Woodland Strolls
Murkrow cries out happily, chasing Shinx back and forth through the clearing. The two of them seem to be enjoying this place as they sprint around playing. Then again, they did call this place home before letting me catch them, so can they really be blamed? Watching them is just as funny, too, as Shinx leaps up and tackles Murkrow from the sky, rolling the two of them around in the grass.
All around us is the regular noise of the forest, including the bug pokemon, birds and every other kind that call the place their home. With the sky so dark that light is pretty much non-existent here in the trees, I think about lighting a fire as my Shinx bounces around with his fur glowing. It's pretty cute, actually.
With a smile on my face, I stand up from my place against a tree and start gathering up some of the fallen twigs and branches laying around. While those two continue to run around, since they're lucky enough to have a sort of night vision that comes naturally with their eyes, my focus turns to lighting that fire. After a few minutes, there's a hand dug hole in the ground filled with twigs and whatnot, now being circled by a pair of playing pokemon. A snicker escapes me as the little feline once again tackles the bird out of the air. Rolling my eyes, I pull out some flint rock and a small steel knife – Dad made carrying them a regular habit for me, luckily.
After a couple of tries and the addition of a few dead leaves, the branches and twigs light up brightly. Now that light is actually bouncing around the area, it's easier to keep track of my little partners as they move about the open space. How exactly they're still playing around is beyond me – they have to be tired by now, right? Oh well, I guess. Just so long as they're enjoying themselves, right?
Both of my pokemon are still running around freely when my body finally starts to lag. Sighing happily, I lay back on the grass in front of the fire and stare up into the trees. This isn't as bad as my mother made it out to be after all… Of course, this is probably just for one night…
"There she is," he grins to himself.
A pair of pokemon freeze in their places, glaring at him as he enters the clearing with a backpack on his shoulder. His grin widens, crouching down as the little Shinx stalks closer, growling lowly to keep from waking his partner. The Murkrow above lands on a branch nearby, glaring down and looking ready to leap back into flight for a battle. Well, at least she has some loyal partners travelling around with her. But this process was taking a bit too long, so he readjusts the bag on his shoulder, pulling out a small treat. With a toss, the feline's attention quickly shifts to the now airborne snack and chases after it.
Murkrow, however, does not move, still glaring at the man.
To his credit, though, said man shrugs it off, instead moving over to the girl and dropping the bag next to her. Quickly, he pulls out a small wristwatch like object and clips it around the bag's shoulder strap, then setting a note down on top of it. Happy with that, he quickly rushes around, collecting some additional wood and tossing it into a dying fire.
"What father would want his baby girl to freeze out here?" he sighs with a smile, striding off as the new wood begins to catch. "Take care of her, you two."
Both pokemon glare after him, completely unsure of what exactly just happened.
"Any idea?" Shinx huffs up at the trees.
"Nothing," the Murkrow grunts, flapping down to the ground. "I don't like it, though. It seems strange to me."
"Of course it does! He just left a bunch of junk here," the feline growls, stalking over to the bag and poking at it. "What's in here, anyway?"
The bird chuckles quietly to himself, watching as his teammate bites and pulls at the bag, unable to open it. After a few minutes of watching the amusing scene, he hops over and bops the kitten on the head with one of his wings – much softer than his beak.
"If we were supposed to know, it would be open already."
"But I wanna know!"
"Too bad."
Waking up is usually a slow process for me. Usually one of my parents has to make a trip into my room at least once to get me awake, then the other will walk in to actually get me out of bed. Today seemed weird, though. Instead of my dad screaming good morning into my ear or my mother gently shaking me – how the heck did they end up together? – my ears are completely intact. The only reason my eyes are opening is because of this really annoying beeping going off. Mom didn't get me an alarm clock or anything, at least I don't think she did…
With a yawn, I force myself up from the grass beneath me, most likely setting a record for wake up time. Wait, grass? A quick look around assures me that, yes, it was grass. Then why the hell was there a beeping noise echoing around here? Forcing myself to slow down and look a bit more slowly, my eyes glide over my pokemon sleeping nearby next to the dead fire. Moving a little further along, my eyes spot a backpack which definitely wasn't there last night, now that my memory is actually working a bit better. And that beeping becomes clear as a little blinking light on a wrist accessory catches my attention. Attached to one of the bag's straps is a XTransceiver, and one of the newer models, too.
