Chapter 15: Donna

The arrival to the Pokemon Center was bittersweet after the end of the Super Contest. Ashley had won the Tough category but had lost the Beauty category, and none of her friends had won any ribbons at all. She still insisted they go out and celebrate but as time wore on and it got dark there was a noticeable gloominess to her mood. Exhausted, her friends all went their rooms and went to sleep, but Ashley stayed around the lobby, sitting on one of the Center's sofas and seemed lost in thought. Lucas could see something was upsetting her, but while his awkwardness around the girl he liked was lessening, it was still there. He sat next to her on the large piece of furniture and said nothing. He played with the piercings on his lips and ears, a nervous habit that always annoyed his mother. Finally, the silence caused Ashley to crack, "Hey Lucas, ever hear of Amity Park?"

"Hmm? No, don't know much about this region, so I don't know anything about this city," Lucas admitted, though caught off guard by the sudden question.

"It's a place for people and Pokemon to play together. Kind of like a dog park. Want to check it out?" Ashley explained.

"Yeah, that sounds fun. My team could use a little relaxing before facing the Gym Leader. And I want to see if I can teach Franky 'fetch'," the teen boy pondered aloud. The two Trainers got up and headed for the park.

"Franky's your Gyrados, right?"

"Yeah,"

"And you think you can teach him fetch? Aren't Gyrados really unruly and aggressive?" Amity Park was towards the center of the city, behind both the Gym and the Contest Pavilion. It was very large, like most things in the city, and fenced it with simple but elegant wrought iron. The gates themselves were large buildings, clean and cheerfully painted, though colors hard to see in the increasing night.

"Franky's different. He's a very happy Pokemon, likes bellyrubs, not your typical abused-Magikarp-evolved that most people raise," Lucas explained. The two Trainers headed through the gates but were stopped by a ranger.

"Welcome to Amity Park, where you can play with your Pokemon. Unfortunately, we have rules about which Pokemon are allowed to roam. Please check the list. If an unauthorized Pokemon is released I'm afraid we'll have to ask you to leave," the lady-ranger explained politely.

Lucas looked over to the list of allowed Pokemon and frowned, "Yesh, talk about Pokemon discrimination. The only Pokemon I can have in there is Gizmo. The only ones allowed are the tiny, fuzzy ones most people consider harmless,"

"Oh, I never knew about those rules," Ashley admitted, "I'm sorry Lucas. If you don't want to go in anymore I understand,"

"Nah, it's okay," Lucas shrugged and moved toward the park. Smiling, Ashley joined him.

It appeared the park was mostly empty at night, though several streetlamps lined the massive expanse of field and water giving the area a soft, warm, safe glow to it. There were little bridges that went between tiny islands in the pond and what appeared to be some old ruins in the distance. Gizmo hopped off of Lucas' shoulder and began sniffing around and exploring. Ashley released her Ninetails, Whisp and the fox-like fire Pokemon joined the Eevee. The two humans found a bench and sat down, tired both physically as well as emotionally. Once again they sat in silence, staring at the trees and surroundings. The teen boy observed humorlessly that this scenario was much like the ones that were always in those teen romantic movies he hated but one of his ex-girlfriends loved. Now of course would be an excellent time to ask Ashley out on a formal date, especially as this was almost a date in itself. However, Lucas' speech was once again crippled by being around a pretty person.

Thankfully, it was Ashley who again broke the silence first,"Lucas, can I ask you something?"

"Urgh! Urk!" was the sound that came from Lucas' throat instead of words. Caught off-guard his face once again turned scarlet. The boy coughed and cleared his throat, "Gotta hate flies. Sure, ask away,"

"I'm really upset about losing the Beauty Contest. I mean, I know I should be thrilled. After all, I won Master Rank for Tough. And I am so proud of Rex, he did such a good job and he's such a great Pokemon, but...oh I feel like such a horrible person for this. Am I being self-absorbed and selfish that I'm so upset I didn't win Beauty, too?" Ashley confessed.

