Bonus Chapter 2: How Perrine Met Baloo
The dying days of the last winter draped across Goldenrod City in a vivid splash of colors. A spectrum of bright vermilion orange and rose pink, standing out among a completely midnight blue sky, the coming of a brand new morning. Truly, the colorful skies were a marvelous sight to behold. Spring was just around the corner, anxiously waiting for the last of winter to finally leave and get it's long overdue rest.
Then again, the metropolis witnessing the beautiful birth of a new morning wasn't named Goldenrod City for nothing. Skyscrapers reaching far into the sky, almost touching the heavens, reflected the vermilion sunrise, becoming huge rectangles of shining golden luster. The radio tower stood the tallest among all the infrastructures, as if to boast that it was closer to heaven than the rest of the buildings below. Yellow brick ground and stone pavements lined the city, worn and torn from myriads of people stepping over them. If seen from above, many of the houses would look as though they were squished together, their gold and silver roofings coming together to create a mosaic.
None of that mattered to Perrine Innocenti, however. Today was her big day. The day she intended to leave that mansion and become what she always wanted to be: a Pokemon trainer.
Before the sun could fully bask Goldenrod City in its golden luster, Perrine was already dressed, with some of her wavy orange hair tied back with a black ribbon. A long sleeved white shirt, a long brown skirt, and a maroon vest weren't typical Pokemon trainer clothes, but at this point, Perrine had no time to doubt her clothing choices. With a Vulpix by her side, the two of them walked down to the lowest level of the mansion, the basement.
It wasn't anything particularly noteworthy in Perrine's eyes. The left wing of the basement was an entertainment room with a big TV, soft leather couches, plenty of DVDs and movies to watch, a black and white piano small enough for Perrine to use, among other odds and ends. The right wing was where the laundry room was, along with a small, private bathroom hardly anyone used and a small room where various gardening tools were stored. Just past that room was a door that led right into the backyard.
Perrine made a beeline for the door, undoing both locks before pushing it right out. The morning sky was like a piercing flash, making Perrine squint in the darkness as she stumbled right out. One of her shoes got caught on the concrete porch and came right off.
"Whoa!"
"Vulpix!" Kitsune cried before taking the shoe into her mouth. Once Perrine stopped, on one foot no less, the fox Pokemon scurried over to her trainer.
"Thanks, Kitsune," With a smile, she took the shoe and put it back on before closing the door behind her. "Let's not waste any time."
Kitsune understood, nodding in agreement. "Vul!" With that, Perrine and Kitsune ran from the Innocenti mansion.
It wouldn't be easy leaving Goldenrod City. The town was a modern metropolis painted in gold, and by morning, there would be a steady flow of crowds and people filling the city's channels. Enough to make Perrine blend in with the crowd, but it would hinder her chances of leaving the city before the end of the day. When the crowds would get big, there would be so little space to matriculate through that Perrine would end up being stuck in a sea of people before she even had a Haunter of a chance of getting to her intended destination. She didn't mind, though. She had intended to go to the department store anyway.
"Alright, Kitsune," Perrine and her fox friend stopped in front of the store as she put on a round hat to hide her hair. "We need to go inside and get some things, because it'll take us a long while to get to New Bark Town, and we'll need to be prepared," Perrine found herself reciting the required items out loud, counting them on her fingers. "Let's see, we'll need...a sleeping bag, some Pokemon food for you, food for me that won't rot, repels, potions, we don't need towels, soap, or shampoo since I already have them with me...gauze, band-aids, antidotes for in case one of us gets poisoned, full heals...did I even bring enough money for those?"
"Vulpix vul!" Kitsune reminded her.
"Yeah. You're right. I'm rich and here I am worrying about money," Perrine pulled out a navy blue wallet with leather shuriken sewn into it. "Good. I have enough."
