Chapter 55: Julia Gets Bugged
That awful moment replayed in Julia's mind all throughout her sleep. Saoirse convulsing in her arms, shaking like an earthquake had gone off. Saoirse's eyes rolling into the back of her head, pure white and lifeless. The stream of vomit staining her shirt. It's pungent aroma burning her nostrils. The despondent look on Nurse Joy's face when she delivered the awful news. The knowledge that she would never be able to hold her or be with her ever again. Julia's eyes flew open, and she felt tears streaming down the side of her face. Her room was still dark, but a line of light streaked across one of the walls from the slight opening in the thick curtains. Julia checked the clock on the wall. It was 9:32 AM. She had slept in that late? She always prided herself on waking up early. Perhaps all the activity from yesterday took more out of her than she thought.
Julia glanced over at the other bed. Perrine was gone. Blossom and Tokiko slept next to her, sharing a pillow. Hikaru was still on the foot of the bed, curled into a ball, clinging to her tail like it was a blanket. Julia squinted, reminding herself it was time to get up. She couldn't let her grief stop her from living her life, she told herself. She rummaged through her backpack and pulled out a clean shirt and pants. But she did wind up pulling out another article of clothing without meaning to. She put her shirt to the side, and when she saw the crimson fabric, her heart stopped.
It was Saoirse's dress.
The same one she bought for Saoirse way back in Olivine City. Only now she would never be able to wear it. Julia remembered seeing Saoirse looking so beautiful and radiant in this dress, her own heart leaping with joy when the bulldog Pokemon wore it. The smile she would give always made Julia's heart fill with sunshine. Seeing her friend happy made her happy, and Saoirse was always happiest when she was in this dress. She loved it with everything she had, always wearing it whenever she felt like it. Her grief was still fresh, but seeing this made her flinch, like someone stabbed her heart with a spear. Saoirse was dead, and this was all that was left of her.
A sob escaped her lips. She didn't mean to cry, as she didn't want to wake her Pokemon, but she couldn't hold it back. She thought she had cried out all of her grief last night. It seems she still had some left. She held the red dress to her chest and let the tears fall, mourning her loss once again. She had seen Pokemon die before, just not before her very eyes. Many of her mother's old Pokemon, or some she rescued from bad situations, had died some way or another, so she did have some experience with Pokemon dying to some degree. But Saoirse was one of her own Pokemon. One of her precious friends she had caught all by herself. Practically her child. How does one survive losing one of their very own Pokemon? She did have an answer, but it did nothing to alleviate the lingering pain in her heart.
As far as she was concerned, Saoirse didn't deserve to leave this world. How could she have missed the fact that she had a heart defect? Would she have been able to prevent it? A piece of her mind reminded her that there was no point in lamenting what had already happened. There was only so much one could do to help. Was Saoirse happy knowing Julia put in all the effort she could to save her?
She hoped she was.
"Bella?" A small voice reached her ears. She looked down, seeing her Bellossom looking up at her with a concerned look on her little green face. The flower Pokemon extended her green hand out, giving Julia a comforting pat on her arm. Her trainer could still see lingering tear tracks on her cheeks, thanks in part to the lone ray of sunlight filtering through the crack in the curtains. Without a word, Julia pulled Blossom close, clinging to her, along with Saoirse's dress. Blossom closed her eyes and buried her face in Julia's chest, savoring her warm embrace.
"Thanks, Blossom. Sorry I'm such a mess," Julia whimpered. "I still can't...believe it really happened. Just yesterday she was fine, and you were all playing together."
"Bella…!"
Julia's hand stroke Blossom's back in a slow, comforting rhythm. "I know, girl. I know. She's gone," She whispered. The two stayed there for a few minutes, sharing each other's grief. Then she remembered. She needed to call home and let them know what happened in case they didn't get Nurse Joy's message. She released Blossom and set her down. "Alright. I'm gonna go into the lobby and call Mom or Dad. Do you want to come?"
Blossom nodded. "Bella!"
She put Hikaru and Tokiko in their PokeBalls, only leaving Blossom out for the time being. She got dressed and made her way to the lobby. It was relatively empty, save for a select few people and Pokemon, and it wasn't loud. Julia definitely appreciated the quiet. She found a video phone and dialed her house number. The screen flickered to life, at first only showing static until it morphed into an image of her mother.
"Hi, Julia," Her mother's voice was low and sympathetic. "It's so good to see you this morning."
Julia could only nod in agreement. She hadn't wanted to talk to her via video phone since she first caught Geraldine. But her heart soared when she saw her mother and her kind face. Not long after, Kassia frowned. "I heard about what happened. I'm so sorry about Saoirse. You must have been so crushed."
"Understatement of the millennium," Julia answered back. Crushed didn't even begin to describe just how huge her grief was. But she did appreciate her mother's attempts at comforting her nonetheless.
"I wish I could be there with you right now," Kassia told her. "It really breaks my heart to see you like this. I know you've been crying. Your eyes are all red."
Julia could only manage a sad chuckle. "Am I that obvious?" She asked, shrugging.
"I'm your mother. I've raised you and Amara long enough to know when my daughters are sad."
"True."
A brief silence fell between them until Kassia broke it. "So how are you holding up?"
The girl wiped some lingering tears away with her arm. "I don't know. I feel so horrible about the whole thing. I feel like if I had learned about Saoirse's heart defect sooner, I could have gotten her surgery or something, and maybe she'd still be alive. I feel like I'm the reason she's dead and I hate that I couldn't do anything to save her," Her voice grew unsteady with each word she spoke, and despite her best efforts, the tears came right back. "She was just fine yesterday morning, and all of a sudden she gets sick and she's just...gone. Just like that."
Kassia stayed silent throughout Julia's explanation. After a bit, she spoke again. "I know how important she was to you," She began, her voice calm and collected. "And I know how hard you tried to help her. After what Nurse Joy told me last night, I know you're not responsible for what happened to Saoirse. You'd be surprised at how common that kind of birth defect is among Snubbull. Most of the cases are treatable, but as you've seen, some don't always survive, even with attempts at surgery. It sounds like Saoirse's was just particularly unfortunate, since hers was in a place that the doctors couldn't reach without potentially killing her in the process already. She probably would have died on the table regardless of whether you knew about it or not. Sometimes things happen for no good reason."
So Saoirse's defect was that problematic, huh? Julia sighed. As much as she hated to admit it, her mother did have a good point. She remembered Nurse Joy explaining how difficult the operation was because of where the hole in Saoirse's heart was. But was it really just bad luck? A single, unfortunate event?
"I won't lie, Julia. There are some things in life we just can't prevent or learn about beforehand," Kassia explained further. "I've been there myself. When I was younger, I had caught a Pupitar, and I loved him very much. I had him for about two years. Then one day he developed a rash on his hide, and he progressively got worse. I took him to the Pokemon Center, and he died before he was even on the table. Nobody was able to figure out what killed him, even to this day."
A Pupitar? Julia looked up at the ceiling to ruminate. "Oh yeah!" She exclaimed. "I do remember you telling me that story once or twice!" When was the last time she heard it? A few years ago? She couldn't remember exactly when, but she definitely remembered her mother mentioning she had caught a Pupitar once.
"I know this probably won't be much consolation," Kassia said. "But what's important is that you gave her a good life and loved her very much. I think Saoirse was very happy being your friend. She always loved playing with the Pokemon here at home, and she was very sweet with me and Truman. Don't worry, Julia. We'll take care of her remains when they get here."
