Sorry to say that this chapter is shorter than I had expected it to be. :C
I was very busy this week - to make up for it, I'll make sure I reach at least 5,000 words (Like I wanted to XD) next chapter.
I also realise I never described Allie's appearance; I'll give a brief description at the end of the chapter. ^^
I sat cross-legged on the ground of what is known in Unova as Route One – though not to me; it's probably the nine thousand and first route I've stepped into. I'm not sure where Barry's gone off to – most likely training his Snivy somewhere, hopefully not too far away. I don't mean to treat him like a child, especially since he's older than me, but he's got a way of getting into trouble.
Tepig was curled up beside me, watching me write in one of my notebooks; she was curious, and I could tell. Her bright eyes shone, and her nose twitched inquisitively as I would write, then stop writing to look up and stare at a group of dog-like Pokémon up ahead, then start writing again.
My peaceful work was soon interrupted by a yell of, "Allie! When can we go to the next town? Snivy and I are so ready for a gym battle!" – I didn't really know where the source of the voice had even come from until I turned around slightly to see my blonde friend standing right behind me, bouncing up and down, his Snivy clinging to his head for dear life. Some things never change, I suppose.
I sighed a little, putting my notebook back in my bag, and my pen in a pocket. I returned Amber to her pokeball, and Barry did the same with his Snivy, though he was still staring at me expectantly.
"We can go now, if you really want," I said, standing up. "Though I'm not sure when I was ever appointed the role of leader, Barry. If you want to go, you can make me," I laughed a little, and he joined in.
"I'll be sure to remember that one," Barry grinned, ruffling my hair. "You've only got yourself to blame when I drag you off to some dark and mysterious cave and you get eaten by a Steelix or something,"
I decided not to ruin his fun by mentioning that Steelix probably didn't even live in Unova – there was always the possibility of some other giant dinosaur-Pokémon that is clearly capable of eating someone whole. I should probably remember that for future reference in case I'm right on that one.
Obviously not wanting to spend much time talking, Barry suddenly started to run – well, more trot, but that seems too girly a verb for Barry, so run will do – ahead of me into the taller grass up ahead.
Not feeling up for rushing along behind him, I get my notebook back out to look over my notes on the Pokémon I'd seen. I've never understood why I have to look at all the Pokémon closer to the labs – you'd think the professors would have had the time to go ahead and check them out themselves – but they do tell me to get all of the information, so I suppose they're hoping we'll find something they missed.
"So what Pokémon did you see?" Barry has appeared beside me; he must've turned around or stopped somewhere, but I'd never noticed. He peered over my shoulder at my notebook page; there were only details of two different Pokémon and it wasn't like Barry hadn't seen them yet, but I suppose it would be best to tell him anyway.
"Only two," I reply. "A brown fuzzy Pokémon that I think is called Lilli-something, and a reddish-brown Pokémon that I'm pretty certain is called Patrat." To clear things up a little – Pokémon are named based upon the sounds they make. Some say Pokémon say the name of their species, but for the most part Pokémon names either relate to sounds they make or if they don't have a particular call, they're named based on characteristics.
"I saw more than two, I'm sure," Barry suddenly looked very focused, trying to think back. "There was a pink thing. I can say that much."
"Maybe you'll see another one later," I said; I didn't want to rush things, and usually Pokémon don't just stick to one place without a reason to. Most Pokémon I've found earlier on in regions appeared in many places past that point, sometimes even in evolved forms; it's always fun to find new things, and it also opens up new possibilities for habitats. "Did you find anything else?"
"Some stuff on the ground," Barry replied. "The usual things you seem to find randomly sitting in the grass – you know, like the berries and the potions."
"I picked a mushroom a little while ago." I hum; there doesn't seem to be quite as far a distance to walk any more, but there's no use letting a conversation with Barry die. He'd probably just run up ahead and leave me walking here if I stop now. Well, I suppose I shouldn't jump to conclusions – he could have matured past that? He was definitely like that a week ago and I'm pretty sure most people don't mature that quickly, and I doubt Barry's an exception to that rule.
