Chapter Fifteen:
Lost

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of howPokémonlook in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them out when their time to show up comes. :3

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Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.
-Henry David Thoreau

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"What's taking her so long? She's gonna be late for class."

"Hold on to your tail feathers. I'll go check."

"Does this always happen?"

Riptide paused at the partially shut bathroom door to glance back at Syd on his stand. The Pidgey was dancing to and fro agitatedly, his feathers fluffing and re-fluffing as he did so.

"I'm not sure. I think so," he admitted, suddenly feeling uncertain. Perhaps he should have made it more his business to learn what he could about werewolves. If this was going to happen every full moon, he'd need a counteractive plan to help where he could. Even with what little he knew, he felt Lupin was withholding more information than she was willing to share.

Riptide waddled forward on all fours toward the bathroom door and pushed it open with his snout. Inside was humid and hot, which he found pleasant. The mirror was fogged up and steam rose from the shower. The curtain was drawn back and he could see Lupin's silhouette from behind it, moving rather slowly.

"You're going to be late," he called above the shower's noise.

"I heard you two bickering back and forth," she muttered back. He snorted.

"Then you'll know that you're going to be late," he repeated more firmly. "Hurry it up."

"I'm almost done. Hold your horses," Lupin yawned. Moments later, the shower cut short, and an arm snaked out from behind the curtain to snatch up a warm, fluffy towel from the sink counter. Riptide waited, somewhat loathe to leave the warm cocoon of the bathroom's humid heat. It felt pleasant against his scales and was a rather enjoyable temperature for him. Why couldn't the rest of this blasted city be like this? At least the spring showers should be behind them, and soon, the ushering of summer would be underway and the heat would pick up. He couldn't wait for it.

But, he finally relented and waddled back out of the bathroom as Lupin slowly dressed in the bathroom. She'd had to replace her muddy clothes the night they'd arrived in Violet City; they had been stained too badly to recover. Now she was dressed in a plain black shirt with dark cargo pants, and the newness of it all was rather evident by the lack of wear and tear on them, as well as that crisp, clean look of off-the-shelf freshness they exuded. She sighed as she fumbled to get her coat on, then her hat, and lastly, her pack. It was mainly empty of her camping supplies now, hosting instead her class supplies, and of course, the Togepi egg Professor Elm had entrusted to her to hatch.

As soon as she was set, they left the housing room in the Pokémon Center and made for the academy. Riptide and Syd were both brimming with unbridled agitation and energy, their anxiety having kept them up most of the night. What little sleep they caught while lounging in the room alone for the night had been fitful and broken. Now they were beginning to feel that energy drain out of them as the werewolf made her way around the few blocks to get to the academy. Before they made for the final block where the school was, however, Lupin made a pit stop at the Wooper Café down the street from the center.

Pokémon treats, breakfast, and coffee: the ultimate trifecta.

"You're almost an hour late, you realize," Riptide offhandedly mentioned as they exited the shop nearly ten minutes later. Lupin paused mid-sip with her coffee. Then she calmly finished, took in a breath, and let it out just as slowly.

"…Shit."

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The next passing week went by uneventfully. Notes were taken, slideshows were shown, and a test was conducted, as it was outlined in the class curriculum. It became clear, after the first few days, who were the sharp tacks of the class and who needed just a little more effort put into them to get the class material.

Even without her two pokémon's input, Lupin was easing her way rather smoothly into the class, minus the hiccup on the day she was late. Riptide was impressed. Syd didn't have much to reference her off of, so he was just as impressed with the entire thing.

"You could easily be the top of the class," the gator commented in the middle of the second week. Lupin was lounging in a chair in the lobby of the Pokémon Center, a book propped open in her lap and a notebook on top of that. Half a page was already filled out with extensive answers to a sheet of questions that sat underneath the notebook. Lupin glanced at the Totodile. Syd was perched on the blue gator's head, and he peered into one of Riptide's yellow-red eyes.