This was not the confession Lucas was expecting, but he was half-relieved over it, as well as half disappointed. He thought for a second and then answered her question, "I wouldn't say so. I'd say it's pretty normal, actually. It sucks to lose, even if you did just win something else,"

"And I mean, it's not even that I'm upset for myself. Luna worked just as hard as Rex this past year to get ready for this Contest. They were both Master-Ranked in Hoenn. It's just not fair that she lost when she was just as good as Rex. And it's all my fault. If I just didn't let myself get distracted I know I would have won. And I feel like such a loser even though people would have been thrilled just to have won Tough. I-I..."

"Don't beat yourself up. If you want to hear about self-absorbed, I'll tell you about self-absorbed. I know a guy who even though he was good at absolutely everything and everyone loved him, he didn't think that was enough. So he decided to after the one thing his little brother ever cared for and get good at that too. Then he goes and flaunts it in everyone's face and looks at himself as a god. Even decorates his own house with pictures of himself," Lucas said bitterly, the words coming easier and easier to Ashley. Gizmo came running back to his Trainer with a pretty shell in his mouth, "That's for me? Thanks little guy, you're the best,"

Ashley watched the Trainer and his Pokemon carefully, "That guy really does sound like a creep. I guess I just need to stop feeling sorry for myself. There's always next year, and I know Luna is a champion," The two became quiet again, watching their Pokemon play when Ashley turned to Lucas again, "I want to thank you, Lucas. You've been a good friend to me, and I appreciate what you said about me before I entered Tough. That you think you know me. The fact is even for all your kindness I don't know a thing about you,"

"What's there to know? I'm not exactly an interesting person. I'm not smart, I'm never the life of the party, I'm no hero, I suck at sports and I don't have any neat hobbies," Lucas shrugged. Her inquiry into his life made the teen blush again and get terribly nervous.

"Oh, I would definitely say you're interesting, Lucas. Okay, I'll tell you about myself. I'm from Lillycove. It's a beautiful port city in Hoenn, and it's also the home to the Master Contests. I used to watch the Contests every year and I promised myself I'd do that one day. I don't have any brothers or sisters, though I do have a friend in Hoenn that I consider a sister. I was raised by my aunt and uncle, my parents travel a lot so I never really saw them growing up. But whenever they came they always spent every minute of their time with me. I'm not very smart either, and I always hated sports because I don't like getting sweaty. I also hate turnips. I think they are the world's most disgusting vegetable and should be outlawed,"

Lucas looked at Ashley's smile and figured he wasn't really losing anything by talking about himself. He was already doing well in maintaining a conversation, he might as well keep the flow going. The teen took a deep breath and started from the beginning. He told Ashley that the self-absorbed person he described was his brother, how John became a Trainer even though he never liked Pokemon but became a Champion anyway. How he, himself joined a gang and spent a lot of time getting into trouble as an act of rebellion. About coming to Sinnoh and finding Gizmo, and then about Professor Oak and his journey, and how he was going to make something of himself. When he finished there was silence again.

Gizmo returned again, clearly done exploring and playing, and curled up in Lucas' lap. Ashley looked at the Pokemon in its content state and then looked to Lucas, "I would definitely say you're an interesting person Lucas. Not many people I know are as brave as you. Or as kind,"

Lucas met Ashley's eyes again, sparkling blue even in the low light. The boy's face once again turned hot and flooded with blood. And he was getting sick of it. He told himself he was going to change as a person, change people's view of him as nothing more than a useless troublemaker. And if he could change that much, he could change his shyness, too. He was going to take a chance. The teen took a deep breath and tried to keep his voice steady, "Want to go out with me tomorrow?"

"W-what?" This time it was the girl's lovely face that tinged pink. She became speechless.

"You know what I mean. I guess there isn't a movie theater here, but those cafes seem pretty swanky, so those would be a good place for a date, right? I mean, most of the people I've dated weren't into that sort of thing, but if you like it I'm cool with it," Lucas broke eye contact with her and rattled off his explanation, barely breathing between all the words.

