Staring at the colossal ground and dragon type Pokemon which had a pair of razor-sharp claws that glinted dangerously in the afternoon sun and who was at least fifty times my size, standing as proud as its trainer, the god damn Champion of the Sinnoh League (a.k.a. the most badass female in the continent and in my opinion, the world), all I could do was let out a nervous chuckle.
I'm so dead.
I could already picture my pathetic defeat; it would be a one-hit K.O. like all the others behind me and my tiny body would be bruised for days.
At that moment, I could only think of haunting that damned stupid purple rose-bush of a trainer in my death. Who, by the way, was standing at the exact same spot with a passive deadpan of an expression that I just couldn't read. What on earth was he thinking—did he hate me enough to send me straight to my death?
Once again, I sighed. At least I was getting defeated by Cynthia, my all-time role model because as creepy as it sounded, it was honestly an honour that a weak, common Zubat like me was able to even face off against the champion.
Brock raised the flag then brought it down, signalling the beginning of the battle; "Start!"
...Let's just hope this is a quick one.
Immediately after the whistle is blown, Paul was quick to give commands, "Zubat, confuse ray,"
This method again? I wouldn't be surprised if it failed miserably on Garchomp but might as well give it a go. I moved erratically in the air, making sure the opponent wouldn't be able to land an easy hit on me before creating a flash of light.
Of course, it flopped instantly; the larger, dinosaur-like Pokemon had brushed off the confuse ray effortlessly and was left unscathed. Then, Garchomp started charging up his energy and began glowing a whitish blue shade. It was preparing for a Dragon Rush! The attack only lasted for a few, seconds but the terrifying presence of sheer power was downright overwhelming. I just managed to avoid the assault by millimetres. I could feel that powerful wind created by the aftermath of the attack, making the hairs of my body to raise up in alarm.
If that had even touched me, I would be a complete goner.
"Use Confuse Ray again!" Paul repeated. Gasping for air, my eyes left Garchomp's form and I shot a glare at the trainer's face—to my utter frustration, he had that same vacant expression.
...Are you freaking serious?!
That obviously didn't work beforehand, what made him think it was gonna miraculously work this time?! My foe was a large, experienced Pokemon; the chances of Confuse Ray actually working were below zero.
If I valued my life even the tiniest bit, I definitely wasn't going to listen to those orders. What could I do though? I looked around the torn up earth and debris before laying eyes a large opening in the ground. Oh! That must have been made from that moment when Garchomp used Dig against Charry at the very start of the duel. Despite the chaos that happened from then until now, it remained relatively undamaged. Hang on... I can use that!
I made up my mind; instead of using Confuse Ray, I took advantage of the underground tunnel and ducked down into the darkness in amidst all the smoke. I used my echolocation to sense my way around the debris underneath the surface before picking up on the opponent's presence.
There was complete silence for a moment but I could just faintly hear the crumbling of dirt, deep breathing; one... two... three!
An odd sensation was apparent in my mouth as venom run drip down my canines as I pushed up with as much force as I could, flying up into the sky, flashing tough skin on the way. That should have done it! Seeing the Garchomp let out a small groan, I knew my Poison Fang had done its job. Unlike confusing ray, which had the other side had the chance of snapping out of confusion, once the toxins were in the creature's bloodstream, there was no recovering; you'd have to use an antidote or a berry to get rid of the status condition.
In a battle where my loss was presumingly guaranteed, the least I could do was drain the larger Pokemon of its energy slightly. But just as I got my hopes up, I heard another Cynthia send out a command, "Garchomp, use Giga Impact!"
Looks like I was right; I'm so dead.
Paul's expression was a hybrid of a scowl and smirk as he retrieved his fainted Zubat, who had been knocked out by a Giga Impact and tossed across the ground like a pathetic Poochyena. This was actually the first time where the Pokemon had been in it's Pokeball-of course, it didn't have much choice in the matter.