Perrine wasted no time trying to get everything she needed. She was gonna go in there, get what she needed, and get out. No dawdling. If she so much as lingered even for a moment, her parents might notice she was missing and send the police out to find her. Some items were easy to find, such as antidotes, full heals, Pokemon food, repels, and potions. Others such as food that didn't rot weren't exactly easy to find, and being an eleven year old girl, Perrine wasn't exactly sure which foods would rot and which ones didn't. But for now, she simply grabbed a box of crackers, fruit cups, cereal bars, applesauce, some bottles of water, and anything that didn't need to be cooked or microwaved.
Kitsune stayed by her side the whole time, never straying, even as a steady trickle of people began to fill the department store. But being outside of her PokeBall did cause people to look in Kitsune's direction. As Perrine paid for all of the items she bought, people of all ages stopped to look at the Vulpix. A rare sight in Goldenrod City, as Vulpix were usually seen living near flower meadows or volcanoes. One little girl's eyes glimmered right as she laid eyes on the fox Pokemon.
"Look, Mama!" The girl with the black braids pointed her index finger at Kitsune. "Izzat a Vulpix?"
The girl's voice was so loud that it caused Perrine to turn around in alarm. But the older girl's shoulders relaxed when she saw it was just a child that made the noise. Kitsune simply smiled in her sweet manner, shaking her curling tails.
"Can I pet it, Mama? Can I pet it please?" The little girl begged, tugging on her mother's jeans.
"Let's ask first, sweetie," Her mother advised.
Good point. Since Vulpix are fire types, it would be easy to accidentally make it angry and spit fire. Thankfully, Perrine knew from experience that Kitsune wouldn't frighten easily or attack someone. Perrine told the girl, "You can pet her. She loves attention. But just be gentle, okay?"
"Okay!"
"Vulpix!" Kitsune sat down, her tails resting on the cold, hard floor as the girl stroke the tuft of fur on her head. Soft to the touch, and perfectly plush, too. Kitsune's smile grew, and the little girl giggled as she stroke the fox's fur. Not only that, at one point, Kitsune crept closer to give the girl a kiss on the cheek.
"She really likes you," Perrine said.
"Thank you, big trainer!" The little girl chirruped before she and her mother went to another part of the store. "Bye bye, pretty Vulpix!"
Perrine waved right back, but her smile curled into a frown the moment the girl was out of sight. 'I can't draw so much attention,' She scolded herself for letting her guard down. She and Kitsune needed to leave, and right now.
By the time Perrine left the department store, the sun was already high in the sky, shining her light down on the golden metropolis. Since said metropolis was so huge, it took almost three whole hours for Perrine to get to Route 34 on foot. Once she got there, her feet were throbbing, like they had turned to human hearts that were pumping too much blood.
"Ugh...I need to sit down right now…" Perrine croaked, panting with every step, her body becoming heavy. All the walking had gradually sapped the energy out of her. Then again, Perrine had never walked so far or so long, and since she never felt the need to do so before, of course she would get tired. Any child would.
"Vul vul!" Kitsune cried, pointing her nose upward. Perrine looked up, seeing a large path before her surrounded by meadows of tall grass that stretched onto the horizon. But right nearby was a big, wooden bench, worn and faded from years of having travelers use it. Perfect.
Using the last of her energy, Perrine made a beeline for the bench and plopped-not sat, plopped-right down. Kitsune hopped right next to her. "Finally...we can sit for a while…"
"Vul? Vulpix?"
Perrine could see the concern on her fox friend's face. Touched, the orange haired girl stroke Kitsune's fur with one hand. "It's okay, girl. I'm fine. I just need to rest for a while. We humans aren't like you Pokemon. You can probably walk much farther than I can, and I'll bet you don't tire that easily, either," She pulled her rucksack out. "Alright, I'm starving. Are you?"
"Vulpix!" Kitsune's stomach let out a roar, begging for food, as did Perrine. Neither of them paid much mind, as the girl pulled some Pokemon food out for Kitsune, and some water, a fruit cup, some applesauce, and granola bars for herself. She found time to buy plastic utensils before they left, so Perrine was proud that she managed to prepare for this.
