Entry #8:

Well. I had my first Pokémon battle on Hoenn.

No one told me that the humans weren't supposed to get involved. When I first pulled out my dagger to help my Beldum, the young lad got so scared that he just ran away. He didn't even let me ask him for directions off this forsaken island.

It looks like I'm stuck for a while.

I'll be alright, though. It could be worse.

Right?

"Muuuuud."

"Yes. Spit it out, Mudkip."

"Muuuuuuud."

"Out."

August watched as the Mudkip gagged, sighing.

She had read many books on how to induce vomit. After all, it had become a compulsory lesson in Sinnoh – how to induce vomit if you had drunk some poison. Because, for some reason, Zubat poison had once been slipped into drinks more often than not.

But the first rule was to stick a finger down the throat. And, while she needed the Splash Plate, the thought of sticking one of her only five remaining fingers into a Pokémon's mouth was just out of the question. Forcing it to drink salt water was also impossible; the Mudkip lapped it up as if it were honey, without gagging a single time.

Birch had also told her that there was a herb that could induce vomit, but that was all the way in a place called Lavaridge. Which was a few weeks north from where they were now, in Littleroot.

The Mudkip began whining, giving her a strange, nervous look. August sighed again.

"It's alright," she whispered to him. "We'll get it out."

He moved closer to her leg. She flinched.

She knew it wanted to touch her. Just a small pat on his back.

But she couldn't do it. Even as he inched even closer and curled up beside her hip.

Instead, she gave him a thumbs up. That would do for affection.

From behind her, she could hear Birch whispering furiously to his son, Brendan. The boy had reached them early in the morning, his dark hair and pale blue eyes partly hidden by his white beanie. He had the strangest style August had ever seen; his britches were baggy and cut short by his knees, and his red tunic wasn't even a single bit crumpled. He even wore a gold band around his wrist, supposedly stolen from a pirate on his most recent adventure, as she had overheard.

"So," Brendan said, squinting over at August. "That's the witch."

Birch winced. "Well, she probably isn't a witch."

"She claims to be from Sinnoh. Those people are crazy. You've heard the stories."

"Well…"

August felt them staring at her, conscious of her tangled hair that was still clumpy with sand and pebbles. She heard Brendan hum.

"Yeah. She's definitely a witch."

Birch gave an exasperated sigh. "Sure, Brendan. Sure."

"And her enchanted stone is stuck inside poor Magnus."

"Aye."

"I can't believe we have to befriend a witch."

"Son, I don't think she's a—"

"What do you think she did to her arm? Cut it off and used it for a spell?"

"Brendan—"

August felt her heart sink as Brendan's footsteps on the sand hissed closer to her ear.

"Hey, witch!" he called out from behind her. "Where are your Pokémon?"

She narrowed her eyes and stared up at him, the sun burning at her eyes. "I don't have any."

"Ah. You ate them?"

"No. I simply don't like Pokémon."

"Why not?"

"Why not?" August repeated, incredulous.

Brendan rolled his eyes. "Is your ear just as bad as your arm?"

She flinched back at that. Stared down at the sand.

That whole morning, he had just stared at the stump. The tight stitches that seemed unnatural and twisted; the purple splotches that looked all wrong from the torn flesh that had once been there.

She hadn't met new people in so long that she had almost forgotten how ugly it truly was. How long it took people to adjust to it.

"I don't have to like everything," August finally said, quiet.

Brendan stared down at her, hands on his hips. He even had the gall to roll his eyes as he said, "Well, I don't appreciate ya taking advantage of my father like this. I would like you to simply leave Magnus alone, and be off on your merry way."

Magnus – the Mudkip, she gathered – made a small whimper at this. August arched her brow.

"I need the Splash Plate," she said simply.

"The what?"

"Is your ear as bad as your attitude? I just said that I need the Splash Plate."

From a few metres away, she heard Birch give a little hoot, calling out, "Good one, August! You get his arse!"

Brendan's face burned red. He looked completely, utterly humiliated.

"Father," he hissed.

Birch clamped his mouth shut. "Sorry, son. But it was a good—"

"Father."

"Alright. Sorry."

Brendan turned back to August. Puffed out his chest again. Still, August had to bite back her smile – his face was still flushed pink, and she could see the mortification in his gaze.