It was just like what Caiseal said last night. Julia did love Saoirse and give her a good life. She was happy. Julia flashed a sad smile at the thought. There was that, at least.
"I've been thinking, though...instead of burying her in our backyard, would it be alright with you if we cremated her?" Kassia asked.
Cremated? That wasn't a word Julia had heard before. She raised an eyebrow. "What's cremated mean?"
"It's a process where dead bodies are burned down to ash, and ashes are placed in an urn that you can put in your house," Kassia explained matter-of-factly. "I know a great crematory in Cherrygrove City that'll take good care of Saoirse's remains. I've used them before, and trust me, they're wonderful. She'll be in good hands, I promise. I'll even ask if they have an urn shaped like a Snubbull."
An urn shaped like a Snubbull. Julia did like the idea. Plus, if Saoirse wasn't buried, they didn't have to worry about leaving her grave behind, should they decide to move someplace else. Already, she was starting to feel just a little bit better.
"You can do that. Cremate her, I mean," Julia said.
Kassia nodded affirmatively. "It hurts me to see you so sad. I wish I could give you a hug right now."
"It's okay," Julia said. "Caiseal, Perrine, and my Pokemon have all been here for me, so their support has really helped a lot. Besides, they won eight badges, and since the way to the Pokemon League involves coming back to New Bark Town, I'll probably see you and everyone else soon."
It was Kassia's turn to smile now. "I'm glad. I'll be looking forward to it," She replied wistfully. "I know it's hard, but remember the good times you had with her. She'll always be a part of you, and if you need anything at all or just want to talk, I'm here for you."
"Thanks," Julia mused, shrugging again.
"But there's something else I want to mention as well," Kassia said, her expression turning a little stern this time. "It's better to allow yourself to grieve than to keep your emotions inside, but there is a right and wrong way to channel it. If someone wants to give you their support and comfort you, accept it, because people like that are pretty rare in this day and age, so I wouldn't recommend rejecting them. Or if you do want to be alone, it's better to tell them politely, 'May I have some alone time for myself? I'd really appreciate it. I'll come to you when I feel I'm ready. I just need some space for right now.' Turning your grief into anger and lashing out at others only causes more pain than necessary. You can't let your grief define your entire life."
It took seconds for Julia to figure out what her mother was implying...or who she was referring to. Julia steeled herself. No way was she going to spend her days being angry at everyone over something that was out of everyone's control. She refused to stoop to Amara's level in that regard. Considering that Amara was constantly hostile towards everyone who even breathed the same air as her, even when it was unnecessary, and constantly complained about everything, Julia definitely didn't need to be told that twice.
"You're very lucky to have such great friends," Kassia reminded her. "It's clear they've been a great influence on you, and their support can do wonders for you if you're willing to let them into your heart."
"Yeah."
"Bella!" Blossom chirruped, throwing one of her hands in the air. Both mother and daughter smiled sweetly at the gesture.
"Oh! That reminds me!" Julia exclaimed, remembering something she had wanted to ask her mother. "Do you mind if you send two of my Pokemon to me? Since Saoirse's not here anymore, I only have five Pokemon with me, and I'm thinking about sending Tokiko to you for a while."
"I don't see why not. Who do you have in mind?" Kassia asked.
One answer had been itching at her brain for a while. Now she had the chance. "That Smoochum I caught a while ago. I never got to really interact with her just yet."
Kassia's smile returned. "Smoochum sure is cute. She gets along very well with your other Pokemon," She told her. "Who else did you want?"
Her other Pokemon flashed through her mind. Rino and Rina were probably enjoying having some alone time together, so she left them out for the time being. She remembered she hadn't gotten the chance to be with Papillon, Neji, or even Ladybug for quite a while. She hoped they weren't angry at her for not spending time with them. Maybe one of them would work. But as she thought more about it, one Pokemon appeared in her mind that she had never spent time with even once. Not since she caught her way back in the National Park.
Julia held Blossom tight against her chest. She made her choice.
"Can you send my Scyther over?" Julia asked. "I never got to spend time with her, and I think it's time I rectified that."
Kassia nodded. "Alright. I'll send Smoochum and Scyther over right away. But there is something you should know," Kassia said, pursing her lips together in a thin line. "We haven't had any problems with your Scyther, but it's very aloof and doesn't like to spend time with anyone. When Truman and I would give it food, Scyther would always point its sickle at us, like it felt threatened or didn't want us anywhere near it. It'd always glare at us, too. I have a feeling Scyther doesn't like humans very much."
Doesn't like humans? Julia put a hand to her forehead. Just like Twilight. Not only that, Julia hadn't interacted with her once since she first caught her. Was that the reason? Or did her Scyther just not like humans in general? There was only one way to find out. After all, Twilight came around, even if she was still standoffish and stubborn.
"Just be careful around your Scyther. Alright?" Kassia suggested. "Don't hesitate to let me know if anything's happened, or ask your friends for help."
"I understand, Mom. Thanks," Julia replied.
Before sending Tokiko to her house, she released her from her PokeBall to ask her if she wanted to go there or not. Tokiko said yes, even offering to tell the other Pokemon about what happened. Julia looked down. No Pokemon should have to tell their friends that another friend died. How would they react? She was sure they'd be really upset. Aqua was definitely going to take it really hard, since she and Saoirse often got along well. Julia didn't dare try to imagine everyone's reactions. Thinking about it made her eyes blurry. Regardless, Julia sent Tokiko to her house, and a few minutes later, two PokeBalls materialized from the transfer machine, one after the other. Julia took them and put them in her backpack, making a mental note to label them with stickers later on.
"I have to go now. I have to give everyone their breakfast," Kassia said, her eyebrows furrowing sadly. Julia could tell she wished she could talk more.
"It's okay, Mom. I'll manage. I think," Julia reassured, but her voice turned unsteady for just a bit.
All of a sudden, several Pokemon appeared on the screen. Neji poked his head out from the bottom of the screen. "Furret!" He chirruped. Then came Aqua and Ladybug, who squeezed into the frame and waved their hands at Julia, sporting big smiles on their faces. "Ledii!" "Azu!" Even Papillon poked out from behind Kassia and waved hello. "Freeee!"
Julia smiled. She hadn't seen them in so long, and her heart swelled with joy seeing how happy they were to see her, even after so many months apart. "Hey, guys! It's nice to see you all, too!" Julia waved right back at them. "Sorry I haven't been able to play with you all lately. I really miss you guys a lot. But guess what? I'm on my way back to New Bark Town, so I'll be able to come and visit you guys!" Julia announced. To nobody's surprise, the Pokemon cheered with delight. "It'll be a while before I get there, but look forward to it!"
"Oh, I know they will," Kassia said. Neji, Ladybug, Aqua, and Papillon all nodded vigorously, proving Kassia's point.
"You guys take care, okay?"
"You do the same. I love you."
"Love you, too, Mom."
With that, Julia signed off. She looked down at the two PokeBalls in her hands. Even though Saoirse was gone, she still had her other friends, and she was sure Saoirse wouldn't want her trainer to spend the rest of her life being sad. Julia steeled herself, resolving to remember the good times she had with Saoirse. She herself still had a life to live, and time wasn't going to stop just because one of her Pokemon was gone.
