I took him in," She flashed a smile. "He's a mighty sweet Pokemon. Always helpful and considerate, and never causes any trouble. He's always helpin' me with my work. But he doesn't always know his own strength. He loves people but tends to almost squish them when he tries to hug them or kiss them."
Julia averted her eyes. 'I can imagine,' She wondered if maybe Piloswine caught Pryce's scent and ran to the gym to find him. That was the only plausible explanation she could think of for Piloswine almost running her over before.
"You're a Pokemon trainer, right?" Bess asked.
"Yeah. I wanted to battle Mr. Snow again, but he wasn't at the gym."
"I see. Sorry Piloswine almost ran you over."
"It's okay! So...you say you don't live here?"
"Naw. I'm just here for a job, but I have some free time on my hands. I live in Olivine City, and I work for a furniture company. I help gather materials for furniture and ship them out to places all over Johto."
"Like leather and velvet?"
"Something like that, yeah."
"Sounds cool."
"By the way...I don't mean to be rude, but...how'd you come to the conclusion that Pryce Snow is this Piloswine's trainer?"
As much as she wanted to explain, telling people she could talk to Pokemon didn't always go well sometimes. How could she explain it without coming off as either a deluded freak or a little liar? She tensed up, but she kept a steady pace. She had no other way of explaining, and she figured she wasn't going to see Bess again after this, so whether she believed her or not wouldn't matter. Plus, Piloswine knew who his trainer was, so why not?
"I know this sounds hard to believe, but...I can understand what Pokemon are saying," She told her. "He told me Pryce is his trainer."
There was no initial reaction from Bess. She just continued to walk, looking up at the sky like she was thinking about something. "That is hard to believe…" She muttered.
"Muumuuu!" Piloswine suddenly moaned before dashing off.
"Wait, Piloswine!" Julia was the first to chase after him. "Slow down!" Bess followed suit.
Finally, after a long walk, they made it to a house that was completely isolated from everything else. The thick trees surrounding it could easily obscure it from an aerial perspective. But that didn't matter to Piloswine. He just kept jumping up and down, his floppy ears flying in circular motions with every leap. As Julia finally caught up, she noticed something hanging from one of Piloswine's tusks. It appeared to be an old, silver locket on a chain, with the front having an intricate, snowflake design carved into it. Julia couldn't believe she never noticed it before.
"Is this...Mr. Snow's house?"
"Mumuuu!" Piloswine nodded affirmatively.
"Boy howdy…" Bess panted and put both hands on her knees once she caught up. "You sure can move fast, Piloswine!"
Julia knocked on Pryce's door eight times, hoping the sound would get his attention. For a moment, there was no response. Then the door creaked open, and Pryce stayed inside his house, glaring at the two women on his porch.
"What do you want?" He asked in a venomous tone. "How did you find my house?"
"Uhhh...I think this is your Piloswine," Julia extended her hand in Piloswine's direction. Pryce met the hidden eyes of the swine Pokemon before him.
All Piloswine did was let out a "Muuuuuu!"
"What makes you think this Pokemon belongs to me?" Pryce asked, not convinced.
Piloswine was prepared. He lifted one of his paws to pull the locket off of his tusk, then holding it out for Pryce. The old man took the locket out of his hands and opened it. For the first time, Julia saw a drastic change in his expression, as his pupils shrunk and his mouth fell open. Pryce was flabbergasted. Inside the locket was a small, faded picture of a lovely woman with curly grey hair and brown eyes obscured by round, coke-bottle glasses. Her smile was warm and welcoming.
"...Clida…" Pryce muttered, his normally gruff voice suddenly turning soft, trembling. "...This is my wife…"
"Oh!" Bess's hands flew to her cheeks. "That's your wife?! No wonder Piloswine kept holding onto that locket!"
"Has he always had it?" Julia asked.
Bess replied, "Piloswine's hung onto it before I rescued him."
"...Piloswine?" Pryce's voice caught in his throat. "...Is that really you?"
The swine Pokemon nodded without a grunt or a moan.
"My stars...I thought you abandoned me…where have you been all this time…?" This time, the tears finally flowed.
