Okay, guys. I told you we'd jump into the main plot and jump we shall! Now, to recap things, Team Regal just took the kid gloves off with the completion of their Frequency Net and William just confirmed the fact that Otto has a hit out on Grey. Now, the hit won't come into play for a long while but it's still a central story element because, well… You'll see. I don't want to spoil anything. But just to give you guys a taste of what's to come in this, the "gateway chapter" into the main plot:
1. Pokémon Special-style battles! That's right, Trainers are gonna be on the field with their Pokémon during battles now! I've wanted to do this for a long time so I'm just as excited as you guys.
2. Character bonds start forming, specifically between Grey and June and Rachel and James. How this'll work out is very interesting to say the least. The most I'll tell you is that these bonds start affecting everyone involved in a good way.
3. The mystery of Grey's ability starts to come to light a bit. Why is he able to understand Pokémon, and will that surge in his abilities be for better or worse?
4. One Pokémon belonging to one of the main characters gets injured and therefore made unable to battle. That Pokémon will be removed from the team and their Trainer will have to find a replacement.
5. New OCs get introduced! Get ready to meet Eric Holland, Asher McConnell (both belonging to RARavary) and Angelica Lane (property of Lolli-S).
6. Last but not least, the group experiences a schism. I will say nothing further, just know that it will be of titanic proportions.
Now, let's get this party started.
Chapter 018: Tales of Springbloom City I
Soul had a vague idea of what it would be like to travel in a foreign region. Being born and raised in Almia by a Pokémon Ranger's son had him moving between Almia and its sister region every other week, and with Fiore being so similar to Almia, Soul came to think that all human towns were the same. With their foray into the Silver Ring came pleasant surprise for the little dragon; Pacific Town, Knight City, and Mélange Town were all vastly different from what he'd seen, each with its unique features and charms.
He had been hoping for Springbloom to continue the trend. The city did not fail to deliver.
The view from the hilltop was amazing. Springbloom was made up of two sections: the lower ring, which could be seen from where they stood, and a truly impressive skyline in the center of the homey terra cotta circle that was no doubt the city's central hub. The Cloud River carved its path into the lower ring, bisecting the wide streets lined with cobblestone and verdant greenery even more abundant than the likes of Mélange Town's. Cement bridges crossed the Cloud every few hundred meters. Stone buildings with earth-toned tile roofs were packed cozily together along with the gargantuan trees unique to the city. The threshold into the urban section of Springbloom served as the point where the river branched off towards the hunter green forest to the northeast, only to reenter the outer circle on the other side.
"It's marvelous!" June exclaimed in wonder. "I have never seen anything like this before. So much greenery and nature in an urban environment! Wonderful!"
Rachel hummed, intrigued by the city before her. "June, you live in the archipelago. You've never been this far out before?"
"No, never," said the redhead. She cast her gaze back towards the city with a fond smile. "The farthest I have been out is Mélange Town with my mother and we were only there on business. Never before have I been to this city, but I have read about it extensively." James produced a guidebook and flipped through to the most relevant page.
"And this is only the outskirts. Residential area, to be specific. Further in is where most of the happenings in the city take place. There's a department store, a bigger Pokémon Center, and even a battle stadium, but right here is the area where the Gym is."
"I'll make sure to give that stadium a look," Grey said to nobody in particular. He bent down to Soul, Strabi and Donte's eye levels and flashed his grin at them.
"What do you guys think?" he asked them. The Pokémon gave their affirmatives and Grey smiled wider, pointing dramatically at the city below. "All right! Let's get goin', then!"
And with that, Grey jumped ahead of the group with a loud shout and slid down the hill, his Pokémon in tow. Startled, Rachel ran after her brother screaming at him to be more careful with a giggling June following her. James gave a tired sigh and scratched his head. Eyes narrowing unintentionally as they fixed on Grey's back, he found himself both perplexed by the younger boy's behavior and muttering to himself as he released his team from their capsules.
"I just don't get it. Just two days ago, we were caught in the middle of an ambush attack that we were lucky to get out of in one piece. Now he's acting like it never even happened."
"Scytha?" Sniper wondered when he sensed tenseness in his Trainer's voice.
"Either he's got nerves of steel, Sniper, or he's just hiding how he really feels," said James. He shook his head clear of the thought and started down the hill after his friends. Torchic tottered after him and James allowed him to perch on his shoulder when the little one failed to keep pace.