While the rebellious Zubat had failed to follow his commands (and for that, he was anything but happy), it managed pretty well against Garchomp, a Pokemon that had years of experience in battle. He was still pissed at the fact his commands were ignored in battle though.
"Impressive." Cynthia praised yet Paul knew it was just polite flattery; he had a long way to go before getting to that level, the battle had at least made that much clear.
Technically, Paul had one more Pokemon left; Elekid. Making an electric-type fight against a Ground-type, the latter being immune to the former, was practically suicide. He wasn't like he was expecting to win though. "I forfeit,"
"That was a good battle," The Sinnoh Champion held out her hand for a shake, a sign of sportsmanship and respect.
Paul had enough decency to let out a mild 'thanks' as he shook her hand and bowed, "Next time, I won't lose,"
Already, the crowd that had formed around the temporary battle arena began talking to one another, hush whispers quickly overtaking the polite clapping. Most were shallow taunts and mocking phrases in an attempt to ridicule the purple-haired trainer: "did you actually think you could win?", "well, that was disappointing" and "how embarrassing".
But Paul was deaf to such contemptuous remarks, turning away and waking off with hands in pockets—at fifteen and going, he wasn't going to be put down by such childish insults. This battle was just a stepping stone, a checkpoint on his long road to victory. While he lost to Cynthia, the next time they battled would be at the Lily of the Valley Conference and Paul would win.
"Hold on!" An annoying voice called out, laced with pure naivety and ignorance. Ash Ketchum was just absolutely vexing, "You did great, Paul!"
So freaking annoying...
"Where are you going? That isn't where the Pokecentre is!"
"I know that," Paul drew out, rolling his eyes. He wasn't dumb unlike the icon of obliviousness himself.
Cynthia's stern voice cut, "A trainer's first responsibility is to make sure their Pokemon is in top health and shape. And that means regularly going to the Pokecentre, especially after a battle."
The purple haired trainer knew how to take care of his Pokemon. And Pokecentres were just a waste of time—a small battle like that was nothing a few berries wouldn't fix. Yet, this was the Sinnoh Champion he was talking to and he didn't want to rub her the wrong way.
"...Right," He said despite his internal thoughts, changing directions. To his utter dismay, Ash and his little friends begin to follow him.
"Great,"
Getting healed in a Pokecentre was one heck of an experience.
For one, I had been trapped inside that stupid red-and-white-capsule-that-was-spawned-from-the pits-of-hell yet again and that was not fun. No joke, that thing was created by the devil! It was just so boring, living in a Pokeball and since I always roamed freely even after Paul caught me (mostly because I was so damn annoying and he had given up by now), I forgot just how much despised the Pokeball.
Pikachu, I understand your feelings...
Though, as I assume the Pokeballs entered the machine, the artificial world began to glow. It pulsed with a warm odd fuzzy feeling as if I had been enveloped with some sort of energy and the muscles aches which plagued my body began to fade. I never felt so lively and ready to kick ass!
As adrenaline pumped through my veins, wings flapping at the speed of light before-smack! I crashed into the walls of my confinement.
Freaking Arceus!
Just another constant reminder as to why I despised Pokeballs.
After waiting approximately six hundred years or so (it had barely been five minutes), grumbling about the pain caused by flying straight into the wall, it became necessarily clear that I wasn't going to be let out anytime soon. I needed to plot my escape.
Wings on hips, I 'paced' around. My first and probably biggest problem: I have no idea how Pokeballs worked. How they managed to create a pocketed space inside the metallic ball, similar to the TARDIS, it really was one of the world's biggest mysteries. Even scientists on modern-day Earth during my time hasn't been able to create technology even close and as humans, we've made some pretty cool advances in science. Then again, this was Pokemon we're talking about; a completely fictional world from a cartoon made for kids.
But if I didn't how they worked, how was I gonna get out?
