Pure White Dreams / First of the Dreams & Destiny Trilogy
Updates Every 5-7 Days
Rating: K+ for occasional minor language
Disclaimer: Despite using characters, story, and some dialogue from this lovely source material, I can only express my admiration, rather than any ownership.
Previously: With Team Plasma's appearance, Touko finds a strength she never expected. No one can say her only dream is somehow wrong. Yet, Touko can't entirely deny all of her lingering doubts…
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Chapter Three
Unexpected Meetings
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Touko rose early the next day, got ready, and after a quick stop at the mart, headed straight for Route 2, eager to continue her journey before she could let any fears catch up to her.
With all of her money well-spent, Touko walked confidently through the gate. She'd be able to go straight through to Striaton City and get there by the next day as long as she didn't overwork her Pokémon. She turned to Snivy by her side.
"Alright! I only have 800 left and who knows how long that will last. Now we only have six Potions and ten Poké Balls total. We need money."
Obviously this little talk was more meant for her own benefit, because all Snivy did was stare at her with that look that made her feel a little stupid even when she was being completely sensible.
Put glasses on him and you might have Cheren the Pokémon. Except much cuter.
"So, I have to challenge people in order to get more money. I can do this." She gave a little nod and Snivy took a break from permanent smugness to give a determined nod back. Then she just had to pick him up and give him a hug. This time Snivy didn't make as much of a fuss, better prepared for it.
"Oh gosh, you're so cute! Let's do this!"
It was just as she was about to run onto the route, that her Xtransceiver started ringing.
"Mom?"
"Touko! How are things?"
"I was just about to—"
"Up early, I see. Well, that's good. How are your Pokémon?"
"Fine, but what—"
"Good, good. I called because I needed to talk to you, but I'm going to hang up now." And the feed cut off.
Touko just stared at her Xtransceiver, dumbfounded. "What the…"
"Touko?" A voice came from behind.
"Mom!"
There was Mrs. White, standing on Route 2 in her everyday house-cleaning clothes. Touko looked around and was quite glad that no one else seemed to be in the immediate area. Moms were not supposed to come on Pokémon adventures.
"Good thing I got an early start myself, or else I never would have caught you. Well, actually of course I would, because I have a car and you don't. But never mind that! I have another present for you! Here try these on." She held out a pair of shoe box.
Touko was still dumbfounded by her mother's sudden appearance, but she still managed to take the box and opened it.
It was a pair of sneakers—running shoes—that she'd been wanting. But of course they'd been too expensive and "You can't even wear them to school every day or for softball," her mom had said at the time. A fair point, since until three days ago, her life had consisted almost entirely of those activities.
"I figured you needed a going away present that wasn't a little selfish on my part," her mother informed her with a smile.
"The Town Maps too though…"
"Well, Cheren and Bianca each got one too, that's hardly a real mother-daughter present."
Touko smiled. "Thanks Mom, but why didn't you give them to me before?"
"They arrived late, just this morning. I didn't want to just send them to you. It's not fun if I don't get to see your face. Your expression when I showed up was wonderful as well," she said with her usual playful tone.
"Mom…"
"Oh! Another thing!" Her mother dug around in her bag and pulled out a small sack. "Here's a small meal for you and Snivy. Any other Pokemon you might have as well. Last I heard was three?"
"How did you hear?" Touko asked in alarm.
"Professor Juniper is keeping tabs on your Pokedex, of course!"
"I thought I had to check in."
"There's an awful lot of wi-fi in towns these days, my dear. You can turn off the automatic sync setting if you choose to though."
Touko took out her Pokédex and frowned down at it.
"You can worry about your teenage-required privacy later, Fluff Head. Take your lunch before you forget. You need your strength."
"Thanks," Touko said again as she took the sack. She decided she could ignore her mother's supposed pet-name for the time being, though it had bothered her since she stopped being five. She looked over her shoulder at the route ahead. She was grateful and all, but she was already a little behind…
"I know. Don't let me keep you. I did what I wanted to, now you can run off. You don't have to feel obliged to give me a hug either. I know it's embarrassing in public."
"Sorry, I just…"
"I understand," her mom said, and from the smile on her face, Touko could tell she meant it. After all, she'd been in the same position before.
Then without notice, Mrs. White started running back to the gate and called back over her shoulder, "Now, goodbye dear! You're in my thoughts and all of that wonderful motherly stuff! You too, Smugleaf!" And just as quickly as her mother had appeared, she was gone, back beyond the gate.
"Bye…" Touko said into the empty air. She looked down at Snivy, who seemed to have a bit of confusion over "Smugleaf" but with him it was hard to tell. "How did I not know she was a Trainer? She's a bit too excessively…her to have waited at home."
