Time to continue things with Nikita and Reiner's caretaking mini-arc! If only Kitty or Serefina were here, things would be a whole lot smoother.
Pokemon Academy Best Girl Elimination Round is still going strong! Keep those votes coming, a few girls are pulling ahead, but things aren't done just yet! We've still got a good chance of girls getting into the final 5! The poll is on my profile, so go cast your votes there!
Nominated: Sango, Cynthia, Elaina, Kate, Dakota, Ayame, Marion, Kitty, Serefina, Madison, Alcea
KedharS: At least Blake has self-awareness.
ConfusedCradily: I'm assuming she didn't make the "best girl" list probably because she isn't interested in boys, and therefore not a love interest for Blake. But she's a pretty great girl, and really good at looking out for others.
Tambry96bj: Well, hear them, anyway.
Badoobadoop: It's fine, she works out so she burns those calories no problem.
DJ Dib Dab: She doesn't sleep a ton though.
Retsuna: Not sure when I can work them in, but will consider.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 255
"So, uh… what should we do?" Reiner asked.
"Well, I've never, like… 'approached' a pokemon before," Nikita confessed, looking out across the grassy enclosure. She felt like all the eyes of the wary pokemon were on her. "So I don't really know."
"No, you just set traps for them to fall into," Reiner said. "Definitely the best way to form a connection."
"Trapped me a boyfriend, didn't I?"
"Fair point," Reiner said, nodding.
"Maybe we could bring out our own pokemon?" Nikita suggested. "Sort of… mix with the others, you know?"
"That might scare them off," Reiner said, shaking his head. He took a step closer to the grass, the grass rustling in response. He took off his backpack and set it on the ground, making slow, certain movements. "Let's just… I don't know, take things easy?"
"Well, you're a lot better at that than I am," Nikita admitted. She took off her backpack and set it down in a particularly warm, lit area of the enclosure so as to get enough heat and light to nurture the coal-black pokemon egg inside it.
Nikita put a smile on her face and took a cautious step forward. She knelt down closer to the grass to make herself look smaller, less threatening.
"Zig?" One of the Zigzagoon from before stuck his furry white head out, his red eyes sparkling.
"Oh, she's so cute," Nikita cooed, reaching a cautious hand towards the small pokemon. The Zigzagoon backed further into the grass, still wary of her.
"Actually that's a guy," Reiner said over her shoulder.
"How do you know?" Nikita asked.
"I saw the fur patterns," Reiner said. "Before. They told me that one's a boy, and the other's a girl, and that right there is the male one."
"It's weird how good your eyes are at discerning stuff like this," Nikita said. "What, you can just… tell?"
"It's easy to see the different features," Reiner explained. "Can't explain much better than that. Something I've just been kind of good of."
"You must be killer at spot the difference puzzles," Nikita said. "You get to use that in those escape rooms?"
"Little bit," Reiner said, kneeling down next to her. He also held a cautious hand out to the grass. The Zigzagoon peeked out again.
"Well, I think it's pretty cool," she giggled. "Ooh!"
The Zigzagoon came out of the grass completely, a wary, cautious look in his eye. He flanked around the two, making sure to keep his distance. His muzzle twitched, and his tail shook behind him as he watched them.
The other Zigzagoon, the female, was less cautious. She scurried out of the grass after the first one, staring directly into Reiner's eyes.
"Those scars…" Nikita said quietly, looking at the long, red lines cut into the Zigzagoon's fur.
"She's been through a lot," Reiner said, reaching slowly towards her. As his hand got closer, she flinched, her entire body tensing as her fur stuck out on end.
Reiner stopped moving, staring at the pokemon. At a time like this, he found himself envying Kitty and other people that had harmonia. It must be convenient to be able to convey your feelings towards a pokemon so effortlessly. Trainers like him and Nikita had to do it the old-fashioned way, gently.
The Zigzagoon stepped forward, pressing her nose against Reiner's hand cautiously. She lowered her head, rubbing up against him. Reiner smiled, and ran his fingers through her bristly hair.
Sometimes the old-fashioned way worked fine, though.
"Oh!" Nikita gasped, turning around. The other Zigzagoon had approached them from behind, and was now rubbing against her leg, looking up at her with big red eyes. His mouth was open and his tongue hung out, panting.
