Chapter 19: No Matter Where I Go
Next morning at breakfast, Tally said: "I've got great news. I called that berry farm, and they're still looking for help."
"So how come you're looking so worried?" Bruno asked, scooping up a forkful of egg.
"It's just that...I saw a poster for a battle course too. It's for people who want to improve; they give you a crash course over two days, then on the third you take place in a mini-tournament and the winner gets a pokémon egg."
Carla and Bruno glanced at each other. "Well, why don't Bruno and I go to the farm by ourselves?" Carla said. "If you want to go to the course, go! You said you wanted to improve your battling."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, go for it!" Bruno said encouragingly. "Any ideas what we could do after this? Why don't we check out Mount Coronet?"
"Let's," Carla replied. They should take advantage of every opportunity they could in Sinnoh - after all, they might not be back for a long time, if ever.
Her phone chimed in her pocket; frowning, she took it out and studied the screen. "It's from Dave."
Zoe looked up from her dish sharply.
"What does it say?" Tally asked.
Just one badge left!
"He's beaten Tate and Liza." Carla smiled and replied: Congrats! She was about to put her phone away when a thought struck her and she typed out another text.
Ever heard of Orestes Thorn?
Dave replied quickly. No. Why?
Just curious. See you soon.
After breakfast, Carla and Bruno left the Centre and took the north exit out of Hearthome City. They passed several battles on the road, but nobody seemed to want to challenge them. Morning sun fell on the trees and fields from a crisp blue sky; the cold air didn't detract from the day's beauty, but seemed to highlight it instead.
"Reckon that's it?"
"It has to be." The house was almost surrounded by a thick fence and berry trees, most of them heavy with fruit. "Tally said the people are called Geoff and Lisa Drew."
As they walked up the path, Carla saw a small blue face appear at the window just for an instant before it vanished. Loud barking came from the little grove; a Growlithe was standing between two trees, tail wagging.
The door opened, revealing a woman in a workshirt. She beamed at the trainers and said: "Hi! I'm Lisa Drew; thanks for helping out. Come through and I'll get you some tea."
Carla was reminded of Tina and Si's house. It had the same bare, homely and comfortable feel to it, and she instinctively felt safe.
"Have a seat." Lisa started filling the kettle with water. "Now, the deal is that you and your teams help out with the harvest today and tomorrow and in return, you get free food and a bed for the two nights. We should be done by close of play tomorrow."
"Do we get the next breakfast for free as well?" Bruno asked jokingly.
Lisa laughed. "Course you do!" She glanced towards the doorway. "Auna, come and meet...sorry, what are your names? I should have asked you that first!"
"I'm Bruno, and that's Carla."
Carla raised a hand, smiling.
A Vaporeon padded into the kitchen and Bruno's eyebrows lifted in surprise. Carla didn't blame him. How had two berry farmers got one of those?
"This is Auna," Lisa said, fondly petting the Vaporeon's head. "She was my nephew's pokémon. Speaking of pokémon, do you have any that can get up trees?"
"Yeah, I've got a Noctowl," Bruno told her.
"And I've got a Misdreavus and a Pachirisu."
Lisa nodded. "That's great. Once you've finished your tea, we can make a start on the sitrus, cheri and leppa trees; if you can get those three to go up and pick the berries, you and your other teammates need to get them off the ground and into baskets." She frowned suddenly. "Speaking of your teammates, how large are they?"
"Mine are pretty small," Carla said. "They're a Vullaby, a Buneary and a Snorunt."
"And I've got a Corphish, Luxray and Weepinbell." Bruno grimaced. "I was gonna suggest Vern could use Razor Leaf to get the berries down, but he might hit the tree instead..."
"That's good thinking. Geoff'll be back later, he's just making arrangements for the upcoming market. Apparently, our stall got double-booked again. Come on, I'll show you where the baskets are."
She led them out of the house and towards a small shed round the back. Inside, among the other implements, was a stack of ten wicker baskets.
"Once the baskets are full, we'll be putting the berries into coolboxes."
"How many will you be taking to market?" asked Carla as she readied her pokéballs.
"Almost all of them. The coolboxes keep the berries perfectly fresh for trainers and coordinators - and for anyone else, of course."
"Good idea, having Pinch stand on Hazel's back."
"Thanks." Bruno scratched the back of Hazel's head, making the Noctowl croon with pleasure. "I wonder how Tally's doing. I tried to send a text earlier, but there's no signal out here."
Outside, rain lashed down heavily, leaving swift trickles down the windowpane. The moment it started pouring, Lisa had called everyone inside, saying that it was almost time to stop for the day anyway and if they were lucky, there would be a windfall in the morning. Carla and Bruno now sat in front of a fire with the television on, their teams clustered around them.
"Do you think Tally's gonna win that egg?" Bruno asked suddenly.
"I hope she can. It depends if she applies what she learns in the course - and how skilled the other trainers are."
From the corner of her eye, Carla saw Auna watching them from the doorway. She raised a paw as if she was about to come inside, but then hesitated and walked away.
Carla gazed after her for a moment, then got up and went into the kitchen.
"Excuse me."
Lisa was busy stirring a pan of tamato sauce; the scent made Carla's mouth water. "Hi. Everything OK?"
"Yeah, I was just wondering...would Auna like to join us?"
The Vaporeon looked up at Lisa hopefully.
"Of course! Go on through, sweetie."
Auna eagerly trotted through the doorway. When Carla followed her, she found her sitting down next to her team. This was the first time she had seen one of the Eevee evolutions in person; the Vaporeon was larger than Carla had thought she would be.
The others didn't seem to mind Auna's presence. Nixie, Layla and Tess even edged a little closer to her after a while.