James stopped in the middle of the grasslands and took his jacket off. The island heat was really getting to him. Either that or the recent anxiety; the attack had definitely left its mark on James. If anything, he considered himself a rational person, and a seemingly random attack on an innocent farmer's orchard was anything but rational. James had given the event thorough and serious thought and while he kept his ruminations to himself, he couldn't help but conclude that the attack could not have been a coincidence.
"Unless the person behind it just loves rampant destruction," he murmured. He shook his head clear of the thought. "No, that can't be it. That kind of person doesn't exist. That must mean it was planned." James sat down in the scorching grass and immersed himself in his thoughts. Not sure what to do, Sniper, Torchic and Luna waited patiently for James to finish. Shishi floated over and landed on James' head, his attempt at giving his Trainer some shelter from the sun.
The only logical explanation, James reasoned, was that the attack had a purpose behind it. Maybe Lyle owed someone protection money and that was his final warning? Maybe the competing farms had gotten jealous and wanted him out of the picture. Or maybe - and this was just a farfetched shot in the dark, he vehemently reminded himself - the person behind the attack had a target that was in no way related to Lyle. Maybe someone out there wanted him or Grey or the both of them incapacitated…or worse. The simple act of entertaining the possibility made James' blood run cold.
"That can't be it," he reassured himself. "Who could possibly want that? We don't have any enemies…. Well, I don't, at least. Neither does June; she's too sweet for that. That just leaves Grey and Rachel. The Troublesome Thomas siblings." Heaving a sigh, James fell onto his back and closed his eyes.
Rachel was a Pokémon Ranger, so it was only logical that some of the people she'd put behind bars would have a vendetta against her. That made sense and had a rational explanation behind it. It was something James could work with; something he could accept. Grey was the only anomaly. Sure, James knew the younger Trainer was a cocky greenhorn with barely enough skill to back up his temper, but was hotheadedness enough to warrant an attempt on his life? On the other hand, there was that incident Grey was involved in. In Mélange Town at the Museum Tower…
James groaned. Wild mass guessing was getting him nowhere and he had training to do. It would do him better to just put it out of his mind and think about it later, he decided. Getting to his feet (and displacing Shishi in the process), James forced himself into the right mindset and surveyed his team with a critical eye.
"Alright, everyone, let's get busy. This next Gym Battle is not going to be a cakewalk. So let's give it our all and make sure we get Torchic here up to speed, okay?" A collective shout of approval rose from each one of his team members and got him to crack a small smile.
James fished his Pokédex out of his pocket and used it to scan Torchic. The fire bird was little bit on the weaker side when stacked up against his other Pokémon but it was nothing a lot of training couldn't do away with. He might not last in the Gym Battle but Torchic could still be used in at least one round.
"Alright, Torchic. We're starting with you so I can get a handle on your abilities. Shishi, you're gonna try and dodge while Torchic opens up with Ember!"
"Tor!"
"Dusssskull!"
Torchic opened fire with a blazing Ember barrage only for Shishi to effortlessly glide out of the way of the unpolished attack. Going for a more physical approach, Torchic leapt up to meet Shishi and thrust his beak at the ghost in a vicious Peck attack. Shishi twisted his round form out of harm's way and floated back to what he thought was a safe distance. He was quickly proven wrong when Torchic's second Ember met its mark. James smiled. Torchic was a fast learner.
Realistically, he knew that he was still a novice Trainer. That was all well and good with him; it just meant that he had a lot of room to learn and grow and that was what he was looking forward to. But with the mastermind behind the destruction of Lyle's orchard still at large and no doubt hot on their trail, he did not want to be caught with his pants down when it came time to fight. He would need to get stronger fast and that's exactly what he planned to do.
"Mark my words, guys," he said over the ongoing scrimmage. "We'll be one badge stronger by the end of the week!"
"I like this place," Grey said as he and the girls entered the city. He cradled Strabi and scratched her head when she began purring. "The streets are wide, the architecture's really cool, and there's green everywhere you look. It's like this entire area's one big garden!"
"I know; the brown and beige from the buildings so close together really blends well with the trees," Rachel commented.
"You aren't too far off the mark," June chimed in with a laugh. "Springbloom City is known for incorporating nature with technology, and old architecture with new. Here, you'll find plants and flowers of all different species as well as many different Bug, Water, and Grass-type Pokémon. The plants are cared for by the local Pokémon population, those of which without Trainers deign to live in harmony with the citizens, and most famous of all these species are members of the Treecko line, the caretakers of the city's trees." she said as if reciting from a text book. "Which reminds me… Rosewood, if you will."
