Chapter 9: Miraculous Developments
"You alright over there, Cyndaquil?" I asked.
Hearing a feeble response, I turned and looked over to the farthest recess of our makeshift shelter (a hollow in the side of a rocky outcropping, with only a small, rocky outcropping as a roof; yet it somehow fits me and my Pokémon with some room to spare) to check on my Pokémon. Although he hadn't sounded very well, he physically appears to be doing much, much better than the day before. But I can clearly tell that the thunderstorm raging outside is still bothering him.
You see, yesterday, only a few hours out from Violet City, a massive storm front blew in. Seeing the dark clouds accumulating, I quickly searched for any kind of shelter from the storm, eventually settling on our current shelter, only a short walk from the path. Not long after, the storm had reached us, and since then, we've been trapped here, waiting for it to end.
"Cheeka!"
A cry from Chikorita snapped me out of my reminiscing. Instinctively, I spun around, and saw Chikorita tending to her side, as if she had been smacked by someone. She was standing next to Espeon, who was clearly trying to nap. Not too hard to figure out what occurred there.
"Chikorita, I told you to stop bothering Espeon!" I scolded. I'll admit, keeping peace between my merry band of Pokémon is really starting to tire me. Chikorita desperately wants someone to play with her, Espeon has spent most of our time here napping, Cyndaquil is scared of the thunderstorm, and Pidgey is itching to spread his wings and fly.
Chikorita glanced up at me, her eyes starting to tear up from my scolding. She started to whimper, raising her bottom lip above her mouth in an attempt to win sympathy.
Thankfully, I'm used to it. "Now I told you, if you keep bothering him he's going to react. So just leave him be, OK?"
Chikorita continued to give me the sad eyes look.
"Look, if you aren't going to behave, I could always send you back to your Poké Ball," I threatened, as I slowly and dramatically reached towards my belt.
"Cheeka!" Chikorita cried out. So far, that's been my go-to weapon for controlling her.
Instead of going back to minding her business, though, Chikorita decided to start bothering me now. She picked up our lone tennis ball in her mouth and dropped it at my feet.
"No, Chikorita, we've been over this. It's too small of an area to play ball in," I said.
Chikorita dropped her head in disappointment and walked over to the back wall, near Cyndaquil, to sulk. She curled up into a ball and laid down, making sure to lay her head down with a distinctive THUD before letting out a very loud and obvious sigh.
"Do you think I like being stuck in here, either, Chikorita?" I snapped.
Instantly, she began to tear up.
"I don't want to hear it," I said sternly. "Just go to sleep or something. I don't care. Just mind your own business, and don't bother anyone. Or you're going back in your Poké Ball."
Apparently my tone had gotten the message across, because Chikorita stopped her whimpering and actually closed her eyes.
Finally, I thought to myself. Now maybe I can catch some z's.
I woke up from my nap and glanced outside. The afternoon sky was now dark, signaling that I had slept through the rest of the afternoon. But then I noticed that something was missing.
"Wait a second. Do you guys hear that?" I asked aloud. Only Cyndaquil responded━everyone else was asleep. Apparently he had noticed the sound too━or rather, the lack of sound. There was no thunder, no cracks of lightning, not even the sound of rain hitting the rocks outside of our shelter. Nope. So apparently the storm has finally subsided. Immediately, Cyndaquil jumped up and a wave of relief washed over his face as he let out an exasperated sigh.
In his haste of excitement, he sprinted towards the entrance of our shelter.
"Wait!" I cried.
Cyndaquil froze, his foot mere inches from stepping out and into the forest. He looked at me, confused.
"It's muddy out," I reasoned. "If you go out now you'll get all muddy. And it's dark out, too, you'll get lost. How about we wait until the morning?"
"Cynda," he sighed sadly, dragging his feet as he returned to his corner.
"Just go back to sleep, bud," I said, trying to console him. He looked at me with sad eyes, and I motioned for him to come and sit with me. Slowly, he walked over, and he sat down next to me. Within a couple of minutes, he was asleep, and I similarly followed suit.
"Man, I almost forgot what sunlight felt like!" I joked to Espeon, who was laying out next to me, sunbathing in the morning sun on the dirt path of Route 31. Sitting out in the sun after spending a day and a half cramped in that little cave hollow, it definitely felt nice to be outside again. Sadly, though, the realities of my journey prevent me from spending too much time dawdling around, especially after all the time we spent waiting out the storm.
I glanced at my watch, and took on a more serious tone. "I told them not to be gone for long, Espeon. It's been fifteen minutes now. Do you want to go check on them?"
Espeon opened one eye and shook his head, then closed the eye again.
I rolled my eyes. "Fine then. I'll do it. Just watch my backpack."
Picking up my canteen, I looped the nylon around my neck and began walking down the path. Not long after setting out, Cyndaquil and Chikorita came bounding down the path. I knelt down and both Pokémon leapt into my arms.
"I'm happy to see you guys too!" I said. "But where's Pidgey?"
