Route 102 stretched before us in an endless sea of grass and light morning fog. As we both appraised the promise of a journey before us, I could hear Torrent's breathing in the silence, naturally shallow, like the waters of a creek.
"That wasn't a nice way to say goodbye." Torrent said, looking up at me. I tousled his hair and pulled his head towards me, until he was leaning against my ribcage.
"This is a secret, okay, Torrent?" He nodded, his grey eyes curiously analyzing my own. "I lived with my mom and my brother and I loved both of them so much, but a lot of people told me I was being manipulated by my brother and that he was the reason I was so sheltered. They told me he was a bad person." Torrent tilted his head wonderingly. "I still don't believe he manipulated me and I still don't think he's a bad person. But my heart has grown cold to people who say something solely to get a specific reaction. I have a hard time trusting them." Torrent clutched my hands tightly, his eyes wide, as if he had the answers to the world.
"I don't get it," he said earnestly. I giggled at his confusion and he pouted, pulling my hand to start moving through the grass. "When I grow into a Swampert, I'm gonna say things you don't understand and laugh at you!" He tossed his head. Already, the grass closed around us as we walked through. "Anyway, I don't get it, but it's still a secret." When he smiled at me, his nose crinkled and his pearly baby teeth flashed. "I will be the sea that keeps you afloat and brings you home. You can always trust me."
"Where did you learn to say such cute things?" I stammered, my face burning crimson. Before Torrent could reply, I heard a chirp behind me. Whirling around, I came face to face with a girl that looked like she was ten years old. Her long blue hair was tucked underneath the red bandana around her neck. Compact wings raised over her shoulders, reminding me of birds of prey who opened their wings to look bigger and more threatening. The double daggers in her hands and slim golden bands around her ankles glinted against her olive skin.
My Icon pinged in my pocket.
"Taillow, the TinySwallow Piece," the cool female voice said when I took the Icon out and flipped it open, "Although it is small, it is very courageous. It will take on a larger SKARMORY on an equal footing. However, its will weakens if it becomes hungry." Sure enough, the girl spread her wings, chirping angrily, and took off into the sky only to wing around in a tight circle and ram Torrent in the chest with a dagger.
"Torrent!" I gasped. I expected a gaping wound on his chest, but Torrent just hopped back up and dusted himself off. When he saw my relieved face, he laughed.
"Don't worry! We're stronger than humans." I looked at his health bar on the Icon and true to his word, saw that he had only lost a little bit of health.
"Torrent! Water Gun!" He complied, but the Taillow corkscrewed, barely missing the hissing jet of water. Once again, she flew at Torrent, but this time, he was ready and jumped out of the way. "Tackle!" He rammed himself into her and the Piece went tumbling through the air. Landing on the ground, she started to concentrate, Focus Energy bringing together small sparks in the air, but before she could attack again, Torrent threw his body at her and she rolled on the ground. When she tried to stand up, golden blood dripped from her nose. Still, she struggled to stand until a cough burst out of her mouth, spraying the ground under her with the blood.
"Throw a PEN!" Torrent yelled, "or she'll keep hurting!" I did, the red and white orb spiraling in the air, and there was a bright flash of light as the Taillow was trapped inside the ball. It shook for a second, as she tried to get out.
After three twitches, the PEN clicked and rocked to a stop. Trembling, I walked over, picked it up, and clicked the button. The bright red light filled my vision again when the PEN deposited the Taillow at my feet. With one flap of her wings, she rolled away from me, but couldn't stay in the air. Though the blood had disappeared, she still held her rib cage as if in pain.
"You caught me." Her voice was melodic, with a slight edge to it. Light blue, accusing eyes, similar to mine, stared back at me. "Why?"
I was shocked, partly because of the battle, partly because of her question.
"I... I want to be your friend."
"I don't need that."
"Then what do you need?"
"Strength," she barked. "So that next time, I won't get rolled by a small Mudkip." Torrent stayed silent.
I squared my shoulders and looked into her narrowed eyes.
"I can give you strength."
"Uh-huh." Doubt crossed her face, but she quickly became self-assured again. "I am Skyra."
"My name is Alex, and this is Torrent." Before I could go on, her face paled and twisted in pain. "You're injured. We need to go to a Center." I scooped her up, and was surprised to find her as light as air, even with her two wings.
She stayed rigid, embarrassed by the situation as I walked to Oldale. In almost no time at all, I was striding into the town and I located the red roof of the Piece Center. Passing through the doors, my eyes caught sight of the slogan, "Peace for your Pieces!"
"What can I do for you?" the red haired nurse asked. On her name tag was 'Jacey'.
"My friend here needs help. Do you think you could help her?" She smiled.
"Sure! Just put her back into the PAL and we'll fix her right up!"
"Er..." I felt flustered, "Well, I don't have a PAL. I have PENs."
"That's perfectly fine," Jacey said, "We're a quiet town, so some of the old timers still have PENs. That's why most Piece Centers keep around PEN Holders, although I wouldn't know if the nurses knew how to use them as well as the PALaces."