"Jule! There you are!" Perrine's voice pulled Julia out from her reverie. Her two friends, wide awake and sporting concerned looks on their faces, approached her. "We've been looking all over for you."
"Were you? Sorry!" Julia scratched the back of her head. "I was on the phone with my mom."
There was a brief, awkward silence until Caiseal broke it. "So...how are you holding up?" He asked sheepishly, like he didn't know how to address the subject. "Y'know, with the whole...Saoirse dying thing."
"I talked to my mom for a long time about it, and it's helped. Somewhat," Julia answered matter-of-factly, hoping her voice was steady this time. "She's gonna help take care of Saoirse's remains, and I trust her, so...yeah."
"Hey. If you need anything, don't hesitate to tell us about it," Perrine said. "You don't have to force yourself to do anything or keep it all inside."
"I know, and I appreciate your concern. You guys have been a big help through all this," Julia took a minute to put Blossom back in her PokeBall. "But I don't want to sit around and be sad all the time. Besides, we're on our way to New Bark Town, so maybe stopping by my house will help. I'd love to show you our ranch and all the Pokemon my parents have taken care of."
Perrine and Caiseal exchanged looks. Julia's eyes were still red and puffy, so they could tell she still did some crying. Her smile seemed forced, and her voice was still trembling a bit, but she was a lot calmer than before. They were worried that she was putting on a front for their sake. But she did let everything out last night. Maybe she was trying to move past this in her own way? They weren't sure. They didn't want to push her to open up if she still wasn't ready, but they didn't want her to suppress her grief for anyone else's sake. Who knows? Maybe a trip to New Bark Town would help. It was her hometown, and they did want to see her house and her Pokemon.
"That sounds like a great idea," Caiseal said. "We need to get through there if we're going to the Johto League anyway."
"Yeah. I'm about ready to leave, so the sooner we leave, the better," Julia said, showing her friends the unlabeled PokeBalls in her hands. "Plus, Mom sent me two of my Pokemon, my Smoochum and my Scyther. I haven't given Smoochum her name yet."
Her friends nodded in agreement.
Route 45 was a long stretch of mountainous road that went on for miles, cutting through two different cities. The kids decided to take the bus to get through most of it, and since they weren't stopping at Caiseal's neighborhood this time, they stayed on the bus for a longer period of time. When they got to the end of the line, they hopped right off, finding themselves surrounded by tall cliffs and grassy plains. Julia definitely appreciated the greenery, as most of Blackthorn City had no grass at all. As they started walking, Julia found a question popping into her head.
"Hey, Caiseal? How come your neighborhood doesn't have a whole lot of grass?" Julia asked. "Compared to where I live, your hometown doesn't have any grass at all."
Caiseal kicked a lone pebble to the side of the road as he pondered. "I studied that in school once. Apparently it's illegal to grow grass in certain parts of Blackthorn City, because our government wants to save on water," He answered. "It gets really hot around here sometimes, to the point where some years ago, we had some really bad droughts that sucked up all the water."
"Oh jeez," Julia mused. Droughts were definitely bad news. Months, even years, of non-stop heat and sunlight, with no rain to provide relief. Memories of history books in school detailing some bad years where people died from not being able to grow food due to non-stop droughts. People not being able to drink water, dying from dehydration. Grass did take up a lot of water, so she could see why Blackthorn City would want to save their water supply.
The kids walked for quite a while, taking care not to be in too big a rush. After about two hours of non-stop walking, they decided to sit down on some flat rocks and eat lunch. But instead of eating right away, Julia let all of her Pokemon out save for two, one of which she released a little shortly after.
"Smoochum! Come on out!" Julia cried as she released her most recent catch from the ball. Smoochum gave a happy chirrup, raising her arms into the air and letting her blonde locks take in the afternoon sunlight.
Julia kneeled down to her level, smiling. "Hi, Smoochum! Sorry you had to wait so long to be with me," She told her. "But I'm so glad we can be friends from now on!"
"Smoochum!" Smoochum nodded in agreement.
There was one matter Julia wanted to address. "Hey. Now that we're friends, would you like it if I gave you a name?" She asked.
Smoochum put a stubby hand to her mouth and looked up, lost in thought. Then she smiled, found a stick on the ground, and began drawing into the ground. Curious to see what was going on, Caiseal and Perrine walked over to them, leaning closer to get a better look. Smoochum finished drawing what looked like a big letter K. "Smoochum!" She pointed to it empathetically.
"She says she wants her name to start with a K," Julia said. "And it has to be cute," She clasped her hands together. "Okay! Let's get to brainstorming! How about…Katherine?"
Smoochum shook her head. "Too grown-up."
Perrine went next. "Maybe something like…Katrina?"
Smoochum crossed her arms and looked away before musing, "Too plain."
Caiseal managed to come up with one. "Would Kim work?"
Smoochum puffed her cheeks out angrily. "Too short!"
Caiseal held his hands up in alarm. "Sorry! I'm not good at this stuff!" He protested.
"Karen? Kennedy? Kelly?" Julia threw some more names out. Smoochum shook her head at all three of them. They weren't cute enough, Smoochum told them. All three kids groaned.
"Jeez. Smoochum sure has high standards, doesn't she?" Caiseal said. Hearing this, Smoochum crossed her arms and nodded in agreement.
Then a light bulb went off in Julia's head. "Oh!" She exclaimed, her eyes gleaming with inspiration. "I know the perfect name!" She gently took the stick from Smoochum's hand and wrote more letters after the K. She spelled out Karin. "How about Karin?" Julia asked.
"Isn't that the same as Karen?" Perrine asked.
"Nope!" Julia shook her head. "Karin comes from an old Sinnohan word, carino, which means cute and sweet. Karin is pronounced Kah-REEN, too, so it's not the same as Karen," She turned towards Smoochum. "Do you like it?"
The kiss Pokemon stopped to think. Karin…it had a nice ring to it, and the way Julia pronounced it did sound cute, just like she wanted. Her thick lips curled into a grin. It was perfect! Smoochum let out a coo, giving her approval.
Julia smiled and stuck her finger out. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Karin! Welcome to the team!" Smoochum—now Karin—tapped Julia's finger with her hand, giving her a little handshake. It wasn't much, but Julia didn't mind. Karin's hand was small, and she figured using her whole hand would be a bit much. Now her new friend had a name, so she was now officially part of their little ragtag group.
Of course, that left the other Donphan in the room.
Hikaru and Blossom invited Karin to play with them, and she joined them without any hesitation. As the three of them went on their merry way, Julia pulled out another PokeBall. Her Scyther. It had been months since she caught this Pokemon. She had never been able to use her earlier because she wanted to make sure her teams would be able to handle the gyms, and Scyther had a disadvantage against all of them. But now she didn't have to worry about that. Still, she regretted not having her around sooner, if only just to have her for company. She wondered if Scyther was angry at her for not having used her right after catching her. Julia clutched the PokeBall in her hand. Well, now was the time to make up for lost time.
"Scyther! Come on out!" Julia wasted no time letting Scyther out of her PokeBall. She already had a name picked out for her, but since she heard her mother mention her behavior, she decided to refrain from using it. Why give a name to a Pokemon that didn't trust her yet? She waited on giving Twilight her name, so she figured she could do the same with Scyther.
Out from the PokeBall came a large, light green mantis Pokemon, just as tall as she, with long, sharp sickles for arms and translucent wings. She looked just as regal and stately as she did when she first caught her in the National Park. Steeling herself, Julia approached the mantis.