Recovered from the surprising encounter with her mother, Touko was now able to be positively gleeful over her new present. She put on the shoes. She jumped around and a bit, ran back and forth. They're so light she thought excitedly.
Her boots were now stored in her bag for future use. Now, ready to start over, she turned to Snivy once again and pumped her fist in the air. "Alright, now I'm psyched up. I could run all the way to Nimbasa City like this! What do you say, Snivy?"
Of course, Snivy didn't answer, but the fact that someone spoke at all certainly threw her off.
"I thought you couldn't hear Pokémon…"
She turned around to face yet more suddenly appearing company. It was the strange boy she'd met in Accumula. Sheesh, is he learning tricks from his Purrloin? I didn't hear him at all…
"O-oh. Hi…" she greeted in a small voice. "…N, right?"
"Your Pokémon is out of his Poké Ball," he observed without answering the question, looking at Snivy rather than her.
"Well…I figured he might get lonely…you know?" Then because she heard Cheren in her mind telling her that Pokémon were quite happy in their Poké Balls, she said more honestly, "Or at least I was lonely without him."
"And you were talking to him."
Touko laughed quite uneasily, hoping to cover up her embarrassment and knowing she was failing. "Yeah…I mean I can't understand what he might say back…like, mostly, anyway…but I can still talk to him. He's actually a pretty good listener…"
N was silent, instead he crouched down to Snivy's level and looked intently at the Pokémon. Snivy made a few little growls and then N frowned for some reason.
It occurred to Touko that perhaps he was listening to Snivy, though she had her doubts. She wondered if it was rude to ask about it, not really knowing the Pokémon speaking protocols. "Um…c-can you really hear Pokémon?"
"Yes…no one seems to believe me since I started my journey…" N explained easily, not finding it too rude a question apparently. Until he continued, "All of you are really strange."
Touko almost smiled at that. It was quite the odd statement considering the source. Rather than be offended, it sort of relaxed her. She crouched down beside N and Snivy as well. "Yeah, maybe…But that's cool. I wish I could understand Pokémon."
N's face darkened. "I'm sure it would make battling easier."
"No, not for that," Touko said waving the suggestion off. "I just think it would be nice. To really know what my Pokémon are thinking. Then I could help them out with any of their troubles like Snivy's done for me."
The tension in N's face cleared up a bit at that and he turned to her. "Do you really think that?"
"Of course, why wouldn't I? Battling isn't everything and my Pokémon are like my best friends." She laughed a little to herself. "I guess I have five best friends now then."
N turned back to Snivy and looked thoughtful as he watched the Grass-type Pokémon. It was like he was trying to figure something out.
Touko in turn watched N for a while. He was the something Touko was having trouble figuring out. He'd made her a bit nervous when they first met, but now he seemed quite harmless. Especially since he wasn't hovering over her while they were both so close to the ground. As if Touko didn't have enough problem with strangers, the world had to throw tall strangers at her.
"Speaking of battles, you rushed off earlier and I didn't get the chance to say thanks," Touko said conversationally, a test to figure out the man before her. "It was a fun fight. I think for Snivy, too."
"Why do you think that?"
"I don't know. A feeling…maybe? Well, I guess you could tell me for sure."
N narrowed his eyes and when he spoke, it wasn't to tell her what Snivy might be thinking. "…Pokémon battles hurt Pokémon. Someday, you'll lose a battle and then will you be sorry?"
Touko frowned; that hadn't been the sort of friendly response she wanted. "That's not—"
But Snivy's disagreement beat Touko's to the finish-line and put a pretty firm stop to her current track of thinking. This is because Snivy's disagreement was accomplished by swatting out at N with a vine.
"S-Snivy!" Touko exclaimed in shock and quickly gathered her companion in her arms, away from N.
It was quickly apparent that Snivy at least held back and only aimed at N's hand. However, there was a red mark visible, so he had been seeking to harm. Even ignoring that, a Pokémon was far more powerful than any human and just the thought was frightening enough. The fact that Snivy was supposed to be a trained Pokémon and was acting without Touko's order was even more so.
"I'm so sorry," she apologized as emphatically as she could manage with her nerves. Right now it felt like her face would be completely red with her shame.
However, N didn't respond, appearing more puzzled than anything as he looked at his hand.
When it seemed she wasn't going to get an acceptance for her apology, really she didn't blame him, she at least tried to venture out again with her sincere concern. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. He wasn't actually trying to hurt me. He was just making his point."
"What point?"
"…I don't know. He won't say."
Then don't act like you do. But she kept her mouth shut, still well aware of her fault.
However, Snivy didn't show any more signs of agitation so she set him down on the ground so she could look him in the eye. "Snivy, you can't do that. Humans are so weak compared to even a little one like you. Do you remember my room? I certainly can't do that!"
