Author's Note: Hey look, I finally updated again! I know it's only been a couple of hours, but this one's been started since yesterday. There are some pretty crucial things that happen in this chapter, so enjoy the update for those of you reading this.
I nearly jumped when I saw Bianca outside, but I calmed down, only for her to start panicking and almost dropping the wrapped bento box in her hand.
"Bianca, easy," I assured her. "Remember what I said earlier? You're totally allowed to hang around your friends."
"O-Oh yes, I know. Sorry, Hynden, I'm still a little unnerved by what Haley said and that glare of his. A-Anyways, did you get the Basic Badge?"
"That I did, Bee!" I laughed, showing the Basic Badge proudly in my Badge Case. "So, what's with the box? You got someone you wanna give it to?"
Just then, Cheren came outside and saw Bianca. Although them greeting each other wasn't unusual, what caught me by surprise was them sharing a brief lip kiss after embracing. But, the lip-lock made my own lips break into a smile.
"About time! You two are finally boyfriend and girlfriend!" I interjected happily. "Thank Arceus. I was getting tired of playing matchmaker for you two all the time."
"That's correct, Hynden!" Bianca chirped, hugging Cheren lovingly. "Cher-bear and I are a couple!"
"Almost a year after you left, I found the time to confess my feelings to Bianca without any struggle whatsoever!"
"Don't lie! I had to get you to say what you wanted to! You couldn't have done it without me!"
"Oh, alright. I suppose Bianca had some help. Regardless, the feelings were mutual, and now we're together."
As Cheren and Bianca shared another kiss, Bianca handed him the bento box with a note attached to it. Cheren chose not to open it at the moment since it didn't seem like a good time, but he did thank her.
"You didn't really have to go through all of that to make me this," Cheren insisted.
"Yes, I did! You're so wrapped up in your Gym Leader and teaching duties that you forget to eat sometimes!"
"Really, Bianca, I'm-"
Cheren was about to object, but his growling stomach had another story to tell. His face turned pinkish at the sound, making Bianca and I laugh.
"Hey, wait!" Bianca realized, "Hynden, let me see your Xtransceiver!"
I turned on my wrist device and allowed Bianca to inspect it. She only skimmed through it for a few seconds before she started pressing its touch screen features. After a PING-PONG-PING noise went off, I saw her name as part of my contacts.
"There! Now you have my contact number!" she pointed out, adding myself to her Xtransceiver.
"Cheren, lemme add my number to yours too," I said to him.
When he allowed me to touch his Xtransceiver, I typed in my code and the ring went off. I let Cheren do the same to my device until we were both registered in each others Xtransceivers.
"Oh, right! Professor Juniper's number should be an automatic contact!" Bianca added. "Let's give her a call right now!"
Shrugging, I selected the name "Prof. Juniper" and dialed the number. After about ten seconds, she finally popped up on all of our screens.
"Hello? Oh, Hynden, good to see you again!" she beamed. "And how are my three favorite Trainers doing?"
"We're fine, Aurea!" Bianca said. "I got all of my tasks done today, and I'm gonna head back to Nuvema Town soon!"
"And Hynden just earned the Basic Badge from me, Professor," Cheren stated.
"Is that true, Hynden?" Professor Juniper asked.
"Yep! I beat Cheren fair and square!" I corroborated.
"Wonderful! That means all of your training hasn't gone to waste!"
"Of course not! I didn't train for two years for nothing! I can't let the quality of my work slip, or else I'll never make it to the League again! Kind of a shame I can't go through my journey with my old team again, though…"
"I know, Hynden. If I could change the League rules, I would," Professor Juniper said. "But, I can't. Besides, this is a perfect opportunity to enjoy an entire journey once again! Now that the silly 'Nuzlocke Syndrome' has gone away, things should be easier for you!"
"Not to mention, those Team Plasma dolts are gone for good," Cheren added as I refrained from refuting his statement. "They were nothing but complete bothers…"
"Well, I gotta go now! Bianca, I'll see you in a few!"