"Wait!" Julia exclaimed. "Abandoned you? What happened?"
Pryce took it on himself to explain everything. He and Piloswine had been together since they were children. They battled trainers everywhere, spending many years together training, becoming stronger, and strengthening their bond, whether it be going through harsh blizzards or raging oceans. The two had always loved each other and had gone undefeated for years. However, two years ago, Pryce had lost a battle against a trainer, and he and Piloswine wound up getting injured as a result. It wasn't completely serious, but he couldn't battle for a while, nor leave his house. Then, two weeks later, his wife was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and she died later on, very suddenly, too.
After the funeral, Pryce lost the locket she bought for him the year before. He looked everywhere for it, but it never turned up. Then, one night, when a harsh blizzard made him and Piloswine stay inside his house, the latter suddenly up and went out the front door. No reason at all, and without a word. Piloswine just left the house, and never came back. Pryce couldn't believe it. First he lost a battle, then Clida died, and now his Piloswine left. He was too distraught to ask why, as his mind came to one conclusion at that very moment.
Piloswine abandoned him.
To this day, Pryce could still remember the last words he spoke.
"Piloswine! You're abandoning me?! Leaving me here?! After all we've gone through and everything we've shared?! I...I can't believe...you'd betray me like thiiiiiiiis!"
"Oh wow," Julia mused when Pryce finished telling his story. Not even Bess could hold back tears.
"Everything happening back to back to back all at once really destroyed me," Pryce continued on, making no attempt to hold back his tears. "It was then I tried to make myself as stiff, cold, and unfeeling as possible. I just wanted to just get through the rest of my life, and I wound up becoming bitter."
"Muuumuuuuu!" Piloswine groaned.
"Piloswine didn't abandon you, Mr. Snow," Julia explained. "He left so he could search for your locket. But when he found it, the cliff underneath him broke and he fell so far down that he almost died. Bess here saved him," She pointed to the woman next to her.
Once again, Pryce was flabbergasted. That was what happened? He convinced himself that Piloswine, his first Pokemon and best friend for decades, had abandoned him...and all this time, he was just with Bess, and had gone to look for his locket. Piloswine must have known how important Clida was to him, and he might have gone out to search, knowing that he needed something to remind him of the happy life they shared. To think that was what happened...Pryce couldn't contain himself. The ice around his frozen heart finally thawed, and everything was soft and warm now. He didn't even ask how Julia managed to come to that conclusion.
The happiness that swept over him was so strong, not even he could stand up to it. Actually, his cup of happiness finally burst, overflowing in every direction...By Arceus, did it feel good to finally smile again.
"Piloswine...Piloswine!" He wrapped his arms around the swine Pokemon's thick coat, smiling for the first time in a whole year. "You're back! You're alright! I missed you so much!"
"I'm mighty sorry, Pryce," Bess apologized. "I had no idea Piloswine here was yours. I looked everywhere for a trainer but I had no luck. I can't understand Pokemon talk, so of course I didn't know," A realization struck her like a lightning bolt. Piloswine was anxious to come to Mahogany Town because this was his home, and where his precious trainer was. Bess thanked her lucky stars that she decided to come here, even if it was on business. She didn't want to imagine what might have happened had she said no to going.
All they could do now was smile. Pryce and Piloswine were back together again. Julia had never seen Pryce look so happy. She wondered if maybe...this was what Pryce was really like. Just a nice old man that was squashed by the hardship he had to go through, who resorted to being bitter and callous just to survive future tragedies in whatever was left of his possibly short life. Now, his frozen heart was warmed by Piloswine's return. True, Julia wasn't going to let him off the hook for commanding his Cloyster to attack her, but she kept quiet. They didn't need someone ruining their happy reunion.
Julia turned around to leave, but stopped when Pryce called her. "Wait!" He stood up and approached her. Julia turned back around to face him, but again, she didn't meet his eyes. "Now that you're here...I...I want to say I'm sorry...for what I did to you before. You know, commanding my Cloyster to attack you. That was wrong of me, and I should never have...put you and the Gyarados in danger like that."