"Hi, Scyther!" Julia greeted the bug Pokemon warmly. "I'm Julia, your trainer! I'm sorry I never got to hang out with you for so long. I don't blame you if you're mad about it. It has been months since I caught you, after all," She held her hand out. "But I really do like you, and I hope we can be friends!" She put on a happy front, but inside, her stomach was doing backflips. She prayed to Arceus that this would go well.
Unfortunately, Scyther let out a shrill noise, raising one of her sickles and charging right at Julia. "Wahh!" The girl was quick to leap out of the way, her heart close to beating right out of her chest. Scyther actually tried to attack her! Granted, this wasn't the first time a Pokemon she caught had attacked her after she caught it, but it didn't mean she was used to it.
"Jule!" Caiseal was quick to run to her side, as did Hikaru. Caiseal threw an intense glare at Scyther, who had adopted a battle stance. "Hey! What'd you do that for?! She's your trainer!" He yelled.
"Scyyyyyy!" Scyther still aimed her sickle at the kids, ready to cut them to ribbons.
Julia's whole body trembled with fear, but she managed to translate what Scyther was saying. "She says, 'I refuse to be made your slave, human scum! You don't own me!'" Any hopes she had of befriending Scyther were immediately dashed. So she was like Twilight. Scyther doesn't like humans. Julia mentally chastised herself for thinking this would be easy.
"It's okay, Scyther! We're not here to hurt you!" Julia reasoned. "We want to be friends with you! You don't have to be afraid of us!"
Scyther's battle stance didn't change. She kept her sickle pointed right at them, daring them to make even the slightest move. Julia could tell this Scyther was definitely set in her ways. Maybe she was angrier about being stuck at the ranch than she thought? Or did she just not like humans in general? Julia found herself lucky that she refrained on giving Scyther the name she picked out. She definitely wouldn't have appreciated that.
"Something tells me she's not here to make friends," Perrine said, having put a hand on Kitsune's PokeBall in case things got ugly.
Thankfully, Scyther didn't take things that far. She didn't get the chance to. Having heard the commotion, Twilight and Tsubasa approached the mantis Pokemon, chirping and neighing at her as though they wanted to start a conversation. Slowly, Scyther lowered her sickles and found herself growling back at them, but not in a threatening manner. The trio of Pokemon exchanged noises back and forth, and the kids found themselves exchanging confused looks.
"So…what are they saying?" Perrine asked, both happy that things didn't get worse, but confused as to what was happening.
"Oh. Twilight and Tsubasa are asking Scyther if she wants to spar with them," Julia replied.
Caiseal's jaw dropped. "Seriously? That's it?! She doesn't even like humans!" He yelped. "Why would she want to spar with them? Chances are she probably hates Pokemon who were caught by humans!"
Oddly enough, Scyther's stance softened, and Tsubasa pointed her wing towards a nearby clearing. Tsubasa flew over to it, with Twilight and Scyther following from behind. Now everyone's jaws dropped, even Hikaru's. That turned out better than they had expected. Soon enough, Tsubasa was flying around Scyther, with the latter trying to hack at her with her sickles, but not in a way that meant she wanted to actually kill her. Twilight fired some light Ember attacks at them, though took care not to make them too hot or dangerous.
"Oooookay then…" Perrine finally broke the awkward silence. "Not sure how that managed to work so well, but I'm not complaining."
Julia was about to say something in agreement but refrained. Just because Tsubasa and Twilight managed to resolve the situation didn't mean Scyther was going to magically become friends with everyone. But it did give her some hope. Maybe there was a chance that they could bond. She managed to befriend Tsubasa and Twilight after some trial and error, so Scyther should be no different. If Scyther truly hated humans and didn't want to be with her no matter what, why force her to stay? But she pushed that out of her mind for now. At this point, she figured she could try to get to know her better. She did make a mental note to ask Tsubasa and Twilight about how they managed to calm her down later on.
"Let's leave them be for now," Julia suggested. "Maybe she just needs to let off steam."
"Yeah," Caiseal sat back down, pulling a granola bar from his backpack. "Let's just see how things turn out."
The Pokemon played together while the kids ate their lunch. In the meantime, Twilight, Tsubasa, and Scyther spent a lot of time sparring with each other. At one point, Scyther nearly sliced Tsubasa to ribbons, but the bird Pokemon used her talons to hold them off. Twilight took the time to ram her head into her, pushing her off of Tsubasa.
"Scyyyy!" Scyther hissed. "Not gonna lie, you two sure are tough."
Tsubasa puffed out her chest. "See? Told ya we could take you on!"
All Twilight did was roll her eyes. "Cocky brat," She whinnied.
Scyther flew down to the ground and lowered her sickles, stopping to catch her breath. A lot of the pent up energy she had was gone now, and she found herself calmer than earlier. Still, she really didn't like the idea of being stuck with a human. Sure, this Pidgeotto and Ponyta were cool, as she liked tough Pokemon, but they were under a human's ownership. Why bother getting involved when she knew being stuck with a human could only spell doom?
"Look, you guys are cool and all, but I don't wanna be stuck with some human," Scyther told them without mincing words. "I've heard the stories. Humans starting fires in forests, killing Pokemon with no remorse, stealing our land, taking us from our homes, ordering us around like slaves. I'm not down with that. No way."
Twilight was the first to approach. "I get how you feel. I was like that, too. In some ways, I still don't fully trust people. Trust me, I've been stuck with some pretty bad people in my life," The fire horse didn't dare let images of her past plague her mind. That was behind her now. She no longer lived that mind of life, so what was the point of remembering it? But she could tell Scyther had concerns. Valid ones, at that. "But we can assure you, Julia's not like other people. There are just as many good humans as there are bad ones. You can't always believe everything you hear. Plus, trying to attack her like that is not cool," Twilight shook her head to empathize her point.
"Did they mess up your leg?" Scyther asked, pointing to Twilight's prosthesis.
"Oh. This?" She held it up to let Scyther get a better look. "Nah. I fought a Pokemon that turned out to be way too strong and it did a number on me," She explained in a matter-of-fact way. "Yeah, humans can be jerks. But humans also saved me and gave me this new leg. Julia's one of the first people that treated me with respect and didn't expect me to be something I'm not."
"Besides," Tsubasa interjected. "One of our friends just died, and she's been awful sad about it, so don't you be givin' her a hard time!"
Died? A friend? Scyther's curiosity was piqued. "Who died?"
"A Snubbull. One of our friends," Twilight answered. "She was real nice and sweet. But she got sick and died, and…" A brief silence fell between them. "It was devastating."
Just like that, Scyther's suspicions dimmed. So this Julia girl lost one of her friends. She did notice her eyes were red and puffy, but she was too angered with the idea of being caught by a human to pay much attention. She did sense that she was afflicted with sorrow. Was that what caused it? Scyther looked down at the grass.
"If you don't want to hang with us or Julia, that's fine. We won't force you to stay if you don't want to," Tsubasa assured, flapping her wings up and down. "But we want you to know that Jule's a good kid. She's nice to us and she's not cruel like other humans are. Plus, when she first caught you, some kid tried to steal you from her. She protected you, and I helped her with that, which was how I evolved!"