Ashley bit her lower lip, trying to think of an answer. Her mood was not one of delight or being flustered, it was one that was more...apprehensive, "Lucas, you are a wonderful person, but. Oh, this is so awkward. But the truth of the matter is...you're not my type. You're a truly great friend, but I'm afraid that's all I see you as. All I ever did,"

"Ah." Lucas replied curtly, his face was burning so hot now he wasn't sure he didn't have a fever.

"I know that there is someone out there for you. Any girl would be lucky to date you. It's just that girl won't be me. I'm sorry," Ashley was genuinely sorry, she couldn't even hold eye contact with him anymore she was so embarrassed, but this didn't change how Lucas felt.

"No, I get it. You don't like me, you don't like me. The heart wants what it wants. It's good that we can be friends, at least," Lucas did his best to mask his feelings of rejection, but the truth is he was deeply hurt. It was so painfully difficult for him to approach someone he liked, and he had to overcome a personal weakness to do so. He made a gamble and lost, and he was unlikely to try again any time soon. The teen boy stretched his arms nonchalantly and scratched the head of his Pokemon, "I think Gizmo is getting tired,"

"Should we go back?"

"You go ahead, I need to take care of something before calling it a night," Lucas stayed sitting on the bench as Ashley hesitantly got up. She glanced a Lucas one more time, he was smiling casually as she left the park. As soon as he was sure the girl was out of his sight and not likely to come back, the boy gave into his emotions and sulked.

Lucas woke up late in the afternoon the next day, the first time he broke his new habit of getting up early since becoming a Trainer. He had stayed up very late the previous night from wandering over Hearthome City, trying to get over his rejection. He was still in his boxers and undershirt when he went for breakfast, and this is when he ran into Ashley and her friends once again. At first he was merely caught off-guard and embarrassed to run into her again so early after nursing his emotional wounds, and only being half-dressed to boot. The feelings quickly subsided when he noticed that all four girls were packed and ready for travel, "What's going on?"

"We're leaving, we're heading back to Hoenn. Our ferry leaves in a couple of days so we have to head to Sunnyshore City as soon as we can," Ashley explained bluntly.

"You're not leaving because of me, are you?" Lucas asked cautiously. He did his best to mask his feelings, but girls had an uncanny ability to figure out what you were really thinking and hold it against you.

"No! Not at all!" Ashley responded quickly, "The Super Contest is over, and there won't be another one for an entire year. There really isn't much reason to stay. Hoenn is my home and it's where I train best,"

"No, there really isn't any reason for you to stay, is there," the teen boy grimaced.

The girl pulled her backpack off and dug inside of it until she pulled out an oval, spotted object that looked like a large egg, "Lucas, I want you to have this,"

The young man tilted his head skeptically, not sure what to make of the gift, "What is it?"

"This is Luna and Rex's egg. I bred them in hopes of raising the Pokemon myself, but I would rather give it to you. I know you'll take good care of it,"

Understanding what it was and how significant it was for Ashley to give it to him, Lucas realized that what Ashley said last night wasn't just girl-code for 'I don't like you'. She did regard him as a friend and did care for him, even if it wasn't in the way he would have liked. With both hands he took the fragile Pokemon Egg, which was heavier that it looked and warm to the touch, "Thank you, Ashley,"

"Take care, Lucas,"

"Stay safe as you travel, if Team Cosmic shows up again I won't be there to save you," the pierced boy smirked, his mood finally elevated. With a final beaming smile, as beautiful and graceful as she looked when he first met her, Ashley left the Pokemon Center with her friends.