"Hmph!" Julia crossed her arms, unable to resist poking at him some. "Yes, you shouldn't have!" Even if he was reunited with his friend, she figured she could do this much. But she could hear the remorse in his voice, probably from the crying he did just now. Well, at least he was honest about it. "But...I am glad you're owning up to it, so I guess I can forgive you."
"I also...want to apologize for the things I said to you. About Pokemon and humans not being meant to be friends. I...I never believed it. I grew up with Pokemon, like you did. But I was so sad and bitter that I convinced myself to never be friendly toward another Pokemon again," Pryce explained. "Still...that doesn't excuse anything. You...reminded me of why I shouldn't behave the way I have been."
His voice caught in his throat again. Julia uncrossed her arms, smiling at Piloswine, who looked absolutely radiant. "I won't be here until next month, as I have to go perform court-mandated community service. But I'll come back to the gym, and we can battle again if you wish."
Even though she forgave Pryce, Julia couldn't resist the allure of defeating him in battle. She pumped her fist, smiled, and shouted, "Great! I accept your challenge!"
She had to admit, Pryce was far different from Amara. Even though he was sad and made bad decisions because of it, Pryce owned up to them, choosing to heal and atone for his actions, knowing it was the right thing to do, for both himself and the people and Pokemon around him. Julia had to wonder if Amara would ever do the same in the future. She wished she would, as she didn't like seeing Amara become the person she had become. However, considering how stubborn she could be, Julia had some doubts.
She still had some hope for her sister. In her heart, she hoped Amara would be safe, and that she would see the error of her ways.
"You don't want to heal! You just want to wallow in your self-pity and make Chanel's death all about you!"
Debbie's razor sharp words continued to rip through Amara's heart, and no matter what she tried, they refused to stop echoing in her ears. Not even a nice, refreshing shower in the Pokemon Center helped. Buying new clothes with the money she won from Pokemon battles didn't help, and walking around the premises wearing a thick orange hoodie didn't help either. Frigid air bit at every skin cell in her body, and even with her new, thick clothes protecting her against the autumn breeze, the anger in her heart continued to simmer, and as of now, all of the rage and fury was dying to come right out.
She had to admit, she had no idea she had this much anger in her. Where did all this anger come from? Actually, she knew the answer for that. She cultivated it herself, spending so much time in her room, grieving so much that her grief morphed into a kind of crazed anger that colored her view of everything. She tried to get over Chanel's death. She really tried. But in her mind, moving on meant forgetting about Chanel. Wouldn't moving on with her life mean that Chanel meant nothing to her? Chanel didn't deserve to get killed by a random Gyarados.
In her mind, everyone in the world was her enemy. Even her family, who tried so hard to help her through this in every way they could. No, she refused to accept their so-called "help." In her mind, they were more concerned about appearances and doing everything for convenience than anything. There was no one to tell her otherwise, and even if someone did, Amara would rather eat needles than listen to that garbage. However, that wasn't what hurt the most.
The worst thing about this...everything Debbie said was absolutely right.
Amara knew that Debbie was always honest to a fault, sometimes bordering on confrontational and argumentative when she wanted to be. Debbie was the type of girl who didn't want anyone walking all over her, and would gladly call someone out on their garbage if she saw fit, her friends being no exception. In Debbie's mind, it was better to tell a harsh truth than a kind lie. That was just how she was. Sure, Debbie and Chanel weren't exactly besties, like she and Amara were, but they usually got along just fine, and Amara knew Debbie had nothing against Chanel. Chanel was Amara's friend, and as far as she knew, Debbie didn't mind.
But everything else...it was too much. Once she was done with her shower, Amara went on the computers in the Pokemon Center. She was sure her school didn't hold a vigil for Chanel. If they had, they would have let her know about it. The minute she pulled up an article about her death, everything Amara thought she knew fell to pieces.
The first picture she saw was a gathering of people on the school's football field, all holding lit candles, standing before a small, framed picture of Chanel. Amara's mouth fell open. Debbie was right. How could she not have known about this? Actually, she knew the answer to that. All she wanted to do was stay in her room and cry. She did exactly that, and for a while, too. Even as her parents tried to gently coax her out, she would always yell at them. In fact...they tried to tell her about it. Multiple times.