"H-hello," Nikita said, reaching down and patting the Zigzagoon gently on the side, running her hand against her hide.
"Zigzagoon," Zigzagoon said, rubbing up against her a little more.
Seeing that Nikita and Reiner weren't do anything dangerous or hostile, and that other pokemon were getting close to them okay, the environment suddenly sprung to life. More pokemon peeked their heads out to get a closer look at the two humans they had previously regarded with wary suspicion, and some even came out of the grass and drew closer to them.
A Rookidee flew down from its hiding place on top of the climbing structure, landing in the grass a few feet away and staring at Reiner and Nikita. A Nickit slinked out of the grass, its ears twitching and its tail swishing behind him, and there were more. A Skwovet chittered excitedly, scurrying right over to them and smiling a hopeful smile, offering a large berry up to Nikita.
"Th-thank you," Nikita said, taking the nut. She glanced at Reiner, and he shrugged. She looked back at the Skwovet, who reached into his cheek pouch and withdrew another berry, giving this one to Reiner.
"Do you want us to eat these?" Reiner asked, holding it up to his mouth. The Skwovet shook his head, his tail twitching back and forth.
"Skwo, Skwo," the chipmunk pokemon said. He scurried past them and ran towards the large cave on the far wall, nodding his head. Nikita and Reiner blinked, following after the small pokemon, the other pokemon flanking around them. The two Zigzagoon followed right on their heels, but the others still kept their distance, cautious of the two humans.
A small elephantine pokemon, a Cufant, lumbered out of the cave, eyeing the two suspiciously. He had cuts on his trunk, and a large notch broken into the shovel-like tip.
"Skwo," the Skwovet said insistently, nodding at the Cufant.
"Cu?" Cufant glared at the two humans, ignoring the squeaking squirrel. Reiner understood what he was trying to tell them. He held one hand up in the air, palm out, to show that he wasn't going to do anything, and with the other he held the berry the Skwovet had given out towards the bigger elephant pokemon.
"Cufant," Cufant glanced at the Skwovet, who nodded. He extended his trunk and scooped the berry up into his mouth. He glanced at Reiner.
"Cu." The large pokemon lumbered back into the cave. Clearly he wasn't much one for socializing.
"Aww," it was the most adorable thing Nikita had seen. She looked at the berry in her hand, and then looked for a pokemon of her own to feed. She spotted one. A small blue pokemon sitting on the edge of the pond, its lower body covered in mud. The turtle pokemon had a large blue head and small beady eyes. An orange horn was a distinguishing feature, as well as a large mouth with a single sharp, wide tooth.
Nikita thought it looked rather cute, if a little intimidating. It glared at her. But that was fine, the pokemon was just being cautious.
Nikita stepped forward, smiling at the pokemon, and holding out her hand towards it the same way that she'd seen Reiner do, extending the berry out.
"Chew," the pokemon, a Chewtle, snapped its teeth at Nikita, glaring at her.
"Hey there," Nikita said, taking a step closer to the angry pokemon, trying to make her voice sound as kind and harmless as possible. "Want a berry?"
"Chew!" The Chewtle opened its mouth and a stream of water shot out, spraying Nikita in the face.
"Nikita!" Reiner cried, Nikita sputtering and stumbling, falling backwards. She flailed her hands to repel the water gun, the berry landing in the mud. Reiner caught her by the shoulders before Nikita could do the same.
"What… what's with that?" Nikita cried, wiping wet hair out of her face. "He… it… it sprayed me!"
"Chew!" The Chewtle glared at Nikita and Reiner angrily, gnashing its teeth at the two of them.
"Oh, sorry…"
Nikita and Reiner turned to see the white-haired attendant standing at the entrance, a look of guilt on her face. She was holding a basket full of pokemon berries.
The woman walked up to them, setting the basket down in the grass. All the pokemon came running over to get food, including the aggressive Chewtle, who shot another glare at her in passing. Meanwhile, the caretaker walked over to the two students.
"Sorry about that, I forgot to mention, because it slipped my mind," the woman looked back at the Chewtle, who was devouring some berries. "That Chewtle, she, uh… she doesn't get along very well with…"
"Yeah, people, we noticed," Nikita said, spitting some water out of her mouth as she wiped her face clean.