Snivy sat down and looked at the ground like a child being scolded. There was a tug in Touko's chest that reminded her of her mother's excuse for not telling Touko about the past. At the very least, it made her respect her mother a lot more for being the strict one.
"You shouldn't punish him."
Touko turned back to N, confusion in her face. "Well, I wouldn't punish him, but…"
"He was just trying to protect you. For whatever reason."
At this, Touko frowned. "Well, that's silly. You weren't doing anything."
"I'm an opponent, though. Wouldn't that be enough?"
"That's not how Pokémon battles work. They're supposed to be fun. Snivy wouldn't be mad about that. Especially since he won, he seems to really like that…"
"Our Pokémon hurt each other and you think that there's nothing bad to come from it? Just because your Pokémon won?"
Touko sighed in exasperation at this latest comment. "Sheesh, maybe that's why Snivy did it. Because we had a battle and you're treating it like it was a bad thing. You shouldn't be that kind of loser. I really do want to battle you again."
N glanced at her quickly and looked at Snivy once more; Snivy made a very obvious display of pretending not to notice. N frowned once more before standing up. "Maybe. I'll need more Pokémon first."
That was better. Touko brightened as she stood up as well. "Then it's an almost-plan! But don't forget to train your Purrloin too!"
"…I'll see you down the road," N said, then immediately walked away.
"Oh, bye then…" Touko replied quickly, unsure of what to make of the quick departure.
Unlike her mother, N went forward to Striaton City. It seemed the two trainers were on the same path.
Still strange… she thought as she watched his figure disappear over a hill. But without the lurking shadow of Plasma, he really was harmless.
She looked down at Snivy, who was already looking more chipper, seemingly well aware that Touko was a pushover when it came to this sort of thing and he was safely out of trouble. Since Snivy's victim disapproved of her scolding him, she couldn't really bring herself to prove Snivy wrong either. If she could have anyway.
So, with a resigned sigh, she sat down on a grassy hill with Snivy to eat the lunch (though now it was breakfast) her mom gave her so they could make peace. She let out her other two Pokemon and had just as pleasant a picnic as she might have had with her friends. But she was quite sure Cheren didn't look as cute as Patrat while nibbling on cheese. Bianca, maybe.
When they were done, Patrat and Lillipup went back into their Poké Balls. She wanted to have them all out for company, but she could tell a group was a lot more difficult to keep track of than just Snivy.
As she walked, her worries over how to approach another Trainer started again. Until worries over the fact that she hadn't seen another Trainer took over about a mile down the road.
After more than twenty minutes without seeing another single human being since N, she was getting ready to give up, sit in the middle of the road, and wait for someone to come to her when a voice called out, "I caught your eye! You have to battle me!"
Touko hadn't seen anyone, so she wasn't quite sure how he caught her eye; but she didn't particularly care about the lie since it gave her a battle at last! She whipped around to face her opponent, shyness instantly forgotten for the heat of a battle.
"Awesome! I'll—" She stopped short and frowned. "Oh, wait…you're a kid. I don't battle kids."
"Don't call me a kid!" the kid shouted back a bit louder than necessary. "I'll make you regret it!"
"Hmm…well, I guess I can make an exception for a bratty kid…" She shrugged and motioned for Snivy.
The kid sent out a Patrat. It seemed a little stronger than her own, but it still didn't put up much of a fight against Snivy. And that was his only Pokémon too…
"What? You're too strong!" the kid complained as he handed over a small sum of money. She'd insisted on the bare minimum, since bratty kids were still just kids.
Or you're too young… she thought wryly as she watched him head back toward town to heal his Pokémon.
She looked up at the sky and murmured, "That's four for four now I guess? Maybe that's my lucky number today." Then looked down to her Snivy. "Think you're good to go for a while longer? We'll make some more cash and then go back into town to get ready to make the full trip."
Snivy let out his adorable cry to signify a yes. Probably. Now that she knew it might exist, Touko was realizing the ability to understand Pokémon really would be quite useful. Especially with Snivy.
"Alright, but you should probably rest for a while so Lillipup and Patrat get their chance…" She pulled out Snivy's Poké ball, but when he caught sight of the ball, his eyes narrowed. Easy enough to understand.
She crouched down to Snivy's level again. "You know, you're my first, but I have other Pokémon, too," she lectured with a good-natured smile.
Snivy plopped onto the ground. Touko took it as a display of his displeasure and a refusal.
Why? The smile fell off of her face as she looked at her sulking Pokémon.
"Do you…not like your Poké ball?" she asked, afraid of the answer. An answer that Snivy really couldn't give, as he only looked up at her.
