A/N: Hello, everyone! I hope everyone's enjoying Discovering a New Family! As always, the original plot and storyline belong to WizardsGirl! The only thing that belongs to me are my OCs. I'm so sorry about the long wait for this chapter. It was being somewhat stubborn for me to write. Plus since Pokémon Alpha Sapphire/Pokémon Omega Ruby came out, I've been playing that to get some ideas for this. Read, enjoy and review! Reviews help me improve my writing! Like I said before, enjoy chapter eight: New Traveling Companions and the Start of a Journey!
The next two and half weeks went by fast. The three Rocket employees left the Makinos' house with a large supply of Nozomi's cooking along with a couple of her more simpler recipes—mostly things that you could make with certain herbs and Berries. Nozomi actually found that she missed Meowth some while Persian was depressed because he and Meowth had finally started to get along plus he was seeing the Scratch Cat Pokémon more and more as his cub just like he did with Nozomi. He was even becoming more depressed with the prospect of Nozomi's Journey loomed closer and closer. Persian had actually taken to prowling after Nozomi while keeping very close to her, just to keep himself calm as well as reassure himself that the young redhead was fine and hadn't left yet.
Nozomi herself was starting to find it hard to actually fall asleep (as well as stay asleep) and was filled with nervous energy. Thanks to that, she could found on most days when she wasn't playing with her Pokémon to be cleaning. The adults let her, knowing it was how she dealt with the stress that she was going through after what her biological family did to her. Giovanni took her shopping again, though this time for food to restock the Makino household—seeing how Musashi, Kojirō and Meowth along with the Ancient Pokémon had nearly eaten Akito and Rei out of house and home.
They had found out that Akito had the Vileplume, Musashi had the Venusaur, Kojirō had the Blastoise and Rei had taken the Persian, whose name was Takara. Takara had laid her egg a mere two hours after Rei had let her out and had given it to Nozomi, who was pleased and baffled as well.
"What am I to do with it?" she had asked Giovanni shortly after she had been given the Egg with a confused filled voice. "How will I know when it's ready to hatch? Will it come out like a baby cat does, all hairless and blind and stuff?" Giovanni had just shook his head, amused, with a slightly mischievous look in his eyes.
"I guess you'll have to wait and see but I can tell you that it will be far from hairless or, like their non-Pokémon brethren, blind and deaf." He wouldn't say any more and Akito had told her that how someone reacted to surprises tend to tell a lot about a person. Nozomi then assumed that Giovanni wanted to see how she would react to having to take care of a baby Pokémon. She just hoped that she would be able to past the..test...that he was presenting to her to tackle when the Egg hatched.
That had been four days ago and today Giovanni was leaving to return to Viridian City. Nozomi hugged Persian hard while hiding her face in his neck to at least try and hide her tears. It would be a long time before she would see them in person again, she knew that much. She kissed him on the head before he licked her cheek while purring softly. Giovanni stood off to the side nearby hugging his sister goodbye.
"Anata wa kanojo ni me o hikara sete okou? (You'll keep an eye out for her?)" Rei asked in a demanding voice since Nozomi would also be leaving that day as well in a few hours after lunch. Giovanni merely smiled at her.
"Watashi wa, karera ga kanojo no tame ni miharida to iu no ga watashi no jūgyōin ni keikoku shimasu. Kanojo wa toraburu no ikutsu ka no fōmu ni haitta nodeareba, sorera wa kanojo ga dete ita koto o kanojo, dare o tasukeru kotodearu. (I'll alert my employees that they are to keep an eye out for her. So if she gets into some form of trouble, then they are to help her and anyone that she's with out.) They can challenge her to a battle but no stealing Pokémon." Rei nodded sharply as Giovanni smirked at his little sister once more, at least until the wind was nearly forced from him as Nozomi gave him a fierce hug. Giovanni stumbled a bit under the force of it only to return it full force as he kissed the auburn haired girl on the top of her head before both let go of the other and stepped back. He smiled at Nozomi, whose eyes were slightly red but had a determined glint in them. The older man ruffled her air playfully, grinning at the girl. Nozomi no longer had those hideous glasses that only hindered her sight and hid her beautiful jade green eyes because Giovanni had taken her to get eye surgery and now she could finally see perfectly.