"Really? Is it edible?" Barry looks at me excitedly, and I can't help but laugh a little.
"I don't think so, Barry. Sorry." I laugh, but I show him the mushroom anyway. "Some people like to collect these things. There was a mushroom guy in Kanto that taught moves in exchange for mushrooms. They sell quite high in some regions,"
"Oh? I didn't know," he's still staring at the mushroom hungrily. "I didn't know you could even find mushrooms about the place."
"They're everywhere," I would have said something about Paras usually holding mushrooms, but I didn't want to start to bore him at this point. "Seriously, Barry, stop drooling over it. We can get something to eat when we get to Accumula Town,"
"S-Sorry!" Barry quickly snapped his head away from the mushroom, which I quickly put back in my bag. "Speaking of getting Accumula Town – can we stop by the shop when we get there? I need to buy stuff."
"Everyone needs stuff." I say, mainly for lack of better things to say. It's true anyway. "I need to go and buy some Pokéballs anyway. Speaking of the Pokémart, I remember Professor Oak saying Pokémon Centres and the Pokémart are the same building over here."
"Finally," Barry replied, "I was wondering if someone would figure that out. I mean, what's the point of having them separate anyway? Much easier to just go to one building to get everything, right?"
"Yeah," I agree. I can clearly see Accumula Town up ahead now; we're pretty close to the sign that says 'Accumula Ahead' anyway.
Though when we get there, what we saw was something we never could have expected.
A whole group of people dressed in what appeared to resemble some sort of medieval-knight costumes were standing all together, surrounding a large man who was looking rather serious. A whole crowd of people were gathered before them, listening to the speech the man appeared to be giving; I could see various expressions on people's faces, some seemed shocked, some seemed angry, others upset.
"Let's go check it out," Barry whispers to me, and rushes over to join the crowd before I can respond. Not that it matters, since I was about to suggest the very same thing; spotting Brendan in the crowd, I go to stand with him, and Barry moved from his previous spot to join us.
"What's going on?" I asked Brendan, who quickly shushed me and pointed at the man before saying in a low whisper,
"This man's a nutjob."
After listening to his words for a long while, that seemed to be more or less true. I couldn't hear very well from where we were – but I could pick up words like "Liberation" and "Cruelty", as well as something along the lines of "Humans will never treat Pokémon as anything other than tools for battling," – none of it makes any sense at all.
"What do you suppose he's talking about?" Barry asks me, though Brendan responded before I could.
"He's been going on about Pokémon being trapped for ages. Listen carefully, he's been repeating the same things for a while, apparently, so more people hear."
"Don't you agree with what he's saying, though?" A new voice joined in; simultaneously the three of us turned to its source to find a man with long green hair tied into a ponytail. "Pokémon are my friends, and I'll do what it takes to help them."
"Pokémon are my friends, too!" Barry pipes in, looking slightly angry. "They fight for us because they care about as, and in return we have an unbreakable bond of friendship – it's what Pokémon have done for generations!"
That was probably the smartest thing I've ever heard Barry say, but I keep my mouth shut. I wondered how it would play out from here, but suddenly the conversation was aimed at me.
"How about you? Do you agree?" The stranger asked me. Barry was looking at me determinedly; I just knew he was waiting for me to agree.
"Well… I can see both sides." I say hesitantly. This strange was just… I couldn't think of a way to describe him, really. "But I agree mostly with my friend. Pokémon are our friends, they fight with us because they want to. Pokémon have lived that way for generations."
The man narrowed his eyes. "Prove it to me. Send out your Pokémon, and let them speak to me." He demands; slowly, I release Amber from her Pokéball, and Barry does the same with Snivy, and Brendan with Oshawott. The man crouches down to look at our Pokémon better – they look at him, confused. Amber's ears were twitching, and Brendan's Oshawott was nervously playing with its shell. Snivy was glaring at the man with the same sort of fiery determination that Barry had; it really struck me how alike the two were. They do say Pokémon take after their trainers; Snivy was obviously a perfect match for Barry right from the start.