"Think she could be?"

"I don't see why not. She's catching onto the material faster. Impressive…for someone who has an empty head, that is."

"Har, har. Forgetful jokes again?"

"I won't let you off easily," Riptide remarked offhandedly. He bobbed his snout toward the paperwork in her lap. "Question seven, you're almost done with it. Let's hurry up and get it finished with so we can get some chow. The cafeteria closes in less than an hour."

"Then, why don't we take a break? I don't want to end up with scraps again, or worse, no food at all or we'll have to go back out in town."

"What's wrong with that?"

"The food here is relatively cheaper than going out in town," Lupin remarked.

"You people and your currency. You'd think you'd be happy just trading a rawst berry here, an oran or cherri berry there. Instead you got this coin and dollar system going on. No wonder you rob each other, it's all shiny and attractive. You guys should just get rid of it and go back to the berry trading system. We pokémon don't have any troubles with that."

"Money doesn't degrade or rot away when left alone for long periods of time. Berries do, birdbrain."

"Oi."

"Right, right. Sorry…" Riptide snorted, before he moved to clamber up Lupin's arm and up her shoulder. Syd jumped and hovered in the air, his little wings beating fast until he angled in for a quick landing on Lupin's other shoulder. She gathered up her things and stored them back in her pack, shuffling off toward the cafeteria. The rest of the evening passed without much incident, up until Lupin was rereading through her class curriculum. She stopped in her perusing, caught up on a future upcoming class: properly catching a pokémon.

"Oh."

"What's 'oh'? Is that a good 'oh' or a bad 'oh'?"

She motioned to the paperwork she was reviewing. Riptide glanced at her pointing index finger, then back at her face.

"I can't read human language. I told you this before."

"Then what about that book I was reading back at the professor's lab a few months back?"

"What book?"

"You know. That battle tactics book. The one I was reading back when I had babysitting duties in pastures with you lot."

It took a moment for it to click, but she saw it in his eyes when they did.

"That? I heard Phillip mentioning it when I came over."

"Likely story."

"I really can't read this, Lupin," he motioned a paw toward the sheet of paper. "Now what are you 'oh'-ing about?"

"That's not a word," Lupin pointed out.

"Just tell us already, we're quivering with anticipation, Lady," Syd called over. He snickered when Lupin shot him a glare. She settled down, however, casting her eyes back onto the paperwork.

"We're supposed to catch a minimum of two pokémon on Friday in a field demonstration trip. It'll be a part of our grade."

"Is that all you're worried about? You'll be fine." Syd took off to swirl lazily in the air above them. Lupin held up a hand for him to land. As she pulled him in closer, he took initiative to leap onto her shoulder and burrow up against her neck and under her hair. "You caught that rock snake just fine. Or close to 'fine' as you'll ever get. A little Bellsprout or something will be a cinch."

"No, I'm not worried about that."

"Then what?" Syd inquired further. She leaned against the headboard, the bed's pillow wedged under the small of her back.

"I can't really defend against what if scenarios and it'd be a bit dumb if I over-prepared."

"Potions, extra pokéballs, and a good amount of antidotes, paralyze heals, and some awakening bottles as well. That's about as prepared as you can be at your level."

Lupin hummed noncommittally.

"I'll keep it in mind," she finally said, glancing toward the window. The soft glow of Violet City brushed against the glass pane, echoing off the white curtains framing it. The werewolf got up to pull them shut. "So, how about a movie break? We got Rock Monster Lake or The Jynx Curse."

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"Come back here, you little thief!"

The rusty orange and black striped dog was fast, pumping his little legs to propel him forward as fast as they could go. But the girl was fast, even when she was weighed down by her travel pack and that blue gator of hers. He thought he was in the clear when he ducked into an alley a block away and hid between two dumpsters—but then that nosy little Pidgey came screeching around his head and pecking at his nose and eyes. He yelped and spit flames to scare off the Pidgey. The little bird squawked indignantly, surprised and annoyed all at once.