"Amara? The vigil is today. Do you want to come pay your respects?"
"Go away, Mom! I want to be alone!"
"I know you're sad. We all are. But won't you think about coming with us? If just for a little while? I honestly think this might be good for-"
"Just shut up! You're so freakin' annoying!"
"Amara! Don't get all-"
"Kassia. If she doesn't want to go, she doesn't want to. Let's leave her be. She can pay her respects in her own way on her own time."
She had no idea she had blocked that memory out, and for so long for that matter. It was here that everything hit Amara like a freight train. She finally realized it. Just like Debbie said, she didn't want to heal at all. She wanted to spend her life blaming someone for Chanel's death. Someone, anyone, anything...basically everyone around her. Her parents for not thinking about Chanel 24/7. Julia for always having everything handed to her while they could have done things for Chanel and Amara. Her friends for moving on from the tragedy and not catering to Amara's whims. All Pokemon for being the very things that killed Chanel in the first place.
"Excuse me?" A little boy gently pulled at the bottom of Amara's new hoodie. "Can I use the computer please?"
Hearing the child's voice made something in Amara snap. She whipped around and smacked the boy's hand so hard she left a scratch on his skin. The boy froze when he met Amara's eyes. They were full of uncontained rage. Not even small children were spared Amara's wrath.
Amara's only response was, "Get your filthy hands off my hoodie! I paid twenty bucks for this, you spoiled brat! Get outta my sight!"
Only it was Amara getting out of the boy's sight. She didn't even bother to stop and think about her actions, even as she heard the boy crying as she left the Pokemon Center. Her subconscious scolded her quite severely. 'Amara! How could you say that to a little kid? He wasn't even doing anything to you! That was completely rude and unnecessary!' Her rational side exclaimed.
'Shut up!' Her irrational side snapped. 'I hate everyone and everything, and I wish everyone would just die! My pain is the only thing that matters!'
Amara let all of her Pokemon out of their PokeBalls as she stopped in a clearing. She sat down on a stump to snack on some food she bought. Not much in the way of healthy stuff, just some cans of soda, convenience store subs, and a bag of potato chips. As she gulped down her soda, the sound of steel clashing against rock caught her ears. She turned around, watching as Umbreon slammed against a big rock with his tail. Just watching the black feline do that sent pangs of irritation all throughout her being.
In fact, ever since she caught Umbreon, that was all he had done: slam his tail against a rock. True, Umbreon was only minding his business, but even that seemed to make Amara perturbed. Each time Umbreon's tail made contact with the rocks, Amara tensed up, even as she finished her soda. Couldn't that black feline do something that didn't annoy her? All he was doing was training by himself. Then again, it was very easy for Amara to be annoyed by just about everything, even her own Pokemon playing amongst themselves. This didn't annoy her before.
Just as she took a bite out of her sandwich...CRASH! Cold steel penetrated the big rock nearby, smashing it to pieces. The impact made the clearing around them tremble, and the sub slipped right out of Amara's hands.
"Awwwww nooooo!" Amara wailed as the salad, meat, bread, and condiments fell right onto the dirt, becoming permanently contaminated. Her short moment of grief immediately morphed right back into anger as she whirled around to find the culprit.
Umbreon smiled as his tail glowed in a silver sheen, just like iron. The black feline's fur was soaked to the roots with sweat, but he didn't mind. He was just happy that he finally managed to master that one attack. Beedrill simply clapped his stingers together, rejoicing in Umbreon's victory. Too bad they were the only ones celebrating. All the other Pokemon hid in the bushes as Amara stomped right over to them.
"You piece of garbage!" Amara yelled. "You made me drop a whole sandwich!"
"Umbreon bree," Umbreon told her in a sharp, deadpan tone. It was a good thing that Amara didn't understand Pokemon speech like Julia did, as she would have learned that Umbreon said, "So what? It's just food. Just eat it off the floor, human scum."
"Bzzzzzt!" ("Stop! Don't make her mad!") Beedrill buzzed frantically, waving his stingers around in an erratic fashion.