The Furret nodded and wound her way down to her owner's hips to dig around in her lab coat's pockets. Emerging, Rosewood released Sylva from her Poké Ball and the Grovyle immediately took to the trees. She was immediately greeted by three small Treecko curious enough to approach their cousin. Grey and Soul smiled at the sight. Donte, enthused and excited, gave a shrill trumpet that sent the young Wood Gecko Pokémon skittering away like frightened pigeons. Sylva was not amused.
"Don't be mad, Sylva," said June to her Grovyle. "There are more Treecko around here." She turned to the Thomas siblings and added, "Sceptile tend to live closer to the city or in the forest surrounding Springbloom Lake, and the other Grovyle find it comfortable anywhere in between."
Just as June finished, a Sceptile dropped down onto the cobblestone and removed a seed pod from its back. The Forest Pokémon crushed it into paste and applied it to the roots of the monster tree it fell from before leaping up onto the terra cotta roofs and dashing away like a master free runner.
Cool! Soul cheered. He turned hopeful azure eyes up at Grey. Can I learn to do that?
"Dude, you get to fly once you become a Charizard," the boy answered. "That beats anything a free runner can do." Seeing his partner's grin fade and his look become downcast, Grey couldn't help but follow up with,
"But we'll do some training on it if that's what you really want." Ecstatic, Soul loosed a plume of fire and smoke.
"Still, to see a wild Sceptile freely roam a city full of people without being hunted down for capture is really cool," commented Rachel. "You're not going to scan it?" she asked Grey.
"Nah, I already know all about that one. They're called the Forest Pokémon 'n live in humid forests where the trees grow massive and are kings of arboreal combat. The blades on their arms are sharp as swords and they use their seed pods to nourish trees, even bringing sick ones back to health. They're wicked fast, their signature move is Leaf Blade, they're pretty cool with strangers so long as they don't harm the trees, and they get most of their food through photosynthesizing or hunting. Mostly through hunting. They regulate their body heat by sunbathing."
"Wow, Grey, I'm impressed," said June.
"I'm just surprised he knew the word 'arboreal'," Rachel said mischievously, Vulpix joining her in silent laughter. Her brother puffed out his chest and smirked in pride.
"Hey, I might not be the smartest but I'm not dumb, either. I did graduate early." June then grew inquisitive. This was new information to her.
"You did? When? How?"
"The schools in Almia have a program where soon-to-be Rangers can graduate high school early. Grey and I both went through it," Rachel explained offhandedly. "It's no big deal"
"You forgot to mention the part where I graduated a year earlier than you did," Grey cut in with a cheeky grin. "Yep, you may be Dad's favorite, but I managed to beat you in something."
Rachel frowned and rapped her brother on the head. "That's because I stayed back a year to take the advanced courses at the Ranger Academy, doofus." She huffed and added with evident disappointment, "Something you neglected to do."
The younger Thomas's grin slid off his face. Glowering at his big sister, he sulkily snapped,
"That's cuz I didn't want to!" before putting some distance between them. Exasperated, Rachel only sighed and crossed her arms while muttering something about idiotic younger brothers. Put off by the sudden mood whiplash, a distressed June struggled for a way to bring some life back into the tense and awkward situation she found herself sandwiched into. She found none. Repressing the urge to groan in frustration, Juniper cursed her luck for landing her in the middle of yet another sibling dispute. Sylva was smart enough to get out while she still could; her tail leaves were only barely visible as she leapt from tree to tree.
They made a turn on to Main Street, a wide cobblestone road bisected by the river, with no change in atmosphere. Wanting to get further away from Rachel, Grey pressed farther forward. The citizens of Springbloom were out and about now, chatting amiably with one another seemingly oblivious to the brooding teenager moving through their ranks like a man avoiding the plague. Soul and Donte trotted alongside him while Strabi remained uncomfortably silent in his arms. The appearance of the new and interesting Pokémon attracted small children to look and point in excitement and interest. The young Trainer sent them all scampering to their mothers with armor-piercing glares and a low growl or two. Each occurrence earned a disgusted snort from Rachel that only served to further aggravate her brother, eventually making the tension thick enough that June opted to fall back with her covert Grovyle rather than endure the heated silence.
That atmosphere prevailed to the end of the Main Street and into the Pokémon Centre, also roofed with terra cotta tiles to match the style of the architecture. The familiar building was attached at the back to a much larger structure of glass windows. Blooming within the center of the rectangular structure was a collection of trees extending high above the roof. Grey stomped up the stairs and shoved the door open and into an unprepared blonde Trainer in a wife beater and tan cargo shorts.
