Chapter Eight
After departing from my dad's gym, Professor Sycamore and I got a boat ride from the old sailor who's wingull I rescued to Slateport City. The ride like many times before was pleasant. The rushing wind and nostalgic sea salt air tickling my senses. I stood at the bow gazing at the glittering blue sea while Sycamore sat in one of the small seats available on the boat. I switched out poochyena and took out my wrumple, who had yet to experience the sights of the sea. The red caterpillar latched itself onto my shoulder and hid itself under my long sidebangs. Peeking out cautiously because of the old man's wingull continuously circling overhead. It was under the impression that it was going to eat her.
The ride took about an hour until we arrived at a small pier that was connected to the warm sands of Slateport City. My eyes got big with excitement as I saw distant busy harbors of seamen and Pokémon alike busily running about their day. The hot smells of the city's busy life invaded my senses in a fantastic way. I could see the flea markets where people sold different wares. Most importantly, I saw a large lighthouse stretching proudly towards the sky. Hm, did they have a Pokémon illuminating theirs too? Overall, Slateport had been my most favorite to visit due to its similarities to my old home in Johto.
My bright blue gaze then happened to look back at the professor. He looked distractedly at the city. Although he looked as though he was enjoying the sights, some strange feeling told me that hid a far deeper agenda. What it was had been unknown to me.
It took a minute for him to break away from his thoughts and put his possessive focus back on me. His lips spread into a friendly smile and offered a hand. "Shall we go dear?" He said while bidding me to take it. My brows furrowed and I crossed my arms protectively.
"Not on your life,"
"Why not? And what is with that face? You look as though I am repulsive to your eyes!"
At that moment, he smiled very deviously.
"...could it be that you are regretting leaving me too quickly last night and your father interrupting us this morning? It is quite alright darling! I am not mad! Such things are easily forgiven with a ki-"
"I'm outta here,"
With that, I started walking away towards the beach. However, I didn't get far when he started to let out a snicker. A hot blush crossed my face, but I quickly shook my head to be rid of it. Wrumple was wondering why I was acting so weird.
After recovering, my body promptly turned around to see the professor still standing there with little change on his face. No doubt he had something up his silken shirt sleeve.
"What's so funny?!" I demanded with clentched teeth as my glare was aimed at him. I learned that while angry or mad, I could be able to hold my own without being hypnotized by his evil powers.
"Oh nothing, darling. I was just wondering how you were going to navigate your way throughout the region without a pokenav," he answered rather casually while pulling out the said device from his pack. My heart skipped several beats as I realized that I never got it back from him. That plotting son of a bitch!
"It's quite amazing that you can communicate with other people on it too! Although, in the wrong hands, someone could use it to do very naughty things and the receiver would never know it changed hands," he continued; accessing the communications app and showing me the message he already typed up for his sick amusement. My eyes widened and my face was horribly red. Every word on the screen was so obscene that I was afraid that if uttered by my lips, I would pass out from the shock of it! Ugh! What a vile and shameless professor he was! How could Birch admire him so much?! However, the worst part of it all was the recipient on my contacts: My father.
"GIVE THAT BACK! ITS MINE!"
Now going off my anger and fear, I lunged for the Kalos native. I would get it back any way possible; even if I had to tear off his arm! The frenzied attack was halted unfortunately as Sycsmore's free hand playfully edged towards the send button while shaking his head and clicking his tongue.
"Dear me! You are so ragefully uncomposed! How about we try this: I won't send this rather compromising message to the father you adore so much, in exchange for your exquisite presence. I think it is a fair trade, yes?"
"No! That's a scam!"
"I believe the correct term you're looking for is coercion,"
I could feel my face burning and if looks could kill, he would have been incinerated. ButI couldn't think of anything else to be a better solution and it looked as though he was getting impatient. I reluctantly walked towards him with a scowling look on my face. Upon my defeat, the professor's mouth upturned in a victorious grin and quickly snatched me up when I got close enough.
Sycamore wrapped a slender arm around my waist and pulled my small frame against his torso as he put my pokenav back in his bag. The anger I had was quickly forgotten as my brain cried out in alarm of how close we were. Again, I inwardly cursed the professor's partially buttoned shirt. My innocent eyes practically burned as they caught terrible glimpses of his nude chest.
He slipped two fingers under my chin and lifted it up so I would be looking at him. My face felt hot from the embarrassment as I was now forced to stare at his handsome features. Wrumple was still on my shoulder and curiously watched my interaction with him. Darnit Wrumple! DO SOMETHING!
"May dear, what a wonderful student you are!" He mocked with a cheerful voice.
"So compliant and trusting of my wishes! What more could a professor ask for?"
"Getting ran over by a train?"
"Only if you are the one who ties me to the tracks and operates it,"
Smart ass.
I wanted to get angry at him, say something else to insult him or at least rip off the cuff of his expensive shirt in defiance, but I couldn't. I wasn't even able to manage a mad face like I normally could! My face was only able to form a pouty look; which excited Sycamore into further taunting me. The hand that held up my chin moved up to frame me face. The scary part was that the side of my features being held there became tingly again before going numb. My eye lids were feeling pretty heavy again.
"By the way darling, you have something on your face,"
Hm? Did I still have food or som-MHGH!
The Slateport market was bustling with life as the two of us navigated our way through it. People ferociously sold their wares as consumers shopped at their leisure. The grey stone under my feet was warm as the hot sun shined above us. Fantastic as the sight was, my mind was elsewhere...namely focusing on that kiss that Sycamore assaulted me with. When his lips attacked mine, I tried to pull away. This only caused his arm around my waist to press me more into him and the hand on my face to keep me from moving. The struggle lasted only seconds before the feelings set in and I gave up.