"Ugh!" In my frustration, I flapped my wings erratically. Before I even knew it, typhoons and tornados had been formed. Vigorous gales darted all over the place, rebounding off the walls. Chaos ensued as the world turned black and white and shook.
Then it all stopped.
I paused, hesitantly peering my eyes open. What just happened? To my sudden but immensely grateful shock, I saw a mop of dull purple hair. I could finally smell something substantial (as substantial as medicinal chemicals could smell), hear background noises of the world around me, fly around in a decent block of space without having to worry about crashing into an invisible wall. I could finally breathe.
"Ahh, FREEDOM at last!" I whooped, doing numerous extensive loops in the air.
"It broke out of it's Pokeball!" Dawn's familiar voice cried out, layered on top of Piplup, sounding completely astounded.
Brock murmured, hands posed under his chin in his signature look. "In all my years, I've never seen a Pokemon that's caught suddenly break out from their ball like that."
I took the chance to take in my surroundings after bursting out of my Pokeball; it looked like I was still in the Pokecentre, though in one of the secluded, more empty rooms. Decently sized, it was your typical nurses' office but catered towards treating Pokemon with different sized stretchers, stools and adjustable-tables; the large fridge-like area caught my attention with the colourful display of potions that were stocked, each labelled with familiar phrases. The only people that were there excluding the Sinnoh Trio and Paul was Cynthia—it's really her!—as well as the purple trainer's Pokemon, all lying down comfortably in thinly padded hospital beds with the exception of Torterra who had a large space on the tiled floor to himself.
"That's interesting," Cynthia—oh my Mew, still can't believe it—mused, "Does this normally happen?"
"...I wouldn't know. It never goes into its ball in the first place," Paul said shortly. If it were anyone else, he would have brushed it off but for the Sinnoh Champion, there was a decent amount of respect in his reply, "Zubat. Down,"
Huh, that's strange.
Did someone say something?
I didn't hear anything.
Oh well then, might as well continue my quad-triple loop as I floated around the Sinnoh Champion. Mew, I couldn't believe I had the chance to be close to my freaking celebrity! And when the woman held her arm out, I immediately settled down politely, ravishing in the feeling of being petted. Having a human mind, this should've been outright absurd but this was Cynthia. An exception could be made.
"Hahaha! Zubat is ignoring you, Paul!" Ash giggled, covering his mouth with a gloved hand as high-pitched crackles spilled out. Pikachu, his Pokemon twin, followed by rolling on the ground in a laughing fit. The purple hair trainer was obviously not impressed, left eye twitching almost dangerously.
He should probably check that out at the doctors... surely, that isn't healthy... Cynthia proceeded itch a sensitive spot under my neck. Ahh, that feels good~!
Suddenly, I could understand why most dogs loved being pet by humans. It was a revelation.
"All of your Pokemon are very well trained," Cynthia complimented after a pause, "And I'm especially impressed with your Torterra. He was an amazing opponent in battle,"
"He was my first Pokemon, ever since he was a Turtwig," Paul replied. There was the slightest hint of fondness in his tone, "I travelled through the Hoenn, Johto and Kanto league with him. Though, we didn't win any of them. I also caught Murkrow and Weavile during that time, before coming back to Sinnoh."
"What about Chimchar? And Zubat?" My ears perked up as I heard my 'name'-it was annoying, but I would get used to it. Though, my irritation was swiftly eased with another caress on my cheek. Ah, I'm in heaven!
"That was after I came back Sinnoh."
The champion turned to Paul, "You've done a lot with the two of them in such a short time."
"So what? Chimchar did poorly in that battle against Garchomp. And Zubat refuses to follow orders. It's clearly not good enough." He stated, blunt and harsh. Personally, I didn't mind much of his insult-I didn't listen to him because his choices were stupid and only increased the chance of getting knocked out. I'm sure just about everyone could agree that didn't like unnecessary pain. But that first part regarding my favourite Charry?
Oh, it's on!