What? Scyther's head flew up. Someone tried to steal her, and Julia protected her? One part of her mind told her that this might be a trick. For all she knew, the whole story might have been a lie. But another part of it told her otherwise. Why would these Pokemon lie to her about their trainer? They had no reason to do so. Plus, if they were lying, she would have seen something that told her they were. They would have averted her eyes, started shaking or stuttering, or their voices would be unsteady. Neither of them displayed these signs.
"Did that…really happen?" Scyther asked.
"Yeah, did it?" Twilight echoed, looking just as confused. Tsubasa remembered that Twilight wasn't there when the incident in the National Park went down, so of course she didn't know about it.
"Sure did," Tsubasa pounded her chest once with one wing. "So you don't have to worry about her being cruel or mean, 'cause she isn't. I've seen it all with my own eyes."
Scyther crossed her sickles and looked away. "I think I'll take my time to judge for myself, thanks."
Twilight huffed. "Suit yourself. I'm gonna go graze. The grass is supposed to be pretty good around here," With that, she trotted off deeper into the clearing. Tsubasa flew up into a tree and perched on a tall branch.
With that, Scyther was alone, watching as Hikaru, Blossom, and Karin rolled around in the grass together, laughing and having a great time. Scyther had seen this kind of scene for months, stuck on that farm, and was sick of it. She didn't want to spend her life babysitting a bunch of weaklings and be stuck with a human of all things. But from what she heard and saw, these Pokemon seemed to like their human trainers, and Julia—the girl in question—hadn't done anything bad to them. However, she didn't want to let her guard down just yet. She needed to be absolutely certain that this girl wasn't like the humans she heard about. For all she knew, the whole thing might have been a façade. She couldn't afford to fall for any tricks, lest she wanted to survive. That was how it was in the wild.
In the wild, she was free.
"Hi, Scyther!" A little later, Julia approached the mantis Pokemon, holding a bowl filled with Pokemon food. "I brought some food for you. Would you like some?"
Scyther leaned against a tree, observing everything around her. She glanced at the bowl, but quickly returned to staring into the distance. Julia could only frown. Her second attempt to befriend Scyther was dashed in just seconds. But she put the bowl down by her feet.
"Well, I'll just leave it here in case you're hungry. You can eat it on your own time," Julia told her before returning to Caiseal and Perrine, downcast. "Well, that didn't work."
Perrine had just finished her sandwich, so she found it safe to talk. "Don't give up just yet. Just give it some time. She'll warm up to you eventually," Perrine said reassuringly. "Besides, you managed to win over Tsubasa and Twilight."
Good point. At the same time, Julia didn't want to push it. She didn't want to force Scyther to be her friend and risk getting her angry. Since they were still having lunch for now, she figured she could kill some time. She pulled a sketchbook and pencil from her backpack and started drawing. Perhaps now was a good time to focus on something else for a while. A little distraction would do her some good. Caiseal and Perrine walked a few feet away to have some time for themselves and to let Julia have some space.
Hikaru, Blossom, and Karin were still playing, but Scyther stayed where she was, leaning against the tree, watching everything from afar. But she did steal some glances in Julia's direction here and there, expecting her to make some move. She didn't. She just sat on that rock all by herself, leaning over some paper. What was she doing? Curiosity began to sprout in her heart like a plant growing out from the ground. Against her better judgment, she walked over to the girl. She leaned over, glancing at what appeared to be a picture of a Snubbull. What was this? She had never seen something like this before. It was a Snubbull, but it wasn't a real one, and its feet were still missing.
Noticing the shadow across her paper, Julia looked up, face to face with Scyther. "Oh! When did you get here?"
"Scytha," The mantis Pokemon mused. Then she slowly pointed her sickle at the paper. "Scythaaa?"
"You mean this?" Julia held the paper closer to Scyther. "I'm drawing a picture. Do you know what this Pokemon is?" Scyther nodded, but Julia answered her anyway. "It's a Snubbull! It's not finished yet, though."
Scyther, despite herself, was fascinated. To think humans could recreate the likeness of a Pokemon using some stick tipped with lead and paper. She had seen Snubbull before, and the drawing looked exactly like the Snubbull she had seen in the wild.
"If you want, I can draw a picture of you," Julia suggested. "I've never drawn a Scyther before, though. It might not come out right the first time."
Scyther shook her head. She did remember Tsubasa and Twilight telling her about the Snubbull they knew who had died. Was this that same Snubbull? "Scytha scythaaa?"
Julia's eyebrows furrowed, and she looked down at her drawing. "Yeah. This is a picture of my friend. Her name was Saoirse," Julia began. "She was really sweet, and I loved her a lot, and she loved me. But yesterday she got really sick. I tried to help her and get her to the Pokemon Center as fast as I could. Twilight even helped. But…" A pause. She sniffed. "It was too late. She didn't make it. The doctors couldn't save her."
The mantis Pokemon looked away, recoiling at the sight of the girl's despondent expression. Even hearing her unsteady voice broke her heart, and she had resolved not to feel anything towards a human. But here she was, feeling pity for a human. Was she not like the humans she heard about after all? From what she had seen, she hadn't done anything Scyther had expected her to, like yell at her, order her around, or try to hurt her. Maybe there was some truth to what Tsubasa and Twilight had been telling her. A stray tear rolled from Julia's eye, but she was quick to wipe it away.
"Sorry. I can't seem to think about her without crying now, and I know Saoirse wouldn't want me to be sad," Julia whimpered, her shaky voice still unsteady.
So she was still grieving. Scyther mentally kicked herself for having tried to attack her before. This girl had been through a rough time already. She didn't need some bug Pokemon trying to slice her to ribbons. A low rumble stirred in her thorax. Not wanting to get in her space, Scyther went back to her tree, sat down in front of the bowl, and began slowly eating one bite of food at a time. Julia looked back up, noticing Scyther wasn't near her anymore. She turned to the side and saw Scyther eating from the bowl she put down. A smile returned to her face. This was the first step toward a potential friendship, and all she did was open up to her about Saoirse.
Of course Scyther wouldn't replace Saoirse. Julia didn't want to catch Pokemon solely to replace fallen friends. It wouldn't be fair to them. She slowly put her drawing away, satisfied with how it came out for now. She decided to work on the feet later. It was time to eat.
After a while, the kids were back on the road, though Julia kept her Pokemon out so they could still run around if they wanted to, Scyther included. The mantis Pokemon still kept her distance, but the kids did notice a subtle change. Her posture was more relaxed, and the gleam in her eyes wasn't as intense or predatory as it had been before. Still, trepidation seeped into Julia's being as they traveled down the dirt road. This didn't exactly mean Scyther was going to be buddy-buddy with her, she reminded herself. To take her mind off her still lingering worrisome thoughts, she kept her eyes solely on the road before her. One foot in front of the other.
Scyther's eyes roamed elsewhere. A cluster of trees slowly came into view, and the mantis Pokemon saw some blue dots speckled on the leaves. Upon closer inspection, these weren't blue dots at all, but thick, navy blue Bluk berries. Her eyes gleamed. Bluk berries! She hadn't seen those in a while. In that moment, she found herself craving some. Her wings buzzed as she made her way towards the trees. The vibrations her wings produced made the kids stop in their tracks.
"What's up, girl?" Julia asked.
Perrine pointed to the tree. "She's probably interested in those Bluk berries," She said. "I hear they're supposed to be really good. They help make a Pokemon's teeth shinier."
"But they're a pain to clean up, though," Caiseal retorted, crossing his arms. "I had Bluk berry pie once, and the stain on my face was so thick, it took nearly a whole hour to get it off. Those things can be pretty messy."
