EDIT FEB. 21. 2009 : This is a slightly revised Chapter 5. The original Author Notes have been replaced with this. Fixed Route 203 to Route 202, because I was apparently on crack when I wrote this the first time. STILL LOOKING FOR A BETA, AND OTHER THINGS. SO. YES. Read and Review, yes, I'll love your for an eternity.
Disclaimer: Do. Not. Own. Pokemon. Mild language. Characters, however, belong to me unless otherwise stated.
For all of his misgivings about leaving his home and all of his dislike of Dominic and his arrogant, self-important manner, Abe found himself waiting by the gate that lay beyond the boundary of his yard. There was still mist clinging persistently to the grass, dew sprinkled liberally across the parched blades and the scent of morning was thick in the air. The sun had yet to leave blazing footprints in the sky and nestled snugly against the horizon, as if afraid to tear itself away from the land and enter its domain high above the hills and trees. Light came in shy, timid streams, touching here and there, illuminating at first only the stones brave enough to withstand the warmth of the morning, but things had begun to stir and step into the light of dawn, awakening for the first time that day and letting life slowly flow into them from above. There was a soft, whistling breeze that rustled the bright green leaves overhead; it wasn't the dry, cackling hiss of autumn laughter, but instead a husky, lively tune whistled by summer's vitality and power. A green sound where there had only been the silent creaking of nighttime took up all of the mystery of the twinkling stars and replaced with it with the pale gold and red of sunrise, ushering in the day. Shadow lurked nearby, knowing that its time was limited and that soon it would be banished to the swaying trees of the forest and the lengths of fence posts, and slunk to and fro as its realm slowly gave way to the light. Everything, eventually, gave way to light. It was as inevitable as sunrise that things born of shadow would die in the day and things born of the light would shrink in fear of the night, even with the moon casting a protective, silver aura as far as she possibly could. However, Abe's mood did not shiver in fear of the light even though it was born of dark thoughts and barely tempered anger. It sizzled and hissed, popped and splattered, leaving scars along the smooth, previously unblemished surface of his mind. Dominic made him see read, all right. Among other things.
Abe bit his bottom lip in anticipation for Dominic's emergence from the house, feeling needles of impatience digging sharp against into his control. The pain blazed bright red radiated out from his head down through the rest of his body, sticking and poking and prodding, insistent reminders that Dominic was still not here. They had not decided on any particular time–Abe hadn't even agreed to going–so he knew that he honestly had no claim to the growing iritation he felt, but he held on to it stubbornly, fending off the nervousness that threatened to overtake him. Nervous? For what? It was not as if he needed Dominic to help him; he was fully capable of striking out on his own and not getting himself killed. But there were little, snickering thoughts at the back of his mind, hissing dark things in his ears and tormenting him with images of the past. Like the time he'd almost gotten himself killed by angering a Girafarig at the petting zoo that his class had visited when he was six. The Pokémon had reared back when Abe had, in an effort to show the other kids that he didn't need friends, pulled on the dark brown hairs in its hind legs. Front legs flailing angrily in the air, the Girafarig had belted out a screech and slammed them down, into the ground before raising it's hind legs to kick, fierce and hard, at whatever disturbance it had sensed there. Only the quick intervention of a teacher, pulling Abe aside, had saved his life. He'd been barred from any direct handling of Pokémon without careful supervision for five years after that incident and it had not been that much of a jump in logic to assume that any situations involving Abe and wild Pokémon were disasters waiting to happen, to be avoided at all costs. It hurt, carrying around the reputation as the worst trainer in the history of his school , which is exactly why he had wanted something a lot more... well, dangerous than a Poliwag to start out with. And why he had wanted to go it alone! He didn't need help, he didn't.
The creaking of the gate drew Abe's attention over his shoulder, his face glacial and expressionless, but his eyes alive and shimmering with ill-concealed emotion. His body was leaning against the slats that ran from post to post in a section just a foot away from the gate, off to the left, so it was hardly a stretch for him to look that way. The hard thing was contriving to look bored and disinterested, as if his being here was but a trick of fate. A lie. He'd woken up especially early just so he could pack without drawing any knowing smiles and condescension, but he didn't want anyone to know that. Which had been the point. It was a matter of pride, always a matter of pride. Damnable or no, pride was all that Abe had left in the world, all that he'd ever really had. But Dominic... Dominic seemed to find it funny to wittle it away like a sharp knife on wood, grating and precise. Abe didn't much appreciate it, at all, to have his carefully constructed mask be destroyed by the clumsy hands of an interloper. The creaking gate thumped closed and Dominic, as if conjured up by Abe's thoughts, stood there with his hand on it, grinning. Abe could see his white, straight teeth and tan skin and he instantly wished that there was a greater distance between them. The scent of pine needles wrapped up in sea salt attacked his nose and assaulted his senses, binding them up and holding them hostage, a captive audience. His fingers twitched against the wood of the fence slats, attempting to dig into the solid structure as if that would anchor him to reality. His nails slid along it, embedding several small spines in the sensitive pink flesh beneath the hard nails, and he winced in pain.