Professor Juniper hung up, leaving the three of us alone again. I decided to give my friends one last hurrah until I saw them again. As we did before I left, we placed our hands on top of each other's and raised them high into the air. Then, we all shared a hug meaning a temporary goodbye. At that moment, I heard someone stomp right up to me. Turning around, I saw it was Haley, who had a look in his eyes that was startled, angry, and rather crazed before he switched to more of a bitter one.
"Hello, Hynden," he said to me. "Bianca, I see you're not keeping your word."
"Eep! S-Sorry, Haley!" Bianca squeaked upon seeing Haley's glare.
"Haley, enough. Bee's just as much of my friend as you are, so she can hang around me as much as she wants. The same goes for Cheren over here; he's another friend of mine."
When he heard my words, Haley looked rather hurt as he shot a nastier glare at Cheren, who wasn't the least bit intimidated by my childhood friend. Instead, he gave him his usual expression of seriousness.
"Gym Leader Cheren of Aspertia City," Cheren introduced. "And you are?"
"Haley O'Malley, Hynden's childhood friend originally from Goldenrod City," Haley sneered.
"Oh, another person from Johto. Quite interesting."
"Yeah yeah. Listen, since you're the Gym Leader, I challenge you to a battle!"
"Seriously? It's already nightfall, so I'm supposed to finish correcting my students' homework soon."
"It won't take long. Battle now, Gym Leader! And when I win, we strike a deal I'll make sure you keep."
"Very well then. Tell me more about this inside."
As Cheren went inside before Haley, I saw the latter reach for something sheathed near his pocket. But, he was already inside of the Gym, so I couldn't see what it was. I turned to Bianca, who had a worried expression.
"I hope things go alright…" Bianca said. "That Haley friend of yours seems a little… overprotective. And really scary."
"What, Haley? Yeah, I'll admit he can get a little 'over the top', but what's the worst he could do? Listen, if it really bothers you, I'll keep an eye on things. You just head on home, okay?"
"Okay. Goodnight, Hynden. I'll be sure to tell your parents I saw you too, okay?"
"Roger. Get some shut eye, Bee!"
When Bianca was out of sight, I crept into the Aspertia City Gym. The classroom lights were off, but when I got near the battlefield, I heard a clangor. I rushed inside and gasped at what I saw. There were Haley and Cheren, both a mess from an apparent struggle. But, Haley was angrily grabbing Cheren by the neck, and a lot of things on the battlefield that weren't in shambles had slash marks from a dagger, which I assumed to be the item sheathed near Haley's pocket since the shape matched exactly. My friend's red eyes were even angrier and fierce when I looked closer without being spotted.
"Put me down, Haley…" Cheren coughed.
"Fine. But you'd better know one thing: Hynden is MINE, and mine alone! I was here way before you and Bianca came into the picture! So, the next time you try and steal her from me, I'll make sure you never come between us ever again."
"But, Hynden and I are just friends! I'm already dating someone else!"
"That's still just as bad! Friendship bonds can be just as tight as romantic bonds… so Hynden might be so attached to you that she'll forget all about me. And then… then I'll be alone again!" Haley shouted with a few choked sobs before his eyes became dull and crazed again. "I'm serious; if you ever try to take Hynden or hurt her, you're dead."
I couldn't believe what I had just seen. I knew Haley was rather protective and even a little clingy of me, he had been since we were friends. But, never once did it come to a point where he threatened to kill my other companions to make sure I stayed. Haley's footsteps got louder, so I bolted out of the building before he saw me.
"Hey, Hynden!" he greeted, waving happily with brightened eyes.
"Yeah, h-hi, Haley," I said back.
"Umm, you didn't hear anything in there, did you?"
"Just… a little bit," I lied. "Look, lemme clear things up; I'll never ever stop caring about you, okay? We're always gonna be friends."
"Oh, I know that! I was just making sure Cheren got the picture, so we had a little chat after I lost our Pokémon battle! So now, I'll hopefully not have to worry about losing you ever again… Isn't that great?"