"Hey!" the Trainer barked indignantly at Grey's retreating back. He scowled and ran a hand through his spiky blonde gelled hair. Who did this kid think he was?
"Are you gonna apologize or not?" Stopping in his tracks, Grey didn't even face the blonde as ground out an apology.
"Sorry about that. Now go away." The blonde snorted derisively.
"Some apology, you little punk." Grey rounded on the other boy with no fear despite the blonde's tan biceps flexing defensively. Strabi hissed in her Trainer's arms and the taller boy only scoffed, unafraid. Sensing conflict, Soul rushed to his Trainer's side and readied himself to jump in should the situation come to blows.
"Grey, please don't fight," June pleaded in a small voice while Sylva shook her head in disappointment.
"Just ignore it and move on," Rachel commanded. Blatantly ignoring his sister, Grey proceeded regardless, and whirled around to face his antagonist.
"Listen, man," he growled, hazel eyes glowering up at the taller boy's bright greens, "I'm in no mood. All I wanna do is go and challenge the Gym Leader and get some training in."
Instantly, the hostile look on the blonde's face melted into an amused, condescending smirk. Digging into the pocket of his shorts, he produced a badge case and flashed its contents. A Geo Badge and Combat Badge stood proudly beside two unfamiliar ones. One was a four-pointed yellow star surrounded by a streaky white aura while the other was lime green and composed of two ovals placed on top of each other, the bottom larger than the top, with long and thin insect wings coming from their junction.
"You're gonna challenge Thatcher for the Thorax Badge, right?" the blonde Trainer asked. Smugness was draped over his words like a thick sheet. "Good luck, kid. Someone like you can't hope to take on a Gym Leader at your level." Soul, Donte and Strabi growled out a warning that went unheeded by the other boy. Grey bristled.
"And what d'you know about how strong I am?" he snarled. A handful of people in and outside the Centre turned their gaze to the argument while the combatants continued undeterred.
"No brat can be strong enough to beat a Gym Leader," the older arguer said matter-of-factly. "Bet you don't even have a badge to your name, whereas I have two. Eric Holland ain't no brat." He flashed Grey a toothy smirk, to which Grey pulled up his sleeve and thrust his arm out in response. Eric almost dropped into a fighting stance and relaxed only once Grey started to speak.
"Two badges!" he growled, referring to the ones on his wristband. "Geo and Combat. I ain't no brat either."
"Char!" Soul chipped in proudly. Expecting Eric's grin to slide ride off and for the blonde to admit his mistake, Grey was disappointed to see Eric smile even wider and laugh in his face.
"Two badges to my four! Try beating Thatcher like I did just now and come back later, kid," Eric boomed and before Grey could sling a comeback, he stepped out of the Pokémon Centre with a jaunty spring in his step leaving the boy and his Charmeleon silently fuming together while one by one, the people who had been watching went back to their own business.
"Jeez, what a jerk," Rachel muttered. "Forget about him, Grey. Guys like him aren't worth the effort." Her brother grumbled a short reply and approached the counter to have his Pokémon healed. June stayed near Grey while the resident Chansey took two sets of Poké Balls to the infirmary and Rachel went to the video phone.
"Excuse me, miss," the junior researcher began to Nurse Joy, "is there a library near by where one can do research?"
"Of course; it's right off Main Street. I'll give you better directions once your Pokémon are back to full health," Nurse Joy said with a friendly smile.
"Yo, Auntie, where's the Gym?" Grey asked gruffly. Nurse Joy's face grew puzzled.
"Auntie…?" Grey jabbed a thumb in his sister's direction and their relation became clear in an instant. "Ooh, I see. Well, this Centre is part of it. The Leader has a lot of Pokémon that he trains and houses in the Gym, so we attached the Centre to the Gym for convenience."
"Seems prudent of the Leader," June commented.
"Indeed. But he is very meticulous when it comes to choosing the Trainers he fights. You have to go through a registration process and then he'll assemble a team himself to battle you." Hearing this, Grey straightened up and loosed some of the anger accrued from his confrontation.
"So where do I register?"
"Right here. I'll just need your Pokédex and Trainer Card and I'll submit the application to Thatcher." Bemused, Grey handed his relative his Pokédex, prompting her to question him about a Trainer Card.
