"Hey, you!"

April turned to look at whoever had called her and saw a kid making his way towards her. He seemed to be around the training age, though she really shouldn't assume. It was probably the shorts...yeah, the shorts. And the weird hat. And pretty much everything else.

"What is it?"

"I challenge you to a battle!" He said, looking very proud of himself, for some reason.

"Uh...are you sure?" She was pretty new to training, but when she met Aggie she was already a level 10 and it had been about three years since then. She didn't want her to overdo it and beat the other kid's team to another goddamned region.

Because she would, the smug little shit. April sighed. She was probably warming up already, wasn't she?

Yes. Yes, she was.

The boy nodded vigorously. A part of her felt sorry for him. The other part shared Agatha's giddy excitement and wanted to kick the kid's ass.

The pitying part decided to try again. "Okay, but are you really sure?"

The kid nodded again, this time a little more forcefully.

Well, you asked for it...literally.

"Go, Aggie!"

"Come on out, Torchic!"

She felt like laughing. The poor thing wasn't even evolved yet!

This doesn't feel very fair..., she thought between the spasms of her barely contained laughter.

April put an arm in front of her Absol, stopping her approach. "Sorry, but no."

She wasn't sure who complained the most, whether Aggie of the boy. The tiny Torchic actually seemed relieved, which was a small mercy.

"Kid, you have a level 5 Torchic." She tried to reason with him.

"He's a level 7." He muttered sulkily.

"Fine. You have a level 7 Torchic." She corrected, fierce gaze stuck on the young trainer. Agatha snickered and April turned to scold her. "And you, young lady...! You should know better than to beat up a pokémon who's barely come out of his egg!"

She meant to sound like she was defending them, but apparently that was the wrong thing to say. The damn Torchic actually got mad at her! Between undecipherable bursts of angry tweets, the bird ruffled its feathers, trying to make itself big.

April rolled her eyes. "Look, if you want a battle that badly, I don't mind. I just don't want you to be sad if, for some reason, you happen to lose." She left said reason out, not wanting to rile them up anymore than was necessary.

"W-well, we won't lose, then!" The kid stuttered, eyes shining with what were probably tears. April cringed: she didn't mean to make him cry! Oh, Arceus, why did she have to be so terrible with children?

"Er, okay then...let's battle!" She tried to distract him. It didn't work. Obviously.

Each of his sniffles was like a knife in her heart. She made an effort to mend things and, when her Absol got into the battlefield, she told her to Perish him.

"H-hey, guess what?" She said as Agatha wailed a 'Perish Song'. "If you beat me, I'll buy you an ice cream!"

The kid brightened up considerably, though there his eyes were still wet. Some paces away, his fire-type tried to tackle her Absol. "Really? Where?"

She blanched. Where the fuck would she get an ice cream? Stupid, stupid, stupid!

She went with the cryptic answer. "That's for me to know, and for you to find out!" she said, flashing a smile worthy of a toothpaste commercial.

"You have no idea, do you?" Damn, he was smart. She readied an apology and a promise to get the boy something else before he told her, with a smile as bright as the sun, "That's okay. I still won!"

"Wait, what?" She looked at the battlefield, and sure enough, Aggie was out cold...as well as his Torchic.

"Well...tied, anyways. But I beat you!" He cheered, an incriminating finger pointing at April. She immediately lowered the appendage.

"Yeah, well, don't get too cocky." She said, though she couldn't keep the smile off her face. She ruffled the boy's hair playfully. "Well done, runt.", she praised.

He pushed her hand off his head, excited. "I'm no runt - I kicked your ass!" He was practically beaming with joy.

"Yeah, sure you did." She muttered. He was starting to get annoying.

"You're just jealous!"

April rolled her eyes. "Oh yes, I am positively brimming with jealousy."

"Damn right you are!" He asserted, stomping his feet for good measure.

Why did I do this, again? April wondered as she kneeled down to give her fainted friend a piece of a revive cake. She passed her hand through her fur as she woke up, whispering a silent Thank you. She was licked a You're welcome in return.