"Umbreon umbreon breee!" ("I don't see why I can't!")
It didn't take much for Amara to construe that as a display of defiance. She raised her hand upward, intent on beating some sense into that annoying little black feline. "This is your fault, you little-"
She didn't get to finish, as Umbreon beat her to the punch. Or rather, ram. Umbreon leaped off the ground, ramming himself right into Amara's abdomen as though he were using a headbutt attack, sending her rolling across the dirt. Beedrill covered his eyes with his stingers, as did Weepinbell with his leafy arms. For a moment, Amara found herself unable to breathe, and a strange burning sensation didn't help matters.
Wait...burning? She looked down. A strange liquid was eating away at her hoodie, exposing the yellow shirt underneath.
"What?! What the freak?!" Amara yelled even louder this time. She fixated her hateful gaze onto the black feline, who sent the same glare right back at her. "I spent twenty bucks on this hoodie, you trash!"
Umbreon's ears pointed to his tail, and his back arched upward as he let out a screeching hiss. This dark Pokemon was not going to be a slave to this human. He was done with her. Too bad Amara wasn't done with him just yet.
"You're gonna regret ever attacking me-"
Once again, Umbreon took the initiative. The slender dark type suddenly leaped into the air, sinking his teeth into Amara's wrist. "Owww!" Not once had she ever been bitten by a Pokemon before, and Umbreon's teeth were sharper and more slender than human teeth, so the bite left a far deeper, more painful wound. Once he rendered Amara helpless, Umbreon rummaged through the bag and pulled out a PokeBall.
His PokeBall.
Even though she was hardly ever the brightest light in the room, she figured it out immediately. Umbreon sat the PokeBall down in front of himself, as though he were daring Amara to come after him.
"Don't you dare do this to me!"
Umbreon's tail glowed once more, boldly ignoring her empty threats.
"I'm gonna kill you if you do that!"
Umbreon kicked the PokeBall into the air.
"I'm warning you!"
Umbreon leaped after it. A glowing tail of cold steel came flying down.
Slash!
The PokeBall was cut to ribbons. To be more specific, it was smashed to pieces. Metallic shards, white and red, scattered along the dirt. Amara's blue eyes were wide like saucers, and even she couldn't prevent the ungraceful dropping of her jaw. Even the other Pokemon found themselves frozen in silence. Umbreon glared at the human, making his decision very clear.
Amara loved Pokemon at one point, and her favorite was Umbreon. She had one...and now that Umbreon completely tossed her aside. Then again, it was justified from Umbreon's view, and definitely would be in society's eyes. Amara wished this whole thing was a dream, a cruel prank in which she was the victim.
Once again, anger took hold.
"FINE! Leave then! Go away!" Amara screamed, helplessly picking balls of dirt out from the ground and throwing them at Umbreon. "You're nothing but trash! I always hated your guts anyway! You're the reason Chanel's dead and nobody cares about meeeeeeee!"
Umbreon grunted. Then took his leave, disappearing into the bushes. Boy, was he glad to be free of that colossal brat they called a human. The human who always reacted disproportionately to just about everything, even polite kids kindly asking her to do something. Always blaming Pokemon for any bad thing that happened to her, refusing to acknowledge that she brought most of this on herself. He had prepared for this escape for months, and it was a roaring success. He was free. Free to roam around wherever he pleased.
He didn't look back even as he leaped into the night.
All of the other Pokemon could only watch as Amara banged her fist on the dirt. Bam! Bam! Bam! She didn't care if her fist would end up getting hurt. She was too angry to care about anything else around her. It seemed to be all she felt as of now. Nothing else mattered.
'You brought this on yourself, you know,' Her consciousness told her without any hint of mercy. 'You wonder why your Pokemon hate you, because you use them as punching bags. None of them deserve what you do to them. They did nothing to you,' Amara's rational side was right. None of her own Pokemon did anything to deserve her beatings, her anger, her wrath. But for Amara, just the fact that they were even there, existing, flaunting their innocence and happiness while she was in pain, was tantamount to committing a crime worthy of the death sentence.
