Chapter 2: Slumber Parties and a New Threat
"So you're telling me, the infamous ex-champion Leaf is going out with your brother the Viridian City Gym Leader Green and former ex-champion himself?" May asked with a small laugh as her and Daisy sat together on the floor of her room surrounded by different pokemon magazines.
Daisy nodded with a small giggle as she braided her own dirty blond hair replying, "Yeah, basically. Something must of happened on that mountain they aren't telling us bystanders to get them to finally admit to each other about their unspoken feelings."
"Hmm I actually have a picture of your brother in one of these magazines from when he got his position as Gym Leader," May said looking through the magazines picking one up flipping through it showing Daisy the 2 page spread picture of Green leaning against the gym tossing a pokeball into the air with a quote beside his head.
Daisy took it reading the quote out, "If it wasn't for Leaf, my long time rival and friend, I wouldn't be here as gym leader today. I never realized this at the time but she pushed me to be my best and strive to be the top even if she was always one step behind me then took the Champion Title for her own. It took me awhile but now I know she deserves it more then I ever did."
Daisy burst out laughing dropping the magazine, "Ah my dear brother, even when this was written it was obvious he loved her."
"It says near the end of the interview they tried to get comments from Leaf but she silently and respectfully refused then disappeared from the limelight completely," May said with a smile, "Taking it that was when she went to Mount Silver."
"Most likely," Daisy said with another small laugh, "Let's get off the topic of my little brother and Leaf and go onto something more interesting. Oh I know, how is it going with Champion Brendan?"
"Ugh annoying," May said with a sigh rolling his eyes, "I love him but he is so dense at times. I fly out to Ever Grand every day to bring him lunch and to spend time with him when he doesn't have challengers, yet he still can't see that I've fallen head over heels in love with him. So annoying."
Daisy let out a soft laugh thinking back on what she had heard about those kids from Johto Silver and Lyra. The whole situation seemed very similar to Daisy but she just shook her head saying, "You may need to tell him the truth eventually. If he is as dense as you say."
"I know," May said with a sigh then smiled, "Hey call out your Charmander, you haven't seen him since you got him since you were so distracted with Steven."
"Oh you are right," Daisy said with a blush knowing she completely forgot she even had a pokemon now. She went over to her bag pulling out the pokeball calling out the Charmander. It came out looking at Daisy then May hiding behind Daisy's leg shy with a cute growl. Daisy looked down at the Charmander curiously.
"Oh fascinating," May said surprised looking at Charmander wide eyed, "That is extremely rare."
"What is?" Daisy asked looking at May then to Charmander.
"Your Charmander is female. Starters are rarely female," May said knowingly with a smile, "You are incredibly lucky."
"I see," Daisy said kneeling down looking at the Charmander with a smile, "Then I will call you Flair, how does that sound?"
Charmander growled cutely in response nodding looking upward toward Daisy's face.
Daisy smiled reaching into her bag pulling out a small choker with an old ratty ribbon on it that had a symbol of a copper flame in the center. She unhooked it placing it around Charmander's neck saying, "We will make it longer each time you evolve but for now this will work."
Charmander nodded before rubbing against Daisy's leg lightly with his head. Daisy giggled lightly before looking at May asking, "How did you know Flair was a girl though?"
"Lots of practice writing stuff for the pokedex information and coding it for my father," May said with a shrug smiling at Charmander, "Oh that's right, my dad completely forgot to give you a pokedex. I got to remind him about that in the morning."
"Actually I have one," Daisy said reaching into her bag pulling out an old black version of the pokedex that was from her first journey. It was ancient looking since it was an original model.
May looked at it then to Daisy saying, "Heck no, that thing is way out dated. You are getting a new model in the morning, Daisy."
"Fine," Daisy said with a small laugh then looked at May who just yawned, "You should go to bed."
"Yeah yeah, you should too," May said before going over to her bed collapsing on it, "Night Daisy."
"Night May," Daisy said with a smile as she watched the 14 year old girl drift to sleep.
Daisy on the other hand wanted some fresh air so she called back Charmander grabbing her pink jacket putting it on over her gold tank top. She slipped on her shoes not caring if she was in her pajamas for the most part with her pink pajama pants. She opened the bedroom door slipping outside down the stairs and out into the night looking up at the stars.