They were just outside the city, and for all Perrine knew, her parents might have figured out she was missing by now. She kept her hat on, just in case anyone who could recognize her wouldn't be able to make her out. As much as she wanted to sit back and relax, she knew she couldn't stay here for very long. At the same time, she wasn't sure what would be ahead. Sure, she knew she had to go through Ilex Forest, Azalea Town, Union Cave, Violet City, and Cherrygrove to get to New Bark Town, but Arceus only knew how long that would take. Plus, for all she knew, the Pokemon she might encounter might be strong. Perrine and Kitsune both needed to grow as both Pokemon and trainer.
Kitsune did need battle experience, and sitting around at home was of no help. Maybe this could work.
"Rattata!" All of a sudden, a purple and white rat with large red eyes suddenly leaped out from the tall grass. Baring its fangs, the rat Pokemon sent a deadly glare in Kitsune's way. Undeterred, the fox Pokemon simply adopted her own battle stance.
Seeing this, Perrine leaped off the bench once she finished her granola bar. "Kitsune, use Ember!" She pointed right at the Rattata with her index finger.
"Vuuuul!" With a howl, the fox Pokemon spat out a barrage of tiny red flames. The purple and white rat Pokemon made a dash for the grass, managing to evade the attacks.
"Don't let it get away! Use Quick Attack!"
Kitsune's body became engulfed with white light as she made a beeline for Rattata. Interestingly enough, Rattata also dashed out from the grass, also glowing in a harsh white light. The two of them found themselves headbutting each other. Neither force was stronger than the other, so the small, quadrupled Pokemon were even in strength. But the minute Kitsune landed back on the ground, Rattata charged at her, baring its fangs. Before she could even try to dodge, Rattata suddenly leaped on her and dredged its large fangs onto her abdomen.
The helpless fox Pokemon let out a piercing, agonizing screech that would make anyone cover their ears. It certainly made Perrine cover hers. Kitsune howled and struggled, flailing her legs in all directions. None of them came close to forcing the rat Pokemon off of her, and it didn't help that the rat's sharp teeth seemed to dig deeper into her fur. It was like Rattata had hooked itself onto her, refusing to let her go.
'Oh no! What do I do?!' Perrine panicked. She had no idea Rattata could be so persistent and volatile. Kitsune just kept on howling and roaring in pain.
Roaring...Roar...that's it! Perrine snapped her fingers. "Use Roar!"
"VUUUUUL!" With every ounce of strength she had, Kitsune let out a screech stronger than ever before. It made Rattata leap off of her in alarm, it was so startled. So startled, in fact, that it stumbled backward and tripped on its tail. Kitsune got back on her feet, barely noticing the blood trickling from her fur.
"Now use Ember again!"
"Piiiiix!" Once again, Kitsune sent balls of fire in Rattata's direction. This time, they managed to strike the rat Pokemon on its side. Its purple fur singed, and Rattata itself let out agonized yelps before running off into the tall grass. No way was it going to become someone's roasted meat dinner. With that, the battle was over.
Perrine ran over to her friend, taking a better look at the wound. The bite mark had gone past her fur, and fresh blood began to stain her silky locks. "Goodness. That Rattata really did a number on you."
"Vuuul…"
"It's okay," She rummaged through her rucksack, pulling out a potion and some bandages. "This'll help."
Normally, Kitsune didn't want to deal with more pain. But knowing those potions were needed to heal her wounds, she simply set Perrine spray it on her. Thankfully, she didn't notice the stinging sensation that the potion sent through her wound. A subtle, pink light flashing just ten feet away, behind a big rock, happened to catch her attention. The light was small, just smaller than she, but it kept flashing like a siren. Perrine didn't notice, as her blue eyes were locked onto Kitsune's wound once she put a big bandage on it.
"There! That should do it!"
"Vulpix vul!" Kitsune squealed, using one of her front paws to point in the direction where she saw the light. Then she got up and leaped toward the big rock in question.
"You see something?" Perrine walked right behind her friend, wondering what she wanted her to see.
The minute the two of them stopped behind the big rock, their breath had been taken away. Sitting behind the big rock was a large egg. It was small enough to fit into both of Perrine's hands, but bigger than the eggs she'd find in the grocery stores. Light pink like cotton candy, with some swirls dotting the surface in a darker shade. Perrine found herself squealing, clasping her hands together.
