Disclaimer: Pokémon © Satoshi Tajiri; Nesrin and all other concepts © me
II
A Spring of Beginnings: Part 1
Life isn't so bad in the Pokémon world.
In fact, all things considered, it's actually pretty good.
I mean, sure, there had been (and probably will be) wars and, yeah, it can be dangerous in the wild (and wherever evil gathers), but…
It's peaceful, y'know?
As the sun reaches its apex, Nesrin whistles a jaunty tune while rustling through bushes and shrubs for a variety of herbs since the pantry's beginning to run low on ingredients. Not to mention that it's not a bad idea to stock up on medicine now that spring has arrived. After all, for one reason or another, everyone tends to be more reckless during this time of year. Maybe it's the pollen in the air? But that's a thought for another time. For now, the girl has a quota to fill and moves on to climb up a berry tree, picking as many Oran as possible when the wind suddenly shifts.
"…?"
Feeling a chill run up her spine, she seals her woven basket shut as her eyes roam around her surroundings.
"…ku, ku…"
Soft clicking sounds from just above and she looks up, blinking in surprise when black eyes stare straight back, before her lips part in realization.
"Oh…"
The Kakuna's shell shines with a Harden.
"Diglett in a hole."
.
.
.
I have no regrets!
"Meep!"
With tears in her eyes and frazzled hair, Nesrin is quick to run away, all the while wailing,
"It was an accident, I said~!"
But the swarm of Beedrill chasing after her gives no sign of relenting as the angry chittering increases in volume and she cries,
"Why me?!"
Spoiler alert: I live.
The buzzing of their wings closes in and she finds herself with two options: continue dodging them within the forest, or make a break for it by diving into the inlet. The first choice means fighting on their territory but being closer to home and the second choice means a higher chance of escape but leaping off of a cliff. Either way, she needs to make a decision quickly since their Pursuit is beginning to cut close.
"Whoa…!"
Barely dodging a stinger, Nesrin immediately makes up her mind and soon finds herself weightless as the wind whips around her and the blue grows closer and closer and ever closer until–
Splash! (Splash!)
While righting herself, bubbles escape her mouth before she covers it with her hands and hides in the shadow of her floating basket.
(Burble, burble…)
Underwater, sound is muffled and yet she still manages to hear their clicks of communication, making her heart pound anxiously. One moment becomes two which then becomes three before the swarm finally deems her as harmless, leaving in a single coordinated movement. Just in case, though, she stays submerged for a beat longer before quietly surfacing and heaving a sigh of relief upon being left alone.
"That was close…"
Relaxing now that she's out of danger, Nesrin hugs her goods close to her chest as she allows the current to carry her south-east. The water feels cool against her heated body but irritates her skin where it had been scratched by twigs and the like. But, all too soon, the calm is shattered by a distressed cry.
"…?!"
Startled, Nesrin almost loses her grip on the woven container but catches herself in time and straightens up, looking around in order to find the source. With senses on high alert, her attention is quickly caught by a commotion from above. Craning her head backwards, she narrows her eyes in concentration before they widen upon seeing a struggling boy and his panicking Pokémon along the cliffside.
Crumble…
Uneven stones slide along the rugged surface, plopping into the water, and she knows:
He's going to fall.
And, from his current height, with his current position, the boy won't be able to survive unscathed.
It's then that she hears a rather familiar sounding yawn.
"Ka~…"
And the girl whips around before honey-colored eyes lock onto a large (and she means large) figure floating with the current. A variety of berries are piled on top of his belly, gradually diminishing over time with each movement of a large paw. Immediately, an idea pops into mind.
Readjusting her grip, Nesrin lifts the basket's cover and moves the bag of herbs in order to reveal a plethora of ripe Oran Berries.
A fragrant scent drifts with the wind.
And even from a distance away, it's quite obvious that her actions have caught the Pokémon's attention as a teal-furred ear perks and a round face turns towards her direction.
Crumble, crumble…
The rocks are loosening even more as the boy attempts to pull himself up, sweat trickling down his face and dripping from his chin. His heart is pounding furiously within his chest, almost threatening to burst outwards, and it hurts (perhaps even more than his scraped fingers). But he can't allow himself to be distracted now and reaches out a trembling hand, cautiously letting go of a jut in order to grab onto a higher groove.
Crumble…
Just as he touches it, though, an ominous noise resounds.
CRACK.
And his breath is stolen from his lungs as he suddenly finds himself with nothing to hold onto.
"Nyoro…!"
His partner's cry echoes within his ears as the boy shuts his eyes tight, bracing himself for the impending pain, mind flashing through images of his broken body sinking into the sea's depths, when–
Boing~!
–he abruptly bounces atop of something soft and warm, like a mattress filled with the softest of down.
Hesitantly, the boy cracks open an eye and finds himself staring into cream-colored fur before he pushes himself up shakily and comes face-to-face with a happy grin.
"Kabigon~!"
Startled by the sight of a Snorlax serving as his safety net, the boy almost tumbles off of the Sleeping Pokémon's belly but a hand catches his shoulder and stops his almost-plunge into the seawater.
"Whoa there," a voice chirps from behind him, "Careful now."
Head whipping around, he blinks upon meeting eyes with bright honey-colored orbs and his lips part in surprise upon seeing a girl around his age (or perhaps a bit older) grinning down at him with amusement.
With a cocked brow, Nesrin doesn't bother hiding her mirth and smirks teasingly. "Take a picture: it lasts longer."
His pale cheeks flush pink and he raises a hand towards his head only to visibly startle. Looking around with a hint of panic, the boy seems ready to jump into the ocean and scour it to the end of the world when a blur suddenly leaps onto his chest, knocking him backwards and atop furred blubber once more as a grunt escapes his throat. Groaning quietly, he squints before his sight clears and he sees his partner on top of him, wearing a red-and-white cap.