"Over here, he's over here!" He cried once he'd gathered his bearings.

Uh-oh.

He whimpered through the little package in his mouth, darting down the alleyway to escape and make it back to his master. Just around the corner of that little café that girl and her pokémon—and oh so many other trainers—often haunted nearly every morning. But he was fast, faster than any human, even if this particular one was faster than the usual ones he was used to encountering. He went for broke, feeling pure energy speed him along. The wind rushed through his fur, roared in his ears, and filled his lungs as he spurred himself forward on quick little paws. He almost felt like a true Arcanine, even if he was only one grubby little Growlithe in reality. It didn't hurt to daydream a little for the day he evolved, did it?

He imagined he was rushing along as the larger canine, outpacing all footrace opponents. He imagined even overtaking the Legendaries themselves, past Raikou and Entei and even the lovely Suicune. He dreamed he and his master would one day live in a big home with lots of space and room to move around, with lots of food and drink, and a roof over their heads like they used to. A cardboard box wasn't all that fun when it rained, after all. Especially for him.

He darted behind homes and through backyards, doubling back through front yards and alleyways between buildings. Violet City's back ways were his home turf, not some outsider passing through. He could shake anyone. And yet…he was starting to doubt himself and lose all sense of hope at this perpetually annoying mark. She was fast too. She wasn't relenting or giving up—it was only a measly pastry!—and seemed determined to catch him. The thought of returning to his master came unbidden and already his legs were pumping fast to propel him back to the safety of his master.

The little Growlithe yowled in surprise when a gush of water scored his side and soaked his fur. It almost tripped him up, but he recovered quickly, tumbling through a fence opening in another back alley between buildings. That stupid little Totodile. Maybe he shouldn't have marked a trainer with a water-type. That would've been smart, but he was so hungry, and so was his master.

He began doubling back to the café, finally feeling his legs dwindling in energy, his adrenaline slowly flagging. It picked up a bit at the big overhanging sign of the coffee shop, however, with the little Wooper relaxing in a coffee cup. Ugh. Woopers. Those happy-go-lucky little water-types thought spraying him in the face was funny. He hated that!

Not now, not now, he reminded himself, flying past a woman walking her Snubbull. The woman shrieked in surprise, and the Snubbull shouted at him to watch where he was going. He glanced over his shoulder to see the other woman was still chasing him and that Totodile was glaring at him from his perch on her shoulder. His heart sank briefly and he turned his head back around, and his heart came right back up, enlightened, at the familiar sight of his little cardboard box home and his master sitting right outside it. He tried to yelp, to warn him, but it came out strangled when something caught up in his legs, making him tumble over his own paws. The bag flew from his mouth as he somersaulted several times over himself. His back struck hard concrete. His paws flailed. He bonked his head a few times. Everything, plainly speaking, was hurting by the time he came to rest just at his master's feet.

He whimpered, licking at one of his offended paws, but paused when he felt a gentle hand on his head, and a soft chuckle filled his ears. It was interrupted by a short fit of coughs, but then the chuckles came back again.

"There you are, Bullet. I was wondering where you'd gone. Were you off causing mischief again?"

He looked up at his master's face, saw those blue eyes crinkling in amusement. He whined again and licked at the hand on his head. His white beard was as snowy as he remembered it, and his weathered hands continued to stroke his head. It felt good and he leaned into the touch, sighing, feeling safe once more.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I know you were hungry, I wanted to get you something, but I—the bag!"

He whipped his head around to find the woman and her Totodile and Pidgey standing in the alleyway, the pastry bag clamped in her hands. She was frozen, however, staring at him and his master. Her face was unreadable, but the Totodile was hissing low in his throat, yellow-red eyes boring into him. The Pidgey was busy preening his feathers. Some of them were singed and he was muttering about it and would occasionally shoot him a nasty glare.

"Oh." The woman said, dropping her gaze to her bag.