"What are... PEN Holders? And PALaces?"
Jacey looked surprised.
"Goodness, do you not know this? They are the machines that heal your Pieces." Jacey had put Skyra back into her PEN while we were talking. Then, she placed the ball into what looked like a bulky tray. "This will only take about ten minutes or so. Until Skyra is healed, why don't you refresh yourself? There are beds in the back and food in the dining room." With that, the nurse took Skyra into the back.
I didn't have the stomach for food, so I collapsed on a fluffy couch and started to pet Torrent's hair when he snuggled against me.
"Do you hurt anywhere, Torrent?"
"No, Lexa. I'm good."
I chuckled and leaned down to rub noses with him.
"Is that your new nickname for me?" After an anxious twelve minutes, I heard a rustling noise and Skyra landed right next to me. Nurse Jacey followed with a tray of coffee and cookies.
"It's been a while since I saw such a young trainer with PENs." Torrent was excitedly inhaling the cookies while Skyra carefully nibbled at one.
"Someone kind of... asked me to do it..." Her eyes crinkled amiably.
"Well, good for you! I always thought the PALs were always on the harsh side."
"Are the PALs really that bad? I've never seen one." Jacey thought for a while, while the crunch of cookies continued to pervade the room.
"One time, I was with my brothers when they were catching a Piece with a PAL. When you throw the PAL, the metal ring disconnects and shoots at the Piece. The metal must be heat seeking, because it always attaches to the radial pulse," she said, tapping her wrist. "When it clicks shut, it electrocutes the Piece, and completely rewires the neuro-sensory signals in the brain. They make the Piece more tractable and," her voice sounded sad, "they stop the signals of death going to the brain. I don't know how they managed to figure this out, but now, Pieces are basically indestructible." There was a pause. "I don't like it!" she burst out, "I like the PALs better. The process of training and bonding with your Pieces is special but now-!" She put a hand on Torrent's head, who looked up and smiled, his mouth stained with chocolate. "But now, it's different. What happened to enjoying friendship? These poor Pieces. They're brought from the brink of death thousands of times. It must feel terrible."
"How wide-spread are the PALs?"
"Oh, they're everywhere." The nurse waved her hand vaguely. "Up in the big cities, like Rustboro or Mauville, you can't find a PEN anywhere. In the more rural cities, like here, you can still find PENs, but the younger generations are all about PALs." She checked her watch. "But it's getting late, so why don't I show you a room in the back?"
That night, I stared at the ceiling, my arms under my head, as Torrent and Skyra slept pressed tight against me. Skyra's white shirt and navy shorts were thin, so her body heat crept through them to me, much to my comfort. My thoughts wandered and I eventually found myself thinking about Brendan.
His hair is really pretty in the sun, I thought idly. But I couldn't think of him without thinking about our fight, so I flopped onto my stomach, eliciting a yelp from Torrent, who quickly went back to sleep again. I closed my eyes and succumbed to the exhaustion.
The small buildings of Petalburg slowly came into view. I marveled at the peace; for a person who had visited London and New York, Petalburg seemed almost rustic. I was slightly disappointed I hadn't met any trainers on the way. But then again, I doubted people would stand motionless for hours just to have a battle. The game was incorrect on that aspect.
Petalburg was also where I was supposed to meet my father in the gameplay. But as my dad was in the other universe, Norman, the gym leader in the game, would probably be a regular gym leader. Torrent happily skipped beside me, munching on an Oran Berry.
"I've never seen a city before!" He exclaimed, his mouth and fingers stained blue, "The buildings are so pretty!" I grinned.
"This is a town, Torrent. It's not even a city. If you want to see a city, you'll have to wait until Rustboro or Mauville." I looked up to make sure Skyra was still with us, hoping the tiny black dot in the sky was her. "Okay, Torrent. Let's go talk to the gym leader first. I know we're not strong enough to fight him, but we should visit him and say hello to him anyway." Torrent quickly popped the rest of the Oran Berry in his mouth and swallowed.
"Okay!" he said, wiping his fingers on his pants, "Let's go!" I put my fingers in my mouth and let out a blood-curling whistle - something that my brother had taught me. I heard a faint chirp and before I knew it, Skyra landed gracefully beside me.
The gym was cool and shadowy, compared to the bright outdoors, so it was hard to spot the gym leader at first.
So when I heard the scream, I jumped.
"THOSE EYES!" a man in the corner of the room shrieked, "I KNOW THOSE EYES! DON'T COME NEAR ME!" I whirled to the source of the sound. "WHY HAVE YOU RETURNED?!"
"Sir, you need to calm down. I think you have the wrong person." I put a hand on Torrent's head and felt his growling through his skull. When the man saw my hand on Torrent, he shook his head, and his gaze lost some of its crazed look.