"Oh my gosh! Is that a real Pokemon egg?!" She yelped, her blue eyes glimmering with joy. "It's gotta be! Oh man! I never thought I'd see an actual Pokemon egg in person!"
"Vulpix?" Kitsune inched closer to the egg, gently tapping it with her paw. There was no reaction.
On impulse, Perrine kneeled down and cradled the egg in her arms. "This is so cool! I wonder if it'll hatch, and what it'll hatch into!"
"Vulpix…" The fox Pokemon raised an eyebrow. She couldn't believe Perrine was going ga-ga over a Pokemon egg of all things. No human she ever met had ever gotten so excited about seeing a Pokemon egg before. But she had to admit, with the way Perrine's cheeks turned rosy pink and her bright, innocent smile, she couldn't help but find Perrine's child-like joy to be kind of cute.
Right then, the egg suddenly glowed in a pink light. It was bright enough that it made the two of them squeeze their eyes shut. But Perrine had an idea of what was happening, and it didn't make her any less surprised.
"Whoa! Is it hatching already?!" She yelped. "Oh man! What do I do?"
"Vul?!" Even Kitsune found herself perplexed. Neither of them had seen a Pokemon egg hatch before. Of course they wouldn't have experience with something like this.
Thankfully, the egg continued to glow. It very slowly increased in size, and a set of what appeared to be fingerless and toeless hands and feet sprouted outward from the sides and bottom of the egg. A tuft of hair suddenly popped out from the top of the egg as well. Finally, the pink light dissipated, revealing a very small, light pink Pokemon with a small black swirl on its forehead, closed eyes, and a tiny mouth.
"Buuuuuff…" The tiny pink Pokemon let out a huge yawn, opening its mouth wide, unknowingly making a squeaky, high pitched chirp in the process. Both Perrine and Kitsune raised their eyebrows. Soon, the Pokemon opened its eyes. They were a bright, cherry red color.
The tiny Pokemon saw both an orange haired human and an orange red fox staring right back at her. All the Pokemon could do was smile. They must be her parents, she thought.
"Iggwybuuuuff!" The pink Pokemon squealed again.
Perrine found herself completely overloaded with cuteness. The urge to squeal like an adoring mother and fawn over the adorable pink ball of cuteness personified seized her. "Awwwww! An Igglybuff! Sooooo cuuuuuute!" Perrine held the Igglybuff to her cheek. Igglybuff's body was, strangely enough, squeezably plush and soft, like a marshmallow.
"Iggwy iggwy!" Nobody expected Igglybuff to flash such a happy expression, laughing and giggling, waving her tiny arms around joyfully. Perrine found herself melting into a puddle of love.
"Hello! I'm Perrine, and this is Kitsune, my Vulpix friend!"
"Vul vul!" Kitsune greeted the tiny Pokemon with some chirps.
Looking down to get a look at Kitsune, the Igglybuff began reaching her arms outward. "Iggwybuuuuff!" Her stubby arms and legs waggled up and down.
"Oh! You want to say hi to Kit? Here you go," Perrine set the tiny Pokemon down on the grass.
Instead of walking to the fox Pokemon, Igglybuff actually hopped over to her, like she was a bouncing ball. Kitsune examined the Pokemon closely, sniffling the little pink ball of cuteness with her nose crinkling up and down. She didn't smell anything dangerous. Better yet, Igglybuff was strangely warm and soft, like those plushy marshmallows that Perrine gave her sometimes. Kitsune hated marshmallows, even roasted ones, as they were far too hard to chew. Thankfully, Igglybuff didn't look scared of Kitsune at all. She just simply smiled and bounced around her new friend, as joyful as can be.
As Kitsune and Igglybuff hopped around, playing amongst themselves, Perrine was lost in thought. "I wish I had a PokeDex so I could figure out what moves it has. Since Igglybuff is a balloon Pokemon, I wonder what I should name it? Hmmm…" Many names popped in her mind, but none of them really fit.