"Bullet…were you stealing again? I thought I told you to knock that nasty habit off."

He winced when a finger flicked his ear. The sting took a few moments to wear off and he whimpered, dropping his head on his paws.

"I'm sorry…but I didn't want you to starve, I just wanted to get you something to eat!" He knew his voice fell on deaf ears, however. His master couldn't understand his tongue any better than that woman could. People just couldn't seem to understand pokémon, even when they were speaking as plainly as they were. He could understand them all just fine, but it was all about body language to them. That they got, but not plain words…

"I'm so sorry, ma'am, about my Growlithe. I don't know where he gets the idea that it's alright to steal from people. I've told him time and again not to do it, but…"

"No, no, really, I didn't realize it was for you—"

"Nonsense. I won't take your food. He knows better."

He peeped up to see his master giving him a rather reproachful look. Bullet dropped his face to bury it under his paws again. At least the woman wasn't having her Totodile hit him with that water gun attack again. Not in front of his master. He whined again, peering up at her between his paws, and he froze when he saw her staring at him. Not glaring or huffing or hatefully like some people are wont to do when they spied him with his homeless master. It was pity. It was warmth. It was understanding. He lifted his head just a bit, cocking his head to the side.

It has been so long since someone has shown him that look, aside from his master. Most people ignored the two of them, going along their business, pretending they weren't there. Some offered money, or food, yes, but it was always done hurriedly. There was the local shelter for the homeless, yes, but his master didn't like staying there. Others have tried stealing his few belongings. One even tried to steal him. But the workers there hardly ever looked at him or his master; they didn't really see them, not like this, and not in a long while.

The woman hesitated, her brow drawing up in concern and she looked at her Totodile. They seemed to exchange a silent message to one another, because before he knew it, the bag was being pressed toward him.

"Here. No, really, you two could use it more than us."

"Ma'am, please, I—"

She shook her head, stepping back when his master picked the bag up and tried to hand it back. Sometimes he wondered why his master had to be so damned honourable and so…so nice. Why couldn't he just take the food and be happy that someone else was nice and stupid enough to give it away? He whimpered at her, at him, at the whole situation. He was so confused. First that lady chased him for the food he'd taken; now she was freely giving it up. People were strange.

She was backing away now, shaking her head one last time and then she was gone, slipping around the corner of the building. He stared after her long after she'd gone, before good sense finally hit him and he glanced back at his master. At first, it looked as though his master was staring after the woman too, but the glazed look in his eyes told Bullet better. He'd forgotten about the encounter, the bag, everything. Again. Just like yesterday. Just like the day before that, and the day before that…

The little Growlithe had forgotten himself how long ago this had all started, now that he thought about it. It's been so long since his master had begun forgetting things. It was small at first. But then it grew to be more and more things. Now, here they were.

Bullet picked it up and dropped it in his master's lap. It startled him, but he recovered quickly and patted him on the head, sighing deeply.

"Perhaps we should go to the park today, yes? It's a lovely day, Bullet. Oh, what's this? Did you bring me food? Aren't you a wonderful pokémon, thank you."

Bullet whined, his ears pressing against his head, laying his head on his master's knee as he dug into the pastry within. He broke half of it off and gave it to the Growlithe and he ate it halfheartedly. It didn't taste as appetizing as it had smelled anymore.

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"You shouldn't have fed that homeless man. For all you know, it was a scam."

"For all you know, he really is homeless and lives out of a cardboard box on a good day when the weather's cooperating."

Riptide snorted, but said nothing further. They were late to class—again. This wasn't a good message to send to the teacher. Even if Lupin was in the top of the class. That alone was probably what was saving her from being sent out to the wringer. She was smart, smarter than Riptide had expected. She blew the others out of the water when it came to grasping tactics, strategies, identification, typing, so on and so forth. When they arrived at the academy, they were only ten minutes late—a step up over the last time. Mr. Dervish only gave them a passing, reproachful look, but he didn't stop his lesson. Lupin quickly caught up and soon was delving into her work, although Riptide could tell from the way she worried her bottom lip that she wasn't entirely focused on it. He didn't say anything, and neither did Syd, surprisingly. The Pidgey loved to yammer on in her ear, but today, he was unusually quiet.