"I see." The man looked a little taken aback; but, then, he looked at me again. "You. Allie, is it? I would like to battle you."
"Hey, wait!" Barry cuts in. "How'd you know her name?"
"Amber told me." The man shrugged it off as if it was nothing. Well, he knew my Pokémon's name as well; it didn't seem unlikely, though I'd never heard of someone with the ability to talk to Pokémon in that way. I've always known we can understand Pokémon, and them us, but more on a companionship level – we can tell how they feel, and they know what we want them to do. It's quite simple when you think about it – but I've always wanted to know what Pokémon are thinking. This green haired man…
"I'll battle you," I agree. Amber rushed to my side, looking very excited for a battle; this would be one of her first, after all. It was quite heartwarming, really; a Pokémon so determined for her first battle, alongside a trainer who has had four years of experience – it would be interesting to see how it played out.
The man sent out a purple Pokémon which he referred to as Purrloin – I assumed that must be its name. Brendan already seemed to be jotting it down – clever boy – but I kept it in mind for later. It would do me good to pay attention to how it acts for this battle.
"Mind refereeing, Brendan?" I asked him; he looked up from his notes and nodded. We all moved away from the crowd to where there would be more space to battle – I know from experience that being close to people and breakable things is not a good idea when battling (never again…)
It's my first battle in Unova, and I'll admit it's quite exciting. I'm ready for this, and it's clear my opponent is as well. Our Pokémon are facing opposite each other; there's a good few feet of distance between them – since they're both small Pokémon, they wouldn't need much distance between each other since that's only for big and powerful attacks.
"Purrloin, assist." The man opposite me states; his Pokémon jumped into the air a little, a white orb appearing by its paws, which it then unleashed as a strong gust of wind. Amber stood her ground, digging her trotters into the ground and letting the gust hit her; though soon the attack stopped, and Amber relaxed.
I had to think fast – Amber seemed to be pretty tough, but it wouldn't be long before Purrloin made another move. I needed to figure something out quickly before my opponent had the upper hand. "Amber, use ember!" The rhyme sounded funny, but I snapped myself out of it. No time to be slacking off; every battle is important. At least that's what Professor Oak told me once.
Amber stayed where she was; she lifted her snout into the air and with a loud snort, sent several reddish-orange embers from her nostrils. (Interesting. Never seen a Pokémon shoot fire from its nose before.) some missed Purrloin as it attempted to dodge, but several embers managed to hit the Pokémon in the side. It stumbled, slightly put off – here was my chance to fit some more moves in!
"Okay, Amber! Tackle!" Amber pawed the ground a few times before rushing forwards to ram into Purrloin – however its trainer quickly yelled "Purrloin, dodge!" – just in time, the purple cat-like Pokémon regained composure and jumped out of the way. "Now scratch!" Unsheathing its claws, Purrloin leapt at Amber; it was too close for Amber to move out of the way. Weakened, Amber wavered on her feet, but with a shake of her head she stood firmly again, awaiting her next command.
I truly do salute her enthusiasm. I made a pretty good choice, I must admit. "Okay, Amber – lets have another ember!" Once again, Amber sent flying embers from her nostrils at Purrloin; weaker this time, the Pokémon was unable to dodge a lot of the embers and was hit by the vast majority of them. "Finish off with tackle!" Amber picked up more speed this time; her tackle was much faster, and managed to run into the Purrloin's side, head-first, knocking it over.
"Purrloin is unable to battle –" Brendan looked hesitant at first, leaning over so much he looked ready to fall over, but from the looks of things Purrloin was definitely too weak to go on.
"Purrloin, return." The man withdrew his Pokémon into it's Pokéball, looking a little taken aback. "Your Pokémon really trusts you." He stated. "Despite the short time you've had together."