Then, he abruptly stood up and pressed the button on his Poké Ball with his tail, entering it without further complaint.
Touko wished she knew how to understand that. Was that his answer? Saying he was just fine by entering it. Or was he just giving in? Because she was a Trainer and he was her Pokémon.
It wasn't fair that Team Plasma had colored all of her thoughts. What could have been a rather mild sigh-inducing act when she started now filled her with doubt. Perhaps, she could just shove aside Team Plasma's rhetoric, but with Snivy's shocking act earlier with N…she was beginning to doubt her worth as a trainer.
However. She was a trainer, so she had to do her best for the moment. And that meant training different Pokémon. So, she took out Lillipup's Poké ball and released him, gaining a rather happy bark in return. He quickly ran off to do some laps around her, getting rid of the extra energy he always seemed to exude. She smiled as she watched him, at least knowing that Lillipup was happy for the moment.
She'd just have to keep trying to make all of them happy as best as she could.
At long last, Lillipup came to an abrupt stop in front of her, looking up at her expectantly. Always one to meet, if not exceed, expectations, Touko crouched down to pet her first caught Pokémon. "Nice to really meet you one-on-one 'pup," she told him, and he gave another cute bark in return.
Now with Lillipup by her side she headed down the road, meeting another for a battle before too long. After which point she switched again to Patrat to make things entirely fair.
When it was Snivy's turn again, he didn't seem to be particularly bothered by the incident, but with Touko's lingering doubts on the matter, she couldn't be sure. He certainly didn't cause a fuss when it was time to cycle through again.
Neither Patrat or Lillipup were as strong as Snivy, but that was all the more reason for why she had to do it and she hoped it was something Snivy understood. But just a mile down the road, she'd fought four different people, making her newest lucky number a nice, traditional seven. Plus, she'd collected a rather nice sum of money, but even more importantly, Patrat and Lillipup were making progress. A couple of fights against wild Pokémon when they had to venture through the grass helped there as well.
Lillipup even helped her catch a Purrloin.
Well…to be honest, that part was entirely unplanned. Touko would have left the poor thing alone since it was leaving her alone, but Lillipup had other ideas. Once he saw Purrloin, he took off chasing after her before Touko even knew what was happening. So, that catch was a lot more due to Lillipup than Touko.
"Honestly…" Touko sighed in exasperation as she walked down the route, Lillipup trotting by her side as she held Purrloin in her arms. "It's like you guys are just messing with me on purpose."
As they got farther from town, Touko met less and less people. Around late morning she was starting to figure that she wouldn't see another person until the next day when she got closer to Striaton.
That was when she had the pleasure of seeing Bianca fall right out of the grass into her pathway.
"…Bianca? Shouldn't you be in Striaton City by now?" Touko asked, perhaps less startled than she should have been. Then again, she was certain she could recall a similar situation from just a month ago.
"Oh, hi Touko," Bianca replied, lifting her dust-covered face so she could smile at her friend.
Touko returned the smile with a shake of her head and helped pick her friend up off the ground. Bianca immediately pulled out a handkerchief to wipe off her face, always prepared for these sorts of situations.
Now, with a clean face, Bianca smiled a bit sheepishly. "I got a little lost."
"What about the town map from my mom?"
"I forgot about it for a while…and then it got dark and it didn't do me a lot of good if I couldn't see too well…"
"You should have called me."
"Well, yeah, but…" Bianca trailed off and lowered her gaze.
Touko smiled in understanding. She still wanted to prove herself. But Touko had no such hang-ups, just glad to have her friend with her. She threw her arm around her friend. "Well, now we can travel together. I'm glad you got lost."
Bianca laughed. "Thank you…I guess?"
"You're quite welcome," Touko replied with a laugh of her own.
It was a little emptier without the full trio, but traveling with Bianca was a lot more fun. She loved her Pokémon dearly, but they weren't a replacement for her friends. Plus, all of their Pokémon seemed to get along quite well. Though, Bianca's Lillipup didn't seem to pay any attention to Purrloin at all and was actually quite a sweetheart.
Touko's, on the other hand, had tried to chase Purrloin again when they set up camp for the night. She sent Lillipup into his Poké Ball, which he didn't seem to mind in the slightest when she met him again the next morning.
How could such a cheerful Pokémon get so aggressive with just one Pokémon? Harmless, lazy Purrloin. Actually, Purrloin was a bit difficult, too. When Touko asked her to help fight off a wild Pokémon, Purrloin proceeded to roll around in some warm grass.
Two more things Touko was going to have to investigate about her Pokémon. So far Patrat was the only one that was trouble-free.
"Don't worry. Your Pokémon are spirited!" Bianca comforted her brightly the next day after an incident involving Lillipup chasing shadows until he ran head first into a tree. And then she was quite sure Snivy snickered.