"I…don't have a Trainer Card," he sheepishly admitted. Nurse Joy cocked an eyebrow.
"Everybody has one, Grey," June cut in. "Look." From her pocket, she produced a green card with her name, picture, and personal information in bold black letters. She turned it over to display her signature on the back, right under the emblem of the Pokémon League.
"They serve as ID cards for every Trainer in the League," explained Nurse Joy. "They double as credit cards and licenses, too. It's illegal to catch and train Pokémon, or even buy Poké Balls if you don't have one."
Grey blood turned to frigid slush and his heart dropped into his stomach.
"Illegal…?" Now disturbingly aware of everyone that wasn't familiar to him, he fought to keep from shouting out spoke in an urgent and rapid whisper.
"June, you never told me about that!"
"Why are you blaming me? I didn't know you didn't have one!" June murmured defensively.
"I obviously didn't know I needed one!" countered Grey. He buried his face in his hand. "Oh, man, I am so screwed!"
"Is there a problem here, Auntie Joy?" Rachel approached the desk and placed Vulpix and her three other Poké Balls. Her suspicion shot up when she laid eyes on Grey's panicked face.
"What'd he do?" she deadpanned.
"Your brother doesn't have a Trainer Card and I was just explaining that he needs one to handle more than one Pokémon," Joy explained as Chansey took Rachel's Pokémon into the back room. "Otherwise, it's illegal."
Rachel seemed to go blank for a moment. All emotion left her face. Then she slowly and ominously turned on Grey with a positively livid expression. Grey audibly gulped as memories of his childhood began to surface. He could count on one hand the times he'd seen that look on his sister's face and it never failed to get the same reaction from him every time. Grey stumbled back, absolutely terrified, and silently called for his mother.
"Illegal?" she said in an enraged whisper that sent chills up Grey and Juniper's spines. "You didn't say anything about that, Greyson…"
"I didn't know; I swear!" Grey stuttered. "I never learned about that."
"You didn't think it was pertinent information for you to know?" his sister hissed snappishly. "You've been breaking the law! Greyson Isaac Thomas, I cannot believe you!"
"Uhm… If I may point something out…" The siblings' eyes turned to June when the redhead took that moment to speak up. "Well… Rachel, you don't have a card either…" The elder sibling's shift from enraged to fearful realization was sudden and jarring. Seeing an opening, Grey counterattacked before Rachel could recompose herself.
"That's right! I'm not the only person at fault here, Ms. Perfect!" he said triumphantly.
"But you didn't tell me - !" the elder Thomas began.
"Didn't you think that was pertinent information?" Grey quickly countered. Rachel sought help from her aunt and pleaded,
"Auntie, please, where can we get these cards? You need to tell us!"
"Well, luckily for you two," Nurse Joy said disapprovingly, "I don't sell out family and there is a registration exam being held tomorrow morning." The Thomas siblings' faces lit up in relief.
"What do we gotta do?" Grey asked enthusiastically.
"Just come prepared to answer a few questions on a written exam and take practical test on Pokémon care," said Nurse Joy. "Don't worry; I won't tell anybody about this," she added in a whisper.
Grey and Rachel breathed a synchronized sigh of relief. They registered with Nurse Joy for the classes and Rachel left to find a room and rest. Twenty minutes later, the remaining two received their Poké Balls and Grey immediately made to leave the Center with June in tow. He went east towards the forest while she chose to move left in the direction of the library, but then hesitated, looking back over her shoulder.
Juniper watched as Grey got farther away and considered her next move, face scrunched up in thought. She let out a little giggle and smiled, deciding to go after him.
"Grey, wait!" she called.
"What's up?" he asked, surprise apparent.
"I would like to come with you today," she replied sweetly. "To tell the truth, we do not talk often because we are usually working, so I thought it would be nice for us to take a break and get know each other."
"I dunno…" Grey frowned. "I planned to take Thatcher on ASAP, so…"
"Do you mean you do not want to?" June asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No, no, no, don't get me wrong! I think it's a nice idea and all, but, y'know, I…" he trailed off without an answer. "I mean, I… What would we even talk about?" Juniper snatched his hand from him and dragged him off towards the town's exit without missing a beat.
"I am sure we can think of something!" she said confidently. "Come on!"