"Who the heck leaves a bag and transceiver in the middle of the woods?" I grumble, flipping the top open and answering the call.
"My little Addie! Are you okay!? Where did your idiot father leave you!?"
Wait, what?
A very familiar screeching fills my ears, this same familiar screeching shocking my pokemon awake who yelp and cling to me in seconds. Yep, that's definitely my mother on the other end of the line. And she's started her rant on lies and deceptions.
"Uh… Last I checked, I'm just in the forest. Somewhere around, uh…"
My eyes scan the area, looking for something familiar from the night before. Sadly, all that seems familiar is the two pokemon attached to me and the fire's remains after it had burned out. But that's only because that's where the fire was when I had been awake. Everything else is far different than my memory can come up with. It was probably a bad idea to come out here when it was so close to dark.
"I can't really tell you where in the forest, though…"
"WHY DID YOU JUST LEAVE HER OUT THERE!?"
Sounds reminiscent of a pokemon battle shuffle through the speaker of the transceiver, explaining on their own what exactly is happening on the other side. Mom is currently trying to crush Dad into the ground, no doubt successfully by the multiple yelps coming through as well. This is clearly a bad time to be talking so while they do whatever they're doing, I'm just going to start looking around for anything familiar to me. Okay, yeah, Pinwheel Forest at near dark was a terrible idea on my part. What the heck was I thinking?
"I'm gonna call you back later," I sigh, snatching up the bag on the ground. "I'll talk to you soon, guys."
"WAIT! Don't han-"
The cover for the transceiver slides home with a satisfying click, making the corner of my lips twitch lightly. Carefully, because it is a new toy for me, I slip the band around my wrist and adjust the strap to fit. That done, my arms slip through the bag's shoulder straps, tightening those straps as well. This should be a fun day, huh?
Looking at my pokemon for a moment, a thought of 'screw it' comes to mind and they remain outside of their pokeballs. What's the point in recalling them, anyway? It's not like they don't have legs and heartbeats. But whatever. After climbing up to my feet, and my partners falling off me as their claws fail to hold on, we start through the trees. An interesting adventure this should be, no doubt. Why did Dad leave me out here, anyway?
My new Cross-Transceiver continually goes off as time drags on, most likely my mother trying to get a hold of me once more for whatever odd reason she has. Instead of answering them and giving in to her constant screeching she will no doubt force on me at a later date, my itching fingers remain far away from the call button. Her bugging me will just be more of a distraction away from my current objective, anyway. I really need to find something at least a bit familiar to me so I can use it as a landmark and find the direction home. That isn't easy when everything looks the same to sleep fogged eyes and weary feet.
Long walks in the morning are not my favorite kind of thing.
In fact, my favorite kind of thing is more related to berry flavored ice creams or sweets. My dad sometimes messes with me about my similarities to some of the pokemon in town. Every once in a while, we'd find a pokemon sitting in front of an ice cream vendor, begging for a snack from them. We usually buy one for the little guys, just because they're so cute. That's his point.
Apparently I'm adorable and can get free food or something…
After a couple hours of searching around the area of forest my father so lovingly refused to carry me from, my brain comes to a conclusion. Pinwheel Forest? Yes. A recognizable area of Pinwheel Forest? No. Of course he would leave me by myself in an unknown area of the forest to not only fend for myself, but find a way out. How cruel of him. But really, it's occurred to me by this point that he was wanting me to stay away from Nacrene city and go out and enjoy myself. Clearly my journey was never going to start if my mother had a say in it, so getting a start pokemon was a no go. Why not just enlist Lenora, who no doubt had a part in all of this, and then cunningly motivate me to wander the forest alone?
He probably even messed with some of the paths while we were out here last just to get me lost. Which means going in one direction for who knows how long until someone comes along and helps me out. Those two are so dead when I get back home.
Finally, I groan out my defeat, dropping onto my knees. "I give! I'm lost!"
Which is something that I swear I never thought would come out of my mouth when concerning Pinwheel Forest. This is absolute torture.
"My, my! I never thought I'd hear someone shout it like that."
My head snaps up, glaring into the trees and looking for the voice of the latest visitor to the forest. Both Shinx and Murkrow are searching in much the same way, although the bird soars into the air and starts weaving between branches. Something must be up there.