Bouncy? No, too obvious. Pink? No, too simple. Peach? Maybe, but it didn't really describe Igglybuff. Marshmallow? Too long. How about Baloo? Perrine nodded. That sounded much better.
"Iggwybuff?" Igglybuff bounced right in front of Perrine, her cherry red eyes brimming with curiosity.
"Hello, cutie pie!" She couldn't resist calling her new friend that. "Can I call you Baloo from now on?"
"Iggwyyy!" Igglybuff-now Baloo-raised her arms up with a cheerful yelp. Baloo sounded so cute. Immediately, the balloon Pokemon took to the name.
Perrine smiled. Already, she found herself a second Pokemon! She couldn't believe something this good happened to her right in the beginning of her journey. But she knew she couldn't stay here much longer. "Alright, guys!" She stood back up. "We can't stay here anymore. We need to get going."
Without complaint, the two Pokemon followed Perrine further down Route 34. Instead of walking, Baloo kept bouncing up and down like she was a ball, her feet barely touching the ground sometimes. Perrine didn't mind. The sight of her new friend enjoying herself was cute. They found themselves passing by a large, yellow building with a pink roof. Perrine had heard about a daycare center for Pokemon being around here, figuring that was it. But she had already taken time to rest. She didn't need to stop there.
Before long, Perrine and her two Pokemon found themselves at the entrance to a massive sea of trees. Said trees were large, with big leaves that didn't look as though they left much room for sunlight to come in. It didn't help that they all looked densely packed together. Perrine put a hand on her chin, losing herself to rumination.
"So this is Ilex Forest...it's gonna be tricky going through here," She mused aloud. "But there's no other way we can get to Azalea Town at this point."
"Vulpix?" Kitsune didn't like the look of that forest. Did they really need to go in there?
"Sorry, girl. We just gotta get through it," Perrine stroke her friend's fur reassuringly. As much as she wanted to be brave, however, she had never been into a deep, dark forest like this before. Scolding herself for being doubtful, Perrine marched right inside. "Stay close, girls. We don't want to get lost."
The moment they went inside, the daylight had vanished. It wasn't so dark that none of them could see, but the inside of the forest definitely looked as though it was trapped in perpetual night. Not even the tiniest sunbeam was there to dance across the soil and grass. Regardless, Perrine walked on. This would be the perfect place to hide in, should her father or his guards and coworkers come looking for her. Bushes and thickets surrounding them would provide the perfect cover. Plus, she had already come this far. There was no turning back now.
It was easy to forget that Perrine was only a child, and children could only do so much in unfamiliar places. At one point, Perrine stopped in her tracks, looking all around in the sea of trees. Had she come through this area before? She wasn't sure. She went back to walking.
...Only for her foot to suddenly plop into water, and since there was nothing to hold her foot up, Perrine came tumbling down right with it.
"Whaaaah!" Before she knew it, Perrine was soaked from head to toe. Water dripped from her bangs, and her clothes darkened from absorbing the water. "Uuuugh! I don't believe this!" Perrine stood up, pulling herself out of what appeared to be a small pond. Good thing it was shallow.
"Vulpix?"
"Iggly?" Both Kitsune and Baloo looked up at their soaking wet trainer with concern.
"I-I-I'm fine, guys. Don't worry," Perrine coiled her hands around her hair, using as much strength as she could to wring the water out of her hair.
Kitsune and Baloo exchanged disbelieving but concerned glances. She didn't sound fine. Not to them, anyway. They were right to be worried. As Perrine attempted to walk again, she felt something wet trickle down one of her legs. But it was warm, not bitingly cold like the pond water. Still, when she moved, it stung.
"Ugh!" She looked down. Part of her white tights had been ripped, enough to leave a thin, twig-like hole, and mingling with said tights was fresh blood. "Awww, man! How did I get this?!" Upon further rumination, she did feel something like a stick or a sharp rock run through her leg as she fell. That was the only plausible explanation for it.
Whatever it was, boy did it hurt! She thanked her lucky stars that she packed some band-aids. But when she pulled them out, a disappointed expression appeared. The band-aids were too small, and the wound on her leg was just a couple inches longer than them. Nevertheless, she felt she could make do. This was no time to complain. She simply put three of them on the wound vertically, making sure the white absorbent parts covered the wound.