But somehow, they all made it to Striaton City late in the morning and immediately headed for the Poké Center. Touko was down to just one potion and Bianca's stress by the end of the route indicated she was in a similar situation. Luckily, the wild Pokémon didn't seem to be too rambunctious, unlike certain others, and they got their safely without further injury to any of the Pokémon.
"I wonder if Cheren is still in town, or if he already won and left…" she murmured as they wandered the town. She thought about looking for him, but then the gym caught her eye.
Cheren had a good head start. If he had already beaten the gym, he'd get further ahead while she looked for him, but if he hadn't, she'd be able to get ahead of him.
Touko wasn't a vindictive person. It's only natural to enjoy a little friendly competition between friends. And my record on that front is pretty good so far, no point in wrecking it!
Bianca caught the competitive gleam in Touko's eye and laughed uneasily. "I'm not ready for the Gym yet…so I think I'll go back and train some more."
Touko nodded absently, eyes still on the Gym. Though she at least waved politely when Bianca left, before she darted for her target…
…Only to be informed by a man at the door that the gym leader wasn't there. He just might be in the training school at that time of day.
She sulked her way down the stairs. Well, maybe that means Cheren hasn't been able to go to the gym yet either. Plus a training school sounds like a good place to find Cheren if he's still in town too.
Sure enough, right in the first classroom, she found Cheren. "Oh, Touko, you finally made it," he greeted her, and it took a bit of will not to immediately walk right out. She'd settle it in a battle later. "Have you come looking for the Gym Leader?"
"Yeah. Are you here for the same?" she asked, trying to figure where he was on his journey.
"Well, and to hear the lecture. He was here talking about Pokémon types until just a few moments ago…Maybe you walked right past him?"
She frowned. He didn't seem to be mocking her, but it was Cheren, so his usual tone was enough to irk her.
"By the way, will you have a battle with me?"
Whether Cheren was being a jerk or not, this was a good way to make her feel better. "Thought you'd never ask."
"I want to test how important items are in battles," he explained as he pulled out a Poké Ball.
"Cool, just for the record my softball team won the league championship when I was 8."
"What does that mean? Wasn't your league just Accumula and Nuvema anyway?"
"Are we doing this or what?"
Cheren started right off with Tepig. Good thing I didn't choose Snivy. She wondered if he had expected her to. "Lillipup, Bite!"
Again, Touko tried to go with straightforward attack, but this was Cheren. And their Pokémon were stronger now, there was more to take into account. It had been going well until Tepig was healed. Then all those tail whips became a real problem.
But Lillipup's bites hit the right place and kept Tepig from attacking back twice. Rather than skill, Touko figured that this victory was owed to a bit of luck. Either that or Lillipup's slightly disconcerting love for biting things.
Cheren switched to his Purrloin and she immediately took the chance to switch to Snivy. Who knows what Lillipup would be like around another purrloin? Snivy was all business and Touko didn't even have to finish her commands before he would follow through. He was able to take his foe out by just attacking with his superior speed and only received minimal injuries.
Snivy sure was something. He knew it too, by the satisfied look on his face.
When it was over, she took a deep breath; somehow she'd started breathing quickly as if she'd been the one fighting. "That one was tough!" she shouted in excitement. "Seems like our starter Pokémon are our toughest."
"Yes, well that makes sense. We've had them the longest and have been training them longest."
"By a day, maybe…" Touko replied with a frown.
"Plus," Cheren continued emphatically. "Professor Juniper is quite impressive, so naturally she would give us good Pokémon."
"Hmm…I think it's more like a special connection, right Snivy?" Snivy gave her a confident little nod of agreement and then glanced at Cheren with smug disdain, causing Cheren to frown and Touko to laugh.
"Come on, let's get you healed up," she offered to get Snivy away before he could pick any more unforeseen fights for her. She started out, but stopped to look back at Cheren. "Coming?"
"Yeah…just in a minute. I have more studying to do."
Touko shrugged and walked out by herself. She had a gym leader to track down and a badge to win. She'd done enough studying at home. Though, really, Cheren had too…
What is his deal? Hurrying off one moment, loitering around the next…
She decided to let the matter fall into the pile of mysteries even best friends couldn't quite figure out. Like the way Bianca could manage to fall flat on her face every week and never once break anything.
When she got back to the gym, a different person was standing on the stairs. Before she could even say anything, he spoke up. "Yes? Yes, I am a Gym Leader of this town. You are…?"
"Touko White, I'm a Pokémon—"
"Trainer. Right. You want to challenge the Gym. In that case…What was the first Pokémon you chose?"
She glanced down at Snivy beside her. "Uh…"
"Snivy…I see. It's weak against Fire-type Pokémon. I think you need to prepare to face that type."