"Women, actually," the caretaker admitted.
"Wait, just girls?" Nikita scowled. "But that's…"
"Everyone has their own circumstances," the caretaker said, shaking her head. "That girl, her name's Dana, she was… neglected and abandoned by her former trainer."
"Oh…" Nikita gasped.
"It was rather heartless," she said, her voice solemn. "A while back, about a year and a half ago, there was this big story on one of the gym leaders here, Nessa, and her Drednaw. They said she was the hottest new trainer coming out in the region. …Oh, not, like, hot, as in sexual, just…"
The pale woman's face flushed in embarrassment.
"It's just… she was popular, and everyone wanted to be like her. She started a big boom, you know, designer clothes with her numbers, Nessa-based merchandise, and most of all, well…" The caretaker glanced at the Chewtle. "A 'Chewtle' boom. Trainers, mostly vapid teens, would catch a Chewtle so they could brag to their friends how they were 'just like' Nessa. It… I can't stand it…"
The caretaker's eyes teared up.
"Pokemon are our friends, they aren't some… status symbol for popularity."
"So what happened?" Nikita asked.
"How do you know this, anyway?" Reiner asked. "I can't imagine abandoned pokemon come with their own instruction manual on their emotional scars."
The caretaker blinked those sad red eyes.
"I asked her, that's how," she explained. Nikita and Reiner looked at each other in confusion.
"Pokemon have a lot to say if you listen," the caretaker smiled. "So anyway… her 'trainer' got her to show off to her social circle, but… Dana was just a prop to her. She hardly ever fed the poor thing, and kept her trapped in her ball whenever she was home, so she wouldn't wreck any of her family's things. So cruel, to treat a living creature like that… to never give it the love or affection one is expected to give as a trainer and friend to pokemon. And then… the boom passed."
Reiner saw where this was going.
"Nessa was out, and the next hot thing was this new gym leader named Bea. And, well…"
"She got rid of the pokemon like it was nothing," Reiner said. Nikita gasped in shock.
"That's horrible!" She protested, looking at the small pokemon. "How could she?"
"People can do hurtful things without even realizing it," the caretaker agreed. "Since then, the poor thing has been hostile towards girls, women, anyone that she sees as even slightly resembling her old owner. Even with my… abilities, it took a long, long time to open up."
"What about me?" Reiner asked. "If she doesn't bond with girls, then what about me?"
The caretaker shrugged.
"You can try, and please, do try," she begged. "Dana… she does want to be with people. But girls, they're… more difficult."
"I'll do my best," Reiner said. "You… you called her 'Dana', is that what her old trainer named her?"
"Oh, god no," the caretaker said, shaking her head. "She didn't even give her a name, that would be compassionate of her. No… I named her myself, after we began getting along. I name all the pokemon I care for."
She smiled, glancing back at the crowd of pokemon finishing off the berries.
"It helps them know that there's someone who cares for them," she explained, tearing up. "That they aren't alone and unloved anymore."
The caretaker removed her glasses, wiping them off on her apron, blinking her tears away.
"Anything you can do to make them a little happier, please, feel free," she said. "As you can guess, not many people come here to play with damaged pokemon out of the goodness of their hearts. Can't you feel… no, I guess not. But they're overjoyed to have you both here. Yes, even Dana."
"Anything to help," Nikita said quietly. "I wish we could do more…"
"You've done more than most," the caretaker smiled. "Take care. And please, don't hold Dana's… 'outbursts' against her."
The caretaker turned and left again, Reiner stepping forward and heading towards the crowd of pokemon.
"Dana, right?" Reiner asked, the Chewtle turning and glaring at him. "That's what… I heard from her, anyway."
"Chew," Chewtle muttered, lowering her head. She scurried off into the lake, refreshing herself. Reiner walked over to the lakeside, looking at Nikita. She nodded, and went off to play with the other pokemon.
"I heard you've been through some rough stuff," Reiner said, sitting down and crossing his knees, looking the small turtle pokemon in the eyes. The Chewtle averted them. Reiner sighed. This was probably going to take a while.
Reiner glanced at the mud-covered berry sitting on the bank beside him. He reached down and picked it up, wiping it off in the water until it looked clean again.