His words only caused frowns to arise from the trio, especially a certain trainer from Pallot Town, "Until you got hit with that Giga Impact, I don't think you cared about how many of your Pokemon were knocked out! Winning like that is only winning for you and not your Pokemon."
Paul was quick to retort, "Give me a break. A win is a win; that's all that matters."
"You're supposed to support them and help them become better!"
"How moving,"
"Why you...!"
"Say what you want, do what you want. But I'll do things my own way and I'll become stronger, more than you'll ever be."
"And that makes training and battling them until they are all battered and bruised okay? They need to be treated with love and respect! Or do you not care for your Pokemon at all?!" Ash was absolutely livid and I could definitely relate to his frustration and disbelief.
"Give them too much and they'll become spoilt. And Chimchar is the perfect example of that. A spoilt Pokemon who does not try hard enough,"
How dare he say that Chimchar didn't try hard enough? From every single Pokemon I have ever met since I came to this world, heck, more-so than humans in my original world on Earth, Charry put in fifty times more effort than everybody else did. Even despite all the put-downs and all of the insults thrown at his face, the fire-monkey still tried. And that was more I could say for a lot of people.
I was surprised that I actually held myself back for this long (maybe because I didn't want to look bad in front of Cynthia?) but no longer could I do so anymore; stretching my wing muscles, I jumped up and made a straight bee(drill)-line towards Paul. Almost going too far, I halted in the air above his head before landing ruthlessly on his Starly's nest of purple hair, grabbing a decent bunch of hair with my mouth and wrenching upwards with all my might. The effects were immediate.
"ARRGGHH! GET OFF ME YOU STUPID BAT!"
"YOU DESERVE IT, UNINTELLIGENT MOP HEAD!"
Paul swung his arm around in an attempt to grab me but unfortunately for him, flying and in particular dodging were one of my strongest suits. If I could make my way around a sea of frozen water icicles aimed my way at the speed of a bullet, there was no way I wouldn't be able to avoid Paul—a human—'s incoming hand.
"Nana~ You can't get me~" I taunted, sticking out a tongue.
"Come back here!" The trainer growled as he made yet another shot at capturing his cheeky Pokemon. Of course, that didn't work out so well as I ducked under the table from which Wealvile was resting.
"No way, man!"
It was almost entertaining, how out of breath he was trying to snatch me out of the air. And surely I wasn't the only one getting a kick out of messing around with Paul, seeing the amused faces made by the 'audience' as I danced around trainer with relative ease. He, on the hand, was NOT enjoying the little game of tag.
"Zubat?" Speak of the absolute Goddess, Cynthia's voice made that cursed name sound musically enchanting. At once, I ceased pestering the peasant and rushed to the woman's side. Ash instantly burst into a fit of laughter while Dawn and Brock seemed also memorised by the Champion, "See? All it takes a bit of patience and they'll listen to you."
Nah. It's just you: was the exact same thought that occurred to everyone in the room simultaneously.
"You wish to challenge the Lily of the Valley Conference, right?" Cynthia continued, "I have something to show you all. Follow me."
Northwards of Amity Square, through a short five-minute path through grasslands and flower fields, lied a ruin in the middle of the forest. Although worn down by exposure from the elements, stone pillars wrapped covered with overgrown flora arose from the hard dirt. They stood in the remains of a circle, surrounding a central stone tablet with distinct carves of two great creatures. Below, it scripted:
When every life meets another life, something will be born...
I remember this exact phrase from the anime. I can recall feeling absolutely memorised by Cynthia's voice in the anime as a naive, nine-year-old girl who played video games and watched youtube videos, staying at home all my life. It might have actually changed my life, encouraging a younger, shy me to go out more and make some friends.
"These scriptures changed my life. All I cared about was becoming stronger but after reading this, I began to realise that there was much more to life than just battling—"
Though, a small part of me couldn't help wonder, could those words actually mean something? I was much older than the first time I had heard the saying and with age, came new understanding. Especially since I was tossed into this world, filled with Pokemon and so very different from my own.