The hours passed and then they were released for the day, burdened with another load of paperwork to be completed by the end of the week. Some of the other adults lingered to chat with one another, but Lupin was the first out the door.

"You have a look on your face. I don't like that look. It means you're going to do something stupid."

"You don't know that," Lupin replied to him. Riptide hissed at her.

"I know you well enough to determine that much. Don't. Please don't go back to that homeless man, he might have moved on already."

"You don't know that, either."

"I knew it, it was something stupid. You're going to feed him again, aren't you?" He groaned. Syd flapped his wings on the other shoulder.

"What's a matter with helping people? There ain't nothing wrong with that." Syd chirped back, ruffling his feathers.

"There is when it eats away at our funds and doesn't replenish itself or serve us any purpose. That dirty, thieving Growlithe seems to get them by just fine. We just have to make sure we don't get caught up in his sights again."

"Sheesh, any other insults you'd like to add to the pile, Rip?" Lupin clucked her tongue and gazed at him pointedly. When nothing else was forthcoming, she sighed. "I'm so disappointed in you. Why would you want me to turn my back on this?"

"Because we don't live here? Because…they aren't our problem? Because we aren't staying here for long, and their problems are long-term, and won't be magically fixed just because we helped them for a day or two? Take your pick?"

She scowled, but he saw that some of what he said seemed to sink in. Her pace had slowed down until she stopped, just half a block away from the Wooper Café, where they often frequented. He spotted the Growlithe before she did. When she finally saw him, the Growlithe lifted his gaze, as though finally catching on that he was being watched and he froze, blue eyes wide.

"Don't. Don't, don't—aaaand you're moving toward him. Wonderful."

"Be nice," she chided.

"He's a thief. He stole from you. Ergo, he's a bad dog."

"Hush. He was getting food for his trainer."

"Oh, so then that's all right. Stealing to feed your starving, homeless trainer is an acceptance to the rules. Okay, then, so glad we sorted that out." Riptide remarked with a scoff.

"Oh-ho, look who's getting all high n' mighty, Mr. Big Shot Lab Pokémon. Don't judge a pokémon by their skin. Don't you know that by now?" Syd huffed, ruffling his tail feathers and fluffing his wings. The Growlithe was watching them carefully now, his body tense and alert, looking ready to bolt at the first chance.

"With that said, Lady…it might be best to leave the little guy alone. It's obvious he's done this too many times to learn and his trainer ain't doing much to stop him outside of a verbal scolding. If you can even call it that. The old man didn't look too hot, either. He might not have too long before he goes." The little bird paused, then added, "Plus, he singed my feathers! Granted, I can get that fixed at the center later, but still. It's annoying."

Lupin paused, her steps faltering until she stopped altogether. Her eyes darted between the tense puppy pokémon and the alleyway in which she knew his elderly master was. He continued to watch her and she stared right back. His fur was matted in some places, although it looked like he had attempted to clean it.

"Let's just get to the center. I guarantee there's been some kind of complaint around town about that homeless mongrel pup. He'll get caught, his master will be put in a home, and that'll be the end of that. Why he isn't already, I have no idea. Dumb luck, I suppose," Riptide said, nudging her cheek with his snout. That gave her a bit of a jolt and her ears pressed tighter against her head.

"I was a homeless mongrel until you and the professor brought me to the lab, for all you know. Maybe that's why no one can find any records of me. Ever thought of that?"

She was met with stunned silence as she continued walking. The Growlithe didn't give her a chance to get close to him. He trotted away, his tail tucked against his legs and his ears flat against his head. He was gone from sight when she came to the opening in the alleyway, but she could hear him whining. She continued on toward the center, the other two on her shoulders just as quiet.

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