Lucas finally got dressed and left the Center himself. He carefully put the Pokemon egg in his own duffel bag before leaving, looking over it again. The shell seemed amazingly think, with a slightly sandy texture to it. Curiously he tapped it and heard some movement from inside. Smiling, he wondered how long it would take for the new Pokemon life to hatch. Though feeling better than he did last night, his heart was not yet ready to face Hearthome's Gym Leader, so the boy decided to further' explore the city. At night, most of the large metropolis' shops and restaurants were closed, so during his wandering, most of the time was spent just walking up and down the softly lit streets. Now in the day there were dozens of cafes for both people and Pokemon as well as a pretty cathedral with Pokemon gargoyles and lots of little shops that sold nicely-scented trinkets like the kind his mother always seemed to collect. He contemplated getting a gift for her as a 'thank you' for her lifesaving funds when he noticed Gizmo behaving strangely.

The loyal normal-type usually perched himself on his Trainer's head or shoulders, content to leisurely watch the world go by and comment on the teen boy's musings with approving or apprehensive chirps. Now the Eevee seemed totally disinterested as Lucas walked, skittering off of the teen's shoulder onto his duffel bag and pacing erratically. Confused to his Pokemon's actions, Lucas turned around to see what was exciting Gizmo so much. His movement caused the Eevee to hop back from the bag to his shoulder, but not out of loyalty, to go get a better look at what he was originally staring at. At a bookstore was a man almost in his thirties. He had wavy brown hair that was almost to his shoulders with an Eevee walking casually around his feet. Pokemon gender was difficult to tell with most species at a glance, but the little pink bow around one ear suggested to Lucas that this Eevee was a girl.

"Well that explains a lot," Lucas said mischievously, "She seems pretty cute, I suppose you'd like me to go over there and say 'hello' to her Trainer," Gizmo replied desperately. Pulling on one of the normal-type's long ears gently, the teen walked over to the man.

The female Eevee stopped her bored circles and sat in place to get a better look at the Pokemon on the shoulder of the boy approaching her Trainer. Seeing a change in her behavior, the man put down the antique book on Pokemon exploration he had been flipping through and turned around. He gave Lucas a surprised look as he glanced up and down the young man who was approaching him but immediately gave a look of sheer delight as his eyes locked on Gizmo, "What an absolutely adorable Eevee!"

"Gee thanks. I was wonder-" Lucas broke his train of dialog when the man grabbed Gizmo off of his shoulder without warning, "Hey, hold on a second there, bro,"

"Ah, this wasn't one of mine. It looks like either one of the wild ones from here in Sinnoh or a second generation one hatched from a native. He's got really nice fur, so you obviously feed him really well. Though I wonder where he got this scar from that's beneath his mane," The man jabbered, oblivious to the warning glare Lucas was giving him. Done examining Gizmo he handed the puzzled Pokemon back to his equally puzzled Trainer, "Oh, sorry about that. Eevee are my favorite Pokemon. My name is Bill,"

An old lesson from Pokemon School sprung to the front of Lucas' brain upon hearing the man's name, "Bill...Bill. Hey, aren't you the guy who invented the Pokemon PC system?"

"Yes, I'm the guy. Though I'm not responsible for setting up the system hear in Sinnoh. That work was done by my brilliant friend Bebe. It's always wonderful to meet someone who likes Eevees. Have you had lunch yet?

"No, can't say that I have,"

"Then why don't you come and join me, Bebe is cooking and she won't mind a third," Before Lucas could answer, Bill already had a grip on shoulder and was guiding him towards a small neighborhood, the female Eevee trotting lazily behind him.

The pierced boy didn't resist. After his experience with Professor Oak and Grant, and from what he had heard about Bill, Lucas had come to accept the fact that most people in the Pokemon scientific community were well-meaning, if incredibly eccentric people and trying to reject their generosity and kindness was usually ignored.

From the outside Bebe's home looked normal enough. It was a house that seemed as old as the city with timbers and wood siding. The only clue of the contents were a few small, though noticeable, antennas and satellite dishes. Inside the house was sheer pandemonium. Computer parts, papers, screens and tools littered almost every conceivable surface. And what wasn't covered with half-built hardware was occupied by a small army of Eevee frittering between table legs and bookshelves. Some napping, some playing with each other, though they all chirped happily when Bill greeted them. From a room Lucas assumed was the kitchen a voiced called out, "Chili's almost ready, set up the table,"

"You didn't make it too spicy, did you, Bebe?" Bill responded as he shooed a gray-colored Eevee away from a drawer and pulled out three bowls.