But it worked. The pain brought him back to reality and out of the haze tan skin and numbing smiles had thrust him into. Today, Dominic wore a tee shirt, having ditched the plaid, that was a soft, pastel blue color and less destructive toward Abe's attention span. It was a close fit, not tight, but if he strained, Abe could make out lines of Dominic's shoulders and chest, but he didn't strain. The color was nice, it contrasted pleasantly with the darkness of both Dominic's skin and hair and played with the dark blue jeans the boy wore. Jeans. Abe had not worn jeans. He had instead worn shorts, dark brown and plain, and a green shirt with a Politoed, happily clapping on the front. Dominic had worn pants yesterday as well, Abe noted as he critically let his eyes wander up and down Dominic's body. Was there something that he didn't know? The small grin that Dominic sported told him that there was indeed something he was missing, but he wouldn't ask. No. Abe pulled his lips into an even thinner line and folded his arms plainly across his chest, flat-out refusing to concede. Dominic, however, appeared indifferent and simply shrugged as he let his hand fall from the bench and stuck it into his back pocket. For his credit, he wasn't being arrogant or overbearing. He wasn't even rubbing in the fact that Abe had said he'd not be coming and was here anyway. The smile seemed genuine enough to Abe. For now anyway, Abe thought with a mild scowl. It wouldn't take long before the boasting started. He was certain.
"So..." Dominic grinned, approaching Abe as one might approach a wild Pokemon, cautious and with his muscles stretched taut and ready. "You came." Abe fought back the sudden urge to roll his eyes and merely grunted, coming away from the fence as well and adjusting the straps of his backpack that didn't really need any tampering with. Dominic chuckled at the attitude Abe put on, shaking his head. It was not the first time he'd encountered Abe's stubborn, almost unpleasant demeanor and he knew that it would definitely not be the last. What baffled him was that it seemed to be almost painful for Abe to constantly put up such a defensive front. Each time they collided and butted heads, he saw pain and sorrow in Abe's eyes, a profound loneliness that made his heart ache for the kid. Kid. He sounded old and he was only three years older! But three years in a hard world like this seemed longer and aged you beyond your years. The life of the trainer wasn't an easy one and it wasn't often a fun or worthwhile one, but occasionally, you stumbled across lessons and people that really made everything fall into perspective. Suddenly, you didn't care that you were cold, broke, and dirty because you were warmed by the thrill of winning an especially tough battle or a you made a new friend that you'd have for life. Or you managed to finally break down the walls of communication and fear that separated you from your Pokémon and you formed an unbreakable bond. Cherished treasures to be kept in your heart, those moments. Chasing them really strained you emotionally and physically, but when you finally got them...
"What are you staring at?" Abe's voice, crisp and laced with the usual venom, brought Dominic around from his daydream. He hadn't even realized he'd been staring. Curiously, he blinked at Abe and then grinned again, not even bothering to answer. Since he didn't have one, why bother? Besides, he didn't want to get involved in yet another tangle with Abe; he had no desire to start out on the wrong foot, again, and if he could help it, he'd rather keep the animosity and hate dialed down a few notches. But he could feel Abe's eyes on him now, watching and waiting for the slightest slip up so he could swoop in and destroy. The intensity of the glare made the fine hairs along his forearms stand up. Why was he wound so tightly? Didn't he know how to enjoy a moment? Or life in general? Abe lived in perhaps one of the most scenic and beautiful locales Dominic had ever witnessed and here he was, glaring and snorting like an angry Tauros. Dominic just wanted to take Abe by the scruff of the neck and push his face into the green grass and force him to breathe the fresh, crisp air or to take in the beautiful, rolling hills that surrounded them. The pressing warmth of Abe's eyes, digging for an answer was soon relegated to the back of his mind as he sighed somewhat dejectedly and pulled his hands from his pockets. They had to get a move on.