"Make me proud, Nozomi-chan, alright?" The girl nodded sharply, determined to do just that. Giovanni smiled softly at the girl's determination. "I know that you will." Nozomi gave Marc a hug as well, much to the older man's embarrassment.
Then they were in the car and driving away. Nozomi ran out to the street with Aiko before she scooped the younger girl up onto her shoulders so they could both wave after the limousine. Giovanni waved back out of the top with a slight smile. The duo stayed in the middle of the street until the car was out of sight. Once the limousine was out of sight, Nozomi carried Aiko back inside where they played with Hikari, Cho, and Haru along with for a while, trying to have as much fun and spend as much time as they could with both Cho and Aiko as they could before Nozomi had to leave on her Journey.
"I'll miss you. I'll miss you when you go but I won't cry and I won't ask you to not go." Aiko said suddenly while the group of five were in a time out. "I know that when my Journey starts, I'll try my hardest, and I already have two brilliant Pokémon." With that, she smiled at Cho and Kamilla who were playing peek-a-boo together.
The Clefable had stepped into a rather surprising and yet seemingly natural maternal place among the Pokémon. Actually, both she and Takara, who was a mother, had stepped into a maternal place that allowed both of them to spilt the work between them and Rei without overworking any of them. Daphne usually let Hikari and Haru crawl all over her while being sure that they didn't get near the flame on her tail so they didn't get burn or they didn't accidentally put the flame out since it was well-known that the Kanto region's common fire type starter's tail flame was linked to how long they lived. Both Nozomi and Aiko had done it a few times as well. She had even given piggy-back rides, which both Nozomi and Aiko had taken delight in-especially Nozomi since she never got the chance to have fun back when she was still with the Dursleys. Daphne was pretty patient while Akito's Vileplume, Xiu, was impatient, rude and disliked Giovanni as well as Dragomir with a passion that only, unsurprisingly, matched Akito's in intensity for Dragomir's new Trainer though Akito had no problem with the Fossil Pokémon.
"I'll miss you too, sweetie." Nozomi murmured as she turned onto her side and rested her head on her hand while leaning up on her elbow. "Anata wa watashi ga motteinai ga, tsuneni nozon kesshite imōto no yō ni shite imasu. (You're like the little sister I never had but always wanted.) Who knows, maybe you'll be able to beat me in a battle when I get back." She grinned at the younger girl as she brightened at the prospect. "Plus I'll be sure to send you a few gifts as well when I can." Aiko grinned but it faded slightly when Rei called them into the kitchen. It was now time for lunch and soon after that, it would be time for Nozomi to leave.
The farewells were more emotional than they had been with Giovanni. Rei cried while Aiko tried not to and Akito gently hugged the green eyed girl. Takara licked her gently on her cheek as Nozomi told her that her Egg would be safe with her. Kamilla wrapped her in a hug as well, during which the Clefable had nearly crushed her back. They all had a laugh about that since everyone at the Makinos had learned that somehow the Fairy Pokémon had the move Strenght and would unintentionally used it when giving people hugs. Xiu gave her a hug that was kind of difficult to return with the petals that were on her head.
You take care, understand, sproutling? We don't want to hear about you getting any injuries the Vileplume demanded in her seemingly always annoyed tone. Nozomi nodded before giving Agni a quick hug and scooped up her bag. With her bag in hand, she started on her way before turning to wave at the end of the street. After a minute or two, she continued on. She walked in silence for a few hours since after lunch she had returned her Pokémon back to their Pokéballs. Eventually she reached the sign that pointed into Viridian Forest. She turned onto that road and cautiously walked into the woods. According to a few books that Akito and Professor Oak had let her read, the Beedrills that built nests out here are vicious and they could attack passerby unprovoked.