"Well, I have three other Pokémon…"
He looked thoughtful for a few minutes, really watching Touko. She just watched him uncertainly, uncomfortable at the attention.
"Try training your Pokémon in the Dreamyard. Now, please excuse me." And just like that, the unknown Gym Leader left, going back into the Gym.
She stood speechless on the stairs for a few moments. Then she kicked the railing. "But I'm ready now!"
Touko sighed. If the Gym Leader wanted her to train more, what else could she do? He was the Gym Leader. She stopped someone for directions and found the pathway out of town that led to a very dark forest.
"Well, that's not at all ominous…" she grumbled as she started walking through the woods.
It was a short walk before she found herself on the other side, presenting quite a different picture: A clearing in the woods with the late afternoon sun streaming through the tree branches. It would have been a shame about that old looking building, but even that added to the certain feel of the place. Objectively, it wasn't that impressive, but there was a certain fog in the air that seemed to give it a magical quality.
Touko sighed in contentment. Places like this were reason enough to go on this journey. Dreamyard was the perfect name.
Unfortunately, the moment was ruined by another girl immediately running at her from nowhere and asking for a battle. And then another trainer. And some more. By the time Touko was through, she hadn't the slightest idea what her lucky number might be.
"Maybe I should just default back to three," she mumbled as she walked through the yard. She did enjoy battles; they still got her all worked up, even against kids who didn't know better. She just wanted one peaceful moment with her Pokémon.
Which was silly, because she had a badge to win. But since the light peeking through the trees was getting dimmer and dimmer, there didn't seem to be much chance of that happening tonight.
She stretched and yawned after her last fight. Her Pokémon looked a little stronger, so it really wasn't a waste. She was getting anxious for no reason; impatient, like Cheren. It wasn't like she was less of a good Trainer if she went a little slower than him. Wasn't there a moral about that? "Slow and steady…"
"What do you say we turn in Snivy?" She looked down at her partner. He, in particular, had shone in every fight. He was getting so strong. The others still got hurt a lot more, but Snivy made it through the entire trip without a single healing; though he was looking a bit tired at the moment.
I need to get some more potions or trips like these in the future could get a lot tougher. I can't take my Pokémon for granted. I need to watch my money for that though…
She picked up Snivy and started to go back the way she came. "I wonder if Bianca and Cheren want to split the cost for dinner…"
Then she was stopped by another girl. "Hey! What was your first Pokémon?" She was looking particularly anxious.
She turned around with a weak smile. "Sorry, my Pokémon are pretty tired, a battle would probably be a bad idea."
"I don't want to battle. Just let me know what your first Pokémon was."
This seemed utterly suspicious even more so in the dusk. "Snivy…?" she replied motioning to her Pokémon.
"A grass-type! That doesn't do well against fire-type, so Panpour could be a big help!"
"P-probably…"
"Say, do you want this Panpour of mine?"
"I'm sorry, what?"
"My Panpour! Would you like him?"
Touko frowned and put her hands on her hips. "Why don't you want him anymore?"
"Well, I don't really need Panpour anymore. You look like you could use him a lot more. Especially at this gym," the girl answered with a carefree smile.
That's right, I'm supposed to be fighting against Fire-type, all I've been able to do is train my normal Pokémon since I at least know they're not weak against fire, but…Panpour really would be a help…
"You don't even know me!" she blurted out, all other reasoning irrelevant.
"So?" The girl tilted her head and looked honestly confused.
Touko narrowed her eyes. Never had she met someone so careless, so absolutely frivolous. And over the life of their Pokémon. "Yes, I'll take Panpour," she finally agreed. It's better than you having him.
"Ok. Here you go!" And the girl handed over a worn Poké Ball. "You're really helping me out. My mom says I can only take care of one Pokémon while I live in her house. But my friend just said a breeder came into town with a bunch of baby Meowths and I'm just dying to get one. So exotic!"
Touko said nothing in response, only deepening her glare focused on the oblivious girl.
The girl finally seemed to catch the chill sent her way and looked a bit uneasy when she said, "Thanks again. Toodles," and scurried off quite quickly.
Touko looked at the ball in her hand and couldn't help but think of Team Plasma. If they each knew people like the one she'd just met, perhaps their thinking wasn't entirely unreasonable. She wanted to believe in people, but what were the odds that she'd encounter one of the few like that so early in her journey?
Surely there were more…even worse people…
She shook her head. Cheren, Bianca, and her all still outnumbered that one girl. She was being stupid.
But still, she'd seen it happen and now she knew that it was out there…
"This is wrong," she muttered as she kneeled. She set down Snivy beside her and exchanged an uneasy look with him. Then she put the Poké Ball on the ground in front of her, releasing the Pokémon gently.
