Bianca sat, huddled beneath a pine's needled branches. Though night had fallen, the sun still lingered in the east– nestling on the vast and evergreen treetops far beyond. Down the dirt road behind her, the cries of a pokemon battle reverberated into her ears. Looking down at Lillipup's pokeball, she lingered on her conversation with N.
I want to get stronger. This is what she truly wanted. But...
"–No, it's definitely impossible for you." He had decided her fate so easily. Was she so hopeless? Without even knowing her, N had given her such a final judgement. Was this how other people saw her? Though White and Cheren were always telling her how remarkable she was, she knew that they were lying. They had to, for the sake of her happiness.
"I don't want that anymore..." she muttered, shielding her eyes with her cap. "What do I do?"
She didn't want to go home and admit defeat, not to her parents. She wasn't strong enough to confront them– so the only way to go was forward. Even if she got dragged behind, like a piece of garbage hanging off a truck, she would keep going down the road, hoping that one day she would end up where she wanted to be– in the face of her dream of strength.
Cries and growls echoed down the road, and a Youngster hollered out commands. Like a roaring storm, White's harsh voice boomed overhead, drowning out every weaker sound. Her voice never sounded sweet nor musical– but always startling and uncanny. How could a teenage girl sound so wraithlike?
If Bianca had never known White, she would've thought that it was a monster.
"Snivy, whip and kick up–" White blasted, "–get him while the dirt is still rising–"
"–That's CHEATING," the Youngster roared.
"Woh, hohoho–" White's lunatic laugher permeated the air, sending chills down Bianca's back. The shrill scream of a Patrat followed, declaring that the battle was over.
Standing up, Bianca adjusted her hat and waited. Winning battle after battle, she thought. To be like that...
From within the shady pine thicket, she watched as White crunched down the road, her eyes cruel and her mouth smiling. ...To show such confidence without even speaking...
I want to learn how to do that!
Stepping out from the pine thicket, she brushed of her skirt and ran after White, shaking frenetically as she clamored to attract her attention. "Hey, listen!" Bianca blurted, clenching her fists. "Let's have a pokemon battle!"
Turning around, White's expression softened as soon as she saw her– it was almost as if she just couldn't take the girl as a threat. "Oh, there you are," she said. "I was hurrying to town to find you! But... No need now. So, you were saying something 'bout a battle? Right now is kind of–"
"–Pleeeease?" Bianca begged, her wide eyes shimmering with sincerity.
Gah! White flinched, frowning horrifically. So... so friggin' cute! she thought, trembling in distress; Maybe her dad was right about keeping her locked up... I need to make sure that no one tries to kidnap her...
While White lapsed into an anxiety attack, Bianca grew increasingly desperate. "The pokemon I caught have become a little stronger–" she explained, carefully watching the frozen frown on White's face, "So... so ready or not," she yelled, "here I come!" Grabbing her green bag, she stuck her hand inside and tugged.
And tugged. She grunted as she struggled to pull out a pokeball.
"Er... you got that, sis?" White asked. "You sure you want to battle right now?"
"Y-yes! Totally," Bianca said determinedly, her eyes watering in embarrassment. " I... I can DOOO this." Freeing her hand, she yanked the pokeball out, stumbling back a few steps while winding back to pitch. "Lillipup, let's go!"
White chortled darkly as she drew out her own pokeball. "You're suddenly very serious, sis... To honor your feelings– I won't go easy on you." Slamming down the pokeball, it bounced off the ground– unleashing a half-beaten Snivy. He wheezed and panted as he struggled to retain his smug countenance. "Go! Snivy!" White hailed, sending him closer to his final fate.
"Battle!" Bianca shook, suddenly nervous. Don't give up, pay attention and do your best... "Lillipup, Leer at him! Let's shake him up!" she said.