Paying no heed to Caiseal's story, Scyther's sickles glowed white as she sliced through the trees, cutting leaves to ribbons and sending Bluk berries falling to the ground in all directions. Thankfully, the Bluk berries didn't break or splatter once they hit the grass. But there were still more, so Scyther cut and hacked at the tree, cutting the stems that bound the berries to the branches. Hikaru and Karin ran over to gather some Bluk berries, carrying them over to the kids. But one Bluk berry Scyther cut fell right behind a bush.
"Laaaar!" A shriek made everyone freeze.
"Whoa! What was that?" Caiseal yelped. The kids raced over to the bush and looked over to see where that cry had come from.
Behind the bush was a small Pokemon, about Hikaru and Karin's size, with a thick, rock hard, olive green hide and a big horn protruding from its head. Said horn was stained with Bluk berry juice, thanks to the berry itself falling right on top of it. The juice trailed down the Pokemon's face, avoiding its eyes but coming close to its mouth. The Pokemon had red eyes, black triangles right underneath them, a big red diamond on its stomach, and a cone-like tail surrounded by a ring of plate-like scales.
"Whoops," Julia said. "Looks like that Bluk berry fell on that Larvitar's horn."
Scyther glared at the little Pokemon. Great, it had wasted a perfectly good Bluk berry.
Caiseal pulled out his PokeDex. "Larvitar, the rock skin Pokemon. Larvitar are born deep underground and have to eat soil around it in order to come up to the surface. It cannot completely emerge until it has eaten an entire mountain's worth of soil. After it has done so, Larvitar fall asleep so they can grow. Larvitar are self-sufficient from the start, and most don't meet their parents until they eat the soil around them to penetrate the surface."
A Pokemon born in the ground, in total darkness, unable to meet its parents unless it eats all the soil around it. Julia found herself cringing at the PokeDex entry. That sounded like a pretty sad way to be born. Before she could think too hard about it, everyone's ears were assailed by a loud, piercing cry. Their hands flew to their ears, but the protection did nothing to muffle the awful sound. Thankfully, it didn't last very long, and the kids opened their eyes.
Only to find a whole army of Larvitar and several bigger Pokemon with hard, blue hides. Every single one of them glared at the kids with frightening ferocity.
"Oh no! An army of Larvitar and Pupitar!" Perrine cried. That Larvitar must have called for its family and friends with that screech just now.
"Lar!" Another Larvitar yelled, pointing straight at them.
The kids knew what they needed to do. "RUUUUN!" Julia screamed.
Just like that, the kids and their Pokemon ran from the rock skin Pokemon army as fast as their already weary legs could carry them. Even Scyther joined them, as she knew there was no way she could fight them all on her own. One or two were one thing, but an army of them? That was a losing battle waiting to happen. But no matter how fast and far the kids ran, the Larvitar and Pupitar were still charging after them. At one point, the Pokemons' eyes glowed white, and before long, large stones were being hurled at the kids from behind. They tried to avoid them, but the stones came at them within seconds of each other.
"I…can't…run…any…more…!" Julia panted with every step, unable to form a sentence without gasping between each word. Her legs and lungs burned. She wanted to stop, but the army of Larvitar and Pupitar were right behind her.
Why not fight back.
"Ugh!" Julia stopped and pulled two PokeBalls out. "Blossom and Karin, use Petal Blizzard and Powder Snow!"
Blossom popped out first, sending a swift gale of flower petals in their direction. Some of them curled into balls to protect themselves from the attack. Others weren't so lucky and the blizzard of flowers came at them so fast, they had no time to react. Karin followed up on Blossom's assault by shooting a freezing breath of sparkling powder, further holding off the army. Many of the Larvitar and Pupitar conceded defeat and began running in the opposite direction. But that left three Pupitar and at least ten Larvitar. Once again, their eyes glowed white and rocks appeared out of thin air before being hurled at the kids.
"They're using Rock Slide!" Caiseal yelped, pulling Perrine to the side to get her out of the crossfire.
"Scyther! Dodge them!" Julia cried out.
Scyther wasted no time flitting away from every rock that came her way. At times, she seemed to glow white when she flitted about. Julia pulled out her PokeDex and examined Scyther's attacks. Since Larvitar and Pupitar were both rock and dark types…Julia gasped. She had an idea. But she was going to need Scyther's help, and she was sure Scyther still didn't acknowledge her as a trainer. Then again, these Larvitar and Pupitar weren't going to go down without a fight.
"Scyther!" Julia exclaimed. "I know you don't acknowledge me as your trainer, and that's okay! But can you help us with this, please? We'd really appreciate your help, since you're so strong!"
The barrage of rocks still came at them one by one. Scyther didn't have to think twice. Her sickles glowed green as she sliced one rock into pieces with little effort. As much as she still didn't like being with a human, she was definitely up for a good fight. Scyther nodded, joining Blossom and Karin.
"Alright, everyone! Let's drive them away!" Julia cried out, though her voice was hoarse from so much running. At this point, she didn't care. She couldn't afford to run anyway. Now was the time to fight. "Karin! Use Powder Snow again!"
"Chuuuum!" Like before, Karin unleased a tiny gale of sparkling snow. The Larvitar and Pupitar attempted to run, but the frigid winter breeze cut through their rocky skin, sending them shivering to the ground from just one touch. It was working!
"Keep it up, Karin! You're doing great!" Julia yelled. "Scyther, use Fury Cutter!"
Now this was more like it. Scyther let out a shrill cry as her sickles glowed green. She charged right at the army, her translucent wings fluttering fast, hacking and slashing at the rock skin army with all the power she could muster. She sent several Larvitar rolling across the ground. Even the three Pupitar couldn't get away from her, since they were big, hard shells without feet, so any fleet movement was impossible on their part. But when Scyther approached one Larvitar, it had its mouth open. Before she could give it a good slash, Larvitar spit right in Scyther's face. Something purple and boiling hot made contact with Scyther's maw. She could still see, as she landed another Fury Cutter attack on that same Larvitar, but her mouth was boiling hot, and some of the strange substance was dripping onto her thorax.
"Good job, Scyther! Blossom, use Petal Blizzard again!"
"Bellaaaaaa!" Once again, Blossom unleashed a gust of wind speckled with flower petals with no mercy. Finally, seeing that they were outmatched, the Larvitar and Pupitar gave up and ran away.
Both Caiseal and Perrine came out from behind the rock they hid in. "Hey! That was great!" Perrine exclaimed. "You really handled yourself well out there!"
"You think so?" Julia asked, scratching her head.
But the kids couldn't exactly rejoice in their victory. "Bella bell!" Blossom pointed towards the dirt road in alarm. The kids swiveled around to find Scyther on the ground, writhing in pain.
"Scyther!" Knowing something was wrong, Julia quickly ran over to the mantis Pokemon, cradling her upper body in her arms. She was hot to the touch, and Julia's nose caught a pungent honey scent from Scyther's mouth. She recognized it right away. "She's poisoned!"
"Scyyyyy…" Scyther could only groan, her entire body burning from the inside out. But Julia knew exactly what she was saying.
"Scyther says a Larvitar spit some purple acid in her face," Julia told her friends.
Caiseal figured it out right away. "It must have known Toxic. That's the only explanation I can think of," He said.