"Thank you, I suppose…" I returned Amber to her own Pokéball, making a firm mental note to take her to the nearest Pokémon centre as soon as possible. "It was a good battle. Thank you."
"No, thank you." The man replied, turning to leave. "My name is N, by the way."
"What a creep," Barry whispered to me. I looked at him with slight annoyance, but Brendan seemed to be nodding.
"That was a good battle, though, Allie. Reminded me of our first battle a little," I smiled a little at the memory; though that's a story for another time.
"Did you get the stuff on Purrloin down, Brendan? Or at least remember some of it, since you were watching the battle the whole time."
"It's all up in my noggin," Brendan grinned, tapping his head. "So, where are you both off to now?"
"Striaton City," Barry replied. "I checked the map earlier and it's where the nearest gym is, and I really want to take part in that!"
"I was going to go past there, actually," Brendan said. "I was thinking of going all the way to Castelia City, then turn back after I've got some stuff done there."
"Sounds interesting. Maybe we'll run into you on your way back?" I smile at him – he always liked going around places in the wrong order, though I don't really think there's anything wrong with that. It's not really the wrong way around, anyway, just his way of prioritising.
"What did you want to do in Striaton, Allie?" Brendan asks, gathering his bag from the ground.
"I wanted to check out the Dreamyard around there, and Professor Juniper asked me if I could go speak to her friend Fennel," I reply, "I was also hoping to see if I could catch any new Pokémon around that area, too."
"Looks like you've both got your work cut out for you, then," Brendan laughs a little. "Well, best of luck to you both, but I really should get going. Good luck with that Gym challenge, Barry,"
"Thanks," Barry grins, waving enthusiastically at Brendan as he left. Snivy was sitting on Barry's head once again, looking a little bored.
"So," I hum, "to the Pokémon Centre, then?"
"Yep." Barry replied, starting to walk, me following close behind. "Can we get some lunch, too? I'm starved. Oh, and we still need to buy stuff!"
"Yeah, okay, we'll get your stuff," I laugh; "I need stuff too, remember."
"I know, 'Everyone needs stuff', you said." He grins and laughs along with me.
Once we enter the Pokémon Centre, Barry agrees to hand Amber over to the Nurse at the counter whilst I buy some supplies; I'd brought a decent amount of money with me despite having left most of it with my mother back in Kanto for her to take care of. Finally fully stocked with Pokémon medicines, Pokémon food and empty Pokéballs, we were set to travel; at least until the next town, when, knowing Barry, we'd need to buy more things again.
"So, Nurse Joy said that you should probably leave Amber here for at least half an hour, so it's worth getting something to eat now," Barry says when he joins me. "There was a café up ahead, so we should probably go there, eat, then come back for her. Then we can get going, yeah?"
"Sounds like a plan," I agree, and we walk out of the Pokémon Centre. And who, of course, do we run into when we reach the café?
"Hi! Allie, Barry!" A cheerful, slightly familiar voice calls out; it's Bianca, accompanied by Cheren, holding a large ice-cream. Cheren was holding a simple sandwich and looked a little worn out.
"Hello again!" Barry says happily, and we quickly go to join them.
"What're you doing over here? I thought you'd have gone further by now." Cheren said, ignoring his food completely and choosing to drink from his glass of water instead. It seemed like a pretty boring lunch, but to each their own I guess.
"We wanted to get lunch here first, that and we got a little sidetracked." I reply. "And it's good to see you again too, Cheren."
Cheren scowls, but still looks a little flustered. Bianca giggles at him. "Cheren didn't really want to have lunch with me, but we've been friends all our lives and I thought we should spend some time travelling together before we go our separate ways!"
"I wish I had the same relationship with my childhood friend," I respond with a laugh. "We had an insta-rivalry from the moment our journeys started. Probably from even further before then, actually, but we're good now. It's best to keep friendships there – it's like they say about the silver and gold friends. I don't remember that well, though."
"I know it all too well," Barry shudders. "Every day in Pre-school, at least three times; Make new friends and keep the old, and then you've got your silver one and your gold one. There."