"I-If you say so…"
The two of them made the long walk to the Springbloom Forest in relative silence only broken by the sounds of their Pokémon conversing. Soul, Donte and Rosewood were the most talkative while the other four were relatively reserved. As they entered the forest, Grey immediately noticed it was much more vibrant and alive than the Mélange Woods were. The settting his eased his nerves about being alone with June a little but he was still uncomfortably silent around her. Finally, they reached a clearing in the center of the forest that housed Springbloom Lake. Grey shielded his eyes from the blinding light bouncing off the lake's surface and June sat herself down by the shore to cool her feet in the water.
The air around the lake was scores cooler than in the city or the surrounding forest. Now mid-afternoon, the summer sun hung high in the sky and shone brightly over the buzzing forest. Every Grass and Water-type Pokémon that lived near the lakeshore was out and about so as not to waste such a nice day.
"Sure is roomier in here than the last forest we were in," Grey commented uneasily. "Lighter, too." June burst into a fit of giggles.
"What?" Grey demanded, face tinged pink.
"That is all you can think to talk about?" she asked between breaths. "You act as if you have never talked to a girl before!"
That's cuz he isn't good at it, said a smug Soul.
Again, that sounds a little pathetic for a human, Strabi put in. Odd, I just had a feeling of deja-vu.
"That's cuz I kinda…haven't," the boy admitted sheepishly. "No, wait, I mean, I have!" he hastily corrected himself, "but I've never been alone with a girl my age before."
"I'm a year older than you, though," the redhead pointed out.
"Don't remind me; that just makes it worse!" he groaned loudly. He sank to the ground and leaned against his Onix's rocky hide. "So embarrassing…" Breathing an amused sigh, Juniper strode over to him and took his hand. His attempts to respond became inelegant sputters and he let himself be led to the lake's shore and sat down next to June.
"Talk," she commanded. "Come on, I'm not going to bite. I promise."
"Uhm, okay…" Grey's eyes flitted around the area in a desperate search to find something to talk about. Ignoring the rather mellow assortment of wild Pokémon around them, Grey finally settled his eyes on the shimmering surface of Springbloom Lake.
"Uh… So… How 'bout that weather?" he finally muttered weakly. June immediately doubled over laughing. "Shut up! I'm not used to this!"
"Obviously not!" June howled. "I'm sorry!" Grey sighed.
"It's fine; I know that was a sucky attempt." He waited out her fit of laughter and kept his gaze firmly on the lake, cheeks burning.
He's really not good at this, is he? quipped Sylva from her perch in a tree.
Never has been, answered Soul. Poor guy. Maverick's only response was to rumble in amusement while Rosewood mimicked Juniper by laughing.
I don't really get it. Is there something funny going on? Donte asked.
You'll learn when you're older, said Strabi airily, causing the Phanpy to trumpet in disappointment.
I actually wish we could help him, said Rhea. But, then again, we don't know much about this ourselves.
All I know is that this is damn funny and I'm gonna keep watchin', Maverick commented.
"I can hear all of you!" shouted Grey to the Pokémon, all of whom flinched at the reminder.
"What are they even talking about?" asked June.
"Makin' fun of me," he mumbled."So what's up with this lake, anyway? It's really huge." Fed by the Cloud River, Springbloom Lake was absolutely massive and a perfect circle in the ground. So large, in fact, that the opposite shore was only just visible over the horizon.
"The lake was made by a meteor impact right on the river a few hundred years ago," said June. "It eventually filled up with water both from the river and the rainfall. Since then, it's become a nexus for the local Water Pokémon population." As if on cue, a truly giant Seaking breached out of the water wrapped in a glimmering veil of water and reentered the lake with a loud crash.
"Beautiful…"
"Yeah, that was really cool!" exclaimed Grey. There was silence between the two for a moment while the sounds of the forest went on in the background. It was June who broke the silence between them when Strabi decided to break from the group of Pokemon and nuzzle against her Trainer's arm.
"Interesting," she muttered. When fixed with a curious look by Grey, she continued, "You are a novice Trainer and usually, newly caught Pokémon are wont to disobey until they are convinced of the Trainer's strength."
"Yeah, I know," said Grey. "What's the look for, then?"
"Strabi has taken quite a liking to you despite her displaying rather proud behavior." June smiled brightly at him. "What I am saying is that you are very adept at befriending Pokémon." Grey took a minute to think while scratching behind Strabi's ears.
"Well, yeah," he conceded, "I am. Better at it with them than with other people but you already knew that. And you've seen how well I deal with Rae." He awkwardly looked out at the lake and laughed a bit. "Kinda hopeless in that field."
"Oh, no, you're not hopeless!" June said encouragingly. "Just out of practice, is all!"