Toxic. An attack that doesn't hurt a Pokemon outright, but it poisons them. Badly. If untreated, the poison saps a Pokemon's energy and makes them violently ill. Julia's hands started shaking. Saoirse flashed through her mind again. First Saoirse was sick, now Scyther. Was she going to lose another friend? So soon after losing Saoirse already? 'Stop it!' She told herself, shaking her head. Unlike with Saoirse, Julia knew what she was dealing with, and if she acted now, she could help Scyther get better. She even had the tools she needed to help Scyther with the poison. She couldn't let her emotions get the better of her.
Now was the time to act.
Without a word, Julia gently laid Scyther down on the ground and rummaged through her backpack. She hoped she had some antidotes and Pecha berries inside. Her hand groped through her bag until she pulled out two pink, peach-shaped berries. "Yes!" She held one right up to Scyther's mouth. "Here, eat this. It'll help with the poison," Julia told her in a low, soothing whisper.
Unlike before, Scyther didn't hesitate. Every movement made her body burn like it was on fire, but she took the Pecha berry out of Julia's hand and swallowed it whole. After that, Julia pulled out a yellow spray bottle with a gray tip. She checked the amount of liquid that was inside. It was completely full, so there was plenty to use. Julia gingerly held the spray up to Scyther's mouth.
"This is an antidote," Julia said. "I'm going to spray this in your mouth. It won't taste good at all, but it'll get rid of the poison."
Scyther's vision blurred, but she could see the concern on Julia's face plain as day. Why was this human helping her? She could have easily just left Scyther there to die and go about her merry way. Scyther had been poisoned before, and often let it run its course naturally. She didn't need medicine before. But her hands were soft and warm as they held her. So this was what the hands of a human felt like. Gradually, the burning sensation in her body dissipated, and her whole being relaxed. She closed her eyes, seeing only Julia's face.
"So what do we do now?" Perrine asked.
"It'll probably take a while before the poison goes away," Caiseal replied. "Toxic is a pretty nasty move. I say we spend the night here and check on her every now and again to see how she is."
Julia nodded in agreement. "I was just about to say the same thing," She said before running a hand over Scyther's head. "You'll be better soon, girl. I'll take good care of you."
The kids decided to set up their tents and spend the night out in the wilderness. The sky was already turning orange by the time Julia gave Scyther the antidote, so they figured it'd be safer to camp out here for tonight. Caiseal got a fire started and they all ate their dinner, which mostly consisted of bread loaves and preserved vegetables they bought back in Blackthorn City. They kept Scyther out, since Julia wanted to look after her, and because she was too big to fit in a tent. Nobody said anything when Julia laid down right next to Scyther and fell right to sleep. After what happened with Saoirse, they didn't think it'd be right to make her sleep in her tent. Blossom and Karin were already in there in case something were to happen.
Night finally fell, and the kids and their Pokemon were all asleep. Perrine and Caiseal in their tents, and Julia snuggled right next to Scyther, between her thorax and one of her sickles. Scyther woke up, her eyes gazing at a glimmering starscape that greeted her with unmatched beauty. But she felt something on her thorax. She looked down. It was Julia's hand, right on her heart. That was when she noticed. Julia was sleeping right next to her,and a stray tear had trailed down to the side of her nose. Scyther then noticed something else. Her body didn't burn anymore, and her vision was clear. The poison was cured.
Did she do this? Were Tsubasa and Twilight right about her after all? Scyther sighed. So this girl truly was a good, kind human. To think she had gone to all this effort just to make sure Scyther was healed. A warm sensation lingered in her heart. This human had no obligation to have anything to do with Scyther, but she took care of her and stayed with her. All out of the goodness of her heart.
Her lips moved, as if muttering in her dreams. But Scyther heard what she was saying. "Lavinia…don't die…you'll be…all better…"
Scyther didn't move. She didn't want to disturb her in her sleep. Maybe being with her wasn't so bad after all. Maybe it'd be fun to be with a trainer. With that thought in mind, Scyther's eyes closed once more.
"Mmmmnh!" As morning arrived, Julia sat up and stretched her arms out. But the bright blue sky and the blazing sun blinded her, and she rubbed her eyes to make them adjust to the light. Had she really slept outside the entire time? Outside the safety of her tent? Julia couldn't believe she survived a whole night outside. She rarely, if ever, slept outside, always preferring to sleep in a tent, and for good reason. She looked to her left. Her tent was still there, as were Perrine's and Caiseal's. Then she remembered why she slept outside.
Scyther! Was she alright? She swiveled to her right. The ground next to her was completely empty. Scyther was gone! "Scyther?! Where are you?!" Panic began to set in. Saoirse's death was beginning to happen all over again. She stood up and ran further down the road. Slicing noises made her stop in her tracks. Looking into the distance, there was Scyther, standing in a clearing, waving her sickles around, probably training. Just like that, the anxiety in her heart disappeared into thin air, and she smiled. Scyther was all better. The antidote and the Pecha berry worked their magic. Stray tears escaped her eyes, but she was quick to wipe them away. Scyther was alive, and that was all that mattered. At this point, Julia didn't even mind if Scyther didn't want to be with her anymore. She steeled herself and approached the mantis.
"Morning, Scyther!" Julia greeted her warmly. Scyther stopped slashing and turned towards her. "Looks like you're all better! That's so great!"
Scyther nodded in agreement.
Julia looked down, averting the mantis Pokemon's gaze. "I'm glad. For a moment there, I was so afraid that I'd lose you, just like I lost Saoirse. I couldn't save her no matter what, and I didn't want to go through something that horrible ever again," More tears trickled out, and she just as quickly wiped them away.
It was here that Scyther knew, for certain, that she meant every word she said. She wasn't a bad human like she thought she was. Tsubasa and Twilight were right. She was a good person, not like the cruel humans she heard stories about.
"I'm so happy you're okay," Julia told her. "Listen, you don't have to stay with me if you don't want to. I know you're not very fond of humans, so I won't force you to come with me. I can release you back into the wild, and you can go back to your regular life. If that's what you want, I'll respect your decision."
Scyther gave a low growl, but not a threatening one. "Tsubasa and Twilight said you saved me from a bad trainer once. Is that true?" Scyther asked.
"Oh!" Julia remembered the Bug Catching Contest in vivid detail. "I do remember! Yes, it's true. Some kid named Lorenzo tried to steal you from me after I caught you, and it's bad to steal someone else's Pokemon. I had Tsubasa battle one of his Pokemon and she won. But he still wouldn't listen and we told him off for being a jerk."
Scyther's eyes widened. That was what had happened? So Twilight and Tsubasa had told her the truth. She didn't quite believe them when they told her. But having seen Julia take care of her and spend the night by her side…that told her all she needed to know about this girl. Before Julia could speak more, Scyther walked two steps closer, holding out one of her sickles.
"Thank you…for helping me. Both back then and now," Scyther warbled. "I would like to stay with you, if that's alright."
For a brief moment, no words were exchanged between them. Julia couldn't believe what she was hearing. Just yesterday, Scyther wanted nothing to do with her. Even though it hurt Julia's heart to know that, she was okay with releasing her. In fact, she had planned to do so right after Scyther woke up. But now, Scyther told her the opposite, and was offering her sickle in friendship, even thanking her for saving her. All she could do was smile so big her cheeks hurt. All of her efforts had paid off. Joy bubbled in her heart like soda fizz, and she couldn't contain it any longer. With a delighted squeal, she threw herself onto Scyther, wrapping her arms around her neck like she hadn't seen her in years.