"Come on, Abe." His feet hit the path and he actually expected Abe to resist, to shout something like, 'You don't tell me what to do!' Or something equally childish. But the silence left by his voice was eaten up by gravel crunching, not angry words. Frankly, Dominic was shocked. Pleased, but shocked. However, he held no illusions that he was out of the woods with his traveling companion just yet. Oh no. There was still a world and a half to go before he could even think about letting his guard down around Abe. The boy was too angry, too bitter to be trusted with something as fragile as friendship. Dominic hummed against the roof of his mouth, the world slowly crawling out of the gray of dawn toward the brightness of day. Amazing how quickly things accepted color when the sun rose. Simply amazing.
"We're going to Jubilife?" The silence had been heavy on his shoulders, pressing him into the ground, but at last he'd found the strength to speak. To voice one of the innumerable questions that had been swimming around in his head since last night. Abe didn't shrink away after he'd spoken, he'd expended too much effort in sounding civil to let the question go to waste. His tongue felt sore from the strain of holding back a torrent of angry, biting phrases, but his eyes. Boyish and wide, they belied his aggressive nature, gentle and stormy with wonder, they awaited Dominic's answer with an eagerness Abe would never admit to feeling. But he did. Pulsing and rapid in his chest; that's where his eagerness was held prisoner by his pride.
"Yeah. Is that a problem?"
"No." The word came out angry and harsh, a response to Dominic's raised brow. They had drawn level and now walked side-by-side, Dominic's shoulders drawn forward and his hands shoved into his front pockets while Abe held his backpack straps with his own wide palms curled around them. He felt so small and pale next to Dominic. His limbs felt thin and fragile next to Dominic's muscled, defined arms and legs, and Abe couldn't help but running his eyes from the boy's foot up to his hip-bone, watching the bold, confident stride of Dominic's legs. And his skin. Skin that refused the sun. Up from the hipbone, Abe stole a few glances at the red and white spheres attached to Dominic's thick belt, counting three. Three Pokemon? The sunlight refracted off of them, casting a slight glare, but that didn't bother Abe one bit and did very little to deter his imagination from trying to give shape and form to what lay inside of them. Dominic didn't seem like the type to train psychic types or water types for that matter, despite his ready defense of Poliwag. He was too cocky for that. Slowly, Abe's mind moved through the possibilities. Each, it picked up and carefully examined like rubies in the sun. Rolling it around, savoring it's feel before casting it aside like the rest. Fire. Definitely fire.
"What are you looking at?" Abe didn't miss the mocking tone in Dominic's voice and grit his teeth to cut off the defensive remark he'd been about to spout. His skin grew red with embarrassment at being caught staring and he abruptly and obviously turned his head to stare blankly ahead. There was nothing but more road, some of which was bathed in the shade of oak trees, but he kept his eyes there, focused and unmoving. He had to be careful. Very careful. Another slip up like that and Dominic might not let him off the hook. "Hey, Abe." Crap. So much for that thought. He grunted, signaling for Dominic to go on with what he was about to say. "Despite your lack of social grace, I'm actually glad you're coming along. The road gets lonely sometimes." Dominic turned a wide, bright smile on Abe and Abe's insides wriggled in discomfort. Why was he being so nice? Confusion flared in his face and Abe's mouth dropped open slightly, pouty lips telling his mood before he could stop them. Dominic didn't seem bothered by it, didn't even stop walking, but Abe's steps grew clumsy and faltering, his feet catching every stray rock or clod along the way.
"Whatever," he gasped out at last, shrugging in annoyed nonchalance once he'd regained his bearing. It only made Dominic grin broader and shake his head. Abe was combative, almost frustratingly so, but made things interesting. As far as Abe was concerned, Dominic was just a provocative goad-getter. Obnoxiously instigating in his methods, he was coarse and abrasive. He didn't like him. At all. He put a little space between their shoulders and cleared his throat, trying hard to focus on the road and not the grinning idiot walking next to him.