"The Splash Plate," Brendan said. "I presume you mean the enchanted stone inside Magnus."

"Yes."

"Well, you can't have it. That Mudkip is mine, so your Splash Plate is now mine, too."

August forced back her scowl. Instead, she tilted her head, as politely as her mother had once taught her. "That's not fair."

"I think it's very fair."

"Not at all."

"What I take is mine. It's that simple."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah."

August brushed the sand off her lap and stood, forcing Brendan to look directly at her. He was shorter than her – only by a little bit, but enough for him to notice and stand straighter.

"That Splash Plate belonged to me," she said. "It got eaten by the Mudkip. It belongs to the Mudkip. And now, that Mudkip belongs to you, which means that the Splash Plate belongs to you. However, you have made this possession by simply claiming that the Mudkip is yours – there are no binding letters or contracts to suggest that the Mudkip is yours. Therefore, if the ability to claim a Mudkip is that simple by just word of mouth, then I shall use my word of mouth to claim Mudkip and, hence, my Splash Plate."

Brendan blinked at her. "…Right."

"In that case, I will be leaving with Magnus the Mudkip and my Splash Plate."

"What? You can't do that!"

"What I take is mine," August mimicked, posh and gentle. "It's that simple."

"That's not what I meant—Magnus, shoot water at her!"

But, as August forced down the nausea in her head and awkwardly clasped Magnus into the crook of her arm, the Mudkip looked quite content. He even made a soft sigh, dreamily leaning back into her elbow.

"That's that," August said.

Brendan scowled. "That Mudkip is a rare fighting Pokémon. He is specifically raised to help fight against pirates. You can't just take him!"

"I just did."

"Battle me, then. Prove to me that you can take care of him."

August stepped back at that. "I… I've never battled in my life before."

Brendan gave her a quick, slick smile that made her suspect that he already knew that. He shrugged.

"I've never battled with these baby Pokémon, either," he said.

August stayed silent. Brendan snorted.

"What's wrong, August?" he jeered. "Scared?"

"No."

"Embarrassed, then? Angry, because you know I'll be better than you? Nervous that I'll kick your arse on the upside and back?"

August closed her eyes. "Exhausted."

"Exhausted!" Brendan repeated. "And the battle hasn't even begun yet!"

"Fine." Her eyes snapped open. Blue glaring at blue. "Let's battle."

"…Oh."

"Yeah."

"Alright."

"Yep."

"Right."

"So?"

Brendan awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. And August suddenly had the golden realisation that she wasn't the only one who hadn't battled with a Pokémon.

"I'll… alright, Treecko. You're fighting for me."

Birch leaned back against a tree, the Torchic jumping onto his lap. As the Treecko rushed to Brandon's side, August bit back her frown.

Damn him.

She was once a scholar. She knew all about Pokémon and their styles – she knew that energies from the trees and plants were dangerous against those that had ocean energy. And she knew, based on the scaly skin in her arm, that Magnus was one of the oceanic energy Pokémon.

"Alright, Treecko," Brendan began as Magnus jumped out of August's arm. "Just, go and punch Magnus!"

The Treecko instantly lunged. August felt her heart tense.

"Gather the water from the glands in your mouth," she told Magnus. "Then squirt that water—"

Her instructions – directly from the books she had read – simply took too long. Before she could finish, the Treecko locked its fist into the Mudkip's mouth, sending it slamming into the sand.

"Good," Brendan said, ever so smug. "Now, finish it off with one more punch!"

Magnus gave August a desperate look. She froze.

She wasn't used to this.

In Sinnoh, the Pokémon mostly worked out what to do themselves. The humans were busy fighting the other humans, too. This was foreign. This was wrong. This was—

"Magnus!" she called out. "Try something physical! Gather all your strength and focus your eyes on your target, and charge and slam—"

The Treecko was too close. August hissed.

Oh, heavens.

"Alright, Magnus, just tackle it or something!"

That, the Mudkip understood. Instantly, ducking under the Treecko's fist, Magnus slammed his whole body into the bipedal Pokémon. And, as Treecko went flying back, August nodded.

"Yes, now gather the water from your glands—"

The Mudkip gave her a glare. August tried again.