"Of course it's alright! I'd love to have you around!" Julia cried out happily. "I know we didn't have the best start, since I never interacted with you for months after I caught you. So let's change that, shall we?"
Scyther closed her eyes, marveling in Julia's warm hug. She didn't dare wrap her sickles around her out of fear of cutting her by accident. She just rested her chin on Julia's shoulder, taking everything in. After a short moment, Julia let her go.
"By the way, would it be okay if I gave you a name?" Julia asked.
A name? Scyther had always been known as just Scyther, but she did find the idea of having her own name appealing. She wanted her own identity so she can stand out from other Scyther. Scyther nodded.
Julia clasped her hands together. "I have the perfect name for you: Lavinia!"
Lavinia? Scyther tilted her head to one side. That wasn't one she had heard before. But she did remember hearing Julia utter that name in her sleep. Did she already have it in mind when she caught her?
"Oh," Julia found herself stammering, suddenly unsure. "You don't like it, do you? I can give you a different one."
The mantis shook her head. "Scytha scytha." ("It's fine. I like it.")
Her smile returned. "Alright! Lavinia it is! So…how about we start over?" She held her hand out. "Hi! I'm Julia Parisa, and I'm your trainer! I hope we can be friends!"
This time, Scyther—now Lavinia—didn't attack her. She held out her sickle and let Julia shake it very slowly and gently. Julia didn't want to accidentally cut herself on her friend's sickle, so she touched the top of her arm instead. She then pulled Lavinia's PokeBall out and made it pull her inside. Once Lavinia returned to the ball, Julia looked down at the PokeBall with a tender, grateful expression. Closing her eyes, she held it close to her heart.
"Thank you, Lavinia…I promise I'll take good care of you," Julia whispered before returning to the camp site with a light heart. By this time, Caiseal and Perrine were already awake and outside, as were Blossom and Karin. "Hey guys!" She waved her arm up and down as she approached them.
"There you are," Caiseal said. "We were just about to go and look for you."
"Sorry about that. Anyway, guess what?" Julia showed them Lavinia's PokeBall. "Lavinia's all better, and she decided to stay with me!"
Any worry the other kids might have had instantly disappeared. "Wow, that's great! I knew she'd come around!" Perrine exclaimed.
"Bella!" "Smoochum!" Even Karin and Blossom congratulated her as they jumped up and down with joy.
"Did you just give her a nickname?" Caiseal asked.
Julia beamed. "Yep! Lavinia! That's her name!" She exclaimed with pride.
Caiseal's heart soared in that moment. That was what he wanted to see: Julia smiling. As far as he was concerned, she deserved to smile and be happy. Two days ago, she was absolutely devastated, and he hated that he couldn't do much to help her. But maybe having Lavinia around could help her heal from Saoirse's sudden passing. Obviously, Lavinia wouldn't replace her. Julia didn't want to replace her friend, and neither did he. But seeing Julia happy again filled his cup of happiness to the brim.
"That's great," Caiseal mused, rolling his tent up. "So how about we get back on the road?"
"Yeah!" The girls agreed in unison. Once they packed up, they went right back on their trip.
Julia didn't know it, but she was going to find herself running back into another friend.
A/N: Hey guys. New chapter is up! I wanted to put this up earlier in the month, but allergies really hit me hard, to the point where I was coughing up a storm, and I even developed an ear infection from it. I'm currently taking three different medicines for them, and I'm feeling better, though I still cough every now and again. Anyway, I'm sure a lot of you were surprised by my killing off one of Julia's Pokemon. I didn't do it just for kicks and giggles or for just plain shock value. But sometimes, in life, unexpected things can happen to you which you're just not prepared for. I'm sure all of us have experienced things like this in some way or another. Last year, I lost my beloved cat to cancer and a seizure disorder, and he died very suddenly. A month ago, I watched one of my coworkers fall to pieces after she received a phone call informing her that her son died, and pretty horribly, right then and there. It was…really overwhelming, to say the least. Just yesterday, one of my friend's beloved pets (a parrot) died very suddenly, and the reason for it is still unknown at this point. I know this isn't a good writing technique, to just randomly kill someone off, but in real life, sometimes these things just happen, and we have to cope with them and heal from them in the ways we know how. But Saoirse's death and Julia's ways of coping with it will be important in another chapter coming up.
Which also leads me to Julia's Scyther. Remember her? If you don't, I don't blame you. Yeah, I never had the chance to write her into the story until now, and I feel kinda bad for just leaving Lavinia in the dust like that, so I decided to bring her in here. Late, I know, but I didn't know when else to incorporate her into it. I originally had this chapter ending with Julia releasing Lavinia, as the latter refused to trust her no matter what, but I decided to change it. I figured having Julia release a Pokemon so soon after losing another one pretty horribly came off as rather mean-spirited. Don't worry, the next chapter will be much happier, and a certain Pokemon will return, so look forward to it! Anyway, happy Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month once again, now that April is ended. Happy (belated) Easter, and my mom's birthday was two days ago.
Also, don't ever forget: Even if you lost someone you love, know that they always love you and they're always in your heart. Whether it's a family member, a friend, or a beloved pet, remember the good times you shared with them and the happiness they brought you. Their passing is always sad, yes, but the memories you shared with them will never fade.
Julia's Party:
Hikaru (Shiny Pikachu, Female, Jolly Nature)
Ability: Static
Attacks: Thunderbolt, Disarming Voice, Quick Attack, Volt Tackle
Tsubasa (Pidgeotto, Female, Naughty Nature)
Ability: Keen Eye
Attacks: Quick Attack, Twister, Air Slash, and Feather Dance
Blossom (Bellossom, Female, Docile Nature)
Ability: Chlorophyll
Attacks: Stun Spore, Giga Drain, Petal Blizzard, and Acid
Twilight (Ponyta, Female, Lonely Nature)
Ability: Flash Fire
Attacks: Flame Wheel, Solar Beam, Hypnosis, and Stomp
Karin (Smoochum, Female, Impish Nature)
Ability: Forewarn
Attacks: Pound, Confusion, Powder Snow, and Sweet Kiss
Lavinia (Scyther, Female, Rash Nature)
Ability: Steadfast
Attacks: Quick Attack, Fury Cutter, Wing Attack, and Agility
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: Hyper Voice, 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
Fuwari (Skiploom, Female, Relaxed Nature)
Ability: Leaf Guard
Attacks: Bounce, Giga Drain, Fairy Wind, and Energy Ball
Chirin (Ampharos, Male, Adamant Nature)
Ability: Static
Attacks: Discharge, Cotton Guard, Power Gem, Signal Beam
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 (Vileplume, Male, Quirky Nature)
Ability: Chlorophyll
Attacks: Petal Blizzard, Sludge Bomb, Sleep Powder, and Sweet Scent
Ravenclaw (Murkrow, Female, Hardy Nature)
Ability: Super Luck
Attacks: Wing Attack, Steel Wing, Dark Pulse, and Roost
Heracles (Heracross, Male, Relaxed Nature)
Ability: Moxie
Attacks: Brick Break, Megahorn, Aerial Ace, and Endure
Flippy (Quagsire, Female, Jolly Nature)
Ability: Damp
Attacks: Water Pulse, Mud Bomb, Ice Beam, and Slam