"Igglybuff iggly!" Baloo warbled, waving her arms up and down.
Perrine smiled at her little friend's display. She picked the little Pokemon up and held her close. "Thanks, Baloo. You're sweet."
"Buuuuff!" Baloo crooned once more, basking in the warmth of Perrine's touch.
That was only the beginning of what would be a very rocky trek through Ilex Forest. No matter how much Perrine, Kitsune, and Baloo walked, or in Baloo's case bounced, they never seemed to be anywhere near an exit. At one point, Perrine intentionally dropped a coin in front of a large stump. The trio found themselves going right past that same stump exactly three times.
"Uuuugh! Are we ever gonna get out of here?!" Perrine complained, her legs burning from all the walking. She plopped right down on that same stump.
She would have enjoyed sitting on that stump and having a little break if it weren't for fluttering wings making her jolt upright. A blue bat Pokemon suddenly hissed, popping right out from some bushes, flying right past her.
"Yeeeek!" With a yelp, Perrine flailed her arms around, hoping to swat that bat Pokemon away. Fortunately, the bat Pokemon didn't stop to do anything else, as it flew away. "Freaking Zubat!"
"Vul!"
"Iggly!"
Once the Zubat was out of sight, Perrine pulled her PokeGear out to check the time. "What?! It's 8:30 already?!" Seven thirty at night. Perrine and Kitsune had been on their journey since before the sun came up. The orange haired girl could only assume that she and her friends had been stuck in this forest for several hours, maybe more. Being lost could certainly make time just fly right by. Perrine exhaled a despondent sigh. "Alright, I'm gonna go change out of these wet clothes, and I'll get dinner ready for you guys."
"Vulpix!" Kitsune chirruped. Baloo didn't pay attention, as she kept looking around at all the big bushes and thickets surrounding them.
Perrine's clothes were still wet, with lack of sun keeping them so, so she was quite happy to pull them right off and change into the spare pajamas she brought with her. But she lamented the fact that she didn't bring any extra clothes except for clean underwear and pajamas. Good thing nobody else was around. Changing her clothes in a dark forest was embarrassing enough.
Kitsune and Baloo kept themselves occupied. Kitsune stayed close by, should any wild Pokemon come to attack them. On the other hand, Baloo saw a little white tail stick out from some bushes. "Buuuuff!" Curiosity seized her, and Baloo waddled over to the tail. It wiggled and waggled, and Baloo took her stubby hand and tapped it. All it did was wiggle. Then, Baloo used both arms to pull on it.
"Weedle!" It wasn't so strong that it'd pull the tail's owner out, but the Pokemon in question yelped before popping out on its own. The Weedle turned around, eyeing the innocent culprit before narrowing its beady eyes into odious slits. "Weeeeeedleeeeee…"
"Igglybuff?" Immediately, Baloo regretted pulling on its tail.
"WEEEEE!" The horn on Weedle's head glowed in an eerie purple light as the hairy bug Pokemon scurried toward the balloon Pokemon. Thankfully, Baloo was quick to bounce out of its way. But the bug Pokemon refused to give up, continuing to try and jab at the balloon Pokemon.
"Vul?!" Kitsune rose to her feet, witnessing the scene unfold. At one point, Baloo stood her ground, managing to slap the hairy bug Pokemon across its face at least three times. But Kitsune knew she wouldn't be able to hold her own much longer. Baloo was still just a baby. "VULPIIIX!" Kitsune cried.
"What the?!" Perrine, fully dressed in pajamas, spun around, hearing the cry for help. Baloo was bouncing in her direction in another attempt to get away from the Weedle. Perrine's brain scrambled for into about Baloo's attacks. What attacks did Igglybuff know?
By the time she thought of one, it was too late. "BUUUUFF!" The pesky Weedle had managed to dredge its horn into Baloo's skin, sending her to the ground. A purple hole appeared on Baloo's side as she reeled back, crying in pain.
"Baloo!" Perrine cried. This couldn't go on. "Kitsune, use Ember and drive it away!"