"Snivy, ranged attack with your Vine Whip–" Stepping back, the snake uncurled his collar vines and shot them out, smacking and slapping Lillipup to and fro with several loud cracks. Lillipup screamed as she twirled through the air, landing in the dirt and shaking up dust. Struggling back to her feet, she locked eyes with Snivy and bared her canines, leering vengefully. Startled by her murderous intent, Snivy tottered backwards and recoiled his vines, lowering his defenses and rhythm.
"His guard is down?" Bianca chirped in disbelief. "Alright! Here's our chance– tackle him, girl!"
"No no, get your vines back out and whip," White yelled, egging him back into fighting form. With another Vine Whip attack, Lillipup slowed from exhaustion, whimpering and struggling to keep upright. With the last of her strength, she sprinted at Snivy and dragged him to the ground– screeching and snarling.
"Not bad," White admitted, her eyes flashing. "But Snivy and I are gonna have fun 'till the end."
"Huh?" Bianca murmured, watching as White threw out her fist– coaching Snivy to victory– and putting on an unhinged smile.
"Line up and vine whip," she shouted. Suffering one last lashing, Lillipup gave out in exhaustion and fell on her stomach.
"Lillipup... it hurts because we're getting stronger," Bianca said. "Don't forget this battle– and all the battles that are to come." Summoning her pokemon back, she reached into her bag and pulled out another pokeball. "Ok," she declared, throwing Oshawott into battle, "this little one is up next!"
"As always, I have the most fun with sis and bro," White murmured, pulling at her pink hat brim. "Snivy. Wrap him–"
"Oshawott, get in his face and Leer!"
In a clash of movement, Snivy reacted the fastest and entangled Oshawott in his vines, completely encircling the sea otter pokemon and squeezing him mercilessly. "Shaaa," Oshawott trilled, struggling and slapping his paddle-like tail.
Holding her face, Bianca watched in panic. "Oshawott, tackle!" she blurted; "Get free and tackle... come on. Tackle–TACKLE!"
Breaking free, Oshawott rolled backwards and sat upright– his black, beady eyes glistening. Waiving his stubby white arms, he charged at Snivy, hopping onto his sleek back and pushing him down.
"You did it!" Bianca shook her fists. "You've almost won!"
I know I said I wouldn't do it, White thought, watching intensely. But I've been playing with sis. The truth is...
Snivy could've taken Oshawott with one hit.
"As expected of my sis," White said, resting her hands on her hips– provoking a courageous glare from Bianca; "But Snivy has overcome many battles in this way. From the brink of extinction... to victory. Snivy– Vine Whip!"
Another lashing followed and Oshawott spun around, trilling and dancing frenziedly from the forceful vines. Tottering for a moment, he fell with a hard thud.
"Aww..." Bianca's shoulders sank. "I couldn't win..."
Leaning down, White checked on Snivy, who was hanging on with only a sliver of consciousness. "You got a lot of battles in today, didn't you?" White asked. Holding out his pokeball, she opened it, holding it steady and retrieving him. Stuffing the ball back inside her bag, she turned and looked worriedly at Bianca.
Hiding her sadness, Bianca smiled back and flailed her am. "Woo-hoo!" she cheered. "You are a tough cookie, White." She tugged her green cap down and stared at the ground, her voice strenuously cheerful. "I'm gonna work hard on training my pokemon so we won't lose anymore! Ok, bye-bye–"
Sensing something amiss, White grabbed Bianca's arms and yanked her close. "Bianca," White said. "Wait–"
Bianca fought back and tried to pull away, but White grabbed her chin and pulled her face upright. As suspected, tears were spilling down Bianca's face and her lips were curled from the pain and humiliation of defeat.
Should I have... let her win? White wondered, a horrible tightness wrenching in her chest. "I'm sorry," she told Bianca, not sure of what else to say. She was certain that it was her fault that Bianca was crying. How could she have thoughtlessly hurt her like this?
"Don't," Bianca shoved her away and ran off. She didn't want to be babied anymore.
White allowed the girl to run off alone. Though she wanted to follow, she knew that she'd only get in the way. During these years of adolescence, they were starting to grow apart. Soon, White thought, sis and bro will mature, and they won't need me.