Their moment was interrupted by none other than the boy. "E-er, where are you going next?"

I snorted. "Why do you ask? Are you gonna stalk me?" It was her standard question for when she didn't want to answer something personal. Usually, it worked. The person would get flustered -

"N-no, of course not!"

- and then they'd leave it be. It was great for all parties involved: she wouldn't have to be rude and refuse to answer, and whoever asked wouldn't be mad at her for doing so.

"I was just wondering if we could, like...travel together?"

Of course, that tactic failed if the person was ever-so-slightly persistent. She sighed, before putting on a smile that was obviously fake. "Well, as of now, I'm heading to Littleroot, so-"

"Oh my gosh, me too!" He said. April wondered when he'd start skipping. "I could come with you!"

She tried to find a way to turn the kid down without making him cry again and realized she couldn't, so she shrugged and tried to look as nonchalant as possible. "Sure, I guess."

"Thank you!" He seemed so happy to have a traveling companion. It was just her; she wasn't all that special. In fact, he would've probably been better off with another, more experienced, trainer. Just because her pokémon was stronger than his it didn't mean she was a good trainer. It was Aggie who was so great, not her.

"Y...you're welcome." She said, finally.

She looked at her Absol, who she now realized probably should've had a say in this, too. She didn't seem too pleased about it either, she noted, staring at her pursed muzzle and her you-hurt-my-holier-than-thou-feelings pose.

"Well, what was I supposed to do?" April hush-whispered, once again trying and failing to be the voice of reason. Agatha sniffed like the petulant child she was.

And what's the best way to reach children? Bribes, of course!

"I'll let you have half of one of my sandwiches." She proposed. Her Absol looked her over, considering it, before pawing at the ground with purpose.

"Aggie," She warned in an angry whisper "I do not want to have to to restock every freaking hour. Half the sandwich. That's it. No more."

The spoiled brat that was her pokémon turned away and lay down to sleep.

The boy, whom April vaguely admired for putting up with her, spoke up. "Aren't Absols supposed to be nocturnal?"

"Why, yes. Yes, they are." She said. "What's your name, kid?"

"Um...Calvin."

"Well, Calvin, my friend here seems to have forgotten that. Isn't that right, Agatha?" When she got no answer, she turned to the kid. "Do you have a marker or something I could use?"

"What? Oh, er, yeah!" He fumbled with his pockets for a bit before passing her a pen. "Will this do?"

She nodded like she'd seen her mother do when she was about to get revenge and took the object. "Thank you, Calvin."

April held the pen for a moment, contemplating on the best way to do what she needed to. She couldn't bluff, or else Aggie's sense would tell her not to worry, but she didn't want to make too much of a mess since she'd most likely be the one cleaning it up.

At last, she decided to just stick the thing in and be done with it. Her furry friend yelped and she relished the sound before the kid asked her for the pen back.

"Oh, don't worry, Calvin, Aggie will definitely give it back. If she ever manages to get it out of her fur, that is."

"Oh..." He said, in a voice so tiny she actually felt sorry for him.

"Are you gonna need it soon?" She asked. Maybe he needed to write an important letter or something. Even Agatha had stopped trying to shake the pen out, non-existent ears perked up at attention.

"I-I...no, it's just...my grandma gave it to me and stuff..."

"Oh..." Well, shit.

"Do you really think it will take that long?" He fidgeted with his fingers while guilt ate at me.

"N-no, of course not! I was just messing with Aggie here." She tried to ease his worries, placing a hand on her Absol's fur for further emphasis.

"Oh, thank Arceus." Calvin sighed in relief. "Could I get it back now, then?"

April froze. "What?"

"My pen. Can I have it back?"

"..."

"Lady?"

"Sure! Just...not now. Can you wait until we get to Littleroot?" I asked. "I'm sure I'll have some way to get it out by then."

Agatha snorted, before realizing that 'some way' probably involved scissors and that 'getting it out' would mean she'd have to lose fur.

She bolted.