--
It took fifteen minutes to walk to Sandgem from Abe's house. He knew this because he'd walked almost every day of his life and his feet adeptly lead him through the town toward the other side of it. Dominic followed close behind, eyes large and childlike bits of gray-tinged blue glass that happily peered into store windows and hands rough and calloused as they waved to passers-by. He was friendly, Abe noted with no small measure of sardonic humor, but annoyingly so. There was strained politesse on the faces of those that he assaulted with his outgoing demeanor, but Abe didn't comment. He decided to let Dominic live in whatever delusional world he had doomed himself to by being so cheerful and happy. It was a far removal from the scowling Dominic or the annoyingly firm Dominic he'd encountered thus far, this happy-go-lucky individual with the mega-watt smile and teravolt grin, and Abe wasn't sure if he liked it or not. Of course he didn't, what was he thinking? This was Dominic. There could be nothing pleasant about him. There just couldn't be. Or else life, sweet, simple life, would be far too complicated. They emerged from the hustle and bustle of the small town with relatively little trouble and popped on to the Route, small blips on the map of the grand scheme of things. Beyond them stretched the road that would take them to Jubilife and then on to parts unknown. This was as far as Abe had ever come. The boundary line for his life, the one that separate his quiet little existence from the noisy outside world. He felt nervous standing there, somewhat off-balance and anxious.
"Gorgeous." Startled, Abe glanced at Dominic and then hardened his confuse gaze into a glare. "The trees... or did you think I was talking about you?" Dominic didn't even look bothered or at Abe for that matter; his voice escaped in a fluid tone that was devoid of poetic devices, but bare-bones and pure nevertheless. There was a simplistic appreciation for the landscape in Dominic's bearing, standing with his hands folded over the back of his neck and legs spread just apart. The sky was cloud-splotched blue. Vast and boundless as it stretched languidly out over them, touching the trees only at the very farthest point. The trees themselves rose in quiet protest against humanity's protest. They were stoic reminders that this was still nature's world and humans were only squatters on the land that they claimed. The path that they would be following cut through the grove of trees and was seen from the hilltop they stood upon, but it vanished at some points where the forest ate it up, only to reappear on the other side of some particular thicket. Starly and Staravia flew overhead, calling to each other and weaving stories across the sky, mingling with the clouds and staining their feathers with nascent raindrops. So calm and beautiful were the lands of Sinnoh. With gently sloping mountains topped with snow, unlike the sharp mountain peaks and deep caverns of Johto and Kanto, Sinnoh was beautiful and scenic, soothing in every way. There was a softness to the landscape that drew a pleased, content sigh from Dominic's lips.
Abe cleared his throat and abruptly began making his way down the hill, leaving Dominic to whatever fantasies he was conjuring up in his head. He didn't have to know what they were to know that they were dangerous. And wonderful. Dominic seemed like the type to have more imagination than common sense, and he'd already proven that he had an uncanny ability to ruin Abe's plans to remain cool and detached. While had indeed remained detached, he had lost his cool several times and only barely managed to hold on to it a few times in their short association. So, it was for the best that he put some distance between the two of them. As much as he could without losing the benefit of a traveling partner. Which, at the moment, he wasn't seeing. So far, he had managed to make it from his front porch to the other part of Sandgem without much trouble or hassle. They'd spoken very little and Abe felt more annoyed than anything else by Dominic. Why was he even bothering with the boy? Man? Whatever the hell Dominic was.
The rustling of bushes brought Abe's thoughts and feet to a stop. Fear. Excitement. Happiness. Dread. All of them braided tight fists around his heart and stomach, dragging both of his vital organs up through his throat and tying them together to play jump rope. Dominic was now behind him, still grinning and as usual, clueless. Abe clenched his jaw and glared at the boy, giving him a physical cue to be quiet. Maybe it was a Pokémon! Maybe. Of course it was. The weight of empty pokeballs now made its presence felt, burning against his thigh on the inside of his pockets. But for Dominic appeared to be unaffected by the bush shifting and continued forward on the beaten old dusty road. Abe stood, mouth somewhat agog. He was going to just walk by? Weren't trainers supposed to attack anything and everything that moved and reassembled a Pokémon so they could capture and train the strongest, toughest team out there? Morning sunlight illuminated golden blond locks and Abe pushed them out of his cobalt blue eyes, focusing intensely on the bush that was wiggling to and fro. It was five or six feet to the right of Dominic, who was now two or so feet in front of Abe, and his muscles all bore down, waiting for the creature to make its grand appearance.
"You coming or not?" Dominic paused and stared back at Abe, who was now twitching with excitement over something or another. He didn't get that kid. At all. One minute, he's cold and withdrawn, the next he's shivering with silent joy? Dominic's brows knit together and he stood with his arms folded boredly over his shoulder, waiting for this farce of an event to unravel. The Pokémon would reveal itself, Abe would battle it, and try to capture it. It was as plain as day what was happening and Dominic felt bored already. He'd almost forgotten how cliche traveling around as a trainer could get. Cliche meant boring and uninteresting; like watching a movie he'd seen and lived through one hundred times already. He had hoped to save Abe the trouble of the normal trials and tribulations of a boring start, but boy seemed dead-set of meeting every cliche hurdle with gusto and zeal. Rolling his eyes, he waited patiently as the rustling grew louder before the Pokemon made its much anticipated arrival.