Why should they be happy? The thought of everyone around her being happy was too much for Amara to handle. In fact, nobody around her deserved to be happy. Nobody but her and her alone. Why couldn't Amara be allowed to be happy? She hated seeing everyone happy. They were happy and she wasn't. By Arceus, she wanted to rip those callous smiles off of everyone's faces and make them pay for having lives that didn't revolve around Chanel or Amara. Why couldn't anyone pay attention to Amara and her pain and suffering?
"Bzzzt?" ("You okay?") Cautiously, Beedrill came buzzing toward Amara, offering one of his stingers out. Amara held her head up, glaring at the concerned bee. Beedrill buzzed and recoiled. Even looking at Amara was too much for the little bee. "Bzzzzzzz…" ("Do...Do you need a hug?")
"Go kill yourself, you trash!" Amara roared before sending a fist flying into Beedrill's thorax. The blow was enough to send the poor Beedrill flying backward. Haunter flew right toward Beedrill, using his detached hands to catch the bee in the nick of time. But Beedrill bent over, clutching his thorax with his stingers, unable to breathe.
All of Amara's Pokemon had become used to having insults and threats thrown at them so flippantly. But what could they do? Even if Amara could understand them, she would never listen to their pleas anyway. What was the point? Weepinbell found himself crying in Feraligatr's chest, and Granbull and Fearow didn't make any kind of eye contact with her. The fury in Amara's eyes was always too much for them to deal with.
'Amara. You can't continue on like this,' Her consciousness told her once more. 'Just go home. Mom and Dad are worried sick about you. They want their daughter back.'
"No they don't!" She screamed. "They only care about themselves!"
'If they only cared about themselves, why would there be milk cartons with your picture on them all over Johto? Why would they put missing posters everywhere? Why would they even tell the police to go find you in the first place?'
"They want to send me to jail!"
'Considering you've abused Pokemon, stole one of them, and used them to assault people on the street, and assaulting random people yourself, that's kind of a given. You can't deny that. But that's not the real reason why they want you to go back home.'
"I'm not going back! I have to fulfill my dream...Chanel's dream…"
'You're not doing Chanel any favors by hurting your Pokemon and lashing out at everyone around you.'
Alas, Amara didn't listen to her heart. No, she was going to fulfill the promise she made to Chanel or die trying. It was what Chanel wanted.
Right?
Phew! It took me a while, but I finally finished chapter 36! I intended to get this done earlier, too. But stuff got in the way. There was going to be a filler chapter after this, but I realized it didn't add anything to the story so I'm cutting it out. But Julia won't battle Pryce for another short while yet, so you may need to wait on that. Another reason I haven't been here is...Harvest Moon. Bought the first two games on 3DS Virtual Console recently and...I love it! It's so relaxing and soothing! I'm already considering getting more games. I hear Friends of Mineral Town and Island of Happiness are good, so I might get those if I have the money or the time.
Still haven't found a job, though! Man, I don't know why I haven't landed one yet, and I really want to have a job soooooo bad!
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, Trump Card, 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
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: Petal Blizzard, 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
Amara's Party:
Feraligatr (Male, Lonely Nature)
Ability: Torrent
Attacks: Hydro Pump, Crunch, Ice Fang, and Superpower
Weepinbell (Male, Modest Nature)
Ability: Chlorophyll
Attacks: Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Slam, and Sleep Powder
Beedrill (Male, Hasty Nature)
Ability: Swarm
Attacks: Poison Jab, Fury Attack, Fell Stinger, and Pin Missile
Granbull (Female, Quirky Nature)
Ability: Run Away
Attacks: Fire Fang, Play Rough, Lick, and Thunderbolt
Fearow (Male, Timid Nature)
Ability: Sniper
Attacks: Drill Peck, Pursuit, Aerial Ace, and Leer
Haunter (Male, Impish Nature)
Ability: Levitate
Attacks: Shadow Punch, Hypnosis, Dream Eater, and Poison Jab
Update, 5/15/2018: Changed some of the Pokemons' abilities, and made an error in regards to the length of time Pryce is in community service, so I changed it to keep it consistent with current chapters.