She grabbed the base of her neck and squeezed it, trying to choke herself and overcome her inner turmoil. I want to think it's a good thing– as we drift apart– but these feelings are tightening up inside. I don't want to be left behind by them. I want to be the most important thing in their lives– as they are in mine– even if it's selfish.
All these crazy feelings and ramblings inside me are breaking out.
I don't want to be left alone again in this colorless world.
Holding her face, White gasped, her arms trembling and heart pounding. I'm going insane again– just like the time before.
Just like long ago, when she had succumbed to loneliness.
In her memories, it was all still vivid– that distant night when her world had changed. The night was when she was taken away–
A pendulum swung and a small, golden hand grabbed hers– leading her through the crowd. Her, who was a little girl at the time.
This she remembered.
Overhead, giant, hollowed out pumkin berries glowed with jagged smiles. Excited voices echoed and paraded down the stone-laid street, leaving her breathless and mystified. For all the people that were there, they never saw her being led away, underfoot, by the monster.
Across a creaky wooden bridge they stalked, and into the forest. Her yellow gown– her costume for that night– tore on black brambles as he led her through the trees, clasping her hand and tugging harder as she grew scared and reluctant to follow. Leading her to a decrepit mansion, she pulled back and fell down. Ignoring her shrieks, the monster silently grabbed her dress hem and dragged her across the cold muddy earth– pulling her inside the abandoned mansion.
Stuffed in the mansion's third bedroom wall– left to dream a thousand dreams– her mind wandered through doors and spiraling hills. Even though the monsters devoured her dreams, they planted and grew more in her. Every dream was twice as fantastic as the last, and every wild vision made her yearn for more.
In between dreams, the monsters would drag her down to the dining hall. There, they sat her at a dining table so long– that it seemed more like a cloth covered road. In her daze, purple, gas-like hands shoved old cake and honeyed tea in her mouth, and flies buzzed overhead. Worms, tickling lightly, crawled on her decaying back.
So much had she screamed, that she had lost her voice– and for so long had she been asleep, that her muscles deadened. Even her mouth, which was once capable of trembling, had lost its ability to move. Instead it had frozen into a contorted smile.
Because her waking moments were spent attending these morbid tea parties, her imagination grew only crazier and she longed further for sleep time.
By the time she was rescued, her dreams had become her reality. This was when her real loneliness began.
"Sis and bro..." White murmured. "Until I met them, I didn't want to live in this world." Colorless, unlike the world of dreams and ideals. "Those two are the only reason I wanted to stay awake." And if I lose that reason...
With stiff legs, White bumbled into Striaton City– stopping only once to heal at the pokecenter before disappearing into the Dream Yard down the road.
In that dark, mist-filled forest, she slept and dreamed for the night.
Cheren, who had fallen asleep, face-first, on the school's chalk board, was surprised when he awoke that morning. Class was in session once again– revealing an even more surprising fact: that he had apparently slept through Chili's instruction.
"–SO THAT'S WHAT MAKE A GHOST TYPE SO FIERCE," Chili finished, pointing at the board, right above Cheren's sleepy head. "OK. WE'RE DONE."
Pulling away from the board and wiping the drool off his face, Cheren panicked. Unforgivable, he thought, stricken by disbelief. This is... the first time I've ever slept through a class. My perfect student record... He adjusted his glasses in reflection.
I'm becoming just like White.
Shaking away this horrific thought, he straightened his back and acted like nothing had happened. Chili left the room, without any incident, and most of the students pushed up from their seats and packed up. Just as Cheren turned his head to watch them depart, White pushed through the front door, bringing the blinding morning light in with her.
Speak of the devil, Cheren thought, nervously looking away. Determined to appear busy and not recently awoken– he slicked his black hair down with his hands and began obnoxiously reading the board aloud.
The floor creaked behind him and he felt her breath on his neck.
~To be continued...~
Maybe this chapter should've been saved 'till October, since it's so festive. D:
School started recently– horribly enough. Hang in there, everyone!