Chapter 2
Petalburg woods retreated into the background as Cal and Susan approached the city of Petalburg. While Petalburg was more of a suburban town than a city, it was still contained the most Humans Susan had ever seen in one place. People strolled through the streets, walking in and out of houses and shops; Trainers practiced their battle skills in the park; children ran and played in under the watchful eyes of their parents.
Susan squeezed close to Cal, trying to hide from the eyes of the Humans. Cal looked down at her hand clenched tight on the hem of his shirt and gently loosened her fingers, taking her hand into his own. "Hey, it's alright now. You don't have anything to fear from these people. You're not a wild Pokémon now."
Susan glanced in astonishment at the hand protectively holding her own, then looked up at Cal. She tried for a smile, but the corners of her mouth still quivered with tension.
"Susan, I was wondering." Cal raised an eyebrow. "Why choose me as your Trainer? You have been living in Petalburg woods for all your life, right? Why now did you suddenly choose a Trainer?"
Susan dropped her gaze to the ground, her attempted smile forgotten. "I didn't have a choice." She swept a nervous gaze around the surrounding town.
Cal, sensing her nervousness, glanced around for a quiet place to sit. Noting a secluded section of the park on the outskirts of Petalburg, he quickly led her over there. Trainer and Pokémon sat beneath a towering oak, out of the sight of the Humans of Petalburg.
Susan took a deep breath, nervousness fading slightly from her eyes. Gathering her thoughts, she turned to Cal. Opening her mouth, her words caught in her throat, and a single tear glimmered in the corner of her eye. She dabbed at it with her sleeve, took another breath, and spoke.
"Life in Petalburg woods is…difficult. Most Pokémon can get by fine, though, especially the Bug types. They have numbers on their side. But there were never many Ralts in the woods, so we are hard pressed to find friends. Mostly, we try to stick together with our families. It was almost always just me and my mother. I never knew my father. My older brother was captured by a passing Trainer when I was very young. So it was just me and Mother in the grass hut we made. Mother used her psychic powers to divert anyone who came through the woods near our hut, so the only danger was when we left home to forage for food."
Susan realized her eyes had started trickle tears. She wiped at the corners of her eyes and continued her story, voice trembling.
"It was sometime last year, at the start of spring. Our winter stores of dried fruits were nearly exhausted. I-I tried to tell Mother not to go out alone… I wanted to help. But she said that it wasn't safe for me. She just wanted me to be safe… It was night and she still wasn't back, so I went out looking for her but…just…blood..."
Susan collapsed sobbing into Cal's lap. Cal shaken out of the trance placed upon him by her story, placed his hand on her head, soothingly petting her hair as her tears soaked his leg. Susan suddenly sat up, eyes and nose streaming.
"I couldn't stay there! It hurts to be reminded of them, of Mother, living in those woods that took her from me! But more than that…I-I'm scared." Cal, spotting Susan raising her sleeve, pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her. Susan blew her nose, and wringing the handkerchief between her hands, looked back at Cal with swollen red eyes flashing with fire. "I don't want to die like that. I don't want to be captured and used as a tool. So when I saw you, standing up to the Trainers, protecting me even though I'm a Pokémon, I thought 'this is my one chance.' This Human will get me out of these woods, out of this prison! Then I can live for Mother. I can become strong, and someday I won't need someone else to keep me safe!"
Cal looked into Susan's eyes, finally recognizing the determined look for what it was, the same look she wore when she chose him as her Trainer. The will to live, the determination to be strong. Finally breaking free from his stunned silence, Cal once again placed his hand on Susan's head and spoke in a confident voice.
"You will. You will become strong. We can become strong together. I won't leave you, so I'm counting on you not to abandon me. You're not alone anymore."
A/N:
Sorry this chapter is so short and delayed, but I'm going to start writing shorter chapters so I can post them more frequently.