"Surprised you aren't asleep, Dais," A familiar voice came from her side as she glanced over blushing seeing Steven standing there leaning against the wall of the house in just his black dress pants without a shirt on.
She took in his toned body that was slightly paler then most since he rarely went outside. She tore her eyes from him before taking a deep breath responding, "I'm not tired yet, I wanted some time to think."
Steven stood straight up coming over to her side saying, "Same, this whole thing just took me by surprise. I haven't went on a journey since I became champion of this region at 15. I haven't battled in 2 years since I was challenged Brendan for the chance for me to gain the title again and lost. Restarting is what I need but I never expected my father to ask me to. He had so wanted me to be Vice-President of Deven Corp... I guess he saw the look of discontentment during my work. I am glad though that you are here with me during this time, you won't leave me in the middle this time... for any reason."
"I'm pretty sure there will be no reason for me to leave you," Daisy said looking over at Steven's face with a soft smile, "I'm glad you are going to be traveling with me as well, it has been way to long."
"Yeah do you remember that night a week before you were forced to leave me?" Steven asked looking back over at Daisy's face curiosity filled his crystal blue eyes.
Daisy froze up a single thought filled her mind, 'Yeah I remember, you told me that you had a crush on me and kissed me... I never gave you an answer though because I was afraid.'
She finally gained her voice starting to say, "Well I..."
She was cut off hearing a pokemon scream in the distance her eyes growing wide as she started to take off running toward it.
"Hey wait up Dais," Steven said running after her into the grass.
Daisy and Steven ran toward the sound seeing a girl with blond hair that shimmered in the moonlight, a green pilot cap sitting upon her head with gold rimmed goggles sitting on top. The girl's outfit was a deep green vest with a beige shirt underneath the vest had gold trim and gold buttons, it stopped at her mid-drift showing off a bit of her stomach before it continued to a pair of deep green shorts that had twin gold belts that held her pokeballs on, her boots were black with a green stripe down the side with a gold steel toe tip. She also had black fingerless gloves and beige stockings on to complete her esemble. The girl was standing with a Taillow on her shoulder staring down with disgust at a Ralts by her feet.
The Ralts was injured badly and needed medical care immediately bloody red scars all over its little body. The girl smirked holding out her hand saying, "Let's finish this Taillow, Quick Attack."
Taillow swooped down quickly toward the Ralts but before it hit Steven had already called out his Aron which appeared in front of Ralts protectively. Taillow hit the steel covered pokemon hardly hurting the small pokemon at all.
Steven's eyes were narrowed as he stepped forward pushing Daisy behind him calling out expertly, "Aron use Headbutt."
Aron growled running toward the Taillow hitting it since it was still recovering from before and was on the ground. Taillow flew back screeching out into a tree. The girl looked from Taillow to Steven wide eyed calling back her Taillow before running off calling back, "You will rue the day you crossed Team Cumulus."
Daisy rushed over to the Ralts kneeling down picking up the fainted hurt pokemon tears in her eyes saying, "We got to get her to the Professor, he should have a healing machine."
Steven nodded calling back Aron before running back to Littlebark Town. Daisy got up running holding the Ralts protectively after Steven. She was worried about the pokemon in her arms and all conversations from before this event about the past left her mind.
Only one thought remained, 'Who are Team Cumulus?'
When they got back to the house Daisy stayed down stairs with the little Ralts while Steven ran up pounding on Professor Birch's bedroom door. Daisy looked up the stairs hearing the two talking first in yells then in softer voices as Birch ran down stairs wearing a white bathrobe looking at the pokemon saying, "Come on we got to get her to the pokemon lab."
Birch ran out with Daisy and Steven following him to the Lab next door. Birch unlocked it going inside taking the Ralts from Daisy heading to a machine putting her down starting to heal the poor creature.
Daisy watched from the side as Steven wrapped an arm around her whispering, "She'll be ok."
"I know," Daisy said softly looking up at Steven then back to the Ralts, "Who was that girl? What is Team Cumulus?"
Steven shook his head muttering, "I don't know, Dais... but we can talk about this in the morning. Let's just worry about that Ralts for now."
Daisy nodded softly leaning into Steven slightly from where they sat. It would be a sleepless night for Birch, Steven, and Daisy.