Nozomi continued to walk on for a few more hours with a few breaks, just to watch the Pokémon that came out to play when she relaxed. It was a while before she met someone. It was a boy who looked to be around fifteen. He had strawberry blonde hair with soft amethyst purple streaks and bright sapphire blue eyes with gold flecks. When he spotted her, he gave her a smile.
"Hey kid, want to battle?" He asked cheerful. Nozomi blinked, then smiled shyly as she pulled out one of her Pokéballs.
"Sure, why not? My name's Yagami Nozomi. What's your name, by the way?" Nozomi asked as the boy pulled out his own Pokéball.
"I'm Matsumoto Ren. Let's go, Anisu!" He said before throwing his Pokéball up in the air. A pinniped Pokémon with bluish white fur that looked similar to a seal appeared in front of the boy. It had a pale tan maw with a large red tongue and a pair of tusks on its lower jaw. It had circular eyes and a black nose on the pale tan maw. There was a small horn on its forehead, which it uses in combination with its tusks to bore through ice floes. It had two flippers on its chest, and two more on the end of its tail. Once it was out, the Pokémon tackled the boy to the ground and started to lick the boy's face. "Anisu, we're not going to play. We're going to battle that girl over there." When he said that, he pointed to Nozomi, who had pulled out her Pokédex, ready to scan the Pokémon. The Pokémon nodded before it moved to be in front of the boy.
Seel—the Sea Lion Pokémon. This Pokémon's protruding horn on its head is very hard. It is used for bashing through thick ice to create holes which they use to breathe. Seel relishes swimming in a frigid climate of around fourteen degrees Fahrenheit to negative forty degrees Fahrenheit. Although this Pokémon cannot walk well on land, it is a graceful swimmer. In the daytime, it is often found asleep on the seabed in shallow waters. Like its non-Pokémon brethren, Seel can be very playful with others.
"Take the field, Haru!" Nozomi said once she had put up her Pokédex and tossed her Pokéball up into the air. The female Nidoran took up a battle position once she was out of her Pokéball. Anisu looked slightly nervous but narrowed her eyes in determination. "You ready?" She asked Ren who just nodded his head with a smile on his face.
"Let's do this! Anisu, start this off with a Headbutt!" Ren said as the Sea Lion Pokémon started to fumble her way towards Haru. However, Haru dodged the attack and the Pokémon nearly hit Nozomi but was able to stop herself.
Don't think that you'll get away from me again the Sea Lion Pokémon said as she shook her head and turned around to once again face Haru.
Yes, well you might want to do better than that to beat me, you silly sea lion Haru said as she too move to face Anisu. Nozomi shook her head as Anisu narrowed her eyes in anger.
"Haru, defend yourself with Poison Tail and then follow up with a Double Kick!" Nozomi said as the female Nidoran growled before she let her tail start to glow a dark somewhat vibrant purple as Haru allowed her poison to be secreted from her tail. When she felt that there was enough poison on her tail, she ran up to the Sea Lion Pokémon and hit Anisu once with her tail before she jumped into the air and kicked the Sea Lion Pokémon with one of her feet, then flipped around and kicked Anisu with her other foot. Anisu was too slow to stop the attack and was sent flying back only to land at her Trainer's feet, unconscious. Nozomi noticed that the Sea Lion Pokémon had a slightly purple complexion. "Kanojo wa daijōbudarou ka?(Will she be alright?)" She asked in concern as Ren knelt down and placed a hand on his Pokémon, cooing at her as he told her how great she did before he recalled her back into her Pokéball.