"—I didn't just want to become stronger anymore. I wanted to get know the personalities within each and every Pokemon—"
My gaze traced over the carvings of Palkia and Dialga; the Legendaries of Space and Time, respectfully. If anyone were to know about my odd phenomenon, it would probably be them. Or perhaps Arceus or Mew? Otherwise, I would be completely stumped.
"—between the two of you, Paul and Ash, I feel as if something has been born from your meeting—"
What chance would I have of meeting a legendary? The thought itself was impossible, completely ridiculous and almost funny. Legendaries were called 'legendaries' for a reason; they were freaking legends. And I was an everyday, mundane Zubat, the most common Pokemon in the entire world. I would have a higher chance of winning the lottery than actually encountering a legendary Pokemon. That's like one in a million.
"—you two will become stronger in your own ways."
However, I may actually have a decent chance of meeting at least Palkia and Dialga.
"Zubat,"
How? You guessed it... Ash Ketchum. The Chosen One. That one special kid who starred in the Pokemon anime. Due to plot and (possibly) bad writing, he encounters every single legendary Pokemon and saves the day practically every two weeks. That was in the movies though, possibly an entirely different universe.
"Zubat,"
Another problem was the fact that I was now a Pokemon who also coincidentally belonged to Paul Shinji. Rival to said character which DID NOT appear in the movies and lived a normal if not downright bland life filled with training. Not only was it astronomically boring but it could ruin all chances of meeting a legendary! Sigh...
"Zu—"
"Huh?" I snapped away from my internal existential crisis and into reality, jerking away and nearly losing my flight as I dropped a good length. I managed to catch myself due to pure reflex which developed back at the caves at Mt Coronet, every time I woke up at least one-hundred metres above ground in the mountain interior.
Speak of the devil, just as I was complaining about having gotten captured by a certain purple haired trainer, he appeared out of nowhere. Or maybe I wasn't paying attention, "Let's go."
Paul turned away, scowl present on his face but seemingly more solemn or less aggressive than usual. I thought he would be mad since I ignored him (though it wasn't even on purpose this time!) however, the teenager wasn't all that moody. Instead, he looked to be deep in thought; not the I-need-to-get-stronger-because-I'm-better-than-all-of-you type thought but the 'huh' thought, like he was seriously contemplating something.
Meanwhile, Paul was lost in his own world of sorts. Cynthia was a woman of high regard and someone to be respected—and to have her of all people personally come up to him and share her experience as a trainer? Priceless. But the fact that they clashed with his own views left him unsettled.
And what was that damned bat doing? Staring (or at least he thought so, couldn't exactly tell) at the stone tablet intensely, as if it understood. That was impossible though... right?
Before the trainer could get too far ahead, I flapped my wings and glided across the sky, doing a fancy twirl on the way. I was right above the group's head in no time at all, following along the path with ease.
"Hey, look!" Pikachu cried out, pointed a stubby arm in my direction. The distance made his voice softer, muffled by the winds but my superb ears picked up on the noise effortlessly, "That's Zubat!"
Good job pointing out the obvious! Five stars to you. Gee, I wonder where you got it from?
Like a trainer, like Pokemon indeed.
Swooping down, I was just about to go say 'hi' when I spotted an interesting scene. There was a blob of magenta hair and another of pale blue with a tongue of purple but unlike Paul's a good distance away, walking side by side, on a separate path which forked the road we were currently on... is that a cat walking on two legs?
Oh wow, Team Rocket! This was to be expected by being near Ash and his friends—the infamous Team Rocket with James, Jessie and Meowth. The ever so comedic trio, always blasting off into space. I never understood why they didn't just quit stealing Pokémon and open up a permanent business somewhere with the success they've gotten selling products. Though, with them, there was a familiar blob of orange that caught sight off.
Chinchar.