"Nyoro, ro!" The Poliwag is rubbing his head against the boy's chest with teary eyes. "Nyoromo…!"
Mouth parting to say something but ultimately closing in silence, the boy rubs his partner's back soothingly and lifts his signature headwear from the Tadpole's head before placing it atop of his own, pulling down the rim to shadow his expression.
It is then that she realizes.
"You're…"
Red.
To think that I ended up saving one of my childhood heroes from Before…
It's… a bit of a shocker, to be honest.
"…from Pallet, aren't ya?" She tilts her head to the side, finger touching her chin in thought. "I remember seeing you hang around the Professor's lab with two others."
He looks surprised, eyes widening a mere fraction, and the girl marvels over how vivid the red of his irises is before the Sleeping Pokémon beneath them burps and they realize that they've reached shore.
"Gon~…"
Nesrin giggles upon seeing the Snorlax's satisfied expression and pats his belly fondly. "Thanks for the help, mate. And safe travels to Grapefruit Island. Make sure you don't run out of berries before then."
"Kabi!" The friendly giant salutes and pushes himself back into sea with a powerful backstroke as the basket of Oran Berries balances on his girth. "Kabigon~!"
Waving goodbye until the Pokémon is out of sight, Nesrin stretches out her sore muscles and sighs in contentment before turning to the quiet boy and his less-quiet partner, resting a fist on her hip. "Well then, I should get going too."
They blink and she gives a careless wave over her shoulder.
"Don't go falling off any more cliffs, y'hear?"
And without further ado, she turns to leave.
"Ciao~!"
…what?
You weren't actually expecting me to stay, were you?
Now that's just begging to be dragged into the system, which is a BIG no-no.
In the first place, competitions aren't my cup o' tea and, secondly, I don't fancy having my battles fought for me.
Besides, it's not that hard to defend myself against Pokémon since controlling my Aura isn't too different from using chakra/ki/mana/magic/nen/qi/whatever-you-want-to-call-it.
Of course, my reserves aren't as great as Before since I can only reinforce my body, accelerate my healing rate, and sense intent, but…
Actually, come to think of it, that's basically everything that most people in this world do to a certain degree on a subconscious level, which means…
Le gasp!
I'm just like everyone else for once!
.
.
.
I'm not sure how to feel about that.
Just when she reaches a meter away, however–
"Nyoromo!"
"Ack!"
–Red's Poliwag manages to tackle her to the ground.
"You…" Spitting out sand, Nesrin wipes at her mouth with the back of her wrist and cranes her head to look at the Tadpole sitting on her back, brow twitching. "Mind getting off?"
But the Pokémon refuses, hopping up and down instead, while prattling on in his own language before the boy grabs him though with a bit of difficulty due to the Pokémon's naturally slippery skin.
"Geez…"
Standing up, Nesrin brushes off the clumps of gold grains from her damp dress with a halfhearted grumble and turns to leave once more when, this time, a hand prevents her from walking.
"Oh, for the love of–!"
Exasperated, she looks over at the two with a twitching brow. "Is there a reason why you won't let me go?"
It's subtle, but Red is fidgeting, switching his weight from one foot to the other, as his grip around her wrist noticeably tightens. His eyes flicker from staring at the sand to meeting her gaze for a second or two before they dart away to the surrounding scenery, as if anxious. The Tadpole, on the other hand, has finally settled down, tail swaying and voice burbling, while looking between the two.
"Nyoro?"
Realizing that the boy isn't going to speak any time soon, Nesrin ruffles her hair and closes an eye in thought, wondering what to do when an idea suddenly pops into mind.
"Could it be," she asks rather carefully, "That you don't know how to get back home?"
Reflexively, his fingers twitch against her skin and there's a beat of silence before the faintest of nods tilts his head and her shoulders slump in resignation as she sighs,
"I guess it can't be helped then…"
Tugging him forward, she smiles wryly.
"Pallet's this way."
And to my doom, here I come.
"RED!"
On instinct, Nesrin sidesteps the incoming girl and watches as she tackles said boy to the ground, hugging him tightly with watery blue eyes.
"Oh, thank Mew that you're okay!"
From behind her, a Jigglypuff tackles the Poliwag in a similar hug, squeaking, "Rin, purin…!"
Red squirms in her grip, but the brunette refuses to let go and so he resigns himself to the situation, cheeks burning in embarrassment, as carmine eyes glance up at the pink-haired girl. Nesrin meets his gaze with honey-colored eyes shining in amusement and an almost-pout tugs at his lips. (Huh, to think that the boy can be cute…) Just then, four more decide to arrive on the scene: a sprinting Bulbasaur and a boy with green eyes, followed closely by an Eevee and an elderly man wearing a distinctly white lab coat.
"…!"
Alarmed, Nesrin stiffens but immediately forces herself to relax and begins inching away from the center of attention.
Yeeeaaahhh…
No.
I ain't sticking around any longer, 'kay, thanks, bye~!
She disappears with nary a trace and it isn't until after he's done reassuring them about his wellbeing that Red notices her lack of presence.
Shock fading into chagrin, the boy looks around with the faintest of wrinkles in between his brows but finds that Nesrin is long gone.
And carmine eyes narrow.
.
.
.
My senses are tingling.
Trivia:
1. Nesrin loves food but her favorite dishes are also the most simple: rice balls, curry, stew, and omelets top her list.
2. She's also known to snack on baked goods, fruits, and vegetables on the go.
3. Also, potatoes: hash browns, french fries, mashed potatoes… *drools*