"Kanojo wa shibaraku yasunda nochi ni, kanojo wa mondainai hazudesushi, kanojo wa kanojo no naka ni kaidokuzai ga tōtatsu shitara. (She should be fine after she's rested for a while and once she gets an antidote in her.)" Ren replied as he pulled out another Pokéball. "I just caught this one yesterday but I couldn't think of a name for her that wouldn't be totally lame." He explained as Nozomi nodded her head before calling Haru over to sit down beside her. Once Haru was sitting by Nozomi's side resting from the somewhat short battle, she released Hikari. "But I think we'll be pretty even in this battle!" He threw his ball before Nozomi could ask what she meant by that. "You ready, Pidgey?" A Pidgey with russet brown feathers and familiar steel grey eyes appeared before Ren, prepared to fight only to become more docile when she recognized the person she was standing in front of to battle against.
"Zefiryn-san!" Nozomi cried in shock before the Pidgey glided over and carefully landed in her open arms with a happy cry. "Oh, sweetie, how have you been? How has your wing been? Run into anymore Spearrow territory disputes?" The Pidgey shook her head before nuzzling Nozomi under her chin. Ren looked very lost and confused as he watched the much younger girl interact with his Pokémon.
Hello, Nozomi-san. I'm well. My wing's been fine though I've been have some spasms of pain every once in a while. As for Spearrow territory disputes…a few but not like the one that lead me to meet you Nozomi nodded her head as she listened to the Tiny Bird Pokémon answer her questions.
"Oh crud…was she your Pokémon?" he asked with a guilty look in his eyes. "I'll return her to you if she is!" Nozomi merely shook her head at him before walking over to Ren and handing him back his Pokémon.
"No, Zefiryn-san isn't mine. She was a Wild Pokémon that I met about two and a half weeks ago. Apparently she had gotten into trouble with a couple of Spearrows while trying to protect a Rattata and had ended up hurt because of it, so I healed her up as best I could before sending her on her way." Nozomi said as Ren nodded his head with a relieved look in his eyes. "Mi shitsureina koto wa dekimasuga, nan-saidearu ni wa? (Not to be rude, but how old are you?)" Nozomi asked with a curious filled voice before Ren blushed slightly.
"I'm fifteen but I just started my Journey because my mother was afraid I'd get hurt and I've been living with her since I was six. Now that I'm living with my dad, he let me finally start my Journey." Nozomi nodded at his explanation with a smile on her face.
"I got my Pokémon the day before I met Zefiryn-san, but my family and I decide to wait until I could officially start my Journey." It was odd calling Akito, Rei, Aiko and Giovanni her family. Good, unbelievably good, but still odd. She even considered Musashi and Kojirō to be the weird Aunt and Uncle that she only saw every once in a while.
"Watashi wa ushinatta yō jā, sore ga miemasu. (Well, then, it looks like I lost.)" Ren said with a soft sigh. Nozomi gave him a look filled with curiosity.
"Well, I didn't win either since Zefiryn-san didn't battle me so I guess we should just call it a draw." She smiled at him as she said that and he gave her a slight smile back.
"Alright. The truth is I'm trying to have Anisu gain exprience so that way she will evolve. I really want her to be a Dewgong so she can really shine!" Nozomi giggled softly as Ren gave a huge smile as he thought about how beautiful Anisu would be as a Dewgong when suddenly an angry buzzing sound filled their ears. Both Trainers looked up quickly only to see five Pokémon that resembled a bipedal wasp with only four legs instead of six. Each of the heads were round with a slightly pointed mouth, large red eyes, and antennae in the shape of the number seven. The forelegs are tipped with long, conical stingers. Each stood on its other two legs, which were long, segmented, and insectoid in shape. The Pokémon had two pairs of rounded veined wings and another stinger on its striped abdomen. Nozomi was quick to once again pull out her Pokédex and scan the Pokémon. She had a feeling that she knew what Pokémon they were but it never hurt to be sure, especially since she didn't know whether or not she was allergic to anything that came from a Pokémon. Nozomi had just been lucky that so far, she didn't react to any Pokémon.