Cyndaquil and Chikorita exchanged nervous glances. Chikorita glanced down and started anxiously pawing at the ground, while Cyndaquil looked away and started rubbing his one arm.
"Did you two lose Pidgey?" I asked, concern creeping into my voice. Cyndaquil and Chikorita both looked up and shook their heads emphatically. "What then? If you didn't lose him...did he fly off or something?"
Again, Chikorita and Cyndaquil looked at each other nervously, before both nodded. "Come on, guys. I said stay together. Sometimes…" I massaged my temples in exasperation. Why does everything have to be so hard?
Thankfully, I didn't have to fret long, because soon enough Chikorita pointed out a speck along the horizon. As it got closer, the speck took the shape of a Pidgey. I threw up my arms in relief. "It's about time…"
When Pidgey landed, I prepared to reprimand him, but before I could start, Chikorita and Cyndaquil updated him on what was going on. The look of pure terror at the possibility of facing any punishment from me was enough to calm me down.
"Look, Pidgey," I said. "Next time I say 'stay together', stay together. OK? Just don't do it again."
Pidgey breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm just happy you're back in one piece. But, hey, don't worry about it. It's in the past. Now come on, guys. Let's go back to get Espeon."
After we went back to pick up Espeon, I returned everyone to their Poké Balls for a little bit of rest, and resumed my trek down the path. I spent several hours walking, enjoying being able to stretch my legs and enjoy the sun. Compared to the thunder and lightning, the sounds of nature and wild Pokémon were heavenly. Before I realized it, it was almost dusk and time to set up camp. I started keeping an eye out for possible campsites when a wild Aipom literally skipped out onto the path, trying to catch a Hoppip that was floating on the calm breezes.
Instinctively, I froze and took a moment to conjure up a plan to catch the wild Aipom. Compared to the first few days of my journey, I'm much better at controlling myself now. After running through a couple of ideas, I settled on using Chikorita━she can use the experience and practice.
I rolled Chikorita's miniaturized Poké Ball around in my hand for a moment, before pressing the button and enlarging it. "Alright, let's go Chikorita!" I cried out as I threw the now baseball-sized Poké Ball towards the wild Aipom.
Chikorita materialized in front of me. The wild Aipom finally diverted its attention from the Hoppip for a second, looked at us quizzically, and then proceeded to continue to chase the wild Hoppip.
With the Aipom not focusing on us, I decided to take the opportunity to strike. "Chikorita, Tackle that Aipom!"
Chikorita turned, looked up at me, and promptly sat down.
"What are you doing?! Tackle, Chikorita! Tackle!"
Instead of attacking, Chikorita merely yawned. I found my voice rising, and soon I was loudly yelling commands. Finally, the wild Aipom, who by now had lost interest in the Hoppip, gave us its full attention. Apparently connecting the dots on what I was attempting to do (and probably given the fact that I was yelling at Chikorita), the wild Aipom's eyes widened, and it dashed into the trees to avoid capture. All I could do was watch as a potential capture escaped.
Frustrated, I vented my anger on Chikorita and began yelling at her even more. She started sobbing profusely. Despite her actions, I felt my anger melt away as I looked into her large, tear-filled eyes. The full gravity of what I had just done suddenly hit me like a brick wall.
You've done it. Again. You lost your cool. How many times are you going to yell at Chikorita? Clearly, it doesn't work. She still acts up.
But those thoughts were countered by others. Why do you still keep her? All she does is cause trouble. She doesn't listen. She acts on her own accord. Just release her now, like her last trainer.
That last thought hit a chord with me. Just release her now, like her last trainer. How had I even considered that idea? This is a team. Sure, we argue, and sure, we hit bumps in the road, but we're a team. A family.
"Stay here, Chikorita," I commanded, trying to sound stern, although I didn't really say it with any authority. Thankfully, though, she listened, and stayed right where she was as I walked off into the forest.
Once I was out of view of Chikorita, I sat down on a log, alone with my thoughts. For what felt like an eternity, I argued back and forth with myself, questioning if I have what it takes to be on this journey. Specifically, I flashed back to something that my father had said to me the day I had left home.
"Remember, son, the biggest thing that I learned on my journey is that it doesn't matter whether you become the best. What matters is the memories you make, the friends you meet, and the adventures you have. Don't get so caught up in battling and catching Pokémon that you forget that. Badges can fade, trophies get dusty, but what always remains full and alive is the friendships. Whether with Pokémon or with people, make friends, and above all━keep those friends."
Remembering that mini-speech, I felt a shiver down my spine. In reality, that had only been a few weeks ago; but it felt like an eternity ago. Then I had an epiphany━instead of yelling at Chikorita every time she misbehaves, maybe I should try to be nice to her. Maybe I can even try some positive reinforcement? I mulled over that possibility for a little while longer, before coming to a conclusion.
With my mind much, much clearer, I ventured back to the path. Chikorita, however, didn't seem to be in as good a mood as me. She was pacing and muttering under her breath. When she noticed me, instead of forming a smile, she frowned, and her eyebrows gave off an impression of anger. Apparently, she wasn't happy I had left her for so long. Which is weird, because I hadn't even been gone for that long of a time.