"And what, pray tell, does a young girl like you have to do with this forest?"
A squawk from Murkrow has me craning my neck to look above my head into a nearby tree. Standing on a branch is a young man, probably in 20's, with a green long sleeve on and questionably striped pants. Who wears pinstripes anymore? Not to mention the failed afro this guy is sporting, too. Actually… He sees a lot like that one guy Lenora described to me – a rather eccentric gym leader that she does her best to warn people of.
"Are you…" I muse, narrowing my eyes at him. "Are you Burgh?"
"That I am!" he claps happily, hopping down from the tree.
Wide-eyed, I leap back from my spot, just in time to avoid him landing on me… or close enough to doing so. Shinx and Murkrow instantly attach themselves to my side, the bird perching on my shoulder with the cat standing protectively next to my foot. Both look ready to tackle the man. Thankfully, though, they seem like rather obedient pokemon and wait patiently for my orders rather than charging in headfirst. Well, for the most part… The feline is sparking at the moment, looking close to snapping at the gym leader.
"It's always wonderful to meet a fan!"
Fan?
"What's your favorite piece? Do you prefer the paintings? Oh! I bet you prefer the sculptures! You seem more like a model type of person…" he hums, grinning like an idiot.
"None of the above," I deny while given the chance. "Lenora's told me about you and-"
He gasps heavily, interrupting my thoughts. "Lenora!? Oh, I know you now! You're that little girl she's always got in the background of her calls! What was the name, again? Adele? Adria? Ad… Ad-something…"
"Adlien," I drawl, about to say something else before he starts another monologue.
"Of course!" Too late. "I remember commenting that it sounded like an artist's name! I bet you're fantastic with a paint brush or a chisel. Maybe your hands, though. Ever work with clay? Or possibly a hammer – artists make things out of wood, too!"
"Slow down, please!"
He finally shuts up, staring at me owlishly like a child caught with the cookie jar. Lenora was right when she told me to be extra wary about talking to this guy. Never knew why exactly I needed to be so way of him, but that's cleared up with the way he's acting at the moment. She probably told him my name and had to listen to him monologue like right now. It's a rather vivid picture in my mind, and one that makes me feel terrible for poor Lenora.
"Now then," I sigh, happy to be able to speak. "Which way is Nacrene City? I'd like to get home right now."
With a bright smile, he opens his mouth, finger held up in a know-it-all position, before he chokes back his own words at a sound. It's a lot like the ringtone on my transceiver, but this one seems a bit more… chirpy? Like Kricketots and Kricketunes… Or some other bug pokemon that makes that annoying noise at night…
"That's me!" Burgh laughs, pulling out a transceiver. "Hello~?"
Man this guy is bubbly…
"Ah! Lenora!" Wait, what? "I just found your little protégé! She's adorable, just like you said. And sadly, she seems to want nothing to do with the arts," he pouts. "What on Earth did you do to the poor girl?"
"Me?" Lenora scoffs from the tech in the man's hand. "I had nothing to do with it. Blame the girl's mother. She doesn't get to have any real fun outside of visiting my library. Anyway, if she's there with you, that means she's safe. You wouldn't believe how much her mother's been nagging me to go find her – woman can't handle bugs, apparently."
Note to self: get a bug pokemon…
"Really?" Burgh hums. "Well, anyway, what did you need?"
"A favor. Since you've already found her, would you take the girl off to Castelia. Her father should be headed that way for a work meeting or something sometime this coming week."
I can tell just by her tone that she's probably lying through her teeth. Plus, my father just got back from a business meeting a couple days before our campout. He shouldn't be going to another for at least a month. Knowing this, my eyes narrow at the tech, wishing the woman on the other side could feel the burning glare I'm trying to give her. Of course, she's all the way back in Nacrene City in her nice and cozy gym, surrounded by all those books that she's probably feeling nothing.
"Don't glare at me, girl!" Lenora calls from the transceiver, startling me. "I know where you live! And if you come back without having at least a small adventure, you're in trouble!"
Well, great. Now I have to call my mother and tell her what exactly Lenora is manipulating me into. Because going against Lenora in any way results in a boat load of pain for those involved. And no one deserves that kind of pain.
"Oh, and don't even think about calling your mother to save you, either. Your father has officially taken claim of the house transceiver and will be taking all calls until further notice. Have fun, kiddo!"
Damn you, Lenora!