"No, I remember what happened last time. Not fun to do research with someone who pops antacids like potato chips," A tomboyish lady with plain brown hair tied up in a ponytail stepped out of the kitchen with a huge pot that was still bubbling slightly as she brought it to the table.

"Oh, this is...oh dear I don't know your name," Bill realized as he tried to introduce his guest.

"Lucas," the boy filled in. He wondered if people who were good at science were the oblivious or if it just came after years of work in the field.

"Lucas is going to join us for lunch, will that be a problem?"

"Not at all, I made too much of this stuff anyway," Bebe scowled as she studied one of the pieces of paper she was picking up to make room on the table, "Sorry about the mess. It normally isn't like this. I pride myself on being a neat-freak. Bill, on the other hand, is just a freak," she grinned.

Billed sniffed, "Turn yourself into a Pokemon just one little time and no one will let you live it down. Even if it happened almost twelve years ago,"

"So what are you guys working on?" Lucas changed the subject.

"A new computer system, or more or less an upgrade of the current system. Right now, the box systems don't communicate very well, so if you have Pokemon in one region, it's a pain and a half to get them to another region. So far the only computer systems that powerful are the ones owned by the professors. We're trying to build a cheaper system that can be put in Pokemon Centers around the world. We might be even able to get the systems set up in places that don't even have Pokemon. Imagine, start having Pokemon Trainers from places like France or the United States," Bebe explained. She glanced over at Lucas and sighed, "Bill, you really need to keep your critters under control, now they're crawling over the guests,"

"Actually, that Eevee is his," Bill explained.

"Ah, then that explains why he invited you over to lunch. When Bill says he's obsessed with Eevees that's not a cute little hyperbole. All these fluff balls you see running around are his,"

"What can I say, Eevee are fascinating. It's amazing how they can evolve into so many types. Do you have a particular version you want to evolve yours into, or are you going to let him stay an Eevee?" Bill asked curiously.

"I don't have much of a choice, you see, Gizmo can't evolve," Bebe served out the chili as Lucas explained yet again how Gizmo became his Pokemon. As he told his story and ate, Gizmo left his Trainer to go play with the female Eevee Bill was walking with earlier in the day. Bill was actually sobbing at the end of the story, throwing his arms around the boy in a bewildering hug and calling him a hero.

The meal was soon over and it was time for Lucas to go, but however, he was reluctant. When he went to collect Gizmo, his Pokemon was sound asleep and cuddling against the female. After his own heartbreak, Lucas didn't have the heart to pull his Pokemon away from his new girlfriend. He remembered what the nurse from Eterna City had told him about someone in Hearthome that could take care of the Eevee if he didn't want it. He loved Gizmo very much, but he wondered if leaving him with Bill and Bebe would be the best for them both. Apparently, the male Pokemon researcher noticed the Trainer's dilemma.

"It looks like Gizmo has taken a real shining to Donna," Bill commented.

"Yeah, honestly that's why I approached you, because my Eevee liked your Eevee. It would really suck to have to separate them. And this little trip to Hearthome has already had someone's heart get stomped on. I don't want to do the same to my best friend," Lucas sighed as he contemplated his problem.

"Then why don't you just take Donna?"

"What? Really?" Lucas was taken aback by the offer.

"I love her, but I want her to be happy. And I don't want to take away your first Pokemon. Especially after everything you did to save him in the first place,"

"Bill, thank you," Lucas replied gratefully.

"But I do have one condition," Bill said warningly, "If you find the guy who was Gizmo's original owner I want you to knock his lights out,"

Lucas carefully picked up both sleeping Eevee and cradled them in his arms. Smirking to the Pokemon researcher he said, "Don't worry Bill, that was already the plan,"