Instead of scolding her, though, I got down on my knees, and hugged her. I couldn't see her face, but I felt her relax a little bit. After a couple of seconds, I stepped back, and reached for the rest of the Poké Balls on my belt. "Come on out, everyone!" I exclaimed.
As soon as everyone had materialized in front of me, I pulled them all into a massive group hug. I only let go after I received a sharp peck from Pidgey, who didn't like having his wings squished together.
But when I looked at all my Pokémon (besides Pidgey), they contained looks of bewilderment. "What, guys? Can't we just have a little impromptu hug time?" I said, responding to their stares of confusion. For a moment, I started to wonder, Am I really that stern of a trainer that my Pokémon don't know how to have fun? Am I a killjoy?
I quickly received an answer, though, as Chikorita leapt into my arms, immediately followed by Cyndaquil. The two laughed excitedly as I pulled them both close to my chest.
"Are you two not going to join in?" I asked sarcastically to Pidgey and Espeon, who were both just standing there, a little reluctant to re-engage in hugging. I motioned them to join in, but they still remained where they were. Finally, Espeon gave a half-hearted grunt of mock annoyance and joined in on the hug, leaving Pidgey alone. Realizing that he was the only one still resisting, he reluctantly approached, but this time he kept his wings outstretched and outside of the group hug. For the second time in less than a minute, we were all joined in one giant hug, as a family.
Although the general mood of togetherness and happiness persisted, we had a rather uneventful next few days as we continued onwards toward Azalea Town. I battled a couple of trainers we encountered, and of course we did some training, but nothing truly riveting occurred. Perhaps because of my actions during the "group-hug incident", Chikorita acted almost mature during that stretch; no fights, no blatant disregard of my commands. So, I figured it was about time to reward her.
"Hey, Chikorita? Can you come here?" I asked across our small campsite. The midafternoon sun glinted brightly off of what I held in my hand, but she didn't seem to notice. She began trotting over. "I have a gift for you," I explained.
Her speed picked up and she was suddenly sitting obediently in front of me, staring up at me with her big red and white eyes. She noticed my palm was closed, and immediately tried to find out what was located inside, assuming it was her gift.
I yanked my hand back. "Wait. Be patient. I have to explain first."
I could tell that Chikorita was obviously fighting the urge to jump up and try to claw her way to the gift. Taking a deep breath, I began my speech.
"First off, Chikorita, this is a reward for being very well-behaved these past few days. But don't take it for granted, because if you act up, I will not hesitate to take it back from you. Do you understand?"
Chikorita nodded, and I noticed that one of her back legs was literally tapping at a blinding speed, her anticipation building and transforming into nervous energy. Nonetheless, I continued on with what I had to say.
"What I'm about to give you is a gift from the Elder at the Sprout Tower, back from when we won the challenge there. I've been waiting for you to behave, and now you have been, so it's officially time for me to give it to you. Now, without further ado…"
I opened my palm, revealing the Miracle Seed in all its entirety. The gray nylon ribbons for around her neck (nylon so that it can survive battle) laid in a garbled mess, but the seed, inside of its case, glittered beautifully. The sage hadn't told me what exactly the case was made out of, but it had an orangish tint to it━it isn't amber, I've deduced that much━and it was incredibly hard and durable. Yet, the seed inside, which is less than an inch in size, is still easily visible beneath. Chikorita looked at the necklace in awe.
"Well, step over here," I said. Her eyes still wide, Chikorita walked over. I struggled a little bit clipping the necklace around her neck, but when I did she was ecstatic. The rest of my Pokémon had turned to watch the spectacle, and Chikorita wasted no time flaunting off her new necklace to them. Espeon and Pidgey were kind enough to at least act like they were interested (despite the obvious fact that they weren't), but Cyndaquil was genuinely transfixed on the necklace. The shininess of the seed's casing had drawn him in like a Butterfree to a brightly-colored flower. He made the mistake of attempting to reach for the seed, but Chikorita slapped him with a vine.
"Hey!" I cried out. "I can take that back if you're going to be like that!"
Pure terror appeared in Chikorita's eyes, and she quickly━but reluctantly━let Cyndaquil touch the seed. After a few seconds, though, she glanced at me apprehensively, then turned away from Cyndaquil, pulling the necklace out of his grasp. Sadly, he watched the shiny necklace be whisked away from him.
Cyndaquil glanced at me in desperation, his eyes pleading for any sort of help. I merely shrugged at him and mouthed the word sorry. But hey, at least they aren't fighting. I guess this Miracle Seed was all I needed to get Chikorita in line.
AN: Wow, it's been awhile! I got really caught up in school and just got busy in general, which I would like to apologize for. But, here's Chapter 9, so I hope you enjoy it! If there are any errors in the way this is formatted or anything, please do tell me. I imported this to FanFiction in a new way and there were some things messed up that I had to fix.