She smiled at Panpour. It was really quite a cute Pokémon. At first he smiled back, but then looked around for its previous owner.
Touko felt like her heart was being squeezed, but she tried to still smile and look welcoming. She'd heard stories about Pokémon who didn't take to new Trainers, especially weak ones. And without even a single gym badge, Touko must have been as weak as they came.
She took a deep breath.
"Hi, Panpour," she spoke, trying to sound stronger than she felt. "I…I guess I'm your new owner. I hope we can get along from now on…and that you'll lend me your strength."
She stretched out a hand to the Panpour, who only looked at it. Even if she couldn't understand Pokémon, she hoped that they could at least understand her somewhat. It felt that way with Snivy. But as the time stretched on, she started to doubt it.
Or maybe Panpour understood perfectly…and he just didn't want her…
Then, after what felt like hours, Panpour looked uncertainly at Snivy. The grass-type Pokémon feigned some disinterest, but when Panpour made a noise to get his attention, Snivy answered in a few adamant growls that Touko hoped were point in her favor.
Panpour turned back to Touko and put his paw in her hand.
A wide smile burst onto Touko's face and she picked him up, hugging her newest Pokémon in her arms. Then, because she knew Snivy had been responsible somehow, she scooped him up as well. This time he didn't even pretend to be annoyed.
She met both of their now smiling faces with one of her own. "Let's go show off the newest addition to our family."
XWXWXWXWX
Touko called her friends up on the Xtransceiver rather than wandering around the city searching for them, it was too late for that and she didn't feel much like sight-seeing anyway. The gym and school seemed to be the only big draws in Striaton.
She waited outside the Poké Center, still holding Panpour. Snivy had eventually gotten tired of being carried—after all he was a strong Pokémon—and had retaken his usual place by her side. Panpour, however, with all he'd been through, was quite fine with being pampered at the moment and was particularly happy that Touko found a certain spot behind his ears.
Cheren arrived first, once again with his own Tepig out and about. Touko really wanted to say something about that, but decided against it for the moment. If she was going to be confined to the same room as him, it would be best if he was in a good mood for as long as possible. Even if it was a large room in the Poké Center that could handle ten trainers at a time.
Just as Cheren was about to get huffy about waiting for Bianca, the girl came trotting down the street, Oshawott by her side as well.
"I brought dinner!" Bianca declared, holding up the always-recognizable pizza box.
"Well, that more than makes up for any wait," Touko said for Cheren and greeted her friend happily.
They had to negotiate the pizza into the boarding room by promising to absolutely clean up any mess they made to the nurse, but they got in just fine in the end. Then after some quick introductions to Touko's newest Pokémon, they sat down, all too happy to eat a good, hot meal after the long day.
"I'm going to do some training first thing in the morning on Route 2," Touko informed her friends in between bites.
"I thought you were looking for the gym leader earlier. Did you lose?" Cheren asked.
"Nah, but because I got Panpour, I think I shouldn't just throw him into a Gym Battle first. I don't even know if his previous owner ever let him get ay exercise! I got the feeling she used him as housepet."
"Really? Panpour is a poor choice for that. They're really most useful to a trainer, specifically in use against fire-types. In the wild, they're pretty rambunctious so I can't imagine keeping on locked up in a house."
"I know, right? That's the excuse she used for handing him off to me. She even asked the exact same question as the gym leader. You have to wonder how many other people she asked too," Touko complained. She probably could have gone on all day about that girl, but she continued with the original topic, "So, I want to get a feeling for Panpour. Snivy and Lillipup seem to be in fairly decent shape, but Patrat and Purrloin are a little bit behind. Especially Purrloin. I'll try to get to the gym in the afternoon after we get some rest."
"How many Pokémon do you have now? Just those five or are there more?"
Touko froze. She had five Pokémon. She could only carry one more. Then she'd have to start using the storage system.
"Looks like you might be doing the best on your Pokédex so far. How many do you have Bianca?"
Unlike Cheren, Bianca knew a little about Touko's plan to take the Pokémon catching slowly.
"I want to catch all of the Pokémon in the world! Wouldn't that be fun?" Bianca had said.
"Maybe. I dunno. I just want to catch them one at a time and really get to know them. That way, I won't ever forget them."
So now, over the dinner table, Bianca asked as delicately as she could, "Didn't you want to try and be slower than that, Touko?"
"I did—I mean I didn't mean to. Just…" Touko stopped and went through each Pokémon in her mind: Snivy came from Professor Juniper; then she'd gotten caught up in the competition where she caught both Lillipup and Patrat; Purrloin was from Route 2, after Lillipup had started the fight Touko just couldn't leave her behind hurt afterward; And, of course, there was poor Panpour…
She wouldn't change a single thing or give up any of her dear companions. Just the same, Touko was utterly disappointed in herself. So much for a young Trainer's ideals.
