Chapter 7

Early the next morning I ventured into town with Kate, Brooke, and our Pokemon. I was dressed in jeans and a loose white shirt, gifted to me by Kate, both of which were too big on me but it was nothing a tucked-in shirt and a belt couldn't fix.

Despite being confident in my new clothes, I couldn't help but feel out of place in this town. The entire settlement was hardly bigger than one or two streets and was closely bordered by the forest around it. It was the kind of town where everyone knew everyone which, of course, made me an object of interest to everyone we passed. Kate, bless her heart, sensed my discomfort after concluding the second near-exact conversation about me with her neighbors and proved adept at warding off further unwanted questions.

Once that particular nuisance was no longer a problem I spent the rest of the walk happily drinking in the red brick buildings and tree-shaded dirt roads. Brooke skipped alongside Kate, chatting to Pudge and easily slipping her small hand into her mother's. Given that the town was so small, it didn't take more than ten minutes to arrive at our destination.

The building itself was small, the plot of land it rested on was mostly taken up by the large green yard behind the structure. The door was painted with a myriad of bright colors and a large wooden Pokemon egg hung above it, advertising the building as a Pokemon nursery. Upon seeing the colourful building, Brooke squealed and ran ahead. She pushed open the door and disappeared before Kate and I even reached the entrance. Kate sighed, holding the door open for me, Luna, and Crystal.

The interior of the building was homey. The walls were decorated with hand-drawn pictures, some professional, some amateurish. The entryway was essentially a hallway that ended with the door to the yard. Off to the left stood a desk, the occupant of which was currently busy opening the back door for Brooke.

"Remember to play nicely!" the attendant shouted after Brooke. A childish giggle was the only response.

Kate stepped towards the attendant. "Sorry about her," she laughed.

The attendant turned back to us, running a hand through their sandy shoulder-length hair. "It's not a problem, I actually look forward to your visits." They glance out the back window into the yard. "Having a girl as energetic as Brooke around is healthy for the little ones."

"I just worry she gets too excited sometimes." Kate shook her head fondly and then gestured to me. "This is Alice, she's been staying with us the past couple of days, we brought her up to see some of your Pokemon." I stepped forward, waving at the attendant. Kate then switches her attention to me. "Alice, this is Jamie, the nursery attendant."

Jamie stepped closer, offering their hand to shake. I took it and returned their smile. "It's good to meet you, Alice," Jamie greeted. "You've come at the right time, I've got a group of Shinx out here going through a powerful attention-seeking phase."

I chuckled. "Are we sure Brooke isn't giving all the attention they need?"

Jamie shook their head with faux sadness. "Unfortunately, Brooke can only pet so many tiny heads at once." They gesture to the door. "Go ahead and help her out. You can stay as long as you like, and if you bond with a Pokemon you'd like to take with you, I'd be happy to help you pick out a Pokeball for them."

I stopped with one foot pointed toward the door. "I can do that?"

"Of course, you can," Jamie said. "I've been trying to find homes for these little rascals for a little over a year now. Kate and Brooke were kind enough to take one off my hands but I've still got too many for me to handle."

"Cool," I said with a grin.

Leaving the adults inside, I ventured out into the yard. Crystal chirped, running past me into the open space, followed quickly by Luna. Much like Kate's backyard, the expanse of natural grass was broken up by a couple of young trees and a fence. Unlike her yard, the area was littered with toys and obstacles of all kinds. A few different pairs of Pokemon roamed the enormous lawn with their young, but the group that drew the most attention was undoubtedly Brooke and the four Shinx chasing her around.

I watched as two of the four Shinx crashed into each other, tumbling and starting to wrestle on their own. A third Shinx tripped over its front paws and face-planted into the dirt and the final Shinx caught up to Brooke only to grow tired and flop into the grass with a huff. Noticing that her playmates were no longer with her, Brook sits down next to them and begins to play with the grass.

I walked up to the five of them, gently picked up the Shinx with dirt on its face, and tried to clean it up.

"That's Shock," Brooke said, not looking up from the grass crown she was weaving.

I paused in my ministrations, holding up the Shinx for a better look. "This guy?" Brooke nods. "Did you name him?"

"Yup, I named 'em all." She looks up, pointing to each Shinx in turn. "Shock, Sparkle, Missy, and Vee."

"Huh."

Shock, now mostly clean, started to wriggle in my grasp. I settled down next to Brooke and placed the impatient Shinx back on the ground, watching him scamper off to bother one of his sisters.

"There's also Marcy," Brooke continued, "But she lives at our house now."

I hummed in response, watching Shock pin Vee in the grass. In my peripheral, I could see Crystal and Luna playing with a young Pichu. Their excited barks and chirps set my mind at ease. I lowered my back into the soft grass and let my eyes fall shut as I drank in the peaceful atmosphere.