No matter what happened now or what I felt, I couldn't deny how smooth his lips were. How warm and intoxicating they felt against mine. They tasted...so very sweet. I was sure that the multitude of feelings and strangely burning desires that suddenly hit me from his bold actions would make me pass out.
I always saw kissing in stories or when dad had kissed mom when they thought I wasn't looking. Did she always feel like how I was right now?
When Sycamore broke the kiss and pulled back to gauge my reaction, he took one look at the confused, melting expression I wore and laughed merrily at my expense. Any thoughts of a retort were wiped clean from my head by those influential lips. If they hadn't, it would have been something like:
"You despicable bastard! You took my purity that I was gonna keep forever! You better not sleep tonight because I'm going to beat you to death with my shoe!"
Ugh! Why couldn't I say anything?!
Back in reality, the scheming professor clasped my hand around his while I mindlessly walked by him. He was doing his best to make sure that I wouldn't get lost in the crowd. However, Sycamore's efforts failed as the crowd got thicker. He held tight as he could without hurting me, but a moment's loosening caused me to be left standing there all numb; eventually pushed every which way by people. My Pokémon who was still on my shoulder wondered why I was acting like a mindless zombie and began to poke my cheek with a leg until I registered it's touch. Synapses fired back up and slapped my face to get ahold of myself.
Okay...where was I? My still sleepy eyes looked around to see that I was just outside the market. Well, I was lost and without a pokenav now; but at least Sycamore wasn't corrupting me anymore. In fact, I could leave the city without his knowing! Professor Birch might get mad, but hey, freedom was swe-" I've found her! My apprentice! "
An eager arm suddenly manifested from the large crowd of surrounding people and grabbed my arm. I cried out in surprise and tried to yank my arm back as I was reeled in. Before I could figure out what was happening, the large group of people I was nearly suffocated by was now spaced away from me. Although, there was the occasional flashes of light that nearly blinded me. Wrumple got scared and withdrew behind my shoulder.
"That's right folks! I've picked my future successor as a champion-in-the-works in the exciting world of Pokémon Contest Spectaculars!"
I cluelessly turned my head to a girl who looked just a smidge older than me. Her face was so bright and energetic. Her robin blue hair was restrained into a long ponytail. The outfit she wore was one of the glitziest type of clothes ever produced by the teen pop industry. Part of it looked like it was made like fluffy white clouds. The teen sounded as if she was hopped up on sugar.
"Lisia-chan! What makes you so sure that SHE can be a formidable apprentice with such big shoes to fill?" A reporter asked with a microphone pointed out while insulting me within earshot. I took a mental note to beat him up later. The celebrity smiled excitedly and yanked me in front of the reporter.
"Can't you see it?! The potential is all there!" She replied while gesturing her hands at me.
"Those clothes! That hair! Her poor, uncertain and confused look! She may not appear to be much, but just like her wrumple they all start out common and undesirable,"
I could tell you right now that my bug type didn't like Lisia for a while after hearing that statement.
"But before you know it, she'll transform into a wonderful beautifly! Now come my sad, naive wrumple! We have much to talk about!"
The crowd cheered wildly from the girl's decision, but I barely had any say in the matter! Fate certainly was cruel! Finally escaping one torture only to be caught in another! There was nothing I could do but be dragged inside a red, cutesy looking building.
Along with that wierd girl, I was now in a large dressing room. All kinds of cosmetics piled the counters where giant vanities with those light bulbs lining up along the edges hung above it. The air smelled like roses and the atmosphere gave of the kind of feeling you would get from drinking too many energy shots.
Lisia busily searched a large, yellow wardrobe while a large blue bird with cotton wings observed wrumple and I with an energetic fashion. Apparently, the excitement they gave wasn't an act; they legitimately behaved this way.
Ignoring the bird's stare, my thoughts slowly started gravitating towards Professor Sycamore. What was he doing right now? Was he looking for me? There were so many things about him that were going through my mind. The funny thing was that I never thought so much about anyone; and that was really annoying!
Thankfully a squeal of joy snapped my attention back to the teen, who pulled out a very hot pink and equally girly dress from the confines of the wardrobe. She held it out in front of me to imagine me wearing it. I was very reluctant to know what was running through her mind. "It's perfect! It just screams you! I can't wait for you to put this on!" Lisia exclaimed while shoving the dress into my arms along with several other things. My face reflected the uncertainty I felt from all of this over girly stuff. Though kinda air-headed, she seemed to pick up those feelings. She put a comforting hand on my shoulder and flashed a large smile.
"Hey! Don't look so gloomy! I know this is all new to you, buuuut, you'll do great! There's actually another Contest Spectacular coming up soon in Verdanturf Town. I want you to go there and show the world all that your made of! Don't forget to have fun with it though! It's not all serious business!"
I blinked at her words. Nervousness wasn't exactly what was coming to mind, but what would happen if I refused to wear this too cutsey dress. She didn't look like the tormenting type, but appearances can be deceiving. So I just rolled with it. "Uh, yeah...sure..."
After leaving the Contest Spectacular building, wondered what I should do next. The thought of going to Mauville entered my mind. If Professor Sycamore was bold enough to send that despicable message on my pokenav, then I could somehow plead my innocence to dad with the simple explanation of losing it beforehand. Strangely enough, the decision to leave him behind pulled a guilty heart string.
"Somebody help! Team Magma is taking over the Oceanic Museum!"
My head perked up in alarmed interest from the cry of distress and the name of the responsible party. Finally, some action!
*Continued in Chapter Nine*