Burgh stares at his transceiver as the line goes dead, slightly surprised but looking none the worse for it. Another moment or so of silence, in which I glare at the offending tech and hope that Lenora gets hit by Karma, and the gym leader starts to laugh his head off. Which has me glaring at him instead, really wanting to punch him. But he's a gym leader, as stated, so that would be a very bad idea. It's doubtful that only a trainer's pokemon know how to fight. I'm certainly not going to be defenseless my entire life – might as well start practicing with my partners, after all…
"Well, you heard her!" he chuckles, reining in his laughter. "Let's get you to Castelia and find you a small adventure. If you still wanna head home afterward, I'll be your personal guide through Pinwheel Forest!"
Fantastic…
Burgh isn't as annoying as some people might think. Once you get past the dramatics and tell him to quite the impressment tricks, he's rather mellow and enjoyable to talk to. Turns out, his artwork is mostly inspired by the bug pokemon that he spends time with here in the forest. But every once in a while, he'll find himself making a piece that has to do with more contemporary themes. So far, the majority of those pieces have to do with the influential people in his life. One said piece was apparently inspired by Lenora herself, and is a rather memorable one that hangs above her desk in her office.
A girl, unidentifiable, is sitting at one of the library tables, back to the viewer and no doubt reading something from one of the darkened bookshelves surrounding her. There's only one source of light in the entire painting, a simple candlelit lamp on the table that highlights the table and the book that sits on it. The point of view for the entire thing is above the girls head, angled with one of the table's corners, and gives a sense of looking down on the scene.
Lenora used to always joke that it was me in the picture. All the stuff is a bit too old-fashioned, though, to belong to the library so it doesn't really make any sense.
Sitting on one of the largest trees for a break, the two of us have been talking about this particular painting and the effects he had wanted it to have versus the effect it truly created. Personally, I always thought it made a rather somber atmosphere for Lenora to work in, and probably for her to read in, too. His idea had been to make a sort of motivational piece that would inspire people to give books and their writers a chance again, since everything's moving towards technology right now. The guy is into anything and everything to do with art, even literature. It's kind of amazing.
In the middle of telling him that the painting rather creates an atmosphere for reading rather than inspiring it, I freeze with my ears perked. He gives me a look, about to speak and somewhat confused, but holds his comments as my hand comes up to stop him from talking. A moment later, another noise reaches my ears, sounding a bit like… screaming?
"You heard that, too, right?"
It's only been a few hours since we started to head to Castelia, an apparently long trip the way he heads. With a shrug, he slips down from his branch to this little cocoon thing below us. Honestly, the thing is creepy, no matter what he says, and I would never be caught dead in it. As he slips into the collection of green cloth for whatever reason – maybe he has some binoculars or something – my ears pick up a different sort of noise. Regular speech. Familiar regular speech.
Leaning over the edge of my branch, my eyes catch sight of something moving among the leaves of the tree. Hearing the voice yet again, my mind makes the connection and a soft groan escapes my throat. Ash and Iris. Don't get me wrong, Iris and Cilan weren't all that bad, but something about Ash just sets me off.
Put simply, he's an idiot.
"There's something weird up here!" Ash calls down towards the tree base – Cilan must be down there.
Not a second later, Burgh breaks free from the cloth cocoon, wearing it like a cape as he drops down onto the branch with the others. Great! He can bug them with his impressment speech instead of whining to me about it. Funny thing is, he really enjoys being dramatic, or more like the reactions he gets when doing so. Maybe he should go into theatre instead of painting and sculpting. He would probably make a great actor for soap operas. Then again, that might be a different type of dramatic than what he wants.
"Hush," he 'whispers' at them as they both yelp. "You don't want to scare the forest pokemon, do you?"
Yeah, he's at it now. Time to see how this goes. Carefully, unlike Burgh who's now leaping and swinging among the branches, just like Iris and an attempting Ash, I slide down from my branch. From one to the next, I follow them quietly down towards the ground, happy that both Shinx and Murkrow were cooperative enough to take naps in their pokeballs.
As with my other fix, I'm now going to be writing this in the bottom of the chapters. People seem to remember the review box better that way. Because I love reviews. And they love me. They feed my soul. And tell me to keep working on stuff. Seriously, they do. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, my wonderful readers! If not… well, we'll work on it.
Univerce