Cheren seemed to catch on somewhat. "It shouldn't be a problem, Touko. You're allowed almost unlimited space to store your Pokémon."
"Cheren," Bianca scolded him immediately, "Touko knows that. Professor Juniper showed us the whole system. It's not that."
"Then what is it?"
"I just didn't want my Pokémon to have to sit in storage. The Poké Balls already must be lonely enough…" Touko explained, eyes on the table.
"But Pokémon are perfectly happy in Poké Balls. You sound like Team Plasma," Cheren informed her callously.
She thought of Panpour again and how she had…for just a moment…She stood up from the table, a fierce look on her face. "I do not! Just because I'd miss my Pokémon doesn't mean I want to 'be free' or whatever nonsense! What sense does that make?"
"You didn't say that. You said they would be lonely."
"Maybe I'm worried about them missing me then."
Bianca gave Cheren a warning look, but he continued anyway, "It's still not what you said," earning him a kick beneath the table. He shot a glare back in her direction, but Bianca just looked away, whistling innocently.
Usually, Touko would find this funny, but she stood there glaring at Cheren. Something about him seemed to be setting her off, just like earlier in the school. Since Accumula Town.
Maybe he was just worried and showing it in his unique way, but she couldn't take it right now. Not when he went running off at the first opportunity. He wasn't allowed to worry about her after she'd already been left to deal with things on her own. Hadn't he and Bianca waited for her? Did he think another year went by and she was just magically fine?
Maybe she wasn't being fair. Bianca had left too. But when Touko glanced at her friend and earned a smile in return, she couldn't even try to be mad. Bianca had her family issues; she was trying to prove herself. What excuse did Cheren have?
Somewhere, Touko knew she wasn't being fair. How could she be mad at Cheren for something he didn't even realize he was doing?
But at the moment, she didn't really care.
"I'm going to bed," she informed them and headed for the bed in the farthest corner.
"But you didn't even finish your dinner," Bianca reminded her. "Or brush your teeth. Or…"
"I'll just do it in the morning," Touko replied irritably and she stuffed herself as angrily as she could manage underneath the covers.
So, Touko laid in the completely lit room at 8pm, which hadn't been anyone's bedtime since kindergarten. However, this was the only way to get some solitude after she finally got to spend time with her friends. What a great thing that turned out to be.
Her friends ate the rest of dinner in almost complete silence and prepared for bed after as well. Even though it was way too early for everyone.
Touko had been waiting for a fight to erupt between Bianca and Cheren all this time…who would have thought that she'd be the one to screw things up?
At least Touko was certain she was the one feeling the worst about the situation, staying up long past her friends, just staring at the ceiling.
Only to Striaton City and already nothing was working out the way she wanted.
Author's Note: This chapter got so out of control with last-minute changes. I had to add some things for better development, which explains why it's late, but gosh. This just proves the need for a schedule-change I'm about to explain. It was pointed out to me that because my chapters are so long, such frequent updates aren't really to anyone's benefit. The schedule has now been changed to a five-day cycle instead of the rigid Tuesday/Friday setup. I am adding the schedule to the info included at the top of each chapter.
Now, I want to say something important to my readers. I'm talking about reviews, but don't anyone take this as a plea or a guilt-trip. I am not entitled to anything just because you read my story. I put it out there with no expectations, what I've gotten back is already wonderful.
What I want to say is I treasure each reader and reviewer and if anyone has any advice or criticism I will gladly accept it. I may not always follow it, but I will certainly take it into consideration and be grateful for it.
The reason I mention this is because I had an upsetting encounter with a writer when I posted a review. I've always been shy about reviewing. I never feel like I can give the comprehensive review I know a writer deserves. I know I would hate it if this stopped anyone from reviewing me and how much a review can mean, so I've been trying to get past it.
I also know that not everyone likes criticism, a new writer can be very sensitive, and so I try to be respectful of that. Perhaps I was a bit abrupt in this review, offering too little praise in ratio to my criticism; the writer certainly thought I was insulting them, which I'm very sorry for. However, the response I got was a rant in how my criticism was entirely unfounded and they ultimately brushed off my criticism by saying, "there are far worse." I don't understand that. Explaining your disagreement sure, but how can you just shoot a reader down like that? It seemed to be a misunderstanding, but the attitude expressed just ruined the story for me.
That's why I want people to know, if anyone has ever gotten a response like that, please know that I won't do that to you. I will always give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you're trying to be helpful. I know that criticism is not an insult. You're putting in the effort to help me and that means very much. I wouldn't dare complain about that.