Now, this was a chance I couldn't pass up on. Swooping down, I approached the so-called villains of the Pokémon series, "Team Rocket!"
Coming closer, I saw their rocket uniforms and sheesh, did they look cringed. The bright "R" on their white jumpers looked as horrendous as they did in the anime. What type of name is 'Team Rocket' anyway?
"Huh? How did you know our name?" Meowth questioned and I marvelled at the fact that his voice sounded almost identical to how I remembered it to be in the series.
"What's that?" James questioned. He was loosely holding Charry with one arm wrapped around the Pokemon's small body, who was still in deep sleep, dozing off peacefully despite all of the commotion. Managing to sleep through being kidnapped was a talent within itself.
"Isn't that a Zubat?" Jessie replied, "Very common, not at all rare; completely useless to us."
I... was going to ignore that.
"You're very famous where I come from," I said, completely honest, "You three are very well known and I'm a personal fan of you guys, Team Rocket! Could I please have an autograph?"
"Well? What is it saying, Meowth?"The female member bit out impatiently.
The cat Pokémon grouched, "Hold on! She says... that's we're very famous from where she comes from... and that she wants an autograph!"
"Oh really?" James said, pleased, "I say give it one! Where's the marker? I need to sign my name!"
He pulled out a piece of paper from a booklet, shifted the Fire-type Pokémon in his arms to a different position.
"As the most important member and leader, I should sign my name first," Jessie argued, waving a black marker in her hand, "Pass me the paper."
"Hang on! That role belongs to me! Who's coming up with all of the clever ideas to steal Pikachu? Me!"
None of which were actually successful... but sure, whatever you say...
The plan was working like a charm though. As the Team Rocket trio bickered, James' attention was no longer focused on the Pokémon in his grasp. Which meant that I could...
Snatch Charry away before they could even blink!
Team Rocket cried out as I flew off with Charry held up by my hind limbs. Speaking of the Chimchar, he was beginning to awaken. I couldn't see from the position I was in, carrying him despite our very apparent difference in weight (honestly, I could feel myself slowly but surely sinking lower, like a deflating balloon), but I heard a silly yawn and felt a slight movement coming from the other Pokémon. It was about time; any longer and Team Rocket might have made their escape with the monkey in tow.
I deposited Chimchar in front of the group, softly landing him as so he wouldn't hurt himself on the drop. Annoyance written all over his face, Paul grabbed a capsule on his belt to return a groggy Chimchar back to it's Pokeball.
"Its Team Rocket!" Dawn exclaimed loudly, catching everyone's attention as she pointed to the humorous trio who had followed me down the path and closer to the heroes.
Ash was already on the case, "Stop right there!"
"Oh no. It's the twerps,"
"Abort mission, abort mission!" Meowth yelped, as the three of them changed directions, headed towards the closest patch of think forest trees and greenery. Then began a treacherous chasing session as the 'good guys' chased the 'bad guys'; Paul was unsurprisingly one of the fastest, being relatively fit for his age and I followed his stride nimbly without breaking a sweat.
Obviously, I could have gone faster but I was too busy watching everyone else (Team Rocket run for their lives was utterly hilarious) and having the time of my life.
Maybe I should've picked up the pace, I sweat dropped as Team Rocket leapt into a large leafy bush, only to emerge with a freaking hot air balloon. Seriously, how on Earth did they manage to camouflage such a large mode of transportation?!
"Oh well, we might have not gotten Chimchar," Jessie said.
"But there's always next time!" James cheered, rather optimistic.
"We'll get both Pikachu and Chimchar, that's right!" Meowth ended as he danced on the edge of the basket.
Honestly, I pitied them; how did they manage to keep this up for over twenty years? I would never know, "Seriously, you should make your own business! I guarantee you will become successful!"
Anything would instantly become more successful than trying to capture Pokemon.
"HEY!"
Whoops. Must have said it out loud.