"A girl, you're a girl," he started to sob. His thinning hair was brown, and his clothes were baggy. "It's okay, my dear, you can come out again." A teenage boy with a white shirt and white shorts emerged from the darkest corner of the room. He had wild, white hair with a streak of red down the middle and he looked alert. On his clenched hands were white gloves with two sharp, dagger-like objects attached to the knuckles.
"Come here, Vigoroth." The Piece came, still looking at me. He was constantly bouncing on his heels and his movements were quick. "Comfort me." Automatically, and much to my horror, the Vigoroth kissed the man on his lips and patted his head, his face not changing expression. I covered Torrent's eyes, a little too late, while I heard Skyra chirp, alarmed. Bile rose in the back of my throat.
"What do you think you're doing?!" The man looked fearfully at me. "Who do you think you are?!" With the mention of his identity, he straightened up.
"My name is Tavor. I am the Gym Leader of Petalsburg Gym."
"Why are you forcing that Piece to kiss you?! That's disgusting!"
"I'm not forcing him!" Tavor whimpered, "You want my kisses, right Vigoroth?" The Vigoroth nodded mechanically, and the gym leader hugged him. "He and two others!" Tavor was muttering. "All I have left. My lovelies, don't leave your Master alone. Ever since that boy," his teeth creaked when he ground them and he hugged Vigoroth tighter, making the Piece wince, "but we're safe. They have the same eyes, but we're safe."
I raised my fist to punch him, but he squealed and pushed Vigoroth in front.
"You are a weak man," I spat. His smile was tremulous.
"I once was a strong man. But that... that boy started my downfall. And I was broken by the... that... family... that brat..." he hissed, "That wealthy excuse for a trainer! That weak—"
"You have no right to accuse others!" At my outburst, the door slammed open behind me and we all turned to face a cute, ten-year old boy with light green hair and pale skin.
"Tavor!" he sang and then stopped when he saw me in the room. "Who are you?"
"My name is Alexandra."
"Oh," he said, his tone dismissive. He turned back to the gym leader. "Tavor, you said you'd let me borrow your Zigzagoon so I could catch my own Piece today!"
"Of c-course, Master Wally. B-but could we n-not postpone-"
Wally scowled darkly.
"Now." His eyes suddenly turned wide and innocent. "I'm sick remember? And I don't think my parents would like it if I got even worse." He turned to me abruptly. "You. Alex. Teach me how to catch Pieces better."
"Sure. If you have PENs-" Wally laughed, his shrieks causing Torrent to start growling again. "I guess you're just a hillbilly after all! Nobody uses PENs anymore!" He shook his head amusedly and drew something from his pocket. It was a transparent sphere, as clear as glass, with a single ring of thin metal encircling it. "Here! I'll give you this! I guess I'll be the one teaching you!" Throwing me the PAL, he giggled again and motioned for me to follow him.
"You're not going to really catch it with the PAL, are you, Alex?" I felt Torrent's fingers curl around my own.
"No. I don't want to use the PAL. And it looks like we're heading from where we came from. We caught Skyra there, remember?" His faced relaxed into a smile again.
"Remember!" He skipped happily.
We waded in the grass with Wally leading the way when we heard a gentle ringing. I was surprised when I saw a very small girl with green hair make the sound again. She had a red headband with a bow in the middle and was wearing and simple white dress. When I smiled, she smiled back at me, making the chiming sound.
Suddenly, a Zigzagoon tackled her. Wally whooped in joy.
"Yeah! Go Zigzagoon! Tackle!" The Ralts growled weakly before the Zigzagoon, who was wearing a striped shirt and dark pants, attacked her again. "Watch me, Alex!" He threw the ball, and by some indiscernible force, the metal ring around the ball fell apart and neatly clicked on the Ralts's slender wrist.
Her scream of pain made me want to scream with her. Her body jerked with the electric current while smoke curled from the bracelet. A burning smell filled my lungs and I started to hear Torrent cry. Finally, she stopped and disappeared in a red flash of light into the now milky white PAL.
"Woohoo! My first Piece!" Wally ran to pick up the PAL. "Maybe I can catch another one!" Without me asking, Torrent knocked the sphere out of his hand with a forceful stream of water. When the PAL landed on the ground again, there was another bright flash of light and Ralts was standing in front of me again, except her sweet smile had been replaced by a blank look. Rage consumed my body, and for a couple of second, I could do nothing but shake.
"Release that Piece!" I said through gritted teeth. Wally glowered vehemently.
"Why? I just caught it! If I release it, it'll die. That's how they make the PALs." A choked sob escaped my mouth.
"You're terrible. What if that had hit you? What if you were forced to obey?" Wally shrugged.
"It's not made for humans," he perked up, smiling sweetly, "although I wonder what it does..."
There was a blur and a click, and before I knew it, I was slammed with excruciating pain. I heard shrieking and I realized, with a start, that it was coming out of my own mouth. Then, I felt one last jolt on my wrist and the pain stopped. Skyra quickly removed the metal she had severed with her dagger. Above the noise of my sobbing, I heard his screaming, high-pitched laughter.