"Haley, cool it. You're not gonna lose me, regardless of who I hang out with, okay? You don't have to threaten anyone to keep me, that's not only terrifying and creepy, but it's also unnecessary and makes me a pretty worried about you. Now, go home, and get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow."
When Haley left, I snuck back into the Aspertia Gym to check on Cheren. Much to my relief, he was mostly unharmed from the scuffle and was gathering his things from his desk in the classroom. I quickly left the Gym again to avoid being caught and rushed into the Pokémon Center to heal my team. It only took a few minutes to get the task done, but as Carrie was getting ready to leave herself, she noticed my face.
"You could use some rest," she said. "You look extremely tired. Pokémon Trainers need their sleep!"
"Yeah, I was about to go home before I set out for the next Gym tomorrow. But, I'm worried about a friend."
"Really now? What seems to be making you worry?"
"Well, I haven't seen him in four years, so now that he's back, he seems a little… hostile and jealous of my other friends. It's like he's scared I'm gonna leave him forever or something."
"Hmm, that's quite a pickle. Well, my best advice is to make him see that you're not gonna leave him, and you'll care about him. Have you told him this?"
"Yeah, I just got done doing that! What if he acts up again?"
"Then you have to convince him that things are gonna be okay! You're always gonna be his friend no matter what. Worse case scenario, he could have deep feelings you, and that rarely ever ends well if he does."
"R-Right... Thanks, Carrie. I'll see how things turn out with Haley. Good night!"
"Night! Also, can you give these to Taylor when you get home?"
Carrie handed me a bouquet of Taylor's favorite flowers, so I nodded and left the Pokémon Center after picking up my PokéBalls. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my house key, opening to see that Taylor was in her pajamas and on her laptop.
"Hynden, you're back!" she said, surprised. "If you're on a journey, shouldn't you check into the Pokémon Center for the night?"
"And I would do that why?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. "Our house is literally blocks away from it, so there's no point at all. Anyways, these are for you from Carrie."
I handed Taylor the flowers and headed towards the stairs. I waved hello to my previous team and said goodnight to them, too tired for a long conversation or anything. In my room, I changed into my pajamas, let my knee-length brown hair down, and crawled into bed, ready to sleep the night away after clicking my room light off.
The next morning, I woke up and got dressed immediately. I ran downstairs to the smell of Taylor's finished cooking. Since I didn't wanna take too long, I wound up having a small bowl of cereal and leaving the house with a piece of toast.
"Later, Taylor!" I told my roommate, bolting out the door with the toast in my mouth.
Without using my hands, I consumed the toast piece in seconds. Once I swallowed, I took out my Town Map to see where I needed to go next. My next destination was a place by the name of Virbank City. I started following the direction in where to go, but my Xtransceiver started ringing. When I answered it, my caller was Cheren, who didn't look all too pleased.
"Morning, Cheren," I greeted.
"Good morning to you too, Hynden," he responded. "Now listen, I've come with a little request after last night. If I were you, I'd put that friend of yours on a leash!"
"You mean Bianca?"
"Funny, but no. I'm talking about your psychotic friend, Haley!"
"Haley? Look, Cheren, I know he can be really intense, but he's probably just worried about me. I mean, it has been four years since we last saw each other."
"He tried to kill me!" Cheren snapped. "He kept blathering on about how I was going to 'steal' you from him, and he nearly cut me open with that dagger of his!"
"What?! Ugh, I knew something was wrong! I don't know why Haley would do that to you, but I'm gonna talk to him! In the meantime, try not to provoke him if you see him again."
"P-Provoke him?! I have done nothing to that guy! He needs to get a grip, and more importantly, some help!"
"He will. I'll talk to Haley, and I'm gonna be his help. All I gotta do is convince him that I'm fine, and he won't have any reason to attack my friends."
I didn't wait for Cheren to say anything else, so I hung up. On my way out, I saw someone at Haley's house walk outside. I looked at their face a little more and realized that it was his mother Kris, an old friend of Mom's.