By the time they had reached a decent height in the air, I stopped my pursuit; was there any point of going after them any longer? It wasn't like they were actually stealing anything this time around since I already saved Chimchar.
"And we're actually getting away with stealing this neat Pokemon egg! I wonder what's inside it..." James muttered yet his words reached my sensitive bat ears.
What.
Meowth's voice practically dripped with excitement, I could just see his tail going up and down, "It must be super rare!"
Ash must had dealt with Team Rocket too many times to even bat an eyelash, "Go, Star—"
"Zubat!" Paul had just bet him to the punch though.
I was already bolting through the air before I even processed the command and for the first time in my life, I actually listened to the purple-haired trainer. I couldn't risk the safety of a Pokemon egg which could have actual life in it.
In a fluid movement, I had gone through the ropes that held the fabric and the basket together, plucking the spotted egg out of Meowth's claws while I was at. I was doing a lot of snatching today, wasn't I?
"Aircutter!"
There wasn't time to even think twice as I got myself into position and batted my wings intently for a good ten seconds, conjuring up invisible but deadly blades of wind. Within mere seconds, the fabric of the hot air balloon has been ripped to pieces and Team Rocket was left with nothing but the frame and a large basket. One final wing-attack did the job.
"Uh oh," They spoke with amazing synchronization, "Looks like Team Rocket is blasting off again!"
Damn. They went realllllly far. I actually feel kind of bad, they don't deserve to be 'blasted off' to space every single time. But at least I retrieved the egg?
Hovering down, I brought the package down and plopped it in Cynthia's arms.
"—can't believe you let yourself get kidnapped. That's pathetic," And just in time for Paul's lecture. He must of let out Chimchar in order to scold him and really, the small Pokemon seemed heart-breakingly depressed. Charry looked down at the ground in shame and misery; if Pokemon could cry, there would be tears streaming down his face.
Come on! He was just kidnapped and you're gonna reprimand him?
"Now, now. What matters the most is that Chimchar is unharmed and that the egg was brought back to safety," Cynthia gently broke up the one-sided conversation, before either Ash or I could say a word, "Paul, you strive to become stronger, correct? It would do you good to rest at the Pokecentre for the night."
"Hm." He grunted in agreement.
Paul remained silent throughout the entire trip back and retrieving all of his remaining Pokemon from the nursing room, booked a ticket at the front office. All he had to do was show identification by scanning his Poketch and pay a small fee of ₽200 then BAM! Nice cosy room for the night.
Without even saying goodbye to the others or Cynthia (actually, this seemed pretty normal for Paul), he wandered off on his own way through one of the large side corridors. I never knew how large these buildings could be but now that I started exploring them myself in person, they are quite huge and housed many individual rooms for trainers to stay the night. There were bright factory lights that were placed seemingly everywhere, it made my eyes squint at the brightness of it all. The dull bull vinyl floor was the kind found in hospitals and save for a couple of potted plants, there wasn't a splash of colour at all.
I decided I didn't like Pokecentres all that much.
Finally, we reached our destination at room seventy-three. Paul simply scanned his Poketch at the door handle before it automatically clicked opened and we entered.
"Oh~"
It was small but a decent size for a single person with a bed tucked into the corner, a basic desk and an empty wooden closet. There was also a door leading to a small bathroom. It had little decor other than the striped patterned wall-paper which was in grey and a lighter shade and a small vase, propping up a pair of fake roses. Overall, it was an adequate room.
There was just one tiny problem; where on Earth was I gonna sleep? The room was so plain, there was literally nothing to attach my body on to and the window perch was tiny, I'd probably drop to my death whilst sleeping. At least it had a decent view, of... a pitch black forest where I couldn't see anything but my own reflection thanks to the light in the room.
Damn it.
As I was sulking, I gazed around the blank room... only to see Paul start stripping.
Wait.
What.
Hold on a second—
"Fuuuuuuuuuuuudge cake!" I yelped, jumping on the spot. It must have looked weird to him as I forgot how to fly for a moment and instead, was having a mild panic attack in my coughing fit. Sheesh, Paul, way to stop my young and fragile heart!