"How can I be outta practice if I was never in the game to begin with?" he joked. "'S fine, June. I know I'm bad with people." A few more moments of silence. Then June asked in a small voice,
"Why do you fight with her so much? Siblings really should not fight." The younger boy turned away from the redhead.
"It's complicated."
"That is fine if it is too personal for you to talk about! I did not mean to be nosy, it's just… Family should not fight…"
"Nah, it's okay," he assured her. "If you really wanna know, I'll tell you. I've told this story a bunch of times before. Soul knows it by heart." The boy sighed and looked wistfully towards the sky, choosing his words carefully. June waited respectfully, thinking it rude to rush him and sate her curiosity faster. She must have tuned out everything else, she thought, for she was more than a bit startled by Donte's happy shouts as the Phanpy frolicked by the lakeshore.
"It's…complicated," he repeated.
"How so?"
"Well, you've seen how Rachel is and you've seen how I am. Regular sibling yin-yang. But it sorta…goes deeper than that." Grey looked as if just talking about this made him queasy. June fell silent and waited again. Grey took a deep breath and let it out through his nose.
"See, back home, Rachel was a prodigy. Always did everything right, graduated early, became a full Ranger when she was my age. And that was great for her because she wanted to be a Pokémon Ranger and follow in our Dad's footsteps. I…" Hesitation was clear in his voice. "I didn't. In a family where being a Ranger runs strong, I was the odd one out. I wanted to be a Pokémon Trainer instead."
"Would you mind telling me why?" June tentatively asked.
"I never really saw the point in being a Ranger," Grey explained. He stopped himself, thought, and shook his head.
"No, that's not right. I did see the point; Rangers protect people who can't protect themselves. In Almia, you can't have more than one Pokémon and they don't sell Poké Balls, so unless your one Pokémon was real strong, you were kind of an easy target," he elaborated upon June's puzzled look. "So I did see the point, but I just never wanted to be one of them. I always hated going to the Academy and because everyone there was all 'Yeah, Rangers are so cool and anyone who doesn't think so is a freak!', I got made fun of a lot for not going with the crowd." He tried to hide it but, in that second, there was no mistaking the hurt in Grey's eyes.
"I didn't care," he lied. "And I told Dad what I wanted to do. He said I could do it once I got my first Pokémon and when I turned twelve, my Uncle Zack gave me Soul's egg." Soul chose then to trot over and place a claw on Grey's shoulder. Grey smiled at his partner. "We've been like brothers ever since." His expression darkened then.
"But then Soul hatched and I asked Dad if he'd keep his promise. He looked at me and said, 'Next year, son. Give Soul some time to grow'. I thought that sounded reasonable enough and asked on my thirteenth birthday. He said the same thing. Next year and the year after were the same and -"
"You got fed up with waiting and false promises," June finished for him, dejected. The boy's story was resonating with her despite her being unable to sympathize. Grey nodded. Picking up her Trainer's feelings, Strabi mewled and licked his hand consolingly.
"So, I ran away from home. That was in April, just after I turned fifteen. I think it's early June or late May now."
"But what about -" Juniper began.
"I know! My parents are probably worrying like crazy about me. Well, Mom is worrying; Dad's just angry at me for disobeying him," he muttered. He lay on his back and pushed his glasses up to rub his eyes, sighing. Soul sat loyally next to him, silent as the night. If anybody could understand Grey's emotions, June reasoned, it would be the his first Pokémon. There was a moment where nothing was said to allow Grey to cool off before either of them spoke again.
"What I did was stupid and reckless and horribly thought out," Grey said, his voice lighter than it had been earlier. "Yeah, I know. Rae won't let me forget it." He sat back up and chuckled. "But, y'know… I'm glad I did it."
"Despite the consequences of your actions," June clarified.
"The consequences…" he began slowly. "Don't mean anything."
"Grey!" shouted June, taken aback.
Dude, admonished Soul.
"I know; it sounds horrible, but hear me out." So they did. "It's what I do now that counts. I wanted the chance to be Trainer and now that I am, I love it!" His mouth stretched into a toothy grin that Soul couldn't help but emulate. "It's everything I ever thought it would be and I have free reign over what I do and how I do it and I've made some really good friends. I've got tons to learn, sure, but that's what I'm looking forward to the most." The grin disappeared as he became pensive for a second and added,
"I guess that's all I ever really wanted was the chance," he realized. Juniper visibly relaxed. She smiled and edged a little closer to the younger boy and said,
"So you got the chance. Now that you have it, what is it from here?"
