I smile as the Gardevoir finishes eating - or, more accurately, inhaling - the berries I gave her. She sighs in content as she leans back against the edge of the tent, fussing with her sling for a bit before finally letting it sit still. Shinx bounds over to her and sniffs at the fabric of her dress, and I smirk as he swats at it.
After a moment of resting, the Gardevoir begins to stir. She sits upright and closes her eyes, and I realize that she's meditating. I pick up my notepad and pencil and begin to take notes on her methods.
Something hits me, and I open my Pokédex and check the entry on Gardevoir. I nod to myself as I open the notebook and begin a new entry.
Day One:
The Gardevoir seems to trust me. It's unexpected, as she is a wild Pokémon, and most of them don't trust humans. It seems as if she follows a logical thought pattern, as trust was established when I presented her with sustenance.
This denotes that the species has achieved sentience, as she is able to discern the difference between a threatening entity and a helpful one. She seems willing to establish a benign relationship with me, but this relationship seems to be one based upon the will to survive, and not any sort of friendship or partiality. At this time, it does not prove, nor does it disprove, anything. Further research must be conducted.
The Gardevoir has completed her meditation. I will attempt to communicate with her and perhaps establish a universal understanding between us.
I smile at the Gardevoir as I put away my notes. She watches in placid curiosity, undoubtedly refreshed by both the meal and her meditation.
"Hi," I begin. I point to myself. "My name is Peter. I'm a Pokémon Professor." She remains silent. "So, uh...I'm sorry about how I chased after you. You took my bag, and...well, to be quite honest, you looked like shit. D'you understand what I'm saying?" Her eyelid slowly descends and returns in a thoughtful blink. I sigh as I continue.
"So...I mean, there are so many berries around here. How come you hadn't eaten?"
She responds by letting out a low hum and standing to leave. I frown as I spring to my feet and take a gentle grasp of her arm. She looks to me in surprise.
"You sure you want to go outside? You had pretty bad injuries, I think you should rest."
She surprises me by irritably yanking her at from me and striding out of the tent. I watch as I cautiously follow.
The Gardevoir looks right at me. I stop in my tracks so I don't startle her. She points to the edge of the clearing, and I follow her finger with a frown.
"I don't understand," I admit. "Is there something that way you want me to see?"
She shakes her head, and lowers her finger. She seems disappointed, but I don't know what she expected.
"Well...I think you should rest," I announce as I approach her. She looks to me with a sigh. "You were cut up pretty badly," I remind her. "I had to do a bit of surgery...you should lie down, or else you could tear the sutures..." I gently grasp her un-bound arm and try to lead her to the tent, but she tears her arm away from me and walks into the tent by herself. I follow her with a roll of my eyes. The least she could do is be a bit grateful...
I follow her in, and sigh as I recline on my sleeping bag. The Gardevoir continues to simply sit in silence. I want to try communicating with her, but it seems as if she wants to be left alone. So I pick up my notepad and continue the entry.
Attempts to communicate were inconclusive. I don't know if she understood me or not, but she lead me outside the tent and pointed into the trees. I believe she was attempting to convey the source of her misfortune to me, but I cannot be sure.
She seems to want to be left alone. So I'm going to let her be alone until I have to check her bandages, sutures, arm, etc. I'm not going to let her jeopardize her own health because she's stubborn. This isn't even part of the experiment - I'm acting as her doctor, and by God, I'm going to be a fucking doctor.
I put the notepad away and look over at Gardevoir. Shinx is curled up next to her leg, and is taking a nap. However, that's not what catches my attention. What catches my attention is that the Gardevoir is fucking with her bandages.
"Hey," I announce as I approach, "stop screwing with your bandages. There are stitches under there, you've got to keep them covered. Now, c'mere, let me fix them."
I try to touch her bandages, but she catches me off guard with a slap to the face. I glare at her for a moment. So much for a species of logical thought process...
"I'm trying to help you," I inform her. "Let me see your bandages." She rolls her eyes as she holds her dress down from her shoulders. I nod as I approach, careful not to touch the horn protruding from her chest.
"Okay," I mutter as I finish checking all of her bandages. "They're fine. Just don't screw with them, alright?" She gives me an evil eye as she pulls her dress back into place. I can't help but be amazed by how she's acting. I grab my notepad as soon as I return to my bed.
The Gardevoir is displaying aspects of individuality. She is very irritable, and seems to have a good amount of dignity. When I attempted to examine her bandages, which required removing a portion of her dress, she slapped me. She also glared at me, as if she harbors violent resentment against me. It may warrant caution, but it is also an interesting point that I will have to study further.
I watch as Shinx stands and walks around. Gardevoir seems to seize up, and I realize why she's struggling against me. She probably knows that I'm trying to help her, but she obviously fears interaction with other Pokémon or humans. As such, her actions of retaliation aren't acts of violent resentment - they're acts of fear. She's afraid.
I frown as I approach her, hoping that I'm right. She tenses as I come near, and seems ready to attack me - much like a cornered wild animal. I smile sympathetically as I sit down across from her.
"So...how's your arm feeling?" I ask her. She blinks. "Right...uh...would you like anything? Any more berries?" She blinks. "Taking that as a no?" Blink. "Would you like to go outside? I'll have to watch you, since you're technically my patient..." Blink. I'm about to leave when she extends her hand towards me. I watch her cautiously as I meet her halfway. As soon as our skin makes contact, I feel something stab into my mind, and her hand grasps onto mine. I seize up as a psychic tendril worms through my mind, taking everything unbidden to my wishes.
As soon as she releases my hand, I reel away from her, gasping for air and solace. She closes her eyes as she contemplates what she's stolen from my mind. I back away from her a bit, my heart pounding as panic sets in.
After several moments of hyperventilating and staring at her, I'm finally able to gulp down some air and shut my eyes. When I open them again, I've calmed down, and Shinx is nudging my hand in concern. I smile a bit, still panting, as I scratch behind his ears.
Gardevoir opens her eyes, and my heart leaps in panic. I force myself to remain collected as she stares into my eyes. A moment passes in cautious examination before she closes her eyes once more, and continues to meditate. I shake my head as I decide to just leave her alone for the time being, and hopefully get my mind in order...