"Still hungry?" he asked, holding the berry out to the smaller pokemon. The pokemon gnashed her teeth, glaring at him, but was at least listening. She swam a little closer.
"Yeah, there we go," Reiner smiled, holding his hand out. "Come on, it's good, you know that. You don't have to be suspicious of me, sweetie. I'm cool with just sitting here if you want."
Dana was right in front of him now. She tilted her head… was she asking to be petted, he wondered? She didn't seem that hungry…
Reiner reached out to her, but the small pokemon jerked her head, and bit down hard on his hand.
"Gyaaaagh!" Reiner cried in pain, feeling the pokemon's sharp tooth cut into his flesh. He yanked his hand back, some blood falling into the water. The berry slipped through his fingers and Dana bit down on it, scurrying away through the water.
"Reiner!" Nikita gasped, running towards him. Reiner held his undamaged hand up to stop her.
"Nikita, aaaah… I'm fine, just… bring me my backpack? And keep your distance, don't want her too… ahh… hurt you, damn that smarts…"
"R-right," Nikita said, nodding. She retrieved Reiner's bag and slid it over to him, keeping a watchful eye on the aggressive Chewtle.
Reiner unzipped it with his good hand, holding the bleeding hand over the water. He took a towel out, and pressed it against the sharp cuts in his skin, staunching the blood, wrapping it into a makeshift bandage, putting pressure on it in order to treat the wound.
His injury taken care of, Reiner looked out over the water to see that Dana was still watching him cautiously. He shrugged, still keeping a lazy smile on his face.
"Don't worry," he called over to the small pokemon, waving his injured hand. "Still works, I'm good. Gonna take more than that to really hurt me."
Judging by the pokemon's mouth, he assumed that Chewtle normally had a lot more jaw strength than what he felt. Most likely, the pokemon probably could have snapped the bones in his hand if she'd been trying. Which meant she wasn't trying, or at least, not trying as hard as she could have. So she probably didn't really want to hurt him, as much as scare him off.
"It's okay if you don't want to get close," Reiner reassured the cautious pokemon. "But don't worry, I don't bite. Not that you can say the same, heh. Those are some strong chompers you got there, it did hurt quite a bit."
"Chew," Dana spat the berry seed at him, gnashing her teeth.
"Oh, but you don't have to worry," Reiner said. "You aren't the first pokemon to hurt me."
Reiner reached up and tapped a finger against the scar on the bridge of his nose.
Nikita watched Reiner talk to Dana, feeling a little worried about him. Her boyfriend may have a lazy, go-with-the-flow kind of attitude, but this wasn't the best situation for that. One thing that she'd noticed about him, though, was that like her, Reiner wasn't great at expressing himself to people. It was easy when he was with her, or his friends, but around strangers, he was much more reserved and awkward. So wasn't exactly great at connecting to people, or pokemon, like this Chewtle.
But he was still trying, and that made her feel proud of him. He was her boyfriend, and he was doing this not only to help a pokemon who needed it, but to also keep her safe (well, that was a little bit of embellishment on her part, still nice to think about). He wasn't the same boy she'd met who treated his friends like they were annoying. He was actually smiling at a pokemon who had tried to hurt him, and kept trying to reach out to her.
Reiner reached into his backpack, and took out a few candy bars. He bit into one, feeling the chocolate and caramel wash over his mouth. He unwrapped the other one, and held it out to the Chewtle.
"Want one?" He asked Dana, taking another big bite, smearing some chocolate on his lips to make it look particularly appetizing. "They're good! Way better than berries."
Dana inched a little closer, her brow tightening and her eyes narrowing even more. She gnashed her teeth at Reiner, trying to scare him off, or maybe show that she wasn't to be messed with. But she still approached.
Reiner held the candy bar out, making sure to keep his hand and fingers as far away from the pokemon's sharp teeth as he could. Dana's mouth surged forward with a snap, biting down on the chocolate, pulling it from Reiner's grip. He slipped his fingers back, and she devoured it frantically, her long tongue licking over her lips. Judging by the brightness blossoming on her normally irritant face, she seemed to like the candy bar quite a lot.
Nikita smiled. It seemed they were getting along well. She turned back to the others. She'd have to do her best, as well.
Nikita and Reiner aren't normally caretakers, but it seems they're doing pretty good at it!