Minutes later, I heard Brooke giggle. Thinking nothing of it, I remained still only to feel a wet tongue lick the side of my face the next moment.

I turned away, grimacing. "Gross," I complained.

Just as I was about to open my eyes and behold the culprit, a second offender with soft fur and clipped nails scrambled up the side of my head and sat down. Brooke's giggles grew louder as I brought my hands up to try to gently remove my living blindfold. My light tugging only rewarded me with those blunt claws digging into my cheeks so, In a final attempt to breathe I began to sit up. Of course, that's when something slammed into my stomach with all the force of a tiny meteor. Any breath left in my lungs was well and truly expelled and I rolled, gasping, onto my side.

When I finally blinked my tears of pain away, I looked up to see all three of my tormentors staring at me. Shock was the closest, his face pressed right up to mine. As soon as he had determined I was alive, he trotted off with none of the guilt that an accomplice of a murder attempt should carry. Luna, at least, looked concerned and Crystal had the good sense to hang her head in remorse.

I sat up, breathing normally once again, and drew them in for a hug to let them know they were forgiven. When I stood up again, I was somewhat surprised to find Brooke standing by. She held Shock out to me, an apology written on her round face.

"He needs to apologize," Brooke said, resolutely holding onto the Shinx as he wriggled.

"If you insist," I joked, taking the blue feline from her. I held him close to my chest, cradling him like I had seen Kate do with Marcy. "What do you think?" I asked him. "Are you sorry?" In response, Shock began to purr. The sound was accompanied by barely perceptible electric vibrations that made the tips of my fingers tingle. "Apology accepted."

The tender moment was ruined by a stifled snort from Brooke. I looked back at her to find her fixing her eyes purposefully on the ground. Her shoulders shook and one of her hands came up to cover her mouth.

"Brooke? Are you okay?"

Brooke glanced up at me, her "mhmm" interrupted by more chuckles.

I narrowed my eyes. "Alright, what's so funny?"

I waited while Brooke struggled to control her giggles. "Your-" she waved a hand over her head, "your hair!"

I shifted the still purring Shock in my arms so I could card a hand through my hair. As my hand reached the top of my head, I was surprised to feel floating strands of hair stick to my hand.

"Ah. I see." I looked down at Shock again. "So this is all your fault." I scowled as my words only served to make him purr harder.

"I see you found a new friend," Jamie spoke as they crossed the lawn with Kate.

"Seems that way," I responded.

"Well, as I said before, I have plenty of Pokeballs if you'd like to take him along with you."

I nodded, gazing down at Shock, his tail twitching contentedly. "Yeah, I'd like that."

"Wonderful! Follow me then." Jamie clapped their hands together and led me back to the building.

The mention of moving along echoed in my head as I followed. The question of when I would leave this town haunted me all the way through picking a ball and dampened the elation of Shock accepting the offering.

The realization that I didn't want to leave hit while I watched Brooke frolic with the remaining three Shinx. Staying here with Kate and Brooke had given me a sense of peace. They made me feel like I was part of a family again, something I didn't know I was craving until I had to leave it. Bittersweet longing filled my heart as I watched Kate lift Brooke off her feet and spin her around, both of them laughing all the while.

I spun to face Jamie, who had returned to their desk. "What time is it?"

Jamie glanced at the watch on their wrist. "Just after 10 o'clock, why?"

"Thanks," I responded, ignoring their question and returning to the backyard.

With a heavy heart, I re-joined Kate and Brooke. They looked up as I came to a stop beside them, both of them breathless and laughing. "Hey Alice, congrats on the new Pokemon," Kate said.

I smiled. "Thanks." Suddenly nervous, I began to fidget, wringing my hands together in front of me. "So, I was thinking I'd leave town today. Continue my journey and all that…"

"Already?" Brooke and Kate exclaimed simultaneously. With a glance at Brooke, Kate continued, "you've been here for less than a week, and you have a nasty cut on your leg. Don't you think you should stay and heal?"

"I'd love to, really. I'm so, so grateful for everything you've done for me already, but I don't want to overstay my welcome. And…" I paused, shifting from foot to foot. "And I'm afraid that If I stay longer I won't have the willpower to leave again." I bit my lip to keep more words from pouring out, but it didn't stop my eyes from growing watery.

"Oh… sweetie." Kate stepped forward and wrapped her arms around me. I eagerly returned the embrace, trying hard not to think about how long it had been since my own mother had hugged me. "I understand. If you need to leave, you need to leave." She pulled back to look me in the eyes. "But promise you'll remember that you're always welcome here, okay?"

I nodded, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. "I will."

"Right then, let's head home. You can gather your things and I'll make some lunch that you can take with you."

With one hand wrapped in Kate's and one hand buried in Luna's fur, I left the nursery behind.