"Dr. O'Malley!" I cried, running closer. "Nice to see you again!"
"What? Who is… Hynden, is that you?" she asked, scratching her darkening blue hair before looking closer. "Oh my, you've gotten so big! The last time I saw you, you were only 14!"
"Yeah, time does that to ya. Umm, is Haley home? I wanna talk to him."
"No, sorry. He's already left. What did you wanna talk to him about?"
"Oh, well… I uh, I just wanted to see my best friend is all! But, has Haley been acting strange when my family and I moved to Unova?"
"Now that you mention it, he actually has. See, since you left, my poor boy's been ever-so lonely. He's tried interacting with others his age, but he's had no luck. In fact, Haley was extremely depressed and irritable without you around. So, when Ethan and I announced we were all moving to Unova, I've never seen him so happy before!"
"It's been that bad? Maybe I should have called a little more often in that case. But, my last journey was kinda rough, so I never had too much time to. At least this time, we're in the same region again!"
"That's right. Would you like to come in for a spell?"
"No thanks. I gotta head to Virbank City for my next badge."
"Oh, okay then. See you around, Hynden! Keep yourself and my son safe!"
Haley's mom went back inside of the house, and I continued on my path until I was out of Aspertia City and on Route 19. Since I knew the way around now, I had no trouble getting out, passing Floccessy Town, and on Route 20 at last. I crossed a couple of bridges until I came across a staircase leading down a ledge.
"That must be the way," I said, walking down the stairs.
Out of the nearby shrubs, Haley popped out of the bushes. When he saw me scream from being startled, he started laughing mischievously, even when I glared at him and huffed.
"Got you!" he teased. "Are you getting your next badge, Hynden?"
"You know it," I confirmed. "And Haley, I talked to your mom earlier."
"Did you now? What did she say?"
"She said that you've been really miserable before we saw each other again. I just wanna say sorry for not keeping in touch too often; my last journey was hectic."
"Oh, that doesn't matter anymore! I mean, we're together again, so now I know you won't leave. Right? You're not gonna leave me, are you, Hynden?"
Haley's tone sounded pretty desperate, and it also sounded like he was begging me not to leave. I did feel really bad about nearly abandoning him, and I didn't have a good enough reason to just ditch him for good, especially since we're best friends.
"I'm always gonna have your back, Haley," I told him.
"And I'll be right behind you too, Hynden!" he responded with a smile. "I'm gonna be your number one support, and you'll be the new Champion again!"
I smiled at the fact that Haley's supportiveness never changed after all this time. So, I gave him what was supposed to be a brief hug goodbye. But, I saw Cheren walk down the stairs behind Haley, and his voice made my friend turn around with a malicious look.
"You again," he hissed. "Didn't we have a deal, Cheren?"
"Save it, Haley. I heard Hynden was on her way to Virbank City. If that's true, then I have something for the both of you."
Cheren walked over to us and handed us five Pecha Berries each. I put them in the Berries compartment of my bag, Haley doing the same with a calmer expression.
"Does the Gym Leader use Poison-types?" I asked.
"Yes. That's the reason I'm giving these to you two," Cheren answered. "Good luck on your travels, and I'll see you in the future."
Cheren walked off afterwards. I noticed Haley let out a growl under his breath in frustration. I was starting to get a little concerned about him, but he looked at me with slightly subsided anger.
"That Cheren… he's gonna steal you from me, I just know it!" he growled. "Not to mention, those guys are back in town!"
"Haley, no one's gonna steal me. I'm friends with you and Cheren all the same. There's nothing to worry about, like I promised you." I paused at what Haley said afterwards. "...What guys?"
"Team Plasma! They did something to my sister that I'll never forgive them for! When I get my hands on those freaks, they're all gonna wish they never met me!"
"Why… why are they back?! I took care of them before, so why are they back again?!"