"I really don't know." Grey admitted proudly. June slightly faltered.
"You don't know?"
"No, but that's the great part! I get to choose where I go from here." The grin returned in full force. "Never really thought about it til now, though. Guess I'll have to give it some thought."
"You guess," June said playfully, giving him a good-natured shove.
"What about you?" Grey was suddenly feeling much more comfortable. "What's your story?"
"Well, I am an only child, Rosewood was my first Pokémon and Mom gave me Sylva one year on a whim."
"No, why are you here? Traveling with us, I mean."
"Oh!" June lapsed into thought. "You know, I think it was a twist of fate. I was doing research in the jungle by Pacific Town and fell onto a wild Torterra and ended up riding it towards what I thought was my home. I ended up in the next town over and, well, I met you." She smiled. "An odd twist of fate, yes, but a fortuitous one nonetheless."
"You ever been traveling before?" Grey pressed on. June shook her head and called her Nidoran to her before continuing.
"No. Not on foot. I mostly went with Mom when she had business to attend to in other cities," she elaborated. "I travel with you now because I see it as a good field research opportunity. That and I admit I spent too much time in the lab," she added sheepishly.
"Nice," laughed Grey. "I'm the total opposite. I need to be outside, y'know?" Then he took off his shoes and socks and let the water lap against his feet. "Hey, what're you studying, anyway?" June lit up like a beacon.
"I am so glad you asked! You must know that, originally, I wanted to study the growing relationship between Trainer and Pokémon but that topic has been played to death! So I decided to take the road less traveled and study the environment; specifically how it affects the Pokémon living in it and vice versa. I got the idea when I remembered the Torterra I met back in the jungle had a much darker shell coloration and the soil on its back looked so rich and there were so many nuts growing on its tree, it was amazing! So I guess you could say I switched majors from Pokémon Behaviorism to Pokémon Ecology and what better way to study that than to travel my home region, a new frontier no scientist has yet researched?"
Grey, Soul, Strabi, and Rhea simply stared, bewildered, at the ecstatic girl while their brains struggled to process what she just said.
June just used Chatter! said Rosewood.
It's super-effective, Sylva chimed in.
"Say that again…but slower this time," Grey said weakly. "I could barely keep up!"
"Sorry," June laughed. "I tend to do that when I get excited. But it really is an interesting field of study. I'm very glad I chose it."
"Back home, Poké-Biology was my best subject," said Grey.
"Oooh, that's a good one!" exclaimed June. "You could use it during training, too!" Grey snapped to attention.
"Really? How?"
"Well, each Pokémon is unique and has different biological structures that give them their abilities. If you study and get to understand your team in that regard, it may give you an upper hand in battle and make training easier." She held up two fingers and giggled. "Two for two."
"That's genius! Why didn't I think of that before?"
"Because you hardly think to begin with," the girl joked.
"Hey!" he said indignantly. He fixed her with a hurt look but quickly dissolved into laughter with the girl. "Fine, fine, I'll give you that!"
Looks like they've become fast friends! Donte noted as he left the water.
Oh, good. Rhea let out a relieved sigh. The way this began, I thought it would have ended much worse.
And here I thought I was the only one to thinkin' this was gonna be a train wreck, said Maverick.
"Shut it, old man," countered Grey. "Did you forget I can hear…" He trailed off, eyes widening in shock. "Wait a minute…"
He shot up like a rocket, startling June, and hastily strode over to the Pokémon to bend down to the coiled up rock snake's eyelevel.
"Say that again," he commanded.
"Grey, what's wrong?" June asked concernedly
"I could hear all of them," he explained, breathless, waiting for a bemused Maverick to speak while the other Pokémon watched just as confused. June tilted her head to the side and spoke slowly.
"But you can normally do that, yes?"
"It was clearer this time!" insisted Grey. "It's never been this clear. I actually heard…voices! I usually just feel emotions but I heard their voices!"
"Come on, sit still!" a new voice shouted in frustration.
"Like that one?" asked June.
"Yeah, like that one!" Grey stopped and stood straight, turning in the direction of the voice. "Wait, no, that's a person."
"Toto-totodile!"
"And that's a Totodile…" said June.
"You want to go check it out?" suggested Grey. June shrugged her shoulders.
"They might need our help," she reasoned. "Come on!"
College applications. Invention of the Devil himself. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and leave a review! I'm off to read Free Spirits by OceanSpiral.