Carla's arms strained as she carried the last of the boxes to the small shed where they would be stored, ready to be transferred to market tomorrow morning. She and Bruno had to be careful not to slip on the grass.
"You know, I'm glad we carry those heavy backpacks every day," Bruno grunted.
"So am I."
After a quick breakfast the next morning, they would be on their way back to Hearthome City. Carla wasn't sure when Tally's course finished, but they could always wait at the Centre until she was finished.
Lisa was waiting for them back at the house. "Carla, could I ask you a favour?"
"Sure."
"Thanks. Bruno, the TV's free if you're interested."
A few moments later, Carla was sitting at the kitchen table with a glass of ice tea in her hands. "So, what's the favour?" Were they going to ask her to stay on after Bruno left?
Lisa's eyes were solemn. "Hear me out before you say anything."
Carla nodded.
"You remember I said Auna used to be my nephew's pokémon?"
"Yes."
Carla had been quietly aware of the Vaporeon's presence for the entire day. Every so often, she would see Auna out of the corner of her eye but wouldn't interact with her. She had a job to do on the farm, and she couldn't get distracted.
"He was so excited to get an Eevee that he bought the first evolution stone he could find. Trouble was, he didn't wait until she was ready to evolve. She's always struggled to learn Water-type moves." Lisa sighed heavily. "I love Joe to bits, but he's so impatient. He tried contacting breeders and asked if they were interested, but they said no when they found out she didn't know any good Water moves and hadn't been properly trained. We offered to take her in, but she's restless. This isn't the right place for her."
Carla concentrated on breathing steadily.
"I don't know how long it'll take her to properly learn elemental moves, or even if she ever will. It's only fair you should know that. But please think about it before you give an answer."
Lisa hadn't actually asked the question - but then, she didn't have to.
If Auna was unhappy here, going with Carla could be a good thing for her. And if Carla said no, how much longer would Auna be here?
Any pokémon can be powerful if it has the right trainer.
Auna would still be a valued member of Carla's team - and she'd still be loved. But there was still one problem.
"What about Joe? What does he think about this?"
"He doesn't get a say," Lisa replied firmly. "She's no longer his pokémon."
Carla looked Lisa right in the eye and nodded.
"Are you sure?"
"If she'll have us."
Lisa peered past Carla's left shoulder...then smiled gently. "Why don't you ask her?"
Carla shifted around to see Auna standing in the doorway, watching them both expectantly. The tips of her webbed ears twitched as she blinked.
Slowly, Carla got up and walked towards her. She knelt down in front of Auna; one look at the Vaporeon's eyes told her Auna had heard the entire conversation with Lisa. She didn't look distressed or scared at the idea of leaving the farm. If she had, Carla would have refused to take her.
"What do you think?" she asked. "Do you want to give me and the others a chance?"
Auna stayed still for a moment. Then she padded forward and licked Carla right on the nose. Carla yelped and recoiled, making Auna giggle playfully.
"Well, I think that settles it," Lisa said, chuckling. "We'll come back with you to Hearthome and get the paperwork for the transfer sorted out."
Carla gently scratched Auna behind one ear. Bruno wasn't going to believe this.
"I don't believe it." Bruno shook his head. "How? How did you even do that? Most breeders would kill to get a Vaporeon and you're getting one handed to you."
At the Centre desk, Lisa was busy filling out the form that would transfer Auna from her custody to Carla's. The process was a little more complicated than a trade since she wouldn't be getting a pokémon in return.
"They wouldn't want this one. That's why she's coming with me." Carla repeated what Lisa had told her back in the farm kitchen.
"Are you sure about this? I mean, she could learn Water-moves, but it's gonna take time. And patience."
Carla looked into Bruno's eyes. "Will you help us?"
Bruno grinned broadly. "Sure! Isn't that what friends are for?"
"Hey! Hey, guys!"
Both of them turned; Tally was rushing up to them, a transparent container in her arms. She came to a halt, her eyes shining with joy. "Guess what!"
Nestled in the container was a green and white egg.
"You won? Tally, you won!" Bruno grabbed her up in a hug, lifting her completely off the ground. "You got the egg!"
"I know! Any idea what it is?"
"I think I know," Carla said, "but I'm not going to tell you." An image of Greenlea floated in her mind. She smiled at Tally. "Congratulations."
Tally's eyes were almost brimming over with excitement. "That's not all. You'll never guess what else happened!" She threw a pokéball into the air. "Come out, Glossie!"
A Grumpig landed on the ground with a squeal of joy.
"She evolved!" Bruno cried. "Tally, that's awesome. Way to go, Glossie!"
Tally fondled Glossie's ears lovingly, beaming as the Grumpig leaned against her leg. "She evolved in the middle of the last match. It was amazing. How was the farm?"
Bruno glanced sideways at Carla. "Well..."
Lisa chose that moment to walk right up to them, paper and clipboard in her hands. "Sorry to interrupt, but the paperwork's ready, Carla. There's a pen right here; all you have to do is sign."
Carla reached out and took the clipboard and pen. She carefully signed her name on the dotted line next to Name of Recipient, then handed the clipboard back to Lisa.
"That's it," Lisa said, handing Carla a capsule. "You're now the trainer of a Vaporeon."
"Wait, a Vaporeon?" Tally looked from Lisa to Carla. "How did...What have I missed?"
Carla held Auna's pokéball carefully. It was cool and smooth, and didn't feel like hers.
But it would.
Sorry this chapter is short; again, this just seemed like a good place to end it. Plus I owe you an update.
This chapter's title comes from Boondocks by Little Big Town.
Hope you're enjoying the story so far! Please leave a review if you liked it.