"Abra?" Abe stood there, confused and disappointed in the meager offerings of the bush before him. The Abra didn't exactly stand, more like slouched over, and stared at him through slitted eyes, curious and attentive. Abe cast the bush a pout before he wiped the expression from his face, setting his mouth in a determined line. "Not exactly what I was thinking..." He'd wanted a Shinx or something just as tough that would evolve into a strong, powerful Luxray. But Kadabra and then Alakazam were pretty powerful. Abra would do just fine. "But oh well. This works. Don't mess this up, Poliwag!" He threw the ball into the air, Dominic frowned. Abe hadn't learned a thing. Sure, it'd only been last night when they'd had their first battle, but come on. Didn't he know a thing or a two about respect by now? His scowl only depenened when he saw Poliwag skid to a halt in front of the Abra, knowing already what Abe was going to do. "Bubble!" Poliwag flinched at Abe's sharp voice and after hesitating for a moment, it immediately began pushing the bubbles out through its mouth.
Oval-shaped and light, they left Poliwag's mouth and quickly traversed the small distance between it and Abra, pelting the yellow Pokemon and driving it back. Abra's claws dug into the grass, it's arms flailing out awkwardly for balance, a small squeak of fear emitting from it. Why was this happening? What had it done wrong? Abra's body dissolved in a white light that spirited it away, this time behind Poliwag. It was sitting now, body aching from the onslaught of the bubbles, it's armor plating vibrating from the force of the attack. After Abe closed his mouth, he stamped his foot. "Come on, Poliwag! Get a grip!" Poliwag's small body gave a shudder as it turned and moved to close in on Abra, but Abra had again vanished and reappeared behind Poliwag, arms folded and legs crossed, an intensely peeved look upon its face. It didn't know exactly what was going on here, but now it was starting to regret coming out of hiding. The possibility of food had enticed it from its nap as it had sensed the presence of strangers, but it'd been attacked and accosted. It just wanted to go home.
"Abe."
"What?" Abe whirled on Dominic, eyes flashing and nostrils flaring. He didn't have time for this. He had a Pokemon to capture.
"Abra's preparing to attack," Dominic said offhandedly, giving a shrug. Which Abe only growled in response to and turned around. He gasped. Abra's claws were extended and a dark, crackling energy was building in the space between them. Poliwag was cowering, its body shivering and eyes squeezed shut.
"Ice beam!" Abe squealed. Poliwag's eyes cracked open and it pursed its lips, letting a small burst of blue, jagged energy from its mouth. A shame that Abra chose that moment to loose the orb on them all. The two opposing forces of energy collided and richoeted off from each others, sending sparks and bolts of energy shooting off at random angles. Poliwag was struck dead-center by a dark-energy infused shard of its own ice beam and was thrown rolling along the ground toward Abe's feet. He gave it a disgusted grunt and recalled it, red beam hissing as it wrapped around Poliwag and drew it into the safety of the Pokeball. He flicked his gaze toward Abra and a smile immediately skipped across his face. It was lying there, seemingly unconscious. This was his chance. Seizing the moment, he threw an empty Pokeball at Abra and bit his bottom lip, splitting it and splashing blood over his tongue.
As the copper taste filled his mouth, the Pokeball finished shaking, signifying Abra's capture. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand and snatched it up happily, grinning at Dominic who merely shook his head and shrugged. "I suppose this means we can go?" Abe's eyes narrowed and his displeasure was evident as he tucked away his two Pokeballs. "How'd Poliwag learn Ice Beam?" He stood there, turned back toward the entrance to Route 202, but held Abe in his stare. Abe. Who shrugged and sneered as if he knew something that could set the world on its head. Dominic hated that look. There were two possibilities. Either a TM or Poliwag had come with it. Rather like how Abra had come with Shadow Ball. That such an inexperienced, vindictive person had access to such powerful attacks made his skin crawl. Abe was a danger to himself and others.
"I guess you're not the only one with tricks, huh, Dominic?" With that, he shouldered past Dominic, bumping the boy aside and stalking cockily toward Jubilife.
Dominic's lips twitched at the sides as he watched Abe saunter on ahead. "I guess not."