"Vuuuuuul!" The fox Pokemon fired a barrage of tiny embers at the Weedle. The hairy bug Pokemon managed to evade them, just barely. One of the embers singed its tail.
"Weeeeeedle!" Reeling from the pain, screeching in the loudest voice it could muster, Weedle conceded defeat before scurrying away. No way was it going to become someone's meal!
But they weren't out of the woods yet. Literally. Perrine kneeled down, her heart breaking from seeing the now poisoned Baloo wincing in pain. "Baloo! Oh no!" She scooped the balloon Pokemon in her arms. Baloo's breathing was hoarse, and her face was turning pale.
Then it hit Perrine. "Antidotes!" She put Baloo down gently before running to her rucksack, rummaging through it. "Antidotes...antidotes...antidotes…" There weren't any antidotes in sight. "Come on! They've gotta be around here somewhere!" She screamed, her voice rising several octaves. Kitsune tensed up, the worry in Perrine's voice frightened her some. She had never seen her trainer look so desperate.
Finally, she pulled out a yellow medicinal bottle. "Got it!" She opened the cap and held the nozzle to Baloo's mouth. "It's okay. Drink this. I'll make the poison go away," She crooned in a soothing, reassuring voice. "It might taste yucky, though."
At this point, Baloo didn't care if the antidote's taste was yucky. She just wanted her body to stop feeling like it was being set on fire. Baloo wrapped her arms around the bottle and scarfed the orange substance down like a hungry Houndoom. She didn't even take any breaths or try to drink it up slowly. Gradually, the burning sensation dissipated. After a couple short minutes, even the wound on her side didn't burn anymore. The liquid in the antidote was completely gone, and Baloo found herself back on her feet, smiling like she always did.
"Igglybuff igglybuuuuuff!" The joyful balloon Pokemon spun around on her foot, happy to feel better.
"Baloo..." On impulse, Perrine scooped Baloo in her arms, holding her close. "I'm so glad you're all better…" A single tear trickled out from one of her eyes, melting into Baloo's plushy skin.
"Iggwy?"
"Don't wander off or touch strange things again. I don't want you...or Kitsune to get hurt like that…"
To say Baloo learned her lesson would be an understatement. No way was she going to go anywhere near a Weedle ever again, nor so recklessly, at that. But she returned Perrine's hug and allowed herself to be lost in her trainer's embrace. More than anything, she was both happy and tired. They all were.
Ilex Forest became pitch black. Perrine set up a sleeping bag and crawled inside, hoping to get through the night. Unfortunately, sleep evaded her at every turn. Every few minutes, she rolled around in her sleeping bag, tossing and turning. No matter how hard she tried, sleep wouldn't come. Whether it was strange noises coming from the forest, newly acquired insomnia, or her own muddied feelings of fear, anxiety, and frustration, she wasn't sure what was preventing her from sleeping. Kitsune and Baloo stayed together, sleeping right next to Perrine's sleeping bag peacefully. Not a single movement. Lucky for them.
Perrine checked her PokeGear. 11:36 PM. Almost midnight. Why wasn't she asleep. There was no answer. But something completely overwhelmed her at that moment. Her eyes suddenly blurred and turned hot. Everything that happened on her journey suddenly piled onto her like someone had dropped a ton of bricks on her. She buried her face in her arms, and in that instant, tears sprung forth. Before long, she found herself sobbing quietly. Maybe not that quietly, because Baloo was pulled out of dreamland, awakened by the soft crying.
This was a sight she had never seen before. Perrine, her mother and beloved trainer, crying. Why was she crying? Baloo wished she had an answer. How could she help her? All she could do was walk up to her. Kitsune could feel Baloo's stubby legs step on her tail, awakening her. Thankfully, since Baloo's feet were small and soft, it wasn't painful. But once she saw Perrine's face buried in her arms, Kitsune rose to her feet, adopting a concerned expression.
"Igglybuff?" Baloo asked. No answer.
"Vulpix vul?" Kitsune asked. Once again, no answer.