"...What are you doing?" He seemed genuinely confused and even curious. I probably couldn't blame him; it must have looked weird to him, seeing as his Pokemon forget how to fly for a brief moment than spin around in circles like a psychopath.
"Nothing—" I turned to him, ready to pretend that nothing happened and if anything, that he was the insane one here but as I craned my neck—heat rose to my cheeks if that were even possible and I began to splutter even more, "G-god—damn it, you...! Blah!"
"Put a damn shirt on, Paul!"
It was the break of dawn; I, for one, was thoroughly exhausted—between the being awake during the day time instead of the night like most nocturnal animals should be and going around flying lengthy distances, all the work took a toll on my small marsupial body. It didn't help when that... incident occurred in the Pokecentre room and I completely flipped out, making a mess of the furnishings and scaring the wall. Needless, it shall-not-be-mentioned.
I promise I'm not that bad around guys! It's just... I was fourteen at the time, never really interacted with a guy except for that one boy in my Maths class and that was to borrow a pencil.
And it's only been a few days being Paul's Pokemon and... now I think about it, he doesn't really change his clothes. He slept with his jacket on and used his back-pack as a make-shift pillow, living a very simplistic life. He didn't even use a tent! I can't believe I was only realising all of this just then...
Again, I was ready to drop dead any moment now. How I survived these past few days was nothing short of a miracle. All this exposure to the sun was really helping my skin to adapt to the UV rays as well. While at first, I got painful sunburns that brutally stung, the sun was nothing but a mere itch on my wings now. I refused to go into my Pokeball being the stubborn person I was and so I just kind of adapted to it. That, unfortunately, didn't change the fact that I was all worn out.
I'm not a plant! I don't photosynthesise!
Yet, I was being forced awake at Dialga knows what time in the freaking morning when even the sun was still sleeping. The sky was a dark navy blue yet hints of a vibrant orange were peaking in the East.
"Let's go, Zubat," Paul called out that horrible name, "We have wasted enough time as it is—there's still a long way ahead until our destination. It's clear that I've been slacking on training."
Come on, slacking? More training? You've got to be kidding me!
But, one thing stood out to me as he spoke, stalking off at an aggressive pace with that everyday scowl on his face and a certain glint in his eyes, a passion of battling that only grew stronger each time he got knocked down.
He said 'we'.
'Our destination'.
As if... we were together. That I was a part of his team and that this was our long treacherous journey to becoming Champion, the best of the best in the entire world.
It hadn't been long since I had become Paul's Pokemon. Heck, it has barely been a week. And don't get me wrong, Paul was the most selfish, stubborn purple prick I have ever met (actually, I didn't know any people with NATURAL purple hair) but as I compared it to the life I had beforehand; the life I had before I decided to leave the nest...
...this wasn't so bad.
A/N: Officially the longest chapter yet, hehe. We've nearly caught up to the original so updates will probably start slowing down; if two weeks is a long time, it might be even longer. I hope you guys do join me for this very long ride though!
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Thanks for Reviewing/Favouriting/Following:
DalekDavros, Elemacil, Gen3sian, Vogiatzis, Yuno's Husbando, fafnir1404, ringtaillemur0, Yeahleash, BlueSheepy1703, Skythestral, Amaere, avert 1523, kn8491, ID30I, Blaze2121, CherryPuffball, Music Minded, Serzian, StormCloud6, GlassedGamer, Ysal, FXDHSYS, dayglowgirl, Shadowjab17, davir213, ultima-owner
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Response to Reviews:
Yeahleash - Glad that you liked it that much! Hope this chapter exceeded your expectations :D
Blaze2121 - Well, I guess this chapter answered your question :)
Shadowjab17 - Hm, she probably could've. But where's the fun in that? ;)
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I'll just RAICHU a small pun here.