"Shoot some water at it or whatever!"

The Splash Plate from within Magnus glowed. And, from the Mudkip's mouth came a beam of water – gushing, angry, hissing.

The Treecko gargled and groaned as the water slapped its face. The force was unbelievable – even August had to hold back her surprise at how much water came out, and at the impossible speed it was pouring out in.

"Treecko, just…" Brendan tried, but there was no use. The Treecko tried to stand, swayed on his feet, but the impact was enough to send him back onto his knees.

"Finish it," August said. "Tackle it again."

And the Treecko had no chance as Magnus charged for him.

With a loud thump, a sharp hiss, the Treecko's face was buried in the sand. Its hand raised in defeat.

Brendan said nothing. He didn't even go towards the Treecko.

He just glared at August. Turned on his heel.

Left.

And that's how August was pretty sure she had just won her first Pokémon battle.

Birch had cradled the Treecko and nursed it back into consciousness while Brendan had stormed off, having his tantrum by the sea. Meanwhile, August tried, for the sixth time that evening, to convince Magnus to hurl the Splash Plate.

"That was spectacular, August," Birch said. "Are you sure you haven't battled before? You seemed to know a lot about how Magnus' attacks work."

August shrugged.

As the heat of the morning had dimmed into the cool, purple evening, she hadn't been able to shake off that buzz in her blood – that feeling of winning. That feeling of being a fighter.

She hadn't ever considered herself one. Bloody hell, she didn't even have an arm. Everyone in Sinnoh would have laughed at her if she had called herself a battler.

Here was different, though.

It felt almost nice.

"I read a lot of books," August said.

Birch smiled warmly. "The power of books."

"Aye—Yes. The power of books."

"I'm actually an author," he told her. "I've had manuscripts published about Pokémon and their habitats. You know, why some live in some places, and why others prefer other places."

Birch's name rolled around in August's head for a moment.

Then, it clicked.

"Wait, you're that Birch?" she said, gasping. "The one who wrote about the Eon Duo?"

"Aye! You've read it?"

August couldn't stop the shy smile on her face. "It's me and my best friend's book. Are the duo… are they real?"

Birch shrugged. "You're in Hoenn now. Why don't you explore? You can accompany me and my son—"

From where the ocean tides laced with the sand, August heard Brendan kick the water and grumble. August and Birch exchanged a glance.

"Don't mind him," Birch said quietly. "He'll get over it. He doesn't like losing."

"I'm sure he doesn't."

"I'll go talk to him."

August looked over at the boy thoughtfully. "I think I can."

"Are you sure?"

In all truths, she wasn't sure. She wasn't the type to comfort people – she had spent so many years of her life being the one getting the comfort, that she wasn't quite sure how to give it back. Still, she nodded, leaving Magnus by Birch and making her way to the boy.

She hovered behind him awkwardly, watching as he kicked at the waves.

It was strange talking to another person her age. She hadn't done that properly since Steven had left her.

"You've never battled before, have you?" she asked.

He muttered something under his breath. Most probably a piss off.

August stayed, though. If there was anything she had learnt, it was patience.

Finally, Brendan caved.

"I haven't battled before, no," he said.

"Why not?"

He shrugged. Scowling. "I dunno. Too busy. I've got a busy life, ya know? I do so much that you don't know about. My father and I are the best explorers and collectors in Hoenn, I'm pretty sure. We always collect samples and write great manuscripts and—"

"Is it because you're scared of losing?" August cut in.

He glanced over at her. Looking ready to kill her with his gaze alone.

August winced.

Perhaps this 'making friends' business was trickier than she had thought.

"I don't need you to try telling me about who I am," Brendan hissed.

Then, he stormed off again, kicking at the sand. August shrugged.

It wasn't her problem.

Besides, she had spent far too long without any real friends to even care.

Or, at least that's what she tried telling herself.

Because, deep inside, that feeling of loneliness that had permanently found its home in her heart was starting to make some noise.

Entry #9:

Well, it got worse.

I just realised that I never brought the red bandana August had gifted me.

It's such a small, trivial thing.

And yet, now I feel like I truly, really am alone.

I would formally like to apologise for spelling Brendan's name wrong in the last chapter LOL. IT'S TOO CONFUSING MAN-