Perrine didn't look up at them. Not once. Finally, she managed to choke out, "I...I want to go home...I can't...do this…"
It was all too much. Walking for hours. Trekking through a dark forest where danger lurked at every corner. Spending the entire day in damp clothes. Being nearly helpless as Baloo was poisoned by a bug Pokemon. Being away from her family. No comfortable bed to sleep in. No seeing her mother and father. No freshly cooked food straight from the oven. No going to school and seeing her friends and ex-friends. Everything overwhelmed her all at once, and all she could do now was cry it all out. She even wondered if going on this journey was a mistake. Kitsune and Baloo exchanged glances before nodding.
"Igglybuff!"
"Vul!"
"Huh?" Perrine finally pulled her head out of her arms, her blue eyes red and puffy from crying. Even her cheeks were red and damp with tears. Kitsune was doing a handstand with her front legs, wobbling left and right, while Baloo was bouncing around and spinning like a ballerina. Both of them were laughing and smiling, the epitome of joy. All of a sudden, Baloo lost her balance and bumped into Kitsune. Before long, the fox and balloon Pokemon were on the ground, their routine ruined.
All sorrow vanished, and Perrine broke into laughter. "Oh, you two! You're funny!" Kitsune and Baloo got back on their feet, undeterred by their failure. Actually, they didn't fail at all. Perrine had already figured it out. Once she stopped laughing, she smiled and said, "...You were trying to cheer me up, weren't you?"
Both Pokemon chirruped joyfully, and that in itself answered her question. Perrine crawled out from her sleeping bag and pulled them both into a hug. "You two have no idea how grateful I am to have met you. I wouldn't have gotten this far without your help."
"Vulpix!"
"Igglybuff!"
"We can go farther. We'll get out of here. I'm not giving up."
She couldn't give up. Not now. She had a dream to fulfill. Even if she was scared of what the future might hold, a good, brave Pokemon trainer would face hardship and jump over those obstacles head-on. But it didn't hurt to have a good cry. Already, she found herself feeling better. Pulling her friends into her sleeping bag, Perrine finally closed her eyes.
This time, sleep came without a hitch. Before long, she was dreaming of becoming the champion of Johto. She'd get there soon. She just needed to get through this. If she could get through a dark forest, then she could do anything she wanted. No giving up.
A/N: Hey guys, guess what?! It's the one year anniversary of when I began MarJour! I had almost forgotten about it. I know you guys want to see Julia vs Pryce, but I thought I'd give you guys a bonus chapter to thank you all for being such great, patient, and awesome readers. Plus, I have been receiving some concerns that the story seems to be going too fast, even though that's what I'm trying to avoid, and I've seen stories that breeze through stuff in just 30 chapters. I'm gonna try and rectify that however possible, and with future sequels and stories. But don't worry! Next chapter will be Julia vs Pryce! But getting the motivation to actually churn it out is gonna be another hurdle to get over.
I do also have an announcement as well. As you may know, I've been hopelessly addicted to Harvest Moon over the past few months. I even have ideas for a new fan fic that I really want to write. So...after some consideration, once MarJour is finished, I'm going to take a break from writing Pokemon fics to focus on my Harvest Moon fic. Don't worry! The series won't be cancelled! I already have four sequels outlined! I just want to get this Harvest Moon fic out of my brain, and maybe taking a break from writing Pokemon fics will help me develop more motivation to write the sequels, should I ever get to them. It's more about inspiration and having the drive to write them than anything. But you can bet that I'll definitely finish my Pokemon fan fic series, sequels included, so rest assured, I'm not going to give up on it! I'll just be focusing my priorities on something else once MarJour is finished. I hope you don't mind!
Also, have you seen the new Sun and Moon videos?! Alola Raichu is adorable, and so are a lot of the new Pokemon! November 18th, when will you get here?! So...what will be your Sun/Moon teams?
Random Fact: Baloo comes from balloon, since Igglybuff and its evolutions are balloon Pokemon. It's also the name of the bear from the Disney movie The Jungle Book and the corresponding series, Tale Spin. I haven't seen the movie or the series, I just heard someone else talk about them.