"I didn't ask for it, but thanks anyway, Barry," I laugh, and earn a whack in the arm.
"Thanks for making me relive a painful memory." Barry tries to act serious, but lets out a snort anyway. That's Barry for you; he's serious when it counts, but for the most part, what should he be serious for? A fifteen-year-old acting ten is better than a ten-year-old acting fifteen, I suppose. (Though… Maybe not really)
"I know that one," Bianca said happily. "Silver friends are just as good as gold friends, though! If Cheren is my old friend and you're my new friends, then it's true!"
"Your Pokémon are your new friends too, remember," I add in. "My Pokémon have always been my good friends. Even if sometimes you trade them away, the bond is still there. They were still your Pokémon once, even if you don't see them as much."
"Even if you don't see them…?" Cheren was looking at me with some sort of strange fascination. It was slightly creepy. "So it's true what I've heard about you then? Some of your Pokémon that you first owned you only see once every year or so?"
"That's true." I reply honestly; no point in lying to him. "That doesn't make them any less of my friends, or any less loyal to me. It's the same with real people – some of my friends I don't see for years at a time, but when we see each other again, our bond is the same."
"Wow! I don't feel so bad about leaving Cheren behind, now!" Bianca giggled a bit. "It makes me more excited to meet lots of Pokémon, too, if I don't have to worry about leaving them behind sometimes,"
"Well," I laugh a little to myself, "Pokémon don't always like you to start with. Barry's Piplup didn't like him very much at the beginning, and one of the Pokémon I caught in Hoenn didn't like me much. But as we got to know each other, we became really good friends with our Pokémon. Sometimes you don't, but that's okay, too, because one day you'll meet someone nice who that Pokémon gets along with better, and you feel better knowing you're Pokémon is happier with them even if it means letting them go."
"I gave away one of my Pokémon," Barry added, "not because we didn't get along, but because it wasn't a battler. I gave it to one of my friends who does contests because that's where it was more comfortable."
"I'd prefer Pokémon that can battle." Cheren stood up, seeming slightly fed up, maybe bored with our conversation. Or maybe he was just hearing things that, maybe, he didn't particularly want to hear? "I'm going to move on to the next town. I'll see you soon, maybe, Bianca."
"O-Oh! I should probably leave too, anyway – I wanted to go visit Fennel!" Bianca stood up as well. "Bye-bye, you two! It was good to see you again!"
And with that, they were both gone.
"That was slightly strange," Barry tilted his head, his eyebrows scrunched up. "but we need to get going to, Allie. I want to get some more training done today before we go to sleep,"
"Okay," I agree. "We can go on to Route Two, and see what Pokémon we can find there. You might find something you want to catch, as well. Same goes for me."
Route two was pretty much the same as the last route we went on – we saw some Purrloin there, too, but I figured Brendan would have observed them already – and hopefully Lucas got here too and would catch up on anything we'd missed. I like things so much better now – back in Kanto it was just me and Gary doing it all on our own, which definitely made things harder. Sharing out the task like this put less weight on all of our shoulders.
Barry had split up with me again – he was going to go train some more, and I was going to go ahead to Striaton City to look around. Truthfully I wanted to go to the Dreamyard first; if there was anything interesting enough there, I could always take Barry along with me later.
What I didn't expect to see at the Dreamyard was those strange guys dressed in those odd medieval suits again.
Look at my horrible attempt at a cliffhanger and shiver. I'd love feedback on the battles I write - I don't write them too much and I'm experimenting with styles, so I'd love to hear feedback on what I should do with them.
As I said, I will describe Allie: She is roughly 4'11 and slightly chubby. She has short, light brown hair that goes just past her shoulders and light brown eyes. (She wears the outfit that the female protagonist wears in the region she's in.)
Now some questions for you! Would you like to see some Barry POVs in the future (Not anytime soon, unfortunately, but maybe someday :P) or any cameos from canon characters in the anime?