"Ah, right. I've heard about that too. And apparently, that bastard Cheren also helped you take them down! Grrr, just you wait, I'm gonna become nearly invincible like you two, and Team Plasma's gonna feel my rage for sure! I catch up with you shortly; I'm gonna head off and train for now!"
I left Haley alone in the darker grass, and started heading to the end of the Route. When I walked through the lighter shaded grass, I heard a faint cry from nearby. Cautious, I called Tidus out of his PokéBall, and he searched the grass. He found the source of the whimpers and stopped completely, only staring at it with a slightly surprised expression.
"Tidus, what is it?" I asked him.
"...A baby," Tidus answered, taking me by surprise entirely.
"What?! Someone just abandoned a baby here?!"
"It's not a human child if that's what you're insinuating. Come look."
I walked closer to where Tidus was looking, and to my surprise (and relief), it wasn't a human baby. Instead, it was a little female Sewaddle, squirming around in the remains of its egg shell. From nearby, Tidus and I spotted the mutilated bodies of two Swadloons, who we assumed were the Sewaddle's parents. We then heard the sounds of a flock of Tranquil pass by, so that only added more evidence to what could have possibly happened.
"We're not going to leave her here," Tidus decided, scooping up the newborn Sewaddle. "She just hatched, and she'll die like her parents if we abandon her."
"Agreed. What are you gonna call her?"
"...She looks like a Phoebe, so that's her name now. And, I'm officially adopting her as my baby sister."
"Why's that?"
"Let's just say… I never got the chance to meet my biological younger sibling. Alive and hatched, that is. That's all I'm comfortable with telling you, Hynden."
"Okay then. You hold onto Phoebe for a minute, I'm gonna lay her parents to rest."
Phoebe was still being held by Tidus in his arms, cooing and squirming softly. We both thought her action was adorable, and I pulled out a small tube and tugged on one end until it was a long pole. Then, I attached a large triangle piece to it until my shovel was complete. Just as I started digging, a Tranquil suddenly swept down near me. I luckily ducked in time, but it kept going. Then, its buddy joined in the fun as they tried to get the dead Swadloons I was trying to bury.
"Beat it! Get outta here!" I shouted, still trying to dig the holes.
The Tranquils changed their course, but I was horrified when they started heading for Tidus, who was holding baby Phoebe. He quickly turned around when Tranquil tried swiping Phoebe, but Tidus grabbed it by the neck with one of his vines. He did the same with the other when it attempted the same thing.
"You're not eating Phoebe!" Tidus exclaimed, slamming the Tranquil into the ground several times to the point of unconsciousness, all while holding the whining Phoebe in his arms.
I was impressed by Tidus' newfound protectiveness combined with his skill, and I was able to continue digging until I made two separate holes for each Swadloon. Tidus stood by me once they were both in the holes, and I covered up the bodies with every ounce of dirt needed.
"I'll take care of her in your place," Tidus promised the graves as I put two large stones near them. "I'm not gonna let my new baby sister die. Hynden, Phoebe, let's go."
As Phoebe cooed and wiggled her legs, I captured her by lightly tapping the center of the PokéBall until she was inside of it and it clicked shut. Tidus' expression, while still rather level-headed, had obvious hints of extreme worry.
"Don't worry, Tidus," I assured him, "she'll be fine. Now, we've got a Virbank City Gym to take down!"
Tidus and I walked up the two sets of stairs and entered the gate. We saw a pack of Great Balls next to a friendly note that said "Free, go ahead and take". So, I placed all of the Great Balls into my bag.
"At least I've got some more efficient PokéBalls now," I remarked, crossing the gates. "And now, Virbank City!"
Pokémon obtained: Phoebe the Sewaddle, Female, Calm nature, Likes to thrash about.
Badges earned: 1/8
Boxed/Unboxed: None.
Author's Note: This chapter might have had you have different feelings about some characters, but it prolly varies. I'm just glad I got this one done, even if I do have a long LONG way to go until I finish this fic. But, I digress, stay tuned for Chapter 7!