Beedrill—the Poison Bee Pokémon and the evolve form of Kakuna. This Pokémon flies at high speed and attack using its large venous stingers on its forelegs and tail. Beedrill sometimes attacks in swarms to defeat prey and then take back to its nest for food. This Pokémon is extremely territorial. As such, no one should ever approach its nest.
"That's not good, is it?" Ren said somewhat calmly as a bit of panic entered his voice while Nozomi put up her Pokédex. Nozomi merely nodded her head in agreement as her eyes widen in panic. "Watashitachiha jikkō shimashou ka? (Shall we run?)"
"Of course." Nozomi answered before the two turn and ran. As they ran deeper into the Forest- trying to out run the Beedrills, both Trainers screamed as they continued on into the Forest. They continue on running for a long time before Nozomi and Ren finally lost the Beedrills.
"Sore wa kowakatta. Anata wa daijōbudesuka? (That was scary. Are you alright?)" Ren said as he placed his hands on his knees and leaned over, trying to catch his breath. Nozomi just nodded her head since she was too out of breath to really say anything. Suddenly, the duo heard rustling nearby and got ready to bolt in case they needed to run.
"I keep telling you...we took a wrong turn!" An annoyed girl's voice snapped from somewhere off to the duo's right.
"We did not...We're just a little…" A boy's voice replied before the owners of the voices came tripping through the bushes. "Oh, hello!" The boy said as he stood and quickly helped the girl up. "We just got chased off the road by some Beedrill. Do you, by any chance, know which way it is?" Nozomi and Ren just shook their heads as they relaxed slightly. Once Nozomi had caught her breath, she got a good look at the other duo.
Both of them had teal blue eyes and silvery white hair though the boy's was chin length while the girl's was elbow length. They both looked to be at least a year older than Nozomi but were still younger than Ren. Somehow, Nozomi just knew they were meant to meet each other but what their relationship with each other was going to be up to them to deicide.
"We just got finished losing the Beedrill that chased us off the road." Nozomi told the other boy with some slight reluctance in her voice. They might be meant to be friends but after her time with the Dursleys, she would most likely always be cautious when interacting with other humans. "I'm Yagami Nozomi, by the way, while this is Matsumoto Ren." Ren merely waved his hand as he continued to try to catch his breath while the other duo gave them a half a wave with a smile.
"Well, I'm Hitsugaya Sakumo—" the boy said before the other girl interrupted him.
"And I'm Hitsugaya Sakura—" the girl said before Sakumo interrupted her,
"But you can call me Kumo and her—"
"Kura. We're twins and—"
"We both agree that—"
"We really don't like our names." they finished together. Both Nozomi and Ren had a slight headache from the duo's speech since it was similar to a tennis match.
"Alright…oh, before I forget these are some of our Pokémon. The Growlithe and the female Nidoran are mine with the names of Hikari and Haru while the Pidgey belongs to Ren with the name of Zefiryn." Once Nozomi said that, the twins smiled before they replied.
"I have a Squirtle that's named Toshimaru while Kura has a Bulbasaur named Lily and a two week old Pichu that she calls Zanthe. It's a pleasure to meet you." Sakumo said before he gave a slight bow while Sakura stepped closer to Nozomi.
"We were actually on our way to Viridian City. Wanna join up?" Both Nozomi and Ren nodded their heads once they thought about the pros and cons. Once Nozomi and Ren had returned their Pokémon back to their Pokéballs, the four of them walked while getting to know one another until sunset. Nozomi kept to the story that she and the Legendary Pokémon had come up with, though. When sunset came, the group started to set up camp in a clearing they had managed to find.
Well…at least it was an interesting way to start a Journey.
A/N2: Well, I hope that everyone has enjoyed this chapter! I just wanted to let everyone know that it might be a while before I can get chapter nine up so I wanted to post this and keep ya'll happy.